The Duarlander Blog

Shutting Down Duarlander

2013-01-19T15:08:00.002-06:00

Duarlander was a little experiment I started back in 2010, quickly lost focus on it, and it's just been sort of sitting around since.

Today, Duarlander is officially shut down.

Thanks to those of you who checked us out at some point.

Andy Rubin is wrong, and a thousand dollar challenge

2010-05-24T10:43:00.006-05:00

At Google I/O 201o last week, Andy Rubin said on the subject of fragmentation:

Some of the press has called this "fragmentation," and that's probably the wrong word for this. The better word for it is "legacy." These phones and devices ... the iteration ... is incredibly fast.

If this was accurate, I'd be fine with it. But it's not, and it reminds me of how Frank Lutz, a political operative, recommended that republicans refer to Global Warming as Climate Change because it sounds more palatable.

Andy's statement completely misunderstands (or misrepresents) what fragmentation is. Fragmentation is NOT different operating systems all over the place - though that can be part of it. Fragmentation is when the same application has an inconsistent user experience depending on the device it's running on. (See let's define the fragmentation problem)

Let's take one example. Navigating the user to turn on GPS from within an application on the HTC Incredible works differently than navigating the user to turn on GPS from within an application on the Motorola Droid.

Both of these phones are running OS 2.1. The difference is that the HTC Droid Incredible uses the sense UI which causes some behaviors that developers need to know about. This is just one of many examples of what I've seen.

In another instance, a developer had a problem with their application, not on a legacy operating system, but on the newest 2.1. OS on the Motorola Droid.

So, I'd like to make a friendly challenge to Mr. Rubin.

If Andy Rubin can show me 5 applications that have an identical user experience across at least 5 devices running a particular Operating System, Duarlander will make a $1,000 donation to a charity of his choice. If he can't, he just has to admit that there is indeed an inconsistent user experience at times.

Here are the rules:

* Andy can pick whatever OS he likes. (If he chooses 2.2 we'll have to wait a little while for 5 phones to be running it)

* At least two apps must use the accelerometer

* At least two apps must use GPS

* The applications cannot be Google Applications.

That's it - those are all the rules. If Andy Rubin is right, then he should simply be able to pick an OS and 5 random applications, and he'll make a charity $1,000 richer.

Of course, I don't think it's going to be that easy.

So Mr. Rubin, what do you say? Do you take me up on my friendly challenge?

Fragmentation with the Sense UI

2010-05-02T12:18:00.006-05:00

Here's an example of how navigating a user to turn on their GPS works differently on the sense UI. If you're a developer and your app navigates a user to turn on GPS, you'll likely need to modify your app if you want it to work correctly on the latest and greatest Android phone - the Droid Incredible.

Fragmentation Continued

2010-05-02T11:59:00.006-05:00

I mentioned on Friday that I was working with a developer to test a game named Rolly. Here's an update on that and a continued example of the fragmentation issue for this game.

Nasty fragmentation example

2010-04-30T12:50:00.004-05:00

Mike Harris, the developer of Rolly, a game created for the Android OS asked me to test out his app on a few phones. It works great on almost all of them. Except for the Droid - one of the most popular Android phones available. If this isn't fragmentation I don't know what is.

Becoming the other

2010-04-22T18:33:00.002-05:00

If you look at major brands, very often you'll notice that there are two titans in an industry. Think Coke and Pepsi, Nike and Reebok, Apple and Microsoft, Kellogg's and General Mills. What I think is so impressive with Android is how quickly it's become "the other" choice for consumers looking for a smartphone. Obviously there is still blackberry, but that's primarily in the enterprise.

If you're a college freshman looking for a new phone, it's iPhone or Android right?

This isn't to say that being "the other" is Google's end goal, but it's pretty impressive how quickly the decision for so many people is going to be "should I get an iPhone or should I get an Android phone?"

I think there's a huge lesson for hardware manufacturers here.

If one of them could become the other option to the iPad, I think they'd be sitting in a really good spot. I continue to believe that if Motorola stripped Android down to the browser and put it on a slim respectable device there would be a huge market for it.

Becoming the other may not be the ultimate goal, but it's certainly a great milestone to reach.

What's behind Apple suing HTC?

2010-03-03T09:53:00.002-06:00

We learned yesterday that Apple has sued HTC for infringing on multiple patents. By way of John Gruber, here's a full breakdown of the patents that Apple is suing HTC over.

Like most things, this event should not be viewed just as a singular event. Instead, today's news needs to be viewed alongside other recent headlines. Specifically, with Google's recent patent award for location based advertising, and maybe less obviously, the discussion over Apple's billion dollar datacenter.

In this context, it's clear that this isn't about HTC, and it's even larger than Android vs. the iPhone OS - though that's of course part of it. This is Apple vs. Google in the mobile advertising space, and the stakes are enormous.

I mention Apple's datacenter in the context of all this because it remindes us that Apple is a company that loves control. This belief, no doubt, comes from decades of experience working with a variety suppliers. If any company understands the importance of a good supplier, and the havoc that bad ones can wreak, it's Apple.

