After iPad, Who's Next?

This iPad week whether mobile warriors from other camps like it or not. But it'll be over eventually and another platform will get the attention. So who might that be?

There are already Android tablets but let's be honest, they're nothing like the iPad with years of research that Apple has put it. For the most part, its second tier companies installing Android on existing hardware.

HP and DELL might have something coming in the next few months but they aren't going to follow the same mobile ecosystem that the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch share.

So who truly will have something similar to what Apple has created with the iPad?

In my tweets, I blasted off a series of quick thoughts. HTC probably has things in the work but they'll in the same situation Dell and HP will be in. As a matter of fact, some Android tablets require hacks to access the Marketplace, Android's equivalent of the iTunes App Store.

WebOS is certainly possible and Palm has indicated in the past that the WebOS may make its way onto hardwares other than smartphones. Plus, Palm is currently doing some soul searching and I think it is more likely to come out with Pre 2 rather than a WebOS tablet.

That leaves Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. Nintendo has already tipped its hand with 3DS last week. We'll know more about it in the coming weeks as details will be expertly leaked to the media. But all along, I think the Big 3 in the console market offers the best chance for a complete mobile experience.

Sony is certainly working on PSP 2. PSP is 5 years old and may be six by the time the PSP 2 is out. This leaves Sony plenty of time to answer the other challengers, including the iPad. Sony has a strong following but it's execution has been par at best. Sony will need answer Apple's upstart status in gaming but also in other mobile areas as well. I just don't see that happening.

We might see a Viao-branded tablet running Android. Can Sony integrate PSP into Android? That's the only way I see Sony entering the tablet market with a strong mobile offering. Sony will not be offering any WM7 products if Microsoft insists in Zune integration (which is also why I think Microsoft will allow hardware developers the option of Zune integration but won't insist on it).

Nintendo is one of the most innovation companies in the world. Hardware and gaming. Constantly pushing the realm of possibilities. It might offer something in the mobile market that goes beyond its traditional comfort gaming zone. If it does, look out. It could be amazing. It is likely to happen?

Now we come to Microsoft. WM7, Zune, and Xbox. Mash it together and maybe Redmond will have a winner? Sure. But keep in mind that Microsoft is a large corporation with a multitude of interests and markets to satisfy, and never mind the internal politics.

My only fear is that Microsoft will do too much. It'll cram as much as it can into a tablet and see what sticks. That might work in the past before Google. That might work in the past with Apple struggling to remain solvent 15 or so years ago. Today, it has to deal with a healthy Steve Jobs and a $40 billion cash rich Apple that is likely to surpass Microsoft's market value.

Microsoft cannot afford to wait for the market to "see what sticks". But among these tech giants, it is Microsoft that I think has the best chance to duplicate the same media/app/hardware ecosystem that Apple patiently spent the last decade building.

It is not going to be easy. Certainly, these companies can build a comprehensive mobile solution for work and play but it may not be enough just to match others feature for feature, song for song, and app for app. Microsoft, Nintendo, or anyone else will need to provide the next revolutionary (but I settle for evolutionary) step in mobile computing.

Who do you think is up next after the iPad?

Note: I left out Amazon and Kindle. Amazon will end up selling a lot of the products like the iPad and other tablets in its store. Kindle will evolve into a tablet, even with apps and media. Kindle has really put ebooks at the forefront of many mobile users, Amazon isn't what I call a traditional tech company. But hey, I wish Bezos best of luck. Competition is good.

iPhone 4.0 - Multitasking And iTablet

There's talk that on the 27th, Apple will unveill more than just iTablet.  Whatever happens that day, we are potentially looking at what also comes next for the iPhone platform.  After the iPod Touch came out, Apple stated that there could be other devices from Apple based on this modified OS X.

So, we come to iPhone 4.0.  One of the features some users are hoping for is the ability to run apps in the background.  As an Android device owner, I have to say that the ability to have whatever music or podcast stream in the background is something I like to see on the iPod Touch or the iPhone.  At the same time, it's been a year since we also received push notification.  For some apps like ones that provide push notification for IM messages, Apple has negated the need for these apps to be running in the background while saving battery life.

But with the iTablet, push notification may not be enough. And I'm hoping Apple will be able to allow some apps to run in the background, regardless of how that will affect the battery life of the tablet, iPhone, or Touch. I have some ideas how I like to see it implemented.

