Actually, Archos has several modern looking PMP/Pocketable Tablets and they do mention Android on their home page several times. They also seem to updating them with the latest Android OS in a pretty good time frame.
So what strikes me as odd about Archos is the lack of marketing to promote a product that not only has many years of tablet experience with mobile OSes under their belt, but also have access to the Android Market. Two things that should interest buyers over Samsung, RiM and others.
I doubt they feel they can beat the iPad, but they could certainly get ahead of Samsung Galaxy Tab and RiM PlayBook. If they lose too many high-end sales to these non-iPad tablets they might as well throw in the towel because they missed their grande opportunity. This is where good marketing can build your mindshare.
Samsung also lacks a music marketplace similar to iTunes; it relies upon Google's mostly ad supported Android Market for all its third party software, which doesn't come close to the selection and quality of Apple's iOS App Store and doesn't even attempt to offer music, movies, and other popular media content.
Excuse me but YOU should do some research before writing. Samsung's Media Hub only has movies and TV shows, NO MUSIC just as DED said. So before you start posting, get yourself and education!
And besides, DED has written hundreds of extremely well researched articles here and on his blog, so the condescending tone is entirely unwarranted and kind of obnoxious.
I tink you'll find Windows Media Player and any other software which supports MTP will do the job.
Ha! If they had something maybe as nice as the Zune software, maybe - but WMP is not going to be appealing to all but the geekiest of geeks out there.
See, what you did was throw out a "feature" - WMP. What real people look for are solutions to problems, wants or desires - and WMP meets none of those for all but the most hardcore windows user...
The thing is they don't need to have their own media store or App store. This is Android based, apps and games can be had from Google Market and media from Amazon, what's already going on the phone front.
Yes, because non-technical people just love hunting down, figuring things out and integrating their own solutions.
You don't work for Samsung, Google, RIM, Motorola or any of the other current industry players, do you? Because you sure seem to think like them!
DoubleTwist and Winamp both offer wireless syncing. If you are already not using Itunes, there is a better chance that Winamp is probably your media management program.
And still irrelevant to over 80% of the general population out there.
Whenever I wonder how other companies can be so clueless, all I have to do is read threads and posts like this - and there is my answer! Technologists blinded to the obvious...
My Garmin will run rings around any phone based software. It simply kills the Navigon that I have installed on my iPhone.
I dunno, the latest garmin units are really dumbed down compared to my iQue - which was, IMNSHO the best GPS garmin ever made - even with it's inferior, older antenna design.
Quote:
My Garmin is faster and more sensitive.
Not any faster or more sensitive than my iPhone in my Tom Tom car cradle. Which is where I use GPS 99% of the time anyway.
Quote:
Try running a SIRFstar III or iV in your phone and see how long your battery lasts.
No need. And I picked up a Dakota 20 on sale and leave it running in my backpack when I am out shooting photo's for geotagging - mainly because it's essentially waterproof and has insane battery life.
But just as with cameras, the best GPS is the one you have with you and for that the iPhone kicks the crap out of any separate GPS out there - Garmin or otherwise. Sucks to be them as I do think Garmin makes good kit, but I also think they are going to regret not offering an iOS app early on....
You're missing a very important point. I doubt Samsung is figuring on getting you to switch your PMP or abandon the Apple ecosystem. There are new teenagers entering the market every day and Samsung is in a position to siphon off a share for themselves.
Yup, that worked so well for Creative and Archos and even Microsoft in the PMP space pre-iPhone. How silly of us!
Quote:
It's credible and good for the Apple ecosystem consumers.
By providing comedic relief as the rest of the consumer electronic industry stumbles around as if guided by the three stooges?
Quote:
The competition that Samsung can bring will benefit the Apple customer not by getting them to switch, but by the new market choices that will either make Apple give more or lower prices.
Ha! Lower prices? Still buying into the Apple tax BS? I bet you believe they are releasing 7" tablets because they really are a superior solution too?
Who would have thought that Samsung could sell 9.3 million Galaxy S smartphones in such a short period of time, when the absolutely PERFECT ultra-desirable iPhone is available to all?
How many of those were because of sales, free upgreades, buy one get one free, etc.?
Meanwhile Apple realizes full price for every iPhone sold because - gasp! - people go out of their way to choose it!