This lawsuit is all about Apple suing Google's best supplier because they know the achilles heel of Android is that Google doesn't control the distribution of it.

Please tell me, in what world is HTC infringing on Apple's patents but Motorola and Samsung are not?

Disrupt the best supplier, disrupt Google, disrupt distribution of the mobile advertising platform known as Android.

And HTC's 2009 net profit by the way was $440 Million. Apple turns that profit in about three weeks. It is far easier for Apple to disrupt HTC than it is for them to disrupt Google with their annual profit of $6.5 Billion.

What's going on, I believe, is that this is just a small battle over the huge war over the mobile advertising landscape.

I think this is also about whether Google will go on the offensive over the patent rights that were recently awarded for geo-based advertising services. The physical phones and the revenue they make up are significant, but they're pocket change compared to what the global market for geo based advertising services is going to be worth.

This lawsuit is Apple creating a bargaining chip over the real prize.

Have no doubt, Steve Jobs understands how much money is up for grabs in the local, mobile advertising space. If this settles out of court, I will be stunned if somehow Google's geo-based advertising patent isn't part of the overall deal. Who knows, if Apple wants to be aggressive enough, Google may even be forced to decide whether to watch their best supplier suffocate under the burden of defending a lawsuit, or buy and protect them.

Guess what happens then? Everything's on the negotiating table and Google decides if they want to play ball on the geo-advertising patent.

The bummer about all this though is that it means Apple has hit a horrible turning point. They are now spending at least some of their time, effort, money, and CEO's attention on preventing others from advancing forward.

When companies start doing this, it's almost never good. And the history of companies ranging from IBM to Motorola to Dell to the New York Times shows us that when you begin focusing on protecting your turf, more than you're focusing on finding the new turf, you've opened the door to trouble.

People have been wondering, what's Apple going to do what that $40 Billion in cash? What are they going make? Who will they buy?

Now we know they're going to spend at least a portion of it trying to tie up smaller companies in the legal process. It won't all be used to create and innovate, it's also going to be used to stifle creativity by competitors. It's going to go to lawyers, lobbyists, politicians, and who knows what else.

That's what makes me the most sad about all of this.

This is what fragmentation looks like

2010-03-01T15:42:00.005-06:00

Here is one small example of what I consider to be fragmentation. On the app we made, GoFind!, the first thing a user does is enter in the name or number of the person they want to find.

Here's what it's supposed to look like - via the myTouch:

See how the options a user selects become available above the keyboard? That's so a user can press on their contact and continue with the flow. Makes sense, right?

Now, let's take a look at this same application on the Motorola Droid:

Look closely; do you see what's wrong? See that sliver of white space above the keyboard?

The names to choose from drop down behind the keyboard, rendering it impossible for a user to actually select the name of the person. If you have a Droid, you have to open the keyboard at this point to continue on with the flow. This doesn't happen on every phone with a keyboard though. Maybe it's the OS? Maybe the phone? Who knows. Either way, it's the kind of error that as a developer you at least want to know about.

We should fix this, and we will at some point, but it's a great example of how a small difference in the way the app works on different phones can impact the user experience.

This is what I consider fragmentation, and it's the reason Duarlander was started. If you're an Android developer, or have an Android phone, come check out our community, we'd love to have you join us.

If you don't consider this an issue, then you and I don't have the same standards for what the user experience on a mobile device should be.

Verizon to Share Proprietary Network Information

2010-02-24T16:11:00.004-06:00

I received the notice below from Verizon yesterday - outlining changes they're making to their privacy policy. These are not insignificant, so let's take a look at a few of the changes - along with my English interpretation of what they're really saying.

Verizon Wireless provides service to you. In doing so, we may collect certain information that is made available to us solely by virtue of our relationship with you, such as details regarding the telecommunications services you purchase, including the type, destination, technical configuration location and amount of use of such services. This information and related billing information is known as Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI)

Translation: We know everything you do. Who you call, where you were when you called them, what websites you visit. We know everything you're doing with your phone.

In order to better serve your communications needs and to identify, offer and provide products and services to meet your requirements, we need your permission to share this information among our affiliates, agents and parent companies (including Vodafone) and their subsidiaries.

Translation: We want to sell you more stuff.

The protection of your information is important to us, and we acknowledge that you have a right and we have a duty, under federal and state law, to protect the confidentiality of your information.

Translation: It's illegal for us to use any of this information without telling you.

You have a right to keep your CPNI private by "opting out". Unless you provide us with notice that you wish to opt out within 45 days of receiving this letter, we will assume that you five us the right to share your CPNI with the authorized companies as described above.

Translation: We're hoping you'll mistake this for junk mail.

Here's the thing that drives me nuts about these kinds of communications: Verizon needs your consent. Consent, I believe, cannot be given by someone by them not taking an action.

If I sent you an e-mail saying that I was going to take money out of your bank account - and that if I didn't hear from you within 45 days that would equate to consent - would I then be able to steal money from your bank account? Of course not.

