Analyse Trends

2013-01-08T13:10:00.001-08:00

Tips for Buying a New Phone

This article tells you what you need to buy a mobile phone and things to look for...

Size

- Its a fact that mobile phones are increasingly becoming more larger in size. However the current best size or fit is roughly 3.5-4.7 inches. Keep in mind when you get phone, most people buy a phone case whether they have a Android smartphone, iPhone or Windows 8 Phone. The case inevitably adds bulk. Point in case I use to have a HTC One S. A beautiful phone, for which I have several cases depending on where I am going out. One can think Iron Man and his suits:)))), so with that in mind.

- Think about what are you going to check your phone for? Emails, surfing the net? then a larger screen is probably better- The new HTC One is currently setting the trend for how a smartphone should be. The new Blinkfeed system which presents 'nuggets' of information seems to be giving consumers what they want.

-Taking photos a lot? Again a good screen and a good lens and megapixel count all go hand in hand, however again new technology and innovation are challenging the 'megapixel' theory.

The HTC One for example uses 'ultrapixel' technology which in short terms means the camera lets in more light and produces a better picture. Also the megalpixel being at 4mp means a smaller file size too. So when looking for a new phone be sure make sure the surrounding camera tech is just as good.

-Your hand size......if you have a chance to test your phone, using your hand (writing one), hold it and see if you can carry out most functions such as menu switching and typing. Also try holding the phone and speaking.

Buttons or Screen Buttons

- Touchscreens are the normal outlook for smartphones with all but the infamous Blackberry adopting them en mass. Again the wonders of developers means a variety of keyboard apps for touchscreen phones mean now you can accommodate any writing style.

- Buttons on the other hand offer a physical tactile experience but your stuck with the keys so you better like them!

Battery

- If you need raw performance and smartphone features consider going for Samsung Galaxy 4, HTC One or an iPhone 5. Also when you get your phone go through and turn off any features you do not need/can be saved e.g. syncing of apps not used much, screen brightness turned down. Again there a many power saver apps although the best ones that actually make a difference do all these easy changes anyway. We always find turning off 'sync' considerably saves a lot of power. Plus in todays hectic world of busy people, sometimes its good to simply switch off...

-With phones where the battery is not removable, then bear in mind, generally a bigger screen and higher quality will zap the power more. Again with good sense of turning off features you don't need, battery life can be extended.

-Weight

- HTC One S and the iPhone currently lead the best phones with light weights both being under 120 grams. Again the phones with higher powers tend to be heavier (Nokia Lumia take note.....), but in today's world lighter is better unless the phone itself warrants the extra grams - the Nokia Lumia being a good example of a phone which crams some pretty advanced tech and top notch screen to go with it.

-Premium feel

- Increasingly the 'latest' phones such as the HTC One and iPhone have noticed the consumers 'love' the feel of their phones. Indeed the materials used in the HTC One for example make it look amazing! By contrast other companies such as Samsung choose to use 'plastic' type materials for the majority of the phone body. This has a good advantage of the phone being lightweight but again for some consumers may leave them feeling they are holding a 'cheap' product.

The Nokia Lumia series are arguably some of the best looking phones out there. The range of colours is impressive and stand out from the black or white phones offered from the other major brands.

Which to go for? Well basically its down to you! Keep in mind, most people when they get a phone, put a case on so the 'exterior' is covered up. However some people love the 'weighty' feel of the phone. Best way to decide is to actually try out these phones and see which one suits you!:)

UK Mobile networks APN settings

2012-09-10T04:05:00.000-07:00

One of the most irritating things we come across is when we swap sim-cards is the Internet or APN settings. It becomes even worse of a issue when you arrive in a new country. The handset provider promises the phone they gave you is unlocked and GSM, it will work anywhere in the world with any network. It might work but imagine arriving in a new country and upon purchasing a local sim only to find out you cant use the Internet. The option is there to call the network but one needs to be extremely patient to get through all the options.

