Big day for Google Announcements

Today was a big day for Android here in Brazil as the Galaxy S III debuted here. And it was also a big day for Google as they announced not only major improvements for Google Maps and Google Earth but also the acquisition of Quickoffice. That is probably going to get attention from Microsoft who rumors say will deliver their Office suite to Android in November.
Regarding the Maps news Google said that we'll have offline maps and navigation in the next few weeks (iPhone and iPad users must be getting more and more upset about losing Google Maps in their next update...), many people say that there's no difference between that and the current lab function to store 10 mile squares but I completely disagree. I think that this is a MAJOR step forward for Android as now we'll have a free map app that is truly free as you don't even need to have a data plan to use it - and much more convenient than having to save side by side squares of 10 miles to try and encompass the full area you use - navigation tool.

The Google Earth mobile new 3D mode!!

On the Office side of news Google just got Microsoft worried, as they acquire the best Office app available for the Android platform. That is great news for Android users everywhere because now it can become a truly productive OS if Google plays it right. Quickoffice is very good already but you can't make a case for a full fledged substitute of Microsoft Office. But with Google's money and talent they can change that. And if they do Android tablets will have a whole new use! And may even be free!! (we can dream...)

A great day for Android indeed... :)

PS: Right now Quickoffice pro costs $14.99 in the play store and the tablet version, Quickoffice pro HD costs $19.99. A bit steep but the best office app out there for Android.


PPS: For our iOS readers, Quickoffice is actually also available to iPhone and iPad. Just follow these links - for iPhone for iPad - or get it from iTunes.

Android vs iPhone

Hey guys, I stumbled upon a video that I really liked and wanted to share it with you guys...

It shows a comparison between Android OS and iOS. It uses the flagship devices from both Operating System. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs the iPhone 4S, the two devices that pretty much represent all that there is on iOS and Android in it's pure form. The author, Mr. Wicked4u2c, lets us know how he got convinced by the media to exchange his Android smartphone for an iPhone and shows how he feels about it after about a month of using his new iPhone.

It's a very good video to watch, the author is not completely biased one way or another, especially since he owns an iPad 3,  he just shows factual differences between the two systems. If you have a friend who says that no matter how good your Android phone is his new iPhone is just better because it's from Apple, show him this... ;)

Source: TalkAndroid

PS: I know that some of our readers use iPhone, iPad and other Apple products to access the blog, I'd like to say that you're all welcome and if you have any opinions as to why iOS is better I would love to read about it in the comments... ;)

How my mother's phone changed my life

So there I was, I had my android but had no idea how to actually make the most of it.
My mother had a Samsung Omnia, which had Windows mobile 6, and was not quite happy with it. It wasn't easy to personalize, there wasn't a market to get apps to make your phone work the way you wanted like Android or iOS and my mother is the kind of person who likes things her way... And she had to do things the Omnia way. I'm talking about my mother's phone right now because that changed my Android life forever... she saw everything I could do with my phone and how I could change things to adapt to my liking and quickly decided she wanted one too, but she didn't want a phone with a physical keyboard - like my Motorola Milestone.
By this time our mobile operator was offering the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and I thought that it would fit her needs. So we went to our mobile operator store to get one for her. When we got there the attendant showed it to us - yes, I went with her, I always go with her to anything that regards technology to help her out - she liked it and said that this was what she wanted. Then she told us the price and my mother got immediately deflated. She doesn't like to spend too much money on gadgets, but then the attendant told us that there was a way to pay less. Because we had unlimited data plans we were VIP costumers and could schedule a meeting to discuss pricing and get special discounts. So when we got home I went and scheduled a visit to their VIP section for both me and my mother. By then the idea was to get a new phone for her but with back to back appointments there would be more time to negotiate. I had no clue at that point that I wouldn't need a lot of time.
The day we went for our VIP appointment we got there early and waited a bit. When the meeting started I explained the situation: the back to back appointments, the phone my mother wanted, and that I was there mostly to help her, but that I wouldn't mind getting a new phone myself. The moment that the attendant told us that we both could get the Xperia X10 for FREE, we couldn't believe it and gladly accepted it!
And just like that, almost as accidentally as I got my first android I got my second one. Now that I had two androids I could afford to crash one of them! So I started going around the web to see how I could make my brand new Xperia X10 even better. I quickly found out about debranding. And how that would release from the "curse" of having a device in a country that doesn't get much attention from manufacturers. After a hole lot of googling around I found XDA and their forums. And then, and only then, a good six months after I first got my hands on an android, I started understanding how much I could do with it...