How can you have a music player without some automatic organizing tool like iTunes? That seems like a bit of a tall order.
On the other hand, people who love iPhone but want to explore developing for Android or at least getting to know life on the other side of the fence might find this really useful. I know John Gruber of Daring Fireball has wanted something like this for a long time, and I would consider getting one myself, too.
D
I think this is a great idea from Samsung. It will give a chance for all the bi-curious gadgeteers to have both Android and iOS devices without having two tablets or two phones.
As for music content let's be honest. This Android iPod is meant for a lot of people who pirate and especially Asia where pirated content is king.
I'm sure there will be many developers releasing stuff that will ape the iTunes app/ desktop client and iPod app.
Samsung Galaxy Smartphone, Tablet and Media Player. Motto will be
Yup, that worked so well for Creative and Archos and even Microsoft in the PMP space pre-iPhone. How silly of us!
By providing comedic relief as the rest of the consumer electronic industry stumbles around as if guided by the three stooges?
Ha! Lower prices? Still buying into the Apple tax BS? I bet you believe they are releasing 7" tablets because they really are a superior solution too?
Yup, it has nothing to do with price
I never meant to imply that Apple would feel the need to compete or that Samsung could ever compete with Apple's innovation. I only meant that Samsung is a big enough and established electronics company that could go after new sales in these markets and competition is good for consumers.
Not everyone can afford Apple products and it has nothing to do with the mythical Apple tax. Many families and seniors, like myself have limited funds or a large family. Buying cheaper electronic products are sometimes their only option. Something in this case is better than nothing.
I am and have been an Apple fan since 1984. I have a 20" iMac 2009 and a Digital Audio tower for 8 years before it, and would love to have the latest 27" iMac or any of their laptops. I will get an iPad when I've saved enough. I have never owned an iPod for myself, gave a few to the grand kids, but if Samsung did succeed in competing and caused Apple to lower prices, I'd have one.
Ah, people around here are showing their bias, AGAIN.
Who would have thought that Samsung could sell 9.3 million Galaxy S smartphones in such a short period of time, when the absolutely PERFECT ultra-desirable iPhone is available to all?
Who would have thought that Samsung could sell over a million Galaxy Tab's when it has a smaller screen and, with data plan, is more expensive than the iPad? Yet it did.
If Samsung needs an ecosystem, call Microsoft. Their Zune Desktop software would be a great near-out-of-the-box competitor to iTunes. Samsung could license it. Itunes is a more mature software, but with a little tweaking, it could compete nicely. Samsung could use it to gather the more desirable Android apps, and have music and video for purchase.
At this point, I would not underestimate Samsung. They have a large user base of their products now, they just need a well designed and price competitive product to compete against the ipod touch.
I appreciate where you're trying to go with this, but you're showing *your* bias as well.
You do realise for most of this year despite how many iPhones and iPads were sold, they have been insanely short in supply throughout most of the world? Samsung should be thankful for this, that is actually what will help their Android smartphone, tablet and media player push in 2011.
I wish there was a way for Apple to have completely patented the design, user interface, etc. of the iPhone. Maybe then, we would see something special from other mobile phone manufactures. Sorry Samsung. If you want to impress, come up with your own ideas.
I'm going to both agree and disagree. It annoys me that Android, Droid, Evo, Galaxy, etc. all make claims to do things better than the iPhone when they have in fact used it as a blue print. However, if they weren't nipping at Apple's heels, potentially Apple wouldn't be motivated to innovate as they do.
Still, Apple made the whole form factor of candybar touchscreen with badass OS into a thing where it once was scifi. I think if they weren't leading in sales and making oodles of cash I'd be more upset about it than I am. I like that they don't let the grass grow under their feet.
I did - well looked at the page - and, you might have mentioned no music in the "media" hub.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister Snitch
"Like Sony and Microsoft, Samsung might find Apple more difficult to compete against than it expects."
Ya think? Here's one measure of it: Apple last year spent well over a billion dollars in R&D. HP was it's nearest competitor in that regard, and they spent about $400 million.
I would imagine, even if your figures are correct (which one poster pointed out they weren't, they cover only US manufacturers. I follow Samsung as a company and their rate of development and constant expansion of product lines - and frequent upgrading (my camera's a year old and has been superceded by two models now) - and their huge breadth of product - would indicate they're spending a ton on R&D.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patranus
LOL.
