Prakash Advani's Blog

What is special about the Open-PC?

• Hardware and Software is selected by the Linux Community
• The PC is preconfigured and easy to use by everybody
• Telephone and Email support is included.
• Only free software is used, including the drivers
• Only fully documented hardware is used
• There are different manufacturers who build and sell the Open-PCs
• A part of the price is a donation to KDE
• Everything, including the software, is developed in the open. Everybody can contribute.

Open PC.

I have been using an Android phone for more than month now. I used the original iPhone which I upgraded upto iPhone 3.0. I have used newer iPhones 3GS, 4 occasionally. Here is what I find better in the Android platform:

1. No Need for iTunes: Apple insists for syncing music, video and other things, you need iTunes. Which requires a PC/Notebook with Windows or Mac. This is a big limitation for me for two reasons. One, you need a computer, today cellphones are out-selling computers so why have the need for a computer. The second is I don’t use Windows or Mac, I use Linux. So every time I needed to add an MP3 into my iPhone, I had to re-boot into Windows.. newer version of Ubuntu, allow you to sync with iPhone without iTunes, which is nice but it still requires a PC.
   With Android, I can stick-in a memory card full of music and it will allow you to play it. You can also transfer from another phone/PC via Bluetooth.
2. No Apple Tax on data usage: In India Vodafone charges higher for data usage if you have an iPhone, essentially a part of the data revenue gets shared with Apple.  Do I get any benefit of paying the Apple Tax? No, so why should I ? Android phones data plans are the standard plans and they are cheaper.
3. Choice of Vendors: With Android, you have a choice of vendors to choose from. Android has the large number of vendors supporting it, while iOS is only available from Apple. Competition is always good for the customer.
4. Cheaper and pricing options: You can purchase an Android phone from Rs. 6800 ($150) up to Rs. 32,000 ($710), while the iPhone costs $800 in India.
5. Faster availability: iPhone 4 is still not available in India, while 3GS is priced very expensive. Android phones are hitting the markets faster pace.
6. No Vendor lockin: When you buy an iPhone you are locked into apple and also with the service provider due to contracts etc.. With Android you can choose to buy your own handset and take the plan of your choice without any contracts.
7. More Free Apps: Lots of free apps right from Wi-Fi hostspot to games are available. While many of these apps are charged on the iPhone.
8. Play you own ring tone! Apple doesn’t allow you to select any music from your collection as your ring tone, while Android has no such restrictions.
9. Expandable Memory: When you buy an Apple product, you better be sure how much memory you are going to need. You would either end up buying more than what you need or if you buy with less, you would always feel wish I had bought the model with higher memory. With Android, you have a choice of phones which has expandable memory slot. So if you every run out of memory in the phone, you can always add expandable memory.  This also works out cheaper.
10. OS upgrade make your phone faster. With iPhone, every time I would upgrade the OS, my phone would slow down.. it was tell me time to get the new  iPhone. With Android, upgrading to the newer version of the OS actually makes your phone faster. The upgrade on Android also doesn’t require iTunes or a PC, so can be done directly

Motorola Atix the most powerful Android phone is now available for purchase.

US$599 without any contract and $129 with 2 year contact with AT&T.

Order Motorola Atrix on Amazon.

Samsung has announced the I9100 here is whats new..

• 8 MP Camera
• 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen
• 16 or 32GB memory
• HSDPA 21 Mbps for high speed data downloads
• USB on the go, so you can connect other USB devices
• Full HD, with 1080p video recording
• Gyroscope sensor for gaming and other applications which require 3D orientation
• Dual Core 1GHZ processor
• Near Field Communications (NFC) support, which doesn’t have any application today but could be used in future for payments, etc.

Samsung has discontinued Samsung I9000 Galaxy S and has replaced it with Samsung I9003 Galaxy SL, here is the difference:

• Sumer AMOLED display is replaced by Super Clear LCD. Resolution remains the same.
• Slight heavier 131 grams vs. 119 grams.
• Preloaded with Android 2.2, while Galaxy S has 2.1 but is upgradable to 2.2
• Has 16G storage, while the Galaxy S has 8 or 16.
• 1GHz Hummingbird (Samsung) processor is replaced by TI, speed remains the same.
• Battery has been bumped up from 1500mAh to 1650mAh, that answers the increase in weight.

Final Thoughts:

I don’t see much change in specification,  If you are using Galaxy S, you need not upgrade. If you are planning to buy a new one, you could get a good deal on Samsung Galaxy S. You can always add additional memory if you need and change the battery to 1650mAh.. since battery life was one big complain for Samsung Galaxy S users.

Samsung Galaxy S is available on Amazon for $539.