For mobile manufacturers, simplicity and usability has always been a must, especially when it comes to reach the over 55-year-old target in the market. It was like that in the pre-smartphone era and it is like that now in this deep blue see of touchscreen devices and apps. While most devices are becoming more and more sophisticated, pushing the boundaries of design and software, manufactures seems to stop that progress when they made products to cover the old age. Tacky design, big, thick buttons and fewer features ala Alcatel One Touch Easy are still the main parts of a trinity in which simplicity overshadows everything else in order to achieve a good perfomance by old people. In our opinion, this implies a high risk of exclusion and, most importantly, a handicap to improve 55+ smartphone usage. Let’s ilustrate this point with some lovely data.

According to Nielsen last report, related to the third quarter of 2011, 55-64 age group reached a 30% of usage in the United States while 65+ oldies figures drop to 18%. These data are far way from the commercial groups: 18-24, in which the penetration rate is 54%; 25-34, with the highest numbers (62%); and 35-44, with almost the same result as the young adults slot (53%). In the middle of nowhere is the 45-54 group, that reached an 39%. But what is most striking is the evolution of this figures from the last quarter of 2010 to the last quarter of 2011: every age group grew an average rate of 15%, with exceptional cases located precisely in the elder slots. On one hand, there is the most promising growth in the 55-64 target that practically doubled the results of 2010 (from 17% to 30%), but on the other hand, there is a much less ambitious improvement in the 65+ group with just an 8% of difference in between (from 12% to 18%). Still, this latter one is a great figure for only one year, but it pales in comparison to rest of age groups.

So, what to do? Simply (or challenging) as to reach a balance and making more intuitive and more battery-wise durable devices adapted to old people’s needs but at the same time keeping the smartphone fancy design. This is not a matter of buttons vs. screens, but a matter of combine the best of both worlds in order to introduce a supposedly reluctant audience to a new landscape of possibilities that may improve their everyday life. Said possibilities, of course, also have to come in app packages aimed to this purpose. In Androidzoom you can already find tons of game apps targeted to children and parents as creative games to keep them entertained, so it would be excellent to find something similar indicated for their grandparents. Mind games to work out mental and arithmetic skills are not breaking news, but so it would be an app that allows them to monitor their pill plans, schedule their next doctor appointments, or even record their medical history. In short: something handy that allows them to be as independent as possible. Or doesn’t your granny or granpa sometimes shush you to let them stand up by themselves?

Mobile companies, app developers and public and private institutions have a great playfield to work on and keep innovating.

Mar G.P. is our latest incorporation as editor and reviewer. She’s taken it seriously.

]]> http://blog.androidzoom.com/2012/02/17/pocket-videoreview-21-star-legends-3d/feed/ 0 http://blog.androidzoom.com/2012/02/16/trailers-and-teasers-come-to-android/ http://blog.androidzoom.com/2012/02/16/trailers-and-teasers-come-to-android/#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:08:55 +0000 AndroidZoom http://blog.androidzoom.com/?p=2479 It’s an obvious truth that Android Market is growing at an unmeasurable rate and every time is more difficult to highlight a certain app on this bloody arena Market has become. Websites as ours do their best to spotlight what we think it’s better, though it sometimes may be an arduous task. Anyway, that’s a story that deserves to be told at some future time.

What I was about to say is that, as it already happened on console and computer videogames, developers and their PRs have started to promote their games not only before their releasing, but also in more spectacular and, why not tell it this way, in a more movie-like way. That’s why we’re talking about trailers and teasers and, for our beloved little green robot’s sake, these trailers have nothing to envy to portable handheld games’. In fact, mobile developers in general and Android developers in particular are showing their wits off to amaze us with their creative and original teasers. If this is the best way so far to have us awaiting expectantly for their releases, be welcomed. PRs have a major role here, as they are who use to urge developers to carry trailers out.

I’d like to show you three trailers and a teaser I like much. There are many more around, but I hope you enjoy these I’ve picked out, because they’re great well done works, each by their own reasons.

Whether you remember Brain Cube game or you prefer to wait for the upcoming Brain Cube 2, a good and well thought trailer doesn’t need to be spectacularly hollywoodesque. A good trailer my be that which makes you don’t forget it. For example, telling somehow an unexpected love story.

We never got tired of talking about those games we like most. Do you remember the interview to The Pixelizers a couple of weeks ago? They made profit of their awesome design to create a trailer of their Open Sea! game. Here’s the result. Doesn’t it invite to play?

Let’s move on to something else. If there was someone expecting some action, here’s more than you can chew. Anomaly Warzone Earth not only came to warp and twist and blow up “defense” games at all, but also brought an absolutely a.w.e.some trailer.

Last but least, the teaser I promised. Dark Legends might not have been released yet, but I’m sure that those darker of you will be pretty lured by this brief teaser. Even if you are not in a bloodthirsty mood, relax enjoy the music.

Peter’s AndroidZoom’s Editor-in-Chief, which is fine enough for someone who grew playing with a ZX Spectrum.

You may be wondering if we, AndroidZoom, fall into this category. Are we romantic or cynical people? The first, of course. We believe, though, love should be shown and expressed every day, not just the 14th of February. It may seem rather obvious, but don’t you think so?

Anyway, we’re not Valentin’s Day saboteurs either, so why not celebrate love today? Let’s say today will be all about loving our Android phone and our applications, we want to declare our love by recommending you some Valentine-related apps.

