There’s a simple question, and one that you can probably apply to many mobile phones. While the testing sequence for the Nexus One and other high profile devices might be a tad more intensive than what lower end phones go through, it is not hard to imagine that the quality tests for mobile phones are in many ways similar to each other.
Engadget has links to a series of videos that demonstrate the various spec tests that the HTC Nexus One Google phone had to go through before it was approved and declared ready for commercial launch. The tests were designed to determine the limits of each of the device’s different components and how well they function together as a whole. Parts such as buttons are tapped repeatedly, the phones are put to bent, tumble and drop tests to ensure product quality.
Another great video in the news post showed the assembly of the Nexus One. It highlighted the creation of the board, and final assembly details. Both video clips are deeply engrossing to watch and enjoy and they are less than four minutes each.
For those who are not familiar, the Google phone came out early this January in a small event held at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California. The device sports a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a 5 mega pixel camera. It has an impressive new speech to text software that can allow you to easily dictate text messages and even do specific voice commands.
The Nexus One recently got a major software update that fixed several issues with 3G connectivity and added a few extra features such as multi touch, a new Google Maps and the Google Goggles.
Get the rest of the details and watch the videos on Engadget.
What did the Nexus One Go Through Before Release?
February 9th, 2010More Apps, More Fun
February 9th, 2010
Reading up on mobile news articles can get pretty boring when you are already happy with your current smart phone. So instead of focusing on devices that you would not have an interest in, let’s take a few minutes to take a sneak peek into this week’s newest downloadable goodies for mobile devices.
Let us open up the list with the Good Food Guide. Most folks in the UK would recognize this title as a very famous food guide. Now, everyone gets to access all the amazing and useful info in their mobile phones. Reviews of restaurants, contact info and even menu prices are available on this application. It will even sync with your GPS for that instant reference on the restaurants near your location. Load this up for those nights when you simply cannot device where to grab a bite.
Next on the list is the port of the classic point and click PC game, Broken Sword: Director’s Edition. This sequel to the Curse of Monkey Island will bring you to fictional Paris on a quest to solve a murder. The game will have you investigating and looking for clues in its visually delightful backdrops.
Android phone users would have already heard of the Google Goggles software by now. This impressive device brings augmented reality into a whole new level of functionality. Point and view subject related info gathered online, real time. The app combines GPS and image data to give you accurate info on the subjects.
Last in today’s list is the Wordpress application for Android. Bloggers using this online medium will enjoy the easy to use interface and the custom style formats available with this useful blogging application.
For more applications, details and interesting things to download and install on you mobile phone, go to Stuff TV.
Twitter Prank from Vodafone Employee Goes Too Far
February 9th, 2010
Free speech is a wonderful thing, no matter how offensive you can get, as long as you have the gall to stand behind your statements, you can freely say what you want, and face whatever people throw back at you. Or so goes the concept of online posting. Just like “mutually assured destruction” (or MAD), no identified individual would easily say something rude unless they were prepared to stand up for it.
An employee of Vodafone however, decided that it would be safer to be discriminating of gender and to be abhorrently sexist in a Tweet using the anonymous veil of the official Vodafone account on the micro-blogging site. The individual was caught internally and has already been suspended. To assure the recipients that they have not been hacked, other employees of Vodafone quickly sent apologies and explanations through Twitter that explained the situation.
Anyway, aside from that little problem, the Vodafone’s world is doing pretty well. The company is considered to be the best provider of 3G network services in the UK, with many iPhone users switching from other networks (well, just O2 –or so reports say). It has also been announced that the mobile network provider would be bringing over the Nexus One and the Apple iPhone; though details on the release of the devices have not been announced.
On a side note, the proposed Orange and T-Mobile merger is still being delayed by investigations. Should the merger push through, Vodafone would cease to be the largest mobile network operator in the region –a position the company is fully enjoying for now.
Back to Twitter, Vodafone’s account is once again secure, while it seems unlikely that the company would ever announce the results of the investigation, it is good to know that everything is back in place.
Get more details on the Vodafone Tweet at the source.
Vodafone to offer the XPERIA X10 in April
February 5th, 2010
Looks like Sony Ericsson will be having a late start this year. While many are expecting so see plenty of the joint venture’s devices at the upcoming Mobile World Congress this February at Barcelona, Spain; the mobile phones themselves will not be around until later this March or April.
Anyway, Vodafone has also dropped hints that they will be offering the Android Snapdragon smart phone by April. It was reported earlier that T-Mobile would also be offering the device though estimates point to a slightly earlier March release for the phone.
