MR LENNY'S SMARTPHONE BLOG

Since i've let my old iPhone 3GS go i've checked out every single phone out there, read countless reviews and so forth. After some very positive feedback i got myself a Milestone, and shortly after that a Nokia N900. Both very good phones in their own right but i felt something was lacking.  None of them matched the ease of use of the iPhone, the app support of the iPhone, the speed and smoothness of the iPhone.

Before i got the chance to try out the HD2 i came across a deal for a iPhone 32gb 3GS. I couldnt let it slip by so glady im back with the king of all smartphones. Obviously certain OS's do certain things better than the iPhone. But as an all round package... the iPhone wins hands down.

The iPhone has been out for a while now, and its only recently their rivials are starting to catch up which says alot about Apple and how very impressive thier entry into a very competitive market was.

BUT

Keep your eye on Microsoft, they are certainly wounded and i reckon Windows Mobile 7 will be something special

So, because im a sucker for new devices i got rid of my Milestone (a great device) and surprisingly got my self a Nokia N900. I say surprisingly as up until recently i couldn't see myself owning another Nokia device. I'll give a little insight into why i opted for the n900 when i post again (later on tonight)

i've neglected my blog recently but i'll be back posting regular updates from today

My 1st smart phone was a SPV, i'm pretty sure it was the 1st Windows powered phone. It was buggy as hell but i loved it! so naturally i'm a windows mobile supporter even though i currently own an Android phone (Motorola Milestone).

Over the years its safe to say Windows mobile hasnt evolved much and competitors have caught up and arguably are way ahead of the OS. This is a perfect example of a company becoming complacent when really they should be leading the way!

Apparently there will be 2 versions of the Windows Mobile 7, Business and Media. The latter will include Xbox live intgergration and Zune capabilities. Companies that want to manufacture Windows Mobile devices have been given a minimum spec list which include a 1GHZ Snapdragon processor & HD recording camera sensor. So you can pretty much guess these will be high end devices. Rumour also states the OS wont be backwards compatable, so its a completely fresh start by Microsoft.

Only time will tell if its to late...

I've been reading a few Nexus One reviews and it really does seem like a great device, but totally disregarding the Droid and highlighting how much "faster" the Nexus One is isnt really fair or correct. The Nexus runs 2.1 which is proven to be alot faster than 2.0, so when Motorola/Google release 2.1 for the Droid then we will see the real speed difference.

So far i've installed the Gallery, Music player, News and Weather & Clock. All ripped from the Nexus, all thanks to some clever people on the internet.

Only thing that doesnt work is the new 3d app menu/launcher, which im guessing only works on Droids running 2.1

Just read engadgets review on the Nexus One, seems as though its not the ground breaker as 1st thought. Hardware/Software wise its no better than the Milestone/Droid & Sales strategy wise it will be distributed like any other phone. Similar to how expansys are selling the Milestone, £450 sim free or however much with a tmobile contract. But it will be sold by Google directly

Remember the G1? Googles 1st stab at the smartphone market? Well fast forward now to 2010 and we have the HTC Hero, Motorola Droid/Milestone & the upcoming Nexus One. 3 superb Android Smartphones which can proudly hold their own against their rivals.

Check out engadgets G1 review to jog your memory ;)

http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/16/t-mobile-g1-review/

The lucky guys at Engadget have got there hands on the Nexus! The 1st tech site to do so!

Just imagine it, being able to run Android and Windows mobile on the same handset! Well the guys over at VMware have achieved that dream.
They have got Android 2.0.1 to run on the previous generation of Windows Smartphone's (HTC Touch Diamond, Touch HD & Touch Pro). Its a dual boot system at the moment but in the future they are targeting being able to run two OS’s simultaneously . VMware has selected 3 different carriers (U.S, Australian & European) to begin prototyping phones for beta testing in 2011.

Zane Adam, Microsoft’s head of virtualisation’s argument is there is little or no demand for the service, productivity would drop and the consumer made the choice to stick with a certain OS at the time of purchase. The latter point he made i think there is room for argument. Should the consumer be tied down to  a certain OS when they’ve shelled out money for a device? for example, The HTC HD2, there huge demand for a very similar looking device but running Android, this is where VMware would be very handy.

Smartphone's are increasingly becoming similar to actual computers, so having the option to run whatever OS you want should be a option. Bring it on VMware!

According to leaked documents The Nexus One will be $529.99 unlocked and $179.99 if you sign up to a two-year T-Mobile contract ($79.99 a month).

I wonder when/if it will come to the UK?

Rumour has it that the eagerly awaited Nexus One is kicking off Androids year with a bang with google aiming to release the device in January 2010

Special thanks to Malcolm Tucker (Faze) from vip2.co.uk for this info

• Backgrounder - Allows you to background apps (run more than one at a time)

• ProSwitcher - Add-on for backgrounder that allow PalmPre style switching of backgrounded apps

• AdBlock - Blocks ads in safari

• CategoriesSB - Put your apps in to folders/categories on your homepages (CategoriesSB implements it into springboard for much smoother running)

• Cycorder - Video Recorder for 3G

• Hackulous Security - Protects ur device for malicious apps

• Installous -Free App Store

• MobileTerminal - Change your root password to stop hacking (specially if you use SSH)

• Netatalk - Enables direct SSH on your mac (your iphone comes up as a share device in your browser so u can transfer files directly over wifi)

• Poof - Hide unwanted apps on your home screen (useful for getting rid of stocks ect without deleting the app)

• PrivaCy - opt-out of app usage tracking

• QuickReply for SMS - Reply to a text from anywhere (when your playing a game or in an app you dont have to exit it to reply)

• SBSettings - Must have toggles for changing settings such as blutooth wifi ect, process manager

• StatusNotifier - Email. SMS, Call, Voicemail notifications in your status bar (like nokias)

Check out the iphone thread over at vip2.co.uk for more iPhone tips and info


http://www.vip2.co.uk/forum/topic/20409-iphone/

Be sure to check out Engadgets wonderful "10 years of Blackberry" post

It goes through the evolution of the RIM and its devices and how they navigated there way to being the market leaders in Push - Email mobile technology and the Mobile phone market in general. I'm not a huge Blackberry fan but i know many who are, its no coincidence as to why they are so popular.

One of the best posts i've read in a while.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/28/ten-years-of-blackberry/

Just tried out Google Goggles for the 1st time, (basically you use pictures to search for info instead of typing it into google)

So, i took a picture of my Call of duty Modern Warfare 2 game case, it then scanned the picture and then pulled up loads of info like the Activisions home page, places of purchases etc etc

Could be very useful when your out and about

http://www.google.com/mobile/goggles/#landmark

Exclusive to Android users

In an interview with the Guardian, O2 head chief admits the network has struggled to keep up with amount of data being push around by iphone.

AT&T in America have had similar issues, read the full post at http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/29/iphone-reception-issues-plague-o2-too/

Firstly this is my first Mobile Phone review so bare with me! Right, Secondly there will be many comparisons with the iPhone 3GS for two reasons, 1. it’s the phone i owned at the time of receiving the Milestone. 2. Motorola/Verizon in the states have purposely pit this device against the iPhone with its Various advertisements (if you haven’t seen them jump on YouTube!) 3. The Droid/Milestone is Androids (at the time of writing) flag ship device.

Check my new Blog for regular Smartphone news regarding Android, Windows Mobile, Iphone OS, Web OS & Others


My 1st proper update should be my Motorola Milestone review so look out for that!