MWC 2011: Android Mania

With a few small exceptions, MWC this year was all about Android. It's not so much that Android stole the show -- more like it was given the show. Other platforms were there, of course, but their presence didn't move the needle much compared to ubiquity of Google's mobile OS. How much of an edge did this conference give Android over its rival platforms?

In the past year, Android has managed to replace iOS as the most popular smartphone platform for new purchases, and it even toppled Nokia's (NYSE: NOK) Symbian OS on a global scale, according to at least one report. So it's not surprising that at the Mobile World Congress last week, Android took center stage. What is perhaps surprising, though, is it seemed to actually take almost the entire stage.

The Mobile World Congress is an annual trade show in Europe, and it dates back all the way to 1987. However, since in its earlier years most consumers only wanted a cell phone that could, well, make calls, until recently MWC had remained a rather niche and specialized event.

Android Takes Over the MWC

In more recent years, though, the show has come to be a barometer of the smartphone industry, and it continues to pick up steam. This year, it was the launch pad for a whole bunch of hotly anticipated devices. The Samsung Galaxy S II made its debut, Sony (NYSE: SNE) Ericsson's (Nasdaq: ERICY) Xperia Play was on mass display for the first time, and LG's G-Slate made quite a big splash, to name just a few. A lot of powerful mobile companies were in attendance this year, but there's something curious about all these devices ... they're seemingly all powered by Android.

Sure, other platforms were represented, but the above devices, as well as the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, not to mention Android developers themselves, were the ones grabbing the biggest headlines.

Apple: There but Not There

It almost seems like a slap in the face, then, that Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone 4 was selected to win the show's Best Mobile Device honor. Cupertino probably could have stolen a lot of attention away from Android at the event, except for the fact that Apple doesn't seem to like to attend shows hosted by other people. As such, it had no official presence at the Mobile World Congress whatsoever.

Research In Motion's (Nasdaq: RIMM) Playbook tablet was on display. However, as a known product that's already been seen up-close at gatherings like CES, it was certainly hard to compete with offerings like LG's G-Slate or Samsung's new Galaxy Tab -- brand new devices that with which the public hasn't had much hands-on time.

And meanwhile, by the time MWC rolled around, HP's (NYSE: HPQ) webOS tablet, the Touchpad, already seemed like old news. It got swept under the rug almost entirely.

Android No Longer Needs to Prove Itself

"Android is poised to absolutely dominate the entire smartphone market. It has reached the point of penetration where consumers may not even really want or be aware that they are buying an Android phone," said Ben Cull, entrepreneur and founder of development company TBODA.

"It has become the de facto mobile operating system. Buying an Android phone these days is like going to the supermarket for detergent and just blindly buying a bottle of Tide," he told LinuxInsider.

Android no longer needs to prove itself, Yankee Group analyst Daniel Taylor told Linux Insider. "At this point, everyone knows what Android is and knows that it does a good job. MWC this year is more about the products. The spotlight should be on LG, Motorola, and Samsung. Advancements in Android aren't huge, but advancements in hardware are."

Windows Phone 7 May Pose a Challenge, Eventually

However, Cull actually has more of a penchant for Windows Phone 7, and he thinks it has the potential to blossom into something big.

"It's still a new entity, and everyone in the mobile space is waiting for it to mature a bit, but [WP7] could definitely start giving Android a run for its money if Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) continues its strong commitment," he said.

If Microsoft can get its act together, maybe next year's MWC will be a bit more interesting on a software standpoint, but for now, it's really all about Android.

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What Can 3D Do for the Web?

Electronics manufacturers are still trying to pull together the right mix of conditions necessary to make 3D TV reach critical mass in consumer popularity -- price, content, standards, etc. Could the Web be an easier channel through which 3D can blossom? It may be easier to distribute content, but hardware runs into a familiar chicken-and-egg problem.

In 2009, director James Cameron made people love seeing 3D movies in the theater again. In 2010, electronics companies began offering the first in-home stereoscopic 3D TV sets, and content providers launched Blu-ray 3D and broadcast 3D channels.

Now it's 2011, and there are still big changes happening in the 3D space, but there's one major source of media and entertainment that hasn't really come a-knocking to the 3D door yet.

It's surely only a matter of time before the Web starts going to a new dimension. 

Early 3D Troubles

Despite all of the 3D stuff going on in the consumer electronics market these days, advances may be coming a little too fast for some consumers. 3D TV sales last year were below expectations for manufacturers like Samsung, which threw considerable weight behind the new format. Many consumers shied away from this expensive new format that had almost no content.

