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Android Frustrations

John Dominguez — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 21:11:23 +0000

When I moved from my iPhone 3G to a Droid X, I expected some rough edges. It didn't take a discerning eye to figure out that Android 2.x was less polished than iOS. To a certain extent I embraced it. I tried custom launchers and eventually custom ROMs and every configuration seemed slightly less than stable, always requiring just a little too much effort and was filled with too many inconveniences. That was the price for living on the edge, the price for customizing a phone exactly how I wanted it. I lived with it, and the expectation of additional hassle was one I had accepted. I enjoyed my Droid. It was quirky, but that gave it character.

Along came Android 4 and the Galaxy Nexus and something changed. I thought Android had finally matured. I thought that ICS, with it's attractive holo theme and new Roboto font, Android had turned over a new leaf. It had finally caught up to iOS, or at least had gotten close enough not to matter. I was sold on the idea that Android had grown up, and as long as I kept those nasty skins away, everything would be great. For a while, it mostly was. Certainly there were some bumps along the way, but compared to my old Droid X the Nexus was the pinnacle of stability and speed.

Android 4.1 seemed to cement that belief, with it's buttery smooth operation and forward looking features. This was now supposed to be an OS that was as smooth as iOS, but more powerful, more forward looking. I kept my Nexus pure, running only official ROMs and staving off every geek instinct in me to tinker with it. I ventured over to XDA and checked out Cyanogen mod every once in a while, but I'd inoculate myself by reading through some help threads, vicariously experiencing other's frustrations with their modded devices.

My phone's purity has ultimately not saved it. As more time passes and more bug fixes are released, my phone isn't getting more stable. Quite the opposite. I now seem to encounter regular issues that are precisely of the kind that I expected to escape by using an untouched Nexus phone. My battery status gets 'stuck', reporting an erroneous level for hours before I notice it, and is only unstuck by a reboot. My phone likes to turn itself off and randomly reboot. Sometimes when I try to wake my phone, it decides to power off or reboot instead. When I do reboot, it doesn't always actually turn back on, often hanging with the word "Google" frozen on its' screen, screaming the name I should be cursing. Battery life is erratic even with minimal usage, sometimes lasting a healthy 12 hours, others lasting an unacceptable 4 (BetterBatteryStats has yet to reveal a consistent culprit). The headphone jack and the USB port occasionally have a few days where they decide not to work, and right before I go to trade it in, they start working again. The Samsung made extended battery cover never seems to fit perfectly, making my phone creak like an old door and leaving it prone to ejecting the battery with the slightest provocation.

These frustrations mount in between periods of perfect performance. Yesterday my phone was as erratic as my X was, and today it is working perfectly. When it does work, I really enjoy it. I've spent time with iOS 6 on an iPhone 5 and I really do prefer Android 4.1 in terms of general usability. I prefer having a back button, I love Google Now, and I like the multitasking better. I like widgets and gmail and Google maps. I like integrated Google voice and Google Music. I just prefer android as a platform, yet as I type this I have a chrome window open investigating my options to get a hold of an iPhone or a Windows 8 device.

I spent about a week recently using an iPhone 5 as my primary device. The experience wasn't exactly a revelation; I have an iPad 3 and use iOS pretty much every day, but it was hassle free. I got all my services up and running in no time flat and that was it. Apple Maps isn't nearly as good as Google's, but even that doesn't induce quite the same kind of frustration that my Galaxy Nexus has. My phone does a lot for me and my biggest concern is that it works when I need it. Right now I'm likely to end up carrying two devices. I'll make an iPhone 5 my primary phone, and I'll get a Nexus 4 as well. This seems like a stupid solution in many ways, but until I can get a Google phone that is as frustration free as an iPhone, or an iPhone that doesn't compromise my investment in a Google ecosystem, it might be the only way to make me happy.

