Apple co-founder: ‘I prefer Android for GPS’

January 21, 2012

Android vs iOS: which do you prefer? Do you swear by your Samsung Galaxy, or cherish your iPhone 4S?

The man who founded Apple with Steve Jobs has chimed in on the mobile OS debate, and his views might just surprise you.

Cartoon of Android eating and Apple

Steve Wozniak – known to most Apple geeks as ‘Woz’ – set up Apple with Steve Jobs when they were teenagers in 1976. Woz built the first Apple computer and was instrumental in developing Apple hardware in the early years of the home computer industry.

He has shocked many Apple enthusiasts by publicly stating that he prefers Android to Apple as an OS, particularly in terms of GPS navigation. He also said that Android’s voice recognition is superior to Siri, the personal assistant that is currently the main marketing point for the iPhone 4S. Woz added that Siri’s ability to interpret and answer questions accurately and intelligently has decreased over time, and the tool had become less useful as it matured.

Woz said his primary smartphone was an iPhone, but picked up on the issue of battery life, which is generally considered to be poor. He also said he missed certain features about Android when using his iPhone 4S, and hinted that developers were put off submitting apps for Apple App Store due to the long, drawn-out approval process and expense of keeping an app live for months or years afterwards. He did, however, say that iOS is easier to use than Android.

His comments have caused some experts to recall the battle between Apple and Microsoft in the desktop computer market, particularly in the 1990s, when Apple became a specialist computer manufacturer, unlike the PC which became a dominant force. Could iOS suffer the same fate and lose mainstream support? Steve Jobs famously said that he would be willing to spend Apple’s entire fortune to “destroy” Android, but Steve Wozniak is known for speaking his mind – even if what he says is controversial.

Do you agree with Woz’s comments about Android?

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Android Marketplace to Get Design Overhaul

January 19, 2012

Users of Android devices sometimes feel that Android apps lack uniformity and style. If you’ve switched from an iPhone 4 or iPad 2, the difference in the visual style of the apps could be quite significant.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich

But all that could be about to change. Part of Apple’s philosophy is to tightly integrate software and hardware to make the whole experience very easy for users, and now Google want to do the same thing.

Google are attempting to re-align the Android Marketplace and standardise the feel of their apps with the new Android Design project. Android Design is a new set of guidelines to try to make Android apps look a little more stylish and refined. They hope that a common set of rules will also make apps easier to use, giving users of Ice Cream Sandwich a better and more integrated experience. Developers have been given recommendations for the fonts they use, and they’re encouraged to clearly position buttons and tabs. The guidelines contain lots of tips to cut down on confusing icons and long, lengthy in-app instructions.

The new Android Design website has been built to encourage app developers to follow a set of common standards to make the OS “beautiful” and “powerful”, according to Matias Duarte, the director of Android User Experience at Google. Duarte’s comments mark a change in direction for Google as they seek to make their mobile OS more refined. The Android Design website gives developers suggestions around the user interface they choose and even the length of their sentences, providing tips on tried-and-tested ways to make an app more enjoyable and effective. Ice Cream Sandwich is the fourth incarnation of the Android OS, and it seems Google are now keen to take it to the next level.

What are your favourite apps for Android? Do you think a better design would help to improve them?

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Heard of SOPA and PIPA? If Not, You Will Tomorrow as some of the Internet’s largest Sites Close in Protest

January 17, 2012

You may find that a fair few of your favourite internet sites are offline from 5am UK time tomorrow. Some of the biggest and most popular sites on the internet, including Boing Boing, Reddit and Wikipedia, will be deliberately taking their web content offline to protest against the SOPA act.

SOPA, or the Stop Online Piracy Act, is an act being debated by Congress in the US tomorrow. Its aim is to prevent online piracy along with a secondary act, PIPA (the Protect Intellectual Property Act).

