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Archive for June, 2010
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
 Virgin Media’s annual music fest is getting plenty of smart phone app support. But for real hardcore music fans who want to have the full package, the best choices arrive in the form of Nokia’s 5230V and the X6V. As one might guess, the two phones are the Nokia 5230 and the Nokia X6. The additional V in the designation connotes that the devices are special, UK only V festival editions of the two touch screen smart phones.
For those who are unfamiliar, the V Festival is Virgin Media’s special three day music festival that hosts a large range of music artists performing on three different stages. Attendees are allowed to camp over the weekend for the event. While originally meant to be a rock music festival, the most recent ones have showcased pop artists as well. The very first V festival was held back more than decade ago at 1996 and the tradition has continued annually ever since.
In terms of specs, the two handsets are practically the same as the original versions. While they have a special color theme that features a dominant black with red highlights, nothing else has changed with the smart phone’s hardware specs. As for the software, several V festival applications have been added in.
These apps are actually quite important –particularly the app that provides attendees with detail information on playing schedules of the different artists. According to many reports, the V festival is also infamous for being expensive. The programme –that list down the playing schedules of bands and artists are reportedly being sold at 10 Pounds per copy –and it is a vital resource for anyone attending the event.
Both handsets are now available from Virgin and they are free at plans starting from 15 Pounds a month at a two year contract.
Tags: Nokia, Nokia-5230, Nokia-X6, virgin-media
Posted in Nokia Phones | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
 Recently, there has been news that Google has forcibly disabled and deleted two apps from many mobile phones. The apps have also been removed from the Android Market. According to Google, the reason for the action was that the apps had an additional purpose that it had not declared. The developer designed the app in such a way to make many people download and install it.
While the apps themselves did not have any malicious effects on the Android OS, the fact that they had undeclared purposes is still a major issue. As such, Google has used a special “kill switch” capability in order to remotely disable and remove the app from people who have downloaded it.
Google has not given out the technical details of how the remote removal process works (perhaps in order to protect the security of the kill switch), but in general, the kill switch command apparently kicks in if the Android handset is able to access the internet. Some users have doubts about the presence of the kill switch, and in a very expected reaction, people are asking questions about why Google would have such a feature in the first place.
Not surprisingly, kill switches for smart phones are pretty common. With operating systems allowing third party applications to run, developers of the various platforms are making themselves vulnerable to attacks from maliciously developed apps. In order to prevent handsets from this, a kill switch is made as part of the OS.
The Android is also not the only operating system to have the feature. The big man of Apple, Steve Jobs has also stated that the iPhone OS shares a very similar feature. With thousands of apps available on iTunes, the company needs to have a way to shut down anything that might get past their infamous screening processes.
Tags: Google, kill switch
Posted in Google Phones | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
 Need for Speed games have always been a favorite app for many smart phone owners. The impressive console and PC racing game has placed players in various kinds of races, from the closed circuit tournaments to the rough and uncontrolled street races. NFS: Shift for mobile is another great racing game that follows this legacy.
The graphics have been toned down heavily. Gone are the intricate 3D models for cars, now they look a lot more flat and blocky, the backgrounds are moving 2D sprites that provide a pseudo-3D feel to the tracks. For a smart phone, the graphics are pretty much on par, but console and PC players might find the shift a little disconcerting.
Porting issues aside, having a racing game on a device with an accelerometer certainly changes the way the game is played. Being able to tilt the whole phone for making turns is initially fun, though the lack of more precise controls will make heavy drifters want something more.
 Anyway, Samsung has officially announced that the first 1.2 million people to download the new NFS: Shift for the S8500 Wave smart phone will be getting the app for free. And with 1.2 million downloads available, that is more than enough to cover all existing Wave owners everywhere.
With competition from the Google Android growing with every passing day, Samsung has plenty of things to prove with their Bada OS. The system has proven itself to be fun to use, fast and stable. But with a lack of market recall, the Bada name has yet to be established –particularly since the Android and Symbian are practically saturating the mid to low range handsets.
