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Monthly Archives: May 2010
Cellphones Now Used More for Data Than for Calls
In what is possibly one of the most obvious conclusions ever, the New York Times has published an article proclaiming that cellphones are now used for data more than voice calls.
“She taps out her grocery lists, records voice memos, listens to music at the gym, tracks her caloric intake and posts frequent updates to her Twitter and Facebook accounts.
The one thing she doesn’t use her cellphone for? Making calls.
“I probably only talk to someone verbally on it once a week,” said Mrs. Colburn, a 40-year-old marketing consultant in Canton, Mass., who has an iPhone…”
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QOTD: PIM?
Do you think that the PIM solutions available on smartphones today are as good as the solutions from a few years back? I think that they are on the whole and look forward to iPhone OS 4.0 which will enable developers to enhance this area greatly. We may see even better PIM solutions in the near future than we have seen before, and I have heard that the big players from the past are already working hard on this.
Retro review: Palm V
PDAs were clunky ugly things that geeks carried around in their pockets to organise themselves and to play games and just fiddle with. They were seen as ultra-geeky and generally not for the mainstream. Palm saw this and released the Palm V in 1999 to much acclaim.
We can look at the measly 16Mhz processor, the paltry 2MB of flash memory and the monochrome 160 x 160 pixel screen and wonder how we worked with such a device, but we did and so did millions of others. In 1999 the Palm V was the coolest mobile device on the market by far and from the ground up was designed upon giving the owner a slim device which could slip in and out of a pocket with ease. It was designed to be practical with four large buttons below the screen and to feel great in the hand. Strangely the materials and feel show that material design was not up to what we see now and it does not quite look as well put together as I remember. Imagine a DeLorean sports car and you will know what I mean- was super sleek at the time, but fast forward 10 years and it doesn’t look quite as good as it did at the time.
Using one again after so many years brings back lots of memories and a few surprises. It is naturally much bigger than I remember, especially width, but retains the sleek look that belies the fact it was created in 1999. It is an odd mix of sleek hardware married to simplistic software which really does highlight the era from which it came. Palm OS in 1999 was incredibly basic and viewed now feels like an operating system which is not capable of much. However, the overwhelming feeling is one of a clever set of applications that are designed to do specific things in the most efficient way possible. Everything from the calendar to the memo app is understated and focuses completely on core usage. This is not far from the view Apple has today in terms of PIM apps.
I played around with Palm Desktop and this does indeed feel archaic, but it works and within minutes I had eReader, SplashMoney and a few other old favourites installed. Using these apps feels strange on a screen with such a low resolution, but the crucial aspect is that they work and provide an eReader of financial management solution which is enough to achieve what you need to. The real surprise was how quickly I was using Grafitti again- it took no time at all to start inputting calendar entries and the like, and there is merit in an input system which is as quick and easy to use as Grafitti is (was).
The limitations of the time are obvious today; no wireless, no expansion memory and a need for a desktop computer to get the most out of it, but this setup made us want more thus gave companies like Palm something to aim for. It wasn’t long before expandable memory arrived along with colour high-resolution screens and then we made the move to wireless which would change things forever.
It is hard to imagine that this PDA was by far the smallest available at the time because it is still a sizable chunk and when I take a look back at some of the others I expect to once again see the Palm V for what it was- a super stylish PDA which enabled the user to manage their lives and to have a little bit of fun along the way. This was probably the high point for Palm though because little changed on the software front for a few years to come.
Snap of the week
The winner of last week’s best smartphone snap is Jenny who produced a stunning scene on her iPhone and she will take homne $10 of software of her choice. All you need to do is send in a photo taken with your smartphone, tell us what phone it was taken with (and / or with which software) and the best one received each week will receive $10 of smartphone software of their choice. A new photo will be published every day and the decision on the previous week’s winner will be made each Monday. Photos needs to be sent to shaun (at) mailstm.co.uk. Good luck!
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PES 2010 heading to the iPhone
When it comes to console football games, Pro Evolution Soccer is king and now it looks as though it will be heading to the iPhone soon. This is from the Konami blog- “It was a great honour for the whole studio to be trusted by PES Productions for a platform like the iPhone. We had fought for this, submitting specific designs, travelling to Tokyo to discuss with the executive producers about how we would approach such a renowned and hugely popular franchise on the iPhone. Now it was real, we were the “chosen ones”!
But where would we start? First, study the game on all platforms, then concentrate on portable devices and touch screen features, then start a tough pre-production phase. It was decided not to “port” the game from any existing version; we wanted the iPhone/iPod touch game to be its own special one.
