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Day 74: Droid Outsells iPhone and Google Nexus One

Bart Salisbury — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:00:25 -0500

Flurry Analytics offers real time data to developers about how consumers use their mobile applications. Any application that uses Flurry Analytics rats out its user to an app developer, and at the same time provide some data about the smartphone community. Working their magic on the data they’ve received, Flurry says the Motorola Droid is one very popular phone.

Flurry says that 80 percent of all iPhone OS and Android devices use these reporting analytics. From this Flurry is able to make some educated guesses about the nature of the smartphone marketplace. And in that marketplace Flurry says Motorola’s Droid’s first 74 days moved more units than Apple’s iPhone did during that same period of time 1.05 million to 1.0 million. Flurry uses 74 days because that’s when Apple reported the iPhone’s reaching the 1 million units sold mark. While better after 74 days, the Droid has a ways to go to catch up to the 42.5 million iPhones sold.

Bad news here, though, is that not all Android phones are being as well received. During its first 74 days (actually 70 plus some extrapolation), Google’s Nexus One has move only 0.135 million units. Flurry ascribes the poor showing of the Nexus One to “unconventional choices in marketing, pricing and distribution.”

There’s a lot of other issues involved here, which make a precise comparison difficult. Flurry readily acknowledges such issues. However, what does seem apparent is Nexus One, despite the hype and anticipation, isn’t catching on--at least not just yet.

Image Credit: Flurry

Chip Maker Predicts PS3 Quality Graphics on Mobile Devices in Three Years

Ryan Whitwam — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:42:50 -0600

Get ready to toss your gaming console out a window. Well, maybe not, but according to Imagination Technologies you might be carrying a phone as powerful as a PS3 in three years. Imagination makes the PowerVR mobile graphics chips found in phones like the iPhone and the Droid among others. The chips are licensed to hardware makers that must incorporate them into hardware. This takes about three years from start to finish. That bit about the PS3 level graphics? They know because they’re developing that chip right now.

Imagination claims that this level of performance will be possible with the usage of multiple processing units. In theory, three to four can be added to a phone without causing too much more power draw. Current PowerVR chips have the theoretical potential to do hardware accelerated Flash and GPGPU computing. Imagination say that internal tests have shown a 300% increase in Flash performance when hardware accelerated. Yeah, we’ll take that.

Let’s hope that Imagination Technologies was being straight here. Of course, much of this relies on hardware makers using the chips. But if the near future holds 720p gaming on our mobile phones, flying cars and jetpacks can’t be far behind… right?

Image via Gizmodo

Touchscreen Accuracy Study Crowns iPhone King

Bart Salisbury — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:59:14 -0600

One of the frustrations in using a touchscreen device is they don’t seem to obey. Touching and having what you want happen is the ideal. But, it’s not uncommon to touch and have nothing happen or, better yet, touch and the wrong thing happen. The answer lies not is us or our stars, but in the underlying technology. The kind folks at Moto labs have put four touchscreen devices through their paces and have some interesting results to share.

The deal is this, says Moto: “It takes finesse to create a touchscreen system that’s pleasant to use, because touchscreens require seamless integration between hardware components, software algorithms, and user-interface design. If a manufacturer cuts corners or flubs any of the critical elements, the user’s experience with a touchscreen product is likely to suffer.” And, as Moto develops touchscreen devices, they appear to be in a position to know.

The test Moto presents is simple: how straight a line can your touchscreen draw while going slowly? Says Moto, “On inferior touchscreens, it’s basically impossible to draw straight-lines.” Why? “[B]ecause the sensor size is too big, the touch-sampling rate is too low, and/or the algorithms that convert gestures into images are too non-linear to faithfully represent user inputs.” (Drawing lightly, says Moto, will provide a ready demonstration, because that’s when the touch signal is weakest.)

