Mobile Payment Is Coming In A Big Way

The mainstream media has not caught on to it yet and I've talked about it here from time to time. But be prepared to be bombarded with tons of media reports, blogs, tweets, and e-mails about it in the coming weeks or months.

At week at the Mobile World Congress, near field communication, NFC, was being talked about as if it is the next holy grail of mobile. And to a follower of mobile happenings like myself, this is a big thing. In as few words as possible, NFC allows payments be made through mobile devices.

Think of this as what you can already do at Starbucks. You can order and pay through the app. Well, this will happen in a much much better way. There are a couple of devices on the market with NFC capability, specifically, Google's Nexus S. But as with some technology, being first doesn't mean much.

However, it is largely expected that Apple's next iOS hardware updates, including the next iPhone, will support mobile payment. And I expect an explosion of next generation Android devices to support this as well.

I really recommend reading up on it because just about everyone from your bank, credit card, wireless providers, and hardware companies will be getting in on this lucrative new business. Oh, and retailers would love this as well.

Also, there are also security concerns you'll need to be aware of.

So get ready media and ad blitz coming our way. I'll be devoting much much more attention than I have in the past. I started talking about almost two years ago, pointing the ease that the Japanese users have been able to enjoy with paying through their cell phones for years.

It'll be our turn soon.

Atrix: Tweets and If Netbook Dock Will Change Mobile Computing (Android)

This is a post of my tweets regarding the upcoming Atrix with a laptop dock that will be available on AT&T:

#Atrix: The success of Atrix (or not) will determine whether #Android kills off #Chrome OS faster. #AT&T #Google #motorola (Part 1)

#Atrix: If successful, it might establish #Android as the default OS for future netbooks #AT&T #Android #motorola (Part 2)

#Atrix: It can move Nvidia out of just graphics and into mainstream CPU – Intel/AMD could lose out #AT&T #Android #motorola (Part 3)

#Atrix: This will accelerate #microsoft’s Windows for #arm chip even more if it happens. #AT&T #Android #motorola (Part 4)

#Atrix: Without need for storage, CPU, or others parts in a regular netbook, battery life sould be better. #AT&T #Android #motorola (Part 5)

#Atrix: A new mobile way of working – take your smartphone with you and plug it into any terminal #AT&T #Android #motorola (part 6)

#Atrix: Too bad it’s on #AT&T because it no longer offers unlimited 3G access #AT&T #Android #motorola (part 7)

#Atrix: $500 is a lot. #XOOM may offer better value as a tablet. No need for dock to have larger screen #AT&T #Google #motorola (part 8)

#Atrix: with Atrix & #Xoom, Motorola has a foundation for changing mobile life & computing #AT&T #Google #motorola (part 9)

#Atrix: will be available for pre-order with AT&T on Feb 13 - $199, $499 with netbook dock #AT&T #Google #motorola (part 10)

#Atrix: Impact on mobile computing depends on battery, enterprise, and #iPhone competition #AT&T #Google #motorola (part 11)

#Atrix: #AT&T just push netbook dock combo or else, it’ll just be another #Android phone #motorola (part 12)


Bottom-line: The Atrix is an incredible product on paper and promises to deliver based on the videos I’ve seen.

Motorla has a truly added a new dynamic to the mobile market. I look for a lot of copycats in 2012 if Atrix sales explodes. But like I said in the tweets, there could be things holding it back.

Pricing is one. AT&T is making users sign up for a bunch of services that they don’t need if they want to have the Atrix-dock combo.

Second, data plans. I’m not talking about the cost but the limited data access AT&T has. Seriously, as a mobile user, I want unlimited use. I don’t want to be restricted to 2GB or the limitation put on the tethering plan.

Rather than just AT&T, Motorola should have made the dock available to other networks that provide unlimited 3G access.

As it is now, it’s a very enticing product. We’ll just have to see if this is the magic bullet AT&T is looking for to replace its lost of iPhone exclusivity and if this will usher in an new era of mobile computing.

