HTC had forecasted that their 2013 flagship Android device would arrive on US carriers towards the end of April. Well they have certainly seemed to hit that target with today’s announcement from the carriers. You can pick up the 32GB option for $199 on both carriers. The 64GB option is exclusive at launch to AT&T and can be purchased for $299. That price seems to suggest that not only will the HTC One beat the Samsung Galaxy S4 to the market but it will be considerably cheaper. I’ve actually giving a lot of thought to picking this phone up. I’ve held and played with the iPhone 5 and the BlackBerry Z10 and this looks to make the Z10 feel cheap and dull by comparison. Anyone else picking this phone up?

Don’t forget that HTC is offering a $100 Cash Back offer if you pre-register for the device. You can get even more if your trade-in value of your old phone is greater than $100. Stay tuned as I will be updating this post as T-Mobile and Verizon finalize and announce their launch plans.

Well, BGR’s covering an imminent “Androidbook” launch by Google, using a Digitimes article by a Joanne Chien, hailing out of Taipei, as the source, who uses nothing other than a hunch as her source, noting the reassignments of Rubin and Sundar Pichai (who denied such a merger between Chromebooks and Android).

I’ve written my share of half-assed articles but nothing I’ve written that wasn’t obviously an opinion piece or some story about mercy killing a deer was pure bullshit deliberately packaged as a legit, reliable thing for other blogs and news outfits to write their own news about, false legitimacy snowballing everywhere. At least when we covered this big scoop early last month, as it was conjecture, we used a question mark to indicate journalistic flaccidity.

Joanne Chien, I’m sure you’re a lovely lady, but if you’re going to do this, at least put a little bit of effort into it like my man Ben Bajarin of Time who pulled the same shit you did, but with more finesse. And BGR, don’t feed these people, this is not helpful. I’d prefer it if you just made shit up including nonexistent sources than encourage the likes of Digitimes.

That’s it I’m done.

Doug Simmons

Doug Simmons: Microsoft just lowered its minimum tablet res to 1024×768, which breaks W8’s “snap view” capabilities, in a pathetic attempt to get some OEM love.

Matt Anderson: I’ve asked this before and ill ask it again. What in the fuck do you need higher resolution screens on 7 and 10″ screens? Do you have super human, nay God like eye sight where you can somehow actually differentiate the resolution at this level or do you just use your tablet pressed firmly against your eyeball? Resolution still falls under the jurisdiction of diminishing returns. My 10″ surface with 1366×768 or 720p resolution blows away any 1080p res tablets I’ve seen. There are dozens of things beyond screen res that account for perceived image quality. Contrast, color depth, color accuracy, refresh rate, pixel shift, etc. Stop harping on this one number like its the be all end all of fucking screen specs. People dont just buy cars because of horse power. You want fucking cup holders, gas mileage, a radio, a seat that doesn’t feel like a judo black belt wailing on your spinal cord after driving for 10 minutes, enough noise reduction material that it doesn’t sound like your driving with your head out the window. So just go ahead and calm the fuck down with your disbelief. Damn it! Getting me all fucking worked up before breakfast.

Murani Lewis: I agree. Oddly im going to use the iPhone as an example. The iPhone has long sense been surpassed in resolution and ppi. The iPhone 5 still us regarded as being a superior screen than almost all phones because of other factors. I’ve never had any problems with screen quality and sewing how many people purchase lower-res phones and tablets it clearly isn’t in the top couple things people look for when buying a tablet.

Doug Simmons: Matt, super human vision or genuinely perceived benefits from high pixel density fueling demand of everyone else’s stuff, you have to admit that 188 ppi is a low number and it’s a sorry thing to see Microsoft have to, in part at the cost or some “Snap” functionality I believe, to stoop to it in their minimum to try to generate any OEM interest in making something for them. It underscores how flaccid they are in the mobile arena. Whatever figure they started with was too high, gotta go below average, they apparently felt, with future products relative to old products other people have been selling for a good while, and for a reasonable amount of money. Aren’t we supposed to get better in general over time? Are these going to cost two hundred bucks or closer to eight? Remember the 800×480 Windows Phone maximum, did that do them any favors? Will this? Nope, yet another flop en route from Redmond. Nice car analogy.

