Bringing the Internet to the Rest of Europe
According to recent studies, the lack of mobile coverage and internet in many rural regions has become the main reason why the younger generations tend to migrate to more populated urban areas and why the gap between the regions continue to grow.
Teenagers and young adults are first to feel the disconnection with their generation due to the fact that there is hardly any mobile or internet service in many rural areas. While over 60% of urban environments would allow you to access a mobile network or even the internet easily, this number drops down to a frighteningly low 1.5% in rural areas.
With society becoming more and more reliant in internet access, social networking and doing business online, plenty of people are finding themselves unable to keep up when forced to live in areas that are pretty far away from the rest of the world –in terms of getting online that is.
Even adults in rural areas are finding trouble with the limited options for having mobile coverage since there are plenty of areas in the UK that only have network coverage for specific providers –as other mobile network operators are not able to expand as much as their competitors.
There has already been talk of the possibility of a new legislation that would force operators to open their services to other subscribers for a small “roaming charge” –similar to travelling outside the country where access to local providers is absent.
Education is also another major issue –with the internet being the major source of information for children for doing research, homework and social growth outside of class, there are now calls for increasing the number of Government initiatives in many rural areas.
Read more about the lack of mobile and net coverage and its effects in rural areas at the Guardian UK.
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Loading ...Apple Takes on Google, Starts with HTC
Critics have been heavy on Apple for the past few days, after all, the major electronics manufacturer and software developer has filed a lawsuit against HTC in an indirect attack to Google.
Taiwan based HTC is considered to be one of the biggest manufacturers of today. Their new smart phones are much anticipated and their devices set many of the industry standards that we have today. Despite not being as large as Nokia or Motorola, HTC still managed to create a very powerful name brand for itself –a feat in the harsh mobile industry.
HTC has spent the past few years as part of the Open Handset Alliance it helped establish along with Google. This gave rise to the Android operating system and many HTC devices that featured the mobile platform. HTC would later play a bigger role as the manufacturer of the G-branded Nexus One Android smart phone.
Despite the Nexus One’s weak sales and the continuous dominance of the iPhone in the mobile market, Apple still considers the Android as its toughest competitor in the industry. And while the iPhone 4G will be arriving later this year, it will be facing stiff competition from no less than the best Android devices that HTC can offer.
The infringement lawsuit specifies twenty software and hardware patents owned by Apple. Should this lawsuit give Apple a favorable verdict, they would be able to deal a crippling blow to one of Google’s major partners. In the end, it is fair game; no matter how ruthless the action Apple has taken, people will still continue to support their devices.
HTC has responded by stating that it will defend their innovations and would be presenting patents of their own. Google has also stated that they will be backing up HTC every step of the way.
Get to know more about the lawsuit on Tech Radar.
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Acer Liquid e Powered by Sweets
Acer, Taiwan-based international computer manufacturer, has an ace up its sleeve with the unveiling of the Acer Liquid e. The noteworthy addition to their smart phone line has a number of assets that make it a worthy contender for Android supported mobile phones.
The Power of Liquid e’s Hardware
With a 768 MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and running the updated Android 2.1 operating system, the phone functions run swiftly with almost no hiccups. There are plenty of similarities between the Liquid e and its senior, last year’s Acer Liquid A1. The Liquid e offers a 3.5-inch WVGA capacitive touch screen. The screen size is a respectable 3.5 inches at an 800 pixel resolution. A 5.0 megapixel camera with Auto Focus is thrown in with the package along with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Liquid e has Wi-Fi capabilities, has Bluetooth, GPRS and supports high speed internet access through a 7.2 Mbps 3G via HSDPA/HSUPA networks.
A Sweeter Éclair this Time Around
With the new smart phone comes the latest version of Google’s Android operating series. Liquid e uses the Google Android 2.1, also known as Éclair, which is a sweeter version of the Android 2.0. Voice control allows users to access the GPS system, send emails and even Tweet on the go. Apps like Google Earth have been improved for the 2.1. Although the Google Earth app looks similar to its iPhone counterpart, 2.1 has a neat feature that gives users the ability to scan maps by simulating flying through the air.
