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Monthly Archives: August 2009
QOTD: Text speak?
Do you use text speak on your phone or even on desktop computers? I never got the hang of it and still can’t bring myself to shorten any words because it just doesn’t feel right. Mega LOLs!
Could two smartphones be more different? Curve 8520 v iPhone
My recent experience with the BlackBerry Curve 8520 highlighted the good and bad points of my other phone, the iPhone, perfectly. Each excels where the other fails and I so wish someone would make a smartphone which can do it all. Here’s the evidence-
PIM
iPhone: dreadful, pitiful, awful. I could go on, but doing anything calendar or task related is akin to an elephant trying to open a bag of crisps. 2/10
BlackBerry: wonderful, super-quick, perfectly presented. You get the idea- adding a calendar entry, searching for notes and doing anything else PIM related is as good as I could wish for. I know some of you hate the BlackBerry calendar and I respect that, but you are wrong… 8/10
BATTERY
iPhone: just about manages a day for me. Not replaceable either so I am waiting for the day when it finally dies. 3/10
BlackBerry: a small battery, but the life is in another class compared to the iPhone. Replaceable as well so long term usage is almost guaranteed. 8/10
MEDIA
iPhone: very good indeed and the video playback is close to the best on the market. Music- 8/10, Video- 9/10
BlackBerry: video playback is actually quite good for a QVGA screen, but the music side is appalling. Music- 2/10. Video- 5/10
THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE
iPhone: need I say anything? 9/10
BlackBerry: there is a top class software offering in almost every genre i.e. Ascendo Money, but the entire range is still limited in overall quality and choice. 5/10
DATA ENTRY
iPhone: never did get the hang of it. Could be worse, but could be a whole lot better. 4/10
BlackBerry: a personal preference, but I seriously like BlackBerry keyboards and the new optical navigation key is superb. 9/10
SCREEN
iPhone: brilliant in all conditions and great to the touch. Not the best on the market, but pretty close. 8/10
BlackBerry: very good in all conditions, but non-touch and quite small. 6/10
VALUE
iPhone: expensive, but you get what you pay for and it compares well to other smartphones at the same price point. 9/10
BlackBerry: as a workhorse it is difficult to criticise in the value stakes. 9/10
Comparing these two phones is like comparing chalk and cheese, but each shows up the flaws in the other. The fact that they are aimed at completely different markets does not change the fact that they work in some areas and fail in others. I know I keep banging on about it, but one day we will get a smartphone which works and plays in equal measure.
Nokia 5230 announced
Nokia has announced the 5230 which is a budget touch screen device for those that prize photos, music and video above all else. 149 euros is not a lot for any phone that can do what this one does.
“New Delhi, India and Espoo, Finland – The latest addition in the Nokia touch phone portfolio, the Nokia 5230, is designed for those who lead an active life and use their mobile phone as their primary instrument for music, photos and videos, as well as sharing their lives online. With the Nokia 5230, consumers can get new content, be it songs from the Nokia Music Store or apps, games, videos and other services from the Ovi Store, directly from their phones. The solutions offering is complemented by A-GPS navigation and the latest version of Ovi Maps with aerial images, 3D landmarks for over 200 cities and terrain map views for pedestrian and drive navigation.
“Competitively priced at 149 EUR, we believe the Nokia 5230 is an unbeatable offer for many new customers who aspire a device that stars in music, mingles with social networks from Facebook to MySpace, navigates you to where it happens, when it happens, and comes in an array of dazzling colors, ” said Jo Harlow, Vice President, Nokia.
Visiting the Ovi Store from the Nokia 5230 is a breeze. Ovi Store is conveniently accessible from the home screen of the phone and customers can immediately begin downloading and personalizing their phones with popular apps and games to make their phone more fun. New apps, games, videos, and more are added regularly and Ovi Store can be enjoyed on more than 75 Nokia devices and has active users from more than 180 countries.
The Nokia 5230 features an easy to use music player with 33 hours of playback time. In select markets the Nokia 5230 will include Comes With Music service offering truly unbeatable value with all you can eat music. The recommended price of the Nokia 5230 with the Comes With Music service will be 259 EUR before subsidies and taxes. For a mighty music experience, any headphones with a 3.5mm AV connector can be used. In addition, the Nokia 5230 features a Media Bar with quick access to your favorite media and applications, such as music, photos, YouTube or Ovi Share.
The innovative Contacts bar features thumbnail images for up to 20 close friends and provides easy access to them and their communications history including emails, phone calls, photos or other social media updates.
