How the Nokia E7 helps to build upon the N8’s sales

Nokia E7 is quite similar to the Nokia N8 in a number of ways. First of all the design is quite identical to the N8 due to the similar anodized metal casing and the similar curves of the handset. Along with that both the devices run the newest version of Symbian, Symbian S^3.

Expanding the lineup

Nokia brought out the E7 in order to diversify the range of its Symbian S^3 platform. Until now, there were only two S^3 devices, the N8 and the E7. Both of these devices only had a touchscreen and no hardware keyboards. The E7 brought along a full QWERTY keyboard to the lineup which helped target those users that are more comfortable in typing with hardware keys.

Along with that the E7 also has a larger display than the N8 as the one on the E7 reaches 4 inches instead of the usual 3.5 inches. This helps to reach that crowd of people who are not bothered with a bit of additional bulk if they can get a larger display. And as 4.3 inch displays are getting more common every day, 4 inches is not an unusually large size for smartphones.

Increasing the reach of Symbian S^3

The Nokia N8 has already popularized the newest Symbian platform to quite a large extent. Several N8 owners are quite happy with the interface and apps are starting to be developed for the platform. Thus it is in Nokia’s best interest to keep device sales to a maximum so that developer interest in the platform remains at a high level.

Thus if the platform reaches the largest possible number of users, Nokia will keep earning large revenues due to the developer interest in the platform and this will in turn lead to the demand for the Symbian S^3 devices remaining high.

Building upon the N8’s performance

The Nokia N8 has already been selling well around the globe. The device is oriented more towards casual users that business users. The E7 targets the latter part of the smartphone community. The N8 has created awareness of the new platform and the E7 ditches the 12 megapixel camera in favor of a hardware keyboard and a bigger display. This way both devices cater to the needs of different communities.

The latest evolution of smartphones, the Motorola Atrix 4G

The Motorola Atrix 4G is the latest handset from Motorola that brings about quite an evolution of smartphones. The device has a 4-inch display and has a unique feature set that includes a dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor as well as 1GB of DDR2 RAM. It currently runs Android 2.2 but a 2.3 upgrade is in the works.

Bridging the gap between smartphones and computers

The Atrix 4G also behaves like a computer along with being a smartphone. It has a Webtop application built-in that has an interface similar to Windows and acts like a computer when connected to a screen belonging to a laptop. The interface also includes the acclaimed Mozilla Firefox desktop browser along with Flash for a full-fledged internet experience. The processor ensures that all content is handled smoothly.

Thus the phone can carry out functions that have historically only been attributed to personal computers such as laptops and desktops. The HDMI port ensures that the phone can output content to a large selection of screens including newer monitors as well as High Definition televisions that have HDMI ports in them.

Docks that enhance functionality

The Motorola Atrix 4G has a number of docks available that helps it to enhance its functionality. First of all there is the laptop dock. This dock helps to convert your laptop into a device powered by the phone itself and enables the use of the laptop keyboard and mouse in a virtualized desktop running from the Atrix 4G. This system can help you send text messages right from the laptop using its keyboard.

You can also access the contents of the phone from this method and it also allows you to go online with the Atrix’s high speed 4G-connectivity on the go. Along with that there is also a multimedia dock. This dock helps you to use your phone as a multimedia player and helps output High-Definition images to your HDTV and the included remote can help you in controlling the device from quite a distance.

So what is it?

It is quite a complicated question regarding how to classify this device. It is clearly not just a smartphone considering it is able to run a desktop web browser and mimic the functionality of a laptop. Neither is it a tablet considering its size and nor is it a laptop. The only thing that it can be called is a hybrid between a smartphone and a computer.

Sony Ericsson’s dilemma with its smartphone business

Sony Ericsson fell into a dark spot with its heavily criticized flagship of 2010, the Xperia X10. The device was not upgraded to the newer version of Android until November, when Android 2.2 was already on several handsets. As the skin of Android on the X10 was heavily customized, continually updating the handset onto the latest version was proving to be a burden on resources.

Fighting for the future

Thus Sony Ericsson decided that they should abandon development for their current smartphones and go for improving their future crop. This decision is all set to cause backlash from the owners of current Xperia handsets as their phone will be stuck to Android 2.1. This may also cause the reputation of Sony Ericsson to decline somewhat in the current smartphone circle.

