Apple’s App Store: From 2 To 3 Billion Downloads In Just Over 3 Months

 

Apple this morning announced that more than 3 billion apps have been downloaded from its App Store by iPhone and iPod touch users worldwide. This comes nearly 9 months after it first hit 1 billion downloads served, and just over 3 months since it reached the 2 billion downloads mark.

No doubt, the holiday season helped increase the number of downloads so rapidly. But still: 1 billion additional downloads in 3 months and one week is just incredible.

When the 2 billion mark was reached, Apple also said 85,000 apps were available in the App Store at the time, but the company chose to stick to download numbers only for this announcement, although they said 100,000 apps were published to the store separately at the beginning of November 2009.

Steve Jobs in a statement, said:

“Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months–this is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. The revolutionary App Store offers iPhone and iPod touch users an experience unlike anything else available on other mobile devices, and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon.”

Nice jab there, Steve, and excellent timing with the official announcement of Google’s Nexus One phone just around the corner.

 

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/05/app-store-3-billion-downloads/

Nexus One Coming To Verizon And Vodafone, First Of A “Series Of Devices”

At today’s Nexus One event, Google announced that Nexus One phone is the “first of many devices,” says Android product manager Mario Queiroz, and that in the spring a CDMA version will be coming to Verizon in the U.S. and Vodafone in Europe. The phones will be available on Google’s new online phone store, and will be available with a service contract. It doesn’t appear that the CDMA Nexus One, at least, will be available as an unlocked device.

Google’s phone store is a branded consumer channel for people to buy Android phones “with or without service,” says Queiroz. This is radical departure from the way most people buy phones in the U.S. today, which is directly from each carrier or, in the case of the iPhone, in an Apple store. But even with the iPhone, you have no choice of carrier.

Today, you can buy a GSM Nexus One with a contract in T-Mobile for $179 or an unlocked one for $529 (read our review), which you can use on AT&T’s network (but only on its EDGE data network, not 3G). Google is shipping phones to the U.S., UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

The plan is to offer more phones through the Google phone store to more operators in both the U.S. and abroad, and to more countries. Google is clear that it is the merchant of record for these phones. More Android phones will become available over time on the store. And while Google provided no details on future phones, there is clearly an opportunity to fill out the Nexus One family with niche devices targeted at different types of consumers much like Palm did with the Palm Pixi.

 

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/05/nexus-one-verizon-vodafone/

Google Taps Cooliris To Enable Media Browsing On Nexus One

 

Big news for Cooliris this morning as Google unveiled its Nexus One “Superphone.” You can read our review of the phone here. The search and technology giant has tapped the startup to enable media browsing on its shiny new phone. The startup has been pushing the limits of interactive photo and video browsing with its 3D Wall, a browser plug-in for Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox that enables users to enjoy viewing their photos on Flickr or Facebook and their YouTube videos in a rich setting.

The new Gallery application, powered by Cooliris, for the Nexus One is a native app to enable browsing, organizing, sharing and editing media within one application. The Gallery is designed to scan quickly through thumbnails of media and loads the high-resolution versions on selection, making it easy for users to quickly browse their photos and videos. Using geolocation and tagging, users can sort their media into digital stacks by date, time and location, making it easier to find and organize photos and videos. Users can also pull existing albums from their desktops or access Picasa web albums. One interesting feature of Gallery is the two-way sync with Picasa albums, allowing users to update and access their Picasa media on-the-go. Users can also easily share their videos and images from within the app through email, MMS messaging, Picasa, or a Bluetooth connection.

Publishers a have been flocking to enable Cooliris’ nifty browser add-on. Most recently, CBS Interactive’s TV.com, one of the premier websites bringing episode guides, news, reviews, interviews, TV listings, and more to a primarily U.S. audience, started using Cooliris technology to enhance its ‘Shows’ section.

Backed with about $18.5 million in VC funding, Palo Alto, CA-based Cooliris has also debuted an compelling way to generate advertising revenue with its service.

The partnership is a big coup for Cooliris. Though there are no signs of an acquisition yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising considering Google’s phone’s deep integration with the startup’s technology.