The Nokia 5230 is expected to begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2009.”
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BerryScroll for the Storm
BerryScroll is designed for the BlackBerry Storm and performs one small task, but it is a highly useful one…
“BerryScroll brings flick scrolling to your BlackBerry Storm.
Finally have what iPhone users have always been raving about.
Flick scrolling, one of the #1 requested features by the BlackBerry community allows you to scroll faster by a simple flick of your finger.
BerryScroll currently supports the BlackBerry browser, contacts, phone app (contacts and call log) and the media app (music and ringtones).”
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Iris Mobile for WM to be dropped
It looks as though Iris Mobile for Windows Mobile will be dropped following its purchase by RIM. Am I the only one who didn’t rate it for WM?
From coolsmartphone- ” Iris has been part of the fairly healthy choice of WinMo browsers for a good while now, but it looks like that’s to end. Research In Motion (RIM, the Blackberry guys) bought the company very recently and, following a message on their site, it looks like Iris for WinMo will be dropped.
Torch Mobile spokesman George Staikos told wmexperts.com…
“The company will no longer continue developing for Windows Mobile or Windows-CE.”
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Swebapps: anyone can build an iPhone app
Want to build your own iPhone app, but can’t program a single line of code? Swebapps may have the answer and offers a range of services from just $200 to get you started. It is not easy to see what the quality if like, but it may tempt some…
» Update your application content in real time with your user management system.
» Track your application usage with the App Tracker.
» Track how many downloads you’ve had, what buttons have been selected, and more.
» Customize your app and design your own buttons – follow the specs and upload.
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CorePlayer Mobile updated
CorePlayer Mobile for Palm OS has received a new update and is without doubt the premier video app for this platform. Updates are also available on other platforms.
“CorePlayer Mobile is at the center of the CoreCodec Universe for playing multimedia on your mobile phone, portable media players, PDA, GPS or convergence device. CorePlayer is truly the next-generation in multimedia playback. Its simple yet powerful interface and advanced features is designed to empower the CoreCodec community.
See why the Chicago Suntimes times says that it, “actually has a user interface designed with bipeds in mind” and why companies like Joost are using CorePlayer technology!”
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QOTD: Mobile PIM?
Do you use your smartphones calendar more than your desktop/online counterpart? For me, the desktop calendar has become little more than a backup to me smartphones calendar which is used all of the time for my organisation
Serious v Fun
The entire reason that PDAs and smartphones originally existed was to get work done. Over time this focus has changed to try and make smartphones all round entertainment and work devices, but has anyone managed to achieve the Holy Grail and make a device which does both well?
iPhone: great entertainment, poor PIM no matter how many apps there are on the market. Until Apple opens up alarms etc. we will still have poor PIM.
BlackBerry Bold: the nearest we have to the Holy Grail. Great entertainment, great PIM, but let down by poor gaming and a general lack of third party software.
Android: Very close to being the best. Good entertainment, good PIM software, but not enough hardware options to give the workers what they really need.
Symbian: OK for work, but the calendar and contacts are still not great. Entertainment titles are also lacking, especially games.
Windows Mobile: Good PIM and many entertainment options. In theory the best, but for some reason it is not…
webOS: Superb PIM, not enough third party titles to offer a judgement on its entertainment capabilities.
So, there we have it. There is no answer because no mobile platform has managed to truly nail both the serious and fun aspects of smartphone ownership. Some have come close, others are getting closer and a future HTC Android device with a hardware keyboard is likely to be the one that reaches this not often discussed finish line first.
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Smart Email Viewer for BlackBerry
The default BlackBerry messaging software is not liked by many because it offers little customisation and is fairly bland to use. Smart Email Viewer changes some of that and is currently on sale for a MUCH reduced price. Worth a punt?
“Smart Email Viewer permits you the configuration, the way you want to read emails. If you are bored in reading cluttered & scrawled emails on the blackberry and seeking help as someone can assist you through, Smart Email Viewer is there, and that is the ultimate one you were waiting for. Using Smart Email Viewer you can customize emails viewer looking as you wish to watch. It will help to clearer your emails those you can easily read. It will display the Images, Smiley’s perfectly on email. Also that is totally configurable, you can change the font style, font color, font size, background, Subject body color and few more. So isn’t it the ultimate way, you can read emails exactly you want?
So why are you waiting for, get hurry and grab that ultimate flavor. Its guaranty you will have fun always while you will start using it!”
