Mobiles Phone Blogs

Nokia announced plans to offer maps and navigation software free to its smartphone customers. The content comes from digital maps maker Navteq, which Nokia acquired in 2007, and the Ovi platform. Currently ten smartphones can access the service. Combining the maps and navigation with the camera and GPS on the phone opens up a whole new range of applications, such as augmented realtiy and location-based services, while also putting new advertising income within reach.

This is a big step for Nokia. Navteq was an expensive takeover (EUR 5.7 billion, announced in October 2007) and now the company is deciding to give the content away free. It looks like Nokia is realising that this is the only way for its services platform Ovi to catch on. However, another take is possible. Nokia is copying Google’s strategy, which centres on Google Maps Navigation announced last October. Google gives applications like this away free in order to place more advertising, and Nokia is hoping to do the same thing to drive sales of its smartphones. Smartphones are currently Nokia’s main source of worry, as the handset maker struggles to keep up with the likes of Apple and RIM.

The big losers from Nokia’s decision are clearly TomTom and Garmin, the main manufacturers of personal navigation devices. TomTom’s share price fell as much as 18 percent the day of the announcement from Nokia. Since Google Maps Navigation launched, the share price has roughly halved.

The question is whether Nokia’s strategy can be successful. The trend is increasingly towards personalisation, where customers can use open platforms and applications to meet their individual needs. Whoever wants to use Ovi Maps needs to buy a Nokia smartphone. While this should do sales some good, the question is why is Nokia choosing this model, instead of the currently more usual mode of (paid) applications for rival platforms, such as Android (Google) and the iPhone (Apple).

By offering free Ovi Maps and navigation, Nokia hopes to make the most of its advantages of content and reach. The navigation software is available for 74 countries, traffic information for more than ten countries and maps for around 180 countries. Google Maps Navigation is still restricted to the US. Nokia also clearly has a major market presence and distribution strength, even if its share of the smartphone market fell in the third quarter of 2009 to 35 percent from 41 percent. There are already 83 million Nokisa users who can use the navigation software. In addition to stimulating Nokia smartphone sales, the free Ovi Maps should pay off for operators in increased data use. Nokia was keen to point out how the network costs are just a tenth of what’s required for using Google Maps, as Ovi Maps can also be used offline once a map is stored in the memory, and because the technology used (vector mapping, combined with earlier saved maps) is more efficient than Google’s system (bitmap technology, which requires continuous downloads).

In short, the big question is which model will win the navigation market. Will it be the free service bundled with a Nokia smartphone, a free service bundled with an Android handset or a paid service on any ‘open’ smartphone?  More…

I have encountered one major problem with nexus one.  The issue is silent calls.

When dial a number I cannot hear ringing, when answered by the called number, they cannot hear me and i cannot hear them.  This problem dose not occurs all the time but when it dose, it will continue to occur until you dial another number and redial previous number, which seem to fix the problem.  Then same problem can happen when you dial next time.  I have not encountered any other issues. 

I have called HTC in UK regarding this problem.  HTC agree to replace the phone.  I think HTC has excellent customer service for Nexus one in U.K.  Downside of HTC is they will pick the phone and then send you replacement five working days later.

What is the cost of Google Nexus one.  I decided to guy one from Google.  Here is the break down of the cost:

• The Phone Cost is $529.00
• AC Adapter Cost is $19.99 – I think this should have been included in the Price of the Phone
• Also the shipping cost is $29.65
• Total cost is $578.64 which equites to £359.77
• Also i have to pay another 17.5% tax when the phone is delivered, so the total cost will be aound $680 which equiates to £440.00

I personally think the cost £440.00 it is little bit too much for this phone so when I get the phone hope it was worth the price I have paid for it. 

Google Nexus One Cost

Google has unveiled its highly anticipated “Google Phone,” or the Nexus One, an Android-powered smartphone and the first device the company will sell directly from a new online store

Nexus One Thumbnails

At a Google press event held Tuesday afternoon at the company’s Mountain View, Calif. headquarters, Google vice president Mario Queiroz billed the new Nexus One as a “superphone” and an “exemplar of what’s possible” on mobile phones running Android. He didn’t precisely define the term superphone, other than to suggest it has greater capabilities than today’s existing smartphones.