The Oatmeal raises funds for Tesla

John Dominguez — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:37:54 +0000

Emboldened by his newfound ability to raise large amounts of funds, The Oatmeal has taken it upon himself to raise $850,000 to purchase Nikola Tesla's old workshop and turn it into a museum commemorating the excentric inventor. Amazingly, after only a day, they've raised $385,000. A worthwhile cause for an underappreciated genius.

What Google Should do with Motorola:

John Dominguez — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:46:35 +0000

Google's acquisition of Motorola is finally complete, and soon we should start seeing Google's guiding hand influence their products, but where should that hand lead? There are a few areas that Motorola has a real chance to stand out from the crowd, and distinguish itself even from the highest end devices from Samsung and HTC. Some of these things Moto already does, but needs to stick with, others are area's they need to catch up on. Let's begin with the latter:

-Better Screens: Samsung has 720p AMOLED screens and HTC has sourced some amazing high quality 720p Sony LCDs. Meanwhile, Moto has been left in the dust. One of the biggest flaws in the RAZR and has been its lackluster screen. While the rumors suggest that a RAZR HD is imminent, screen quality should be a focus of all Moto's high end devices from here on out. The screen is the single area that makes the biggest difference in my personal perception of a device, and when Apple, HTC, and Samsung do it so well, Moto needs to as well.

-Better Cameras: Again, this is an area where Moto has fallen behind. Camera quality has become a real battleground of the smartphone wars, and right now Moto is losing. The new sensors put into the 4S, GS3, and One X are all leaps and bounds better than anything found in a current Moto device.

Now, onto the things that Moto already does well that they need to continue doing:

-Build Quality: Here's an area where Moto seems to already beat their competition, and they can't afford to stop now. As nice as Samsung's high end phones are, they lack the quality hand feel that even my Droid X seemed to have. Samsung's plastics just don't feel premium in the hand in the same way that an iPhone does. Motorola has shown an ability to use carbon fiber and soft touch metals that other makes simply don't have. Making a quality build that really feels that way can go a long way in selling a high end phone.

-Call Quality: Moto has always been known for their call quality, and even though smartphones are used as phones less and less, it's still an expected feature. When you have a high end phone that isn't as good a phone as the low end devices, there's a problem.

-Battery Life: The RAZR MAXX was an odd duck. Take a phone that was built as an exercise in thinness, and make it fatter. Seems like a bad idea, but when that idea is what gives you such extraordinary battery life, it's worth the tradeoff. Also, we have to put it in perspective. The RAZR goes from an impossibly thin 7.1mm to an appreciably thin 8.99mm, but it nearly doubles its battery life. To get similar battery life from my Galaxy Nexus, I have the option of buying a new battery, but the necessary back plate turns my phone into something only Quasimodo could love. Moto has the opportunity to make multiple day battery life a signature feature, something unique to them.

And a few things that Moto needs to start doing:

-Focus: Motorola is still stuck releasing a plethora of devices, but if Samsung can slim down to just a couple Moto should be able to as well. All signs point to them already doing this, and consolidating their efforts into just a few high end phones. Hopefully this is the case.

-Stock, or nearly Stock Android: It's obvious that since Android 4 Google has been putting some serious design thought into Android. It's clean, crisp, and unique. It's consistent and functional, and really quite beautiful. I myself own two Nexus Devices (the Galaxy and Nexus 7), and their software is easily better looking than those loaded down with Touchwiz or Sense. Right now, besides the Nexus phones, there really aren't any high end stock android phones out there. Google could use Moto to change that. There might be a risk of differentiation, but since there really isn't anyone else doing it, for the time being it's not an issue. Now is the time to embrace the wonderful design of pure Android, and let it shine through a high end phone. If Motorola needs to remain in the software game, they can take their best work (like smart actions) and package them on top of stock android without turning it into some hybrid mess. Leave the stock launcher alone, match every addition to the Holo guidelines, and make it feel like it belongs there.

Hopefully Motorola under Google can re-enter the space reinvigorated and really hit home a killer device. I'd love to make my next phone a Moto, but they have to do it right.

