Microsoft & Nokia Reach Market Dominance In 2015... Or Not

BOLD PREDICTIONS FIZZLE AS 2015 COMES TO FRUITION

A few years ago, I was on the bandwagon of belief when all of the tech pundits made bold predictions that Nokia & Microsoft would reach total market dominance over Android & Apple by the year 2015. What happened?

We all bought the story because of the reasoning, that Nokia once dominated the world of feature phones, and that Microsoft dominated the world of operating systems. Windows Mobile plus Nokia hardware was supposed to equal unparalleled success in the smartphone market.

But what happened?

All of the cards foretold of fortunes to be made by these two tech juggernauts, and the planets were supposedly lined up to create the stage for the impending takeover of the smartphone world. But now that we have reached 2015, where is Microsoft and Nokia in the grand scheme of things?

Apple continues to dominate with the new iPhone 6 and 6+, with the new iOS 8 platform. And Samsung continues to squash the Android market with its flagship Galaxy products, powered by Android KitKat. But our "match made in heaven" comprised of Microsoft and Nokia seems to be lagging far behind, as they always have.

I thought Microsoft and Nokia had a great start with the Lumia 920 smartphone, and all of the later versions of their device. The operating system was supposed to be super easy to use, and a much better match for those of us using Windows based PCs. I thought I would be a prime target for converting to Windows on my smartphone, since I use a PC and a laptop every day.

But it never happened. I've tested and tried the Nokia devices using the Windows Phone platform. While I did find it easy to use, I worried about not having the ability to find all of my most favorite apps under their system. When I switched from Apple to Android in 2012, I was able to download about 80% of my most used apps on the Android platform.

I'm hard-pressed to believe that Windows will capture the attention of developers around the world and motivate them to bring all of my favorite apps to the Windows Phone market. It hasn't happened yet, and I don't have much confidence believing it will in the near future.

While the Windows-based Nokia devices are super slick and durable, I have found them to be a total pain-in-the-derrier when it comes to servicing and repairing the hardware. As the owner of a smartphone repair shop, I have learned to send Nokia smartphone owners to my competitors down the street. Cracked screen? Busted LCD panel? Take it somewhere else, because it's not worth the headache.

That might be part of the reason why Nokia failed to dominate the market as predicted. It might just be that Microsoft and Nokia never became "cool". Whether their devices and operating system functionality is great, or a pile of crap, nothing matters until their products become a "thing".

The smartphone market is like the fashion industry. Until Microsoft and Nokia become "cool" in the minds of consumers, they will never hit critical mass and dominate the market. I would love to see a competitor break into the Apple/Android monopoly, but I don't believe we will witness such an even for a few years if anything.

In the meantime, It's Samsung & Android for me on the smartphone front, Apple's iPad for my tablet, and my Windows-based custom PC for my desktop.

What do you think the reasons are behind the failure of Microsoft and Nokia to fulfill the predictions of the past? I'd sure like to hear your opinion!

Carlton Flowers
The Gadget Guru

iPhone 6 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4 - This Will Shut You Up

HIDEOUSLY OBVIOUS REASONS I CHOOSE THE GALAXY NOTE 4 OVER IPHONE 6 PLUS

The iPhone 6 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 are out on the streets. The talking Apple heads claim that the iPhone 6 Plus is the hands-down winner over the new edition of the Note series.

Even tech blog sites are giving the checkered flag to Apple over Samsung in this race to have the most phabou phablet. It doesn't stack up per the tech specs, but Apple clearly has the most votes of confidence.

Everyone has an opinion about device brands and it is mostly due to preference. But I'm having a hard time trying to follow the "logic" of the loyal Fruit Cult following. I don't think they care what the specs are at all, it's just a foregone conclusion that the Apple device will magically be "better" by default.

In fact, I'd like to know exactly what kind of hallucinogenic drugs these people are doing to think the specs give Apple the win, because it would seemingly take some pretty strong stuff to overlook this helpful little handful of hardware facts...

