Motorola | Adventures of a Jeremiah

Inventor of the cell phone gave up his iPhone for a Motorola Droid [update]

From Android Central

As if Android needed yet another endorsement, it turns out that Martin Cooper — the inventor of the cellular telephone who pretty much is responsible for all of us being here at this fine Web site today — is the proud owner of … wait for it … a Motorola Droid.

Cooper did a piece on C-SPAN last week where he talked (a lot!) about spectrum and the politics thereof (it’s clunky, but well done), as well as the argument that cell phones might cause cancer (show him some proof). The talk about his weapon of choice comes a little after the 30-minute mark. When asked about his daily driver he replied:

"Depends when you ask me. I always have the latest cell phone, and I try every cell phone out, only because people like you keep asking me. Right now I'm using the Droid, because I want to get some experience with the Android operating system, and I, so far, have some favorable results."

Turns out he used to have an iPhone, which he gave to his grandson. He uses a feature phone for his day-to-day calls, he said, but turns to the Droid when it’s time to do some real work — like tweeting. Yes, the 81-year-old inventor of the cell phone is on Twitter. He’s @MartyMobile, so be sure to follow him. And be sure to tell him AndroidCentral sent you. [C-SPAN] Thanks, @ikagirl, for the tip!

Update: YouTube video added after the break.

AT&T: The most crippled Android experience

From Android and Me

We try to be fair to every handset, but the are some we just can’t help but make fun of. Everyone thought Verizon was going to cripple Android, but they became friends with Google and offered the full Android experience.

AT&T is in bed with Apple and has gone to extreme measures to make sure their first Android phone, the Motorola Backflip, was under-powered and locked down. We already knew about the lack of Google search and today another limitation has surfaced.

The Backflip has no option to install applications from unknown sources (aka non-Market applications). This is important to note because every Android phone (that I know of) has included this as a default option of the Android OS.

Maybe it was done to “protect” the users, but this blocks the install of apps purchased on alternative markets and beta apps like Swype. Developers will also be unable to easily load and test their apps on the device before they release them.

Basically, AT&T is offering the same locked-in market experience that iPhone users get to enjoy put up with.

To add insult to injury, customers are also not allowed to remove the dozen or so AT&T apps that come preloaded with the device (bloatware). Android phones already struggle with limited storage space and having the carrier dictate which ones are installed on a user’s phone is a disappointment.

So to recap the AT&T Backflip:

Outdated Android 1.5 with Motoblur
No Google search (replaced by Yahoo)
Unable to remove AT&T bloatware apps
Cannot install non-market apps

Let us hope that AT&T offers a more open experience on their future devices, because this is not the Android that we know and love.

Updated: Added some quotes of Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility from Engadget’s 2009 interview. Classic!

“We like the Android as an operating system on its own, but we want to make sure that we have, and customers have the option, to put applications on that device that are not just Google applications. And we want to give customers the choice of other applications on that device, not just the same Google applications.”Ralph de la VegaCEO of AT&T Mobility

Update 2: Someone over at xda-developers already posted the hack to get around the non-market apps block. It’s is actually not a hack. Users just need to download the Android SDK and run a few console commands. Tether away.

AT&T: The most crippled Android experience

From Android and Me

We try to be fair to every handset, but the are some we just can’t help but make fun of. Everyone thought Verizon was going to cripple Android, but they became friends with Google and offered the full Android experience.

AT&T is in bed with Apple and has gone to extreme measures to make sure their first Android phone, the Motorola Backflip, was under-powered and locked down. We already knew about the lack of Google search and today another limitation has surfaced.

The Backflip has no option to install applications from unknown sources (aka non-Market applications). This is important to note because every Android phone (that I know of) has included this as a default option of the Android OS.

Maybe it was done to “protect” the users, but this blocks the install of apps purchased on alternative markets and beta apps like Swype. Developers will also be unable to easily load and test their apps on the device before they release them.

Basically, AT&T is offering the same locked-in market experience that iPhone users get to enjoy put up with.

To add insult to injury, customers are also not allowed to remove the dozen or so AT&T apps that come preloaded with the device (bloatware). Android phones already struggle with limited storage space and having the carrier dictate which ones are installed on a user’s phone is a disappointment.

So to recap the AT&T Backflip:

Outdated Android 1.5 with Motoblur
No Google search (replaced by Yahoo)
Unable to remove AT&T bloatware apps
Cannot install non-market apps

Let us hope that AT&T offers a more open experience on their future devices, because this is not the Android that we know and love.

Updated: Added some quotes of Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility from Engadget’s 2009 interview. Classic!

“We like the Android as an operating system on its own, but we want to make sure that we have, and customers have the option, to put applications on that device that are not just Google applications. And we want to give customers the choice of other applications on that device, not just the same Google applications.”Ralph de la VegaCEO of AT&T Mobility

Update 2: Someone over at xda-developers already posted the hack to get around the non-market apps block. It’s is actually not a hack. Users just need to download the Android SDK and run a few console commands. Tether away.

Android advertising assailment advances

From Android and Me

Are you getting sick of the Android TV spots yet? I can hardly turn on my TV without coming across one of the dozen ad spots currently in rotation. Expect the onslaught to continue through the holiday season. Verizon is spending 100 million on Droid ads and HTC claimed they would have “more media coverage than Coca Cola“. Sprint also shows no signs of slowing down and has begun giving their Hero phone more airtime.

Which company do you think has the best marketing campaign so far?

Sprint