Android is moving away from USB Mass Storage. You will no longer be able to plug in a USB cable and have your Android show up as a USB disk. There are some good technical reasons for this, but it is a pain if you want to copy some files to your phone. The new system – MTP – isn’t automagically detected in Ubuntu. This is something which is likely to be fixed in later versions of Ubuntu – but for now you’ll have to hack around it.

The crazy cats at omgUbuntu have a tutorial which I have adapted for the Samasung Galaxy S (running ICS from teamhacksung).

First, install the MTP tools.

sudo apt-get install mtp-tools mtpfs

Connect the phone to the computer using USB.

To check that MTP is installed and working, run the command

mtp-detect

You should see a spool of text as MTP detects the phone.

To create the rules which allow Ubuntu to detect the phone, create a new rule file like so:

sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules

Add in this line of text

SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="04e8", ATTR{idProduct}=="6860", MODE="0666"

If you’re using a different device, run this command to get the correct idVendor and idProduct:

mtp-detect | grep idVendor
mtp-detect | grep idProduct

We’ll need to restart udev so it can pick up the new rule.

sudo service udev restart

Then create a directory in your filesystem which you can use to access your phone.

sudo mkdir /media/GalaxyS
sudo chmod a+rwx /media/GalaxyS

Now we need to add ourselves to fuse.

sudo adduser YOURUSERNAME fuse
sudo nano /etc/fuse.conf

The last line probably reads

#user_allow_other

Remove the “#” so you’re left with:

user_allow_other

Save the file.

We’re going to create two commands “android-connect” and “android-disconnect”. When run, these will allow you to connect to your phone, then safely disconnect.

echo "alias android-connect=\"mtpfs -o allow_other /media/GalaxyS\"" >> ~/.bashrc
echo "alias android-disconnect=\"fusermount -u /media/GalaxyS\"" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Restart the computer. Make sure the phone is connected via USB. Open a terminal and run

android-connect

Open your file manager and go to “/media/GalaxyS”

Once you’re done, disconnect the device by running

android-disconnect

This is my attempt to review it fairly after a week of usage. Some people have accused me of being unfair in my review of the Nokia Lumia. I think I was harsh – but all of the problems I experienced were real. This review of the Pro+ is unvarnished – I paid for this out of my own pocket and am beholden to no one.

tl;dr

Almost the perfect form factor. Let down by buggy software and a laggy processor. Excellent keyboard, average screen, but constant reboots means I’ll be sending this phone back to see if it’s a fault across all the devices, or just mine.

Specs

Because this is an unusual and somewhat rare device in the UK, I’ll let you have the tech specs first.

On paper, it is underpowered compared to the latest multi-core phones. I’m coming from a Samsung Galaxy S which, nominally, has a similar processor and the same RAM. So it has been interesting to see how fast it “feels”. Honestly? It’s slower than the original Nexus from a few years ago.

First Impressions

It looks like an elongated BlackBerry. The keyboard is of the same design, the back has the same tactile feel, even the charger is on the side – just like a ‘Berry.

It comes with the requisite USB cable and plug, as well as a pair of headphones, and a minuscule instruction leaflet. So, I stuck it on charge for a few hours (as suggested) and then let rip…

A few times I touched the screen an waited for a keyboard to popup. It took me a few moments to realise my mistake. Once you get used to it, the keyboard is close to perfect. I installed SwiftKeyX to make the typing suggestions slightly better.

The UI feels slightly “toy like”. Motoblur really is dreadful and shouldn’t be foisted on customers. Replacing the homescreen with something like ADW Launcher makes the interface so much better.

Graphics and scrolling is very laggy. It’s only 480*640, so it’s not pushing a lot of pixels. When scrolling through web pages I found that music playing in the background would stutter and freeze.

You won’t be playing many 3D games – even if the processor wasn’t so crushingly slow, the screen is a bit too cramped for anything immersive.

For web browsing and – crucially – writing emails, this device is a champion. When it doesn’t crash.

Random Reboots

The big problem with the Pro+ is that it randomly reboots. I don’t mean certain software crashes, I mean that the device spontaneously hangs, and the whole phone reboots.

I’ve pulled off the panic logs, but I don’t know what’s causing it. I’ve reset the phone several times but it still occurs. This appears to be an isolated problem with this unit – so I’ll be returning it to see if another one exhibits the same problems.

MotoBlur

*sigh* Moto Blur. Seriously. Handset manufacturers should stick to making hardware. Trying to tie me in to your ecosystem by way of yet another username and password? No thanks. I learned my lesson when Nokia Ovi closed. And when Vodafone 360 swallowed my data. And whatever ridiculous service Sagem had. I’m not signing up to anything else. My loyalty to your hardware has to be earned – I won’t be kept to ransom. Especially when your service rarely works.

Keyboard

The keyboard on the Pro Plus is as good as any I’ve used on the BlackBerry. Fast, precise, and easy to enter symbols and numbers.
The only drawback is that it isn’t the BlackBerry keyboard – so the symbols are all in the “wrong” place. Take a look.

(Note, on the UK model that I have, the $ symbol is replaced with £.

I can understand why Motorola have made some changes, but it really does confuse this BlackBerry addict as to where the “correct” keys are. Why on Earth are ALT and shift swapped? I also question the need for a physical “voice recognition” button.

On a BB, holding down a key automatically capitalises it – on the Android, it gives you all the available accents. One of those little things which takes a bit of getting used to.

As an added bonus, there’s a wiggly red line spell check – so you know exactly how bad your typing is.

Apps like the browser also have keybaord shortcuts. Pressing menu+A adds the current page to your bookmarks – for example. Though useful, they’re subtly different from the Blackberry shortcuts, which may confuse some refugees.

The best feature is being able to page-down through a website by pressing the space bar!

Software Updates

I’m not a fan of how Android software updates happen. I think Motorola’s recent blog post explains some of the mystery behind the delays. What is annoying about the software on this device is that Motorola won’t say when or if it’s getting an upgrade. Their software update pages ignore it like the black-sheep of the Moto Family. Even the Motorola community forums don’t list it. This rather gives the impression that it is a stillborn device.

Because it’s not wildly popular, there’s no support from third party Android ROMs like Cyanogen mod. So far, there’s just a solitary thread on XDA Forums.

Other Stuff

The camera is reasonably quick to start, and the flash is very bright. Sadly, there’s no way to switch off shutter sound. The camera is missing some of the fancier features of other phones like face detection – but it’s basically fine.

There’s a multi-colour notification LED which is very useful.

A front-facing camera is also built-in. Curiously, it’s not available for use. Wonder why?

Final Verdict

I’ve used this device exclusively for a week. It has crashed enough that I am going to send it back – I hope this is just a problem with my unit though.

Ultimately, it’s almost enough of a BlackBerry to convert die hard RIM-fans – but it’s not quite powerful enough as an Android to turn heads.

The keyboard is a joy to use. I would quite happily suffer through the poor performance for the joy of typing on this thing.

The Motoblur customisations are shockingly poor. I’d rather have vanilla Android than this barely thought-out, cartoony interface.

If you need an Android with a keyboard, this is the phone to get. It’s fast enough for day to day use – and you’ll be able to play a few games on it. The screen is a bit of a let down, and general performance is a little sluggish.

For those BlackBerry refugees looking for their first taste of freedom, this is an excellent start.

The Perfect Phone?

Assuming it doesn’t keep crashing, how does it score on my perfect phone scale?
Pretty damn high. It should be faster, the screen should be AMOLED, there should be a lanyard strap, and the front-facing camera should work. The form factor is great and the screen isn’t too cramped – although there’s ample space to put in something larger or higher resolution.

Maybe I’ll wait for the Motorola Pro++?

Geekyness

For those using Linux, lsub shows

22b8:2e00 Motorola PCS

So shove that in your udev rules and you’ll be able to start developing apps.

Root

Luckily it is trivial to root the Motorola Pro Plus – so mucking about with it is fairly easy. I do wonder if it will ever see the latest version of Android.

Remove Camera Click

The camera click is annoyingly loud and cannot be switched off. To permanently disable it, get root on the device, then use

adb shell
su
root@umts_elway:cd /system/media/audio/ui
root@umts_elway:/system/media/audio/ui# mount -o remount,rw -t ext3 /dev/block/system /system
root@umts_elway:/system/media/audio/ui# rm camera_click.ogg

It’s rather hidden – you have to go in to search (not camera) then click the eye icon.

However, it is one of the fastest and most accurate scanners I’ve ever used. It knocks Android favourite ZXing into a cocked hat simply by by speed alone – it’s also very fault tolerant and was able to scan in low light and at strange angles.

There’s only one problem I have with it – the user interface really isn’t very good. Part of this is the design constraints of the Metro interface, but that’s no real excuse.

Let’s compare WP7 and Android.

Scanning

WP7

The scanner is quick and efficient – but doesn’t let you see the whole destination URL.

Because it can barely fit in a whole bit.ly link, this could lead to some confusion when scanning: are you going to example.com/video or example.com/games for example.

