Showing posts with label Gadgets News Views and Reviews. Show all posts
CDMA iPhone 4 Will Come to India: Morgan Stanley
It was one of the longest running rumors in the tech space to finally break into reality yesterday - Apple unveiling a CDMA iPhone 4 for US carrier Verizon. For those not aware, the CDMA iPhone 4 is almost similar to its GSM counterpart in features or form, except for the Android 2.2-like Mobile Hotspot feature that lets you turn your phone into a wi-fi router.
Today, Apple Insider has reported that an analyst from the global financial services firm Morgan Stanley is hopeful on the CDMA iPhone 4 reaching Indian waters. The report states that as Apple has signed a non-exclusive agreement with Verizon (unlike the five-year exclusive tie-up they had with AT&T for the GSM models), there's a possibility of it floating elsewhere.
The analyst suggested that Reliance from India could bag the CDMA iPhone 4, while China Telecom would bring it to that region. The GSM iPhone 4 was officially out in China, with the first batch being sold out within a week. While India has been waiting for a long time now to receive any kind of iPhone 4 - GSM or CDMA, Black or White.
India is in no way a small market for mobile phones - it's one of the two fastest growing mobile markets in the world right now. Also, 20 percent of India's 670 million mobile users are on CDMA networks. So, if the CDMA iPhone 4 does come, there ought to be a decent number of hopeful customers.
But then if you're the kind of person who really wants to get the latest in whatever available, then the iPhone 4 is going to arrive in just a few months after the iPhone 4G/5 launch in June 2011.
NEC shows off a 7 inch mini-laptop with Tegra 2
Charbax from ARMDevices spotted something I missed at CES last week: A 7 inch netbook with an NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip from NEC. The little guy has a full QWERTY keyboard as well as special keys for Android functions such as Hme, Back, and Menu. The screen also features a resistive touch panel.
That said, the keyboard looks awfully cramped, and the Android function keys are kind of awkwardly placed for buttons you’re likely to use quite a bit. Still, the little laptop is pretty nifty looking, and the Tegra 2 chipset makes it quite snappy — at least for launching and switching between applications.
The prototype runs Android 2.2 and weighs about 1.3 pounds. It’s not clear if or when it will be launched as a real product.
You can check out the ARMDevices video after the break.
iPad reading could cut into TV's time
(Fast Company) -- The iPad is changing how folks read stuff online -- no surprise if you think how different a gizmo it is to a PC.
But a new study shows it's moving online reading into primetime TV hours, which is big news. Is evening reading coming back, just in a digital style?
The study comes from internal data acquired by ReadItLater, a web service that lets users bookmark web content for perusal at a different time. Though you may think this slightly colors the dataset, the way this service works gives the company unique access to time-coded data on how iPad users (and traditional computer users) read content online.
By looking at how traffic moves through their servers, normalized for global time differences, the ReadItLater team worked out how traditional PC users spread their online reading out during the day.
As you may expect, given how deeply into our everyday lives the computer has penetrated, the curve of content consumption is pretty stable -- not much happens in the wee small hours of the day, then as people wake and go to work there's more traffic, with a small peak spread out around traditional lunch hours and another around 8 p.m. after the evening meal.
When you look at iPhone and iPad user traffic, distinct from "normal" PCs, everything is suddenly very different.
Quest reviews his iPad
RELATED TOPICS
* Apple iPad
* TV Ratings
iPhone users have distinct peaks in their reading habits, timed to correspond with the morning routine of breakfast, then a commute to work, the end of the work day and homeward journey, and then last thing in the evening.
This matches the iPhone's status as a handy, portable, always-on Net browser that's good for quick content consumption.
But it's with the iPad that the statistics get very odd indeed: With minor usage spikes first thing in the morning, at lunchtime and then dinner time, the main bulk of iPad text content consumption is from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m..
Fast Company: iPad 2 rumor round-up
This is prime-time TV's slot, and it seems that as well as settling back on the sofa to watch TV, people are taking their iPad with them too. The data doesn't reveal if folk are multitasking (spending some time ogling their favorite shows, some looking data up on the Web) or are ignoring the TV altogether--but the data will still be of concern to TV execs who expect uninterrupted attention from TV watchers, in order to maximize ad revenues.
Plus it's something of a return to a traditional leisure hour image: People settling down on the couch after the evening meal to read the paper or a book, possibly to listen to the radio at the same time.
Remembering a study last year that showed how much time users devote to reading magazines on an iPad, we have to wonder is the iPad causing a renaissance in reading -- just digitally, and with Web content as well as digital books content?