• Full background.  I like Apple to provide this option.  It'll certainly kill battery life of the device in no time.  But it's about providing the user to decide what can also run in the background.  
• Limited multi-tasking.  Allow the user to restrict the number of apps in the background.  Some apps such as those that provide IM functions may not draw a lot of power.  Though I can't see why anyone would want to do this when push notification works well enough.  
• Allow certain functs to run in the background.  Streaming music is fine but there's no need for a 3D game to be running at top speed when you switch over to another app.

I was watching a replay of Portland-Washington game from Monday when I had to switch out of the app to check my e-mail.  When I came back to the app, I had to try to find my place in the game again.

I like the iPhone OS to simply pause the automatically pause the game when I switch over to another app.  Then when I come back later, I can resume watching the game.

On the tablet, it would be nice if Apple offers a split screen mode where two to four apps can be running at the same time.  I'd settle for two apps, I'm not greedy.

These days, kids like to be able to multi-task.  I hope to see Apple keep up with the times and allow its mobile platform the ability to have some form of multi-tasking.  The iTablet is being dubbed a media device.  That means music, video, print, and the Web.

At the very least, music apps should be able to run in the background.

How Apple Can Make An iPhone Nano

Here's how Apple can create an iPhone nano without going to a smaller screen than the 3.5" now used on the iPhone.

• The whole face of the nano will be the screen except for the top where the user can listen to phone calls.  The speak can be moved further up to where the grooves are allowing apple to save almost 1/2" from the top of the current iPhone.
• Use the 3.5" and remove the home button or move it to another location on the nano.  If Apple wants to keep the home button, the ideal location is the side area on the right side of the nano.
• By moving the home button, the nano can shave off about 1/2" from the bottom of the iPhone.
• By saving about 1/2" at the top and at the bottom, Apple can create a nano that is 3.5" or so in length.  
• A frontal webcam is possible and I remembered a patent by Apple where buried in the screen is a reflective webcam.
• Apple can create a longer length nano but also make it more narrow and still maintain decent resolution.
• With Apple's advanced battery technology like what we need in the Macbooks and more efficiency gained from chips and the iPhone OS, we can still expect to see usage increased or at minimum, maintain industry level in battery life.
• There maybe some compromises in features for the nano compared to the iPhone given its smaller body.  But Apple innovation should be able to bring certain iPhone features to the nano in subsequent upgrades.  For instance, Apple might not be able to add a webcam to a first generation iPhone nano but might be able to make that feature in the second generation nano.

Gearhack Trying To Install Chrome OS Diet On Netbook and XO

The publisher of popular sites, Cynosure, Gearhack, and Camerahacker, is trying to do us a favor and spead some of the Chrome OS love.  I've know Mr. Chieh Cheng for a long time. Going back to when he helped me passed high school physics.

So, dude's pretty smart.  So, he's been in a mission to try to get COS (Chrome OS) Diet working on his MSI Wind and his XO.  I spoke to him about it at length and he's quite knowledgeable with the in-and-outs of these things. Dude's pretty relentless when it comes to these things.

Hence, the word "hack" in his domain name.  Anyway, he's posted some progress he made and roadblocks he hope to overcome.  Let him know what you think and what you might be able to offer him.

Yeah, Android and COS will merge as Google founders have confessed so we might as well start talking about COS too here and over at On Android.

T-Mobile USA To Get iPhone Before Verizon?

Well, some analyst was reported by Thestreet.com that Apple is likely to go with T-Mobile in 2010.  Okay, if you know me, I don't have much use for self-serving analysts but, once in a while, one will come across with an interesting analysis.  And this one, I happen to think is workable for all parties involved.  And trust me.  For me to link to thestreet.com, well, this'll be the last time that happens.  Back to the meat of the matter.

Back in July, I began speculation about possibility of T-Mobile getting the iPhone some time in 2010.  Here's the low-down on why I had thought this was a possible, if somewhat improbable, scenario.  3G and GSM.

In the United States, if you want access to a GSM network, you've got one of two major choices.  ATT and T-Mobile.  As you know, T-Mobile is the smaller of the two.  It's in the 4th place as far as the major networks are concerned, behind Sprint.  As Apple as repeatedly said that there will be no CDMA version of the iPhone.  Conventional wisdom is that Apple will wait until LTE, the next generation wireless network, has sufficient coverage before the iPhone becomes available to Verizon's customers (both ATT and Verizon Wireless will migrate to LTE as their next generation wireless broadband network).

So why T-Mobile?  GSM.  Here and now, by going with T-Mobile, Apple will have access to another 40 million customers in the immediate future.  Plus the 80 million from ATT, that's 120 million native GSM users.  And for folks who for one reason or another want the iPhone but are unwilling to go with ATT, T-Mobile offers a viable alternative.

