Best Phone Blog

Much ado has been made about the Galaxy S II which has been experiencing record sales and is among the most wanted phones this summer. After using the phone, it is not hard to see why as the phone sports liquid smooth navigation, scrolling and usability. But the phone’s most outstanding feature (other than the dual-core processor) is the Super AMOLED Plus screen that is featured in a 4.3 casing (screen size).

That said, there have been a trickle of complaints involving the Galaxy S II screen which some have pointed features a yellowish tint which no doubt would be a manufacturing problem if these reports are true.

Over at XDA Developers forum, a member named Erethnor has made a thread about the problem which is titled “Display problem/yellowish left side.” Since the thread has been made, more than a few members have commented on the thread expressing the same issue. As it would appear, there is a yellowish hint along the left side of the screen (1/3 of the entire screen). According to said reports, the yellow tint is not always visible and is mainly noticeable when the brightness has been set to low. Those affected by the issue claim that the discoloration is most noticeable when there is white text on a dark background.

This is not the first time that a device has been plagued by screen issues. Most noticeably was Apple’s iPad 2 which had light leakage back in March. Needless to say that did not affect the sales of the iPad 2 so it’s safe to say as long as Samsung identifies the problem and fixes it, it should not be a huge deal.

Those who would like to read the thread for themselves as well as add their two cents can visit the thread here. You can also find a great range of Samsung Galaxy S II deals here.

The Motorola Xoom, which is the first Android device developed to run the tablet-specific Honeycomb 3.0 OS, will soon be available in the stores. Therefore, users will be able to get a kick-start in the next tablet war. According to first impressions, the device has earned positive feedback. However, a question still remains whether it will be able to compete against the iPad. According to the experts, the Xoom comes with amazing features and mobile technologies that will be able to beat the first-generation iPads. Some of the great features that users can enjoy using this device are the optimized operating system and screen size.

With all the high expectations, the Xoom comes with the best features and specifications to compete against most of the top tablet devices available in the market. For instance, the overall style as well as hardware specifications of the Motorola Xoom point out some noticeable benefits. Although iPads are still ruling the market, Google’s operating system installed in this Android device is also making it as a preferred choice for high end users.

The Motorola Xoom is also more customizable when compared to other tablet PCs available in the market these days. This device is upgradeable to faster 4G networks, where available, and the company is also planning to make numerous small acquisitions for differentiating itself from the rival handset makers.

The Motorola Xoom also comes with a Tegra 2 dual-core processor provided by Nvidia, which will be able to deliver up to two GHz of power. The device will be launched as a Wi-Fi/3G device in April. However, in the second quarter, Motorola Xoom contracts will be obtainable on 4G LTE networks. Due to the Tegra 2 dual-core processor, the device will be able to provide high quality graphics as well as viewing for the users. The image clarity of the dual cameras is also great in the Xoom.

The world is yours, the line reads from many a novels and playwrights, especially the all to famous James Bond series. But considering Samsung’s steady trend and push to become the world’s largest manufacturer of mobile devices, we could see similarities with the reference being applied to them, and why not, just days before it’s February 14th debut at 2011 Mobile World Congress, we’re finding out that those interested in tasting of the Galaxy line will be able to do so if they fancy the Ace S5830 or the Mini S5570, that is of course if you reside in Germany. The new devices will be landing in Samsung’s German market by the end of this month and will sport some decent specs, not great but decent.

First up is the Galaxy Mini which sports a 3.14 inch QVGA display that is capacitive as well as multitouch supporting. There is a 3.2 megapixel camera on the camera’s rear along with Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and social network integration. The suggested price for the device is €299.

Next up is the more expensive and feature rich Galaxy Ace which carries an MSRP of €399. But for that price, you get a bump in screen size from 3.14 inches to 3.5 inches and instead of a QVGA display, its now HVGA display. The camera is 5 megapixels and there is also Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n along with an 800MHz processor. For those times when one is lost and cannot find their way, there is an included AGPS receiver.

As we said before, decent but not terribly exciting specs so those who are interested, we would advise waiting a few more days till MWC to see what Samsung pulls out of their hat before plopping down a couple hundred on these devices.

Source: Samsung.de

The great marketing maxim that you shouldn’t be tinkering with a successful product goes out the window with the HTC Desire Z. The Taiwan-based leader in smartphones HTC did just that. It took its highly successfully HTC Desire released this March and decided it can reach more markets by adding a full QWERTY keyboard in a slider form factor.

HTC didn’t sacrifice much of the slim profile of the Desire as its QWERTY version has a 14.2mm profile making it one of the slimmest QWERTY sliders on the market.

Feature Desirability

Apart from that, HTC traded the beefy muscles of the older Desire’s 1GHz Snapdragon for a less endowed by just as capable 800 MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 under the hood. At least you now get the latest Android v2.2 to run the HTC Desire Z. You give some, you lose some, right?

