Android rising with the Nexus 4 and HTC One – a bigger iPhone next?

In the last few months, I’ve played a lot with leading smartphones from the market leaders. And I’ve focused not only on my go-to device in the form of the iPhone 5, but also spent real time with the Nokia Lumia 920, the Blackberry Z10, and the Microsoft Surface RT in terms of innovative tablets. It’s a good thing to do, as it increases my knowledge and experience of both the innovation goals and dilemmas of the device makers as well as how those design choices in hardware and software marry up in terms of consumer experience. In my day-job, this is a constant point of debate in terms of embracing the BYOD approaches for MDM platforms and determining which ones can work for the enterprise stack and which ones still require roadmap updates in order to work. It also matters in having an opinion which is unique and allows you to cut through the business bullshit crap which fills most large enterprises. What I haven’t said is that in all this time, I’ve also been using the LG Nexus 4 as another premium Android device which comes at a medium price point in UK and international markets.

So overall then, like many of you readers who collect smartphones and tablets, it places us in a great position to understand the markets and take punts in predicting the next wave of innovation and who may hold the keys to dominance.  Up to now from a handsets makers point of view there are 2 key players – Apple and Samsung in terms of smartphones, however, this post concentrates more on how much I think Android is closing the gap on Apple hardware and iOS.

LG Nexus 4

Over and above it’s predecessor the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus 4 reverts to an quad-core Snapdragon chip, a 320ppi IPS LCD screen at 4.7 inches meaning its slightly taller and wider. The largest capacity version comes with comes with 16Gb flash storage, 2Gb RAM and only HSDPA 3G and Wireless N at typically up to 100Mbps link speed. 

With GeekBench scores which demonstrate its twice as fast as the Galaxy Nexus and on a par with the iPhone 5 – it suggested to me that Apple’s strategy of premium phones which are now half of its the revenue and profit annually, could increasingly come under threat from the sheer scale of Android via lower end manufacturer devices (e.g ZTE, Huawei, LG, Sony, etc) which can largely replicate the form and function of the iPhone to more markets and more people who can’t afford iPhones. The Nexus 4 is a good example of this.  The SIM free version costs just £239 for the 16Gb version. Yes, it doesn’t have LTE, but there are other ways to achieve that cheaply.  It’s a solid replacement for the Galaxy Nexus, which as you know a I really liked and has been my preferred device for running, owing to the better audio sonics compared to iPhones (in my opinion).

So high end features smartphone, sold at a medium to lower end price point in the market. Not withstanding the supply issues Google and LG had with the Nexus 4, we’ve also seen that this approach has been taken by other handset makers married up with telco’s provides s a route for device makers to enter the market and see what share of revenue and profits can be made. The reality is that if your not Apple or Samsung, this is a largely futile exercise.  Apple’s execution of its premium and high margin approach commands 60% of handset profits, with the other 20-30% going out to Samsung.

However, times are changing and innovation is being applied across the board.  It’s easy to say Android has been closing the gap to a large degree on the innovation Apple continues with the iPhone hardware and iOS software.  And within that, there are many parts of Android (v4.x) in terms of features which we all know and would like to see executed in some iOS like way when v7 comes out.  Added to that, while the hardware on Android devices is good to excellent, it still falls short of the smooth overall polish and great user experience you find with the iOS range of devices (and of course iOS apps). 

The reported profiles of iOS and Android users are said to be different.  iOS users are said to be more loyal and Android users more price sensitive and responsive to device offers on plans.  If you’re an iOS like me, then it’s difficult to move away due to your lock-in to the Apple ecosystem based on a level of dependence on OS X versions of the products which combine with cloud (Dropbox 90% of the time) and social media (namely Twitter and Facebook), all of which might night be on Android or any other mobile platform.

But then, just like serial innovation and the ability to create breakthrough products – something comes out of the gate and you just say – wow.