However this strategy will provide future devices with additional resources for development and innovation. These future devices, which include the Xperia Arc and other unannounced handsets, will debut with Android 2.3 and will hopefully update to the newest Android versions of time.

Backtracking their mistakes

Sony Ericsson customized their devices heavily with custom media and social networking software which made providing updates very difficult to users on time. Sony Ericsson has therefore slimmed down on its Android skin and has just included a basic social networking application in the package. This decision will help in improving the update delays of future Sony Ericsson smartphones considerably.

Sony Ericsson is also stuck between abandoning current users and losing potential future customers. If it spends additional resources on current devices, the users will undoubtedly be a lot happier but future devices will come out with sub-par development, which would not help their sales. Along with that rival companies are definitely stepping up their game and Sony Ericsson will definitely have to improve in order to stay in the business.

Evolution Of Cell Phone Battery

We had the first cell phone in our hands back in 1973. Dr Martin Cooper invented the first portable handset and he was also the first person to make the first cell phone call. So how was the first prototype of cellular phone? You will be surprised to know that it was far from looking like today’s smartphones. Would you believe that it only allowed 30 minutes of talk time and it took nearly 10 hours to recharge it? I know it’s hard to believe! But this is the truth. So what about now? Can you tell me how much a battery can survive without getting charged? I won’t mention the name for its being a Chinese handset (Non Brand) but i will definitely tell you how much it survives with out getting recharged. This battery that allows you a standby time of About 666 days and a huge talk time of about 3-5 days. Can you imagine that!  So how was it possible to come so far, starting from a talk time of 35 minutes?  And what will be the future of the cell phone battery if it goes on like this?

From first generation to the latest generations, manufacturers have always tried to give the users a longer talk time and a shorter recharge time. For this purpose they did years of research and experiments. I will try to focus on the main 4 types of the cellphone batteries.

Nickel Cadmium Cell Phone Batteries

The Nickel Cadmium Batteries or NiCD in short were very popular in the late 80′s and early 90′s. They were great for their time and served the people with great facilities. But it had some problems that took developers back to the drawing board. The main problem was its being heavy and large. This subsequently increased the cellphone size.  But the most disturbing fact was that it had the ‘Memory Effect’. “Memory effect” happens when rechargeable batteries are not fully discharged between charge cycles; as a result the battery “remembers” the shortened cycle and is thus reduced in capacity. So users have to empty the battery fully before recharging it .This caused the cell phone to be dead for sometimes. Another great problem was that it produced heat while using; causing great disturbance and with increasing charge-discharge cycles, it increased in size making it flabby. Finally the cadmium being a toxic product posed heath issues for the users and it was also difficult to dump after use.

Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries

Growing frustration among the users of the NiCD batteries caused the developers to think about an alternative to the NiCD batteries and the alternative they figured out was the Nickel Metal Hydride or in short NiMH. They were widely used in the late 90′s. For being made from the non-toxic materials it gained popularity and on the other hand it had the ‘memory effect’ to a much lesser extent. These two factors made it an ideal alternative for the NiCD batteries. They were also thinner and lighter than the NiCD and took less time to get charged and yielded much longer talk time. But it failed to solve the issue of the heat production and flabbiness of the batteries after repeated use. So the search for the ideal battery continued up until the lithium ion batteries came.

Lithium Ion Batteries

Lithium Ion batteries are the most popular batteries now. They are the thinnest and lightest among the three we have discussed so far. But it offers the longest talk time and it’s the most efficient battery while being recharged. Its recharge time is much shorter than the others and the use-recharge ratio is great.  It is available in wide variety of shapes and sizes so they are efficiently fitted within the devices they power. It does not have any memory effect so it no longer needs to be emptied before recharging. It has the lowest percentage of self discharge rate being 5-10% per month, compared to over 30% per month in nickel metal hydride batteries and 10% per month in nickel-cadmium batteries. All the components are environmentally safe as there is no free lithium metal. Now the only drawback is that it’s being very expensive than the others.

Lithium Poly Ion Batteries

Being the newest and most advanced in the battery technology the Li-Poly battery offers up to 40% more battery capacity than the NiMH battery of same size. Its ultra light weight making the smartphones lighter than ever. It’s also free of the memory effect. But they are rare and it’s far from getting used commonly.

