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Friday, August 19, 2011

Symbian Rides Again: New Handsets and Better Software



If you didn’t know any better, you might think Nokia’s mobile Symbian platform is still chugging along down the tracks. The company made several Symbian-related announcements Tuesday, including the launch of two new handsets, an update to the Symbian operating system and an eight-fold increase in software downloads from the Ovi Store, which now hits 5 million downloads per day. Of course, Nokia previously announced its intent to use Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform going forward, so today’s developments are rendered moot. Or are they?

There’s no doubt that both the new smartphones, dubbed the E6 and X7, and the Symbian software update were already in the works for months prior to Nokia’s choice to partner with Microsoft back in February. Plenty of evidence around the web prior to today indicated as much. And it would make no sense for Nokia to immediately cease all Symbian efforts for a few reasons. First, the Microsoft agreement hasn’t been signed yet, although Nokia has admitted to deploying engineering resources on the platform in order to launch a Windows Phone 7 handset by the end of this year. And although Android surpassed Symbian sales in the fourth quarter of 2010, Nokia’s smartphone platform has outsold all others on an annual sales basis for several years.

That leads into the recent smartphone platform forecasts I questioned just last week. Gartner figures Symbian sales will all but dry up by 2015 and bases that opinion heavily on the Microsoft / Nokia partnership. But Windows Phone 7 doesn’t make sense in the low-end market due to Microsoft licensing fees. And as I noted, Nokia could still leverage Symbian by pushing the platform down to where it currently uses the Series 40 platform in an effort to combat cheap Android handsets:

Nokia could salvage its investment in Symbian, which already runs on relatively lesser hardware than current high-end handsets, and find new hope in Asia, Latin America, Africa and other emerging regions where the Nokia brand is strong. Symbian handsets in such areas wouldn’t be subject to any licensing fees that Nokia would have to pay Microsoft for Windows Phone 7 use, helping to reduce the costs of the phones.

The updates to Symbian look nice and appear to address two key concerns I had with the Symbian platform when I reviewed the Nokia N8 last year. The web browser is improved, which I said was important due to the rise smartphone users hitting the web on the go. And the abysmal text entry system for the platform now looks much better both by not taking up the entire screen and because it can be used in portrait mode. Yes, these are little things in the grand scheme, but they’re also central to the smartphone experience because they’re functions users hit many times each and every day.


Nokia has always designed excellent hardware, so I’m not surprised the two new handsets are appealing. The E6 is geared towards the business crowd and combines a hardware keyboard with a touchscreen. The design of Nokia’s new X7 reminds me of a race car or futuristic phone that few other handset makers could pull off. Combined with the Symbian updates, both should offer a better user experience, which has really always been Nokia’s Achilles’ heel: The hardware is great, and the operating system is capable, but the usability has been lacking.

Now that Nokia is pinning its future on Microsoft’s platform, Symbian is finally starting to look more competitive, and the updates will apply to current Symbian handsets.

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Friday, August 12, 2011

LG Thrill 4G

Way back on March 21st, AT&T quietly announced that it would be carrying a 3D-enabled phone called the LG Thrill 4G. The Thrill 4G, known elsewhere in the world as the LG Optimus 3D, boasts an impressive specification list and it’s going to be the first glasses-free 3D smartphone on Ma Bell. That’s extremely exciting for those that love 3D and want it on their smartphone
The LG Thrill 4G is the American version of the LG Optimus 3D and, as the title suggests, is a smartphone with 3D capabilities. In line with the other major U.S. 3D phone, the HTC EVO 3D, the Thrill 4G boasts an extremely nice list of specifications besides its ability to display glasses-free 3D. For starters, the Thrill 4G packs a dual-core OMAP4 processor from Texas Instruments which means that at some point, it will likely be able to display full on 1080p video using Netflix.

LG Thrill 4G

In addition it will feature a 4.3 inch glasses-free 3D display with 480 x 800 pixel resolution as well as dual 5-megapixel stereoscopic cameras for 3D video and photo capture. It will also sport an HDMI out slot, will be powered by Android 2.2 Froyo (although this could change at launch) and will also come with access to LG’s special 3D store called LG 3D Space.


Release date

AT&T and LG failed to give us an official release date for the LG Thrill 4G when it was announced back in March. No release window, nothing. Then, at the end of the June, AT&T announced that it would be out at some point this summer. And today, we finally have a possible date for the Thrill 4G’s launch on AT&T with evidence pointing to a release date in July. Unfortunately, we don’t have a specific date yet but if it’s coming out this month, AT&T will likely make it official at some point soon.


Hands-on Vedio




Features

Glasses-Free 3D Display: The LG Thrill 3D, like the HTC EVO 3D, will have a 4.3-inch glasses-free 3D display. There is a difference though, the Thrill 4G’s screen only sports 480 x 800 pixels resolution.

TI OMAP4 Dual-Core Processor: And while it doesn’t pack a high-resolution screen, it does have a speedy 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP4 processor which means it will likely support Netflix HD in the future.

1080p 2D Video Capture: The LG Thrill 4G will be capable of recording 1080p 2D video which is something that the HTC EVO 3D cannot do.

4G Speeds: As its name implies, the LG Thrill 4G will be compatible with AT&T’s HSPA+ 4G network.



Price

Pricing for the LG Thrill 4G is currently unknown but it would be shocking to see it cost more than the usual $199 with a new two year contract. That being said, AT&T might be smart to price it at $150 or so.


Review vedios






Thrill 4G Specs

  • Networks: GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900
  • Operating system: Android 2.2 Froyo
  • Display: 4.3-inch TFT display (480×800 resolution)
  • Camera: Dual 5MP rear cameras with 1080p 2D video capture
  • Memory: 512MB RAM
  • WLAN: 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n
  • Bluetooth: Yes
  • GPS: A-GPS
  • Battery: 1500 mAH battery
  • Special features: Dual-Core Processor, 3D capabilities, HSPA+ speeds
  • Chipset: 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP4 processor

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Monday, August 8, 2011

Nokia N9 Hands-on

At the Nokia Connection event in Singapore, Nokia introduced the Nokia N9, the first-ever pure touch smartphone that is all about making things simpler. Nokia N9 focuses on the most important things that people do: use apps, get notifications and switch between different activities. Navigating the UI is done with a simple gesture, a swipe of a finger. Let’s have a closer look at what the Nokia N9 is bringing to the game.
  • Swipe
  • Unibody Design
  • No Buttons
  • Three Home Views
  • Powerful Camera
  • Fast Web Browser
  • Latest Maps
  • Dolby SOund
  • NFC-Enabled
Here is another look at Nokia N9. Enjoy the vedio!
 

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Saturday, August 6, 2011

Angry Bots


This app is designed for both iPhone and iPad
 Price: Free
 Category: Games
 Released: Aug 04, 2011
 Version: 1.1
 1.1 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
 Size: 31.2 MB
 Seller: Unity Technologies ApS
 © Unity Technologies

iPhone Screenshot 1

Angry Bots is a dual stick shooter that has a bit of a Dead Space vibe to it with your health bar on the back of your character. If you manage to die, the game takes hints from BioShock and spawns you at the nearest Vita Chamber-like point.
iPhone app: Angry Bots (freeware)  iPhone app: Angry Bots (freeware)
 It's not very difficult, but it's not supposed to be a game, it's a tech demo. I'm totally excited to see more games using the 3.4 engine, and you likely will be too after giving Angry Bots a try.

Download from itunes


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