There are a few things that people really enjoy with mobile phones, unlimited access and low price tags. The only problem is that the two never seem to get along. In fact, many could say that the presence of one factor will offset the other. This is the case for plenty of other mobile phones, but not for the Nokia 5235.
The full name of this device is Nokia 5235 Comes With Music. Now while that name is obviously not catchy at all, it is a very fitting name for the phone, after all, when you get this phone, Nokia will provide you with unlimited downloads from the Nokia Music Store for as long as your contract lasts.
Great deal right? It gets even better; the phone costs at a very reasonable cost of 145 Euro. Yep, this is phone is practical in terms of both function and cost.
Very few devices are this cheap, offering a low price tag, but with excellent features. Sure you can get a real cheap phone, but you should also expect to get cheap features. With the 5235, the unlimited music download service is a definite added value that offsets the cost.
Nokia is striking gold with their new devices lately (no, not the 6700 Gold Edition ), by combining a very low cost to features that people will actually use, they have made devices that are truly worth owning –such can be said about their Navigation Edition phone.
Anyway, back to the Nokia 5235; the phone packs a nice 2 mega pixel camera, a 3.2 inch touch screen display, a micro SD card reader and a nice battery that will give you up to 33 hours of music playback. The micro SD card will support up to 16GB cards, perfect for storing all those music files.
Archive for December, 2009
From Nokia: Unlimited Music and Cheap Price
Tuesday, December 15th, 20092010: Year of the Android
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
Ben Wood, a CCS Insight Analyst, foresees the coming of at least 50 Android smart phones next year.
This may seem like a huge number right, but if you consider all the confirmed announcements regarding upcoming Android phones for 2010, the number is not too hard to reach.
First off the bat is HTC. This Taiwan-based mobile phone manufacturer has had plenty of time with the Google OS, and that have developed several impressive Android phones. Just recently, it has been leaked that their company will be releasing 5 Android phones during the 2nd quarter of 2010. The phones are the HTC Bravo, HTC Legend, HTC Tide, HTC Buzz and HTC Salsa. Not included in that leaked info, but also announced is the HTC Espresso (which is the HTC Hero 2).
Sony Ericsson also has a very powerful mobile phone lined up for next year, the XPERIA X10, featuring hardware that is unsurpassed by any other device (short of the HTC Bravo).
So far, it is only December and that is already 7 devices from only two companies –it does not even count in Motorola, LG, Samsung and other mobile phone manufacturers.
50 phones do not seem like an unlikely number now. But what does this mean for the Google Android. Certainly, have more device means that the OS will be even more well-known. But this would also mean that the Android phones will be competing against each other with manufacturers on a bid to create the best Android device (they are already doing this).
One nice prediction about this is that Android devices will definitely be produced for the whole market scope. Originally, most Android phones were made for the higher-end markets, for people willing to shell out loads of money for the best specs available. With a congestion of Androids, we can expect to see phones made for affordable lower-tier prices.
Which Next Gen Phone is Google’s?
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
Google has been so quiet about the rumors about the developer coming up with their own device. For one thing, the silence is certainly making people feel that something big is coming, but at the same time, it does not confirm anything at all.
One thing is for certain, regardless of whether the rumor is true or not, Google’s silence shows that they have decided that it would be in the best interests of their company that the rumors of the Google phone persist.
Speaking of G-phone rumors, the most pertinent ones running around lately is that the device is actually the HTC Passion. Now, the biggest news about the HTC Passion (also known as the HTC Dragon) is that this phone is actually the HTC Bravo device from the newly leaked HTC lineup for 2010. The HTC Bravo sports a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen, the latest Android OS (whichever version that might be when April comes) and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. With specs like that, we wish it was the Google phone. But the leak has made it clear that the device will be manufactured and branded by HTC.
The big question now is; will Google really push through with their device?
Google has made it no secret that they are planning to come up with their own Chrome OS net book. If they care capable of manufacturing a net book, they can easily make a mobile phone; in fact, the Android OS is better received than the Chrome.
But unlike the Chrome net book, no other mini-laptops are using the Chrome OS. The release of a Chrome OS based computer would not compete with other Google products. The Google phone on the other hand, will serve as a very strong competition for other Android phone devices in the market.
Milestone is Now Available
Monday, December 14th, 2009
Good news for all Android fans, the Motorola Milestone is now here and is available on retail. The only limitation is that it is only available on eXpansys, for how long this exclusivity will last is yet to be announced, but the important thing is that we can now try out the Android 2.0 Éclair.
The phone launched just in time. Google seems to have all but forgotten about the Android 2.0 by announcing version 2.1 rolling out of the development room pretty soon. This leaves the Éclair a few precious weeks of limelight before the OS is phased out (or, like the Android 1.5, it would stick around even while other phones have started using version 1.6). Anyway, this elusive phone finally made it to the UK after a very long time.
