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Chamleon Launcher Looks To Make Your Android Tablet’s Home Screen More Beautiful and Functional
May 17th
I’ve always been a sucker for a good UI, and despite the bad press surrounding the Grid 10 tablet, I must say, I kinda had a “thing” for their unconventional homescreen. As it stands, Android’s tablet UI isn’t very much to look at. Essentially, you have a larger smartphone home screen which, I understand, is fine for some. But in the spirit of Android and the wonderful options she provides, a new home screen replacement is looking to make Android beautiful again, with the Kickstarter funded Chameleon launcher.
Chameleon is a home screen replacement only for Android tablets and features big and beautiful full featured widgets that are “designed to fit your lifestyle.” Similar to HTC’s Scenes, Chameleon gives user the ability to set, and customize home screens according to the time of day, or location. A user can set a work homescreen triggered by GPS location or connected WiFi network. When returning home, a new homescreen will be displayed, giving you easy access to social networks and leisurely content. Sounds neat, right? You can see more in their Kickstarter video below.
Currently, Chameleon has 100 backers on Kickstarter with only $1,000 pledged of their $50,000 goal (wow) and 29 days left to go. Those that back with $5 can get early access to the launcher in August, that’s a full month before it lands in the Google Play Store. Anyone thinking Chameleon could be the tablet home screen for them?
Thanks, Ken!
Chamleon Launcher Looks To Make Your Android Tablet’s Home Screen More Beautiful and Functional
May 17th
I’ve always been a sucker for a good UI, and despite the bad press surrounding the Grid 10 tablet, I must say, I kinda had a “thing” for their unconventional homescreen. As it stands, Android’s tablet UI isn’t very much to look at. Essentially, you have a larger smartphone home screen which, I understand, is fine for some. But in the spirit of Android and the wonderful options she provides, a new home screen replacement is looking to make Android beautiful again, with the Kickstarter funded Chameleon launcher.
Chameleon is a home screen replacement only for Android tablets and features big and beautiful full featured widgets that are “designed to fit your lifestyle.” Similar to HTC’s Scenes, Chameleon gives user the ability to set, and customize home screens according to the time of day, or location. A user can set a work homescreen triggered by GPS location or connected WiFi network. When returning home, a new homescreen will be displayed, giving you easy access to social networks and leisurely content. Sounds neat, right? You can see more in their Kickstarter video below.
Currently, Chameleon has 100 backers on Kickstarter with only $1,000 pledged of their $50,000 goal (wow) and 29 days left to go. Those that back with $5 can get early access to the launcher in August, that’s a full month before it lands in the Google Play Store. Anyone thinking Chameleon could be the tablet home screen for them?
Thanks, Ken!
Dual-Core Samsung Galaxy S3 with 2GB of RAM Headed To Japan – Could The US Be Next?
May 17th
Yesterday, we told you guys about the Samsung Galaxy S3 (and 19 other devices) slated to arrive in the land of the rising sun via Japanese carrier NT Docomo. Normally that wouldn’t be considered very important news to you guys, but get this — NT Docomo is listing their GS3 with the same dual-core S4 processor that’s been leaked to arrive in the US and, get this — it will supposedly arrive with 2GB of RAM.
Now, this could be nothing more than a typo from a carrier with more high-end Android devices in their lineup than they know what to do with. But it got me thinking… If Samsung does opt for a slightly less powerful Qualcomm S4 processor for the US (to ensure compatibility with our LTE bands), it could make some sense that they would try to pick up the slack by increasing performance in other areas.
When it comes to marketing, sometimes specs are a purely a numbers game. If Samsung wants to make sure the GS3 makes a big splash here in the US, that extra 1GB of RAM could give them a leg up on the competition (especially when they can’t boast “extra cores”). Would you guys be happy if Samsung threw us a bone with 1GB of extra RAM to make up for an admittedly, very capable dual-core CPU?
