Tag: Tech

Google and the competition

This morning I found out that Google is removing support for Exchange Active Sync. This essentially cuts off proper Gmail services to Windows Phone. As the creator of Exchange, Microsoft isn’t keen on supporting the open alternatives to Exchange services but without such support, all consumers considering Windows Phone will hear is, “Windows Phone doesn’t do Gmail” or “Gmail sucks on Windows Phone” and then they’ll go running to iPhone or Android.

Google is cutting off Microsoft from its services because it knows that Windows Phone is a potential threat down the line. Cut it off early and Google has a chance to limit or even stunt its growth.

Don’t think you’ll be safe on iOS. By brushing aside Windows Phone, Google will only have iOS to deal with and currently it’s cozying up real tight to it, offering apps and services that work really well on Apple’s platform to get people to use them instead of Apple’s own. Before you know it you’ll be using all of Google’s apps on iOS which will give Google close to total market dominance.

If it can’t get certain people to use Android, it will get them to use as many of its services as possible that make up Android. If the threat is small enough, it will move to shut it down. Let me point you to Acer which wanted to use Alibaba’s Aliyun OS before Google issued a threat to expel Acer from the Android gang if it went ahead.

The only reason Google hasn’t harassed Amazon for its Kindle Fire is because it will face antitrust issues in the US and Europe if it does. Google has refused to acknowledge Kindle Fire as an Android variant despite Amazon having built its OS from Android and at this point, it can’t go further than that.

Once people who don’t use Android predominantly use Google’s services, Google will get them to jump in and switch to Android and when the number is high enough, it will cut off access from the remaining major competing platforms, which at this point may well be iOS only.

This is a real danger time for companies that aren’t immediate Google partners. In five or so years, without a strong competitive landscape, we’ll likely return to the days of Windows dominance over desktop computers with Android playing the Windows role.

Launching iPhone 5 at 7 Eleven might not be such a bad idea after all

Indonesia’s third iPhone carrier plans to launch iPhone 5 at two 7 Eleven outlets in Jakarta. The absurdity of the idea probably hides the genius behind this launch strategy by Indosat. Unlike in many other countries, Indonesia’s 7 Eleven outlets are set up as more than just a mini mart. They are actually quite large, about the size of regular Apple Stores (seriously, no kidding), they have seating areas, many have a second floor dining area and a balcony, free wireless Internet, and highly popular among teens, youngsters, the middle class.

Hamid Muhamad argues that Indosat’s unorthodox strategy is quite brilliant. People can buy drinks, food, and smoke, at 7 Eleven while they wait in line, but the primary reason he says, 7 Eleven provides Indosat with a completely different market segment from what malls offer and by targeting that specific segment, Indosat does not have to compete directly with the other carriers for customers. As he says, teens who frequent 7 Eleven are the kind who can not only afford DSLR cameras but use them casually on a daily basis. These kids have (their parents’) money to burn and they want the latest and coolest gadgets.

All the carriers are aiming for the middle class but by virtue of their corporate image, their voice and data plans, their choices of launch venues, they are already aiming at different markets within the middle class segment and by steering clear of the malls, Indosat may be on its way to carve its own iPhone market.

Telkomsel may grab the parents, business executives, corporate types, the loyal, long term Telkomsel customers, XL Axiata appeals to the young upstarts, the hip, the digitally aware and the value seekers, while Indosat is aiming at the teens and young adults with money to burn.

On top of that, launching at 7 Eleven got people talking about it on Twitter. It even got me writing about it. It’s genius.

*note: Indosat picked two 7 Elevens to launch iPhone 5, one is at Teluk Betung and another at Bintaro. The 7 Eleven at Teluk Betung is located directly at the entrance to Grand Indonesia, one of the most prestigious malls in Jakarta right in the middle of the city with high foot and car traffic and it’s within walking distance from a bus stop. I’m not familiar with the one at Bintaro unfortunately.

Launching iPhone 5 at 7 Eleven might not be such a bad idea after all

First impressions of the HTC Windows Phone 8X

HTC is launching its Windows Phone phones here well before the others and having used the 8X briefly, it’s very hard to resist. It’s slim, incredibly light, and looks very, very attractive. The rubbery enclosure is a godsend for those who tend to drop their phones since it gives a very good grip. The camera on the 8X works really well on its own, pictures come out great and the macro can be really tight, but Nokia just has better camera support.

