Mobile Phone Blog – Mobile phone reviews and news

A recent announcement from Sony has left us wondering what the major Japanese corporation is up to.

For the last few years, Sony has been happy enough leaving the Sony Playstation Network under the control of the Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) group. SCE is responsible for the very first Playstation console, the PS2, the PSP and the next generation device, the PS3. They are also responsible for the creation and development of many amazing game titles and series. Games such as Gran Turismo, God of War, Ratchet and Clank and many other famous titles have become staples of the Playstation game systems.

With the release of the Playstation 3 came the arrival of the Sony Playstation Network –an online free service for all PS3 and PSP users that gave users access to an online store, a console based messenger system and the PS Home virtual social network. A recent news places control of the PSN to a new department from within SCE that will eventually be integrated into the main Sony Company.

This places the PSN outside SCE control and accessible to the rest of other Sony products. While this may seem like bad news, it also means that devices such as the Sony Bravia, Sony VAIO and Sony Ericsson mobile phones might be able to access PSN.

The last time a Sony Ericsson device interfaced with a console was with the Aino with its limited media connectivity. Having PSN available might make user able to access PSN accounts, trophy data and even play some mobile versions of PSN titles. Well, it is still too early to make predictions regarding this matter. After all, we do not even know what Sony is truly up to by placing PSN at the core of the company.

Get to know more about SCE and PSN at Engadget.

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Well, it looks like the Apple app store is a few thousand applications short of a full roster these days.

Steve Jobs and company have decided to do away with over 5000 iPhone apps with explicit or adult content. And yes, do not be surprised, but the Playboy and Sports Illustrated Applications are still available.

Huh, what and why would be the three initial reactions here are Apple just placed another grave double standard on what actually passes for an iPhone app; which brings us to a new Apple law: if you’re Hugh Hefner, anything you make is perfectly fine. Maybe good ol’ Heff should have gone off to make that augmented reality app: Old Man Cam.

Seriously, what does this mean for mobile phone app developers such as Jon Atherton who made the now infamous Wobble iBoobs application. There is no form of nudity in the app, only suggestive material and some juvenile fun. Still, Apple has thought it wise to do away with this and many other applications for the iPhone.

Additional reports state that the reason for the large scale banning was due to a fierce reaction from parents regarding the presence of adult content in the app store. Seriously, it is bad move for Apple. Not only have they caved in to complaints, but they also showed that given a choice, they would not stand by their developers.

Parents on the other hand, are as ignorant as ever; constantly making excuses for their misgivings and tossing the responsibility of parenting to Apple. Media has always been a scapegoat, but the real root of the problem is that these very same parents are the owners of the credit card with which the Apple App store accounts are made with.

Ironic but true; you can catch the full story at Tech Radar.

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Here are the facts:

Asus will be working with Microsoft to create the first MS branded device to carry the Window Phone 7 OS.

The expected launch date is on October 2010.

It looks like the latter half of the year will play host to one of the biggest mobile phone match ups we have ever witnessed. According to recent reports, it is likely that the new Apple iPhone 4G device will be coming out this April (or at least announced formally). LG has its GW900 device with the new Intel Atom processor waiting on the wings while Motorola and HTC are confirmed to be working on their own devices that are using dual core processors.

In any case, it is very surprising to see Windows Mobile become a major OS in this day and age as it was only a few weeks ago that a majority of people dislike the WinMo series.

Everything changed when Steve Ballmer took the stage at the Mobile World Congress and showed the world their current progress with Windows Phone 7. It is a work in progress; plenty of features were still absent and key components such as Office Mobile were terribly lacking in capabilities.

But everyone was still pretty much wowed at how the user interface was designed. WP7 is a complete re-imagining of the existing standards for touch screen user interfaces and the overall mobile phone experience.

Also present in the device is the Zune and Bing services –features that many have thought should have been used more by MS long ago. New to the system is the Xbox Live Games service. So far, no games are playable on the device, but many are looking forward to seeing the games lineup for WP7.

Get to know more about what to expect with WP7 this coming October at Softpedia.

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Technology has really made things simple in the recent time. Many things which were not possible to perform using your mobile phone in the past are now possible. It is unbelievable that the Samsung Beam i8520 has the ability of projecting. This phone has amazed many due to its capabilities and the ease in which it performs its functions.

This phone is designed in such a way that is can project for the whole day, and still it will be working as usual as it does not become hot after projecting for long hours like with what happens with other ordinary machines. The phone is also made in such a way that it has a durable battery that can stay working for many years without becoming faulty.

The phone has also been made in such a way that it can take photos which are very clear and attractive. This phone is popular among those people who go for picnics and outings often because it serves them very well. This is because of the ability to carry the phone easily and it produces wonderful results in photo taking. You don’t need to carry an ordinary camera with you when you are going for a picnic but just carry the Samsung Beam i8520 phone which works wonders  when  taking photos.

