Nokia is one very busy company. Despite the rough start this year with news reports that the Finnish phone maker is losing its grip on the mobile phone industry and how the Google Android OS is fast catching up with the Symbian mobile platform, the fact of the matter is that Nokia is still able to keep hold of its target market.
Just a while back, the Symbian Foundation has officially announced that all support pages for the Symbian OS will be shutting down; this includes access to resources such as dev kits and more importantly source code (despite the fact that the Symbian OS has become an open source platform earlier this year). The move from a Foundation to a licensing company has been instigated by a recent announcement by the EC that Symbian Foundation will be leading the SYMBOESE project.
At the same time, Nokia is currently busy with the N9 smart phone. This MeeGo powered handset was supposedly delayed from launch due to the Nokia N8 being pushed back months behind the intended schedule. With no new word about the Intel and Nokia developed platform, the disinterest in Nokia’s products might continue.
Still, this does not mean that the Finnish company is all out. The X7-00 has been announced just recently and from what we have seen, this Symbian^3 powered smart phones can do some incredible things. Need for Speed Drift was shown off in a demonstration video and judging from the smoothness of the graphics and the performance of the game, this phone has a pretty good CPU.
In other news, Apple’s iPad touch screen tablet is finally going to be available in cheaper monthly tariff rates. The iOS powered, 9.7 inch tablet will be available through Orange Mobile, T-Mobile and 3 UK at varying rates. While the device is definitely getting a new price tag, Flash support is still absent.
Archive for November, 2010
Quick Run: Today’s Mobile News
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010Smart Phones and Gaming: a Hard Mix
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
With the rumors of the “Playstation Phone” now dying down after the latest rumors hinted that the Sony Computer Entertainment will not be involved in the device, the gaming industry now has its focus and excitement on the upcoming PSP 2 –which is not a smart phone at all.
Sony Ericsson will be working on a gaming-centric Android device on its own. While this is certainly interesting, it is hardly exciting for many hardcore gamers. And thus, the mobile platform has once again been denied a position in the heart of the games industry.
But what is it about the smart phone that makes serious gamers turn elsewhere?
There are a myriad of factors that all fall into play once the argument starts going, and above everything else, the most important factor is games. Sure, major game companies do port entire games to the smart phone. Lucas Art’s old point and click titles are available as apps and so is Capcom’s Phoenix Wright. Square Enix also released new mini-RPGs and a couple of old Final Fantasy titles as well. But that is probably as far as it goes. The touch screen is only meant for point and click or menu driven games. Other titles that require accuracy of controls such as fighting games, first person shooters, platformers and many other action titles fail badly with the accelerometer and the touch controls.
Storage media is also another issue. The PSP makes use of UMD technology while the Nintendo DS has its own cartridges. The smart phone relies on downloads. This makes it harder for developers to add in more content as the downloadable size of the installer grows larger.
Lastly, the nature of the mobile phone comes into play. The fact is that hardcore games take plenty of time. Unlike casual apps that can easily be paused or stopped at any moment, hardcore titles have plenty of events that if interrupted by an incoming message or call, would really spoil the mood for the player.
Today’s Top Mobile News Stories
Monday, November 29th, 2010
The Olympic season is about to arrive and London is all getting glammed up and ready for the major international affair. With wireless communications now becoming a major necessity, the capital is all about making things ready for the deluge of international visitors that are expected to arrive. Part of the preparations is to bring the much needed mobile network service in the Tubes.
France based Thales and Taiwan’s Huawei are both eagerly competing to take the project lead. The demand of the long tube network will certainly require plenty of communications hardware –also to keep up with the large volume of users. Expect to see this project pushing through in the next few weeks.
Motorola’s Milestone 2 is confirmed to be heading to K store shelves. No exact date has been given, but the price has finally been revealed. At 379.99 Pounds, this Android smart phone is definite contender even for the likes of the HTC Desire or the Samsung Galaxy S. Thanks to the slide out QWERTY keyboard and ever impressive design aesthetics of Motorola, this Milestone sequel is one phone that an Android fan cannot afford to pass up.
Mobile network operator Vodafone UK has announced that they will be adding two new smart phones to their plans and tariffs. The Nokia C7 is an obvious choice for those looking for a decent budget smart phone thanks to its well rounded features. The HTC Desire Z brings plenty of functionality thanks to its slide out QWERTY keyboard.
In the meanwhile, things are not looking good for HP and more importantly, for Palm. The WebOS 2.0 powered Pre 2 has been ignored by network operators limiting the distribution of the device. However, things have turned for the worse as security issues in the WebOS 2.0 platform have also been revealed.
New Sony Ericsson Gaming Phone Rumor is Not Exciting
Monday, November 29th, 2010For all the big news about the upcoming PSP phone, it seems that the latest update makes the most sense and at the same time, makes us wonder if all our attention and excitement should be better spent elsewhere.