There’s also the (remote) possibility of a security problem; www.hsbc.com.evilsite.xxx will only show as www.hsbc.com

Android

The layout of Android is quite different. I prefer the vertical arrangement of WP7 but Android provides better and more useful information.

(The screenshot doesn’t show the camera view in the background.)
As well as the full URL, we’re given

• The destination URL for any shortened URL.
• Sharing buttons.
• A bunch of extraneous techy stuff (meta data about the code).

History

It’s often useful to go back and see what you have scanned. Both WP7 and Android have a history feature.

WP7

Again, WP7 looks gorgeous – especially with the photo thumbnail of what you scanned.

But, again, there’s no way to see the full URL. And, again, the only thing you can do it click on it – no sharing options available.

Android

Android is more Spartan – but more useful.

Although there’s no thumbnail, we can see the full URL and any redirection. Clicking on a URL allows us to share it.

Conclusion

Windows Phone 7 has a faster and prettier scanner – Android has a scanner which has more useful features and presents less of a security risk.

I think I’ve found it…

My Photoshop skills are legendary!

Here are the things that I want – no one platform covers them all, so I’ve nicked the best bits from each.

Blackberry

Here’s what BlackBerry provides that is missing on other phones.

Physical Keyboard

This is the big one. I’ve tried all of the touchscreen keyboards out there – nothing comes close to the physical click of keys.

I’m aware of a few Androids which have a keyboard – but they tend to be older models or underpowered and aimed at the teenage text market.
The Dell WP7 phone has a keyboard, but appears to have been abandoned by Dell.

Start up speed.

You never really switch a BB off, it just sleeps. That gives it a phenomenal start-up speed. When you shut it down, it also tells you when it’s planning to wake up – either due to an alarm, calendar, or because you set an “auto on” timer.

WP7 does have a very fast boot time – much speedier than that of Android. But there’s no auto-on / auto-off feature.

Deep Twitter Integration

I can’t believe no other phone has this. If I receive an email which contains a hashtag or @name, I can click on it and my Twitter client opens up. Same in calendar, documents, and (ISTR) web pages. Even if the text isn’t linked it was clickable.

Spell Cheque & Auto Text

Spell checking is available on WP7 – but not to the same degree as BlackBerry. The auto-text feature on BB is brilliant, I can type a short code and text is automatically filled.

• dt – prints the current time & date, perfect for note taking
• sig – prints my standard contact details
• ht – (one I created) prints the hashtag of the event I’m following

Android

Android is my main device. It’s not without its deficiencies – but here are the bits I wish others would copy.

Time of Day Email

Perhaps the best feature of the Samsung Galaxy S – and not something I’ve seen elsewhere. I can set a peak and off-peak schedule for my work email.

At 1800 during the week I stop getting work email – and it all comes through at 0800 the next morning. During the weekend, I get no work email. This is one of the major features which keeps me on Android.

FLAC and OGG

I’ve ripped all my CDs to FLAC. I hate the fact that I have to transcode all my music in order to listen to it on a portable device. All the high end Android phones I’ve tried play FLAC natively.

Open

I like the fact that I’m not tied down by the operating system. If I want to replace the lock screen, the email client, the web browser, I can. And I do.

If the device manufacturer abandons my phone, there’s a huge hacker community who can keep it running.

WP7

I’ve not had the greatest success with a Windows Phone – but there are some elements that I love.

Interface

The Metro Interface is amazing. It’s fast and fluid and generally really well laid out.

Camera

I found the camera to be very responsive – both at focussing and snapping. The integrated QR scanner was also a cut above the rest.

iOS

Media hype / Coolness

It’s a little depressing that all the media and developer attention is focussed on a minority platform like iPhone. Just for once, I’d like a cool game like Whale Trail to come out first on something other than iOS.

Misc

• Lanyard hook. Ever since smashing my BlackBerry, I’ve worn a lanyard strap.
• Front facing camera. I’m the only one I know who likes video calling.
• Trackpad. Even the best touch screen can’t get the fine grained accuracy of a touch pad.
• Removable storage. I like being able to choose how much I carry with me.
• Mass storage. I’m not always at a computer where I can install “media transfer” software. I just want to be able to plug in a USB lead and copy what I need.
• Call recording. Must admit – never had a phone that can easily do this. Always wanted it though!
• Removable battery. When the going gets tough, I don’t want to have to be chained to a wall-wart. The ability to buy higher capacity batteries is also handy.

What Hath Thou Wrought?

Essentially, I’ve created Homer’s Car – a monstrosity no one other than me could love.

So, tell me what would be in your perfect phone?

This is the blog version of the discussion I lead.

Kids And Phones

Kids love their phones. Can we use that love to encourage them to learn how to code?

Here’s a great stat about teens and mobile phone ownership:

Two-thirds (65%) of children aged 8-15 own a mobile phone

• 49% of 8-11s
• 82% of 12-15s.

Pretty stunning stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree. The only problem is, those statistics are from 2006!

Ofcom has been commissioning studies into phone ownership for several years. They give us a great insight into phone usage among kids.

For example, more recently, we see this gem of a stat.

The correlation between age and mobile phone use is particularly strong, with the proportion of children using a mobile almost doubling between the age of 9 (52%) and 15 (95%).
[...] children are acquiring mobiles at a younger age and using them more.

Again, wow! 95% of kids have a mobile. Oh, that stat is from 2008!

Let’s go bang up to date with the most recent Ofcom study.

Smartphone ownership in 2010 comprised

• 3% of 5-7s,
• 13% of 8-11s,
• 35% of 12-15s.

A third of kids have smartphones. I’m not sure that we need a whole bunch more statistics to tell us that mobile phones – especially smartphones – are highly desirable to kids. Both boys and girls.

Click to Embiggen.

Social Exclusion

PC ownership isn’t as rare as it once was – but it’s still a pretty big barrier to entry. Especially if you have to fight parents and siblings for time on a shared computer.

Phone ownership is fairly wide across all levels of society. As this report shows.

Click to embiggen.

Which Phone?

Before running off into discussions about what should be taught – let’s take a look at which platform is the best for kids.

Taking into account kids’ smartphone ownership rates, we get a chart like this.

While BlackBerry is very popular at the moment, Android has already started to eclipse it.

The rise of Android is unstoppable when you consider how cheap the phones are getting.

This is the Huawei Ideos:

The Ideos currently retails for US $80 in Kenya. Eighty bucks for an Android 2.2 smartphone. With 3G, Wifi, GPS, touchscreen, and all the other fun stuff the more expensive phones have.

Here in the UK, we’re seeing more handsets come in at the sub £100 mark.

There are going to be a lot of these cheap but capable smartphones in Christmas Stockings this year.

However, even at £100, that’s still too expensive for many students. But I don’t think it’s too expensive for schools.

Back in the mists of time, when I was a child, our family was lucky enough to own a BBC Micro. This was one of the first mass-produced computers intended for educational user. Most schools had at least one kicking around. But they weren’t cheap.

In 1981, the BBC Micro Model A cost £235. The B Model cost £335. (Source: Wikipedia’s BBC Micro Page

Adjusted for inflation, that’s £750 and £1,050 respectively. A huge quantity of money.

At £80 per phone, a school could quite easily buy a couple of Android handsets to go in each computer lab – and, perhaps, let them be loaned out to students.

Android Advantage

There are two other app development platforms worth considering; BlackBerry and iPhone.

While BlackBerry is popular (for now) it is an absolute pig to program for. It has a level of complexity that is just painful. Added to the problem is its ridiculous signing requirements and you end up with a platform with is quite unusable for kids.

iPhone is the darling of the industry – and very easy to code for – but has three very serious drawbacks.

1. Expensive. iPhone ownership is low because the hardware costs are so high.
2. Limited platform. You can only create iPhone apps on a Mac. If your school has a few hundred Windows XP computers – you’d have to replace them all with expensive Macs.
3. Hard to distribute. If you’ve written an iPhone app, it is relatively hard to put it on a dozen iPhones – unless you want to get it certified by Apple, which could take a while!

So, Android has the upper hand.

1. The development kits is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and will run on very modest computers.
2. Android programming is done in Java. Lots of free tutorials out there.
3. 3D programming is available with OpenGL.
4. There are no distribution restrictions. If a kid has written a fart app – they can spread it round the school to their heart’s content, using nothing but BlueTooth if they wanted.
5. Opportunity to make money. If you want to distribute or sell your app through the Android Marketplace, the registration fee is only $25. A school or club could easily register and get all their kids work up on the global stage.

So, how do we capitalise on that and get them interested in coding?

I think that, rather than getting kids to program big boxy computers – where they can only make use of their creations in the computer lab, or a PC they share at home – we should get them writing apps.

Not Angry Birds (although that’s great from a physics & mechanics perspective), and not FourSquare clones (although, again, great for geography course work), and not InstaGram filters (could be useful in an art class, I guess), and certainly nothing like Rosetta Stone (may be useful if they’re learning a foreign language, perhaps)…

Ahh…. you see, apps can be useful in most classes. Not just for an optional “programming” module.