Fast Company: More technology coverage
If this is true, then Rupert Murdoch's Daily iPad newspaper is arriving with pinpoint timing. And the hordes of Android tablets that have just arrived should accentuate the effect.
This is thus something that PR and advertising executives need to pay careful attention to, because the attention focus of the average consumer may be switching away from the TV to their other (newer) powerful glowing screen--in their laps
Dell Venue Pro Review
BOX CONTENTS
It was a bit strange for us to unbox a smartphone with the Dell logo on the front. This is Dell's third smarpthone release after the Aero and the Streak. Inside the box we find typical accessories like a charger and earbuds. There's also a T-Mobile SIM included, as the Venue Pro is locked to that network (an AT&T version might be forthcoming).
HARDWARE
In terms of specs, the Dell Venue Pro is running with similar internals as all of the other Windows Phone 7 launch devices. That includes a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, 512MB of RAM (update: 256MB RAM), Wi-Fi b/g/n, aGPS, Bluetooth 2.1, FM Radio, and HSDPA/HSUPA. It comes in both 8GB and 16GB storage configurations without a user-accessible microSD slot for added storage. It's packing a five-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash that can record 720p video. The battery is 1400mAh.
The screen is a focal point of the Venue Pro. It's the largest AMOLED screen on the market by our count, at 4.1" diagonal running with WVGA 800x480 resolution. While its display is not as contrasty as the Super AMOLED display found on the Samsung Focus, it's crisper than a typical LCD.
The Venue Pro has a fantastic slide-out keyboard that has four rows. The keys provide a great level of tactile feedback, and are sized adequately for those with large or small fingers. However, the on-screen keyboard on the Venue Pro is the best we've ever tested, so you might not be needing the hardware keyboard too often.
On the bottom of the device we have the microUSB port, plus the speaker and microphone. The speaker on the Venue Pro was top-notch and more "bassy" than any phone we've tested.
On the left side of the device we have just a smooth chrome strip.
And on the right side of the Venue Pro we have the volume rocker (which is usually on the left side) plus the dual-action camera button.
Browsing the web on the Venue Pro's big AMOLED display is a great experience, also thanks to the great performance of Internet Explorer in Windows Phone 7.
SOFTWARE
You've already seen Windows Phone 7, and if you haven't, be sure to check out our full review.
There's a few added programs on the Dell Venue Pro that come from T-Mobile, but none are that special. Here's an outline of what you get:
- Family Room: A family-centric app that lets you share a whiteboard, calendar, and more, among several handsets
- My Account: An app that lets you check your account balance, view activity, etc
- Pageonce Finance: A personal finance app that is otherwise available in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace
- Telenav: A turn-by-turn navigation solution that will cost you $10 per month to use
- T-Mobile TV: A mobiTV application that lets you watch live TV for a monthly fee
What you get is a pretty clean installation of Windows Phone 7 on the Venue Pro, which is a good thing, because it's a great operating system that performs well, especially on the Venue Pro. We compared the Dell smartphone to the Samsung Focus, and found that most of the time, it was faster in launching apps and going through the various screens of the operating system. Compared to the Nexus S and iPhone, the Venue Pro is competitive when it comes to internet browsing speed.
Not only does it seem faster than other Windows Phone 7 devices, but the screen sensitivity seems to be the highest, thus making for a very fluid experience thanks to the super light touch required to register a screen press.
CAMERA
The Venue Pro can record video at 720p, but, like the other Windows Phone 7 device, doesn't "remember" your resolution setting. Each time you shoot video you have to choose 720p. That's annoying.
For still photography, the Venue Pro takes photos at five megapixels and can do autofocus (but not touch-to-focus). Here are a few samples: indoor, indoor macro, outdoor. As you can see from the samples, the camera has trouble focusing on close-up objects, and also tends to not accurately portray colors.
PERFORMANCE
The Venue Pro is a work horse, and lives up to the "Pro" moniker. It's the fastest Windows Phone 7 device we've used, and we've used them all.
CALL QUALITY/NETWORK SPEED
Running on the T-Mobile HSDPA network, expect to get 1-2mbps download speeds. The device isn't capable of T-Mobile 4G-like HSPA+ speeds, unfortunately.
Call quality was fantastic, and I didn't experience any dropped calls.
BATTERY LIFE
Battery life on the Venue Pro was above average. With heavy use, expect to get through about a day and half on one charge. With moderate use, you can go a full two day without plugging in. Very good!
