Posts Tagged “samsung”
An unspecified number of Samsung Galaxy S devices have been found to contain Read Full Story… New Mobile & Latest Deal News!
Compare all Galaxy Portal deals on 3 Tags: 12, 3, all, android, card, compare, contract, deal, Deals, free, latest, latest deal, mobile, mobile phone, mobile phones, mobiles, new, new mobile, phone, phones, sam, samsung, tariff, test, Touch
Samsung’s much-rumoured tablet device is set to be launched next week, Read Full Story…
Did we say ‘invalidate’? Vodafone tells us it will honour its warranty on Galaxy S handsets updated with firmware from Samsung, despite saying the opposite last week.… Read Full Story…
No longer in beta Samsung has released version 1 of the Bada SDK, for all those developers who’ve been dying to develop for Bada but unwilling to run with the Beta release.… Read Full Story…
Loyalties divided Galaxy S owners who accept Samsung’s offer of updated firmware will invalidate their warranty according to Vodafone, which wishes to remain the only source of official upgrades.… Read Full Story…
Aug
11
2010
 
Apple’s iPad may be a ‘game changer’, but competitors are up to this gamePosted by in Mobile News
Apple’s iPad is a ‘game changer’, says Rupert Murdoch – but Samsung is about to become its first serious competitor and others will not be far behindWhen Rupert Murdoch announced last week that Apple’s iPad was a “game changer” and would lead to hundreds of millions of so-called tablet computers being sold globally, it was not just the media world that nodded sagely in agreement. The technology industry is also gearing up for a world in which the desktop PC, laptop computer and smartphone are joined by a fourth member of the home computing family.With the same market foresight and cutting edge design that enabled it to revolutionise the smartphone market with the iPhone, Apple has given itself a commanding lead in this new market. But the iPad is about to have several new competitors, some of which will be made by companies that have scores to settle with Apple boss Steve Jobs, having seen him usurp their place in the mobile phone market.It is the very success that Apple had in the smartphone market and the reaction it has produced – especially from Google – that means Jobs will not enjoy the sort of lengthy market lead with the iPad that he has enjoyed with the iPhone.It is three years since the iPhone first appeared and only in recent months have serious competitors arrived. But with one of the first real alternatives to the iPad expected to be unveiled tomorrow in New York by Samsung, there will soon be devices able to compete with and perhaps even better Apple’s product.Speaking to Wall Street analysts as his News Corp empire announced its financial results on Wednesday, Murdoch said: “I think we’re going to see, around the world, hundreds and hundreds of millions of these [tablet] devices” and they are going to change the way that people consume the content created by his media businesses.”Murdoch himself reckons Apple will sell about 15m iPads this year and more than 40m by 2012, with more being made by other manufacturers. But estimates for the potential size of the market vary wildly. One thing is certain, these estimates will be wrong.A couple of months before the iPad launched, ABI Research estimated that 4m could be shipped this year, rising to 57m a year by 2015. But on the run-rate reached since the device launched in the US in April, Apple should exceed 4m this month. At the start of the year, research house Gartner reckoned 4m tablets would be sold this year – including the iPad. After the iPad’s success that estimate is now 14m.To put this into perspective, the tablet market is still small compared with the PC and the mobile phone markets. Sticking with Gartner’s figures, the 14m tablets in 2010 compares with an estimate of 1.4bn mobile phones and 366m personal computers.In financial terms, Generator Research reckons by 2014 Apple’s iPad business will be worth more than $17bn (£11bn), while the worldwide smartphone market will be worth $65bn and the laptop market $195bn.But while the figures for tablet computers may be comparatively small, the technology industry reckons tablets will fundamentally shape the way that consumers interact with digital content in the