I Want That Phone

Nokia are a Finnish communications corporation, and most notably, a mobile phone manufacturer. In recent years, they have developed and released smartphones, rivalling those being made by the likes of Apple and Blackberry. They have since become the biggest mobile phone manufacturer in the world, with Samsung and LG languishing some distance behind in 2nd and 3rd. Nokia’s global market share in the mobile phone market is some 33% and they offer a variety of Internet services alongside their devices, such as applications, games, music, maps, media, and messaging – all through their Ovi platform. One of their important releases in the smartphone market was the Nokia N97 smartphone, which is a touchscreen ‘mobile computer’ in the N Series. The device itself has a fold out QWERTY keyboard, and has since paved the way for many similar designed handsets. Announced on 2 December 2008, the N97 became extremely popular, and in September 2009 it was being reported that two million N97’s had been sold in the three months following its release. Shipping with versions of Quick Office, Adobe Reader, Boingo, and JoikuSpot Premium, the N97 was hugely innovative for a smartphone, and at one stage it was going head to head with the iPhone for the year’s greatest smartphone release. Nokia developed the N97 further in 2009, and announced the release of the N97 Mini, a downsized version of its predecessor, with 8GB of storage memory, just a 3.2 inch touchscreen, and the removal of the FM transmitter. Despite the obvious physical changes, previous owners of the N97 commented on the new ‘mini’ version favorably, and the phone also sold well. As well losing some features, the N97 Mini was also an enhanced version of N97 in several key areas, such as a bigger internal phone memory, and an improved keyboard – it also uses the 2.0 Nokia N97 software by default.

First we had 1G, the early analogue mobile phones with their quaint little retractable aerials and non-existent security levels that allowed anybody with a radio receiver of the appropriate frequency to tune into your phone call. You had to be careful what you said when you were talking on a 1G phone. Next there came 2G, the first digital networks. These brought better communications. At last we had phones that did not drop out every few minutes as we moved from one cell to another and although under certain circumstances it was possible to eves drop on conversations, to do so required equipment of such sophistication that only clandestine government eves dropping organisations such as GCHQ at Cheltenham were able to do so. As data communications became at least as or even more important than voice communications, 3G or GSM networks became available. These permitted mobile data transfer to be carried out at rates of before could only be dreamed of. With 3G permanent mobile connection to the internet became possible as providers began to charge for the amount of data downloaded rather than by connection time. Now the wheel of progress has processed yet another revolution, and we are on the verge of 4G, the fourth mobile phone network generation. 4G will bring far faster data transfer rates, and even early implementation of the technology will develop download speeds of thirty or so times faster than 3G. Obviously this will deliver a much improved internet experience. It will also allow efficient voice chat and video conferencing with high quality images and other forms of live streaming, for instance HDTV. The system is IP based, which means that it is packet switched. Interestingly the cost models suggest that it will be significantly cheaper than 3G as there will be a much greater bandwidth. It is also anticipated that global roaming will be facilitated whilst maintaining an affordable cost structure. Already there are a number of 4G phones coming on the market and many phone manufactures have others in the process of development.

“There’s just something about a man who’s good with computers that makes him more trustworthy,” said Amanda, a 23 year-old primary school teacher from York. “If he’s got the cash for an iPhone then he must be very good at his job, too.”

That’s good news for technology geeks as according to a recent poll by Phones4u, men with iPhones are luckiest in love. 54% of women stated that they would be more likely to date a man if he owns a smart phone, as according to one respondent, “if he knows his way around an iPhone then he’s obviously intelligent and well-off.”

Single Lucy from London agrees with Amanda saying “Obviously it depends on the person, but for me knowing how to work an iPhone is the sign of an independent and hard-working man. It can’t hurt if he’s good looking too!” she then goes on to say “Where I work we meet a lot of people who are on the road all the time. Whenever I see a guy I fancy who’s playing on an iPhone I always ask him what apps he’s got, and if there’s any he’d recommend. It’s a fun and easy way to get talking.”

Current UK sales of the iPhone are estimated at around the two million mark; with a hefty share of the market within the males’ 20-40 demographic. There are many apps available such as Lovestruck London, in which young professional subscribers can seek each other out by giving details such as where they eat at lunch, in order to get together for a drink between meetings.

