Mobile Tweaks

Early adopters report: How do you like your new T-Mobile Vibrant?

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Mobile Tweaks

The Samsung Vibrant was the first Galaxy S phone to hit the U.S. when T-Mobile put it on sale yesterday for $199. It sounds like most T-Mobile locations didn’t even have the phone on display, but many of you waited outside for your local store to open.

We know a lot of our readers picked up the Vibrant yesterday and we want your impressions of the device after 24 hours. Was the Super AMOLED display all you had hoped for? Does the overall speed live up to your expectations? Have you put that super fast GPU to use with some 3D games?

Please share your feedback so that other T-Mobile customers on the fence about upgrading can make up their mind. Let us know if this was your first smartphone or what previous Android phone you were coming from.

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The Gameloft Conspiracy: Why are the best Android games not found on the Android Market?

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Mobile Tweaks

If you want to find the best 3D games for Android, don’t go looking in the official Android Market. French publisher Gameloft recently ported their 10 best selling iPhone games to Android (see video below), but you will only find a single one that made it to the Android Market (Asphalt HD).

So where is Gameloft hiding their Android HD games and what is keeping them off the Android Market?

The first part of that question is simple. If you want to purchase the Gameloft HD titles, you need to visit Gameloft.com and make your purchase through their site. My problem with that solution is that Gameloft’s store is hard to use, installs are limited to a single device, there is no system to update a game, and it’s a major pain to reinstall a game if you ever have to wipe your phone.

In the beginning, Gameloft limited you to a single download for any purchase you made through their store. We complained about this and Gameloft updated their store policies to allow users to re-download their purchases, but I have yet to get it working.

For starters, not all of my purchases are even listed on my Gameloft account and the ones that are, I have been unable to reinstall. Gameloft implemented some weird copy protection to limit game installs to a single device, but it actually blocks re-installing a game to the same device.

Good luck reinstalling your games if you wipe.

For example I purchased Modern Combat: Sandstorm and installed it to my Samsung Captivate. I later went ahead and wiped the phone and now when I try to launch the game after re-installing it, I am greeted with the error, “This is not an original copy”.

I could go on and on about my complaints with purchasing games from Gameloft, but my point is their store is still really new and it has a lot of issues.

The Conspiracy

So let’s return to the second part of my original question – Why is Gameloft keeping these HD titles off the official Android Market and away from potential customers?

We asked a Gameloft representative that question and they told us, “The Android platform is still rather new, (so) we are trying out different methods of distribution to see what works best.”

After using both methods of distribution, it’s pretty clear the Android Market tops Gameloft’s web store in every way possible.

The Android Market allows me to instantly purchase and install the game on my phone, update the game when a new version comes out, install the game on any device with the same Google account, and allows me to reinstall any game with no issues. Gameloft can make none of those claims with their web store.

I understand trying out different distribution methods, but that still doesn’t explain why Gameloft just doesn’t do both and give their customers more choice when making a purchase. We know there are no technical barriers stopping them, because as we said earlier – they did release Asphalt HD to the Market.

To complicate matters, let’s look at AT&T who blocks the install of any Android application that does not come from the Market. AT&T has said they made this decision to protect the average customer from installing some rogue app by accident, but the reality is that it blocks users from buying apps from alternative app stores like Gameloft.

So why would Gameloft want restrict an entire carrier from buying their games? And why do they continue to hide their HD games on their site where the average Android user is not going to look?

From the outside, it just doesn’t make sense. Gameloft could release these games in the Android Market tomorrow and grab a ton of sales from all the new high-end gaming phones (like the Droid X and Galaxy S series), but someone up top has made the call to hold off.

I really can’t think of any logical reasoning behind their decision, unless there is some secret feud between Gameloft and Google.

Or maybe Apple has something to do with it.

Gameloft claims that sales of games for mobile devices accounted for 94% of its total profits in 2009 and the Apple iPhone played a crucial role in their growth. Income from the iPhone reached $24.5 million U.S. dollars in 2009 and about $10 million of that came in the fourth quarter (a 231% increase from 2008).