future. Getting in on the ground floor, so to speak, is crucial.As with so many technology fads, the industry has been here before. A decade ago, Bill Gates unveiled the Tablet PC and the following year told the Microsoft faithful that the new device would become the most popular form of PC within five years. Five years later, Microsoft was still trying. It teamed up with Intel and Samsung for Project Origami to work on smaller handheld digital media and gaming devices. They also failed to capture the public’s imagination.Apple, however, has got its timing right. Whether by luck or judgment, the iPad has emerged during a confluence of events. The ubiquity of broadband internet access in the developed world has created a generation of web users who want instant access and interactivity with media, from music and film to books and newspapers. The media industry, meanwhile, is desperate to move away from the mere “digitisation” of its traditional product so it fits on a PC screen and is ready to experiment with new formats. As the media industry explores new ways of creating content in order to generate new revenues, a tablet represents a perfect half-way house between the sit-forward world of the keyboard-based PC – where online advertising has so patently failed to deliver revenues – and the passive sit-back world of traditional circulation and display advertising-based print media.The iPhone and its host of imitators, meanwhile, have got consumers accustomed to the idea of using touch as their main point of interaction with content, rather than a keyboard and a mouse. Finally, the arrival of operating systems designed specifically for touch-based smartphones means manufacturers have something ready to use, rather than having to shoehorn into their tablet computers pared-down but still bulky “mobile” versions of PC operating systems.After the arrival of Apple’s iOS, when the first iPhone appeared, Google realised the mobile phone industry could not be relied on to create a viable competing software platform on its own. So it created its own operating system, Android.This year, sales of Android devices have already overtaken sales of iPhones in the US and sales in the UK are already up more than 300% as the result of just one new device, the HTC Desire. Worldwide, Android is expected to overtake iOS in terms of global smartphone shipments during 2012, according to forecasts from iSuppli. The company reckons Android will be used in 75m smartphones at this point, up from 5m last year, while iOS usage will be 62m units, up from 25m.Now Android is headed for the tablet market. The two biggest names in communications and software are both still lagging behind. Microsoft is unclear whether tablets should use its Windows 7 software – which does support touch – or base devices on its Windows Phone software, while Nokia has turned to Intel for help in creating new tablet software under the MeeGo brand.BlackBerry, meanwhile, has upgraded its software for touch and looks ready to explore tablets, while Hewlett-Packard recently bought Palm, which will provide it with a solid software base for the next generation of smartphones and tablets.”How long did it take for competitors to compete with the iPhone?” asks Carolina Milanesi, from Gartner’s mobile devices team. “You are talking three years. But with the tablet I really do not think that is going to be the case. A lot of the things that took time in the smartphone market are already there in tablets. We continue to see Apple dominating the segment for the next three years or so but you will see devices that are very close to the iPad very quickly.”iPadTablet computersAppleTechnology sectoriPhoneMobile phonesRichard Wrayguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 Terms & Conditions Read Original Story…
Aug
06
2010
Samsung Tocco Lite completely free contractPosted by in Mobile News, New Deals, New MobilesNew Mobile & Latest Deal News!
Compare all Samsung Tocco Lite deals Tags: 12, 3, all, card, compare, contract, deal, Deals, email, free, latest, latest deal, line, mobile, mobiles, months, new, new mobile, phone, rental, sam, samsung, Samsung Tocco Lite, sol, test, Touch, twitter