2 Reasons Why I Believe in the iPad Mini

John Dominguez — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:37:05 +0000

The Math Works:

If you do the math, a 7.85-inch tablet with a resolution of 1024 x 768 works out to a PPI of 163

So what?

So this: That’s the exact same resolution as the pre-Retina iPhone/iPod touch display!

...

And it gets better. Just like a 7.85-inch iPad mini aligns perfectly with existing manufactory hardware, its 1024 x 768 screen aligns just as well with existing iPad apps! Developers wouldn’t need to provide Apple with a third distinct set of layout parameters; the iPad mini would simply (and automatically) resize their iPad apps to fit its smaller screen.

The Price is Right

For a while I wasn't a believer either, but these to arguments just make too much sense. Apple could easily create an iPad mini, it fits in their user guidlines perfect, and developers don't have to scale anything. Apple has repeatedly shown they're not affraid to canabalize their own devices as long as people are still buying their devices. Will there be a few people who will now spend less money on Apple and buy an iPad mini rather than a full sized iPad? Yes. Will there be other people drawn to the iPad mini either becuase of size or (more likely) the lower price? Absolutely. I can guarantee that the latter is going to be bigger than the former.

43 Years Ago Today, Man Walked on the Moon

John Dominguez — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:30:02 +0000

Who better to commemorate this anniversary than Sagan:

Although we have since failed to reach so far, at least we have not given up on the final fronteir.

WWDC 2012: What to Expect

John Dominguez — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 21:52:44 +0000

Apple's next big even is upon us, and it looks like it could surpass previous events in its scope. Nearly every Apple made product has potential for an update of some sort next week. I expect this to be a significant revision for iOS, and we are likely to see the biggest update to the Mac hardware line in a long time.

iOS 6

New Maps With Turn-by-Turn Navigation

It's pretty much a certainty at this point that Apple will be updating its aging Maps app, currently powered by Google. After their falling out, it's not hard to see why the app hasn't received much love in recent updates. Thankfully, a number of key acquisitions seem to indicate that Apple is building their own map app, so now it might keep up with its Android (or even Windows Phone) competitors. The best way to play catch up would be to implement full turn by turn directions. A number of third party iOS apps already do this pretty well, but since you can't change the default map app, it doesn’t' matter how good 3rd parties are if you always end up in the same aged interface. I don't expect Apple's new entry to rival Google's amazing app, but I do hope they can narrow the gap a little. Some snazzy 3D is also likely.

Improved Siri, Siri on iPad

It was a surprise when the new iPad released without Siri, but I expect that surprise to end on Monday. Siri will likely make its debut on the iPad with a few enhancements. It should bring those enhancements along with it to the iPhone. Expect more use cases where Siri can answer questions or perform actions directly. Voice emails, integration with turn by turn directions, and possibly even app launching could be in order. A less likely, but possibly huge announcement could be a Siri API. It's entirely possible that Siri isn't quite ready for that and that Apple doesn't want others messing around with her until they can figure it out themselves, so I don't think an API is likely. If it is announced, it could be the biggest part of the show.

Real Facebook Integration

iOS 5 put the social spotlight on Twitter alone, which seemed like an odd choice, but I expect Facebook to take the spotlight for itself this year. It's been widely reported, and it just makes too much sense to ignore. Expect Facebook to show up everywhere Twitter currently is and more.

More iCloud

Expect a continued focus on iCloud. iCloud is the genesis of the successor to iTunes. More and more expect iCloud to gradually take over iTunes responsibilities. Improved integration and a more full featured website are to be expected.

Live Icons

I still don't expect widgets to make it to iOS, as I think Apple wants to keep things in App, but I do think they'll borrow a page from the Microsoft page and allow more dynamic icons. Right now the only update possible on an iOS icon is the little red notification bubble. It wouldn't take much to allow the same ability, but give it more power to update the icon. So a weather icon could show the temperature, photos could show recent pics, Facebook could show faces of friends.

