Tag: Android
Spotify's app for the iPhone and Android on sale now
Announcing the launch on a blog post Spotify's Andres Sehr said "The mobile apps will allow you to take the entire Spotify catalogue and put it in your pocket. You can use our 'offline mode' to make playlists available at all times, even when no connection is available, perfect for that ride on the tube or long flight across the Atlantic."
RUMOUR: Sony Ericsson Android handset leaked?
It seems like only minutes ago that we were reporting on Nokia’s possible Android-based smartphone. Oh, it was only minutes ago. Nevermind, you can never have too many Android smartphone rumours on a Monday morning – that’s what I always say.
The latest company to eye-up Android, give it a sly wink and cosy-up to it is Sony Ericsson. And a Danish website has the proof – or so they claim.
They’ve released a potentially leaked picture showing an Xperia-branded handset that supposedly will be running the Android OS. Codenamed Rachael, the smartphone is said to be powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and has HSPA. There is also an 8.1-megapixel camera, like the Sony Ericsson W995. No sign of a slide-out keyboard though.
No details of a release date or prices yet but, as ever, when we know we’ll tell you. We promise.
Nokia to announce Android smartphone
Nokia is reportedly developing an Android-based handset that will be announced in September at the Nokia World Conference.
If the reports are accurate it would mean a massive change of direction for the Finnish giant who took full control of Symbian last year – in what was thought to be a direct response to the threat of Android to its huge market share.
Although Nokia are the world’s most successful company in terms of mobile handsets sold – their dominance in the smartphone market appears to be waning. A global share of 47% in 2007 was down to 31% at the end of 2008.
Nokia’s partnership with Intel, which we reported last month, and the possibility of Android-based handsets could spell exciting times for Nokia. We really like their latest smartphone offering, the N97, although it still doesn’t really come close to threatening the iPhone 3GS’s dominance. A Nokia smartphone with Android could really give Apple something to worry about though.
What this means for the much berated Ovi store is anybody’s guess.
(via The Guardian)
SHINY VIDEO PREVIEW: The Archos 9 PC tablet
I got my hands on the Archos 9 at this morning’s launch. I have to say I like it. It did feel a tad heavy – but at less than 800g that was probably just an illusion because it is so slight it doesn’t look as though it will weigh hardly anything.
The touchscreen was very responsive and the pop-up keyboard is almost full-sized so unless you’ve got some extremely fat fingers there shouldn’t be any problem.
Also at the event Tony Limrick, MD of Archos Northern Europe told the assembled hacks to keep 15th September free for an Archos IMT Android announcement.
He didn’t give too much information away apart from to say that the IMTs would combine what Archos does best – multimedia playback and so on – and combine it with an Android based telephony system – complete with Google Apps.
RUMOUR: Dell working on Android-based mobile internet device
A report in the Wall Street Journal suggests that Dell plans to release a mobile internet device as well as the much touted Dell smartphone.
The mobile internet device will, like the supposed smartphone, be based on Android and will run via an ARM-based chip. Two Dell insiders have claimed that the MID is slightly larger than the iPod Touch. It won’t have any phone capabilities.
The mobile internet device may even be released sometime in 2009 according to one of the insiders. There’s nothing official from Dell as of yet so we’ll just have to wait and see.
(via Register Hardware)
HTC announces the Hero – the best Android phone yet
It’s being billed as the first ever fully customisable Android handset. The HTC Hero with HTC Sense will allow users to amend almost every aspect of their setup.
Tech Digest has had its hands on the phone and it has to be said that it is a lot more simple and natural to navigate than its predecessors. It’s actually soft to touch and appears to be quite durable. It’s even contoured to perfectly fit a face during a call. It’s slightly chunkier than the HTC Magic at 14.3mm thick.
Tech wise there is a 3.2-inch, 320 x 480, HVGA touchscreen that supports multi-touch and pinch whilst browsing. It has a compass, AGPS and a gravity sensor, which I don’t think we’ve seen before.
There’s no more need to constantly wipe the screen clean too – the Hero includes an anti-fingerprint screen that is also smudge resistant. A welcome inclusion is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Browsing should be improved with the inclusion of Flash and there is also a search button that explores everything from your apps to your Twitter feed.
The Sense feature allows for widgets that push content, different customisable content profiles called scenes and it also combines all communication channels into one screen. That means Twitter, Facebook, flickr and the like can all be accessed from one screen. Sense also allows users to link Facebook information, like photos and status updates, directly to contacts.
The white version will come with a Teflon coating – this is a first in the smartphone world and will help keep the Hero fresh and clean.
More spec info:
- Qualcomm MSM7200A processor running at 528MHz
- 512MB/288MB ROM/RAM
- 900/2100MHz HSPA and quadband GSM
- 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
- 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with microSD expansion – but no flash
The HTC Hero was announced today at a launch event in London and should be available in July on T-Mobile and Orange. Expect a full review on Tech Digest some time soon.
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?
RUMOUR: Sony working on Android based Walkman and PND?
Reports from Japan indicate that Sony are looking at more than just mobile phone handsets in terms of utilising Google’s open source operating system, Android.
Rumours of an Android based Walkman and also a personal navigation device (PND) are true, according to an analyst speaking to Japan’s Nikkan and should hit the market next year.
The thought of two of the biggest tech institutions teaming up may seem terrifying for some but it could be great news for consumers. With Sony already attempting to connect the user experience between its existing products, the possibilities when you throw Android into that mix could be monumental.
(via Engadget)
The Smartbooks are coming! Quick, the Smartbooks are coming
We called it: Smartbooks. Smartbooks are going to be massiver than massive. And the proof is in the concept pudding.
These interesting, if not perfectly polished, concept drawings, highlight the way in which the Smartbook will evolve to fill the gap between Smartphones and Netbooks/Notebooks, and might eventually grow to replace both.
The drawings produced in partnership with the Savannah College of Art and Design also show the way in which modular production will allow a degree of customization production, catered to each user’s preferences, not easily possible with current production methods.
If I’m brutally honest, I think some of these drawings, are well, pretty A-level-Design-Technology, but it’s not so much the designs but the concepts behind them which I find exciting.
Sentences like this: “Smartbooks are cloud-computing-centric and characterised by all-day battery life, instant-on functionality and persistent connectivity.”
I’ve images of small utilitarian fixed-state HDs operating specifically designed OSs with everything kept in the cloud and streamed seamlessly via uber quick all-covering 4th or 5th generation mobile networks. GBs and GBs of media at my disposal anywhere in the world, on OLED touchscreens with slide-out QWERTYs and intergrated high-lumen pico projectors. Ooh, wow sorry, got a tad giddy. But it is exciting right?
The Rise of the Smartbook
You’ll be hearing a lot about Smartbooks in the weeks and months to come, they’re basically netbooks but operating on mobile OSs, as opposed to stuffy old computer ones.
Today at a Qualcomm Technologies press conference to announce the release of its new SnapDragon chipset, an Asus Eee PC was spotted running Google’s Android OS.
The shtick with Smarbooks is the idea that, because mobile OSs are designed to run on the teeny weenie processors found in smartphones, putting them on the larger Atom processors found in netbooks will boost their performance at key tasks such as web-browsing, text editing and VoIP.
Granted, mobile OSs aren’t designed for the netbook’s form factor, and concurrently things seem distinctly underwhelming from a UI perspective.
Which leads me to believe that maybe there’s a middle ground between the mobile OS and desktop OS that’s necessary for the Smartbook. A new, ultra-portable, but not over-simplified OS, that hits web browsing, email, media and text editing and not much else.
Xmas list 2010
1) Smartbook
Mark my words.
(Via TweakTown)
