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.
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.
It seems that Amazon is giving a pretty good offer for many Android smart phone fans. This new Samsung handset comes fully equipped with all the great features one would expect from a high end Android smart phone with a few little impressive extras that makes this handset a good alternative to more established Android handsets such as Google’s own Nexus One and the HTC Desire.
One thing all the above Android devices have in common (as well as with the XPERIA X10) is that they represent the new generation of Android smart phones –running on 1GHz CPUs. The move from the older, slower processors to the new 1GHz standard is just the start, according to reports Qualcomm has just come out with a new Snapdragon CPU that will be clocked at over 1GHz. Of course, the upcoming 2.2 Froyo update will be bringing Flash so a fast processor will certainly big a deal for Android devices.
Anyway, back to the Galaxy S, this smart phone will also have a 5 mega pixel camera. This is perfect for taking high quality images as well as for shooting HD video as well. The phone’s 4 inch capacitive touch screen makes use of the super AMOLED display technology that was recently unveiled by Samsung. In terms of other specs, the Galaxy S is pretty well packed; it has 512MB of RAM, up to 16 GB or internal memory, support for Bluetooth, micro SD and even has DivX and XviD video support.
As expected, the device will be using the TouchWiz user interface on top of the Android OS. Samsung has also brought in support for the Social Hub as well as tools such as the Smart Life and ThinkFree applications.
The 8GB version of the device is available for a very good bargain of 500 Euros on Amazon.
T-Mobile is offering two high end Android smart phones free on plans at £35 monthly tariffs.
The announcement is a welcome surprise to anyone hoping to bag any of the two devices when they come out in April. While Vodafone UK and Orange Mobile have also announced that they will be offering the devices as well, T-Mobile has put up the selling page for the phones. Ordering the HTC Desire will take up to 7 days before the device ships and the XPERIA X10 will take 10 days prior to shipping.
In both cases, the phones will be available for free with T-Mobile plans at two year contracts with a monthly fee of £35. Naturally, given the nature of the Android operating system, the best plans are the offers with unlimited 3G internet. The best deal for the Desire gives users 500 text messages, 1200 minutes of talk time and unlimited internet. The optimum X10 plan shares the same offer as well (but only with 900 minutes).
Those originally looking forward to the UK launch of the Google phone Nexus One might want to go for the HTC Desire instead. With the two phones sharing very similar specifications, their performance and handling of the Android OS are pretty much the same. Both have 1GHz Snapdragon CPUs, 3.7 inch AMOLED touch screens and 5 mega pixel cameras. Google’s Nexus One does have an advanced voice recognition software technology while HTC offers the Sense UI and 720p video recording with the Desire.
The XPERIA X10 comes with a 4 inch capacitive TFT touch screen, an 8 mega pixel camera and the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor clocked at 1GHz. This device will be followed by two Mini versions in May.
Get to know more about the T-Mobile plans and tariffs for the HTC Desire and the XPERIA X10 at Stuff TV.
