Instagram is Not at War with Twitter (Droid-Life)

In my latest post at Droid-Life I explain why I think Instagram is not at war with Twitter. Twitter may be trying to fight against Instagram with their photo filters (which have been rumored for months), but Instagram’s move to no longer support Twitter Cards is simply a move to improve Instagram users’ experience. I don’t understand why everyone thinks Instagram is trying to screw Twitter with this move; they’re providing a vastly superior experience by dropping Twitter Card support.

Read the article here.

LTE on the Nexus 4

Andy Rubin claims that there are two reasons the Nexus 4 does not have LTE: cost and battery life.

If the radio costs more, the solution is to charge more for the device, not to not include it. While people like a cheap device, they also like a device that runs on LTE. I find it a little hard to believe that the cost of an LTE radio would have really raise the price so high that they couldn’t sell it at a compelling price point. The problem is the carriers, not the radios.

The battery life claim is even more ridiculous. First of all, there are chips that have all of the radios in one, so you don’t need two chips. Second of all, the Nexus 4 has a substantially larger battery than the iPhone 4S which has LTE and HSPA+. If an Android phone with a 2100 mAh has battery issues with an LTE and HSPA radio, it isn’t the radio’s fault, it’s the software.

In short, Rubin is full of it. Google should either get better carrier deals in place to deal with updates on their products or admit that the carriers are the reason there is no LTE support on Google’s flagship devices. That, or petition the FCC to enforce open standards for LTE usage in the US so that Google doesn’t need carrier approval to put their devices on LTE networks.

Did Apple Pull Google Maps from iOS, or Was it Google?

Update: I have word from a source that Apple did indeed make the decision. It would be great to get more information from Apple or Google on the move, but that will probably never happen. 

Following the uproar of iOS 6 users realizing the deficiency of Apple’s new Maps app in comparison to Google Maps, The Verge posted an article arguing that it was Apple that pushed for its own mapping system in iOS, not Google. I believe there is enough evidence to indicate the opposite is true.

The State of Android (Droid-Life)

My latest post on Droid-Life reviews the current state of Android in the market. While not a lot has changed in the last nine months, the lack of change implies trouble for both Google and its partners.

Review: Apple EarPods

Headphones are the one accessory that I use constantly on every mobile device. Whether making a phone call, listening to music or podcasts, or just trying to convince people that I’m cool, I often have my headphones in. Apple claims to have spent the last three years redesigning their iconic headphones for both a better fit and a better sound. The result is EarPods.

Carbonite Unnecessarily Pushing Businesses onto More Expensive Plan

Carbonite Online Backup recently changed the qualifications to subscribe to their Business plan to not include servers. Prior to this change, any business could use a regular Business plan to back up their server. In an effort to get more money from their clients, Carbonite added the Business Premier plan. For another $400 customers get double the storage and the option to use Carbonite to back up their server. Upon changing the plan options, Carbonite emailed businesses the above message, warning them that their data would be deleted if they did not upgrade to a new plan.

Why It Matters That Samsung Copied Apple (Droid-Life)

My latest article on Droid-Life looks at the history of Android OEMs and explains why it matters to the Android ecosystem that Samsung copied Apple. HTC and Motorola should be suing Samsung for damages, not Apple.