The good news for us was that we could use previous PES games for reference. And we quickly agreed that we should target the quality of the PSP versions. Firstly because we thought graphics on the PSP looked fabulous, secondly because of the iPhone’s processing speed and display capacities being potentially comparable to those of a “small” PSP…”
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Myst and Riven for Windows Mobile bundled, price dropped
Mean Hamster Software has bundled Myst and Riven for Windows Mobile and reduced the price from $44.98 to only $24.99. Two classic titles for one very, very good price.
“Myst was-and still remains-a true revolution in the gaming industry as it broke new ground by combining story, photo-realistic graphics, and the challenge of solving integrated puzzles together in a form accessible to the masses. All requiring average computers and without the prerequisite of gaming knowledge or experience.
Myst simply and convincingly tells the story of a family in conflict. Atrus holds the key to the D’ni, a collapsed civilization that lived for thousands of years beneath the surface of earth. The power of the D’ni was their remarkable Art of Writing, which Atrus has now mastered…”
“Riven, the sequel to Myst, is a visual feast with an immersive storyline. Stunning landscapes conceal dark secrets and challenging puzzles. Players must rely on all their senses as they journey through this fantasic world. Indeed, Riven must become your world if you are to progress through it successfully.
A man, Atrus, needs your help. His wife, Catherine, has been abducted by Gehn. Your mission seems relatively straightforward: capture Gehn and bring back Catherine. However, as you arrive on Riven, you quickly realize that capturing Gehn will be more difficult than you thought. The “prison book” Atrus gave you to imprison Gehn is stolen immediately by a strange man. You decide that exploring the bizarre and beautiful world of Riven is now your only viable option…”
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Gameloft free app of the day: not working?
So far I have tried to download two of the free Gameloft iPhone titles available as part of its 10th anniversary celebration. So far neither has worked and I just get an error screen every single time. Are you having better luck than me?
BlackBerry tablet on the way. Think Palm Foleo.
Boy Genius has got some exclusive info on the BlackBerry tablet and if true, it is a major let down. It appears to be a companion device to a BlackBerry smartphone rather than a standalone tablet, but should have Wi-Fi built in. If BlackBerry OS6.0 fixes the entertainment lapses in the current OS then it has a chance, but even then I can’t see it competing with the iPad.
Sony Ericsson X10 Mini now on Vodafone site
The Sony Ericsson X10 Mini is now official on the main Vodafone site. There is no pre-order date yet, but you have to love the idea of such a small phone packing so many features.
The Sony Ericsson X10 mini is packed with smart features that make your life a lot easier. You can set up your home screens exactly how you want them – creating shortcuts to your favourite apps, contacts and websites.
Get instant Facebook updates. Watch movie trailers. Or use Shazam to name that music track. You’ll also find all kinds of apps to download in the Android Market.
Love keeping in touch with friends and family? The X10 mini puts all your texts, emails, calls and Facebook updates in one place. And when you’ve caught up with everyone, your tiny phone slips easily into your pocket – even when you’re wearing your skinny jeans.
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QOTD: Quickest Data Entry?
Which form of data entry has been quickest for you on a mobile? I never got the hang of T9, got on quite well with Palm Graffiti and am getting better with the iPhone keyboard. However, the Bold 9700 hardware keyboard is still the quickest of any system I have used to date.
From lazy 1980′s afternoons to Hit ‘n’ Run
Back in the day when I was 15 years old, my parents bestowed upon me a gift that would make the weekly Woodwork classes at school bearable. It was a watch (Casio I think) that could play a simple racing game which involved dodging oncoming cars- that’s it. It did little else apart from tell the time, but I was king of my class for a few short weeks until the buzz died down. The year was 1985 and to play a game on a watch was the equivalent of Microsoft squeezing Windows 7 onto a watch today. I fondly remember that game and am sure that if I played it again now I would be hugely disappointed at what I thought was great at the time. Fortunately I don’t need to do that and can look to Hit ‘n’ Run for the iPhone instead.
I had seen the game mentioned on a few sites, but initially dismissed it as too simple to be capable of providing a long term challenge. Two minutes after I bought it I was hooked, and so was my son, and so was my wife. We all know that simple games can provide the most enjoyment of which Bejeweled, Doodle Jump and WordPop! are prime examples, but Hit ‘n’ Run takes an idea from the 1980’s, adds a twist to it and for good measure a wonderful soundtrack alongside near perfect 3D graphics.
The premise is simple; you drive a car along a motorway (of freeway or whatever you call it where you live) and have to avoid hitting the other vehicles. However, if your car is red you need to hit as many red vehicles as possible at which point it will likely change to another colour and you then have to hit cars that correspond to your current colour. At times the action becomes frantic, but there is more. On the hard shoulders there are bonus targets that can turn your car into a ghost for a few seconds; here you can hit any car and not lose a life. Heavy traffic is another bonus that pops up, but like the ‘Speed up’ bonus it is far from a good thing. One useful bonus is the faster hard shoulder which means you can avoid as many cars as you like and keep up with the traffic. Normally moving onto the hard shoulder would slow you down and this causes potential crashes when you rejoin the main motorway.
