The Sesame Street toy figures and play surface have Augmented Reality (AR) registration markers that are recognized by the software running on the HTC Android-based tablet used in the demo.
Category: Mobile Devices
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Why Microsoft insists tablets run Windows instead of Windows Phone (Windows CE)
I’ve been wondering why Microsoft’s decision makers choose to use Microsoft Windows for tablets instead of the Windows CE platform that underlies Windows Phone. Windows CE was designed for devices like tablets that benefit from lower hardware requirements, lower power use, increased security, and instant on-off (suspend-resume). A Windows CE based tablet would be lighter and less expensive. More importantly, every piece of software written for a touch display. You could argue that the Metro-only ARM based tablets would have software designed just for tablet displays too. But, is a computer that can’t run “legacy” Windows software of much use? The point of using Windows is to access all the software available right now.
However, if you look at PC shipment numbers, Microsoft’s tablet strategy and statements like There’s nothing more important at Microsoft than Windows by CEO Steve Ballmer make sense (Network World).
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Nokia Lumia 900 (Windows Phone): First Lumia with a front-facing camera. Still missing a few features
The first two Windows Phone devices Nokia announced late last year, the Lumia 710 and 800, looked like decent but unexciting phones. The phones were also missing a couple of feature checkboxes including a front-facing camera, NFC and LTE. The first 2012 Lumia model is the 900. How does it fare spec checkbox-wise?+ 1 megapixel front facing camera
+ LTE (AT&T)
+ 4.3-inch display
+ Gyroscope
+ Two microphones (one presumably for noise cancellation)It is still missing a couple of features, however.
– No microSIM slot
– No NFC (something Nokia is pushing on its legacy platforms)It remains to be seen if the 900’s camera matches the spectacular quality of past Nokia (non-Windows Phone based) smartphones or is the so-so quality seen produced by the 710 and 800.
You can find the full Lumia 900 specifications at:
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Google Maps works in Las Vegas hotels & casinos. But, only on Android. iPhone users? Get lost
The giant Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is going on this week in Las Vegas. If you’ve ever been in the huge LVCC or any of the hotels, you know that some kind of navigation is a big help. Google announced indoor mapping for the LVCC, airport and some hotels/casinos in Las Vegas. However, this indoor mapping feature is only supported in the Android version of the app. I guess Google’s messages is: If you have an iPhone, get lost! 🙂
Get indoor maps of Las Vegas Casinos, the Convention Center and more
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New mobile meme: Get on the Android Hate Train
I’ve noticed what may be a new mobile meme: The Android Hate Train. It started percolating with complaints about fragmentation, vendors tossing hideous custom interfaces which obscure Google’s own native Android UI, and notes about slowing market growth. TechRepublic posted an item recently that I commented on yesterday.
Why Android tablets failed? Wait a minute…
Now, this piece by venture capitalist Antonio Rodriguez is making the rounds.
Android as we know it will die in the next two years and what it means for you
So, what’s with this Android Hate Train that seems to be gaining steam during CES week? I’ve got my own personal beefs with Android. But, its current market domination can’t be denied. And, it seems like it has enough steam to keep moving forward. Then again, I might have said the same thing about Palm (Palm OS devices, not webOS), Nokia and RIM BlackBerry a few years ago.
Addendum: Here’s another addition for the Android Hate Train from former TechCrunch writer MG Siegler: Why I Hate Android
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Why Android tablets failed? Wait a minute…
TechRepublic published an item with a subject line guaranteed to get attention.
Why Android tablets failed: A postmortem
My reaction is: What a minute! Did the Android tablet die without me noticing this? While the officially sanctioned (with Android Market and other Google-ly apps) tablets have gone nowhere so far, the Ice Cream Sandwich based ones have not left the gate yet and may provide some competition for the iPad. But, more importantly, at least two non-Google-ly tablets seem to be doing quite well. The two are the Barnes & Noble Nook Color (and more recently the Nook Tablet) and the Amazon Kindle Fire.
Despite my own distaste for vendor changes to Google’s native user interface, it looks like both Barnes & Noble’s and Amazon’s Android-based (but without the official Google branding) are doing quite well in the ereader/tablet space. Based on this alone, I think it is too early to write a death certificate for Android tablets let alone provide a post-mortem.