Nexus one Photo visualizations

Queiroz spoke along with several other panelists including mobile guru Andy Rubin, HTC CEO Peter Chou, and even competitor Motorola Co-CEO Sanjay Jha. All of them took pains to deflect concerns that Google has shifted course with its Android OS, or that Google could muddy the waters for its current wireless industry partners by selling its own branded device.

Water Live Wallpaper

The hardware itself looks pretty slick, even if the moniker “superphone” ends up in the eye of the beholder. Essentially, the Nexus One is a slim touch-screen slab handset manufactured by HTC, the company behind the original T-Mobile G1, the myTouch 3G with Google, and the HTC Hero. The Nexus One weighs 4.6 ounces and measures 0.45-inches thick. It features a 3.7-inch, 480-by-800-pixel glass capacitive AMOLED touch screen, a next-generation 1-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, and Android 2.1, a brand new version of the company’s open-source mobile OS.

Google Earth for Android

Other hardware features include a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with an LED flash and geotagging capability, 512MB of internal memory, and a microSD card slot. Two mics provide Bluetooth headset-like active noise cancellation for improved call quality in loud environments. The trackball doubles as a notification tool, Queiroz said, in that it contains a multi-color LED for indicating incoming calls and other notifications. A 3.5-mm headphone jack and stereo Bluetooth support offer music lovers multiple options for listening to tunes.  More

Rumours about Google Nexus One

Google has invited journalists to an event next Tuesday, prompting speculation that they will announce the launch the Google Nexus One mobile phone.

The Google Nexus One is the first mobile handset designed entirely by Google. The phone runs Google’s Android operating system and the hardware was designed in collaboration with HTC.

The invite says: “With the launch of the first Android-powered device just over a year ago, we’ve seen how a powerful, open platform can spur mobile product innovation. And this is just the beginning of what’s possible.”

Since details of the phone emerged earlier this month, rumours suggested that it would go on sale in early January. Rumours on gadget blogs today suggest that the phone will go on sale in the US on January 5. There’s no word yet – even as a rumour – about whether the phone will be available in the UK or whether Britons will have to wait to get their hands on it.

Gadget blogs are also quoting leaked documents saying that the phone will be available unlocked for $530 (£334) and for $180 (£113) as part of a contract with T-Mobile. The unlocked phone will work on any network, allowing users to simply insert their SIM and start using the phone.

Again, there is no word on UK pricing or which network, if any, will supply a subsidised version of the phone.

Google has so far declined to comment on rumours about the Nexus One.  Source

A user at the apfeltalk forums from Germany had ordered an iPhone 3G from Apple and that was what exactly he was expecting to be shipped. To his surprise, the handset received was indeed a iPhone 3G 8 GB but the packaging in which it was contained indicated something else. Interestingly, it was marked with iPhone 3GS 8GB label, instead of iPhone 3G. As we all know, iPhone 3GS is only available in 16GB and 32GB versions and not 8GB. So either the box tag had typographical error, or Apple might have mixed up its new packaging with the old stock.

In any case, this has created a big confusion on whether Apple is about to unveil an iPhone 3GS 8GB model at the upcoming January 26th event or not. It is possible that this move could be intentional to promote this new product before its launch. But what is the whole idea behind coming down in memory whereas Apple traditionally had always been doubling it each year. One possible reason may be the release of the upcoming Google Nexus One phone, and if Apple can come up with a reduced priced iPhone 3GS, it may leave its competitors in market far behind. We’ll have to wait till January 26th to see if this is indeed true or not.  Source

 I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars… Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, “Shh…,” and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (1266)

As 2009 comes to a close, we thought it a good time to pore over some of the best mobile phones to be released over the past year.

From super-hot smartphones to fashionable feature handsets, join us as we select the few that stood head and shoulders above the rest!

1. HTC Hero

The strong design, slick social networking skills and beautiful implementation of the Android operating system with the ‘Sense’ UI has seen the HTC Hero snag an armful of ‘Best Phone’ awards this year, and rightly so.

Packing a 5-megapixel autofocus camera, 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen and GPS in a unique, angular form factor, the Hero is possibly the best phone to demonstrate what Google’s new operating system is really capable of.