Imagine a scenario where you need instant access to your emails and maps but cant. We at analyse trends came up with this idea to put in place a page with all the relevant APN settings for Major UK networks. Its always a good idea to get hold of such information in advance so upon arriving here you should not feel disconnected.

T-Mobile APN settings:

Internet settings:

Profile name	T-Mobile Mobile Internet
Homepage	http://www.t-mobile-favourites.co.uk
APN	general.t-mobile.uk
Username	user
Password	Tm

Vodafone settings

Name: Contract WAP
APN: wap.vodafone.co.uk
Proxy: Not set
Port: Not set
Username: wap
Password: wap (presumption)
Server: Not set
MMSC: http://mms.vodafone.co.uk/servlets/mms
MMS proxy: 212.183.137.012
MMS Port: 8799
MCC: 234
MNC: 15
Authentication type: PAP
APN type: default,mms, supl,dun
APN protocol: IPv4 (unchangeable)
Enable/disable APN: APN enabled
Bearer: Unspecified

Orange APN settings

Name = Orange Internet

APN = orangeinternet (case sensitive)

MCC:234

MNC:33

APN Type: default

Ignore everything else and leave it as <Not set>

Then press menu and save and then turn off the phone and restart and you are done!

O2 APN Settings

Name = O2 Pay Monthly

APN = wap.o2.co.uk

Proxy = 193.113.200.195

Port = 8080

Username = o2wap

Password = password

Server

MMSC = http://mmsc.mms.o2.co.uk:8002

MMS Port = 8080

MCC = 10

Authentication type = PAP

APN = *

Tap save

Vodafone APN Settings

Name = Vodafone internet

APN = internet

Proxy = <not set>

Port = <not set>

Username = web

Password = web

Server = <not set>

MMSC = <not set>

MMS Proxy = <not set>

MMS Port = <not set>

MMS Protocol = <not set>

MCC = 234

MNC = 15

Authentication type = none

APN type = default

Talkmobile APN Settings

Setting type - MMS GPRS	Account type - Talkmobile Pay Monthly	Account type - Talkmobile Pay As You Go
Name of the MMS service (as it should appear on the handset menu)	Talkmob MMS	Talkmob PAYG MMS
MMSC-Address	http://mms.talkmobile.co.uk/ servlets/mms	http://mms.talkmobile.co.uk/ servlets/mms
Proxy IP Address	212.183.137.012	212.183.137.012
Proxy port for MMS connection	9201 (WAP1.x) or 8799 (WAP2.0)	9201 (WAP1.x) or 8799 (WAP2.0)
Access Point Name (APN) address	talkmobile.co.uk	payg.talkmobile.co.uk
Access-Point Username	wap	wap
Access-Point Password	wap	wap

Setting type - WAP GPRS	Account type - Talkmobile Contract	Account type - Talkmobile PAYG
Name of the WAP service (as it should appear on the handset menu)	Talkmob WAP	Talkmob PAYG WAP
Homepage URL	http://wap.talkmobile.co.uk	http://wap.talkmobile.co.uk
Proxy IP Address	212.183.137.012	212.183.137.012
Supported port settings for your standard and TCP/IP WAP service.	8799 for WAP 2.0 9201 for WAP 1.x	8799 for WAP 2.0 9201 for WAP 1.x
Access Point Name (APN) address	talkmobile.co.uk	payg.talkmobile.co.uk
Access Login Type	(Automatic)	(Automatic)
Access-Point Username	wap	wap

Setting type - Internet GPRS	Account type - Talkmobile Contract	Account type - Talkmobile PAYG
Name of the Internet service (as it should appear on the handset menu)	Talkmob Internet	Talkmob PAYG Int
Access Point Name (APN) address	talkmobile.co.uk	payg.talkmobile.co.uk