Via TechnoBuffalo | SammyHub | NTDocomo (PDF)
Deal Alert: T-Mobile Offering Buy-One-Get-One Free Deal on 4G Smartphones – Starts This Weekend
May 17th
Starting on Friday, T-Mobile will be throwing another one of their “Magenta Deal Days” BOGO promotions. New or existing T-Mobile customers with an available upgrade can take advantage of T-Mobile’s buy-one-get-one deal on some of the hottest 4G phones T-Mo has available. Simply buy two phones — yup, you’re going to have to fork out the cash for both up front — and T-Mobile will reimbursed for the second via a mail-in rebate. HTC One S and Samsung Galaxy S II (Hercules) are both included in the deal. Calling up my parents right now to let them know what’s up (they just bought a One S yesterday). Mark it on your calendars, because it’s only good until May 28th. Which 2 phones will you be getting?
T-Mobile Proves That Two Is Better Than One
From May 18 to May 28, T-Mobiles "Magenta Deal Days" continues, offering customers a free 4G smartphone when they purchase one of equal or lesser value
BELLEVUE, Wash. — May 16, 2012 – T-Mobile is showing customers how two is better than one. For a limited time, customers who purchase a select 4G T-Mobile® smartphone will receive a second smartphone of equal or lesser value for free, after a mail-in rebate card, making it more affordable than ever for families to upgrade and have amazing 4G experiences on Americas Largest 4G Network®. The promotion will take place from Friday, May 18, through Monday, May 28.
T-Mobiles "Magenta Deal Days" Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) promotion offers customers a mail-in rebate card worth up to $329 toward a new device with the purchase of a select T-Mobile 4G smartphone or mobile broadband device. Customers can choose from T-Mobiles latest and fastest devices, including the HTC® One™ S 4G, Samsung Galaxy S® II 4G, HTC Radar™ 4G, Sonic® 4G Mobile Hotspot and the Samsung Galaxy S® Blaze™ 4G, among others, running on Americas Largest 4G Network®.
"Our latest Magenta Deal Days promotion continues our commitment to giving our customers the ability to enjoy all the 4G experiences of a smartphone on our best plans ever," said John Clelland, senior vice president of marketing, T-Mobile USA. "Whats better than getting one of the sleekest, fastest 4G devices on the market? That would be getting two for the price of one."
New and existing eligible (meaning 22 months or more on their current contract) customers can take advantage of this promotion and receive their second device for free after a mail-in rebate card when they sign up for a new two-year contract on any qualifying Classic Plan™1 or paying a $0.00 down payment after mail-in rebate card on their second device when signing up on a qualifying Unlimited Value™2 plan.
The "Magenta Deal Days" BOGO promotion will be available at participating T-Mobile retail stores nationwide. For more information about T-Mobiles products, services and a full list of eligible devices: http://t-mo.co/IFiLii.
1 Standard upgrade eligibility rules apply for existing Classic customers who stay on a Classic plan.
2 On approved credit and 0 percent APR. Down payment and unfinanced portion required at purchase. Remaining balance paid in 20 monthly installments. Total price of each device equals down payment amount plus 20 times the monthly payment amount.
[T-Mobile: Magenta Deal Days | Via TMoNews]
Android Gaming Weekly: Mini Motor Racing, Machinarium, Big Win Hockey, Ninja Slash!
May 17th
Welcome back to our regular column Android Gaming Weekly, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Wednesday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, but readers have requested a condensed summary that makes it easier to keep up with all the latest news. Read on for this week’s best in Android gaming.
Top 7 New Games This Week
This week I’m testing out a new format. I always try to find the top rated games each week, but now I’m going to limit my recommendations to the Top 7 games. The number of quality games comes and goes each week, but I felt like 7 suggestions was a nice odd number that I could achieve each week. Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments below.
Machinarium
Developer says: “Discover the award-winning, steam punk world of Machinarium, navigating a clever little robot called Josef from the scrapheap into the city to save his robot girlfriend. Solve puzzles, quests, brain-teasers and mini-games to rid the city of the wicked Black Cap Brotherhood robots. Gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and animations bring the robot’s story to life, using unique comic bubbles and symbols to convey the plot.”
