Pocketables

Apple to move to 4-inch display for next iPhone?

2012-05-16T12:51:36-10:00

For the past year, we've been hearing rumors that Apple's next iPhone will have a larger display, most likely in the vicinity of 4-inches. You probably already know my thoughts on this; one of the (many) reasons I left my iPhone 4S for a Galaxy Nexus was because of the 3.5-inch screen that the iPhone has had since 2007.

But now, the Wall Street Journal is confirming that Apple's beginning to order larger screens from its suppliers and that production of this larger iPhone will begin next month. Like I said at the beginning of this post, the new screen will be of the 4-inch variety - not as big as some other new handsets, but certainly an upgrade nonetheless.

The sources said that these new screens are being manufactured by LG, Sharp, and Japan Display, Inc., but didn't give any details on which display technology will be used or what the new resolution will be. For the answers, it looks like we'll have to wait until October when the new iPhone is rumored to be released.

If Apple increases the size of the iPhone's display, will you purchase one? I doubt I'll have any reason to - and it's not just because I recently purchased a Galaxy Nexus: iOS needs a major overhaul, as well. Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is less than a month away, so hopefully we'll find out then how Apple's planning to make iOS even more competitive.

[WSJ | MacRumors]

Verizon is killing grandfathered unlimited 3G data plans

2012-05-16T09:58:29-10:00

Three of the four US national carriers have stopped offering unlimited data plans to new customers, but if you were already paying for unlimited at the time that the removal of the plans was made, you were allowed to keep it. Verizon was one of those carriers; today, it stripped itself of that title by announcing that it will kill grandfathered unlimited 3G data plans.

How the carrier is doing this is rather sneaky: if you don't plan on upgrading to a 4G LTE device, you can continue to pay the $30 per month for your unlimited service. As soon as you upgrade to an LTE-equipped device, however, you'll be forced to upgrade to a tiered package.

Verizon CFO Fran Shammo let the news out today at the 40th J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference. "Everyone will be on data share," said Shammo, and that's because Verizon's rumored shared data plans will be available sometime this summer - and because no more 3G-only devices will be released on Verizon. Once you buy a new phone, you're forced into paying for limited data.

I'm certainly no fan of unlimited data, and the fact that Verizon is forcing LTE users to sign onto fairly small data packages is not what I'd call being customer friendly. My iPad is on Verizon's LTE network, and I pay for the 2GB plan. If I'm in an LTE area, I consistently get ~25Mb/s down - which means using it for just a few minutes can rack up the megabytes.

If I were a Verizon customer for my smartphone, I'd be outraged; this is the kind of move that would make me move to another carrier. If you're currently a Verizon customer, what are your thoughts?

[Fierce Wireless]

Gray HTC One X for AT&T on sale now at Amazon Wireless for $129.99, in spite of patent dispute

2012-05-16T09:29:31-10:00

As you might have heard, HTC is having a little dispute with Apple at the moment, which has caused US Customs to delay the importation of the HTC One X and HTC EVO 4G LTE. This is especially bad news for AT&T customers who want to get their hands on HTC's flagship device, as most retail locations are also sold out and have no idea when they will get more stock. You can read more details about the patent case at our companion site, Good and EVO, but we do have at least a little good news.

Right now, the gray version of the One X is on sale at Amazon Wireless for only $129.99, which is $20 less than the asking price for the white version (which is currently backordered at Amazon), and $70 less than AT&T's asking price. This price seems to be good for new and existing customers who are eligible for upgrades, on single-line or family accounts.

Amazon also provides a lot of other nice benefits, such as free 2-day shipping, no sales tax in most states, and the Best Price Guarantee. There's no word on how long Amazon's inventory will last, or when HTC will be able to deliver more stock, so if this is something that interests you, I'd jump on it right away.

[Amazon Wireless]

This is why people want tablet mode on their phones

2012-05-16T06:33:22-10:00

We've mentioned tablet mode ROMs in the past. These are custom ROMs that essentially turn a phone into a tiny tablet by manipulating its virtual PPI to make the OS think it's running on a tablet. I've seen this on a whole range of devices, even my own Galaxy S II, and it's becoming an increasingly popular way of customizing a device. The reason for this recent trend is actually quite simple: the phone version of Android no longer fits with a lot of devices.

Android was originally developed for what we once considered large screens. The T-Mobile G1 had a 320 x 480 3.2-inch screen after all, while today's top-o-the-line models have screens between 4-5.5 inches and normally 720p or qHD resolutions. These new devices are in between "normal" phones and tablets in terms of screen size, but there's no such middle ground in Android itself. There's the single column layout of phone Android, and the multi column layout of tablet Android. The more you view those single column layouts on a large, high resolution screen, the more it becomes obvious that screen real-estate is being wasted, and the more tempting it is to go for tablet mode on a screen too small rather than phone mode on a screen that's too big.