 

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/05/google-taps-cooliris-to-enable-media-browsing-on-nexus-one/

The Droid You’re Looking For: Live From The Nexus One Event

 

While it’s technically called the “Android Press Gathering,” we all know what’s coming. Today, Google is expected to formally unveil the Nexus One (the device which some have been referring to as the “Google Phone“). The long event taking place today is expected to have both a presentation as well as demonstrations. Follow our coverage below, live.

Here’s our full Nexus One review.

Right now Google execs are filtering into the room. Rock music playing. Here we go.

• Mario Queiroz, Vice President, Product Management
• Today we’ll unveil the next stage in android.
• 2 years ago, Google will 33 industry leaders made the open handset alliance.
• 52 OHA members – 13 new members today including China telecom
• One year after OHA, we launched with T-Mobile the G1. But that was just the beginning.

• Now 20 devices 59 carriers 48 countries, 19 languages
• We wanted a thinner device. So we put out the myTouch 3G.
• Then we wanted faster, so the Verizon Droid launch.
• A year ago, 1 device, 1 carrier, 1 language
• Now: 20 devices, 59 carriers 48 countries, 19 languages
• 4 major software releases in 2009 for Android.
• To prevent fragmentation we launched a compatibility test suite
• Increase 5x in mobile search during this past year
• Android is available on one of the most progressive open source licensing schemes around.
• Enables lower manufacturing costs – fast to market
• “True always on application to be running in the background” – a jab at Apple’s iPhone
• Next step in Android evolution - we’re in the early stages of a longer journey. And we’re really proud of the devices our partners have brought to market.
• Bring devices to market to help us showcase what we’re working on at Google. Today we’re announcing Nexus One

• Dictionary definition of Nexus is that it’s a point of convergence. It’s where web meets phone. It’s an exemplar of what’s possible with mobile phones on Android. It belongs in an emerging category of devices that we call “super phones”
• Designed in very close partnership with HTC. They’ve bet on the Android platform from the beginning
• Peter Chou – CEO of HTC
• 2 years ago we were here announcing the Android platform. 1 year ago, the G1. So far we have shipped 7 Android products with the Nexus One.
• Nexus One: 1 Ghz processor, 3.7″ OLED beautiful screen, Android 2.1
• “Pushes the limits of what’s possible on an Android phone today.”

• Erick Tseng – Senior Product Manger
• paired with all the great tech, we have the trackball that also functions as a notification system. It can pulse different colors.
• Light and proximity sensor now.
• No thicker than a #2 pencil. No heavier then a small Swiss Army knife.
• 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash – great photos and videos
• Stereo bluetooth and active noise cancellation. The latter we can do because we have two microphones on the Nexus One. When I make a call, background noise is cancelled out.
• You can also get custom engraving when you order the Nexus One
• With the hardware, we think we have half the story, but it’s the software too
• Android 2.1, the latest and greatest version of Eclair – which first shipped on the Droid.

• We have Google Maps Navigation for turn-by-turn. Facebook built-in. And Quick Contacts.
• But we have something new for the software: Customization.
• We added more home screen panels for more customization – there are 5 now. One new one is the news and weather widget.
• We expect lots more great widgets since Android is open.
• And now we have live wallpaper.
• 

• New 3D framework for the Android platform. The Nexus One is really a mini computer. We wanted to push the 3D capabilities of Snapdragon. Live wallpaper is one thing, but the App Launcher is all new now too. As is the gallery for photos and videos. We worked with Cooliris on this. Very cool effects.
• Cluster photos by time, date, or location. A better way to manage when you have tons of photos.
• The other big innovation is voice. Earlier this year we launched “Search by voice” so you could speak your search query. Then we launched “voice commands” which is on the Verizon Droid. But what if I could use voice for every text field? What about speaking tweets? So that’s what we’ve done with Android 2.1.
• Does an example by composing a Gmail by talking to the phone. Works well. And every time you talk to it, it gets better.
• Sneak preview of a new app coming soon: Google Earth for Android. Sneak Peek.