Taylor says: I’m going on a road trip this weekend, so I need a new puzzle game to burn up some time. The video sold me and I just handed over my $3.99. I’ll let you know how it was next week.
Mini Motor Racing
Developer says: “Mini Motor Racing plays like a favorite remote-controlled car showdown, combined with modern tech to nitro-boost your engines! Play multiplayer against up to four of your friends via WiFi! Race in campaign competitions for big rewards! Upgrade your skills and cars to win more! It’s all here in Mini Motor Racing.”
Taylor says: Reminds me of Micro Machines Racing, which I played for countless hours. Asking price is $1.99, but early reviews are good with a 4.3 average score.
Doraemon Fishing 2
Developer says: “You will start going fishing as Doreamon, Nobita or Shizuka and try to feed the beloved dinosaur Pisu. Besides casting the hook as deep as possible to collect coins and catch fishes while avoiding sharks, with the new gameplay, players will touch on fishing jumping out and flick them towards Pisu.”
Taylor says: I think I have a thing for Japanese game music. Game was so odd I just had to share it.
Big Win Hockey
Developer says: “CREATE your own unique dream team, COMPETE against opponents from around the world, WATCH your team battle it out on the ice, BOOST your player’s passing, shooting, skating and other skills and get ready to hoist the Daily Trophy for the ultimate BIG WIN!”
Taylor says: I’m not even a fan of hockey and this game looks awesome. It’s free so you have nothing to lose. I’m installing this on my Transformer Prime right now.
Lunar Racer
Developer says: “Strap on your moon boots and fire up your nitro boosters! The real space race is about to begin! Sure there’s racing games… but then there’s racing games with powerups! Ever tried racing with homing missiles, land mines, bubble shields and gravity thrusters? Yeah, didn’t think so!”
Taylor says: It’s from the developer of Super Stickman Golf and it’s free. Graphics look simple, but gameplay looks addicting. Average early review score is 4.8.
Plopp
Developer says: “Bubble-like circles, so called ‘Plopps’ emerge all over the place and start growing. When you tap on a Plopp, it explodes and a shockwave is unleashed. If other Plopps are hit by this shockwave they also explode causing big chain-reactions!”
Taylor says: This developer just uploaded four new games to the Google Play store and they all look pretty unique. Plopp looked the most interesting to me out of the bunch. It runs $1.25, so you might want to wait for more reviews to come in before you buy.
Ninja Slash!
Developer says: “Are you tired of always and only cut fruit? No problem! You’re one step away from starting the final cutting experience! Run, Jump and Slice at the same time!”
Taylor says: Odd combination of running and slicing gameplay looks hard as heck. I think this looks pretty fun, and it only costs $0.99. The developer has a good track record, so I think it’s a safe buy.
Android Games Coming Soon
Gameloft finally supports the ASUS Transformer Prime
This week Gameloft updated their popular MMORGP game Order & Chaos with a new dungeon called Sailen: The Lower City. More importantly, they finally added support for the ASUS Transformer Prime. Keep an eye on other Gameloft titles for future Transformer Prime support.
N.O.V.A. 3 dropping any day now
Speaking of Gameloft, we still expect NOVA 3 to be available any day now. The iOS version went on sale last week for $6.99 and we expect the Android version to cost the same. Check out the Gameloft Blog for first impressions of the game. (Gameloft, I will freaking love you if you release this on the Prime!)
Will Max Payne Mobile ever come to Android?
Another week and another delay. This game was supposed to be released in April, but it keeps getting pushed back. We were told several times that it would be available in previous weeks, but I honestly have no idea when it is coming out. Keep an eye on@RockstarGames for updates on the release. They seem pretty focused on Max Payne 3, so we might not hear anything for awhile now.