Updated UI

It's possible that Apple does a major UI overhaul in this update, and different theories have floated around the web. I don't expect a wholesale update to happen, and the Live Icons possibility is the biggest UI change I expect to see from Apple. I'd love to see more, but I think Apple doesn't want to fix what isn't really broken.

Apple TV

There continue to be rumors of an Apple TV set (iTV?) around the net, but I don't expect we'll see that anytime soon. What is much more likely is a major update to Apple TV. Right now, Apple TV is set apart only by Airplay. For everything else, Apple TV is easily surpassed by its competitors. A possible SDK and App Store could dramatically change that, and an updated UI would be expected to come with that. Expect improved mobile device support, along the lines of the Xbox's Smartglass too. It's possible that this is saved for next year, but there has been so much Apple TV talk, I think there is something going on.

New Mac Hardware

The most persistent and delicious rumor out there remains the possibility of high dpi screens throughout the Mac lineup (I hate the term retina display). Apple started the high dpi crazy with the display in the iPhone 4, cramming an incredible 330 dpi in its small 3.5" display. They continued that tradition in the recent iPad with a 263 dpi screen. Expect any new Macs to be under that. For example, an 11" Asus Zenbook with a 1080p screen is about 200dpi, the 13" is 170 dpi. The possibility of a 2560x1600 screen in the 15.4" MacBook Pro would yield a 200 dpi panel. If Apple does indeed up the resolution of their screens, expect non-standard resolutions between 150-200 dpi, depending on the machine.

Of course, all the new hardware will have SSDs, the newest Intel chips, and wonderful touchpads. No crazy form factors like what we've seen for Windows 8 laptops. What is very possible is that the MacBook Pros move to a much more MacBook Air like form factor. Optical drives continue to lose their relevance and thunderbolt is becoming useful outside the Apple ecosystem, so I don't think Apple will be pushing any harder than they have in the past by asking users to ditch reliance on ports or discs. It's possible that some of the MacPros will even disappear.

Apple may even revamp the Mac Pro line, but their intentions there couldn't be any less clear. Apple seems to be all about making professional and consumer products one and the same. It's that reason you won't see an iPhone Pro anytime soon. I'll call this a wildcard and not even venture to guess what they'll do beyond updating the specs with the newest Intel chips.

Why the Wii U Will Fail

John Dominguez — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 17:12:20 +0000

The Wii was an unqualified success. It changed the game in more ways than one, but the biggest change was that it did not directly challenge its competitors on equal ground. It altered the formula for what a successful game console could be and in so doing opened up whole new markets of potential gamers. I wish to challenge none of that. What I assert is simply that the Wii U will be unable to capitalize on its' predecessors' success and that its' market will end up being a no man’s land, appealing neither to the gamers interested in the Xbox and PlayStation nor the 'non-gamers' that the Wii brought into the fold.

I know many people who own a Wii and no other dedicated gaming device. People like my grandparents or my parent's pastor that had never before bought a gaming device as anything other than a gift. They were lured in by the simplicity the Wii promised. One look at the Wiimote and you knew it was simple. Sitting next to a complicated Xbox or PS3 controller, the Wiimote seemed like something those unfamiliar to gaming could handle. More important though, was the gateway experience of Wii Sports. Wii Sports is what sold that console to those non-gamers. They could jump into a game of Wii bowling and instantly get the hang of it. Retirement homes held tournaments.

When I look at the Wii U, I see none of that. Place the gamepad next to an Xbox controller and those octogenarians aren't going to want to pick up either. The Wii U gamepad will look to them like a small, ugly, and more complicated iPad. And why should they pick it up? It's not clear there is a similar 'gateway experience' to be had. A lot of the reasoning behind such a lack I covered in a previous post, but even if such an experience is possible, Nintendo has failed to show it off. Without the innate simplicity nor a compelling reason to try it out, I don't expect the Wii U will be selling to that same non-gamer crowd. That market represents a large portion of the Wii user base that the Wii U will completely fail to capitalize on. Oddly enough, the Xbox and Kinect have the best chance to move in, even though the games have so far lagged behind the potential.

