Rapid Reactions: That's One Small Step for Microsoft; One Giant Leap for Cable Cutters

The Facts:

• Microsoft announced multiple new content partners for the Xbox 360
• ESPN will bring 24/7 live streams of their major TV channels
• The NBA and NHL are bringing their apps as well
• Other providers include Revision3, Twitch.tv, Comedy Central, and Paramount
• A full list can be found here
• A subscription to Xbox Live Gold (~$60/year) is required to access this content

Initial Reaction:

At the annual gaming love-fest known as E3, there have been a lot of great games announced. Games that will surely sell millions of copies and make many millions of revenue. Nintendo is even set to reveal everything about the first of the next generation of consoles, the Wii U, tomorrow at their main press conference (which might also be their last home console, but that is for another post). But only one announcement has really left me feeling I have seen the future, and it isn't a videogame.

ESPN is coming to the Xbox 360. And no, I don't mean the online-only offerings of ESPN 3; I am talking about the full force of 24/7 live feeds from the ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN U TV channels. Buy an Xbox 360, Xblox Live Gold, and have Internet access (and, if my Dad is to be believed, possibly pay a small fee to ESPN as well) and you now have the first real a la carte TV experience. And this is not coming from Apple, who has fumbled for years with the "hobby"-status Apple TV, or Google, whose Google TV program has been at best a flop for them and hardware partner Logitech, but Microsoft. Yes, the same company that thinks we want a smartphone UI for desktop computers.

Microsoft seems to have been trying to reach this point for several years. It was one of the first companies Netflix partnered with to get their streaming service onto every screen in existence. Hulu and ESPN3 were added alongside movie rentals and purchasing in Zune. On the PC, Windows Media Center has allowed users to buy a TV tuner card, plug it into a PC, and watch live TV in a window on your monitor for years. Earlier, I wondered aloud on G+ the possibilities if the next Xbox were to come with an internal or external TV tuner. Microsoft may not have had the first connected set-top box or the best content deals for some time, but they have made lapped the "big boys" while no one was looking. It is probably safe to say that there are more Xbox 360's hooked up to TVs than Apple TVs, Google TVs, Boxee Boxes, and Roku boxes combined. And the usage numbers are probably in Microsoft's favor to an even greater degree.

ESPN on the Xbox 360 will now become the first real toe of a major cable network in the water of a la carte channel offering. It's success could prompt others to follow; it's failure could leave us with the current model of paying the cable company for channels we never watch. Time will tell. Sooner or later, time will tell.

Questions moving forward:

• Will the new ESPN app be free or be an additional monthly fee?
• Will ESPN offer a similar deal to Apple, Google, or other players?
• Should Xbox Live Gold be free now that it mostly covers 3rd party digital content?
• Will Apple, Google, and others really get behind their set-top box and/or connected TV efforts?
• How will other networks and the cable companies react?

Rapid Reactions: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the Galaxy Nexus

The Facts:

• Google and Samsung announced the Galaxy Nexus smartphone, which will be the first device running the new Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" OS.
• No pricing or carriers were announced, but LTE and HSPA+ versions were confirmed and it is widely accepted that at least Verizon will carry the device in the US, with global launch coming in November.
• Hardware highlights include a curved 4.7 inch 1280x720 Super AMOLED screen and NFC.
• New software features include facial-recognition device unlocking, improved notifications, improved camera app, better speech-to-text, and Android Beam sharing.

Initial Reaction:

Hardware wise, the specs are not surprising given the current crop of high-end Android phones and the iPhone 4S. This is not some revolutionary quad-core monster; rather, it seems a small but noticeable step up from devices like the Bionic, Galaxy S 2, and Sensation. As such, the main selling point for this phone will be Android 4.0.

Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) has been presented as the update to reunite the current phone (Gingerbread) and tablet (Honeycomb) "forks" in the Android OS. As if that wasn't enough, ICS needed to bring enough new features to the table to combat Apple's Siri-laced iOS 5. Time will tell if all devices can play nice under the ICS tent from here on out, but I am not sure Google added any single feature that has the "wow" factor Siri seems to have. 