We crowdsourced predictions for the specs of RIM’s rumoured BlackBerry ‘BlackPad’ – and here are the resultsThis week’s BlackBerry press conference in New York didn’t treat us to a single whisper about what could be in store for the tablet device thought to be on the horizon from manufacturer Research in Motion. But trusty Guardian readers have a knack of being on (or near) the money when it comes to foreshadowing future gadget releases.RIM is said to be releasing its rival to Apple’s iPad in November this year, according to reports. Speculation about the name of the device has been spurred on by RIM’s acquisition of the domain rights to blackpad.com and the expected imminent release of tablet devices from LG and Samsung.Earlier this week we put it to the people: what can we expect from a BlackBerry tablet computer? Here’s what you told us: How much will it weigh?Given that the iPad weighs in at between 0.68-0.73kg, the majority of readers (43%) said the “BlackPad” (hold on to your hats, you’ll see why we’re calling it that in a minute) would weigh around 0.7kg – so roughly the same as an iPad. Almost 90% of readers said the BlackPad would weigh between 0.5kg and 0.9kg.How many models will there be?Just the one model, according to 55.9% of readers. A not insubstantial 44.1% said there would be more than one model. One for enterprise and one for regular users?What will be the basic model’s screen size?Bit of an open one this. With the iPad’s 9.7in screen and the new Kindle’s tinchy six incher, the majority of readers (39%) said the BlackPad screen would be no bigger than 10.3in.Will the basic model have mobile network connectivity?It’d be a surprise if it didn’t, put it that way – 84.9% of you saying it will.If there is a model with mobile network connectivity, who will be the US carrier(s)?The trio of big players – AT&T, Verizon and Sprint – will all carry network on the BlackPad, so says the majority (38.7%) of readers. The rest were split almost equally between only AT&T, only Verizon, or only AT&T and Verizon.If there is a model with mobile network connectivity for a UK version, who will be the carrier(s)?Again, a trio of big players will all be providing network on RIM’s tablet device, according to most (44.4%). Interestingly, readers don’t seem to rate Orange’s chances of being a sole carrier (4.8%), much less so than O2 and Vodafone.What sort of finish and colour will it have?It’ll be a shiny black, say the hulking great mass (84.7%) of polled readers. Let’s hope, for creativity’s sake, we get a bright aluminium model as well. We’re not holding our breath though.What connectivity/ports will it have?The BlackPad will definitively not have Ethernet connectivity (3.4%), say readers. Nor will it have Universal WideBand (2.8%) connectivity. What will set the device apart from rivals is a USB port (16.7%) and SD/CompactFlash card capability (13.3%).Will it support Flash?RIM has said Flash playback is coming to its BlackBerry smartphones, with an announcement in due course. There’s no reason, then, we shouldn’t expect Flash to be supported on its upcoming tablet device, as 86.3% of readers said. Will that prove a big enough draw away from the iPad?Will it introduce a new DRM format for electronic books, magazines and newspapers?No, say the majority (61.6%).How much will it cost in the UK, without network subsidy?The majority of readers (roughly 66%) expect the BlackPad to cost roughly the same as Apple’s iPad – between £400 and £600. Almost 2% said the device will cost more than £1,201.Drumroll … what will it be called?This is the biggie, though largely spoilt by the rumbling of RIM’s indiscrete purchase of a domain name. Just under half (43.5%) of polled readers think RIM’s tablet device will be called BlackPad, 33.1% imagine it as BlackBerry Slate. A disappointing 1.9% said the device will be called BlackBored (the same 1.9% that imagine it will cost more than £1,201?).There we have it. If RIM’s tablet device were to be true to Guardian readers’ estimations, would that make it a more attractive purchase than the iPad? Samsung and LG, are you watching?BlackBerryCrowdsourcingMobile phonesTablet computersiPadJosh Hallidayguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 Terms & Conditions Read Original Story…
Aug
06
2010
Samsung Galaxy Europa i5500 on Orange and T-MobilePosted by in Mobile News, New Deals, New MobilesNew Mobile & Latest Deal News!
