Windows Blue: Microsoft’s plan to release a new version of Windows every year

Way back in August, three months before the release of Windows 8, we learnt about the existence of a project at Microsoft codenamedBlue. At the time it wasn’t clear whether this was Windows 9, or some kind of interim update/service pack for Windows 8. Now, if unnamed sources are to be believed, Windows Blue is both of those things: a major update to Windows 8, and also the beginning of a major shift that will result in a major release of Windows every 12 months — just like Apple’s OS X.

This information stems from The Verge, which cites several anonymous sources who are “familiar with Microsoft’s plans.” According to these insiders, Blue will roll out mid-2013, and will be very cheap — or possibly even free, to ensure that “Windows Blue the next OS that everyone installs.” Exact details are still rather vague, but at the very least Blue will make “UI changes” to Windows 8. The sources also indicate that the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 SDKs will be merged or standardized, to further simplify the development of cross-platform apps.

Once Blue has been rolled out, the insider sources claim that the Windows Store will no longer accept apps that are designed specifically for Windows 8 — i.e. developers will be forced to create a single Metro app that works on both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Presumably the new SDK will ensure that this is a Good Thing, and not just an arduous hoop to jump through. The sources say that Windows 8 will keep its name for the foreseeable future, too — much in the same way that OS X hasn’t changed its name in 11 years.

WindOS X

The new Windows logo is blue — coincidence?!?!

Perhaps more important, though, is the shift to a 12-month release cadence. Historically, Microsoft has released a major version of Windows every few years, with the intervening periods populated with stability — and security-oriented service packs. Now it seems that Microsoft wants to move to an OS X-like system, where new and exciting features will be added on an annual basis. In turn, Microsoft will drop the price of these releases — probably to around $25, just like OS X.

In theory, quicker releases will allow Microsoft to better compete with Apple and Google, who have shown themselves to be a lot nimbler than Microsoft in recent years. With Microsoft’s current few-year release cycle, there’s always the risk that its OS will already be oudated or bested by the competition by the time it hits the market. By moving to an annual release cycle, Microsoft should be able to stay ahead of the curve, rather than constantly playing catch-up.

We should also pay heed to that tidbit about Windows 8 and WP8 SDKs being “standardized.” As you may already know, Windows Phone 8 shares the same “common core” as Windows 8 — the same kernel, the same network stack, the same low-level security features and so on. Here at ExtremeTech we’ve repeatedly speculated about the possibility of Windows Phone 8 being removed from the equation entirely, with Windows 8 running across every computer form factor, including the smartphone. Having a single desktop and mobile OS that receives major annual updates, and has access to one vast library of apps, could be a very strong strategy for finally cracking the mobile market.

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T-Mobile USA will finally sell Apple products in 2013

There have frequently been reports that T-Mobile feels they don’t need the iPhone. Earlier today, Deutsche Telekom confirmed at its Capital Markets Day event that T-Mobile USA and Apple have reached an agreement to sell Apple products next year. At this time, the details of the deal are not being disclosed. It is expected that a joint announcement will be made closer to the launch of the devices.

So what factors played into T-Mobile getting the iPhone? Some on the technological side, some on the financial side, and some on the subscriber side.

The main factor is likely technological. Over the course of this year, T-Mobile has been rapidly re-configuring its network to offer HSPA+ on PCS (1.9GHz, UMTS band 2) and LTE on AWS (1.7/2.1GHz, UMTS band 4). This reconfiguration has led to all GSM products for North America becoming fully compatible with T-Mobile’s network. With this new compatibility, T-Mobile gains new opportunities for increasing revenue. International and domestic roaming onto the T-Mobile network, a wider range of international (i.e. non-North American targeted) devices becoming compatible with the network, and so on. Just six months ago,T-Mobile confirmed that the upgrade process is going well, and that it began LTE-Advancedtrials.

On the financial side, T-Mobile has been working hard to return the business to financial growth and earn the confidence of industrial analysts. Since 2010, T-Mobile has been in a bad position, bleeding customers and cutting costs to remain afloat. At the end of 2011 and through 2012, a series of events have led T-Mobile to a better position. The termination of the merger with AT&T has given T-Mobile money to work with. The swaps and deals throughout 2012 have given T-Mobile a better spectrum position to launch PCS HSPA+ and AWS LTE. Its efforts to attract MVNO (mobile virtual network operators) partners and boost prepaid growth have been fruitful as well.

On the subscriber side, T-Mobile’s prepaid numbers have risen dramatically. T-Mobile is considered to be the top player in the prepaid space, and its deal to merge with MetroPCSwill rapidly improve its growth as a prepaid player. The postpaid side is weak, but stabilizing. The promise of almost 45 million branded (that is, non-MVNO) subscribers on T-Mobile after the acquisition of MetroPCS, and the potential for future acquisitions of other carriers have shown that T-Mobile is working hard to improve its position in the market.

