Mobile Tracker

iPad apple Rattles the e-Bookshelves

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:54:00 +0000

Over the weekend, a massive dematerialization act took abode on the basic shelves of Amazon.com. In a altercation over e-book pricing, the online banker blocked barter from affairs titles--e-book or print--from Macmillan, a administrator whose imprints accommodate Nature Publishing Group, the arcane band of Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, and the science fiction and fantasy band Tor.

Amazon's acute acknowledgment to Macmillan's appraisement demands reflects, in part, the calmness with which it angle Apple's approaching move into the e-book business. By ablution the iPad and a fresh appliance for affairs and account books, alleged iBook, Apple is alms publishers an adorable fresh way to advertise and bear their titles online. Shortly afore the barrage of the iPad aftermost week, Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, additionally cut a accord with several above publishers--including Macmillan--to accord them far greater say in e-books appraisement than Amazon offers.

On Sunday, Amazon agreed to acquire Macmillan's fresh appraisement archetypal and said it would already afresh accomplish the publisher's titles accessible through its site. However, some analysts accept that it will ultimately be difficult for Apple, or anyone else, to claiming Amazon's abiding ascendancy of the e-book market.

With every above Kindle release, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has emphasized that bestsellers are accessible on the accessory for $9.99. Under its absolute model, Amazon buys books from publishers for a set fee in bulk. It reportedly generally pays publishers added than $9.99 for some books, affairs them at a abatement in adjustment to drive up acceptance of the Kindle. But abounding publishers anguish that this loss-leading action will accomplish e-books beneath assisting for them in the continued run.

Apple has adjourned a altered accord with publishers, alleged the "agency model." For its e-book store, publishers can set their own prices, giving Apple a percentage. According to a account by Macmillan CEO John Sargent, the altercation began back the administrator asked Amazon to accept the aforementioned model. "The bureau archetypal would acquiesce Amazon to accomplish added money affairs our books, not less," Sargent said, acquainted that Macmillan would additionally accomplish hardly less. "Our altercation is not about concise advantage but rather about the abiding activity and adherence of the agenda book market."

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Apple e-books e-readers electronic readers iPad

Nokia N900 reviw

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:18:00 +0000

And now for something completely different. The N900 is Nokia's first Maemo OS smartphone and it's their first Maemo version 5 device. Maemo is a Linux-based OS, and prior versions powered Nokia's non-phone Internet tablets like the N770, N800 and N810. Maemo has morphed significantly since the N810 and it's now more of a consumer device than a geek tool. The User interface is impressively modern, slick and fun with its cool sound effects, animations and transitions, and the ARM Cortex A8 with GPU is very fast. The N900 is in some ways a developer's platform since it's Nokia's first foray into what may become the eventual replacement OS for Nseries high end phones, but that doesn't mean it requires a degree in computer science or that it's not a pleasant product to use. It means that Nokia wants to attract more developers to their new platform since the world's abuzz for phones with strong app stores.

The N900 is an unlocked GSM world phone with EDGE that will work with any GSM carrier. It has 3G HSDPA 10 Mbps on the Euro 2100MHz band and on T-Mobile's US AWS 1700/2100MHz bands. T-Mobile users: this is definitely a phone worth looking at! We don't see that many cutting edge, high end phones with T-Mo's US 3G bands and it's pleasantly surprising that Nokia made one since they usually opt for the larger installed base of AT&T users and their 850/1900MHz bands. Do you use AT&T? You'll get EDGE for data but not 3G since the N900's cellular radio doesn't support those bands.

The N900 is full of flagship specs-- gone are the slow Symbian OS CPUs and paltry RAM. The smartphone runs on a 600MHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU with hardware 3D graphics acceleration in the form of the PowerVR SGX with OpenGL ES 2.0 support (same as the iPhone 3GS). The N900 has 256 megs of RAM and can use virtual memory up to 1 gig. It has 32 gigs of flash storage and an SDHC microSD card slot. The 5 megapixel autofocus camera has a dual LED flash and a Carl Zeiss lens that's up to Nseries standards. The phone has WiFi with seamless switching between WiFi and cellular data networks (no there's no UMA calling but there is VoIP), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with a full set of profiles and a GPS that works with Nokia's own Ovi Maps. The resistive 3.5", 800 x 480 pixel display has an accelerometer, ambient light sensor and a proximity sensor.

The N900 ships with a micro USB cable, micro USB terminated charger, a stereo headset, TV out cable and and a stylus. It's currently sold direct by NokiaUSA.com and online retailers with a US warranty but no US carrier offers it, so there's no contract-based subsidy (nor is there a contract requirement).

What is the N900 and what is Maemo?

While the N900 certainly is easy to use (and don't be fooled by the Linux underpinnings-- the iPhone, Palm's webOS and Android all use some form of Unix or Linux inside), it's a hard smartphone to pidgeonhole. Though Nokia bills their Nseries phones as multimedia computers, in truth they're incredibly phone-centric and a joy to use one-handed. They're phones first, while the iPhone, Android phones and even the webOS Palm Pre are pocket Internet machines and mini-computers first. And so the N900 follows their lead rather than the Nseries: it's more a data-centric phone than anything else. It's exceptional for multi-tasking, surfing the web, reading RSS news feeds, and good for email and getting info like weather, news and sports scores. But if you were hoping for that Symbian OS dedication to easy calling with plenty of phone features and a hardware number pad, the N900 isn't for you. It's for the touch screen, pocket computer crowd. If the Motorola Droid tempts you more than the Nokia N96, the N900 should be your cup of tea.

Most applications currently run only in landscape view, which is great for viewing web pages, spreadsheets and videos but not so great if you want to use it one-handed. The phone dialer and contacts work in both portrait and landscape modes, so it is possible to use and hold the N900 in a phone-like orientation for calling. In fact, there's a setting that automatically launches the phone app when you turn the phone to portrait mode. You can also get to the phone app when in any application by quickly pressing the power button and selecting "phone" from the pop-up menu. From Nokia's developer pages, we gather that portrait mode may spread to other applications, and 3rd party developers can support one or both orientations as they see fit. The 4 screen panoramic desktop (5 if you count the running applications screen) runs only in landscape mode much as the HTC HD2 and HTC Pure's work only in portrait mode. The N900's screen is designed and optimized for landscape mode and I have no desire to run it in portrait mode; but then I'm using it like a pocket computer and don't expect it to act like a Nokia N95.

The HTC HD2, Nokia N900 and Motorola Droid.

The UI is completely finger-friendly and is in direct opposition to S60 5th Edition with its touch UI glued on top of S60 feel. Maemo is a completely separate OS with none of the legacy baggage of S60. Scrolling through lists works much like the iPhone or other well-designed touch screen phones and there's no odd reverse scrolling or tiny scrollbars as there is with S60 5th Edition. Nokia includes a stylus in the phone's silo, but there's no need for it unless you want to write, draw or click in tiny web page links (a fingernail also works well for link tapping). The UI is fairly fresh and unique (there are a few design elements that are similar to Android) and we enjoyed its consistency and intuitiveness. For example you can tap on the screen in any application to bring up a close box "x" in the upper right corner and a minimize and return to desktop function by tapping on the multiple window symbol at the upper left corner. When a screen or dialog demands your response, background windows are blurred out of focus, so you're not confused by stacked windows and wondering which one you're supposed to tap on. You can get out of any window by tapping in the upper right hand corner of the blurred background.

Though the screen is resistive rather than capacitive, we had no complaints with responsiveness and control. It requires a slightly firmer touch than the capacitive iPhone but a softer touch than most S60 5th Edition and Windows Mobile phones. There's no multi-touch for things like pinch zooming, so you'll have to double-tap on the screen to zoom in the web browser, or use on-screen zoom controls in applications like Ovi Maps. The display is easily viewable outdoors. In the 2.2009.51-1 firmware update released in mid-Janary 2010, Nokia added support for portrait web browsing. You'll need to hit Cntrl-shift-o (that's the letter o and not zero) when in the web browser to turn on portrait support. Once you've done that, if you close the keyboard and turn the device to portrait orientation, the browser will switch the display. Rotate it back to return to landscape mode.

Video Review

Here's our video review of the Nokia N900, and you can get a much better feel for the user interface and responsiveness of the phone by watching the video. We also cover the web browser, GPS mapping, video playback and more.

Design and Ergonomics

The N900 has a side-slider design with a full QWERTY keyboard. It's a minimalist and not unattractive device but it doesn't have the sexy wow-factor of thin phones like the HD2 and iPhone. I'd say it's more attractive than the Droid, but looks are subjective. Though shorter and narrower than the HTC HD2, it's much thicker and you'll feel the N900 in your pocket. It has a rounded rectangle design and it looks, well, like a Nokia. The build quality and slider mechanism are solid and the non-gloss back is a plus. The screen does attract and hold onto fingerprints, though it's bright and sharp enough to be readable even when totally mucked-up with grease. The keyboard has fairly low key travel but the keys are clicky and you can turn on sound effects for key presses which helps. After using it for a day, the keyboard really grew on me and I found it easy to type quickly, despite the offset spacebar.

The N900's hardware keyboard. You can also turn on the on-screen keyboard if you like.

In keeping with the minimalist design and touch screen focus, there are very few hardware buttons. The combined camera launcher and shutter button are on the right side for natural placement when held like a camera. The power button, midway down the right side turns off the phone when pressed and held and with a short press brings up a set of menus to switch to offline mode, lock the screen and keys (the phone automatically locks when the slider is closed and you unlock it with an on-screen slider or the hardware slider), switch to silent mode and when in an application there's a menu item to bring up the phone dialer. The volume keys are on the upper right and the hardware screen/key lock is on the bottom along with the micro USB port and 3.5mm stereo headset jack. There are stereo speakers on the top and bottom edges (or sides when held in landscape mode) and an IR port on the right side (most likely use would be home theater remote control applications developed by 3rd parties). There are no buttons on the front face. A front-facing VGA camera lives above the display, but the phone currently doesn't support 3G video calling and there are no VoIP apps that currently support video calling (we'd love to see video calling via Skype!).

The camera lens lives on the back and is protected by a sliding door. Open the door and the camera application automatically launches. As with the Nokia N96, a pop-out ring surrounding the lens doubles as a desk stand.

Phone and Internet

As per usual with Nokia phones, the N900 has excellent reception and call quality. We've never seen so many bars of 3G HSDPA on T-Mobile's US network here in the Dallas area. Both incoming and outgoing call quality are impressive though we wish the earpiece were a bit louder for use in noisy places. We had no trouble hearing callers in in the office but it was hard to hear when in a noisy big box store. Reception in our area is relatively strong and we had no dropped calls nor did calls suffer when transitioning from GSM to 3G. The N900 lacks advanced call features like voice dialing (though given Nokia's track record with voice dialing, we're not sure we want to see it on the N900) and last number redial. It does have speed dialing, reliable voicemail notifications (though the number 1 isn't automatically assigned to voicemail, but should be in a future firmware), call history and an impressive selection of well-integrated Internet calling services. From the standard phone dialer you can make calls using Google Talk, Skype, Ovi, Jabber and SIP. Simply enter your login credentials in the phone account setup screen and select a contact to call. You'll see options for cellular calling and any VoIP internet calling services you've set up. Very, very nice! No separate application and geeky settings to fight with.

The contacts application is the poster child for multi-paradigm communications. Select a contact, and assuming you've got email, mobile, land line and etc. entered for that contact, you can tap buttons to call the person, Internet call that person, SMS them, email them and so on. Contact fields generally mirror Outlook with multiple email addresses, phone numbers, note, job title, nickname, web page and physical addresses. There are no categories however.

Bluetooth headsets were a mixed bag. We found that the Plantronics Discovery 925 and the Plantronics Discovery 655 both had good voice quality for incoming and outgoing calls. The Samsung WEP870 sounded overly digitized and hard to understand on the outgoing end and the Jabra Stone sounded just OK. The Jawbone 2 sounded tinny on the incoming end and distorted for outgoing voice. Perhaps Nokia needs to tweak their Bluetooth in a firmware update.