Shoot the Zombies arrives May 24th
It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t mention at least one zombie game this week. DroidGamers reports that Shoot the Zombies from Infinite Dreams will arrive on the Google Play Store around May 24th. This game is the sequel to Shoot the Birds, but this time you have to protect your pumpkin farm from a plague of undead, evil zombie birds.
Games I’m currently playing
Sonic 4 Episode II: This is the biggest release of the week so I just had to try it. I grew up on Nintendo and Mario, so I never really spent much time with Sonic. I played several Sonic games over the years, but I never finished one. I just got a wireless controller for the ASUS Transformer Prime and HTC One X, so look for my review in the coming weeks. Check out our Sonic 4 preview for a chance to win an Android tablet.
What Android games are you playing?
Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.
Android Gaming Weekly: Mini Motor Racing, Machinarium, Big Win Hockey, Ninja Slash!
May 17th
Welcome back to our regular column Android Gaming Weekly, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Wednesday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, but readers have requested a condensed summary that makes it easier to keep up with all the latest news. Read on for this week’s best in Android gaming.
Top 7 New Games This Week
This week I’m testing out a new format. I always try to find the top rated games each week, but now I’m going to limit my recommendations to the Top 7 games. The number of quality games comes and goes each week, but I felt like 7 suggestions was a nice odd number that I could achieve each week. Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments below.
Machinarium
Developer says: “Discover the award-winning, steam punk world of Machinarium, navigating a clever little robot called Josef from the scrapheap into the city to save his robot girlfriend. Solve puzzles, quests, brain-teasers and mini-games to rid the city of the wicked Black Cap Brotherhood robots. Gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and animations bring the robot’s story to life, using unique comic bubbles and symbols to convey the plot.”
Taylor says: I’m going on a road trip this weekend, so I need a new puzzle game to burn up some time. The video sold me and I just handed over my $3.99. I’ll let you know how it was next week.
Mini Motor Racing
Developer says: “Mini Motor Racing plays like a favorite remote-controlled car showdown, combined with modern tech to nitro-boost your engines! Play multiplayer against up to four of your friends via WiFi! Race in campaign competitions for big rewards! Upgrade your skills and cars to win more! It’s all here in Mini Motor Racing.”
Taylor says: Reminds me of Micro Machines Racing, which I played for countless hours. Asking price is $1.99, but early reviews are good with a 4.3 average score.
Doraemon Fishing 2
Developer says: “You will start going fishing as Doreamon, Nobita or Shizuka and try to feed the beloved dinosaur Pisu. Besides casting the hook as deep as possible to collect coins and catch fishes while avoiding sharks, with the new gameplay, players will touch on fishing jumping out and flick them towards Pisu.”
Taylor says: I think I have a thing for Japanese game music. Game was so odd I just had to share it.
Big Win Hockey
Developer says: “CREATE your own unique dream team, COMPETE against opponents from around the world, WATCH your team battle it out on the ice, BOOST your player’s passing, shooting, skating and other skills and get ready to hoist the Daily Trophy for the ultimate BIG WIN!”
Taylor says: I’m not even a fan of hockey and this game looks awesome. It’s free so you have nothing to lose. I’m installing this on my Transformer Prime right now.
Lunar Racer
Developer says: “Strap on your moon boots and fire up your nitro boosters! The real space race is about to begin! Sure there’s racing games… but then there’s racing games with powerups! Ever tried racing with homing missiles, land mines, bubble shields and gravity thrusters? Yeah, didn’t think so!”
Taylor says: It’s from the developer of Super Stickman Golf and it’s free. Graphics look simple, but gameplay looks addicting. Average early review score is 4.8.
Plopp
Developer says: “Bubble-like circles, so called ‘Plopps’ emerge all over the place and start growing. When you tap on a Plopp, it explodes and a shockwave is unleashed. If other Plopps are hit by this shockwave they also explode causing big chain-reactions!”
