Recent News Headlines - Editorial Thoughts
And that's why you back up your data
There's a saying that gamblers will trust everybody, but they still cut the cards. No matter what the other side says, you should never rely on them. As the mobile world is moving towards a “cloud computing” solution for storage and access, the problems of Microsoft and the Danger/Sidekick product are a salient warning to back up your data or risk it being lost forever through no fault of your own.
The Top 5 Phones that aren't actually IN the Top 5
Regular viewers of The Phones Show will know that I periodically run down my 'Top 5' phones in the world. Astute viewers will also have spotted that I haven't done one for a while. The problem is, as indicated by the headline above, that I'm having problems recommending a single phone or smartphone, let alone five of them. Things were simpler a year or so ago, I'd simply pick the Nokia N95 (or one of its cousins, the N95 8GB or N82) and that'd be the number 1 spot sorted. The phone world has moved on though, with greater variety, greater complexity and, yes, greater disappointments. Read on... [updated with extra comments]
How is Nokia's Ovi Store doing? I mean really doing?
It's been some time now since launch, so how well is the Ovi Store doing for Nokia? Is it providing enough applications for end users and a good user experience? Are developers knocking down the web-doors to get listed in the store? Or is it all being hushed up because it's not gaining any mind share at all? I wonder aloud what's going on...
Communicator head to head: The Nokia 9300i, E90, E75 and N97
The single biggest form factor for true smartphones in Western Europe in the last five years has arguably been that of the 'Communicator', a term coined by Nokia for its 9000 series, initially running on GeOS and then on Symbian OS 6 and (later) Symbian OS 7 with the likes of the 9500 and (here) the 9300i. Then came the oddball E90 and a slightly more mainstream E75, while Nokia's Nseries picked up some similar action in the shape of the N97. But how do they compare, head to head? Is there a true modern day successor to the Psions and Nokia 9210s of old?
Making sure the sum of the parts does deliver value
And now, a look at two extremes of the modern web and the services that we all use. There are big companies we like, there are small companies we adore. But what can the megacorps lea rn from the internet start-ups? One for me to discuss in more detail, bringing in examples from the likes of Spotify, Last.FM, Dopplr, Ovi, Palm and Twango.
When will "unlimited" data be unlimited?
In theory, the best deal around in the UK for a mobile phone contract is currently being offered by the mobile virtual network run by supermarket chain Tesco – for a flat monthly fee of £30 the advertising offers you “unlimited” calls, text and data. That's an attractive package, especially for those of us on a budget. It might have a lot of small print, but unlimited is where the industry should be heading. Let me explain...
Google Maps and Ovi Maps to solve the same problem
Yesterday's heads up from Google about a local search update left us scratching our heads. It was a redesign of the layout, as well as adding some category support, but fundamentally it was a tweak to the existing local search that's available in any city around the world by punching in http://www.google.com/m/local into your phone's web browser. Still, it got the blogs writing about the product again... read on for my thoughts!
Analyst sees Symbian shipments reaching 180m by 2014
Juniper Research, a telecoms analyst firm, recently released a report on Mobile Open Source Operating Systems, which predicts open source platforms will remain predominant and that, by 2014, Symbian handset shipments will increase from 87 million to 180 million per year, with Android and Limo adding 40m/year extra and taking the open source total to 220 million/year. Such analyst reports are educated guesses, but it does provide an antithesis to the 'Symbian is doomed' line that was popular, in some quarters, earlier this summer and a good jumping off place for some further platform thoughts. Read on for more.
Nokia 5730 XpressMusic - part 1 - The Hardware
The consumer-focussed sister phone to the successful Nokia E75 has now appeared and I've been exploring what's different, what's good and what's bad. Is the 5730 really a case of 'fashion over functionality'? Or is it one of the most feature packed, and yet relatively cheap smartphones in the world? There are several surprises here, some good and some bad, but overall I came away impressed.
AAS Insight 88 - Nokia 5730, Ovi Developer Day, Vodafone 360
In All About Symbian Insight 88 (AAS Podcast 150), Rafe and Steve talk about the release dates for some upcoming devices and preview the Nokia 5730. Rafe reports back from the Ovi Developer Day and Steve shares news of the latest Nokia 5800 firmware and upcoming firmware for the N86. There's also discussion about the Ovi Store and Vodafone 360. You can listen to AAS Insight 88 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
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