Mobile

Reviews and Rants

by hilzfuld on iPhone, Mobile, Random, Software, Tech

A Storm is Brewing

Sorry for the corny title, but Engadget already used every other play on the word storm. The new Blackberry Storm was recently announced and will be hitting shelves pretty soon. It is definitely a very attractive handset with some even more attractive specs.

The Storm is RIM’s very first touchscreen phone, mounting a 3.26-inch 480 x 360 glass display on a unique clickable surface so that the entire thing can be pressed downwards just like a real button for tactile feedback when making selections (hmm, seems like a good idea to me). It includes a full HTML browser, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint editing capabilities, Bluetooth 2.0, 1GB of on-board storage (1GB?) with an 8GB microSD card bundled in the box (OK, not too shabby), 3.5mm headphone jack (take that, G1), automatic orientation and ambient lighting sensors, and a 3.2-megapixel autofocus cam with dedicated flash.

Did you notice something missing among those specs? Why, oh why, RIM, would you leave Wifi out of such a phone? I just don’t get it. Anyway, another thing that makes this phone attractive to yours truly, is the fact that there is a CDMA version of it, the 9530 (yes, I am sorry to say, I am still on CDMA).

Although many handsets being introduced today claim they support push mail, none of them do it (as far as I know) as smoothly and flawlessly as the original Blackberry technology. I am saying this, after I was just told by an iPhone 3G user, that with push mail activated, the battery lasts 1.5 hours. Na, we can’t have that.

I have to conclude by saying that with the advantage of real push mail, this could have been a real HD killer (have you not heard? The term “iPhone killer” is no more, ever since the HTC Touch HD filled those shoes. We are now on the lookout for an HD Killer. I think I am officially coining the term “HD Killer”). But with the lack of Wifi, I think the HD will stay on its thrown for now.

-Hillel

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by hilzfuld on iPhone, Mobile, Random, Software, Tech

G1,iPhone, Tube, Omnia, and Apple Updates

A lot of cool things developing today in the cellular world. Just thought I would mention a few of them.

Let’s start with a great and comprehensive article on Techradar.com that compares the iPhone, G1, and Tube. It really puts all aspects of these three handsets to the test. You can read it here, but for all you lazy people who just want to know the conclusion, it was a tie between the iPhone and G1.

He sums it all up by saying:

“Well, which one do we like the most? The iPhone is complete in most areas, the Nokia Tube has some nice touches and decent features, especially in the media and camera section, yet the G1’s Android interface is super-smashing-great.

It’s surprising, but it’s a tie between the G1 and the iPhone at three wins each, and that’s with the G1 not even being nearly at full potential just yet.

The Nokia Tube is good in most areas, but doesn’t quite cut the mustard, especially when it comes to the S60 interface.

So well done to the iPhone and the G1… if you get either of these in your stocking, you should feel pretty smug with yourself”.

Another piece of exciting news is that Cnet has a full review of one of my favorites, the Omnia, you can read it here. There conclusion is, to sum it up in my own words, they did not love it! Oh well.

The last piece of exciting news is that HTC now offers a full emulator of how the G1 is going to look and perform. You can access it here, but don’t forget to press the Emulator option and not just the 3D image of the G1.

That’s all folks! Nothing else to report now, besides of course that I spent some time in the new Israel Apple store and had a great afternoon looking at things I will probably never be able to afford. It just seemed more fun then spending the afternoon in the flea market!

Just to end off on a positive note, check out this hands-on video of the Nokia Tube…

-Hillel

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by hilzfuld on iPhone, Mobile, Random, Software, Tech

Nokia’s Going Down The Tubes

Nobody was surprised today when Nokia officially announced the release of the Tube or the 5800 XpressMusic handset. It is an OK looking handset, I guess. I think, like many other recent announcements, it would have been huge news prior to the launch of the iPhone. I am sure Nokia is kicking themselves now that they did not release this earlier. There is no avoiding the iPhone comparison, and from the short reviews that are out there, it looks like the Tube is just another touchscreen that will stay in the shadow of the iPhone.

It is true the specs on the Tube are not too shabby. It boasts a 3.2 inch display, 3.2 megapixel autofocus Carl Zeiss camera w/ dual-LED flash, a secondary front camera for video calling, stereo Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11 b/g, and integrated GPS. Those are not bad specs, but do they compare to those of the Omnia for example? Would this phone be generating so much hype without the Nokia branding on top? Not so sure!