More than that, they’re cool. I don’t know if kids still say “cool” – but apps have a high social cachet. “What’s that app you’re using?” “Oh, just something I wrote!”.

Yes, we can start off on “Hello World”, then fairly trivially move on to inputs, then conditional statements, then reading sensors, then drawing graphics…

Before you know it, kids have built an app which plays a Justin Beiber clip every time they answer a question correctly in a history test – but only while they’re in the playground.

Isn’t Someone Already Doing This?

Indeed they are! The CDI AppsForGood team go in to inner city schools and get kids to design apps which will be useful to them and their peers.

I was rather dismissive of the idea when I first heard about it – but I have since seen the error of my ways.

So, my CodingForKids pledge is two-fold

1. Work with AppsForGood to help them achieve their aims. Be an expert advisor to their students. Involve the companies I work for with the project.
2. Find and promote Android programming resources specifically designed for kids. Promote apps which have been built by young students.

We Need You!

If you want to get involved, please visit the CodingForKids Wiki and see how you can help.

I think I’m turning into a Luddite. I see all these shiny tablets and… I just don’t want one!

Don’t get me wrong, I drove myself crazy trying to get an HP TouchPad because a) Massive discount and b) under a hundred quid.

You see, everyone I know with a tablet has one of two accessories.

1. A bluetooth keyboard. Because it’s really hard to do any sustained typing on a touch-screen.
2. A dock. Because it’s really hard to do any sustained typing on a touch-screen.

You see, I like to use my computer. Tablets are perfect for a consumer who wants to see pretty lights and occasionally prod at a large target with their fat, sweaty thumb. But that’s not me. I want to type, to blog, to code, to comment, to design. I want a laptop. And, indeed, that’s what I have.

If I want to do something passive, I’ll watch TV. Or my laptop screen. Or my phone. If I want to read, I’ll use an e-ink screen. My Kindle is lighter and has better readability than any tablet.

Why do I need another expensive device? Especially one I can’t create on?

Oh, and don’t tell me about the camera on these devices – does this look anything other than ridiculous?

So, Samsung have released the Galaxy Tab 10.1 – see Samsung’s YouTube Channel to see it in action – and once again I have gadget lust. It’s big, shiny, runs Android (and will run even better when Cyanogen is ported to it).

But once more, I shall have to turn it down. It’s lovely, I’m sure, but just not for me.

To help me justify my descision to forgoe this beautiful fondleslab, here are the top three worst things about the Galaxy Tab.

1. Non-standard charger. It uses some awful “media port” rather than micro-USB. (Note: it’s not even PDMI
2. No USB OTG – so I can’t use a keyboard, mouse, or external drive with it. Well, I can, but I have to shell out for a dongle that I’ll invariably lose.
3. No external storage – so if I want to take a bunch of movies and music with me on a trip, I’m limited to internal storage.

You can gaze at Samsung’s FaceBook page but it won’t improve things.

Am I crazy? Is there any reason to own a tab if I’ve already got a (great) Samsung Android phone and an (awesome) ThinkPad running Ubuntu?

What on Earth do you people do with a tablet that I’m missing out on?

Enter WorldCard Mobile – the app for Android which claims to be able to recognise the text on business cards and add them directly to your address book. At only US$5.99 it’s a good deal cheaper than some of its competitors – but does it work?

Walk Through

Snapping a card is simplicity itself. The camera focuses, then churns away, You get the chance to rotate the image if, like me, you took the photo from askew.

Processing is relatively quick if the card is simple. Some complex designs fail completely – especially if the text colour isn’t sufficiently differentiated from the background.

One nice feature is the ability to add a contact picture. You can either snap a photo there and then – or use the image of the card. Most useful when the card has a photo on it.

Finally, you can edit the entry if the scanner has got any of the details incorrect.

Bugs

OCR is an inexact science. WorldCard fails in the same areas that any other bit of software does. Is that a phone or fax number? Is that an I or l? So it’s worth double checking any entry.

One annoying bug is the software’s assumption that all phone numbers are formatted in the American style – that is my number of +447717512963 is formatted as +44 (7717) 512 – 963.
It’s not a show-stopping bug – but it’s annoying for neat-freaks like me.

It also missed out my Twitter handle – @edent – admittedly, there’s not always a field for that in an address book – but it could go into “notes”.

Conclusion

WoldCard’s website proclaims:

No manual entries. No typos. No more confusion in your contacts

It’s nearly right. There is still some manual entry to do.

It’s far better than Google Goggles which – while fine for scanning books – is hopeless at business cards.
It’s cheaper than paying someone to enter the details for you.

In short, until everyone puts their contact details on a .tel site – or uses a VCARD in a QR code – this is an essential piece of software.

WorldCard Mobile is available from the Android Market.

In early March 2010, my beloved BlackBerry Bold took a tumble out of a cab and died. I’ve been an Android man ever since. Magic, Hero, Nexus, Galaxy – all great phones, but none could hold a candle to the ‘berry.

Or so I thought.

A Torch In The Night

A good friend of mine – who updates his phones as frequently as I do – offered me his discarded BlackBerry Torch. How could I refuse a chance to get back to a real phone?

The main thing that was bothering me about Android was the lack of a physical keyboard and the general instability of the platform and radio software.

The Torch is a phenomenal BlackBerry. The action on the slider is exquisite. The keyboard is a joy to pound away on. The email and calendaring are rock solid with a powerful and practical UI. The browser has improved immeasurably. The range of apps is much broader than a year ago – and includes the all important trifecta of Foursquare, Dropbox, and Expensify.

And I hate it.

Everything That’s Wrong With The BlackBerry

There are some minor niggles – that’s fine – you get them with every phone. But the Torch has some fundamental flaws which, in my opinion make it unsuitable for day-to-day use. They are as follows.

The Price

The handset itself isn’t particularly pricey compared to other smartphones – but the cost of extra services is extortionate.
For the first day, I couldn’t work out why I wasn’t able to get any email – then I realised, you have to buy a special BlackBerry data plan in order to get email and Twitter. What the…?

I just don’t get it. Ok, it’s only an extra fiver a month but… for what? My Android and Symbian devices don’t need a magic data plan. The Sainted iPhone has many precious qualities – but it doesn’t care what price plan it is on. Data is data is data! Why is BlackBerry any different?

Then, I realised that I couldn’t get my work email through. This hadn’t been a problem on Android – I just clicked on “Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync” on the device and my Calendar and Email were all set. Want that on a BlackBerry? That’ll be an extra £28 per month.

WHAT THE JUDDERING FUCK?

I understand that BlackBerrys use some weird VooDoo to connect to the Interwebs and have mail sent to them faster than a speeding bullet. But is it necessary to spend an extra £336 a year on them? No.

The Restarts

It seems every time I uninstall an app, or add an email account my phone wants me to reboot. The BlackBerry is famed for having a “suspend” function – when you switch it off, it just goes to sleep and can be woken instantly. Something Android would do well to copy.
But for cold restarts, it takes a bloody age.
What makes it worse, is that official advice after provisioning the service is to pull the battery out, wait a minute and put it back in again. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to pull a battery out of a handset on a crowded train.
I’m not the biggest fan of Apple – but they’ve got some things right. If your platform needs constant reboots – you’ve failed. If your hardware regularly had to be disassembled – you’ve failed.

Data Connectivity

Network coverage is always variable – that’s a given. But BlackBerry adds another complication into the mix. Sometimes I can have perfect data reception and still not get any email! Why? Because the phone has lost connection to the BlackBerry mothership.

I don’t know if this is the fault of my network provider, the BlackBerry servers, or the handset. I don’t much care. It doesn’t work.

Again, I don’t have this problem with any of my other phones.

This is coupled with the radio’s obsession with 2G. I can be in an area of perfect 3G coverage and the radio will still lock on to 2G. Restarting the radio usually wakes it up and it can find 3G – but I’m reliant on speed; I can’t spend my life in the radio settings menu.

OS6.0 and Speed

I’ve been using BlackBerrys since the black and white days. I’m now running the very latest 6.0.0.448.

Despite the marketing hype, there’s no practical difference between OS6 and OS5. The kinetic scrolling is adequate – but slow. The browser renders better – but is slow. App world has more functionality – but is slow. The range of apps is great – but they take ages to start up. The camera has more mega-pixels and a bunch of great focus modes – but it’s slow to start, slow to focus, and slow to take pictures.

Slow slow slow slow slow slow slow! Both BlackBerry maps and Google Maps wheeze through the motions like they’re about to collapse at any moment. That’s assuming the (slow) GPS has locked onto anything even vaguely resembling a signal.

I get that this isn’t a multi-gigahetrz device. But it crawls along like an old Nokia.

I think the comparison is apt. BBOS is, now, as out-dated as Symbian and just not fit for the modern age. While I hope RIM don’t got down the WP7 route – they need to move their next generation of handsets to their QNX platform. The BlackBerry OS is highly practical – unless you want to work with any sort of speed.

Minor Niggles

Those are the big ticket items. The ones which ensure that on Monday I’ll be on the search for a new phone. Here are the minor annoyances.

