Android is the newest thing to fire up everyone’s pants. And for good reasons, too. There are a lot of enthusiasts who agree that open-sourced application is the way to go. Though, the Android application market is by no means as extensive as that of the Apple market, it’s still pretty huge and still growing every day. In the week that I’ve used my own Android phone, I can see why so many phones would shift to their OS.
Games flood the Android market, too. One such game is Angry Birds.
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Specs have been leaked for the tablet being developed by Toshiba, which will apparently launch under the handle of Folio 100. The Folio 100 will likely hit stores around the holiday season, and will be part of a larger movement by tech companies into the tablet market. The Folio 100, like most other in-production tablets, will run Android 2.2. The only piece of information that seems to be missing so far is arguably the most important one: price. That point could decide whether or not the Folio 100, or any other upcoming tablet, can compete with Apple’s iPad.
The Folio 100 will have a 10 inch screen with 16GB of internal memory, and will use the Opera mobile web browser. What makes the Folio 100 most intriguing is that it is bringing to the table several features absent in the iPad that many tech fans have been expecting from a tablet. As opposed to Apple’s unilateral port dedicated to iTunes syncing, the Folio 100 will have an HDMI port, a USB 2.0 port and a USB 2.0 mini port. It also features an SD card slot, which, along with the other new ports, will allow users much more flexibility in transferring files of all different kinds of formats from their tablet to their computers or mobile devices, which is becoming a must in the present on-the-go business world. The specs are rounded out by an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G and up to 7 hours of battery life.
The presence of Flash support also gives Toshiba, and likely every other tech company preparing to churn out their own iteration of tablet technology, a leg up an Apple. Flash, which has become a staple of the web, has yet to see support from any of Apple’s mobile devices. No doubt many consumers will be drawn to the promise of virtually unrestricted web access promised by these new tablets. Also, word is that Toshiba is planning on unveiling its own app store, in addition to the already robust Android app store. If enough like what they see, Apple may need to step up their game, which could have terrific results for tech fanatics everywhere.
It might be that, even if Toshiba and other Android compatible machines find success, the entire tablet market will need to advance quickly, and by leaps and bounds, in the near future. As of now, many are questioning the usefulness of an iPad, or any tablet, for that matter. Some critics say that the tablet tries to fill a non-existent gap between mobile devices and laptops and desktop computers. Indeed, tablets are too big to be considered “mobile,” in the strictest sense of the word, any more than a laptop would be: neither are big enough to fit into a pocket. If a tablet owner is home, it is hard to argue that a tablet would be more useful than a laptop or desktop computer, both of which have larger screens and far more functionality.
The addition of USB ports is a good move toward making the tablet relevant for the long-term, after the novelty phase wears off; the Folio 100 could be a godsend for today’s business world, allowing for more mobility and quicker cooperation with fellow colleagues in the office. It is this short-distance mobility that must be taken advantage of, if the tablet is to continue as a successful retail product in the future.
Regardless of whether or not it can approach giants like the iPhone or the Blackberry in overall functionality, it seems like the last word on gaming phones is coming, possibly as soon as this year. According to an engadget report, Sony Ericsson and Google are teaming up to create an Android based mobile phone/gaming platform that could be out in time for the Holidays, and threatens to blow away the gaming capabilities of every phone currently out on the market.
The unnamed device will be one of the first to run the as yet unreleased Google Android 3 (aka Gingerbread) operating system. It will be a slider, with PSP-like game controls (with a “long touch pad” instead of a joystick) in place of a standard keyboard. The display is rumored to be between 3.7 to 4.1 inches. The mystery phone will come with a 1GHz processor and a built-in camera, as well. With some of the first games rumored to be versions of existing PSP and PSX games, it sounds like a Playstation phone is on the way, along with a specialized section of the Android store dedicated to gaming.
If all the rumors are true, this phone might just prove to be a gold mine for the Android OS. Google, which at this point is known well by third-party developers for being much easier to work with and much less restrictive than Apple, could see a huge jump in profit off of app-based gaming. This can only mean good things for gamers everywhere down the road. Apple, on the other hand, has shown no signs of being willing to back off from its policy of requiring every app developed for its OS to go through a rigid, though poorly defined, approval process, an unpopular practice that could finally catch up to Steve Jobs’ burgeoning empire. If Sony and Google gain a decided tech advantage, the ball will be squarely in Apple’s court to figure out a way to keep up their market share among gamers and their business with third party app developers, especially if this new phone can offer 3D gaming, which it is rumored to do.
Personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on this device. A true gaming phone would be a dream come true for me and I’m sure a lot of gamers out there, as the mobile market continues to explode with newer and more innovative products. If this first iteration is a hit, which it by all means should be, I await with bated breath for what the next couple years will bring, now that a gauntlet of incredible proportions for mobile gaming has just been thrown down.
