Get Your Gadgets Going!

AT&T Galaxy Note Comes on the 19th for $299, preorders on the 5th

Tristan Thomas — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:07:29 +0000

The AT&T Galaxy Note by Samsung features a large 5.3 screen, plus a light and thin design. It also features a the worlds first HD Super AMOLED screen. If anyone ever needed a portable big screen, this would be the right move for them. The Galaxy Note will be available stating on the 19th for $299, with preorders starting on the 5th, which also happens to be Super Bowl Sunday (go Giants!).

If are yet to see this monstrous device in action yet, check out the video below courtesy of Slashgear:

Microsoft Bringing Xbox Live to the Android Platform

Tristan Thomas — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:07:50 +0000

Although we are not big fans of Microsoft, one thing that Microsoft is constantly doing right is with the Xbox 360, and it seems Microsoft will be continuing its trend. News has just broken that Android will be seeing its own version of Microsoft’s Xbox Live. However, it won’t be as saturated as the one for Windows Phone. This is to be expected, as Microsoft would lose out on a lot of consumer incentive.

From a Microsoft spokesperson:

While the Xbox Live experiences and games always work best on the Windows platform, we understand that some Xbox fans may be using other types of devices. To satisfy that need, we are working to extend a few of our Xbox experiences and titles to other platforms.

So then why are they bringing it to Android if they may lose customer incentive? That would be because Microsoft is smartening up, and they are realizing that not everyone that plays the Xbox 360 has, or wants a Windows Phone. As a result, making an app for Android in a similar fashion that Microsoft did for the iOS platform is the way to go in order to get their product more out there. After all, Android is the most dominate OS by market share. Who wouldn’t want to captivate the attention of potentially 50 percent of the smart phone market?

Source: PhoneArena

The Evolution of Google [infograph]

Tristan Thomas — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:54:23 +0000

Google has done well in earning it’s spot in history as the greatest thing to happen to the web since the web itself first came into existence. Below is an interactive timeline of all of Google’s biggest accomplishments, as well as the hardships it has faced until this day.

Check it out:

Created By Online PhD

Future BlackBerry 10 Smartphones, and Playbook 2.0 to Support Android Apps

Tristan Thomas — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:16:37 +0000

RIM has placed itself at the center of attention, and not the good kind either. First, RIM has been expeirnceing a downward rocket ride in market share to the point where the company is now worth less than the stock. Then today, news broke that co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis, and Jim Balsillie of more than 10 years would be stepping down in favor of ex-COO Thorsten Heins. It seemed as if RIM just wouldn’t get a break, but it seems Android may be here to save them (well, sorta). Heins himself has released a statement saying that “Playbook 2.0 and BlackBerry 10 will also have an Android player on it,”.

At this point, it isn’t shocking to see that RIM is exploring all of their options, but do you know what we would rather see? Instead of a BlackBerry that runs Android apps, wouldn’t you much rather a Blackberry simply running a full blown version of Android? With that, RIM could port over their BBM service, make it universal to all BlackBerry and Android users. All while making a profit from BBM in one form or another.

It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Source: PhoneArena

Samsung Gets Dubbed Preferable Android Brand by iGR

Tristan Thomas — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:33:11 +0000

With a multitude of Android manufacturers competing against each other, naturally some brands will stand out more than others. According to a study done by iGR, Samsung came out on top followed by Motorola, HTC and LG, with manufacturers like ZTE and Huawei ranking at the bottom.

At first, we were a little shock with this finding. There was once a time when people were unhappy with their Samsung Android handsets because of common GPS issues, and Samsung’s inability to provide timely Android updates, or any updates at all. We believe that with the Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung may have set everything right with their loyal customers.

Check out the press release below.

