Tag: Windows mobile
LG confirms GW620 (Etna) Android phone
Oddly LG hasn't mentioned any specs for the phone, but if it is the same as the leak, and the leakers have been bang on so far, it will have Bluetooth and a five mega pixel camera.
Skype 3.0 for Windows Mobile released
Hey, I know it’s not the most monumental news story ever but for anyone who uses Windows Mobile any news regarding improvements will surely be welcomed with open arms.
Skype 3.0 for Windows Mobile allows users to send files such as spreadsheets, photos, MP3s and so on to other Skype users. It also has SMS functionality so users can avoid expensive roaming text charges, or even-more expensive charges to send texts to foreign numbers.
That’s it. Nothing else to see here. Move along people.
(via JKonTheRun)
Windows Mobile only for Microsoft employees
Microsoft will no longer be paying for their employee’s iPhone contracts. Nor will they be paying for Blackberry or Palm Pre data plans, even if the phone is used for work-based activities. Microsoft will now only sanction expenses for Windows Mobile based devices.
It’s all to do with their massive cost cutting exercise apparently, but that doesn’t really make sense as plans are dependent on the volume of data downloaded, not the format of the smartphone’s OS.
I’m not really surprised that Microsoft have done this though, after all it was rumoured that Bill Gates had banned iPods from his own home.
I do feel a bit sad for the Microsoft employees who will have to put up with Windows Mobile, though. Good luck with that.
(via ZDNet)
iPhone 3G S vs Palm Pre vs Nokia N97 vs Toshiba TG01 vs HTC Magic – that's a lot of smartphones
I’m out of contract. As a matter of fact, I’ve been out of contract since October. The trouble is that this summer’s going to see the hottest set of handset releases that I can remember. There’s the HTC Magic, the Palm Pre, the Toshiba TG01, the Nokia N97 and the recently announced Apple iPhone 3G S, however much O2 may be doing to ruin it. So, the question is, which is the best phone? Come this way and we’ll break it down.
Size
The length of breadth of these handsets isn’t so much important to me as the the thickness. I’ve never met a phone I couldn’t fit into my pocket. It’s more about which one ruins the line of my clothes.
WINNER -TG01: 9.9mm
iPhone 3G S: – 12.3mm
HTC Magic: 13.65 mm
Palm Pre: 16.95 mm
N97: 15.9mm – 18.25mm
The Toshiba is by far the most fashion friendly of the five. It’s the only sub 1cm handset on the block and that’s very nice work for the relatively new kids on the block
The Magic is of a perfectly reasonable thickness and, having used the N97 for a couple of weeks, I haven’t found carrying it around a problem. I’ll have to reserve judgement on the Pre until I’ve held on in my hands.
To put them in perspective, the G1 sits at 17.1mm thick which, although a touch bulky, I wouldn’t turn it down for its size. Obviously the size problem that these three share is down to their slide out QWERTYs but that’s the price you have to pay for multi-functionality.
Weight
Again, weight isn’t a major issue for me but I appreciate that it is for some. I’ve normally heavier things to worry about on my person other than my phone but a category’s a category.
WINNER – HTC Magic: 118.5g
TG01: 129g
iPhone 3G S: 135g
Palm Pre: 135g
N97: 150g
Given it’s not the thinnest, the Magic’s done very well to keep the weight down and, naturally, the QWERTY carrying two are at the bottom once again. However, where the Pre has only just pulled up short of the others, the N97 is looking like a right old lump to heft about. Again, having used it, I don’t find the 150g of the N97 a problem but you do feel like you could brain someone with it if push can to shove. Probably not a feature that Nokia advertises.
Screen
Convergence, people. That’s what we’re talking about here. These smartphones have got to be our MP3 players, our PMPs, our very eyes and ears. It’s no good squinting at them. We need screens and we need them good.
WINNER – TG01: 4.1″ with WVGA 480 x 800 pixel, 262,000 colours and REGZA technology
N97: 3.5″ with 360 x 640 pixels,16,777,216 colours in 16:9
Palm Pre: 3.1″ with 24-bit colour 480 × 320 pixel and 16,777,216 colours
iPhone 3G S: 3.5″ with 480 × 320 pixels and 262,000 colours
HTC Magic: 3.2″ with HVGA 488 x 320 pixel resolution
It may not have the 24-bit Trucolour system of the N97 or the pre and it may not be the quite spot on 16:9 aspect either but you just can’t beat the TG01 for straight up size and resolution. It’s an awesome display backed up with all Toshiba’s high end LCD know how. If it’s all about watching video on the go, then look no further.