The web browser is the best we've ever seen on a mobile platform. If you're totally into the web, this is your phone. This is the "real Internet" and it's better than the iPhone's Safari web browser since it supports Flash 9.4 and plugins. The Mozilla-based browser handles AJAX, Javascript, frames, CSS and most everything a desktop browser does. The only thing missing is pinch zooming but that's impossible on the N900's resistive screen. Instead you'll double-tap the screen to zoom or use the volume up/down buttons or swirl your finger in a circle (our least favorite since it's hard to control). The browser works with the desktop version of youtube.com and with youtube videos embedded in web pages (such as the page you're reading now). While Nokia S60 phones have offered Flash support, their low resolution and slow performance hampered the experience. The N900 does a very good job of playing Flash video as long as you have a good 3G or WiFi connection. Nice! Web pages look like their desktop counterparts and you get the desktop version of the New York Times, CNN and BBC rather than mobile versions. Embedded video on the New York Times home page didn't play (we're not sure what format they're using) but Flash-based ads run for better or worse. If you get sick of seeing ads, there's an ad blocking utility you can download using the app download program on the phone.

Email and Syncing

The Nokia has good email support as well as IM, and there's SMS but no MMS (again, something we're hoping for in a future firmware update). The email client supports POP, IMAP, gmail and Exchange email (via Mail for Exchange). The phone supports HTML email, checking email on a schedule and checking email only when a certain connection is available (i.e.: WiFi). The phone supports Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2003 support was added in a January 2010 firmware update. Google sync of contacts and calendar items over Mail for Exchange is sadly not supported. Though MfE sync with Google works fine for us as long as we set it to sync calendar and contacts but not email (you can set up email separately in the email client). PC Suite syncing (not the newer Ovi desktop sync) works well with Outlook in Windows, but there's no iSync plugin for Mac OS X. The N900 doesn't sync with Nokia's Ovi online yet either.

The stylus, 3.5mm jack, screen/key lock slider and speaker.

GPS and Ovi Maps

Yes, the N900 has a built in GPS with aGPS and it comes with Ovi Maps 1.00 for Maemo. The GPS worked well in our tests, and managed a fix even indoors and kept up with brisk driving. No, there's no Google Maps, at least not yet. But Ovi Maps has attractive and clear maps, good US POIs and passable turn-by-turn on-screen directions. There are no spoken directions, making the N900 less than a perfect co-pilot when driving. Will spoken directions come in a later Ovi Maps release, will 3rd parties release navigation applications for Maemo 5? We hope so. In the meanwhile, Ovi Maps' price is hard to beat: free. You can download maps over the air as needed, or side load them.

Camera

The news is all good here: the N900 has an Nseries level camera that takes excellent photos and very good video. The 5 megapixel camera has a Carl Zeiss Tessar autofocus lens and a dual LED flash. We like the active lens cover that protects and launches the camera application when you slide it open (and exits the camera when you close the lens cover). The camera button functions as the shutter button, which is more stable than tapping on the display like the HTC HD2. The camera can also shoot video at 848 x 480 resolution at 25fps with 48 kHz AAC stereo audio, and quality is quite good as you'd expect from a high end Nokia. When shooting video, the lens does an initial focus on the center of the frame rather than using a fixed focus on infinity. The N900's images are comparable to the N95 and N96's, and are far superior to the HTC HD2's. Here's a comparison of two cropped photos from the N900 and HD2:

Nokia N900

HTC HD2

As you can see the Nokia's image is sharper with much more detail. The photo is just slightly too cool, but the HD2's is overly skewed to the magenta and lacks real detail.

The N900 ships with a TV out cable that terminates in standard RCA connections. You can view photos and videos taken with its camera on the TV, and in fact you can view anything on the TV, even games.

Multimedia

Older Maemo Internet tablets were picky about video file formats but the N900 is the swiss army knife of mobile video playback. It can handle MPEG4, Flash Video, AVI, 3GPP, H.264 and WMV formats. We found that even high bitrate videos encoded at 1500kbps played well as long as we kept the resolution at 800 x 480 or less (comparable to DVD resolution). The N900's multimedia player reminds us of the clean and simple Sony/Sony Ericsson UI with a large icon-based launcher for songs, video, Internet radio and song shuffle playback. The main UI tells you how many songs, video tracks and Internet radio stations are available/stored on the 32 gig flash drive and microSD card. The music player starts with a large album cover view that's attractive and modern. The player itself is fairly basic with shuffle and playlists but no EQ. Music playback quality is very good with a decent set of headphones (Nokia includes a better than average set of stereo earbuds with interchangeable ear gels) and pleasant through the built-in stereo speakers.

The video player is thumbnail based and shows duration for each clip along with the title. There are 48 preset Internet radio stations from around the world (in other words, not all are English) and you can add more but that's not a simple task. Internet radio worked well for us over T-Mobile's 3G HSDPA connection and WiFi. The phone has an FM transmitter so you can stream audio to your car or home stereo but there's no FM radio application. Happily, there's a basic FM radio app available for free download and it gets good reception.

The N900 has mass storage mode so you can mount it on the desktop using the included micro USB cable to copy music, videos and other content to and from the phone.

App Story

It's all about the apps these days, or so some folks think. The magic actually comes when a good platform with appealing hardware and a great OS meet with a large selection of applications. Maemo 5 is a new OS and the N900's job in part is to get developers on board. Given Maemo's open source history, applications have so far been free and many have been ports from Linux. With Maemo 5 we're starting to see more "Joe Normal" apps instead of geeky ones. These include Documents To Go for viewing MS Office docs (currently the only pay-for Maemo 5 application, it costs $9.99 after the 30 day trial ends), an AP news widget, several weather widgets, games (so far mostly 2D though we expect some impressive 3D games given the Nokia's serious GPU and OpenGL ES 2.0 support), sketching applications, Witter (a Twitter app), a Facebook widget and more. Nokia's own Bounce game is a 3D showcase of what the N900 can do. It's as impressive as an iPhone 3D high quality game and we can't wait to see more. And yes, you can play it while the phone is hooked up to a TV!

A shortcut to Maemo Select showcases current applications (around 50) but the Ovi Store for Maemo isn't yet up and running. We hope it will be available by January 2010. There's also an application manager so you can download apps from additional application repositories. But at the moment, the app story is that there isn't a huge selection but there seems to be significant developer interest. Only time will tell...

Conclusion

The N900 is what we'd hoped the Nokia N97 would have been: seriously impressive hardware matched with a fresh touch-based operating system. I'll stop just short of saying that the N900 puts the N97 and N97 Mini to shame because the N97 line has stronger phone features and these are phones, after all. But in every other way, the N900 is superior thanks to its truly modern, touch-optimized OS, fast CPU, excellent video playback performance, best in class web browser, Adobe Flash support and seamless switching between cellular and WiFi networks. If you're looking for a pocket computer first and a phone second, the Nokia N900, though still immature, earns a place with the HTC HD2, Motorola Droid and even the iPhone 3GS. Though we'd say that the iPhone's appeal is different-- it's better suited to those who prefer a super-simple user interface or who want myriad application downloads to keep things interesting. Things we'd like to see on the N900? More apps of course, more advanced phone features and better Bluetooth performance with headsets. All in all, a great start from Nokia after the mild disappointment that was S60 5th Edition. Maemo 5 is an OS that can compete with Android, webOS and HTC's Sense on Windows Mobile. When the first firmware update comes out (supposedly by the end of 2009) we'll update this review to cover what's changed.

Website: www.nokiausa.com

Price: Approx. $550 with no contract, unlocked.

Specs:

Display: 3.5", 800 x 480 pixel resistive touch screen. Most applications run in landscape mode. Has an accelerometer, proximity sensor and ambient light sensor.

Battery: Lithium Ion rechargeable. Battery is user replaceable. 1320 mAh.

Performance: ARM Cortex A8 CPU 600 MHz processor (TI OMAP 3430). 3D GPU: PowerVR SGX with OpenGL ES 2.0 support. 256 megs of RAM, can use virtual memory for a max of 1 gig. 32 gigs of flash storage.

Size: 4.36 x 2.35 x 0.71 inches. Weight: 6.38 ounces.

Phone: GSM unlocked quad band world phone with EDGE 850/900/1800/1900MHz. 3G HSDPA 10 Mbps on the 1700/2100MHz bands (compatible with Euro 3G and T-Mobile's US 3G network).

Camera: 5.0 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss autofocus lens and dual LED flash. Max photo resolution: 2584 x 1938. Video resolution: 848 x 480 pixels (MPEG4, 25 fps). 5.2mm focal length, f2.8, focuses 10cm to infinity. Front facing VGA camera (currently not used by built-in applications).

Audio: Built in speaker, mic and 3.5mm standard stereo headphone jack. Has a music player and an FM transmitter. There's no FM radio built in, though there's a free 3rd party download available.

GPS: Internal GPS and Ovi Maps software.

Networking: Integrated WiFi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR. Bluetooth profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, FTP, HFP, HSP and OPP.

Software: Maemo 5 operating system (Fremantle, Linux-based). Mozilla-based web browser with AJAX and Flash 9.4 support, email, Nokia Conversations, Mail for Exchange, , media player, photo viewer, PIM applications (calendar, contacts, notes), PDF reader, file manager, camera, phone application, RSS reader, backup, X Terminal, app manager, Ovi Maps, Documents to Go 30 day trial, a few games and a variety of desktop widgets including Location (shows your current GPS location on a moving map), Facebook, RSS, calendar, Google search and more).

Expansion: 1 SDHC microSD card slot.

iPad full review hot!!

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:19:00 +0000

Shortly after the Apple Launch in San Francisco, we had the opportunity to play with an iPad for long enough to have an idea of how it feels to use one and how the iPad looks in the real world. After months of speculation, we have to say that the overall pre-launch perception correct was at times correct (hardware+OS) and plain wrong on other topics - like the pricing. You've seen all the info, and now it's time to answer the question: how is it to use one?

Responsiveness

The first thing that I pay attention to in a touch device is how "responsive" it is. Despite the vastly superior resolution, when compared to the iPhone, the iPad is just as responsive (or may be even more so) than the iPhone 3GS. The overall 2D graphics speed is very good, there's no question about that. Because it is so fast, the user interface responds right away to input, which makes the user feel in control. With the exception of the Zune HD, I have never used a device that's more responsive than the iPhone 3GS, and now, the iPad.

The computer is the display

The second thing that is critical to a touch display device is... well... the display! I used it to browse the web and to read a few paragraphs of a book and I have to say that it looks very good. It's not as good as OLED, but the colors are great and the sensitivity of the touch sensor is great too. I could not test it outside, but *if* it is based on the same display tech that is in the 3GS, I predict that it would do OK in direct sunlight - that remains to be seen.

Better than E-ink? It depends in which context. E-Ink is very nice to read for extended periods of time, but clearly, if one's goal is to read a magazine or a website what one want is probably color and fast refresh. And for that, the iPad is, by nature, definitely better than any eBook device. Now, if you plan to read for a couple of hours, it might be a different story, but I don't think that you would end up with a headache. I'm looking at an LCD display all day and I'm doing just fine. That said, I recognize that reading for two hours on a e-ink display is less strenuous than doing it on an LCD.

Thanks to the color display, you can access things that you already read daily (web, pdf, email) but in a different way. Even if eBooks are very popular, the web is still king because it's dynamic and it's free - that's certainly worth a few points, right?

Connectivity Wifi, or Wifi+3G

Prior to the launch, one big "no go" about the connectivity was "who wants to pay a second wireless subscription"? And it's true that this was a potential roadblock. Fortunately, the pay as you go (month to month) option for 3G in the form of two relatively cheap options at $15 and $30 (cheaper than a phone plan, at least) helps remarkably. The fact that all iPad devices will be sold "unlocked" (carrier-free) is also remarkable. Other tablet makers have never been able to get anywhere close to a deal like this. This is a game changer, not only for Apple but for other connected devices - hopefully.

I suspect that most people will opt for the $499 Wifi-only version, and Apple has been quite smart to build a version without the 3G radio that costs less. The "pay as you go" makes it tempting to pay an extra (+$130) "just in case", but this is a bit steep just to get 3G in my opinion.

iBooks

Playing with eBook and the iPad (switch to fullscreen for HD)

eBooks are interesting, but I think that the iPad is so much better for colorful magazines and web content that I wished that Apple had demonstrated less books and more colorful stuff. Regardless, I expect the iPad to be a good reading device - depending on how long you like to read.