The Éclair is all about connectivity. From pulling contacts directly off your Facebook to displaying feeds from more than one Gmail account, 2.1 just makes keeping in touch so much simpler.
No need to worry about getting drenched during camping trips, 2. 1 delivers dynamic weather updates that are tied up to the GPS system. This allows your mobile phone to deliver minute-by-minute accounts of the weather, humidity and temperature depending on your location.
Home screens are increased to five this time around so you can launch more widgets or apps at the same time. Even if some customized Android OS devices also offered more than the usual three, this is still a noteworthy addition to 2.1 since this feature is now available to vanilla devices and can be used fresh out of the box.
Liquid e Runs as Smoothly as Water
Though the body would give a different impression, the Liquid e actually runs the Android 2.1 OS swiftly once you’re actually using the smart phone. Acer has limited the amount of customizations they added, leaving the OS to run without slowdowns. A media shortcut wheel is added to the far left of the home screen and a wheel for browser favorites was added opposite to it at the far right.
Acer has never really been known for their phones but there is no question that the Acer Liquid e is a step-up from last year’s Liquid A1 and is something to look forward to once it comes out.
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Apple Sues HTC for 20 Infringements
20 infringements –looks like Apple has been keeping a very close eye on HTC made technologies recently as the Apple lawsuit against the Taiwanese manufacturer racks up quite the long list.
No word has been released as to exactly which technologies are being put into question, though many already believe that this is simply a case of Apple being able to file a patent ahead of others. In many infringement cases, the manufacturers being sued are never really guilty of actually copying or stealing existing designs and technologies. More often than not, the technology in question would simply have an existing patent owned by some other group –in this case, Apple.
The practice of filing for patents without actually manufacturing or using the technology has been around for quite some time. This is usually done in advance in order for the patent maker to own rights to the technology while still accumulating funds to develop the patent. In some cases, patents are filed as a way to own a predicted upcoming technology. Though there are laws that require patent ownership to expire after a certain amount of time, the practice of sitting on a patent for a few years have paid off for many people.
Anyway, the ramifications of this lawsuit will no doubt be a simple hiccup in the flow of progress for both Apple and HTC as both companies have been in the industry long enough to easily weather such minor troubles –unless HTC did steal technology from Apple. According to Steve Jobs (Apple CEO); “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
Get to know more about the Apple and HTC lawsuit at Tech Radar.
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Vodafone to Launch Nexus One in April
When it was predicted that 2010 would be the year of the Android, they certainly were not mistaken.
The year started with the release of the Google phone, the Nexus One. Despite the many hiccups, side problems and 3G errors that plagued the smart phone, Google pushed through with the device. They had a pretty dismal sales performance –selling only 20,000 units during the first week; but still pressed on in developing and updating the device that showed Android in the way Google wanted us to enjoy it.
The Nexus One comes with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. The CPU keeps everything running fast and smoothly. It keeps the animations smooth and crisp while easily running multiple functions on the device. The 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen is a perfect input system for mobile devices that delivers high quality images and visuals while the 5 mega pixel camera is perfect for taking videos and images.
So anyway, reports are showing that the device is indeed headed to the UK and Vodafone will be offering the device to its clients. Right now, interest on the Google phone is pretty low thanks to the big buzz generated by the WP7 mobile platform. But with the HTC Desire coming out this March (as well as the HTC Legend, XPERIA X10, and several others) it would not be surprising to see some pretty heavy marketing for the Nexus One to pop out.
Anyway, the Nexus One, despite being carried by Vodafone will still be limited in availability. Vodafone staff has been advised to refer customer inquiries to the Google online website as the phone will only be available through Google’s online store. We seriously doubt that pitch will get plenty of people to sign up.
Read more about the Nexus One on Vodafone at Softpedia.
