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.

Having used the Droid for a few days, let me share my ongoing impressions of the phone. First up, I get asked how I can use so many evaluation phones, while maintaining my sanity having four carrier phones of my own. That’s a fair question, and one with a simple answer. Google Voice is the magic that makes all this work for me. I forward all four of my own phone lines to the Google Voice number, and the GV number is forwarded to the phone I carry with me. Right now that phone is the Droid, so no matter which of my numbers gets a call, it rings on the Droid. Text messages to all four of my phones go right to the Droid through GV, too. And since the Android version of GV is so complete, I set the Droid to use GV for all outgoing calls. It just works.

So back to the Droid, what do I think so far? How does it compare to other phones I own or have evaluated? Would I recommend it for purchase? Patience, I’ll do my best to answer these questions and more.

I have been using the Droid exclusively for the past 4 days, and overall I like it. The size and weight are good for carrying it around in my pocket, and it feels good in the hand. I find the construction is very solid, even the slider has no extra play in operation. It offers a full experience for such a small device.

I am still impressed with the display, it is just beautiful to use for extended sessions. It is bright and vivid, and text is so crisp and easy to read. I find it is so resolute that I routinely use smaller fonts than I do with other phones, and that means more content on the screen at once. The touchscreen has a nice, light touch and is easy to work with.

Android 2.0 is a good evolution for the platform, and I have encountered no issues with phone operation. I am experienced with Android and that no doubt helps, as I find everything where I expect it to be. The widgets work as expected, and while some older widgets do not work on the higher resolution screen of the Droid, most I’ve tried work fine. Having used Android phones with both 5 and 7 home screens that can be customized, I find the three screens of default Android (as on the Droid) to be limiting.

Speaking of customization, that is done using those widgets on Android phones. There are many such widgets in the Android Market, which is good as the Droid ships with none. I found the Droid very plain jane out of the box, and Motorola/ Verizon would be wise to include some widgets for the phone. Widgets not only add functionality and convenience, but they can create the very look and feel of a phone. I am probably biased in this regard having used the HTC Hero for a bit, as the HTC Sense interface is just a bunch of widgets included on that phone. The Droid needs something to make the default home screen special, but all it has out of the box is a few app icons.

The Droid operation is very solid and performance is quite good. Everyone I have let play with the Droid has commented how fast everything happens, and that’s accurate. I find the hardware to be quite capable, even driving that high resolution display. I rarely experience any lags, and find I am able to concentrate on the task at hand rather than the phone itself. That’s the mark of a good device.

I find I rarely use the physical keyboard on the Droid. It’s not a great keyboard to start with, but frankly I find the onscreen keyboards (both portrait and landscape) to be pretty good. The only times I open up the keyboard in landscape mode is if the onscreen keyboard will take up too much of the screen. It does take up over half the screen, and while usually not a problem for short entries, sometimes I need to see the whole screen. The keyboard is useful to have if needed, and since it adds very little thickness or weight I’d rather have it available than not.

Last weekend I took the Droid to a monthly Geek Gathering, and everyone was very impressed with the phone. This was a tough crowd, too, as everyone was tech-savvy and very tuned into the smartphone scene. The performance of the Droid was mentioned repeatedly, and the fact it had a sliding keyboard while remaining so thin was a hot topic.

I have seen on the web numerous reviewers state that the Droid is the best Android phone to date. I largely agree with that assessment, but I temper that a little. If the carrier was not a factor and I was going to buy a phone today, I would buy the HTC Hero on Sprint. There are a few reasons for that choice that I’ll share.

I found the Hero to be just as good a performer as the Droid. While the display was not quite as big as that of the Droid, the Hero was a bit smaller making it a tad more portable. I’ve already stated that I don’t use the physical keyboard on the Droid that much, so the lack of one on the Hero didn’t bother me at all. HTC has included their own onscreen keyboards on the Hero, and they are better than the stock Android versions on the Droid.

The one thing (besides the carrier) that would have me choose the Droid over the Hero is Android 2.0. Specifically, it is the Google Maps Navigation that is included in Android 2.0. I have used the Google Navigation on the Droid and it is flat-out awesome. One 20-mile trip across town I made with the Droid as the navigator demonstrated to me how powerful it is. The ability to follow the route with the overhead satellite view is so useful I can’t state that emphatically enough. I have used navigation systems for years and this first attempt by Google already blows them all away. I would choose the Droid over the Hero for this reason alone, but it’s coming to the Hero soon.

HTC has already stated that it would be updating the Hero to Android 2.0 soon, and that is the clincher for me. Assuming that Google Maps Navigation will be in that upgrade, the Hero is the phone I would choose. HTC includes the Sense interface, a collection of home screen widgets which add a ton of utility while making the phone’s look and feel miles ahead of the Droid’s. Throw in the Hero’s physical phone buttons, and it’s my solid choice.

I still like my Palm Pre, don’t fret you Pre enthusiasts. But I find I can have more utility out of the box with apps already available in the Android Market, and I’m not alone in that regard.

The RTM folks were ready for the launch of the Droid last week, and updated the Android app to support the handset’s high-resolution screen. I am using it and it works fine, so those of you with RTM Pro accounts should get the update if you are using an Android phone. This new Android version also supports the lower resolution of the HTC Tattoo.