PDF files are supported, and assuming that the support is complete, this could be the best PDF tablet reader yet as eBooks are usually too weak to handle complex PDF files. We'll have to test that too and I know just the person to do it...

~~At the moment, I don't see any support for open eBook formats, so~~ your options are: the book store, PDF attachments, ePub files and the web.

In the end, the question that you should ask yourself is: "Can I get the content that I care about"? More about iBooks

Web Browsing

The web browsing works really well. Just imagine an iPhone / iPod touch, but faster and with a big display. At this game, the iPad beats any other tablet that I've seen, by far. I tried some popular sites and they all work, but Flash is still not supported. I think that Apple *could* support Flash, but you have to realize that this would open the gates to all sorts of video /music content living outside of Apple's business turf. So far, few consumers complained with their wallet and Apple's product are still selling well. As Google has shown with Google Voice, web apps are the way to get around Apple's approval.

I would need more time to try more sites to write a more detailed report, but so far, this is looking good.

Gaming

An iPhone racing game on iPad (switch to fullscreen for HD)

All the games that were demonstrated today were iPhone games in 480x240 that were stretched to 1024x768 using a good upscaling filter - it does look a little fuzzy but don't expect any miracles: the original content is very small.

Because all the 3D rendering is still done at 480x320, we will have to wait for new titles to see how fast the iPad really is in terms of 3D rendering. The good news is that changing resolution is very easy for developers, but it is harder to design new user interfaces that take advantage of the higher resolution.

In that respect, today's demos showed some interesting concepts. For example, the "swipe" to change gears in a racing game seem to work well.

We know that Apple devices are a huge gaming platform, but "hardcore" gamers that need a pad or a keyboard+mouse will probably continue to criticize a touch interface for good reasons (to be honest, I do prefer a pad). The conclusion is that you can't be everything to everyone - it's that simple.

Backwards compatibility

The iPad is backwards compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch, and that means that there are hundreds of thousands of applications available today - although most built for a lower resolution. I expect future devices to be backwards compatible as well, and that is a very good thing for the developer community. Scott Forstall the leader of the handheld division at Apple predicts a new "Gold Rush" - a race to pump out iPad applications. That's true because the first apps will have much less competition than subsequent generations. That's also true for game consoles.

Battery life

Without an extended use, I have to take Apple's word for it, but I've been told that the 10 hours of battery life is "probably" when the display is ON, but at a 50% brightness. We will have to test it for ourselves to see how it works in the real world, but knowing that the display is the #1 culprit when it comes to power consumption (the 3G radio is bad too), I would venture to say that battery life could be quite substantial when playing video and very long when playing audio.

Accessories

The iPad uses the same physical connector than the iPhone / iPod touch, so most accessories will probably work out of the box - thanks to the software compatibility.

iPad keyboard dock: the dock is probably the most interesting one. Because the iPad is email friendly, this would let one turn the iPad into an email station either at home (my preferred option) or on the go (I might prefer a laptop then).

iPad Case: The case is made of a ruber-ish texture which is quite nice to the touch, but I thought that it did not look all that great. Of course, it tries to be a cover and a stand and in that respect, it works, but it did not seem as the most stable platform ever. Take a look for yourself in an Apple store when you have a chance and drop a comment.

Don't miss the iPad camera connection kit too.

Conclusion

The iPad is simply the best tablet ever built, partly because others before it sucked. But I honestly think that in absolute terms, Apple has executed this one brilliantly. This is a very interesting device with a very good user experience, even if I predict that it won't be as successful as the iPhone is (in terms of unit sold).

The iPad pricing is probably the most shocking thing: it's actually cheaper than competitors like the Archos 9. Of course, part of this is due to the fact that we've been bombarded with the ridiculous $1000 price for some time (well, there's a $829 iPad...). Most people (non-geeks) that I talked to were satisfied with the pricing. Don't forget that it will eventually go down too. My personal opinion is that it's quite amazing that Apple can sell the basic version for $499.

I suspect that some folks will buy it just because "it's cool", but the device has a genuine entertainment/usage value as a secondary device. It's really up to you to figure out what that is worth for you in dollars. I hope that this hands-on has helped you grasped how it feels to use the iPad. If you have additional questions, drop a comment and I'll try to reply while my memory is fresh. Thanks for tuning in.

Worldwide release date: in 60 days for the Wifi version, and in 90 days for the Wifi+3G version.

Links

Apple iPad, official page

Griffin Introduces Its First Apple iPad Accessories

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:32:00 +0000

Griffin just announced their first iPad accessories that consists of cases and a screen protector such as the Elan Passport, Elan Sleeve, FlexGrip case, Jumper, and Screen Care Kit.

The Elan Passport is a leather flip-open case with some room for business cards. Meanwhile, the Elan Sleeve is a slip-in leather sleeve. Available in a few different colors, the FlexGrip case wraps your iPad in durable silicone that’s easy to grip and protects against dirt, dings, dents and scratches. The case also allows complete access to the audio output jack, dock connector, MultiTouch display and all controls.

The Jumper is a tough neoprene sleeve that will protect your iPad from dust, dirt, scratches and fingerprints. And finally, the Screen Care Kit features a premium cleaning cloth that removes smudges, dust and fingerprints without messy liquids, and without scratching your screen. The Elan Passport, FlexGrip case, and Screen Care Kit are priced at $50, $30, and $25, respectively. All of these products will be available in Spring 2010.

[Griffin]

Apple iBookstore For iPad

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:25:00 +0000

Apple has also launched the new iBookstore for iPad. It is an iTunes Store-like storefront for e-books that lies within a new app called iBooks. The iBookstore will feature books from both major and independent publishers including Penguin, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Hachette book group. All books will be offered in the ePub format. Several books shown during the demo were available for as little as $4.99 each.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Will Be Released In The UK

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:17:00 +0000

Sony Ericsson has announced that the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 will go on sale on January 18th, 2010 in the UK. The Android-powered Xperia X10 will retail for £529.99 or around $861 (Unlocked). If you are interested, you can pre-order this smartphone right now via Play.com and will be a free delivery item. FYI, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 features a 4-inch touchscreen capacitive display with WVGA (800×480) resolution, an 8-megapixel shooter with Autofocus, LED flash, image stabilizers, smile and face detection, Bluetooth 2.1 and WiFi b/g. Other specs include aGPS, Android 2.0 with Custom user interface, and a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor. Video after the jump.

apple iPad pictures

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:58:00 +0000

The new of apple company : iPad

These are some pictures of it

Apple lunched iPad the tablet device (review)

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:33:00 +0000

IPad

My first impressions of the device are largely positive. Apple has once again built a product that looks good and feels great in the hand, and the familiar user interface, borrowed from the iPhone and iPod touch, is perfectly suited to the bigger screen. The iPad whizzes along, opening applications, re-sizing web pages, and zooming in and out of maps almost instantaneously.

It's a great, fun gaming platform, and it's lovely to view full-size web pages while browsing the internet. Developers, no doubt, are already rubbing their hands with glee about the apps and services they could tailor specifically for this device.

The new touch-optimised iWork suite is beautifully realised, making it quick and easy -- and, dare I say, fun -- to piece together a spreadsheet or presentation. It also helps to elevate the iPad to more than just a plaything.

As Steve Jobs said during his keynote, if you're going to create a third category of device, between the smartphone and the laptop, then it needs to be better than either for certain tasks. In many areas, this is true for the iPad -- web browsing is much better on the iPad than the iPhone, just because of the bigger screen, and physically flicking through photos, music and movies is just more enjoyable on the iPad than a laptop.

But in several crucial areas, the iPad falls short of the functionality that would have made this more than just a large iPod touch. The lack of Flash support is a major issue; the iPad's big screen is designed to make the best of multimedia content and the full-screen browsing experience, but the sight of little blue squares dotted around web pages where embedded video should have been just makes you feel like you're being short-changed.

The iPad's inability to multi-task could also severely hamper its appeal. It's being pitched as a portable device that you could kick back and use on the sofa at home, but you can't listen to your Spotify playlists at the same time as writing an email, or browse the web while using an instant-messaging app to chat with friends. It's one or other, just as it is on the iPhone and iPod touch, but for the extra money you're paying for the iPad, you expect something more akin to a laptop computing experience.

I love Apple's new e-reader application, iBooks. The virtual bookshelf, on which your digital tomes sit, is an example of Apple design at its best; elegant, simple, well-executed. The reading experience itself was also delightful, with the pages of the virtual books having the sort of patina you would expect to find on a printed novel. Turning pages is achieved with a swiping gesture, or a single tap in the right-hand margins.

But I think the backlighting of Apple's pin-sharp display is going to cause a lot of tired eyes; e-Ink is deeply unglamorous, but it does the job superbly, and I don't think serious bookworms will be swayed to chose the iPad over the Kindle or a Sony Reader. For the casual reader though, the inclusion of the iBooks app, and the iBookstore, is a boon, and likely to inspire impulse purchases of novels in much the same way as the iTunes music store on the iPhone and iPod touch is a constant temptation.

Before yesterday's event, analysts were adamant that the iPad would be the saviour of newspapers and magazines, but there was little sign of that at the launch. The New York Times showed off a slick application, but it just felt like a larger-scale version of their iPhone app rather than a genuine step-change in the way printed content is delivered and consumed. I had hoped to hear more about how the iPad could be used to read magazines or shape the day's news agenda. However, it's still early days and Apple are only now able to talk more openly to prospective content partners about mutually beneficial deals.

The iPad is a lovely device that gadget fans will lust after, but I'm yet to be entirely convinced that it offers enough of an advantage over my smartphone or laptop. I do think it has the potential to be a game-changing device, but it will be the second- and third-generation versions that really drive the agenda, and introduce a new and innovative way of computing.

Ultimately, the iPad is a large iPod touch: a great device to draw your inspiration from, but perhaps not the seismic shift in technology that we were expecting. But watch this space...

Big review of Palm Pre

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:02:00 +0000

The Palm Pre is the long awaited, eagerly anticipated and über-hyped next generation smartphone from Palm Inc. First unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January amidst much fanfare, the device has been an online media darling ever since. Arriving in Sprint retail stores on June 6, the Palm Pre is the result of a corporate restructuring years in the making and tons of behind the scenes work. It will also be available from Best Buy and select Wall-Mart stores. The Pre will sell for $199 from Sprint after rebates and a two year service contract. The full retail price without a contract will be $599. While both AT&T and Verizon has expressed sentiments that they plan to offer the device at some point, Sprint has an exclusive deal to offer the Pre in the US through 2009. A GSM version is planned for Europe and other parts of the world, however at this time no official plans for release have been announced. Palm Pre Design The Pre is an elegantly crafted device that has a very natural feel to it. The whole exterior (and even webOS itself) has an aura of acute roundness and polish. Something this smooth has not been seen before in the world of smartphone handsets and certainly not out of Sunnyvale. In its closed state, the front of the Pre is a well thought out work of minimalism embossed in a gloss black shiny finish. Of course where there is shine comes a rash of thumbprints, but fortunately Palm provides a microfiber pouch to help you manage the human grease. The nice thing about the optional Touchstone charging kit is that it comes with a much nicer soft touch rubberized back cover, which aids grip-ability and significantly mitigates the smudges.

The display naturally melds with the forward facing exterior in such a way that it doesn't even feel like the screen area is a separate section. I will revisit the display and screen quality again in more detail in the hardware section of the review. The display area is bordered by the earpiece to the north and by the gesture area, center button and mic opening along the bottom. A good thumb push up from the bottom half of the screen area will reveal the Pre's slide down physical keyboard.

The back of the Pre continues the polished stone theme with a centrally located silver Palm logo. The top right corner contains the camera lens and flash and situated in the other corner is the rather large speaker grill. It's also worth noting what you don't find on the back. The Pre continues to class it up by forgoing any the usual clutter array of stickers, logos and serial numbers.

The sides of the device are also appropriately smooth and contain a few mildly veiled function buttons. Starting with the top one can find the standard stereo headset jack, the ever useful silencer switch and the slightly elevated power/unlock button. The top left side hosts the volume rocker, while the right hides a snap out cover for the micro-USB port.