But for all intents and purposes, the two are almost identical, with the same 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display all the bells like proximity and accelerometer sensors, Swipe and multitouch input technologies, 480 x 800 resolution and 16 million colors. The display is S-LCD which is no less as good as the AMOLED in the first early batches of the Desire which now uses the same screens, thanks to Samsung’s inability to meet the HTC needs.

The new Desires features quad band GSM on 2G with class 32 GPRS/EDGE connectivity speeds and a dual band UMTS on 3G with HSDPA at 14.14 Mbps and HSUPA at 5.7 Mbps data speeds. Local data transfers get WiFi 802.11 b/g/n for hotspot surfing, Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, microUSB v2.0 and an in-built GPS receiver with A-GPS.

Imaging gets a 5-megapixel shooter with autofocus, LED flash, face detection, geo tagging and video recording at 720p high definition. Mobile entertainment starts with its Stereo FM receiver with RDS, a 3.5mm audio jack and wireless A2DP stereo listening option.

HTC puts in a generous 1.5 GB of user memory coupled with a 512 MB RAM for its OS files. You also get a 32GB microSD support. A 1300 mAh Li-ion battery delivers up to 9.8 hours of call time on 2G, 6.6 hours on 3G with a standby time of 430 hours.

Mobile phones are a treasure trove of information on its users. From contact information, message histories and even photos and images, a mobile phone can hold plenty of important information on users. Even a simply music playlist can give a quick insight into the nature of the owner of the device.

It is now a common practice to make use of old mobile phones by either selling them off to others, trading them in or simply by having the devices recycled. And by all means, mobile phone owners should find way to utilize their old handsets. But it is also important to ensure that prior to letting go of the device; information on the handset should be wiped clean.

This begins with the removal of all storage devices. This is basically just the SIM card and memory stick (if the handset supports it); this alone will take out a large chunk of information on the handset. However, it does not remove data stored directly in the device. Users should manually delete file folders, media content such as music, videos and images to ensure that nothing gets left on the device.

Many users tend to forget to clear out the internet history of their mobile phones. Since the advent of 3G networks, more and more people have become used to getting push email, instant live updates and more web based accessibility. This however has given any device more data on their users. Be sure to clear out browser histories, cookies and of course, delete all the extra apps you have downloaded over time.

Most devices will have a special computer application that would allow users to simply wipe all phone data using a computer. Others, such as devices that use the Android operating system, have a factory reset switch that would revert the device back to its original state.

Ever wonder what the creator of the original mobile phone has to say about modern day smart phones? Well, Martin Cooper happens to be an Android fan. At least for now. The 81 year old mobile phone inventor has expressed his belief that Google Android smart phones are just as capable, if not more so, than an Apple iPhone. The inventor has also mentioned that the iPhone is more suited for younger consumers, which explains why he gave his unit to his grandson.

This is definitely great news for other Android fans out there. Even if this does not determine how well the Samsung Galaxy S or the HTC Desire will fare against the iPhone 4 in terms of sales, it still is quite interesting to note that even the man we have to thank for inventing the first handset is behind the Android OS all the way.

Mr. Cooper has been known to express how he thinks a lot of today’s mobile devices have too many features. And this may mean that other, more essential attributes, are neglected. Considering his vision for mobile phone use, he must be referring to the dependability of a mobile device when it comes to its call features.

Sad to say, Apple’s reception problem is its biggest Achilles heel. Smart consumers know that the issue is hardly fixable through a software update, because it can be attributed to poor design. At any rate, the father of mobile phones has been using an Android device for a few months now and is quite happy with it. That does not mean that he will use it forever though, he is always checking new developments of modern day mobile phones.

Mr. Cooper keeps a number of mobile devices and actively participates in testing upcoming handsets too. Currently, he is testing a Vertu for a company in Europe.

We all rejoiced when the very first leaked images of the Apple iPhone 4 was leaked. Among the first new features that we all got to confirm was that the device would come with a front facing camera. The feature has been in pretty big demand since the very first iPhone came out and this is the only time that it actually came to be.

Unfortunately, the hardware was not supported by the software that we all expected it to have. Instead of the camera being an easy to use add-on, usage was controlled and limited; just like everything else with Apple.

Apple introduced FaceTime, which is basically their easiest way to cut down the freedom people could have with a front facing camera. FaceTime is made so that it only works with WiFi and it can only call other iPhone 4 users. Despite the fact that over 1.7 million people did buy an iPhone, they are (mostly) not the folks we want to talk to.

Fortunately, Fring has also arrived for the iPhone 4.

For those not familiar with the new app, this video chatting feature is made just like FaceTime but with fewer restrictions. First off, connectivity is a choice between any available networks; this means that users are no longer limited to sticking with WiFi as 3G will be supported as well.