PURCHASING AND AVAILABILITY
The Venue Pro is available directly from Dell in two configurations. The 8GB version is $99 with a two year contract, or $449 without. The 16GB model will run you $149 with a T-mobile plan, or $500 without.
PROS
+ Windows Phone 7 runs buttery smooth
+ Curved glass display looks and feels great
+ Great battery life
+ Super high build quality with great attention to detail
+ Fantastic hardware keyboard
+ Excellent on-screen keyboard
+ Loud speaker
CONS
- Windows Phone 7 still lacks key features
- Heavy and bulky
- No user-accessible microSD storage
- Keyboard slider can't be used to answer/end calls
- Awkwardly-placed power button
- No HSPA+ for T-Mobile
CONCLUSION
We mentioned early in the review that the slick form factor of the Venue Pro comes at a cost. That cost is size and weight. The phone is a scale-tipping 180 grams. As a frame of reference, the iPhone is 137 grams, and the Nexus S is 129 grams. In terms of size, the phone, with keyboard extended, is about 50% taller than the iPhone, which can be uncomfortable if you're trying to tap onscreen elements while keeping your fingers on the keyboard. Fortunately, the on-screen keyboard of the Venue Pro is one of the best we've ever seen, so it's not neccessary to retract the keyboard but for times when you need to write long messages.
The build quality of the Venue Pro is remarkable, and we hope this is a sign of things to come from Dell. The mixed used of glass, metal, textured plastic, and rubbery plastic makes for a very high-end feel. That, coupled with the weight of the device, and you've got a commanding device that feels ready to do whatever you ask of it.
If you've been waiting for Windows Phone 7 and wouldn't mind the bulk of a heavier device, the Venue Pro might be the phone to get. With an AT&T version passing the FCC, more people may soon have access to this terrific device.
Nokia X6 16GB The Good and Bad
The Good..
Attractive design, good display quality and touchscreen response, excellent audio quality and powerful loudspeakers, 16GB memory, Ovi Music offers unlimited music download for one year, Ovi Maps 3.0 with turn by turn voice navigation, excellent bundle
The Bad..
Build quality not up to the mark, poor display visibility under sunlight, interface is not very user friendly, no auto-correct for text input, no native support for DivX/XviD video playback (only through third party apps)
Samsung Wave The Good and Bad
The Good..
Excellent design, build and finish, stunning display, smooth interface, good quality camera, 720p video recording, HD video playback (including MKV), superb audio quality, multitasking support, terrific value for money
The Bad..
Clumsy web browser interface, no lens cover, no ambient light adjustment, too few apps on the Samsung store as of now
Nokia N900 The Good and Bad
The Good..
Solid build quality, full QWERTY keypad, 32GB built-in memory plus microSD card slot, good audio quality, good web browser with full Flash support, decent camera, fast USB transfer speeds, extremely customizable OS, DivX/Xvid playback
The Bad..
Too thick and bulky, impossible to use single-handedly, dull display, no FM radio application, not much variety in terms of applications, bit sluggish at times
LG GW300 The Good and Bad
The Good..
Good design, sturdy build, comfortable keypad, good audio quality, multitasking, well priced
The Bad..
Average camera quality, unimpressive web browser
HTC HD mini The Good and Bad
The Good..
Attractive design, good display quality and touchscreen response, can be used as a Wi-Fi router, HTC Sense UI makes Windows Mobile a lot more bearable
The Bad..
It's still Windows Mobile, interface stutters at times for no apparent reason, no flash for camera, loudspeaker position, no DivX/Xvid support, poor battery life, Windows Marketplace is sad, expensive
Sony Ericsson Zylo The Good and Bad
The Good..
Good design, sturdy build, good display quality, comfortable keypad, smooth interface, good battery life, FLAC format support, good web browser, ability to pause and run multiple Java applications
The Bad..
No 3.5mm headphone jack, poor quality supplied headset, average camera quality, sluggish media player interface, no GPS
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Mini The Good and Bad
The Good..
Tactile QWERTY keyboard, Compact design, responsive UI, Good audio via bundled in-earphones, Good 5MP camera, Impressive feature-set (Wi-fi, GPS, 3.5G)
The Bad
Tiny low-resolution screen isn't ideal for power use, Old version of Android (1.6), A bit heavy
Nokia n8 camera review
Cameras have always had a special place in Nokia phones. Even though they weren't the first ones to come out with a camera phone (Sony Ericsson beat them to it) they heavily advertised the cameras in their phone, as if they were the only ones to have it in their phones. Their first camera phone was the Nokia 7650, which incidentally was also their first Symbian smartphone. It was a simple VGA camera and all you could do with it was point and shoot, not too different from what you could do with the first iPhone, even though it came out five years later.
