This is really starting to irk me. Yet another great Android device comes to market and, as usual, the launch was botched, marring the public Android perception and proving once again that Google ain’t no Apple (for better AND worse).

This isn’t the first time I’ve been unhappy with an Android launch (see my rants about the ASUS transformer launch here. (Quick aside: I take my words back at the end of the article about being concerned by ASUS’s support of the device. That end has been wonderful and I wish more manufacturers would keep up. I’m looking at you Motorola…). But this is the newest Nexus device for Christ sakes! This is the device that is supposed to embody pure stock Android; essentially the best the platform has to offer before carriers get in and muddy the waters with their bloatware, superfluous software and, now, Carrier IQ. This latest Nexus launch ruined all that and here’s why:

Bloatware

Bloatware. That ugly word that describes the pre-packaged software that comes with a lot of devices being sold by a particular carrier. The Android Nexus devices were supposed to be free of this stuff. Sure there are only two apps thrown in (My Verizon Mobile and Verizon’s backup assistant), but its more the violation of principle and the Nexus methodology at stake here than any particular application. The Nexus devices are supposed to be free of all bloatware and pre-installed software. Keep it that way. I’d hate to see the 6th iteration of the Nexus line shipping with MotoBlur (or even worse TouchWiz).

Timing

I have to go back and look up exact dates here, but the Galaxy Nexus timeline looks roughly as follows:

• Google Announces Ice Cream Sandwich; shows off some of its features
• Google Delays Galaxy Nexus announcement to respect the passing of Steve Jobs
• Google finally officially announces Galaxy Nexus in Hong Kong
• Everyone wonders where the heck the Galaxy Nexus is for almost six weeks
• Rumors fly that the Nexus is launching later this we— oh wait just kidding
• Repeat last step several times
• Verizon is selling the Galaxy Nexus starting three days after the day before yesterday! Oh wait… that’s tomorrow.

Critics will point out that the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus has been available for a few weeks now, at which I will ask them how many of those devices sold? Until Verizon officially started selling the Galaxy Nexus, the device has not been considered ready for public consumption, which is the date that people really care about. You can’t harbor hardware in beta forever. Sorry, the market is not that forgiving.

What I’m really getting at is that the device should have been ready to go right along with the announcement of Ice Cream Sandwich. The Galaxy Nexus is Ice Cream Sandwich’s flagship device, right? So why isn’t it ready to go when the ICS hype was first peaking? While all the techies and some not-so-technical people were salivating over the new operating system with its new features, that was the prime time to release the device. I know software delays and hiccups happen, but Google is a big boy; they should have been able to account for these things. If that means lighting a fire under Verizon’s tail to make sure they are ready to go ASAP, or God forbid nixing the exclusivity BS in favor of a fair market situation in which whoever could effectively port ICS the quickest and best gets to sell it first, so be it. What happens when Apple announces the ‘next big thing’? They’re already got a release date and distribution channels set up so the public knows when and where they can get their hands on the newest shiny thing. They capitalize on the market hype. That’s why their devices sell so much better. Its this minute attention to detail (or lack thereof) that leaves IOS feeling like a polished product and Android as some engineer’s side project they’ve worked on (hard too mind you, dumping many hours of mountain dew, sweat, and coding into) while stashed in their mother’s basement. Sorry I had to go there, but someone’s got to say it. Step your game up Google.

Marketing

Which brings me to another point. Where was the marketing for the Galaxy Nexus? The actual launch date came as a surprise to me, and I’m sure it did the same to many others. Why weren’t there more definitive advertisements saying THIS DEVICE WILL BE RELEASED ON XX/XX/XXXX? Lets take a look at another launch done right: Skyrim (its what all my friends have been talking about since forever ago. Bear with me). Everyone knew the date Skyrim came out months in advance of the actual release. People planned social events around the release of this video game y’all!!. I strongly believe that if Android devices are marketed properly and the software experience continues to progress as it has been, a Nexus launch could generate similar hype.

