Another "iPhone killer" dies

More and more "iPhone killers" are coming each day but so far these phones are the ones dropping one by one.

Samsung started the dream of making it big in the world of touch screen phones by releasing the Omnia in 2008. The Omnia was a well designed touch screen phone with a clunky implementation of Samsung's TouchWiz UI with equally clunky Windows MObile 6.1 OS. When the accelerometer did not respond as fast as we've expected at the launch, the Samsung staff blamed the OS but continued to compare it with the iPhone. She even called the Omnia "the iPhone killer", but as the market would attest, the only phone that it killed was itself because of the price and unresponsive touch screen that needs pushing to register a command.

They may not admit it, but the Omnia was released with the purpose of riding along the iPhone's success and with its failure, Samsung is here again taking a shot at Apple's iPhone by releasing another touch screen phone -- The Samsung S8000 aka Jet.


Physically, it is gorgeous and stunning and would definitely turn heads to its direction. It has a sleek and elegant design complemented by its glossy black, slim profile with dimension of 108.8 x 53.5 x 11.9 mm and weighing only 99 g. It has a 3.1” WVGA AMOLED touch screen display that has 480 x 800 pixels. At the bottom of the screen you will see the frequently used features which includes the keypad, phonebook, messages and menu that are permanently placed even if you switch through the 3 different home screens. Not part of the touch screen found at the bottom of the phone are the designated keys for the call, menu (a hexagon-shaped button but when viewed closely is actually a cube), power/end call button which are solid, distinct and soft to touch.


It is worth mentioning that with the phone comes a custom-made case where the designated call buttons are exposed; specifically designed for a useful purpose. It is custom-made in such a way that you can actually take a call even when phone is inserted inside the case. You will no longer be in a state of panic or anxiety in missing a call just because you couldn’t get your phone out of its case. It is truly convenient. It is such a wonder how you get pleasure out of simple innovation.


Like most phones, the 5-megapixel camera is located at the back along with its dual LED flash. It features Face and Blink Detection, Smile Shot, Geo-tagging, Photo Editor and it is “anti-shake”, so beneficial for those shaky, unsteady hands like mine.


As mentioned previously, Jet boasts of its AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) touch screen. With AMOLED technology, images are brilliant and vivid no matter which angle you would want to view it requiring minimal power consumption.

Some features worth mentioning:

First, Jet is operated by the upgraded touch screen user interface the TouchWiz 2.0. With this comes the Media Gate 3D user interface. On screen, it is a cube that appears to be hanging in mid air where you can access the 6 multimedia programs such as the internet, games, FM radio, video player, music player and albums. You can flip and rotate the cube by simply running or swiping your finger through the screen. Click on the application of your choice and you can now browse through photos and tracks in a nice 3D interface.


Another feature is the Motion Gesture UI made possible by the accelerometer. It allows you to mute an incoming call simply by just turning its face down. This is the “etiquette pause” specifically useful when you’re in a meeting, in a middle of an important conversation or discussion. Also, with the accelerometer feature comes the “speaker call” where you can automatically activate the speakerphone during a call. Just move the handset away from your ear and place it on a flat surface. Lift the phone back up to your ear and it automatically goes back to the regular mode.


One other feature I am particularly fond of is the smart unlock which allows the user to program their own movement (by choosing any letter from the alphabet) to operate the handset. This involves operations such as unlock, speed dial and to launch applications.


With Samsung Jet, Internet browsing can be a whole new experience. It has the Dolfin browser that adopts a Webkit 3.2 engine. It can open to 5 internet windows at the same time. Switching from one window to the other is done at an instant.


What makes Samsung Jet different from other touch screen smartphone is their “one finger zoom”. Unlike other phones that require you to zoom with multiple hand functions, with the Samsung Jet, it only takes one and “only one finger” to zoom in and out of a photo, a file or an internet browser.