The HTC One

You can read many of the web’s best reviews on the One when you have a moment and like many product launches its easier to read the first few paragraphs and say “meh, big deal”.  But it’s when you get one in your hand and add the optional HTC case on it, do you start to marvel at this feat of engineering.

Combined with the optional case, for me this is the best handset made to date. Gorgeous 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS LCD display, 2Gb RAM, 32Gb storage, driven by a quad-core Qualcomm snapdragon brains.  It rounds off including 4G LTE and Wireless AC (link speed on N is already 150Mbps) and for throwing your content around devices around your home, it’s one of the first few to support Miracast streaming capabilities.

I’ve never been a fan of HTC Sense from my annoying days with the Desire HD, but HTC have re-skinned it and you can read up what others think about it.  I don’t use it myself, and prefer gaining the near 100% replica of the stock Nexus experience by using Nova as my launcher, combined with Holo locker for the unlock screen and SwiftType for my keyboard.

You may say so what to all that – and you’d be right.  But beyond the marvellous size of screen, its feel, the quality case, the Nexus experience – you then get the sound with the Beat audio engine built in for stereo speaker grills at the top and bottom of the screen which work beautifully in landscape mode when watching Netflix movies or just listening to Spotify tracks.  From an Apple-centric view, this is what the HTC One excels at, the basic things like picture and sound – done really well.  Does that sound familiar?

With a GeekBench score now in the higher echelons of smartphones and a quality variety of apps, it’s no surprise to read that this rate of developing maturity in the smartphone market, encouraged by innovations in user experience is prompting some prominent bloggers to switch to Android as their main go-to device.  And I’m not surprised.

So yes, my favourite Android phone is a slight back, but it’s great combination.  If there were all the Android counterpart apps to what I use on iOS and OS X, then this would be my go-to device right now.

The next iPhone

With investors continuing to expect insane quarterly numbers from Apple backed off by an enormous expectations of new products, I firmly think Apple has a battle on its hand to retain the top end of the smartphone market. The fusion of iOS and custom engineered hardware makes Apple special.  But the company’s challenge and core strategy it to bring to market innovations in the smartphone market which every generation or so, make a jump in innovation and customer value – to enable Apple to control the top end. 

iPhone 5S with quad-core chips, wireless AC, 1080p display, a further optimised camera is expected. And of course, it will be their normal twice as fast (GeekBench score in the 3000-4000 range) as its predecessor and it will launch in the autumn. Unfortunately, any which way you look at it, the 4.7 inch screen is what many of us experienced consumers want (despite the design rules Apple applied for the iPhone). With the Beats Audio built in, HTC One has now demonstrated that great audio could now be a now a standard for any premium smartphone.

For me, the HTC One is the best hardware on the market – (I can’t stand the Samsung Galaxy S3 or S4 due to the plastic back). I wish the One could could get the best of Android JellyBean and the forthcoming iOS 7 with it too. Kudos to HTC as you’re well an truly back in the game.  I wish you only could apply the sales and marketing muscle of Samsung to get everyone to know what a great phone you’ve released.

And now over to you Apple. With analysis suggesting that iPhone growth may be topping out, they need need to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat.  And yes, let it please have a 4.7 inch screen.  Apparently it can be done without screwing up the ecosystem.

Applications in use across different mobile platforms

The table below shows the applications I use across iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 RT:

