Image Credit: Tech Radar

Google’s Chrome OS might have the focus today, but Qualcomm made sure that people don’t forget about Android. The company showed off a smartbook concept made by Quanta and powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform. Although this is the same chipset running in some high-end smartphones, the Snapdragon chip isn’t underclocked — it’s powering Android on the full 1GHz speed on the Cortex-A8 architecture.

Bill Timmons of Qualcomm envisions smartbooks in the same price range as a smartphone, but I think that’s a tough challenge, barring the subsidy factor. While the devices have the guts of a smartphone, there’s still a larger display to pay for. If these devices are too close in price to netbooks, I suspect that netbooks will win out with most consumers — people will perceive the fuller featured netbook running the familiar Windows OS as a better value. Anything over $200 and I just don’t see smartbooks becoming successful. And while I was leaning towards Chrome OS boosting the slow starting smartbook market, the lack of application support brings me back to Android as a potential operating system for smartbooks and netbooks.

The Verizon Droid is soon to be returned to the kind folks there who sent me this evaluation phone so it’s time for a video look at the phone. The Droid is the Android 2.0 slider that is thin and light, and sports an industrial design bent. In the video I show the responsiveness of the Droid, the hardware and give a feel for the web browsing experience. I also show the camera function, including how long it takes to focus and shoot.

I have been impressed with the Droid, and will be sad to see it go. It is a very capable smartphone compared to the many I have tried. I find it is easily the best phone on the Verizon network currently.

Smartbooks are not the only likely product of this alliance; it is easy to envision web tablets and other consumer devices appear with Android on board. As the alliance press release indicates, ARM-based products are designed to be “always connected” by nature, and that can mean devices of all kinds. Android just got a lot more interesting, in my view. I wonder how Android will fit in with the Google Chrome OS poising for takeoff?

Sure enough, just go to www.ereader.com/android from your phone and download the app. The Android version supports working with the eReader online store and the user online bookshelf. I can tell you one thing — the Droid’s big screen makes it a fantastic e-book reader. The only complaint so far is no justification of the text, a pet-peeve of mine.

I can say that the Droid I am evaluating has started working flawlessly, with no action on my part. The auto-focus works well every single time now, where before it was a seldom seen thing. I have not reset the Droid, nor seen any evidence from Verizon nor Motorola that a fix has been pushed to the phone. Based on my own experience, and that being reported by Droid owners, I am confident that a fix has been pushed OTA.

Here are two photos shot in a simple “point and click” mode, using auto-focus. You can see the difference easily.

That actually leads to an interesting question since I’ve generally been against a handheld that doesn’t offer cellular voice capabilities. Could a full-featured smartphone-like device be successful without the phone part? The most obvious example of a yes answer is Apple’s iPod Touch, but I can’t envision myself using a basic phone for voice and an iPod Touch for everything else. Of course, the Touch doesn’t have integrated wireless broadband, only Wi-Fi, so maybe I’d feel differently if the handheld had an always-on connection. Again, I’m not suggesting that the Dell Streak will be data only, but it does make me wonder about just such a device.

While we ponder that, here’s another look at the Dell Streak from last month.

I’m not representative of your mainstream consumer, but I can’t remember the last time — or even the first time — that I looked for software in the iTunes store on a computer. I don’t think a desktop app store alone is the answer, but it wouldn’t hurt — instead, Google needs to continue revamping its mobile Android Marketplace to make it easier to find apps. I’m not against Jason’s suggestion to revamp the existing Google Android Marketplace website with a “buy here and push to phone” software store. While that would be useful, I don’t see much value added — the best mobile solution is to have customers find what they need for their handset right on their handset, not in front of a computer. Google can start by making better use of screen real estate in the Market — I find that the large “Update” and “Install” buttons are too big and there’s too much scrolling in general when look at an application’s details. Is it just me?

While we ponder and debate Android software approaches, let’s not forget that some new hardware is due out this week. The Samsung Behold II arrives for T-Mobile customers on Wednesday. That price of admission nets you a 3.2″ AMOLED touchscreen display, Samsung’s TouchWIZ interface riding atop Android 1.6, a 2 GB microSD card, Wi-Fi, 3G and 5 megapixel camera. I’ve read two different price tags for the Behold II — $199 and $229 — and Samsung’s official press release does nothing to clarify a price. I’m thinking $199 is the cost later this week because we’re starting to see real competition to get good smartphones under the $199 barrier after subsidy.

This question is timely given the recent release of the Verizon Droid and Droid Eris. The Droid is the only available smartphone that runs Android 2.0, the latest version that is widely recognized as a big improvement over the previous version, 1.6. That version is on most of the other Android phones currently available, or in some cases (the HTC Hero comes to mind) even an earlier version is running the show.