More importantly, Fring allows users to connect to other mobile devices such as Android or Symbian smart phones –further giving the front facing camera a better purpose.

Despite the fact that Fring does more than what Apple originally planned for the iPhone 4, there has been no move to stop the development or distribution of the app. Seems like Apple is recognizing that Fring is really able to bring out the full potential of the new iPhone 4 camera.

There are simply times when being content with today’s technology is not enough to fascinate the mind. Despite all the already impressive and innovative products and services that are already available, we all cannot help but look forward to what else may come in the future.

As interesting as the exercise may be, Google UK’s head, Matt Brittin, believe that there should be a line between fantasizing and predicting, because according to him, anyone who tries to predict the industry trend beyond the scope of a year is going to be “dramatically wrong”.

The man has a point, looking back on the past year alone, Apple has managed to come out with a tablet, a smart phone that sold over 1.7 million units despite having a major defect and have created an empire based on their iBrand alone. Google has also had its share of major milestones with the release of the new Google Android updates and of course, their very own phone. In between all of these are the birth of Street View, the adaptation of augmented reality by many phones and several other innovative achievements.

But one that Matt has not trouble predicting is the trend of using mobile phones to access the internet. They are small, compact, easy-to-use and are always available. Unlike the desktop computer or even a netbook that has to be set down before using, a smart phone is ready any time of the day –provided that the user is in a location with a good WiFi or 3G signal.

Each year, the number of people using desktop computers for accessing the web is decreasing. Even front end web designers are starting to see the trends and the need to establish new website layouts that fit in the smaller resolution screens of mobile phones (as well as sites that have smaller loading times and less bandwidth consumption) are becoming the next big thing.

Ever since the next little green robot was given a name (Gingerbread), rumor mongers have been quite active in spreading “news” about it. The Google Android 3.0 operating system was said to have been developed for next generation smart phones and, as such, will not be compatible with any of the ‘Droid devices available at present.

The rumors circulating stated that the Gingerbread had a screen resolution requirement (1280 x 760 to be exact) and will not be compatible with some screen sizes. It also entailed a mobile phone to have a next gen processor, which is at least 1 GHz, in order to run the resource heavy platform.

Due to the steep minimum specs rumored to be needed by the device, the 3.0 version would split the Google Android family of devices in half. Those who would run the 3.0 would be the high end devices while those that would be upgradeable to a 2.2 would be in the cheap or mass market mobile phone category. And from the rumors being circulated, it appeared that the HTC Desire and Google’s own Nexus One would fall into the latter category. Lastly, Gingerbread is due to be released mid-October this year.

As to why these were given to the public as news, nobody knows. Perhaps this was just a trend prediction gone awry, or maybe it is just an innocent comment that happened to reach the ears of Google execs. At any rate, Google lead for Android Open Source and Compatibility Technology, Dan Morrillhas, had to dispel the rumors through his Tweet:

“I love it when people just make stuff up and report it as news. In summary, please remember that rumors are not official announcements. .”

So if you currently own a Nexus One, you will probably be able to update your ‘Droid to version 3.0 without problems in the future. If you want to know what makes Gingerbread worth all the fuss, just feast your eyes on version 2.2.

If the HTC Desire looks and seems like a Smarpthone you’ve already seen before, it’s because it actually is. The newest Smartphone from HTC is actually a revamped model of the HTC Google Nexus One which saw its release in January of this year. The only difference between the two is that the Desire has been blessed with the immaculate Sense user interface. In this regard, the Desire definitely makes more sense than its Nexus counterpart. Forgive the play on words. We just couldn’t resist it.

Mirror Image

One of the reasons why the Nexus One was so impressive was because of its sizable high resolution touch screen display. At 3.7” and with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, it remains to be one of the baddest in the business. The same holds true for the HTC Desire which has the exact same AMOLED capacitive touch screen. The dimensions of the two are almost exactly the same as is their weight – a virtual mirror image.

More of the Same

In terms of their features, it’s more of the same for the HTC Desire and the Nexus One. Voice and data connectivity options are similar and so are their built-in cameras which are both at 5-Megapixels. An expandable external memory of 32GB, a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and an A-GPS-capable GPS receiver are some of the other prominent features shared by these two Smartphones, and they’re definitely impressive features, especially considering how reasonable the HTC Desire deals are.

Sensing a Difference

While both handsets have the famed Android OS on board (both have the Eclair), what allows the HTC Desire to stand out is its Sense UI. The proprietary HTC user interface enhances the already impressive Google mobile OS as it integrates a lot of new features on the Desire. One of the shortcomings of the Nexus One was its lack of widget and application power. With the Desire, all these criticism can be thrown out of the window.