This isn't consent and the notion that it is is completely bogus. True consent would be getting a letter like this and then having to opt in.

I understand that this kind of thing happens all the time, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't call it out if when we see it. If you're a Verizon customer, and don't want them sharing all your information with everyone they do business with, go to www.verizonwireless.com/myaccount, sign in, click on My Profile, and then scroll to the Phone Controls section and click on View/Edit privacy settings.

I will give Verizon credit for making it very easy to "opt out" online - but they still should have gone about it differently.

Here's the full scan of the letter I received:

Free images

2010-02-04T14:48:00.005-06:00

Back when we were creating GoFind!, Camri McAvoy created a bunch of images for us. I thought it might be nice if we gave many of these away so you could use them for your own purposes. These images are being released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. In addition, we're waiving the need to attribute the work to us.

This basically means you can use them, modify them, edit them, and distribute them in any way you like. If you want to give Camri McAvoy and Ideal Project Group credit, we would of course love it. I didn't however want to require you to do so.

Contained within this zip file are some menu item images, arrows, satellite images, and buttons. Hopefully one or more of these are useful to a few of you out there. You can also click on the image below to download the files.

The GoFind! Images were Designed by Camri McAvoy for Ideal Project Group, LLC and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at images.gofindapp.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license are available at http://permissions.gofindapp.com.

Let's define the fragmentation "problem"

2010-02-03T15:11:00.002-06:00

As I've written about previously, I started Duarlander because of the fragmentation issue that I perceive to be present as it relates to Android.

I recently read an article that seemed to be indicating there was no fragmentation problem. It was titled, "Fragmentation? More like Fragmentawesome!"

I wondered, Am I crazy? Was I missing something? Did I start Duarlander for no reason at all?

I'm pretty concerned that I may have initially defined the "fragmentation problem" that Duarlander can help solve solely in the context of my experience. As a result, others with different perspectives and experiences may not be relating to some of what I've written about so far and I'm now fearful that I may have inadvertently harmed the Duarlander cause.

I think I need to take a step back and define what "problem" means to me in the case of fragmentation, and just as importantly, what it doesn't mean.

The author of the article mentioned above wrote that their application worked pretty well on each device that they tested it on, but that there were some slight modifications they had to make to account for the different controls of the physical devices.

Most notably though, they said:

I don't have regular access to all this hardware to test on, so when a phone comes my way I jump on it, install the game, and try it out.

So here's the thing, when I say "fragmentation problem", I don't mean problem in the sense that it's almost not worth the cost for the other benefits that Android has to offer. I don't mean that at all. And, I certainly don't mean problem in the sense that I don't like the Operating System. I realize I'm hard at times on the hardware providers, but that's precisely because of my fondness for the Operating System.

As a publisher, the reason that we built GoFind! on Android first was because I liked the idea of an open platform. I liked that there wasn't an approval process. I liked that I could submit my application, something I dreamed up, to the Market and see it out in the world, for real, within minutes.

As a consumer, the reason I have an Android phone is because it allows a level of individuality that the iPhone doesn't, allows me to listen to music while surfing the web, and allows me to get an IM while working inside any other application. I like very much that it can multi-task.

Back to the fragmentation discussion, the fact that a developer, even one who doesn't see fragmentation as a problem, is eager to see their application working tells me that there is a strong desire to see proof that an application is working as it should be. This desire alone was enough for me to think of this challenge in terms of a "fragmentation problem." After all, if you want to see, with your own eyes, your application working on every device and you don't have access to every device, then that's a problem - isn't it?

Anyone who's worked in technology knows there's a huge difference between knowing that something should work correctly and seeing that something is working correctly.

Part of the reason for Duarlander was to remove all doubt as to whether a developer's application was working properly, and consistently, across every device.

So while I'm taking a step back to recognize that my experience may not match that of someone else, I'm asking that all developers - even ones who themselves have not encountered some of the same challenges - do the same. To this day, for example, our application simply does not work on the Samsung Moment. Based on some comments in the Market, it seems that Ustream is having some problems with the Moment as well.

Indeed, if you just scroll through various apps in the market and read comments for the top paid and top free apps, you will surely see some people indicating that an app isn't working correctly a particular phone. These people can't all be lying can they?

I view this as the market (in the economic sense of the word) showing that there is a need for what this community provides.

Maybe we should be using different language. Maybe calling it a "fragmentation problem" is putting too much negative connotation on the challenge. Maybe we should be saying that Duarlander satisfies an engineer's desire for proof.

I certainly don't have all the answers. What I do think is very real though is that when a developer spends time, labor, and effort building something, they want to be certain it's working the way it should. And if it's not, they want to be able to pro-actively tell potential buyers of the issues. I think this is real regardless as to whether you're just making sure your game works correctly with new controls, or you've actually encountered a specific bug on a particular device.

I'm hopeful that this helps clear up what I think the problem is, but please, help me. Send me your comments on how we can talk about this challenge more effectively. And if you're an Android developer or an Android user, I sincerely hope you'll consider joining our community.