The N97 is not a million miles off with a good splash of colour and, if it weren’t for its tiny size, you could live comfortably with the screen on the Pre but beyond that it’s fairly standard stuff. Tosh all the way.
Camera
WINNER – N97: 5 megapixels with Carl Zeiss Tessar f/2.8 optics and dual LED flash
Palm Pre: 3.0-megapixel camera with LED flash and “extended depth of field”
iPhone 3G S: 3.0 megapixels and still no flash!
TG01: 3.2 megapixels and no apparent flash
HTC Magic: 3.2 megapixels and no flash
No shadow of a doubt in this category who takes the prize. The camera on the N97 is simply divine. It’s streets ahead of the others in resolution, glassware, flash and functionality. Frankly, it’s better than half the compacts on the market.If the camera on your smartphone is the most important feature for you, then stop reading now and go and buy the N97.
The only other handset to even bother with a flash is the Pre which gives it an automatic second place and I’m putting the iPhone 3G S into third, despite it losing out on the other two in terms of resolution, because even in the iPhone 3G the snapper was well integrated if seriously underpowered.
I wouldn’t rate the other two at all for their picture taking quality.
Processor
It’s not good these phones being able to cook your toast at the same time as make calls if it takes half an hour to do so. CPU power with a little help from the RAM will help your handset running smoothly.
WINNER – TG01: 1GHz Snapdragon platform (256MB RAM)
Palm Pre: 600 MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 (256 MB RAM)
iPhone 3G S: Unknown – “twice as fast as the last one” (600MHz suspected with 128MB RAM)
HTC Magic: 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7201a (192/288 MB RAM)
N97: 434MHz ARM11
The Toshiba is the clear winner here. It’s the only phone using Qualcomm’s brand new Snapdragon platform and it’ll probably need it to orchestrate all that REGZA technology, and the WinMob nonsense too.
The Pre puts in a good effort and should run well and I’m giving Apple the benefit of the doubt here. They make their machines well and I’d be very surprised if their “twice as fast” claims didn’t have at least some truth. We probably haven’t heard the exact figures because they’ll sound scarily low against the competition despite their efficiency and performance.
The Magic runs ok from experience and even the hopelessly underpowered N97 has run without too much a hitch in trials. Can’t say it’s lightening but it works.
Storage
With audio and video playback to go with a library of 3-megapixel plus camera snaps, storage has become an issue. Which one can hold and which will fold?
WINNER – N97: 32GB onboard plus 16GB microSD = 48GB
iPhone 3G S: 32GB
HTC Magic: 512MB + 16GB microSD = 16.5GB
TG01: 512MB + 16GB microSD = 16.5GB
Palm Pre: 8GB
Really disappointed with the Pre to see it sporting 8GB and no expandability. Serious loss of brownie points there. This is definitely the N97’s turf though. The iPhone 3G S shows enough but hardcore music lovers may run out of space pretty quick on the Tosh and the Android handsets.
Battery
It’s hard to equate battery stats directly to performance given each phones different CPU and display requirements but it does give at least some kind of indication. No winners and losers this time. Just take note.
N97: Li-ion 1500 mAh
iPhone 3G S: Unknown – 10hrs of video
Palm Pre: Li-ion 1150mAh
HTC Magic: Li-ion 1340mAh
TG01: Li-ion 1000mAh
The TG01 battery is tiny – possibly to keep the phone slim and light and possibly because the Snapdragon system is very efficient – but I am told you’ll get one day of heavy use out of it before you need to recharge. I suspect it’s not the best of the bunch, though.
For the others, the iPhone 3G S is much improved and should last a little longer; the N97 is the biggest and has been performing well in review; the Pre is a little concerning but unknown and the Magic has been ok – better than the G1 by a long shot but still just ok.
OS
Operating systems are a matter of personal choice but absolutely crucial to your enjoyment of the phone.
WINNER – iPhone 3G S: iPhone 3.0 OS
WINNER – Palm Pre: WebOS (Linux-based)
HTC Magic: Android Cupcake (1.5)
N97: S60 5th edition
TG01: Windows Mobile 6.1
From all the hype, the iPhone 3.0 OS and the Pre’s WebOS are supposed to be ace. You’ll love them both. Android, I’d say, is a very close runner – lot’s of fun but no way near as slick. The N97 suffers from lack of excitement in the OS department. We’ve known about Symbian 60 for years but it does work very well indeed. Bit of a Volvo.
And that leaves me with the TG01 and Windows Mobile. I hate Windows Mobile but that’s a personal choice. It’s clunky, fiddly and over-complicated and, until I’m shown otherwise, I want no part of it. It’ll suit some people out there but not many.