The Droid Eris is priced very attractively, but prospective customers have to consider if the older OS is worth the cost savings. Sure, it is expected (although not necessarily a given) that the Eris will get an upgrade to Android 2.0. That would make the Eris one of the most attractive Android phones on the market given the low price point compared to the Droid. But in the world of phone OS updates, such an update could be months before it appears. There are too many fingers in the OS update pie, the phone manufacturer, the OS provider and of course the phone network.

A few months doesn’t seem like a long time to wait for a significant update, but smartphones have a very short consumer lifespan. Contracts in the U.S. are two years in duration, and some folks don’t keep phones even that long. That makes a wait of a few months for an OS update a lot more of an impact on the buying decision. If a given phone doesn’t see an update for six months, not that unusual, that can be a significant portion of the phone’s lifespan with the typical consumer. To some folks it might not be worth the wait, it might make more sense to get the more expensive phone that ships with the latest OS version.

I only used the Droid as an example given the timeliness of the Eris release. The same question can be asked of other phones, as it seems we are always waiting for one OS update or another. The only platforms exempt from this dilemma are the iPhone and WebOS. All of Apple’s and Palm’s phones get all updates, a distinct advantage in this case. So how long is too long for an OS update? Would you be willing to wait a long time for an update, or do you take that into your buying decision?

I am no professional photographer, and while I’m sure I could have tweaked the settings on each of the phone cameras, I wanted to simulate the way most people use their camera phone. You see something interesting, grab the phone and snap a pic. That’s all I did here, so each of the photos reflects the default settings for each camera. The photos were taken one after the other, and the camera was the same distance from the subject in each.  Here are the three photos taken and some that show the sizes of the three phones:

Courtesy Clicky

What happens when a phone like the Droid, that is focused on web integration, launches on the U.S. network widely recognized as the best 3G network (Verizon)? Statistics released by Clicky, a web analytics firm, show that the Droid has made an impact on usage in the U. S. from the very launch of the phone. The Droid on Verizon has accounted for over two percent of total mobile browsers accessing the 150,000 web sites that Clicky tracks, starting on Nov. 11, the launch date for the Droid.

This is significant, not only for demonstrating the immediate impact the Droid has exhibited on the mobile web, but for the fact that it is accounting for almost a third of usage of all Android phones in the U.S. There are other Android phones that are in the wild, and some have been for quite some time, yet the Droid is already climbing the usage charts tracking them all, after just a few days. Of course, reliability of statistics depend on a lot of factors, but this big chunk of browsing share is attention grabbing.

(via Geek.com)

If you follow smartphones you’ve probably seen a pretty cool phone appear out of nowhere recently, the V1, from a company you’ve probably never heard of, Saygus. The V1 is an Android-based phone that closely resembles Verizon’s Droid. It looks impressive, and when you throw in its video conferencing capabilities, seems almost too good to be true. Maybe it is. I found it unusual that such a sophisticated-looking phone could be made by such an unknown company like Saygus, so I set off to discover everything I could about the firm. What I found left me with more questions than answers.

I’m pretty plugged into the smartphone scene, so I was eager to find out where Saygus came from and what sort of smartphone-making expertise it was bringing to the table. The rumor that the V1 would come out of Verizon’s Open Development initiative, in particular, really piqued my curiosity. But while I was unable to come up with much information about the company (there’s not a lot available), what I did find struck me as bizarre.

Saygus, according to its web site, is based in South Jordan, Utah; it was founded by CEO Chad Sayers. It bills itself as an “innovative leader in the communications industry specializing in the design, development, beta testing and market implementation of the world‘s first live wireless two-way video conferencing PCDA (Personal Communications Data Assistant).”

Saygus is set to release in the “fourth quarter of this year” the V1 — “the world’s first two-way live video conferencing PCDA.” The picture of the V1 (above) depicts the phone that is appearing all over the web as the new Android phone to possibly be carried by Verizon.

As to founder and CEO Sayers, a quick Google search revealed that he’s also president and CEO of Sandy, Utah-based PSNet Inc. According to that company’s site, PSNet is an “innovative leader in the communications industry specializing in the design, development, beta testing and market implementation of the world‘s first live wireless two-way video conferencing PCDA (Personal Communications Data/Digital Assistant) and development of the world’s most advanced “Data Mining” technology.” Sound familiar?

PSNet Nav

And PSNet is set to release in the “third quarter of this year” the Nav — “The Worlds First PCDA – Personal Communications Digital Assistant – Cell Phone/Live Video/Internet/802.11g/Bluetooth Integrated.” That’s a picture of the Nav on the right.