Compare all Samsung i5500 deals Tags: 3, all, android, compare, deal, Deals, latest, latest deal, mobile, networks, new, new mobile, orange, phone, sam, samsung, t-mobile, test, Touch
After Samsung’s disappointing Bada-powered Wave, this high-spec Android smartphone pushes all the right buttons What is it? Samsung Galaxy S GT-19000, running Android 2.1 operating system Category: Hardware Hardware and software You’d use it in the… Home and office First impressions: what is it like to look at, to hold, to use? OK, so it’s visually 7mm away from being an Apple iPhone 3GS, but don’t let that distract from the Galaxy S’s sleek exterior. At 118g, the Galaxy S is slightly lighter than the iPhone 4 but not noticeably so. It’s also thinner but slightly taller than the iPhone. Thankfully Samsung opted for Google’s Android (2.1) operating system for the touchscreen Galaxy S, making the phone much more flexible and intuitive than the Wave, Samsung’s first Bada-powered device. With a 1GHz processor and a fair bit of memory available (8GB or 16GB, with capacity for an additional 32GB MicroSD card), completing tasks is zippy for the most part. What does it really do well? Some nice additional features (vintage layers, for example) complement the device’s 5MP camera, which also allows quick and easy sharing by MMS, email or social networks. YouTube video playback is sharp, thanks to the Super AMOLED screen, but the app can be sluggish to load, even on a strong Wi-Fi connection. Most of all, it’s a quick-response phone – allowing you to switch between apps and functions relatively painlessly. Web browsing suits the not-insubstantial screen well, despite the lack of Flash support – though the Bada-inspired font used on the Wave is easier on the eye than the Galaxy S choice. What’s the cost? Available for free on a £35 per month 24-month contract or around £400 sim-free. Not hugely expensive for an iPhone-rivalling smartphone. What’s it up against? The price and device specifications put the Galaxy S right among the best smartphones currently on the market. It’s less expensive than the iPhone 4; you’re getting a fair amount of bang for your buck. Blind us with the tech specs, then: A Super AMOLED screen (embeds touch sensors into display rather than layering over the top); Weight: 118g; Dimension: 64.2 x 122.4 x 9.9mm; 5MP camera; front-facing VGA camera for video calling; 720p video recording; on-board FM radio; 8GB or 16GB memory, with potential for 32GB MicroSD card upload; 1GHz processor; Android 2.1 operating system. What’s it good for? Very nice for taking and sharing decent-quality photos quickly. With the Android operating system, the Galaxy S has all the potential – as opposed to the Wave which is mostly inhibited by running Bada. Of course, all this depends on how often Google updates the firmware and how quickly (or not, as seems to be the case) the various operators can push them out. One in 10 contract devices sold in the UK is now reportedly running Android, a software that suits Samsung’s well-made hardware. What are its failings? I’d advise away from the Android Aldiko ebook reader, which was infuriating to use: slow to load, slow to respond to interaction and only able to fit 17 lines on the 4-inch screen. A weird stilted zooming inhibits an otherwise good browsing experience. And the browser address bar is unjustifiably big. Annoyingly, even when the cursor is blinking in text boxes the touchscreen keyboard requires another (needless) selection before allowing any text input. How big a pocket will I need (portable devices only)? Only 7mm taller than the iPhone 4, a normal pocket will suffice for the Galaxy S. How long is the battery life? On paper: talk time stands at 803 minutes (2G), 393 minutes (3G), standby mode at 750 hours (2G), 576 hours (3G). What’s its USP? The big all-encompassing screen and its speed. The feature-rich relatively high quality camera also sets the Galaxy S apart as an excellent device, up there with the best of currently-available smartphones. Rating out of 10: 8 Finally, is it worth it – yes or no? Yes. Rating: 4/5
Read Original Story…
Gulf states have become increasingly concerned that encryption technology used by BlackBerry devices makes it difficult to monitor them The United Arab Emirates is banning users of BlackBerry mobile phones from using email, instant-messaging and web-browsing services in a long-running spat over security with the device’s Canadian maker, RIM. Saudi Arabia is expected to follow suit according to an official from the state-controlled Saudi Telecom, who told the Financial Times that the kingdom would ban BlackBerry messenger services. The Gulf states have become increasingly concerned that encryption technology used by BlackBerry devices makes it difficult to monitor them, and that, because of the way the BlackBerry network functions, data is exported offshore. India has also expressed concerns about the way that BlackBerry devices operate. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said on Sunday that services in the UAE will be suspended as of 11 October because of the failure of attempts, dating back to 2007, to bring BlackBerry services in-line with UAE telecoms regulations. UAE’s two telecoms operators – Etisalat and du – informed their BlackBerry customers of the decision by text. There are roughly half a million BlackBerry users in the emirate. The regulator stressed that the decision was not about censorship but about regulatory compliance, producing a detailed comparison of telecoms regulation in the UAE, UK and US in an attempt to make its case. “We are not asking for RIM to do anything that is not apparently being done in developed nations or so-called open countries around the world,” said Mohammed al-Ghanim, director-general of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. Specialist encryptionBut the UAE has attempted to monitor BlackBerry users in the past. A year ago, Etisalat told BlackBerry users to install an upgrade that turned out to be spyware. When the purpose of the software was discovered the government distanced itself from Etisalat and told users to remove the update. Unlike other mobile devices, BlackBerry mobile phones access the internet and email through RIM’s own network of secure Network Operations Centres around the world using specialist encryption. Any mobile phone company operating the devices must connect to this proprietary system. As a result, BlackBerry devices are more secure and more network capacity efficient than other so-called smartphones. But the fact that data is leaving the jurisdiction of national courts has worried some governments who fear they may not be able to monitor the communications of terrorists and other criminals, even for reasons of national security. The news, which will be a blow to the legion of BlackBerry users in the Gulf, comes as RIM is expected to launch its latest attempt to produce a viable alternative to the iPhone. The BlackBerry 9800, to be unveiled tomorrow, has both a touchscreen and a slide-out qwerty keyboard. RIM hopes that it will be a viable alternative to both the new iPhone 4 and the plethora of devices that are being launched this year which use Google’s Android operating system. Its previous forays into the world of touchscreens, with the Blackberry Storm and Storm 2, met with mixed success. RIM is also rumoured to be working on a rival to the iPad. Dubbed by tech watchers the BlackPad, the device is scheduled for launch in November, according to reports, and will be roughly the same size as the Apple device. But users will be able to connect their BlackPad to the internet using the wireless connection of their mobile phone, rather than having to pay separately for 3G network access as they must with the iPad. Several computer manufacturers are also planning Android-based tablet computers this year. Samsung will launch the Galaxy tablet before the end of next month and LG plans to introduce one under its Optimus brand by Christmas.
Read Original Story…
Samsung has announced record second-quarter profits of 5.01tn Korean won Read Full Story…
A crisp, bright screen makes this smartphone appealing – but Samsung’s new in-house operating system doesn’t What is it? Samsung Wave GT-S8500 – the first device to run Samsung operating system Bada Category: Hardware and software, given the newsworthy nature of operating systems these days.. You’d use it for… On the move, personal or business. It’s not going to intrude on BlackBerry’s ground as leading high-performance business mobile device, but the Wave sits happily as a phone suited to staying up to speed while on the move. First impressions: what is it like to look at, to hold, to use? Perfectly good look and feel to the phone, a sturdy but slender shell encasing a fairly high-spec bit of mobile kit. It’s when you activate the screen things start to go downhill. The home screen – quite separate from the screen of apps – has six iterations as you swipe your finger right-to-left, inching across a background of some picturesque eastern European town square. Each of these five modules is for housing a quick access single widget – but the access isn’t so quick after four or five swipes of the finger. Navigating from the home screen to your downloaded apps directory takes another click. Granted, the software is snappy and quickly responsive, but these things all pile up in the “pointless” file. And you can’t swipe up to the URL bar in the browser, forcing you instead to press an on-screen button. Seems needless. What does it really do well? Mobile internet has a well-suited clean font, made all the more appealing by the crisp super AMOLED screen. Put the Wave side-by-side with an iPhone 4 and a 3G – you’ll see the difference. FYI: guardian.co.uk looks better on a Wave than a 3G. Keyboard keys appear far too close together, but typing seems to work fine if not more usable than on the iPhone. When browsing the web, pinching zooms are clunky and not instantaneously responsive. Video playback is impressive, on the eyes and the ears. Creating media is a good experience too, the 5MP camera shooting strong video and stills taking allowing nifty features like user-directed focus. What’s the cost? Around £300 sim-free; a 24-month contract, free handset, will set you back between £25-£45 per month. What’s it up against? A smartphone market with less wiggle room than the App Store. It’s a relatively ruthless market out there for high-end devices, software increasing in consumer importance at a rate of knots. With Bada, Samsung is late to the party and forgot to invite its marketing muscle. For this reason alone, Wave falls short of the majority of recently-released Android devices – Samsung have plenty of work to do before the release of Bada-powered Wave 2. Blind us with the tech specs, then: Quite a few headline tech specs come with the Wave: the 5MP video/still camera will draw the punters – 5x zoom for stills and 720p video recording make the feature more than adequate; the Super AMOLED screen is a turn on, but likely only to the techies. As light as any iPhone, the Wave is slimmer but only at a stitch. At 3.3 inch, the Wave screen limits its viability as a comfortable-to-use mobile internet device. With 2GB internal memory as standard, most users will require a MicroSD card (up to 32GB capacity). What’s it good for? Taking and sharing decent-quality stills. It would be good for accomplishing tasks quickly if there weren’t so many