So what’s waiting for us in the future? Will there be more amazing technologies in cell phone batteries. I am sure that there will be lots of advancements in this field in future. As you can see, there are even some devices that support accessories that can charge your device from solar power. You can also power up your device using external power source. So let’s see where it goes ultimately.

Motorola DEFY- Worlds First Durable Android !

It’s been a misery for you if you love the Latest smartphones available in the market but you can’t use them for working in harsh conditions like high temperature, contact with water or oil etc. None of the smartphone giants in the market except Motorola felt your misery! Now Motorola offers you the world’s first durable Android named the ‘Motorola DEFY’. Now no matter how harsh your working condition is, you will be able to use this handset full of latest technologies and applications. You don’t have to face any more restrictions while using the Motorola DEFY. Though Motorola haven’t officially acknowledged it, But the phone itself has talked for it. I am a bit surprised, that Motorola didn’t come forward to acknowledge the fact that it really is the world’s first durable Android powered handset. But I can guess some reasons behind that! I believe you also do if you are cleaver enough. But your first look on the device will clear the fact that I am telling is fact not fiction. Take a look at the screen shots I have provided. This device being completely unnoticed and almost unheard of after its silent launch can be a very popular one to professionals of hash environments. If only Motorola takes some small but calculated steps. Of which the first and foremost thing will be to let the proper candidates know about it.

Think of the person working in an oil rig! What scope does he have rather than having to watch some movies and talking to near and dear one after long intervals. If you could reach them with handsets like this wouldn’t it be a great thing as then they will have more opportunity to scroll the web and keeping in touch with the world. They can also communicate with their families and friends via social networking. Or would you prefer ‘Sonim’ handsets for them which can be dumped under water or stored in a freezer for a long period of time!

I don’t think users these days are that much stupid and need that much durable phone as all users are more or less cautious about their handsets. Some even demonstrated that ‘Some’ handsets can be kicked as footballs. Do you expect your handset to be a football now and kick it as hard as you can to make sure it’s strong enough! I think offering a handset that ensures durability, scratch resistance, water and dust resistance upto certain limit and has a good battery life is enough for users of harsh conditions. In addition if you can offer some great applications that are either related to their work or helps them to relax and have fun will be great. The Motorola DEFY offers just that. So, without further ado let me show you some key features of the world’s first durable Android the Motorola DEFY-

Key Features

• World’s first durable Android smartphone
• Scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass screen
• dustproof and water-resistant (not yet official )
• 3.7″ capacitive TFT touchscreen
• Quad-band GSM/EDGE, HSDPA 900/2100
• Android OS 2.1 Eclair
• Custom MOTOBLUR UI
• TI OMAP3610 800 MHz processor
• 512MB RAM, 2GB onboard storage
• microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
• 2GB card included
• 5 MP autofocus LED flash camera
• VGA video @ 30fps
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• Built-in GPS receiver, digital compass
• MicroUSB port, charging enabled
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• FM radio with RDS
• Accelerometer for UI auto-rotate
• Active noise cancellation
• Nice social networking integration
• Swype text input
• Web browser with Adobe Flash Lite
• Very good audio quality
• Awesome web-connected music player
• Video player has Xvid video support

But I will not only highlight only the advantages but also some disadvantages that come with it. Take a look on them also, if you feel that you can overcome them then I will recommend going for it.

Some Disadvantages

• Android 2.1 being an outdated OS version
• Limited storage for installing apps
• No smart dialing
• No HD video recording
• No DivX video support out of the box
• No secondary video-call camera

Samsung Galaxy Family Being Showcased ?

As always! Big shows gather Big names meaning Big Releases. The CES, 2011 was a great show of tech products. Some thought that, it will take someime to bring out new products by manufacturers as most of the products were unveiled at CES 2011. But from my previous experience I knew that the MWC is going to be more exciting than the CES and now, watch out as  the proud family members of Samsung GALAXY series are making their way out! You will find all the Galaxy family members namely The Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Fit, Galaxy Gio, Galaxy mini showcased at the MWC, 2011 scheduled to be held from 14^th -17^th February in Barcelona. After the initial release of the Samsung Galaxy S (The first handset of Galaxy series) in 2010, Samsung had overwhelming success with it. The reason behind that was both the freedom offered by the Android OS that powered it and The excellent UI and performance of the handset itself.  For being Android based Samsung Galaxy S allowed users to use thousands of application from the Android Market. Rapid growth of the Android market also ensured the widespread success. Developers had the freedom to work on the Android platform and deliver applications both in quality and quantity and for this reason the users had more options to choose from. So Samsung thought to take the upper hand by letting the users to have similar platforms like the original Galaxy S but with some different taste and opportunities. Samsung is hoping to continue their journey of great success with handsets of the Galaxy series like they did with the Samsung Galaxy S. Now let’s see what these handsets are bestowed with-

