Author Archives: Janine

Frank Meehan: pretty girls don’t use Android phones

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Janine

Frank Meehan is the founder of INQ. He is also responsible for the following comment- “If you go to a nightclub in any city in the world, the pretty girl has an iPhone or a BlackBerry. She doesn’t have an Android phone. She has no emotional attachment to an Android phone. It’s too complicated. It’s a geek device, it’s all wrong.”

I own an Android phone. Some guys think I’m hot. And I wouldn’t think that a man wearing an M&S suit and a corporate hairstyle would be able to judge what makes a pretty girl tick anyway. And he is making a Facebook phone. We all need one of them don’t we? Janine.

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HP walks on the wild side

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Janine

I like Lou Reed. I like webOS. And I like the new advert from HP which proclaims the goodness in both. Shame the advert is a few months early (video below). Janine.

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Borders bankrupt, Waterstones woeful, eBooks at fault?

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Janine

The paper book industry is showing signs of trouble and I believe the eBook is to blame? I read elsewhere that book reading is on the up so why are so many established retailers of books in trouble? Shaun wrote about HMV and Waterstones recently and now it looks like Borders will follow suit into the murky world of lawyers, bankruptcy and doing everything they can to stay viable. The Kindle is probably the main culprit in a sea of eBook readers and services and the digital consumption momentum is not stopping anytime. Bye bye Borders, wish you well Waterstones. The Kindle is killing you… Janine.

“On Wednesday, Borders – the venerable book retailer of four decades – filed for bankruptcy protection, a reality that leaves a gaping hole in the already-floundering world of print books and publications.”

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Microsoft Surface on a BlackBerry PlayBook

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Janine

Ooh. Little tricks with screens do get me excited from time to time and the video demo (below) of Scrapbook running on a BlackBerry PlayBook has ticked my boxes. It’s like a little Microsoft Surface on a tablet and I like very much. Janine.

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Handwrite notes for your iPhone with a real pen

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Janine

SHOT NOTE is a paper notepad with a free iOS app. You write your notes and then store them in Evernote. The video below explains the process which is either a slice of genius or a crackpot idea that will end up as a very small footnote in the cupboard of crackpot ideas that were plain stupid. I want one! Janine.

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ZTE skates over the budget ramp

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Janine

Shaun thinks that ZTE will be the new HTC and I disagreed with this line of thinking until the sprouts of better things emerged today- the ZTE Skate.

The press release below tells you what you need to know and the specifications are what we need to see from a company with big ambitions. Maybe he was right all along which is annoying:)

14 February 2011, Shenzhen – ZTE Corporation, a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today launched its flagship Android smart phone, Skate, at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona. The company also announced its new “Light Your Smart World” strategy, under which ZTE will promote its entire range of signature smart products, including tablet devices, internet TV boxes and smart phones.

Inspired by the skateboard, the ZTE Skate is fashionably thin and lightweight at only 120g, featuring a large 4.3-inch screen to provide an optimal web surfing experience to consumers. It uses the Android 2.3 operating system, an 800MHz processor and the Adreno 200 graphics processing unit (GPU) to support the widescreen, high- definition display. In addition, the ZTE Skate also incorporates a 5MP camera, multimedia Bluetooth extension, A-GPS capability, hardware compass, and G-sensor.
The open Android operating system ensures that Skate can run an extensive range of apps, meeting not only the in-depth customization needs of operators, but also providing a user-friendly UI, and convenient and powerful multimedia features. Skate supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 900/1800/1900MHz and HSDPA/UMTS at 900/ 2100MHz, as well as WiFi internet access.
The ZTE Skate is expected to be available from May 2011 in markets worldwide. The smart phone launch also kicks off ZTE’s “Light Your Smart World” smart product strategy.
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