naggingly bad points of user experience making pretty much any task an exertion. What are its failings? One word: Bada. A few more words: the cramped feeling while using SMS, the uneconomic use of the 3.3 inch screen made worse by the majority of the screen having a black (or very dark) background even when running apps. Will I have to read the manual? Does anyone still read manuals? If new to Samsung, you may need to Google “Help! I’ve accidentally locked my Samsung Wave – what now?” How long is the battery life? With its 3G signal sensor turned off, the battery will last you over 24 hours from full – more than can be said for any iPhone before 4. What’s its USP? The Wave’s USP would have to be the Super AMOLED screen which, on this score alone, puts it near top of the class for smartphones. That said, I don’t know one single person who’s been sold a phone on screen specifications – and it’s not great marketing fodder either. Rating out of 10: 6.5 Finally, is it worth it – yes or no? Not at the current price. There are countless devices (and countless yet to be released) doing a better job and with a better operating system. Don’t hold out for the Wave 2. Rating: 3/5
Read Original Story…
Sales of Android phones have risen by more than 300% this year, new figures show Sales of Android phones have risen by more than 300% from the beginning of 2010, with one in 10 contract handsets sold in the UK now running Google’s mobile operating system. Android’s share of the UK mobile contract market grew by 10.2 percentage points from the first quarter of 2010 to the second quarter, from 3% to 13.2%, new figures from retail watcher GfK show. From the beginning of 2010, most of the UK’s major mobile operators have started selling a number of hotly-anticipated mobile devices running Google’s Linux-based software. The HTC Desire and HTC Legend are among other devices lauded by critics. Just last week, Samsung launched a direct marketing challenge to the Apple iPhone with its Android-powered Galaxy S device. Many mobile operators were unable to keep up with demand for the HTC Desire when it launched in the UK in April this year. HTC, the Taiwanese manufacturer of many devices running Android, posted a 41% global sales increase for the first six months of 2010, with figures from April, May and June reflecting record sales, according to the company. In the same period, mobile devices running “advanced” operating systems – defined as those able to run independent compatible applications – grew in the contract market from 55% to 66.7%. Figures available from June show mobiles with advanced operating systems now representing 73.5% of the contract market. “The figures suggest an increasing number of consumers are now asking for Android handsets by name,” said GfK analyst Megan Baldock. “Operating systems are no longer simply a by-product but a key selling point in their own right.”
Read Original Story…
Jul
23
2010
Samsung handing out free mobiles…but only if you make the gradePosted by in Mobile News
Samsung has stepped up its marketing game against the Apple iPhone, sprinkling free Galaxy S devices across the twittersphere
Via Twitter and Facebook, Samsung is giving away (yes, literally giving away) its Galaxy S device, mostly to a “cross section” of customers reporting iPhone reception problems. And so comes the belated response to Apple chief executive Steve Jobs and his public dressing down of other devices – including the Samsung Omnia 2 – last week. In a press statement, Samsung says: “Recently there has been a real increase in online activity from consumers dissatisfied with some of our competitors’ products. “We decided to contact a cross section of individuals to offer them a free Samsung Galaxy S as a replacement, as we’re confident that once people have the phone in their hands, they’ll see how impressive it is for themselves.” Samsung apparently started handing out the Android-powered devices ia Twitter on Wednesday. Tiffany Nieuwland, Conde Nast digital marketing staffer, was among the first to be offered one after bemoaning the number of dropped calls she gets. Jose Espinosa, director of digital services at Connect Group, was next up for a Galaxy S in the post. And then DigitalNetwork, a London-based search and digital recruitment company. You get the picture, right? Less a “cross section of customers reporting iPhone reception problems,” more of a cherry-picked bunch of digital influencers. Will Critchlow, co-director of web marketing and development company Distilled, appears to have been the first recipient of the kindly offer. He received his no-strings Samsung phone this morning – with a handwritten courtesy note attached, no less. “I asked my followers what phone I should get, a few people got back with various links, one of which I retweeted. It appears that’s the one Samsung picked up on,” Critchlow told us. “We’re an office full of geeks here. It’s an effective strategy in terms of making me evangelise the phone. But will it make my followers buy one? Who knows. It ultimately comes down to how good the product is.” Critchlow, an iPhone 3G owner, said he was relatively impressed with the Galaxy S (and you’d be forgiven for thinking they were the same phone, from the appearance), which is his first hands-on experience of Google’s Android software. (It runs the Android 2.1 software.) Samsung kicked off its
Read Original Story…
But, but, it’s free… come back!Samsung has decided to give away electronic copies of An Introduction To Bada, hoping that a free guide will drum up some developer interest in the platform.… Read Full Story…
Jul
20
2010
Samsung Galaxy Europa i5500 on Orange and T-MobilePosted by in Mobile News, New Deals, New MobilesNew Mobile & Latest Deal News!