My thoughts on the iPad

2010-01-31T13:39:00.003-06:00

Yesterday afternoon I sat on my couch and watched the iPad keynote presentation in full. If you haven't already watched it you really should. And, for anyone in the Android community that comments on the iPad, the first question I'm going to ask you moving forward is whether you've watched the keynote.

My first impression when I saw screenshots of the event was....eh.....ok. After watching the keynote, I'm left thinking that if the gap between first impression and now ends up being the same as between now and actually touching it I'm going to be amazed.

I also want to point out a few facts real quick before I really get started. I work exclusively on a MacBook Pro. I have an iPod touch. I use an HTC myTouch as a phone. My other small business made an application for the Android OS. I started Duarlander as a direct result of some challenges we encountered. I hope to release my app on the iPhone at some point.

I say all this because you need to understand the context from which I write. I think Apple makes the best computers in the world (or at least the best ones that I've ever used), but I also truly enjoy and appreciate the Android Operating System, and think it offers many things that the iPhone does not. There are trade-offs in everything.

Under no circumstances will I allow myself or Duarlander to be put in any "us" vs. "them" mentality when it comes to Apple, the iPhone, Android and Google. Just because Duarlander is an Android application testing community does not, under any circumstances, mean that I will be an unequivocal fanboy of Android regardless of the facts that present themselves before us.

Duarlander was created to help solve the fragmentation problem associated with Android, and to help developers creating applications for this great new operating system. I did not start it to be a cheerleader. If this disappoints you, I'm sorry about that.

OK, so, the iPad. About 40 minutes into watching the keynote presentation I couldn't help but notice the big clunky hot machine (MacBook Pro) that was in my lap. I realized instantly where this thing would fit in my life. I could read the internet as if it were a magazine. Ahhh....

There are a lot of things Steve Jobs talked about in the keynote, but there are a few that I think are particular noteworthy that I'd like to discuss in more detail.

"Netbooks aren't better at anything"

Over and over again, Steve Jobs hammered home on the fact that a device that lived in between smart phones and laptops absolutely had to be better at some key tasks. What were they? Web surfing, email, viewing pictures and video, and reading e-books.

This is pretty much everything I'm doing if I'm with my computer on the couch and it's after say 7pm. If I'm really working on a problem, or a website, a project, or blogging, or whatever, I'm generally sitting at my desk or the kitchen table.

I now know where I would use the iPad and what it would replace; 95% of what I do with my laptop while on the couch. I used to think TV would be replaced by a box that hooked up to my monitor. I'm not so sure about that anymore.

Battery Life

10 hours. Really, is there anything more that needs to be said about that? Unless you forget to plug it in before you go to bed, it's unlikely you'll ever run out of battery when using it. I literally thought to myself: "awesome, I can use my rooted G1 for WiFi and save $130 bucks! Oh wait, battery. Fuck."

A new UI

Steve Jobs talked over and over again about how a new user interface was required. They made an entirely new calendar, a new mail app, created a new way to view photos and also made all new iWork user interfaces. In order to be better at certain tasks, they decided they were going to have to change the user interfaces entirely. And they look amazing.

Bookstore

I have a two year old son and a four year old daughter and we read books on the couch pretty much every night. They're also kind of fascinated by computers and the computer screen, but as anyone with kids knows, the whole mouse and keyboard thing takes a little bit for them to get used to.

Just thinking about the kinds of book/game/interaction applications that are going to be available for this thing, and how for a time my kids and I will find it equally fascinating, is enough in and of itself to go out and by it.

The kindle changed the way we read books. The iPad is going to create a new kind of book.

Price

$499 is a stunning price point. I am utterly baffled by those who are complaining that it is too high. To make sure you have the proper context, here below were the introductory price points for some Android phones without a contract. In other words, unsubsidized by carriers.

* G1 - $500
* myTouch - $500
* Samsung Moment - $550
* HTC Hero - $500
* Motorola Cliq - $500
* Motorola Droid - $700
* HTC Droid Eris - $600
* Nexus One - $529

These hardware providers did not have to make an Operating System. They did not have to remake an email application. They did not have to make a calendar application. They did not have to rethink entirely the way that a user would interact with the device. And yet, their price is either identical to that of the baseline iPad or up to 40% higher. And by the way, not a single one of them shipped with more than 16 Gigs of storage.

Do you think Motorola could have turned a profit on the Droid if they sold it at $500? I don't.

Not all perfect

There are two key things I don't understand. First, why is Apple sticking with AT&T? For a company that seems so into details, it's bizarre to me that they continue to put up with a sub-par service provider. I don't get it.

The other thing that's weird to me is the USB syncing. This is clearly a device that will be in addition to your main computer. Why can't all this syncing happen over WiFi? It's 2010; I still need to plug the thing into my computer physically? On the myTouch I have an application called OnAir that allows me to see my phone's memory card over my home network. Maybe there's some crazy technical hurdle I'm unaware of, but after seeing the demo of the iPad I'm pretty confused about why a physical wire is required considering everything else it can do.