Samsung originally announced that the Wave is the start of their plan to bring the smart phone to the average user, and if they keep up promotions like this, they just might succeed.
Posted in Samsung Phones | No Comments »
Monday, June 28th, 2010
 While it is often easy to disregard a rumor, one cannot help but notice when a phone manufacturer finally comes out with a name. The Sony Ericsson Jolie is the new handset that we are now digging through the rumor bin for as the Swedish Japanese joint venture has released a little teaser about the fact that they are working on a WP7 device.
It is pretty much a well established fact that many mobile phone makers are already working on various Windows Phone 7 handsets. With a release date not due until later this October, a new, stylish operating system that has a developer version already available and plenty of eager fans, there is no doubt that there will be plenty of demand for Microsoft’s new mobile product when it finally launches later this year.
Sony Ericsson is among those companies whose names have already been mentioned in the roster of companies that will be making WP7 devices.
 Still, with most of the companies involved keeping quiet about their progress, every bit of WP7 handset that comes around naturally brings up plenty of interest. Prior to Sony Ericsson, only LG and HTC have made further announcements regarding their devices. LG has confirmed that the Panther will be among the first devices available at launch date. Taiwan based phone maker HTC has dropped two names, the Mondrian and the Mozart though has not confirmed if the two phones are different or one and the same.
Considering Sony Ericsson’s track record, the Jolie nickname will be used for their device while it is in production but it will be given a quick name change once the product is about to be announced for commercial launch (the company has a habit of giving female nicknames to many of their handsets – remember how the Shakira became the XPERIA X8?). Expect to see and hear more of the Jolie in the weeks to come.
Tags: HTC, LG, Sony-Ericsson, Sony-Ericsson-Jolie, Windows-Phone-7
Posted in Microsoft Phones, Sony Ericsson Phones | No Comments »
Monday, June 28th, 2010
 At long last, the latest version of the Android mobile operating system is finally available. Unfortunately, not all handsets can make use of the new OS. According to many smart phone users, the update is not yet appearing on their handset. Apparently, only those with Android 2.1 Éclair FRF50 Firmware will be able to get updated to version 2.2 Froyo.
The lucky few folks aside from the Nexus One owners will be able to enjoy the latest release of Google’s mobile platform. For many users, this new update is important for two main reasons: improved performance and Adobe Flash support. Performance has been reported o be improved greatly, many are confirming that Froyo is indeed twice as fast as the last version of the OS.
This means that the user interface is faster, more responsive and most importantly, smoother when it comes loading and transitions. The overall feel of the Android operating system has indeed improved even when there are multiple applications running in the background.
As for Flash support, it has already been known early on that Flash is indeed coming to the Android OS (ever since the big public argument that they had with Apple) and true to their word, Adobe had a Flash player ready for download right before the 2.2 Froyo was launched.
While the release of the Froyo update is something to celebrate, there are plenty of smart phones that are still waiting for a special patch to be released. Devices such as the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 is still stuck using the older Android 1.6 Donut as an update to 2.1 Éclair for the handset is still unavailable.
Many believe that Google had scheduled the launch of the new Android OS to coincide with the launch of the new Apple iPhone in order to keep the market interest from shifting completely to the rival smart phone.
Tags: Adobe-Flash, Android-1.6-Donut, Android-2.1-Eclair, Android-2.2-Froyo, Google, google-android
Posted in Google Phones | No Comments »
Monday, June 28th, 2010
 While it may seem like a running gag, there is nothing funny about the many legal mishaps that Apple has been trudging into this year. The Cupertino based company released the latest version of the iPhone, the iPhone 4, recently, but their aggressive attitude is giving Steve Jobs and his team plenty of enemies in the industry.
The year started with a large 20 patent lawsuit against HTC filed by Apple. While the case has yet to push through, the move has forced a serious reaction from the Taiwanese manufacturer who has proceeded to make plans to defend their case and also file their own lawsuit against Apple. Google has publicly declared that they would stand behind HTC as an industry partner. Weeks later, HTC also signed an agreement with Microsoft in order to use unspecified patented technology.