• Works just like the desktop app (no pinch to zoom multi-touch, sad)
• google earth on desktop has birds eye view so you can fly around. goog earth for android now has that too.
• This shows off the power of 3D on Android.
• And voice search works too. “Mount Fuji” test. Nice.
• Back to Mario
• A series of devices like this are coming.
• But this is the first with a new way to buy a device: Our web store.
• You can buy a device without service, or with it from one of our operating partners.
• If you get it with the partner, it will be discounted, like
• www.google.com/phone – you can buy a Nexus One with service from T-Mob
• ile USA (it’s still unlocked), today. Or you can buy it from us with no service plan, unlocked.
• We expect to add more operators and more devices, like from Motorola. And more countries.
• Announce today that Verizon in U.S. and Vodafone have joined the program – HUGE
• Showing off the store now. You get a lot of pictures, and a 3D tour.
• T-Mobile Nexus One is $179.99. Unlocked $529.99.
• This coming Spring the Nexus One will be coming from Verizon
• Check out process is through Google Checkout.
• Real time view of customizations on the site.
• We are launching the web store in the U.S. but shipping also to UK, Singapore and Hong Kong. In the future we’ll add more countries, carriers, and devices.
• Those people in the audience will be able to pick up a device today – with a trial T-Mobile SIM card so you can check it out. Another Oprah moment!

 

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/05/nexus-one-event/

Nexus One - Customization

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7I_-pfQyoo&feature=player_embedded

Nexus One - Voice Input

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laOlkD8LmZw&feature=player_embedded

New Camera Gallery

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMwoPS8ts7Y&feature=player_embedded

Nexus One: "Web meets phone"

Google Nexus One: The Official Videos

Kincaid on January 5, 2010

This morning saw the launch of Google’s highly anticipated Nexus One “superphone”. During the demonstration, Google showcased a variety of the phone’s features, including a very impressive new photo app, voice input, and more. They’ve now posted a handful of videos showing off each of these features, which we’ve embedded below.

The most impressive video of the bunch is called Web Meets Phone. It’s sleek, stylish, and has catchy music — and was clearly inspired by Apple’s hugely successful iPhone ads. Google’s video weighs in at a hefy 1 minute 54 seconds, which obviously makes it long for your average TV commercial.  Still, given the production values of the clip, I wouldn’t be surprised if Google starts running a shorter version of this on TV. It may even splurge for a few extended showings.

You can find more videos of the Nexus One YouTube Channel (note that most of the others are showing features that are available on other Android phones).

 

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/05/nexus-one-videos/

U.S. Mobile Web Usage Grew 110 Percent Last Year; Apple Dominates, Android No. 2

by Erick

The mobile Web grew 110 percent in the U.S. last year and 148 percent worldwide as measured by growth in pageviews, according to a new Quantcast Mobile Trends report (embedded below). Even so, the mobile Web accounted for only 1.26 percent of Web consumption in the U.S. (and 0.99 percent worldwide).

Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch drove much of this growth. In the U.S., Apple has a commanding 65 percent market share of mobile Web access as of the end of December, 2009. Only 41 percent of that is from the iPhone. The other 24 percent comes from the iPod Touch, which has been growing rapidly as a mobile Web device even though it only has WiFi. Globally, Apple also dominates in every market except Africa (where simpler and cheaper Java phones still rule).

Android isn’t really much of a player yet outside the U.S. But inside the U.S, Android is coming up fast, with 12 percent market share. Android is now the No. 2 mobile Web operating system, recently beating out Blackberry’s RIM OS, which has an 8.7 percent market share.

The sudden growth spurt of Android jives with Admob data showing that it doubled since October. And that’s before today’s release of the Nexus One. Most of that share comes from HTC handsets, and Verizon’s launch of the Droid in November. (Motorola’s Droid is the yellow part of the chart below.

 

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/05/quantcast-mobile-web-apple-android/

Google Nexus One: The TechCrunch Review

Yesterday Google wasn’t in the business of selling mobile phones. Today, they are. The Nexus One smartphone has arrived and on sale at Google.com/phone. Our live notes from the event are here.

I’ve been using the Nexus One with TMobile since mid-December as my primary mobile phone. This is the best Android powered phone to date. It’s also the fastest and most elegant smartphone on the market today, solidly beating the iPhone in most ways. In this rapidly evolving market there is sure to be something better just around the corner. But if you are looking to buy a high end smartphone right now, this is the phone for you. The Nexus One is the Android signature device.