Source: PhanDroid

New iGR Research Shows Samsung as Most Preferred Android Device Brand Among Consumers
Consumer Surveys Also Show That 45 Percent of Android Users Researched the OS Prior to Purchase and Specifically Wanted an Android Device

AUSTIN, TX, Jan 20, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — The popularity of the Google Android smartphoneoperating system (OS) has increased significantly in the last few years. New iGR research shows that, at present, 47 percent of U.S. smartphone users have an Android device, followed by 24 percent who own/use an Apple iPhone. Of the major brands supporting Android, Samsung has the highest brand preference among consumers, followed by Motorola, HTC and LG. ZTE and Huawei ranked toward the bottom of the brands studied, although note that these brands currently sell comparatively lower volumes in the U.S. market.

iGR’s new research also shows that 45 percent of Android users researched the OS prior to purchase and specifically selected an Android device when they bought a new smartphone. It also appears that Google’s reputation is driving Android sales — 27 percent of Android users said that they selected an Android smartphone because they believed that Google was a “reputable company” and therefore inferred that Android must also be reputable.

These findings, as well as others relating to consumers’ Android brand preferences and impressions, are presented in iGR’s new market study Android Brand Preferences: U.S. Consumers, published in January 2012.

“Understanding why consumers select specific brands and certain smartphones is critical to the success of OEMs in the highly competitive U.S. handset market,” says iGR Research Analyst, Sarah Thoman, who authored the study. “While a user’s current handset brand influences the selection of a new Android smartphone, many other factors also come into play. For example, handset display quality and functionality also highly influenced the smartphone purchase decision.”
iGR’s new study, Android Brand Preferences: U.S. Consumers, addresses several key topics:

The number of Android smartphones sold in the U.S. in 2011 (by quarter)
Why consumers buy Android smartphones
The profile of the typical Android smartphone user
The handset features users like on Android smartphones
How consumers rank Android OEM brands and why
How the user’s current device brand impacts that user’s Android smartphone purchase
Which Android OEM brands are associated with the major mobile operators

About iGR iGR is a market strategy consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile communications industry. Founded by Iain Gillott, one of the wireless industry’s leading analysts, in late 2000 as iGillottResearch, iGR is now entering its twelfth year of operation. iGR continuously researches emerging and existent technologies, technology industries, and consumer markets. We use our detailed research to offer a range of services to help companies improve their position in the marketplace, clearly define their future direction, and ultimately improve their bottom line.
iGR researches a range of wireless and mobile products and technologies, including: smartphones; tablets; mobile applications; bandwidth demand and use; small cell architectures; DAS; LTE; WiMAX; VoLTE; IMS; NFC; GSM/GPRS/UMTS/HSPA; CDMA 1x/EV-DO; iDEN; SIP; macro-, pico- and femtocells; mobile backhaul; WiFi and WiFi offload; and SIM and UICC. iGR is a member of the Rural Cellular Association.

HTC Flyer to See ICS in Q1 2012

Tristan Thomas — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:51:30 +0000

With so many emerging tablets, as well as those that are still making it’s mark on the market, HTC has taking the initiative to stand out with their HTC Flyer. Although many may not appreciate the need for a stylus, HTC has taking it upon themselves to provide the stylus form factor for those who can appreciate it. For those of you who have been contemplating this move, well here are a few more incentives: the HTC Flyer will be receiving Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwhich, and has gone through a price cut to just $299.

Although this news is yet to be officially confirmed, as it was accidentally mentioned by a service rep in France, the HTC Flyer has recently been upgraded to Android 3.2 Honeycomb. As a result, we see this rumor coming true and soon. A few more weeks should tell.

Source: HTCHub, via PhoneArena

Top 3 Ways Samsung Has Slavishly Copied Apple

Tristan Thomas — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:58:52 +0000

Back when Apple first sued Samsung, they released a statement saying “Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple’s technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products”. While we personally don’t feel this is the complete case, Samsung has shown that in some areas they feel the need to copy Apple’s style. In fact, since the first lawsuit, Samsung has been even more blatant in their need to copy Apple. Here are Samsung’s top three instances of copying Apple.

3. Samsung Series 7 Aluminum Laptops vs Mac Book

Apple has always been a company of aesthetics, and the same is true with their Mac Books. Be it the Mac Book pro, or the more recent Mac Book Air, Apple has set a tone for their devices that simply scream “I am an Apple product“. Since it is so unique in its design, it is very easy to see when someone is trying to copy them. Most manufactures who are making “ultra books” are in someway copying Apple, but it’s important to notice that Samsung was the first to copy Apple. The worst part is that they didn’t even take the time to make it seem completely unique.