Still, Android took a significant step towards usability and unified vision today, but the iPhone remains the current master in those categories. ICS is by far the largest feature update to Android in a long time, perhaps ever, and that is a good thing. However, Google still needs to step up their game and offer a unified, easy-to-use music purchasing service in the Android Market alongside apps, books, and movies.

In the end, Android remains the best fit for my needs and wants in a smartphone OS. Google has shown a willingness to drastically change how their software works (remember the navigation ball on the Nexus 1?) by making significant updates to the UI and even going so far as to removed the need for any physical buttons other than power and volume from phones. They have shown willingness to throw out the old and start fresh if they had a better idea, and I approve of and support that position.

Apple, meanwhile, apparently remains convinced that the "icons-on-a-screen" UI they came up with four-and-a-half years ago is the best UI for mobile devices. They have had to figure out ways to put new features in without changing the core UI, which hasn't always yielded the best results. For a huge number of people, Apple's approach works just fine, but I am not one of them. If anything, ICS and iOS 5 show that there is still a great future ahead for phone software as hardware seems to be slowly diminishing in importance. 

Questions moving forward:

• Will the GN be available on more carriers than just Verizon in the USA?
• Which current Android phones/tablets will get updated, and when?
• How will manufactures adapt their skins to the new UI, especially HTC and Sense?
• What ever happened to Google's 18-month update plan? We haven't heard anything about it since I/O.
• Will ICS actually help end "fragmentation" moving forward?
• When will we start seeing new devices launching with ICS out of the door? 
• Most importantly: was this enough for Molly Wood?!?

Rapid Reactions: iPhone 4S

Note: Rapid Reactions is a new series of posts I will try to do with a consistent format that presents the basic facts, my initial opinions, and some questions for the future of various tech announcements. Please let me know in the comments how you like the style of the post!

The Facts:

• Apple today announced the new CDMA/GSM iPhone 4S starting at $199, with the old iPhone 4 and 3GS now costing $99 and free (on 2 year contract) respectfully. 
• New hardware features include an A5 processor and improved camera.
• Software improvements are headed by Android-style notifications, Twitter integration, and Siri voice action software.
• Available Oct. 14 on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon in the US & around the world.
• No significant hardware design changes, contrary to rumors. 

Initial Reaction:

What is Apple thinking? During a time of 4+ inch, LTE-equipped Android phones, Apple seems to be playing catch-up, especially in software. By and large, nearly every new feature in iOS from this and last year's update seems to be features Android has had for years. Unified notifications, desktop folders, custom backgrounds, fast-app switching, voice commands, etc. Even iCloud is merely a collection of services that have been available on other platforms and from other companies for months, and in some cases, years. Sure, no one has put them all under one hood until now, but that is really the only part of the service that Apple can claim to be leaders on.

I really wanted Apple to come out with some insane new hardware and make major changes to their software to move past the "gird of icons on a screen" UI layout to force innovation from their competitors, but it looks like Tim Cook and company had no such plans. The problem for Apple is that if they only want to release a new iPhone once a year, they need to make sure that it will be competitive for an entire year following it's release. And, for the first time, I can't say that the 4S will be competitive in 9 months.

Just look at this comparison chart whipped up by Engadget and you will see a lot more green (indicating "best" in that particular category) under the Droid Bionic than under the iPhone 4S, and anyone who is a fan of iOS should see that as a huge problem. Yes, hardware isn't everything, but there was a time that Apple had unquestionably the best hardware and software in the smartphone industry, and I don't think you could argue that with the same vigor today. 

Yesterday, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, Nokia, and everyone else were playing catch-up to Apple and the iPhone. Today, they may no longer have to.

Questions moving forward:

• Will Apple release an "iPhone 5" early next year or will we wait another year?
• How many Sprint customers will flock to the phone? And will it be enough to "save" the carrier from the much larger AT&T and Verizon?
• What new hardware and software improvements will we see when the Nexus Prime and Ice Cream Sandwich are (likely) announced next week?
• Will WP7 really start being competitive this fall? And what effect would that have on iOS and Android?
• If Apple waits another year to add LTE to the iPhone, how will consumers react in the meantime?
• And most importantly, is today the day we will look back on as the beginning of the decline of the iPhone as the "Jesus phone" brand?