The Samsung Jet has indeed packed itself with cutting edge functions and features that puts other phones at a disadvantage. It's cool phone on its own. Naming it an "iPhone Killer" however is a different story. The only phone that it would kill once compared to the iPhone is itself.

My Android-powered phones

My Android-powered phones. HTC Magic, HTC Hero and the new Samsung GT-17500H aka Galaxy. Samsung has nothing new to offer and the implementation of the Android OS in the phone is a little clunky.

The next stage in the Evolution of the HTC Android phones

The HTC Magic is dead. Featured in the Manila Bulletin Technews as the perfection of the HTC G1, we now consider the Magic dead, buried and forgotten as HTC released their latest Android powered phone, the HTC Hero.


The screen of the Hero features a special oleophobic coating similar to the iPhone 3Gs that makes finger smudges easier to remove. The body of the white version (the one that I have) is coated with teflon to keep it clean and spotless as Teflon resists dirt, stains and even fingerprints. The Hero is also the first Android powered smartphone to support multitouch, you can now pinch and zoom photos and websites iPhone style.

HTC has successfully integrated the latest and and most useful features of a smartphone into the Hero. It is the first Android phone to ship with support for Adobe Flash Platform technology, a technology that would help deliver a more complete web browing experience to the users. It now sports a 3.5mm audio jack which the G1 and the Magic did not have. The Hero is also the first HTC device that features the HTC Sense user interface. A very impressive and sleek widget-centric UI earlier known as "Rosie".

With HTC Hero, personalization has been greatly improved. Rather than burying important content under layers of menus, users can customize it with at glance view, with widgets that can be placed right on the home screen. The widgets can also be personalized with a variety of designs and sizes.

There is also a new feature called Scenes. It's a new profile feature that makes the Hero multiple phones in one. Users can create and switch between Scenes that reflect different moments or moods.

Staying in touch with other people means managing a variety of communication channels and applications ranging from phone calls and emails to Facebook updates. HTC has integrated Facebook and Flickr in the device and links the contacts to Facebook and Flickr feeds so that you can not only see their contact details but also their Facebook updates and recent Flickr photos. You can also see all your interactions like emails sent to your personal and work accounts.

Even basic functions like the dialer, email, album and search are now improved.

You can find a person by dialing their phone number or simply by dialing the first few letters of their name.

The inbox is not just a list of emails, but a catalog of conversations, a collection of notes flagged as important, and a document library of all emails with attachments.

The Album is not just the photos saved on the phone. It is also a gateway to online collections to Facebook or Flickr.

You can also search just about anything, anywhere on the HTC Hero. The dedicated Search button combs through tweets in Twitter, locates people in your contact list, finds emails in the inbox, searches through appointments in the calendar and finds anything in the phone with just a keyword. This feature is HTC's answer to iPhones spotlight search.

With the above features, the Hero makes the HTC Magic looks like a child's toy, a phone although powered by the same OS but lacks a broad range of useful applications compared to the Hero.

The Hero is the third Android powered smartphone of HTC. If the HTC G1 is the first stage of the evolution of HTCs Android phones, the HTC Magic is the homo erectus and the HTC Hero is the modern Homo sapiens.

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Published in the August 17, 2009 issue of the Manila Bulletin.

Jabra Halo BT650s: Less Wire, More Music

I’ve always been curious about Bluetooth headsets. While I get extra annoyed whenever I see people showing-off/talking loudly on these devices, truth is, I have always secretly wondered how it is to have one.

Just by looking at it, I could already tell that the Jabra Halo BT650s is not like the usual Bluetooth earpiece. Instead of looking like a hearing aid, this one greatly resembles a sports headband. Slim and elegant in its over-the-head design, this baby is actually a stereo headset. It is made of matte black plastic on the outside while the inside of the headband is covered with black felt for comfort. Weighing only 3 ounces, it folds neatly like a pair of sunglasses making it small enough to fit in your bag (but not in your pocket). It doesn’t feel like it will break easily but based on my experiences with slim devices, this baby needs extra handling with care. The battery and pairing indicators are hidden inside the headband while the answer/end/play/pause button is located outside the right earphone.