Our complete review is below.

Nexus One: The Big Picture

The phone looks more like the iPhone than any other phone on the market. There is no physical keyboard like the Android-powered Motorola Droid, and the tradeoff is a much slimmer design. The phone is 11.5 mm deep, slightly thinner than the iPhone 3GS at 12.3 mm. It is also slightly lighter than the iPhone 130 grams v. 135 grams). The package comes with the phone, a removable battery, 4 GB Micro SD storage card (expandable to 32 GB), USB charger and microphone headset.

The Nexus one has four functional touch buttons at the bottom of the screen (back, menu, home, search) and a navigation trackball pointing device. It also has physical power and volume controls. But most of your interaction with the phone will be through the gorgeous 3.7 inch 480 x 800 OLED capacitive touchscreen. This is the best mobile phone display on the market today, blowing away the iPhone’s 480 x 320 display. The screen is bright and alive, and an absolute pleasure to use.

This phone is also powered by the Snapdragon 1 GHz core processor, which is more than able to handle the Nexus One’s 3D graphics, multiple applications running in the background and heavy browser use simultaneously. Unlike previous Android phones, there is no slowdown or lag when you push the phone’s performance, and less of a need to kill applications to keep the device humming.

On the downside: all this hardware bling is an energy hog. The screen will self adjust brightness and Google is smart about turning down the processor when it’s not being used. But I’ve found battery life to be woefully brief, even by iPhone standards. Officially the phone has up to 7 hours talk time, 250 hours standby, 5 hours of 3G Internet use, 7 hours of video playback and 20 hours of audio playback. Unofficially, I was able to kill the fully charged battery with 1.5 hours of continuous gameplay (Robo Defense) on the full-brightness screen. Be prepared to keep this phone near a charger at all times. You can easily view what’s using the battery, though (the screen is 71% of my current usage), and then adjust the hardware or software usage to maximize battery life.

Overall the Android is a superior mobile device, particularly when paired with Google Voice. Google is calling this the first of the Super Phones. And they may not be exaggerating all that much.

Price And Availability

The Nexus One is available “in large quantities” starting today at Google.com/phone. An unlocked GSM version of the phone that will work in most countries is $529.

Google is also offering a subsidized version of the phone – also unlocked – through T-Mobile for $179. The service plan offered by Google is 500 minutes/unlimited SMS/unlimited data for $80/month. T-Mobile’s termination fee is $200, and some users might be tempted to buy the T-Mobile version and terminate immediately, paying just $379 for the unlocked phone. Google says that users terminating too soon will be charged the full price of the phone, however. But even the T-Mobile version of the phone can be used overseas on trips by slipping in a different SIM.

Google will ship the unlocked version of the phone to customers in the U.S., U.K., Hong Kong and Singapore. In the Spring they say they’ll add a CDMA version of the phone through Verizon, and set up a European store with a carrier plan via Vodafone.

U.S. users can also use the unlocked phone with AT&T, although the phone’s radio isn’t able to use AT&T’s 3G network.

Notable Software Features

The Nexus One, which runs the new Android 2.1, has a number of notable software features that make the phone a pleasure to use.

First, Google Voice is deeply integrated with the phone, as it is with all Android phones. That means you can assign your Google Voice number to the phone, and use it to make all outbound calls and text messages. In my opinion this is the single biggest selling point for Android phones, and why I won’t switch away from the platform any time soon.

Google’s Voice Keyboard is amazing. It goes way beyond the Voice Search application that was launched in 2009. Every text field in the device is now voice enabled. In most apps you can choose the microphone button and talk into the phone, which then converts your speech to text. I’ve found it to be around 90% accurate with no background noise (dropping to around 70% accuracy in a moving car). It’s easy to then go in and edit out errors. It’s a massive time-saving feature of the phone.

The Live Wallpaper feature is pure eye candy, and fun. You can choose a variety of wallpaper settings like Grass (blades of grass wave gently in front of a day or night sky), Magic Smoke (my favorite, draws smoke, clouds, water and plasmas in eye popping colors), Water (touch it and it ripples), and a Polar Clock (presents the date and time as clockwise arcs).