Taylor says: This developer just uploaded four new games to the Google Play store and they all look pretty unique. Plopp looked the most interesting to me out of the bunch. It runs $1.25, so you might want to wait for more reviews to come in before you buy.
Ninja Slash!
Developer says: “Are you tired of always and only cut fruit? No problem! You’re one step away from starting the final cutting experience! Run, Jump and Slice at the same time!”
Taylor says: Odd combination of running and slicing gameplay looks hard as heck. I think this looks pretty fun, and it only costs $0.99. The developer has a good track record, so I think it’s a safe buy.
Android Games Coming Soon
Gameloft finally supports the ASUS Transformer Prime
This week Gameloft updated their popular MMORGP game Order & Chaos with a new dungeon called Sailen: The Lower City. More importantly, they finally added support for the ASUS Transformer Prime. Keep an eye on other Gameloft titles for future Transformer Prime support.
N.O.V.A. 3 dropping any day now
Speaking of Gameloft, we still expect NOVA 3 to be available any day now. The iOS version went on sale last week for $6.99 and we expect the Android version to cost the same. Check out the Gameloft Blog for first impressions of the game. (Gameloft, I will freaking love you if you release this on the Prime!)
Will Max Payne Mobile ever come to Android?
Another week and another delay. This game was supposed to be released in April, but it keeps getting pushed back. We were told several times that it would be available in previous weeks, but I honestly have no idea when it is coming out. Keep an eye on@RockstarGames for updates on the release. They seem pretty focused on Max Payne 3, so we might not hear anything for awhile now.
Shoot the Zombies arrives May 24th
It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t mention at least one zombie game this week. DroidGamers reports that Shoot the Zombies from Infinite Dreams will arrive on the Google Play Store around May 24th. This game is the sequel to Shoot the Birds, but this time you have to protect your pumpkin farm from a plague of undead, evil zombie birds.
Games I’m currently playing
Sonic 4 Episode II: This is the biggest release of the week so I just had to try it. I grew up on Nintendo and Mario, so I never really spent much time with Sonic. I played several Sonic games over the years, but I never finished one. I just got a wireless controller for the ASUS Transformer Prime and HTC One X, so look for my review in the coming weeks. Check out our Sonic 4 preview for a chance to win an Android tablet.
What Android games are you playing?
Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.
Android Gaming Weekly: Mini Motor Racing, Machinarium, Big Win Hockey, Ninja Slash!
May 17th
Welcome back to our regular column Android Gaming Weekly, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Wednesday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, but readers have requested a condensed summary that makes it easier to keep up with all the latest news. Read on for this week’s best in Android gaming.
Top 7 New Games This Week
This week I’m testing out a new format. I always try to find the top rated games each week, but now I’m going to limit my recommendations to the Top 7 games. The number of quality games comes and goes each week, but I felt like 7 suggestions was a nice odd number that I could achieve each week. Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments below.
Machinarium
Developer says: “Discover the award-winning, steam punk world of Machinarium, navigating a clever little robot called Josef from the scrapheap into the city to save his robot girlfriend. Solve puzzles, quests, brain-teasers and mini-games to rid the city of the wicked Black Cap Brotherhood robots. Gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and animations bring the robot’s story to life, using unique comic bubbles and symbols to convey the plot.”
Taylor says: I’m going on a road trip this weekend, so I need a new puzzle game to burn up some time. The video sold me and I just handed over my $3.99. I’ll let you know how it was next week.
Mini Motor Racing
Developer says: “Mini Motor Racing plays like a favorite remote-controlled car showdown, combined with modern tech to nitro-boost your engines! Play multiplayer against up to four of your friends via WiFi! Race in campaign competitions for big rewards! Upgrade your skills and cars to win more! It’s all here in Mini Motor Racing.”
Taylor says: Reminds me of Micro Machines Racing, which I played for countless hours. Asking price is $1.99, but early reviews are good with a 4.3 average score.