Sure, it’s thinner and lighter than the Lumia 920 and arguably has better speakers but it doesn’t offer the cool and fancy camera tools that Nokia has, there’s no Nokia Drive, which means no turn by turn navigation, and no CityLens. 8X definitely wins on style but the substance fails to carry it over the line. 920 on the other hand has far more substance, really nice style, but a tad on the bulky side. Let’s hope the bulkiness is due to having a bigger battery. 

I still need iOS for Path, Tumblr, Tweetbot, FaceTime, Google+, WordPress, Flipboard, Instapaper, YouTube, Skitch, and a host of other daily apps that I use. Android would win over Windows Phone in this regard since it has most of the apps above aside from Instapaper, Tweetbot, and FaceTime, but I can’t stand using Android.

YouTube doesn’t seem to have recognized Windows Phone as a viable mobile device. Not just yet. There’s no proper native YouTube app yet to let people watch videos without having to resort to the browser and this stops people from watching certain videos that require the native app for ad display purposes.

The Galaxy S III put me off large screen phones because it’s just so difficult to operate using only one hand and the iPhone 5 is a tiny bit awkward to use due to the height. However, it turns out that these usability issues are strictly tied to the design of the software. The nature of Windows Phone software seems to eliminate this problem almost entirely. Very rarely do you have to reach up to the top quarter of the display to activate particular functions. Most of the controls on Windows Phone apps can be found at the bottom or near the center of the screen.

HTC has a winning chance here with its Windows Phone options but I’d wait for the Lumia 920 or even 820. The 8X is a great phone that’s only let down by the fact that the Lumia phones have much better camera tools and exclusive apps. – Read on Path.

Dear Google, it’s 2012, stop asking people to install Flash. Yes, I’m in the HTML5 trial program.

parislemon:

thisistheverge:

Microsoft rebrands Windows Phone Marketplace to Windows Phone Store

There is no longer a market, simply a store

At least “Store” may have a shot of fitting on the screen. I’m sure some people will wonder what happened to “rketpla” though. 

Source: theverge.com

Samsung wanted the Galaxy S to be more like the iPhone

In short, the evaluation report makes the case that the Galaxy (identified here as the “S1″) would be better if it behaved more like the iPhone and featured a similar user interface. And it appears to play directly into Apple’s charge that Samsung “slavishly copied” the iPhone.

Is this document the smoking gun?

Samsung wanted the Galaxy S to be more like the iPhone

You’re welcome to love Android and hate Apple. Just don’t be fooled into thinking Samsung are the good guys

Mic Wright at the end of a long story about how Samsung’s operation is rife with corruption.

parislemon:

Herrrre’s Jony!

Source: theverge.com

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And just like that, Aircel in India offers iPhone 3GS for $236

A couple of days ago I put down my thoughts as to why the 3GS might remain on Apple’s line up and it primarily hinges on the fact that Apple cannot offer the iPhone 4 for less than $350 let alone $300. As it turns out, Aircel in India has begun to offer the 3GS unlocked for $236 including a $55 one year post paid voice, text, and data package. The catch is that the data package is 2G only, but that’s beside the point. You can take the iPhone out of India and it will work with any SIM card anywhere, for far less than $300, the price point I put forward in that earlier blog post.

This could be Aircel trying to clear inventory, but knowing some details as to how Apple deals with carriers, this promo would not have gone ahead without Apple’s authorization unless Aircel is willing to face severe penalties.

You see, Apple sets the price that iPhones are sold around the world. Any marketing material, any promo, billboard placements, advertisements, and the like must all receive a green light from Apple, otherwise the carrier partner will be penalized. It happened before with Telkomsel in Indonesia when it launched an ad campaign ahead of the iPhone 4 launch at the end of 2010.

Apparently the telco had gone with the campaign before Apple approved the material and as a result, its head of marketing for iPhone was recalled back to parent company Singtel, and Telkomsel had difficulties acquiring more iPhone 4 from Apple in early 2011 as it faced shortages.

The importance of the 3GS being maintained in price-sensitive markets is that it allows Apple to offer a low cost iPhone to a far greater range of consumers who might otherwise consider the more affordable Android or BlackBerry phones.

Apple faces difficulties in selling iPhones in emerging markets where consumers are used to paying full price for phones instead of agreeing to contracts that subsidizes the up front cost of the phone. Having the 3GS in that lower price range will remove or at least reduce that challenge and puts the iPhone within reach.

The 3GS may be a three year old phone, but it’s still an iPhone and it still runs the latest operating system and will run much of the same apps as the newer models. After all, most of the Android and BlackBerry phones within that price range may be brand new models but they are not exactly state of the art phones either.