The new clock application, which runs automatically in the charger doc, shows the time, local weather and has easy access buttons to the alarm, pictures and music. Keep a charger next to your bed and toss out that alarm clock.

Google will also offer a Settings Backup service that backs up profile, application, ringtone and other settings to the cloud. Setting up a new Android phone after using the backup service is a breeze. Even without it I was able to set up the phone in about ten minutes with my Google contact, calendar, email and important applications.

Finally, Google has added a lot of nice graphical touches, including 3D scrolling of apps, and a new way of viewing photos using the CoolIris technology. Photos dip into the plane as it there is depth. Tipping the phone trips the accelerometer and the photos dip in the same way.

Notable Hardware Features

The most obvious hardware feature of the phone is the 480 x 800 OLED capacitive touch screen. Combines with the Snapdragon chipset the phone is a real workhorse. But Google has also included other more-than-nice touches.

The noise cancellation feature is particularly useful. The device has a second microphone on the back that monitors inbound noise and automatically cancels it out (anyone who’s used Bose noise cancellation headphones on a long flight will appreciate this). It does a great job of canceling out machinery and wind noise on the other end of the call. In my testing, call recipients noticed a substantial increase in call quality on this phone v. either the Droid of the iPhone. Look for other phones to quickly add this feature, it’s a must have.

On the downside, the phone’s primary microphone is located on the bottom of the device, to the left. I noticed that on calls, when I cradle the phone between my neck and shoulder without using my hand, my voice is often muted and can’t be heard. This is a design error that should be changed in future versions.

The phone’s camera really shines. It has a large footprint on the back of the device, larger than on most phones. It’s a 5 megapixel camera with a flash, but that description doesn’t do it justice. The macro and low light features are top notch for a mobile phone. I took the picture to the right in low light with no flash in our conference room at TechCrunch HQ.

The phone has two available docks. Both charge the device via frictionless touch points. The normal charger turns on the phone’s clock feature, as described above. The car charger turns on Google Navigation, a killer Android application that turns the phone into a connected navigation device.

Google, Purveyor Of The Nexus One Smartphone

The Nexus One is an important milestone in the smartphone market. This is a software company, frustrated with making compromises with hardware manufacturers, that has taken the product bull by the horns. HTC makes the phone, but the branding is mostly Google and it’s clear that they directed every aspect of the development of this phone. It’s Google’s vision of the perfect Android device, from the huge and beautiful screen and massively fast Snapdragon processor to the software elegance of Google Navigation, Live Wallpaper and the Voice Keyboard. When combined with Google Voice there is no phone on the market today that can touch the Nexus One.

Unlike previous Android phones, and I’ve used most of them, the Nexus One has no obvious flaws or compromises. The phone is the state of the art in mobile, and I will use it happily. Until, as I always say, something better comes along.

 

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/05/google-nexus-one-the-techcrunch-review/

Will 2010 Be the Year of the Smartphone?

For more details about the launch of the Nexus One, see our live blog of Google's press event.

Later today, Google plans to unveil its own smartphone, the Nexus One. According to new data from research firm Forrerster's new U.S. Omnibus Survey, Google is launching this phone at just the right time. Today, 17% of U.S. adult who subscribe to a cell phone plan use smartphones. This number is up from 11% in 2008 and 7% in 2007. Thanks to the growing importance of Android, Forrester thinks that 2010 will be "the year of the smartphone."

Forrester's Charles S. Golvin also notes that quick messaging devices with closed operating systems like the LG Xenon are still growing at a rapid pace as well. Currently, about 15% of adult subscribers own one of these devices. While the growth of this category slowed down somewhat over 2009, it still eclipsed that of the smartphone segment. As prices for smartphones continue to come down and as developers manage to overcome some of the usability issues of current devices, more and more users will opt for full-blown smartphones instead of quick messaging devices in the coming years.

While Android and Apple's iPhone are clearly driving the adoption of smartphones - and the Nexus One will surely play its part in this in 2010 - it's important to note that BlackBerry still maintains its two-to-one advantage over the iPhone.

