Facebook Home Is Out……. Gets Many 1 Star Ratings

So Facebook fans who have Android phones, Facebook Home is out and available. That’s where the good news ends. If you look at Google Play the average rating is 2.3 stars and the majority of ratings are 1 star ratings.

Can you say #epicfail? Oh, sorry. Wrong social networking site.

Here’s what users had to say:

Not an intuitive app. Made my phone so frustratingly complicated to use that I uninstalled after just four or five hours. Unless major changes are made including an easy way to get to my home screen I will not reinstall.

So I downloaded the app, and within 10 minutes of downloading, I uninstalled. Was not impressed by this app at all. Might be nice for some people, but not me.

I tried it ,and to be honest, it just was too much. I would like it better if it was just the lock screen, but it gets annoying. Plus, it hid most of my other apps (namely google ones lol).

It won’t let you launch the app without clearing your preference for a home screen, the app doesn’t have customizable shortcuts for the main screen, adding apps to the app screen is lame. Just getting to the phone app to make a call takes too many clicks. It’s a phone first people. Needs a lot of work. The app needs to help a phone be more functional and integrated, not take away from the flexibility that android provides.

Now there are good reviews. But most of them are like this. Not good if you are Facebook. The question is, how will Facebook respond.

AVG Announces AVG TuneUp for Android

AVG users can help Android users get better performance from their devices with AVG TuneUp For Android which was announced yesterday:

Built to help users get improved performance from their Android™ smartphones and tablets, AVG TuneUp for Android™ combines several tools to increase device performance, including a task killer, battery saver and storage space manager, and also allows users to monitor their data usage. The application enables users to fine-tune their device’s performance to keep it running as  smoothly as possible.

“Smartphones and tablets are increasingly integral to our business and social lives. Being able to reply to email, edit documents, search the web and connect with our friends while on the move is something that many of us take for granted,” said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, Chief Technology Officer at AVG Technologies. “Given this, it can be incredibly frustrating when your device runs out of battery suddenly or when multiple applications are leading to a sluggish user experience. AVG TuneUp for Android™ offers a range of easy to use smart tools that work together to ensure that your Android device can keep up with your busy schedule.”

Interested? You can grab a copy from Google Play. It’s free and has gotten some very positive reviews.

Apple Exec Takes Shot At Android Via Twitter….. Not A Good Idea

Phil Schiller who is the top marketing exec at Apple seems to have taken on Steve Jobs hate of the Android platform. He posted a Tweet yesterday linking to F-Secure Labs’ latest quarterly Mobile Threat report [Warning: PDF] which speaks to marware on the Android platform getting worse and not better. Clearly he’s got a point to prove. But I would not be so smug if I were him as he should look at the security of iOS. If you recall iPhones have a bug where their lock screens bypassed and there’s no fix as of yet. I’d like to think that fixing that bug is a higher priority than dishing dirt. But I guess that’s not how things work at 1 Infinite Loop.

Also, if I were him, I’d remember that saying about throwing stones in glass houses. Because this may come back to bite him.

Android 4.2.1 Out… Fixes Bugs Including The Fact That Google Forgot December

Responding to some rather brutal bug reports including the fact that the entire month of December was somehow missing, Google released Android 4.2.1 today according to a couple of sources. It also addresses Bluetooth connectivity issues, but it is unclear if it fixes problems concerning poor battery life and random reboots. Still, at least the month of December is there, and just in time too.

 

Android 4.2: Buggy, Buggy, Buggy

If you’re an Android user and you haven’t upgraded to Android 4.2 (AKA: Jelly Bean), I would suggest that you don’t. If you already have, I pity you. According to many including Android Police, it’s incredibly bug ridden:

We all love Android, and we also love when Google releases a new iteration of our favorite mobile OS. Sometimes, though, even Google screws up a bit, and Android 4.2 is looking to be one of the most bug-ridden releases since Honeycomb. And, let’s be honest: 4.2 isn’t exactly the leap that 2.3 to 3.0 was, either. Chances are, if you’re on Android 4.2, you’ve experienced at least one of the issues here. Some aren’t that bad, but some can just ruin your day, and we’re a little shocked Google missed them.

That doesn’t sound good. What kind of bugs am I talking about? Here’s a list:

• Auto-Brightness Bugs
• Bluetooth Is Basically Broken
• Random Reboots / Major Instability
• Extreme Battery Drain / Slow Charging
• Lockscreen Widgets / Camera App
• December Is Missing (seriously, Google forgot to include the month of December)

Read the article for details, but it really doesn’t look good. It it couldn’t have come at a worse time for Google when they’re trying to keep pace with Apple and fend off Microsoft in the smartphone market.

Digital Backpack Launches for Android

I have a soft spot for up and coming Canadian companies. Such a company is Digital Backpack who have launched an app for Android smart phones that allows companies to securely distribute apps without relying on an app store. Here’s how the company explains it:

Our scalable platform helps your organization share and manage digital content and apps on multiple devices. We can even provide you with real-time analytics to help you evaluate which apps and digital content are being used – and which aren’t. With Digital Backpack, you can turn any mobile device into a private, secure, and manageable part of your organization’s community.

Additionally, as more and more organizations implement a “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policy in education and the workplace, Digital Backpack helps you securely manage your organization’s private content on your employees’ or students’ personal devices. You do not need to control the entire device, just a small digital “Backpack” (super app) that sits on any mobile device.

