Just because I’ve had to divide my time (most of my time) with the “working girl” mode, doesn’t mean I haven’t been keeping up with the mobile-sphere garble.

An interesting tidbit is the buzz on Microsoft’s new phone. Especially with the Mobile World Conference 2010 just weeks away, the anticipation of a new gadget hangs waftily in the air.

And WinMo isn’t the only one making an entrance sometime this year. Apple’s “Come See Our Latest Creation” email announcement has taken the usual Apple Frenzy, that naturally occurs surrounding any of their events, up a notch. January 27th, much like January 5th of this year, will have the mobile tech world and mainstream alike, on the edge of their seats. Will Apple’s tablet be shown? Will Apple intro the iPhone 4.0 OS? Oh joy, oh bliss, too much excitement and it’s all happening in the first QTR too.

If that’s not enough to make a gadget gal’s head spinning, talks of a Nexus Two phone has started to circulate. Egad!

But let’s get back to what I really wanted to write about – a Microsoft Phone.

Mind you, my first experience with a handheld mobile was from a Compaq iPaq that ran Windows Pocket PC 2000. It was mindblowing, to say the least. I was able to play video, work on mobile versions of Microsoft Office, project a power point presentation onto a screen using the IR connection, kept all my infection control quarterly data, view my photos and listen to music.

The Mac Addict that I was/am, still appreciated the Windows Mobile platform when it came out (I never had nor held a Palm). Despite the fun I have on Twitter, poking at WinMo users and their Gurus (@johnobeto) et al .. I do realize that Microsoft actually gave me my first mobile wireless experience. In other other words, it de-virginized digitalfemme. I will never forget the short but ever so passionate relationship I had with my iPaq. As with all great love affairs, it was time to move on ….. and so I did.

I’ve had many more gadget affairs but the one that still eludes me is Android. Ho Hum, Ho Hum ..

I will anticipate the launch of a new Microsoft Phone. I would be interested to see just how their new operating system fairs with the iPhone’s and Android’s OS.

Let’s put it this way, I may be the Android PR Gal but I’m a gadget lover first and foremost. Techy, shiny things that make me mobile and let me access the world and allow my fingers to contort to various qwerty expressions while squinting my eyes to a screen held in my hand just sends my head spinning into never never land. Am I excited? You bet!

Okay Microsoft, let’s see what you’ve got up your sleeve. You were my first (mobile gadget) love. Can you steal my heart again? Oh, and this “Pink” Project name .. please don’t really be Pink. – Egad!

My good friend Monique posted on my Facebook wall this comment, to which I gave a reply.

When Google announced the Nexus One during their much anticipated and awaited Press Conference on January 5th, I wasn’t at home to catch the real time tweets  and live blogging. I did however get a front row seat, thanks to Robert Scoble ( @Scobleizer ).

Granted, the Nexus One isn’t exactly eye candy in every sense of the word, personally speaking, but underneath his (notice the gender) outer wear, he can surely perform! And isn’t performance, what really counts?

The above image is a screenshot off the Nexus One Specs online. I highlighted in green what I thought was the “performance” positives and in orange, I highlighted the specs that were rather disppointing. Hey, no man is perfect.

The Qualcomm QSD 8250 1 GHz (Snapdragon) is currently the fastest mobile phone platform out there (to the best of my knowledge, while still in semi zombie-girl mode). This means that users can enjoy switching back and forth from their favorite android apps that are running in the background without really noticing “lag”. However, there really isn’t much efficient use of this processor if, say the phone is limited to only 512MB RAM and 512 MB Flash. Having 3 or 4 amazing android apps running at the same time, well, 512 MB RAM just isn’t going to cut it.

The Nexus One, running on the new Android 2.1 (Eclair), the latest Android OS version, is another “performance” Yay! However, as with all “performance” positives, there is always a set of conditions and environments that make for optimal performance. The technology may be there, but if users do not appreciate and understand the “meat and potatoes” of the thing, then how can one use it to the best of its functionality.

One  thing we all need to be reminded about is that everything has its limitations. It’s just a matter of how they are used and what expectations are put  on  things. It’s really a matter of choice, in every sense of the word.

Rather than blame things for their lack of meeting our needs, we should also try to understand and analyze our needs and find out, why we use and need things in the way we do.

It’s about communication.