It is also possible to watch movies and music from the comfort of your chair using the Samsung Beam i8520 phone. The phone is specially made with DivX and XviD technology which makes it possible to watch movies and music videos using the phone. This is enhanced by the big memory that the phone has. The phone has a memory of 16 GB which makes it possible to store movies, music videos and photos.

The phone has been designed with a 3.7 inch super AMOLED touch screen that makes it easier to access the phone features very fast. The phone also has a very high speed because it will bring the contents of an icon just by touching it. The screen has also been made to show big images of up to fifty inches wide. This enhances image clarity and makes it possible to view all the fine details of the image.

The phone also has the ability to record video images. This is made possible by the 5 mega pixel camera which has the ability to record images of 720p video at 30fps. When you are going for a holiday, you just need to carry your Samsung Beam i8520 phone with you. It will be used to record video while you are in the various destinations that you visit and then watch them in future.

The screen of the Samsung Beam i8520 phone is very bright. This makes it possible to watch movies and music video with clarity. The brightness of the screen also makes it possible to see photos that are taken during picnics and holidays clearly without any dullness.

However, the phone is designed with an attractive outer cover that makes it attract the attention of many people. The shape of the phone is also wonderfully made and this makes it to be very attractive. The outer cover has also been enhanced to boost its strength to prevent it from harsh environments.

To purchase the phone, you can browse the internet and you will be in a position to purchase it from your personal computer. The manufacturer will show you all the features of the phone and give you an online manual. You will also be provided with information about the price of the phone and the various distributors of the Samsung Beam i8520 phone.

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There were plenty of impressive smart phones on show at the Mobile World Congress held last weekend. Google’s Android operating system is still a major favorite of many smart phones for now (maybe that will change once Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 series comes out during the holidays). Here’s a quick look at some of the most anticipated Androids from the event:

Sony Ericsson unveiled three new Android smart phones from their XPERIA line of devices. The SE XPERIA X10 sticks to the main specs that it was announced with last year. T will definitely have a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, an AMOLED touch screen and other old 1.6 Donut operating system. To mix things up, SE will use the Timescape social networking integration and the Mediascape UI along with the OS.

Based on the XPERIA X10 are two mini phones. The SE X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro are simplified, miniaturized and watered down versions of the X10. With their 2.5 inch touch screens, it is no surprise that each only seems to be half the weight of the original. The two phones are completely identical in specs, but the Pro version comes with a physical QWERTY keyboard in slide out form.

HTC has a couple of Android devices as well. Both were leaked last year in a roadmap document; the HTC Desire and Legend live up to many of the expected specifications for the two phones. The Android Snapdragon Desire was originally named as the Bravo and just got a name change last Sunday. The Legend will be the successor to the HTC Hero and will come with a 600 MHz processor and a 3.2 inch AMOLED touch screen. The two devices are expected to be launched by March this year.

See more highlights from MWC at Pocket Lint.

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To ask what the general reaction to Buzz was; it is annoying.

Yep, just simple annoyance; this would have been more than enough reason to just ignore the function all together and treat it like that spam folder we never even have to empty out (it trashes anything older than 30 days anyway).

So imagine our surprise to know that Harriet Jacobs, an American woman, suffered from serious emotional harm because of the social networking tool. Why is this different?

The difference here is that when Facebook, Twitter or other social networking tools are used against another person, it is often due to the victim’s own negligence. Your account is your content; that is what would apply here. For Buzz however, you are suddenly put into the middle of the network without even signing up for it.

Believe me; that one page “yes/no” option does not count at all. Had Google given users the benefits of editing default settings right after you press “Yes” (or literally, something more to the lines of: go see Buzz) then it would never have been a problem.

Instead, you are suddenly followed by everyone and following everyone. Not really what you would want since not everyone in our contacts, received from and sent to lists are people we would want to have as online friends. Some are just co-workers, others are acquaintances we sent a needed document to, others can be customer support staff whom we have argued with and others could be vengeful ex-husbands.

That last example was the exact case for poor Ms. Jacobs. All of a sudden, her ex-husband was privy to all the updates she places online.

At least Facebook lets you confirm who you will be connected to.

Read more about Google’s big problems with Buzz at Times Online UK.

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Surprising, but true! Microsoft is no longer giving announcements that the new mobile platform will be delayed and has set a solid 2010 holiday release for the Windows Phone 7 series.

“Phone 7”, not to confuse, but the new moniker still refers to the old Windows Mobile operating system. New name and release date aside, the real big news here is that the new operating system is truly impressive and many are expecting WP 7 to go head to head with other platforms such as the Google Android and Apple’s iPhone OS.

Steve Ballmer presented some of the many big changes that the mobile platform will be undertaking. The presentation at the Mobile World Congress last Sunday took a little over an hour, but from what we have seen, there is plenty to look forward to.