Xoom's Superbowl Commerical - 15 Sec Preview - References 1984 Apple Ad

Here is a sneak peak at the Xoom commercial for the Superbowl this sunday. I am sure a lot of folks will be talking about this Sunday night and the next couple of days because there is a reference to Apple's 1984 Superbowl Mac commercial.

It's only 15 seconds that we get to see but it looks pretty effective. It'll have folks talking about it. Question is: will it drive people to take a look at the Xoom and buy it?



Source: Phone Arena.

Is There Room For Web OS In 2011 - Maybe Not

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 (WP7) did not sell one million units its first weekend but Microsoft cannot afford to cede the mobile market to Apple or Google. And it has the staying power and deep deep pocket to win marketshare if not necessarily the hearts and minds of users.

With WP7 already having an app store already rivaling HP's Web OS in terms of numbers of apps, is there room for Web OS in the market anymore?

Samsung Tab Sighted In Public

I saw my first Samsung Tab. And in public. Not at a store but I really should go see one. No, I saw one at Borders in Pasadena where I was trying to get some work done.

And this is how it went down.

I did not notice it at first as I was busy hacking away on my Macbook, trying to promise myself that I would finish my nanowrimo project. For those who know what it is, I know, I know, it's already December 22nd. But better late than never.

But I felt someone staring in my direction. I looked up and saw a father standing in line with her daughter for their drinks. When the little girl walked away from her dad so she can get a better look at desserts, in the father's hand was a tablet.

I noticed that he was staring at the iPad that was on my table. I stared back. What was that thing? It was no iPad because the size of the thing was much smaller. The man was able to hold it like a big-sized paperback. And it had a wider-screen than the iPad.

And I know there is no iPad mini. Steve Jobs said so. No 7" iPad!

The staring ended when it was the father and daughter's turn to order. But after they got their drink, they walked towards my direction. I made a point to burn the image of the device into my mind.

Then there was a bit more staring. And I noticed the 3G signal on the screen as he walked by.

After they had walked behind me and I could no longer see the device, I googled the Tab. Then a couple of the other more well known Android tablets. It was the Tab!

So what do I think? I can't say much about it since I did not get to play with it or have it lay next to my iPad. I don't think the man would have agreed to anyway. Believe me when I tell you that his stares were icy.

But I noticed that he would tap on the screen with one hand. Specifically, with one finger. I tried to imagine myself doing that on the iPad. Easily done. I probably would type on the on-screen keyboard than tap at the keys in landscape model.

Then I imagine trying to type on the 7" screen of the Tab. I could probably do it by using my index fingers just like I already do now on the iPad in portrait model. But whenever I try that, I quickly tire and go back to the landscape model.

That's all for now. Oh, and the man was mostly reading from it. I think it was through the browser and not an ebook reader app or another reading app.

Again, just reporting on what I saw. I really should go into a Best Buy or visit one of the carriers to check it out. Anyway, I just thought I share my first Tab sighting. I'm not saying whether the 7" screen is adequate or not or whether Samsung jumped the gun by using Android 2.2.

Over all, it was pretty cool to see someone else using a tablet that did not have the Apple logo on it.

Chrome OS And Android To Merge

It has always puzzled me that Google would first introduce the Android and the Chrome OS a few months later, setting up a competition between groups within Google to see which OS prevails.  Now, the creator of Gmail, who no longer has an relations with Google, believed the two OS will merge into one.  And I agree.

In one way or another, Google is not going to have a dual OS strategy.  It is simply too messy.  Not even Microsoft with years of experiences seem comfortable with this.  Nor is Apple doing this.  As a matter of fact, the conventional thinking is that Apple will merge iOS with OS X years down the line.

Right now, Chrome OS has the making of what the future of computing will look like.  Everything will be in the cloud and we will trust that connection to cloud data will be robust enough for us to put all our eggs there.  But I don't see that happen in the short-term.  Sure, we have already begin to save a lot of data on Android and Gmail on desktops and laptops on Google servers but we still do a lot of work that require local storage.

