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Google’s Honeycomb version of Android may have left the hive for a few tablets, but don’t expect to see any new ones announced in the near future: the company has decided not to release the platform’s source code to the community just yet. Tablet makers such as Motorola, Samsung, LG and others have had early access to use Honeycomb, but only through prior agreements with Google as hardware partners. According to BusinessWeek, smaller tablet makers, the open source community, and even handset builders that were considering the use of Honeycomb for other new products will now have to wait longer to use Google’s software.

My first thought of this news stems from my initial impressions of Motorola’s Xoom tablet, which runs Honeycomb. Last month, I pointed out that I felt Honeycomb was rushed to market, citing a few examples of why: application instability and non-supported hardware features, such as use the of microSD memory expansion slot. Why the rush? iPad 2 was the answer that came to mind:

So if I’m correct, and Honeycomb and the first tablets that run it are getting rushed to market, the obvious reason it’s happening is to compete with Apple’s iPad, which sold 14.75 million units in 2010. And with Apple’s press event next week, which is expected to shed light on the next iPad and possibly new software features for iOS, I can understand the need for speed. However, some of the issues caused by cutting a few corners to launch devices could end up hurting more than helping, at least in the short term.

That was my thought exactly one month ago today, and now Business Week has a quote from Andy Rubin, the head of Google’s Android group, that confirms my suspicions about the rush job:

To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs. We didn’t want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut.

This news isn’t going to stop Motorola from shipping Xoom tablets, nor does it mean competing products from top-tier vendors will be delayed. Instead, since the platform isn’t getting released to the open source community, programmers that want to create their own Honeycomb build for existing products will have to wait. As will any second- or third-tier hardware vendor that had hoped to make their own mobile device running on Honeycomb.

While I expect the open source community to come down hard on Google for this decision, I can see why the company is taking this step. One simply has to look to the earlier days of Android to see what Google is trying to defend against. Practically anyone or any company with enough technical prowess could build an Android device. That’s ultimately a good thing as it brings choice, but it also allows for a “wild west” scenario in the world of Android.

For example, some hardware manufacturers, such as Archos, built Android tablets in 2009, when Android was geared towards smartphones. By jumping the gun, these devices delivered poor customer experiences and often had no access to Google’s own apps nor the Android Market for other apps. Who do customers blame for the poor experience? Google and it’s Android platform (as well as the hardware vendor) and Google can’t afford such perception if it wants to keep hardware partners interested and attract developers to its new tablet platform.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• What Google’s Honeycomb Means for Apple and Microsoft
• Mobile Q4: All Eyes Were on Android, 4G and the Rising Tablet Tide

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03/21/2011

Amazon Appstore for Android goes live, giving away free paid apps daily

Posted by Jenn K. Lee

Categories: Apps, News

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The Amazon Appstore for Android has just gone live, with Angry Birds Rio featured front and center as the store’s first paid app that’s up for grabs for free. Letting customers pay nothing for an app that usually costs something is a great way to celebrate the grand opening, but it turns out that it’s a recurring promotion that Amazon will be doing every day.

The Appstore’s web interface is laid out in typical Amazon.com format, with bestsellers, deals, and new releases accessible through tabs at the top; popular features (e.g., test driving apps on a simulated Android phone before you buy), app categories, and featured developers on the left; and various promos and informational links on the right.

Apps can be installed from your web brower or directly on your HTC EVO using the new Appstore app:

The app itself is clean, straightforward, and easy to use, with your Amazon.com account being called upon to make purchases. It exists independently from the Market, of course, so purchases you made there aren’t reflected in the Appstore, which means it’s possible to acccidentally buy an app twice (once in the Market, once in the Appstore).

 

The Angry Birds Rio exclusive and daily app giveaway should be more than enough to make the Amazon Appstore’s inaugural week a successful one, but how it will fare against the Market in the long run remains to be seen.

What do you think of the new Appstore?

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(Ed. Note: This guest post is from Larry Weber, a regular participant in our community who is coaching me for an upcoming 178 mile, 24 hour, team relay running race.)

Endurance athletes as a group have a higher percentage of wealthy people than the general population.

What makes them different?

What can we learn from their unusual success that might help us duplicate it in our own lives?

I’ve coached endurance running champions for 30 years. My mission and passion in life is helping all runners reach their God given potential in running and life regardless of age or ability level—from the first time runner to the world class athlete.

Part of my life mission also includes helping people manage money well. I spent 16 years working in one of the largest public pension systems in the United States. Helping others reach their wealth and health potential is my quest in life.

In 30 years of coaching, I’ve noticed a strong correlation between endurance running and wealth building habits.  Endurance running and wealth building are both character driven activities that require goal setting, focus, commitment, perseverance, and good old fashioned hard work. It takes a lot of commitment and a deep sense of purpose to reach your potential in wealth building and endurance sports—especially running.

I’m not the only one who’s noticed the correlation between endurance running and wealth building.

The promoters of the highly popular Rock and Roll marathon series target endurance athletes because of their high incomes and commitment to physical fitness. The Competitor Group Inc. is the leader in securing the market share of some of the wealthiest people on the planet — endurance athletes.  They are banking on the wealth of endurance athletes to improve their bottom line.

So what are the specific traits that endurance and wealth champions share? I will examine these issues below with coaching instructions on how you can take action to apply them in your own life.

Trait # 1: Endurance and wealth champions commit to big goals. They don’t just talk about their goals. They set challenging goals and go after them with courage and determination. Self sacrifice and self discipline are more than words to the champion. They are a way of life. Champions overcome laziness and procrastination by setting meaningful and challenging goals.