Winning the hearts and minds of those not swayed by the iPhone, the Hero is easily the next best thing.

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2. HTC HD2

Representing Windows Mobile as the Hero has for Android, the ‘wow’ factor of the HTC HD2 is definitely marrying Microsoft’s mobile operating system to that mammoth 4.3-inch touchscreen display.

Bringing the smooth, refined Sense user interface as well as the first phone to offer multi-touch on Windows Mobile 6.5, the HTC HD2 is equally at home being a business device as it is a multimedia powerhouse.

With a 5-megapixel lens and dual-LED flash, GPS and support for apps thanks to Marketplace for Mobile, the HD2 is the perfect poster boy for the next generation of Windows phones.

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3. Apple iPhone 3GS

Getting the design so right first time has given Apple the ability to reiterate rather than revolutionise, and the iPhone 3GS is the second update to the groundbreaking formula.

Expanding on the iconic device with a 3 megapixel camera, video recording, voice 

controls and up to 32GB of storage, the Apple iPhone 3GS is able to do it all, faster.

4. Samsung Genio Touch

The Samsung Genio Touch continues the popular range with a cheap and cheerful handset that brings touch screen joy without the price tag.

The 2.8-inch display offers the same TouchWiz user interface spotted on higher end devices, and with customizable covers as well as a 2 megapixel camera, the Genio Touch punches above its weight in terms of both looks and specs and has customers snapping it up in droves.

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5. Sony Ericsson Satio

A 12.1 megapixel wielding device that combines the strongest features of the Cybershot range, the Sony Ericsson Satio compliments them with the latest Walkman functionality, wrapping them together with a slick full touch Symbian powered user interface.

The 3.5″ display is clear, crisp and responsive to the touch, and the built-in 3G connectivity and GPS set it amongst the strongest smartphone contenders.

Strong advertising and an arresting form factor have seen the Satio fly off the shelves in the last few weeks, and showing little sign of slowing down.

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6. Palm Pre

Already a million-seller in the United States, the Palm Pre is a well-kitted device with a 3.1-inch touchscreen and 3.1 megapixel camera, a socially savvy handset that pulls contact information to be automatically from networking sites including Facebook.

The combination of cute pebble-shaped design, slide-out QWERTY keyboard and the debut of their smooth new ‘Web OS’ user interface has been snapped by many shoppers looking for a worthy alternative to Apple’s iPhone.

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7. Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is the epitome of cool by committee. With a plectrum for a stylus, endorsement from today’s fashionable young things and a full touch interface, the 5800 was bound to be a hit.

A music phone at heart, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic ticks all the specs boxes with 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi support, a 3.2 megapixel camera and a hefty 3.2-inch high resolution touch display.

Your music selection is handled by an 8GB memory card, and a 3.5mm audio jack means that your favourite headphones can be plugged in with little trouble.

8. Nokia N900

9. LG Chocolate BL40

10. Blackberry Curve 8520

via Top 10 Mobile Phones of 2009 – Omio Round-Up.

Thanks to a clandestine meeting with a source, I got a chance to play with and try out the Nexus One. It’s basically, from my time with it, Google’s Droid killer. It’s thin, it’s fast, it’s better in every way. 

My source was very firm about no photography, and I didn’t want to jeopardize anything on my source’s end, so there are no photos, hence these photos are ones we’ve already shown you. But, based on all the leaked shots this week , plus the very pretty and very clear one last week from Boy Genius, everyone knows what the phone looks like already. Hell, there’s even a complete UI walkthrough today that’s on YouTube. So I’m going to focus on the experience, and how it compares to the Droid and the iPhone 3GS. 

Google Nexus One

How it feels 

The Nexus One is slightly thinner than the iPhone 3GS, and slightly lighter. No hard specs were thrown around, unfortunately, since Google didn’t even let people who they gave the phone to know that. The back is definitely not cheap and plasticky, like the iPhone’s backing, and feels like some sort of rubbery material. So, not smooth like the iPhone, but not as rubbery as the Droid. It’s halfway in-between. 

You can call the design the antithesis of the Droid: smooth, curved, and light, instead of hard, square and pointy. It feels long and silky and natural in your hand—even more so than the iPhone 3GS. There are also three gold contacts on the bottom designed for future docking (possibly charging?) use, but there aren’t any accessories available for the phone now. It plugs in via microUSB at the moment. 

