Today is smartphone market graph day. Every website I check out has there own pretty version of the same information.
Nothing really new to see. Nokia is still king followed by RIM and Apple. Why post it then? Mainly because it has been a boring news week and the graphs are pretty.
Jump over to GIGAOM to check them out.
Once upon a time a company called o2 (not the isp) released the Atom, a Windows smartphone like no other. It was small yet had a processor
that was fast enough to compare to a computer I had only replaced a year before. It was a hackers delight, with hundreds of applications and the ability to customise almost everything. I could say it had flaws, but what could I compare it to at that time?
Going forward, many new Windows smartphones would come ahead of it with only minimal changes. The problem was, other companies were now making better smartphones. Blackberry was superior at data compression, Apple superior at user experience and Android superior at price (can’t beat free).
Microsoft needed something drastic to recover their ever shrinking market. they force out yet another incremential update titled windows mobile 6.5. Reviewers were underwhelded by the same old experience. The face had changed but after a single press you were brought back to the same 10 year old techology.
So skipping forward again we now have word of windows mobile 7. Though still in rumor stage the idea is enough get me excited.
A rewrite of the kernel. A new user interface that is similar thought the whole device. A standard hardware experience across the board and no backwards support for old applications.
Wait what? No backwards support, but that was the whole reason you didn’t go apple years go.
I am glad to hear this. On an apple device, all software has a similar experience. The buttons and fonts are similar. The menus and options are similar. This is because apple knows users want a safe familar experience. My guess is this where microsoft is heading (also they will probably have something similar palm for legacy emulation) in that general direction. With a similar SDK and the ability to quickly add to the Marketplace, it would grow quickly.
With market share being lost hourly, I hope that Microsoft can pull a finger out and release a product that I don’t feel ashamed to carry around in my pocket.
Via [Gizmodo]
I’m sorry Google fanboys. I know you expected a miracle from the god machine, but it seems that Google has simply made a phone.
The first full fledged Google Nexus review is in and guess what, it is a solid smartphone, but it’s an evolution and not a revolution. Engadget gave it much praise for build quality and performance, but under all the added flash that Google have added is the same Android 2 OS that the Droid (and Milestone) use. That isn’t bad news if you like Android. If you expected the Google phone to teleport you into the future where you become instantly better looking to the opposite sex, and gain copious amount of respect from your peers, then you may be a little disappointed.
Via [Engadget]
To start I better introduce the upcoming phone from Sony Ericsson. The XPERIA X1 (so many X’s) is the first stab at a Windows Mobile by Sony Ericsson and from the look of it, it will be an impressive device. It has a 3-inch wide VGA (800 x 480) touchscreen display, 3.2 megapixel camera (with LED flash), A2DP Bluetooth, aGPS, WiFi, 400mb internal memory and a microSD slot (no M2 slot?). It also features a QWERTY keyboard, which slides out in an ark fashion.
The reason I am attracted to such a device, is because I was a big Sony Clie fan. They were a damn good PDA, made solid and had great features. If the XPERIA series of mobiles can have the PDA functions the Clie had, with good wireless features and a build quality, this will definitely be a killer device. The only little thing that worries me, is this isn’t made by SE. The company who actually make this beautiful device, is no other then HTC, who seems to make most companies Windows Mobiles (they made the Treo’s you know).
No prices or reviews as yet. I will keep and eye open, and will get you an update as soon as there is one.
For the press release, slide over to Sony Ericsson.
iPhone and Windows Mobile might be the buzz words when it comes smartphones. It seems that both of those companies together couldn’t match the true leader in smartphone operating systems. I am talking about the all powerful Symbian OS. In 2007 alone they shipped 77.3 Million devices, and can be found on over 141 handsets. They also recorded a 50% growth over 2006! Who would have funked it?
For more info, click over to Engadget.
If you aren’t familiar with the Smartphone And Pocket PC Mag software awards, then this is a good time to find out about them. Every year they do a run around and grab as much Pocket PC (and Smartphone) applications, utilities and games as they can, and then setup a cage match to see who is the best. They have just completed the 2007 addition and have thrown it up on their website for all to see. If you have a Smartphone or Pocket PC then I definitely recommend you go over and have a perusal.
The software awards can be found at the Smartphone Pocket PC Mag website.