Doraemon Fishing 2
Developer says: “You will start going fishing as Doreamon, Nobita or Shizuka and try to feed the beloved dinosaur Pisu. Besides casting the hook as deep as possible to collect coins and catch fishes while avoiding sharks, with the new gameplay, players will touch on fishing jumping out and flick them towards Pisu.”
Taylor says: I think I have a thing for Japanese game music. Game was so odd I just had to share it.
Big Win Hockey
Developer says: “CREATE your own unique dream team, COMPETE against opponents from around the world, WATCH your team battle it out on the ice, BOOST your player’s passing, shooting, skating and other skills and get ready to hoist the Daily Trophy for the ultimate BIG WIN!”
Taylor says: I’m not even a fan of hockey and this game looks awesome. It’s free so you have nothing to lose. I’m installing this on my Transformer Prime right now.
Lunar Racer
Developer says: “Strap on your moon boots and fire up your nitro boosters! The real space race is about to begin! Sure there’s racing games… but then there’s racing games with powerups! Ever tried racing with homing missiles, land mines, bubble shields and gravity thrusters? Yeah, didn’t think so!”
Taylor says: It’s from the developer of Super Stickman Golf and it’s free. Graphics look simple, but gameplay looks addicting. Average early review score is 4.8.
Plopp
Developer says: “Bubble-like circles, so called ‘Plopps’ emerge all over the place and start growing. When you tap on a Plopp, it explodes and a shockwave is unleashed. If other Plopps are hit by this shockwave they also explode causing big chain-reactions!”
Taylor says: This developer just uploaded four new games to the Google Play store and they all look pretty unique. Plopp looked the most interesting to me out of the bunch. It runs $1.25, so you might want to wait for more reviews to come in before you buy.
Ninja Slash!
Developer says: “Are you tired of always and only cut fruit? No problem! You’re one step away from starting the final cutting experience! Run, Jump and Slice at the same time!”
Taylor says: Odd combination of running and slicing gameplay looks hard as heck. I think this looks pretty fun, and it only costs $0.99. The developer has a good track record, so I think it’s a safe buy.
Android Games Coming Soon
Gameloft finally supports the ASUS Transformer Prime
This week Gameloft updated their popular MMORGP game Order & Chaos with a new dungeon called Sailen: The Lower City. More importantly, they finally added support for the ASUS Transformer Prime. Keep an eye on other Gameloft titles for future Transformer Prime support.
N.O.V.A. 3 dropping any day now
Speaking of Gameloft, we still expect NOVA 3 to be available any day now. The iOS version went on sale last week for $6.99 and we expect the Android version to cost the same. Check out the Gameloft Blog for first impressions of the game. (Gameloft, I will freaking love you if you release this on the Prime!)
Will Max Payne Mobile ever come to Android?
Another week and another delay. This game was supposed to be released in April, but it keeps getting pushed back. We were told several times that it would be available in previous weeks, but I honestly have no idea when it is coming out. Keep an eye on@RockstarGames for updates on the release. They seem pretty focused on Max Payne 3, so we might not hear anything for awhile now.
Shoot the Zombies arrives May 24th
It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t mention at least one zombie game this week. DroidGamers reports that Shoot the Zombies from Infinite Dreams will arrive on the Google Play Store around May 24th. This game is the sequel to Shoot the Birds, but this time you have to protect your pumpkin farm from a plague of undead, evil zombie birds.
Games I’m currently playing
Sonic 4 Episode II: This is the biggest release of the week so I just had to try it. I grew up on Nintendo and Mario, so I never really spent much time with Sonic. I played several Sonic games over the years, but I never finished one. I just got a wireless controller for the ASUS Transformer Prime and HTC One X, so look for my review in the coming weeks. Check out our Sonic 4 preview for a chance to win an Android tablet.
What Android games are you playing?
Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.
Sprint brings carrier billing for books, movies, and music
May 16th
Up until recently, the Google Play Store only supported carrier billing for applications and games. When Google added music, movies, and books to the Play Store they didn’t bring that functionality over. They finally announced its development last month, but no carriers were on board with carrier billing with those pieces of media.