Best of the bunch, which included the Apple iPhone, the HTC Droid Eris, the Motorola Droid, and the Google Nexus One, was the iPhone, but not by a whole lot. Moto says of it: “Precise lines indicate accurate representation of finger path.” But, there’s a “[n]oticeable loss of sensitivity at the edges.” Worst in the group appears to be the Motorola Droid, which performed poorly under light-and medium-pressure tests. The Nexus One, Moto says, has good edge sensitivity, similar to the HTC Droid Eris (no surprise as both use the same touch controller IC), but have lines slightly wavier than the iPhone.

Image Credit: labs.moto.com

Total Cost of Nexus One Cheaper than Most Competitors

Bart Salisbury — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:14:50 -0600

Like cars and houses, the purchase price of a smartphone is just the beginning of what it will cost you. The total cost of ownership includes using it--with a house it’s upkeep, a car it’s maintenance and fuel, and with a smartphone it’s the cost of your monthly service. Billshrink.com has calculated an initial estimate of the cost of using Google’s shiny new Nexus One, and, comparatively speaking, it fares well against the competition.

There are a number of variables in play when calculating total cost, but the basics are simple: assume a two year contract with a service provider, figure out the cost of an average and unlimited usage plan (on 3G networks), and add in the cost of the discounted phone. For a two year period a Nexus One will cost you between $2,339 and $2,579. (Or $97.46 to $107.46 per month.)

That makes the Nexus One the second cheapest among the iPhone, Palm Pre, and Motorola Droid. The Pre comes in with the lowest cost, but not by much: $2,309 to $2,549 for 24 months. The iPhone and Droid tied for most expensive: $2,839 to $3,799 for 24 months. And an agreement-free Nexus One will also cost you lest coin, $529, with the Pre costing $550, the iPhone and Droid $599.

Spec-wise you may be getting a tad less with the Nexus One. It comes with 4 GB of storage, while the others come with 8 GB or more. (But, the Nexus One is expandable to 32 GB, same as the Droid. The iPhone and Pre are fixed.) There aren’t as many apps for the Nexus One as the iPhone (nor are there as many stars in the night sky as there are apps for the iPhone). And, as one snarky commenter notes: the Nexus One is on T-Mobile, so good luck with that.

The Nexus One is available unlocked, which allows you to pick the carrier you want. And a CDMA version, for Verizon, is expected out this spring. So pricing dynamics may change once all the dust has settled.

Image Credit: Billshrink.com

No BS Podcast #124: Surviving Friday the 13th

The Maximum PC Staff — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:30:15 -0600

In this episode, the gang discusses the implications of Intel's $1.25 billion anti-trust settlement with AMD, the release of the Motorola Droid, and the Modern Warfare 2's record-breaking launch. We also answer a few doctor questions, and Gordon fumes about replacable laptop batteries, headshots, and games that play themselves in his most hilarious rant of the week yet.

Do you have a tech question? A comment? A tale of technological triumph? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are standing by.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337

Want Droid for your Job? It'll cost you an Extra $15 Per Month

Ryan Whitwam — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:18:30 -0600

We all rubbed our eyes in disbelief when Verizon announced they would be releasing a fully open handset, the Motorola Droid. Not only did it have WiFi, it had free GPS! This was not the Verizon we all knew. Some of the more pessimistic among us were waiting for the other shoe to drop, and now it has. A Verizon rep has confirmed that using the integrated Microsoft Exchange support in the Droid will mean an extra $15 fee each month.

This boosts the monthly cost of data to $45 instead of the standard $30. Verizon also plans to offer a $50 per month data-only plan for the Droid. Verizon indicated this fee just brings the cost in line with smartphone plans for corporate email seen on Blackberrys. "The Droid is primarily a consumer phone," said Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney.

All things considered, it may be a fairly minor point. Nevertheless, it seems like a very Verizon thing to do. If you were planning on getting the Droid, does this give you second thoughts? How many of you use Exchange accounts daily?