Showing posts with label android. Show all posts
Showing posts with label android. Show all posts

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The day broke up Wintel

Behind the television ads in relief, or connected, and other tablets, the new major last CES went relatively unnoticed. It is no less significant if: Fortress Wintel eventually implode under its own gravitational mass. It is, however, that since the conference of Microsoft Build the details of the divorce were announced. First element: all manufacturers of PCs, once submitted to the yoke of Microsoft, now offer machines running operating systems other than Windows.

There was a time when Microsoft would never have missed such insolence, but it was specifically convicted of such practices. Insult of all insults, even Intel has its own operating system (first Moblin Meego and after the merger with Maemo, Nokia's system). However additional Intel teams up with Google to offer an Android compatible hardware platform (see Android: Google and Intel optimize their relationship). This independence of manufacturers is indeed the element that has reintroduced a competitive pressure for both Windows and x86: in the mobile world, the ARM processor and OS tactile reign supreme. And it is this pressure that led to the second item that ends the reign unchallenged until Wintel: Microsoft announced that the exclusive x86 ended, and an ARM-compatible version of Windows was on the agenda . It is a real warning shot, while the tandem-x86 Windows is rain or shine in the computer world for a quarter of a century.

Wintel, the portmanteau word that describes so well the close relationship between Microsoft and Intel, which has been very successful in a waltz with each update of an advantage to the other and vice versa. The x86 has shelved the 680x0 processors from Motorola, the PowerPC alliance Apple-IBM-Motorola, MIPS processors, and many others. The IBM alliance goodness, the former regent, outside his own kingdom. No one was in size, no one could resist the steamroller. At best, the Mac has missed just disappear, which might have happened if, ironically, Microsoft had not come to the aid of the symbolic last competitor (Apple investing in an amount no less symbolic but the gesture has been sufficient to restore confidence in the stock market), and Linux should survive by having taken out the equation on commercial (commercial versions of Linux without the means of its competitors in terms of marketing ). On the hardware side, the only salvation for AMD has been to produce processors compatible with the x86 instruction set, including the road map remains under the sole control of Intel. As for other builders and developers, they were all committed to the cause Wintel: any little sheep who is away from the path saw sharply rebuked, if not economic sanctions. Intel and Microsoft held their cup whole computer industry, thereby making their mutual good fortune: in 2010, Microsoft record $ 62.5 billion in revenue and 44 billion Intel. The two companies have worked to preserve, and both have taken too much of their dominant position, which is based more on one another, so that they were both heavily sentenced several times. The industry has paid dearly for this straitjacket that will put a brake on innovation, a crucial component in this area. It will have been that by deporting a new market, away from two friends, the manufacturers have been able to get rid of their hegemony. But watching the course of history, one can not help but notice that the spell is sometimes quite ironic. In 1994, Apple presents its first Power Macintosh, it trumpets the CISC processors Intel is at an end, and that things are going now, Intel will not take the demands of Moore's Law a few years at most.

Twelve years later, the same Apple abandoned the PowerPC processor and passes it once decried as moribund and obsolete. If Intel was able to deploy ingenuity to ensure that the x86 architecture continues to remain valid, all agree, however, to note that it shows its age. We have perhaps forgotten today with the current nomenclature of Intel for its processors, but it takes its name from the first members of this family whose name was composed of a number ending in 86, starting with the 8086 which powered the very first IBM PC, and was born in 1978 .... Certainly, the architecture has undergone many changes since, but at a heavy price compatibility.

This is particularly acute at a time when Intel has to offer ultrasobre processor to deal with the ARM architecture that equips virtually all mobile devices. This does not, however, Intel to continue to develop brilliant discoveries (read Intel starts to 3D). For the interdependence of Microsoft and Intel have also sealed their fate mutual: it was necessary that the processors are compatible with the OS and applications, and vice versa. While Apple was 3 times its revolution (changing twice processors and once the operating system), taking each time a blank page while managing to establish a smooth transition, Microsoft and Intel are remained bound hand and foot. So much so that enough has become a cultural value for both companies, which have remained bogged down when the mobile took off.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Meridian IOS to Android