As smart phones continue to surge in popularity, it’s worth bearing in mind that a different poll found that some men who buy the iPhone tend to have less disposable incomes. Hopefully that won’t put the ladies off. Though of course there are many other reasons why self proclaimed geeks get a look in these days include better grooming, good sense of humour and ease of communication with others.

The X10 is Sony Ericsson’s first Android phone, to give it it’s full moniker, it’s the Xperia X10. This elusive phone has generated substantial buzz online and has only just been released (January 18th).

The screen is 480×854 pixels and online stores are listing this as a 4″ screen. It has an 8.1-megapixel camera with auto focus, face recognition, flash, smile-detection and video recording with video light. You can put in a microSD card, which come in a maximum of 16GB at the moment. Though it includes a 8GB card when you purchase it. Networks supported are – GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, UMTS/HSPA 900/1700/2100. It has a GPS, Bluetooth A2DP, Google Maps and WiFi, and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. While the Snapdragon does seem to eat up the battery life it provides the interface with smooth action, allowing such features as ‘Google Maps’ to be rendered quickly and accurately. A lead feature of the Sony Ericsson X10 is Timescape which aggregates all of your communications on the phone, whether they be Tweets by your favorite celebrity, missed and placed calls, received text messages, or Facebook status updates.

It puts these altogether in one big digestible lump, letting you see where you have spent your time and, in theory, which relationships need cultivating. With communication ever expanding in it’s forms this maybe the future in keeping track of who you talk to and when. Mediascape is another feature and does the same for the media on your phone, presenting what you have available locally or online, and making track suggestions on the basis of the song you’re listening to or stuff it has discovered your friends like via their communications with you. Currently the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is on sale for the recommended retail price of £529.99 (unlocked) and is not being sold in conjunction with any specific network.

One thing I’ve always said is that competition really does benefit the average person because as new phones continue to flood the market with greater and greater design and functionality, it means most mobile phone companies realise they must continue to develop these great handsets in order to compete for our business.

Samsung is considered one of the great mobile phone makers today. Whilst they may not be producing many Android system phones, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. Samsung mobile phones are truly elegant solutions offering much more functionality than even a year ago. Being able to have your facebook and twitter contacts not only makes life on the go more interesting but also adds to the ever evolving technological landscape that is affecting everyones lives.

The Samsung M8910 Pixon12 has some fantastic features that are truly mindblowing. How about a 12 megapixel camera for starters? I mean, that’s some seriously impressive technology for even the professional user. There’s a 28mm lens which includes auto-focus, a xenon flash which even the iPhone doesn’t have, and even includes face detection. There’s even a second camera that makes video calling a breeze.

The Samsung Tocco Ultra Edition phone is another great phone with an 8 megapixel camera that takes such good photos that I fear for camera manufacturers. It has an AMOLED touchscreen, allows you to hide widgets leaving the phone desktop to be uncluttered despite all the great functionality of the phone. The one drawback I would say is it lacks any wi-fi connectivity but other than that, Samsung mobile phones are surely some of the best in the world.

Android technology is an up and coming technology for mobile phones that is in the running to truly compete against the iPhone. I don’t like always comparing to the iPhone but you have to admit, despite certain shortcomings such as a less than powerful camera or being limited to apps only available through the iTunes app store, Apple’s 3G and 3Gs is pretty hard to beat.

However, HTC is certainly not afraid of a good fight. HTC are now producing some very elegant phones, such as the HTC Hero, using the Google Android operating system and one thing that’s nice about the apps available in the Android market is there are a wider range of possible developers which I think will ultimately lead to being a more attractive phone than the Apple OS.

These Android phones are truly like miniature pocket computers. The interface whilst accessing the internet, as well as other functions and features are seriously giving the iPhone a run for their money. The Smartphone by HTC has a very large touchscreen display with up to 65 million colours. It only weighs in at 135 grams and feels like it’s built solidly, unlike the new iPhone that feels like it’s make of cheap plastic.

Other features of the HTC Hero include 3G HSDPA, HSCSD, Wi-Fi®, wireless Bluetooth® connection, cabled USB connection, GPRS and EDGE technology. It is a Quad band Phone works on GSM technology and covers GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 amp; GSM 1900 network with HSDPA 900/2100.