Screen

The screen isn’t AMOLED. After spending a few months with an AMOLED screen, there really is no going back. Blacks and blacker, colours are more vivid, they’re easier to read in sunlight, and they dim down to a level that’s easy to read in the dark.

Key Proximity

The “answer” and “BlackBerry” keys are on the same plastic button.

It’s one of those design flaws which really grates after a while. A simple dividing line would make unsighted use of the buttons so much easier

On-Screen Keyboard

The letters on the OSK don’t change chase when you hit the shift key. That’s really annoying. Added to the fact that the OSK just isn’t as precise as other keyboards really lets the phone down.

Contact Synchronisation

I’m not sure if this is the fault of Almighty Google – or RIM, but when I sync my contacts, their photos don’t come across.
I’ve got a dreadful memory, so I’ve spend ages making sure each of my contacts has an image associated with them. Compare and contrast…

Pre-Installed Crap

Bloatware has always been a problem on mobiles. The annoying pre-installed software which you can’t delete. BlackBerry is better than most, in that it will allow you to delete some of the crap – but not all.

Most annoying is the podcast app – mostly because it doesn’t work in the UK. Why pre-install something that won’t work? More to the point, why is a simple podcast downloader region locked?

A special mention to Vodafone UK for continually pushing out service books for the (discontinuted) Vodafone 360 service, and the non-working Poynt service – even in the face of hostile customer feedback.

The Good

There are a few great points about the BlackBerry that make me sorry to see it go.

• The battery is stonkingly good. I got through a whole day of surfing, emailing (on 2G) and the battery was still at 45%. On Android I’m lucky if I get to lunchtime with half my battery intact.
• The keyboard. I had a play with the HTC Desire Z – it has a fine keyboard – but it’s nothing compared to the ergonomics of the Torch. In addition, the shortcut keys make using the phone a pleasure. Hitting M on the homescreen to go to messages, hitting T in the browser to go the top of the page, etc. Great for power users.
• Auto on-and-off. Useful if, like me, you don’t want your phone waking you up in the night – but do want your emails waiting for you as the alarm goes off. This is tempered by the fact that you can’t suspend email delivery. On my Galaxy, I set a peak schedule so I don’t get work emails interrupting me at the weekend.
• Multiple sound profiles. Again, beats the pants of Android. I can quickly select different ringtone profiles, set custom alerts for different people – even have an emergency call over-ride my silent settings.
• Tabbed Browsing. My Galaxy seems to top out at 4 browser windows, the BlackBerry doesn’t seem to have a limit that I’ve hit.
• BlackBerry Protect. This is an excellent free service which lets you track your device if it has beeen stolen, back up your data, send it messages, and wipe it if needed. Yes, there are apps available on Android, but nothing as comprehensively good as this. The only problem being that it doesn’t work on BES.
  

  BlackBerry Protect

• Finally, a niche example. Hitting ALT+RBVS in the browser brings up the source code of the page. Invaluable for web-nerds like me and not something I’ve ever seen built in to any other phone.

Now What

Paying an extra £28 per month for a device which is no quicker at receiving email than my Android? No thanks.
When RIM rejoins the real world and realises that it doesn’t own the push email market any more – and can’t charge like it’s the only game in town – I’ll be back.

For now, it’s off to find a phone with a great physical keyboard and good battery life.

The Windows Phone 7 Dell Venue Pro?

The Android Motorola Pro?

I don’t know yet – but at the moment, the BlackBerry platform has lost its way – and I’m not making any more compromises when it comes to my phone.

As I discussed last year in “The Future of Android – And How To Stop It” there is a fundamental tension between users, manufacturers, Mobile Networks, and Google when it comes to the Android Operating System.

First up, a common misconception…

Some Android Phones Are Too Slow For Updates

Bull. Shit.
The HTC Magic – the second Android phone to be released – has been updated to 2.2 (Froyo). By any measure, the Magic is slower compared to the mighty X10 – but that shouldn’t matter. My dog-eared old laptop can still receive updates for Linux. Apple’s ancient iPhones still, I believe, get some bug fixes.

So, for how long should a phone be supported?

The Lifetime of a Phone

The Magic was released in mid-2009 – and it is still being actively supported 18 months later. This is important. Most smartphones (in the UK) are sold on 18 – 24 month contracts. That means the customer expects them to be supported while they are still under contract.

Given that the Magic was probably sold by Vodafone for ~6 months (including at 3rd party retailers), the consumer will expect this device to be supported at least until the beginning of 2012.

The Xperia X10 was sold in the UK from March 2010. Sony Ericsson haven’t even given it a year’s worth of support. Barely 10 months after release and it has been abandoned.

Even if you bought it on a 12 month contract, the day it was released, Sony Ericsson have decided you’re not important any more.

The question now is, see that shiny SE Arc – do you want to buy it knowing that within a year there will be no more enhancements, no more bug fixes, no more love for you?

Old Phones Don’t Die

It’s rare that a phone just goes into a drawer when a customer gets an upgrade.
Let’s take a look a the typical life of a mobile phone.

• 6 months sitting in a warehouse waiting until the customer can afford it
• 24 months being used on a contact
• 3 months used out of contract until a good upgrade has been found
• 3 months sat in a drawer
• 12 months given to a kid / niece / nephew who doesn’t mind an old bit of kit
• Sent to the developing world where the cycle starts again.

At the very least, that’s 3 – 4 years use for the average phone.

Now, you may change your phone ever 12 months whether you need to or not. Recognise that you are the exception. Most people are not rich enough to get a new phone whenever they feel like it. Most people can’t ring Nokia’s press department and ask for a review model.

Phones need to be supported for their lifetime – even if it is just fixing bugs.

The Community Will Fill The Gap

I am in awe of VillainRom, Cyanogen, XDA Developers and all the other Android hackers. The amount of (often unpaid) work they put in to developing custom ROMs for Android handsets is incredible. They’ve got the latest version of Android – with all the bells and whistles – for nearly every Android handset out there.

Surely X10 owners can just use these guys for updates?

Well, yes, with two caveats.

1. Technical Know-How. It’s hard for the layman to find these sites, let alone risk their warranty by invoking the command line magic needed to perform the update.
2. Fragility of the Eco-System. Who tests these mods? What happens when something goes wrong? What happens when VillainRom decides he has better things to do with his time?

The community should not be treated as an unpaid help desk when a corporation decides to divest itself of all responsibility.

Android Updates Are Fundamentally Broken

If you’ve ever used Linux – you’ll be familiar with this sort of screen.

Windows and Mac also behave in a similar fashion.
Rather than updating the entire OS – only parts of it are updated. If there is a bug in, say, the way timezones are calculate – only the timezone program needs to be updated.

If FireFox needs updating on your computer – that’s all you need to update. No need to reload your entire software suite.
In some ways, Android is like this. The email, maps, and market all act as standalone apps and can be individually updated.

I think Android should go further.

A Proposal

We’re now in a crazy situation where a critical flaw in Android SMS capabilities will be fixed – but may never reach customers’ phone because manufacturers and networks have decided to no longer support a particular device.
This time it’s an SMS problem – what happens when it’s a serious security issue?

I suggest the following way to mitigate it.

• Google should develop, test, and release updates to core Android components – including security fixes. These should be updated directly to the Manufacturer.
• Manufacturers should do the same for their customisations (UI etc). Then release to the customer.
• Mobile Networks should be responsible for testing and releasing any radio firmware.
• If a manufacturer won’t release an update, Google should do it directly.

Google needs a way to send critical updates to customers without waiting for 3rd parties to muck around. Microsoft don’t wait for Dell to test a patch, and Dell don’t wait for PC World to monkey around with it before it hits you – the customer.

I’m aware this approach is not perfect, and I’d be very pleased to hear any suggestions on how to make it better.

…There’s Always A But

Imagine you just bought a lovely new SE Arc. A software update comes along which bricks your phone.

Who do you ring / sue?

• CarPhone Warehouse who sold you the device?
• Vodafone – to whom you pay £40 per month?
• Sony Ericsson – the manufacturers?
• Google – the developers?

Who do you think cares most about you? Who do you think can fix your fault? Who approved the update and did QA in the first place?

It all gets very messy, very quickly.

I think Android will thrive in 2011 – but it will be despite Sony Ericsson.

This has been a really tough NaBloPoMo for me. Work has been frantic – meaning that my lunchtime blogging has been restricted to a quick bit of copy editing. I’ve also had some wonderful new toys to play with – which has distracted my attention.

But the biggest problem? My Android phone. Don’t get me wrong, I love Android – but for typing, it’s nowhere nearly as good as my BlackBerry was. I spend a lot of my time on trains, so I’m used to being able to bash out a fairly lengthy post or email. That’s just not possible on my Nexus One.

There are three major problems with the Android’s onscreen keyboard.

• It takes up so much room, you can only see two lines of text. Annoying if you’re writing a long document.
• The accuracy is very hit and miss. It’s no worse than other onscreen keyboards – but it’s just not as good as a physical keyboard.
• The auto-correct feature is pretty good – but I miss the BlackBerry’s integrated spell cheque.