Mobile Number Porting

2012-08-28T11:51:00.002-07:00

Mobile phone industry is one of the most competitive ones out there. The networks will do whatever it takes to attract a customer even if they have to give out TV or an ipad. Some retailers go as far as offering cash incentives if you go through their channel. In this ever-growing industry the customer is the king and is spoilt for choice. Little wonder when a customer mobile contract comes to an end there are so many tempting deals that one does not feel any loyalty towards their provider. If one does get tempted then the ordeal one has to go through to retain their number is like Mission Impossible 4 but without Hawkeye….!!oops

We at analyse trends have tried to make life a little simpler for people as the exercise to retain your number can be cumbersome coupled with retention techniques deployed by network advisers makes it a nightmare. So many times have we come across a deal on a different network and willing to change only to be made to stay. Fear not Team Analyse is here to save the day and put you on the right path.

MNP or Mobile Number Porting is a process alien to many but we are here to make you aware how easy it actually is. All it requires is a little bit of an effort on our part.

This is how the process starts:

· First Call your existing network and after getting through to a real person request a PAC (Portability Authorisation Code) code. This code authorises a customer to take their number across to a different network.

· Secondly Present the PAC code at Point of sale to make sure a request for porting is put through. It only takes two working days for a number to transfer from one network to another.

If for some reason one is not able to obtain PAC code then most networks do allow post sale MNP.

Following is a table, which has all the networks and the process they undertake to complete a port:

Name	MNP	Time	POS or Post sale	Prepay to Post-pay
O2	Yes	48 hrs	Both	Yes
Vodafone	Yes	48 hrs	Both	Yes
Orange	Yes	48 hrs	Both	n/a
T-mobile	Yes	48 hrs	Both	n/a
3	Yes	48 hrs	Both	n/a
Talkmobile	Yes	48 hrs	POS Only	n/a

The information presented is based on the current terms and conditions of the network; these are subject to change as per network requirements.

We at team analyse hope this will help you in understanding as well as undertaking the process.

Battle of the smartphones...

2012-06-20T14:20:00.001-07:00

So HTC has upped the game with its One series but just what is next for smartphones? Whats going to be the next killer features?? Already we are realising that phone makers and operating system makes have to give something to consumers which they make not always want or think they but once they get it can't imagine life without it- perfect example Apple's iPad.

HTC has given us one feature in the form of their video and picture software. Put simply you can do both now at the same time. So no more deciding which is which during the special moment. A further bonus is the fact that you can go back on previous videos recorded and retrospectively take the pictures again.

We at Analyse Trends believe the next killer features should come from

a) Batteries

b) HUD like screens

c) Integration of chat apps fully into phones

Lets take a)- Batteries

Well its no secret that smartphones all have one thing in common- bad battery life. With few exceptions, the manufacturers need to just keep on boosting and optimising their handsets to give the battery life of the good old Nokias....

b) HUD screens- yes maybe I have seen the Avengers for the third time, but HUDs are super cool. Now what we need is a phone that can project info on to say a table which could change the business market big time. Imagine having that spreadsheet sent to you for review and well 4.3 inch screens will not cut it. Now if you could project that to a table or blank surface, the possibilities are endless......

c) Well WhatsApp has really changed the way people talk. The cross platform app is wonderful. However like most 3rd party apps, they lack full integration with phones aka SMS. What we need is a hybrid of this sort of app and a phone becoming one as they. Its possible. Its software. It can be done.....

Nokia this, Nokia that

2011-12-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

What a year 2011 has been for Nokia. The savy brand is having change its tactics and strategy to adjust to the new market of smartphones powered through by the Apple iPhone.

So they changed OS and have now gone to Windows. Wow. Is a good move? well put simply yes. Microsoft are one of those companies that push forward owing to their research and resiliance. The key players left now a are Apple with IOS and Google with Android. Blackberry, well its only a matter of time we think before they get superseded, bought out or outclassed by the others.

But what is the key to smartphone dominance? Is it the connectivity? is the messaging? or is it the app store?

Well Analyse Trends is going to go for the often left out factor and that is battery life!