However, many people say that SOPA is poorly written and gives the US government too much control over the internet, both inside the US and internationally. SOPA would allow the US government to close down any internet site which they felt was infringing copyright. They could also potentially stop payments to certain websites or force advertisers to stop advertising on the offending site. This could expose sites like Wikipedia which contain a huge amount of user-contributed content, but it could also affect tiny internet sites which unwittingly use a picture from another source. At the moment, all the site has to do is remove the content and they cannot be sued, but this could change if SOPA was passed.

Supporters of SOPA include Rupert Murdoch who has long been a fan of a more controlled and commercial internet. He has regularly criticised Google for ‘giving away’ news content from other sites. Earlier this month, Godaddy attracted controversy by stating that they would support the act, but they retracted their statement later the same day when several high-profile clients threatened to move their sites and domain names elsewhere.

SOPA has been opposed by everyone from Twitter to the White House. Spokespeople from Wikipedia said that they would be publicly protesting against the act which they say could prevent the web from being “free and open” in the future.

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BlackBerry PlayBook set for new OS in February

January 16, 2012

Did you snap up a cut-price BlackBerry PlayBook in the January sales? Prices on BlackBerry’s first tablet have recently dropped like a stone, but some users were still disappointed with the software that the tablet ships with – despite the bargain price.

Blackberry Playbook

The PlayBook was criticised heavily on release for lacking basic features such as an email client, a contacts app or a calendar. Despite many rumours that it would support Android apps, it didn’t. Most people saw this as a huge hurdle for RIM to overcome, and they were right. Although the PlayBook hardware was attractive and the small size was a plus point, many users found it to lack some of the most basic functionality that makes tablet PCs useful. Prices have since been slashed to try to shift stock in the US and UK.

RIM, the makers of the PlayBook, have announced that a version 2.0 software revision will be released to PlayBook users in February. It will have that all-important support for Android apps at last, making it more of a contender to the Amazon Kindle Fire in the US. Users will be able to download a much wider range of apps and will have more control over what their device can do.

Aside from more integration with Android apps, RIM have reportedly improved the functionality of the QNX OS as well. Users will now be able to create folders on the home screen to group app icons together, and messaging through email and social networking has been combined into one notification area. The text input function now offers auto-correction, and much like Apple, RIM are reportedly moving towards cloud syncing.

The PlayBook could become a very capable tablet once version 2 of the OS is released. Being able to rent movies on a 7” screen is an attractive option for people who travel a lot and find that their iPhone or smartphone is slightly too small for comfortable viewing. With the addition of all the basics the PlayBook was missing, those who grabbed a bargain this month should be in for a treat.

Do you think RIM has time to save the BlackBerry PlayBook? Will you be getting a Playbook Case?

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iPhone 4S uses three times more data than 3GS

January 15, 2012

If you have an iPhone 4S, you may have noticed that your phone is munching through your
data allowance at speed. It’s not just your imagination. Experts have studied the data use of the
iPhone 4S and have found that it’s significantly higher than the iPhone 4 or even the iPad 2.
In fact, if you own an iPhone 4S, you could be paying twice as much for your data if you’re on
pay as you go. And if you upgraded from an iPhone 3GS, figures from Arieso suggest your data
consumption may have tripled.

iPhone 4s

The main difference between the software on the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S is Siri, the
personal assistant which responds to natural human speech. It’s not the transmission of your
voice that’s the problem, though: the sheer amount of data involved in processing a stream of
questions reliably has caused data usage to spike. It’s not that the app uses huge amounts of
data, but that some users are so reliant on the app that they search more, and they also tend to
search for rich content such as streaming video. Statistics indicate that 3% of mobile users use
as much as 70% of available 3G bandwidth.

Arieso have pointed out that a user who doesn’t heavily use Siri or stream video won’t notice
a big change in data usage. Other new services such as iCloud could be part of the problem
as well. However, the report still highlights the fact that we’re using more and more bandwidth
on our mobile devices, and our searches are becoming more sophisticated, placing bigger
demands on mobile internet connections.

