How gadgets are redefining quality time→

One family. One room. Four screens. Four realities, basically. While it may look like some domestic version of “The Matrix” — families sharing a common space, but plugged into entirely separate planes of existence through technology — a scene like this has become an increasingly familiar evening ritual. As a result, the American living room in 2011 can often seem less like an oasis for shared activity, even if that just means watching television together, than an entangled intersection of data traffic — everyone huddled in a cyber-cocoon. Call it what you will, it is a wholly different form of quality time.
I really enjoyed this NYT piece on the way modern technology is changing the way we spend quality time with our loved ones because I thought I knew where it was headed — that gadgets are pretty much ruining everything — but instead it arrived at a much more positive conclusion. So texting during dinner is all good now, right? [NYT]

Rather than a sign of a dysfunctional relationship, such behavior can actually be interpreted as the sign of health, said Ronald Levant, a professor of psychology at the University of Akron. “People who think every minute we’re together we have to connect are going to drive each other crazy, because we all need some alone time, no matter how compatible a couple might be,” Dr. Levant said. “At a certain point in your relationship,” he added, “your task to keeping the relationship vital and refreshed is managed togetherness and separateness. Technology could be used as a tool to assist that.”

Dungeon Defenders on Android→

Not wanting to feel left out by the recent releases of Rage HD and Infinity Blade on iOS, it appears Android will soon be getting its first Unreal Engine 3-based game called Dungeon Defenders. From Engadget:

Of course, one problem these guys have now is that Android hardware is all over the map, so they actually need to publish a long list of minimum requirements — just like PC titles — and in this case you need 512MB of RAM, an 800MHz or better SOC with support for OpenGL ES 2.0, and at least 400MB of free storage.

Sounds like fun. [Engadget]

Android and “open”

I want to like Android. I really do. But one of my biggest gripes actually comes from the fact that it’s “open.” Google loves to tout how Android is “open” and how this provides users with many benefits. And they’re absolutely right; Android allows users to modify the OS with third party applications, such as Swype, which is actually pretty neat. What Google fails to mention, however, is that users often suffer as a result of this same “openness” in the form of skins and pre-installed apps.

Joshua Topolsky of Engadget goes on a pretty good rant on the downsides of Android’s “openness” on the latest Engadget podcast (skip to about 32:30 in or just download the clip here). Here are his main points:

  • Aside from the HTC Sense UI, other “skinned” versions of Android actually result in a worse user experience, and they’re merely a ploy by phone manufacturers to attempt to differentiate their products. Sidenote: users with “skinned” Android phones also have to wait — sometimes up to several months — to upgrade to the latest version of Android OS since manufacturers need to wait on Google to release the code before they can reapply their skin. Furthermore, since the Nexus One and Nexus S are the only two phones that run stock Android, it’s safe to say that the large majority of all Android phones out there are using skins.
  • Topolsky wants phone manufacturers to offer two versions of their Android phones — one “skinned” and one “stock” — even if they have to charge more for the “stock” version. Sidenote: YES! This is exactly what I want.
  • Nilay Patel recently received an over-the-air update for his Motorola Droid X and one of the listed “features” was that it automatically installed a demo of Madden NFL. It also gave him a notification saying that he should purchase Quickoffice. Sidenote: He has Verizon to thank for selling out its customers and cutting a deal with the software companies to help push their products.
  • Topolsky wonders where the “openness” is when Android phones get pre-loaded with unwanted apps and demos that users are not permitted to uninstall. “Where’s the openness there? See, there isn’t openness there. It’s only openness for OEMs and carriers because OEMs and carriers have money … and you know who pays? End-users.”
Definitely worth a listen for anyone interested in the Android platform. [Engadget Podcast]

Why Google can't build Instagram→

Robert Scoble on why Google can’t build Instagram:

Tonight I was talking with an exec at Google and I brought up the success of Instagr.am (they’ve gotten more than 500,000 downloads in just a few weeks) and asked him “why can’t Google do that?” I knew some of the answers. After all, I watched Microsoft get passed by by a whole group of startups (I was working at Microsoft as Flickr got bought by Yahoo, Skype got bought by eBay, etc etc).

I love Google, and while I tend to think that the big G can pretty much accomplish anything it desires, Scoble brings up some good points. A few that stood out to me:

1. Google can’t keep its teams small enough.
5. Google’s services need to support every platform.
6. Google’s engineers can’t use any Facebook integration or dependencies like Instagram does.

An interesting read. [Scobleizer]