Co-founder of Spotlight Mobile, Nick Farina has decided to increase its application of micro-geolocation, Meridian IOS to Android. In doing so, he explains what he liked in the development of Android, and what he liked least, from the perspective of a developer IOS. Farina made a decision early in the project as code natively on IOS, it has no reason to do otherwise on Android. He decided not to use cross-platform development tools, to stick as close to the canons of Android interface, and code in Java. This is an important decision that determines many choices. The first question was that of choosing an IDE (integrated development environment) is that of iOS Xcode Mac, point - code editor, SDK, test tools, simulators, everything is included. Google Android SDK provides the developer with the choice of the publisher. Farina has opted to use the recommended solution, Eclipse with the plug-in ADT (Android Development Tools for Eclipse).
“It is heavy and even heavier than heavy ". The first negative contact, however, must be surpassed to discover the power of this monolithic IDE "a good way to navigate Eclipse is to spend a few hours, and I am very serious about it, hacking away with hundreds of options, check boxes and small gadgets in the Preferences section. “This way to force Eclipse to discover, to understand its logic, is the cost to develop it easier for Android" will simply code for you. " This way of approaching things is actually the key, according to Farina, for Android development is going on in the best possible conditions: rather than starting with preconceived ideas about Eclipse or Java, you must understand how to use Eclipse Android and Java, why, and stick to it. It would be the easiest way to avoid many frustrations: "In general, the Android frameworks are fairly well designed and consistent API and integrate seamlessly with Java. In fact, [...] our application has almost the same class structure on Android and IOS. The code itself is incredibly similar on both versions. "
The Android emulator, to test applications, has not favored by Farina: Like all emulators, it is slow. The IOS simulator has the disadvantage of going through a compilation x86/64 (Intel x86, not ARM, which means that you can miss bugs that are present in the application on a real device), but the huge advantage of being fast. He said the solution is simple: to test the application on a Smartphone or on several different Smartphones configurations. The number of possible configurations is obviously much greater with Android, but you have any way to test its application iOS several profiles (iPod touch, iPhone, generation, generation), so as to comply with the exercise of all platforms. IOS side, Interface Builder is not a panacea, and fully customized development is sometimes particularly complex for simple things eventually. Android same side: we can only use Java or just the XML layout system. However, there are animations in a fundamental difference between the two OS: Android was designed as a competitor to Windows Mobile and BlackBerry OS, and resumed their logic rendering software, which eliminates the need of a graphics chip very powerful. IOS on the contrary has been designed with OpenGL acceleration in the lead, and the similar system in Android 3.0 is limited. In an OS as in the other, we must again ask the question of the relevance of the technical choices: am I ready to lose a bit of fluidity in this view against a somewhat easier to code (IOS)? Do I have to use the CPU made here, with the risk of the deal too, because during this time he must also parse my feed (Android)? In short, Farina tries to convey a simple message: if we are to avoid each other many penalties on iOS like Android, it is necessary to step back, weigh his technical choices, and understand the philosophy of platforms. Things that can be accomplished with multi-platform frameworks; but all this requires skill and time - is money: the port of Meridian took four months. All developers do not have that luxury.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Amazon, The Best and Foremost Enemy of Apple Part.IV



Material on which Amazon released a very comfortable margin of 48%: for a little over three years, the bookseller hybrid business model to be closer to that of Apple. The next step, which should confirm this transition, the tablet will Kindle, announced by the rumor and, as it confirmed by Jeff Bezos. While Apple's closed ecosystem with software and services, Amazon goes in the opposite direction and will close with hardware ... Android. Amazon has not cluttered with the creation of an OS in a few months, it has privatized virtually a third OS to be able to offer almost a clean version.

Amazon was a partner in the first hour of Google: the couple face + iTunes iPhone, the firm of Mountain View has used Amazon as a content provider for Android Smartphones. Amazon MP3 application, installed on all or most Smartphones Android and not far from impossible to remove, serves as equivalent of the iTunes Store.

Amazon obviously has its own applications on Android, but the company goes further in recent months, it operates its own application store for Android. The Amazon AppStore, it is called, is a true rival to the Android Market: it has a mechanism of editorial control, offers a free daily application fee, and even allows testing applications directly into the browser through an Android emulator!

