The Google Android operating system is going big with the upcoming launch of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. According to initial speculations, the new touch screen tablet will be sporting the new Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and the device will be supporting voice call functionality effectively making it one large mobile phone –which is probably why Samsung still includes the device in the Galaxy line up.
In any case, the Korean phone maker has yet to reveal other details about this upcoming gadget.
Speaking of upcoming, Apple has an interesting little patent that was put into focus by the tech website Patently Apple. The new technology being developed (on paper at least) is a way to combine the microphone with the audio jack.
The innovation will help mobile phones by adding in a secondary audio source and could be used to help filter out noise much like a dual speaker system would be capable of doing.
This technology seems to have been in the Apple patent cupboards for quite some time and it is actually quite a shame that they did not implement the technology on the recently released iPhone 4. Hopefully, other upcoming devices for Apple would be able to integrate the feature or some derivation of it.
Last on our news updates is a quick update from Nokia. Apparently, a Bulgarian operator accidentally placed the image of the Nokia C6-01 on an ad that was meant for the C6-00. The issue was quickly rectified and the image of the C6-01 is now associated with the right name.
While initial concepts for the Nokia C6-01 where showcasing a physical slide out QWERTY keyboard, the final product loses this add-on for a sleeker form factor. Since the older C6-00 already sports a keyboard, it is nice to see a small degree of variation when it comes to choosing a handset from the entire Nokia C-series.
Archive for August, 2010
Apple’s New Patent, Nokia C6-01 and Samsung’s G-Tab
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010HP’s Battle Plan: Tease Us to Oblivion
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
It seems that HP is taking the long winding road to showing the world what it really intends to do with all that technology and patents that they have been able to obtain through the whole Palm buy out issue.
For those unfamiliar with recent events, mobile phone maker Palm has taken severe financial loses and the company was put up for sale earlier this year. With the company’s future looking bleak, many of the top executives have already jumped ship leaving behind the captain at the helm of the sinking ship.
Despite the financial setbacks, many other phone makers have been eyeing Palm’s resources –particularly for the very successful WebOS mobile platform and of course, the patent library owned by the company. Taiwan based HTC was among the companies confirmed to be interested in getting Palm.
This is why it was a complete surprise to learn that it was actually HP that decided to buy out Palm and take the company under its wings. According to HP, the reason they chose to purchase Palm was for the WebOS mobile platform, which was ironically followed up by a statement that they would not be working on smart phones. This statement was quickly changed after a massive public outcry. The statement then changed to HP looking into smart phone development, but not at the moment.
Now it seems that they are taking that much needed long hard look as the latest image teaser of CTO Phil McKinney shows that the company is indeed working on a smart phone type device. But that is all HP is willing to let the public know. For all practical reasons, the images could very well be showing Phil holding a small remote control.
In any case, the SXSW 2011 event is coming up and we can all expect to see what these intriguing devices are.
More News: YoGen is Eco Friendly, Orange Android is Coming
Monday, August 30th, 2010Everyone is looking for interesting new ways to generate clean energy, and YoGen is a great step in that direction. While this little rip-cord pulling gadget is hardly what you would rely on when it comes to getting a handset up to a full charge, it certainly helps add in a few minutes of usage time to any battery.
YoGen is easy to use, simply pull out the cord several times and it will wind up the motor and generate some power. If you are sitting in your desk, reading a book or watching a show, the motions can be done repeatedly in order to get the charge up and ready. Once it has been set, users can choose one of the many available connectors to connect the YoGen to almost any handset.
The device supports a wide variety of phones, the Apple iPhone, Sony Ericsson XPERIA phones, LG Optimus, Samsung Galaxy phones and Motorola Droids are just some of the devices that will support this eco friendly charger. Of course, each of these devices has great battery time, but having a little boost also helps out a lot.
In other news, it has been announced that Orange Mobile is currently working on a new mobile smart phone tablet that will be arriving later this year. For now, the device seems to be bound only for France while UK launch seems more likely for next year.
Will an Android Tablet be the item that Orange Mobile needs? It seems that with all the fuss with smart phones, paying attention to devices such as tablets tend to take a lower position in the priority lists for people.
On the other hand, there are plenty of professionals who would need the technology of a tablet. If Orange is able to bring their tablet to the business industry instead of keeping it bound to the general market, then this little Android gadget just might be the success they are waiting for.
Mobile Internet and Women: Great Combination
Monday, August 30th, 2010
There is no doubt that the use of mobile phones for accessing the internet has become something that is pretty much common practice, but looking at the user demographic closely, it has been recently shown that more and more women are starting to get online.
A recent study has shown that there are now almost 6 times (575%) more women accessing mobile internet on their handsets than men. Now, before we continue, it should be stressed that it is also completely possible that the increase for men is less (at 223%) simply because the study does not take into account all the men who are already using the technology.
