In a previous article, I posted that I was sold on an Android 2.0 device knowing that Adobe AIR was coming to the platform.  In full disclosure, I was also sold by my brief experiences with them.  Well, now that I’ve sold my G1′s I picked up a Nexus and have put it through the ringer.

While I had complained, many times, about there being a lack of a physical keyboard I’ve moved on.  It’s still a drawback, but with practice I’ve gained the ability to be decent with the keyboard on the iPod touch. I’m hoping I can do the same here, however it’s no where near as efficient as the physical keyboard on the G1.

Now that I got the “OMG I have one” and the “I know I said I’d never” out of the way, I will focus on the amazingness which is this phone.  Rocking a 1ghz processor, 512mb of ram and a 5mp camera is just the start of the awesomeness.  While the phone runs as smooth as one would imagine, with those specs, the Nexus continues to shine with Android 2.1 under the hood.  I’d probably say it’s the smoothest phone I’ve used in a long time, which was really the selling point.  While I don’t play a lot of tasking games, I’m able to notice a huge difference in the performance through the simplest of tasks.  I could picture being able to throw anything I desired at it and being laughed at.

With bing screen comes big resolution.  Aside from having a larger screen and the higher resolution, the colors are right where I’d imagine with an AMOLED screen. Since AMOLED also saves power, it means I should be seeing slightly better battery life on the phone, though I’m not sure I’ll notice it.  The one fall back, with many touchscreen devices, is that finger prints show like it’s the new style.  I’ve noticed that, unlike the G1, they don’t really interfere with the content on the screen. I wish I could take a picture to show the difference.

The touch screen, while not my favorite interface, seems a lot more responsive then that of the G1. This could be a change in the firmware or because the hit areas are a bit larger on a larger screen.  In comparing it to the iPod Touch, I would go as far to say that it behaves a little better.. but not much.

The next big difference I noticed was that the camera is just beautiful.  Below is a video taken from the phone, however still pictures are just as nice. Packing a built in flash really improves the versatility of the phone, a flaw most of my other phone cameras had. While I don’t snap pictures with the phone’s camera, that often, it’s nice to know I can without worrying about the quality of the pictures.  For me, really, it’s about stability, and I can’t hold phones for shit when trying to take a picture.

Along with 2.1, there’s a lot of minor user interface changes.  The first thing you notice, after turning on the device, the launcher has changed it’s look significantly.  It is a lot more appealing and doesn’t require you to slide your finger across the screen to open it.  The next big change comes in the gallery, the gallery is a lot fancier and has more sharing options.. including integration with Picasa, which is huge in my book. Other UI changes come in subtle changes throughout the OS, things like 5 home screens (instead of the original 3 on Android 1.5) as well as tweaks to the virtual keyboard.

Despite reading about all of the changes in the past, I think they are all something you need to experience to appreciate.  I hadn’t been sold on one until I had it in my hand and could compare it to the other devices in my arsenal.  At first, I thought Google’s idea was ingenious, sell phones through an online store front killing the middle man in the process.. However, taking away the ability to experience the phone really can hurt the phone buying experience.

Notion Ink’s Adam has been speculated about for a while, even matched up against upcoming iPad. While my views of the iPad are positive, Notion’s demonstration of the Adam at MWC gave light to an amazing competitor. Enough to fuel my desire for another Android device, despite having wanted the Apple iPad.

As mentioned before, tablets are coming to the market as competition to ebook readers. For the iPad, a major valid concern is that the LCD screen will hurt the eyes. Notion Ink tackles this by giving the user an option to turn off the back light, so the user can manually switch (or use the ambient light sensor) to switch between the two for the desired use. The benefit, in addition to easing the strain on the eyes, is that the device will have a greater battery life.

The Adam uses an Arm processor. The A9, which is in the Adam, is a dual-core and more powerful then any processor in Android devices to date. As it gains power, it will also gain battery life, offering 140 hours of audio or 16 hours of video playback. This is noticeably more then the iPad, however still less then the Amazon Kindle.

Speaking of video, the Adam offers 1080p video playback through the HDMI connection. Much stronger then the iPad, if you have the patience to hook it up to TV. In addition to quality video ability, the device also incorporates a camera which swivels 180 degrees. While I don’t see it as a practical addition, it does add a feature a lot will love.

In addition to an HDMI port, the tablet has 3x USB ports. This highlights a draw back of the iPad for most. I don’t expect they would be a selling point for me, but that’s because almost every thing I do away from my desktop is on a cloud server.

As for UI, there’s no information about their custom UI other then the fact that it’s in development. What has been hinted is that there will be an improved keypad, as well as functionality of a track pad located on the back.

With all the benefits over the iPad, one would expect it to be significantly more expensive then the iPad. Notion refuses to release pricing information, however they have referred to the price as being able to make you “happy.”

After having considering the iPad, the Kindle and the Nook, I see my self wanting to wait this device out through launch. Waiting impatientally, unfortunately, seeing as the release is supposed to be in Q2. The only thing I can do at this point is keep my eyes open for new information.

A phone manufacturer supporting the development community? What a concept! Beyond a concept, it’s slowly coming a reality with the introduction of the GeeksPhone One. GeeksPhone is introducing a new concept, one beyond the typical handset manufacturer’s business model. This device is targeted at Android developers, specifically ROM and firmware developers. While their introductory device’s hardware might seem behind times, it is reported that they are working on new models also.

What makes this device different?

Most Android based handset manufacturers frown upon 3^rd party development. This is likely because of proprietary software concerns as well as warranty issues. Motorola has come out and said plainly this. HTC, on the other hand, has not openly embraced the development community, however has made their base ROMs openly available on their site.