Even with its decent specs, CrunchGear spent a few minutes with the phone and was not impressed. What was most unimpressive was the crowded UI and the Web browser. As I have said many times, in today’s market, with pretty much all the big players making amazingly impressive touchscreen devices, what separates the men from the boys is the user experience. Seems that Nokia has their work cut out for them if they want to maintain their market share for much longer.

-Hillel

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by hilzfuld on iPhone, Mobile, Random, Tech

Samsung and LG Declare War on the iPhone and the Tube

Today’s new handset announcements are a clear sign of how fast the cellular world is developing. Just yesterday (not literally) the N95 shocked us all with its 5mp camera, the first of its kind on a phone. Today, Samsung and LG showed us all that we have come a long way since those ancient days of the 5mp N95, not to mention the 2mp iPhone.

Samsung announced the M8800, which has some pretty crazy specs, such as an 8 mp camera, auto focus, face recognition with smile detection and blink detection, WDR (wide dynamic range), ASR (advanced shake reduction), GPS geotagging, ISO 1600, WVGA (720×480 pixels) and VGA (640 x 480 pixels) @30fps video recording. That is just the camera’s specs. The phone has built in GPS, an accelerometer, and a feature that I found to be pretty cool, integrated Shozu. Shozu can be set up to automatically upload any video or picture you take, to Facebook, MySpace, or any other social network or email account.

The M8800 sounds like a pretty cool phone, but as I always say, no such thing as a perfect phone. In my opinion, its two down sides are its relatively small display (I know it is 3.2 inches, but I cannot help but to compare it to the 3.8 inch HTC Touch HD’s screen), and its LACK OF Wifi. Why, Samsung, why?

The lack of WiFi is going to be its downfall, and that is where LG comes in the picture. They announced the KC910 Renoir. Also an 8mp monster, with all the other features that the M8800 has, plus Wifi. So why is the Renoir not the perfect phone? Only a 3 inch screen! That is just too small for me.

Both these handsets, with their imperfections, are really groundbreaking phones. Who could have imagined just 3 years ago, that using your phone, you would be able to take a photo with enough megapixels to hang as a billboard on a highway or bridge?

Check out Samsung’s ad for the M8800 below.

-Hillel

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by Aryeh on iPhone, Mobile, Tech

iPhone Coming to Kenya- Why not Israel??

Hey Everyone,

I know you haven’t heard from me in a while but things have been pretty crazy around here. I launched my company’s online forum this past week and its a lot of work to get it off the ground. I haven’t been reading anything this past week except for the blog, and my Google Reader shows it, over 1000 unread. It’s really great that I have a partner in crime, Hillel, who has taken over the work and done a really great job, Thanks man!

Ok, on with my rant. Apple has extended its country list for planned iPhone distribution. On this list Botswana, Kenya, Mali, Malta, Senegal, Guinea, Egypt and Jordan. Why is Israel left off this list? I am not saying anything bad about Kenya but come on Apple, are Israelis that hard to deal with??

-Aryeh

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by hilzfuld on iPhone, Mobile, Random, Software, Tech

Mobile Battle

The mobile world has come a really long way in an extremely short period of time. With new innovative handsets being released every day, and features such as 3G, WiFi, and 5 mp cameras becoming standard, the question is, what phone, in the current market, is the real king?

I am going to list a few that really stand out in my head, feel free to vote in the comments:

Apple iPhone 3G: There is no doubt that the iPhone changed the mobile world more than any other single handset. Whether you are a fan of the iPhone or believe it to be mostly hype, you cannot deny the outstanding job Apple has done with its revolutionary interface. Yes, it lacks MMS capabilities and a video camera, but with that amazing screen and unprecedented user experience, does it really matter?

HTC Touch HD: I do not remember the last time I was this excited about a phone. The Touch HD is the only phone out there that might actually have a nicer screen (3.8 inches vs. the iPhone’s 3.5) than the iPhone. It definitely packs in more features with its 5mp camera and full multimedia capabilities, but it is yet to be seen, will the interface really compete with that of the iPhone or will it be another HTC Touch Diamond-like disaster?

Nokia N96: When it was announced, it was huge news, but will its dual slide design and 16GB memory compete with current phones out there? Not feeling it!

Samsung INNOV8: Now this is one sexy phone. I think one of the nicest phones on the market, but will the 8mp camera make it good enough to play with the big boys?