The general consensus on Twitter seems to be that the HTC Desire Z is the best Android phone touting a real keyboard.

I’ve yet to try it – but the keys look similar to the awful N97 “dead flesh” keyboard.

The Motorola Milestone has a better looking keyboard and is a similar price.

I could type around 60WPM on a BlackBerry keyboard – so whichever phone I get needs to be at least as good as RIM’s offering.

With that in mind, I’m also considering going back to BlackBerry – the new Torch 9800 looks incredible.

I’ve been playing on the most recent BlackBerry emulator (something more companies should provide) and it really could be the phone for me. Touchscreen for quick use, keyboard for long messages, I know the email and calendaring options are better than Android. But will I find OS6 too restrictive after the freedom of Android?

There’s also Windows Phone 7 to consider. I really like what I’ve seen of WP7 – but there aren’t any phone with keyboards available in the UK. Both the Dell Venue Pro and the LG Optimus 7Q may make it over here – but there are no timelines.

Finally, there’s the BlueTooth keyboard accessory. Amazon have Mini Bluetooth Keyboards from £15 – although some of the high end ones go for ten times that.

It would mean carrying yet another gadget – to go with the phone, solar charger, video glasses, Kindle and whatever else I have on my person – but could it bridge the gap? I find that I can’t type for very long on a laptop keyboard. The only device I’m comfortable typing on with all 10 fingers is a Microsoft 4000 Ergonomic (although I’d love to give a Maltron a try even if they are a bit pricey though). Would a BlueTooth keyboard be as easy to type on?

So, which phone would you go for if you needed to do extended bouts of typing or blogging?

This prompted Steve Wallach to say…

“we could get 100,000 [Android phones], hooked up together, and we would have the world’s fastest Linpack that no one could exceed for a long time.”

What a thought! Would it be possible to organise a flashmob – albeit a humongous one – to create the world’s first Android powered super-computer? My mind started spinning. With the number of Android phones sold per quarter now exceeding Apple and gaining fast on Nokia – how long before a moderately sized group of people could gather and call themselves one of the 500 fastest computers in the world?

The Facts

The slowest computer in the Top500 list is ComputaCenter’s Cluster Platform 3000 with a mere 31.11 TFlops.

Hang on! What’s a TFlop?

A “FLOP” is, quite simply, a measure of how many mathematical operations a computer can make per second.

A TerraFLOPS is 1,000 GigaFLOPS which is 1,000 MegaFLOPS which is 1,000 KiloFLOPS which is 1,000 FLOPS.

So, 1,000,000,000,000,000 mathematical operations per second.

How Fast Are Android Phones?

Here’s a screenshot of my Google Nexus One.

Ah… Do I have a particularly slow phone? No, not really.
Linpack holds top 10 speed records for a variety of devices. The highest a normal Android device can get is usually under 60 MFLOPS. Some overclockers have managed to crank their devices to 90 MFLOPS and one has got up to 250 MFLOPS.

The Mathematics

The least fast computer in the top 500 rates at 31.11 TFLOPS – which is 31,110,000 MFLOPS.

Even at 100 MFLOPS per phone, we would need to hook together 311,100 Android phones to get within a sniff of the Top500 Super Computer list. A few more than can comfortably fit in Trafalgar Square.

But let’s not give up just yet. London’s new Olympic stadium will have a capacity of 80,000 – and Wembley Stadium has a capacity of 105,000 (90k seated).

Moore’s law states that we should see a doubling of computer power in the next 18 months. So, if we could get 105 thousand Android users gathered together with a brand new “Nexus 3″ running at 300MFLOPS – we’d just about edge into the top 500. Although that assumes that there were no new entries!

So, come on Google! How about that for an Android event? Over a hundred thousand Android users gathered in one place to set a super-computing record. That would be awesome!

Into the crowded arena steps the HTC Wildfire.

I’m a huge fan of the HTC hardware – but I often feel that they ignore the customer service side of things. For too long they were silent on when their firmware releases were coming out – leaving VillainROM and Cyanogen to pick up the slack.

Android phones have typically come in two flavours, hyper expensive devices like the Nexus One and cheap-as-chips devices like the LG Apex. (Seriously? US$80 for a phone… wow!)

The Wildfire sits comfortably between the two at a reasonable sub-£200 price to own the phone outright. I’m sure it’s free on contract.

Right – watch this video so that I can earn tuppence ha’penny from eBuzzing.

The specs are impressive for such a cheap phone. The Android version is the slightly outdated 2.1 – I’d have expected HTC to stick Android 2.2 (Froyo) on there – especially as 2.3 (Gingerbread) is launching imminently. Hopefully HTC won’t be so lackadaisical with its update process for this phone.

You can buy the HTC Wildfire from Amazon and all good phone retailers.

Sponsored Posts – Love ‘em or Hate ‘em?

For the “Family Fortunes” buzzer widget, you click the icon and you’ll hear the famous “EURGH-ERRRR” noise.

I’m also selling a “Dramatic Sound Effect” Widget – download it by scanning this code. Go on, it’s a mere 50p!

This is a quick tutorial showing how to build a sound playing widget in Android. It assumes you’ve already set up Eclipse and know how to create your own projects.

The Source Code

Here’s the main Java source code – with comments.

Also

The Manifest

The XML you’ll need to get everything configured.

I based this talk on Jonathan Zittrain’s excellent Future of the Internet – And How To Stop It. You can keep up to date with all of Zittrain’s work on network neutrality on his blog.

The gist of this talk is that keeping Android open is key to its success. We must resist the “AOL-isation” of this platform. How customers, MNOs, manufacturers and Google can work together to help keep this ecosystem flourishing.

I’ll be polishing the presentation – and my responses to the tough questions – over the coming months. In the meantime, here are the slides and a video of the event.

(All opinions expressed are those of the individuals concerned and may not reflect the views of their employers – past, present, or future. I believe all Creative Commons images have been attributed and licensed as requested. Please contact me if I have made any omissions.)

If you’re on mobile, you can view the mobile friendly version.

If you’re on mobile, you can view the mobile friendly version.

(Sorry for the volume levels – try turning your speakers up to 11)

All comments and criticism welcomed.

Nokia phones "running" Android

Is this just a hapless Photoshop mistake – or a sign of things to come?!?!?!?!

It’s a daft graphic designer – obviously. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take the possibility of Nokia devices running Android seriously. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Nokia will never ship and Android powered phone – they’ve invested too much in Symbian and MeeGo for that. But Nokia devices will run Android.

A few years ago, I coaxed my Nokia N810 into running a prototype version of Android – NitDroid. The project has been resurrected by Stephen Hyde at NITDroid.com.

This latest video shows the Nokia N900 running Android’s FroYo.

Why Is This Useful?

Nokia coined the term “Mobile Computer” for its range of phones. Computers aren’t hermetically sealed consumer devices. They allow the customer to modify both hardware and software. You would be understandably upset if the computer you bought last year wouldn’t let you install the latest version of Windows, MacOS, or Linux. But that’s the situation mobile phone customers are faced with today.

The Android G1 has been abandoned by HTC and T-Mobile – much to the chagrin of customers.
The HTC Hero has only been grudgingly updated to Android 2.1.
Nokia left the N800 and N810 to rot. Nokia regularly stops development of its “mobile computer” software even when the devices are in active use.

Mobile phone manufacturers exist to sell phones. They don’t get any extra revenue for releasing new firmware. Indeed, the cost of developing, testing, and shipping new firmware is prohibitively expensive. Not to mention dealing with customer complaints when things inevitably go wrong.

We are finally in a position to change that mindset. Hackers (in the original sense of the word) are now able to create custom firmware for new phones. Take a look at the XDA Developer Forums. Almost every Android phone released can have an improved firmware running on it.

True, a significantly older phone may not have hardware capable of running bleeding edge code – but it’s enough to give it a new lease of life.

I’d love it if Nokia updated the N95 8GB firmware. The hardware is still incredibly capable.

In these tough economic times, it makes perfect sense to focus efforts on software, rather than hardware.

Look at the PS3 or the Xbox 360. A single model with firmware updates to increase its functionality.

Rather than tooling up a factory for a 6 month run of hardware – phone manufacturers should be looking to keep churning out a limited number of models of high spec phones for years. As manufacturing efficiencies improve, the hardware becomes cheaper and – like the PS3 and Xbox – cheaper models can be produced.

The PS3 came out in November 2006. Nearly 4 years ago. Can you think of a phone released four years ago which is still in production – let alone receiving firmware updates? The original iPhone was released in 2007 – it got a firmware update earlier this year but won’t be receiving iOS4. Also, you can’t buy a new iPhone 2G. Apple aren’t in the business of selling inexpensive hardware.

The Future

I predict – or rather, I hope – we will see the following pattern emerge. Either from Google or Nokia.