The new OS supports capacitive touch screen features. Gestures, pinching and other finger input commands will be fully utilized by the OS. You will get several “areas” (for lack of a better word) that specialize in various phone functions. These areas are much larger than the OS screen, so you will have to pan around with the touch screen to see specific details. While that sounds like troublesome on paper its amazing when seen in application. The new interface scheme works like a charm, delivering a stylized, quick access menu that is both organized and fully customizable.

WinPho 7 (not quite WinMo is it not?) also introduces the new “Tiles” –which are highly customizable widget-like doodads all over your mobile phone. The new OS will also be bringing Zune to everyone (here’s to hoping for full Zune support in Europe) as well as the new Xbox Live Games service.

Get some interesting new information and details on the Windows Phone 7 Series from Mobile Computing News.

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Sony Ericsson has plenty of catching up to do in terms of sales. The Swedish Japanese joint venture has had a very rough year last 2009 with the venture losing over 800 million in revenue.

Between having to close facilities and offices to the whole Satio problem, there is no doubt that Sony Ericsson would not be able to get enough holiday sales to save the company. Even worse were the delays that pushed the XPERIA X2 to a January release which got it pulled out of the Vodafone 2010 lineup (though in fairness, even the HTC HD2 was also taken out).

Anyway, 2010 is looking a whole lot better for Sony Ericsson. It has already been announced early on that March will see the launch of the upcoming SE XPERIA X10 and the SE Vivaz. The XPERIA X10 (originally Rachel) is an Android smart phone that comes with a 4 inch touch screen and a Snapdragon 1GHz processor. The Vivaz (formerly Kurara) is a Symbian OS 5 smart phone that comes with an 8 mega pixel camera with 720p HD video recording.

During the MWC, Sony Ericsson revealed that two devices linked to the X10 and the Vivaz would be ready by Q2. The SE Kanna was a revision of the Vivaz that comes with a keyboard. The XPERIA Robyn is a mini version of the X10. It turns out that the two devices have been under development and will be released with new names.

Expected for Q2 of 2010 are the Vivaz Pro, the XPERIA X10 Mini and the X10 Mini Pro -as one might expect from the name, the X10 Mini Pro also comes with a slide out QWERTY keyboard.

Get to know more about the new Sony Ericsson XPERIX X10 Mini and the Mini Pro at Mobile Today UK.

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If you are already tired of hearing news about Google, brace yourself. It looks like the folks at Mountain View are systematically penetrating every aspect of day to day use technology.

We already have the whole web service combo. Google provides us all with an amazing search engine, a reliable email service, instant messaging, VOIP, maps and even a full faux-3D photo-Earth. Sure there are occasionally services such as Google Video and Wave that simply do not work out. But at the same time, there are gems like Picasa and the acquisitioned YouTube.

Google has also ventured into development outside of web. The Chrome web browser and the Chrome OS are reported to be getting its own net book (and according to rumors, a tablet). The Google Android operating system is getting plenty of positive feedback in the mobile phone community. The Google branded Nexus One mobile phone launched early this January and it looks like a Nexus Two device (through a tie up with Motorola) is in the works.

Now, it looks like Google is looking into providing the internet itself to us.

Right now, they have already laid the groundwork and the foundation by setting up the fiber network for high speed transfer. It has been reported that the connection will reach speeds of about 1 gigabit per second.

So far, the announcement is only good for the US –and most likely in selected areas only. But if Google’s network does prove to be superior to what we commonly consider as the base standard, it would not be too surprising to see other internet service providers to follow suit. For now, the 1gbps connection speed is practically worthless unless you are also accessing content that can deliver the same speed.

Read more about Google’s new broadband service on Times Online UK.

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Mobile phone applications bring plenty of additional functionality and entertainment to our smart phones. In most cases, it is easy to forget the fact that applications for Symbian phones are not directly transferable to the Apple iPhone. While similar applications may be available across different platforms, different mobile phones, they are in fact coded straight from scratch.

It is an interesting fact that people tend to forget. Apps after all are so convenient to browse for and download that one does not realize how much effort and time is put into creating the software. In many cases, developers have to understand more than one programming language in order to create applications for other devices. When this is not possible, apps end up being exclusive to a single device (usually the iPhone) on a technicality.

Why the iPhone? Because the iPhone sells apps well; according to recent surveys, iPhone users are most likely to purchase online content more than any mobile phone user. For developers to make the most profit for their time and effort, they are better off developing for the Apple iPhone.

Anyway, a recent post by Vic Keegan of the Guardian UK gives us a very unique view of the world of developers and why profit is important in terms of being able to fund the development of applications.

Still, not many people are prepared to pay so much for digital content. In the very end, applications at software content, downloadable but not stored in solid installer products; software packaging would indeed add to the cost, but not everyone understands the value of strictly digital content.

Aside from increasing the cost of apps, the only other way to make developer’s lives easier is to have a standard platform across different devices.

Read more about the ideal costing for mobile applications and the challenges developers face when creating applications at Keegan’s original post at the Guardian UK.

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