That changes today, though, as Google announced on Google+ that Sprint has become one of the first carriers to sport the functionality. It’s no surprise they are the first considering their longstanding and fruitful relationship with Google.
They were the first (and are still the only) to bring Google Wallet, and they were the first (and are still the only) to bring Google Voice carrier integration.
We’re sure AT&T and T-Mobile will jump on board for widespread carrier billing before too long, but for now Sprint customers are an exclusive crowd of those who can get anything the Google Play Store has to offer without having to pay for it until they pay for their monthly bill.
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer receives 9.2.1.24 OTA update
May 16th
The original Eee Pad Transformer by ASUS has received a firmware upgrade to version 9.2.1.24 today, and it brings with it some fixes and enhancements that I’m sure a few people will appreciate. One new feature that many of you should definitely appreciate Face Unlock. Sure, it’s not the most secure and practical method for unlocking a device, but it’s still nice to have.
Other changes include the ability for the status bar to maintain on the display during gameplay, and improvements to the email application. Head to the About Tablet section of the device and hit the firmware update to check for it. This should only be available to the US and Canada for the time being. [via AndroidForums.com]
Android Insiders: A conversation with Ryan Bidan of Samsung
May 16th
Last week we had the chance to sit down with Ryan Bidan, Director of Product Markting at Samsung Mobile, as part of our ongoing Android Insiders series. The Galaxy S III is one of the largest Android product launches of the year so we wanted to talk about the Galaxy brand and what it represents to consumers.
We also chatted about TouchWiz, unlocked phones, and customer loyalty programs, so check out the full interview below and let Samsung know how much you appreciate them taking the time to sit down and talk with the Android community.
Android and Me: The messaging for the Galaxy S II was “Screen, speed, and content.” What should the Galaxy brand represent to consumers?
Ryan Bidan: For us the Galaxy brand is our flagship brand. I want it to be defined to consumers as the best Android device experience period. In this case we happen to be talking about the Galaxy S III, our flagship Android phone.
A year ago when we were talking about the Galaxy S II, part of it was the market was in a very different place and what we needed to do with that launch was something different. We basically brought out a world beater phone that decimated the competition. It was hands down the best Android phone across the line and did a great job.
I think the market has changed quite a bit in the last year. I think there are a lot of really great devices out there. For most consumers this idea of “speed and screen”, those kind of factors, the speed particularly and the power of the hardware are becoming less relevant of a differentiator. You move from this place where it was megahertz, gigahertz, and cores and now we are trying to move beyond that. Is my quad-core really better than a dual-core from the next generation?
What we are trying to do here is define Galaxy S III as being the flagship device experience in totality from design, performance, and on-device software. I don’t want you to worry about what’s going on under the covers. We make all the components. It’s the best device available for you and it’s going to have the best experience.
Yes, its got a great screen and lots of power under the hood, but what I want you to think about is how great it feels to use, how fluid it is, and things we have done with the software.
AAM: How important is Samsung’s content ecosystem to the success of the Galaxy S III?
RB: On the content side, it’s a bit of an open market for us. So you’ve got Google’s offerings, a lot of 3rd party offerings, carrier offerings, and in some cases you have Samsung’s offerings. For us it has always been about providing choice for the consumer. So in markets where there aren’t any 3rd party providers or markets where there aren’t solutions to provide that kind of content, we’ve gone out and done some of those.
Obviously the US market is very mature in terms of content delivery in a lot of ways. There are lots of incumbents in those markets, so our strategy has been more likely to work with them than provide solutions against them.
So that’s part one. Do I think that Samsung’s content ecosystem is important for the success of this device? Absolutely. I think a big part of the device experience today, the expectation around the device experience, is that ‘I’ve got my content. I can enjoy my content.’
And for Samsung, having various components of the ecosystem, it becomes how can I share that content. Whether it’s with my TV, or my tablet, or across other devices.