• An insanely expensive and over-spec’d phone will be released.  I expect in the £500 – £1,000 range.
• A public roadmap for its OS will be released – new features promised every 3-6 months.
• A guarantee that official firmware development will continue for at least 3 years.
• The OS will be sufficiently open to allow “homebrew” firmware to run.  Hackers will jump at it.
• The hardware will sell – poorly at first.
• As production efficiencies are found, the price will come down.  The hardware capabilities will stay compatible with older models.
• The firmware will progress based upon consumer need, manufacturer desire and what hackers manage to achieve.
• At around the 18 month mark, major new features in the firmware will be announced.  This keeps the MNO happy as they don’t have to subsidise the cost of new hardware for customers coming to the end of their contracts.
• At the 2 year mark, the next hardware revision will be launched.  More memory and megapixels – cheaper price.
• If the hardware is still selling, expect others to follow.

The fly in the ointment for this is continuous manufacturer profitability.  Apple, I understand, gets a cut of call and text revenue.  Google gets a cut of apps sold.  Microsoft and Sony sell licences for releasing games on their platform.

Would this “super phone” have to sell firmware updates?  Would MNOs subsidise firmware rather than hardware?  Would customers part-exchange  an unfashionably old phone for the latest model?

Or will we be stuck with phones that are thrown on the scrap-heap by their creator in order to force us into buying the latest model?

One thing’s for certain.  Where there are hackers – there will always be updates.

Here’s some basic code for an Android app which will post the URL of your app to Twitter. Stick it in a button or menu item for easy sharing.

Some important things to note.

1. This is set to post to the mobile version of Twitter.  Your user is on a phone – don’t direct them to a site that won’t work on their device.
2. The second string is URI encoded.
3. Consider if you want to post a “market://” link.  I would advise against it.  Twitter won’t render it as a link and, even if it did, 90% of users won’t be able to click on it.  Make it a link that will direct desktop users to your website, mobile users to a mobile friendly site and Android users direct to the market.

Facebook also has an API for this sort of sharing.

http://m.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=example.com&t=test

Again, it points to the mobile site and needs to be URL encoded.

Happy sharing!

So it was with great mirth that I went along to a BizSpark event a few weeks ago. Microsoft were going to be showing off their latest “innovation” – Windows Phone 7.

I went along expecting to hate it and, instead, found myself curiously drawn to it.

Take a look at the emulator for an interactive demo.

I played with the demo hardware and software and had my expectations blown away.  I’ll be honest – I expected crap.  I had horrible memories of the stylus oriented Windows Mobile 6.  The phone which would display an hourglass if you had the temerity to receive a phone call while playing solitaire.

Windows Phone 7 (WP7) was a million miles away from the old Microsoft experience.

Pros

The user interface is refreshingly simple and fun to use.  It’s like nothing else I’ve tried before and I really think that Microsoft has outclassed both Android and Apple.

Pushing so much information to the homescreen really makes you want to use your phone constantly. iPhone only does this half-heartedly and Android does it without much animation or UI consistency.

App Store.  One excellent feature of the MS app store is the “Try Before You Buy” model.  Rather than a developer putting out a free, limited version and a “pro” version they can publish a single app.  They can restrict the features and functionality of the “demo” version until the customer makes the purchase. Or, after a set period of time, the demo version can become non-functioning. Or have reduced function.  Brilliant.

Gaming on this device will be huge. It looks like it will be simple to port games from the Xbox to WP7 – that gives it a great competative advantage. Tie in Xbox Live (or whatever it’s called) and you’ll get gamers buying the same game twice – once on the console and once on the phone.  The 3D power of the phones was stunning.

Cons

There are some serious shortcomings in the Windows Phone 7 vision of the future which Microsoft urgently need to address.

• Expand the development options.  If you want to write for Windows Phone 7, you’ll need Windows installed on your computer.  Given that Android allows you to develop on Windows, Mac and Linux, it doesn’t make sense to make developers buy a new operating system.  Especially as iPhone development is tied to Apple.
• Open it up.  I love the idea of integrating my phone with my Xbox live account – but I don’t have an Xbox! Open it up so that my Wii or PS3 gaming experience can be pushed to the homescreen.
• The same goes for mail and IM – don’t restrict it just to Exchange and MSN.  Openness is hard for Microsoft, but it will attract more customers to the platform.
• Have a firm, public roadmap for enhancements which all manufacturers stick to.  Android is currently being stifled by manufacturers like HTC who refuse to update the software on their customers’ devices.
• Revenue share for developers needs to be better. At the moment it’s the same 70/30 split being offered by Android and Apple.  It needs to be lower for two key reasons.

1. Attract developers to the fledgling ecosystem.
2. To avoid any accusations of a cartel.  To have all three major platforms “independently” converge on the same revenue share deal looks suspicious.

Now What?

I’ve played with the prototype hardware and I’m impressed.  The software is really good. Much better that Microsoft’s usual standard.

It has to be.

Microsoft are betting their mobile future on this platform.  Win6.5 failed. Kin failed. They can’t afford another high profile failure like this.  Mirosoft are putting their best people on this project and, as far as I can tell, are revisiting their Xbox strategy; SPEND SPEND SPEND.

By the time the phones launch (holiday season 2010) you won’t be able to move without seeing an advert.  They will crank up their media machine to 11.  Just like the original Xbox, they will buy their way in to the market with a view that – like the Xbox 360 – the real prize is several years away.

I hope they succeed.  Not because I have any love for Microsoft, but because Nokia, Apple, and Google will all have to raise the quality of their software and hardware to compete against Microsoft’s marketing expenditure.

I’m a Linux geek – and I think Windows Phone 7 is the best thing to come out of Redmond in a very long time.

I’ve used this as the basis of a demo widget – “MI5 Terror Threat Level”. The widget displays the UK’s Threat Level on your homescreen. Clicking on it takes you to the MI5 page discussing the threat level.

The threat level is determined by parsing the RSS that the security services so helpfully provide. At the moment, the widget keeps a local copy of the graphics because the RSS feed contains references to “localhost” images.

You can download the widget by scanning in this QR code.

MI5 Widget - QR Code

My second app presents a series of buttons which call the USSD commands – so you don’t have to remember if it’s the HLR or VLR which is queried by *#103#.

Useful, I know….

You can download the app by scanning in this QR code.

Android App - Vodafone UK USSD Commands

The majority of these codes only work on phones with a Vodafone UK SIM who are on the Vodafone UK network. I’ve no idea what the codes do on other networks.

A detailed explanation of the commands is available on Betavine.

Sadly, Android provides no native way to capture or interprate USSD responses. Please star the feature request if you’re interested in seeing this in future versions of Android.

One last thing – this app was neither designed nor approved by Vodafone UK. It has nothing to do with them!

The first app I’ve created is “Advanced Test Card”. You can download it by scanning in this QR code.

Scan to download Advanced Test Card for Android

At the moment, it just has 5 modes. Red, Green, Blue, White and SMPTE colour bars. All are useful for checking out any problems you may have with your screen.

I’ll be developing more test cards in the future – leave a comment if there’s one you would like to see.

Mistake #1

Take a look at this rather charming advert on the Guardian’s mobile site. The more astute among you will recognise the problem.

I’m being advertised an iPhone game when I’m browsing the site using an Android phone. This is the fault of the Guardian – or, more likely, whoever runs their advertising department.

Well, let’s click on it.

Mistake #2

The image expansion doesn’t work. This is probably because it uses iPhone specific code.

Mistake #3

Let’s take a look at the raw image.

The image is a 135KB PNG. That’s massive. At a time when unlimited downloads are under threat, it is incumbent on the mobile web designer to minimise needless data usage.

If we convert the image to a JPG, the size goes down to 26KB. Can you spot the difference in quality?

Mistake #4

What happens if we visit the destination?

Ah. Apple send us to the desktop version of iTunes. This is better than what used to happen, where they tried to install iTunes!

Preventing The Problem

Every browser sends a User-Agent String. The advertising server should be configured to only send iPhone-specific adverts to iPhones.

It really is that simple. You can use services like WURFL and DeviceAtlas to automate this process if you like.

What Should Have Happened

• The advert shouldn’t have been shown in the first place. The Guardian needs to ensure that the advertising space it is selling is being correctly targeted.
• The click should have gone directly to Barclays – if they saw the phone viewing the content wasn’t an iPhone they should display alternate content.
• Apple needs to have a mobile friendly page. It really is that simple. A great mobile friendly page with a link that says “Want to play this games? Find your nearest Apple Store here“.

Getting my contacts from BlackBerry to Google was simple. I exported a VCF of all my contacts from Outlook and imported them to Google. Simplicity. Everything worked. Syncing back to Android was easy – input Google account and password and hey-presto. But that’s where it all broke down.

The address seems to be stored correctly. Right?

Wrong!

When we go in to edit, rather than “Address”, “City”, “Postcode” fields – Google just gives us a plain text field.

What Happens In Android?

At first glance, everything looks correctly formatted. But let’s go in and see how the data is represented within the address book.

As you can see – everything is represented on just one line.

We can edit it correctly on the phone to look like this.

Well, that’s a bit off effort (especially with over 500 contacts).

How does it look back at Google Contacts on the web?