The release of the Galaxy Nexus had great potential. Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) brings some really great features to Android, and this phone was to be the first to show all that off. The Galaxy Nexus was supposed to be ICS done right; it was supposed to set the bar for all subsequent ICS devices to be released. It hasn’t. I really hope Google gets its act together with respect to the finer points of selling tech hardware (as opposed to offering software as a service) like Apple has done. Of course that leads us down the road in which one argues that Google is not selling Android hardware, they are just selling the software to promote usage of their other products. But that’s an argument for another day. Maybe we’ll discuss it in the backchannels (via via twitter or Google Plus)

In the world of computing there are always going to be bad guys.  And by rule of thumb, the number of bad guys for any given platform are proportional to the number of people on said platform.  So its only natural that as Android has increased in popularity, that bad guys have come knocking.  As an end user,  you have to take steps to protect yourself in the digital world.  A large part of this is to remain informed and to exercise common sense.  In light of these two points, I’m going to discuss a newly found Android exploit (informing you) and discuss how this exploit should never have worked en mass (the common sense part).

Security experts Lookout have recently written a blog post about a new Android Trojan GGTracker. This trojan spoofs the Android market (damningly well, btw) and tricks users into manually installing their malware application.  Read Lookout’s blog post for full details on the exploit; here’s a summary of what this app is and how it works:

1. User gets directed to a malicious website, usually by clicking on an advertisement link
2. Website advertises an innocuous free application… say a wallpaper app, a ringtone changer, or a slideshow of sexy girl
3. To install this application, the app instructs the user to download and install an .apk file.
4. User installs app and gets nailed with spyware, SMS charges and all sorts of ugliness.

Android Market Trojan Spoof

Now that we’re informed, lets point out some common sense things about Android that will save you from malware every time. Google has done a pretty good job locking down the platform with reguards to security, while leaving it open and flexible enough to support a wide range of applications. Most (I daresay all) malware attacks occur from user error, a.k.a. an end user installed the malicious app on their device. Malicious apps take many forms. Remember those old ‘free smiley’ IM plugins that used to (and sometimes still do) be advertised everywhere? Most were really viruses with a nice face in front of them. In the same way, there have been apps on Android promising ‘free sexy wallpapers’, ‘free ringtones’, and in this case ‘free battery widgets’ which are really malware in disguise. Never manually download an app that you weren’t looking for first. This the same reasoning that drives the advice that you are to never give your account information to a ‘bank rep’ who calls you or otherwise initiates the contact.

In the same vein of be careful what you install, note that the Android Market and Browser Applications are two totally seperate programs. If you see a ‘market page’ with a URL at the top (like the screenshot above), STOP. You’re about to do something wrong. If your browser downloads an .apk file and instructs you to install it, Don’t do it unless you absolutely know what you’re installing. Frankly the only apps that are not going to be in at least one of the Android markets (Google, Amazon, GetJar), are going to be application betas or specialty apps that you’ll seek out (like the custom Google Voice .apk for tablets we featured a few weeks ago).

Even when going through legitamate means (a Market), still be wary about some apps, especially if you haven’t heard of it before. Usually you’ll find reviews for most legit apps on your favorite Android site(s) [including yours truly Droidweb of course!]. A quick google search will save you a lot of headache. As always, check out the permissions needed for that app. A unit conversion app shouldn’t require access to text messaging services. If something seems suspicious, don’t download that app; do some research before you proceed. One of the benefits of having such a tight knit community of fellow Android enthusiasts behind you is that you can ask around and expect to get a response about just about anything, including “has someone downloaded this app before? Is it legit?”

As always in the digital world, be sure to excercise caution. However, don’t be afraid to experiment and explore the capabilities of your device as long as you know what you’re doing and you’ve got some information on hand to help. To all our readers: Be safe and Happy Androiding!

I was personally in the purported masses of techies vying to get my hands on the device. Between the specs, price, and innovative form factor, this device really is at the forefront of Android tablet offerings in my opinion. So much so that I performed the due diligence of calling all the brick and mortar retailers who were supposed to be carrying the device to make sure I would be getting a hold of the precious tablet on ‘launch day’. Here’s where the second set of warning flags went up (the first being that none of the retailers had the product listed on their online inventories and there were no opportunities for pre-order). No one new what the heck I was talking about. The retailers were so clueless that one naive sales rep asked me “Do you mean the new iPad?” as I tried to describe the product to her.

Android Tablet? What's that? The new iPad?