I played with a Galaxy tablet at Best Buy while Christmas shopping.
If I hadden't played with a Chinese import Android tablet at Frys the Galaxy would be the biggest POS tablet ever.
So what's wrong with being the biggest Point of Sale tablet ever?
Also many technophiles with budgets to try everything disagree with your evaluation of the G-Tab. Several of the panelists on Mac Break Weekly and This Week In Tech (on the TWIT network, who are no gods, but certainly avid and professional techies) really like and use the Tab. Of course one of them also liked Google TV on the Logitech Revue, so do consider the source.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Archos
"Coming Soon to AT&T and Verizon." That means it's not here yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sciwiz
Also says "Available with T-Mobile and Sprint." The software exists, so the the non availability on devices on ATT and Verizon networks is probably carrier shenanigans.
Articles have pointed out that while Samsung is quick to upgrade their hardware, they make similar promises for software which they are often slow to keep. I won't do ATT&T and was considering the Epic, but many moons after they promised Froyo, no go. And Media Hub is at best a work in progress even if it's made it to two carriers.
In this example and others, for whatever reasons despite a relative dearth of hardware made, here it feels like American companies still have a sizeable lead when it comes to software (even if they ship a lot of the routine aspects of coding overseas) despite decades of other countries trying to establish themselves internationally.
I remember reading about this in the early '90's when Sony was trying to establish a PC OS. (Can't remember the name. Can anyone? J DOS??) I can't name a single non-US based major multi-country top-dog productivity program, nor one in any other major program category or system (outside of gaming), e.g., OS'es browsers, server software, internet plumbing etc. It's all MS, Apple, Google, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle.
Dunno what the secret sauce is, if I'm right, but happy if we keep it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody
Also, if these things use Android, it isn't actually mentioned on the (seven!) pages on the Archos website dealing with their latest products. So maybe they are running Android, but even if they are, the author of this article could be excused for not knowing it (since Archos themselves hardly touts it as a feature), and Archos themselves are complete idiots for not promoting that fact.
Another poster says they do promote it. And in fact their latest devices have gone with Android.
Gruber is right that this has been a key missing product in the Android lineup. I'm sure Samsung will sell enough of these things to make the effort worthwhile, if they can get the pricing right (that will be very interesting to see). Apple has a big hole in their iPod Touch lineup at the 16 GB capacity level. If I were Samsung, that's where I would really hit them hard. As a fan of many Apple products, I hope this will push Apple to beef up the iPod lineup.
"Samsung also lacks a music marketplace similar to iTunes"
That's the killer. iTunes is the reason for iPod's success, and it has helped iPhone and now iPad enormously. Without a software infrastructure like iTunes, Samsung is sending its users back to 2001, when people manually dragged-and-dropped files to their MP3 players.
I'm sure it will have the Amazon MP3 market.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Dennis
How can you have a music player without some automatic organizing tool like iTunes? That seems like a bit of a tall order.
On the other hand, people who love iPhone but want to explore developing for Android or at least getting to know life on the other side of the fence might find this really useful. I know John Gruber of Daring Fireball has wanted something like this for a long time, and I would consider getting one myself, too.
As others noted, people use DoubleTwist and WinAmp. However folks like myself who like easy of use will note about the lack of easy meshing between Amazon and these two solutions. I'm sure it can be resolved but it requires more effort on the part of the user. Also iPods are a joy to use without wireless. They still are quite usable but Google's point is, that it is the cloud only in the case of these stand alone devices, they took away the cloud. How does that work?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody
It will have to be much cheaper relative to the Galaxy S phone, than the iPod touch is relative to the iPhone for it to sell well. No one is going to pay hundreds of dollars for a crappy Android phone with the phone part removed.
The main attraction for the iPod touch is the ecosystem, (iTunes, games, etc.), which Samsung doesn't have and won't have (at least in the competitive sense), for years. To build that, this will have to be sold almost as a loss-leader, for cost or less than cost.