In time, it’s likely that mobile networks will push users towards WiFi as we put more and more
pressure on the limited capacity of 3G mobile networks. In particular, users of mobile internet
dongles could place a huge strain on our mobile phone networks which could result in a rise in
prices over the next couple of years.

Have you been hit by a big bill for data use on your phone?

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Nintendo to upgrade app store for Wii U

January 13, 2012

With the excitement starting to build around the new Wii console, there are plenty of rumours about Nintendo’s next move. The latest is the supposed plan to upgrade the Wii app store.

The Wii U controller

The current Wii console comes with a limited app store where you could spend any points that you bought or earned from game purchases. You can also download smaller games such as my favourite, Bit Trip. However, with the tablet style controller for the Wii U, Nintendo are expected to make improvements to the old app store.

The Wii U is due to be released in the second half of this year and it looks impressive so far. Nintendo are integrating features from tablet computers into the Wii U, so the new app store will offer games, magazines, video and lifestyle apps. Maybe we’ll see Angry Birds on the Wii U too.

For now, the app store prices are an unknown quantity. Prices for Nintendo games are very standard for consoles, but app store prices for other tablets are usually far cheaper, so with a good new app store, Nintendo should be trying to compete on price. However, the console giant will be wary of repeating the perceived failure of the 3DS, offering too little official software and big-name brands on launch date.

There hasn’t yet been a list of what we’ll be able to buy on the new Wii U app store and it hasn’t been confirmed whether any third party software developers will be able to contribute apps. It may be that there is an approval process for any independent apps that could appear in the store, similar to the way Apple control their app store. However, it looks like some apps such as MLB.TV will run on the console and some will be able to run on the controller alone, turning into a true tablet rival.

Do you think that the combination of tablet apps and console gaming will make the Wii U the must have console for this year?

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Tech prices tumble as companies switch to the cloud

January 12, 2012

Have you picked up some tech bargains in the January sales this year?

An illustration of Cloud Services

Here’s the good news: 2012 is set to bring a new wave of price wars to the gadget industry. Over time, we should see a significant drop in high street prices, despite the upcoming launch of the iPad 3 and a whole array of new TVs, laptops and smartphones.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show has just kicked off in Las Vegas, but behind the swish and expensive new technology lies an industry fighting to stay profitable. Much of the new technology on show at CES will be too expensive for the average household to afford, but cheaper versions of these high-end devices are likely to follow.

As manufacturing costs drop and global recession bites, businesses are looking to sell us more digital services to top up their profit margins. Cloud computing is set to become a big money spinner. Tech companies will be looking to sell us cloud services and online storage space as we all look for better ways to archive and stream media. The same companies hope we’ll then buy even more gadgets to make good use of all that space.

Tablet PC prices may well be about to tumble, but manufacturers hope that the sheer numbers sold – and the money generated from cloud services – will make up for the drop in profit margins.

Last month Apple launched iTunes Match in the UK, just one of the services which promises to enhance the functionality of mobile devices by copying a user’s music library to a remote server. Apple charge an annual fee for the service. The company is planning a press conference in New York at the end of January, and experts believe they may be about to announce even more cloud services – perhaps something linked to their iBook store. iBooks has so far failed to rival Amazon’s Kindle store.

If Apple announce wider content sharing or a desktop iBooks app, we could see a whole range of new cloud services to go with our shiny new toys.

Until then however, you can always check out our tablet cases and best-selling iPad 2 Case to make the most of the gadgets you already have!

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Ebooks face threat from piracy

January 11, 2012

This Christmas, Amazon’s latest version of the Kindle appears to have sold well in the US. In fact, Amazon have reported that they were selling a million Kindle Fires a week throughout December, and plenty of additional sales of their Kindle ebook reader.

ebook Piracy

However, it appears that the ebook industry may be facing similar online piracy problems as those that hit the music industry several years ago.

The infamous Napster scandal put music piracy on the map when the fledgling company offered free music downloads. It now looks like there are an increasing number similar websites offering free ebooks.