The Google Phone

It'll be interesting to see how Google will market the Nexus One. Thanks to numerous early reviews, there is very little that we don't know about the phone itself at this point. Chances are that Google has a few surprises up its sleeve for today's announcement. After all, the company must have known that today's press briefing would come long after all the details about the actual hardware of the phone had leaked already.

 

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/forrester_smartphone_report.php

Live Blog: Google's Android Press Gathering

Google is holding a press event to showcase the new Nexus One and possibly some other mobile innovations today. We already know quite a few details about the phone itself, but hopefully Google will also have a few surprises up its sleeve. The press conference should get under way at 10 a.m. PST and we will live blog the event here.

We will post updates as they happen. Keep reloading this page to see the latest news.

10:00 a.m. As usual, the event is running a bit late.

10:06 a.m. Getting started. VP of Product Development takes the stage to talk about the Open Handset Alliance.

"We will unveil the next generation of the evolution of Android today."

Thirteen new members will join the OHC - including: NEC, China Telecom and Freescale.

Recapping the history of Android hardware (G1, myTouch, Droid)

10:10 a.m. "A year ago we had 1 device, now we have 20 devices on 59 carriers."

Google wants to prevent fragmentation - talking about compatibility test suite.

"Android today is about getting more users onto the mobile web." Android users search the web over 30-times more on Android than on feature phones.

From the beginning, Android was always about being developer friendly.

Talking about being able to multi-task (a subtle swipe at the iPhone?)

The Next Step in the Android Evolution

10:15 a.m. "We are only in the early stages of the evolution of Android."

Volume and variety of Android devices has exceeded Google's expectations. "But we want to do more."

Wants to work closer with hardware partners to showcase the software.

Announcing the Nexus One

"Where Web Meets Phone"

10:18 a.m. Google calls this a new category of phones: "super-phones"

On stage now: Peter Chou, CEO of HTC.

Talking up the Nexus One: "The Nexus One is one of the best designs from HTC." Outstanding display, fast processor.

"It pushes the limits of what is possible on a mobile phone today."

Chou leaves the stage after posing with the phone...

10:22 a.m. In depth look at Nexus One

Erik Tseng takes the stage to demo the phone.

Hardware: 3.7 inch AMOLED display - WVGA. "Deep contrast and brilliant colours."

1 GHz processor - fast processor = less slowdowns.

Trackball works as notifications tool. Will pulse when you get new messages.

130 grams - 11.5 mm thick

Sensors: light sensor, proximity sensor.

5 megapixel camera

New for Android: active noise cancellation - using two microphones.

10:29 a.m. Google will offer custom engraving (just like the iPhone...)

"With this hardware, we think we have half of the story. It's the combination of hardware and software that makes this such a great phone."

No surprise: Nexus One will come with Android 2.1

10:31 a.m. New features in 2.1: Customization

More homescreen panels - more widgets

Example: weather widget: knows where you are from GPS

Google expects to see more widgets from 3rd-party developers

Showing live wallpapers.

10:35 a.m.3D capabilities of the Nexus One and Android 2.1

App launcher: new twist - 3D scroll-wheel - icons sit on a 3D wheel instead of a flat page

New photo gallery - written with CoolIris

Everything scrolls smoothly - quite impressive. Looks just like CoolIris on the desktop.

Features background sync with Picasa Web Albums

10:39 a.m. Voice Commands

In 2.0: Voice queries ("directions to nearest Ikea")

In 2.1: Every text field is now voice-enabled.

Voice recognition learns every time you speak a query.

10:42 a.m. Sneak peek at Google Earth for Android

Also voice-enabled.

Clearly making good use of the fast processor. Everything scrolls very smoothly.

Buying the Phone: Google Hosted Web Store

10:45 a.m. How to buy the phone?

Google will sell the phone in its own web store.

Keeping it simple: buy phone without service ($529) - or with service from partners (T-Mobile $179).

For now, T-Mobile only. But: "Expect to add more carriers and hardware in the future."

Verizon Wireless and Vodofone will join the program.

Web Store

10:49 a.m. Demoing the Store

Purchasing all done in the store - no need to go to the physical store.

10:54 a.m. Recap

First phone of a series of phone - more operators, devices and countries coming in the future.