The Halo has no visible power switch. Unfolded, the Halo turns on and immediately goes into pairing mode. Folding it turns it off. On the box it says that it can connect to 2 devices at the same time. True enough, it easily connected with my Windows 7-equipped laptop and a Sony Ericsson W508 Walkman phone (reviewed separately) at the same time.

With such a slim device, I didn’t expect much regarding sound quality. Much to my surprise, it totally blew me away! Mid to high ranges were crisp and clear while the bass was uncharacteristically booming for its size. It was like a home theater in my ear and the sound never cracked even at maximum volume. In addition, music fades out when there is an incoming call. I couldn’t see any microphones on the device (the box says it has two) but I never had to talk loudly when I used it to make calls. With a listed talk time/music time of 8 hours and up to 13 days standby time, the Halo definitely makes an excellent multimedia accessory.

Using it is a bit tricky, though. The Halo’s answer/end/play/pause button is quite responsive and easy to handle but the volume/track control strip is a bit sluggish. Sliding the finger up the strip increases the volume while sliding it down decreases it. Double-tapping on the upper part of the strip plays the next track while doing the same on the lower part plays the previous track or restarts the current one. Easier said than done! The control’s sensitivity needs some getting used to. Sliding the finger too fast or too slow will result in too little or too much volume change. And since the strip is only marked by a line which I could not see while wearing the headset (ridges would have been better), I oftentimes had to tap on the earphone several times just to get the desired effect. Once, I wore it the wrong way and I ended up tapping on my ear like crazy. But I’m sure that once I get over the learning curve, I would finally enjoy controlling my phone or my media player just by tapping on my ear.

The Halo can also be used as a regular headset via an included 3.5mm jack if a device does not support Bluetooth stereo (A2DP) technology. Bluetooth features like receiving calls and touch control are disabled when using the Halo with a cable, though.

All in all, using the Jabra Halo BT650s is a great wireless audio experience. I could have never imagined that I would enjoy listening to music with all the conveniences of a wireless setup on such a slim device. I’m still on the fence if I should buy one, though. But for those who have the extra moolah, I’m sure they won’t regret it.

(Jojo Perlas, Manila Bulletin Technews)

Sony Walkman NWZ-W202

At first glance, you would think it is just a hip looking ear bud style headphones, but no, Sony went a step further by incorporating an MP3 player in the headphones. The new Sony Walkman NWZ-W202 indeed has a life of its own. It would seem like you are wearing a bluetooth device on each ear attached to each other by a flexible neckband. It is 1.3 oz in weight making it the lightest and smallest MP3 out in the market.

Because of its size and weight, comfort when worn won’t be an issue. It fits snuggly on each ear thanks to the silicone ear tips (ear buds come in different sizes for sure fit). You won’t worry if it’ll fall off when you walk, jog, jump or just feel like dancing with it. It fits securely and comfortably and best of all it is tangle free! That has always been a perennial issue with me when it comes to portable music players like these. The lengthy wire that jumps with me and goes around my arm and neck that most of the time strangles me. Well, with Sony W202 this problem had been totally eliminated! You won’t even waste your time untangling any wires when you store them in your bags or with your other gadgets.

I have actually used it while jogging and likewise brought it to the gym, it didn’t fail to cast a curious look on other people’s faces. First, it was eye catching because of its cool pink color (also available in black, purple, yellow and white) and secondly, I’m sure they were trying to figure out where it attaches to and if that was actually it. They were probably looking for an armband, a waistband or whatever “thingy” to which a player should be attached to. Nope…not with this one. With the Sony Walkman W-202, it is strictly between you and your music.

