Apple's hardware + Google's software = The Holy Grail

Not to get religious or anything with the title, but the combination of both Apple's hardware and Google's Android software would make one stop and admire for a moment, the sheer marvel of such a creation. It would almost be like some untold, unseen relic emerging from the ashes of the "smartphone wars" unscathed, like a thing of true beauty. Or maybe I'm just thinking too far outside the box...


Imagine, though, for a moment, that Google and Apple collaborated on such an effort to bring forth the "ultimate" phone. Google tried (and failed, might I add) with the Nexus One. They thought they could capture what Apple had done with the iPhone hardware and add their thing of beauty Android 2.2 (Eclair) software to the mix and have a hands-down winner. They might have done just that, had they not followed Apple's mistake with the ordering and activation process - to a complete and miserable tee. However, try as hard as they could, Google could not find the "perfect" hardware to showcase Android's technical prowess. Even the Droid family of phones doesn't have the complete hardware package to take the iPhone 4 head-on. Even with the "integrity issues" of antenna quality, the iPhone 4 is still the reigning king of hardware. You may disagree, but numbers don't lie. Apple is seeing quite a large number of activations with the iPhone 4 (as we all may remember, the activation mishaps that happened on pre-launch day, June 15). Google's Android OS, however, is steadily ascending the ladder of success and already more than nipping at Apple's heels - it's already amputating iOS 4's legs with a foaming, rabid mouth. Now, with a collaborative effort of Android's OS (especially with the forthcoming Gingerbread, set to bring even more to the Android offering table) and Apple's technical hardware expertise, the "ultimate" phone would be brought forth in a blaze of glory. What would it be called? Does it even matter? What's for certain is it would probably bring about a hailstorm of antitrust allegations and be the hottest device since the second generation iPod. It would have the radiance of a "retina display" and Apple's A4 technology, along with the sturdy casing we've all come to know and love (minus the antenna issues, of course - since Apple would probably have that all sorted out by this time, anyway) with the technical elegance of the Android OS.


Would this device ever come to fruition? Probably not. In fact, I know it won't. One, because of antitrust allegations that neither company would want to spend countless dollars on battling and two, each company stands to make more money from competition than from a collaborative effort. Still, doesn't hurt to dream of an "iPhone" with Google Maps Navigation sitting on a car dashboard. A man can dream...

Un-Googling Android = Bad News for Everyone

Apparently, Verizon inked a deal to have Bing replace Google as the default engine in the new Samsung Fascinate smartphone. If remembered correctly, Google is the daddy of Android and, thus, removing Google as the search engine is like castrating a father before he can hatch offspring. Does this make sense? No. It doesn't. It's corporate politics and it's another classic example of "bloatware" that infected so many Dell, HP/Compaq, etc. computers throughout the '90s and the early 21st century. Now, where the computer manufacturers are no longer gaining as much revenue and ad space through home computers, the cell phone carriers and cell phone manufacturers are vying for control over the mobile space through questionable actions - such as replacing Google with Bing on a smartphone.


What will this prove? Hopefully, this will prove that customers and consumers can vote with their wallets and let it be known that if Android is the operating system of choice (which polls keep pointing toward, what with their recent upshot past iOS), then that means ALL Google services are wanted with the device - not just the services the carriers "feel" are best for us, in general. Verizon has already been practicing this with BlackBerry devices, but RIM is a company on the fence - they have no stake in any advertising or search operations. Google, however, has stake in both and they provide services and content for ease of use and a better overall customer experience. For instance, Verizon is rumored to be hindering or stopping Navigation services Google is offering for free through their Android software, in order to provide customers with pay-for options. Is this what we, as the consumers, have come to expect? Is this what we will continue to pay for? Hopefully, Google takes a page out of Apple's book and starts dictating terms a little harsher in the future - all Navigation services will be included, unrestricted and Google will not be replaced by Bing, a rival search engine. As a side note, Microsoft is already getting revenue from HTC for use of Sense UI, so when will it end? It seems as if Microsoft is becoming that annoying fly in the restaurant while you're trying to enjoy your porterhouse steak and potatoes au gratin.


The time to end these practices is now and we, as consumers, must vote with our voices and wallets. For those who want the full experience of Android, BlackBerry, and even webOS, must let it be known that anything less will not be tolerated.

New notifications for Apple need to happen. Yesterday.

Gaming has been prevalent on the iOS platform since Apple created the [Draconian] application process and, thus, the App Store. However, the most annoying part of gaming on the iOS platform, while using an iPhone, is the notification system that pops up an annoying box which you must act on upon view. A box that pops up dead center on your screen. A box that you cannot ignore. At all. The most recent arrival of the Netflix application stresses exactly how much Apple needs to revamp their notification system. Yesterday.

Imagine, you're watching a film or TV show - trying to catch up on a missed episode of The Office or sneaking in a little Paul Blart: Mall Cop while on lunch break at work - and right as you're in the middle of a good scene, someone sends you a text message. What is Apple's answer for this? Pop up a notification in the middle of your screen. You have no choice but to hit "Close", which will promptly close the pop-up, or "View", which will exit your current app (or, rather, switch - for those iOS 4-compatible apps) and enter into your Messages app. Currently, Netflix is not iOS4-compatible. You know what that means? Yup, you guessed it. You will have to restart the entire process all over again and sift through a slew of menu options because someone text you. Can you get upset at the person who sent you a message and expect them to know you were sneaking in a little TV time on your phone while on lunch break (or maybe while actually working, but don't worry, your secret is safe)? Sure. But that's not something Apple can help with. What can Apple help with, you ask? They can fix their notification system to something similar to Android or even webOS. Google and Palm get it. Why can't Apple? Why are they holding onto this cumbersome, annoying notification process? Who knows. What's definite is the consensus is growing against this system. Sure, we want to know who's texting us or emailing us or even leaving us comments on Facebook. What we don't want is to have another app intruded upon because Apple can't figure out a way to devise a method simliar to Google or Palm and have those notifications come up in a little bit of a less conspicuous way. We get it. Maybe soon, Apple will get it too.