Hit ‘n’ Run is a simple game moulded from the classic gaming days of the past, but one which has been brought bang up to date and it is as much fun as I remember my Casio watch to be all those years ago. HIGHLY recommended.
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Sharp Develops 3D Camera Module for Mobile Devices
Sharp has developed a 3D camer module for mobile devices capable of capturing high definition 3D video. I guess we could see this technology become commonplace soon, but let’s get 2D mobile cameras of a consistent quality first please.
Sharp Corporation has developed a 3D camera module for mobile devices capable of capturing high-definition (720p*2) 3D video images, an industry first. Sharp will start shipping samples in July. Mass production of these modules will begin within 2010.
3D images are composed of two views taken using two cameras that simultaneously capture separate images for the right and left eyes. Consequently, a 3D camera requires peripheral circuitry to apply image processing to the two images, for example, to adjust color or to correct positioning between the images from the two cameras. Manufacturers have thus been pursuing designs that reduce the size and weight of 3D cameras and seeking ways to shorten their development period.
The current 3D camera module developed by Sharp incorporates functions to process the image data output by the left and right cameras, including Color Synchronizing Processing to adjust color and brightness, Timing Synchronizing Processing to synchronize the timing of the video signals, and Optical Axis Control Processing to correct positioning. In addition, Fast Readout Technology rapidly transfers video data from the image sensor, enabling 3D images to be captured in high-resolution HD mode. Further, in developing this camera module, Sharp applied high-density mounting technology nurtured over long years of experience in camera module development to achieve a compact form. Embedding this camera module in mobile devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones, and smartphones will contribute to the development of a wide range of new, innovative communications tools.
In the future, Sharp will be opening up new 3D markets based on 3D display technologies, including small/medium-size and large-size 3D LCDs, as well as on 3D input device technologies such as 3D camera modules.
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From Windows Mobile to Android
Jon from Clove has written his story of moving from Windows Mobile to Android and it makes for a useful read for those of you also considering the move. I have met Jon for coffee a couple of times and do hope that my continual taking the p*ss out of his HTC Snap had nothing to do with it…
“This article is not intended to give a full run down of the Desire and why you should or should not own one, there are many of those on the web already. My intention here is to simply provide an honest and trustworthy explanation of my experience of moving from Windows Mobile to Google Android and why the HTC Desire has made that transition so simple.
Constantly developing technology makes it difficult sometime to decide what the best thing to do is but recently I took the plunge to store all my data online. No more syncing to a PC, all my personal contacts, calendar etc all stored in the ‘cloud’ no longer on my desktop. I know there are security risks but I am not a CEO of a billion $ corporation nor am I a spy for the MI5, so if anyone should want my data they clearly have little going for them in their life and really will be unimpressed and should this happen no-one will get hurt!”
MobiMessage for WM
MobiMessage for WM seems to have potential and if you can understand the following developer discription give it a go. Discounted to $4.99 intil 21st May.
“It provides such professional functions and full of service as hiding and sending encrypting short message, filter harmful and spam short message, hiding short message from VIP automatically, displaying content which edited by yourself, creative chat model, chat system like MSN, sending a group of short messages and so on. Perfect interface and strong function can be replaced original short message procedure and all of encrypting management software of short message in the market.”
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HTC sues Apple
I made a sarcastic comment the other day about Nokia’s latest lawsuit and called it ‘smartphone lawsuit of the week’. I think it may be time to change that to ‘smartphone lawsuit of the day’. HTC has now popped one on Apple…
HTC Corporation today took legal action against Apple Inc., filing a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) to halt the importation and sale of the iPhone, iPad and iPod in the United States.
“As the innovator of the original Windows Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition in 2002 and the first Android smartphone in 2008, HTC believes the industry should be driven by healthy competition and innovation that offer consumers the best, most accessible mobile experiences possible,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of North America, HTC Corporation. “We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones.”
HTC’s commitment to innovation has continued for more than a decade as it has focused on building a portfolio of the world’s most advanced smartphones that are inspired by consumers and provide them with a variety of choices in software, design, form-factor, price and wireless carrier. Today, consumers in the United States can choose between 12 HTC smartphones with the national wireless carriers. HTC has continuously strived to bring innovative smartphone choices to consumers, like the recently unveiled HTC EVO 4G with Sprint, DROID Incredible by HTC with Verizon Wireless and the HTC HD2 with T-Mobile.
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