Just ask the tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of T-Mobile customers who are currently using unlocked iPhones on T-Mobile's EDGE network.  These folks would rather use their iPhones on T-Mobile's older slower network than put up with ATT's shortcomings.

Not only is this about access to millions of more potential customers like myself but it also means additional pressure will be put on Verizon should there be any future negotiations between it and Apple.  For Apple, it holds all the cards and when it comes time to use them, Steve Jobs knows how to play his hand.

But you ask "what about this hybrid iPhone that everyone's talking about using Qualcomm's chips? The one that allows Apple to sell a version of the iPhone that works on GSM and CDMA networks while also upgradable to LTE access?"  It can happen but insiders don't think the chip will be ready until 2011.  Plus, Qualcomm's public statements seem indicate that it was still knocking at Apple's store and formal talk has yet to commence.

There are still a lot of questions about any deal between Apple and T-Mobile in the US.  One is the weak 3G network.  It was a bit more than a year ago when T-Mobile basically launched part of its 3G network with the release of Android-based G1.  As a G1 user, I can attest to the reliability of the 3G network in CA.  There are dead spots but what network doesn't?

Then there is also the question about Verizon's 80-plus million users.  I'm certain Cupertino would like access to them.  And eventually, that'll happen.  However, today, there is an ongoing public battle between Verizon and ATT over network coverage.  We won't go into that here but last week Apple joined the battle with its own commercial.  The basics of it was that Verizon's CDMA network won't allow users to make a call while surf the Web at the same time.  Ouch.

ATT's 3G network lets folks access the Internet and talk about the same time.  And T-Mobile's 3G network lets users do just that as well.

What about T-Mobile's trip down Google's Android lane?  Well, there was the G1 more than a year ago.  The myTouch earlier this year and, the latest, the Motorola Cliq.  Well, as much as I love my G1, the iPhone is a far superior device than any Android device on the market at this time.  And having Android devices has not turned around T-Mobile's fortune in the US.

Plus, it seems that Google has found a new frenemy:  Verizon.  With Morotorla, Verizon launched the Droid, the newest Android device.  And it appears that Google will continue to work with Verizon to counter the gains that Apple has made in the marketplace.

So, where does that leave T-Mobile?  It doesn't have the Pre like Sprint does and everyone has Blackberries to offer customers.  T-Mobile's place as the Android-first did not matter much.  For all the devices T-Mobile or anyone else offers their customers, they're not iPhones.

So, do T-Mobile really want the iPhone?  Does it want the headache of network congestions?  Have its iPhone users hog up the wireless bandwidth?  You betcha.  And I'm sure if there is going to be any deal, T-Mobile USA's German parent company is also in on it.  There are likely pledges by T-Mobile to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build and upgrade its existing network.

When Verizon's LTE network is up and running, I'm sure Apple will be happen to bring the iPhone over and gain additional market of an additional 80 million users.  But for now, it's more likely that T-Mobile customers will see the iPhone in 2010 than Verizon's customers.

I've never had a Verizon phone so I can't say first-hand how good its network is and whether it truly offers better coverage than ATT.  I think they're about the same.  Had Apple and Verizon worked out a deal to offer the iPhone on Verizon's CDMA network, I'm sure all the blogs and tech articles will be about how Verizon Wireless' network was being weighed down by the millions of iPhone users while ATT subscribers enjoy an open sky of wireless broadband.

Apple is patient.  It does what it wants when it feels the time is right.  Until Verizon's 4th generation wireless network is up and running efficiently, don't expect the iPhone to be running on Verizon.  And by adding T-Mobile in 2010, it puts added pressure on the rest of the wireless network (just about every mobile platform are on existing networks) and it'll be Apple's to gain.  And in the short run, Apple will have access to T-Mobile's 4th place network of tens of millions of subscribers.

Should Apple Release New iPhones and Updates Faster?

With newcomers seemingly arriving by the week to challenge iPhone for the innovation crown, I am questioning if Apple can afford to update the iPhone merely once a year.

iPhone, since its introduction in 2007, has become an annual event dispite Apple and its carrier partners not saying anything about it.  For its part, Apple has never divulge information for new products prior to launch.  The original iPhone went on sale in the last weekend of June and since then, the iPhone 3G and the follow-up 3GS went on sale around June and July.  So, it's safe to give the iPhone an annual product cycle.

I think Apple fans go to a good scare a year ago when RIM came out with Storm.  Then in the months leading up to the Pre going on sale, many wondered if the iPhone 3G can compete against WebOS’ Synergy, something that the iPhone lacks.