Yes, the often much hidden feature which ever since smart phones have become popular seems to worsen. Does anyone remember the days when the good old mobile phone could be left uncharged for days, even weeks? Yet today we often charge our smart phones, at least once a day. How did it get this bad?

Well we think hurdles were jumped over to gain market share but at the expense of actual raw functionaility. So how do Nokia amongst others get back to the top? Simple, they figure out how to do a smart phone with a long battery life. Come on Nokia, you had it once, Nokia 3310, Nokia 8210. You have the clout of Microsoft and all their knowledge plus you own expertise in handsets. Do something. Anything.

Battle of the 3d Blu Rays

2011-09-06T02:13:00.000-07:00

After a hiatus, were back with a reshuffled team, ready to write more on the latest trends and prepare for the upcoming 12th September event - Apple and the release of Star Wars Blu ray !

The summer was a resounding success with a barrage of films released, Thor, Captain America, Conan, Transformers Dark of the Moon and last but not least, Green Latern. Now they are all coming out on blu ray the question is, which is the best one? Not just in terms of film, but in terms of 3d content- which made best use of it?

Stay tuned a write and showcase of blu ray packages around the globe to celebrate the release of these summer hits,

-update- Well months have passed, the blu rays are out! Except for Transformers Dark of the Moon 3d. So that means we have to wait a bit more until we analyse our blu ray movies. But we must say after seeing Transformers the bare bones version, via Samsung d8000 46 inch TV and Pioneer sound, this looks to win hands down. The quality is just amazing. Mr Bay really raised the bar.

Real time Social Networking..

2011-07-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

There was a time when one of the easy ways to stay in touch with your loved ones was through telephone or writing letters.

One had to wait before the dialtone connects across the globe and a loved one answers the call or it would be weeks before a father can see his newly born child or a soldier could see his pregnant wife.

As times change there was a need to stay in touch on a day to day basis. If one was in a long relationship and suddenly you found yourself in a different continent altogether it was difficult to stay in touch.

Human beings by nature are Social so there was always a need to stay in touch,little did we all knew that a guy who was turned down by a girl will revolutionise all this.his primary objective was to gain acceptance but he did not anticipate what was in the future.Facebook when it first came around was mainly confined to educational institutions students.

As soon as it broke through to mainstream public did we realise how easy it is to stay in touch and share one’s memorable moments with others.

Status updates,photo,like or dislike,relationship status etc it changed everything,facebook along with iphone brought a revolution.we were all now socially active on the electronic medium and sharing more information with others then we expected too.

Then came a need to communicate in real time, a need to see how the other person reacts on hearing a news,one just couldn’t wait to see the other person but the urge to push a button and drop the news and see others react was something we all yearned for.Facebook with this week video chat option has done exactly that,with the click of a button we can video chat on a one-to-one basis with one of our friends and pretty soon with a group.imagine a scenario if you are in London,your family is in the USA and your friend is working in Hyderabad,India and your girl friend is in Australia ,all these people are on one location and you can see them all on one platform and share the news that you have been given a promotion or won the lottery is here now.

The wait is over,Real time Sharing is here now and this is just the beginning.