CEO John Legere promises that this deal with Apple is nothing like any of the “geniuses” (business analysts, etc.) have thought possible before, so we won’t even bother speculating what kind of deal it is. He promises that it will be great for the company, though. For that, we will have to wait and see.

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T-Mobile and MetroPCS: A match in LTE heaven

This week, Deutsche Telekom and MetroPCS Communications agreed to combine T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS into a new, larger mobile network operator to that will offer low-cost wireless services both domestically and globally.

Why is this a big deal? One reason is because this is the first CDMA2000 operator that Deutsche Telekom has ever acquired. This will give T-Mobile USA a nascent CDMA2000 network in fourteen markets in the United States. Normally, this could be quite problematic, since integrating and maintaining a CDMA network alongside T-Mobile’s GSM-based network could become a nightmare. However, MetroPCS has already committed to eliminating CDMA2000 from its network platform within two years without T-Mobile’s help. This changes nothing for MetroPCS in terms of its CDMA network. MetroPCS is already not investing in CDMA and focusing on expanding and bulking up its LTE network. It is entirely possible that this tie-up will accelerate MetroPCS’ plans to shut down its CDMA network.

Additionally, this jumpstarts T-Mobile’s LTE network in metropolitan areas. MetroPCS’ network (which is on the exact same spectrum that T-Mobile’s LTE network will be on and on the same spectrum as T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network is and will be on, as well) covers all fourteen markets that the CDMA2000 network covers, and uses equipment similar T-Mobile’s HSPA/LTE network equipment. MetroPCS’ network even has VoLTE (voice over LTE) deployed and commercially available in Dallas, with plans to expand to all MetroPCS markets in four to six months! Since MetroPCS and T-Mobile are using compatible core network equipment from the same vendor, it is a simple matter to bridge everything together to extend those capabilities out for MetroPCS subscribers to T-Mobile’s full network.

The combination of the spectral assets of both companies will allow the new company to offer DC-HSPA (with up to 42Mbps throughput and latency as low as 30ms) in all major metropolitan markets as well as 15MHz LTE with the option to expand it to 20MHz LTE-Advanced with the shutdown of CDMA2000 over time. MetroPCS’ PCS (1.9GHz spectrum) network (in the few markets it has that) will be fully converted to HSPA+ and LTE. MetroPCS also has additional AWS (1.7/2.1GHz spectrum) in markets where it has not deployed anything, and T-Mobile can take advantage of that immediately for LTE.

The sordid details

The deal is a little tricky, legally speaking. Legally, what is happening is that T-Mobile USA and all associated subsidiaries, affiliates, and partnerships are being acquired by MetroPCS Communications (who will rename itself and do business as T-Mobile USA), who will turn around and issue 76% ownership of the new company to Deutsche Telekom’s mobile arm, T-Mobile International AG. This is known as a reverse takeover. Regardless of how the transaction is playing out legally, Deutsche Telekom will retain considerable control over the new company.

NewCo (as it is tentatively called by Deutsche Telekom and MetroPCS Communications) will be publicly traded, which is why this odd way of combining the companies is being done. It makes the paperwork to turn T-Mobile USA from a subsidiary of a publicly traded foreign company into a domestic publicly traded one in its own right much easier. This also gives T-Mobile USA the flexibility to access cash generation schemes available to its competitors, like debt markets and such.

Deutsche Telekom will have representatives on the new company’s board and both companies’ organizational structures are being retained, with MetroPCS’ organization becoming the MetroPCS Customer Unit, and the T-Mobile USA organization becoming the T-Mobile Customer Unit. A new executive team comprised of members of both companies (with new T-Mobile USA CEO John Legere retaining the position for the new company) will manage the new company.

Benefits for T-Mobile customers

The single largest benefit to T-Mobile customers is that the increased size of the company’s subscriber base will allow T-Mobile to have a better shot at getting new devices that are typically exclusively for the big three carriers. While T-Mobile will still remain number four, it will have bulked up its subscriber base to about 43 million, as opposed to the 33 million it has now.

T-Mobile should be able to accelerate its network reconfiguration plans, which would mean that more places will get iPhone compatibility on the faster network more quickly. T-Mobile will also have greater leverage to get Apple to officially bring the iPhone 5 to T-Mobile, especially since it will be the only network in the United States that can take full advantage of what the iPhone offers in terms of network connectivity.

We should see LTE-enabled devices starting to arrive on T-Mobile within the next few months in preparation for the 2013 launch of LTE. Other than that, this really does not change much for T-Mobile customers.

