Following is a commercial for the Huawei Ascend D quad Android-based smartphone – currently the world’s fastest! Huawei already sends chills down Cisco’s spine, and I have no doubt it will become a household name globally. Unfortunately, I thought this phone was poorly named. Just say “d quad” fast! (Here is a hint if you need it.) I currently use the Samsung Galaxy. The screen is amazing; it’s a photographer’s dream phone. My next upgrade will have to be the “d quad.”
Here is a hands-on review at the recent Mobile World Congress in Spain. Mini-HDMI port for connecting to an HDTV to play video games, display photos to friends, and extra add-on’s by Huawei to Android Ice Cream. This phone is expected to sell really well.
TonyP4 says
The success of a smart phone depends more on marketing and other support than technology alone. Today the off-brands (at least in US) from Apple and Samsung are only successful in low-end products. Hope it will change.
pug_ster says
This phone certainly has the specs for a great phone. One thing that we will see alot more of is the improvement of the camera’s optics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-illuminated_sensor
BSI technology is relatively recent and it supposed to improve low light quality pictures and it is one the major selling point of iphone4.
I hope that this phone will be successful, but in the US, it depends if the telecom companies are willing to adopt this phone, how Huawei can provide support for this phone and if they can make this phone inexpensive so many people would buy this phone.
jxie says
Sooner of later, people will get the Apple fatigue, unless Apple can constantly wow the consumers with new ideas, features and products. I am not that optimistic without Steve Jobs, Apple can maintain the edge.
Huawei may win this in the long run.
Allen says
@jxie
Apple vs. Android (on which Huawei devices are based) is an interesting phenomenon to see.
In the past, we though openness per say is valuable. That’s why PCs beat out Macs. But now, with device proliferation, people want some quality control.
Google Android platform has the problem that it is fragmented – apps don’t work that well from device to device – they don’t even tag apps whether they are for tablets vs. phones.
Apple has the network effect going for it. All the cool new apps are still done first on the Apple platform.
Software runs the show on mobile devices. Huawei may be on the wrong boat.
We’ll see…
TonyP4 says
Openness allows easy doors to virus programs.
Microsoft depends on openness so it can concentrate on software. It is successful with Windows and Office. Microsoft is living in past glory and current cash flow.
Apple has total control of the product.
More on Apple.
http://tonyp4idea.blogspot.com/2012/01/is-apple-cheap.html
The two major Chinese phones are currently having a high market share with low-end smart phones in US, but not a dent in the total market.
pug_ster says
@TonyP4
The biggest problem with Android is fragmentation. Google is really bad in working with phone developers to getting software drivers and technical support, which results in phone manufacturers releasing software updates (if ever) months after the new Android OS is released. Many phones no longer receive updates even though hardware-wise, they are capable of doing so and you are lucky if you receive software update and support a year after the phone comes out, so phone owners have to rely on 3rd party firmware updates like Cyanogenmod.
I hope Huawei would break that trend and give regular software updates and not just care about putting resources for making new phones.
jxie says
Apple’s gross profits on its iOS-line products are higher than 50%, which are actually less than Cisco and Intel. Other than the massive volumes, Apple also mints money through a king’s ransom from its “partners”. Apple App Store takes a 30% cut from iOS app developers. Telecom providers pay through their noses to sell iPhones/iPads. Everything else being equal, all Apple’s “partners” will defect in no time.
Not too long after the release of the first Mac in 1984, Steve Jobs was pushed out of Apple. Mac was not the baby of John Sculley, so in a way its would-be competitor (PCs with decent GUI) faced an unmotivated and unfocused Apple. Even then, not until Windows 3.0, which was released some 6 years later in 1990, PCs became a viable GUI platform or a worthy competitor to Macs. Just put the timeline in context, iPhone was first introduced in 2007, less than 5 years ago.
Actually in a lot of the similar cases, a relatively more open late comer competes against a closed platform with a gigantic lead, the incumbent tends to win. Case in point, high-end Unix against IBM mainframe. For the late comer to catch up, not only it needs to out-hassle the incumbent, but also the incumbent needs to be listless and execute poorly.
Android is of the Apache software license, which means third-party customers are free to develop Android on their own and keep their source code secret. It’s quite different from the original Microsoft model (Microsoft being the driving force), or the GPL license mode that all subsequent development needs to be open source. For those who have used Oracle’s or IBM’s Apache servers and noticed the differences compared with the generic Apache — those’re the differences.