First of all, I Love You Widget. If you want to be reminded of your loved ones at all times, what could be better than a homescreen widget with pictures of the people, animals or things you love? With this easily customizable widget, you can add pictures from the gallery, text and even configure the app to call your partner when you tap on the widget.
Perfect for an everyday use, but why not install it today?

If you’re in doubt, you can pluck the petals of a flower and answer your love questions. With this beautiful designed app, you’re able to choose the flower you prefer and start plucking while thinking of your significant other. What will the result be?
Is it what you expected?

Love Test! is another Valentine application for Android. If you’re still doubting whether you and your partner are made for each other, you can take this fun test. Although we recommend to take it together and laugh at what the other one answers. There are 60 questions so it can be pretty long, but the app also includes love messages and even advice on relationship.
The ultimate Valentine’s Day app.

Don’t worry, if you’re not in a romantic mood, we also have the perfect app for you.

Break Up Lines is the antithesis to what we’ve been writing about. It consists of a collection of break up lines, some of which are funny, some others are just mean; in case you don’t know what to tell your future ex-boyfriend/girlfriend.
In addition, you can equally use it for inspiration and have fun with friends.

So that’s it: you can choose to download the app you identify most with, depending on your mood. Happy Valentine’s Day, AndroidZoomers, celebrate it with whoever you want, lover, family or friends.

Although February doesn’t seem the right month to enjoy sunbathing, sangria or Gothic art in the Northern Hemisphere, there’s a reason of force majeure to make a trip to Barcelona. By this I mean Barcelona, Spain. That is, that I’m not talking about Barcelona in Philippines, either Barcelona city in Venezuela, but Barcelona city in Spain instead. Before you ask, I can tell you in advance that there aren’t bullfights or flamenco saraos there. Barcelonan people use to talk about themselves as if they weren’t Spanish and they have nothing to do at all with Spain.

As we could say on a Facebook relationship status, it’s…complicated.

I would be able to talk about the wonders of Barcelona all day long, but it’d be better if we come back to the beginning.

Mobile World Congress 2012 will take place at the end of February. It promises to be an event so big, so wonderful and so related to the guts of the wireless industry that it well deserves we post an article about it.
It’s, in case that I haven’t been clear enough, the most important event about smartphone technology. Companies and attendees all over the world come to show off their not-yet-released prototypes, their not-yet-launched apps and, overall, every single not-yet-for sale whatever stuff will be there. There are some exceptions, though. Samsung claimed that they won’t present their Galaxy III, but maybe we can put our hands on a Nexus Galaxy S; nearly every smartphone manufacturer will bring their quad-core Android gadgets. HTC and Samsung are to be the most expected, but Asus, LG, Huawei and Fujitsu (!) have also confirmed their assistance. In fact, Fujitsu promised to bring an Android model with a 13Mp camera and both dust and water proof.

We also expect to big game developers to be there. Rumor has it that there’s an unholy alliance between Rovio (Angry Birds) and, brace yourselves, KISS (I was made for lovin’…) so there we’ll have the chance to ask if Seasons will change its course and if there’ll be an Angry Birds Movie or what. We’re sure that Gameloft, Glu and EA will charge their artillery somewhere within App Planet, that is the name where developers gather and where the best conferences will be held. Stay tuned.

Without mentioning the appearance of BlackBerry 10 and the penultimate Nokia attempt to save its skin with a Windows-powered smartphone; new and -we hope so- longer life batteries, bendable keyboards and unscratchable screens. Everything served with some canapés and cava (Catalan champagne). MWC12 is like a window to the near future where we, as professional androidnauts of the Androidverse, can understand where we are and where are we going.  More than seven hundred fifty thousand square feet (70,500 sq meters) of Mobile World Congress can offer a lot unless we have to dig a hole deep enough to protect ourselves from a falling meteorite (you know, 2012’s stuff).

Peter Warrior

-aka Pedro Guerrero is AndroidZoom’s editor-in-chief,

though he often wants to give free rein to his creative urge and writes an article about whatever related to Android.

]]> http://blog.androidzoom.com/2012/02/08/bcn-mwc-12-is-coming/feed/ 0 http://blog.androidzoom.com/2012/02/06/android-alternatives-to-instagram/ http://blog.androidzoom.com/2012/02/06/android-alternatives-to-instagram/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:41:33 +0000 AndroidZoom http://blog.androidzoom.com/?p=2374 Two weeks ago or so, our blog entry “Things to come” -written by four-hands by Ms. Grace and Mr. Warrior- caught unexpected attention when some users emailed us about it. Although it is not unusual to receive emails about our blog entries asking for further info about this or that or engrossing our library of anecdotes, we haven’t any complaint so far. Everybody who emailed us agree that the apps presented will be great apps, but it was a volatile comment about Instagram which triggered the emails instead. First at all, we’d like to thank them for their feedback and remember that all your comments and suggestions will always be welcomed.

In addition, some spiteful developers have seen a chance to launch fake Instagram apps which ask for thirteen permissions and spam you at its own will.

Well, in the meanwhile we await for the true Instagram app to get released for Android, we’ve searched through our reviews to find out not one, neither two but three nice alternatives to Instagram, every single one with its own perks. Here they are, thus you are free to choose among.

First, Hipster app. Although it’s true that its name seems more an iOS app rather than an Android’s,  it has nearly every feature it should plus some little surprise.

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Lightbox merges nice editing options with an improved user interface.

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Go Photo may be the simplest of all three, but it’s also both the fastest and easiest.

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These are just three examples of three alternatives as good as the original. By the way, let us know whether you make use of more Instagram-like apps or how much you expect it lands on Android.