Despite that, many are starting to take a different path. One of the emerging trends is glasses-free 3D technology, also known as "autostereoscopic 3D." LG has introduced a new iPad rival, the G-Slate, which can produce images that have the sense of depth, without the need for users to wear glasses. But something like that can only have high appeal if there is compelling content.

Obviously, 3D TV programming and Blu-ray 3D movies are out of the question there, so 3D content on the Internet would perhaps be the most compelling selling point.

Aside from glasses-free 3D tablets, computer makers that are manufacturing 3D hardware are finding it difficult to advertise exclusive 3D content. 3D computers are selling even worse than 3D TVs. At this point, it's up to online content providers to step up to the plate and bring this home media revolution to the cyber world.

Adding 3D to the Web

This isn't a completely new idea. There have been limited 3D streaming events online. NASCAR helped bring some of its races last year to 3D computer viewers via an exclusive online stream that was not broadcast on any 3D TV network. For the most part, though, 3D hasn't penetrated the Net.

It's a tough game of catch-22, Jordan Cressman, associate professor at The Ohio State University and a blogger for I4U News, told TechNewsWorld.

"Internet content providers don't want to spend resources creating 3D content unless there are a lot of people with Internet-connected 3D devices," she noted. "But by the same token, people don't want to buy expensive 3D devices unless there's a lot of 3D content."

Realistically, Cressman said, it's the content providers who need to make the first move. However, that might be an easier proposition for the Internet than it is for a traditional movie studio or satellite provider. Current 3D pioneers like DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV) and ESPN have had to not only buy new 3D video equipment and transmission technologies, but they have to lobby advertisers to make 3D commercials and help manufacturers market their 3D hardware.

It's Not As Easy As It Sounds

For an Internet company, the only thing required is content. Distribution is easy, as Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff pointed out.

"The technology is there. Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE) and Roxio have 3D video software, and there are already affordable 3D cameras on the market," Bernoff told TechNewsWorld. However, he said, there is still a hurdle with getting consumers to buy the hardware. "Sluggish sales of 3D TVs are sending a clear message that consumers don't really want 3D content in their homes, at least not yet."

That could be the message, or it could just be that consumers are confused by the whole 3D technology revolution. After all, there are a lot of things to consider when getting a 3D setup. It's not as easy as when the HD shift happened -- back then, consumers needed to buy an HDTV and an appropriate set of cables.

Now, they have to buy a 3D TV and 3D glasses that are made by the same manufacturer as the TV -- that is, if you buy a stereoscopic 3D TV. However, if you buy a Cinema 3D TV, like the one currently available from Vizio, you can buy any set of passive 3D glasses. Then again, there are new 3D TVs coming out that don't require any glasses. And to watch a Blu-ray 3D movie, you can't use any old Blu-ray player; you need one that specifically has 3D functionality.

Unfortunately, that same confusion applies to computers as well, with some displays that require 3D glasses and some that don't.

Also, many consumers have eye conditions that simply don't allow them to see 3D effects at all.

"Before launching, did [3D TV manufacturers] know that the thing can actually make roughly 20 percent of the audience sick to their stomachs? Did they take into account that an overwhelming majority of consumers say they are not interested in 3D TV? Or, at least, paying premium prices to bring one home?" said TVPredictions.com President Phillip Swann.

"If TV makers don't slow this train down, 3D TV could become the biggest -- and most costly -- mistake in the history of consumer electronics," he told TechNewsWorld.

Too Big to Fail?

In the end, it may be this variety of formats that kills 3D, but no one seems to want to stop trying. 3D is not a fad, Cressman contended, but merely a format experiencing growing pangs.

"There are a lot of problems with 3D in the marketplace, but with the entire consumer electronics and content industries in extreme support of it, there's no way it will die," she said

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WinPho 7 Update Gives Some Phones Fatal Brain Spasm

Users of certain Samsung phones running the Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system have complained that a recent software update issued by Microsoft has bricked their handsets. It's likely that the update wasn't thoroughly tested and was failing partway through the installation on the Samsung devices, speculated Chris Hazelton, a research director at the 451 Group.

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) released its first software update for Windows Phone 7 this week -- and promptly stubbed its toe.

The update reportedly caused problems with Omnia 7 and Focus smartphones, both made by Samsung. Some users complained that the update left their phones "bricked," or rendered completely inoperable.