GeeksPhone took a simple step, placing the recovery image on it’s own partition, which does a lot to protect the phone from bricking. Beyond being a great protection, it should also encourage more people to get their hands dirty with Android.

With the mention of future handsets on the horizon, I’m really looking to see what’s on the table. With the release of a more powerful device, I could see myself owning a GeeksPhone in the future even though it would have to be imported.

How do you sell me a new Android phone? Introduce AIR to Android 2.x and show me a working demo. That’s how excited I am, even though there’s no time frame for the release. While AIR will be a mobile version, it offers the same flexibility Adobe AIR has brought to desktop operating systems. As I’ve written in previous posts, I’m a huge fan of AIR and several applications based on AIR. Let’s put this Flash hype aside and focus on what AIR can do for mobile devices.

While all the possibilities were available on Android through Java, the addition of AIR will bring lots of new apps from non-Java developers. Using AJAX, Flex and Flash as development tools, web developers will be able to implement their apps in a whole new way.

Below is a video of AIR and Flash in action on the Droid.

What are your thoughts? Any applications you’d like to see ported over to the AIR Mobile platform?

After seeing Windows Mobile 7, I have to say it really compliments Android as a serious mobile phone.  As Gizmodo said, it “out Appled Apple.” Not to say it won’t be an enjoyable experience, or a competitor in the mobile market, but it’s a different experience than the typical “Smartphone.”  The big question, then, is how does Microsoft’s new platform compare with Apple and Android–for users and for developers?

Windows Mobile 7′s interface and layout are the definition of simplicity. This comes as a direct challenge to the iPhone, which prides itself on a simple interface and usability. The WM7 user interface is about the easiest navigation I’ve seen and might be better than the iPhone because it has significantly more flexibility.

As I have said many times, one platform is not a substitute for another. This mobile operating system seems to target the market of iPhone users, who want a phone that “just works.” Microsoft is creating minimum phone specifications, ranging from screen size to sensors, to ensure that the phones run the OS smoothly. Because Android doesn’t have such standards (it provides more flexibility with the hardware), Windows Mobile 7 appears to be targeting the iPhone market share.

Unlike the iPhone OS and Windows Mobile, Android can be applied to a variety of devices. Android also has a virtually open application market, meaning developers can create what they want and deliver it when they want. So while the iPhone might own the mobile application market today, Android will really pick up steam as Microsoft and Apple create barriers for developers.  Such barriers seem inevitable for both Microsoft and Apple mobile operating platforms because both companies want a seamless interface and, unfortunately, don’t trust independent app developers to provide it.

With the thought of a hardware floor comes a nightmare of an application approval process similar to Apple’s. Needless to say, this would be extremely discouraging for developers looking to produce applications for the platform. The bright side–there’s always a bright side–is that Flash will probably be available soon on the Windows Mobile platform.. for those of you who care for Flash.

Visiting http://buzz.google.com from my G1 shows a table of compatible devices (and operating systems). When looking at the list, the first reaction is YAY Android gets all the functions.  Second glance, and you realize Android 2.0+ gets all the functions. Furthermore, there is no mention of pre-2.0 devices. This leaves me with the assumption that the support will only come with Google maps and not through the browser.

The issue as I see it, is that Google is segregating the OS instead of building an app for use on all android devices. As a G1 owner, fan-boy, it might come off like I am screaming UNFAIR.. However, my G1 is well past its life expectancy, so I can cope. The greater issue is that devices are still being produced, and developed on earlier versions of the OS.  for instance, the Sony x10, releases next month on 1.6. A long with a handful of other devices, the Sony will arrive to the market behind the times and possibly missing support of future Google Services.

With all my ideas and thoughts about the future of technology, I’m going to focus on Android applications because I believe it’s a huge player in the future of the mobile world.  Since the market is really starting to pick up for Android, I’m guessing we’ll see a lot of developers step up to fill the increasing demand for applications. With innovative developers stepping to the plate and the new powerful handsets coming out, I’m sure the applications will really start to stand out compared to other mobile devices.

The first major component we’ll see will be application integration.  Beyond integrating with basic features too, I’m confident we’ll start seeing more applications that act as compliments to others including extensions of current applications.  One application, Twidroid, is already offering tools for third party developers to do write applications that integrate with the powerful Twitter application.  I’d imagine as newer devices become more popular, we’ll begin to see a lot more powerful applications integrating with each other to create a stronger user experiences (thanks to the multitasking ability of Android).

The next development, which we’re already seeing in applications like Gowalla and FourSquare, will be location based interaction.  For some, maybe most, there seems to be the concern of personal privacy with applications knowing and reporting their locations. I think as the year goes on, we’ll start seeing people loosen up and location based interaction becoming more popular.  A big part of what’s leading into this has been the progress already made by applications like Layar (Reality Browser) and Sherpa, that use your location to inform you about your surroundings. While I was questionable about this premise at first, the idea started to grow on me as I read more about Gowalla and Foursquare and how they’re being used. A huge upside of applications like these, is that it is opening up a completely new type of marketing environment where companies will be able to reach nearby potential customers. I think it will be huge.

More entertainment applications! I think 2010 will bring a lot of new entertainment to Android devices, beyond games I think there will be new media outlets for the platform. Already, we have a wide variety of options for media types on Android.  While I personally don’t use my phone for music/movies, I think the ability to have a media marketplace on the phone will encourage healthy competition.

Last but not least, I think we’ll really see a whole slew of niche applications coming to Android. While other platforms have their own niche applications, the versatility of Android and ease of publication, will bring a lot of interest from companies trying to get more in touch with their audience/customers.