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...HTC HD Mini
HTC HD Mini
HTC has recently unveiled its new HTC HD Mini, which is a Sense-based Windows phone that has focussed on the delivery of the very popular HD2 only in the sleeker and more compact design found in many popular minis today. Indeed, Peter Chou, the Chief Executive Officer of the HRC Corporation, stated that the initial demand for the HD2 has exceeded all original expectations and the new HD Mini is aimed at ‘bringing all of the experience and capabilities of the HD2 to customers in a more compact design, thereby fully satisfying customers on all levels of design and function.’ Mr Chou went on to say that the HD Mini’s integration of HTC Sense and Windows Mobile affords customers much more choice ‘for an advanced Windows phone that is well-crafted, sleek and user-friendly.’
The HTC HD Mini is indeed beautifully designed, and is eminently user-friendly right out of the box. Its precision fasteners used to assembled the phone are still visible to users from the outside and, far from detracting from the overall aesthetic, this merely shows the high levels of craftsmanship that have gone into making the phone. This concept of strong and original design is also visible under the battery cover, and is visible in a striking yellow internal structure when you look inside.
HTC HD Mini
Like all of the new device unveiled by HTC of late the HD Mini smartphone also uses HTC Sense, which HTC have also designed very much with the user in mind and ‘with the aim of putting the user right at the centre of their mobile world and experience.’ Sense is very good to use and incorporates what is called the ‘helicopter view’ known as Leap which allows the user to navigate easily between screens and operate the phone in much the same way as Expose on the Mac.
The handset also continues the concept of putting the user in the centre of the experience with its Outlook integration that provides a single contact view enabling the user to see individual snapshots displaying all conversations with that person, be they text messages, calls, e-mails or just status updates. It also features HTC’s Peep, HTC’s Windows-based Twitter application, which allows users to tweet without any problems and also to follow their online Twitter stream.
The HD Mini further appeals to many people by featuring a capacitive touchscreen which allows websites to be not only viewed but also zoomed in and out of and also re-sized to suit your particular needs. You can also do the same to PDF documents and all Microsoft Office files and pictures with just a pinch of the finger, a great feature of Sense.
Spec wise the HD Mini also comes complete with 3G broadband and Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing for seamless wireless connection and date transfer. The user may also choose to download a range of applications from Windows Marketplace for Mobile in order to further customise their mobile experience, though this is of course options.
For power the HD Mini relies upon a rechargeable lithium-ion polymer or lithium-ion battery that allows the user a fully-charged talk time of around 400 minutes. It also packs a decent 5-megapixel integral camera which comes with a range of useful features, including an ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, auto-focus facility and widescreen photo capture. There is also a fully integrated Windows media player that supports the full range of media files for around eight hours of playback as well as video playback formats that can support around 12 hours of video playback. For those needing more space users can also utilise the MicroSD expansion card in the integral slot in order to further enhance the storage memory capacity of the Mini HD. Though no official price and release date information is confirmed as of yet the HD Mini is pencilled for release in the second quarter of 2010.
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Windows Phone 7 Series Gets Tentative Handsets
The new Windows Phone 7 series mobile platform is a truly impressive new OS. Obviously, with a release date not due until later this year, lots of work still has to be done and the platform is far from ready. Despite that, Microsoft did not fail to impress. If anything, they proved that they can make a truly amazing operating system that could possibly change the way we look at mobile phones.
Now, the one thing we are all wondering about is: what kind of phone will the OS appear on?
So far, three major mobile phone manufacturers have been tagged as the next potential WP7 handset producer. The lineup is pretty promising too.
HTC was first to make the announcement that they would be making a Windows Phone 7 handset and would have a device ready by the holidays. The Taiwanese mobile phone manufacturer has had a very long history with Microsoft, longer than their new ties with Google and the Android OS. Since HTC was one of the pioneers during the Pocket PC era, it would be fitting for HTC to play a major role with WP7.