We’ve just started figuring out that the way we behave in terms of being able to communicate, has changed through the use of innovative platforms on the internet however, we still need to understand how we get the communication to become more effective on both sides. Early adopters set the pace and often start the trend on the “buzz” of a brand. Mainstream, albeit it, having their own opinion, often can get influenced on what they read, hear, and watch.

People still complain that Google’s lack of communication with Android Developers, in terms of when the next Android OS is being released – sucks. But even Google is aware of that and they do intend to fix it. There is always room for improvement, so why should Google be any different.

Google is not a Power Entity. It is run by humans that are just like you and me. It’s when a group of humans get together and get the opportunity to collaborate on projects that – ultimately, intend to create a change in the way we behave, is when things get a little “unsure”. It’s called development. It’s called evolution.

I’ve looked around at blogs and articles, trying to get a feel for what people think of the Nexus One and it’s pretty much still split down the middle, and I’m talking about Android users.

This totally does not disturb me. Just because people like Green Vegetables, does not mean that everyone likes broccoli!

Just finished watching Google’s Press Conference that featured the Nexus One. Thanks to Robert Scoble for livestreaming the event on USTREAM and thankfully, I was able to watch it, after the fact.

Two words that stuck out: Superphone and Evolution. The cartoon above was inspired by them.

If a picture paints a thousand words, then a simple cartoon can pretty much sum it up.

Video recorded by Thanks to Robert Scoble. (@Scobleizer)

Here are the tech specs of the Nexus One.

Day two of Clone Method started off NOT on schedule.

I was still surprised that I DID get up at 5:30am but laid on the bed, thinking. I decided to just do it. So I got up made some fried rice and egg (hey, I’m Asian .. ‘ish) and coffee. Got on Twitter, checked email, updated my status on FB and now I should really be getting ready to get the “working girl” to work.

The one thing I didn’t expect was the “unwinding” time I need when I come home. I couldn’t get to sleep until 2am .. so you do the math. I’ll be a very tired girl today. I intend to drink a lot of water, a few cups of coffee and keep saying to myself  .. “You can do this!”.

Today is CES and of course, Google’s Press Conference. I just caught the tail end of the AndroidGuys Podcast and thought, how lucky to be able to attend CES and get to cover all the cool stuff.

Our @cOZ will also be there at CES covering the event live. I tried catching more info on which site she’ll be reporting from but I was too late. Follow her to find out so you don’t miss any of the action.

Well, gotta get going. It’s time to get into “working girl” mode.

Cheers!

You’ve seen it all before. You’ve done it. You’ve experienced someone else doing it. You find yourself on top of your game, rolling in the dice, feeling untouchable and by the looks of things you figure you’ll continue cruising to the top and nothing can stop you.

Then all of a sudden something or someone comes along, seemingly innocent, not too obtrusive but you’ve heard rumors. But heck, at your pace, you figure you’re so ahead of the crowd that it’s not even worth your while to worry about competition. Yup, your ego is about the size of a giant apple and unsuspecting you, has no idea that you may just be about to eat yourself silly. Ego and all.

Is it possible to prevent this kind of situation from happening to us? We don’t care if it happens to others, but to “us”?

Ouch.

It’s not even about karma being a b*tch. It is what it is. You’re not the only one whose eyes are set on being the best of the best. It’s hard to stay on top these days. In fact, it’s near impossible to stay on top. In that case, you don’t necessarily have to throw in the towel either. You can simply find it in you to share the space and in doing so, realize that what you lacked all along (if your ego dares to admit it) is to open your heart and accept the notion that  you’re not perfect after all. You’re just like everybody else, trying to find a way to feel complete.

I’m not saying that “people complete you”. I’m just reminding you that only you, can complete you … often from the help of others you’d least expect could help you.

Life is funny that way.

The cartoons above are part of a group that were created to help illustrate Kevin Nakao’s,  article on Mashable entitled: Mobile Advertising: 5 Things You Need to Know to Succeed in 2010. Three of these were not chosen, so rather than have them lie dormant in my cartoon folder on the desktop I decided to make some use of them. I was inspired by an article I caught on twitter from the ComputerWorld.com site:

“Demand for Android phones makes ‘monstrous’ 250% jump”

Macrumors.com even wrote something about Android’s rise within the smartphone environment.