Benefits to MetroPCS customers

If you thought MetroPCS was going to go away because of this, you’re wrong. The opposite will happen: MetroPCS will go nationwide. By having access to the T-Mobile network nationwide, the MetroPCS brand (which is well known as a prepaid innovator) can expand. This effectively gives T-Mobile a dual brand situation: T-Mobile for postpaid and business, and MetroPCS as the prepaid brand.

MetroPCS customers will gain the freedom to jump between brands and the services they offer. On the MetroPCS side, customers will likely see far better devices at the same or lower price points. Part of what made it so difficult for MetroPCS to make available affordable LTE devices was that CDMA2000 on AWS is exceptionally rare. The only two major networks that use it are Leap Wireless’ Cricket Communications and MetroPCS. Immediately after closing, the entire MetroPCS lineup will be replaced with better GSM/HSPA/LTE models at either the same price point or lower. Expect for devices to become considerably better and cheaper very soon.

Now, you may be thinking that your current device won’t serve you well going forward. That isn’t true either, at least if you have an LTE device. If your phone is CDMA-only, go and get an LTE phone like the LG Connect 4G (which includes VoLTE) or wait a few months for more LTE phones with VoLTE to be introduced at cheaper price points. While regular LTE phones will also work on the new combined network, the VoLTE ones will be able to offer the full range of functionality when outside of MetroPCS’ CDMA coverage zones. However, it is possible for MetroPCS to update current LTE phones to offer VoLTE support, so even current LTE phones that aren’t VoLTE enabled now can support it eventually. However, if you can wait until the deal closes, you’ll be able to get much better phones that support the entire T-Mobile/MetroPCS supported network.

MetroPCS customers will also gain the full range of roaming options domestically and internationally through the agreements T-Mobile USA and Deutsche Telekom have. Those who occasionally or frequently travel may find the new MetroPCS’ device lineup and plan options more appealing if they are contract-averse.

Who loses in this?

Mainly, Leap Wireless is the big loser. With MetroPCS shifting from CDMA/LTE to HSPA/LTE, the market for CDMA2000 devices on AWS spectrum shrinks down to pretty much just Leap’s network (with less than 6 million subscribers). Leap will have little market power whatsoever to get devices. Previously, Leap Wireless could rely on a 16 million subscriber base (between MetroPCS and Cricket) to fuel the ecosystem for decently unique handsets, but MetroPCS’ 10 million subscriber base is moving to HSPA and LTE. This means that Leap will have to rely more on its PCS CDMA network and its MVNO relationship with Sprint (which is on the brink of being cancelled since they defaulted on a payment to Sprint).

At some point in the future, CDMA-only MetroPCS subscribers will need to switch to newer handsets, as the CDMA network is being aggressively shut off. This isn’t really a change from MetroPCS’ current plans, but it is something that current MetroPCS customers will need to face.

Conclusively a good match

Despite the issues dealing with a small legacy CDMA2000 network, this combination is actually a good thing. MetroPCS and T-Mobile have compatible spectrum assets, and MetroPCS’ subscriber base is used to switching phones far more often than T-Mobile’s subscriber base, so the transition will be much smoother and quicker than the Sprint/Nextel debacle.

There’s not really any competitive harm in this deal, since MetroPCS operates in markets that have four or more wireless competitors to itself, already. The only hurt will be Leap’s ability to get AWS CDMA devices, but Leap should have been more proactive in upgrading its network to PCS/AWS LTE, anyway. It’s known for some time now that MetroPCS was going to kill off PCS/AWS CDMA.

Both carriers’ customers should experience massive improvements in quality on day one of the new company’s operation, as some of the spectrum can be utilized to improve current network performance as soon as access to it is granted. Hopefully, this deal will gain swift approval from the FCC in order for the benefits to be realized as soon as possible.

Read more: What is LTE?

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HTC debuts the One X+, ushers in yet another tick-tock design cycle

HTC debuted the successor to its popular One X smartphone today, essentially following the same logic as Apple: take a design, upgrade its innards, and sell it as a brand new device.

While a timeline for release in the US was not announced, the One X+ will go on sale in Europe and Asia this month, and south Asia in November. Separately, AT&T said Tuesday that it will carry the X+ as well as the One VX, a mid-range version of the the One X.

On the outside, you’re not going to be able to tell much difference from X to the X+ as they look the same — it’s what is on the inside that counts. Instead of the QualcommSnapdragon S4 1.5GHz processor found in the LTE variant of the One X, the X+ moves up to to a Tegra 3 processor capable of 1.7GHz. The GPU also gets a boost, now up to 520MHz.

Obviously with that additional power, the battery needs to be bigger. HTC is including a 2100mAh in the device, which it says will provide 50 percent more talk time over its predecessor, which sported a 1700mAh battery.