Amazon take 30% of the money for any ebook they sell in their store. Some of the major publishers also came to an agreement over book prices which saw the cost of ebooks escalate, sometimes costing more than the paperback version. However, this has led to controversy. The European Commission has started an investigation into the book publishers, along with Apple, for colluding to drive up the prices.

The high prices of an ebook is a concern for consumers. The stats suggest that many are now turning to pirate sites for their books, with approximately one fifth of all downloaded books coming from pirate sites. Some sites are proudly proclaiming how easy it is to convert any book into a pirated format and say that the Kindle offers no protection against the pirated books. Some books have been known to become available on a pirate site long before they were made available through a legal downloading site.

The publishers are trying to hit back at the growing ebook piracy, issuing legal threats to the pirate websites and putting pressure on internet service providers to shut them down. However, the long ongoing battle that the music industry has had with pirated music could be a sign of things to come for ebooks.

What do you think the ebook industry needs to do to protect itself from piracy?

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MoD training simulations forced to keep up with modern gaming

January 9, 2012

Last year saw the release of the third instalment of the popular Call of Duty: Modern Warfare gaming series. Now the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have admitted that they have been forced to update their own simulated training games in order to keep up with the advances in modern gaming.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the military were renowned for having the most advanced state of the art defence simulations. For the first time, soldiers didn’t just train on obstacle courses or complete ten-mile runs with a twenty pound backpack. Video simulations were introduced as a part of their routine to prepare them for the dangers on a battleground.

However, it appears that the gaming industry has caught up and even overtaken the technology that the military have been using.

Andrew Poulter from the MoD’s Defence Science and Technology lab is in charge of keeping  up with the advances in the latest Call of Duty, Killzone and Battlefield games. Many new recruits have already played all of the best Xbox and Playstation war games, and the MoD found that their simulations needed radical improvement just to keep their attention.

Mr Poulter runs Project Kite which buys in technology from the games industry and adapts it to become as realistic as possible. The guns in the games need to be changed so that they no longer have a range of three miles, and tank controls have to be re-written to give the trainees the the most accurate simulation possible. Other types of simulations have to be developed, such as how to combat a fire aboard an aircraft, or what to do if a convoy is hit by a roadside bomb. The MoD hope that Project Kite will put them back at the forefront of simulated training.

Troops have been trained on a modified game called Virtual Battlespace 2 which can test their responses to mortar fire. Mr Poulter believes that two soldiers in Afghanistan had drilled themselves on the game so much that it had helped to save their lives in a real-life combat situation.

What do you think is the most realistic war game?

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Study says men won’t ask for help with new gadgets

January 7, 2012

Did you receive a new smartphone or tablet PC for Christmas?

Be honest: did you read the instructions before you switched on your new toys, or did you chuck all the paperwork straight in the bin without a second thought?

If you did read the instructions, did you find them easy to follow?

New figures from a survey conducted by the Geek Squad says that men are much more likely to struggle alone with a new gadget, rather than asking for help. Men who were surveyed said they would rather use email, Facebook or online resources to figure things out for themselves, even if it meant they would end up getting frustrated or giving up.

According to their survey of 1,000 people, women said they are much more likely to ask others to help them set up and use new technology. The team who ran the survey said this could be because they have less time to spend trying to work it out.

Overall, the Geek Squad figures reported in the Daily Mail say that only 16 per cent of women would refuse to ask for help. 28 per cent of men would only ask for help after Googling and trying to solve the problem themselves, then giving up and asking around among friends or family.

When it comes to instruction manuals, it seems 26 per cent of people in the survey found them unhelpful and frustrating. And 20 per cent of those surveyed said they are often annoyed and frustrated when they realise they forgot to buy fresh batteries for toys and electronics.

Sam Lawton, a spokesperson for Geek Squad, added: “Men have a sense of pride and don’t want to admit they can’t work things out… they’re much more likely than women to say that the product doesn’t work.”

Did you struggle to use any of your new gadgets on Christmas Day?

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