It all started from a research study that ChangeWaveResearch conducted that produced this interesting bar graph. Oh heck, I decided to grab the graph image since everyone else did …

Numbers don’t lie and you know how much we all love bar graphs! I especially like this one. So after reading a few articles I got the idea of just posting the “wallflowered” cartoons and try to make a statement that would fit in with Android’s current trending topic. It may be a little abstract in nature, that commentary, I mean .. but then again, I’m a little abstract normally. Just sayin’.

Good Morning Deutschland. Hello World.

I would like to announce that as of this day, I am now a clone.

After a long while of debating and thinking through, I’ve realized that the only way for me to survive and maintain a momentum is to create another “me” that will be able to take on the tasks needed, in order for the Android PR Gal to continue.

The other “me”, let’s call her “the working girl”, will be starting her first day (today) at a new job working for a German PR/Marketing firm. The PR here IS “Public Relations”, not to be confused with the “PR” in Android PR Girl, that stands for “People Relationships”. Is there a difference? Indeed there is.

The Wikipedia definition states:

Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing the communication between an organization and its publics.^[1] Public relations gains an organization or individual exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not direct payment.^[2] Common activities include speaking at conferences, working with the press, and employee communication. It is something that is not tangible and this is what sets it apart from Advertising.

The PR in Android PR Gal is defined as:

People Relationships is the creating, nurturing and empowering of interpersonal relationships that deals with people on a “holistic” level. It reconizes their developmental stage in life, culture, life experience, and their individual perceptions of the world. It is a thought system and belief that uses the Platinum Rule of “treating people how they want to be treated”. This very much differs from the Golden Rule of “treating people how you want to be treated”. Not everyone wants to be treated the same way. If that were true, there would be no arguments, conflicts, wars. People Relationships is about finding a common ground, establishing a set of common values and uses this as the foundation and platform in which to build and strengthen from. It is a transparent way of communicating and places the value of Respect for One Another into every engagement, at all levels.

I’ve decided to share my “clone” experience with all of you in the hopes that my journey can become either something entertaining to add to your day or as a lesson in how “not” to get into cloning yourself.

I will still continue my efforts as the Android PR Gal however, 10 hours of the day will be devoted to “the working girl” role.

How will this work out? I’ve outlined a tentative roadmap for ourselves.

Here is how our day will be broken down:

4:30 am/5:00am – 6:30 am

Breakfast. Read Android related things on the internet. Read things on the internet in general. Tweet. Check emails. Log onto to facebook and see what’s going on. Write a blog post on whatsupandroid.com.

6:30 am – 7:00 am

Get ” the working girl” ready for work.

7:10 am

“the working girl” leaves to catch her train.

7:20 am

“the working girl” reads work girl related things on train.

8:30 am – 5:30 pm

Time dedicated to “the working girl” life.

…

…

7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Android PR Gal time. Get on Twitter. Engage. Log onto Facebook. Check email. Read Android related things on the internet and other general reads. Do one blog post.

10:00 pm – 4:30 am / 5:00 am

Android PR Gal/”the working girl” Sleeps. Defragments. Re-energizes.

Repeat x 5 days.

Note: The above schedule is only a trial and will be evaluated after one week for further adjustments.

Well, that’s all for now. It’s 6:30am! Switching to “the working girl” mode.

Have a great day everyone.

See you all when I get back.

It was 7:20 am Central European Time +1 and I was still on West Coast (as in L.A.) time. No, I haven’t been out of Germany since I landed here in 2007. I just have real weird hours.

Because of these weird hours, I was able to catch Sascha Pallenberg of netbooknews.com ’s Friendfeed post:

The world doesn’t need an Apple tablet, or any other |.. Betanews http://bit.ly/5QvwaM

I was intrigued, so naturally I clicked the link.

… an Apple tablet — no matter how innovative — faces three distinctive market challenges: The greater desirability of smaller devices; overlapping functionality with devices above and below it; and functionality too limited without a physical keyboard. The question everyone should ask: What would you use an Apple tablet, or any other, for?

Of course, the cartoon was inspired by the bolded sentence in the above quote.

When I heard the rumor last  year that Apple may come out with their own tablet I wasn’t too excited. You have to know, that I was a professed Mac-Addict. I still am, only my attention has also wandered over to the Android side of the digital life. I wasn’t too excited by an Apple tablet, because frankly, I wouldn’t really know what to do with one.