HTC is sticking its “Sense UI”-skinned version ofAndroid OS 4.1 Jelly Bean on the One X+. One X users, have no fear though: your devices will get the upgrade sometime this month, according to the company. Further updates include a updated front camera which now capable of 1.6 megapixels versus 1.3 in the original device, and a nice upgrade to 64GB of internal memory.

Other features include NFC, web-based phone setup, improved audio (although still using the much-maligned Beats platform), and built in FM radio capabilities. For those that really care, the One X+ will be available in both black and white versions. Not as exciting as HTC’srecently announced and brightly colored Windows Phones, but we’ll deal.

So overall, a great phone, but is it really worth upgrading over other Android models out there in the market? We’d say no.

If you are happy with your current device keep it, or upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S3, still by far one of the best Android devices on the market right now. Add to these a slate of new devices coming down the pike — including a new Nexus device from Google — and the One X+ seems more like a necessary upgrade for HTC itself than for you.

Personally, if I were using an Android phone on a regular basis, I’d prefer an unmolested version of the Android OS over these sometimes-horrible skins that the manufacturers are putting on devices these days. While these treatmean have certainly gotten better, nobody can do Android better than Google itself.

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Yandex’s Chromium-based browser has serious potential

A new Chromium-based web browser was launched yesterday by Russian search giant Yandex. Now available to download, the version 1.0 browser features a minimalist interface and competitive performance to the latest browsers from Microsoft and Google popular in the US.

Thanks to the Chromium base, theYandex web browser can do just about everything that Google’s Chrome can do — with a few exceptions. There isHTML5 support, tabbed browsing with a separate process for each tab, built-in Adobe Flash, single input box for URLs and searches, Google Translate, WebGL, and a grid of most recently used sites. However, there is no Google Web Store and it does not support torrent magnet links.

Download and Installation

Yandex has made the browser available on its website, and the initial download weighs in at mere 321KB. The installation process is similar to Chrome’s automated installer.

The company has kept the installer options to a minimum to keep things simple. By default, it will create a shortcut and import bookmarks from Internet Explorer. It only takes a few seconds to complete and then it is ready to go.

Can it compete with Google and Microsoft?

The first time that the browser starts up, you are introduced to the Yandex button and SmartBox. The Yandex button is the first clue at the level of integration with the company’s search engine, because the button is a link to the Yandex search page where Yandex expects your internet home to be. The SmartBox is more interesting. It operates as a single input for searches and URLs. It will also bring up a drop-down overlay with icons for your eight most visited websites, and provides links to your bookmarks, history, downloads, and settings.

Yandex has kept the web browser’s interface to a minimum — even the forward button got the axe. Along the top are rectangular tabs with rounded corners, a small gear (settings) button, and your standard minimize, maximize, and close buttons. Below the tabs are a back button, Yandex button (see above), address bar, and bookmark button. And that’s it for the main UI!

Despite the lack of buttons, Yandex has not given up the functionality that we have all come to expect out of modern browsers — it is just hidden away in the SmartBox and Settings menu. Clicking on the gear at the top right of the browser brings up the same menu that is accessed by the button with three bars to the right of the URL button in Chrome. From there you can adjust zoom, change settings, save pages, and enter a private browsing mode (among other features).

It operates just like any number of modern browsers, except searches entered in the SmartBox go through Yandex’s search engine rather than Google or Bing by default. This setting can be changed, but no matter the search engine chosen the Yandex/home button will always go to Yandex. Multiple tabs are supported, but it does not represent each tab individually when hovering over the icon in the Windows taskbar like IE does.

In general, it’s a very intuitive interface that operates just like you would expect it to.

Performance

Performance is an important metric for any web browser, and Yandex brings respectable performance to the table. Being based on the open source port of Chrome, it has access to theV8 JavaScript engine and the WebKit rendering engine, it has performance that is just a hair slower than Chrome in several benchmarks. For example, Yandex scored 208.7ms in the SunSpider 0.9.1 JavaScript benchmark while Chrome managed 190.9ms (IE 10 pulled an impressive 157.3ms). In several HTML5 and WebGL demos, Yandex did as well as Chrome, often a couple FPS slower but within the margin of error.

As far as subjective testing, Yandex feels snappy. While it choked on PC Gamer’s website (where it would perpetually load until I refreshed a couple of times and it would load normally), it had no problems with other flash and JavaScript heavy sites, and felt faster than IE despite losing to it in the JS benchmark. It did feel slightly slower than Chrome in bringing up sites, but I’m willing to chalk that up to Chrome’s caching of the pages I visit (since Chrome is my daily driver). For an initial release, the performance is notable.