• The CPU - the Note 4 uses an Octa core processor while the iPhone 6 Plus sports dual core
• 1.9GHz cpu processing speed on the Note 4 compared to 1.4GHz on the iPhone 6 Plus
• Screen resolution of 2560 x 1440 on the Note 4 versus 1920 x 1080 on the 6 Plus
• Super sharp screen on the Note 4 packs 515 pixels/sq.in but iPhone 6 Plus is only 400pix/sq.in.
• 16Mp camera on the Note 4 as opposed to 8Mp on the 6 Plus
• Front-facing camera on the Note 4 has twice the resolution than it's Fruity Phablet counterpart
• Real multitasking on the Galaxy Note 4, nothing of the sort on the iPhone 6 Plus
• A whopping 3 gigabytes of RAM packed into the Note 4 while the 6 Plus gets a paltry 1Gb
• 3,220 mAh of battery power on the Galaxy Note 4 edging out the 2,915 mAh on the 6 Plus
• Killer download speed of 42.2Mbps on the Galaxy Note 4 while iPhone 6 Plus drags along at 7.2Mbps
• The super solid build of the metal-band-clad Note 4 as opposed to the lighter, cheaper, more slippery feel of the iPhone 6 Plus

My conclusion? The amount of hallucinogenic drugs or head-meds needed to "make" the iPhone 6 Plus a better device choice than that of a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 would therefore be significant. But right when you think logic and hardware specs rules the day, I will say this...

I like the look and feel of the iPhone 6 Plus better than the Galaxy Note 4, and would have chosen it over the Android product if Apple included a pen digitizer on their device. Plus the lacking hardware specs don't appear to give it any less of a speedy user experience.

So there you have it.  Shocked that Mr. Android Boy would say such things? Well you shouldn't be. The point is, none of the specs listed for or against a device amount to a hill of beans. It's all about user preference and the user experience.

For me, the lack of a pen digitizer on Apple mobile devices is a deal-breaker. The Galaxy Note 4 is close enough as a great device that I will stick with it just to have my digitizer pen. I can live with the design changes that I don't like as much, as long as I have the digitizer.

Ironically, the one thing Apple Fruit Cult members boasted about most was that their devices were solid and heavy, while Samsung's devices felt cheap, light and "plasticky" (which I prefer). The chickens have come home to roost.

Carlton Flowers
Gadget Guru

Why Samsung Laid An Egg With Galaxy S4 Stock Android Browser

LEAVING OUT THE OBVIOUS - NO TEXT REFLOW ON STOCK GS4 BROWSER

They went for broke on the Galaxy S4 with every useless "feature" you could imagine, but Samsung dropped a big fat egg when they left out the most usable feature that should have been included in the stock Android browser - Text Reflow.

You can wave your hands to scroll, wave side-to-side to page through windows, and even tilt the phone to scroll up and down pages. It makes the browser very convenient, and I love having the ability to use the gesture-based constrols. The engineers at Samsung must have stayed up extra late with a big pot of coffee to make all of this happen.

But what makes me want to grind the teeth out of my head is the fact that the stock Android browser does not come with text reflow. I can download a 3rd-party browser like Opera, or Maxthon, or even Chrome, all of which have text reflow. But when you are using a 3rd party browser, none of the advanced gestures work. They only work on the stock browser.

My question is this... how could Samsung spend so much time coming up with such great browser add ons, but leave out something as simple and functional as text reflow? Why would they ignore this, while HTC has it built in with the stock browser on their flagship product, the HTC One?

I don't have a clue. Doesn't make sense.

This brings my frustration back to the forefront in the same way that it did back in my Apple days. I had an iPhone 3GS and was very jealous of the Android devices on the market that had dynamic text reflow. I had high hopes that Apple would bring text reflow to the iPhone 4, and I was sorely disappointed when they passed up on the opportunity and chose to remain with their heads up their rear ends on the issue.