When the Android XPERIA phone was first announced, it was originally named Rachel, and many assumed that the phone would be renamed to X3 prior to release. It looks like SE changed the series name to X10 to emphasize the change in the series format (as X1 and X2 were both WinMo phones). Aside from that the official specs on the X10 lives up to many of the promising rumors about the phone –starting with the then-rare 1GHz Snapdragon processor.
The phone also comes with an 8 mega pixel camera complete with LED flash, autofocus, geo-tagging and all the extra trimmings such as face detection and smile detection capabilities. The display is a nice big 4 inch capacitive touch screen –it also uses the new Timescape and Mediascape user interface on top of the Android OS.
Aside from the XPERIA X10, there are plenty of other promising devices from SE that are expected to arrive this year. Along with the X10, the Sony Ericsson Vizaz will be launching around March too. This Symbian smart phone comes with 720p HD video recording capabilities. The new WinMo 6.5.3 Maldives phone -the SE Greenheart Aspen is expected to arrive a little later during Q2.
Get the full details of Vodafone and the X10 from GSM Arena.
Nexus One Gets 3G Fix, Multi Touch and More
February 5th, 2010
Google has been listening to its critics over the past couple of weeks and have managed to bring out a much awaited fix for the HTC Nexus One.
While the Google phone is indeed an impressive piece of work with its 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5 mega pixel camera, enhanced speech recognition software and more, it still suffered from many flaws and bugs that stopped it from becoming the iPhone killer that many thought it would be.
The first major hurdle of the device came in the form of 3G connection issues. It was shown that the Nexus One has the tendency to switch to EDGE networks instead of 3G even if 3G was available. It would also register weak 3G signal strengths in an area where other device did not have problems. Looks like Google has been focusing on the fix they announced that they were working on last week. The new update will be addressing this 3G issue along with some other concerns.
A new addition to the device is the activation of multi touch functions. While the hardware supported multi touch, no system functions supported it. It is not the first time and Android phone capable of multi touch did not have the function activated. This also happened with the Motorola DROID (though it was not an issue in the UK version, the Milestone).
Another update included in the new patch is a quick version update for Google Maps. This patch will update the device with version 3.4 of the impressive navigation application. Lastly, Google Goggles has been added as part of the features and is accessible from the main menu. With this, you can just point and shoot to find more information on your subject.
Get the full details on the new Nexus One update from GSM Arena.
Windows Mobile Goes Green with SE Aspen
February 5th, 2010
Here’s a great combination: a smart phone with all the amazing features of Windows Mobile and Sony Ericsson’s green engineering technology.
The new Sony Ericsson Aspen is an environment conscious individual’s dream business phone as it combines sound features with great hardware all made under the now famous Greenheart eco-standard by Sony Ericsson. If you are wondering if the Japanese-Swedish joint venture is to be considered an expert on earth-friendly tech, they just got ranked by Greenpeace as the second most eco friendly electronics manufacturer in the whole world.
Anyway, back to Windows Mobile; the Aspen will come packed with the new WinMo Maldives, version 6.5.3. While this may be a disappointment to some who were hoping that Maldives is a full 6.6 overhaul, it is reported that this is a significant enough update that fixes many of the interface problems with older versions. It is also reported that the Aspen will be using the Panels UI found in the XPERIA X1 and X2.
The device comes with a 2.4 inch touch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard that will make writing long messages and emails a whole lot faster. It will also have a 3.2 mega pixel camera as well as integrated web applications for social networking websites such as Facebook –all the more easier to shoot photos to upload and share with your friends and contacts.
Despite the fact that this eco friendly device is a fully dedicated smart phone; Sony Ericsson has announced that this will be “an affordable Greenheart phone”. If you are itching to get the new version of Windows Mobile and have a great smart phone to match, this will make for an excellent budget and earth-friendly choice.
Get the full scoop and details on the specifications and features of the Sony Ericsson Aspen from the official website.
Google Preparing to Challenge the iPad
February 4th, 2010
Flash back to early January, many people were eager to finally see the unveiling of the HTC-made Nexus One “Google phone”. Thanks to the hardware specs on the Nexus, it was undoubtedly the most powerful Android mobile phone of its time, featuring an AMOLED touch screen, a Snapdragon processor and more. But the real excitement was not just for the device, but for what the Nexus stood for, it was the promise of a new phone that would take the place of the iPhone in society, an iPhone killer.
Within a week after the launch of the Google phone, it was clear that it was far from anything but an iPhone killer. Despite the device’s superior specifications, it lacked the mass appeal and availability to sell well. In the end, the device’s world launch sold only 20,000 units in the first week. A paltry amount compared to the 200,000 iPhone unit Vodafone sold in its re-release of the device in the UK.