We know Gameloft and Apple have a cozy relationship because Gameloft has become one of the major players in the Apple App store, and they increasingly participate in media events hosted by Apple. When the iPad recently launched, Gameloft was ready with over a dozen HD titles.

Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions, but isn’t it a little odd that the exclusive U.S. carrier for the iPhone is also the only carrier that is blocking their Android customers from purchasing games from Gameloft’s store? Is AT&T trying to cripple their Android experience by not allowing their customers to purchase and install the best Android games?

Conclusion

Google needs to work with Gameloft to get their HD titles in the Android Market. The current options for 3D games is pretty limited and Gameloft has the best Android lineup of any mobile developer. We finally have many high-end phones that are just hitting the market and Android needs these games now.

We already know that Google is really good at reaching out to developers, so I’m going to assume they have spoken at one time with Gameloft. For whatever reason, they have been unable to come to an agreement and Gameloft continues to hold their best HD titles captive from the Android Market.

Want even more proof something is wrong? Even Palm was able to come to an agreement with Gameloft and is currently offering all their HD titles in the official Palm App Catalog. Android is the only smartphone platform where Gameloft has decided not to offer their HD games in the official app market.

Since Gameloft has supported the official app stores for Palm’s webOS and the iPad, it makes no sense whatsoever for them to dodge the Android Market because “The Android platform is still rather new.”

If you think Gameloft is going to have a change of heart and reverse their odd distribution choice, don’t count on it anytime soon. The company just sent out a press release to announce that HTC EVO and Nexus One users can get a free download of Let’s Golf HD, but it comes with a catch. Users must enter their phone number to receive a text message that instructs them to install an application which then redirects them to Gameloft’s mobile site where they can finally download the free game (sounds simple, right?).

At this rate, it doesn’t look like a real solution is coming down the pike. And with all the problems I’ve had with Gameloft’s store, I can’t recommend that other Android fans shop there.

Why do you think Gameloft is holding their HD games hostage on their web site and away from the Android Market? Is there a simple explanation for all this or is there more than meets the eye?

Show Press Release

GAMELOFT TO OFFER LET’S GOLF HD FREE ON HTC EVO™ 4G AND NEXUS ONE PHONES

Gameloft, a world leader in downloadable games for all platforms announced that Let’s Golf HD will be available for free download on HTC EVO 4G and Nexus One smartphones. Let’s Golf HD, as well as Gameloft’s other HD games on Android, take full advantage of the impressive touch screen and processing power of the HTC EVO 4G and Nexus One .

Let’s Golf HD can be downloaded at the below links for a limited time only:
HTC EVO 4G: http://www.gameloft.com/android/htc-evo-games
Nexus One: http://www.gameloft.com/android/nexus-one-games

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What is the fastest Android phone?

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Mobile Tweaks

In the early days of Android, most devices featured the same 528 MHz ARM11 Qualcomm processor and their performance levels were pretty comparable. It was not until Verizon launched the Motorola Droid that we began to see the next generation of chipsets being used, which offered new features like enhanced graphics processors.

Fast forward to today and we now have three major chipsets being used in high-end Android phones. HTC is using the Qualcomm Snapdragon, while Motorola has chosen the Texas Instruments OMAP, and Samsung has designed their own Hummingbird chipset.

All of these processors are based off a similar ARM Cortex-A8 architecture, but each one has been tweaked to offer unique features.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon was the first chipset to bring 1 GHz speeds to Android, but it has the slowest GPU of the three. We have measured this in graphics benchmarks and it has the lowest performance in 3D games (when compared to other 1 GHz chipsets). Qualcomm is hard at work producing a dual-CPU Snapdragon, but no products that use the new chipset have been announced.

Samsung and Texas Instruments have a step up on Qualcomm because they just released their own 1 GHz processors which are based on a 45nm process and utilize faster PowerVR graphics processors from Imagination Technology.

To summarize, the three high-end chipsets being used in Android phones are:

Qualcomm: 1 GHz 65nm Cortex-A8 + Adreno GPU
Texas Instruments: 1 GHz 45nm Cortex-A8 + PowerVR SGX530
Samsung: 1 GHz 45nm Cortex-A8 + PowerVR SGX540

So which Android phones perform the fastest? I wish there was a simple answer, but it depends on a variety of factors including display resolutions, memory, and the version of Android that is installed.