As for the gamer crowd, a certain amount of them will buy in no matter what. Mario, even if he's not innovating, will always sell some consoles. Still, Nintendo has failed to capitalize on the traditional first mover advantage. Ports are always a big part of a new console, and the Wii U will get its share, but it doesn't convincingly sell their port as the best one. When something like GTA 5 or COD comes out (assuming it makes it to the Wii U), my initial guess is that it'll be functionally and graphically equivalent across the board. That's not good for Nintendo, and it won't sell the Wii U. A big draw of buying a system at launch is the "newness" of it. Graphics are part of that, and Nintendo won't have a decisive advantage there. Gameplay is another, and (as described in the aforementioned article), I personally feel as though Nintendo has failed there as well. This certainly could change. Nintendo could innovate quickly and surprise me, but given how long they've had to do this already and the fundamental flaws in the idea, I don't expect this to be the case.

The biggest financial question regarding the Wii U's fate is the Margins. If Nintendo sells them at such a low price point and takes a loss, I think it will be a disaster for them. In the past, it would have been unthinkable for this to be the case, but with Nintendo taking this approach with the 3DS, it's a possibility. At this point it would be surprising to me if Nintendo is able to make the Wii U a hit out of the gates. Looking down the road is a more difficult problem, given we know nothing real about the inevitable successors to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. But given an educated guess that they continue down essentially the same path, it's safe to say that those consoles will appeal more towards the traditional gamers than the Wii U will.

If the Wii U doesn't succeed in appealing to either demographic, its' failure seems inevitable.

Why the Wii U is a Bad Idea

John Dominguez — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:50:46 +0000

If you were to distill the fundamental idea behind the Wii U, it would be that games can be made better with the addition of a secondary screen, be it embedded into the primary game controller or used as a peripheral. This is a proposition that I personally disagree with, and I don't believe that Nintendo has shown that this is a good idea outside of two uncommon use cases.

Let's run down the possible use cases for such a screen:

a) Single Player or online multiplayer where the TV is the primary display

b) Single Player or online multiplayer where the gamepad is the primary display.

c) Symmetric Local Multiplayer

d) Asymmetric local multiplayer

I think that only under case (d), asymmetric multiplayer, does the gamepad have a significant benefit. Here I wwill argue that at all other times the gamepad adds little enough unique value that it's hardly of consequence, and that therefore the Wii U's fundamental proposition is not compelling enough to base a console around.

In case (a) the TV is your primary point of focus. Therefore, anything taking place on the gamepad screen is essentially a distraction from that focus point. Therefore, anything taking place on the screen will be of little enough importance that it could safely be put on the primary screen or in a menu. Examples include things like inventory, maps, menus, etc. I'm not saying that there is absolutely no value in having an inventory screen on the gamepad, only that it's not a significant enough experience as to merit such a feature as being the primary selling point of a console. Other games that Nintendo has shown that fall under case (a) use the screen as something you hold up over the TV. However, since your primary view is being blocked, it makes sense that the same view could be put up on the TV and controlled with the motion sensors in an otherwise normal controller (or even the control stick). The merits of a secondary view only accessible by blocking the TV escape me. Yet other games that fall under (a) show the gamepad as a completely separate peripheral, such as showing the lie of the golf ball. I have yet to see a game where such a use case is valuable. Lastly, there are the cases where touch interaction is the primary input. Unfortunately, if the TV is the primary focus point, touch screens become much less useful, seeing as they lack any tactile feedback. Using a touchscreen TV remote has proved an annoying enough experience when not looking at the remote. I imagine a game would be even more so. Case (a)is by far the most common use case for a TV based console. So far, the best uses have been gimmicky and mildly useful at best. Hardly a glowing achievement for a console based around the principle of a secondary screen.

