Best Phone Blog

September is just a few months away and so is the launch of Windows Phone 7 (if earlier rumors are to be believed). The new platform from Microsoft is quite different from the previous Windows Mobile operating system and so is the target user base.

WP7’s main focus is on social networking, and while some users might appreciate the new approach, other could say that Microsoft has taken it too far.

There is nothing wrong about social networking on a smart phone; in fact, one can pretty much expect it. Integrated features for Facebook and Twitter are so commonplace that some smart phone buyers already consider if a basic feature. However, Microsoft has taken it one step further by choosing to replace certain aspects of the handset with social networking features –namely, the contact list.

This is where Microsoft might have stepped on a proverbial landmine. For most people, the friends list on Facebook is a collection of friends, family and “random acquaintances that would really help boost the number of people you get to play with on Facebook’s gaming applications”. That said; it is common that a mobile phone would have a more personal list of contacts. Microsoft takes away that distinction by placing everyone in a linked Facebook account into the smart phone’s contacts page.

Since the process is automated and there is no way of preventing it, the only other thing that people can do is to not associate a Facebook account in the OS.

Still, the OS manages to shine in many other aspects. The new UI design is both unique and impressive. But most old school users might not be able to adapt to the bleeding effect of the cut off text on top of the pages. The large empty space on the side might also throw off some users –especially those who want to fill up the entire screen with content.

It seems that the famous social networking tool (or to be more technically correct, micro-blogging device) Twitter has been having a few technical problems recently.

According to reports, the system was having availability and refresh issues on various areas and territories with the new features being added in as well as the improvements in Twitter’s overall performance. Despite the many complains that went up over the weekend, the micro blogging company says that everything is fine now and users can go back to their daily tweets.

Come to think of it, a slight performance hiccup over the weekend is not really a serious issue, particularly, when the symptoms were more of intermittent issues as compared to actual service removal. Yet, many people were reacting so quickly to it. It appears that our society is far more reliant on Twitter than originally thought. In fact, if Twitter can get a reaction like this, who knows what will happen if Facebook stays offline for about three full days?

In other Twitter news, it seems that mobile phone users who are fond of location based services such as Foursquare and Gowalla would be happy to know that the micro blogging site is about to launch their own Twitter Places function. The service will be combining both the phone’s GPS data with the Twitter app allowing users to add a location tag to their tweets.

While many are excited at the great possibilities that can be done with their new feature, there is concern as to what Twitter will be doing to the GPS data. While it is presumed that the feature will not automatically get user info when not allowed, there is always the possibility data mining.

In any case, the Twitter service has already been restored and according to the latest updates, users should no longer have any issues to deal with.

No matter how we look at it, being online is going to be a crucial part of day to day existence.

Already we can see the difference with people who have access to online resources to those who do not. Manufacturers are able to stay on top of business trends and have a more in depth look at the market to predict possible needs. Obtaining resources such as information is faster and more convenient online than having to go out and research at a local library. Even the simple act of getting in touch with friends and family has become something we rely on Facebook and email for.

The integration of the internet to our daily lives has been helped by computers and net books, but if there is one device to blame as to why we rely so much on online access, it is the smart phone.

The average smart phone these days has WiFi, 3G or both. Missing these features turns any smart phone into something undesirable. The mobile phone which we carry with us everyday has become not only a device for calling and messaging, but a way to get online anytime and anywhere.

Better technology has also encouraged going online as well.

Touch screen display has made using the phone easy and fun. Bigger and better resolutions are also one reason why most people no longer consider using the humble computer for going online –especially if all they want to do is check Facebook and send a couple of Tweets.

Speaking of which, it is the prevalence of social networking tools that has made everyone such online addicts. Many prefer to interact with others through their online profiles than in real life.

Get to know more about technology changed the way we live and learn at Pocket Lint.

Apps can certainly burn a hole in your pocket and so many developers have popped up hoping to make it big (aka: filthy, stinking, rich) in the iPhone scene. That said, it is always a treat to find practical apps that give back to the community and cost zilch to download.

Meet the Brizzly. If you cannot stand the thought of not being able to Tweet constantly but find existing Tweet apps too expensive to buy, then the Brizzly team has you covered.

Since their launch, Brizzly has been a popular web-based Twitter app. It allows the use of multiple Twitter apps, has integrated Facebook support and provides streamlined link and photo viewing. The team has been in hibernation for quite some time but they just recently popped up bring a gift to the iPhone-owning Twitter community.

The team acquired the rights to fancy Twitter app Birdfeed. Birdfeed is a Twitter app for the iPhone that was known for being lean, fast and having dazzling visuals. The Brizzly team bought the Birdfeed, simplified it (goodbye pretty interface) and launched it anew dropping the price to nothing.

The original developer, Buzz Andersen has been working closely with the Brizzly team however, so you can still expect the best feature of the app to be there plus having the ability to display Facebook feeds, albeit in a plain package.

To access it, a user is required to sign up and log in to a Brizzly account. That is it, there are no gimmicks and it gets the job done. The Birdfeed UI was tweaked and a standard icon row has been added to give access to its features. A News tab has been added for trending feeds and it features a pull-down feed refresh similar to another iPhone Twitter app called Tweetie. It does not have push notifications built in however but that is precisely why there are push apps available.

The verdict: If you Tweet a lot and you like freebies, get it. Actually, you may want to start Tweeting and get this app anyway, it is definitely worth it.

Head over to Gizmodo for more information about Brizzly.

Last weekend, this was posted on the Vodafone Twitter page: “Vodafone UK is fed up of dirty homos and is going after beaver”. So goes the recently removed post of an obviously disturbed employee of Vodafone UK. According to reports, the employee has been caught is currently suspended.

It is a very lenient punishment for the post which was obviously meant to offend members of the gay community and to objectify women (if you did not catch the slang, then you are a very non-malicious person). In any case, the post did cause quite a stir when it got put on Vodafone’s official Twitter page. While some expressed offense at the statement, many raised concerns that the account may have been the target of a malicious hack.

Employees were quick to apologize about the content of the post and assured the public that all is well and that the mobile network operator has not been hacked –the post was the result of a severe breach of rules by staff. Vodafone should really screen their employees more thoroughly.

In any case, this is hardly anything that can be blamed on Vodafone, internal problems like these do occasionally happen regardless of one’s vigilance. At the very least, we should be proud that the company has been quick to solve the issue before the sensitive matter became out of hand.

Aside from this little incident, Vodafone has been having a very great start this year. January ended with a successful launch of the Apple iPhone for the network giant. During the very first week of launch, Vodafone sold over 100,000 units of the iPhone. Talks of the company’s 3G network superiority over other services have attracted other iPhone subscribers to switch.

Get the full details and the news article on the offensive Tweet from a Vodafone employee at CNET.