AAM: Specifically, I’m curious about Samsung’s Game Hub. I saw Samsung preview some new games at their Unpacked event like Gameloft’s Asphalt 7. Do you think we will see Game Hub in the United States?
RB: I think gaming as a content solution is very important. Do I think we need to provide great gaming solutions for our customers? Absolutely. Will that be in the form of Game Hub or some other way to deliver that content? I’m not 100% sure right now.
AAM: For a customer that purchased the Galaxy S II and loved it, what do you see as the key reasons to upgrade to a Galaxy S III?
RB: If I was talking to a specific user I would totally dig into what they are doing with their device today and tell them how much more awesome the Galaxy S III is. In general I think the things to look for are best in class hardware, a great camera experience - we got the 8 megapixel shooter and all the advanced features like burst shot and zero shutter lag, and we now got the HD screen with the 4.8 inch 720p HD Super AMOLED display. It looks much better and has more information on the screen. And you now have Ice Cream Sandwich and the latest Samsung enhancements to it.
AAM: What is the future of TouchWiz going forward? There is no mention of TouchWiz in Samsung’s online marketing for the Galaxy S III. Is Samsung going to devalue it?
RB: My take on it, and the way I have characterized it is actually the opposite. What we are trying to do is not separate TouchWiz as a separate element, so much as help consumers understand it’s part of the Samsung device experience. It’s not this add-on, but it’s deeply integrated into how you experience this Samsung device.
Whether it’s lock-screen customizations, or gesture UX, or any of those kinds of elements that we have gone and extended, those kinds of additions to Ice Cream Sandwich that we think are interesting – that for us is now part of your Samsung device experience.
I don’t think calling out TouchWiz as a separate application or having it thought of as this separate thing is particularly useful.
AAM: How do you see the market for unlocked phones in the US evolving over the next couple of years?
RB: It’s a challenging one because the issue has always been the market in the US, or North America, is so very different than the rest of the world – the position of the carriers, subsidized devices, and all that kind of stuff.
I think unlocked devices are very interesting, but I think it’s very much an enthusiast audience at this point. It’s those people who would be willing to import the phone from overseas anyways. When we are talking about something like a Google Experience device, like the Galaxy Nexus, it is a very focused kind experience that [consumers] are looking for.
How do I think about the unlocked thing? From a consumer point of view I think it would be great to see more unlocked phones. I don’t think the North American consumer is necessarily ready for the market to become that kind of unlocked device market.
We expect our phones to be subsidized. We expect to go in a store and spend $199 or $299 for a flagship device. If we started going in and had to bear the true cost of what those devices were, the model might not be that appealing at the end of the day.
AAM: Why should a smartphone buyer be loyal to Samsung, versus going out and getting the latest, greatest smartphone?
RB: We are changing what we talk about with the Galaxy S III and defining a specific Samsung experience. What we are doing is trying to define and communicate reasons why you want to come into the Samsung ecosystem, but then also stay there. Things like unique features on our devices, great design, unique ecosystem opportunities, and [Samsung's] other device offerings.
I want to get you in the door with a great device experience. The Galaxy S III looks fantastic, runs awesomely, and has a lot of cool features. Then you see all the other things that you can do with your device, that you can only do with Samsung, whether it’s gesture UX, S Voice, AllShare Play, S Beam, that you can’t do with any other device.
AAM: Have you ever considered doing a customer loyalty type program or is that something you leave up to your retail partners?
RB: It’s interesting because we are making this transition to wanting to be closer to our consumer. So when I talk about things like wanting to deliver a Samsung experience, I mean to the end user. I want you to have a relationship with your Samsung phone regardless of what carrier you are on.
As part of that it means us needing to get closer to how those devices are actually delivered to consumers in the retail model and what that purchase process looks like. We are absolutely looking at all kinds of options around customer retention, loyalty, and trade up. Do I have anything to announce today? No, but it’s definitely something we are thinking about regularly.
AAM: Thank you for your time.