Samsung has surpassed the stupidity of Apple on snubbing text reflow by releasing the most advanced mobile browser on the market that has everything thrown in it but the kitchen sink... and text reflow. They have officially laid an ostrich egg on this. I hate to say that I am disappointed, but I am.

I love my Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone, and I would not think of trading it for anything. There is a zero percent chance of me going back to iOS, and I'm not really that excited about HTC products. So there's not chance that this issue is a deal breaker for me.

But I sure would appreciate it if Samsung developers took a short coffee break from creating all these useless magical features just long enough to add one simple feature that could make all the difference in the world for people who use their smartphones for heavy reading.

Rant over.

Carlton Flowers
Text Reflow Posterboy

Which Is Easier? Android Or iOS?

ANDROID VS APPLE - SIMILAR DIFFERENCES?

Okay folks, the topic of today's SoundCloud podcast is the following question: "Which is easier to use? Android or iOS?"

This question has come up from time to time, and the answer used to be a resounding iOS. But that's not necessarily true anymore.

"Tune in" to the podcast and hear my reasons why this discussion is a moot topic. You might be surprised to hear what I have to say about this.

I'm an Android fan who has 2 Apple iOS devices on the side. What do you carry in your pocket? Which operating system appeals to you, and why?

Sound off in the comments section and let the world know!

Carlton Flowers
Geek Podcaster Supreme

New Social Media iPhone App Developed By Mizzou Graduates

"TEXT THAT Q" LAUNCHES IN JANUARY OF 2013! THE STORY OF AN APP

Almost 2 years in the making, and TextThatQ has launched! It is the newest concept of a social media app to hit the world. After lots of hard work and 2 beta testing periods, the app is now live.

TextThatQ was an idea created by Jake Seeman, a Mizzou graduate and chemical engineer. It was programmed by fellow Mizzou graduate, Stephen Lindhauer. The concept? A place to ask anything about life's craziest questions in complete anonymity.

Users can post questions to the social community with their own set of criteria, deciding what people should receive their question based on common interests, hobbies, age, and more. It allows people to interact in a way that removes the embarrassment of asking their most pressing questions.

Some prefer to ask silly questions, and some ask questions on rather serious topics dealing with a range of issues. These include male-female relationshis, personal challenges, family problems, and personal growth. All the while, participants are much more willing to open up knowing that they remain anonymous.

Once a question has been posted and a user recieves an answer, they can give it a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down". These actions are rewarded with points, or a deduction of points is made. But after the question has been answered, the two participants can carry on a conversation at length.

The app has been in development for nearly two years, and my role has been to head up the marketing efforts. It has been a long, fulfilling journey, and I've learned a lot about what it takes to develop and roll out a successful app.

Now that the app has been released, we have decided to make two new key additions to the core group, which includes web development expert Jason Piper and marketing mogul Tim Largent. It will take the effort of all 5 team members and more to see the app hit the level of success that it is headed for.

With the huge surge in smartphone use in society, app development has exploded. This is what originally attracted Jake Seeman into the rapidly advancing sector. As far as we can tell, there are no boundaries to how far it will reach.

I'll be reporting back on how we are doing with the rollout of the app, and sharing everything we learn. It has already been quite a journey, and we have seen some of our dreams come true. In the meantime, check out the YouTube video demo of the app, and then download it to your iPhone/iPod/iPad here!

Do you know someone who has developed a mobile app for Android, iOS, or Windows Phone Mobile? We'd sure like to hear the story about its success (or failure). Share in the Disqus comments section!

Carlton Flowers
Vice President of Marketing, CoMo Coding LLC

Caught In The Wild - Hands On With The iPad Mini

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH THE IPAD MINI - INITIAL THOUGHTS

I had the chance to get my hands on the latest tablet offered by Apple, the iPad Mini. My good friend and Apple enthusiast Tim Largent purchased his new iPad Mini in December, and it was one of two left in the store inventory.

