STEAM! Y U NO SALE WHEN I HAZ MONIEZ?!

Today I got a gift.  A Steam gift.

I got a 60 dollar game as a gift.  It was amazing.  I may not get a chance to play it a lot, but I sure am happy to have it.  One of my longtime e-friends gave me an early Christmas gift while he was enjoying the Steam Autumn Sale.  I was unable to enjoy... because I has no monies!

I really enjoy the Steam sales.  I can get a lot for a little.  I will be ready next month for the winter sale that runs through Christmas.  I can't wait.  I hope to only score a couple of games or expansions, but it should be good stuff.

The hardest part is figuring out what to get my e-friend...

Why I (mostly) gave up on Android Pt. 4

And... number four...

Carriers
Why do the carriers matter?  BECAUSE THEY DO.  Take a look at how well AT&T did because they had the iPhone.  Disregard the fact that the GSM network is better for an actual mobile user.  Disregard the fact that people continue to flip their shit about CDMA restrictions.  Disregard the fact that T-Mobile still doesn't have an iPhone and still has unlimited data (and in some places a better HSPA+ network).  Carriers matter, trust me.

Verizon dropped the ball so fucking hard that Google didn't even make the new Nexus available on CDMA... at all.  (Sprint loses, too.  Poor Sprint.)  I am pretty sure that if they continue to be the fucking hateful bloodsuckers that they are that after the Moto contract expires that Google will pull that exclusive contract.  Imagine if Google could make a Motorola Nexus and offer it to carriers with their own stipulations.  WIN!  Imagine, now, if Google stopped Moto from making all of those sweet DROIDs for Verizon.  You'd have... a couple of Samsung lawsuit phones and some garbage LG phones.  AWESOME!  No that the RAZR M of the HD versions of the RAZR and MAXX are all that great.  Actually... the RAZR and MAXX themselves were kinda shitty.  Since the Droid X Moto has kind of been mediocre on VZW.

T-Mobile started the pure Nexus thing and I think it'd be same to hedge some bets on them.  What I'd love to see if Google go in and buy them... and then buy Sprint.  Have both GSM and CDMA and use that with your new Fiber powerhouse to go across the country and provide us with quality service for reasonable prices and making a fucking killing.  I'd buy into it.  I can't wait until the Google Fiber is available.  I might just set my fucking Comcast modem on fire.  Dicks.

If I ever go back to Android it will be for a Nexus.  I want the pure experience.  I want the bloatfree guarantee.  I want to know that people are going to develop for it.  I want to know, moreover, that the Carrier won't fuck it up again.  Fuck you Verizon, assholes.

Why I (mostly) gave up on Android Pt. 3

And a third part to the Android rant...

Apple
One of the biggest things stopping Android from really moving forward is Apple.  Apple doesn't seem to want to innovate in the mobile market.  What this results in is a whole fucking lot of arguing and some lawsuits where people argue over things that don't matter and award each other large sums of money that provide upper-management with better vacations.  I'm not mad at Apple for making money.  I'm mad at Apple for stifling innovation for half a decade.

Apple makes a shitload of money.  They dominate all of the more important parts of mobile technology.  Smartphones, tablets and "ultrabooks".  Want it to be easy, portable and easy to use?  Apple has you covered.  In the case of the ultrabooks.... I'm not sure I'd call it that easy to use and you may run into some trouble when everyone else and your IT department uses PCs.  The iPhone and iPad are far and away some of the best devices in their category in terms of polish.  Apple only releases one thing and they control it from start to finish.  If it is a flop, it is on them.  They are invested more in the product than Android is.  Even the Nexus 7 isn't the best device it can be.  Cutting costs and getting your name out there are great, but for technophiles like myself... it sucks.