Samsung Omnia: I know I just wrote this about five lines up, but I do not remember the last time I was this excited about a phone.  I recently handled this phone, and I have to say, it is the nicest phone I have ever personally held in my hand. Instead of talking about what the Omnia has, why don’t I just ask, what does it NOT have?

I think that is enough selection for you to make your choice. I purposely left out the new Google phone i.e the HTC Dream or G1, because I do not feel, even with Android, that this phone is in the same league as the others. Its lack of Bluetooth options (no file transfer or stereo Bluetooth), 3.5mm headphones jack, and its older 3G just prevent it from being able to play in the major leagues. Knowing Google, I am sure their G2 will be a different story.

So, which one of the above handsets (or did I leave out a phone that is the real king? E71 perhaps? Maybe some boldness?), is the current king of the mobile world?

-Hillel

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by hilzfuld on Mobile, Software, Tech

HTC G1: My Dreams Are A Lot Better

So yesterday was a pretty important day in the mobile world. The “Google Phone” was announced. After all the rumors surrounding Google’s first handset,  T-Mobile announced the HTC G1 (Dream, hence the title), running Google’s Android OS.

Although, Android is an impressive and exciting concept, the phone on which they chose  to implement this new OS is far from exciting. In today’s day and age there really is no reason HTC should be releasing a phone that can not transfer files via Bluetooth. That is just one of the many disadvantages of the new G1.

The G1 does not support stereo Bluetooth, making it difficult to listen to music wirelessly. Well, no biggie, right? I can just use my regular headphone, right? Wrong! The phone has no 3.5 mm headphones jack. That means, if I want to listen to music from my phone, I need to buy some ugly adapter and plug it into the phone, and only then can I use my headphones. Does that sound like a state of the art, high-end phone to you?

The phone supports 3G speeds, but only an older generation, UMTS and no HSDPA, which is significantlty faster. It offers push Gmail, which is kinda cool, I guess, but no exchange support. It has a 3 MP camera, not too shabby, but no video capabilities (the iPhone might be able to get away with that because it makes up for it in other areas, but cmon HTC).

Like with many other phones that were recently announced, my conclusion is that if this phone had been released in the pre-iPhone era, maybe it would have impressed me more, but all that is left is to quote GSMArena.com when they say:

“So we waited a whole year now just to see a poor iPhone replica with a QWERTY keyboard that doesn’t even look half as good. It seems HTC have not put any effort in the design – and even the functionality is flawed. So thanks, but no thanks! Let’s see the next one, please!”

On the marketing side of things, I guess this ad is OK, in a Microsoft kinda way.

-Hillel


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by hilzfuld on Mobile, Software, Tech

Android is A Reality

Looks like Google is taking Nokia’s route, as opposed to Apple’s known secrecy policy. The new T-Mobile Dream, or G1, is not even released yet, or for that matter, has not even been officially announced, and there are already leaked pictures and specs on the Web.

I personally am not as excited by the hardware of the HTC Dream as I am with Android. The phone looks kind of big and bulky, and I am not a huge fan of the whole Sidekick, slideout keyboard form factor. As for the specs, there really is nothing too exciting about this handset’s capabilities. It has the standard 65k display, 3.1 MP camera, and 5 hours of talk time. It lacks stereo Bluetooth (ouch), video capture (um, why?), and corporate push mail. The phone requires a Gmail account to access your email, and from what I understand, does not have any built-in memory.

I think Google could have done better when choosing the first Android handset. For example, if Google would have chosen the HTC Touch HD to introduce their new OS, I am pretty sure they would have many more interested customers. Having said that, I am not worried about Google, Android is appealing enough by itself, that it does not need a fancy shiny phone to make it attractive. On the contrary, it might have distracted the user from the beauty of the Android interface.

-Hillel

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by Aryeh on iPhone, Mobile, Tech

iPhone Home Activation?

The Boy Genius has reported that the home activation of the iPhone will return. But it is far from what it used to be. Apple is just trying to cut the time it takes to sign the paper work. You have to fill out the forms online and they go into the Apple or AT&T store to activate the phone. They are not going to allow any phones out of the store without being activated.

I have a real personal agenda here against Apple and the mobile carriers, being that I believe that all devices should be able to bought unlocked and without a contract. They can mark up the price but sell the phones unlocked.

-Aryeh

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