Samsung Galaxy Ace Specifications

• Android 2.2 Froyo
• 3.5-inch HVGA TFT Display
• 800MHz Processor
• 5-MP autofocus LED flash Camera
• Social Hub, TouchWiz interface
• Swype, Document Viewer/Editor
• Quad-band GSM, HSDPA
• A-GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
• 150 MB Internal Memory
• 1350 mAh Battery
• 3.5 mm Headset Jack

Samsung Galaxy Fit Specifications

• Android 2.2 Froyo
• 3.3-inch QVGA TFT Display
• 600MHz Processor
• 5-MP Autofocus Camera
• Social Hub, TouchWiz interface
• Swype, Document Viewer
• Quad-band GSM, HSDPA
• A-GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
• 1350 mAh Battery
• 150 MB Internal Memory

Samsung Galaxy Gio Specifications

• Android 2.2 Froyo
• 3.2-inch QVGA TFT Display
• 800MHz Processor
• 3-MP Autofocus Camera
• Social Hub, TouchWiz interface
• Swype, Document Viewer
• Quad-band GSM, HSDPA
• A-GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
• 1350 mAh Battery
• 158 MB Internal Memory

Samsung Galaxy Mini Specifications

• Android 2.2 Froyo
• 3.14-inch QVGA TFT Display
• 600MHz Processor
• 3-MP Fixed-Focus Camera
• Social Hub, TouchWiz interface
• Swype, Document Viewer
• Quad-band GSM, HSDPA
• A-GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
• 1350 mAh Battery
• 158 MB Internal Memory

So, What do you think now. Are these handsets worth of great success? Lets wait for a while to comment on that, as very soon all of us will get the chance to check them out.

Why smartphone cameras can be a menace as well as blessing

Cameras in smartphones have been both a menace as well as blessing for the society. Just as positive uses and misuses of every device exist, smartphones with cameras are no exception. In a particular person’s hands the device may produce very beneficial results, but in another person’s hand the device may become a menace for society.

Misusing the camera capabilities of smartphones

The cameras of smartphones have been involved innumerable times in disputes regarding issues of privacy. Several people have been secretly been photographed in positions as well as times in which they may feel it is inappropriate. Along with that a stranger photographing others has also become a menace in society, especially if the victim likes to have some time alone.

Smartphone cameras have also been used to gain sensitive information discreetly. People may take pictures of confidential documents and other personal items of individuals in order to blackmail the person or profit from it in another way. Leaking of information is a large concern with several businesses and many of them disallow phones with digital cameras into their buildings.

Helping the society through smartphone cameras

Smartphone cameras can also provide quite a lot of help to the society if they are used for beneficiary purposes. Such an example would be recording instances of crime which may be provided to the police as evidence. Such evidence has been proved to be incremental in several high profile crime cases in the world. The police of Pakistan have offered citizens of the country cash rewards if they submit video or photo evidence of a crime which was in progress.

Smartphone cameras have also helped people to go undercover and expose elements of the society to the public which they may be unaware of. An example of this would be corruption cases involving people with authority. If the mobile phone camera was not at hand during such an instance, there may not have been enough evidence to prosecute the wrongdoer.

Load testing of smartphones – why is it done?

Load testing of smartphones basically means putting under development handsets through a series of tests to see how well the phone holds up during real-world usage. There are several advantages of load testing a device before it enters mass production. Nearly all smartphone manufacturers carry out some sort of load testing nowadays.

Avoidance of faults before production

Load testing exposes any hardware problems in the device before the production begins. An example of this would be if the keys of the device are made of an incompetent substance and would definitely break down over light usage, the load test may expose the fact and the problem can be corrected beforehand by using another substance.