Showing demo video right now.

Q&A

11:00 a.m. Question: Why only such a small amount of space for app storage?

Answer: Soon, you will be able to store apps on SD cards

Question: Will it ship today?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Is this an iPhone killer?

Answer: Choice is a good thing.

Question: Whose inventory will the phone come from? What will you do to make the App Store more well-known?

Answer: Unlocked phone comes from Google. Regarding the Android Market: Marketing for Nexus One and new Web Store will be essentially online. Focused on making the store better.

Question: Why was it necessary for Google to design the phone? Why not just have an HTC phone that runs Android?

Answer: Google didn't design the phone - HTC did. Google is just the retailer and worked mostly on the software.

Question: What would convinces somebody to buy a $530 phone?

Answer: That's choice at work. "This is the early stages of a longer journey."

Question: Google isn't known for being a retailer.

Answer: "We shouldn't focus on retailing." Google wants to offer a complete solution and give consumers choice. Retail part is very important but just another channel - not a channel that will replace other channels.

Question: What's the revenue opportunity for Google?

Answer: These super-phones are great for accessing the Internet and that's where our business is. Hardware sales are not the big deal - just wants to get more people on the mobile web. "If you want the best possible Google experience you come to the store and get the device."

Question: Will it support tethering?

Answer: In future versions. Not a strategic issue but just something Google needs to implement.

Question: Is the physical keyboard dead? Will Google start to sell more products online?

Answer (from HTC): We offer lots of different phones and people can choose what best fits for them. This design is focused on the form-factor and screen. HTC offers other devices for "keyboard-lovers". From Google: The new voice input works very well and Google will soon offer other devices as well.

Question: Will other counties support multi-touch on the Nexus One?

Answer: It's a software thing. "We'll consider it."

Question: When will Google Voice launch publicly? What about the other phones that are coming soon? Will something awesomer come next month?

Answer: Other manufacturers will add more devices. "If you need a great phone today - the Nexus is a great phone." (Nothing about Google Voice in the answer.)

Question: Google wants to do revolutionary stuff? What's revolutionary about this phone? Why does Google get behind this phone if it's pretty average? Why not revolutionize the pricing structure with an ad-supported phone?

Answer: This is a baby step. Let's get the store going and then we can see what comes up in the future.

Question: Will people be able to check out the phone in retail store?

Answer: We want this to remain pure and simple. Marketing this online-only and selling online-only.

Question: What's the difference between a super-phone and a regular smartphone?

Answer: The big differentiator is the openness of the app store. This is as powerful as your laptop was a year ago.

Question: Question for Motorola: Will the Nexus One cannibalize sales of the Droid?

Answer: We try to deliver the best products we can. Will upgrade software on the Droid.

Question: Why does Google feel the need to change the way phones are bought? What's broken about the current system?

Answer: We are trying to optimize efficiencies. Just like web store revolutionized the way you buy a camera, Google wants to do the same thing for phones. After there are enough phones out there, you can experience it through using somebody else's. Marketing just increases prices.

Sidenote about partners: We would love to sell for Verizon and Vodafone right now - just have to integrate the IT.

Question: What can users expect in terms of software upgrades? Users never really know what phone will get the upgrade.

Answer: HTC wants to upgrade all of its phones (nothing specific). Google argues that some phones simply don't have the hardware capabilities for the upgrade. The intention is to make sure everybody gets some kind of future-proof hardware that can get upgrades for a certain amount of time. From Motorola: Intention to upgrade the device to the best software that the hardware can run. Not every device supports the 3D capabilities of Android 2.1, for example. Backward compatibility slows down innovation.

Question: Will Verizon get unlocked phones?

Answer: Unlocked phones are a problem with CDMA phones. Will only be sold with Verizon plan.

Question: Will you port Google Voice to the iPhone or will you suppress this to give Android an advantage?

Answer: Google Voice team isn't opposed to having its app run on other platforms.

Question: Didn't Google say it won't do a phone?

Answer: We don't do hardware.

11:43 a.m.: And that wraps up today's live blog. Thanks for reading!