The last big move from HTC was filing a 5 patent lawsuit against Apple and requesting the ITC to hold the shipment of Apple products into the US until the investigations have been cleared. While the request did not push through, the ITC did start making investigations into Apple.
Now, it seems that Apple is back on the aggressive side of the fence as they are filing a new patent infringement lawsuit against HTC. The new case settles only on one patented technology, but it appears that Apple seems intent on bringing HTC to court.
Apple and HTC are not the only companies doing a legal dance. Nokia and Apple have been battling it out legally last year and an early lawsuit from Nokia shows that they have not backed down from the previous bouts of lawsuits and counter lawsuits.
Another Taiwan based company; Elan Microelectronics has also made a patent infringement case against Apple regarding the use of multi touch screen technology. Elan has already won a case against Synaptics regarding similar hardware patent concerns.
Tags: Apple, Apple-iPhone-4, HTC, HTC-Magic, Microsoft, Nokia, Steve Jobs
Posted in Apple Phones | No Comments »
Friday, June 25th, 2010
 Samsung’s latest Android handset, the i9000 Galaxy S is now available for free on Vodafone’s contract plans along with a low end Android smart phone, the Vodafone 845. The operator made handset may be a low end device, but it actually looks pretty good for a budget device.
Fans of the Android OS looking for a cheap handset will find the Vodafone 845 a reasonable device to go for. At only 15 Pounds a month for two years, users will get to enjoy 100 minutes of talk time, unlimited text messages and 500MB of data allowance –it’s a pretty good deal for the data allowance alone, and users will get a nifty looking 3G touch screen Android smart phone along with it.
The 845 sports a humble 2.8 inch TFT touch screen, a 3.2 mega pixel camera and of course, the Android operating system.
 The Samsung Galaxy S on the other hand is a pretty high end smart phone, but for free at a 35 Pound monthly tariff, Vodafone still manages to provide a value packed deal for the device. The 24 month contract will give users 900 minutes, unlimited text messages and 1GB of mobile data allowance. It is a sweet deal especially for users who rely heavily on 3G connectivity.
This Korean handset comes with an ARM Cortex A8 CPU clocked at 1GHz, a 4 inch super AMOLED capacitive touch screen display (a larger version of the display on the Samsung Wave), a 5 mega pixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, 720p video recording and 8GB of internal memory.
Topping that off is a full featured Android 2.1 Éclair operating system and you have the makings of a great smart phone. There are rumors that the Galaxy S Pro might be brought over to the UK though Samsung has yet to confirm the announcement.
Tags: Android-2.1-Eclair, google-android, samsung, Samsung-Galaxy-S, Samsung-Galaxy-S-Pro, Samsung-Wave, Vodafone, Vodafone-845
Posted in Samsung Phones, Vodafone Phones | No Comments »
Friday, June 25th, 2010
 It is a commonly accepted fact that operating systems are part of what makes or breaks a smart phone, and more often than not, gear heads would put aside the hardware issues as long as they get the right operating system.
This is because a good operating system will have an average phone performing well. Whereas a badly designed OS would make even a high powered handset seem clumsy and jerky to use. Take the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2, this smart phone has plenty of good hardware features, but the Windows Mobile operating system tends to slow it down a lot, and the fact that it relies on a resistive touch screen display means that it requires a stylus to be operated properly.
At the same time, the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini is a very mid range smart phone in terms of today’s hardware standards, but the Android 1.6 Donut OS  makes it a very well rounded device. Speaking of the Android OS, the HTC Desire and the Dell Streak push the limits in terms of both hardware with their high speed 1GHz CPUs and software (with the newer Android 2.1 Éclair).
Some manufacturers rely heavily on proprietary operating systems. Take the Palm WebOS, RIM BlackBerry OS and the Apple iPhone OS. Since the devices that make use of these platforms are specifically designed to maximize the capabilities of the OS, the user experience is not only uniform, but the all of a phone’s features are also fully utilized.
