gramesmith70: From the Editor's Desk: That ain't Android, Samsung likes lists, Moto doing it right

Monday, September 17, 2012

From the Editor's Desk: That ain't Android, Samsung likes lists, Moto doing it right

Stealing Phil's chair

Phil has vacated his desk for the week, and I've snuck in to fiddle with his radio, adjust his chair, and change all his bookmarks. They're big shoes to fill, but Alex and I can handle it.

In any case, there's a lot of things that happened last week we should all stop and think about, and we can't let a bit of wanderlust keep it from happening.

There was this little iPhone 5 thing that happened, and while we wait for it to actually become available we get to sift through everyone's opinion about why it's either a failure or the second coming. It's actually neither, but it does happen to be the perfect update for what some folks feel is the perfect phone. Anyone who expected magic unicorns with flames coming out their butt clearly hasn't been paying attention, as the iPhone 5 will look and feel like a better, faster, and this time around slightly bigger version of last years model. And it will sell millions. Samsung had a little fun with it in their recent ad, but they've forgotten that people don't buy the iPhone because of the specs. They buy it because of the whole Apple brand, and you can't fight that with a witty full color page.
Sony looks to be up to their same old tricks, as the Xperia T will not be available unlocked (or in the US) until 2013. That's too late, and something better will be out by then. You have a website that can ship me a laptop in three days, Sony. Put your phones on it so people can buy them.
Motorola, on the other hand, has surprised us all by doing exactly what they said they would do. If you are the type who likes to tinker, and love some Motorola hardware, grab the Developer Edition Razr M -- which went on sale last week right after the carrier launch. Nice job, Moto.
There's that whole brouhaha over Acer, a Chinese Android-ish clone called Aliyun, and Google threatening to boot the manufacturer from the OHA if the two ever meet. It's a regular soap opera, complete with CEO's talking snarky on social media, software piracy, and about a million blogger opinions on why it's right or wrong. I can see why Google is doing what they are doing, but it still feels a bit like strong-arm tactics to me. Maybe Google needs to define the rules a bit better, or maybe Acer is trying to skirt them. This one isn't finished, and I look forward to more drama over the coming weeks.
I'm trying to find a reason to not love the Kindle Fire HD 7. So far, I can't. It feels nothing like Android, but it's an awfully nice piece of equipment if you're in deep with Amazon.
Lots' of events this coming week, we have Motorola and Intel doing a thing in London on Tuesday, and Wednesday has LG and HTC both sharing something big with us in New York. We'll be at all three, seeing what there is to see and telling you guys all there is to know.
Finally, we see Jelly Bean has rolled out to all the Galaxy Nexus phones around the world, except one. Come on Verizon, this is getting a bit ridiculous. We understand that there are some radio issues that need worked out, but why not send out the updated OS with the old radio while you work on it? I'm sure a few people with the LTE Galaxy Nexus would appreciate the bone. Don't keep Google's work out of everyone's hands while you sort out yours.