UI
Usability is fundamental to these machines. If they’re pain to play with, then you’ll learn to hate them. There’s no two ways about it.
WINNER – iPhone 3G S: Capacitive multitouch screen
WINNER – Palm Pre: Capacitive multitouch screen + QWERTY
N97: Resistive touchscreen & QWERTY
HTC Magic: Capacitive touchscreen
TG01: Resistive touchscreen
If it weren’t for the keyboard on the Pre, I’d hand the prize to the iPhone’s legendarily user friendly system but the Pre is supposed to be a joy to get your fingers on too. It’s a serious battle royale there.
The N97 isn’t 100% responsive – more like 95% – but, again, it sits above the 99% Magic by virtue of the excellent QWERTY.
No one’s been allowed to touch a working model of the TG01 but I suspect it’s going to lose out in this department. I’m just not convinced that Tosh has the experience. I could be wrong. I hope I am.
Applications
The need for applications has become a real driver for the smartphone market and will soon become the number one feature usurping the public’s love for megapixels. So who’s got what the people need?
WINNER – iPhone 3G S: iTunes App Store
HTC Magic: Android Marketplace
Palm Pre: Palm suite & open source mobile applications
N97: Ovi Store
TG01: Windows Mobile Market
With 50,000 apps in the store and developers wetting their knickers for a piece, you just can’t touch iPhone. The Andriod Marketplace doesn’t even come close with the 5,000 they’ve got on offer and, at the time of writing, Ovi is a bit of a shambles despite the grand plans.
Other considerations
iPhone 3GS: Accelerometer, compass, video shooting, oil resistant screen, a world of supporting gadgetry, aGPS, Bluetooth
HTC Magic: Accelerometer, compass, video shooting, GPS, Bluetooth
Palm Pre: Accelerometer, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP, touchstone induction charging, synchs with iTunes, aGPS
TG01: Accelerometer, aGPS, Bluetooth,
N97: aGPS, Bluetooth, video shooting,
Conclusions
Very, very tricky, this. I’d like to start in true reality TV style by saying that all the contestants have done a fantastic job and I genuinely mean it when I say that I’d be proud to carry any of them around in my pocket.
I think the objective choice is probably the iPhone 3G S. It scores consistently well in all the categories that really matter with second or third places at the worst. Now that the software allows for video capture, MMS and tethering – even though at a premium – there’s no department where it has a shocker any more.
Personally, I might rather plump for the Palm Pre just to have something a little different as much as anything else. It’s got a slightly better camera and screen which is important to me. It’s apparently as good an interface and experience as the iPhone plus you get a QWERTY as well. I’d be a little concerned by the lack of app support and probably find the small memory a little testing but I think the originality of choice would make up for it.
The other handset that gets close for me is the N97. If Ovi gets its act together, and I think it will, we’ll see a surprisingly large smug group of people carrying this phone around – more than the Pre, I should think. There is life beyond Apple.
The TG01 is the risky choice. I’d have to be really blown away by that screen and the speed of the processor to overlook the WinMob albatross. I slightly wonder if this mobile has specs better suited to a PMP than a telephone?
Lastly, and, quite surprisingly, I’d go for the HTC Magic. The trouble is that it doesn’t excel in any areas. Android is the thing it really has going for it but even there it’s beaten by both Palm and Apple in the key clashes.
I’m sure you’ll have your own opinions and this is by no means a definitive guide. You could look at a few other smaller issues but I believe these have been the most key. Send me a shout, drop me a comment. Which would you buy? Which do you own?
Garmin-Asus go Android with their smartphones next year
It’s always struck me as a strange marriage but the satnav/netbook team of Garmin-Asus announced today that their first Android-based mobile phone will be in our hands by the end of Q1 next year.
Their announcement at Computex, Taipei, might be lacking a little thunder after Acer pre-trumped them in both timescale and device but it’s another interesting move away from the Microsoft stables. Garmin-Asus’s current launches, the M20 and the G60, both run Windows Mobile and it’d be no surprise if Asus doesn’t follow Acer’s lead with Android platforms on their PCs too.
If having Garmin in on the deal didn’t already feel like a way Asus could financially hedge bets, then it does now. They’re saying that it’s Garmin who’ll still be taking care of the location-based services as well as geo-tagging but I can still see most users opting for Google maps.
All the same, I’m looking forward to getting my hands on one of these. Say what you like about Asus but they’re innovative. The Keyboard and touchscreen Eee PC T91 are evidence of that if nothing else. I’d be surprised if they made a mess of Android, especially with Garmin sitting on their shoulder.