A consequence of not using this type of load testing was evident with Sony Ericsson’s W580i and S500i mobile phones which were subject to keypad cracking over time. This was due to an incorrect arrangement of the key holders of the device which put excess pressure on the center of the keys and led to them cracking from the middle. Initially it was thought to be due to a corrosive green paint but later on other colored phones became subject to the problem as well.

Ensuring people do not complain of substandard quality later on

Load testing also minimizes the company’s expenditure on warranties and customer service. If a device is not load tested and breaks down within a few months in the hands of a large proportion of consumers, the company would have to spend a large amount on the rectification and/or replacement of the phones. This cost would be much higher the cost of load testing devices before manufacturing.

Load testing also helps save the reputation of the company. If a consumer is loyal to a brand and keeps on purchasing their phones which start breaking often, he or she may lose interest in that producer and move on to a competitor’s products. The losses from these transferred consumers also may add up to quite a large amount of lost revenue.

The problem of battery life versus smartphone performance

Smartphones are getting more and more powerful by the day. Dual-core smartphones are just around the corner as well as better GPUs. These components, along with larger smartphone displays take up quite a lot of battery and hamper the longevity of the handset on a single battery charge.

Development rate of batteries and other components

Currently, battery technology is not developing at a rate fast enough to keep up with the rate of development of internal hardware components such as processors, cameras and other peripherals such as proximity sensors. This means that smartphone manufacturers are stuck between reaching for the fastest hardware at the expense of a long battery life.

Everyday components are also being added to smartphones without any other components being removed. Such an example would be dual microphones (for noise cancellation) which are getting more and more common every day. Along with that hardware for NFC technology is also set to increase in popularity. The only component that was removed in the recent future was the infrared port which has been phased out. All these peripherals add to the existing burden on smartphone batteries.

Compromising daily usage

Features such as GPS in mobile phones take up quite a lot of battery power which can lead to the whole battery draining in a meager 5 hours. If additional features are used simultaneously such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the battery is bound to drain even faster. Even if smartphones are used casually, such as for web browsing for a couple of hours and listening to music occasionally, more powerful smartphones struggle to last a complete day.

The problem is aggravated if a person forgets to charge the phone even once. The smartphone may die out during the middle of the next day which may cause a multitude of problems for the user. Adding multiple batteries into devices is also quite a difficult proposition today as devices currently do not have any spare space in their bodies and adding them would increase the bulkiness of the devices.

Camera phones versus Digital Cameras

Although nowadays smartphones have already got very capable cameras, there has still been no letdown in the sales of dedicated digital cameras. There are several different reasons for this. Here we will go through some of the main reasons.

Inability to match Digital SLRs

Digital SLRs are cameras that use dedicated (and usually large) lenses to take the best photographs. These cameras are usually used by enthusiasts and professionals. The quality of pictures captured by camera phones is much, much lower than that of a Digital SLR. Even a Nokia N8, which has one of the best cameras on the market, cannot outdo a basic DSLR in nearly all photographic conditions.

Thus the appeal for camera phones to these people is limited as they cannot use additional and specialized lenses on the phones to capture the picture with the desired effect. As these people can afford to spend hundreds of dollars on additional lenses, they are not bothered with even the latest smartphone cameras.

Usage of point-and-shoots

Although camera phones cannot match DSLRs, they can certainly match point-and-shoot cameras. These cameras are used for casual photography and are mostly used by people for capturing group events such as weddings, family get-togethers and parties. Basically point-and-shoot cameras are dedicated to non-commercial uses of cameras.

However, mobile phones have even failed to bring down the sales of these point-and-shoot cameras. A primary reason is that mostly families buy these cameras and these cameras are used by all the family members. For example one person can take the camera an event and the next day another person of the family can take the camera to another event. This would not be possible with a smartphone as that would belong to only one individual.

Lack of Xenon flash

Many consumers are turned down by the lack of xenon flash in most smartphones. Camera phones usually utilize LED lights for taking images in dark environments but this mechanism is not as effective as a flash of light from a Xenon module. Although there are several models with Xenon flash on the market, such as the Nokia N8 and Sony Ericsson Satio, most of the smartphone lineup only utilizes LED flash technology.

Although LED flashes may be more efficient and do not require a recharging time, people still prefer to use Xenon flashes due to the usually better results it produces. Thus ditching a digital camera for a smartphone may be a viable solution for some individuals; but on the whole people prefer using dedicated cameras for photography.