Furthermore, the growing rift, or contrast, between Apple and Google, whether it is manufactured by the media and blogs or not, does highlight the difference in philosophies between these two innovative companies.  While Apple makes no apologies for its walled garden approach, Google’s Android is generally open to developers and handset makers, within limits.

One of the starkest contrast is that the iPhone’s interface is uniform in iPhone 3.0 while Android allows handset makers to graft their own flavor of UI such as HTC’s Sense and Motorola Cliq’s MOTOBLUR.  Oh, and let’s not forget Verizon Wireless' flagship mobile device, Droid.

And while near-term adoption for the iPhone remains positive, the sheer number of new Android devices coming to the market in the next few quarters, and the likely barrage of Window Mobile 7 devices will make the mobile market very crowded.

Thus, should Apple accelerate any product cycle for the iPhone and the Touch?  Apple does have a couple of advantages that has made it difficult for competitors to overcome.  The first is the 100K-strong app store.  It is hard to dismiss the success of the app store with already 2 billion downloads.  That’s something competitors would have a lot of difficulties overcoming.  Still, Android won’t need to match the iPhone app for app.  Even at a quarter or half the size of the iPhone app store, the Android Marketplace would be a success (AM should be closer to 20K apps by now).

While the app store is an advantage competitors can overcome in time, the second advantage the iPhone has will be more difficult to for Apple’s competitors to address.  The iPhone “just works”.  I’ve heard it many times said about the iPhone but never about any other devices.

Right now, I don’t sense any urgency from Cupertino for any need to make any changes to the annual iPhone upgrade schedule.  But I do sense that iPhone's effects on the mobile market and the confusion and desperation it sowed on competitors has waned somewhat.  At the very least, traditional handset makers have gotten used to the fact that the iPhone is here to stay (maybe except for Microsoft's Steve Balmer).

It doesn’t mean that Apple shouldn’t muddle things up a bit again or put more distance between itself and the rest of the market.

Running With the G1

There are two apps that standout that runners will appreciate who uses the G1.  MyTracks and CardioTrainer.  No more need for dedicated GPS units that work only for the most sophisticated runners.

One of the things on my Garmin is that I can set a various of trackers as well as keep information about my weight and calories burnt.  So far, I have not found an app that can double as a Garmin Trainer replacement completely.  However, for casual runners, there is no need.

MyTracks uses the GPS on the G1 for creating tracks.  That's its main function and it does it well.  Using the Google Maps, the user is able to create markers for the track.  And there is no limit to how many trackers and markers you can place.

What I also like is the ability to upload or share the tracks.  I'm not too sure about the sharing but that depends on your privacy tolerance.  And there are a whole host of settings.

• accuracy
• option to made maps available on Google Maps
• elevation of the track - not as useful as I like it to be.
• statistics - max speed, average speed, distance, time - however, this information is only available after the track is completed

CardioTrainer is a different app.  It is all about statistics (more or less).  There is a tutorial at the beginning when you start up the app.  I recommending going through it but you can go back to it at any time.

When you start up CardioTrainer, you can choose between workout, history, settings, and help.  The first thing I did was go through the options in settings.  

• units you want to display
• voice output - in minutes or distance ran
• music to play during run
• maps display
• GPS update frequency
• calories calculator
• type of workout

Once you start the tracking, you see only the map and GPS strength.  That is pretty much like MyTracks except you cannot add markers for the track.  In fact, it isn't about recording tracks so much as it just allows the user to use the G1 as a digital workout buddy.  Don't get me wrong, I have been swearing by CardioTrainer for a couple of weeks now.  

What I also like CT is the option to set the type of training involved.  Running, biking, walking are the most common I would think.  There are also options for skiiing, driving, horseback riding, kayaking, and skating.  

There is one thing that I do have an issue regarding both apps.  You aren't provided with live data during the run.  That is something Garmin does very well.  In fact, there is an app for the iPhone that I use that provides speed, time, average pace, distance, and calories burnt.  

If MyTracks or CT can provide those pertinent runs, more hardcore trainers will find both of these apps useful.  But like I said at the top, these two apps are mostly for casual runners like myself. Nevertheless, those are information that even I would like to have available to me.  

Also, I would like the ability to lock the screen.  I think most people who run with the G1 carry it in their hands.  At times, I inadvertently pressed a button or touch something on the screen.  It would be nice to be able to concentrating on running and having to worry about having the run being interrupted. 

So, if you want more out of your G1 and you're a workout nut, give both myTrack and CardioTrainer a try.  

What I like to see in the future is some sort of voice command functions be made available to third party apps.