When the keyboard slider is extended the back of the exposed display area hides a smooth reflective mirror surface. On what is usually a neglected area, Palm has thoughtfully positioned a large mirror here that doubles as an extra large self portrait camera or a convenient vanity mirror.

The front-mounted center button is a simple click-action multifunction "home" button analogous to the iPhone's single button. Its sole purpose is to bring you into the dashboard card view which presents the cards that are currently open and the quicklaunch bar. The button itself illuminates with a soft white light when the gesture area is activated, as do two adjacent small obscured circle shaped lights in the gesture area when certain actions are performed. I feel that the center button is somewhat of a missed opportunity. It would be nice if it could provide more functionality such as waking up the device or lighting up when you have new notifications. Even a simple trackball would have greatly added to its utility.

The Palm Pre has dimensions of 59.57 mm (W) x 100.53 mm (L, closed) x 16.95 mm (D) [2.35 inches (W) x 3.96 inches (L, closed) x 0.67 inches (D)]. It weighs ~135 grams [4.76 ounces]. It compares favorably in size to most high end smartphones currently on the market. In terms of thickness, it's no Palm V, but the Pre's rounded curves and light weight make it very pocket friendly.

The Box
Even the Pre's retail box exemplifies Palm's new approach to industrial design. Just like the Treo Pro's packaging, the Pre comes in a very small box that has been shrunk and revamped with a more environmentally friendly motif. The new packaging is nearly half the size of Palm's previous design and it does away the software CD, the usual plastic bags and excess cardboard as well. The box itself is mostly composed of recycled materials and employes a "toxic free" soy ink on the included printouts. This is certainly another nice touch and adds positively to the initial user experience, while employing more sustainable materials.

Palm Pre Hardware

The Pre's innards are comprised of the cutting-edge TI OMAP 3430 chipset, a very nice integrated CPU whose specs I will not bore you with here. The Pre's exact processor clock speed has not been disclosed by Palm, though it is rumored to be in the 600 MHz range. The phone uses a digital dual band (850/1900 MHz) CDMA2000 radio with EVDO Rev. A for wireless data.

The Pre is certainly quite a performer. Even with its eye candy festival of sharp graphics and fluid animations, it is quite responsive during routine usage. There are certainly some apps that can slow the Pre down at times, but it copes well and multitasks with relative ease. After years of using the overextended Palm OS and Windows Mobile Treos the Pre is a breath of fresh air in this department.

Display
The Palm Pre's display is in a word, superb. The color and vibrancy of this screen cannot be understated. The blended contour of the front bezel and its seamless integration make for a complimentary frame. The LCD is a HVGA, 320 x 480 pixel resolution touchscreen that supports up to 24-bit color. The screen is exceptionally vivid indoors with good saturation and nice black levels and it holds up well in direct sunlight. It is very pixel dense, measuring in at 1.86" x 2.75" inches, compared to a Palm TX which sported a 3.25" x 2.2" inch display with the same amount of pixels.

The top solid black status bar even feels like it could be part of the hardware given how effortlessly this spot blends in with the surrounding shape. The same goes for the notifications, which have an appearance of sliding up from out of nowhere. Another nice touch is that the display will progressively light up smoothly upon reactivation and gently fade out when turned off rather than abruptly activating at full stregnth.

The Pre uses capacitive touchscreen technology, unlike the resistive touchscreen found on every prior Palm device over the past twelve years. So instead of a fine stylus pointer, the screen requires the use of human skin to register input. This changeover sacrifices some accuracy as well as the ability to input handwriting for finger operated ease of use.

Speaking of finger operations, the display's touch sensitive area extends just below the screen to the center button. This special gesture area is used for various system and navigational commands. In addition to scrolling and flicking, the operating system and various apps can employ special functions that can assist in navigation or perform various functions. The most common gesture is a simple swipe to the left to go back or up a level in an application. Another involves invoking a shortcut wave launcher in any app but dragging up from the gesture area. You can view a number of these gestures in action in our previous video.

Keyboard
Besides the new WebOS, the Pre's second main claim to fame is its slide out hardware keyboard. Longtime Treo users will feel right at home with its design and layout. It has a similar feel as the Treo Pro's keyboard, but with an improved layout and much better spacing. It is a very usable thumb board, though it is a bit more cramped that I would prefer. I certainly achieved much better results with far fewer typo's the Pre's keyboard than I have been able to on other virtual keyboard implementations. The Pre does employ some behind the scenes logic to interpret and correct some commonly mistaken key presses, and I had a positive experience with it in my short review period.

Wireless Data
On the Sprint Pre, EVDO Rev A. data is present and provides a potent wireless broadband experience. Sprint's 3G network is capable of speeds in the range of 600 kbps to 1.4 mbps. The Pre's EVDO connection felt faster than any other Palm device I had used before. I had a good signal in my area and surfing the web and staying connected was quite speedy. The Pre also includes built in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g that supports WPA, WPA2, WEP and the 802.1X authentication methods. Palm even recommends that users keep their WiFi active if available at home or work for better battery performance as the Pre is supposedly more efficient at doing data over WiFi.

Storage
The Pre comes standard with 8GB of fixed internal flash memory, of which approximately 7.4GB are available for user storage. There is no means of memory expansion and this is a certainly a serious drawback. 7.4GB is about the minimum of what I would consider useful these days, but for some it will be more than they ever need.

For Palm, as an early supporter of the SD card standard since 2001 with the m500 PDA line, retreating away from the expandability and flexibility of removable storage cards strikes me as a very ominous sign of aping Apple's unfriendly attitude towards flash memory cards.

Access to the internal drive is via the side mounted micro-USB port. When plugged into a computer, the Pre asks if you want to use Media Sync Mode, USB drive or just charge the device. When Media Sync is selected the device shows up as an iPod device in Apple's iTunes software on a Mac or PC. This mode allows you to sync non-DRM music, video and podcasts via iTunes.

USB Drive mode works just like a mass storage USB memory stick where you can access the internal storage and drag and drop files. While either of these modes are in use, the Pre cannot receive calls or text messages.

Camera
The Palm Pre has a 3 megapixel camera with a small LED flash lamp. Palm touts this camera as offering "extended depth of field" capabilities via an onboard DSP. At this time it only supports still captures, and not video, which is a serious downer. It is operated via the on screen controls and the shutter can also be activated by the keyboard space bar. Besides the capture button the only optional control is the flash setting for auto, force and off and it only captures pictures in one size, an odd 1520 x 2032 pixels. The Pre can also optionally geo-tag your photo's by embedding the location data in the photo file.

In general I found the pictures to be more than suitable for a camera phone. Shots are still a little grainy in dim lighting conditions and I often found the colors to be slightly off. It does do a decent job outdoors and is great for those on-the-go moments. It also has a very fast shutter speed, which permits you to take multiple photos in quick succession. The flash does assist with low light conditions at close range and makes dark night shots possible for a change.

Below are a few unedited photo examples taken with the Palm Pre. The last picture of the flowers was snapped in complete darkness in order to demonstrate the flash capabilities.

Battery Life
T

he Palm Pre has a user replaceable 1150 mAh lithium-ion battery. This is the exact same battery that is in use on the Palm Centro and Treo 800w models. While a little on the smaller end for a smartphone, at least there is the option to carry around and swap out spare batteries. Fortunately, one advantage of the Pre's shared battery architecture older models means that replacement batteries and widely and affordably available already, including Seidio's extended-capacity original-size 1350mAh Centro/800w battery. Given that the Pre is employing a power cell with a less than desirable capacity, battery life is probably the top negative with the Pre. Power users should be able to get a days use out a full charge, but will more than likely have to recharge daily. Personal usage patterns will largely determine the longevity of a charge, and the Pre's more advances features and constant data connections will take their toll on your preciou

s milliamps.

Is the battery life a total deal breaker? Well, it's no Achilles heel though it is quite probably the main drawback. The Pre certainly has some more compelling aspects that make up for this. Nevertheless, the Pre still does a commendable job given everything that is going on and concerned users can tweak the device for more extended usage. A higher capacity replacement battery or spare cell can also help remedy this one disadvantage.

Audio
The Pre has a respectable audio system. Phone call quality was agreeable and the speakerphone was loud but had a bit of distortion when maxed out. The Pre also supports Bluetooth v2.1 +EDR and the associated A2DP stereo profile for use with wireless headsets, stereo headphones, speakers and other wireless bluetooth devices. The inclusion of a standard 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack is another commendable feature, though is necessary requirement these days. The included earbuds are suitable for phone calls, though you probably already own a better pair for listening to music.

WebOS Software

With the hardware overview now out of the way, we can now dedicate some time to talking about the real star of the show... and that is, without a doubt, the software. Palm's new WebOS makes it debut on the Pre. WebOS was built from the ground up as a next generation mobile operating system and according to Palm's exec's, is set to power Palm's future products a long time to come. Even in its debut form (version 1.02 was installed on my review device), WebOS is off to a most impressive start.

What separates WebOS from other systems is the scope of detail and ease of operation that is so often overlooked. It truly achieves a new level of ease of use all while fashioning a fluid and animated user experience. The team behind WebOS put and incredible amount of thought, organization and innovation into the platform and this shows at nearly every corner. From the finger gestures to the minimalistic, distraction free user interface and lack of save buttons, WebOS brings an alluringly fresh approach towards device interaction.

WebOS combines a beautifully crafted UI, that is further enhanced with a number of dynamic animations and special effects. It is built on top of a Linux system core, and fortunately one never needs to know. Palm has built a complete web based, finger optimized shell on top of the open source subsystem. With the ability to run multiple programs at one time, the Pre provides an elegant way of managing these with unobtrusive controls and notifications.

This multitasking oriented design focuses around the use of application cards. Each card represents an active application or app window such as a new browser tab. Application cards slide up into place, and can be closed by literally dismissing them with a satisfying flick.

Navigating web pages and documents is as easy as lifting a finger, complete with kinetic scrolling action. Zooming in and out is done with the double tap and pinching motions and the cursor can be controlled onscreen by swiping while holding certain keyboard keys. Screen taps evoke a slight ripple effect which help to show where your finger tap registered and the system rapidly responds to changes in orientation via the accelerometer in supported apps.

While it is still feels like a version 1.0 product at times, mainly due to its many bare bones built-ins, WebOS easily meets or exceeds the established mobile operating systems in capability and composure. Some of the included apps are quite basic with limited options, while others such as the web browser, truly stand out as exceptional. I expect these to improve and evolve over time, and hopefully once the SDK is released, there will be a wide assortment of third party enhancements.

Even with what was already known and out there about webOS, a number of things still surprised me. There are a number of things that the Pre just does all the time in the background for you. For example, once you setup a email account it will by default always check your mail in the background even without the email program open. The same goes for the instant messaging process, once you setup an account on either AOL IM, Google Talk or Jabber your buddy list and their current status shows up in your contacts and you always remain connected in the background even without the messaging application open.

Classic Palm OS
For those that can't live without their favorite old Palm OS apps, there is still hope for you yet. Longtime Palm OS developers, MotionApps, have developed a Palm OS emulator for the WebOS called Classic. Classic will allow many native Palm OS software titles to run on the Pre. It will be available at launch from the Palm App Catalog with a free trial period. I would have liked to have seen this functionality built into the OS, however it's good to have the option available if you need it.

Synergy
One of the main newly developed features Palm is touting is the whole Synergy system and various connections to the cloud. What this means in plain English is that the Pre is one the first devices that can link up with your online profile and automatically download and many of your contacts and calendars that reside in various places on the Internet. For instance, simply by entering your Gmail account details, the Pre automatically sets up your email, imports and consolidates your Gmail contacts and syncs your Google Calendar as well. The same goes for your Facebook and Micosoft ActiveSync accounts as well.

Palm also provides desktop component to get your data into the Pre in Windows and Mac versions. The Palm Data Transfer Assistant is a one time importing app that can grab your contacts, calendar entries and tasks from Palm Desktop, Outlook or iCal. There will also be additional third party applications from Chapura and CompanionLink, which will offer sync and importing with various other PIM software and services.