According to the latest buzz about the PSP phone online; the new device is not a PSP phone.
So what have we all been blabbering about for the past few weeks? Apparently, the next Sony Ericsson device will be an Android gaming handset. While it will have a control pad, buttons and what appears to be the well known button icons used by Sony Computer Entertainment, the device is a full SE product.
This means that the device will not be supported by SCE, and it will not have SCE made games. The only games that will be playable on the device are specially made Android platform titles –to be specific, simple game apps. While this is certainly disappointing for many hardcore gamers hoping to find a smart phone with better features, it at least explains why some facts never seemed to add up.
One initial reservation we have always had is that we know for a fact that SCE would never allow a different Sony department to develop a Playstation brand device. Another is the recently leaked event invite for a December 9 launch of the device –something that SCE would also never do. Of course, there are plenty of other hard to believe rumors that came in between.
The bottom line right here however is that this device does not excite hardcore gamers. The PSP Go failed for focusing more on mini-games (the Playstation Minis game series) and its lack of a UMD tray. While regular PSP games can be downloaded on the Go, it failed to gain a foothold in the industry. With the SE gaming device lacking even decent games, there is little to be expected of this device. It is even likely that it will end up much like the Nokia N-Gage.
Apple News: What is Next for the iOS?
Thursday, November 25th, 2010.jpg)
According to reports, the next version of the Apple iOS will be version 4.3 and it will be coming out later this December. Considering that the most recent 4.2 update had little to offer to the users of the iPhone and the iPod Touch (since most of the updates were exclusively beneficial to the iPad touch screen tablet instead).
So far, the details on what the new Apple will have remains to be seen. The 4.2 update was released just a while back and it is unlikely that new content has been created (for the next version of the OS. Still, many are hoping that some much requested features will finally make it to the OS. According to some rumors, one of the key functions that the update will have should have something about RSS feeds, publications and being able to access and even provide content faster.
Of course, another good reason for Apple to launch the update is to discourage people from using the Jailbreak feature. This little crack has been a serious bane for the iTunes store. In fact, it has been confirmed just a while ago that the 4.2 version of the iOS has already been cracked –but only for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. So far, the 4.2 version of the iPad tablet has yet to be Jail broken; the same applies for the latest version of the iPhone (only the 3G and 3Gs are supported).
In other news, Apple’s iPad tablet is slowly losing ground to a large swath of Android devices that are breaching into tablet territory. All the new devices are sporting lower price tags (with the exception of the Samsung P1000 Galaxy Tab) and of course, they also have a browsing advantage over the iPad as the Android naturally supports Flash content online.
Androids in Focus: Acer’s New Toys
Thursday, November 25th, 2010
Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Acer may have yet to fully establish their selves in the portable electronics industry, but they are certainly making plenty of great phones and tablets. Despite their already impressive lineup of notebook computers, the strength and profit of the mobile industry is hard to deny.
A new unnamed Acer smart phone has been spotted in several images and from the official data gathered, the device will be sporting a massive touch screen display. At 4.8 inches, the capacitive touch screen is already on the new territory formed originally by the Dell Streak. With a 5 inch touch screen, the device was questioning the size and hardware differences between tablets and mobile phones. With the Acer following this trend of creating large screen mobile devices, it is possible that we might start seeing other phone makers following suit.
Aside from the new handset, Acer also has tablet devices in the works. Initial reports show that two new Android tablets will be coming. The core difference in the two will be the screen size. One will have a much smaller touch screen at 7 inches while the other has a 10.1 inch display instead.
Acer states that the new devices will be making use of a dual core processor, though the CPU speed has yet to be given, we expect these devices to run pretty fast. HD video will also be a supported feature of the system.
For those wondering about the difference between the two sizes, it is because the two tablet sizes are good depending on the function you wish to use them for. The smaller 7 inch device is perfect for people who read eBooks and spend plenty of time reading online content on the web. The larger screened tablet is best suited for those who play plenty of games, and watch lots of videos.
Mobile News: Today’s Highlights
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
For those who want to get the latest scoop on all of the biggest news stories of today, here’s a quick list of all the big headlines to keep you up to date.
iOS 4.2 update is out and it brings plenty of new features for the Apple iPad touch screen tablet. While the new version is good for the iPod Touch and the iPhone as well, the real focus here is with the 9.7 inch tablet. With new Android tablet devices coming out, that added functionality is going to be pretty useful once people start realizing that lacking Flash support is a major flaw.
Microsoft is facing a backlash from the tech industry as it has been reported that the micro SD card compatibility issues of the OS are pretty hard to fix. Unless Microsoft is able to find a way to fix the issue, many media loving smart phone users will be sticking to the Android or iPhone instead.
Acer is taking on Dell’s 5 inch Streak with a new, yet-to-be-named mobile phone. The touch screen smart phone is said to be running the Android OS on what appears to be a 4.8 inch touch screen display. It looks like the two computer manufacturers are all set to fill in the gap between smart phones and tablets pretty fast.