Recap

It’s the year 2010. We can’t even synchronise addresses correctly without mangling them along the way. I sometimes think it would be easier to outsource my address book to Indian and have minimum wage labour ensure all entries are correct and up-to-date.

Hello!

Your new Nexus One phone has many cool and useful features. Learn more by clicking on the links to watch brief YouTube videos directly on your phone:

• Take pictures with your 5mpx camera and view them in your 3D Media Gallery. Learn more
• Get transcribed voicemails and cheap international calling with Google Voice. Learn more
• Sync your contacts, Facebook and email accounts with QuickContact. Learn more
• Get cool applications and games on Android Market. Learn more

You can find all these videos and more on the Nexus One playlist at youtube.com/googlenexusone.

Enjoy!
The Android Team at Google

Google, Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

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We sent you this one-time welcome message because you recently purchased an Android-powered phone

What’s Going On?

Take a look at the bottom of the mail again…

We sent you this one-time welcome message because you recently purchased an Android-powered phone

I haven’t recently purchased a new phone. I’ve had Android phones since early last year. What is different is that I recently hacked my HTC Hero and installed SenseHero 2.1. A modification which allows the ageing HTC Hero to run the very latest Android software.

What has obviously happened is that Google has seen me sign in to a “new” Android 2.1 phone and assumed that I’ve recently got a Nexus.

When You Assume…

There is a dangerous assumption – reflected in the email – that “phone with OS Z = phone with name Y”. At a stroke, Google have confused their users and diluted their brand name(s).

Welcoming new or returning users is definitely a good move. But unless your communications are correctly targeted and accurate, you risk alienating rather than engaging.

Dead BlackBerry

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Due to a crazy taxi driver (are there any other kind) and a violent swerve, my BlackBerry Bold 9000 is no more. Bereft of life, it rusts in pieces, and other such Pythonesque metaphors.

Arse. I truly feel like I’m missing an extension to my body. There’s a symbiotic relationship which develops between a geek and his phone. It entertains me, informs me, keeps me on time and allows me to rapidly communicate with a variety of methods. In return, I feed it electricity, load it up with useful programs, decorate its skin and snuggle up to it.

I miss it so much.

Every Cloud…

Now’s a prime time to choose a new smartphone. So many new models on the market. Which to go for?

What I look for in a mobile

I’ve had many many phones. Some wonderful (Treo 180) some dire (Apple iPhone). I know exactly what I want and what I need.  For a device that I use several times an hour every single day, I don’t want to compromise on any aspect.  Perfection is what I demand.  So, what was it that made the BlackBerry Bold the perfect phone for me?

• Physical keyboard.  I do a lot of typing on the device.  I’ve used soft keyboards (Android, iPhone, Storm) and they just don’t do it for me.  Even with the haptic feedback, it’s just not the same for speedy typing.  I liked handwriting recognition on the Treo 180 and the Nokia N97 – but in terms of speed & accuracy a physical keyboard is a must.  More than that, it needs to be a good keyboard.  The keyboard on the N97 is dreadful – it feels like a cheap calculator.  The N810 has an awful layout and virtually no travel on the button push. I need raised keys and to feel a click so I can touch-type.
• Exchange integration.  I use my device for work.  Things which I regularly use my ‘berry for are were: email and calendar sync’d over the air.  Address lookup – if I meet Jo Blogs at work, I can type her name in to the address book and look up her email, phone number, address etc (if she’s in the corporate address book).
• The BlackBerry Enterprise messenger is also really useful.  I don’t use IM for personal use much any more – but work runs on it.  Sadly it’s basaed on Microsoft Office Communicator rather than anything open or useful.
• Quick start-up.  When you shut down a BlackBerry, it effectively goes into “suspend” mode.  I switch it on first thing in the morning and it’s on and receiving email instantly.
• Auto on-off.  At 2300 every weekday, my phone shuts down. So if I’ve forgotten to switch it off, I don’t get disturbed during the night.  At 0700 it wakes up and gets to work.
• Multiple email accounts.  I want to reply from 1 enterprise and 2 personal accounts.
• USB interface for charging.  Batter life isn’t massivly important and I’m never away from a power socket for a few hours.
• Compatible with Linux for charging, reading files, tethering.
• Speed dial, form factor, excellent hierarchical bookmarks structure.
• GPS & Mapping.
• Good browser.  I like the modern RIM browser – I know they’re moving to Webkit, but I don’t find the current one so bad.

Well, so far it looks like I’m going for a BlackBerry. Right.  Not quite.

What I hate about BlackBerry

• No front-facing-camera.  I like video calling. I’m the only one in the UK who does, apparently.  But with more 3G phones coming on to the market, I’m hopeful that more people will come round to it.
• Lack of updates.  It seems to take ages for any new developments to come out of RIM.  I understand why – you can’t fiddle around too much with business critical devices – but I like shiny new features.
• Speed. Perhaps it’s running OS 5.0 on the 9000, but everything seems a little sluggish.  I’m very quick with my fingers yet I often feel like the ‘berry isn’t working as fast as I am.  Once you’re running IM, SocialScope, Facebook and Weather at the same time and everything slows to a crawl.
• Camera. I like the flash and the geo-tagging, but the quality of images isn’t wonderful.  No focusing also impacts scanning QR codes.
• Video recording – low quality and sound is often out of sync.
• Calendar – only shows a single calendar. I don’t want my personal appointments on my work calendar.
• Media player. While it plays some .avi files better than Android, it won’t do .ogg or .flac, the interface is sub par.

The Android Intervention

With my dearly departed long gone, I’m reliant on my Android device. An HTC Hero.  It is a stunning device.

• Gorgeous screen, very responsive.
• Browser is good.
• The camera is great although sorely lacking a flash.
• It integrates with Microsoft Exchange reasonably well – although I haven’t got it fully working yet.

But – and there’s always a but…

• HTC. They are very unresponsive to customer queries. No software updates for the Hero, even though they’ve been announced.  Again, I understand the reasoning, but I don’t want to be stuck on Android 2.1 when 3.9 is out.
• Slow start up.  I don’t want to wait 60 seconds for my phone to wake up.
• Lacking in functionality – although it has plenty of add on software, some at cost.
• Lack of keyboard shortcuts.  I rely on these heavily – as described in my comment to The Really Mobile Project.
• Such tie in to the Google Eco-System.  If I ever want to leave Google, I’m not sure how the phone would cope.

Others

I’m big on Linux. Despite the slight disappointment with Nokia’s recent efforts, I’m intrigued by the N900.  I think I’d like to play with it for a day – especially the keyboard given the disaster of the N810 – before comitting.

I’ve tried a 3G iPhone running OS3.0.  It’s a toy and really not suitable for me.

Windows Mobile is… lackluster.  I can’t wait for Windows Phone OS 7.0 Mobile (or whatever they’re calling it today).  Besides, I don’t run Windows on my PCs – I can’t think of a reason to run it on my phones.

What else is out there?  Bada? Doubt Samsung call pull it off.  Pre? I want to like Palm, but it’s restricted to a single device and only on one network. Symbian? Hopefully it will be resurrected but after the disasterous N97 and the abandoned N95, it’s dead to me.

Choices

I think it boils down to three phones.

BlackBerry 9700

Bold 9700

This is the “safe” choice.  It’s the next model up from my smashed 9000.  I know it does everything I want.  I like the idea of replacing the trackball with a touchpad.  Good that it’s got the new standard USB charger, even if I’ll need to buy some new cables.

On the down side, it’s a bit boring.

SonyEricson Experia X10 mini pro / Motorola Milestone / Droid

My Android choice.  Has a keyboard and avoids HTC.  I don’t know how hackable it will be.  Given it’s one of SE’s & Moto’s first forays into Android, I’m concerned about how committed they’ll be to the device.

Would really like an Android with a decent keyboard – there are just so few of them about.

Nokia N900

Nokia N900

The outside choice. I generally love Nokia hardware – but their software sucks.  As innovative as the N810 was, they really dropped the ball in providing updates to their original Maemo software.  I’m slightly wary about how well this will be supported.

The keyboard looks ok, but the oddly placed space bar puts me off, as does the lack of ergonomic consideration.

Your Opinions

I’d love to know what you think.  Which phones rock your world?

This blog is a personal comment and does not represent my employers, Vodafone Group.  Nothing in this blog should be considered an official position on any phone, platform or manufacturer.

Amarillo Roll is a 3D game in the same style as Super Monkey Ball. You tip your phone to move the armadillo around the course. The graphics are stunning. Reminiscent of early Xbox games. The one thing the photos don’t do is convey the speed of gameplay – it’s fast!

The game is a tech demo from Qualcomm. You can download Armadillo Roll directly from the Marketplace to your phone or view more information about it.

Browsing http://m.youtube.com/ at the bottom is a new link

A link to a QR code

Clicking on it takes you to a QR code

The QR code

It’s using the Google Chart API to generate the code.

The Googe Chart API in use

Will this spur QR codes into the mainstream? I hope so!

The premise is very simple.  There are blocks bouncing around the screen. You have a limited number of shots to remove a set number of them.