The built-in camera lets you capture the moment with a choice of either still images or video clips. The bright touchscreen acts as a viewfinder for the camera and browsing the captured images is a joy. The Samsung i5500 offers the appealing and popular Android OS in a budget smartphone that will appeal to all pockets. Compare all Samsung i5500 dealsTags: 3, all, android, compare, deal, Deals, latest, latest deal, mobile, networks, new, new mobile, orange, phone, sam, samsung, t-mobile, test, Touch
Jul
19
2010
Windows Phone 7 early views earn crouching ovation from reviewersPosted by in Mobile News
Early experiences by various testers show growing interest in new interface experience from Microsoft – but excitement is restrained The early previews of Windows Phone 7 – for which reference hardware has started shipping to developers – are in. What to make of them? I think the best way to describe them would be a crouching ovation: people who’ve tried it like the fact that Microsoft is trying something different with the mobile experience, but they really can’t decide if it’s going to be a success or not. Engadget’s in-depth preview (an intriguing concept) is sort of positive: “Microsoft still has a few months before it intends to get the first volley of Windows Phone 7-based products to the marketplace, but we’ve recently been provided with reference hardware — a not-for-retail Samsung called “Taylor” that’s closely modeled on the Symbian-based i8910HD — to get a feel for where they’re at as the clock ticks down.” Quick briefs: “We were extremely surprised and impressed by the software’s touch responsiveness and speed. In fact, this is probably the most accurate and nuanced touch response this side of iOS4. It’s kind of stunning how much work Microsoft has done on the user experience since we first saw this interface — everything now comes off as a tight, cohesive whole. It really put one of our major fears about Windows Phone 7 to rest. We haven’t seen any substantial lag while using the device, and the short transitions between applications or pages are well suited to the overall experience.” Although: “the controversial cut-off text is still present, and while we happen to like the way it looks, it’s definitely an acquired taste, and there are times when it just doesn’t work, like in the Office hub where PowerPoint looks like it reads “PowerPoir.” And two other things: “There are two big omissions here, in our opinion. The device won’t support copy and paste, and won’t support third-party multitasking of apps. We knew this would be the case given what we heard at MIX10, but it doesn’t stink any less now. The former really doesn’t make any sense to us, especially since Microsoft did a good job of nailing text editing and selection (at least in Word, and really… you guys make Word), and it looks like it would only be a short walk to a contextual pop-over for copy and paste functions. The latter is practically inexcusable in this day and age — even Apple (which has been a complete laggard in this area) now supports basic multitasking.” But they like the keyboard (“the keyboard in Windows Phone 7 is really, really good. We’re talking nearly as good as the iPhone keyboard, and definitely better than the stock Android option. It’s one of the best and most accurate virtual keyboards we’ve used on any platform — and that’s saying a lot”) and screen resolution (“the Windows Phone 7 standard 480 x 800″). Then again, there are points where Engadget’s not so happy, which tallies with some of the doubts I expressed earlier (though I must point out that I’ve not held a WP7 phone, nor seen it demoed): “Windows Phone 7 doesn’t have “contacts,” per se — it has a People app, and there’s quite a difference. This is a thoroughly social platform, and it doesn’t really seek to make any sort of differentiation between people you talk to / text / email, those you just casually observe, and those with whom you’re “friends” in name only. If that kind of philosophy reeks of Motorola Blur or Palm Synergy, you’re on the right track; as soon as you add a Windows Live, Exchange, or Facebook account, it pulls in every contact associated with that account and disperses associated content throughout your entire phone — there’s nothing you can do about