Microsoft has apparently temporary disabled the update for these devices.

Redmond did not respond to requests for comment by press time, while Samsung Mobile referred questions to company headquarters in Korea.

WinPho7's Wee Update

The update in question is a "relatively small one," according to the Windows Phone blog. It's designed to improve the software update process so that features users want, such as copy and paste, can be installed on their WinPho7 devices.

Microsoft is rolling out the update in phases.

Unlike some other mobile operating system vendors' updates, which are sent over the air, Microsoft took an old-fashioned approach with this update. WinPho7 device owners have to connect their phones to their computers through a USB cable and use either the Zune software for their PCs or the WinPho7 Connector for Mac to install the update.

Users who had previously installed the Zune software or the WinPho7 Connector on their computers previously may have to update those programs before proceeding with the update to WinPho7.

Microsoft's Pain

How could something have gone wrong with the update? Didn't Samsung, like other device manufacturers, work closely with Microsoft to ensure its products work well with WinPho7?

It's likely that the update wasn't thoroughly tested and was failing partway through the installation on the Samsung devices, speculated Chris Hazelton, a research director at the 451 Group. This is corrupting the devices' firmware, he suggested.

"Microsoft just can't catch a break," sighed Maribel Lopez, principal analyst at Lopez Research.

"This speaks to the complexities of having to create software that fits multiple vendors' platforms," Lopez told TechNewsWorld. "Something like this is bound to happen."

Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) doesn't seem to have had a problem with rolling out an operating system that runs on multiple vendors' platforms, though -- there don't seem to be any similar complaints from vendors making Android phones.

"We haven't heard of updates breaking phones using any other mobile OS vendor's platform," Lopez pointed out.

Microsoft will need to reissue the update, but it may hold off and wait until the next major software release, Hazelton told TechNewsWorld.

The reissue may come soon, he opined.

Impact on Microsoft

Microsoft's fallen well behind in the highly competitive mobile phone market, and the delayed debut of WinPho7 didn't help. When it announced earlier this month that it is teaming up with Nokia (NYSE: NOK), which abandoned its own MeeGo and Symbian platforms for the marriage, criticism was raised that it was the wedding of two has-beens -- Nokia has been losing ground steadily in the global mobile phone market itself.

"I would consider this more of an embarrassment than an actual setback," Lopez Research's Lopez said. "You can fix these things, but it's one of those things that you don't want to see in the headlines when you wake up in the morning if you're Microsoft."

On the other hand, the update issue won't deter any hardware vendors who have already committed to WinPho7, Lopez pointed out.

"Updates are difficult processes," the 451 Group's Hazelton said. "This could push back future updates slightly."

On the other hand, the problem might spur Microsoft to leap into the 21st century and begin issuing over-the-air updates like other mobile platform vendors do, Hazelton suggested.

"At this point, the over-the-air update should be a very simple thing," Lopez said.

"My biggest problem with Microsoft right now is that it has a new mobile operating system," Lopez added. "Until Nokia's announcement that it would work with Microsoft, it was unclear whether Windows Phone 7 would be longstanding; now it's unclear whether it's ready for prime time."

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PS3 Could Become a Harder Nut to Crack

Sony is neither confirming nor denying rumors that it will soon phase out current models of its PlayStation 3 in favor of a new version that makes it much harder for hackers to crack its firmware and reprogram it for other uses. Sony contends that hacking facilitates piracy, but its attempts to lock down its system may also hamper benign experimentation.

Sony (NYSE: SNE) doesn't like it when gamers mess with its products. The company's stance against PS3 hacking -- users altering the machine's programming to make it perform functions other than playing games -- continues to grow stronger, as Sony pulls out the legal guns and shows no signs of backing down.

When it comes to consumer electronics, unauthorized hacking and pirating seem like unavoidable hassles. Every product appears to get cracked eventually. According to a new rumor, though, Sony is working on a way to prevent it altogether. 

PS3 Hacking Turmoil

This rumor arrives in the midst of a high-profile gamer-versus-game-company lawsuits. Sony has sued PS3 hacker George Hotz after he found out how to compromise the system's security and then posted all the details online.

Sony has already been victorious in early court rulings. Hotz was ordered to turn over all of his computer equipment and forced to take down every one of his online posts that told readers how to hack their PS3s.