David K: It isn’t lack of OEM interest. Microsoft previously would not approve an RT (ARM based) below 10″. They only approved five total ARM tablets in fact and they indicated that they will not have any new releases until the summer. We now see that the timing is linked to Blue. They are making the interface scale better based on size (not just resolution). Sent from my Windows Phone

Matt Anderson: Very similar to those shitty android tablets with no resolution and resistive touch screens?

Doug Simmons: Like the Nexus 7, couple hundred bucks, greater pixel density than Microsoft’s announcement, includes “mobile” basics like a cellular radio and fuck me a GPS receiver, updates on time, an unobjectionable about of free space, apps, good battery life, widely praised and widely purchased? That shitty Android tablet?

Matt Anderson: So you point to one device when the majority of them are shitty and has what market share? In that other category compared to mr iPad.

Doug Simmons: On any given Sunday, Matt, the best hardware available lies on an Android device. And the Android devices in which I have any interest has the name Nexus. I’m the guy who bought the thing that wasn’t grossly overpriced as a failed strategy not to appear shitty. You must be the other guy. In what negative way am I affected by there being more Android running devices than the one that suits me exceptionally well?

Matt Anderson: And the same question stands against your initial retort about shitty windows devices. My surface is bad ass. I could give a shit. I’ve never seen a better screen on a tablet or even a tv, including my room mates 7″ nexus that I have used, played with, and used to play with myself.

Doug Simmons: Matt, I’m glad you’re happy with your piece of shit $1200 screen, but please note that the terrible thing about Hell is that when you’re there you can’t even tell. As you run through this life you love so, you could be there and not even know. But you say, “So what, I’m doing just fine;” the irony is that it’s all in your mind. And that’s why Hell is so vicious and cruel, but you’ll just go on, an oblivious fool. An oblivious fool, Matt. You.

Matt Anderson: Do what now? 700$ actually, and how does having the best screen equate to shit? Im not sure what you’re getting at in your William Blake’ish monologue concerning hell and oblivion. Did you find my giganug?

Doug Simmons: That was Poe by the way, Burlington. And what’s with “700$” you eurotrash wannabe..

Matt Anderson: Or Phish lyrics. Stoner.

David K: you ladies are talking about tablet size without anyone making a penis size joke? Shame on both of you

Ram: LoL. Look who is talking, Simmons the Microsoft Guru. The leaked builds state the otherwise. There will be support for SnapView that supports 50/50 (lower resolution devices) and 4 apps in a SnapView (higher resolution devices)

Doug Simmons: Bottom line Ram, Microsoft wants people to build hardware running their software, they are sweetening the deal to entice them by lowering standards not only to underwhelming levels but to the point where it breaks certain functionality, functionality that is important enough that as a condition of going with such low res OEMs must state clearly, like a cigarette cancer warning, that W8′s functionality is castrated. And while your English may be a tad rough around the edges, I have no doubt you know what that word means. Snap? In your case, snip.

Sony’s new commercial really makes a case for their new Xperia Z. It starts out by capturing moments in history when Sony was right there with you, it sure did remind me of just how powerful and trusted the brand is. Check out the commercial below.

Samsung is clearly out for blood! If you think you’ve seen this theme before, you have, its sort of like the deal Apple scared with Best Buy not too long ago. Now, along comes Samsung looking to steal even more thunder from the fruit company. According to reports, the mini Samsung stores will pop up in high traffic Best Buys around the launch of the highly anticipated Galaxy S4. This is looking to become less of a war and more of a beat down, and no, Samsung might not be the one at the bottom of the pile.

Yup, here we go again, the Facebook phone rumors flying left and right. This time, with perhaps a bit of validity. Facebook has been sending out invites with an interesting leading statement, “Come see our new home on Android.” Humph, could this be in? Is it real? Was this what the push to get Facebook employees to use Android was all about? Only time will tell, April 4th to be exact! Stay tuned!

You are right we are finding fault with Google for the sake of it. You are right. It is well known fact that Google keeps its products in beta state forever unless they pull the plugs. Yeah, yeah I know, Microsoft does pull plugs on its widely used products and Apple does that and everyone in the industry does that. And among Microsoft, Apple and Google, Google keeps its products in beta mode forever. And now they are into the practice of introducing incompatible stuff. Isn’t it one of the reasons why Microsoft was pulled over and issued pink slip for its dominant position in the industry?