I still have my old 12 inch Apple Power Book, a Dell XPS m1210 (that’s been put out of commission temporarily), a 10″ Eee PC 1002HA, a Nokia n800 that is waiting for an Android port and other stuff .. that I can’t imagine wanting something else that would allow me to do what I already do with the other devices. Mind you, it IS an Apple brand, but, as the business of tech continues to grow … lines are starting to be blurred, just a little.

I can do pretty much the same thing on each of the devices that I already have, give or take, video editing, gaming and running Second Life. But I don’t video edit, game and use Second Life everyday. The only four things I ever do everyday is browse, check email, tweet and facebook. I can do all four on all the devices. An Apple tablet isn’t enough to  get me excited. Then again, I’d have to really get my hands on one to put that sentence to rest.

Even if I did get my hands on one, I’d be worried about the price. And even if Jobs sets up a pretty alluring price point, I’d still be worried if whether or not Jobs will announce a tablet upgrade in the next 3 months of the first tablet launch, that would be much better and probably the same price as the first. Then again, that’s the tech business for you, but more so, Apple’s m.o. (mode of operation).

2010 will certainly be an interesting year, if not a redundant kind of year for devices in general. How many more eBooks will come out? How many more types of netbooks? Luxury tech brands, like Apple, Nokia, whatever are seeing more and more replicas. Not to say that other devices are FAKE, like the fake Rolex watches we can buy for $20 dollars off the sidewalk (and bargain down to $5), but now that Google’s stepped into the Device creating game, it’s really starting to level off the playing field, or rather, upset it.

When I think of Google’s Android OS, I can’t help but think of a virus. An entity that invades hosts and changes the hosts m.o. to suit their own agenda. When I speak of virus, I speak of one that is more positive than destructive. Either way you look at it, Android is definitely invading the mobile and device sphere forcing the big players need to re-asses their game play.

And the word tablet? I’m not a fan of that word at all. Being an ex-nurse, “tablet” makes me think of pills or Moses coming down from Mount whatever .. with two tablets at his side. Hmmmm.

Hypothetically speaking, since there has been no solid confirmation of Apple launching a tablet this January ….

What would you do? Would you consider getting an Apple tablet or any other tablet for that matter? Do you care?

Let’s face it, 2010 is the year we’ll be seeing a flood of Android Devices with remarkable hardware designs and some, so-so ones.

Rumors have already gathered on new Androids in the horizon but leaked-rumors regarding Android have been turning up as “real”.

Next week’s CES event will definitely be showing off a few Android devices, and what with Google’s Press Conference on Jan. 5th perhaps announcing their new Nexus One, this week will see a frenzy of tweets, friendfeeds, facebook, twitpics, Qik vids, YouTube runs and live blogging entries all trying to get their say on whatever Android Device makes its official debut.

I’m predicting that the entire year of 2010 will be like an never-ending “Fashion Week” (only stretched out to the entire year), of Android after Andriod device … launching back to back from well known manufacturers and some new names jumping on the Android Bandwagon.

Android device launches will be worse than Apple product launches. Apple only launches new product designs or upgrades 3 or 4 times a year. With Android, mainstream will be bombarded with so many from all directions that they won’t know what to think.

I’ve always been one to want the latest gadgets and it’ll be absolutely nuts choosing which Android Device to get, which one to wait for or whether I just reach into my pocket and fork out money for another one … just because.

Geek girl that I am can definitely relate to Android devices like shoes or bags. Definitely a tech accessory for any tech savvy, tech sexy gal. Bring it on!

These fashionable Android Models will mostly, if not ALL, come from Asia.

Just saying …

Happy New Year Everyone!

whatsupandroid.com is only a little over 3 months old and if I were to look back at all the things that happened, from the very first time I found myself playing around with green shapes on Macromedia’s Fireworks till now, I’m blown away.

What started out as a site for only showcasing Android Cartoons, to make Android Dev’s laugh grew into something more. It grew into a platform that enabled me to connect with so many people I would not have otherwise known. It  gave me entrance and acceptance, into a community and industry that’s not so easy to get into :-)

It challenged me to learn something new and most of all it gave me a platform to write again about what I’ve always been passionate about, technology and its impact on society.