To get a better idea of how the different phones stack up, we turn to Quadrant Professional from Aurora Softworks. A free version of this benchmark was available on the Android Market, but the new versions are only found at alternative app-store SlideME.

The phones we are testing today include:

HTC Magic (CM6 RC1) – 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7200
Motorola Droid – 550 MHz OMAP3430
HTC EVO – 1 GHz Snapdragon QSD8650
HTC Nexus One (Android 2.2) – 1 GHz Snapdragon QSD8250
Samsung Captivate – 1 GHz Hummingbird S5PC110
Motorola Droid X – 1 GHz OMAP3640

All phones are running unmodified versions of the firmware, except for the HTC Magic which has CyanogenMod 6 installed since I wanted to preview what Android 2.2 might bring to the device.

CPU TEST

Phones with Android 2.2 top the CPU tests.

In the CPU test, the Nexus One came out on top thanks to Android 2.2 and the new JIT compiler. Even though the HTC Magic has the slowest CPU, it came in second place also thanks to the performance boost of Android 2.2.

Of the phones running Android 2.1, the Captivate (Galaxy S) came out on top and the Droid was in last. When these phones are updated to Android 2.2, we should see scores that beat out the Nexus One.

MEMORY TEST

The two phones with 45nm processors win this round.

I’m not exactly sure how the memory is tested in this benchmark, but the Droid X takes the lead. The Captivate is the only other phone with a 45nm processor and it generated a comparable score.

The EVO and Nexus One scored about the same so it does not look like Android 2.2 had any effect on the Snapdragon phones.

I/O TEST

I have no explanation for these results.

This is where things get interesting. When we break down the individual tests in Quadrant, we can see the I/O test is the main reason that the Droid X has been topping the Captivate (Galaxy S) in the overall scores.

The I/O part of the benchmark performs four test which include file system writes, file system reads, database writes, and database reads.

The Droid X generates scores that are three times faster than the closest phone and I really have no idea why. We have reached out to the developer of this benchmark in hopes he can give us a better explanation.

Update: As noted in the comments, it appears some open source devs have found a “fix” which brings the Galaxy S scores up to the levels of the Droid X.

GRAPHICS TEST

The Captivate (Galaxy S) has the fastest GPU.

Just like we found in our extensive GPU testing, the Samsung Captivate (Galaxy S) has the fastest GPU. This is because it has a PowerVR SGX540 and the Droid X has the older PowerVR SGX530.

Notice the difference between the Nexus One and EVO. Both phones have the same 1 GHz Snapdragon, but it appears that Android 2.2 helped increase the scores.

If the scores look out of whack on the HTC Magic, that is because it’s the only phone with a HVGA resolution so it pushes fewer pixels and performs less work.

QUADRANT PRO FINAL SCORES

Thanks to the scores in the CPU test, the Nexus One wins.

When all the individual tests are added up, the Android 2.2-powered Nexus One generates the highest score in Quadrant. This is solely due to the CPU test which benefited from the new JIT compiler found in Android 2.2.

Coming in second place is the Droid X. Once again, this placement is mainly caused by the result of the I/O test where the Droid X scored 3x higher than the competition. We are still waiting to find out what caused this score, so be on the lookout for further updates.

The Samsung Captivate clearly has the fastest GPU and it performs neck and neck with the Droid X in the other tests (minus I/O). Even though Quadrant ranks the Droid X higher, I believe the Galaxy S has better overall performance (CPU + GPU).

CONCLUSIONS

This debate is far from over, but I think we can draw a few conclusions. I would love to hear what you guys think in the comments.

The Snapdragon is the slower than the OMAP and Hummingbird
Android 2.2 offers better CPU and GPU performance over Android 2.1
Samsung’s Hummingbird chipset has the fastest graphics processor
Android needs better benchmarks, but Quadrant Pro is a good start

If you have any theories on why the Droid X has such high scores in the I/O test, we would love to hear them. Make sure you visit SlideME.org if you want to download the new Quadrant and try these tests on your device.

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