These are pretty minor complaints I suppose, but noteworthy enough for me.

What the iPad means for Android

I have been saying since I started writing on this blog, that the Achilles heel of Android is not the Operating System. Android offers a lot of things that are unique that both users and developers appreciate.

The Achilles heel for Android is the hardware providers.

I have no doubt about the talent of the engineers at Google. Considering Android is a relatively new OS built from the ground up, it is insanely impressive.

But now, look at this video of Michael Dell holding a new Dell Mini 5. Are you fucking kidding me? Dell is one of the largest hardware manufacturers in the entire world. Seriously, think about this. On this whole entire planet we call earth there are few companies with the money, resources, people, vendors and supply chain that Dell has.

And the best they are coming up with is something that's a lot bigger then my phone, smaller than anything I'd want to actually surf the web with, and isn't really going to change anything in my life at all? Come on.

And look, I'm sorry if I sound all angry about this. I realize that compared to real things going on in the world like war, earthquakes, and financial fuckedness that this doesn't matter.

On the other hand, competition is a good thing. And it's good that Google is giving Apple some competition in the smartphone space and we all benefit from it. But we need to stop comparing Android to the iPhone OS.

To properly understand the disparity between Android and Apple, we need to instead compare hardware manufacturers running Android to Apple the hardware manufacturer.

Only then can the gulf properly be understood and have all of this placed into it's appropriate context.

My advice for hardware manufacturers

Understand that you don't need to use every component of Android, and make something so spectacular that even someone with an iPod, an iPhone or an Android Phone, a laptop, and an iPad would want to buy it. Sounds hard? Yeah, I'm sure it does, but you can do it. Here are some ideas:

* A tablet with with a browser. Nothing else. Make it the fastest fucking thing out there. Work with Google to create a soft keyboard. Sell it for $2oo. Think of it as the Flip for the internet.
* A 64Gig music player that partners with Napster. Include the Napster subscription in the price. Allow users to download from Napster's library over WiFi. Think of it as the kindle for music. You'll sell millions of units to music fans that want to listen to albums, not people that are paying $.99/song.
* An HD video recorder and awesome camera that I can retrieve everything from over WiFi.
* A digital Atlas with GPS. I think a lot of families miss looking at a map when they go on road trips. Give them a digital one. Don't worry about battery too much, they can plug it into the cigarette lighter.

The temptation of course is going to be to try and replicate the iPad. I think this is a losing strategy. Companies like Dell and Motorola have lost so much ground that in order to make it up they are going to have to do it one piece of functionality at a time. Motorola is apparently coming out with 20 Android phones. Are you telling me they couldn't come out with 18 and try a couple of the things above, or something else along the same lines?

The thing I'll be taking away from the iPad is not how advanced it's OS is over Android. Though I think it probably is, the operating systems are different and they offer different things. The thing is, if the physical iPad ran Android, it would probably make me really happy. I could surf the web, check email, look at some photos. I'd miss iWork and some awesome apps that are sure to come out, but overall I'd probably be pretty happy with it.

What the iPad highlights for me more than anything (through an Android lens that is) is how good the Android operating system is and how utterly terrible the hardware manufacturers are.

Problem Solving

2010-01-27T17:29:00.003-06:00

A few people have asked me why I wanted to start Duarlander, inquiring as to whether it was because I thought Android was awesome, I hated apple, or for some other reason.

I do think Android is awesome of course, and no, I don't hate the iPhone. In fact, I actually think some of the dialog between the Android camp and the iPhone camp can get a bit ridiculous at times.

What it comes down to is that I saw first hand a very real problem when we built GoFind!. If you've ever worked on a software application, you know that troubleshooting bugs can at times be very frustrating. Once you work the kinks out though, it's really rewarding.

The Android fragmentation problem brings this to another level entirely though. You can think you fixed a bug, just to see it again on another device. Or you can fix a bug on one device, see that everything is great, and then see an entirely new bug on a different device that wasn't there before you fixed the original bug for the first device. Wait, what?!!? Argh!

But here's the thing, solving problems is a lot of fun. Starting Duarlander, maintaining Duarlander, and writing about the challenges of the fragmentation issue are very enjoyable to me.

And, most importantly, I sincerely hope that I'm able to help other developers. The openness of Android doesn't stop with the code that makes up the operating system. It's an open community of users, developers, handset manufacturers, blogs, and others.

So what it comes down to is that the fragmentation issue put me into problem solving mode. It's a big challenge, this fragmentation issue, but I really believe that it can be solved and I can envision a time where it's just not that big of a deal.

You build an app. Have it tested at Duarlander. Send it out to the word. Fragmentation problem? What fragmentation problem?

Of course, it's not possible without the users and developers and we're really glad that a bunch of you have joined up lately. We know of course that you aren't signing up for us - you're signing up for yourself because you see the same problem we saw.

So that's why I started Duarlander, and it's the same reason you've joined Duarlander, because we're in problem solving mode.