Just picking up the device was a treat. I've kind of had my eyes on the iPad Mini since the rumors were first swirling about the release. I will admit, it is even more impressive up close and personal.

The device is super thin, much more than I had envisioned. Along with Apple's magnetic case, it's pretty spiffy. I would much rather clutch the iPad Mini than the full-sized model, which I find to be way too big for comfort.

iOS looks plain gorgeous on the smaller cousin to the iPad. You don't get the Retina display with the Mini, but it's not that big of a deal. Yes, I could tell the difference in video quality, but it's not really necessary to have a Retina dsiplay on a budget device.

If I were to buy an iPad, this would be the one for sure. But I still can't decide if I would part ways with $329 of my hard-earned bucks for a device that does not reflow text when you zoom in. In keeping with Apple tradition, text reflow (or word rapping) does not work on this device.

I tried downloading the Opera browser to see if it allowed text resizing. I can't say for sure, but I don't think it will resize text and reformat the paragraphs. But it does not dynamically reflow text when zooming in, that's for certain.

As much as I read on my smartphone, and would read on a tablet device, I can't get beyond the lack of this one simple feature. The good thing is that the device is bigger than a smartphone, so you can at least enjoy larger text within the screen.

But the sad fact is, the websites that I visit to read on are not optimized to be read on a tablet. As soon as I zoom in to a comfortable text size, I find myself panning back and forth because the sentences go flying off the right side of the screen.

For me, that is maddening. It makes reading a serious pain in the rear end. If Apple could solve this, or if I knew that there was a browser capable of enabling text reflow, I would think about saving up the money to get one of these.

I would like to have an Apple tablet to run certain iOS apps for my business. This would be the perfect device to do it on. But we'll just have to put that on hold and see what "pans" out for text reflow.

My bottom line recommendation is that the iPad Mini is a great device if you don't mind panning when zooming in to read. It's also fine if you don't mind that Apple portable devices do not display Flash enabled sites.

If you're a serious Apple fan, and you want a smaller tablet, get it. You'll save $300 off the price of a full sized new iPad, and still have the functionality that you want.

Carlton Flowers
Half Apple Fanboy

Apple Slams Samsung While Google Sits On Their Can - My Controversial Thoughts

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE APPLE/SAMSUNG LAWSUIT RESULTS AND WHY GOOGLE WILL SUFFER

So Apple won the ridiculous lawsuit against Samsung, claiming they copied all of their products and operating system. This seems to be a big huge deal. Or is it? Who is the real winner here? Apple, Samsung, or the consumer?

On the face, it looks like the whiny Cupertino tech giant slammed the mighty bully who kept stealing their stuff. They get a billion dollars in damages, plus they now own the rights to rectangular electronic devices that have icons.

The result will be that Samsung might have to jack up their prices and pay a royalty fee to Apple, IF they let them continue using the designs that they now apparently own. But one thing I don't understand is why Google sat back on their fat cans and didn't say a word throughout this process.

Samsung is the biggest distributer of smartphones in the world of Android. Google could potentially be hurt if their number one customer, Samsung, cannot continue selling their phones at neck-breaking speeds. I would have thought that Google would be on top of this with their endless cadre of lawyers to help out their Korean brothers, but they did not.... as far as I know.

What does this mean to the consumer? You might be paying $10 more (or so) for your Samsung device so they can pay off the mob boss Apple. You might also see an operating system that doesn't look like iOS. But will the $1,000,000,000 fine really hurt Samsung? Probably not.

I was reading in PC Magazine where they were reminiscing about Microsoft buying Skype for $8,000,000,000. It sure didn't vault them to the top of the gadget pile with their smartphones. They also talked about the huge amount of cash that Google was paying to buy out Motorola.

So putting that into perspetive, $1,000,000,000 isn't really such a bad deal for getting to rip off the design and operating system of the iPhone and land yourself at the top of the pile in cell phone gadgets.