In a side-by-side comparison, one could argue that pics from the iPhone 3GS look better than those from a Droid. That doesn’t mean you can’t make the Droid photos a little better. Adobe released a mobile Photoshop app for the iPhone a few weeks back, and the same title hits the Android Market today. The free software is limiting in terms of what picture qualities you can change, but I find myself using it on most of my pics. In fact, just yesterday I tweaked this little number using Photoshop for iPhone.

Harvesting the feed corn

What I like about the app is how simple it is. You just choose what function you want and then slide your finger left to right for the adjustment. You can save the photo locally or save and upload to Photoshop.com where you have 2 GB of free storage.

Image Credit: mobile.163.com

If you had any doubts about Dell’s Mini 3iX coming to AT&T in 2010, the FCC is here to dispel them. Unwired View says the FCC has tested the device with the typical confidentiality clauses in place, so there are no new device pics to peep unless you like looking at profiles and labels. The confidentiality on photos and the user manual expires on April 21, 2010, however that doesn’t mean the device might be available before then. In fact, I’d expect we see it as a working prototype at January’s Consumer Electronics Show. Probably the most interesting tidbit in what’s publicly available are the tested frequencies, which do jive with AT&T’s network for both voice and HDPA data.

I still think my Dell Axim was a great PDA back in the day — I found it well-designed and built solidly. I’m expecting the same from a Dell Android device. Word on the street is that the Mini 3iX will be the same as the Mini 3i found in China (shown above), but with the addition of Wi-Fi and 3G.

Likes

• Display — the screen is brilliant and very resolute. It is a joy web browsing on the Droid.
• Build quality — the phone is solid in the hand and is the best built Android phone I’ve tried so far. The slider works perfectly, and feels like it will stand up to the tests of the road warrior. The Droid feels a bit heavier than expected as a result of the solid metal build. It is impressive how thin the phone is considering it has the sliding keyboard.
• Android 2.0 — this new version of Android is more polished and fits the Droid well. It’s not a huge jump from version 1.6, but it’s decent.
• Call quality — I have been pleased with the quality of audio calls. There have been no issues of any kind.
• Web browsing – the Android browser works really well on the large screen of the Droid. It is fluid to manipulate with the finger, and the double-tap method of column zooming makes up for the lack of pinch and zoom.
• On-screen keyboards — the soft keyboards in Android 2.0 work well in both portrait and landscape. I prefer on-screen keyboards over physical ones, and the Droid versions work really well. The predictive text and auto-correction work very well.
• Camera — the 5 MP camera on the Droid can take good pictures, if I am patient with it. The flash is a welcome feature, and the video recording is very nice.
• Google Maps Navigation — this is fantastically useful and would be even more so with the Droid car dock which I don’t have.

Dislikes

• Keyboard — the physical keyboard is better than no keyboard, but it will take getting used to it. The keys are very flat and it is easy to make typos while using it. The single biggest problem with this keyboard is how there is no predictive text nor auto-correction while using it, even though they exist for the on-screen keyboard. Including it with the real keyboard would have offset the typing difficulty a great deal.
• Camera — the slow operation of the still camera has it appearing on the list of dislikes, even though the video camera is something I like. It is possible to take pretty decent stills with the Droid, but the slow operation and non-intuitive controls usually require taking several photos to get one just right.
• Plain home screen – I was spoiled by the great HTC Hero widgets due to the Sense interface, and the Droid seems very plain without good widgets. There are a lot of widgets available in the Android Market, but it requires searching through them to get ones that I like. The Droid home screen only has a few application icons on it as it ships, and it needs some additional functionality out of the box. Only having the standard three home screens that Android provides is not a liability compared to the seven on the Hero, as there are no cool widgets to put there anyway.
• Power cord – this seems nitpicky but the USB charging cord that comes with the Droid is so short to almost be unusable. I have an outlet on the floor, just inches from the corner of my desk, and the cord will barely reach the corner of the desktop for charging. The Droid almost perches on the edge of the desk as a result.

That’s the extend of my evaluation so far, but I will continue to use it and share that experience. I’ll also be shooting some video soon of the Droid in action. My current feeling is that the Droid is the best phone currently available on the Verizon network. If I had an upgrade available I would consider getting a Droid. I probably wouldn’t pick one up at full price.

The one thing I’m not yet clear on is if the extra $30 a month is a plan feature or not. If it’s a feature, you should be able to add and remove it at any point during your contract. I used to do just that with my old XV6700 on Verizon back in the day. My expectation — hope, really — is that this is how it will work. I’m not sure I’d want to commit to the extra $30 for the length of my contract, but that’s just me. Oh and no truth to the rumor about the keyboard blanks — they’re not used to start and stop the tethering.

After looking at his test set, most of the iPhone photos look better to me in most cases. Of course, that’s subjective, so you should peep with your own eyes to see the difference. It looks like the advanced software camera features of the iPhone are helping to take better shots thanks to focus and exposure functions. Of course, the Droid could gain similar functionality through a software update in the future. If video is more your thing, then I’d say the Droid wins by a hair. Based on video output I’ve seen, the 720 x 480 output looks a tad better to my four eyes.