They might still pay for it because they do with Apple. iPods cost hundreds of dollars but are still hundreds of dollars less than iPhones. The eco-system is there but is a mishmash and requires work by the user to make it cohesive. I see this as a non-product. The real problem for Apple is that the line between phones and smartphones is likely to disappear in 2011. It gets harder to buy the kids iPods and a phone when they can simply have what used to be a smartphone but now is just a regular phone instead now offered for prepay or without a data plan. That could hurt Apple or at a minimum hurt their margins.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacTel
Their Galaxy S phones are nice so I'd imagine their iPod Touch challenger would be very good as well. Apple hasn't had to innovate much on the iPod line lately so it would be nice to see a fire lit under them. Apple may even have to play catch-up knowing how Samsumg will attempt to out do the Touch spec-wise. Good luck to Samsung.
Are you nuts? The iPod line has the retina display. It records HD video. I bought the current generation iPods for my two sons and they are insanely nice. What more can Apple even add except for maybe GPS?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvaldes1831
Actually, it appears like they do need to have their own store.
Amazon.com has not encroached on the iTunes Store's dominance of the digital music market, despite competitive pricing.
Same thing with the Google Market: multiplatform app developers frequently report 10x more downloads from Apple's App Store, despite the relative parity in iPhones and Android-based handsets in the U.S.
The non-iTunes storefronts are there, yet they are not attracting many customers.
Well you note them but the biggest issue is that there is more than one of them. My boys both were given $50 iTune gift cards by relatives for Christmas. So be it movies, music, or apps, they can spend it at one place and have it sync up just fine. You buy this device for a teen, are you going to give them a $25 Amazon gift card, and $25 Google Marketplace gift card (does such a thing even exist yet?) It is workable, but much more convoluted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ljocampo
You're missing a very important point. I doubt Samsung is figuring on getting you to switch your PMP or abandon the Apple ecosystem. There are new teenagers entering the market every day and Samsung is in a position to siphon off a share for themselves. It's credible and good for the Apple ecosystem consumers. The competition that Samsung can bring will benefit the Apple customer not by getting them to switch, but by the new market choices that will either make Apple give more or lower prices.
I can't imagine a single teen wanting this over an iPod. Just like the other alternatives, this is simply what your Dad buys you because he irrationally hates Apple. Even if it manages to be an equal solution in terms of hardware, it will never be a better solution due to software and network effects already in place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blastdoor
Gruber is right that this has been a key missing product in the Android lineup. I'm sure Samsung will sell enough of these things to make the effort worthwhile, if they can get the pricing right (that will be very interesting to see). Apple has a big hole in their iPod Touch lineup at the 16 GB capacity level. If I were Samsung, that's where I would really hit them hard. As a fan of many Apple products, I hope this will push Apple to beef up the iPod lineup.
Beef up? Honestly I'm at a loss here. The iPod touch is currently a fantastic device. It can and will get cheaper with time, but again besides GPS, what more couple people want from it at this point? Sometimes people just want without good reason. Part of what makes Apple so great is that they won't put it in there without a good reason. The current iPod touch though is just amazing. Two cameras, great battery life, the retina display with A4 chip at 1 ghz. It is an engineering marvel.
Here's how I foresee a media player device working well without iTunes:
1. Drag and drop media ANYWHERE on the drive.
2. The Drive OS automatically sorts and tags media by type, and caches all the metadata into a global device database.
3. You access your media through the database, without even caring where on your device the actual files are stored. The interface would be extensible, skinnable, and could look identical to iTunes if that's what you wanted, but most importantly, you would never need to dig through a folder hierarchy to find your media the way most drag and drop media players work.
4. If a database link is broken, the database is updated. If media is moved, the database is updated. If media is added, the database is updated. This can be done the same way Picasa deals with images or the way Spotlight deals with files.
Beef up? Honestly I'm at a loss here. The iPod touch is currently a fantastic device. It can and will get cheaper with time, but again besides GPS, what more couple people want from it at this point? Sometimes people just want without good reason. Part of what makes Apple so great is that they won't put it in there without a good reason. The current iPod touch though is just amazing. Two cameras, great battery life, the retina display with A4 chip at 1 ghz. It is an engineering marvel.
There are two noticeable holes in the iPod lineup:
(1) the space formerly occupied by the iPod nano (before it was replaced with the current shuffle with a screen)
(2) a 16 GB iPod Touch.
They could have solved #1 easily enough by selling the last generation Touch for $150-$175
They can solve #2 even more easily by just adding a 16 GB Touch to the lineup.
So this is really easy to fix -- they just need to do it.