You are a genius.

2010-01-24T00:54:00.003-06:00

You are a genius. You don't think you are? Well Seth Godin does (he thinks I'm one too) and this is how he opens his new book Linchpin. After reading it you will see that you are, in fact, the genius he claims you to be. The only question that remains is whether you will choose to overcome the resistance.

This book is about art, politics, gifts, education, money, economics, business, society, fear, talent, love, evolution and leadership. I consider it an honor to have had the opportunity to read this book before it's public release on January 26th, and I'm humbled to be part of the crowd that is posting reviews.

Seth explains that much of what is happening in the world today is because we're in the midst of another kind of industrial revolution. Suddenly, success doesn't depend on fitting in, doing well in school, or landing the perfect job. Success now is loving what you do, creating art, and then (here's the hard part) showing it to the world by shipping it.

You don't do art? He's not talking about painting, or photography, though he certainly could be and does at times. He's talking about taking what you do, and doing it amazingly well. Doing it with emotional labor. Doing it in a way, essentially, that makes you irreplaceable.

Linchpins don't worry about a 15% unemployment rate. We're needed now more than ever before. Are you replaceable? Why?

We live in a world, Seth explains, where we are all manufacturers. The barrier to entry in the new factory of production is now a high speed internet connection and a computer. We have only just begun to see the transformation of our economy, and our society; and that this thing we call the internet is still in it's infancy. We live in a world where we can now, all of us, make something. We are all creators. We are all inventors. We are all artists.

We are all amazing.

Let me ask you a few questions. What if the education you received was designed to prepare you to work in a factory that no longer exists? What if instead of being rewarded for doing work you were rewarded for creating art? What if the "safe" thing was dangerous and the "dangerous" thing was actually safe? What if part of your brain was constantly working to hold you back?

Seth explains in Linchpin that these aren't "ifs", but instead outlines how we are, by in large, a people who have had the artist beaten out of us. We were trained to be replaceable cogs in a giant factory optimized for efficiency. A factory that, by the way, can be a row of cubicles in New York just as easily as it can be an assembly line in Detroit. Pretty much everyone in your life who has told you to fit in, that your idea was silly, that you should have a backup plan - they've all conspired to keep you from being amazing.

And then there's your lizard brain. This part of our brain controls our "fight or flight" response and other basic instincts. It's what kept us safe, alive and evolving. Now however, our Lizard brain is actually holding us back.

"Trust me", Seth seems to be saying, "you will not be eaten by a tiger if you publish that book, pitch that idea, give that speech, or write that book review."

Probably my favorite thing about this book though is the way it makes you feel about your ideas. I think the way Seth Godin would put it, is that he presents his ideas in a way that allow you to see them through your worldview. The result is, you don't feel as if you've just been given a bunch of ideas by someone, or that someone else has injected their beliefs into your brain. Rather, it's as if your own ideas have simply been shaken loose.

The skill this takes as a writer is almost beyond my comprehension.

What Seth Godin has done with Linchpin is motivated his reader to see their ideas, understand why they hold themselves back, and most importantly challenges us to create and ship.

There are few books in the world that can make you think you can be a better spouse, parent, artist, and business person all at the same time. His book is a gift to all of us, and I highly recommend you check it out.

You can buy Linchpin starting Tuesday, January 26th by way of Amazon, a regular book store, on the kindle, or as an audio book.

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In case you're interested in how I came into an early copy of the book, Seth gave his blog readers the opportunity to join him in a bit of an experiment when he wrote this post, giving us the first chance to review his new book before anyone else.

In 48 hours, Seth Godin gave away 3,000 copies of his book and raised over $100,000 for the Acumen fund.

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This post is also being published, verbatim, on another blog I write on at http://projectidealism.com

Of course they are

2010-01-21T16:52:00.002-06:00

Of course Motorola is going to release 20 - 30 phones. (via AndroidGuys)

Because if you're Motorola, somehow 20 mediocre products makes more sense than 2 killer products.

More thoughts on hardware manufacturers

2010-01-19T20:46:00.004-06:00

I've been thinking about Tuesday's post a bit today, and felt like I should paint a clearer picture as to why I'm so tough on hardware providers, and why I wrote about risk of them "customizing things into oblivion."

I obviously realize that a lot of the beauty of Android is that it's open source. The result is that not only can independent developers play with the OS, but so can huge corporations. It's a fair question to ask, what do hardware providers "owe" the Android community? Why shouldn't they be able to do whatever they want with the OS?

My belief though, is that we live in a world where, for the most part, an Operating System is only as good as the applications that run on it. Google Navigation for example, is just as awesome on the G1 as it is on the Droid, as it is on the myTouch. When you're driving around with that app running, I don't think you're even thinking about the hardware.

So this being the case, my point is that a significant factor as to whether a device is a "success", must be whether applications function on it properly. In this regard, our community will help determine which devices succeed.