Web Browser
Wild claims aside, easily the most impressive aspect of the Pre and WebOS is the web browser. Built on the same open source rendering technology that powers the Safari and Google Chrome desktop browsers, the Pre browser is quite fast and more than capable of rendering websites as they would appear on a personal computer. Pulled down over EVDO or WiFi, pages load quickly and are quite snappy and responsive whilst navigating around.

If you are used to Blazer, prepare to be blown away. If you have used an iPhone before, the experience is similar if not better all together. It certainly feels faster than any other mobile browser that I have used before. It's been a long time coming, but the full and usable Internet has finally arrived on a Palm device.

Most pages first load up in a zoomed out view as they would appear on a larger monitor. You can then double tap to automatically zoom into a particular area, or do the pinch and zoom motion to set the magnification level. The best experience is had when the device is held on its side in landscape mode, where is drops the UI and enters fullscreen mode as well. Here text is usually larger and more readable, however you have to tilt the Pre back upright in order to use the keyboard.

In my short trial I never had the browser completely crash, however I did experience a few minor issues. A few times it would stop rendering pages even when refreshed, and other times it seemed to confuse the cache and show images in the wrong spot here and there. These were just minor hiccups on what is otherwise totally excellent web experience.

Universal Search
Another WebOS standout is the Pre's ability to search through your information. Simply sliding out the keyboard and typing from the home screen invokes the clever universal search feature. With each key press the device will attempt to narrow down and find the contact or application that you are looking for. If a local match can't be found, the Pre will present a list of online search options such as Google, Google Maps, Wikipedia and Twitter. This is a super efficient way to dial or message a contact, and it also works great as an even faster means to execute a quick web search.

Messaging
The email and messaging experience on the Pre is good, though a little basic. They way it is integrated into the system is most impressive, given that it can stay in sync with your server without having the app open. The notification system gently alerts you when new messages arrive and the built in client can combine multiple inboxes into one view. The client currently supports POP3, IMAP and Microsoft EAS messaging systems. The Pre also supports IMAP IDLE for a near real-time push email experience with compatible systems.

SMS and Instant messaging are also integrated as seamlessly as the email program. These apps also combine their respective communications by contact for a great threaded conversation view. The messaging app also combines your SMS and IM chats and will alert you to each contact's current IM status.

Multimedia
Another aspect that has fortunately been given a good amount of attention is the Pre's multimedia capabilities. The Pre's high density screen and multitasking capabilities further add to its attractiveness as a media player. All of the usuals are present as well as some added apps for additional online content.

The Pre's music player is straightforward and easy to use. Even its background operation is well thought out, as you can control the player at any time via a set of expandable controls in the notification area. It even notifies you of the new track names as you progress through your playlist. The music app supports the usual mp3 files, unprotected AAC, AAC+, AMR, QCELP and WAV formats. The inclusion a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack permits you to use your existing earbuds and is well positioned at the top.

The included video player is just as usable and supports a variety of formats including MPEG-4, H.263 and H.264. I would have liked to have seen Divx/Xvid support, but you can't have it all. For more video enjoyment a basic YouTube app is included, which lets you search, browse and stream full clips from the 'Tube. SprintTV is also on board, which provides access to a wide range of subscription based mobile video content. It should be noted that all of the above video applications will playback video in landscape mode. The Pre also comes preloaded with Amazon's MP3 store for on-the-go music purchases.

In order to facilitate media importing your media, Palm has created a special media sync mode. By selecting this option when you link up with your PC via the microUSB cable, the Pre goes into a special iTunes compatible mode. iTunes will then recognize the Pre as an iPod device, and you can sync your music library or specific playlists with your PC in this manner via iTunes. This functionality only supports music and video at this time, as you cannot sync other content such as photos and PIM data through iTunes.

Photos
One app that seriously disappoints is the Photo viewer. The Pre's Photo browser simply needs some urgent improvements. The basic functionality is present, however the app is just painfully slow at some crucial tasks. Displaying each photo's can often take up to 4-8 seconds just to fully load. As a result, the program also frequently stutters when scrolling through a set of pictures. I'm sure its something that could be addressed in a future update, but at present browsing photos is frustratingly slow.

Business users will be relieved to find a document viewer built in that is capable of displaying Microsoft Word and Excel spreadsheets. At this time, the app is view only as you cannot edit or create office documents on the Pre. Its primary purpose seems to allow you to view email attachments. DataViz has announced that they are working on a version of their popular Documents to Go editing software for the Pre. A basic PDF viewer is also present.

Google has created a version of its Google Maps application for the Pre. The app makes use of the built in GPS and location services to pinpoint your location. Just like its desktop counterpart, it can provide basic search, directions and traffic information in addition to the maps and satellite views. For more detailed routes, Pre users can make use of the Sprint Navigation software (based on Telenav) for a more automobile centric voice guided directions and services.

For creating notes, an attractive yet basic memo pad application is on board. There is also a dedicated To-Do list application called Tasks. A very basic Clock app (that does not even support world times), Calculator and a Nascar specific app from Sprint finish off the list of built-ins.

App Catalog
In the post iPhone world, it now seems like every major handset manufacturer is rushing to create its own on device application store, and the Palm Pre is no exception. Palms take is called the App Catalog and on my review unit it was clearly marked as a "beta" application. At launch there will be about a dozen or so applications available to try. Some of these have been discussed before and the lists includes Pandora, New York Times Reader, AP News, Classic, Tweed and Spaz (Twitter clients), FlightView, Handmark Stocks, Flixster, Fandango, Citysearch, Connect Four, Sudoku, LinkedIn, Where and Accuweather.

The App Catalog presents a number of features and popular applications available for download and also has a number of organized lists such as most recent, Top Rated and various categories. It even throws in a tag cloud view for good measure and of course you can also easily search the catalog. It was very simple to download apps, though it was not possible to purchase anything of yet. Not all of the details of how this software marketplace will function have been made public yet, however during my trial it worked pretty well and shows a lot of promise for prospective developers. As time goes on and once Palm releases a public software development kit, you can expect the App Catalog to grow significantly but at present it is somewhat spartan.

Another thing that caught me off guard about the Pre is the online Backup capability. By default the device will automatically backup the contents of its internal memory space to a Palm server somewhere 'in the cloud.' That way if your device is damaged or replaced you can easily restore your data and personal settings from the last backup via Palm's web interface. This feature can also be disabled if you desire. If your Pre is lost or stolen, you can even attempt to send a 'kill-pill' from the same interface to wipe out the device's remotely.

Not everything about webOS is all sparkly and shiny. As I've pointed out there are some flaws and rough edges here and there, but of course this is not unexpected with such a new platform. There are also a lot of opportunity for software developers as there is plenty of room to fill in holes and build out and improve on functionality that is already present. The few things that I can take issue with are not by any means serious show stoppers. Granted this is a 1.0 release and hopefully Palm will invest time in future ROM updates to fix up the loose ends and work to further optimize system performance.

For instance many of the more higher end apps such as Photos, Music and even the Calendar can take anywhere from a couple to 7 seconds to fully load, while most of the others are nearly instantaneous. Flash support is not present in the browser of yet, but for most folks this is not a big deal. Adobe and Palm have announced that they are working on some sort of support for WebOS and may release something in the future.

I also ran into a few issues with memory allocation. I was initially shocked to get a "out of memory" type alerts when trying to open a new app during my first experience with the device. Sometimes when you have a number of cards open and you try to launch a new application, the system will refuse to proceed and will tell you to close some of your open cards before it can continue. Now this could be understandable with a multitude of active cards, but this message would sometimes manifest with as little as 3 active cards, while other times the device hummed along with more that 12 open at one time. It didn't get in the way too often, but it was certainly worth noting. Usually I would notice this when trying to use the Photos app, so that particular application may have an unresolved memory leak issue or something.

As with the hardware, I'm disappointed with the center button as I mentioned earlier. It's nice that you can just slide the keyboard down to unlock but I'd like to be able to have an option available to use this button to wake up the device. It's especially hard to reach the power button when the keyboard is already open. Another personal gripe is that you cannot use the Pre for "tethering" with your computer as a wireless modem. As a long time Treo user, I've been accustomed to this handy functionality and it's disappointing to see this feature suppressed.

Conclusion

The Palm Pre delivers on Palm's promise of a bringing a next generation differentiated product to market. WebOS is a powerful and compelling new mobile platform. Despite being a 1.0 product, the Pre is pleasantly functional and delivers new level of simplicity and ease of use. Coupled with the attractive hardware design and charming display, this adds up to a distinctively agreeable experience for mobile phone users. Palm has a lot riding on the Pre and it now appears to be fully back in the game with a superb combination of software and hardware.

The Palm Pre is available from Sprint for $199 after rebates and a two year service agreement.

Sony Ericsson blitzes the unlocked market with Sony Ericsson W995a Multimedia Phone!

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:55:00 +0000

Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) is continuing to expand their influence in the unlocked GSM cellphone market with the launch of their latest multimedia beast, the Sony Ericsson W995a Multimedia phone. Following its trip through the FCC’s labs, the Sony Ericsson W995a is now available for pre-order through SonySyle.com and comes unlocked and ready to roam whatever wireless network you so choose (as long as you stay away from CDMA networks). Like Sony Ericsson’s Walkman phones of the past, the W995a is a slider, but it also rocks a highly capable 8.1-megapixel camera outfitted with Cybershot technologies.

Rather than brand the Sony Ericsson W995a as a Cybershot or Walkman phone outright, the new W995a is being touted as a “Multimedia” phone. The Sony Ericsson W995a plays comfortably well on both sides of the fence. On the one side, we have the

dedicated music playback controls lining right side of the handset and the large stereo speakers on either end of the device that lend to the W995a’s Walkman ancestry - there’s even an FM radio in there somewhere. On the other side, we have a quality 8.1-megapixel auto-focus camera boasts photo-flash, image stabilization, Face Detection and BestPic technologies, which give the Sony Ericsson W995a the bits to compete with other Cybershot handsets.

The Sony Ericsson W995a is being offered on pre-order through SonyStyle.com for $600. Interested? Read up on it here. Order it here.

review of HTC Touch Diamond2 Review

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:30:00 +0000

The HTC Touch Diamond hit the scene last year with hard-hitting features that led the smartphone pack at the time. We’re talking VGA touchscreen, a quality 5-megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS and 3G connectivity - all packed into a slim and trim package barely half an inch thick. So, how do you top that? With the HTC Touch Diamond2, of course.

The Diamond2 still hasn’t officially landed in the USofA, but expect AT&T (NYSE: T) to pick up the Diamond2 as the HTC Warhawk (awesome name!) in the near future. For the time being, you’ll have to make do with a European Diamond2 or just keep yourself busy with the review and photo gallery below! (Summary at end)

HTC Touch Diamond2
By HTC ($599.99)

Specifications:

Operating system: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional (upgradeable to WM6.5 Professional)
CPU: Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM)® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz
RAM: 288MB
ROM: 512MB of user-available memory for data and applications;
Connectivity: microSD, Bluetooth 2.0 (A2DP), ExtUSB, WiFi (b/g), GPS
Network:
Quad-band GSM/EDGE - 850/900/1800/1900Mhz
Dual-band 3G (WCDMA) - 900/1800Mhz for Europe/Asia and 850/1900Mhz for North America, allowing for HSDPA 7.2Mbps data speeds

Display: 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen at 480 X 800 WVGA resolution
Camera: 5.0-megapixel camera with auto-focus
Dimensions: 107.85 X 53.1 X 13.7 mm (4.25 X 2.09 X 0.54 inches)
Weight: 117.5 g (4.15 oz)

Introduction
HTC’s second-take on the original Diamond resulted in the HTC Touch Diamond2 with double the RAM and ROM and a larger 3.2-inch VGA touchscreen. Gone are the diamond-pattern facets on the backside of the handset, replaced by a smooth glossy panel accented with brushed metal trim around the camera lens. The display bezel and chin of the Diamond2 are also trimmed in the same classy-yet-sassy brushed aluminum. But, the best thing about the Diamond2 may be the much-improved touchscreen display.