This is why it is important for buyers to know what kind of operating systems they want before they decide to purchase a mobile phone. Even if the hardware seems like a good fit, if the OS is not compatible with a user’s needs then choosing a different device would be the wiser option.
Tags: Android-1.6-Donut, Android-2.1-Eclair, Apple-iOS, Blackberry-OS, Dell-Streak, google-android, HTC-Desire, Palm-WebOS, Sony-Ericsson-Xperia-X10-Mini, Sony-Ericsson-XPERIA-X2, Windows-Mobile
Posted in Industry News | No Comments »
Friday, June 25th, 2010
 There is no denying that the Android operating system is one of the largest in the mobile phone industry and that many people want Android smart phones. The Google developed Os infamous for its stand as the counter-culture for the Apple iPhone series and at the same time, many tech fans love the open source approach and the fact that developers can simply do much more with this handset than anything else.
The fact that Google is also the first to be getting the Adobe Flash Player version 10.1 is also a serious consideration as it places the handset a notch above all else. However, Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X10 is far from the impressive Android handset that it should be, and it is mostly due to the fact that the OS in the device is outdated.
 Simply put, the new XPERIA X10, as well as the X10 Mini smart phones still uses the older 1.6 Donut version of the Android OS. So far, no announcements have been made regarding a 2.2 Froyo update and that the only thing Sony Ericsson owners can look forward to is an update to version 2.1 Éclair by the third quarter of 2010. It has also been hinted by Google that near that time period, they would already be working on version 3.0, and if that new version launches before the end of the year, SE’s Android devices will be at the bottom of the list.
By that time, most existing Éclair handsets might have already been updated to Froyo which would leave the SE devices far behind. This would leave SE’s Android owners wanting to switch to other phones and is certainly discouraging for anyone hoping to pick up an Android handset from the manufacturer.
With the X10 Mini, XPERIA X8 and a rumored, still unnamed 5.5 inch touch screen Android device set to hit store shelves this year, Sony Ericsson needs to change the way to make updates for their smart phones available.
Tags: Android-1.6-Donut, Android-2.2-Froyo, Apple-iPhone, Google, google-android, Sony-Ericsson, Sony-Ericsson-Xperia-X10-Mini, Sony-Ericsson-XPERIA-X8, Sony-Ericsson-XPERIS-X10
Posted in Sony Ericsson Phones | No Comments »
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
 2G handsets these days get very little attention, more often than not most of these candy bar handsets offer little in terms of difference. While most of the hardware specs are similar, the biggest differences lay only in the style of the device –if nothing else. But there are some devices that can manage to stand out, even if just the little.
The Nokia C3 is one such handset, with its sleek looking QWERTY keyboard, matte finish and 2.4 inch TFT display, the handset is a good example of a fancy looking 2G mobile phone. And thankfully, the device actually offers some pretty useful features too.
Vodafone UK has announced that it will be offering this handset for only 80 on pay as you go. This is great value for anyone who wants to buy a decent low end mobile handset. For this price, users will get a fully functional mobile phone with good features, a decent balance of hardware specs and social networking.
Yep, the C3 features some integrated social networking features. It lacks 3G so getting live updates is a bit difficult, but as long as you are in an area with free WiFi; it will not be a problem. Supporting WLAN 802.11 b/g, the C3 is not only a QWERTY toting mobile phone, it is also a social networking tool.
With a 320 x 240 screen display, web and other content are viewed in clear, crisp visuals. The directional pad works nicely with the keyboard for controls, and the 2 mega pixel camera will have users able to upload and share images online instantly.
The handset only has 55MB of internal memory, so expect to bring around a microSD card for your files and other data. With a 1320 mAh battery, you can run through a whole day’s worth of audio files before draining out. According to Nokia, the C3 has a talk time of about 7 hours straight.
Tags: Nokia, Nokia-C3, QWERTY, Vodafone, WiFi
Posted in Nokia Phones, Vodafone Phones | No Comments »
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