If you still have not been able to buy a smart phone, there is no longer any excuse for not going to the closest mobile store. According to reports, Phones4U has finally opened their 500th store and that provides the UK with more than enough phone stores to shop and choose from. It has also been stated that by next year, four more stores will be added to the list.
HTC has confirmed that they will be working closely with Carphone Warehouse in terms of distribution of their newer handsets. So far, no exact details have emerged, but it is quite possible that we will be seeing some exclusive deals in terms of special color themes or even special prices for HTC’s smart phones.
A study has shown that the Android smart phone users are the heaviest users of the internet. The study reveals that the largest amount of data used by a mobile browser happens when the platform is the Android operating system. While the iOS may offer more paying customers, the Android market has a much higher download rate.
Best Buy is letting people try out the Apple iPhone 3G for free for a single day. While this may seem like an interesting promotion, this is nothing more than an extended phone promotion. Had they chosen to apply this to a newer piece of technology, then we could expect plenty of gear heads doing barrel-rolls of delight.
Samsung’s P1000 Galaxy Tab smart phone is now out and if you get one before February 28 of next year, then you will enjoy about 200 Pounds worth of free media from Samsung’s associates. Over 50 songs, 15 movies, 3 eBooks and 7 games (users will get to choose which content) await those who are going to go for the touch screen tablet this holiday season.
Posts Tagged ‘Apple’
Today’s Top Mobile News Stories
Friday, December 10th, 2010Apple iPad Availability, WP7 Homebrew and Information Access
Monday, December 6th, 2010
The Apple iPad is highly criticized for its lack of Flash support. After all, a device that features web browsing as a major function should be able to play back all web content –especially since a large percent of all web media is still Flash encoded (despite Apple’s claims that HTML5 is the new standard, many sites are loathe to adapt).
Still, that does not mean that the demand for the Apple tablet has lessened at all. Thanks to the fame of the Apple brand and the large library of content offered by the iTunes store, the iPad is still a much sought after device. Grab the touch screen tablet at Tesco or Carphone Warehouse under some great deals or if you want to have a contract to go with the device, the iPad is also available under 3 UK’s subsidized plans.
Microsoft is not too keen on letting people jailbreak the Windows Phone 7 OS and has formed a quick alliance with the developers of the Chevron Jailbreak team. MS has confirmed that homebrew support will officially arrive to the OS in a later update in exchange for Jailbreak software not to be released in public. From a consumer standpoint, officially allowed homebrew is great as it means less bugs and problems.
Lastly, another consumer-awareness app has been created for smart phones: the Free2Work app. This basically allows users to scan the barcodes of products to learn if it was manufactured by a company that employed slave labor in the manufacturing process (it was developed as part of the celebration for the Not for Sale campaign by the International Labor Rights forum.
While not as globally sound as the previous green app (which works in a similar way, but provides data on eco-friendliness), Free2Work is a major step into providing the public with truly useful apps that provide instant and real time information on relevant needs.
Do We Need Brand Loyalty?
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
An interesting study has come up recently. According to a survey from GfK, many people tend to be loyal to a specific mobile platform or operating system. As for manufacturer however, the choice is not that big a deal.
Of course, the study does get a bit skewed since those loyal to the Apple iOS and the RIM BlackBerry OS would be forced to stick to Apple’s iPhone devices and RIM’s smart phones –the operating systems are proprietary after all. But looking at the Google Android –which is currently the fastest growing OS in terms of the number of users, there are plenty of choices in brands.
Sure, HTC and Samsung are among the top favorites, but Android phones made by Motorola, Asus, Acer, LG, and other phone makers are also selling well. This is due to the fact that people only care about the operating system of the smart phone and not the actual phone itself (with specific devices being chosen for specs and not for their brands). With the Windows Phone 7 OS already out, expect to see a similar situation for Microsoft’s new mobile platform.
So the question now is: does it matter which brand we choose? The only real consideration on the per-brand selection is the fact that each phone maker has their own custom user interface (Samsung TouchWiz, HTC Sense, etc). Aside from that, there is very little to think about.
Another study has announced that the average UK household has been hoarding over 700 Pounds worth of old mobile phones. These can often be resold too –which is a great help for the coming holidays. A quick look at older phones often reveals a vast diversity in the choices of brands.
Apple News: What is Next for the iOS?
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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.
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.
Steve Wozniak Retcons Dutch Newspaper Interview
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
“Retcon” might not be the most fitting word, but it still certainly applies as Steve Wozniak has decided to deny the translations of his answers in a Dutch media interview. According to the real brains behind the first Macintosh and the Apple company as a whole, he was misquoted in the interview and that he “would never say that the Android is better than iOS”.
At least, he would never say it out loud.
But the fact remains that the interview translation, whether he owns up to it or not, is not really a point of opinion, but a series of actual facts regarding the smart phone industry. The reality is that Apple is starting to take the lower position behind Google as the Android developer is steamrolling its way to the top of the game.
Indeed, the Android smart phones of today are the PCs of the mobile industry. Android is doing what Microsoft achieved with Windows for the computer –create an OS that everyone would like to use and at the same time, attract plenty of third party software developers.
So what did Steve Wozniak really say?
At this point, it is really difficult to know. The nuances of language translations and the subtle implications that each word have can change the way a single sentence can be analyzed and most importantly, understood.
In the end, Wozniak did not officially state what he really said back at the interview. Considering that the man is still heavily associated with Apple (despite not being officially part of the company any longer), it is likely that he would never truly state or even say something that would imply that he feels or thinks that the Android OS is a better OS.
So far, the Dutch newspaper company has yet to make an official statement regarding the matter.
Physical Keyboard Add-On for the iPhone 4
Friday, November 19th, 2010
Gadgets manufacturer BoxWave has launched the Keyboard Buddy, a physical keyboard accessory for the Apple iPhone 4.