Aesthetics
Design
The HTC Touch Diamond2 rocks the slate form-factor, which makes for an incredibly slim profile. The Diamond2 eschews a slide-out QWERTY keyboard (the kind that older brother Touch Pro2 features) in favor of a 13.7 mm (0.54 inches) waistline that’s hard to ignore. Compared to the original Diamond, the Diamond2 is a bit taller to accommodate the larger touchscreen display.

Judicious use of brushed aluminum accents lend to a seriously high-quality feel. There’s plenty of plastic used throughout the Diamond2, but the you’ll be hard pressed to find any “plasticky” feeling components.

The “Diamond” moniker made sense when the Diamond had diamond-facet patterns adorning its backside. But, now that the Diamond2 has moved past the diamond pattern, the model name makes less sense - and we could care less. The Diamond2’s smooth and glossy backside lends to a more refined look, although it tends to pick up micro-scratches like a magnet. We’d recommend a full-body case or protective film if you’re the type to obsess over scratches and the like.

The bottom-right corner houses a magnetically-secured stylus. The magnet sucks the stylus in for the last couple millimeters of travel. It’s a really cool feature that probably goes largely unnoticed. The details, it’s all in the details.

Display
The HTC Touch Diamond’s full–VGA touchscreen, despite being a smallish 2.8-inches, delivered sharp images that still manage to impress us today. Unfortunately, it suffered from the “squishy-screen” syndrome that affects most resistive touchscreens of its kind. This new-generation HTC Touch Diamond2 sports a new touchscreen that is more sensitive and more accurate when used with fingers. The Touch Diamond2 is still cursed with a hint of “squishy-screen,” but the improved touchscreen sensitivity and larger screen-size make it easy to ignore. It really is too bad that Windows Mobile 6.1’s microscopic UI elements preclude the use of capacitance touchscreens.

Zoom Bar
Gone is the touch-sensitive navigation area that the original Diamond featured below the touchscreen. The Diamond2 replaced the circular-zooming control with a “Zoom Bar” that resides just south of the display. Drag your finger left across the Zoom Bar to zoom out, dragging it rightward to zoom in. From text to pictures to websites, the Zoom Bar should make it easier to zoom in and out of the display.

TouchFLO 3D II
HTC did a bang up job with their latest iteration of the TouchFLO 3D Windows Mobile overlay. Rather than use WinMo’s out-of-the-box UI, HTC replaces the traditional Windows Mobile homescreen with a finger-friendly, slide-scrolling, 3D-tastic interface. The result? A slick homescreen that gives at-a-glance access to all your information - weather, stocks, email, contacts (HTC refers to it as “People,” as part of their “people-centric” philosophy), time, web browser, camera, and music. It’s like a gift from the smartphone gods… and HTC.

The one problem with older TouchFLO variants is that you still had to interact with the Windows Mobile UI whenever you ventured past the homescreen. HTC solved that problem in their newest WinMo smartphone by effectively disguising most Windows Mobile 6.1 menus and UI elements with their own finger-optimized creations. Hit the “Start” button and you’ll be taken to HTC’s custom application-launcher. Changing system settings rarely requires any interaction with Windows Mobile screens. The new TouchFLO 3D II UI is like an oasis in the middle of a desert designed by Windows Mobile.

Multimedia
Music/Video
Music playback is accessible right from the homescreen. Just scroll your finger over to the “music” icon to flip through your musical library (on both on-board storage as well as your microSD card), complete with cover art. Or, if a list-view is more your style, just tap the “library” tab and there you go. HTC’s media player UI is consistent with the main HTC TouchFLO 3D UI, making use of slide-scrolling categories and menus.

The Diamond2 sports full Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) support, allowing all that sweet music of yours to be beamed directly to your Bluetooth headphones. The quality of sound over Bluetooth has been a sticking point with some, but the Diamond2’s Stereo Bluetooth connection isn’t going to muck up the sound of your music more than the MP3 compression already has.

Video playback isn’t as easy to access. You’ll have to fire up Windows Mobile’s Windows Mobile Player in order to play any videos. Depending on the quality of your video, playback on the large 3.2-inch WVGA display can be nothing short of stunning. High-resolution displays might not be high on your list of gotta-have features, but that’s only because you haven’t seen high-resolution media displayed on a capable screen.

The Diamond2 supports a dizzying array of media file formats. Chances are good that all your music and videos will play just fine on the Diamond2 without any conversion required.

Camera
The camera is impressive. With a quality 5.0-megapixel image sensor, the Diamond2’s camera takes some really impressive pictures. Low-light performance is still a bit lacking, made worse by the lack of a photo-flash, but we never expect any cameraphone to do well in dimly-light environs.

Auto-focus is fast and accurate. You know all those fancy out-of-focus pictures you always see coming from DSLR cameras? Yeah, the Diamond2 can do that. And, you can direct the Diamond2’s camera to focus on any point in the frame by tapping a focus-target on the touchscreen viewfinder.

No flash. Too bad. We would have liked to have seen a flash in there.

Videos are captured at up to VGA resolutions. The auto-focus feature focuses the camera only once when you start capturing video. If you change from close-up to far-away focus in the middle of your video, don’t expect the auto-focus to follow suit. You’ll have to stop and re-start recording. Still, for the quality video that we get from the Diamond2, it’s hard to whine about auto-focus not working on the fly.

Usability/Ergonomics
Push Internet
HTC is touting their “Push Internet” technology as a way to get quick and convenient access to your favorite websites, without having to wait for the phone to load the webpage. The “Push Internet” feature will automatically download data from your favorite websites at pre-set intervals throughout the day. The idea is to deliver your most-frequented websites to your phone first thing in the morning (or whenever you’d like it to deliver the data). But, it’ll eat into your battery life, so use it sparingly.
Keyboard
By eschewing a physical QWERTY keyboard in favor of a virtual, on-screen keyboard, the Touch Diamond2 manages to keep slim and trim. Unfortunately, like most super-small gadgets, the attractive size comes with compromises. The on-screen keyboard is fairly accurate, thanks to a completely refreshed resistive touchscreen design. And, the vibration feedback that accompanies each key press makes for a decent typing experience. But, if you’re a heavy into text messaging, instant messaging or you just have to deal with a lot of emails, the Diamond2’s virtual keyboard is going to be a major pain. The virtual keyboard’s keys are small enough to occasionally confound even the most nimble of fingers.

It all comes down to how much you use the keyboard. If you’re not a heavy typer, then the Diamond2’s slick styling and oh-so-thin waistline are hard to pass up. The keyboard power-users out there will probably want to go with the HTC Touch Pro2 (which we’ll be reviewing in short order!).

Zoom Bar
The zoom bar is awesome! It’s much more intuitive and “usable” than the “circle zoom” feature on the original HTC Touch Diamond. As long as the Diamond2 isn’t busy crunching numbers elsewhere, the zoom feature responds almost instantly. If your Diamond2 is bogged down with other tasks, however, don’t expect the zoom bar to respond immediately.

Still, the zoom bar gets high marks from us! The zoom bar is so good, in fact, that it rivals the iPhone’s pinch-to-zoom feature in terms of intuitiveness and accurate zooming.

MicroSD card slot
It’s a minor detail, but it makes for a huge difference in usability. The microSD card slot isn’t buried under the battery. Instead, it sits just next to the battery, under the battery cover - allowing the user to hot-swap microSD cards without powering down the device. Minor, but incredibly convenient!

Windows Mobile menus
Windows Mobile has been the bane of HTC’s smartphones for as long as we can remember. Back when Windows Mobile was the de facto smartphone platform, there wasn’t much competition to drive UI innovation. But, now that the iPhone OS has shown the world what a finger-friendly UI should look like, Windows Mobile’s flaws are that much more evident. HTC did as much as they could to hide the Diamond2’s Windows Mobile underpinnings, what with the new HTC TouchFLO 3D UI, but you still have to interact with WinMo on occassion. When you do, you’ll need to bust out the stylus in order to effectively navigate the myriad tiny buttons and check boxes that Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) as been using for years and years. Needless to say, Windows Mobile gets low marks for usability and ergonomics.

Overall
In the end, the HTC Touch Diamond2 has proven itself worth of the Diamond moniker. The aluminum-trimmed Diamond2 shines on almost every measure of what a smartphone should be. It’s got ample RAM to run all your applications with little lag. The intuitive zoom bar is a huge improvement (usability wise). The Diamond2’s microSD card slot that is accessible without removing the battery is a huge plus as well.

But, perhaps most importantly, the Diamond2 uses the latest HTC TouchFLO 3D UI that almost completely hides Windows Mobile’s ancient interface. TouchFLO 3D is quite possibly the best Windows Mobile overlay, and it’s clear that HTC has put a lot of thought into how the UI works.

The downsides, however, are short-ish battery life, no flash for the camera, and no standard 3.5mm headphone jack. The photo-flash and headphone jack are just going to be things you’ll have to live with. But, battery could be improved by turning off 3G, WiFi GPS and Bluetooth radios, as well as turning off “Push Internet.” Otherwise, don’t expect more than a couple days of moderate-to-heavy use without charging your Diamond2.

Pros

5-megapixel camera with touch-controlled auto-focus
Much-improved touchscreen feel (less squishy, more accurate)
Beefy memory stores (RAM/ROM)
Intuitive zoom bar
Classy brushed aluminum trim
Refreshed TouchFLO 3D II - HTC made the best WinMo overlay even better
Vibration feedback
microSD accessible without removing battery

Cons

Intermittent zoom bar lag when running multiple programs
No camera flash
No standard 3.5mm headphone jack
Hard to remove battery cover
Short-ish battery life

iPhone 3GS Leads the Pack According to Consumer Reports’ Latest Smartphone Ratings

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:09:00 +0000

Consumer Reports’ recently released their latest batch of smartphone ratings, and guess who was at the top!? You guessed it, the iPhone 3GS. I should note, the 3GS just barely nudged out the Palm Pre, iPhone 3G, Samsung Omnia, Samsung Epix and BlackBerry Storm.

The iPhone 3GS performed at the top of the heap many categories… One category the 3GS did not perform too well in was voice quality. I’m not surprised to hear this whatsoever. I’ve been using an iPhone ever since the first-gen device hit us a few years back. One of the nagging complaints I’ve had about the device is voice quality. Either the person on the other end can’t hear you, or vice versa… Or you crank up the volume to full and things are still faint… It’s certainly an area of concern for many that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) needs to address. I believe Will and Simon even discussed this in one of our latest podcasts. Or… hmmm… maybe it was another podcast… At any rate, listen to our podcast would ya?

The Palm Pre and BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Storm performed best-in-class in the messaging category… While, (not surprisingly) the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre proved to be the best in the ‘multitasking’ category. Gotta love the Pre’s ability to do more than one thing at a time *cough* c’mon Apple *cough*.

To sum up, Consumer Reports scored all devices from 0 to 100… and here are the top 5:

iPhone 3GS: 73
iPhone 3G, Samsung Omnia: 70
BlackBerry Storm 9530, T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) G1, BlackBerry Bold, Samsung Epix: 69
Palm Pre, BlackBerry Curve 8900: 67
LG Incite: 66

Beta version of iPhone software 2009

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:05:00 +0000

Beta version of iPhone Software 2.0: Apple introduced the first version 2.0 of its iPhone software, whose output is planned for June, and announced the immediate availability of a beta version of software for a number of developers and enterprise customers. La version bêta du logiciel 2.0 d'iPhone inclut à la fois le kit de développement logiciel (SDK) pour iPhone ainsi que de nouvelles fonctionnalités d'entreprise, telles que le support de Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync pour fournir des fonctions sécurisées et « over the air » de push e-mail, de contacts et de calendrier et l'effacement du contenu à distance, et la prise en charge du système VPN IPsec de Cisco pour l'accès crypté aux réseaux privés des entreprises. The beta version of iPhone 2.0 software includes both the software development kit (SDK) for iPhone and new enterprise features such as support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to provide secure and functions over the air "push e-mail, contacts and calendar and deletion of content from a distance, and management of Cisco IPsec VPN for encrypted access to private companies.