Operating Systems will decide the future of Mobile Industry

2011-07-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

There was a time when consumers used to purchase a mobile based on

Manufacturer
Minimal Size
Cost

the advent of the touch screen phones mainly the Apple iphone changed the industry on its head.One Device lead to a Complete revoultion,consumers suddenly have an alternative they no longer have to stick to the boring devices brought out by the manufacturers who used to dictate buying habits.
People suddenly realised how easy it is to go on the internet and easier to access their emails.
The iphone was a runaway success as it catered to the demands of the consumers which hadn't been taken into account before.It wasnt late before Mobile Phone Manufacturers realised they had to adapt to the changing consumer trends and buying habits.
Nokia the largest Mobile Manufacturer stubbornly stuck to its Symbian operating system which it hoped would lead the way. Sony Ericsson also persisted with symbian platform as they had invested far too much in it,what these manufacturers did not realise is Symbian where it was excellent in some aspects like its email client,it was a letdown in most other areas, iOS from Apple presented a fresh approach and an innovative interface which immediately wowed the User. HTC which was already in the market mainly catering to the business user got approached by Google to carry their Android operating System,HTC Desire when released to the genreal market became their first runaway success mainly due to its interface and android OS,it like iOS allowed seamless interaction,ease of use and The Market(Google's app store).The user now had more choice,where iOS is mainly a controlled environment Android allowed a certain degree of freedom for the user to customise their devices.one could upload songs to the device without any restrictions,you could easily download any short clips recorded on the phone.
HTC Handsets were not perfect but they offered an alternative to users who were not able to afford High iPhone tariffs,consumers had more choice then before.Sony Ericsson launched their Experia range,Nokia with their E-series,Samsung with their Galaxy range tried to compete but to no avail.

Consumers now going into a mobile outlet did not ask about the manufacturer but rather what OS is on the device,users have gone wiser and knew what catered to their needs.

The future of the mobile industry lies on what OS is Offered rather then who manufactures the gadget.

Team Analyse wil cover different OS in detail in separate posts in the coming future......

The Power of X-men

2011-07-03T05:14:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. TeamAnalyse have lately been seeing summer movies and can't help but explore X-men a bit. By now most of you have seen X-men first class and agree that its overall a good movie. Good characters (esp. Magneto and Professor X). Story wise, well they did kind of break contiunity from some previous elements from the previous X-men movies (and yet its still billed as a prequel...tut tut tut).

However one of the things about X-men is that, its underlying theme is basically someone who is not 'one of the crowd' trying to adjust into the crowd and well be accepted...and lets face it, what exactly is normal? married, with 2.4 kids?or a graduate trying to find a job? I think everyone who has seen the X-men movies can relate to not always being the norm and adjusting to whatever their social scenario is. X-men does a very good job of portraying this. And well quite exciting aka mutant powers.

Its funny how this is even mirrored in todays tech. a few years ago, instant messenger programs never use to 'talk' to each other. yet eventually things converged and well now its almost 'too common' to have a program or mobile app that collates all your emails, chats and messages. Heck HTC do it to a charm with progs like friendstream.

We at TeamAnalyse think people can learn a lot from these converging trends...so whats next? well yep you guessed it , its mobile phone chargers (ok a bit too specific), having had phones from Nokia, Sony, Panasonic and now HTC, well the number one nag is why is it so that every phone has a different charger?? Thankfully this is being addressed and one day multiple chargers will be a thing of the past.

Of course the other big trend is the convergence of all your media files which Google, Apple and Amazon has addressing via their Cloud programmes. In today's norm, we want to be connected and have access to everything. Of course they have to overcome the fact that people will then start to need better data plans to handle all the streaming......but thats for another post....:)

Is it or is it not coming in Sept........

2011-06-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Guardian brings out an article on the possible launch of a new iphone in september coinciding with the launch of new iOS 5.0,This new handset is already generating quite a buzz and apple fans are always looking forward to it,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/22/iphone-5-to-launch-in-september

3d Beyond TV...

2011-06-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

The BBC has an interesting snippet about 3d being used outside the TV. I have to say I do this is the way forward. Of late there has been some discontent that 3d is not spreading that fast. TeamAnalyse don't completly agree with that. For 3d its three key areas- cost, quality and uses. Hit all three and your on to a winner.

Check out the article....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13867881

Oakley And Transformers 3D Glasses!

2011-06-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

Wow. Oakley, the best company when it comes to eyewear are close to releasing a limited edition Transformers 3d eye wear piece which are compatible with any Real3d theatre. Just reading the description makes you go want to go and buy one. In the UK store its listed as 'coming soon'.

Now if only they could make a Oakley Penny version.....:))))))

check it out: http://uk.oakley.com/products/6742/25167

update: This is now out!!

Why are (or rather were) the best TV shows being killed?