I can give you a sample list of widely used products by small timers unplugged by Google making the consumers of those technologies stranded in a desert looking for water:

• Hotpot
• Google Checkout
• Aardvark
• Google Answers
• Google Base
• Google Docs (not integrated into Google Drive)
• Google Browser Sync
• Google Buzz
• Google Directory
• Google Dictionary
• Google Desktop
• Gears
• Wave
• Google Trends#Google Music Trends
• Writely
• Video Player
• Voice Search
• Google Apps Standard Edition
• Google Sync
• Google Reader – pulled out shortly
• iGoogle – pulled out shortly
• CalDav – pulled out shortly (Remember Microsoft is a small timer when it comes to Windows Phone platform and Google is doing its share to damage it by pulling out CalDav when Microsoft agreed to adopt CalDav. Yeah I know they have whitelisted users and Microsoft is one of them that could still use it, but given the fact that Google deprecates frequently how long this would work. Even though Google dropped Google Sync and stopped supporting EAS it is clearly showing who is trying to abuse their monopoly power).
• and so on

Now when it comes to abuse its monopoly position on the Internet Search (of course ad based) and almost monopoly on mobile platform (Android), they started introducing incompatible stuff

1. WebP (I thought only Microsoft only does bad with naming, but Google leads this with stink).
2. V8 (it reminds me of vegetable juice)
3. and so on

Yeah, I know Microsoft also introduced a lot of incompatible stuff and pulled plugs on a lot of widely used stuff and left the users stranded, but I think Microsoft had been pulled for this by various financially challenged nations to milk. I think Google dollars are working better than Microsoft dollars, I don’t say bribing, but lobbying successfully. If it were not Eric Schmidt’s internal connections with political parties, I think Google would have been chasing the monopoly case by now like Microsoft did in 90s and IBM in 80s for the abuse of power in the ad based searching, and almost monopoly hand in mobile platform.

Ok, I think I am done, now it is your turn.

Google is making it really difficult for me to hate them these days. With the likes of Google Now running around, now they’ve gone and made the best app on earth even better. After a really smart move on the part of The MTA to make their train schedules available to developers, Google has integrated the data in Google Maps. This makes your timing that much more impeccable! Lets “Jump It Up” for Google folks, they deserve it.

Now it is India’s turn to punish/milk Google for sharing consumers data with its “clients”, http://thepointdaily.com/google-inc-nasdaqgoog-under-scrutiny-by-the-indian-govt/128396/

In addition to that, it seems Motorola Mobility acquisition is not really working out for Google. On one hand Android OEMs are paying bunch of $ per device to Microsoft for its IP, which Android is trespassing, and now ITC judge said Xbox is not infringing Motorola patents http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/95379-95379/ This is like adding insult to the sore.

WebP is like the Windows Phone of image formats – its developers took the best of everything about PNG, JPEG and GIFs, packed that all together, managed to exclude the downsides of each, left it open, added some things of their own, then made it much more effective at everything than all of those formats, namely substantial reduction in size to make the same image. Better compression across the board, comparable encoding and decoding speed, no need for you to choose from multiple formats based on whether you need more than 256 colors or 24bit, if you need animation, transparency, lossless or lossy, it’s got everything, it’s awesome, it’s gotten even more awesome over the years, nothing else comes close to being so universally awesome – BUT nobody’s using it! Man!

Only Google Chrome and Opera support the format natively. That’s obviously a dealbreaker for web designers. Not much point in my demonstrating image quality comparisons in this article given that most of you won’t be able to see it (at least not without hitting you with even more Javascript). And it’s a damn shame because one thing we would really love to do is slice both our site’s storage and bandwidth in half without sacrificing quality, which WebP would let us do, provided we successfully persuade all of you to install Chrome in order to visit our site.

One of the non-evil things Google does is try to make the web better for everyone for free, here is a great example, an open and greatly superior image format, but everybody (except Opera..) snubs it. I don’t know why they snub it, because it’s Google? I don’t know. Google’s now trying to do the job for web designers with Chrome for Android Beta, encoding your websites’ images themselves and dishing them to you in WebP, I wrote about that here.

Anyway, in protest, I am posting this article with no image attached. Take that, Microsoft! And Mozilla, what’s the deal with you guys? I want answers, Matt Brubeck! I thought you’d be all over this with Firefox. And Apple, what’s your problem? Don’t make me start one of those change.org petitions. Damn.

Doug Simmons