This phone was based on the Motorola DROID – a Verizon exclusive device for the United States. Much to the delight of Android fans, Motorola decided to bring the device to the UK and rename it to the Milestone.
The phone boasts of an impressively large 3.7 inch capacitive touch screen display. The screen is very responsive and capacitive technology means finger movements are easily tracked. The screen resolution is 480 x 854 pixels and it has multi-touch, an accelerometer and proximity sensor.
The 5 mega pixel camera comes with dual LED flash –making it perfect for taking shots almost anywhere. Geo-tagging is also available, just be sure to resize the 2592 x 1944 images before uploading them. The phone can also handle video recording up to 720 x 480 at 24 FPS.
The device supports both 2G GSM and 3G HSDPA, allowing users a choice of GPRS, EDGE and 3G network connectivity. It also has support for Bluetooth, A-GPS, WiFi, microSD cards (up to 32GB) and micro USB v2.0.
Highlights of the Bada Launch
Monday, December 14th, 2009
There is a quiet buzz at Samsung’s offices lately. After the recent launch of their proprietary operating system, the Samsung Bada; the next big news would certainly be a device that uses the OS.
Yep, missing in the launch date is an actual device that is running the OS. So far, Samsung has been focusing on giving the operating platform a lot of lateral leeway in order to attract developers to support the OS; and from the looks of it, their plan is working well. Samsung truly wants to give consumers an OS that is worth looking forward to.
The biggest part of the launch event is the formal start of Samsung’s Bada developer challenge. The company is offering 2.7 million US dollars to the winner of this event. This is a very wise move. Instead of using the 2.7 million on a signed contract with a single developer, Samsung has opted to dangle the cash as a prize in a contest that is certain to draw lots of entries. In most contests like these, submitted works become the property of the contest proponents; in this case, Samsung will have a huge library of applications and potential developers to choose from.
As underhanded and scheming as that may seem, it is actually a very wise business move, and one that even the contests benefit from. A contest would also allow many developers to easily showcase their works without having to go through a lengthy application process.
The event was more than just the start of a contest. This also allowed Samsung to display to different major companies what their operating system can do. A lengthy but informative video demo showcase some of the finer points of the Bada –at one point, they showed a demo of a Resident Evil game (developer Capcom was one of the event’s major guests).
A Self-serving Lawsuit against Mobile Phone Manufacturers
Monday, December 14th, 2009
In the United States and in many other parts of the world, driving while talking on the mobile phone is illegal. Illegal; such as drunk driving, smoking in non-smoking areas and hitting your neighbor with a blending machine.
While legal systems such as that in the United States are well capable of persecuting and incarcerating an individual that has been found guilty of violating a crime, some victims feel the need to blame more.
Such as in the case of an American woman whose mother (God bless her soul), has been killed in a vehicular accident. The offending party ran a red light while talking on the phone. The driver, obviously at fault for the accident, admitted to guilty to the crime of “negligent manslaughter”. The man has taken full responsibility for the results of his negligence and failure to comply with state laws.
The daughter of the victim however, was unhappy with the result. Not able to deal with the grief with losing her mother, she turns her blame on mobile phone companies and has proceeded with a lawsuit. Details regarding the exact specifics of her case have not been revealed, but from the initial reports, the lawsuit blames the mobile phone manufacturer for indirectly causing the accident.
Sarcasm aside, it is quite notable that the woman had not made any petitions or pleas to increase awareness against drunk driving or to increase the enforcement and penalty for the violation of the law. Instead, she gathers an army of lawyers who truly think that they have a case worth filing.
We sincerely doubt the moral validity of this case. If it does push through, this would mean that victims of drunk drivers can blame Heineken, victims of second hand smoking can sue Marlboro and victims of domestic violence can file a case against Black and Decker.
Nokia Delivers Cheap Navigation Phone to the US
Friday, December 11th, 2009
The Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition has been announced for the United States and the device will have a much cheaper price when it launches stateside. While Nokia has yet to comment on why the US version of the device is cheaper, we can only assume that the pre-installed maps in the 2GB card are either not as detailed or expensive to acquire.
The phone was originally announced last August and has been out in the UK for a bit of time now. Being one of the few devices that featured drive and walk navigation instructions and a lifetime guidance promo from Nokia, it quickly made for a good alternative to buying a fully dedicated GPS device.
Anyway, the 5800 Navigation Edition is based on the 5800 XpressMusic (no relation to the XPERIA); this little phone proves to be quite the navigational wonder thanks to its voice prompt feature and Bluetooth support combination.
While the Navigation Edition does sit snugly in its dash board cradle, the 2.2 inch screen still tends to be bit hard to discern during driving –at least the touch interface and voice-prompts balance out the features to make this phone a good GPS device.
Anyway, back to the device itself, the 5800 Navigation Edition is a fully functional 2G phone with support for GSM/EDGE connectivity. It uses WCDMA technology as well. For data networks, the phone can connect to wireless LAN, HSDPA, HSCSD, EDGE, GPRS, and CSD. This also allows the device to be updated with new maps and routes.