Long story short, I drove to all the major retailers, scoured all the websites, talked to everyone who I could call, and here I am a day later, no tablet. I’ve got multiple alerts set (Newegg, Amazon, some Canadian reseller I can’t think of at the moment, and a few others), so when the mystical tablet comes back into stock, I’ll know.

However I’m left here with a confused feeling wondering, “What happened?”. Was that actually a launch? The tablet came online on several site about 3am EST and was sold out well before I awoke that morning. Best Buy pointed all Transformer potential buyers to the similarly specced Acer Iconia tab. All other retailers didn’t know about the product (and apparently don’t know the difference between it and an iPad. Kudos to Apple for damn good advertising down to the point where the resellers are product placement tools themselves). Was this a case of limited supply? Was this a case of egregious levels of demand? Was it a combination of the two? What the heck are you doing ASUS? This was a clear opportunity to pull ahead of the Motorola Xoom and its mediocre sales, and even challenge Apple and crew. I’m always mystified when I manage to walk into a place of sales with a wad of cash in my hand, with the full intent of buying a product, and walk out with my money still intact and feeling of supreme frustration.

Both ASUS and their retail partners really dropped the ball here. Asus didn’t supply enough tablets to meet demand (and I’m talking at least an order of magnitude difference between supply and demand), they didn’t educate the retailers about their product (contrast this to how Apple meticulously trains resellers down to the point of calling the device simply ‘iPad’ not ‘the iPad’ or any other moniker), and finally, they have no explanation for what is going on. I’m damningly near just saying ‘forget it’ and move on to the next Android tablet sensation. Believe me, there will be another, and if they’re having trouble simply selling their product, what type of troubles do you see happening when it comes time to service the product? How about providing software updates? I’m concerned. Very concerned…

Several months ago we heard cries about market fragmentation as the Android user experience was divided between those running Android 1.5, 1.6, and 2.1.  Google vowed to fix that problem in the future, and is making steps towards that with the recent release of Gingerbread (Android 2.3).  However, another fragmentation war is brewing in the near future.

Recently HTC announced its hiring for and seeking to implement its own market for mobile devices.  While many saw this coming from a mile away, it is still unwelcome news to some.  I, for one, am not looking forward to every network provider, manufacturer, and brand having their own market.  Once there are several markets available, soon everyone will be creating one, not to fulfill a niche or need, but to remain relevant in the mobile market game.  And this competition will lead to a fragmented user experience at best.

Already we have an example of this fragmentation.  In addition to the Android market, there is SlideMe, a self-touted Android community and application marketplace.  Verizon has its own marketplace that comes with Verizon-branded devices.  And remember the hubub when Angry Birds decided to premiere on GetJar?  Only more of this is to come.

This market fragmentation will only lead to headache for users, who now will have to search multiple markets to find one product.  It’s already hard enough to find what you’re looking for with one market, considering that none of the current markets provide side by side analysis of different programs that pretty much do the same thing.

In addition, the headaches of being a good developer (especially an indie developer such as myself) will multiply.  Which market(s) should one publish his apps in?  Which market(s) should updates be pushed out to first?  How do you collect and consolidate all the feedback from the different markets?  The list goes on.  We really shouldn’t be making things harder for the developers.  It should be enough to have to master the principles of UI design, programming practices, and marketing.  Development in the mobile world right now is a full-time job that doesn’t yield full-time revenues.

Never being one to raise a problem without a solution, I put forth the following suggestion: create some standard for markets.  Google’s good at making platforms, right?  How about we get a platform for mobile markets.  Everyone can skin and theme and tweak their market to their hearts content, but make the engine that runs these markets the same.  What’s the advantage of this?  Developers can create a uniform end-user experience.  We can have multiple markets being used, but as a user, I only want to go to one place to buy stuff.  In addition, make one portal for developers to submit their apps to multiple markets.

Who will design this streamlined experience has yet to be seen.  The free market dictates that whichever market that becomes the most popular (which, even with all its faults, will probably be the Google Android default market) will dictate how the other markets look and function.  However, it wouldn’t surprise me if some third party developer or company capitalizes on this fragmentation and consolidates the Android Market problem.  Let us hope that this solution comes sooner than later.