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Nokia Booklet 3G brings all day mobility to the PC world
I’m a bit late with this one, but the new Booklet 3G from Nokia is important for many reasons. It is obviously a departure for Nokia and the 12 hour battery life is a huge bonus. Reminds me of the original Psion netbook which had a similar battery performance.
Espoo, Finland – After more than 25 years as a pioneer and leader in the mobile industry, Nokia will bring its rich mobility heritage and knowledge to the PC world with the new, Windows based, Nokia Booklet 3G.
Powered by the efficient Intel Atom processor, the Nokia Booklet 3G delivers impressive performance with up to 12 hours of battery life, enabling people to leave their power cable behind and still be connected and productive. Delivering the rich experience of a full-function PC inside an ultra-portable aluminum chassis, the new mini-laptop weighs 1.25 kilograms, measures slightly more than two centimeters thin, and has the features one would expect from the world’s leading mobile device manufacturer. A broad range of connectivity options – including 3G/ HSPA and Wi-Fi – gives consumers high speed access to the Internet, including Nokia’s broad suite of Ovi services, and allows them to make the most of every moment and every opportunity.
“A growing number of people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility,” said Kai Oistamo, Nokia’s Executive Vice President for Devices. “We are in the business of connecting people and the Nokia Booklet 3G is a natural evolution for us. Nokia has a long and rich heritage in mobility and with the outstanding battery life, premium design and all day, always on connectivity, we will create something quite compelling. In doing so we will make the personal computer more social, more helpful and more personal.”
The mini-laptop also comes with an HDMI port for HD video out, a front facing camera for video calling, integrated Bluetooth and an easily accessible SD card reader. Other premium features include the 10-inch glass HD ready display and integrated A-GPS which, working with the Ovi Maps gadget, can pinpoint your position in seconds and open up access for a truly personal maps experience. The Nokia Booklet 3G also brings a number of other rich Ovi experiences to life, whether its access and playback of millions of tracks through the Nokia Music Store, or using Ovi Suite to sync seamlessly from your Nokia smartphone, to your mini-laptop, to the cloud.
The Nokia Booklet 3G will widen the Nokia portfolio, satisfying a need in the operator channel, and bringing another important ingredient in the move towards becoming a mobile solutions company.
Further information, including detailed specifications, market availability and pricing, will be announced at Nokia World on September 2. For more information on Nokia World, visit: http://events.nokia.com/nokiaworld/home.htm.
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Frogger and Pole Position: Remix reduced for iPhone
Two retro iPhone titles are now on sale. Frogger has been reduced to $1.99 / $1.19 and Pole Position: Remix to $2.99 / £1.79 which represents good value for each title. More at The iPhone blog.
“Feeling a bit retro lately? Well look no further than these two great games from the 1980’s that are currently on sale in the App Store – Konami’s 1981 arcade hit Frogger and Namco’s 1982 arcade racer Pole Position.”
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QOTD: Smartphone owning friends?
We have asked this question before, but the answer changes over time. How many people that you know own smartphones and has the number increased over the past year? I now know a few who have the iPhone, BlackBerrys and the smarter Nokia devices whereas a year ago I knew hardly any.
Travelling abroad and staying connected
Being connected all of the time is a state of being we come to expect in 2009, and our smartphones more and more demand this connectivity to run most of the software and hardware features embedded within.
By the time you read this I will be abroad with my family on holiday, and my experience of trying to keep my phone connected to check emails and update the site has been somewhat tortuous. The costs for voice and text are fairly clear and a quick brush over the main UK operator websites is enough to let me know where I stand. Data, however, is far from easy to work out and so I resorted to phone calls to see where I stand.
I have a PAYG iPhone and a contract Vodafone account and so decided to check out the options. Data is not cheap when abroad-
O2- I was quoted £3 per MB for data and some fairly high charges for voice and text.
Vodafone- £5 for first 25MB and then £5 per MB thereafter. Voice calls and texts are standard rates due to the passport service.
So, the iPhone will be getting little use during my holiday and the BlackBerry will be resurrected for a couple of weeks. If I can find Wi-Fi that will help, but there is little doubt that those of us who live in a connected world will struggle to cope with the charges when abroad, and I am sure many just leave their phones alone when travelling.
How about you? Do you still use your phone when abroad or are the charges too restrictive?
Slow news…
News may be slower than normal for the next two weeks due to a family holiday abroad. Apparently Wi-Fi may be available so you may not notice a difference. Will see how good the holiday is and if I am having too much fun to thinks about phones…
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