If it isn't a lawsuit then it's an advertisement.  If it isn't an advertisement then it's a huge pile of money to get someone to adopt the phone.  Sending out iPhone to celebs = win.  Embedding iPods into the culture = win. Android is so far behind it isn't even funny.  They are making up ground, but how many shitty, el-cheapo devices are people going to get before they give up on?  That 50 dollar tablet from Walgreens isn't going to wow anyone.  Apple does a pretty good job at convincing people that they NEED to play 600 bucks for an iPad.  How?  I don't know. *full disclosure: I'm getting a Surface and have owned a Nexus 7*

Why I (mostly) gave up on Android Pt. 2

Part two of my Android rant......

Marketing
Companies that make the phone are pushing for the devices to do well.  Samsung and HTC normally do a good job.  Carriers have also joined in on the fun... but Google doesn't even try.  Google doesn't put dollars toward advertising and marketing, because it doesn't have to.  It isn't making money on Android.  They let the manufacturers have control and this might come back to hurt them later.  Snarky commercials about how the iPhone sucks and waiting in line is lame are awesome and all, but what happens when someone fires back at that green robot?  Nothing.

A good example of how little Android gives a shit is the recent case against Samsung.  Google could have at any time jumped in and flexed a bit of it's muscle, but it didn't get involved.  The best form of marketing is the publicity generated from that... and Google doesn't do marketing.  After the court said that they owed Apple a billion dollars I'm sure people knew what Android was and how it was close enough to Apple (and in most cases less expensive) to warrant a billion dollars.  Why not go get a Samsung, it's basically a cheaper, less cool Apple product... right?  BEST MARKETING EVER.  Too bad that came at the cost of innovation....

Apple not only controls their commercials and marketing, they control what features are showcased.  Google needs to step it up and get in on this game.  Again, they need to take the reigns and start laying down requirements if they hope to keep winning people over.

Why I (mostly) gave up on Android Pt. 1

I have been a big Android fanboy for a while.  I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.  Then when I did, I couldn't wait to customize it.  Then when I hit the ceiling there I couldn't wait to unlock it, root it, ROM it and go nuts.  Once I was a pro at that I realized how much I didn't like the feel of anything but the stock experience.  They hire a bunch of people to make sure that they get it right and for some of the stuff... they do.

Fragmentation
I have been fighting this argument for a long time and now I totally get it.  There are still people in contacts that are NOT EVEN RUNNING 2.0!  There are still people using 1.6 IN A FUCKING CONTRACT!  There are still loads of people stuck on 2.1.  The advances from 2.1 to 2.3 were massive and changed a lot of the experience and things that the OS could do.  Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of awesome available, just a whole lot less.  The fact that so many people are still sitting on phones that are stuck at 2.3 is sad enough, the 1.6 guys really tug at my heart.  I understand that not every phone can utilize these new features and I'd never hope that Android took such a closed approach as Apple, but we have to find a middle ground.

El Cheap Sucks-a-dick brand Android phones are ruining the experience.  The basement bargain phones aren't good.  At all.  There are still bad Android phones.  There are still people locked into contracts using Thunderbolts, Charges and Galaxy Stellars.  Those are all 4G devices... and they are bad.  By letting so many makers make phones they can get them into more hands.  More makers means more small customized bits of the device.  A switch here in settings.  A UI tweak there.  One Android to the next can seem completely alien.  This is NO BUENO!

Google needs to put on the big boy pants and tell the carriers to fuck off and the phone makers to invest more into the devices.  A good phone is worth it and once the market is filled with good phones, the negative stigma might life AND they might manage to get everyone upgraded.  Every phone can't be a Galaxy S (insert number) branded device of a Nexus.  Those seem to be some of the more popular and better selling devices, also some that seem to stack up well against Apple.  But... when you're pumping out year old garbage Android phones that won't ever run the best software you are crippling yourself.  2.3 was awesome compared to 1.5, but is hilarious compared to the leaps made in 4.2.

Good hardware.  Good software.  Upgrades for your phone.  Without these things, the brand is going to begin to stagnate.  People have heard of it and think it looks cool, but it won't continue to flex it's dominance if it can't continue to do well as people move to second and third contracts since the phone has been out.