Comments
Actually, Archos has several modern looking PMP/Pocketable Tablets and they do mention Android on their home page several times. They also seem to updating them with the latest Android OS in a pretty good time frame.So what strikes me as odd about Archos is the lack of marketing to promote a product that not only has many years of tablet experience with mobile OSes under their belt, but also have access to the Android Market. Two things that should interest buyers over Samsung, RiM and others.
I doubt they feel they can beat the iPad, but they could certainly get ahead of Samsung Galaxy Tab and RiM PlayBook. If they lose too many high-end sales to these non-iPad tablets they might as well throw in the towel because they missed their grande opportunity. This is where good marketing can build your mindshare.
Here is their $99 model running Android: http://store.archos.com/archos-inter...et-p-5002.html
LOL - $99 says it all - POS...
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
Samsung also lacks a music marketplace similar to iTunes; it relies upon Google's mostly ad supported Android Market for all its third party software, which doesn't come close to the selection and quality of Apple's iOS App Store and doesn't even attempt to offer music, movies, and other popular media content.
Excuse me but YOU should do some research before writing. Samsung's Media Hub only has movies and TV shows, NO MUSIC just as DED said. So before you start posting, get yourself and education!
And besides, DED has written hundreds of extremely well researched articles here and on his blog, so the condescending tone is entirely unwarranted and kind of obnoxious.
I tink you'll find Windows Media Player and any other software which supports MTP will do the job.
Ha! If they had something maybe as nice as the Zune software, maybe - but WMP is not going to be appealing to all but the geekiest of geeks out there.
See, what you did was throw out a "feature" - WMP. What real people look for are solutions to problems, wants or desires - and WMP meets none of those for all but the most hardcore windows user...
Maybe you missed the part where it says this will Android based, that takes care of the ecosystem.
It's magic!
(not magical, just magic!)
The thing is they don't need to have their own media store or App store. This is Android based, apps and games can be had from Google Market and media from Amazon, what's already going on the phone front.
Yes, because non-technical people just love hunting down, figuring things out and integrating their own solutions.
You don't work for Samsung, Google, RIM, Motorola or any of the other current industry players, do you? Because you sure seem to think like them!
DoubleTwist and Winamp both offer wireless syncing. If you are already not using Itunes, there is a better chance that Winamp is probably your media management program.
And still irrelevant to over 80% of the general population out there.
Whenever I wonder how other companies can be so clueless, all I have to do is read threads and posts like this - and there is my answer! Technologists blinded to the obvious...
My Garmin will run rings around any phone based software. It simply kills the Navigon that I have installed on my iPhone.
I dunno, the latest garmin units are really dumbed down compared to my iQue - which was, IMNSHO the best GPS garmin ever made - even with it's inferior, older antenna design.
My Garmin is faster and more sensitive.
Not any faster or more sensitive than my iPhone in my Tom Tom car cradle. Which is where I use GPS 99% of the time anyway.
Try running a SIRFstar III or iV in your phone and see how long your battery lasts.
No need. And I picked up a Dakota 20 on sale and leave it running in my backpack when I am out shooting photo's for geotagging - mainly because it's essentially waterproof and has insane battery life.
But just as with cameras, the best GPS is the one you have with you and for that the iPhone kicks the crap out of any separate GPS out there - Garmin or otherwise. Sucks to be them as I do think Garmin makes good kit, but I also think they are going to regret not offering an iOS app early on....
You're missing a very important point. I doubt Samsung is figuring on getting you to switch your PMP or abandon the Apple ecosystem. There are new teenagers entering the market every day and Samsung is in a position to siphon off a share for themselves.
Yup, that worked so well for Creative and Archos and even Microsoft in the PMP space pre-iPhone. How silly of us!
It's credible and good for the Apple ecosystem consumers.
By providing comedic relief as the rest of the consumer electronic industry stumbles around as if guided by the three stooges?
The competition that Samsung can bring will benefit the Apple customer not by getting them to switch, but by the new market choices that will either make Apple give more or lower prices.
Ha! Lower prices? Still buying into the Apple tax BS? I bet you believe they are releasing 7" tablets because they really are a superior solution too?
Yup, it has nothing to do with price
Who would have thought that Samsung could sell 9.3 million Galaxy S smartphones in such a short period of time, when the absolutely PERFECT ultra-desirable iPhone is available to all?
How many of those were because of sales, free upgreades, buy one get one free, etc.?