it. That means, for example, that your Pictures app could have a bunch of shots of your ex’s aunt’s new boyfriend’s dog in it (more on that in a bit), and there’s not a whole lot you can do to stop that behavior without completely removing your Facebook account from the phone. “With Exchange, this strategy is probably fine in most cases — contact sync is one of the main reasons you use Exchange ActiveSync, really — but seriously, Facebook is another matter altogether. If you’ve got a lot of Facebook friends, this renders your People app all but useless as a traditional phone contact list.” Over at ZDNet UK, there’s another preview which goes (like Engadget) into plenty of detail: “Microsoft has stripped away all unnecessary information (almost too much, actually — the status bar displaying battery life, signal strength, and so forth goes into hiding after a couple of seconds) and soft buttons, and created a Start screen that consists of ‘live tiles’, which are essentially dynamic widgets to your favorite apps, contacts and hubs, and also display alerts, such as new email and missed calls. You can rearrange the order of the tiles and remove them by doing a long press on the screen. You can also ‘pin’ new tiles, but to do so, you must first navigate to the list of apps or the People hub, find the item that you want to add and then pin it to the Start screen.” OK, and those hubs… “The names of the hubs are pretty self-explanatory. For example, the People hub merges contact information from your various accounts and then displays them in one long list. A swipe to the right will show you Facebook status updates (unfortunately, Windows Phone 7 will not have Twitter or MySpace integration at launch) and lets you add comments, while another swipe will brings up the people you’ve contacted most recently.” “This type of panoramic UI runs across all the various hubs with bold, attractive text splashed across the top to identify different subsections (a.k.a. Pivots) and in some cases, a small contextual toolbar along the bottom of the screen to help you perform app-specific tasks.” “Some might complain that this type of navigation requires too much scrolling and can be overly complicated. Admittedly, this is true when compared to Apple’s iOS 4 and Google’s Android, and may be a turn-off for consumers. On the other hand, we appreciate the ability to do so many things from one place without having to launch several different apps, so we have to give Microsoft kudos for thinking of this kind of organisation. We also like the consistent UI, which makes it easy to work the other hubs.” Another point which has been made elsewhere: “What’s interesting about Windows Phone 7, though, is that at times it feels as though you’re getting two completely different experiences on one phone. The Start screen/menu list and some apps — such as the phone dialer, email inbox and calendar — are completely minimalistic, while other aspects of the phone, including the aforementioned hubs and multimedia features, are more sophisticated and elegant. It doesn’t hurt the navigation, as such, but is doesn’t make the phone feel like a cohesive unit either.” And the big question: “Will this resonate with users? Frankly, we think it’ll be a hard sell initially. Despite all the improvements made to the UI, it’s still more involved than other operating systems. That said, we’d also caution you not to dismiss it completely, simply because it’s different. Change is scary, but it can also be a good thing.” It’s a long review, which you’re urged to read in detail. Meanwhile the Wired Gadgetlab has put its sticky fingers all over the screen: here’s the video. Their principal comment: “Still the lack of any kind of real app store is a major hindrance. Also, Microsoft just will not give up on the Zune marketplace. It’s admirable, but maybe they should re-examine their reasoning for keeping it.” But surely the Zune Marketplace is Microsoft’s leg up to an App Store? Abandoning it would look weird.
Read Original Story… |
|
CompareMobiles.com
Impartial Mobile Phone Reviews, News, Deals, Info & Consumer Comments. Discuss, Socialise, Share & Enjoy!
Info & Advice -
FAQ -
About -
Tell A Friend! -
Terms -
Links -
Contact
Entries (RSS)
and Comments (RSS).
© CompareMobiles.com