Tablet optimized apps are still few and far between on Android, but it's getting better. Looking at a few of them, you can really see how they're using the space. BeyondPod in the image above really knows how to take advantage of a larger screen, perhaps overly so. What's normally visible on a phone, a single column list, is essentially just a sidebar in the tablet app. This is joined by a larger content view of actual podcast episodes, and a wide playback controls bar on the bottom. Instead of having to jump back and forth between screens, you have everything in one view. Keep in mind that the tablet used above is even a 7-inch 1024 x 600 Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, which means that the resolution is lower than many top-of-the-line phones. Having enough physical screen real-estate to be able to operate the controls is of course just as important as resolution, but if a device is capable of displaying a more content filled view, it's easy to see how some people would rather sharpen their fingertips and go with small controls rather than oversized content.

It's not just the apps though, it's also the OS itself. Phone Android has single column settings, a status bar with icons, and a pull-down notification list. Tablet Android has a combined status and notification bar that also holds the software buttons, as well as a pop-up window that has notifications and other elements based on what sort of customizations the manufacturer has made to the device. Some prefer the tablet version here as well, but I don't. Having a status bar that never goes away even in "fullscreen" mode is just stupid, which is why I have an app on my tablet that allows me to enable and disable it using gestures.

Then again, compared to the phone version on on-screen buttons, I have to say that the tablet version wins again. The comparison above between the PARANOIDANDROID tablet mode ROM for the Nexus and stock Android on it (the right image) shows that the stock soft buttons to take up a lot more space - heck, it uses more space for three buttons than PARANOIDANDROID's tablet mode uses for three buttons, notifications, clock, and various indicators. By a factor of two. Again it comes down to whether you want more information on the screen or more finger-friendly controls, but again the benefits of tablet mode are obvious.

All in all I think Android in its current state is missing a UI level in between tablets and phones. Apple's 3.5-inch iPhone and 9.7-inch iPad makes sense - one is a phone, one is a tablet. When you start having ~5-inch tabletphones however, having only two distinct classes no longer works. I think the best thing Google could do would be to enable users to choose whether or not an app - and the UI - should run in tablet mode or phone mode. I don't think it actually will do that though, considering how closed Android is out of the box. It's sad to see third party developers having to pick up the slack for Google and manufacturers when it comes to bridging devices, but I doubt that's going to change anytime soon.

How does T-Mobile's "4G" network perform on the HTC One S?

2012-05-15T15:00:00-10:00

After almost a month with my HTC One S, I realize that I've neglected to tell you about one of the most important features of the phone: its network connection. Sure, I've already talked about how much I love T-Mobile's $30 4G plan, but is the network up to par?

Two words: Yes, and no. Or aternately, "it depends."

Before I get started, I should mention that when it comes to AT&T's and T-Mobile's HSPA+ networks, there are two camps: one that insists this network technology is actually 3G (or 3.5G), and wants these companies to stop lying to their customers; and another that doesn't really care and thinks that it's cool when their phones indicate that they're connected to "4G." If find myself more in the second camp: I don't really care what these companies call it, as long as the connection is fast.

For the most part, I've been extremely pleased with the speeds I've been getting, throughout various parts of the day.

These are generally the speeds I've been getting throughout most of the city. However, I noticed that while visiting one neighborhood, my speeds went down drastically, even though the phone indicated I was still connected to "4G" HSPA+.

I wanted to know what was going on, so I inquired at a local T-Mobile store. As it turns out, the tower that serves this particular neighborhood is on top of a certain building, the owners of which would not allow T-Mobile to upgrade its backhaul. So, in other words, the HSPA+ network is there, but the pipes that bring data to that tower are ones that originally were designed to support EDGE and first-generation 3G. (Is "first generation 3G" even a real term?)

I have to agree with the first camp in this scenario: T-Mobile should not be advertising the network as "4G" in this particular neighborhood, when the speeds are this slow. I don't care if it's HSPA+ or not; this is deceptive, plain and simple.

But on the other hand, I realize that this is an anomaly, and most places around the city have the necessary backhaul that allows T-Mobile to at least remain competetive with other, more "legitimate" 4G networks, like Sprint's WiMAX network.

So am I generally pleased with the T-Mobile network? Yes, for the most part. However, T-Mobile, if you're reading, let's just do something about these little pockets of extremely slow "4G" so I have less to complain about.