2011-06-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

Stargate, Hercules, Star Trek, all leading shows and yet it surprises me how no one has made a movie yet as in big screen cinema busting tent pole type.

Take Stargate for instance....for 14 years its been on the air, in three shows. You can honestly see growth in their universe where early episodes they would be shown to be building fighter ships and then seasons later would be using them. Or perhaps the rich universe created and potentially unlimited storylines via the Stargates themselves.

For those of you who watched Stargate Atlantis, that show was just asking for a big screen movie to be made. The plots are there, the 'city' itself being a character. The actors are top notch, the banter between Rodney and Sheppard is witty and strong,...yet as of now , the franchise as a whole is well,, dead. Ok sure MGM went through a restructuring but surely for maximum profit, you should maximise what you have????? Stargate has the potential to reach, well global audiences to the likes of what Paramount did to Star Trek. and yet, they cancelled the last show due to sluggish ratings, ignoring hte fact that trend setting shows like Star Trek: TNG, took 3 seasons for the show to find itself?

The fact is when studios fund these programs, they should consider the long term viability of them in terms of just how far can you strech a show. These days of viral marketing, twitter, facebook, how all changed how news is spread. Fans are ever more vocal now. Would it be that hard to recognise that its the fans that keep these shows going and that by giving them a feature film, you would earn the respect and motivation of these fans to self market the film for them?

Samsung Apps for TV

2011-06-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

Looks like Samsung continues to lead the trend in TV apps : http://www.techradar.com/news/television/samsung-tvs-get-bbc-news-app-967252

This is excellent news (pun intended), as a very happy owner of a flagship model Samsung, I can say the connectivity options are just amazing. So amazing infact I am writing up a review of the TV as well an look into the trends for connectivity and where based on my analysis I think it will go

Having Trouble setting up Uk2.net email on iphone......

2011-06-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

I got an enquiry regarding help needed to set up a uk2 email account on iphone4 which was on the O2 network, naturally i assumed its pretty straightforward little did i realise it can turn out to be a mission but when there is a will there is a way and we found a way,it involves couple of steps so here it goes:

Click Settings>Mail,Contacts,Calendars>>Add account>Other
fill in your name,full email address(you@yourdomain.co.uk),passwrod and Description and then Click Save.
Now on the next screen Select POP and then under "Incoming Email Server" enter "mail.uk2.net" and then your respective password.
for the "Outgoing Email Server" we need to use O2 as for some reason they dont accept the uk2 server.
So enter "smtp.o2.co.uk",then your username(this is the same username used to access login to O2 with@o2.co.uk to it(it looks like O2login@o2.co.uk)
then the password for the O2 site and Click Save
now send a test email and it should work like a charm...

By Team Analyse........

2011-06-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

here is a poster of The Avengers Movie Expected 2012 courtesy of superherohype.com
http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/167551-promo-poster-for-the-avengers

tron 3d vs transformers 3: dark of the moon

2011-06-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

well well i guess we are getting involved here,until now my money was on Tron 3D but looks like Transformers:Dark of the Moon might displace tron of its throne.Transformers 3 boasts state of the art 3D effects coupled with Michael Bay Style Action Sequences should make it a worthy successor to Tron.I guess You all have to wait till we experience Transformers first hand to tell you how good it really is.

2011-06-16T03:34:00.001-07:00

loving Techradar's top ten 3d list......http://3dradar.techradar.com/3d-tech/depth-top-10-3d-movies-you-must-own-16-06-2011

perhaps TeamAnalyse should put their thoughts on the best and upcoming 3d movies...

Blackberry Playbook Launches at Carphone....

2011-06-15T02:07:00.000-07:00

The Blackbery playbook hits the shelves today with Carphone warehouse.The Launch is taking place at their retail outlet in Selfridges.Our Reports Suggests they have 500 on the waiting list,lets hope they dont run out of stock.The Official Launch Date was 16th June 2011 but as they say The early bird catches the worm in this case its the Playbook.

