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.
It seems today was the worst day to buy a new mobile phone, with a slew of companies releasing their new fancy pants range or devices. The one that a lot of people have been waiting for has just become official, and that is the Nokia N96. It has been pictured before, but I have the official specs and info on this full featured handset.
First off it will have a few similarities to the N95, such as A-GPS, 5MP camera and a Symbian OS. This little fella gets a 2.8-inch screen (up from 2.6-inch’s), 16GB of flash storage (take that iPhone) and a DVB-H receiver (watching TV in Europe and Asia). It also features the new N-Gage gaming platform, that will hopefully out last the last N-Gage.
The N-Gage doesn’t seem to feature 3G support, so not so good for the US and Australian market, and will cost around $US800. There is no release date know set of the device, but I hope the price tag is pure RRP.
For more info, jiggle over to Gizmodo.
I want one. It is a gadget to lust for, to dream of, to leave your whining wife for. The Nokia N810 was official non-rumor yesterday, but today we have all the dirty, dirty details of what it hides under its sleek plastic face.
To start, it does definitely have a GPS inbuilt. It also has the same 4.3-inch display as its predecessor (WVGA with 65,000 colours) , expect it is 20% brighter. Other features include a 2GB internal storage, WiFi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth (2.0+ EDR), 400MHz OMAP 2420 CPU, 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM, integrated frontal camera, ambient light sensor, mini USB 2.0, hardware lock switch and did I mention the complete QWERTY keyboard? It natively plays back video: 3GP, AVI, H.263, H.264, MP4, ASF, WMV, MPEG-1/4, Real video; audio: MP3, WMA, AAC, AMR, AWB, M4A, MP2, Real audio, WAV (it is a Symbian, so it can also install 3rd party apps to play other codec’s).
The battery life will hit around 4 hours for movies, internet access, etc; 10 hours music only, up to 2 weeks totally idle time and 5 days active standby (whatever that means). It will weigh 7.97 ounces and measure in at 5 x 2.83 x 0.55-inches. It is supposedly set for a November release and could hit around the $US479 mark. For a GPS, PMP, DAP, PDA and many possible other things, it is a really sweet deal.
On a side note, the guys over at Engadget got a hands on with the N810, and liked the device except for the keyboard. Maybe it is a good time to buy those now obsolete N800’s?
F0r more info, click over to the Engadget Blog.
No not the pornographic taken advantage, more the commercial type. It seems that after the whole Apple brick and/or relock after firmware update fiasco, that Nokia sees it as a good time to grab some market share from the now Apple giants (iPhone isn’t doing too bad people). How can I make all these accusations? Well look at the image (click on read more for bigger image) if you need more proof.
Personally, in the long run the Nokia N800 will be a far more versatile, with the very mod-able Symbian OS. Does it matter if Nokia take a few Apple interface ideas? I don’t see why not.
For more info, click over to the Engadget Blog.
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.