Whichever smartphone you're currently rocking or aspiring to, the chances are that there will be a certain amount of extra hardware that you'll find helps you get through the day, enhancing what the phone does and helping it do it for longer. Here, in a somewhat personal, though fairly cross-platform selection, I pick my top dozen smartphone accessories. Don't sneer at the back, I bet you get grabbed by a few of these too....
I've commented before at length (and quoted below) on the pros and cons of having sealed batteries in our smartphones, i.e. batteries which can only be removed or changed at your manufacturer's designated service centre. My stated bullet points are all very well, but I've now had direct experience in the last month that strongly leads me to declare having a sealed battery as a showstopper, for me personally, at least. Below is my tale of woe and a handy table of which smartphones are vulnerable to potential disaster in this way.
A few weeks ago, pre-iPhone 5 availability, I put up a detailed comparison of the flagships from the main four mobile operating systems, based partly on specifications and partly on experience. The iPhone 5 was the former, obviously, but now that I've had a full week of day to day use with the Apple iPhone 5 and with my trusty Nokia 808 by my side as well, now running Belle FP2 officially, I thought a more detailed comparison, with real world observations, might be appropriate. And yes, my informal scoring system tries its best to pick a winner...!
This is going to sound somewhat trivial, but I was struck today by the reality of NFC (Near Field Communications - what do you mean, you haven't read my NFC primer?) antenna position and how many manufacturers are missing a trick. Nokia got it right for the C7/701 and 700 but got it wrong (in my opinion) for the 808 PureView, while almost every single Android phone maker hasn't even considered the issue.
Now, there's an element of guesswork in what follows, but I did want to address the issue of camera phone design, specifically the use of PureView 'phase 2' for the new Nokia Lumia 920, using Optical Image Stabilisation, large F2.0 lens and faster, brighter LED flash instead of simply using a proper 'Xenon' flash. Using back of envelope-style calculations, I try to draw some conclusions, though one thought keeps popping up in my head: if I was heading to a party or down the pub, I think I'd get better snaps from my 2007 Nokia N82 than the (late) 2012 Nokia Lumia 920. Controversial, me?
Yes, yes, I just used the 'C' word to describe the Nokia E6... In the latest in my 'pimping' series, here's how to get the very most from Nokia's only qwerty candybar of the modern Symbian generation, the quirky but rather unique Nokia E6. From full-screen browser to homescreen widgets to fonts and applications, now that it's running 'Belle Refresh', here's my summary of making the most of the form factor....
Supersizing is the new trend in the mobile world. The adage of 'bigger is better' seems to be the guiding principle in this era of phone design. The Android market has seen larger and larger devices, resulting in the likes of the Dell Streak and Samsung Galaxy Note. Apple isn't immune either; with the release of its iPhone 5, we see the familiar iPhone 4 design stretched to accommodate a four inch screen. The current crop of Windows Phone 8 announcements have all been four inch or greater displays too. Isn't there a need for smaller devices too?
Battery technology underpins all of our mobile devices, yet we take it for granted. Matters are made worse for the curious souls who try to find out more because the information available online about Lithium Ion based batteries is vague at best. If you're curious about Lithium Ion batteries and the difference between them and Lithium Polymer, here's our guide on how they work and how they differ.
OK, there's a slight element of interpolation in this head to head in that one of the devices (the Lumia 920) isn't publicly available yet, but the press has had hands-on time, at least. In any case, with the iPhone 5 now available across the world, it's the perfect time to produce a full head-to-head, trying to assess areas of each smartphone, with one flagship from each of the four major mobile operating systems, which win out.
Looking at the Nokia 808 PureView in my hand and writing up a big multi-platform comparison piece for next week, it struck me that the look and dimensions (camera hump aside) of the 808 and iPhone 5's hardware aren't that far apart, in comparison to the jump to the 4.8"-screened Android flagships. In this feature, I look at what the 808 and iPhone 5 have in common, provide an honest appraisal of how they differ and explain why, against conventional High Street wisdom, I'd pick the 808 over the iPhone 5 even if prices were identical (they're not - the Apple phone is quite a bit more expensive)....