The Blackberry playbook is Blackberry's tablet Pc to rival the Apple's iPad,their main attempt is to attract the business users who are already on Blackberry but need to use a Touch-screen interface with some serious multimedia capabilities,Some of the features of the playbook are:

Slim,light 7" tablet
Stunning HD 7" display for your photos,movies & games
Faster Performance with a 1 GHz Processor
Adobe flash content with a full web Browser
Bridging is a secure bluetooth connection between the phone and tha tablet.It allows the user to view email, calendar and BBM Conversations without storing any private information
Exclusive Blackberry Apps
Futture support for Android Apps
High quality 5 MP Camera

It will also be available FREE on a 24 month postpay plan with a Blackberry 9300 for £37...yep we are one of the first to report it..

Nokia being Paid By Apple...

2011-06-14T04:45:00.001-07:00

Im sure like me everyone will be disappointed that the court battle between Nokia and Apple only led to a settlement.It has been a case which captured headlines and led to other lawsuits being filed against Apple.

The specific details of the deal are confidential, but Stephen Elop, president and chief executive of Nokia said in a press release,

"We are very pleased to have Apple join the growing number of Nokia licensees. This settlement demonstrates Nokia's industry leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market."

Nokia was accusing Apple of infringing no fewer than 46 of its patents, through the ITC, US, Dutch, German or British courts.

Nokia & Microsoft Saga

2011-06-14T04:16:00.001-07:00

Nokia Continues to struggle on the smartphone front.Even with Microsoft investing in Nokia,it looks likely that they will eventually be bought by Microsoft.Microsoft is making substantial investment on its mobile business as they also continue to struggle with windows mobile operating system.Their recent purchase of Skype raised several eye-brows of the amount spent but it had the backing of Bill Gates which says a lot about Microsoft intentions...

Watch this space for more updates...

To 3D or not to 3D, that is the question...

2011-06-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

3D blu ray, 3d cinema, 3d games.....hmmm worth the hype? and just why is active shutter glasses more widespread than passive despite being more expensive? and just how easy is it to convert 2d material into 3d?

well I must say after watching Thor at the cinema , 3d is certainly going to stick around. of course the big show stealer will be transformers dark of the moon. from what I have heard it will take 3d to the next level. no shock there!

but just how good is 3d blu ray ? very actually.. having just bought a Samsung d series tv all I can is *Wow* . The tv is amazing. Samsung really know how to build quality products. The 3d is absolutely amazing. Watched Legends of the Guardian in 3d and just amazing. The great thing about technology today is that the rate at which it is improving gets quicker as each iteration occurs . Vhs took a good ten years to be mainstream , dvd took five years , blu ray 3 years and 3d well ... two years. what's next ? well the next milestone will be software and what you can do with it I.e the cloud, the apps market , operating systems.

but as with all technologies there's always competition - bring on active vs passive glasses. What's the difference ?in a nutshell, from a consumer point of view theres two factors- price and how good the experience is. Active glasses are generally acknowledged as being better in terms of still maintaining a good steady picture quality and good detail but are currently expensive (£60 pounds + or $70-80+), with some varying in comfort due to the electronics they house and some needing batteries or are rechargable. Passve on the other hand are cheap (few pounds or dollars), don't need batteries/charging and generally maintenance free. However detail is lost in the picture when viewing and colours aren't as vibrant.

Of course how good the TV and material you're watching also plays a factor. The Samsung d8000 tv reproduces colours sharply and accurately. Not to mention once you fine tune the tv to your preference, pretty much all you have left is the material your watching which will impact the 3d experience.

Although 3d material is out there, its currently small in comparison to 2d content. Again TV manufacturers come to the rescue! Some of the higher end models feature a 2d to 3d conversion button. Be advised most if not all currently make the picture 'in depth' as in theres no popping out effects. How good is it? well not bad actually. There's something nice about watching Star Trek Deep Space Nine in 3d and then switching to the Dark Knight.

well thats the take on 3d folks for now, please feel free to leave comments on your experiences and trends!