The device is what you would think it is: small, easy to carry around and hooks up to the iPhone4 through Bluetooth. It is shaped liked a regular QWERTY keyboard seen in most smart phones. And unlike other keyboard accessories, the Buddy actually functions a lot like a physical keyboard that is connected to the handset.
The device literally hooks up to the back of the iPhone; this doubles the function not only as a QWERTY slider, but also as a back casing for the handset as well. Do not worry about the speakers or the camera being covered by the buddy as it actually has provisions for the lens as well as for the speakers on the back on the device as well.
We certainly love this add on because a physical keyboard is one of those phone functions that Apple has never bothered venturing into. While other phone makers create a variety of handsets (take the X10 Mini and the X10 Mini Pro), Apple has stuck to one form factor since the launch of the first generation iPhone. It is unlikely that any change could happen now.
For those wondering how the physical keyboard feels: it is amazing. Not quite on the same level as BlackBerry’s keyboards, but it still comes pretty close. The buttons are responsive and evenly spaced –though as with all physical keyboards, it takes a few uses before your fingers get used to the placements of keys. The layout is a typical four row setup with numbers on the top.
Overall, this is the perfect addition to the Apple iPhone. If you have wanted to switch to a keyboard phone but have become too attached to the iOS, then this is the perfect match for you.
Apple’s iAds to Come this December, White iPhone Panels on Sale
Friday, November 19th, 2010
Apple’s new iAds system has already been around for several weeks now, but in the UK, the advertising add-on feature for the iOS has yet to be introduced. This new system for Apple allows sponsors to have their advertisements showcased in the mobile platform without being intrusive or bothersome to users.
So far, users who have seen the iAds feature in action in other countries have yet to raise a major complaint. In fact, many feel that the system is actually effective and is able to display advertisements that are relevant to the interests of the user or are appropriate to the current content being shown on the device.
With many large companies such as Unilever, Renault and Louis Vuitton now backing the service, iPhone users can expect to see some interesting ads once the system becomes fully active.
The white Apple iPhone 4 is not yet available on retail, but an American teen has managed to get in touch with a Foxconn contact in order to acquire official iPhone 4 front and back panels, in white.
The news came through the vine as the online site selling the parts has become quite famous in the past couple of days. Despite the fact that Apple has already sent letters to the site owner to stop selling the panels, the parts are still available today; considering how menacing the legal arm of Apple could be, the site might want to consider shutting down or end up paying a considerable amount of possible damages in court fees.
For those interested in the getting the panels, the front and back parts are being sold separately and as a set –which is perfect for those who want to maintain the older look of the original back panel that comes with the device. Since the parts are originally made for Apple, they fit perfectly with the iPhone 4.
RIM’s CEO Talks Up a Storm
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
We are all for free speech, but when it comes to making comments about Cupertino based Apple, there are certain times when one has to wonder, is it worth the inevitable tirade?
Jim Balsillie, the current CEO of Canada based Research in Motion seems like he certainly thinks so as he stated that mobile browsing should not require the use of apps –which is obviously a remark against Apple’s heavy reliance on apps to deliver a half decent browsing experience. While we most certainly agree with Jim, and many smart phone users would also see the truth in the statement, it still feels like this is not exactly the time for this.
Balsillie maybe ballsy, but this is only fitting if he wants to have another passive-aggressive argument through media announcements against the Steve Jobs –who seems to be the frontline contender for being the most tactless big shot in the industry. We have all seen this before, with the previous Google versus Apple and the Adobe versus Apple events. And even RIM is no stranger to this –considering that Jobs practically made enemies out of every other company in the industry during the antennagate issue.
While the arguments against Apple all hold true, the fact that the Cupertino giant is still making more money than most of its competitors is a sign that even when Jobs may be in the wrong in terms of technology, his marketing genius is undoubtedly unmatched –at the very least, Apple branded products have a definite strength of marketability that no other brand can meet.
If the market actually listened to tech reviewers and industry leaders more, then maybe the RIM CEO’s remark may have a real impact. However, the fact is that none of this will ever dissuade Apple fans from buying Jobs’ creations. With the iPhone sales easily overwhelming BlackBerry’s humble figures, it will be hard to burst the Steve Jobs bubble.
NFC Technology in Our Mobile Phones
Wednesday, November 17th, 2010There is no doubt that near field communications (NFC) technology is the next big thing for portable electronic devices. Not just mobile phones mind you, this applies to plenty of other handheld electronics such as tablets, gaming devices, and media players. Of course, the implementation of the technology is still a little far down the road, right now, manufacturers have only begun to start adding in the hardware to next generation devices.
The NFC excitement pretty much drew on the initial news that earlier this year, Apple started venturing into it. After a small company acquisition, Apple now holds the patents and technologies to some NFC-specific hardware. There are plenty of rumors that the next iPhone will have embedded NFC capable hardware.
But the Cupertino based company is not alone, Finish phone maker (and largest one to boot) Nokia has already taken the initiative to actually make a mobile device that actually has the necessary hardware: the Nokia C7. Of course, actually being able to use the NFC chip is currently disabled on the device, though the latest update is that it will be activated with an upcoming patch.
Lastly, Google has confirmed that the Gingerbread OS is prepared for using NFC and some Gingerbread specific handsets will be launched –packed with NFC hardware. This means that the fastest growing operating system, Android, will also be NNFC ready pretty soon.
Judging from that, it is pretty easy to see how the NFC can be easily spread out. The only question now is how the technology will be used. One of the most basic, yet really important functions that the feature could serve is direct device connectivity. While WiFi and Bluetooth have both proven to be reliable, NFC promises a faster and stronger connection –with the slight compromise of device proximity.