The Android thread

Planning on getting the One S tomorrow. I toyed around with one in a local MediaMarkt, I can't say I absolutely love it but it is definitely the best currently available Android device for me, and the Desire has done its job.

One thing that bugs me it what they did with the hardware buttons: they didn't go all the way to replace them with on-screen buttons as ICS proposes, but they removed the Menu button anyway. Thus, if an app requires the menu button (no ActionBar with overflow implemented), it is rendered in software all on its own, taking a slice from the bottom of the screen. This will become less of an issue as more apps are updated to ICS standards, but I can see it being quite annoying for the time being.
 
From Ausdroid-

Serious Threat to Android ? More patent wars!

Apple have done it again!

They?ve managed to get one of their broad reaching, non-specific patents upheld in court. But this time, if the trial goes in their favour it could mean more than just the inconvenience of a minor change to unlock screens. The patent I?m specifically referring to is the touchscreen heuristics that Apple have a very broad reaching, non specific patent on.

Essentially the patent covers any on-screen gesture that is NOT a straight line. Because the patent is so broadly worded, this could be read as up/down & left/right are ok, but diagonally across the screen (still in a straight line) is infringing on their patent.

Motorola have been battling Apple in court over this for a number of months already, stating that the patent is specific to tolerance levels of 27 degrees. Judge Richard Posner has ruled in Apples favour:

?I reject Motorola?s argument (this is the third time they?ve made it and the third time I reject it) that the structure must be limited to the 27-degree angle uses as an example by the specification.?

What does this mean for Android?

Long term, this could be disastrous. If upheld, Google and Motorola could be forced to either change the way that users interact with Android. Forcing it to be a less intuitive and a much less forgiving user interface. Worse still, it could result in fees being payable to Apple for use of their patent which would increase the cost of every Android device, making the Android option less appealing to many. Whichever way you look at it, the competitive edge that Android seems to have currently will be severely dulled if the user can?t even swipe across the screen with their finger.
 
:rolleyes:

Can Apple just please die in a fire? Like NOW?
 
Ordering a Samsung Galaxy S2 4G for the boss tomorrow...this should be fun.
 
Redliner said:
:rolleyes:

Can Apple just please die in a fire? Like NOW?
Click to expand...

Everybody is suing these days. Motorola has an injunction against Apple banning them from offering push email in germany. HTC is suing Apple in the US. Samsung and Apple have countless law suits against each other. Motorola is being investigated by the European commission for its patent usage. Microsoft is moving it's logistics out of Germany, because they are afraid that a bad ruling can disrupt their european supply chain.
The bottom line is that patent law is broken for software, some vague patents can be applied to almost anything and all manufacturers have sued over something.
 
hajj said:
Everybody is suing these days. Motorola has an injunction against Apple banning them from offering push email in germany. HTC is suing Apple in the US. Samsung and Apple have countless law suits against each other. Motorola is being investigated by the European commission for its patent usage. Microsoft is moving it's logistics out of Germany, because they are afraid that a bad ruling can disrupt their european supply chain.
The bottom line is that patent law is broken for software, some vague patents can be applied to almost anything and all manufacturers have sued over something.
Click to expand...

I will give you that, there are no innocents in this game, but Apple seems have the most stupid ones.
What?s next? A patent about the phone being rectangular?
 
Well Apple has used that one against Samsung in Germany (for tablets at least) :tease:
 
They're trying that against Samsung actually. Not a patent about the phone being rectangular, but an area of law called "trade dress". Basically, to win, Apple just needs to convince a judge that Samsung is trying to imitate Apple enough to cause confusion in the minds of the consumer.
 
:slaphead:
 
The worst thing is that all of the per patent costs are being shoved down our throats, instead of being equalised amongst the countless back and forth lawsuits, they both make extra money from each other and were set up to pay for it, I bet without them phones would be way cheaper
 
Redliner said:
:slaphead:
Click to expand...

Actually Samsung brought that one on themselves. The Galaxy S actually did physically resemble the iPhone 4 quite a lot. They designed TouchWiz to look like iOS with a four icon dock at the bottom and all of the icons placed on coloured squares to resemble iOS icons. They're marketing photos showed a grid of icons like an iPhone homescreen instead of showing off Androids ability to use widgets. Also, while almost all Android devices use a standard micro-USB connection, the Samsungs use a proprietary 30-pin connection that looks amazing like the one you'll find on an iPhone.

applesamsung.jpg

After Apple filed suit, Samsung got a little more creative with their design and advertising. For the Galaxy S II they dropped the coloured square backgrounds from the TouchWiz app drawer and started using marketing shots that displayed the phones widgets on the homescreen.

Samsung-GALAXY-S-II_2.jpg
 
Not to forget that everybody is spending money to acquire those patents in the first place. Google is spending $12.5bn on Motorola, mainly for its patents, Apple has bought countless companies for its patents.
 
Guess I'm going to wait some longer to get a new phone, I want my new phone to be nearly perfect and with the information I have right now the new HTC One S and X don't quite deliver.

One S: Don't like the black one, but the grey model doesn't have the same ceramic treatment (I refuse to get a case for my phone but don't want it to get scratched too easily either) and the Amoled display seems to perform sub-par.
One X: Too big for my taste, design is less attractive than the S, not sure if I want a Tegra 3 over a Snapdragon S4

Yes, I'm picky :p
 
It does, doesn't it. Shiny and sleek. Of course, there is no guarantee that the picture on the invitation really is the GSIII.

It's good to see Samsung moving dramatically away from the iPhone-clone look. I'm sick to death of plain black (or white) rectangles with rounded edges and a silver rim. That's why I like the look of the Desire, Wildfire and Sensation... they're curvier.
 
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The SGSIII will be a rectangle with rounded corners, just like the previous GS's were. Just wait and see.
 
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