SMARTPHONES
This is a quick overview some of the hottest mobile phones on thw market. A new are in the final stages of development or release, but close enough to golden to merit a good look or two.
Apple’s iPhone 4
The obvious leader in the category of phones especially with the announcement Verizon’s offering is Apple’s iPhone 4. Three factors that make the iPhone a lock are the App Store and IOS, the last is the large and robust creative developer community.
Windows 7 Phone
The Windows 7 Phones have just arrived in the US and only now coming on sale. There are a few different versions of the phone to choose from, all hoping to compete with Apple iPhones and the great many Android devices. Three questions we hope to answer once we get our hands on one are, if the OS is good enough? Will developer’s jump on board? Will buyer’s in the market adopt them as viable choices? First up is the Dell Venue Pro looks good (read below).
Dell Venue Pro
At this early point I am just a bit hesitant to give an unqualified thumbs up to a this or any Windows phone having painfully attempted to live with an earlier HP version Windows phone for well over 3 or 4 years now. Mainlt this is because times have changed and in the age of iPhones and Android devices many contenders have fallen behind the innovation curve where it will take Herculean efforts to recover, but Dell seems to have had no choice but to stepp up to the plate and get in the game with a cool device that at first glance is at least worthy of close consideration. As of this writing I am not sure which carriers will jump on board other than T-Mobile, but the fact that I could drop in a 32GB MicroSD card in excites me just a bit. Also included in the T-Mobile package one will find a Dell Phone, battery, T-Mobile SIM card, USB charger and cable, stereo headset with microphone, and a brochures and guides. My outstanding questions exist around applications and development. How well this Windows phone will compete with iOS and Android is yet to be seen but at first glance the Dell phone looks pretty good. They have a “live tile” interface that is interesting, but different. The Phone comes with Slacker Radio an online radio service.
Motorola Droid X
The first Droid was a substantial offering for both Motorola as the manufacturer, and Verizon as the carrier. It was clear proof that the Android platform could compete in the high-end of the smartphone arena. Droid was Verizon’s first Android device and by all accounts it was a hands-down success bringing big profits and new market opportunities all around.
Motorola, somewhat flagged since the days of the Razr and now again is a competitive phone manufacturer. They are going to have to once again produce a big hit for Verizon, who in the meantime has jumped ship and joined AT&T in the iPhone 4 business.
The Droid X Features a 4.3-inch WVGA display, 8 megapixel camera with 720p video capture, a reworked user interface, and a significantly improved processor, this new phone will immediately steal the spotlight from most else in Verizon’s lineup excepting the iPhone 4.
Nokia C7 and N8
Finnish manufacturer Nokia known for delivering good phones comes to market with two new phones. The C7 and N8 are both Symbian devices. C7 is a bit skimpier in accessories. Unlike the N8 there’s no HDMI output, but C7 does support “USB On The Go”.
The C7 feels sturdy and substantial. It sports a 3.5-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen. Runs at 640 x 360 resolution and comes loaded with Nokia’s suite of apps – Ovi Maps, shortcut to the Ovi Store, video editing software and 3 homescreens to customize, each with up to six widgets.
In addition there’s a 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and dual-LED flash; it records 720p HD 25fps video clips. C7 also brings WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, there’s quadband GSM/EDGE and five-band WCDMA, making the handset suitable for both AT&T and T-Mobile. All-in-all the C7 offers the best of the N8 at considerable savings.
TMobile myTouch
The new TMobile myTouch phone operates on the Android 2.2 platform and comes in 4 colors, white, black, red, and plum with a roster of impressive video features including:
▪ Android 2.2. (Froyo)
▪ front facing camera
▪ 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8255 CPU,
▪ 5 megapixel camera
▪ 3.8? display
▪ video chat available over 3G networks not just Wi-Fi
▪ HSPA+
▪ HD Camcorder
▪ pre-installed 8GB microSD card
One feature that immediately impresses is video chat available over 3G networks and not just Wi-Fi. The myTouch will also have integration with your address book to allow you to see which one of your online contacts has video chat capability. Having the feature built in removes the need to download an app that can handle this for you (Tango is a good example). In addition, limited research has revealed that this will be the second phone in TMobile’s arsenal (Nokia E73 was the first) that has a front facing camera.
The inclusion of the HSPA+ network will allow users to take full advantage of unheard of speed of browsing on a mobile phone. TMobile has recently expanded to over 65 markets with HSPA+ and expects to reach over 100 markets by the end of 2010. myTouch also includes three exclusive myTouch features: Genius Button, powered by Dragon Dictation from Nuance, which lets customers call, text, e-mail or access the internet with a simple voice command; Faves Gallery which offers shortcuts to one’s most-contacted family and friends; and myModes which creates customized home screens for work and home.