Asus and Microsoft are currently working on a WP7 device that will be branded by Microsoft –or so goes the rumor. In any case, this might be the first time Microsoft will be working with its own mobile device and we are certainly looking forward to seeing what these two companies can bring to the table.
Just recently, reports that the upcoming LG Apollo will be the first WP7 handset have also popped up. The new phone is expected to come out as early as September; there are even reports that it might be ready by August. Even if this is true, the OS is not expected to be ready until much later.
Read more about the LG WP7 handset at Mobile Choice UK.
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Sagem Puma Phone
This year’s recently-held Mobile World Congress in Barcelona saw a number of very interesting new devices, and one such was a new offering from the famous sportswear company Puma. A slightly odd thing for a sportswear manufacturer to do, most people might think, as did many in attendance at the convention. The name alone, after all, warranted a closer inspection of the recently unveiled Puma Phone manufactured by the French telecoms company Sagem Wireless.
To start it off the Puma Phone supports a range of sports functions, as you might well expect given the company’s provenance. Such functions include a pedometer, compass, GPS tracker and a stopwatch. The phone’s memory also comes pre-installed with a number of applications for accessing the Puma World portal in order to get a range of sports information.
As a device the Puma Phone packs a decent enough screen display of 2.8-inches with a resolution of 320×240 pixels. The screen also features a decent touchscreen as well as an accelerometer, allowing for smooth screen displays when transferring between horizontal and vertical views, along with an integral 3.2-megapixel camera that also includes an LED flash – great for taking snaps in low-lighting conditions – as well as a 6X zoom capacity. There is also geotagging, a music player and a microSD card slot allowing the user to upgrade their phone’s internal memory capacity. The device even boasts Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity.
Interestingly – and highly appealing to some – on the rear of the Puma Phone is a solar panel that displays a recharge-level indicator in addition to an integral solar cell for recharging. This is, perhaps, the stand-out highlight of the whole package. This excellent system even shows the number of talk-time minutes or messages that have accrued whilst the user has been using either the solar panel or as a recharge option that can be converted into point and then exchanged for official Puma merchandise through their official Website.
The phone is hardwired to support the Puma brand’s way of life and appears sporty and outdoorsy from the very first glance. It might seem rather like a fashion accessory, but does pack a decent range of lifestyle features including up to five hours of talk-time (which is dependent on your network type), 24 hours of music playback and up to five hours of film playback. Puma’s CEO, Jochen Zeitz, stated that ‘Puma’s main aim is to blend together the treble influences of sport, lifestyle and fashion, and the Puma phone reflects the joy, spontaneity and individuality that Puma is well-known for’.
These aims are clearly carried by some of the phone’s previously-mentioned features, such as the stopwatch and pedometer – perfect for outdoor sports enthusiasts. There are also routing and mapping apps for those addicted to the outdoors as well as a compass. This is a phone definitely staying true to its manufacturer’s sporty roots, and the features and image will doubtlessly appeal to the legions of sports fans out there. There are also a wide range of music formats with a fully supported playlist and FM radio embedded in the Puma Phone in addition to a VGA video call camera, which might come in handy to instantly compare notes with your training buddies after a hard session.
The device even offers an excellent Internet surfing experience, with open browsing and WAP-Push. There is a well-equipped mobile e-mail client and instant messaging through both MMS and SMS. The phone is slight enough to carry comfortably whilst out and about too, weighing only 115 grams and measuring 102×56x13 mm. There are currently no details with regards to release prices, although the phone is predicted to come into shops in Europe and online in April.
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Parental Power: Banning iPhone Apps
Are we really to take this kind of news seriously now?
Apparently, Apple caved in to the pressure from parents complaining about “inappropriate content” being hosted at the app store. So fans of the Wobble iBoobs app by Jon Atherton might want to hold on to their copies of the breast jiggling application since Apple has removed the app permanently.
Yes, according to reports, Steve Jobs fears the power of parents. In a surprising, and somewhat familiar move, Apple has removed thousands of applications from the online store due to objectionable content that many called “soft core” porn.