As at March 2013

	iOS (iPhone 5, iPad mini, iPad 3rd gen)	Android (Nexus 4)	WP8 (Lumia 920)	W8RT (Surface RT)	Blackberry OS (Blackberry Z10)
News and RSS	BBC News Reeder The Times The Guardian Sky Sports Football Soccer Saturday FT Instapaper The Economist	BBC News gReader Pro Times Guardian Sky Sports Football Soccer Saturday Instapaper	BBC News Mobile The Times The Guardian Sky Sports News Nextgen Reader Stacks for Instapaper	BBC News Mobile Microsoft News Sky News FT The Economist ESPN FC	BBC News BBC Sport The Times The Guardian The Independent The Economist gNewsReader
Browser bookmarks	iCloud XMarks	Xmarks	Xmarks	Xmarks	no Xmarks
Books	iBooks Kindle	Kindle	Kindle	Kindle	no Kindle
Productivity	Dropbox Evernote Due OmniFocus	Dropbox Evernote	Evernote SkyDrive	Dropbox Evernote Touch SkyDrive	ConnectToDropbox
Communication	Skype Bria	Skype Bria	Skype	Skype	X-Phone Pro
Social	TweetBot LinkedIn Fancy Pinterest	UberSocial LinkedIn Fancy Pinterest	MeTweets LinkedIn	Tweetro+	Tweetings
Music	Music Spotify Sonos Shazam	Play Music Spotify Sonos Shazam	Music Spotify Shazam	Music	Music
Entertainment	IMDB, Sky+ SkyGo TVCatchup YouTube BBC iPlayer Netflix iTunes TED	IMDB BBC iPlayer Netflix TED	IMDB Netflix YouTube TVCatchUp	Movie Guide Netflix TVCatchup TED	BBC iPlayer
Shopping	Amazon eBay	Amazon eBay	Amazon Mobile eBay	Amazon eBay	no Amazon no eBay
Utilities	Speed Test LogMeIn Ignition 1Password mSecure Airport Utility WeatherPro HD	Speed Test LogMeIn Ignition mSecure	Speed Test The Weather Channel	Speed Test Pro mSecure	AccuWeather
Travel	Trainline.com FlightBoard TripIt	Train Times UK TripIt	Trainline.com	National Rail Enquiries	Skyscanner Train Times UK
Photography	iPhoto Snapseed	Snapseed	Photosynth Camera Effects	Nothing available	Photo Studio
Finance	High St Bank app PayPal Moneywise	High St Bank app Paypal	High St Bank app Paypal Account Tracker	All About Money	Nothing available

Nearly a month with the iPhone 5

The relationship we have with our smartphones nowadays, like the standard mobile phone before it, is the most important we have in terms of devices running our lives in connectedness with the modern world, western industrialised or not.  Mail and collaboration, productivity, utilities, games, music, video, books and the web itself mark the cornerstones of what has changed in terms of we expect to have since Apple launched the iPhone to great intrigue and derision back in 2007.  For me, and most other smartphone converts in the industrialised world, we’ve not looked back.

My old 4S was a very, very good smartphone, but when I got Google’s Ice Cream Sandwiched Nexus S, I really appreciated and wanted the larger screen in an iOS smartphone.  The question then became when that would happen and would it force Apple to make design trade offs, based on their previous statements that 3.5inch screens were designed optimally for one-handed use.

Ordinarily, I could have and perhaps should have waited since I only had the 4S for seven months.  Problem is, smartphones lose value very quickly as the ante is upped with the latest model.  Losing £200 resale value on an unlocked mint condition unit, happened in an alarmingly short time.  I suspect the larger screen is the main value differentiators in most people’s eyes (like mine).  Most notably, and as we’ll come onto, each iteration of iOS software is designed to work optimally with each new generation of hardware.  What does this mean?  It means that you see signs like seeing how a little bit laggy the Apps Store loads on a 4S and knowing that in a another 12-months, it will may well be the basic entry model and the minimum requirement for iOS 7.0 (though to be honest, I expect the iPhone 4 to still be the very minimum).

So after, a month, was my £200 net cost increase for the same phone (albeit larger) worth it?  I have to look it at that a number of ways.  Let’s take the basics which I have to admit to:

1. I’m a geek and spend a disproportionate amount of income using, playing and learning technology.  Implicitly this mean a regular nature upgrades of favoured products
2. I really wanted a 4 inch iOS device to bump up the screen usability compared to what I have on the Galaxy Nexus – which I preferred in screen estate.  Have I said that already?