Hotz has said that he never intended for anyone to use his hacking tools to run unauthorized software. He says it was only meant to be used as a means of playing backed up copies of legitimately owned games. But in the eyes of Sony and the presiding judge, that's sort of like putting up a huge billboard that says "Don't Look Here!" and then acting surprised when people look at it.

This isn't the only legal battle the PS3 has faced, though. Last year, Sony removed the console's ability to run open source operating system Linux. When the PS3 was first released, one of its most intriguing features was the ability to install and basically use it as a powerful computer.

However, some gamers started using that functionality as an easy way to run unauthorized PS3 software on the system. As a result, Sony forced all Internet-connected PS3s to disable the feature.

Beyond that, Sony has issued numerous firmware updates for the PS3 to increase security and prevent any sort of unlicensed accessories from working. In so doing, it actually made some official accessories -- including Mad Catz controllers -- unusable.

"Third-party accessories are a cornerstone of the video game console market," Brian Matte, GameStop general manager in New York City, told TechNewsWorld. "Sony now only wants you to buy products that it makes, which can be 50 percent to 100 percent more expensive than a third-party option. The PS3 console is already pricey enough; by siphoning off options for affordable peripherals and accessories, it really has an impact on budget-conscious gamers

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Your Brain on Cellphones: Effects Present, Consequences Unknown

Cellphone radiation boosts brain activity, according to new research, but whether that's bad, neutral or possibly even good is still anyone's guess. Those concerned about cellphones and health counsel extra caution. "Most people are clueless about how cellphones work," says Devra Lee Davis of Environmental Health Trust. "Basically, they are two-way microwave radios that use the same frequencies as a microwave oven. You can boil water in a microwave in two minutes."

An issue that periodically makes its way into public discourse -- the impact and possible dangers to brain development and health posed by the ubiquitous use of cellphones -- is being revisited thanks to a newly published scientific study in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

However, rather than offering any definitive answers, the new research, led by Nora D. Volkow of the National Institutes of Health, raises more questions. Volkow and colleagues found that 50 minutes of cellphone use was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism -- a marker of brain activity -- in the region closest to the phone antenna. What that means is unclear.

The research team was not unaware of the health controversies surrounding cellular telephones, particularly concerns that exposure to the devices' radiofrequency-modulated electromagnetic fields could potentially have carcinogenic effects.

Epidemiologic studies of the association between cellphone use and the prevalence of brain tumors have been inconsistent, they pointed out in their report, with some, but not all, showing increased risk. That issue, in short, is unresolved.

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Epic Makes Unreal Engine More Realistic for Small Devs

Independent developers who want to make use of Epic Games' popular Unreal Engine tools can now do so for free, as long as their revenue stays below $50,000. Epic's move could provide a springboard for small, short-on-cash dev outfits, including those whose sights are aimed at casual games on the iPhone and Android platforms.

Epic Games has created award-winning series like "Gears of War" and "Unreal Tournament," as well as a popular proprietary development platform. That platform, Unreal Engine, doesn't only appear in Epic titles, though. The company has allowed other developers to license it -- for a fee.

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Discovery Blazes One Last Trail

The space shuttle Discovery may be the most successful spacecraft in history. She launched the Hubble telescope and carried more crews safely to and from space than any other ship. She was first to bring a satellite back to Earth; first to have a female pilot at the helm; first to carry the oldest person into space -- 77-year-old John Glenn; first to host an African-American space walker; and first to fly a member of Congress into orbit, Utah Senator Jake Garn.

Just shy of 40 successful space journeys, the NASA shuttle Discovery headed to the International Space Station (ISS) Thursday on a final mission that followed repair problems and bad weather.

Known as "STS-133," Discovery's last voyage will take 11 days. The shuttle is delivering a variety of parts and modules to the space station and carrying an interesting hitchhiker --a humanoid robot named "Robonaut 2," or "R2."

"Discovery's final flight involves delivery of a last few components to the ISS," said Stevens Institute of Technology space systems engineering professor Debra Lepore, former lead engineer for the technical panel of the U.S. Congressional Space Launch Modernization Plan.

"The components can house science experiments, help expand laboratory capabilities, and increase storage space," Lepore told TechNewsWorld. "Think of them like additional rooms added to a modular home."

With Discovery in retirement, NASA will shutter its entire shuttle program after two more missions are completed.

U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords -- recovering from gunshot wounds in a Houston rehabilitation clinic -- will watch as her husband Mark Kelly joins the shuttle Endeavour crew for its final flight April 19.

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