 

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/live_blog_googles_android_press_gathering.php

1 Month Into New FTC Rules: Who's Disclosing Their Free Google Phones?

New rules from the Federal Trade Commission, requiring bloggers to disclose free gifts from companies whose products they review, came into effect on December 1st and the first major announcement of 2010 just occurred today.

The Google Nexus One mobile phone was unveiled this afternoon and all the members of the press who were on-site for the announcements received free phones from Google. This is the most-anticipated phone to hit the market in years. It's like a unicorn sparkling with magic, perhaps. Almost no one at all has disclosed getting a free unit in writing their reviews.

The idea is that receiving free goods from a vendor makes a writer more likely to write positively about a product than they would otherwise. Readers deserve to know if a writer has a financial interest in the company or has received free stuff, so that the readers can take product reviews with gifts associated with a grain of salt. Some people believe that this is essential to safeguard the trustworthiness of media in a "new media" era, others believe it is unfair to small-time bloggers who deserve a chance to profit from their writing just like the pros do.

In this case, though, it's the pros we're talking about. Blogger Robert Scoble tells us that all the attendees were given a choice: receive the phone as a gift or sign an agreement to borrow a Nexus One on loan for 30 days. Scoble signed up for the loaner.

VC blogger Fred Wilson wrote in his post "I received a gift from Google. It was a Nexus One." Michael Arrington has said that TechCrunch will give away the phone he received at the press event. Scanning over Techmeme's survey of coverage, we're unable to find anyone else who makes mention of the freebie.

It may be the case that big-name tech review bloggers like Walt Mossberg or Engadget are just expected to always send back the review copies of things they get and so there's no reason to disclose on every post. (Here's Mossberg's ethics page, where he says he never accepts free gifts. He also makes more money than all but a few journalists ever have in history, for what it's worth.)

It may be that all the press who got a Google Phone today is planning on giving the phones back in 30 days. How should disclosures be handled though if you're writing an article and you haven't decided whether you are going to send something back as a loaner or keep it?

Here at ReadWriteWeb, we try hard to always make casual but clear mention when we have a financial interest in a company we are writing about. We try hard to mention the same if we are writing about a competitor to a company we have a financial interest in. And we always do our best to disclose it if we ever get free stuff from vendors we write about. That doesn't happen very much.

Sometimes the lines aren't clear, either. The community manager at Postrank.com sent me a sock monkey she made last year and I write about that company often. (I use it daily for essential work.) I've never mentioned that sock monkey before, though.

This is a phone made of pure sunlight and hype, though. Is it a poor reflection on the FTC's new disclosure requirements that so few have disclosed their free Google Phones, or is it a poor reflection on our group of tech bloggers?

 

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/1_month_into_new_ftc_rules_whos_disclosing_their_f.php

Healthful Apps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f00eduuyF3E&feature=player_embedded

Will Recommendation Apps be the New iPhone App Hotness?

While maybe not the most visually compelling product, Healthful Apps represents an interesting new trend for 2010. Created by Apps for All, the product recommends customer-reviewed iPhone health applications in a variety of categories including autism, relaxation and memory. Although the company's first effort is focused on health, the larger industry-wide question remains - will this year's branded iPhone app be a recommendation app?

Last year ReadWriteWeb covered Appsfire as one service that allows users to bookmark and share their favorite iPhone apps. While it's certainly a useful tool, recommendations are made by individuals rather than influential groups. As seen with Healthful Apps, there's opportunity to extend these recommendation-based applications to special-interest and location-based communities.

Imagine investment communities trading and reviewing stock and news apps, or Oprah Winfrey's community recommending shopping and reading apps, or New Yorkers sharing transportation and amenity apps.

The personalization of applications by politics, lifestyle, locale and community may prove more useful in making app recommendations than any automated Genius system that Apple could hope to cook up. Additionally, because providers can monetize recommendations through paid app referral fees, it's entirely possible that influential communities can earn money simply by weighing in with their app preferences. It's honestly so meta that it hurts, but if social media has taught us anything, it's that community influencers are tastemakers.

If this is in fact the future, then my question to you is this - Which communities would you take recommendations from, and would you pay for the app?

 

http://www.readwriteweb.com/readwritestart/2010/01/recommendation-apps.php