Unless of course, a device comes out that was meant to do something entirely different. Or do the same thing but in a different way. And this brings me to my main frustration with companies like Motorola. I don't know how much time Motorola spent working on MotoBlur, but they spent some time, effort, money, and energy on it. I don't understand why.

Motorola is a company that has the capability to do things that very few companies have. Relative to dreaming up and then building a software application, hardware requires significant physical and monetary resources that few people have. Why Motorola doesn't recognize this reality and focus on making awesome hardware just doesn't make sense to me.

When I say that hardware manufacturers should worry about the hardware and not the software, it's because I think they are missing the boat completely with what's possible with Android.

I have a news flash for companies like Motorola. Yes, the Android OS does indeed have a phone application that will allow you to make phone calls, but you don't have to use it. You can make devices other than phones with Android.

I get mad at Motorola because the only thing holding them back is a lack of creativity, imagination, and commitment to doing something amazing. And so instead, a hardware company decides they have to get into the software business in an attempt to differentiate themselves.

Why don't they make a WiFi enabled web device that you can use in the kitchen? Or a video camera that can compete with the Flip. Or a music player with built in WiMax that takes listening to music in the cloud to a whole new level. All of these things can be done with Android, by doing nothing more than removing functionality from the stock OS and making awesome hardware.

And so this is my main point I suppose. It's not that hardware manufacturers don't have the right to do whatever they please with the OS, they do. But they should be focusing on their strengths and using Android to create things that we haven't seen yet.

The sooner hardware manufacturers focus their attention on hardware, the better off they will be and the better of the Android community at large will be.

My vision for Duarlander - a sort of manifesto

2010-01-19T00:25:00.007-06:00

Today started like most of my Mondays have been starting lately I suppose, but it turned out to be very different. Over the course of the day, about 60 more people joined Duarlander.

People started joining over the weekend after John Gruber tweeted some directions I gave him on how to take a screenshot on an Android device. Then today people continued to join throughout the day as a few blogs wrote about us.

I'm giving you all this back-story because I figured it was important to have the context of where the community is right now, and then highlight where I think it can go, how I believe it can help the Android ecosystem, and what we're going to need to do to keep this idea alive.

First, there are about 70 people in the community right now, and I'm really excited about this. With an idea like Duarlander though, it's really important that we stay active inside the community. So, we're going to come up with some fun ways to keep the community engaged.

Our promise to you is that we aren't going to spam you. We are going to do some fun and unique things to build the foundation of this group, but we respect deeply that you shared your information with us. I can't stress enough, how important all of you are in this idea.

This brings us to the serious side of Duarlander.

There is a major flaw with the Android ecosystem and it has to be addressed. The issue is fragmentation. It's not insurmountable, but it is real, and it is going to take a coordinated effort by developers and users if we are going to be the main customer of the Operating System that is made by Google.

First, you need to understand that Google's goal is to get their search engine into the front pocket of as many people as possible. There's nothing wrong with this, but you have to understand that this is the reality.

If Google's primary concern was application developers, they would not have five versions of their Operating System out in the world.

At the same time however, Google has provided an ecosystem where a developer can introduce a native application "into the wild" and provide updates to it in real time, almost as if it were a web app. In my opinion, this is the least talked about advantage of Android.

So there you have it. Google is happy as long as their search engine gets into front pockets. But, they've thrown the ball in the air as to who gets to control it's direction.

Here's where the real danger lies: with the handset manufacturers.

Because Google is going to do whatever they think is going to get their search engine into everyone's front pocket, we'll see more customization of the OS, more skins, more everything. The handset manufacturers will keep wanting to do things to it so they can try to differentiate themselves from the others.

Why none of them has realized "hey, I'm a fucking hardware manufacturer, maybe I should make some sweet fucking hardware and let the open source software do it's thing" is beyond me.

HTC has gotten close though and with the myTouch, the Eris, and now the N1 I think they deserve a ton of credit. They have, hands down, made the best hardware out there for the Android OS.

Motorola, my god, what is wrong with you?

And so here is the reality, we either claim the Operating System as ours, or we watch the handset manufacturers customize it into oblivion.

My goals for Duarlander are very simple. I want Duarlander to be the place where every developer first introduces their application into the world. It is here where you will have a community of users that understand the challenges you are presented with, and provide you with feedback so that you can introduce your application into the rest of the world with confidence.

As a result, it is also here where we will decide which handsets do not matter.

I know first hand how disappointing it is to get a bad review on your application because it didn't function consistently across devices. But we can turn this challenge into a lot of fun, and hopefully even exert some influence over the handset manufacturers before they release new hardware.

It's a big idea I suppose, but it's also kind of what's awesome about Android. Google's goal will be met, Android is going to be a huge hit in terms of number of it's search engines in pockets.

So the only question is, who get's to control it's future? Do you really want to leave something as awesome as Android in the hands of a company like Motorola?

Yeah, me either.

Screenshot Instructions

2010-01-17T00:20:00.002-06:00

John Gruber commented on twitter today that he wished he could take some screenshots of his NexusOne. I sent him some directions which he shared, while also pointing out that it's a hell of a lot easier on the iPhone.

