Android fragmentation - the elephant in the room

If there's one issue that haunts the Android "industry" it's the widely discussed problem of fragmentation. Dozens of companies (Motorola, HTC, etc.) make hundreds of Android models to be sold by numerous carriers, in retail stores and online. There are differences in the phones - different size screens, virtual or physical keyboards, price, etc. Having choices is certainly appealing - with the iPhone it's black or white, literally. However Android choices can be very confusing for someone trying to find the "right" phone - like the potato chip aisle at the quickstop - way too many choices.

Imagine if your one year old PC did not qualify

for the latest version of Windows.

This seems in some ways like the battle between Apple and Microsoft for PC dominance but there is a significant difference. If fragmentation in the PC world had been harmful, Apple would have been the logical beneficiary because there were hundreds of PC manufacturers over the years. But PCs were not all that different - they used the same processors, the same disk drives, the same keyboards, etc. so differences were either minor cosmetic factors or price. Most importantly they all ran the same operating system and most could be reliably upgraded for at least five years. 

WI-Fi, Blue Tooth, 3G/4G, GPS, NFC - What's it All Mean?

This array of communication technologies can be confusing but the basic idea is quite simple. These are all members of the family of Electromagnetic Waves. Other members of this family include

• TV and radio signals
• Microwaves in your oven
• X-rays
• Gamma rays (from radioactive decay)
• Ultraviolet and Infrared rays
• And the ever popular visible light rays in a variety of colors that surround us every day

The only difference in these waves is their frequency. If you could change the frequency of light rays, they might become microwaves and you'd be cooked like a hamburger when you turned on a lamp to read.

To communicate using electromagnetic radiation we have created devices like radio and TV transmitters coupled with sending and receiving antennas so we can hear or view the signals. Our antennas pick up all the signals and the tuner in a radio or TV set picks out a very precise frequency - 91.1 for example - so we hear a specific station.

Our cell phones have the capability to communicate using the parts of the spectrum listed in the title above. There is an antenna built into your cell phone for each type of signal it can handle. Obviously the 3G phone signal coming from a cell tower is included or it wouldn't be a cell phone. 3G means the third generation cell phone technology; 4G is coming soon. 3G and 4G signals are designed primarily for voice transmission but can be used for data if you don't have a wi-fi connection available. The other signals are designed for data but services like Skype allow voice signals to be be handled also.

Wi-fi signals are generated by a wi-fi router in your home, office, coffee shop or collection of devices in a city-wide system. 3G signals can be transmitted for miles but your wi-fi router only has a range of a few hundred feet. Your neighbor may be able to pickup your signal and use your Internet connection if she is in the right part of her house. Most modern cell phones can receive GPS signals from satellites eleven thousand miles above the earth (see "range" below). The GPS signal is not related to the 3G signals so a cellphone connection is not required.

Bluetooth signals are short range signals used so nearby devices such as a keyboard and computer or cell phone and ear piece can communicate. Even shorter range signals will be used by NFC - Near Field Communication system - being developed now for credit card applications. That signal can only be transmitted for an inch and a half; very low power indeed. Every signal differs from all others in two respects - frequency and amplitude (power).

The range a signal can travel is determined by its power - also referred to as amplitude. There are strict regulations on what frequency and amplitude someone can use to broadcast or transmit. A certain frequency can be used in one location by one radio station. That same frequency can be used in another distant city provided the strength of the signals are set so they don't extend into each others territories.

An entirely new system consisting of thousands of high-powered wi-fi towers is under development by LightSquared. These towers would blanket the US with high powered wi-fi signals for nearly universal Internet access across the country. There is controversy, however, because these wi-fi signals are very close to the frequencies assigned to GPS. and could interfere with navigation. This could be very serious since airline navigation systems are at long last being converted to GPS.

Why Were the Experts so Wrong about the iPad 2?

Right before the iPad 2 hit the stores March 11th most pundits said it was no big deal - a minor upgrade - and thought the demand would not rival the first version that came out eleven months earlier. They could not have been more wrong. Not only did the first shipments sell out within hours but there have been lines of people every morning at every Apple store waiting with baited breath for the next truck. How could the experts have been so wrong?

They tend to overestimate the interest and knowledge of the general public. They believe everyone has the time and inclination to hang on every tweet from every tech vendor and writer. Surprise, surprise most people have real jobs and a variety of interests besides computers. In spite of all the hype about the first iPad a year ago, few people really knew much about it on day one - from the basics of how would it actually work to the more important "is it really suitable for business?" Questions like these prevented the vast majority of people from purchasing the first iPad early in the cycle.