With the 3650, Nokia brought video recording to mobile phone cameras and this time they were the first ones to do so. It could record videos in QCIF resolution for full 15 seconds because anything more and it would not fit into a 100MB MMS, a feature Nokia was advertising a lot those days.
Several models later, Nokia's first shot at a proper camera phone came with the Nokia 7610. It was the first phone to have a 1 megapixel camera, 11 megapixels less than the camera we are reviewing today. That was in 2004, the same year Nokia announced the 6630, which had an amazing 1.3 megapixel camera.
Meanwhile, Sony Ericsson continued to churn out good camera phones but they hit gold with the K750i, which was widely acclaimed as the best camera phone ever. Not to be outdone, Nokia announced the N90, their first phone to have a 2 megapixel sensor and autofocus mechanism. It was also the first phone to have a Carl Zeiss lens, a renowned name in optics. It had a very interesting folding design and a lot of camera-centric features. Unfortunately, when it came to actual image quality, Sony Ericsson still had a lead over Nokia and they held on to it for a while.
And then one day Nokia dropped a bomb called N95. It was the first phone to have a 5 megapixel camera. The specifications of the phone itself were mind blowing. Sony Ericsson had no answer to that; no one did. The N95 obliterated the competition with its superior image quality. Eventually Sony Ericsson launched the K850 but once again it was beaten by Nokia with its N82, which was their first phone with a xenon flash.
Last year Nokia launched the N86, which was their first 8 megapixel phone. Nokia took a long time to come up with an 8 megapixel phone of its own, but when they did, they did it with style. The N86 had a lot of new features that were new to mobile phone cameras. It had a 28mm wide angle lens, a mechanical shutter and variable aperture, not to mention Carl Zeiss optics. Till today it is regarded as one of the best camera phones, known especially for its low-light shots.
So, why the long history lesson? It's because we feel it is important for the reader to understand that the Nokia N8 has a rich heritage of devices that came before it, which at their time, were some of the best camera phones that money could buy. This isn't the first time that a Nokia handset is vying for the crown of the best camera phone in the market. But is the N8 really good? Can it replicate the success of the N95 or the N82? Don't forget, not all the phones mentioned above were successful. After spending more than a week with it and a few hundred pictures later, we think we know the answer.
Source: http://www.techtree.com/India/Reviews/Nokia_N8_Camera_Review/551-113188-614.html
Nokia N8 The Good and Bad
The Good..
Superb build and finish, good quality scratch resistant display, stellar camera for a mobile phone, excellent connectivity features, HDMI-out with 5.1 audio, USB On-the-Go support, 16GB memory plus microSD slot, decent battery life
The Bad..
Symbian ^3 not as user friendly as rival platforms, not many applications at the moment
Nokia C3-00 The Good and Bad
The Good..
Good build and appearance, well-designed QWERTY keyboard, easy to use UI with good readability, good battery life, indian language characters on keyboard, no text input issue in Java apps (unlike many competitors), decent web browsing
The Bad..
Earpiece max volume could have been higher, mediocre camera, cannot minimize all apps (let alone multi-task), advertised push mail feature didn't work for us most of the time, 3rd party apps can't use Wi-fi (only GPRS)
Nokia C7 The Good and Bad
The Good..
Sexy design, sturdy build, good quality display with Gorilla glass protection, 720p video playback and recording, FM transmitter
The Bad..
Disappointing camera, HD video playback is a hit and miss affair, unimpressive web browser, microSD card not hot swappable, Ovi Store is not quite there yet
Samsung Omnia Pro 4 Review
Design & Build
Business centric phones are never the most sleek looking of handsets, and it's fair to say, Samsung have created one of the most dull looking smart phones that we've seen to date. While its angular design may resonate with professionals, we struggled to look past its boring exterior. In Samsung's defense however, thanks to its reasonable 118 x 60 x 12 dimensions, it's extremely comfortable to hold.
As you may have guessed, with the Omnia Pro 4, it's more about functionality than fashion. The handset sports a four-row QWERTY keypad, and although the buttons are crammed tightly together, we found it quite accurate when bashing out messages. Surprisingly, the handset also offers a 2.6 inch QVGA resistive touchscreen, ideal for those of you who prefer to scroll through web pages at the touch of a finger. Despite being resistive, the screen proved highly responsive, and little force has to be added.
