20 April 2013

Android PCs Under $100

Link: Miniand

Buying a $1000 Mac or Windows PC makes no sense when you can get an Android PC for $100 or less.

If you're in the market for a new computer, check out the Android PCs on sale in the link above to Miniand. These computers are so small they can fit into your pocket. They are mostly under $100, and you need to bring your own monitor, keyboard, mouse, and internet connection (wifi or ethernet cable).

I recommend the dual-core Android PC (MK808) to ensure your computer is fast enough. For those who want an Android system for gaming, get the quad-core Android PC (GK802).

Miniand is a firm based in Canberra, Australia.


13 April 2013

Marketing and Carrier Availability Affect Phone Sales

Coming soon: The Samsung Phone platform

I completely disagree with the article above. Samsung is successful not because it doesn't use stock Android but because it invests heavily in marketing and makes its phones available to customers through an extensive network of carriers.

If the Nexus 4 were marketed heavily and placed in consumers' faces in stores, it would dominate and outsell phones from Samsung and Apple.

04 April 2013

A Cheap Nexus-style Facebook Phone would be Good

There are rumours that Facebook will launch a phone, and it is starting to look like these rumours are true.

Facebook will not actually produce phones like Samsung or LG does. Rather, it will get HTC to produce an Android phone that will be heavily customized.

Why would Facebook do this?

Facebook primarily makes money through advertising. Therefore, if it wants to make money, it needs to get as many people using Facebook as possible. If Facebook provided a cheap phone to users, it logically follows that many people will want to buy it and advertising revenue will increase.

Google does something similar with its Nexus devices, which are sold almost at zero profit.

What will be the difference between Google's Nexus device and Facebook's phone? I think it will be brand recognition. If you talk to the average person on the street, he or she will not know what a Nexus is simply because there is virtually no advertising. However, the average person will definitely know about Samsung and Apple simply because these two companies spend the most on advertising. People feel comfortable buying a product from a brand that they know and are familiar with.

Facebook doesn't need to advertise much because just about everyone knows what Facebook is. Therefore, once word gets out that Facebook has a cheap but good phone available, people will buy it. Why wouldn't they? If it's cheap, works well, has an okay design, and is from a well-known brand, people will buy it. This should over time put pressure on high-margin smartphone makers such as Samsung and especially Apple.

There is an argument some make that the battle of Android phones has already been fought and Samsung has won. But this makes no difference. It does not matter what operating system Facebook uses for its phones as long as they can customize it so that users use Facebook. They cannot use iOS since it is owned by Apple. They could produce their own operating system, but that will take require massive investment. Since Android is free, why not just take it and customize it? Furthermore, Google's Play Store has a massive amount of apps available. It makes sense to use Android.