Ironically, the apps in question did not even contain nudity –simply women in skimpy clothing. While many would say that Apple does have the final say in terms of what happens to the app store, the purge was nothing short of a (pardon the language) retarded solution to a non-problem.
So what if Apple did not react to parents? It is not like parents all over the world would start abandoning their iPhones. It is not like they would cease buying applications. No, these parents would have to face the reality that at the end of the day, the responsibility of educating and helping their children grow is theirs alone.
This is not Apple’s responsibility. If anything, Apple has taken more than enough steps to ensure that children do not have access to the App store. All mobile stores will not accept minors. The mere fact that you need a credit card means that if a child has access the app store, then it is only through the enabling functions that the parent gave. Parents need to wisen up and mature, not only for themselves, but also for the sake of their children.
Read more at Times Online UK.
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Samsung Monte S5620 – Sleek Connectivity on the Go
The Samsung Monte, also known as the Samsung GT-S5620, is Samsung’s new device and is a 3.5G ultra-connective GPS-enabled touchscreen phone. It is also WiFi enabled and has similar specifications to the B7300, although much to the relief of many mobile phone users out there it is without Windows. It also has similarities to the Blue Earth, although it does not have that device’s standout solar panel. As a result of this tweaking and tinkering the Samsung Monte expertly fills Samsung’s current tiny market niche in their overall product range.
On first impressions the S5620 Monte has a somewhat stylish and intriguing appearance, although quite a few of the device’s features are useful without being particularly outstanding or captivating. The display is a 3-inch 240X400 pixel touchscreen and appears to be a pretty standard TFT display and not especially distinguished from most of the others on the market currently. The rear of the device features a 3.2MP camera which boasts support for geotagging – again, a useful if not remarkable feature.
The camera does, however, come with some useful features such as smile shot, face detection and panorama shot. There is also the useful on-finger zoom capability. As a 3.5G device it has decent HSDPA download speeds ranging to 3.6 Mbps on top of it also usefully providing Wi-Fi connectivity for an alternative connection option. The Monte also features integral social networking applications, including various applications common to Facebook and MySpace, and also includes support for both Twitter and Bebo – very much in keeping with the constant pace of change constantly seen in the development of social networking that is attracting many users these days. This makes the device extremely useful for those with contacts over a variety of different platforms.
The Monte makes it possible as well to access user profiles wherever and whenever you choose, making keeping up with your online news easy and seamless. There is also support for advanced Twitter and Bebo widgets in addition to multiple instant messaging capacity which affords the user the ability to chat in real-time through whichever medium they desire. Users can also fully access the internet with browsing capabilities fairly decent and there is also an integral accelerometer sensor which means that the on-screen image will adjust itself immediately as the user rotates the phone.
Many people will also enjoy using the Monte’s TouchWiz 2.0 Plus interface which runs over Samsung’s generic operating system. The Monte also boasts fairly good and functional multimedia support, including a multimedia player capable of supporting and playing AAC, MP3 and WMA audio files as well as a few other formats in addition to the ability to play H.263, H.264 as well as MPEG4 video. At briefings and release specifications Samsung have made no mention of WMV video support so it appears that this is not included in the device. The device also includes a 3.5mm audio jack and stereo Bluetooth is also supported, big pluses for those looking for both wires and wireless headset alternatives.
Usefully, the Samsung Monte also features integral GPS that touts Google Maps version 3.0 as well as Google Latitude which enables you to know exactly where you are on the Earth at all times and update your friends on your location at any time – perfect for obsessive hiking Twitterers. This, combined with geotagging, enables you to imprint your photographs with geographic tags and allows you an excellent way of sharing your travels online with your friends and family. These specifications are fairly useful without being either groundbreaking or spectacular as they can be found on many other current devices.
The Monte will be available in black/silver or graphite/orange, and has a current probable SIM-free price of around 260 Euros, which would seem to denote the Monte as a mid-range device. It will be released in Spain as the ‘Onix’.
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