With Apple planning to launch the highly anticipated iPad 3 as early as February of 2012, Google appears to be planning on launching a competing device in the near future. In a recent interview with an Italian newspaper, Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt said; “In the next six months, we plan to market a tablet of the highest quality.”
Although Schmidt is normally talkative and eager to discuss Google’s future plans, he was uncharacteristically quiet regarding the details of the future tablet. However, many people are interpreting his statement that the tablet will be of the “highest quality” to imply it will compete directly with Apple’s new iPad 3.
The new iPad 3 is expected to be a much more technologically advanced model than the iPad 2 and experts are predicting it will include a high-end quad-core processor and a high-resolution screen display of 2048 x 1536 (similar to the Retina display in the current iPhone). In addition, Apple has been rumored to be considering producing a smaller version of the iPad with a screen size of 7.85 inches.
Managing partnerships for the Android platform is a bit like playing quarterback, says Google's (GOOG) John Lagerling.
Wireless carriers, handset manufacturers and chipmakers all have their own ideas for the Google-backed operating system, now the No. 1 platform for smartphones in the U.S.
Those players are all "extremely important in whether we win or not," said Lagerling, who is Google's director of Android global partnerships. In football after all, the QB usually relies on other players to get the ball in the end zone.
Even so, "you need someone to set the direction," Lagerling said, "and I think that's what Google has done, maybe like a quarterback."
Free To Create
Lagerling adds that the Web search giant has benefited from being independent, meaning it previously didn't have a direct hand in telecom or related industries. He said: "We're able to come in as a bit of a wild card, and I think set the tone."
Still, it's a "delicate balance," Lagerling said. "It's not always easy to keep everybody happy."
In any case, analysts are happy about Google's moves so far with Android — first launched commercially in 2008 — and its other mobile initiatives.
In a report about Google's third-quarter results, Credit Suisse wrote that the company is "in the process of building a comprehensive mobile presence, which would place it (along with Apple) at the center of the mobile Internet ecosystem and allow Google to maximize the profit potential."
The Credit Suisse analysts pointed out Google's Q3 disclosure that annual mobile revenue is now at about $2.5 billion, up from $1 billion a year ago and roughly 7% of total revenue. "As a result, we continue to think of mobile Internet as a significant incremental opportunity for Google," they wrote.
One frequent knock against Android devices is they don't feel quite as polished as Apple's (AAPL) iPhone or iPad. In large part, that's because no single partner controls an Android device from end to end.
Buffing The Product
Lagerling suggests the complaints will ebb with the latest version, dubbed Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich. In the U.S., the first device using ICS just went on sale this month.
"Now we also have the polish," he said. "Over the next six to nine months, all of the ICS devices that you'll see will be at a very, very high level in terms of usability and polish."
With the new version of Android, Google also will step up its push into the TV business.
"It used to be that touch-screen was a must if you wanted to build a compatible Android device," Lagerling said. "Now you don't need to have a touch-screen. You can have a pointer, a remote control or something else."
He added: "I expect a lot of these set-top boxes will use Android, or even TVs will use Android, going forward."
Worldwide, users are activating a huge number of Android devices. Google's latest estimate is about 700,000 Android activations every day.
Google ’s Android operating system continues to face a veritable barrage of legal challenges from rivals , but this does not seem to be affecting its market growth.
Android commanded 43.7 percent of US market share through August, gaining almost 2 percentage points from comScore’s last count of 41.8 percent in July, according to the researcher.
Android sales could get a boost in the US from sales of the new Samsung Galaxy S II Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphones on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.
Modest iOS Rise
Verizon Wireless meanwhile is expected to begin selling the Samsung Nexus Prime Android 2.4 “Ice Cream Sandwich” handset after the OEM and Google introduce it next week at CTIA in San Diego.
Apple’s iOS share rose modestly to 27.3 percent from 27 percent in July and 26.6 percent in June, said comScore.