I am very interested in the opportunities that Chrome OS has to offer but I don't want my next netbook to be a dumb terminal.  Nor do I want that for my future Android device, whether it's tablet of smartphone.  But as a solo project, Chrome OS will not survive as we have come to know it.

This is how it'll play out.  Google will try to sell Chrome OS as an alternative to Windows in the netbook arena.  It might find some success but eventually, Android will gain a lot of Chrome OS' features and a couple of years later, Google will announcement that it has successfully merged to two but, in reality, Chrome OS will exist only as key components of Android.  

And folks, that ain't a bad thing.  

More at Techcrunch.

NYT"s David Pogue Reviews The Tab...Sort Of

Here's a video of the video pushing the issue a bit about the Samsung Tab running the Android.

Honestly, I don't know what to to make of it. I went away thinking David Pogue might be Bill Nye's long lost...ah...something...son, younger brother?

Android 2.2 Not Ready For Tablet Primetime Says Google

I don't want to get into a pissing contest with Steve Jobs about what is the perfect screen for the tablet. iPads have done will but Android's day under the tablet sky will come.

Right now there are a few unsanctioned Android tablets on the market if you're willing to chance it. Yeah, I thought so. So then therefor Samsung's Tab which will cost close to $1K unsubsidized, $400-600 depending on carrier subsidy.

But even then, Google has publicly said that Android 2.2 is not optimized for tablet use and we'll have to wait for Android 3.0 at the end of the year.

What's clear though is that Android tablets will flood the market early 2011. And if you thought waiting until then is hard, just wait until we have to chose between different versions, screen sizes, and which works best for us.

Nook Color Just Might Be The Best Android Tablet

Today, Barnes And Noble unveiled what I think is the best Android tablet for reading. And yeah, I think it bests the Kindle with its fancy e-ink.




Based on Android 2.1, it remains to be seen if Nook Color will be upgradable to Android 3 but today, there are no Android tablet that is so well custom built for a singular purpose, reading, and conducting rudimentary computing tasks.

Sure, The Samsung Tab has much more support via carriers and distribution and better hardware but for regular book lovers, you really have to consider the Nook Color considering the literary attention and feel BN put into the development.

Oh, let not forget the Nook costs a lot less than the Samsung Tab which costs anywhere between $400 with carrier subsidy and two-year contract to about $1000 buying it out right.

Tab is more Android power users. For book lovers, the Nook deserves your serious consideration.

More at Engadget and Barnes And Noble

Current State of Mobile Computing: Tablet or Laptop

Depending on who you talk to you and who you believe, the netbooks, perhaps even lsptops, are taking a sales hit because of the iPad.

Perhaps. Then there are those who are not so sure this is happen on a large scale. Given the potential that Apple may be on the verge of a $20 billion quarter and cuts on orders by dorm laptop and netbook makers, it has industry and mobile observers such as myself very excited.

Is this the beginning of the end of mobile computing as we know it?

More at Greenjava Mobility.

Tablet: Android Today, Chrome OS in 2011

I like to say go ahead and get the Samsung Tab or any other Android-based tablets if you can't wait. Why wait?

Well, Google has indicate that the latest version of Android 2.2 isn't tablet-friendly. And in fact, Samsung has said that some apps may not look good because they are not optimized for tablet use.

So what are we to do? A few year ago, being younger and more adventurous, I think I would get it no matter what warnings may come my way. Today, it's a little different.

But if I were to get one today, I would want to make sure that it is future-proof. By that, I mean the following two things.

First, I want to make sure that any tablet I get are free from carrier meddling. By that, I mean no crapware and I would not be at the mercy of the carrier for upgrades. Let face it, they are dar more interested in us buying new gears and signing multiple-year contracts than extending the life of our mobile gadgets, and that includes tablets.

Second, I want to make sure it is compatible with Android 3.0, which should be more suitable for tablet deployment. More importantly, I want to be sure the tablet is also Chrome OS ready. Google doesn't want to come out and say it but we get the feeling that Google believes the future of mobile should be Chrome OS and webapps, movin further away from Android and apps.