Of course that does not say in the main what I think of the device, so in predictable fashion here are my bullets:

In your hand use – very light as you will know.  I mean it feels crazy light.  Feels more like a slippery bar of soap than the previous 4/4S.  If you’re prone to drop, get a case immediately.  But do I like, yes.  The taller dimension is actually a better hold in my relatively large hands.

Speed – yes, definitely snappier.  It’s the small things like the Apps Store opening up so much more quickly.  Add to that my son and I opening Football Championship Manager 2012 on the new device for the 1st time and being surprised how much quicker than the 4S it was.  I mean, fast.  Add to that the ICS’d Galaxy Nexus, is starting to feel slow.

Screen – freakishly sharp.  While still Retina display, they’ve enhanced the vividness of the colours, blacks and contrast, which always looked washed out to my the preferred image on the Nexus with its OLED display.  Parity, by my eyes, restored.

Camera – faster.  Much better in low light.  Nuff said.  Photographers rejoice.

Wireless – being in the UK, have yet to early adopt when it comes to Everything Everywhere (T-Mobile and Orange) as the first UK 4G service rolls out imminently.  That said, 3G performance feels quicker possibly due to the CPU, GPU, RAM combo on the new hardware.  5Ghz wireless N is now on board with the new Broadcom chip.  This baby now connects around my home access point at 150Mbps.  Bear in mind the iPad mark I, connects at 65Mbps on 5Ghz wireless N.

Battery – based on my own profile of use, it seems to be less than par with the 4S which is disappointing.  Not a lot, but noticeable.  Check the Ars review on that.

Each iteration of iPhones brings further superlatives. I mean packing that much better tech in a model which is larger (but more miniature inside), lighter and faster.  True Moores Law stuff, Intel must be weeping.  As an end-user with limited appreciation of other smartphones (i.e. 2 previous Android models), the iPhone 5 is stellar.  If you don’t believe me, grab a cup of coffee and read the mind-boggling detail AnandTech goes into in terms of its review.

From smartphones to tablets

With more of us consuming our content on smartphones and tablets, our requirements for computing on the go are coming more refined. And our preferences are shifting all the time.

What started as uniform acceptance of 3.5 to 4 inch smartphones is changing. With the success of the Samsung Galaxy range, culminating in the extremely successful S3 and Galaxy Note, it seems Apple has responded competitively and is due to announce a 4inch (16:9) device this September according to trusted bloggers such as iMore and TheLoop. What's interesting for me, is less about the 4S to whatever the new model is going to be called, but seeing if there will be another opportunity to use a more immersive and more portable device to take around with me everywhere.

Like most of us my iPhone or Galaxy Nexus is my primary carry around device largely because driven by the occasional need to make and receive calls. I carry the iPad around for preferred consuming on the train, on flights, in the hotel or even at my desk in the office. It ends up being a strange problem, in that the the the iPad is perfect for web browsing, book reading, RSS feeds and video playback — however, it's not as portable as I'd like it to be. It's too heavy. As such, while suited to the hotel, couch or on your desk in the office, it's not the preferred experience when on the train or when needing to drop something lighter into the bag when you're on the move.

While smartphones by Samsung, Motorola and HTC have been increasing in size, it's the tablet space which I see is going to be more interesting. Many of us have developed tastes and preferences for different types of portable devices when we are on the move, dependent of course on where we will be.  The iPad has redefined what we do on the couch, but it's not ideal for the key things we want to do when on the move, largely due to its current mass and weight. And what is it we are doing when on the move in the main? Our access to the web has been redefined by apps, with the occasional visit to the web. Really you say? Think of mail, RSS feeds, tweets, eBay, video chatting, SIP calls, book reading, movies, TV shows and games. This is where I can see the 7-8" tablet is being readily accepted as the middle of the ground tablet device where another option of portability is required.