To be honest, the rotten Apple folks have a point. Yes, Android looks exactly like iOS. Rows of icons that you scroll around, on a nice rectangular screen, running apps that are basically identical. This shouldn't come as a surprise, however, because tons of design folks defected from Apple to work for Google.

What I don't get is what difference it will make for Apple. If they shut down Samsung (if their wildest dream came true), people like me still wouldn't buy their products. Why? Because I don't want a heavy, clunky, super fragile device that can't survive a drop 2' above the pavement.

Nor do I want a device that has sticking home buttons, jammed up power buttons, gummed up silent switches, and jacked-up volume buttons. Who needs all of that? I don't. I'm not going to buy an Apple brick phone if I don't have to. But I will eventually, because of my app development company CoMo Coding LLC, and our iOS apps that we are developing.

What do you think is going to happen to the lesser Android handset manufacturers that can't afford these battles? HTC, Haweieee (or however you spell it), Pantech, and LG all have iPhone look-alikes too. If Apple comes up against them now that they own the rights to rectangular touch screen gadgets, they could be toast.

I'm okay with paying an extra ten bucks to keep my Sammy smartphone fresh and new each year. But I would be the first to say that Samsung needs to get away from the fake-iOS-clone-looking Android operating system and do something different. It is possible.

Just look at the Microsoft Windows Phone Mango platform, for example... it looks nothing like iOS. Plus, it's FAR more intuitive and less maddening than the jam-200-icons-on-a-screen concept of iOS and Android.

Step it up, Samsung. You seriously won big by getting to the top of the heap riding the iOS copy bandwagon. Now put your heads together and get away from Apple before they lawsuit you to oblivion.

Just my rambling thoughts.

Carlton Flowers
Crabby Android Fan

Blast From The Past - My Thoughts On Microsoft 1 Year Ago

Hi gang! As you might know, I switched blog host providers a couple of weeks ago. In the process, I lost my entire blog. I've decided to start from scratch. But in between my bright flashes of creativity, I'm going to post some of my old articles that I dig up on the Internet Archive's "Way Back Machine" and see how things have turned out since posting.

This is the first "Blast From The Past" post that I wrote on the topic of the Microsoft Corporation's slipping market dominance. I think I would disagree with this article now, especially since Microsoft has made a bold new aliance with the Nokia corporation. What are your thoughts? Post your comments below!

With no further adieu, here is the old post:

I SEE A DISTURBING TREND FOR MICROSOFT IN FUTURE MARKET DOMINANCE

I just don’t get it… what is it with Microsoft these past few years? Microsoft and “monopoly” used to be one in the same in the days of Bill Gates. Sure, they still dominate the world market with some impressive financial numbers, but will they hold their position given their current philosophy and lackluster vision?

It seems to me that the giant in Redmond has become complacent. They have a whopping 88% of the world’s market share in desktop computers with their Windows operating system. Plus, the XBOX 360 has jumped ahead of Wii and PS3. Kinect was the hottest selling gaming gadget for Christmas 2010. But the end result is that Microsoft is resting on its laurels.

However, Apple surpassed Microsoft’s market capitalization in May of 2010 to become the world’s largest tech company. Sure, Apple’s current status as “king of the hill” is not guaranteed to last due to the fact that company value fluctuates wildly based purely upon stock price. But would anyone have imagined this to have happened just 10 years ago? No.

Once upon a time, everyone thought that Apple’s days were numbered before CEO Steve Jobs rejoined the company to bring them back into their glory. Apple was considered the yuppy alternative to computer systems and electronic devices when compared to the standard that Microsoft had set. Developers would never have guessed that their future would be in writing little apps for the revolutionary iPhone.

Now Microsoft has become a reactionary company under the somewhat “visionless” leadership of Steve Ballmer. They’ve handed over the title of “innovator” on a silver platter to Steve Jobs. Instead of keeping the lead role in breaking open new fertile markets and taking huge risks, they’ve sat on their laurels and rested on the security of their flagship products in known markets.

