Maybe Apple Is Getting the Hint…
In a World Where smartphones’ cameras are growing larger almost every time a new phone comes out, and with the current unofficial standard size of cameras being 5 megapixel, the Apple iPhone’s 3.2 megapixel camera is starting to look a bit outdated in the face of Android, it’s main competitor, as well as the Palm line of smartphones. Not only that, but iPhone users have never been allowed a nighttime photo shoot session, either. Well, no.. That’s wrong, they can, but the photo’s look grainy and very low-quality as compared to the surprisingly high-quality of the day time photos.

Rumor has it Apple may have finally gotten the hint that iPhoners who have tried to stay loyal might not anymore. Rumor also has it Apple has ordered up a whole slew of LED Flashes from Philips’ Lumileds Lighting sector, a well known electronics giant. And yet another says the iPod Touch will be sporting a brand new camera feature, complete with flash, as well.

More Improvements On The Way?
According to AppleInsider.com, the Cupertino-based company had decided to finally look at trying to focus on other enhancements to the iPhone to maintain it’s customer satisfaction quota, however the updates were limited to just an updated Image Sensor to capture 1.1 megapixel more than it already does and improvements to its software technology version 3.0, which apparently took clearer and a bit more detailed pics, according to a article by AppleInseder.com in May. The Software apparently offers better quality motion pics and dim light (cloudy day) shoots too.

Why the Switch Finally? Let’s Take a Look.
So the upcoming Next Generation iPhones and iPod Touches will be getting 5 megapixel cams, complete with LED flash.

With the rise of the people taking pictures on impulse, such as when they are out and about, who is going to want to have to lug a hefty camera around with them as a separate piece of equipment? And even though the new digital’s are getting smaller and lighter, it still amounts to an extra piece of equipment to have to carry around and not forget to take back home with them. When a person has a decent camera built into their smartphone, as most do ow, they are much happier and much more spontaneous when it comes to taking pictures. Lets face it, the customer wants a decent camera built in. And they have started going to the “next guy” to get it, meaning Android (Nexus One and Droid) and Palm’s Pre, even though the camera is not 5 megapixel, it still has a LED Flash with the rest of them.

What’s the Verdict?
How long did Apple think they were going to get away with not having to shell out the cash to give the customers what they want? iPhoners have Been shouting for a better camera with a flash for a long time, like ever since the iPhone came out. It’s almost like Apple is punishing them for something… But you would also think that for it’s price, the 3rd Generation would come with such basic features as a better camera and LED flash, as they are pretty much standard equipment these days. Now maybe if Apple actually does something about the flash thing, they might want to concentrate on their reception a little more, as I heard a rumor that it wasn’t actually AT&T’s fault but that of the iPhone…

Nokia’s Joint Venture with New Alliance
Nokia Corp., the Finnish Mobile Phone company announced yesterday the makings of a 50-50 joint venture with Shanghai Alliance’s investment and services provider, New Alliance. The joint venture, creating a company to be based in China, Nokia Alliance Internet Services Company Ltd, will open its doors in January and will involve about 80 people, according to The Wall Street Journal Online.

Nokia’s Executive Vice President of Services, Niklas Salvander stated the joint venture was a natural next step for the company to “…bring locally relevant mobile services to Chinese consumers.” He also added that in doing so, they would have “…right platform and expertise to offer a suite of selected Nokia Ovi services–as well as work with local content developers to help bring their applications to market.” Ovi is the platform Nokia uses to bring the internet to their customers.

The Chinese mobile market is the largest in the world and in taking these steps with the joint venture, Nokia could very well outshine all other mobile companies in the area.

RIM to Customize their BlackBerry In Direct Competition with Apple
Taking after Motorola with the customization of the MT710, a necessary evil to offer and use WiFi and 3G services in China, as all other forms are banned, RIMs now offering to customize their BlackBerry i and conform it to China Mobile’s proprietary TD-SCDMA 3G technology to step up competition between them and Apple. Apple started selling their best selling iPhone in China through China Mobile on October 30th. Granted, sales have not been what they predicted, but that is because iPhone refused to compromise and conform to china Mobile’s 3G and WiFi technology standards, leaving the iPhone WiFi and 3Gless because the use of anything but China’s native technology is barred in the country.

According to Bloomberg.com, even though in September, China’s mobile phone users in China totaled over 719.8M, including the addition of 9.3M in September alone, RIM only accounts for 1% of China’s mobile phone market. According to Sandy Shen, “…RIM is needs to appeal to the average consumer as well as the corporates” is they want to get ahead.

The Chairman of China Mobile, Wang Jianzhou, stated the newly customized Blackberry will release “very soon” although no price has been set as of yet because they need to adjust prices based on current offerings and sales. Prices and plans are “quite high” already with the current Blackberry 8700, which runs only on 2G. Sales are not what they should be and the new 3G phones are bound to be more expensive than the 2Gs so prices will need to come down on the current devices before offering the new ones in order to increase sales all around.