Amazon has enough weight to have managed to bend the AT & T, which ultimately allowed the installation of third-party shopping for Android users can download the Amazon AppStore. Google is certainly a well-known brand in the United States and elsewhere, but Amazon is less familiar and has the advantage of being established for a long time. Kindle said the company's presence in the material, while the family is eclipsed by Nexus brand Droid operator Verizon. At the selection on the eve of the holiday season, Amazon could buy up the ante with a shelf under a Kindle Android in which it is deeply integrated.

A tablet may be the best competitor of the iPad, but also, paradoxically, its greatest ally against the other tablets Android - found the game at three music stores. Amazon certainly seems to be the worst enemy of Apple...

Amazon, The Best and Foremost Enemy of Apple Part.III



With icloud, Apple may, however, go far beyond the Cloud Drive. Amazon is focusing effect on media content, where Apple offers various services in addition to "productivity" (email, calendars, contacts, files synchronization, etc). Amazon then simply create a digital record, while Apple was able to convince record labels and management companies of copyright to allow the download multiple purchases or duplication of an iTunes library.

Apple takes the advantage because she thought the solution in the cloud as an extension of its equipment, as part of a full circle closed ecosystem. Amazon also has a closed ecosystem: the Kindle (designed by Lab126 ... in Cupertino). It is difficult to measure the success of Kindle and its associated download platform, Amazon do not provide sales figures, but it is undeniable.

Kindle and iPod are similar: they have succeeded where others have failed with a formula not necessarily new, but distinctive hardware and an integrated software platform available at the right time (technological convergence and preparing the public for the idea). The iPod had a hard drive, the wheel and then iTunes FairPlay DRM, the Kindle screen eIink had its modern, its persistent and 3G as well as its free Kindle Store and a closed file format. In many ways, it has demonstrated the viability of the eBook.

Apple today hunting on the lands of the Amazon with iPad and iBookstore, as do other manufacturers, but from Amazon in this market is 90% (although it is in rapid decline and to fall to 70-75% by the end of the year). In the same way as iTunes, Safari or icloud is available on Windows, you can access the Kindle platform on many devices. Amazon has understood before others, and just as Apple, the central content at low prices and high volume ("set an aggressive price and go for volume" said Steve Jobs): the logical step after that 'we bought books on the Kindle Store, readable only through the application Kindle, is to buy a Kindle.

(Cont.)

Amazon, The Best and Foremost Enemy of Apple Part.II



Amazon's strategy could not be further from that of Apple, who swears by the gross margin, but the two companies come together on several issues, starting with the extreme loyalty of their customers. Better roads Amazon and Apple seem to be closer to the point of cross soon: as Apple has expanded the distribution and service (iTunes Store, App Store, icloud), Amazon’s has ventured into the field equipment (Kindle, a tablet soon). Soon, the two companies may well be in direct competition: each will have a complete ecosystem of distributing content to custom equipment designed and equipped with built-in software.

Amazon launched its music store in late 2007, more than four years after the opening of the iTunes Store. The lack of DRM, the highest quality and lower prices than iTunes Store helped catch up: Amazon has quickly become a viable number two, at least in the United States. The size of the catalogs of the two shops is now similar (14 to 16 million according to the counts): Amazon is characterized by regular lower prices, and generally a more flexible fee schedule, while Apple is known to afford some exclusives (the Beatles to name a few).

Jeff Bezos's company managed to consolidate its position as she was only 4% of purchases of digital music in the United States in early 2008, it now accounts for 11.6% of the market. This growth is currently not at the expense of iTunes, solid leader slight increase, reaching 70% market share. In a sense, Amazon helps strengthen Apple, eliminating weaker competitors such as Rhapsody, but Amazon is growing quickly: Apple may need to be wary.

Amazon's business practices are in fact just as formidable as in the early days. For the promotion of Amazon MP3 and its natural extension, the Cloud player, Jeff Bezos has not hesitated to sacrifice millions of dollars to provide music for song bread and gain new customers. Obviously the transaction cost as much as a traditional advertising campaign, with a different conversion rate.

(Cont.)