In any case, it is pretty understandable to see why females are more likely to appreciate getting more communication options available –because biologically, women are made to communicate better than men. This is why mobile internet is used more for communication and interaction as opposed to being used as a resource pool for information.
With smart phones such as the iPhone 3Gs, Motorola Milestone, BlackBerry Bold, HTC HD2 and others, being able to communicate is an easy access feature that is almost embedded within any kind of operating system (and none of the above devices share the same OS).
There are social networking apps for Facebook on almost all platforms. Instant messaging software for various services such as ICQ and Yahoo! Messenger are also available. Various email accounts can be consolidated into a single push inbox. Simply put, each new form of communication is slowly being put into the smart phone.
The study was conducted through the use of Opera Mini, and is certain to affect how phones and content are going to be designed from here on out. 2009 saw several interesting made-for-women handset coming out, but we can expect to see more features that are geared specifically towards the female gender in the coming months.
Mobile Updates: Galaxy S Issues; and the Nokia C7 & N8 Launch
Friday, August 27th, 2010
Fans of the Symbian operating system (few that there are) have something definite to look forward to now. According to Vodafone, the N8 is indeed going to be launched. Despite the fact that the Nokia N8 has been delayed so much, a new piece of news has rekindled the hope: Vodafone UK is getting an exclusive green color variant.
While mint green is not really all that exciting, the confirmation is certainly something that stands out. With the device being delayed for almost six months, it got to a point where many folks simply did not care anymore.
Not that the N8 is a bad device however, while it packed a mid range processor, the media functions are top notch. The phone comes with a 12 mega pixel camera, Carl Zeiss lenses, Xenon flash, 720p HD video recording and even an HDMI output port.
Speaking of the Nokia N8, another Symbian^3 handset will also be launched this year. The Nokia C7 is basically a low end version for the N8 and is jam packed with features. Images showcasing the device started to appear on the web and from the initial looks of things; the C7 is turning out to be quite the ideal Nokia handset.
Moving on, the Samsung Galaxy S Android smart phone has been reported to be having some issues when it comes to connecting the device to a computer. Users are being advised not to use filenames that are longer than 16 characters in length.
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According to reports, the problem occurs when the handset is connected to a computer and the filenames are detected. This then would result in a bug that starts a data wipe -which is a very major issue.
Samsung is apparently working on a solution to the problem to help out the users of the Galaxy S. In the meanwhile, users are advised not to connect the phone to a computer directly (though inserting the micro SD card into the computer directly should not be a problem).
Nokia N8 Green Variant Heading for Vodafone
Friday, August 27th, 2010
Vodafone UK has come out with a bit of surprisingly good news: they will be launching an exclusive color variation of the Nokia N8 Symbian^3 smart phone. According to the reports, the lime green color of Nokia’s latest N-series handheld will be exclusive to the local mobile network operator for an indefinite period of time.
Now, some of your may be wondering why there is so much excitement to be had with a lime green color. The reason why this is good news is not exactly because of the color, but this is the first real confirmation that we have received regarding the impending launch of the Nokia N8.
As some of you may have known, this much anticipated Nokia smart phone has been due for release for almost half a year now and yet it has been plagued with constant delays. The original April 2010 launch has been pushed back so much that every month that has passed since then has had a tentative launch window for the smart phone.
The Symbian Foundation’s latest OS is not exclusively being used on the N8 (it has also been confirmed on the Nokia C7), but this is certainly the only time the platform would be used in the N-series product line. Nokia has hinted that the next Symbian for the N-series would need to a Symbian^4 handset.
The Nokia N8 is a media based smart phone. The device’s 12 mega pixel camera is supported by impressive hardware such as Carl Zeiss lenses and Xenon flash technology. Of course, there is more to the N8 than just taking high quality images. The handset also features 720p HD video recording and a mini HDMI output port for viewing your content on a larger screen.
Expect to see the Nokia N8 in store shelves by September.
HTC’s Windows Phone 7 Device Leaked in Images
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
There are several new questions popping up lately with regards to HTC’s new Windows Phone 7 handset.
With the October launch of the mobile platform confirmed and underway, it is pretty understandable that the images and details of upcoming WP7 devices are being shown all over the internet these days. After all, considering how leaky many phone makers’ R&D labs are and how many actually like the hype being built up, it is a pretty common sight to have in the tech industry.
Anyway, focusing on the newly leaked images of the new HTC smart phones, it is somewhat surprising to see that the slide out form factor does not hide a physical QWERTY keyboard. Instead, the device is actually packing a secondary loud speaker. Of course, many of us can instantly see that the purpose of such hardware is for more than just hands free voice calls, this is obviously for media playback.