From the DIY drawer: iOS/Android lapel microphone

2012-05-15T13:28:00-10:00

When I first started doing screencasts - videos of the screen recorded using the same device - I quickly discovered that the built in mics wouldn't do it. The problem with recording audio with a built in mic on a device you're tapping the screen on is that the mic will pick up every single tap and make it sound like there's an earthquake or something.

The solution to this problem came about in probably less than 5 minutes, but has been working ever since. I found a wired headset that came with either my Galaxy S II or Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus (not sure which at this point), cut off the headphones, and removed the plastic from the mic. A couple of years ago I bought 10 Steelseries microphones on a huge sale for 95% off, and still have a few around in their original packaging. I ripped off the internals from one of them so that I got the casing with clip and wind shield, and simply taped the thing up. As I said, extremely quick operation, but the resulting mic has served me well ever since. It works on both Android and iOS, for screencasts and normal video recording. It's not a high tech mod by any means, but it allows me to strap a microphone in a better position that either the built in mics or any headset mics are in.

Screen wars: The HTC One S vs the HTC One X

2012-05-15T05:57:45-10:00

A few weeks ago on Nothing But Tablets, Aaron took a closer look at the LCD IPS screen on the Kindle Fire and the Super AMOLED display on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. Basically, he concluded that the LCD screen was a bit brighter, with purer whites, while the AMOLED screen won in terms of color and overall clarity. Andreas later offered his thoughts on the iPad 3's retina display versus other AMOLED devices, so I thought I'd use this opportunity to take a closer look at the screens on the top two phones in the HTC One Series: the HTC One S and One X.

As you may know by now, the One S sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display (qHD, 540x960), while the One X has a 4.7-inch Super LCD2 screen, along with 720p HD resolution and a high pixel density reading of 312ppi. Despite the resolution difference, I do have to admit that both screens look really good and offer near 180 degree viewing angles.

The Super AMOLED screen on the One S certainly offers more vivid greens, reds, blues, and yellows (I ran a screen test side by side with the One X). There are also much darker blacks, but this is to be expected of all AMOLED screens.

However, in general, everyday use, I have noticed that images and especially text are not quite as crisp or sharp, which doesn't make for very comfortable long-term viewing or reading. This shortcoming is of course due to the qHD resolution, but the superior colors of the AMOLED screen do not make up for this very noticable flaw. Additionally, I did notice some slight discoloration at extreme viewing angles.

On the other hand, the Super LCD2 display on the One X indeed has brighter whites that just look more white. In general, it is brighter all around, although that brightness does seem to cause some of the colors to be more washed out.

Still, clarity and sharpness are far better, especially for reading. This is definitely due to the 720p display, which is the really the sharpest I've seen on a phone yet.

So which is the winner? Personally, for me, it's the HTC One X and its Super LCD2 display. However, I would not have known any better if I had never been exposed to the One X and was using only the One S as my daily device. Coming from the HTC EVO 3D, the Super AMOLED display seems much, much better, even though it's the same resolution. And if you're on T-Mobile, the One S is definitely the way to go.

I realize that different people value different things: to someone else, the more vivid colors of the One S could be more important than the higher-resolution of the One X. However, after seeing the screen on the One X, it would be difficult for me to go back to using the One S full time.

PS3 Keypad works with other devices

2012-05-15T05:48:15-10:00

If you have an iPhone, getting a keyboard case is easy. If you have any other phone....not so much. There are plenty of cheap, phone-sized keyboards out there, but I've tried those and the rubber buttons are not good for typing on. There is however a tiny Bluetooth keyboard out there of higher quality, one that you could probably head out the door right now and locate rather quickly: the Sony PS3 Keypad.

That keypad is pretty cheap these days, and being an official accessory it's available in most game stores and other places that sell PS3 equipment. It's designed to connect to a PS3 and attach to the controller, but actually works out of the box with other equipment, both Android and iOS-based. You enter pairing mode by turning it on while holding the left shoulder button, and then just scan for Bluetooth devices on your device, then follow on-screen instructions.

The keyboard has a standard qwerty layout with round buttons separated from each other with plenty of space. There are two shoulder buttons which work like function buttons on laptops to access secondary and tertiary functions for the buttons. There are also a couple of PS3-only buttons that will do nothing for you, and finally a button that activates touchpad mode. This is a peculiar mode where the button surface acts as a touchpad that you slide your fingers over. On Android this brings up a mouse cursor, but the accuracy is a bit too random to be of much use.