Also worth noting is that Yandex employs the same tab isolation technology in Chrome to give each browser tab its own process. This helps to secure the browser and protect all open tabs should one unruly site or plugin crash in another tab. Memory usage was in line with expectations and mimics Chrome’s footprint. CPU usage was a bit lower, though that could be attributed to a number of factors, and with today’s technology, it isn’t a noticeable difference even with many tabs open. No extraordinary claims or memory usage reductions, but also no bad surprises, so I’m willing to call this aspect a win for Yandex.

Yandex does mange to move out of Chrome’s shadow with a better built-in PDF reader that loads large multi-page documents quickly and provides a neat icon of pages along the left next to the main content on the right. It reminds me of the Firefox PDF extension that I wrote about earlier this year — but without the nav bar along the top.

I actually prefer the SmartBox’s drop-down overlay of icons to the way Chrome does things. It’s a much more fluid transition since it is not taking me away from the web to the blank tab page and back again. Rather, it overlays it and I can open up a new tab without missing a beat on the first site. This is obviously subjective and more personal preference than anything, but at the very least it is fast and intuitive.

Another useful feature is the ability to display stats on how Yandex and its child processes are using your hardware. The page provides numbers on overall memory usage as well as a breakdown of memory usage by process. Something that you can get from Task Manager, but it is interesting to see within the browser itself in an easy to read chart (see gallery below for image).

Interestingly, the browser’s Russian roots become apparent for users in the United States when visiting any English language websites, as the browser will pop up a message stating that the page is in English, and prompts the user to translate the (foreign) language. Also, the Yandex (home) button takes you to the Russian version of the Yandex website. Out of the box, there is a link for Yandex Maps in the recently used websites grid, and while you could be forgiven for thinking it was Google Maps in Russian, the location is correct but the map is not in English — the exactly useful for most US citizens that try out Yandex.

Yandex has potential

All in all, Yandex is a respectable browser that offers up tight integration with Russia’s top search engine, has a slick interface, and performance that does not disappointing  It’s not without rough edges, but is a promising opening salvo against the current reigning desktop browsers (IE, Chrome, and Firefox) that is worth keeping an eye on — especially once the localization and language issue is rectified for international users (Yandex does haveEnglish language pages on its site, the browser just defaults to .ru sites).

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Samsung unveils the Galaxy Camera: Does Android belong in your point-and-shoot?

Today Samsung joined Nikon in announcing an Android-powered camera. The Samsung Galaxy Camera weighs 305g, features a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, 21x super zoom lens, a quad-core 1.4GHz SoC (probably Exynos 4), 8GB of internal storage, and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. This compares with the Nikon S800c which also has a 16MP CMOS sensor, along with a 7x zoom f/2 lens and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Since neither unit has shipped, we don’t know anything yet about how good they are as cameras, but we do know that the companies are trying to regain some of the ground they’ve lost to smartphones by integrating sharing right into their cameras.

The Galaxy Camera touts optical image stabilization, always helpful in a small form-factor camera, as well as a zoom that can be controlled from either a button or the touchscreen. Samsung promotes the camera’s Smart Pro presets as a quick way to capture the “perfect photo,” although its hard to know in advance how they differ from the scene modes typical of all point-and-shoots. The Galaxy Camera’s display is an eye-opening 4.8-inch HD Super Clear LCD screen — much larger than the 3.5-inch on Nikon’s model — and Samsung has augmented its S Voice application with camera control commands such as “Zoom in” and “Shoot.”

For those who want to put finishing touches on their images — already perfect or not — Samsung also offers a Photo Wizard with 35 different filters and tools. A similar Movie Wizard is featured for video touchups. Both cameras also allow users to head to the Google Play marketplace for additional image editing applications.

Cloud-friendly camera

Unlike Nikon’s S800C, which is limited to WiFi connectivity, the Galaxy Camera is available with either 3G or 4G along with WiFi, although details weren’t available on how data plans would work. Samsung has announced that the camera has an Auto Cloud Backup feature which can save photos as they are taken through its AllShare service.

Clearly both of these cameras are designed to play catch up with smartphones in the race to be the photo sharing device of choice. Photos have always been taken to be shared, except now that’s usually through an instant upload to services like Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram, not by laboriously printing out snapshots and showing them around. This has meant an irreversible trend towards the smartphone as the primary camera for most new photographers, and many experienced ones.

Technologies like WiFi-enabled SD cards from Eye-Fi, and WiFi-enabled cameras, have done little to stem the tide. Their interfaces are limited and awkward compared to the rapidly improving and proliferating mobile photo sharing applications on iOS and Android. Nikon and now Samsung have correctly realized they need to do something bold to make their cameras as convenient a platform for photo sharing — and editing — as the nearly-ubiquitous smartphone.