Meanwhile Apple realizes full price for every iPhone sold because - gasp! - people go out of their way to choose it!
There's millions and then there is millions
Out of interest does 3G iPad have GPS?
Yes.
And an iPad with a dock extension cable to a Tom Tom car kit also gets GPS.
It's pretty cool, except the only GPS app optimized for the iPad I could find are ones like Waze that also require an Internet connection - d'oh!
How can you have a music player without some automatic organizing tool like iTunes? That seems like a bit of a tall order.
On the other hand, people who love iPhone but want to explore developing for Android or at least getting to know life on the other side of the fence might find this really useful. I know John Gruber of Daring Fireball has wanted something like this for a long time, and I would consider getting one myself, too.
D
I think this is a great idea from Samsung. It will give a chance for all the bi-curious gadgeteers to have both Android and iOS devices without having two tablets or two phones.
As for music content let's be honest. This Android iPod is meant for a lot of people who pirate and especially Asia where pirated content is king.
I'm sure there will be many developers releasing stuff that will ape the iTunes app/ desktop client and iPod app.
Samsung Galaxy Smartphone, Tablet and Media Player. Motto will be
"We're number 2 and proud of it!"
Yup, that worked so well for Creative and Archos and even Microsoft in the PMP space pre-iPhone. How silly of us!
By providing comedic relief as the rest of the consumer electronic industry stumbles around as if guided by the three stooges?
Ha! Lower prices? Still buying into the Apple tax BS? I bet you believe they are releasing 7" tablets because they really are a superior solution too?
Yup, it has nothing to do with price
I never meant to imply that Apple would feel the need to compete or that Samsung could ever compete with Apple's innovation. I only meant that Samsung is a big enough and established electronics company that could go after new sales in these markets and competition is good for consumers.
Not everyone can afford Apple products and it has nothing to do with the mythical Apple tax. Many families and seniors, like myself have limited funds or a large family. Buying cheaper electronic products are sometimes their only option. Something in this case is better than nothing.
I am and have been an Apple fan since 1984. I have a 20" iMac 2009 and a Digital Audio tower for 8 years before it, and would love to have the latest 27" iMac or any of their laptops. I will get an iPad when I've saved enough. I have never owned an iPod for myself, gave a few to the grand kids, but if Samsung did succeed in competing and caused Apple to lower prices, I'd have one.
Ah, people around here are showing their bias, AGAIN.
Who would have thought that Samsung could sell 9.3 million Galaxy S smartphones in such a short period of time, when the absolutely PERFECT ultra-desirable iPhone is available to all?
Who would have thought that Samsung could sell over a million Galaxy Tab's when it has a smaller screen and, with data plan, is more expensive than the iPad? Yet it did.
If Samsung needs an ecosystem, call Microsoft. Their Zune Desktop software would be a great near-out-of-the-box competitor to iTunes. Samsung could license it. Itunes is a more mature software, but with a little tweaking, it could compete nicely. Samsung could use it to gather the more desirable Android apps, and have music and video for purchase.
At this point, I would not underestimate Samsung. They have a large user base of their products now, they just need a well designed and price competitive product to compete against the ipod touch.
I appreciate where you're trying to go with this, but you're showing *your* bias as well.
You do realise for most of this year despite how many iPhones and iPads were sold, they have been insanely short in supply throughout most of the world? Samsung should be thankful for this, that is actually what will help their Android smartphone, tablet and media player push in 2011.
...
I wish there was a way for Apple to have completely patented the design, user interface, etc. of the iPhone. Maybe then, we would see something special from other mobile phone manufactures. Sorry Samsung. If you want to impress, come up with your own ideas.
I'm going to both agree and disagree. It annoys me that Android, Droid, Evo, Galaxy, etc. all make claims to do things better than the iPhone when they have in fact used it as a blue print. However, if they weren't nipping at Apple's heels, potentially Apple wouldn't be motivated to innovate as they do.
Still, Apple made the whole form factor of candybar touchscreen with badass OS into a thing where it once was scifi. I think if they weren't leading in sales and making oodles of cash I'd be more upset about it than I am. I like that they don't let the grass grow under their feet.
Research before writing, Daniel.
Samsung Media Hub
I did - well looked at the page - and, you might have mentioned no music in the "media" hub.