A closer look at the PSNet web site makes clear that PSNet is short for People Savings Network, and shows “The Peoples Friend” Chad Sayers looking for the best shopping deals for us all. The longer I spent looking around the PSNet site the more confused I got as to how this company could be producing a top-tier smartphone.

So what we have is two companies with the same chief, producing what (based on their product descriptions) sounds like the same gadget, even though they look nothing alike. It makes me wonder whether I’ll ever see either device hit the shelves.

Another Google search, this time of “PSNet Sayers,” led me to a Reuters news item that detailed a $10 million suit filed in 2008 against both PSNet and Chad Sayers for breach of contract in Utah. According to the report:

The lawsuit filed by the Flint, Michigan, auto parts company, Needa Parts Manufacturing, Inc., claims that PSNet agreed to invest $10 million dollars in Needa Parts, but breached its contract.  The complaint alleges that Needa Parts and PSNet entered into a detailed agreement specifying that PSNet was to purchase a majority interest in Needa Parts.  According to the suit, PSNet and Sayers repeatedly deceived Needa Parts regarding how much money would be paid, and when PSNet would pay it.

The Reuters article goes on to note that PSNet also owns PSNet Realty and PSNet Classified, which would make its portfolio notably diversified.

I could find no official affiliation between Saygus and PSNet, only that they share the same CEO. And they are both located in Utah, although a PSNet (People Savings Network) Communications was listed as being in Las Vegas as of 2006. The president and director of record for the Vegas-based PSNet? Chad Sayers.

I was able to speak with a representative of Saygus by phone, and asked about the connection between PSNet and Saygus. I was told that “about a year ago” PSNet decided to stop operating and to change its name to Saygus, and had not gotten around to killing the PSNet web site — or even redirecting the URL to the Saygus site. That should be done soon, according to the person I spoke with, perhaps by the time this article is published. I know one thing for certain: I’m still unclear how Saygus could be in the top-tier phone business, no matter what name it’s using.

I keep Om’s old G1 around the house for software testing and such — he wouldn’t swap it for the Droid, go figure. Most of the time, it sits idly on my desk, but maybe it’s time to start getting into that hackability zone with this one-year old. Android by itself is getting better and better, but it seems to me that all of the fun stuff happens when folks start tinkering with the platform. Since I’m still terrified by a solder iron, this seems like a better way to channel my efforts. Any suggestions on where to start and what to do with a G1?

Verizon already looking to fix Droid and Eris issues (Phandroid) — It doesn’t get any more official than leaked, top-secret documents with a “Confidential” watermark, now does it? Apparently, Verizon has two software updates targeted for its new Android handsets — one on December 11 and the next on January 22. There are a number of documented fixes along with current workarounds in the docs. Important items of note: improvements in the camera auto-focus and Bluetooth data transfers.

Google buys AdMob (Google) — Why would Google’s purchase of AdMob be of interest to a phone owner? Google is now going to have insights to iPhone apps since AdMob is a large ad provider to mobile apps. This ought to be interesting to see how Google uses the info, considering the fact that using information smartly ties directly to their business model.

T-Mobile hangs up on My Faves (Fierce Wireless) — I for one am glad to see the MyFaves program go. I only have three friends, so it made me feel inferior. OK, I’m just joking, but the sad news is true — T-Mobile is doing away with the MyFaves feature. No longer will new customers have the chance to add five friends to their free calling circle, although I have heard that if you have MyFaves now, you’ll be grandfathered in to keep it. Now that T-Mo has their new Even More and Even More Plus plans with unlimited voice, I won’t have to worry about how many friends I have. I wonder why they never call?

True, you’re dealing with Android 1.6, but you’re gaining a slick UI with HTC’s Sense. Besides, HTC has reported that Sense is coming to Android 2.0 on the Hero, so it’s not a stretch to see the Eris (essentially, the same phone) gain an Android update with Sense from Verizon in the near future. Going back to the point about saving money for a sec: you can nab either the Droid or Droid Eris for even less through Wirefly — the Motorola Droid is reportedly $99 while the Eris is free with a new two-year contract.

Getting away from phones, it’s worth a mention that the Android-x86 project continues to make progress with Android porting to x86 computers. I recently used their build to get Android 1.6 on my 1.33 GHz Intel Core Solo powered Samsung Q1UP UMPC. Since that build, the project team has incorporated several new features including support for Bluetooth. I’ll be taking another look at it in the near future because I’d like to use a Bluetooth keyboard with my device — rumor has it that the button next to the CTRL key is the magic “Menu” button in Android. While I wait for the next build, here’s a look at how Android functions on such a device.