At Google I/O today, Android 2.2 (FroYo) was announced. News about the software and its features have been leaking for a little while now, so the move came as no surprise. What was useful about this release, is that we now know what features are included in the newest iteration of the Android Operating System platform. Here’s the official video from Google explaining those features:

In case you didn’t watch the whole video, the main features of Android 2.2 are:

• Speed
• API’s and Services
• Browser
• Android Market

The first and third feature will greatly improve the user experience, while the second and fourth issue will improve the toolset available to Android developers.  So what does Android 2.2 mean for you?  It depends on who you are:

What does Android 2.2 mean for Developers?

With Android 2.2 come some welcome features we’ve been clamoring for a for a long time.  Firstly there’s the updated 2.2 API.  Some new features are going to be present in this API, most notably the ability to push notifications via Google servers.  Google describes the additional functionality as being able to implement “alerts, send to phone, and two-way sync” via cloud to device messaging.  You can now send authenticated messages from your app server to individual devices via Google servers.  (See diagram below for how this works).

In the example included on the Official 2.2 video, a developer sent directions from Google Maps (on a Chrome browser window) instance, to a device.  Intuitively, the device knows to open the same map view in Google Maps.  It will be interesting to see what uses developers come up with for this service.   I see tighter integration between desktop and mobile applications coming in the future.

Next on the agenda is an extension of App2SD.  Developers can choose where to install their application (SDCard vs. Internal memory).  The user can override this choice, but no longer do developers have to be so conscious of application size and no longer are user limited to what their internal memory can hold.

Finally there are going to be improvements to the Android market.  The most important upgrade to the market will be the ability for users to submit bug reports to developers.  When an Android application hangs or crashes, users can choose to submit a report to the developer.  This report will be available through the developers market console.  This will be an ENORMOUS help to developers, allowing debugging to take place beyond the developer’s own device.

What does Android 2.2 mean for Consumers?

Android 2.2 will bring a much improved  user experience to the average consumer.  A lot of the features contained in this release concentrate on making the platform faster, and giving the user more management choices over his / her devices features.  Lets look at some of those features:

• Speed: Android 2.2 brings the Dalvik JIT (Just in Time) compiler.  This compiler offers a 2 to 5 time speed improvement over Android 2.1.  That means that that game you’re developing will finally run fast enough in Android!
• Backup / Restore: Applications can now backup their data to the SD card cloud.  Once you backup data for a given app, you will be able to restore that data on another device, effectively transferring you features and preferences between Android devices.
• Apps2SD:  Fact: You have more room on your SD card than your phone has internal memory.  Apps2SD takes advantage of this fact and allows you to install applications directly on the SD card.  Later, you can transfer the application between internal memory and the SD card of a given device.
• Portable Hotspot: Let the tethering begin!  Android devices will now support tethering be default.  It will be interesting to see how carriers respond to this.  No longer will users have to root / mod their device to use it as a wifi-router.
• Browser Power:  Your browser will be faster, much faster.  Google says improvements in the V8 scripting engine will make the Android browser the fastest mobile browser around.
• Market: There will be several market improvements in this iteration of Android.  Now you will be able to auto-update all of those application that require updating.  As long as the application doesn’t require new permissions to run, you can choose to automatically batch update those applications with a newer version in the market.

What features are you looking forward to in Android?  Let us know in the comments section below!

Stick with us through and past the holiday season; we’ve got some great content coming up, including a multi-part tutorial about “How to get started with programming for Android.”  I also hope to get some tutorials up about how to ‘future-proof’ your apps and program for multiple platforms at once.  Happy Holidays everyone!

The newest buzz in the world of Android is the whole Google vs. Cyanogen business.  What’s going on?  Where do we go from here?  In the next few paragraphs, I try to explain the situation and throw in my two cents on the matter.

What/Who is Cyanogen / Cyanogen Mod?

Cyanogen (Steve Klondike) is an independent developer who has been creating custom roms for the Google Android operating system.  His roms bring all of the functionality and features of Android and add additional functionality, while providing a stable, production grade environment that runs smoother and faster than the default Android build.

Really?  So what’s the problem?