If its just between you and your music, so where does it come from? As previously mentioned, the headphone is indeed the MP3. It can store approximately 500 tracks in its 2GB memory. It supports not only MP3 audio formats but also AAC and WMA. Controls are all tucked on the right earpiece that holds the USB jack for transfer of music which is as easy as drag and drop between your PC’s Windows Media player and your Sony Walkman. It has the volume control, the shuffle switch and the jog dial where you can control the different music functions. Since it lacks a screen display to view the list of songs, Sony has created the “Zappin” mode activated with a long press of the jog dial. Once activated it helps you quickly browse through the music you want to listen to by playing a short snippet of the song and a quick press of the jog dial will resume play.

It has an excellent sound quality that is clear and crisp and is played at satisfactory volume just right whether you are working out in the gym or jogging outdoors. With a good battery life of up to 12 hours, the Sony Walkman W-202 is perfect for those you live an active lifestyle.

(Len Amadora, Manila Bulletin Technews)

Apple Sells Over One Million iPhone 3GS Models

Apple recently announced that it has sold over one million iPhone 3GS models through Sunday, June 21, the third day after its launch. In addition, six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software in the first five days since its release.

“Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With over 50,000 applications available from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever.”

The new iPhone 3GS is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance—up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G—with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. iPhone 3GS includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS, Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard and more. iPhone 3GS customers get access to more than 50,000 applications from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world where customers have already downloaded over one billion apps.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.


(From Malini of Apple)

The "killer" in Nokia N97

The Nokia N97, billed as Nokia's flagship mobile computer, arrived last weekend and straight into the the MB Techlab. Boxed in black, dressed in black -- it was like a ninja ready to strike with shuriken.

Watch out, Apple iPhone 3Gs! There's a new "killer" in town!

Okay, out of the box you sneaky little devil, let's see what you've got.

First thing we tried here is the slider mechanism, and whoa, what a thunk! Now that's what we call a "killer move" (okay, so not as silent as a ninja).

The slide action has that solid, "aaa-tennn-shun!" feel which finished strongly to a 35-degree angle. Hmn, nicely done.

The keyboard we find quite easy to use, and played the keys like we play 'em second-rate phones to text. Amply spaced keys, we think, is key (pun intended) to fully enjoying a QWERTY keyboard. The space bar, by the way, is over on the right under the thumb, and no problem.

Oh, yeah, before we forget, the Nokia N97 is a touchscreen wonder. The screen bounced nicely under the finger after a good contact on an icon. Which means, the touchscreen would only be responsive when you hit an icon correctly.

Honestly, we see the Nokia N97 a cross between a lot of different phones from the "marked for kill" iPhone (3G, 3Gs) to the Google G1 phone. But who's complaining? People, assasins are supposed to be chameleons, too, right?

The N97's 3.5-inch screen is first to catch your attention. There's a little button on the bottom left side corner which serves as the shortcut key to the N series multimedia applications while the call and end buttons are, well, understandably side by side. On the top is the 3.5mm headphone jack and the power button.

The Nokia N97 is a bit larger and thicker than the iPhone, and we love that. Come on now, who doesn't want their "thing" big?

The added width, height and depth, we think, make the N97 so good to hold, with the bottom of the rear face curved downwards providing a natural handhold while stabilizing the unit when on a desk being typed on (guys, please, aren't we also talking of a miniature tablet computer here?).

Lest we get carriend away with the physical aspects of the N97, here's the beauty of the unit -- within.
The Nokia N97 is Nokia's first device to feature a personalizable home screen, which can be customized with a range of widgets which bring live information directly to the device. These widgets include key social networking destinations like Facebook and Hi5, news services like the Associated Press, Bloomberg and Reuters, as well as shopping and weather information.

The Nokia N97 is the first device to ship with the Ovi Store, which offers easy access to applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services, and much more. Ovi Store has paid and free content from a range of global and local content providers and developers, including Paramount Pictures, Facebook and Qik, as well as a selection of Twitter applications.

The Nokia N97 also has direct access to the huge catalogue of music in the Nokia Music Store. With multiple high-speed connectivity options and 32GB of storage (and if that's still enough for you maniacs, you can still go up to 48GB using a microSD card) it is possible to directly download and store tens of thousands of songs on the handset.