This is not the first handset to showcase a slide out speaker, but it is certainly one of the first high profile devices to do so. Does the Windows Phone 7’s media playback features warrant such an add on? Perhaps so, with the use of Zune for media and the new MSN player, there is certainly plenty of media playback going around for the new mobile platform.
HTC has also been nice enough to add a built in kickstand to the handset as well. This will allow users to easily prop up the device without any additional accessories or having to find things on your desk that would help prop the phone up.
Windows Phone 7 is Microsoft’s upcoming mobile platform and is due to come out later this October. It has been announced that when the OS is officially announced, several mobile phones from various manufacturers will also be launched alongside it.
Nokia 5250 Marks Nokia’s Comeback to the Mid Range Market
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
Right now, it is hard to deny that plenty of focus is being put into getting Nokia back at their game. Earlier, it was reported that Nokia’s overall grasp of the mobile phone industry had been waning. Despite the fact that the phone maker has been selling more phones than they did last year, the overall cost for devices has gone done –resulting in less revenue for the company.
Financial performance is not the only issue that the company is facing. They also have to deal with public perception that the Nokia brand is slowly losing its touch. Many users are now opting for the Android operating system over Nokia’s Symbian mobile platform.
Anyway, it has been recently announced that the Nokia 5250 mobile handset is coming out and it has been confirmed that this is a basic touch screen mobile device. While the 2.8 inch resistive TFT display is nice and the user interface is actually quite easy to use, the fact is that this phone is nothing but a pretty looking 2G handset.
So far, for a comeback device, the 5250 is certainly aiming for larger sales in the form of getting into the low to mid range market of mobile phone users. With a price tag that is around the range of a hundred Euros, this is certainly a great alternative for anyone who wants a quick use handset. The device also comes with a 2 mega pixel camera as well.
At the moment, the handset is seeing a potential launch around this coming Q4 and that it will be packing a mobile app version of Guitar Hero 5 for fans of the rhythm music simulation genre. Expect to see a price tag of about 115 Euros for this handset when it finally comes out.
Xbox Live Games on the WP7 Platform
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
To say that gaming is the big new feature of the new Windows Phone 7 operating system is very misleading; as interesting and varied as the game lineup for the platform may be, the real focus that Microsoft is adding here is the social networking function.
For those not familiar with the concept of Xbox Live, it is an online network service that Microsoft offers to their game playing clients. Originally started on the Xbox home console system, this network allowed users to create online profiles served as a gaming account which gave users access to downloadable content and the ability to message other players on the network.
The launch of Xbox Live on the Windows Phone 7 is an extension of the existing service that Microsoft offers. According to the earliest demonstrations of the new feature, XBL Games Service will support existing accounts from users who already have an Xbox or an Xbox 360 home console. Existing information such as a gamer score, profile details and other similar information will be brought over from the network’s database to the mobile phone, there will even be an app running the avatar, allowing users to bring over their avatar as well.
Casual gamers who do not have an Xbox Live Games account can easily create a new one from the Windows Phone 7 user interface. All the basic information will be included and of course, users will also be able to access the account when they go live on the home consoles.
On the mobile phone, there is plenty of focus on messaging and game invite. The new message system works a lot like push notifications while the game invites will allow users to easily coordinate with friends and contacts when it comes to arranging a gaming session with any of the WP7’s new mobile games.
This Week in Mobile: Samsung Tablet, Apple’s Anti Jailbreak
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010Apple is about to take some very important steps in their war against jail breakers.
Anyone familiar with the smart phone industry would realize that apps are where the money is at these days. In fact, it has been reported that the general value of downloaded apps are slowly surpassing the profit generated by voice call technology. This has led to a deeper and stronger focus of many companies on the development of apps and related technology.
Jail breaking is a serious issue for Apple as it undermines the very structure of the iTunes store. Sure, not everyone wants to pay for certain apps, but being able to protect their developers is a prerogative that the company should take. On the other hand, the public announcement of the kill switch has led to plenty of concern from all iPhone users as it renders their device vulnerable.
In other mobile news, it seems that the Samsung Galaxy Tab device is finally in the testing phase as a recently uploaded video shows a man who was spotted as carrying the device around. While the video was shot on a train and was not as clear as we had hoped, the output remains the same: the Galaxy Tab is officially confirmed.
The device will sport a massive 7 inch capacitive touch screen display (no word yet if this will be using super AMOLED technology like the Galaxy S) and according to the initial spec sheet, it should be able to handle incoming and outgoing voice calls as well –making it the first tablet phone hybrid device.
Samsung’s Galaxy series of devices all use the Android operating system so expect to see Google’s mobile platform to fully support all the new features that are to be included in the tablet device. In terms of size, the Galaxy Tab is small but many believe that the 7 inch size is perfect in terms of ergonomics.