I figured I should share the instructions here as well. So, if you want to know to take a screen shot of what you're looking at on your Android phone, here you go.

How Duarlander was born and how it got to where it is today

2010-01-06T10:46:00.002-06:00

Hi, my name is Andrew, and I started Duarlander. One other person works with me and her name is Theresa. I'd like to take a moment to tell you about Duarlander, how it started and how it landed on the Ning network that it's using right now.

Two Sentence Summary

Duarlander is a community where Android users and Android developers can get together to address the issue of applications working inconsistently on various devices. Developers can release their app with confidence, and people who love their Android phones can make a little money helping them out.

Quick Backstory

I have another company, that I regularly blog about here, that made an application for the Android Operating System called GoFind. There was a problem we kept running into - and still do to this day.

The problem I want to solve

Basically, there's a ton of phones running 5 different Operating Systems and so there's fragmentation issues. Sometimes small, sometimes big, but always a pain in the ass for developers.

The initial launch

At first we started buying all the phones and signing up for plans. What initially seemed like the right thing to do seemed like a terrible idea after spending $2500 on phones and reading Meatball Sundae. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. It's not really a marketing book so much as a book that helps you understand how businesses need to transform themselves in order to thrive in the world that we live in today.

I had initially thought it would be great if we could have some sort of automated network community, but I thought it would be expensive and difficult to build. So we launched by purchasing hardware. Seven phones to be exact. As Seth Godin would probably say - total meatball.

What we learned

We got great feedback from developers and others in the Android community; a lot of people are having this problem and they thought the business was a great idea. But, a lot of Android developers are independent and don't have a lot of extra cash sitting around. On top of this, I think there's a general frustration with this issue because as much as people know it's a real problem, they don't think they should have to solve it. It almost seems to me like there's a perception that Google should be the one doing something about it.

I don't think they're going to and so I want to help solve this problem.

What we are doing now

One of the things I'm amazed by right now are all the tools that are available. All sorts of really smart people are making amazing software so you and I can simply hook things together. If you have an idea about something you want to build, you just need to use the right tools. I should have gone this direction first but no sense in looking too far back I suppose.

By using a number of Software as a Service providers (all the details are below), we have been able to build a great site for the Android community, and we'll be able to help developers test their applications far more effectively than we were able to do previously.

Best of all, our new model provides a way for developers to get their applications tested for free, if they want to work within the community and organize the testing themselves.

If they'd prefer not to do that, then we'll organize the testing.

The Details

For those interested in the specifics of how we're hooking everything together, the tools we're using, and pricing please read on.

We used Ning to build the core site and it's where we anticipate developers and testers will have most of their interaction. Ning is a social networking platform where anyone can build a community. They have tons of amazing plugins and it's just awesome all around.

If developers and testers want to organize their own testing, they'll have everything they need to do so right within the Duarlander community site.

For those who want us to facilitate the testing, here's how it works right now:

Embedded in one of the pages on the Duarlander community site is a form we created with Formspring. This form will allow developers to submit their APK files (Android application files) to us for testing. They'll tell us the number of devices they want their application tested on, what it does, and a couple other details.

They'll then submit the form and make a payment through PayPal where credit cards will be accepted. The cost is $100 for testing on up to five devices, $175 for up to 10 devices, and $250 for up to 15 devices.

When the form is submitted, that developer's information will automatically be sent to Highrise so we can track our paying customers. Formspring can already seamlessly hook into Highrise so this was as simple as a few mouse clicks. We'll also get an email telling us that a file has been submitted.

We'll then set up a Basecamp project space and invite the developer and the appropriate testers. For now, creating this project space will be manual - however we should have no problem automating this in the future if we want. Every systems we're using has a great API so we should be able to scale when the need arises. (By the way, If you're thinking about building something but think you need to figure everything out ahead of time, read this blog post by Derek Sivers. It was a big help in freeing my mind from thinking every problem needed to be solved up front.)

We'll then help drive the testing by outlining specific tasks to be completed, assist with testing where necessary, follow up with testers, and all the things that a developer may not want to have to deal with themselves. Basically, we'll be running a mini-project to make sure your app gets tested on every device.

Once the testing is complete we'll pay each tester $10 for their effort via PayPal.

Better applications make a better operating system

I think Android is awesome. I love how it has a variety of hardware, different ROMs and an active community. It's not that I don't love Apple, I do. I just happened to start playing in the Android world and I like it a lot.

If we're honest with ourselves though, this fragmentation issue is a real problem and it's not going to get better any time soon.

So let's address the problem.

I have no illusions about this. I know it's going to take time, energy, work and commitment. But I'm in it for the long haul. If you're an Android developer or user, I would love it if you'd consider joining our community and telling your friends about us.

Let's get together, have some fun, and make the Android OS everything it can be.

And many thanks again to all the SaaS providers that made this possible. If you aren't aware of them already, you should really take a moment to check them out.

The tools we use

Ning
Basecamp (37Signals)
Highrise (37Signals)
Formspring