Sometimes the best things to come out of Google I/O are the things that are barely mentioned. Sure, most people are talking about the new cross-platform messaging app called Hangouts, or they are too busy complaining that there was no reveal of Android 5.0, also known as Key Lime Pie. Don't get me wrong, I think Hangouts is a fantastic first step, but they still have some work to do if their aim is to make it the go-to messaging service.
Now there were plenty of exciting services and products that were announced at Google I/O last week, but the feature that made me do a double take... was the ability to email money.
Showing posts with label Google I/O. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google I/O. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Quick update...
Good morning! I just wanted to stick a quick post out there this morning because Google I/O begins today at noon for us east coasters, and that will most likely skew what I will write about for the next few entries.
So the one thing I wanted to point out was the rumor that's been circulating that AT&T will be discontinuing the HTC First. As it turns out, Facebook Home is a flop. Who knew! Well, the numbers don't lie:
Those are the numbers from the Facebook Home page on the Google Play store. This, at least to me, is not surprising at all. From day one, I thought Facebook Home was a neat concept, but I didn't believe it would take off... at least, not with people over 20. And it didn't. Just a few short weeks after the arrival of the HTC First, AT&T slashed the price down to $0.99 from $99. This was the beginning of the end for the First. And now rumor has it that AT&T is simply getting rid of it altogether. And who can blame them? Mediocre device sales mixed in with a stock launcher that has a 2.3 star rating? No thanks. Even 99 cents is too much when you can get better hardware on a number of other phones, and you won't have to uninstall Facebook Home the moment you open it.
This is strike 2 when it comes to Facebook meddling in hardware. Unfortunately, Facebook Home isn't dead, as I'm sure Zuck & Co. will beat that horse as long as possible to justify the amount of time put into it, but I will be extremely surprised if Home makes any sort of progress.
With any luck, this will be my last post about Facebook Home. Now I can concentrate on the new goodies that will emerge from Google I/O!
So the one thing I wanted to point out was the rumor that's been circulating that AT&T will be discontinuing the HTC First. As it turns out, Facebook Home is a flop. Who knew! Well, the numbers don't lie:
Those are the numbers from the Facebook Home page on the Google Play store. This, at least to me, is not surprising at all. From day one, I thought Facebook Home was a neat concept, but I didn't believe it would take off... at least, not with people over 20. And it didn't. Just a few short weeks after the arrival of the HTC First, AT&T slashed the price down to $0.99 from $99. This was the beginning of the end for the First. And now rumor has it that AT&T is simply getting rid of it altogether. And who can blame them? Mediocre device sales mixed in with a stock launcher that has a 2.3 star rating? No thanks. Even 99 cents is too much when you can get better hardware on a number of other phones, and you won't have to uninstall Facebook Home the moment you open it.
This is strike 2 when it comes to Facebook meddling in hardware. Unfortunately, Facebook Home isn't dead, as I'm sure Zuck & Co. will beat that horse as long as possible to justify the amount of time put into it, but I will be extremely surprised if Home makes any sort of progress.
With any luck, this will be my last post about Facebook Home. Now I can concentrate on the new goodies that will emerge from Google I/O!
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