Android or bust for point-and-shoot makers

The shift to Android is a natural progression for camera makers. iOS isn’t an option, and trying to create their own ecosystem of sharing applications on a proprietary OS would be a sucker play — just ask RIM or Nokia, both of which had much bigger installed bases to work with. Samsung of course is already the world’s largest seller of Android-based devices, so for them the process should have been pretty simple. However, Samsung is a huge underdog in the camera market, so for them the struggle will be to prove that the Galaxy Camera justifies itself in image quality. By contrast, Nikon is known for its camera quality, and is new to the Android game. For Nikon, showing it can seamlessly integrate Android — and keep up with Google’s platform revisions — will be the biggest challenge. In Nikon’s case, starting off with Gingerbread is already raising questions.

Is this the beginning of the super camera?

For photographers, there are a couple of critical questions about these new models. First is whether these cameras will have enough additional functionality to justify the added cost and weight when most people already have a serviceable camera in their phone. Second, and more importantly, there is still a big question mark hanging over Nikon and Samsung’s long-term intentions for Android. If Android cameras are just standard point-and-shoots with a smartphone OS bolted on for sharing, that’ll be a wasted opportunity. It would have been easier to create a camera that instantly tethered to a smartphone instead, and let the phone do all the work. There is an exciting possibility, if Nikon and Samsung do this correctly, to really unleash the power of Android to enable new photographic solutions.

The synergy between high-quality camera and open OS has already been demonstrated by the Camera 2.0 project at Stanford, which has open-sourced a camera API for a Nokia N900 running Linux. Everything down to the autofocus algorithm is programmable, and higher-level applications for compositing images offer nearly unlimited possibilities. If Nikon and Samsung really want to regain some high ground, they’d be well served to help pioneer commercial cameras with that much flexibility.

Let’s hope that Samsung and Nikon allow low-level access to the camera functions from Android, if not in these very first releases, then as they get more comfortable with the combination of Android and cameras.

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Nikon’s Android-powered camera isn’t as cool as you think

Various companies have been threatening in recent years to release Android-based devices that are neither tablets nor phones. Every trade show seems to have at least one refrigerator, TV, or in-car entertainment system powered by Android. These products have been almost universally held back from sale, but still the concept hovers at the edge of the market.

A point-and-shoot camera may be one of the few unconventional devices on which Android could conceivably do some good. New rumors have surfaced claiming that Nikon is planning to build a camera based on Android, and it will have Google Play support. Could this be a product that wedges Android into your life in a totally new way, or is it going to be as useful as an Android fridge?

The first question you have to ask when Android pops up in an unusual place is, “what does this company know about Android?” In the case of Nikon, the answer is “very little.” Nikon has never made an Android device, and camera makers are not known for good UI design. If you have any kind of standalone (dedicated?) camera, just take a look at the software. It more than likely has the worst interface of anything you own. Do you really want a camera manufacturer to skin Android?

Android is designed to operate as a touchscreen system, and a real camera is going to need hardware controls. Android doesn’t have native support for any of the knobs or dials you’d find on a camera, so the device maker is going to have to heavily modify the OS. It would look more like a camera than a phone. If you were planning on living happily ever after with your stock Android camera, think again.

The rumor indicates that Nikon is planning to launch a Coolpix S800 that runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. This is already a very old version of Android, and it makes me suspect Nikon is just going to use it as a base for its own interface. Launching with old software is a bad precedent to set, no matter the device. Is your camera going to get an Android update? Probably not.

Apps are often cited as a major selling point of using Android in embedded devices, and it would indeed be very cool — for a little while. As the build of Gingerbread on this supposed Android camera ages, app compatibility will trail off. It will become outdated just like every embedded device does. This is not going to be the Android we know and (sometimes) love. An Android camera from the likes of Nikon is going to be heavily modded, and that will make app compatibility really rough. Frankly, I can’t see how Google would be able to certify the device for Play Store access.

For an example of how device makers treat Android on unconventional devices, take a look at Parrot’s Asteroid in-car entertainment system. Parrot (of A.R. Drone fame) released the Asteroid car stereo last year, but it ended up being quite expensive, and ran an outdated version of Android that has not been updated. There is no consumer benefit to this over a proprietary interface. The way this makes sense is with user mods. If Nikon abuses Android like I expect, users will hopefully be able to develop better software builds, a lot like the CyanogenMod project for tablets and smartphones.

It’s always a better idea to rely on software functionality from a phone or tablet than to get a single-use device with the software built in. Why would you want to use a camera that runs Android poorly when you have other devices that run it better? I doubt the convenience would be worth it.

Apps seem like an appealing justification for using Android in cameras and other devices, but it will never work as well as you think it will. If you can even tell such a device runs Android, any benefits you get from it will be fleeting as the software quickly becomes doomed to stagnation.

Read: Will your next digital camera run Android?