Let’s consider a few of the unproven markets that Apple took the extreme gamble on and led the way, with Microsoft responding late in the game:

The iPhone & iOS Smart Phone Platform

In 2007, Apple released the first generation iPhone. Where was Microsoft? Fooling around with Windows Mobile 6.5, a sad excuse for a mobile phone platform. 3 years passed by before they released the impressive and user-friendly Windows Phone 7 platform, which to me is more intuitive than the iOS operating system. But as great as Windows Phone 7 is, it’s entirely too late. They should have done this long before. The release did not make a big splash, and I don’t see it possible at this time for them to catch up and overtake Apple’s iOS. They missed the boat. Apple will dominate this market for years to come, no matter how good Windows Phone 7 gets, because iOS is in the “perfecting” stage while Phone 7 is in the elementary stages.

The iPod Touch

Yet again, Microsoft let Apple solidify their dominance with the groundbreaking iPod touch before they even thought about getting the Zune out to market to compete. How do you sit on your can and let the iPod touch snatch up the entire market when you created the standard with the Windows operating system? It’s too late for Zune, and the Zune HD will not be the device that wins back the hearts of consumers. They can forget it. The iPod touch is now the standard in portable gaming and music.

Internet Browsers

During the 90’s, Internet Explorer was the only choice when it came to browsers. Netscape was the old standard, but IE quickly erased their lead. Nowadays, Firefox has established the number one position. According to W3 Schools, they took the lead away from Microsoft during 2008. The trend continues for Firefox, and IE is still sliding losing market share and even has Chrome on its heels. I don’t know what the future holds for IE, but it’s not looking very good at this point in time.

The iPad & Tablet Market

Tablet computers aren’t really that new. The Apple Newton was one of the first, and it failed miserably. Microsoft had partnered with several hardware manufacturers to produce various tablets during the 2000’s that never took off. Apple took the huge gamble on releasing the iPad, and set the standard. They practically created the market, only to watch everyone else in the world scramble to make a late entry. Not a single tablet product threatens the iPad now. While there are noteworthy contenders in the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab, the iPad is clearly ahead of the game. Most companies are pushing their inaugural tablet products while Apple crushes the competition with their 2nd generation iPad.

During the time that the iPad was originally released, rumors swirled about the fabled Microsoft Courier. It was an entirely new concept that was in no way similar to the iPad. If they were going to enter the market late, at least they were going to do so with something totally outside of the box. The Courier was supposed to be a brand new concept mimicking a book with two 7″ displays hinged in the middle. The operating system was to be based upon the Microsoft Surface concept (something else that has stayed stuck in the developmental stages, never to be released as a consumer product).

The Courier turned out to be vaporware. Microsoft ditched the project. But why? As large as a company that Microsoft is, wouldn’t you think they’d have the research and development budget to push the project and get it out to market in a reasonable time? Sadly, they did not make the effort. They’ve been talking about releasing tablets for 2 years now, and just can’t come up with a workable tablet interface.

Now Microsoft is talking about showcasing future Windows 8 tablet concepts in June of 2011. What the heck is that all about? iPad 2 is on sale right now, and they are still talking about showcasing future products this summer? This is so sad it is shameful. In my opinion, they may as well throw in the towel and stick to pushing the XBOX 360 and Kinect products. If I were a major stockholder, I’d be asking for the heads of leadership. Somebody with real vision and and a proven track record of being proactive needs to take control of this company. This is the biggest disappointment of all in my opinion.

I could take this farther, but these are the areas where I see Microsoft hurting the most in the future. I think a serious leadership change is in order for Microsoft. If they don’t initiate some kind of major change in their glass tower, they’re going to be looking like Apple during the late 80’s.

Carlton Flowers
Disappointed Microsoft Fanboy