Nexus 7 by Asus. Great price, nice features
but lack of 3G is a poor decision

I spent thirty minutes just the other day with the Galaxy Nexus 7. Initial impressions were quite good. It held nicely in one hand, the screen was sharp and bright (although not taking on the Super AMOLED colour vibrancy which I really like on the Galaxy Nexus phone) and it was quick.  It packs some good processor power for the stuff I'm talking about. Of course, optimised tablet apps on Android are sparse, but in time this should change for the better. What struck me as how I think I would prefer to slip a tablet into may bag for my every day commute. I'm suggesting I'd carry this around more than my iPad.

Back to the Nexus 7, the let down was for two fundamental things. Wifi only specification — an odd decision when you think about it. When you want to catch your feeds on the the commute, you can't until you reach the internet. This is a seriously poor decision which will have put off many buyers since access to your cloud data and the web everywhere is where we're at. The second let down was more minor, but yet important — the lack of rear side camera. A glaring miss when we all now expect it.   Some commentators will say these features are reflected in the trade offs for manufacturing cost. It seems to me that v1.0 of this product has a couple of key improvements ahead of v2.

Of course, being heavily invested in iOS and OS X reduces the chances of accessing the data or applications I would want to use on Android, but the shortcomings of the Nexus 7 rule this out for me anyway. This  paves the way for a £200-250 iPad mini (or whatever it's going to be called) in September.

@TrojanKitten beautifully mocks up the expected dimensions of the
forthcoming iPad mini

So believing the rumours for a moment, the 7-8" tablet is going to to be redefined and at a price point which will sell by the proverbial bucket load. However, therein lies the delicate challenge. If you have a device which is portable enough, what happens to the use case for the smartphone itself?

For me, the next piece is then to work out how I don't need an iPhone anymore and can cost effectively manage the low number of voice calls in a neat and subtle on-person microphone sort of way. I can't imagine the major telco's or Apple or any other the hardware vendors looking forward to this.

When upgrades seem like downgrades

I've been a big fan of of the Silvio Rizzi's Reeder for iPhone, iPad & Mac for what feels like ages now. It's one of my core and most often used apps for catching up with tech and sports news on a daily basis. I'll admint, I'm an RSS guy and I'm proud. Don't get me wrong, I love curated feed apps such as Flipboard and Zite which add tremendous value to the reading experience.  But when it comes to really scanning all your news items, it's got to be an RSS reader. Reeder's interface and experience reveals a clean, functional and Mac simple-like experience in reading and sharing news feeds. It achieves a uniform experience this across the entire iOS and Mac range which is a rare feat. It's an app I wish existed on Android (although gReader Pro is very good in its own right).

The iPhone version is what I use most while on the move. Up to version 2.x it offered a quick way to read news but to share with Instapaper and most importantly Twitter followers, using my custom URL which is I set up on bit.ly.  Real nice bit of flexibility.

I've had version 3.x running for probably for 2 weeks, and while this post is not there to overly criticize the developer (who does a great job and is clearly thinking of evolving the product), the new version has left me somewhat disgruntled in terms of the overall balance of gains in new functionality versus ones which have been changed or upgraded for that matter. My main grips fall into 2 areas affecting functionality and user experience.

The functionality gripe is simple. The bit.ly support for custom URL sharing in Twitter is gone (at least for now). And the custom Twitter messaging has been replaced by the generic iOS Twitter integration dialogue:

Reeder v3.0 for iPhone - sharing to Twitter.
No visible shortened link
and no way to do it

The other odd grip relates to the design led animation to move from one article to another. It essentially mimicks moving from one piece of paper to another as if they were joined together. It's an interesting touch, but not to my liking. Again, the sort of thing which for some of us, takes away from the overall experience and enables us to moan that v3 feels like a backward step in places. You only need to look at some of the review on the Apps Store to see that I'm not alone.  

Anyway, if you are new to Reeder and have always wondered if its worth the 3 bucks (separately for iOS devices and Mac), there are other posts which provided a more rounded introduction than my moans.  I mean, I still use it daily, so that's saying something about the competition.