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Samsung unveils Exynos 5 Dual, the first Cortex-A15 SoC

Just when Qualcomm thought it had the Best SoC of 2012 award in the bag, Samsung has unveiled the world’s first Cortex-A15 and Mali-T604 SoC: The Exynos 5 Dual.

Let’s dive straight into the specs: TheExynos 5 Dual (5250) is a dual-core Cortex-A15 design clocked at 1.7GHz, built on Samsung’s 32nm HKMG process. There’s support for 800MHz LDDR3 RAM, and total memory bandwidth of 12.8GB/sec. In a first for mobile devices, there’s also USB 3.0 support.

On the graphics side of things, the Mali-T604 is ARM Holdings’ next-generation GPU, based on the new Midgard architecture — and as a result, its specs are pretty awesome. At a high level, there’s support for OpenGL ES 3.0, OpenCL 1.1 full profile, DirectX 11, Wi-Fi Display, 1080p video playback at 60 fps, and output resolutions up to 2560×1600. At a low level, the main difference over its predecessor (Utgard-based Mali-400 series) is the transition to unified shader cores — the T604 (in the Exynos 5 Dual) has four of them, but there’s also a bunch of tablet-oriented eight-core parts, too.

In terms of actual performance, no one has benchmarked a Midgard-based GPU — but theSamsung Exynos 5 whitepaper says that the T604 “delivers two times better GPU performance than Exynos 4,” i.e. the Mali-400. This should mean that the T604 will be the fastest GPU on the block, beating out the Adreno 320 in the Snapdragon S4 Pro, and probably the SGX GPUs found in Apple’s devices (and the upcoming OMAP5 from Texas Instruments).

CPU-wise, the Exynos 5′s A15 cores will probably have comparable or slightly better performance than the Krait cores in the Snapdragon S4. On the other hand, the Exynos 5 Dual will probably arrive on the market at the same time as Qualcomm’s quad-core S4 Pro(later this year) — and, for the most part, four cores are better than two.

There’s no word on which device will be the first lucky recipient of the Exynos 5 Dual, but with a max output resolution of 2560×1600 it could be a tablet. More than a year ago, Samsung showed off a 10.1-inch 2560×1600 LCD panel — but as yet, it hasn’t been seen on the market. A Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Retina display in time for Christmas would be quite exciting. This could also be the SoC for the next Google Nexus smartphone, which should arrive before the end of the year.

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How everyone benefits from Verizon’s FCC-mandated free tethering

Verizon probably thought all those “open access” regulations were just a lot of bluster when it bought up all that 700MHz Block C spectrum a few years back. Now here we are with a recentFCC ruling that prevents Big Red from charging extra for tethering, as well as a $1.25 million fine. The carrier has already made some changes in advance of the ruling, but things are going to change for customers of Verizon and the competition alike.

Adios, tethering fees

Before this ruling, if you innocently tried to toggle the integrated WiFi hotspot on with your Verizon phone, you would be confronted with an ugly reality: The device checks for your subscription status, and reports back that you need to pay up in order to use your existing data on other devices. This smacks of opportunism, and the FCC agrees. On the basis of the open access provisions of Verizon’s spectrum license, Verizon has been told that it cannot charge most users for tethering.

This means that the handy tethering features built into all phones have to be unlocked for users on tiered data. So if you’re hanging onto that unlimited account, Verizon can still charge you extra for tethering. It is not clear that Verizon can differentiate between limited and unlimited plans through this interface — it might just look for a tethering plan flag. This could mean a free for all with unlimited users, tethering as they please.

The other side of this issue is one that has muddied the waters following this decision. In addition to a number of phones that have built-in tethering, there are third party apps in the Play Store that do the same. In 2011, Verizon started blocking its customers from accessing many of those apps, and it was that action that kicked off the FCC investigation.

The popular app Easy Tether is often cited as an example of a blocked app, but this is a wired tethering app. Everyone is interested in having a device that acts like a WiFi hotspot. Third-party apps that can accomplish that are root-only. Anyone that was keen on using one of these apps already had the means to get them from the Play Store thanks to root tools that can circumvent carrier blocks.

Good for everyone?

Verizon isn’t just losing that $1.25 million from the FCC fine; it’s missing out on all that cash from hotspot subscriptions. Verizon wasn’t unique in seeking this additional revenue stream — everyone is in on it. Sadly, Verizon is the only carrier that purchased the Block C licenses that include the open access regulations. AT&T also bought some 700MHz spectrum, but it came from a different block.

The FCC can’t force any other carriers to follow Verizon into this brave new world of free tethering, but the market might do just that. Verizon saw this ruling coming, so its new (and mandatory) tiered data plans include tethering for new customers. This is just part of the deal now, and it gives Verizon a leg up on the competition.