As for the keyboard itself, well, this entire post was written on it. It's a small keyboard - a bit too small for my hands really, but the buttons themselves aren't bad. Keep in mind that the actual letter keys are pressed into an area small enough to correspond to portrait mode on a larger phone (Galaxy Note, maybe even S III and HTC One X), so compared to a keyboard made for phones in landscape mode it's really small.

The biggest issue is perhaps that it's not attached to the phone, so it's always something extra to drag with you. It's perhaps most useful in a setting where the device is docked, and in those cases you might as well have gone with the full sized Bluetooth keyboard. There's also the peculiar shape and attachment doohickeys for the PS3 controller to deal with, and even if you cut off as much plastic as possible (like I have) you end up with a peculiar thingamajig.

All that aside though, I think this is one of the best such keyboards out there. Between the price, availability and (build) quality the other issues are forgiven compared to those rubber keys keyboards that otherwise look better. A seller on Amazon has this keyboard for $24 right now, which is about what I paid here in Europe, but I would definitely think it could be had for less if you look around.

RIM shows off BlackBerry 10 home screen, launcher

2012-05-14T16:24:32-10:00

Today in London, RIM gave a sneak peek of BlackBerry 10. Before this special media event, the world had seen very little of Waterloo's next attempt at mobile telephony, save for the brief glimpses that the company showed off at BlackBerry Jam this year. But today, we learned a good bit about RIM's philosophy on how the user will interact with its phones once BlackBerry 10 heads out to market this fall.

Namely, the company is emphasizing gestures and swipes instead of the constant tapping that most touch-centric operating systems are based on. According to RIM Head of Software Portfolio Vivek Bhardwaj, this is to allow users to access what they need with one hand. Obviously tapping will be involved - like to get to an app from the main home screen - but once inside the app, gestures are the main way to interact with whatever's on the screen.

While we're on the topic of the home screen, let me explain how it's set up: when you turn on or unlock the phone, you'll see four large "panes." Each pane is a running and live app, so when something updates in that app, the pane will update with it. If you don't want to use one of those four running apps, you'll just need to swipe right; this motion brings you to a full list of all of your installed apps. If you swipe to the left, your unified inbox pops up. This unified inbox doesn't just contain your emails, but also your IMs, calls, Facebook messages, and tweets.

The keyboard also got a little camera time. Bhardwaj made it clear that RIM has been working diligently on bringing a physical keyboard-like experience to the software keyboard. BB10's soft keyboard will look and feel very similar to a traditional hard one: specifically, RIM has spaced out the software keys to be identical to its hardware keys.

RIM's also spent a lot of time on making the keyboard smart. It's added a "scanner" of sorts that will look through your IMs, tweets, and emails to learn the types of words that you use. It can learn the common placement of your fingers on the screen, too, so that if you repeatedly strike the corner of a key, the keyboard will adjust itself so it can recognize the letter you're trying to type.

Lastly, the company showed off its camera app. It will include the ability to take pictures while you record video, something we've already seen in our beloved HTC One phones.

I feel that these new features are simply there to make navigating the phone easier so users can get their work done. After all, these are tools, not toys. What do you think of them?

[CNET UK]

Zenithink C71 Android tablet gets you the Vivaldi's hardware for cheap

2012-05-14T15:02:47-10:00

The KDE Vivaldi tablet is a very interesting proposition for a number of reasons. Not only does it come with fairly good hardware at a cheap price, it also has the unique distinction of running Linux with KDE's Plasma desktop instead of the standard Android. While the Vivaldi isn't actually shipping yet, it turns out that you can actually already pick up nearly identical hardware at a cheaper price and preloaded with Android thanks to a company called Zenithink.

PandaWill is selling Zenithink's C71 Android 4.0 tablet for only $76 today only and $107.99 normally, which is a fantastic deal for a tablet based on the same hardware as the Vivaldi. Admittedly, this is the hardware version before the upgrade to 1GB of RAM, but the C71 still includes the 7-inch 800 x 480 capacitive display, 1GHz Cortex A9 single core CPU, 512MB of RAM, Wifi, 1.3MP front camera, SD card slot, and at $76 or even $108 compared to the Vivaldi's predicted $200 is still a good deal.

What about the KDE OS, you say? Well, since the C71 is based on the same development board as the Vivaldi, it is easily possible to install builds of the latest "Vivaldi OS" on the C71. These should work exactly as they do on the Vivaldi, but the software is still in development, so there are obviously no promises.

This hacked together Linux tablet is certainly not for everyone, but at this cheap price anyone who is interested in KDE on a touchscreen could probably afford to give it a try. In fact, this is such a good deal that I am on the fence about impulse buying one myself to replace my Kindle Fire. If you want to get your hands on one, then just visit the source link below.

[PandaWill via Liliputing]