Aside from the GPS capabilities of the phone, the 5800 also sports Bluetooth 2.0, MTP and can be connected to a computer via USB. For browsing the internet, the phone uses the OSS web browser and it supports HTTP, Java and WAP. It also has a built in 3.2 mega pixel snapper with LED flash and auto focus.
A Google Phone and Windows Mobile Phone for Samsung’s Future
Friday, December 11th, 2009
Did we hear that right -Windows Mobile on a Samsung phone?
With the Bada already out on public (along with Samsung’s Bada challenge), most of us are thinking that Samsung would no longer be coming up with another WinMo phone (oh, wait, that’s actually Sony Ericsson).
Seriously speaking, the Bada operating system is Samsung’s newly launched proprietary platform. They recently held a very successful launched as they presented the OS to, the wisely chosen crowd, developers! No one else can support an operating system more than developers, and with companies like EA, Capcom and Gameloft being present, we can be sure that even Bada’s games will be worth looking forward to. Anyway, the story now is, despite the release of their Bada, Samsung is still working on other operating systems.
Two devices were announced; the first, is the i6500 Saturn. This phone will be carrying the Google brand (literally). Initial reports state that the phone will use Android 1.5 Cupcake, an 800 MHz processor and a 3.2 inch touch screen display. This news raises a few eyebrows mostly because of the fact that the device will be seeing an old version of the Android OS, if this phone is truly a Google phone, it should at least be running version 2.0 Éclair.
The other phone is a rumored Windows Mobile device named the i899. It will have a 3.5 inch AMOLED touch screen with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and micro SD card support. It will also have a 3 mega pixel snapper. Since this phone will be using an AMOLED screen, it is quite possible that the device will be using the capacitive touch screen version of WinMo 6.5 (or maybe a modified TouchWiz interface).
Samsung has yet to make an official announcement about either one of these devices.
Satio, Aino and Yari get Battery Control Upgrade
Friday, December 11th, 2009
As many of you may already know, the Sony Ericsson Satio got pulled out of the shelves of Phones4U and Carphone Warehouse due to firmware problems. Apparently, many people were complaining that the much famed Satio was suffering from slowdowns, freezing, power downs, battery drains and the occasional missing ring tones.
The news came at a very bad time for Sony –who badly needed the Satio to make good sales. Having a major device getting pulled off the shelves right before the holidays was the kind of bad news that spreads quickly, and tends to mutate as well. Pretty soon, there were also rumors that the Aino was getting delayed due to problems.
While Sony and some retailers were quick to bust the Aino rumors, Sony’s own firmware fix for the Satio seemed to take forever. It was not until about a week ago that a downloadable patch for the Satio finally became available on the SE website. The patch not only fixed problems, but it made all devices run faster and also, handle battery consumption better (a bonus that Sony probably figured out due to fixing the battery drain problems).
The battery control solution seemed to be so efficient that just recently Sony Ericsson released a patch for both the Aino and the Yari that will also allow the device to consume less energy.
With the Satio fixed, and the Aino and Yari also sporting better battery consumption settings, Sony Ericsson’s holiday line-up is looking a lot better now. The delay of the XPERIA X2 to 2010 is seriously straining Sony’s marketing schemes.
Alongside the Satio and its cousin devices, Sony will also be releasing a couple of Greenheart devices during the holiday season. Sony Ericsson’s Greenheart series features mobile phones that are composed of at least 50% recycled plastics.
HTC Bravo to Arrive by Second Quarter of 2010
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
HTC just got its 2010 line up leaked and everyone is excited. After all, when you find 5 amazing Android mobile devices waiting to be released, the only natural reaction is the wait in anticipation.
About two days ago, the mobile community got to take a sneak peek at what is the upcoming lineup of HTC for 2010 thanks to someone who gave out images of the brochure that HTC would present to T-Mobile on NATCO day. According to reports, NATCO days are when a manufacturer presents mobile devices to a carrier. Whether the NATCO day for T-Mobile and HTC has already passed or is yet to happen, we do not know (nor do we know if other carriers have already finished).
What we do know is that these eight mobile phones are all impressive. But none are as impressive as the frontline device, the HTC Bravo.
This Android smart phone runs on a Snapdragon 1GHz processor –a major spec missing in the HTC Hero and the upcoming Espresso. It will also have a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen that is HD-ready as well as a 5 mega pixel camera with 720p video recording capabilities. The only thing weak about this device is the internal memory, which the leaked info places at 500+MB (micro SD card support is reported to be only up to 16GB).
Still, the bravo stands as one of the best devices we have heard about so far (in terms of hardware) and it will do well against the likes of the Snapdragon powered XPERIA X10 and the HD Kurara.
The new update on the Bravo is that the device will be launched during the second quarter of 2010. This coincides with earlier reports that the devices in the leaked document will be out by April of next year.