In the Apache software license mode, the driving force behind it has to be smartphone makers, not Google. Granted Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility has clouded the picture somewhat. Anyway, the smartphone makers are expected to contribute a whole lot more, compared to the PC makers who just hitched a ride with Microsoft. The built-in potential reward for the smartphone makers though, is much better. The jury is still out, but Huawei has what it takes to build its own ecosystem around Android.
jxie says
For a while, HTC was an interesting competitor in the Android space. Losing the US ITC ruling vis-a-vis Apple was a severe blow to HTC. Apple, acting like a patent troll, is pushing its litigious muscle around to safeguard its commercial lead. Huawei is not HTC though. For starter, Huawei’s size is way bigger than HTC, with a much deeper pocket. If Apple starts treating Huawei like it did to HTC, Huawei will figure out ways to make Apple’s life in China extremely unpleasant.
YinYang says
Android and iOS are indeed two very different business models.
Apple milks her business partners as much as she can. Even 3rd party developers must pay to use their SW development tool.
In contrast, the tools are free on the Android side. Google relies on advertisement to recoup the cost. More usage of Android (with it’s tight integration with Google services) means more ad served.
Apple’s model wins if Google screws up; people increasingly becoming fed up with ads.
Google’s model wins if ads become more targeted – people think Google placed ads increasingly are more helpful.
Of course, assumption is both camps products/services are competitive with each other.
Then there is Windows 8. Can’t count out Microsoft yet.
TonyP4 says
The reason you cannot count out Microsoft is the business users:
The following opens a door for Microsoft with its upcoming tablets for business users.
1. USB support.
2. Office support. One apps can read Office doc. and if it can do some simple calculations on imported doc., then it will allow business users to buy them to replace the laptops. There is a company offering $5 a month to do the above. Too expensive to a individual like myself.
3. Internet Explorer support. Some of my investing software only run on IE. It could be a small group who needs this feature.
Most likely I’ll get my new iPad to read Chinese books from the library and get my grandchild busy. It is definitely not a disappointment and Apple beats its competitors.
——-
Most will give credit solely to Steve Jobs and the management for producing such good products enjoyed by the world.
Reality check:
1. Check the % of Indian and Chinese tech folks working for Apple and it will surprise you. Most are top tech folks and work long hours.
2. The 40,000 engineers / technicians in China should receive some of the credit.
—-
Was Steve Jobs the ultimate slave master?
If it is the best job, you have to thank your ‘slave’ master.
—-
No one will predict the same performance for Apple’s stock. However, it has a long way to cash in:
http://tonyp4idea.blogspot.com/2012/01/is-apple-cheap.html
pug_ster says
@jxie
The problem with HTC was that they released too many models of phones, unable to focus one from another, they focused too much on design but not on usability and software, and don’t have much budget phones. Samsung pretty much ate HTC’s share because they did what HTC didn’t do. They produced alot of sleed oled screen phones as well as budget ones.
@YinYang
I agree, the smartphone war is still on its infancy and it is not over yet. Apple, google, RIM and Microsoft have weaknesses which dominates one from another, but Apple is winning. This is what I think.
Apple – Pros pretty good designed phones, alot of apps and many free apps, widespread adoption, excellent software update support. Cons – Phones are not ‘sexy’, cost (though they were able to sell pretty well thru subsidized plans), lack of variety of phones, not great enterprise management.
Android – Pros Lots of varieties of phones, decent number of apps, pretty widespread adoption, many choices of hardware from budget to expensive featured phones Cons – Fragmentation, software update of phones are iffy, and not great enterprise management
RIM – Pros Excellent enterprise management of phones, strong encryption, Excellent email/outlook client. Cons – Hardware is lackluster, Blackberry network is slow, lack of good apps, features of software is behind others.
Windows – Pros Excellent user interface Cons – pretty much everything else.
Agreed, I think the only company who can unseat Apple and Google is Microsoft, but they have to get their act together at this point. They could probably use their Windows software model and transplant it to phones. They have to do certain things right away and fast.
– Allow people to install Windows Phone OS on their phones
– Provide driver as well as security patches support for their OS, allow users to update software themselves.
– Allow Cloud syncing between their PC’s and phones/tablets
– Allow a backend (like Blackberry Enterprise server) server to manage Windows Phones and tablets.
– Charge $0 or very little to Phone OEMS for the Windows mobile 8 they can probably make up the money from enterprise licensing and ads from bing.
– Pay other companies to write popular software for their phones.
pug_ster says
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-57399239-64/google-nexus-tablet-a-done-deal-claims-report/
Looks like Google is releasing the Google Nexus Tablet in a few months and Asus is contracted out to make it and the rumor is that it is going to cost $150 for a 7″ tablet. Looks like a good deal. I hope that google will work with the manufacturers and help make a phone that is going to cost in the similiar price range. Not a high tiered phone, but a mid to lower tiered phone for the masses.