Amazon, The Best and Foremost Enemy of Apple Part.I



It is frequently contrasted with Apple to Microsoft, Apple and more recently in Google. Amazon is to forget: in many ways, the firm of Jeff Bezos is perhaps the most formidable competitor to Apple, the electronic book to digital music, sales of applications for sale of equipment.

Amazon-smile, The fictionalized story of Apple based much of its current image: the return of the prodigal son has helped to revive the phoenix from the ashes, to replay the scene of the Macintosh iPod, iPhone and iPad and iTunes in the background. Less well known is the story of Amazon, so it is no less exciting.

Founded in 1994 and launched in 1995, Amazon.com is designed as the "largest bookseller in the world" free from physical constraints, the site was ambitious to sell more books than all its competitors combined. Its founder, Jeff Bezos, quickly launched an ambitious acquisition policy, increasing the acquisition of electronic bookstores (Bookpages, future Telebook and Amazon UK, Amazon DE future, in 1998, Audible in 2000) and many and varied many Internet services (IMDb, Wise in 1998, Alexa in 1999, several management systems in 1999 and 2000).

Amazon's business model has long been atypical in the first version scribbled by Jeff Bezos, it was not about generating profits, but simply to attract capital (the company goes public in 1997) and grow fast enough to reach many markets. The competitive advantage allows it to keep prices low. The genius of Bezos was to take calculated risks: to provide the delivery is a dead loss, but can attracting customers and hope to sell enough to generate a high margin on volume. This set of communicating vessels is the trademark of Amazon.

After years of losses as investors impatient and have to find all the patches available to present the results at their best, the activity becomes profitable Amazon bookstore in mid-2000 before all the activities going on green end of 2001. The demonstration is striking: 80% of sales are made by regular customers, who then spend about € 30 a month on Amazon.

Consolidation accounting rules, limiting or omitting certain practices disguising costs, Amazon is in the red board? Bezos offers delivery and conceded large reductions: sales explode and losses are reduced by half. Amazon MP3 should be promoted and its companion Cloud Drive? Jeff Bezos's company made loss of $ 2.6 million in selling off the last album in fashion; But earned nearly half a million users.

(Cont.)

Monday, June 27, 2011

FoneSync brings Mac OS X and Android together



The German publisher nova media offers new Mac OS software to synchronize a mobile device Android with his Mac. As doubleTwist before him FoneSync looks like the iTunes Android Smartphone and tablets, at least in terms of synchronization. His presentation is so very close to the Apple software and FoneSync can also sync media (music, videos and photos), but also its data as the address book or calendar.

Mimicry of iTunes goes a long way, there are exactly the same form used for space and can synchronize virtually the same elements, and play lists for music events in iPhoto.

Counterpart of this tight integration, FoneSync does not work with all Smartphone Android, far from it. Currently, the application is only compatible with two Nexus Google phones from Samsung, Sony and Motorola. HTC expected to follow those, but if you are not listed, you cannot use the software. The publisher does not specify whether the tablets Honeycomb are compatible with its software.

Each version costs € 9.99 and if FoneSync is a Mac application, it actually buys the corresponding Android application before installing the utility on Mac by connecting the USB terminal. The operation is complex and involves paying the software again if you change brand of phone. DoubleTwist in turn is free and works with many Android devices...

Friday, March 18, 2011

Apple talks about the slow web apps



The controversy swells on Nitro, the JavaScript engine found in Safari Mobile from iOS 4.3. Earlier this week, we noticed that the web app were 2 to 2.5 times slower than the same site displayed in Safari.

Shortly after a study by Blaze Software said loud and clear that a Nexus S averaged 52% faster than a 4 iPhone to surf the web. However, this study was not conducted directly through Safari, but in a WebView.

These various data have not failed to create a little controversy, which once will not hurt, drove Apple to break the silence. One of his spokesmen, Trudy Miller, confirmed that the web views do not include all optimizations for Safari. Therefore, the study of Blaze Software is partly inaccurate. It is true that the iPhone's browser is slower than that of Android. By cons, running web app (thus bypassing the browser) is actually much faster on Android.

So why web apps are they deprived of Nitro and the lack of support for the HTML5 cache? For John Gruber, we must not see evil everywhere and think that the way the Californian Company focuses on native applications to web applications.