Just a week ago, Apple unveiled its new tablet device, the iPad. Looks like Google will not just be challenging the iPhone, but the iPad as well. A recently uploaded video showcased a demonstration of the Chrome user interface on a full touch screen display that looked a lot like a tablet device. The video was made by Chrome OS developer Glen Murphy.
So far, the device looks capable of some of the major things that the iPad cannot. The first thing we noticed is the presence of multitasking. The different windows each display different tasks running at the same time. While the iPad has the hardware to support multi-tasking the feature is currently not present. Reports also indicate that HTC might be teaming up with Google for this ambitious device.
Get the full details of the Chromium from the source.
Bill Gates: Funding Miracles with Moolah
February 4th, 2010
Money makes the world go round. It is also called the root of all evil. Money, simply put, is one of those necessities in life that makes people want to vilify it so much. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, has tons of it.
But is Bill Gates evil? –though thousands of irate Windows users suffering from BSOD would think so, the man is also one of the biggest philanthropists of our time. Recently, Bill and his wife, Melinda has announced that they are pledging 10 billion US dollars for research, production and distribution of vaccines for children all over the world.
As to exactly how the money will be allocated still remains to be made public. It has been announced that there will be plenty of funds put into research for more effective vaccines. The focus on vaccines is the result of a study that showed that a proper dissemination and distribution of vaccines could help save the lives of millions of children all over the world.
On a side note, Bill’s priorities are humanitarian, but a little off the scale in terms of urgency. We are on the brink of totally collapsing the eco system on this planet which sustains human life. 10 billion would also have gone a long way in enforcing policies for the reduction of carbon emissions. But hey, it is not our money. Bill gets to do what he wants with his money.
Not that this is a bad investment. Bill Gates has previously pledged 4.5 Billion before on research for vaccines and diseases like the Rotavirus which is still one of the major causes of deaths for many children especially in Africa. In any case, the world is much better place to live in with the Gates foundation supporting vaccine research. In fact, Bill Gate’s money is not enough. Further funding is required to properly provide the much needed vaccines to people all over the world.
Read more about Bill Gate’s pledge on Times Online.
iPad: the Future for Consumers, not for Networks
February 4th, 2010
The thing about technology is that just because people will buy it, it does not mean you can easily sell it. Just look at AT&T in the US; the iPad has yet to be made fully available commercially and it has already been reported that the major network operator’s 3G network is not suitable for the needs of the new device.
Things might be different for major UK network operator Vodafone (who has easily handled the new 3G load from its recent iPhone users); the same cannot be said for other operators –much like the MVNO, 3 Mobile.
In a recent interview with Tech Radar, 3 CEO Kevin Russell discussed the vision of the company for the future. And it looks like that vision will have a nice big green robot in it. “Doing something other guys would be less comfortable doing” may not exactly sound like the best way to describe an ideal plan, but that is how Russell expresses the decision of 3 mobile to focus on Android products more than the iPhone or the iPad.
The company will also be handling Spotify -a move that is both brave and at the same time, pretty risky. As for Apple products, particularly the iPhone and the iPad, Russell admits that the devices are interesting, but also states the two devices do not fit in the company’s strategy.
Considering that other network operators would also be bidding for the Apple products, Russell fears that the investment on the technology would cost more than it is worth.
Not that Android is a bad choice; despite the Nexus One not being an ideal product to sell, there are plenty of upcoming Android devices that are sure to delight people as much as the iPad.
Read the full details of Tech Radar’s interview with Kevin Russell at the source.
What will the iPad Bring?
February 3rd, 2010
Functionality wise, it would be easy to understand what the iPad brings to us; a huge hole in our pockets, a slim tech-savvy device form, and functionality that matches that of a non-multitasking net book. It is a device that manages to be as impressive as it is confusing.
For those who have no idea what to do with an iPad, it is simply a matter of realizing that the whole mobile phone net book hybrid description is a little hard to get. Think of the iPad more as a magazine that actually connects to your WiFi network (or 3G, if you can afford the 3G version of the Apple Tablet).
You can easily pick it up from your coffee table, access hat you need and put it back down. Accessing it will let you go to social networking sites, your favorite news feeds, games, your EBook library and more.
Yes, the iPad really brings a lot to our homes in terms of its hardware and software capabilities. But the reason why Apple is developing this new system is not simply because it can do a lot; it is because they are introducing a new device for our society. The iPad brings to us a new medium.
No doubt that many critics realize that about the iPad, what people are truly concerned about is whether the Apple tablet can take on the responsibility upon it. Bobbie Johnson of the Guardian points out some very interesting points, Apple controls everything about their devices.
No other electronics company has such a direct control over all parts and software specs of their own branded device the way Apple does. They have their own App store content control policy and all Apple devices cannot be customized according to customer preferences.
Read more at the source.