Now this makes sense to me. A lot of companies out there could leverage this and not be reliant on Google’s app store to do it. Though I don’t see it happening, it would be nice if this came to the iOS ecosystem. I’m thinking that once companies see the value in this, they’ll be beating a path to Digital Backpack’s door. Another thing in their favor is Mike Sommer who is the CEO of Digital Backpack. He is the former CIO of Pacific Mergers & Acquisitions and founder of Pacific Online Learning – a company whose platform is being used by Facebook, AT&T, The American Red Cross, and Home Depot. It sounds like that he has the ability to take this company to the next level.

My advice, keep an eye on this company. I really think they’re going to be a company that will make a lot a noise.

Nielsen Says Android Leads, Apple Follows, And Blackberry Dying In Q2 2012

Nielsen released stats about smartphone purchases in Q2 2012. A bunch of things pop out. First of all, 2 of 3 Americans are opting for smartphones. But what are they opting for? Here’s the stone cold truth:

Android continues to lead the smartphone market in the U.S., with a majority of smartphone owners (51.8%) using an Android OS handset. Over a third (34.3%) of smartphone owners use an Apple iPhone, and Blackberry owners represented another 8.1 percent of the smartphone market.

Well. I think that tells a lot. Nobody wants a Blackberry which is just one more nail in their coffin. Consider that not to long ago Blackberry marketshare was 15%. Another thing to note is that Apple isn’t as dominant as you might think in the smartphone market. They may sell more than any smartphone manufacturer. But clearly all the Android manufacturers combined give Android a bigger market share. That’s something that cannot be ignored.

Let’s see what happens in Q3. Android 4.1 should be out by then along with the much rumored iPhone 5. And there will be no new Blackberry product on the streets. I can guess what the results will be.

University Of Windsor Announces Mobile App To Help Students

I get a bunch of press releases in my inbox every day. This one got my attention. The University Of Windsor has announced that they have come out with an app for smartphones that helps students. How does it help students? Here’s how:

Among the services and information students will now be able to access through their phones are:

• capability to review courses, schedules, grades and exams
• update financial information on their accounts, including their UWinCARDS and meal plans
• ability to receive direct messages from professors and course instructors
• a campus map which will allow them to search for specific buildings
• check out menus and daily specials at the Market Place Cafe
• get updates on Lancer sports
• gain access to such social media sites as the UWindsor’s Facebook page, YouTube channel and Twitter feed
• ability to listen to CJAM, the University’s campus radio station

“It is a priority for the University of Windsor to enhance the student experience with a wide variety of convenient services,” said UWindsor president Alan Wildeman. “Our IT and Public Affairs and Communications departments have been hard at work over the past several months working on the development and launch of this new tool that gives you access to many campus services right in the palm of your hand. It’s a powerful way of keeping our students, staff, faculty, visitors and alumni in touch with all the exciting things happening at their university.”

I could have used this app when I was in school. But I went to school when cell phones were just becoming popular and the most popular apps (or applications as my generation called them) were WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3 which I used on DOS on my trusty Toshiba T1000SE laptop that I took to all my classes.  There. I just dated myself.

The apps are free to download for your iPhone, BlackBerry and Android smartphones. If you’re a student of the University Of Windsor, this is a must download. I also expect other universities to be following the lead of the University Of Windsor as well.

Sony Announces Android 4.0 Update For Sony Tablet S [UPDATED]

Got a Sony Tablet S? Been itching to get Android 4.0 on it? I got some news for you. It’s available. Here’s what you get:

• Enhanced lock screen
  • Direct access to Notifications
  • Unlock direct to camera

• New panoramic camera mode

• Enhanced Gallery media viewer
  • Direct SD card access + photo editing tools

• Exclusive “Small Apps’ for multi-tasking
  • Calculator, Browser, Remote Control
  • Move to screen edge for reduced clutter

• New Home Screen actions
  • Drag icons together to create folders
  • Add names to folders

• Enhanced web browser
  • Switch from mobile to desktop web sites
  • Save pages for offline viewing

• Access files directly from SD card

• Native screenshot capture
  • Press “Power” and “Volume”

You’ll be prompted to update on your Tablet S the next time you connect to WiFi. Just follow the directions. It’s that simple.

UPDATE: Sony sent me this link to a video that shows the new features of the update.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Hits The Streets…. Does Anybody Care?

There’s news from the sinking ship known as RIM today. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion which allows iOS and Android devices to be managed from a BES server or from a separate computer was released today. Here’s what the product does from the press release:

In addition to providing unmatched functionality for BlackBerry devices, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion also provides comprehensive mobile device management capabilities for iOS and Android devices including:

• Support for multiple devices per user
• Application and software management
• Connectivity management (Wi-Fi®, VPN, certificates)
• Centralized, easy to use, unified web-based console
• Security and policy definition and management
• Asset management
• Configuration  management
• Security and protection for lost or stolen devices (remote lock, wipe)
• User- and group-based administration
• High scalability

Here’s another key point from the press release:

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion software is available as a free download and is priced by the number of devices being managed. Client access licenses (CALs) start at $99 per user or $4 per user per month (billed annually); volume discounts are also available. In addition, RIM is offering a 60 day free trial, so customers can deploy a pilot before purchasing a single CAL. The 60 day free trial is available at
https://www.blackberry.com/eBES/trialOrder.do?id=121
.

You’ll need to download the iOS or Android client to every device you want to manage and the cost for the clients is $0.

Too bad it doesn’t matter.

What RIM is doing is using the “if you can’t beat them, join them” logic. They can’t beat Apple or Google so they have decided to co-exist with them and make money from the service end of things. All of this assumes that businesses won’t simply dump their BES servers and run iOS and Android devices from their MS Exchange servers directly. Too bad that’s exactly what’s happening. If they came out with this a year ago, I might be thinking differently. But since they came out with this today, it has #irrelevant written all over it.