High-quality images and video clips at 30 frames per second (fps) can be captured using the 5 megapixel camera with integrated Carl Zeiss optics. Images can also be geo-tagged to specific locations and shared instantly with friends or uploaded online via Ovi Share, Twitter or Flickr.

The new N97 will tie in closely with Nokia's Ovi platform of software and services, which include music downloads, photo-sharing services and mapping software. A new-look Nokia Maps program on the N97 will allow users to pre-plan a journey on their computer and then synchronise the route across to their mobile phone.

Nokia has also promised that it will follow the lead of Apple, Google and Research in Motion, makers of the BlackBerry, by making it easier for third-party developers to write additonal software and programs for Nokia handsets.

So, is the Nokia N97 the true "iPhone killer"?

Too early to tell, but the unit we got at the MB Techlab is killing us...and we're loving it!

(June 22, Technews Manila Bulletin, By Badong)

This one's no Betty La Fea

HTC Magic a.k.a Google Phone 2

HTC Magic, or the Google Phone 2, is the much awaited upgrade of HTC's G1, the first smartphone that runs on Android software.

I called the G1 -- popularly known as the Google Phone -- the Betty La Fea of the mobile industry because like the protagonist of the TV show, the G1 is full of substance but suffers much on its looks.

Now here comes HTC Magic, or the Google Phone 2. It's everything the G1 has but less the boxy design and boring looks. HTC has removed the flip-out keyboard in the Magic, which means no more clunking sound everytime you use the keyboard. And also because of the absence of the keyboard, Magic is now slimmer, more sleek and sexy compared to the G1.

Setting up the Magic is similar to the G1, all you need is a SIM card and a Google account. Since the Magic is not yet officially launched in the Philippines, you need to manually input the APN of your provider whichs is "internet.globe.com.ph" for Globe and "internet" for Smart. From there, all you need to do is follow the onscreen prompts.

As expected because the phone runs on Google's Android, integration with its core application is perfect. Gmail, Calendar, Maps and Talk runs smoothly using the Magic. There is also a dedicated YouTube button for quick searching and viewing of YouTube clips.

Heard from the grapevine that by year’s end, there will be at least 18 phones on the market worldwide based on the Android operating system.

At present, there are at least two Android-centric phones — T-Mobile’s G1 and the "Magic" made by HTC and available in Europe -- but which we have right now in the MB Techlab.

The ramp-up of Android phones intensifies a battle among some of the world’s biggest software companies to create the operating system for the world’s phones. Android goes up against a coming-soon new version of Microsoft’s mobile version of Windows, Apple’s proprietary iPhone system, the Blackberry platform, a new Palm OS for its Pre called WebOS, Symbian and a host of Linux-based systems.

(Published June 5, 2009 in the Technews Section of the Manila Bulletin)

New Goodies from Nokia

Nokia N86


The N86 is Nokia's first 8-megapixel camera phone. It features a wide-angle Carl Zeiss Tessar lens for panoramic pictures, shorter latencies and variable aperture for photos in challenging bright and low light conditions. It also features a fast mechanical shutter that ensures pictures with less motion blur and the dual LED camera flash photography and video capture. Nokia said that the aperture of the N86 8MP is comparable to that of a high-quality, stand-alone digital camera. It is the first mobile device with variable aperture.

The device also offers a bright OLED screen with scratch resistant hardened glass, easy photo management, full sync capability with a PC and TV-out support for slide shows.


NOkia 6710 Navigator


The navigation solution provided by the Nokia 6710 Navigator provides the functions of a dedicated GPS device with all the benefits of a mobile device. The solution includes the latest developments in the Maps software with real time 'drive and walk' navigation, full regional maps and hardware elements like the dedicated navigator key, touch area for easy zooming and a display optimized for outdoor viewing.