For case (b), single player or online multiplayer where the gamepad is the primary display, this represents a situation where the Wii U simultaneously proves its unique abilities and proves them to be completely irrelevant. The best example of this case is New Super Mario Bros U. They show someone playing the game only from the gamepad, while the TV is being used for something else; A unique and potentially interesting scenario. However, this seems like it will be a fringe use case. Clearly, the usage of a TV has not proven to be a significant hindrance to console sales or use, otherwise handhelds would rule the gaming world. Also, since the gamepad is still tethered to the console, it doesn't replace handhelds in mobile situations. Most telling of all though, is that any unique functionality that such a game would utilize the secondary screen for would be made unavailable in this mode. Therefore, none of that functionality can possibly be made that pivotal to gameplay, or case (b) would be impossible.

For case (c), symmetric local multiplayer, the gamepad simply becomes another controller, although overly large. If everyone is doing the same thing and has the same abilities (as implied by symmetric), then the usefulness of the controller is limited. The only possible interesting use case here would be a split screen game where one player uses the gamepad as the primary display. This is an admittedly interesting, useful, and unique use case. How often this will be implemented has yet to be seen, and it really only proves absolutely unique with more than 4 players.

Case (d), asymmetric local multiplayer is really the only use case where the Wii U shows its unique potential. Giving one player a different screen and set of input possibilities is an extremely interesting scenario. I hold no reservations about the myriad of possibilities here. Unfortunately, as online has come of age, local multiplayer has been dying a slow death. The number of games that even support 2 local players had dropped significantly. If we can read that as a sign of lessening demand, it's a shame. It seems the Wii U is made to shine in situations that have become increasingly less common.

There are specific instances in each of these senarios where there is some potential for the gamepad to prove itself to be more than the gimmick that it seems to be. However, the content shown to us so far has done little to do so. I hope that Nintendo and other game makers can prove me wrong and turn the Wii U into something extraordinary, I just don't think that it's going to be achieved easily, often or perhaps ever at all.

Who Really Wants to Talk to Their Phone Anyway?

John Dominguez — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:44:26 +0000

A pair of recent articles have popped up recently that really call into question the usefulness of voice assistant programs in phones.

The Verge put up a comparison of Apple's Siri and Samsung's new S-voice tech, and while they both had their advantages, the basic conclusion was that neither is really worthwhile.

One Foot Tsunami posted an entertaining write up of what happens when you try to emulate Apple's comercials.

So, if you're stuck in the dark ages, left without a robot freind trapped in your phone to talk to, don't fret. It probably wouldn't be that helpful anyways.

Gesture Interaction Takes a Giant Leap Forward?

John Dominguez — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:31:06 +0000

Engadget has posted an interesting hands on of a new gesture based Human Interface Device (HID) called the Leap. It offers functionality similar to that of Microsoft's Kinect, but with a few advantages. First of all it's cheaper than the kinect is now, with pre-orders starting at $70. Secondly, it's smaller than kinect. So you could place this very easily on your desk or even bring with your laptop without a second thought. Third, it's more precise. Small movments can be easily tracked and extrapolated, so you can control your computer with a single finger, rather than using wide sweeping motions. Last, and by far the most important differentiator, is that the published latency is actually lower than the refresh rate of your monitor. It's an impressive claim that seems to be backed up in both their videos and the hands on videos poted by gadget blogs.

If the Leap can live up to it's billing, it really could change the way we interact with computers. It may not replace the keyboard and mouse, but it could certainly augment them. The small getsures that seem to work well on the Leap seem far more practical than what is required by the kinect. The latency means that it works as fast as you expect it to.

For now, Leap has implemented it as a touch screen emulator of sorts, to enable the leap to work with current touch screen programs. In the future, they hope their API will be integrated into programs to allow full 3D tracking of all fingers, allowing impressive input bandwidth. Alternate input technologies are all the rage right now, and Leap certainly has the most impressive gesture based one out there. Let's hope it lives up to it's billing.

Also, please pardon the pun.