(via PC World)
Rumour: Samsung Omnia Pro with QWERTY keyboard
On top of dropping Android handsets into the rumour mill this morning, Samsung’s also throwing in an entry into the rumpus that’ll be occurring this summer between the HTC Magic, new iPhone, Palm Pre, and Nokia N97.
The Omnia Pro is just a rumour at the moment, but what a rumour – a 3.5″ AMOLED display and 5-megapixel camera combine with a slide-out QWERTY to make a tasty set of specs. Apparently it’ll be running Windows Mobile 6.1, but that’ll be upgradable to 6.5 when it’s released.
Best of all, it’s on the cards to cost very little – just €500. Whether that’ll give it an advantage in a market that’s more focused on specs than price remains to be seen, but the “current economic climate” should help.
(via Engadget)
Microsoft "Pink": ad agencies fighting over Zune phone account
Word has it that Microsoft is preparing for the launch of a Zune phone. Yes, we’ve heard these kinds of rumours and seen all sorts of mock ups before but this time it’s slightly different.
Microsoft has apparently put the cat amongst agency pigeons by searching for an advertising team to work on something known as “Pink”. Now on the one hand this could just be the colour scheme for Stevie B’s next bathroom suite but sources say that it’s most likely software for mobile phones.
Now it sits rather odd that The Soft would undermine Windows Mobile like that, despite what many consumers think about the platform, so it’s not out of the question that Pink could in fact be a Zune phone unto itself.
What we do know for sure is that the ad agencies are in a frenzy trying to get the account and in one shape or another, it looks like decent gaming might just be coming to mobile phones by CES 2010.
(via PMP today)
OPINION: Why is nobody using Android?
I’m going to do you a favour before I make you read everything I’ve got to say. I don’t know the answer. I don’t know why just about every phone manufacturer save Apple and Nokia has given Google’s mobile OS the cold battery cover ever since the G1 came out in October last year. I don’t know.
You don’t hear any Android user talking about how rubbish the platform is. You don’t hear any developers saying it isn’t any good either, and in techland, that’s a sign that a product is more or less perfect. So, what’s the problem…
Ballmer: We could be working faster on Windows Mobile
At a conference in Microsoft’s hometown, Redmond, CEO Steve Ballmer admitted yesterday that the company could be working faster on Windows Mobile.
Responding to a question from an audience member who complained that his employees were bringing in iPhones and Android Phones that were tricky to support, and wanted Microsoft to up its game significantly so that he didn’t have to deal with that situation as much, Ballmer responded: “There’s opportunities for us to accelerate our execution in this area, and we’ve done a lot of work to really make sure we have a team that’s going to be able to accelerate.” Here’s the full Q&A:
MWC 2009: Acer unveils its "Tempo" range of smartphones
Acer, unbeknownst to me, is actually the third largest global PC maker and lately, after the success of their netbook – the Aspire One, they’ve been announcing some smartphone ambitions. Well, those ambitions are coming to fruition in the form of the “Tempo” series of smartphones, pictured above.
First up is the M900. It’s business-focused, coming with Windows Mobile 6.1, Outlook Mobile and Office Mobile all pre-installed. There’s HSDPA, a 3.8″ WVGA touchscreen, GPS, FM radio, a 5-megapixel camera and a fingerprint scanner for security purposes. There’s also a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Nice. Next!
The F900 is more consumer-oriented, and designed for internet usage. Theres the same 3.8″ WVGA touchscreen as the M900, GPS, a 3.2-megapixel camera, FM radio, HSDPA, and Wi-Fi. It’s got the new Mobile IE6, too. Unfortunately there’s no keypad – everything is done onscreen.
Then there’s the X960, which is a little lower-end. It’s got a 2.8″ VGA touchscreen, nav button, Outlook and Office mobile, GPS, and a 3.2 megapixel camera. That’s all we’ve got for specs right now – but I’m presuming there’s some 3G involved. I would hope so, anwyay.
Lastly, there’s the dual-SIM DX900. It supports both 3.5G and 2.75G SIM cards, so that you can have a business SIM and a personal SIM in one phone. On top of that there’s a 2.8″ VGA touchscreen, “3D animated icons”, a dedicated flight mode button, 3.2-megapixel camera and Outlook mobile preinstalled.
So, overall then, a varied bunch of middling-spec phones, more targeted at the business end of the market than the consumer end.No word on release dates, but my wildest guess would be Q2. No word on pricing, either, but as these are business phones, you can expect them to come with some sort of bulk discount for companies.
