Explained: Google Nexus

The pure Android experience defined

By

Tzen Szen

on September 29, 2015 1.13pm

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Since Google's reported $50 million acquisition of Android Inc. back in 2005, the Android operating system has since been invading many of our mobile devices that we use today. With 8 out of 10 smartphones in 2014 shipping Android, 400 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), 500 carriers, over 4000 devices, and over 1 billion 30-day active users, Android's rise to the top of the smartphone foodchain is nothing short of amazing. Customers are now spoilt for choice when selecting an Android device with the large variety of devices in the market currently available.

Over 1 billion 30-day active users

However, with all the different types of Android devices, there is a huge issue for Google to exhibit the best of the Android on top of maintaining their dominance in the smartphone business. The latest Android version would be released months after being officially launched. Users and developers have to wait longer times to experience the new software which could seriously hurt Google in this highly competitive business.

Google's solution to these problems comes in the form of their Nexus devices; their flagship Android devices. New Nexus devices - be it smartphone, tablet, or digital media player - are typically released around November every year with the latest version of Android.

Nexus devices are designed, developed, marketed, and supported by Google themselves with some development and manufacturing carried out in partnership with OEMs. OEMs that have been working with Google to manufacture the Nexus devices include HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, and Asus.

Many OEMs and carriers opt to have a skinned version of the operating system and additional bloatware on their devices that leaves behind a poor user experience. For example, Samsung introduces a heavily skinned version of Android in their smartphones called TouchWiz while HTC has HTC Sense. Nexus devices are significantly different from devices made by other OEMs as they are free from that bloatware.

Arguably, these modified versions of Android have built-in features that aim to provide a better experience for their customers and provide an edge against other manufacturers. Unfortunately, more often than not, this only bogs down their devices and hence, the beginning of the perception that most Android devices are unresponsive and slow.

Having the Nexus line of devices allows Google to showcase the best of their mobile operating system as Nexus devices offer Android in the purest form, also known as stock Android. The Nexus devices will set the tone for other Android device manufacturers; they represent what Google's vision of what Android should look and feel like.

In exchange, users owning a Nexus device are guaranteed timely Android software updates from Google themselves, usually making them to be one of the first few devices to rock the latest version of Android. Nexus devices are also great for developers seeking to test their apps on the latest version of Android. An unlocked bootloader is the cherry on the top for Android enthusiasts who want to try out custom ROMs.

Nexus devices are guaranteed timely Android software updates

You will find that the sales of Nexus smartphones and tablets aren't as spectacular when compared to other manufacturers like Apple or Samsung. Getting your hands as on a Nexus device isn't a walk in the park too as they aren't advertised as much, not sold in every part of the world, and have a limited number of devices at launch. I had to wait for a few months before getting my hands on my old Nexus 4.

While the Search giant isn't aiming to profit from the sales of these devices, the need for Nexus devices is still apparent and Google needs to continue making them in order to assert their dominance in a world where the first computer someone picks up will probably come in the form of a smartphone. It needs to keep a high level of buzz around Android for the reasons described above while taking a lead in mobile search to keep money coming in.

"The Spirit of The Game"

The foundation of a beautiful sport

By

Tzen Szen

on September 18, 2015 1.30pm

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Ultimate (as it is commonly known) is a non-contact team sport played by hundreds of thousands around the world in pickup games and by recreational, school, club, professional, and national teams at various age levels and with open, women's, and mixed tournaments. Having a unique set of rules, it is usually played between two teams of seven players on a rectangular pitch with a disc weighing 175 grams.

Played in more than 80 countries by an estimated 7 million people

The sport is based off a few, more established sports including, American football, basketball, and soccer. For example, a player cannot travel with the disc (like in basketball), scores a point by getting the disc past a line drawn at either ends of the pitch creating two "endzones" (American football), and the defending team attempts to stop the team with the disc from making progress upfield by marking them (soccer or basketball).

It was in the fall of 2013 that I was introduced to the fast-growing sport of Ultimate by a group of friends at college. Picking up the basics and playing as many times during the week, although not at a competitive level, has gotten me hooked onto the sport. Just like all sports, Ultimate is full of ups and downs; it can leave you exhilirated, frustrated, and invigorated at different points in a game or sometimes, all at once. Since starting university at Sheffield, I have continued playing as much as I can by going for more formal training sessions and taking part in a couple of tournaments.