"Like Sony and Microsoft, Samsung might find Apple more difficult to compete against than it expects."
Ya think? Here's one measure of it: Apple last year spent well over a billion dollars in R&D. HP was it's nearest competitor in that regard, and they spent about $400 million.
I would imagine, even if your figures are correct (which one poster pointed out they weren't, they cover only US manufacturers. I follow Samsung as a company and their rate of development and constant expansion of product lines - and frequent upgrading (my camera's a year old and has been superceded by two models now) - and their huge breadth of product - would indicate they're spending a ton on R&D.
LOL.
I played with a Galaxy tablet at Best Buy while Christmas shopping.
If I hadden't played with a Chinese import Android tablet at Frys the Galaxy would be the biggest POS tablet ever.
So what's wrong with being the biggest Point of Sale tablet ever?
Also many technophiles with budgets to try everything disagree with your evaluation of the G-Tab. Several of the panelists on Mac Break Weekly and This Week In Tech (on the TWIT network, who are no gods, but certainly avid and professional techies) really like and use the Tab. Of course one of them also liked Google TV on the Logitech Revue, so do consider the source.
"Coming Soon to AT&T and Verizon." That means it's not here yet.
Also says "Available with T-Mobile and Sprint." The software exists, so the the non availability on devices on ATT and Verizon networks is probably carrier shenanigans.
Articles have pointed out that while Samsung is quick to upgrade their hardware, they make similar promises for software which they are often slow to keep. I won't do ATT&T and was considering the Epic, but many moons after they promised Froyo, no go. And Media Hub is at best a work in progress even if it's made it to two carriers.
In this example and others, for whatever reasons despite a relative dearth of hardware made, here it feels like American companies still have a sizeable lead when it comes to software (even if they ship a lot of the routine aspects of coding overseas) despite decades of other countries trying to establish themselves internationally.
I remember reading about this in the early '90's when Sony was trying to establish a PC OS. (Can't remember the name. Can anyone? J DOS??) I can't name a single non-US based major multi-country top-dog productivity program, nor one in any other major program category or system (outside of gaming), e.g., OS'es browsers, server software, internet plumbing etc. It's all MS, Apple, Google, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle.
Dunno what the secret sauce is, if I'm right, but happy if we keep it!
Also, if these things use Android, it isn't actually mentioned on the (seven!) pages on the Archos website dealing with their latest products. So maybe they are running Android, but even if they are, the author of this article could be excused for not knowing it (since Archos themselves hardly touts it as a feature), and Archos themselves are complete idiots for not promoting that fact.
Another poster says they do promote it. And in fact their latest devices have gone with Android.
I hate plastic products.
Not a good combination.
SENT FROM MY IPAD
"Samsung also lacks a music marketplace similar to iTunes"
That's the killer. iTunes is the reason for iPod's success, and it has helped iPhone and now iPad enormously. Without a software infrastructure like iTunes, Samsung is sending its users back to 2001, when people manually dragged-and-dropped files to their MP3 players.
I'm sure it will have the Amazon MP3 market.
How can you have a music player without some automatic organizing tool like iTunes? That seems like a bit of a tall order.
On the other hand, people who love iPhone but want to explore developing for Android or at least getting to know life on the other side of the fence might find this really useful. I know John Gruber of Daring Fireball has wanted something like this for a long time, and I would consider getting one myself, too.
As others noted, people use DoubleTwist and WinAmp. However folks like myself who like easy of use will note about the lack of easy meshing between Amazon and these two solutions. I'm sure it can be resolved but it requires more effort on the part of the user. Also iPods are a joy to use without wireless. They still are quite usable but Google's point is, that it is the cloud only in the case of these stand alone devices, they took away the cloud. How does that work?
It will have to be much cheaper relative to the Galaxy S phone, than the iPod touch is relative to the iPhone for it to sell well. No one is going to pay hundreds of dollars for a crappy Android phone with the phone part removed.
The main attraction for the iPod touch is the ecosystem, (iTunes, games, etc.), which Samsung doesn't have and won't have (at least in the competitive sense), for years. To build that, this will have to be sold almost as a loss-leader, for cost or less than cost.