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs iPad 2

Although the German courts have ruled that only Apple can make thin tablets, we don’t believe that the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 replicates that iPad 2: that’s just our personal opinion. The reason it makes the top three list is because of the way it was introduced. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was under construction when the iPad 2 was first announced. Once the iPad 2 was announced, Samsung felt the need to take the Tab back to the drawing board to “improve the parts that are inadequate“. The results of this was a slimmer and lighter tablet. It’s also worth mentioning that Samsung’s legal team had difficulties telling the two tablets apart.

1. Samsung Commercial vs Apple Commercial

We’ve seen some creative and unique commercials from Samsung: our particular favorite being this one. With that said, we were completely stumped with Samsung’s latest advertisement in which they used the same talent from one of Apple’s iPhone 4S commercials. With six and a half billion people in the world, you would think that Samsung would have been able to find other suitable replacements. This one comes in strong at number one mostly because it’s completely stupid to pull this kind of stunt, as it could give Apple more fire power in the courtroom. You can view the video below.

Any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below, or e-mail me at tristanthomas@getyourgadgetsgoing.com

Google Pokes Fun at Facebook with “Could Not Connect Page” [Updated]

Tristan Thomas — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:23:35 +0000

Users have been reporting that Facebook isn’t playing so nicely today, and that constant attempts to get on the social media giant ended with your run of the mill error page. Well, of course, if your using Google Chrome then it’s as ordinary as Google’s humor gets. +Ian M Butterfield took refuge on Google+ when he was unable to connect to his facebook in order to post the screen shot of the error message he received while on Google Chrome. The error message (pictured below) reads “Oops! Google Chrome could not connect to www.facebook.com. Try loading: plus.google.com. Additional options: Access a cached copy of www.twiter.com.” and if that wasn’t enough, Google went on to recommend that you do a Google search on “superior reliable social networks”.

Yeah, having fun the Google way!

UPDATE: Photo is doctored to show what the original SHOULD read.

Android, iOS, RIM, and Windows Phone Market Share for 2011

Tristan Thomas — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:33:23 +0000

As the year winds down, industry leader in mobile OS statistics NPD has set out to see who’s grabbing most of the mobile OS sales, as well as the OSes that are floating around, or even dead in the water. The latest from NPD is a year by year record of how mobile OSes feared. The study found that Android was able to capture 53 percent of the smartphone market share to be the number one OS by sales, Apple came in second with a 29 percent margin, RIM with 10 percent, and Windows Phone still doing worst than Windows Mobile with 2 percent of the pie. Check the chart out below.

It’s important to note that when you compare the 2011 OS market share to Q2 OS market share, Android has since grown by 1 percent, while Apple has capped off at 29 percent. It’s also important to note that although the iPhone has been having a record number of sales, the smart phone market is constantly expanding, and that majority of the people buying iPhones are already previous iPhone users. So what happens is similar to what occurs when the birth rate and death rate are the same: the population stops growing. Just a few things to keep in mind.

Android Market Charging 11 Cents for 10 Cent Apps

Tristan Thomas — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:31:18 +0000

If you have visited the Android market within the last few days, you would have noticed that there has been crazy blow out sales on premium apps. This blow out sale is Google’s ways of celebrating the 10th billionth app download from the Android market. This has been going on since December 6th and will carry on until the 16th. There’s just one problem, people have been complaining that they have been charged one whole extra cent. No need to feel cheated. We have a perfectly good explanation for that.

For a long time now, online retailers have been getting avoiding taxes on their products because they were not bound to any one particular state. Now that online retailing has become more popular, more and more states are looking to cash in on the available money at hand. As a result, certain states have passed bills that place tax on goods sold online. So for some of you that live in certain states, you may experience some apps showing up on your credit card as 11 cents, but it’s not because they are trying to steal your cent: it’s just tax.

I’m pretty sure half of you question as to whether or not it even matters, but the other half may see this lack of transparency as a deal breaker when committing to future purchases. Just thought we would take the time out to explain it for you guys.

Image Credit: kevinweaver2 (Reddit)