And the Verdict Is?
What I don’t understand, if China is such a huge market, why haven’t more companies compromised with them before to get their 3G phones on the market and sold before this? It just makes sense to do so and, as we all saw with the iPhone, not doing so can cause sales to plummet. We also can see this with Blackberry owning only 1% of the market that this holds true.

Maybe if Apple would give in and allow the iPhone to conform, their sales would pick up. Besides, who wants an iPhone that doesn’t have 3G anymore? That is what makes it better than the others in the first place! at least it was until Motorola Droid topped it… Maybe when iPhone first came out it was ok without the 3G, but now, with all the Droid mobile phones out there, an iPhone without 3G is just about as useful as a paperweight, IMHO.

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The Android Market went live almost a year ago and was supposed to be the big answer to Apple’s App Store. But unfortunately, things are not going the way Google had expected. Developers are increasingly not happy with the way things are. Here’s the scoop.

No Profits for Android Developers?
Well, there is profit, just not as much as the developers were expecting there to be. Apparently, according to a study done by SkyHook Wireless, the developers are becoming more and more frustrated with the functionality of the Android Market and they (the developers) are not at all satisfied with their profits and they are also having trouble generating revenue at all. SkyHook noted in their report:

This is the result of very low average download volumes, a poorly designed market, lack of an effective customer billing system, and the incapacity to serve ads. Due to these low profits, developers are becoming hesitant to invest more time and effort into apps that do not pay off.

When Verizon first released the Droid on November 6th, it was said to be the first viable competitor to the iPhone. And so far, the fact remains the same. And even though Windows came out with their Marketplace for Mobile, the Android Market was most likely to directly compete with the App Store alongside the Droid itself. But the one thing that can bring them down is the Android Market itself. According to the study by SkyHook, completed October 30, their findings concluded that:

• 57% of developers said they are not satisfied with their profits on Android
• 90% of developers reported individual app downloads of 10,000 or under on Android.
• 52% of Android developers’ apps were downloaded fewer than 5,000 times.
  Developers are concerned that Google Checkout contributes to their low download volumes
• 43% feel that they would sell more apps if Android used a carrier billing or another simpler billing system.
• 82% of those surveyed feel that the design of the Android Marketplace makes it difficult for apps to be noticed.
• 68% of those surveyed are somewhat or not likely to put further work into their apps, compared to when they first released their app.

Another Looming Problem
Not only is there the problem with the developers not being happy, but they are actually considering not keeping the apps already in the Market up to date. Check out these facts and figures from the same report:

68 percent of developers are only “somewhat likely or not likely” to continue investing time and effort into the apps already on the market and also for new ones. The developers are afraid that because of the fragmentation of the different Android versions, it will make developing the apps more difficult to do.

That fact combined with the figures of very low volume of app sales, with the best sales almost never going over 10,000 units sold collectively for any particular app and 90 percent of those sales taking place within the first 6 months of the release of the app in question. Then developers need to take into account the poor design of the Android Market, where most developers, 90 percent of them, agree that the redesign of the Market has impeded the ability of consumers to actually find the apps, let alone purchase them. The low visibility is absolutely intolerable.

This coupled with the lack of effective advertising makes for very poor sales. Not to mention the lack of an effective consumer billing system too. Put it all together, and you have got some very unhappy developers.

And the Verdict Is?
Overall, most developers are still psyched about the platform’s potential and are hoping the process will become easier in the long run. If it does, it will be the iPhone killer everyone is hoping for. But if not I fear, along with the developers, Android will become just another platform. They need to do something soon, as I am sure they don’t want their developers leaving the Android platform and going where the money flows openly…even if it IS hard to get an app accepted, at least they can make some money off them…

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What’s The Deal?
Just in time for the holiday’s, your weekly accessories list letting you know the best of the best, cream of the crop top accessories for the most popular phones. This time, the Motorola Droid is at the top of the list and Black Friday is right around the corner. So maybe, with any luck, you will be able to scoop up these practical accessories for the Droid at a deep discount. And if not, then gt them anyway. they will no only make your life with a Droid Smartphone easier, but it will look stylish too (as if it needs anymore style).

#1-The Multi-Media Desktop Charger for Droid

Desk Charger

#2-The Blue Vision II by Mr. Hands Free

Mr. Handsfree Blue Vision II

#3-Motorola Micro USB High Performance Car Charger for Droid

Motorols Car Charger

#4-The BlackBerry Stereo Headset With Noise Isolating Car Gels (3.5mm) For Droid

BlackBerry for Doris Headset

#5-The Body Glove Landmark Universal Case for Droid

Body Glove Case for Droid

And the Verdict Is?
Well, that’s it folks… The top five cream of the crop best of the best accessories for the Droid. So what do you think? Does anyone have any others they would like to add to the list? Or do you disagree with anything here? Drop a line or leave a comment and let us know!

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