Each shot creates an explosion which, if it touches another block, causes that to explode.

This can cause a helpful chain reaction.

One of the many wonderful things about this game is how it pits you against other players.  Rather than posting high scores, it shows you how many other people have reached the level.

Being the massive geek that I am, I’ve graphed how player levels drop off.  I’m only skilled enough to get to level 89. Must try harder.

What I find fascinating is how steady the player numbers are until each big drop-off. Obviously, at least 50,000 people have downloaded the game, but only 371 players who’ve made it as far as I have.

Anyway, if you have an Android device, have a play with Prime – it’s a great little game.

So, when I heard that some clever hackers had ported Google’s Android OS to the N810, I leapt at the chance to reinvigorate my sadly neglected Internet Tablet..

There are various tutorials on the web, but here’s my quick & pain free howto for people running Ubuntu. This is based on the instructions from the Nitdroid Homepage and the InternetTabletTalk forums.

You will need…

• A Nokia N810 (this should also work with the N800 and the N770)
• USB and Charging cables.
• A computer running Ubuntu (or most other flavours of Linux)
• A working Internet connection.
• NERVES OF STEEL! (Not really, it’s very simple to reflash the N810 if you do mess up.)

So here’s the HOWTO:

1. Back up any files you want to keep from your N810. We’re going to be wiping it clean.
2. Remove any SD cards you’ve got from the N810.
3. Make sure the battery is fully charged.
4. Create a folder on your computer called “Nitdroid”.
5. Download the following files (or newer if available)
6. The flasher – this allows you to flash the hardware (you may need a different version if you’re running 64bit or PPC).
7. The Android filesystem
8. The Andoid OS
9. Connect your N810 to your computer via USB, switch the N810 on.
10. If you haven’t got it already, install and run gparted.
11. You need to create 3 partitions, the first must be FAT32, the third must be ext3 with a minimum size of 128MB. See the picture for an example.
12. Take a note of the device name – in this example, it’s /dev/sdb
13. We need to mount the ext3 filesystem we’ve created – go to the command line and type
    

    sudo mount -t ext3 /dev/sdb3 /android

    Remember to change /dev/sdb3 to whatever your device is actually called.

14. We now need to go to the “/android” directory and extract the filesystem to it. At the command line, type
    

    cd /android

    Then
    

    sudo tar -xjpvf /home/$USER/Desktop/nitdroid/rootfs-nitdroid.tar.bz

    Remember to change $USER to your username – or change the whole path to where you downloaded the nitdroid files.

15. Once complete, you unmount the filesystem by typing
    

    sudo umount /android

16. We’re ready to flash! Hurrah!
17. Turn off the N810, unplug it from the power and USB cables.
18. We need to make the flashing software executable so type
    

    chmod a+x flasher-3.0-static

19. Plug the N810 into the USB cable but leave it switched off.
20. Run the flashing software (yes, with the N810 turned off) by typing
    

    sudo ./flasher-3.0-static -f -k zImage-nitdroid-n8x0 –enable-rd-mode -R

21. You will see the following message
    

    flasher v0.9.0 (Jan 19 2007)
    Suitable USB device not found, waiting

    This means that the flashing software is looking for the N810.

22. On the N810, hold down the “Switch” button (The one which looks like two overlapping squares, just under the camera). With the button held down, push the power button.
23. You’ll see some messages on your PC’s screen indicating that the device is being flashed. Let go of the buttons.
24. Wait.
25. Wait a little while longer.
26. Have a biscuit to calm your nerves.
27. It should be over and done with in less than a minute.
28. Once it’s complete, unplug the N810. Power it off, then on again. You should see this screen.
29. It takes about 5 minutes for the first boot to complete. If it takes substantially longer than that, read the troubleshooting section.
30. TADA! You now have Android on your N810.WiFi works – as do the keyboard and touchscreen. At the moment, sound, BlueTooth & GPS don’t. There are a few random crashes, and the performance leaves a little to be desired. Much like the original Maemo software!

Troubleshooting.
If it all goes wrong, here’s how to get your N810 back to the latest official firmware.

• Download the latest official firmware from http://tablets-dev.nokia.com/nokia_N810.php
• Plug the N810 into the USB cable but leave it switched off.
• Run the flashing software (yes, with the N810 turned off) by typing
  

  sudo ./flasher-3.0 -F RX-44_DIABLO_5.2008.43-7_PR_COMBINED_MR0_ARM.bin -f -R

  Remember to replace “RX-44….” with the name of the latest software.

• You will see the following message
  

  flasher v0.9.0 (Jan 19 2007)
  Suitable USB device not found, waiting

  This means that the flashing software is looking for the N810.

• On the N810, hold down the “Switch” button (The one which looks like two overlapping squares, just under the camera). With the button held down, push the power button.
• Wait. You will have a factory fresh N810 in a matter of minutes.

Enjoy!

A quick review of MobileCampBrighton.

Brighton is such a delightful city that it’s hard to begrudge it stealing one’s Saturday morning lie-in. As I wandered the laines looking for The Skiff, I was worried about how successful this BarCamp event would be. It was the same weekend as the popular Convention on Modern Liberty and it was being held outside London. Added to my worries was the fact that I had convinced Vodafone to sponsor the event – if it didn’t go well, it would be a personal and professional disappointment.

I needn’t have been so worried.

This was the site that greeted me at the door.

The Skiff began to fill up rapidly. One usually expect about a 30% drop off in participants – especially at a free event – but I think there were more attendees than were anticipated!

Usually BarCamps have several sessions running at once. The advantages being that more people can present and group sizes are manageable. However, this often leads to a bit of confusion as sessions finish at different times and a bit of heartache as one has to decide between two equally compelling talks.

Due to the relatively small number of participants, we managed to do all the presentations sequentially in the one room. This would not have been possible – or desirable – at a larger unconference, but here it worked beautifully.

The Sessions

(Photo courtesy of Pixelm Image is BY-NC-SA.)

So, a brief run down of the talks I found memorable.

Ribot gave a talk on the “Emotion, Behaviour and Human Context” focusing on the power of sketches. As designers & developers, we often go for the big bang approach. Often it’s more productive to paper prototype – it’s faster and you’ll be less emotionally attached to a “bad” idea.

Some sketches.

Marten van Wezel gave us his experience of building successful communities. I’d never quite realised the strategies one needs to employ to keep a service pleasant for its users.

A good looking fellow called Terence Eden, basically rehashed his blog post about mobile contextual advertising and its inasivness. A good points to come out of the discussion was the need for VRM (Vendor Relationship Management). Something I’ll be looking into closely.

Priya Prakash spoke about her research in to emerging market. This was an absolutley fascinating discussion about how different people use new technology. A choice quote was “if you want to see how people use technology, go to nail salons and cafes”.

That most melifulous of speaker, Terence Eden snaked his way onto the board again to say “Fuck the iPhone (and not in a good way)”. Regular readers will know of my distaste for Jobs’ Toy, but this was a discussion about how the focus on cool new phones and gadgets basically ignored a large swathe of the population. While it’s personally very exciting to develop for the cutting edge, we must not forget that the majority of people are on 18 month contracts and won’t be able to get to our products for some time.

Tom Morris gave us his thoughts on making mobile applications and services more relavent by making them easier to develop. It’s a good idea, but I still think the barrier to entry for programming (IDE, text commands, language paradigms) make it too hard for regular users to even think about programming.

Raul – a linguist – shared his experiences with how languages change to fit the digital landscape.

There were several other talks and I’ll link to the Qik streams / videos when I find them.

The final event of the day was a “fastest text” competition. Marten van Wezel won Army of Two and Nik won Spore. Both prizes were generously donated by Jessica Gwyther, the Games Content Development Manager at Vodafone Group.

I really got a lot out of this camp – it’s great to meet new people who aren’t afraid to challenge your ideas.

You can view the back channel chatter on twitter (or Google’s search for mobileCampBrighton if twitter is down…)

From a professional point of view, I felt that sponsorship was worthwhile. I got to demo our new products in front of a very intense audience and they gave great feedback. Hopefully I’ve left a good impression in participants minds about Vodafone and Betavine – if nothing else, they’ll remember that Vodafone provides a decent lunch!

So, no post from me can end without criticism. This is no different, although it’s aimed at organisers for all the BarCamps I’ve been to.

1. Time keeping is paramount. After the first session we were already running 45 minutes behind schedule. With some quick thinking from DanW and a bit of discipline from the participants we were able to finish on time without curtailing the programme of events. Every BarCamp should have a big clock on the wall or each presenting space to let presenters know how long they’ve got.
2. Organisers shouldn’t feel afraid to call for order. It’s really tempting to let intra-audience discussions flow freely. Indeed, I’m as guilty as anyone of talking vociferously when I should be listening. But organisers have two main jobs – keep everything running on time and stop presenters from being intimidated. I noticed that a few times the audience took over from a presenter and – except that’s where it’s the presenter’s intention – it’s a little ugly.

Overall – a highly successful MobileCamp. I can’t wait for the next one!