They might still pay for it because they do with Apple. iPods cost hundreds of dollars but are still hundreds of dollars less than iPhones. The eco-system is there but is a mishmash and requires work by the user to make it cohesive. I see this as a non-product. The real problem for Apple is that the line between phones and smartphones is likely to disappear in 2011. It gets harder to buy the kids iPods and a phone when they can simply have what used to be a smartphone but now is just a regular phone instead now offered for prepay or without a data plan. That could hurt Apple or at a minimum hurt their margins.
Their Galaxy S phones are nice so I'd imagine their iPod Touch challenger would be very good as well. Apple hasn't had to innovate much on the iPod line lately so it would be nice to see a fire lit under them. Apple may even have to play catch-up knowing how Samsumg will attempt to out do the Touch spec-wise. Good luck to Samsung.
Are you nuts? The iPod line has the retina display. It records HD video. I bought the current generation iPods for my two sons and they are insanely nice. What more can Apple even add except for maybe GPS?
Actually, it appears like they do need to have their own store.
Amazon.com has not encroached on the iTunes Store's dominance of the digital music market, despite competitive pricing.
Same thing with the Google Market: multiplatform app developers frequently report 10x more downloads from Apple's App Store, despite the relative parity in iPhones and Android-based handsets in the U.S.
The non-iTunes storefronts are there, yet they are not attracting many customers.
Well you note them but the biggest issue is that there is more than one of them. My boys both were given $50 iTune gift cards by relatives for Christmas. So be it movies, music, or apps, they can spend it at one place and have it sync up just fine. You buy this device for a teen, are you going to give them a $25 Amazon gift card, and $25 Google Marketplace gift card (does such a thing even exist yet?) It is workable, but much more convoluted.
You're missing a very important point. I doubt Samsung is figuring on getting you to switch your PMP or abandon the Apple ecosystem. There are new teenagers entering the market every day and Samsung is in a position to siphon off a share for themselves. It's credible and good for the Apple ecosystem consumers. The competition that Samsung can bring will benefit the Apple customer not by getting them to switch, but by the new market choices that will either make Apple give more or lower prices.
I can't imagine a single teen wanting this over an iPod. Just like the other alternatives, this is simply what your Dad buys you because he irrationally hates Apple. Even if it manages to be an equal solution in terms of hardware, it will never be a better solution due to software and network effects already in place.
Gruber is right that this has been a key missing product in the Android lineup. I'm sure Samsung will sell enough of these things to make the effort worthwhile, if they can get the pricing right (that will be very interesting to see). Apple has a big hole in their iPod Touch lineup at the 16 GB capacity level. If I were Samsung, that's where I would really hit them hard. As a fan of many Apple products, I hope this will push Apple to beef up the iPod lineup.
Beef up? Honestly I'm at a loss here. The iPod touch is currently a fantastic device. It can and will get cheaper with time, but again besides GPS, what more couple people want from it at this point? Sometimes people just want without good reason. Part of what makes Apple so great is that they won't put it in there without a good reason. The current iPod touch though is just amazing. Two cameras, great battery life, the retina display with A4 chip at 1 ghz. It is an engineering marvel.
1. Drag and drop media ANYWHERE on the drive.
2. The Drive OS automatically sorts and tags media by type, and caches all the metadata into a global device database.
3. You access your media through the database, without even caring where on your device the actual files are stored. The interface would be extensible, skinnable, and could look identical to iTunes if that's what you wanted, but most importantly, you would never need to dig through a folder hierarchy to find your media the way most drag and drop media players work.
4. If a database link is broken, the database is updated. If media is moved, the database is updated. If media is added, the database is updated. This can be done the same way Picasa deals with images or the way Spotlight deals with files.
Beef up? Honestly I'm at a loss here. The iPod touch is currently a fantastic device. It can and will get cheaper with time, but again besides GPS, what more couple people want from it at this point? Sometimes people just want without good reason. Part of what makes Apple so great is that they won't put it in there without a good reason. The current iPod touch though is just amazing. Two cameras, great battery life, the retina display with A4 chip at 1 ghz. It is an engineering marvel.
There are two noticeable holes in the iPod lineup:
(1) the space formerly occupied by the iPod nano (before it was replaced with the current shuffle with a screen)
(2) a 16 GB iPod Touch.
They could have solved #1 easily enough by selling the last generation Touch for $150-$175
They can solve #2 even more easily by just adding a 16 GB Touch to the lineup.
So this is really easy to fix -- they just need to do it.