Project Ara - The Future of Smartphones

Welcome Back to another installment of TechExpo' (The Technological Expose') !

I am your announcing clerk, Matthew a.k.a / f.k.a AwkwardlyNormal...

Its good that you've returned...

Lets get right to it shall we?

"Le' Struggle"

(a short story)

So you just bought a new phone, and for the first couple days or even weeks, you love everything about your phone. I mean everything, the screen, the button placement, the bezels, the battery life, EVERYTHING....except.......the speakers. You just wish that the speakers were just a tad bit louder, just a tad..as time goes on, you start to see phones that have front-facing speakers that delivers sound and an highly professional rate of enjoyment (boom sound on the Htc one/one M8)...and you think to yourself, i wish my phone had that...

two months later you decide..i want that, i really want those speakers on a phone, and even though you don't really like the phone all that much, you would settle for it any way just because you want those speakers, and that sound!

I speak from personal experience...this isn't hypothetical. lol

lets continue..

BUT WAIT! I just signed another 2 year contract. I mean i could just switch carriers again, but what if i leave and find out I don't really like the phone I'm going to...or the carrier for that matter...

What is one to do?

(insert awkward silence here)

Google has thought of this...

Which is why Google is currently developing a remedy to these kinds of quirks that people like myself (and I'm sure many others) have about their phones and ALL of their features.

this endeavor is know as 

Google Project Ara

or as I call it...

"the birth of modular-ism"

let me explain...

so as i stated in my short story earlier, i loved everything about my phone except the speakers, remember?

well what if i could detach the speaker and replace it with another speaker that gives me the sound I'm looking for?

Better yet, what if i could change the data capacity of the phone, or the size of the screen, or switch to a larger battery, or even switch to a higher megapixel camera.....and keep the same phone...

in essence,

that's what project ara is...

you may or may not have heard this project referred to as "Phoneblocks" 

same general idea...

instead of trying to buy the latest and greatest phone packed with features that will be obsolete in 6 months - 1 year anyway...

you could just purchase a block (or tile in this case) and just slide it in to a space that you choose, and there you go...upgraded specs..

not following me? here's a couple of photos to better explain...

and just like that...slide out a tile of a feature that is not one of your favorites, and replace it with one that is..

think about it.

i mean really think about it 

...

i mean how awesome is that, 

Naturally the tiles will lock in place to keep everything from falling to pieces when you wave/drop/bump your phone. (So i hope)

and Naturally, its going to run android, because Apple does not have the innovation or swiftness for this kind of thing..

and...

its a Google project, but my first explanation is a better one, in my opinion..lol (*side eye*).

and what really sold me is the rumor that the base models (basic specs, ready for customization upon purchasing) will be sold at or around the $50-$75 price range. 

also rumored is the price of the tiles will be around $15-25.

what would be increasingly awesome is if you could trade older tiles in for new ones. to also lend a hand in cutting down price.

Google is a gigantic company, with alot of money. 

and even though money is the reason they are in business,

im thinking that money isnt what they are focusing on right now

it would stand to reason that Google/Android is putting all efforts towards innovation and changing the way we use our mobile technology forever...

just as the legendary Steve Jobs did with the iPhone/iPod. 

and even if Project Ara flops...

the innovation is there...

the ideas are getting better....

and this is why i write about it! 

 In any event......

These have been your technological announcements for Monday, May 19th, 2014

please govern yourselves accordingly.

Until Next Time

Apple Vs. Android - The Never-Ending Debate

Welcome to the......

with all of the updates that are being implemented to both iOS and Android, these systems are starting to look more and more alike as time goes on. Even after android made its proper debut, there were highly noticeable differences in the operating systems. Both operating systems had pros and cons that made it easy to decide between the two.

most recently, however, there have been so many changes to iOS lately, that it now resembles most of the qualities that we all love about android......(except widgets....apple must really hate the widget idea lol)

Now-a-days, with all of the different android phones available, and with Project Ara (will be explained on a future blog post) on the rise... what will apple do? and more importantly... when will they do it?  i suppose that's a whole different blog post.....

My question to you is....which do you prefer? #DiehardAppleFanBoyOrGirl ? or are you an #AndroidLoverForLife?

Since we are all #Android lovers here....(hehe)

lets talk about our favorite operation system a little shall we?

The Top 5 things I Love about Android...and Go

5. Widgets - yes yes i know, ever android owner says this. but i love to be able to look at a calendar or email inbox list without actually having to search, find, and open the actual application. maybe that's just me

4. Ram Control - now I'm not certain if apple has this feature or not, i never thought to look and see. but i love the fact that you can close/force stop every application and immediately clear up some ram processing power and save on some battery life....speaking of which...

3. Battery Life - now i am aware that all android phones aren't equipped with spectacular batteries, but with my android phone (samsung galaxy note 3) i love not having to carry a charger with me (at all). my car charger is really just for someone else whose battery has died...its one of my favorite features..actually

2. Compatibility - since we are on the subject of charging. i also love the fact that most android charging cables are compatible with all other android phones. I cant tell you how hard it is to find someone with a iPhone charger these days....i mean...really....

1.  Price - Considering phones that are considered medium tier with phones that carry the title "flagship", Android phones are considerably cheaper in terms of "getting what you pay for".... while apple provides consistency with their products, they don't provide much innovation when it comes to a product that is reasonably priced.

Now, since i have not owned an apple product for more than 3 days, i couldn't tell you many (if any) valid pros and cons of/on the operating system...at all....other than the build quality and resale value..(not to be funny but you know what I mean).

but if i had to guess....(and....operating in the interest of being fair lol)

Top 5 things i Like (tolerate) about Apple Products (iPad, iPhone, and iPod)

5.  Marketing - If nothing else, Apple has the game on lock when it comes to advertising their products. its is because of Apple that all tablets are immediately referred to as an iPad, even if its a Galaxy Tab...lol

4.  Design - Apple also has this category locked down. The design of (generally) all Apple products have maintained a "top-notch" rating. The Look, Feel, and build quality of apple products (excluding the iPhone 5c) has been top of the line since the release of the first iPod. Apple is consistent..to a fault.

3. Accessories - Now I have always been bitter about the fact that every Apple product has its very own library of cases and other accessories to customize said product to your liking. And i mean they have everything from superheros to bejeweled abstract flower patterns... yes....i am bitter.. lol

2. Usability - Apple has also maintained a positive reputation for being "easy-to-use". (except for someone coming from an android phone, speaking from a personal perspective, of course) From the average toddler to the most common elderly citizen, apple products are the least confusing. That i will admit...

1. Resale Value - I jokingly mentioned this before but Apple products (because of their build quality and popularity) have ALWAYS maintained an more-than-generous trade-in value and a high resale ratio, even after the device has aged 3-4 years. This factor has always been one of the most important things i consider when buying any product that I'm interested in.

So, I leave you with this question...

What are your top 5 favorite features of your cellular or mobile device?

Least Favorite?

the comment box below gets real lonely sometimes and it needs some comfort every now and again. let me know what you like about Apple....or Android. Do you like Both? Or Neither?

in any event...

These have been your technological announcements for Friday May 9th, 2014, Please Govern yourselves accordingly....

as mentioned before, comments and suggestions are welcome! please i can use all the topics i can get right now!

dont be a stranger!

Connect With Me

Facebook, Google +, Youtube = Matthew Rischer

Twitter and Instagram = AwkwardlyNormal


Until Next Time

Matt