The recent integration of Maps with Ovi allows people to pre-plan their journey at home on their PC and synchronize with their mobile device. Additionally, Maps has been updated to include a number of new features such as high-resolution aerial images, 3D landmarks for over 200 cities, terrain maps, weather service, premium travel and events content and traffic and safety warnings. Included in the box is the Nokia CR-111 car holder, which cradles the Nokia 6710 Navigator.


Nokia 6720 Classic



The Nokia 6720 classic offers an improved design with a slightly curved shape, providing a pleasant feel with a soft touch surface. When holding the devices to take photos with the 5 megapixel camera, standard with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash, the new shape makes it easier to hold.

It has an active noise cancellation feature which would significantly improve the quality of voice by cutting down on external ambient sounds. It has up to 20 days of standby time, high speed uplink and downlink Internet access and a TV-out connection for sharing images and video.


Nokia E75 and E55


E75

The Nokia E75 and Nokia E55, are the first Nokia device with new email user interface. Both devices also come standard with Nokia Messaging that, when added to the company's corporate email clients, gives people the solution for accessing the world's consumer and corporate email on the go.


E55

With the E75 and E55 devices, people will no longer need to boot up a PC to get a full desktop email experience. The enhanced email UI includes folder and HTML email support, expandable views and sorting capability by date, sender and size, as well as the most commonly used email functions. On top of email, the devices also offer calendar capability, as well as contacts and task management.


Speakerphone HF-310


Nokia Speakerphone HF-310, is a hands free with echo cancellation and noise reduction speakerphone. It is easy to use in the car or office and can be installed easily with three different fixings.

A netbook that is NOT

The Vaio P would be available on February 18 in the local market. My source abroad is sending me one on Saturday :).


Sony Philippines announced yesterday the availability of the Sony Vaio P in the local market. First launched in Las Vegas during the CES this month, the Vaio P is the world's lightest notebook to date at 1.4 pounds for the SSD model and 1.5 pounds for the HDD model.

(note for the untechies: SSD or solid state drive has no moving parts unlike the HDD or hard disk drive that has spinning platters. SSD is based on flash memory smilar to a camera memory card or a USB thumbdrive. SSD is faster, consumes lesser power and weighs less compared to the HDD. One of the major advantages of SSD is that it won't crash even if you drop it. One letdown however is that it costs much much more than the traditional HDD)

The widescreen 8-inch 1600x768 display looks really nice and the tiny keyboard with isolated keys makes it one of the best looking mini-notebooks available.

I however disagree with Mr. Toshiya Kagita, Sony Philippines president and managing director when he said during our converstaion that it would be more convenient if it has a some sort of a touch pad instead of a pointing stick. He said that in place of a pointing stick a touch pad small enough like the touch pad of the Sony Ericsson X1 could be more useful, he then showed me his X1. I think he was giving me a hint of what the next version of the Sony Vaio P would be. I told him that I am more at ease with using the pointing stick because it gives me more control and precision. I was of course careful not to mention that I got used to using the pointing stick because I have a ThinkPad at home.

Mr. Kagita also stressed that the Vaio P is not a netbook but a full pledged notebook with features that could best even the bigger laptops. Mr. Kagita said that Netbook is a step lower than the laptop which the Vaio P is not.

My issues with the Vaio P

1) The P49,000.00 HDD model uses the Atom Z520 processor. A much smaller processor compared to the Atom N270 used by netbooks from other companies. Although the Z520 is 20% cooler compared to N270, it is also 20% slower. Did Sony sacrifice battery life for speed with this model?

2) The P69,000.00 SSD model is a bit pricey even for an 8-inch mini notebook with really beautiful finish. The HP Mini 1000 with a newer processor and the same speed costs only about P20,000.00. The SSD model uses the Intel Atom Z530 processor.

3) The Atom Intel Z series was not designed for notebooks. It was originally for Mobile Internet Device or MID. MIDs are positioned between a smartphone and a netbook. So why use a processor for the Vaio P which is one step above the netbook?