If you aren’t familiar with the Neonode product, you can’t be blamed. It was one of those devices that everyone oowed and aared at before it was set back so many times, that it didn’t really have the advances by the time it had come out. This time it could be a completely different story with the FCC showing up what will be titled the Neonode N2. What we currently have is that the smartphone will be tiny (under 5cm wide), with a 2-inch touchscreen (I thought my 2.4-inch screen was hard to use, imagine losing even more real estate!), 2 megapixel camera, a miniSD card slot, and quad-band GSM / GPRS capabilities. That is all we have, but you will get your update when I know more.
For more info and pictures, click on over to the Engadget Blog.
Personally I think the thing is cheap looking and ugly (the Treo looked much nicer), but what do the good people over at Engadget thing? They seem to think for the price range it isn’t too bad and were quoted as saying “brainy teens, casual tinkerers, and young technophiles of all suits will probably be stoked on the wide variety of options for the money” and “power users, early adopters, and those seriously jaded by Palm’s inability to really deliver something new might want to look elsewhere”. Doesn’t seem like my sort of thing, but check out the review anyway.
Fore the complete review, click over to the Engadget Blog.
For the people who have played with the ETEN X800, and found it to be a great smartphone (like many have), then you may be a little excited to hear about the replacement to the Glowfish X800. The replacement will be titled Glowfish M800 (X comes after M doesn’t it?), and will get a few updates upon the previous model.
Upgrades include a QWERTY keyboard, 500 Mhz processor and 256MB ROM will now be included. It will still include the VGA display (640×480), GPS (SiRFstar III) and HSDPA shared with the X800. Still in question is the amount of RAM (64MB is so 2002), battery life and the build quality.
Could be a good deal, especially seeing it will be verily well priced (compared to what most people would pay for a smartphone), with an expected retail of around $US850. If you are excited it should hit shelves around November of this year.
For more info, slide over to the Mobility Site.
By now I’m sure you have all read all the iPhone news thats come out. It isn’t even the latest device anymore with the whole new iPod lineup (for another whinge). You have heard that it can be hacked, unlocked and a slew of other unpleasant things (for Apple that is). The thing is I didn’t get a chance to bag it!
What can I say about the iPhone? Well I am from Australia, so no official release here as yet (apparently some time in 2008). I didn’t order an unlocked one online. It just doesn’t excite me at all, mainly because I have a device that can do more and is a year older then the iPhone.
I can’t bad mouth the iPhone. Apple have been genius with this device, selling over a million pieces in under 75 days. They aren’t a cheap disposable device that is the end all of mobile use and even have less features then some current mobile phones (such as 3G derr). The big selling part of the iPhone is how Apple have packaged it. From even outside the box it is a sexy looking device. The difference between the iPhone and anyone else who make smartphones (such as HTC) is arrange all the parts slightly differently.
Lets make a little more sense out of this. The device features a 3.5-inch display which acts as a touch screen (human touch, not a stylus), 2 megapixel camera, wireless B/G, Edge support for data (around 230kbit/s), bluetooth 2.x+EDR and 4-8GB flash memory. There are a couple of unique components which are probably overlooked by most people, and they are the proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and 3-axis accelerometer, which all help with the user experience and to save battery life.
Everything but those last 3 features have been on smartphones for the last few years (the memory could have been added via slot). Strip away those 3 features and you have a product Apple could have released years ago. The difference though is the OS, the operating system and user interface that Apple always seem to get on the head.
Every mobile company has something to learn from all this. If you can make a user interface that people can actually use, especially one handed or in awkward situations, then you will have a winner.
Microsoft and Symbian have had the supreme smartphone OS for many years now, and have released some great devices. Still I have to say that their OS’s are lacking in many areas. Simply try and write a SMS with fat fingers on any of there devices, and where is the support for the extra cool little things that Apple have included, such as the proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and 3-axis accelerometer?
The iPhone OS isn’t without its faults though. It doesn’t have a true SDK (software development kit), meaning making any meaty applications aren’t going to happen. It requires iTunes to sync with a PC. It also costs you a bit of cash to buy ringtones, which most companies give you the ability to add yourself for free.
To finish I have to say that I am a little underwhelmed in whole by this device. It can do a lot of things, but not much more then a lot of devices before it. It is only a small step forward for what a mobile device is capable of, but if you are going to see a company make the next move, you can be very sure it will be Apple.
For more info, tap on over to the Wikipedia iPhone Page.