The iPhone should see a much bigger boost through November and December after Apple launches the iPhone 4S 14 October. The new phone features a faster A5 processor , 8-megapixel camera, iOS 5 and iCloud integration, as well as the Siri virtual assistant application.
Piper Jaffray expects Apple to ship 25 million iPhones in the December quarter, padding the company’s current worldwide sales of over 128 million iphones.
Most of the major brands are expected to come out with new products at the Consumer Electronics Show 2012. And we know, they have been working to introduce newer sets of updates to their older products too.
The latest on that front is that Samsung is all set to introduce their Smart HDTV with amazing new features. The company is expected to bring out high definition TVs that are powered by Android at the CES 2012.
But, the Samsung’s line of approach is little difference. They are changing the devices starting from the roots. Samsung has a long history of success in the business of Smart HD TVs.
Just as a teaser video reveals, Samsung is to release a Smart TV that is devoid of a remote controller. These HDTV is likely to be controlled by Mobile Devices, and will be out in CES 2012.
Look no further for suggestions on how to add the holiday magic to your Android device.
Games
A great way to pass the time while waiting for relatives to arrive or for those cookies to come out of the oven. Many games on the Android Market feature a Christmas or holiday theme for the season.
Angry Birds Seasons, by Rovio Mobile Ltd. No Android game list is complete without the mention of Angry Birds. Now your favorite slingshot bird action has a holiday feel.
Beyond Ynth Xmas Edition, by FDG Entertainment. Five free Christmas-themed levels to introduce you to the standard game. This style of puzzle game is relatively new for Android, and is totally worth a look if you're prepared to get addicted to something other than (or in addition to) Angry Birds.
Live Wallpaper
From a sparkling Christmas tree, to snowflakes falling on your home screen, to tossed snowballs at elves, these Live Wallpapers are sure to decorate your Android for the holiday.
3D Christmas Live Wallpaper, by Jetblack Software. Free or paid version available. Paid allows customization of colors, effect density, etc. Displays a Christmas tree as well as a countdown until Christmas.
Snowflakes Live Wallpaper Free, by Chris Cooper. A flurry of beautifully designed snowflakes will grace your Home screen with this wintery Live Wallpaper.
That’s up from a 550,000 activations-per-day figure touted in July and the 300,000 per day figure mentioned a year ago.
But that could be just the start. Appitalism CEO Scott Buckingham predicts that by the end of next year daily activations could reach an astronomical 2.5 million per day — a run rate of more than 900 million a year.
“My view is it is just going to accelerate,” Buckingham said in an interview. While he acknowledged that is a pretty aggressive target, he maintains it is achievable given the momentum behind the operating system and its expansion into emerging markets and to other devices, including tablets and televisions.
Google appears to be building its very own Android tablet, one designed to compete at the high end of slate spectrum. The company's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, made the announcement to Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, adding that Google's premium tablet could debut within six months.
Schmidt told the newspaper that the tablet's build would be of the highest quality, an indication that Google has no intention of duking it out with the new crop of bargain Android-based tablets, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet. Rather, it'll compete with the next-generation iPad and premium Android slates like the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime.
As for price, expect to see a $500 or higher device. Google could drop as low as $400, but probably not below that. However, finding the right recipe of price and features may prove tricky, particularly in light of the Kindle Fire's initial success this holiday season. Consumers have shown they're willing accept a less capable tablet (e.g., slower performance, fewer apps, no cameras) if the price is right.
The iPad, which starts at $500, is a proven success, obviously, but the same hasn't been true for Android tablets. The Transformer Prime may be getting raves from tech reviewers, but it's unclear whether consumers are willing to pay $500 to $600 for a non-Apple tablet.
Given Google's high-end aspirations, its tablet's screen resolution, processor power, storage capacity, and dual cameras (assuming it has two, front and back) must be as good as -- or better than -- what other premium slates will offer six months from now.