Architecture logicielle évoluée Advanced software architecture
"Nous sommes ravis à l'idée de voir naître une communauté enthousiaste de développeurs tiers, avec potentiellement des milliers d'applications natives pour Apple iPhone et Apple iPod touch, a déclaré Steve Jobs, CEO d'Apple. Les fonctionnalités d'entreprise d'iPhone, associées à sa révolutionnaire interface utilisateur Multi-Touch et à une architecture logicielle évoluée, offrent la meilleure expérience utilisateur et la plate-forme logicielle la plus avancée jamais disponible sur un appareil mobile." "We are delighted to see the idea of creating a community of enthusiastic third-party developers, with potentially thousands of native applications for Apple iPhone and Apple iPod touch," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. Features of undertaking 'iPhone, combined with its revolutionary user interface Multi-Touch and advanced software architecture provide the best user experience and platform the most advanced software ever available on a mobile device. "

Logiciel SDK iPhone IPhone SDK software
Le SDK iPhone fournit un vaste ensemble d'interfaces de programmation d'applications (API) et d'outils permettant de créer des applications novatrices pour iPhone et iPod touch. The iPhone SDK provides a broad set of application programming interfaces (APIs) and tools to create innovative applications for iPhone and iPod touch. Dès aujourd'hui, chacun peut télécharger gratuitement la version bêta du SDK Apple iPhone et exécuter le simulateur d’iPhone sur son Mac. Starting today, anyone can download the beta version of Apple iPhone SDK and run the iPhone Simulator on their Mac. Apple a également présenté aujourd'hui son nouveau Programme pour développeurs iPhone, qui met à la disposition des développeurs tout ce dont ils ont besoin pour créer des applications natives, ainsi que le nouvel App Store, moyen inédit pour les développeurs de livrer via le sans fil leurs applications aux utilisateurs Apple iPhone et Apple iPod touch. Apple today also introduced its new iPhone Developer Program, which provides developers everything they need to create native applications, and the new App Store, new way for developers to deliver through without over their applications to Apple iPhone users and Apple iPod touch.

Développeurs tiers Third-party developers
Avec le SDK Apple iPhone, les développeurs tiers pourront développer des applications natives pour Apple iPhone grâce à un riche ensemble d'API, comprenant des interfaces de programmation pour les technologies Core OS, Core Services, Media et Cocoa Touch. With the Apple iPhone SDK, third-party developers can build native applications for Apple iPhone with a rich set of APIs, including programming interfaces for technologies Core OS, Core Services, Media and Cocoa Touch. Le SDK iPhone permettra aux développeurs de créer d'extraordinaires applications qui exploiteront la révolutionnaire interface Multi-Touch d'iPhone, sa technologie d'animation, sa grande capacité de stockage, son accéléromètre tridimensionnel et sa technologie intégrée de géolocalisation, pour proposer des applications mobiles véritablement innovantes. The iPhone SDK will allow developers to create amazing applications that exploit the revolutionary multi-touch iPhone, animation technology, high capacity storage, accelerometer and three-dimensional integrated geolocation technology, to offer applications truly innovative mobile.

Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
Apple a obtenu l'utilisation sous licence d'Exchange ActiveSync auprès de Microsoft, afin de l’intégrer à iPhone. Apple has received licensing of Exchange ActiveSync from Microsoft to integrate the iPhone. Ainsi, Apple iPhone se connectera directement aux serveurs Microsoft Exchange 2003 et 2007 afin d'offrir des fonctions sécurisées et « over the air » de push e-mail, de contacts, de calendriers et de listes d'adresses globales. Thus, Apple iPhone will connect directly to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and 2007 to provide secure and functions over the air push email, contacts, calendars and global address lists. Le support intégré d'Exchange ActiveSync permet également de mettre en œuvre des fonctions de sécurité telles que l'effacement du contenu à distance, la gestion des politiques de mots de passe et l'autodécouverte. Integrated support for Exchange ActiveSync can also implement security functions such as erasing the content remotely, the policy management of passwords and autodécouverte. La version 2.0 du logiciel d’iPhone prend en charge le système VPN IPsec de Cisco pour assurer le niveau le plus élevé actuellement disponible de cryptage IP pour la transmission des données d'entreprise sensibles, ainsi que la capacité d'authentification par certificats numériques ou l'authentification multi-facteur par mot de passe. Version 2.0 of iPhone software supports the Cisco IPsec VPN to ensure the highest level of encryption currently available IP for transmission of sensitive corporate data, as well as the capacity of authentication or digital certificates the multi-factor authentication password. L'ajout du protocole WPA2 Enterprise avec authentification 802.1x permet aux entreprises de déployer iPhone et iPod touch en respectant les toutes dernières normes en matière de protection des réseaux Wi-Fi. The addition of WPA2 Enterprise protocol with 802.1x authentication enables companies to deploy iPhone and iPod touch by following the latest standards for protection of Wi-Fi networks

Version bêta du logiciel iPhone Beta version of iPhone software
La version 2.0 du logiciel d’Apple iPhone fournit un utilitaire de configuration qui permet aux administrateurs informatiques de configurer rapidement un grand nombre d'iPhone, avec gestion des politiques de mots de passe, réglages VPN, installation de certificats, réglages des serveurs d'e-mail, et plus encore. Version 2.0 of Apple's iPhone software provides a configuration utility that allows IT administrators to quickly configure a large number of iPhone, with policy management of passwords, VPN setting, installing certificates, server settings for e-mail, and more. Une fois la configuration définie, celle-ci peut être facilement, et en toute sécurité, délivrée à l'utilisateur par un lien web ou par e-mail. Once the configuration set, it can be easily and safely delivered to the user via a web link or e-mail. Pour l'installer, utilisateur n’aura tout simplement qu’à s'identifier avec un nom d'utilisateur ou un mot de passe, à télécharger la configuration et à choisir l'option Installer. To install, users simply have to identify with a username or password, download configuration and choose Install. Une fois la configuration installée, l'utilisateur aura accès à tous les services informatiques de sa société. Once the configuration is installed, the user will have access to all services of his company.

Apple App Store Apple App Store
La version 2.0 du logiciel d’iPhone intègrera l'App Store, une nouvelle application permettant aux utilisateurs de parcourir, de rechercher, d'acheter et de télécharger via le sans fil des applications tierces directement sur leur iPhone ou leur iPod touch. Version 2.0 software will integrate the iPhone App Store, a new application allowing users to browse, search, purchase and download via the wireless third-party applications directly onto their iPhone or iPod touch. L'App Store permettra aux développeurs de s’adresser à l’ensemble des utilisateurs Apple iPhone ou Apple iPod touch. The App Store will allow developers to apply to all users of Apple iPhone or Apple iPod touch. Les développeurs fixeront eux-mêmes le prix de leurs applications (qui pourront être gratuites) et conserveront 70 pour cent des recettes des ventes. Developers set their own price for their applications (which may be free) and keep 70 percent of sales revenue. Les utilisateurs pourront télécharger les applications gratuites sans frais ni pour l'utilisateur ni pour le développeur, ou acheter les applications payantes, d'un simple clic. Users can download applications without cost or free for the user or the developer, or purchase the application fee, a single click. Les entreprises clientes pourront se créer une page privée sécurisée sur l'App Store, dont l'accès sera réservé à leurs employés. The client will create a secure private page on the App Store, which will be restricted access to their employees. Apple prendra en charge tous les frais de système de paiement par carte bancaire, d'hébergement web, d'infrastructure et de DRM associés à la mise à disposition des applications sur l'App Store. Apple will cover all the costs of system of payment by credit card, web hosting, infrastructure and DRM associated with the availability of applications on the App Store. Les applications tierces pour iPhone et iPod touch devront être approuvées par Apple et seront disponibles exclusivement sur l'App Store. Third-party applications for iPhone and iPod touch must be approved by Apple and available exclusively on the App Store.

SDK Apple iPhone - Outils évolués Apple iPhone SDK - Advanced Tools
Le SDK iPhone offre un moyen fiable, rapide et sécurisé de créer des applications novatrices pour iPhone et iPod touch. The iPhone SDK provides a reliable, fast and secure to create innovative applications for iPhone and iPod touch. Outre le riche ensemble d'API pour iPhone, le SDK iPhone fournit également des outils évolués pour la création d'applications natives pour iPhone et iPod touch, parmi lesquels : Xcode, pour l'édition du code source, la gestion de projet et le débogage graphique ; Interface Builder, avec la création d'interfaces par glisser-déposer et l'aperçu live ; Instruments, pour surveiller et optimiser en temps réel les performances des applications iPhone ; enfin, iPhone Simulator, pour exécuter et déboguer les applications. In addition to the rich set of APIs for iPhone, iPhone SDK also provides advanced tools for creating native applications for iPhone and iPod touch, including: Xcode for source code editing, project management and graphical debugging; Interface Builder, with the creation of interfaces by dragging and live preview; Instruments to monitor and optimize real-time performance of iPhone applications, and finally, iPhone Simulator to run and debug applications.

Programme pour développeurs Program Developer
Durant le programme bêta du SDK iPhone, un nombre limité de développeurs seront acceptés dans le cadre du nouveau Programme pour développeurs iPhone d'Apple et auront la possibilité de transférer du code sur iPhone à des fins de tests. During the beta iPhone SDK, a limited number of developers will be accepted under the new program for iPhone developers and Apple will be able to transfer code on iPhone for testing purposes. Le Programme standard coûte 99 $ (USA) par an et met à la disposition de ses membres le SDK iPhone et les outils de développement ; l'accès au logiciel iPhone en pré-version ; un service d'assistance technique ; la capacité de transférer du code sur iPhone à des fins de tests ; enfin, la diffusion des applications par le biais du nouvel App Store. The Standard Program costs $ 99 (U.S.) per year and provides its members with the iPhone SDK and development tools, access to software in iPhone pre-release, a hotline, the ability to transfer code on iPhone for testing purposes and finally, broadcast applications through the new App Store. Le Programme d'entreprise coûte 299 $ (USA) par an. The Enterprise Program costs $ 299 (U.S.) per year.

Logiciel 2.0 d’iPhone - fonctions Courrier IPhone 2.0 software - functions E
Outre ces nouvelles fonctionnalités réseau et de sécurité pour Apple iPhone, la version bêta du logiciel 2.0 d’iPhone offre plusieurs fonctions Courrier inédites, comme la possibilité de visualiser des fichiers PowerPoint en pièces jointes (en plus des fichiers Word et Excel) et la capacité à supprimer et à déplacer en masse des e-mails. Besides these new network functionality and security for Apple iPhone, the beta version of iPhone 2.0 software provides several new Mail features such as the ability to view PowerPoint files as attachments (in addition to Word and Excel) and ability to delete and move in mass e-mails.

Version bêta du logiciel 2.0 d’iPhone Beta version of iPhone software 2.0
Apple prévoit de livrer la version finale du logiciel 2.0 d’iPhone, avec le SDK iPhone et les nouvelles fonctionnalités d'entreprise, ainsi qu'une mise à jour gratuite pour tous les clients iPhone d'ici à la fin du mois de juin. Apple plans to deliver the final version of the iPhone 2.0 software with the iPhone SDK and new enterprise features, as well as a free update for all iPhone customers by the end of June. Les applications tierces créées pour iPhone fonctionneront également sur iPod touch. Third-party applications created for iPhone also works on iPod touch. Les utilisateurs iPod touch devront néanmoins acquérir une mise à jour logicielle pour exécuter ces applications. IPod touch users will have to acquire a software update to run these applications. La version bêta gratuite du SDK iPhone est disponible immédiatement dans le monde entier et peut être téléchargée à l'adresse developer.apple.com/iphone/program. The free beta iPhone SDK is available immediately worldwide and can be downloaded at developer.apple.com / iphone / program. Le Programme pour développeurs iPhone sera d'abord disponible aux Etats-Unis et s'étendra aux autres pays dans les mois à venir. The iPhone Developer Program will initially be available in the United States and will expand to other countries in the coming months. Apple accepte dès aujourd'hui les demandes des entreprises souhaitant se joindre au Programme bêta privé d'entreprise pour Apple iPhone. Apple now accepts applications from companies wishing to join the private beta program business for Apple iPhone.