Cyanogen’s rom (and most other mods for that matter) use proprietary Google Applications (Google Maps, GMail, Google Android Market).  These proprietary bits are necessary for the Android experience (imagine using Android without syncing with your Google phonebook, or being able to browse the Android market apps, etc, etc).  Because those proprietary bits are closed source, what Cyanogen is doing is technically illegal.  Hence the Cease and Desist letter Google sent Steve last week.

Understandably there has been a large backlash in the Android Community.  Android was created supposedly with the idea of being open source, open to the community to do with it what they see fit, open to experimentation, open to tweaking, open to progress.  However, as a commercial product, it becomes more and more closed.  (Some) Applications are closed source (hell I don’t disagree with this… developers have to get paid too), areas of the platform are difficult to modify, so on and so forth.

So what do we do?

First we have to get past the reactionary phase.  Calm down a bit and look at things rationally.  Give me a second to rant so that I may move on in the next paragraph…

Google: get your head together and provide better answers to the community, especially developers.  You’re getting some damned bad press here guys.  If you kill your own brainchild by being obstinate to a guy who is improving your platform, you’re no better than certain software fruitcakes from Cupertino and the software tyrants from Redmond.  If this is not resolved it is time to go to go, do not collect $200 and rename thyself ‘Macrosoft’.

Ok… now that that is off of my chest, lets explore the paths that lead from here:

Abandon ROMS: Not going to happen.  ROMs improve Android greatly, making it run faster than before, use less battery power than before in some instances, and improving the overall quality of the Android platform.  We’ll get athletes to stop using steroids first.  We’ll get politicians to stop cheating on their wives first.  Shoot… we’ll get me to start my homework on time first before that happens.

Ditch Google Proprietary Bits: This is the route that’s being taken for the moment.  Cyanogen is making a custom ROM without Google bits and is aiming to provide those bits from alternative applications.  Hello alternative market.  Hello alternative to Google Maps.  But this will make people think thrice about rooting and moving to a Mod.  The Google Android experience is built partially on these bits.

Work it out with Google: This requires some corporate cooperation from Big G.  How about a deal that allows these bits to be used by Cyanogen or Android Rom Devs in general?  No?  Ok… how about hiring Cyanogen so that he can keep working, this time making ‘Tools’ that can optionally be downloaded by enthusiasts such as myself who would like to push the envelope of my Android’ phone’s operation?

A side note… if you liked Cyanogen’s work, check out the Save CyanogenMod application in the Android market:

Save CyanogenMod Price: Free Description: Voice your opinion on the Cyanogen developments by downloading this app.

I’ll continue to monitor this situation with reserved displeasure and slight annoyance.  As always… feel free to comment below to tell me how you disagree with me or include your POV.

1. Don’t yank the data cord while the phone is mounted!
   • I’ve done this a few times before.  I’ll be transferring music, or some other large file or collection of files and leave the phone connected to my computer.  In comes a call and in my haste to answer, YANK!.  Oops.  Sometimes its fine.  Others you will be greeted with a friendly “Damaged SD card” notification.  At this point you have no recourse but to format the poor SD card (after backing up your data first, of course!)

   • 

2. Pictures are best taken in full light and focused…
   • One thing I wish I had on my G1 was a LED flash.  That would make those nighttime pictures come out so much better.  How else am I supposed to capture embarrassing pictures of my friends?  Oh well.  Newer Android models are coming out with that (see the Xperia, which should be available in the Americas by Christmas) and much more…
   • To make sure you catch your subjects ‘in the act’ be sure to ‘half-press’ the camera button to autofocus the camera.
   • 

     Can you see the third person in this picture?  Neither can I.  Go-go-gadget flash anyone?

3. Seek Less, Search More

• • C’mon people… its a Google Phone.  What’s Google best at?  Searching.  On the G1 you can use the search key (it looks like a magnifying glass) to pull up Google search, and some application specific searching, including contact searching.

Remarks

Overall, I am very pleased with this phone.  For a first generation release of a product it has done very well.  This phone is a warrior!  I’ve put it through more abuse than any electronic should ever have to go through.  I’ve dropped the phone on a crowded club dance floor, watched it slide halfway down a hallway after I dropped it while running one day, and awoken to the phone sitting on a wet windowsill, all to find that the phone is still in perfect operating condition, and looks almost new…