Now that we've talked about what Apple has coming, let's talk about Android's 2011 phones. Tablets are mentioned in the end.
Thinner, Better, Faster
Android phones are already heavy on features. The bulk of the upgrades this year will be evolutionary. Processors will be faster with the release of the dual-core phones, like the Motorola Atrix. RAM will be increased; the Atrix and Samsung Galaxy S II have 1 gigabyte of RAM and it's reasonable to consider that 1GB will be standard by the end of 2011. Screens will hopefully begin to approach the extraordinary resolution of the iPhone 4's Retina Display. But even if they don't approach that excellent resolution, new Super AMOLED Plus screens (like the one in the Samsung Galaxy S II) are thinner, brighter and more efficient than the old SAMOLED screens (http://www.oled-info.com/super-amoled-plus). Some phones will get thinner. The Samsung Galaxy S II will be 8.5mm deep, a bit thinner than the iPhone 4's 9.3mm. Video recording resolution will be bumped up to 1080p, like the LG Optimus 2X. Cameras on the front and back will increase their megapixels.
The New Stuff
Front and Back Cameras: Is this worth mentioning? The Nexus S, a dream phone in most other ways didn't have this, so perhaps it's worth saying that almost all Android phones will have this.
4G: A no-brainer (though also lacking from the Nexus S). Pretty much all Android phones will have 4G (be it LTE, WiMAX, or HSPA+) in 2011.
Gorilla Glass: This ultra-tough glass featured in the Atrix and some other phones will make the screens difficult to break.
NFC: It's hard to say whether NFC will be successful in it's attempt to replace our credit cards as payment devices, but this hardware feature already on the Nexus S and coming to the Galaxy S II will most likely be seen on more Android phones in the future. And even if it isn't used for payments, it could become a handy way to transfer information to and from the phone. For example, you'll be able to pair bluetooth devices just by tapping them together.
DLNA: DLNA is a technology that allows you to stream media to your TV (or other devices) wirelessly, as long as both are on the same network. This means, in short, streaming videos and pictures from your phone to your TV. We're getting to an age where everything including your toaster is hooked up to your wireless router, so it's exciting to see this interconnectivity actually have a point. Several phones have this already (Droid X, Droid 2, HTC Thunderbolt), so the only reason many phones may not get this in 2011 is because of seemingly slow adoption by TV manufacturers.
Cheaper Price: iPhone's have a rigid pricing structure, and unless you take your chances with eBay, you're gonna pay $200 for the cheapest iPhone with a new contract. Not so with Android. Secondhand phone dealers, such as Amazon.com and Radio Shack, have been knocking down prices on Android phones recently. The Motorola Atrix is currently $200 from AT&T, but is $150 when you buy it from Amazon Wireless and $130 at Costco. The availability of brand new, hi-tech, and less expensive Android phones will be the death knell of the iPhone. When the iPhone 5 comes out this summer, every carrier will already have an Android phone that can do everything the new iPhone does, and for less money. The iPhone will start to become a niche phone.
Ice Cream: In late 2011, a new version of Android OS will be released. All signs point to it being a mix of the Gingerbread and Honeycomb versions of the OS. All I can gather from this is that the beauty of Honeycomb's UI will make its way to phones. It also might mean greater interactivity between Android phones and Android tablets. But, if history is any indication, most 2011 Android phones won't receive the update in 2011, if they get it at all.
Hopes
Webtop: The absolute coolest thing about the Motorola Atrix is its "webtop" app that allows you to see your phone on a larger screen (laptop or TV) without simply stretching the screen. Google would do well to build this functionality into its OS. Even if it was a simple screen-stretching video out function, I can think of many uses putting your phone on the big screen. Hopefully, Google will put something like this in Ice Cream, though I won't hold my breath.
Battery: With Android's already short battery life, more powerful processors will necessitate a larger battery. Instead of making the phones thinner, let's make them a bit thicker with larger batteries.
Higher Resolution Screens: SAMOLED looks great and SAMOLED Plus should look even better, but it's hard to top the crisp, clean look of the iPhone 4's 326 pixels-per-inch Retina Display. I want to see high-resolution screens on Android and the new big thing in Android screen technology--SAMOLED Plus--actually has a worse resolution per inch than SAMOLED (check the oled-info.com link above).
Wish List: What I Want
I am determined to get a new phone this year, after I see what the iPhone 5 has to offer. Most likely, I will go with Android. If I can find a 4G Android phone with 16GB internal storage, a pretty screen (SAMOLED Plus or something with a high pixel density), a way to show media on my TV (either DLNA or an HDMI port), and stock Android (or rootable so I can put stock Android on it), then I will buy it. The Atrix almost fits most of this description and it was hard not to go out and buy it. The locked (or rather, signed) bootloader helped me save my cash.
Tablets
Tablets will get these features, slowly. It's hard to say what will happen because the Motorola Xoom (the tablet I'd call the first real Android tablet) is yet to be released. But just like with the iPhone and iPad, new features will appear in the phones first, then trickle down to the tablets.
That's it for Android. If I have time, I'll write about WP7 and the other OSes.
WebOS!
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