Along the way, three things happened. First, the positive reviews came in and the early adopters showed theirs off to anyone they could corner - friends and coworkers alike. This created the buzz and the associated "cool factor." Next, businesses began to experiment and found that it really was appropriate for many tasks involving their mobile workforce - storage of sales and technical documents for example. Finally, at the end of 2010 many people who decided to buy were advised to wait because the next version would have a camera - or maybe two cameras.

Consequently, when the iPad 2 became available there was a huge demand in spite of the experts suggestion that it was not a major improvement over the original. When you think about it, what would the "experts" have required for a major improvement? It is unlikely in my opinion that any new tablet from any vendor will be considered a major advance over the preceding tablet. Just like the succession of PCs over the last thirty years, each one will be a little faster or have a slightly better screen or camera. The fact that tablets are primarily touch screens with a processor and solid state storage makes improvements primarily a matter of new and upgraded apps. There's not much you can do with the basic tablet slab except speed it up and add a new I/O port or button. I certainly am not saying there will not be better tablets in the future; I'm just suggesting that few new versions will be considered major leaps forward.

iPad monthly data plans compared

The roll out of the iPad 2 brings additional monthly data plans - that is if you're willing to change cell phone providers. The follow chart summarizes the various plans available. 

Chart from All Things Digital

The issue of monthly fees and long term contracts will become increasingly important and increasingly complicated as more mobile devices become available. I've mentioned before about the inevitability of "tiered pricing" - different rates for different types and quantities of data.

Purchase price will be less important as vendors attempt to lock users into long term, complicated, expensive contracts.

Meet my friend the queen!

Here's a less than enthusiastic report on social media - and a really fun read by Glyn Meek in Computerworld.

"I saw a while ago that even the Queen of England now has an 'official' Facebook page! What is she going to show, "me and Phil with the grandkids at Buck House?" or "Snapshots of Christmas at Balmoral?"

In The Book of Revelations Chapter 23, verses 12-13, is written the following…
12 And it came to pass that the eighth and final sign was the Queen sending forth her messengers to the people with all manner of tidings.
13 Many rent their garments and tore their hair at this sign of evil that the common people should know their rulers in such detail, and a plague was upon the land."
(full report).

Sign of the times: US News and World Report dropping print subscriptions

US News and World Report has been one of the three major news magazines for years. Once a weekly publication, they switched to bi-weekly in 2008 and six months later became a monthly publication. Now in another major change they are dropping subscription based printed copies and will go mostly online. They will still offer newsstand printed copies but it remains to be seen how long that will last. This is another step in the gradual but inevitable conversion to the all digital news world.

The Mobile Internet: the Fourth Revolution

My name is Gary Braley. I've been writing and speaking on information technology as a developer and consultant in aerospace and healthcare applications for many years. I've been sending out a newsletter for six months (see February Issue) but I have so much to say I decided to try blogging as another outlet.

My Web Site is Braley.com

and my LinkedIn Profile is LinkedIn.com/in/garybraley

To kick this project off, I'm going to discuss one of the current "hot topics" -

The Mobile Internet

There have been three information revolutions: first was the adoption of digital computers beginning in 1960; second, the introduction of PCs in the 1980s and third, the spread of information through the Internet in the 1990s. We are now beginning the fourth revolution and it is happening faster than any of the others – the Mobile Internet.

For many years – “information access” meant being shackled to a desktop computer at home or in the office. Progress was made when portable computers were introduced – slowly at first – remember the Osborne I weighed twenty-four pounds.

As laptop portability improved, information normally stored in the office could be taken anywhere. Internet access in the 1990s made a major change in the way we communicate and retrieve information. Significant technology changes are often complex and stressful but the latest one is different. The Mobile Internet makes more information available anywhere anytime and – most importantly – is extremely easy to learn.

Until now, using a new program (application) involved

• Evaluating the choices
• Purchasing and expensive program
• Struggling through a difficult installation process
• Learning to navigate hundreds of - mostly unused - commands
• Months of Practice

The current "app" approach is easier in every respect.

• These programs are single purpose and often have less than ten commands
• The user interface is intuitive and a few minutes of experimentation is adequate
• Many apps are free and others cost less than five dollars
• Purchase, installation and startup can take as little as two minutes
• Upgrades are downloaded automatically
• Apps can be used anywhere since they run on smart phones and tablet computers.