Ultimately, the best thing that can happen is for Google to launch and showcase what they think the ultimate tablet should be based on their philosophy much like they did with Nexus One. In fact, the tablet would be the perfect device for Google to try and get away from carriers.

We will know more in the next few weeks what the four major carriers in the US has planned for the Samsung Tab. We should learn more how upgradable it is and what upgrade path Samsung and Google plotted out.

Google Tablet: Android or Chrome OS

It's going to be very confusing if Google doesn't clear up which OS it favors for its slate and tablet strategy. Right now, most hardware developers are working on Android tablets to challenge the dominance od Apple's iPad. However, word is getting out that there are also Chrome OS-based varieties as well.

Well, I for one will be forced to wait and see where this leads before I get one or the other. Deep down, Google would love for users to embrace Chrome OS for netbooks and slates. When Google introduced it to the world last year and updated us again earlier this year, it was in a netbook format. Since it is only a toss and a skip to the tablet form, don't be surprise to see Google trumps it as its favorite OS choice for tablets.

The problem is that we do love out apps. And Google is going to have to reset everything all over again to get the Chrome OS webapp store stocked up to the level of the iPhone app store or Android's marketplace.

So even if Google picks Chrome OS, Android fans might not flock to it. Only the most die-hard of Google fans are likely yo support it out of the gate.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I Want An Android Tablet But...

By now, you're very excited about the pending Google-Verizon hatched tablet based on Android.  After all, it can't be just a rumor if it came straight from Verizon Wireless' CEO, right?

Here are some thoughts about it that I had throughout the day about it.  A bit more after these tweets:

• Android Tablet:  I already have an iPad but also want an Android tablet.  But… (part 1)
• Android Tablet:  I don’t want a Dell, HTC, or someone else’s tablet because support is probably spotty (part 2)
• Android Tablet:  I don’t want Verizon’s tablet (or whoever else’s) because updates will suck big time (part 3)
• Android Tablet:  I want a Google backed tablet.  A gTablet.  But I want to make sure Google has the right customer support in place (part 4)
• Android Tablet:  I was about to get a Nexus One when Google said it would stop working on the 3G problems with it…seriously, WTF (part 5)
• Android Tablet:  However, with the right support, an Android tablet from Google will totally rock! (part 6)
• Android Tablet:  Imagine a 7-10” tablet with Nvdia’s Tegra 2 support with Flash for hulu playback (part 7)
• Android Tablet:  For naysayers, Sprint & VW didn’t reject Nexus One.  Sprint has Evo and VW has Incredible.  ‘Nuff said. (part 8)
• Android Tablet:  Google needs to sell the tablet direct as well as subsidized.  (part 9)
• Android Tablet:  Needs to support 4G wireless Internet.  WiMax & LTE verson as well. (part 10)

Just one more thing.  The wireless plan for the Android tablet.  Needs to at least match what AT&T is offering for the iPad. Anything less could just derail what might possibly be the best tablet ever.

Who Should Make The Android Tablet

I am writing this post from my new iPad. I am also in the market for an Android tablet. But probably like you, who I am assuming to to get a dedicated mobile fan and Android devotee, have sethe nothing on the market that is compelling. Archos has made a valiant effort but no cigar. No iPad killer.

So I got to think. Why not HTC? Why?

One. HTC made the first Android device, the G1. Since then, Google entrusted the honor of making the Google phone, Nexus One, also to HTC. Here are probably a dozen or so Android and Windows Mobile devices on the market made by HTC.

Two. They also shows that they can out together pretty neat UI.

Third. They want to too be trusted by the consumers in the West. If they were to make a tablet to challenge the iPad, they would make damn sure that it has the mojos to back it up. That means making sure that the software is constantly updated. No nonsense about using Android 1.6 while 2.1 is available. Certainly, the design will also be top notch.

Sure, Motorola can also make a decent Android tablet but just because they hit it out of the park with the Droid doesn't mean lightning will strike twice. On the other hand, HTC has proven it has what it takes.

I think we are probably two to three months away from getting our hands on viable Android tablets, I will be waiting to make sure that I see what HTC has in stored for us before picking one up.