The real problem for Apple is safety. Unlike its predecessors, Nitro is a JavaScript engine that includes the time compilation (JIT). However, a JT needs to have the ability to mark pages in RAM memory as executable. However, unlike Mac OS X, Apple iOS prohibited on grounds of safety. Such a mechanism could lead to hijacked the execution of unsigned code.

In other words, if Safari 4.3 is under iOS much faster, there is a significant part-cons: if someone manages to exploit a vulnerability in its browser, then it can do much more damage than before. One can imagine that Apple has enough confidence in its browser to integrate such a possibility.

For Gruber, it is more likely that Apple will not stop there. He believes that to generalize Nitro web applications, there should be a web application to run JavaScript in a process separate and independent, a bit like Safari on Mac and PC that creates a separate process for Flash. In theory, this is what Apple is preparing for Webkit 2, whose project was announced last April: "WebKit2 is designed primarily to support the separate processes, where the Web content (JavaScript, HTML, etc.). made his living in a separate process [...] this model is comparable to Google Chrome, the chief dissimilarity that we have built straight into the structure, and it is easy to get to other browsers.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Flash 10.2 Android arrives today



Announced in early February after its release on Mac and PC, Flash 10.2 shall be offered for download today via its Android Market or updates OTA. This book is written for Android 2.2 (Froyo), 2.3 (Gingerbread) as well as some users already blessed Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).

In the latter case, it is still a beta and the audience is smaller - even if that geographically - as consisting of Xoom customers. The tablet Motorola will simultaneously receive its first revision system 3.0.1. More will follow before Flash 10.2 do it is proposed final version.

This new Flash Androphones provides video acceleration on H264, but only for Honeycomb. Another novelty reserved for shelves next Android 3.0, an improved browser integration, resulting in navigation and view more smoothly pages. Flash content embedded in Web pages should be better supported as well.

More generally, the performance should be slightly up on today's mobile. Flash applications and data on the PC that used to be used with a physical keyboard can be better managed on devices that offer a virtual keyboard. It will be displayed, for example automatically by the application when necessary. Adobe maintains a list of compatible devices with Flash.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The Battle



These ties benefit to Apple, but did not they play tricks? On the consumer market, Samsung has always been a serious competitor. With 280 million mobile phones sold in 2010, it is the second largest manufacturer of mobile phones. In France, the company is also the first place.

Of these 280 million, we find the Samsung S Galaxy, which alone accounts for 1 / 28 sales of Samsung mobile phones with 10 million units sold in 2010. This is the big bestseller of 2010, with its American cousin the iPhone 4. And there's no need to go ask officials to ask Samsung the reason for success, two simple images are able to explain many things.

In general, smart phones are very similar, but in this case, the resemblance is more striking than usual: middle button, outline rounded square icons arranged in 4x4 grid on a black background with a dock clearer containing four main icons. Everything is there, many people might believe in an iPhone. Samsung and plays on this illusion, by copying the same positions of the iPhone commercials.

Yet, why consumers purchase a Samsung S Galaxy more than an iPhone, while the latter enjoys a fashion show and especially good reliability? Simply because his cousin Korean is much cheaper, whether or not grant operator.

And this does not stop at S Galaxy; Samsung reuses the same business strategy with its Galaxy Tab, a touch pad as the iPad, shipping Android and a 7-inch screen. Presented thus far it seems to stand out from the iPad with its 10-inch screen, but it is clear that design and interface are similar.

White-backed, rounded edges, square icons, wallpaper with an island, the similarities are disturbing ... For the Galaxy Tab, things are more complex. Sold € 599, the tablet Samsung no longer enjoys the cost advantage. The iPad 3G is sold as expensive, but has a bigger screen. She has a better positioning in the operators with a more generous subsidy. But the offers subsidies for these products are struggling to attract consumers. Result, sales of the Samsung Tablet are far below the iPad.

We could still continue the comparison between product lines and Samsung American counterparts, with for example the Samsung Galaxy player and iPod touch, or the brand new ultraportable Samsung technical clone of the MacBook Air.

In the end, which differs from Apple Samsung commercially, it is positioning. Samsung is therefore aimed at "mass market" while Apple is the high end. And it is this "mass market" that is impervious to Apple and allows Android so quickly burst onto the smartphone segment.