Through the eyes of Android I am able  to articulate, indirectly, my concerns about how technology is either amplifying or diminishing, certain traits of our humanistic behaviour, be it positive or negative.

For those that follow @whatsupandroid on twitter, you’ll notice that I do not necessarily tweet about the latest android news or cutting edge schtuff related to android. I wish I could but I can’t. I don’t have the resources to, nor do I even own an Android device.

In the beginning of the cartoon creating, I new I wanted to call myself the Android PR Gal. PR not being public relations but rather “people relationships”. Everything is about relationships. Everything, from the way we relate to our environment, the way we treat our bodies on a molecular level to the way we interact with one another. That also applies to businesses. Businesses are no longer brick buildings focused on profit. The business  of tomorrow is all about building stronger customer relationships, through transparent and two-way, open communication.  Sorry to say, but when it comes down to REAL, people relationships are worth far more than any stock on the NASDAQ. For those that do not agree, *sigh*.

I just want the first 2010 post to be a post full of Thank You’s.

I want to thank Ronan Schwarz (@_zero) for doing his Android Dev presentation in English at AUGE. If he were to have done it in German I would have NEVER realized the potential of the Android OS. Thank you Ronan. Oh, and Happy Birthday by the way.

I want to thank OpenIntents for  sponsoring my ticket to attend the first Android Conference in Europe (DroidCon Berlin 2009). Actually, Ronan gave them a heads up about me.

I want to thank Marcus Link (@Manupool) for paying for my flight to Berlin and back. If he didn’t secure my flights I would never have been able to attend DroidCon 2009, Berlin.

I want to thank Matthias Patz (@MatthiasPatz) for allowing me to stay at his flat in Berlin.

I want to thank Gregor Gross (@gregorgross) for inviting me and friends to dinner at his very chiq loft and for making a fab dinner and “to die for” risotto.

I want to thank Matthias (Patz) and Dennis Just (@das_startup) for taking me to see the Berlin Wall on my last day.

I want to thank Thomas Keup (@DroidCon) and Markus Kucborski (@DroidCamp) for their support and kind words at DroidCon.

I want to thank all the people I met at DroidCon and who connected with me through facebook, twitter and XING.

I want to thank those people who “unfollowed” or “blocked” me because they thought my tweets were “brainless” and who later somehow followed me again :-) Thank you for taking the time to know me a little better and realize on your own, I’m not “brainless” afterall.

I want to thank all the people I interviewed for their time and effort in supplying me with answers to questions I wanted to share with the Android Community (Norbert Möhring, Marc André Ueberall, André Rabold and Fabien Röhlinger).

I want to thank Kevin Nakao of Whitepages.com for giving me the opportunity to help illustrate his article, “Mobile Advertising: 5 Things You Need to Know to Succeed in 2010“, that was published on Mashable Dec. 30, 2009. Kevin, that was so much fun.

Other mentions go out to the following:

Sponsors:

Marc André Ueberall of Big Black Block for modeling my Android PR Gal in a 3D graphic file for 3D printing.

Ryan Wallace of ProtoSwift3D for printing out Marc’s 3D graphic file.

Pat Phelan of MAXROAM for sponsoring whatsupandroid.com.

Life Lines and Overall Support:

Khuram Malik for always being there when I needed real time support.

Evert Bopp for being a wireless mobile mentor and Alex Schregardus for giving me insights into his really cool innovative projects ;-)

Darren Cooper for knowing when to reach out and being there when  I needed it most.

Jason Mosbrucker who recommended me to someone who is partner in a German Marketing/PR firm, of which I will start to work with this January 4, 2010 (I will be project co-ordinator for their English Speaking Accounts).

Claudia Rauch for being the first one to respond to my shoutout to help with the first Frankfurt Girl Geek Dinners, and who was an amazing partner in organizing our two events.

I also want to thank the #androidcoffeebreak gang for all the online coffeebreak fun. Cheers! (Michael Dunstheimer helped get the #androidcoffeebreak gang .. going .. thank you Michael!)

Of course, there are hundreds of others I need to thank … you know who you are (twitter followers and facebook friends),  it’s just getting really late or really early and I’m starting to doze off.

I love you all. Thank you so much for helping me continue with whatsupandroid.com in all the special ways that you do.

Happy New Year! 2010 FTW!