New HTC Touch Cruise With Revolutionary HTC Footprints Delivering Advanced Location-Based Experience

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:20:00 +0000

The leading company in mobile phone innovation and design, HTC Corporation (High Tech Computer Corporation) has announced an updated version of its popular HTC Touch Cruise smartphone - (same name) new HTC Touch Cruise, which boasts a new, more compact and sophisticated design, featuring a bundle of new capabilities, and revolutionary HTC Footprints geo-tagging application that allows users to permanently chronicle their special precious moments by capturing a digital postcard on their smartphone.

According to HTC, “Once captured, Footprints provides the ability to take notes and an audio clip of that favourite restaurant or special place while identifying its specific geographical location. In addition to identifying each postcard with its specific GPS co-ordinates, Footprints also auto-names each postcard with its general location or area.”

Key Specifications Of New HTC Touch Cruise:

528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 chipset
512 MB flash ROM, 256 MB RAM
2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with QVGA resolution
3.2 megapixel camera with geotagging and fixed focus
HTC TouchFLO, 4-Way navigation wheel with Enter and HTC Footprints buttons
GPS/A-GPS
Included car cradle transforms your smartphone into a simple to use turn-by-turn navigator
Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for stereo wireless headsets
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
WCDMA/HSPA: 900/2100MHz. HSDPA 7.2 Mbps connectivity
Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS
microSD memory expansion slot
HTC ExtUSB interface
Talk time (GSM): up to 400 minutes ; Standby time (GSM): up to 2 weeks

“Just as we have seen GPS technology transform how people navigate to new places, we are now seeing location-based applications like HTC Footprints changing how we interact and carry our memories,” said Peter Chou, President and CEO, HTC Corporation.

The new HTC Touch Cruise personal navigation handset which measures 102 x 53.5 x 14.5mm and weights just 103 grams is expected to be available in spring 2009.

Sony Ericsson T303 Butterfly Edition For Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:17:00 +0000

The world’s leader in mobile communication, Sony Ericsson recently has announced a special Butterfly edition T303 handset for the upcoming Valentine’s Day. T303 Butterfly offers a pink chrome casing with butterfly and flower design on the rear, a reflective mirror glass display as well as a matching charm and carrier pouch.

t303

The specification of T303 Butterfly is same as the original T303 with 14.7 mm thickness, weight 93 grams, 1.8 inch TFT screen with 56K colors and battery life up to 9 hours talk-time as well as 400 hours of standby time.

Beside that, it also built in with other features includes GPRS, Bluetooth 2.0 USB, Java MIDP 2.0, 1.3 mega pixel camera, MP3 player, FM radio with RDS, TrackID along with games plus downloadable games, calculator, calendar, stopwatch, tasks, voice memo, SMS, T9, MMS and built in hands-free.

The T303 Butterfly is design exclusively for Orange shop users and will be available at Orange shop starting at the end of January for the price of $39.99.

Samsung Latest Entry Level Phone - Samsung S3500

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:10:00 +0000

The Korean electronic giant, Samsung has announced its latest entry level phone which known as Samsung S3500. Samsung S3500 is a slider phone with measurement of 99.9 x 48.0 x 13.9mm and features with QVGA display screen that comprises of 262 K colors. Beside that, it also integrated with a 2 mega pixel camera which able to allow users to capture images and stores the pictures into their phone.

samsung-s3500

The Samsung S3500 also features with FM radio and music player. Additionally, it also allows users to shares their music or images through Bluetooth or USB ports. Other features of the phone like able to access emails, WAP browser, organizer, 35MB of internal memory and external memory card slot. Currently, the availability and the price not yet release.

Download iPhone and iPod Touch Firmware Software 2.2

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Apple has released firmware software upgrade version 2.2 for iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod Touch with a bunch of new features, enhancements and bug fixes. iPhone and iPod Touch owners can connect and dock the device with iTunes installed computer to upgrade automatically, or download the .ipsw firmware file for manual updating.

iPhone 3G firmware software v2.2: iPhone1,2_2.2_5G77_Restore.ipsw
iPhone (2G) firmware software 2.2: iPhone1,1_2.2_5G77_Restore.ipsw
iPod Touch 2nd Generation OS 2.2: iPod2,1_2.2_5G77a_Restore.ipsw
iPod Touch 1st Generation OS 2.2: iPod1,1_2.2_5G77_Restore.ipsw (protected depends on versions)

To update to firmware OS 2.2, just do the following:

Connect and dock iPhone or iPod to computer, and launch iTunes.
Click Update, and then choose the firmware v2.2 IPSW file downloaded.
Tip: If you want to restore, update to another firmware or downgrade to earlier version, just press Shirt while click Restore to get the Restore option.
Let iTunes upgrade the device.

Use QuickPwn or PwnageTool to jailbreak iPhone and iPod Touch, or Yellowsn0w to unlock iPhone and iPhone 3G after upgrading to version 2.2.

download Chess Online S60v3 240x320 Multiplayer Java free

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:52:00 +0000

Download

tags : mobile games, s60v3 games, 240x320 games, nokia, sonyericson, iphone, free games

iLuv iHD171 HD Radio with iTunes Tagging and iPhone & iPod Dock

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:48:00 +0000

iLuv iHD171 HD Radio with iTunes Tagging and iPhone & iPod Dock

iLuv introduces the new iHD171 HD Radio that comes with iPod / iPhone dock and iTunes Tagging for iPhone 3G and iPod. The iLuv iHD710 supports AM/FM HD Radio and multicast stations. The iHD171 can output videos to TV from iPod player with video capability.

iLuv iHD171 HD Radio will be available in January for $199.99
Features:

Compatible with iPhone 3G and 2G
Time Sync function automatically updates the clock to match the time on your iPhone or iPod*
One touch iTunes tagging: tags music from HD Radio and saves the song info on your iPhone & iPod
Provides crystal clear, digital stereo for AM/FM HD Radio and multicast stations
Receives CD-quality HD radio signals that increase clarity of FM radio stations
Displays station, song title, band and frequency information
Receives standard analog AM and FM stereo radio signals
30 Programmable presets (10 AM/20 FM)
jAura Acoustic Speaker Technology for rich sound
Play and charge your iPhone/iPod
Output your favorite videos to your TV (iPod with video capability**)
Digital clock display with dual alarm function
Wake or Sleep to iPhone/iPod, AM/FM radio or buzzer
Auxiliary line input for audio devices with 3.5mm jack
Preset EQ function and mute function
Audio output: 4Wrms x 2: 8Wrms/16Wpeak
*Excluding iPod nano 1st generation
**Excluding iPod nano 1st and 2nd generation

[iluv PDF]

Tags: HD Radio, iHD171, iLuv, iLuv HD radio, iLuv iHD171, iLuv iHD171 HD Radio, iluv ipod dock, iPhone Dock, ipod-dock, itunes tagging, Radio, ipod toutch

Nokia 6208c Now Official

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:44:00 +0000

Nokia officially announced the 6208c (aka 6208 Classic) mobile phone desgined specifically for China market. THe Nokia 6208c features a 2.4-inch touchscreen display, a 3.2 Megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom and dual LED flash, Bluetooth 2.0 and support for microSD memory cards.

The 6208c runs S40 OS and comes with interated media player for audio and video playback, FM tuner, Flash Lite player. This S40 touchscreen phone supports tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 network.

[nokia]

Tags : 6208, 6208 Classic, 6208c, Nokia, Nokia 6208, Nokia 6208 Classic, Nokia 6208c, nokia-phone, Touch Phone, Touchscreen-Phone new nokia phone, 3.2 megapixel

iphone games simcity

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:46:00 +0000

SimCity - iPhone | 29.8 MB

Create and control your urban empire with more power than ever! It’s the SimCity™ you know and love, re-created for your iPhone™ to give you the most realistic SimCity experience. And, if you’re new to the Sims universe, prepare yourself for one of the most engaging, addicting games you’ve ever played.

Maneuver through lush cityscapes with a mere flick of your finger. Zoom in and out of detailed, bright and vibrant 2D isometric landscapes with a mere pinch. Plan, build, and manage your thriving new metropolis - wherever and whenever you want! Helpful tutorials are also available to guide you through your first SimCity adventure.

What kind of city will you build? What dangers lurk just around the corner? Tornados? Fires? Aliens? In SimCity for iPhone, you’re more than a gamer, you’re both a creator and a destroyer. Feel the power!
iPhone/iPod touch Exclusive Features:
- Intuitive Touch Controls
- Tutorial to ease you into developing your first city
- Starter Cities start you in different types of cities.
- Manage all aspects of a thriving city, including the budget
- Destroy it all with 5 Disasters – UFO, Fire, Tornado, Earthquake, Toxic Cloud
- Place Parks, Landmarks, public works and various different special buildings
- Public and private transportation with roads and rail
- Public works management: Water, Power, Garbage and Recycling
- Place 6 Zone types
- Enact Ordinances to satisfy petitioners
- Never play the same game twice
- 3 Difficulty Settings
- Small, Medium and Large Cities
- Customizable Procedural Terrain Generation
- Complex simulations that adapt to your every move

System requirements:
Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch
Requires iPhone 2.2 Software Update

Download

Download Asphalt 4: Elite Racing for Your Mobile Phone JAVA

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:43:00 +0000

Asphalt 4: Elite Racing for Your Mobile Phone
Racing | Gameloft | 2008 | 240x320, 176x220 | JAVA | 1.11 MB

Become a VIP and own the urban racing world!

Features (may vary by handset):

* 10 dream cars & bikes including the Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari F430 Spider, Nissan GT-R, Ducati 1098.
* Race in 6 of the world's hottest cities: Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, Shanghai, NYC, Dubai, Paris.
* Amazing 3D environments providing breathtaking speed sensations!
* Tune your rides in your own luxury garage!
* Enjoy 5 extreme racing modes such as cop chase, drift, and beat'em all.
* Adapt your driving style to the weather conditions: Can you control your car under heavy rain?

Download

iPhone games Baseball Superstars 2009

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:40:00 +0000

Baseball Superstars 2009 - iPhone | GAMEVIL USA, Inc. | 4.4 MB

With over 7 million copies sold world wide since the series’ launch in 2005, it’s your turn to enjoy the non-stop action of as you get ready to batter up in Baseball Superstars 2009!

Choose from a list of 10 teams and battle it out on the field in America's exciting pastime. Create and customize your pitcher and batter, and live the life of a major leaguer! It's time to step up to the plate and become the next superstar!

System requirements:
Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch
Requires iPhone 2.2 Software Update

Download

download steve davis pool Nokia mobile games

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:37:00 +0000

Steve Davis Pool
Language: English | Game For Nokia | Resolution 176X208,352X416,240X320 | 2.1 MB

Game For Nokia S60v2 Mobiles:-

-Screen Resolution 176X208

Nokia 3230, 6260, 6600, 6620, 6630, 6670, 6680, 6681, 6682, 7610, N70, N72, N90

Game For Nokia S60v3 Mobiles:-

-Screen Resolution 176X208

Working On N91, 3250

-Screen Resolution 352X416

Working On N80, E60, E70

-Screen Resolution 240X320

Working On N73, N75, N76, N77, N81, N82, N93, N93i, N95, E50, E51, E65, 5700, 6110, 6120, 6121, 6290, 6500.

-Screen Resolution 320×240

Working On E61, E61i, E62, E71

Download

Download ING Change Font to change your Windows Mobile Device font

noreply@blogger.com (teck) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 14:42:00 +0000

Bored with your default font displayed in your Windows Mobile Device? Or want to personalize your own mobile device with stylish font or bigger font size for easy viewing? Here comes a very tiny but yet useful software utility - ING Change Font that can help to change your default font on your Windows Mobile devices.

ING Change Font

Users can download the .cab file and transfer it through active sync to the mobile device. Just launch the application and it will bring users to a simple GUI for quick setup. Basically there are four font settings that can be configured independently, namely Font System, Font Menu, Font PopUp and Font OOM. And for each font setting, user can choose from a drop down list of nine different fonts such as Courier New, MS Sans Serif, Tahoma, Abscissa and etc. In case you think the font size is too tiny, there is an option to adjust its dimension up to 1600 (by default it is 800). However, users may need to verify the actual effect after soft reset so that it won’t appear to be too huge in your tiny mobile screen.

The software utility is downloadable at MobileHTC free of charge and is compatible with Windows Mobile version 5, 6 and 6.1.