The short term loss of tethering fees might hurt, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some users get on Verizon specifically because tethering is included. AT&T and Verizon have been matching each other time after time in recent years — just like any good duopoly should. Verizon offered a cheap unlimited calling plan, so AT&T did it too. AT&T switched to tiered data, and Verizon followed suit.

AT&T, ever the sneaky one, rolled out its own shared data plans to match Verizon recently, and you’ll never guess what it includes. Yep, tethering. They don’t make a big deal out of it, but AT&T saw the advantage Verizon was being forced into, and had to match it. There are still some plans that charge extra for tethering on AT&T, though. Neither of these carriers wants to give away tethering, but this is the direction the market is moving. Perhaps even the smaller carriers will have to fall in line.

Verizon’s in-store employees are also going to get additional training on how to explain the open access rules to customers. Imagine that — in-store reps that are trained to relay information without carrier spin. Verizon still fails to fully admit to blocking tethering apps in the Play Store, so perhaps forced honesty is the best course of action. This is important because customers should be aware they were being taken advantage of.

The people that are directly benefiting are those on a limited plan that just didn’t want to pay for tethering before. With Verizon’s new shared data plans and included tethering being such a mediocre deal, there are plenty of users that want to steer clear.

You are not a data hog

It always made perfect sense to me that if you were on tiered data, you should be allowed to use that data in any way you liked. There was no negative impact on Verizon’s network. The tethering fee was a straight-up money grab, and you would have been right to be offended.

Carriers have sometimes labeled some heavy users “data hogs.” That’s a term that should be considered an insult, not a simple descriptor. Using the service that you pay for should not cause you to be singled out as part of the problem. In this case, Verizon had no choice but to acquiesce because of the terms of its spectrum license. Other carriers will continue to huff and complain about “data hogs,” but really they’re mostly looking for a new way to justify higher fees.

Some people may disagree, but I have no compunction in getting tethering for free, either from wired Play Store apps, or the root-only hotspot apps. You are simply circumventing a system that charges you twice for the same service. It’s no different than sending an IM instead of an expensive SMS.

Whatever data you’re paying for should be yours to use. At least Verizon customers will be able to live that dream with the full force of the FCC behind them, even though calls of “data hogs” might still be hurled their way.

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Google Now vs. S Voice: What’s the best voice control app on Android? (video)

Android users have been waiting patiently for some months now to get a voice recognition app of their very own that actually works. Samsung led the charge this spring with S Voice on the Galaxy S3, but Google itself is now joining the fray with Google Now voice search — first on the Nexus 7 tablet, and later on other Android devices.

Now that official devices running both these services are in the wild, it’s time to compare them side-by-side and see which (if either) you might actually want to use.

To make a voice control app the kind of thing you’d ever actually use, it has to be fast. When I first started using S Voice on a Galaxy S3, I was satisfied with the speed of the translations. It might have felt a little sluggish on some queries, but it wasn’t until I had hands on with Google Now that I realized how much time I was wasting with S Voice.

Google Now is transcribing the voice into text locally using the new engine in Jelly Bean. The text is then uploaded to do the search, which is very fast. S Voice is probably sending the actual audio to the cloud to be transcribed. It might also have its own local voice processing engine, but if that’s the case, it’s very slow. I doubt the quad-core chip in the Nexus 7 is giving it any advantages. The individual cores in the Snapdragon-packing Galaxy S3 are faster, and Google Now is just as snappy on the dual-core Galaxy Nexus.

The quality of the recognition is definitely better on Google Now, too. In the video above, there were a few times when S Voice just missed words, like Chrome and Wombat, that Google Now understood perfectly. More common words seem to work fine in S Voice, but I constantly feel the need to enunciate more clearly when using it.

S Voice does have more ability to reach out into the Android system apps. It can pull in upcoming appointments when asked, send Twitter messages, and control the hardware radios. Google Now displays a message that insinuates the ability to control settings will be added later, but nothing of the sort is happening at this time. Some of that other data is displayed as cards in the main Now interface; it’s just not integrated into voice search.

The two apps could also not look more different. S Voice displays your questions and the corresponding answers as a conversation in word bubbles. It feels a little too much like Siri. Google Now takes searches one at a time and shows you information in large, well-designed tiles that are pulled from Google’s Knowledge Graph.

The main differentiating factor between these services at this time is availability. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is available on a huge number of carriers, and it will work just as well no matter where you get the device. Google Now is very new, and exclusive to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. You can get it on the Nexus 7, or on the GSM Galaxy Nexus.

I hope that Samsung leaves Google Now and its associated voice search intact when the Galaxy S3 is eventually bumped up to Jelly Bean. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Samsung ditch Google Now for TouchWiz — it trounces S Voice even at this early stage, and that can’t be great for the ego.

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