That screen is damn good 

Even though the screen is the same size and same resolution as the Droid, it’s noticeably better. The colors are much more vibrant and the blacks are blacker, as evidenced by putting both side by side and hitting up various websites and loading various games. The pinks on Perez Hilton and the blues on Gizmodo just popped a lot more on the N1, and made the Droid (which was actually considered to have a great screen) seem washed out. The same feeling carries over when you compare the Nexus with the iPhone 3GS. And it’s pretty damn bright, compared to the other two phones. This is probably the best screen we’ve seen on a smartphone so far. Probably. 

Google just gave Motorola (and Verizon) a swift shot to the TSTS, because the Nexus One is astonishingly faster than the Droid. The speed dominance was most evident when we compared the loading of webpages, but even when you’re just scrolling around, launching apps and moving about the OS, you could tell that there’s a beefier brain inside the N1. I don’t know the specs for sure, but there’s talk of a 1GHz processor being inside, which would push it quite a ways above the 550MHz Arm A8 in Motorola’s newest toy. 

When comparing the three phones in loading a webpage over Wi-Fi, the Nexus One loaded first, the iPhone 3GS came in a few seconds later, and the Droid came in a little while after that. This was constant throughout many webpage loads, so it’s indicative of something going on inside with the hardware. 

I ran all three through a Javascript benchmark engine for some quantifiable numbers, and while the results were similar between the Nexus One and the iPhone 3GS, the Droid still came up at about 60% of the other two. Surprisingly enough, Mobile Safari on the iPhone scored better on the Javscript benches than the Nexus did, even though the Nexus was able to pull down and render actual web pages faster. Note that I didn’t list actual numbers here, for privacy reasons. 

That crazy video background 

You’ve no doubt heard about the animated video backgrounds, but they’re actually more than just animations: you can interact with them. 

Google Nexus one

The default background is the square/8-bit like one shown above, where lines of colored squares come in from different sides of the screen. What’s neat (even if it is superfluous and battery draining) is that you can tap anywhere on the desktop in a blank space and trigger dots to spread out from your tap. Basically, press anywhere to cause blocks to fly outwards. The same thing happens in the “water” background, except instead of blocks, you cause ripples in the water. 

What’s also neat are the two virtual sound meters, which act as a visualizer for whatever music you’re currently playing on your phone. There’s one analog one that looks like one of the old ones with a red needle, and a “digital” one that looks similar to ones you see elsewhere. Sorta neat in itself, but it shows that the interactive backgrounds can actually interact with apps, as long as one knows the other’s APIs. 

embedded by Embedded Video

Other bits 

The 5-megapixel camera is nice, and the flash works well enough for a flash on a phone, but it’s not spectacular, as seen by early photos taken and uploaded online by Googlers. There is autofocus, and you activate it with the trackball on the face of the phone. There is no tap-to-focus as see on the iPhone 3GS. 

There’s no multitouch in the browser or in the map, but I think at this point that’s more of a legal consideration than a technical one, since many phones that run Android have the capability of supporting multitouch on a hardware level. 

Playing back music over the speakers sounded decent, but not great. It’s definitely in need of a dock—like all smartphones—if you want to listen to music for a sustained period. 

I didn’t get a chance to call on it, because I wanted to keep this as anonymous as possible, and didn’t want any sort of way to trace when I used the phone. From what other people say in their time with it, it functions fine as a phone, and should work as normally as other Android phones in the SMS/MMS department. 

So what’s this all mean 

If Google’s planning on releasing this phone as their official Google phone, it’ll certify them as the premium Android phone brand out there right now. Even though it doesn’t have a hardware keyboard, it basically beats the hell out of the Droid in every single task that we threw at it. And face it, some people didn’t like the Droid’s keyboard because it was too flush and the keys were too unseparated with each other. N1’s onscreen keyboard felt fine, and the speedy processor made sure that each key was interpreted well. 

But in the end, it’s still an Android phone. If you want Android phones, this is the one to get, provided Google goes ahead with the rumored plans of either selling it themselves or partnering with T-Mobile in a more traditional role. Droid, shmoid; Nexus is the one you’re looking for. 

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.