The Tegra 2 running Android smart phone from Motorola is getting a name and plenty of leaked images. The Olympus is said to be one impressive handset that Android fans should look out for as it may very well set the new bar for the next generation of devices. With all the odd devices they had come up recently (the Flip, Defy, etc), Motorola seems to be back with that innovative spirit once again. As for getting released in the UK, we will have to wait and see if the Olympus ends up as another pseudo-US exclusive handset for a couple of months.
Windows Phone 7 SD Card Hunt
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
A recently reported news bit about Windows Phone 7 has revealed a major flaw in the mobile platform: it cannot swap micro SD cards. And this is where you get some pause to let that sink in.
For those who cannot appreciate the gravity of the issue, here’s the basic lowdown: the micro SD card is basically removable storage for any mobile device. You can transfer and store files in card and basically allow you to switch between multiple handsets or multiple cards (depending on how you prefer).
Switching between phones is understandable, if you have an Android and a BlackBerry, being able to carry around a single media library means that you can still watch that next episode stored on the card, regardless of which phone you use. In that same regard, being able to carry multiple cards means that you can delegate space better –like having one card store all music and another for videos.
In any case, the ability to switch and swap micro SD cards is longer a feature of convenience, but something that is expected from smart phones. But this is not possible with the Windows Phone 7 operating system. Apparently, the OS tends to stick to the initial card you use, with the data supposedly written in a completely new format (ironic, since this is a Microsoft OS). And worst of all, only certain SD cards work well with the OS (which seems to have a high transfer rate speed requirement).
In other news, it seems that T-Mobile and Orange UK are looking into making the iPad more accessible to buyers. The team that brought us Everything Everywhere has hinted that the Apple iPad price tag might drop down as far as 200 Pounds –depending on the 3G contract. For those who feel that the almost 500 Pound cost of the touch screen tablet is too much, this is a perfect opportunity.
Smart Phones: the Latest Developments
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
Nokia has announced that they are focused working on the power failure issues that are affecting the Nokia N8 Symbian^3 smart phone. Following a recent new update from retailers that have held off from selling the device (due to high return rates), it appears that a major issue concerning the device’s hardware has been spotted. So far, it has not been confirmed if a software-based fix would suffice or if this issue can only be repaired by actually fixing the hardware itself.
Korean phone maker Samsung has announced that it will have a pretty large lineup of Windows Phone 7 devices. In fact more than half the device they produce will be made of WP7 phones while the remaining 40% goes to Galaxy Android devices and the remainder will be Bada based handsets. For those not familiar, the Bada OS is a proprietary open source mobile platform developed by Samsung for its mobile handsets. So far, over a million Bada devices has been sold.
Another HTC phone is being rumored to be launching in the US first –with no confirmation of a possible UK release date: the HTC Knight. So far, initial details on the device show that it will be a 4G capable smart phone. Once again, here is to hoping that the device will be getting a name change then gets shipped locally to the UK.
Cupertino based Apple has announced that they will not continue with the development of the embedded SIM card. This is after many local network operators have stated that if Apple pushes through with the plan to create embedded SIM cards on their devices, they would start boycotting all of Apple’s devices –including the iPhone 4.
Originally, Gemalto was supposed to develop and manufacture the sim cards. Apple has had a very outstanding relationship with operators and unlike with other phone makers and developers, Apple cannot afford to antagonize the local networks.
The Sony Playstation Phone Primer
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010There are rumors aplenty about the so-called Sony Playstation Phone, and a recent interview with Sony Ericsson’s big boss, Bert Nordberg has him stating: “no smoke without fire”. And considering the volume of rumors that has popped out, there is plenty of smoke.
But what do we really know? -Officially, not a single thing. But as the big man himself has hinted, all these rumors are based on a simple level of truth. So pulling out all the big updates that have come out in the past few weeks, here’s a quick rundown of everything that we have gathered so far.
First off, the controls will definitely have a directional pad, buttons and possibly, shoulder buttons/triggers accompanying the touch screen display. This is a major factor –as it basically defines the device as a gaming handset over anything else. Also, these controls are important as they provide gamers with precise and accurate control input required for hardcore gaming.
Another important point is that the Android operating system will be the core platform for this device. It is also likely that the Sony Cross Media Browser (XMB) will serve as the main OS skin. The use of the Android foretells of a possible Android Market and Playstation Network tie up in the future. At the very least, the Playstation Minis or the PSP Go has already shown that the PSN can also provide apps alongside deeper and richer titles for the more casual players.
Finally, the best safe estimate for launch would be anytime next year. While some are already claiming that the Mobile World Congress will show the big launch for the device, others are still expecting the launch to happen during a gaming convention instead. Production and development is best handled by Sony’s Japanese teams (as they are most familiar with all Playstation hardware), so a launch in Japan is also most likely as well.