OS & Interface
A far cry from Microsoft's more recent Windows Phone 7, Samsung's latest business-focused handset arrives running Windows Mobile Professional 6.5.3. We may not be the biggest fan of the platform, but on this handset, it seems to make sense.
From the easy to use interface, business-folk and general Microsoft lovers will be pleased to see Microsoft Outlook Mobile and Pocket Office onboard, alongside push email, instant messaging, RSS feeds and Windows Live Messenger.
Dell Announces The Streak 7, The First 4G Tablet (VIDEO)
What was originally dubbed Dell's Looking Glass tablet is here, with a new name: The Dell Streak 7.
While it may not be running that fresh Android Honeycomb operating system (unlike the Motorola Xoom), it will be 4G equipped on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network, and contains the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor that is making so many of these tablets possible.
The 7" touch screen tablet will run Android 2.2 (Froyo), has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and has WiFi capabilities in addition to 4G. It comes standard with an SD card slot and 16 GB of memory, expandable to 32.
Dell's tablet also incorporates Bluetooth capabilities, as well as support for Adobe Flash Player, much like its predecessor, the Streak 5.
The Streak 7 is set to be launched early this year, though a price is yet to have been set.
While it may not be running that fresh Android Honeycomb operating system (unlike the Motorola Xoom), it will be 4G equipped on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network, and contains the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor that is making so many of these tablets possible.
The 7" touch screen tablet will run Android 2.2 (Froyo), has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and has WiFi capabilities in addition to 4G. It comes standard with an SD card slot and 16 GB of memory, expandable to 32.
Dell's tablet also incorporates Bluetooth capabilities, as well as support for Adobe Flash Player, much like its predecessor, the Streak 5.
The Streak 7 is set to be launched early this year, though a price is yet to have been set.
Motorola Xoom Tablet Unveiled At CES 2011
CEO Sanjay Jha showed off the Xoom along with several upcoming smart phones during a news conference Wednesday in advance of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The tablet will come with a 10.1-inch high-definition screen, dual-core processor, front-facing camera for video chatting and a 5-megapixel camera that can take high-definition videos. It will support Flash video content – something Apple Inc.'s iPad does not do – and can work as a Wi-Fi hotspot to connect up to five more gadgets to the Internet.
It will also have Honeycomb, a version of Android that has been designed for the larger touch screens on tablets. Current versions of Android are meant more for the smaller touch screens on smart phones.
In a demo of the software, the Xoom's screen appeared to look more like a computer desktop than a smart phone screen, and Web surfing looked more as it does on a full-sized computer than on a mobile device. Jha said Honeycomb will include a redesigned version of YouTube and the ability to make video calls through Google Talk.
"The user interface, the whole interactive model is designed for the tablet," he said.
The Xoom will begin selling in the first quarter. Initially it will work with Verizon's 3G network and will be upgradeable so it can work on its new 4G network in the second quarter.
Story continues below
Advertisement
Verizon began deploying its new network last year. It uses LTE, or Long-Term Evolution, technology, which is a standard technology behind the next-generation cellular networks, known as 4G. It is designed from the ground up to carry data. Network operators expect not just higher speeds but lower operational costs with LTE.
Motorola Mobility, which is consumer-focused and split from the enterprise-focused portion of Motorola on Tuesday, was not the only company to trot out a Honeycomb tablet Wednesday: T-Mobile USA Inc. and LG Mobile Phones said T-Mobile will start selling the G-Slate in the coming months.
The G-Slate will run on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network, which is an upgraded 3G network that the company refers to as a 4G network because it can achieve 4G speeds.
After initially resisting, the International Telecommunications Union, a standards-setting body, has approved the practice of calling upgraded 3G networks "4G" – something that T-Mobile competitor AT&T Inc. also does.
11 New Tablets You've Probably Never Heard Of From CES 2011
2010 was declared the "year of the tablet," but the plethora of new tablets on display at this week's Consumer Electronics Show, many running Google's Android operating system, suggests 2011 may well earn that distinction as well.
In addition to the big-name tablets unveiled over the past few months by the likes of Samsung and Research In Motion, there were also host of never-before-seen tablet devices at CES 2011, some sporting new features like slide-out keyboards, stunningly iPad-like designs, and more.
We've put together a slideshow of 11 tablets that you've probably never heard of that were shown off at CES 2011.