Ultimate has since come a long way from the time it was introduced by Joel Silver in 1968. Its rapid growth can be marked with the recent recognition of the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF), the body that governs Ultimate, by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which allows the sport to be potentially include in future Olympic games.

Apart from the sport making it mandatory for men and women to be part of the same team, the other thing that sets Ultimate from other sports is its lack of referees. Ultimate relies heavily on "The Spirit of The Game", the spirit of sportsmanship that places the accountability of fair play on the players themselves. That simply means any dispute on the field will be handled by the players without the help of referees in every game of Ultimate ranging from pickups to tournaments.

All actions are governed by "The Spirit of The Game"

This honour system works just fine in Ultimate because this is part of the culture of the sport that has been baked into its DNA. Ultimate players highly value "The Spirit of The Game"; when you have a culture of a people treating each other the way they want to treated by others, anyone behaving otherwise will be called out. It just looks horrible when you are the only person being mean to another player. Sure, you do get a person or two who goes out of line once in awhile, but that isn't the norm. I can confidently enter the playing field knowing that I just can just focus on the game itself.

Ultimate is just as highly competitive as any other sport. Yet, the level of sportsmanship that can be seen in the sport can't be compared to other sports that I've played and it is one of the many reasons that I keep coming back for more. Games are always more fun without any hostility.

Play hard and fair. Have fun. Go again.

Update: This post originally stated that major tournaments rely on "The Spirit of The Game". AUDL and MLU are the only 2 pro leagues in the world and these two leagues both uses referees. USAU (U.S.A ultimate) uses observers for all its competition (nationals, regionals and sectionals).

WFDF recently started using observers for its major tournaments. This means most (if not all) of the major tournaments do not rely solely on "The Spirit of The Game" to govern its games.

Explained: Alphabet Inc.

Why the Google co-founders created their own alphabet

By

Tzen Szen

on September 15, 2015 12.04pm

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Earlier in August, Google co-founder, Larry Page, announced the birth of Alphabet Inc. and the major restructuring of Google in a blog post. The breaking of the news caught the world by surprise and sparked a lot of discussion, confussion, and left many puzzled. Some of questions that I personally had included: "What does this mean for Google?", "Why are they doing this?", and "What is the full list of subsidaries under Alphabet?"

Alphabet Inc. is a proposed public holding company with many businesses inside it, of which Google is the largest. Other subsidaries under Alphabet include Calico (focusing on aging), Capital, Life Sciences (working on glucose-sensing contact lenses), Nest, Ventures, and the X labs. Larry Page will assume the role of CEO of Alphabet with the help of Sergey Brin as President. This new structure can be thought as being modelled along the lines of Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, one of the largest holding companies in the world.

"If we were motivated by money, we would have sold the company a long time ago and ended up on a beach." - Larry Page

Having a good, long thought about it, Google's reorganisation into Alphabet does make sense. The vision of the Google co-founders can be clearly highlighted in their move. Let's keep things real; Larry Page and Sergey Brin aren't obsessed with the business of search advertising. Don't get me wrong though, Google is still a business and it does rely on the revenue brought in by search advertising to keep things running.

What sets these two co-founders apart from their peers is their constant pursuit of bold, audacious ideas, which also include moonshots. Over the years, Google has expanded to include their numerous products, which include Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Chrome, and YouTube. Top that off with moonshots like the self-driving car project and Project Loon, Google has grown into quite an organisational hell.

So yes, the Alphabet reorganisation does make sense to keep things more accountable and cleaner, which also gives Google the chance to focus on its core products. Getting great CEOs to continue the day-to-day work at the office will hopefully get the best out of each business. This in turn will make it a win-win for almost everyone including the investors of Google, who aren't very pleased with moonshots as they are still a far cry from being monetized.

"Google is not a conventional company. We do not intend to become one."

In his blog post, Larry reminded us what Sergey and him wrote in the original founders letter 11 years ago by saying, “Google is not a conventional company. We do not intend to become one.” That being said, they've always like to keep pusing themselves as they've realised that being great just isn't good enough. What we can expect from the businesses under Alphabet in the future is to see their projects and products actually becoming a reality. It is exciting to see what a relatively small group of people can do to get more ambitious things done by taking the long-term view which can potentially result in improving the lives of billions around the world.

This is be best summed up in the words of cultural antropologist, Margaret Mead, who said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."