Champions generally assess their goals differently from the crowd by asking questions like, “How bad do I really want this goal?” Is the goal worth the price I’ll have to pay physically, emotionally, and spiritually? Is this goal in alignment with my deepest values?

If the answers to these questions are yes, champions close off all distractions and find a way to win.  They keep running the race until they cross the finish line.

The best don’t give 50% to their goals. They don’t give 75%.  They give 100%.

How much time and effort are you giving to your most important wealth building goals?

Trait #2: Endurance and wealth champions don’t buy into instant success thinking. Instant success is part of fantasy-land promoted by charlatans who make their living by promising much and delivering little. Champions do the daily work required to reach the finish line.

Champions also accept that reaching a goal is 20% perspiration and 80% determination. Champions don’t waste time looking for instant success strategies like the masses.  They lace up their shoes each day and get out that door whether they feel like it or not. Champions are generally people who work harder, try harder, and refuse to quit.

Are you taking the path of least resistance to reach your wealth building goals? Do you need to eliminate instant success thinking from your life?

Trait #3 Endurance and wealth champions work with a world class coach. The most effective road to success is to find someone who has already mastered what you want to accomplish. Therefore, champions select a coach who has actually lived what they teach, preach, and coach.

The coach of a champion doesn’t just live in theory land. The coach lives in champion land. He or she has been there, done that, and now wants to help others do the same. The best coaches understand the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat because they’ve experienced both emotions.  They pass on what they know to help their students stay poised in the face of adversity and to celebrate in times of victory.

I’ve never met a champion who didn’t have a great coach.

Have you found a world class coach or mentor to help you reach the next level?

Trait #4 Endurance and wealth champions pace themselves to victory. Many people give up on their dreams a few steps from the finish line. Champions don’t. They pace themselves to win the race.

Champions know that the fastest runner does not always win the race. They’ve learned that slow and steady usually wins the race.

Champions use their energy wisely. Their smart “even” pacing brings them to the finish line in record time ahead of the pack. Champions pass other people near the finish line because they run hard and smart.

Are you pacing yourself effectively in the wealth building race?

Trait #5 Endurance and wealth champions pick themselves up when they fall. John Maxwell wrote a book several years ago called Failing Forward. The basic message of the book is to treat your mistakes as true learning experiences and to get back into the race as soon as possible.

I loved reading Maxwell’s book because of its emphasis on grace and accountability. Maxwell brings a nice balance between forgiving ourselves and finding ways to improve performance in the future. I also love the title of the book. Failing Forward means getting back on that horse again no matter how many times you’ve fallen.

Champions “fail forward” quickly and get back into the race. The champion knows there is no time for a pity party. Hesitation has no place in the champion’s mindset. Champions get back into the race with courage and determination.

Is it time for you to “fail forward” and get back into the wealth building race?

Trait #6 Endurance and wealth champions harness worry and fear. With all the bad news in the press about the state of the economy, it’s easy to worry and fear the worst. Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due. It is a waste of time and the enemy of hope.

Champions learn to harness fear by developing a strong backbone – not a wishbone. They don’t “wish” for success, they work at success in spite of their fears.

Champions stay mentally and spiritually strong in the face of adversity in difficult and painful circumstances. They replace worry and fear with faith and determination. Faith cancels out fear. Champions run their race to win regardless of the obstacles that stand in their way.

Are you pushing through your fears in the pursuit of your wealth building goals?

Trait #7 Endurance and wealth champions go the extra mile. Champions consistently run the extra mile. Those few extra steps each day separate champions from the rest of the pack.

Champions are willing to do the little things that the masses are unwilling to do. They complete their daily workouts in all kinds of weather conditions. They run when they don’t “feel” like running.  Champions understand that short term pain produces long term gain.

Champions forgo a few pleasures today for greater rewards tomorrow. They train consistently to win the race regardless of the circumstances. Going the extra mile each day keeps champions out of the maze of mediocrity.

What extra steps do you need to take today to improve your chances in the wealth building race?

Crossing the finish line

In summary, the traits of endurance and wealth champions are remarkably similar.

The principles that lead to success in one arena apply equally well to the other. Both disciplines require smart goal setting, long term thinking, great coaching, self pacing, picking yourself up when you fall, conquering worry, and going the extra mile.

There are no short cuts to success. Self sacrifice and self discipline are more than words to endurance and wealth champions. They are a way of life.

The lesson is clear – expediency is not the solution. Get-rich-quick thinking, greed, and instant gratification hurt our country and must go the way of the dinosaur. As a society, we must get back to the basic principles of goal setting, hard work, self discipline, honesty, selflessness, and the other virtues that made our country great… and will grow your wealth.

It is no coincidence that endurance athletes are more financially successful than the general population. They have learned from their athletic success how delayed gratification, disciplined effort, fortitude, and faith are valuable tools that can help you reach your goals.

So keep on, keeping on. Run your wealth building race to win, and I’ll see you at the finish line!

Coach Weber

(Ed. Note: Larry started a great conversation I would like to continue in the comments below. We have a lot of athletes in our community. Please share your insights about how endurance athletes are like successful wealth builders. What ideas can you add to this discussion?)

About the Author: Larry C. Weber is a former nationally ranked distance runner and all time record holder of The Original Ultimate Runner Competition—a 10k, 400 meters, 100 meters, mile, and a marathon all run on the same day.  Larry scored higher than ultra marathon national record holders, national road racing champions, Olympic runners at 1500 and 5000 meters, and many other runners in setting the all time record in “The Ultimate Runner Competition”.

Larry has also coached runners of all ages and ability levels from beginning to world class for nearly 30 years. In addition, he served on the executive team of one of the largest public pension systems in the United States.  His personal goal during his pension career was to help all people reach financial freedom regardless of their income level.

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