Despite the fierce competition in the mobile phone world, as well as many companies feeling the sharp effects of the global recession, HTC is giving mobile phone lovers around the world something to feel optimistic about. They seem to have fully embraced the idea of creating elegant and cool mobile phones using Google’s Android system. As a matter of fact, at the moment they are probably the leader in producing Android phones. Someone had to step up to the plate and drive this technology even further.

Before the Taiwanese company HTC, it was T Mobile who first showed up on the scene with the Google G1 phone, the world’s first ever Android mobile phone. Before HTC started producing Adroid phones however, their earlier TouchFLO which ran on the Windows system lead to mixed reviews from the tech community. Everyone still seems smitten by Apple’s smooth touch screen interface.

However, once HTC decided to embrace the Android technology, they have been producing some serious contenders in the mobile phone arena. One of their most recent releases is the HTC Hero. Whilst still not the quot;perfectquot; phone, if that even exists, it’s about leading and innovative design and function that is so exciting.

Whilst 2009 is coming to an end, Android run handsets are a sign of what’s to come and I believe in 2010 we’ll really start to see more companies adopting the Android system and this is good news for all mobile lovers.

Most people these days not only own a mobile phone, but usually we can’t resist and end up purchasing additional items such as mobile phone accessories. Phone holders for example are a great way to keep that phone lasting longer than ever, especially when you think that most people have 18 to 24 month contracts.

Now businesses have caught onto the fact that the prevalence of these relatively cheaply made items could be a good, and cost effective way, to promote their company. For example, charm type items that can easily be attached to your phone can be an excellent way for a company to promote themselves. The Unicleaner is a good example which can be attached to mobiles or keyrings and conveniently have the company logo printed on one side. Give these cheap products away and spread the image of your company.

How about a keyring that acts as a SIM card backup? Your logo on one side and people can use these handy devices to backup info from their phone, similar to a usb memory stick, only not nearly as powerful.

Another cute example would be the mobile phone sock called the Sockie. It makes it easy to carry handset in a sock like bag but can also promote your company logo. This is perfect for giving to employees or handing out for free to those in a shopping mall or similar place where lots of young people hang out.

Android phones are becoming more and more popular as each day passes and for once we can say there are phones and operating systems that can finally compete against the fantastic Apple iPhones. Whilst many argue the Android phones aren’t quite there yet, others are suggesting that it’s only a matter of time before Android phones become even more popular than the iPhone.

A couple of examples would be the T Mobile G1 and the MyTouch 3G.

The G1 has been recognised as the first phone to use Google’s Android OS. However, perhaps the hype has fallen a little short as it’s been said that those who bought the phone were a bit disappointed. However, having said that, perhaps we shouldn’t judge too soon as the Android platform is still in its infancy.

What’s nice about the MyTouch 3G is that it has a much better camera phone than the iPhone. Although most people accept the fact that Apple needs to improve this aspect of their phone, the MyTouch has a better camera with 5 megapixels. The T Mobile MyTouch is powered by the Android Cupcake and supposedly has improved on its internal memory of up to 192MB.

What’s nice about the Android system is that apps, similar in nature to the iPhone app store, are being developed and over time there should be just as many, if not more, apps available to those who own a phone on the Android system, which is great news.

Prior to the recent advent of 3G phones of course was 2G mobile technology. As you would expect 3G technology is more advanced and powerful than 2G, especially when it comes to accessing the internet. It’s able to connect better via wi-fi with speeds up to 144 kbps making it a lot faster than 2G phones. Now handset owners that have 3G technology have more freedom and less hindrances than before.

The word is that as this technology develops 3D games are on the horizon. These types of games couldn’t be played on 2G phones. 3G is being embraced by the major mobile phone players such as Sony Ericsson, Apple, Blackberry, Nokia, and LG. Essentially it means faster connectivity with the internet and wireless ability download and transer data at much faster speeds.

If you like videos or move trailers, you’ll have a much more seemless experience instead of the choppy viewing in the phone generations before. Once again, 3G will surely improve over time as manufacturers continue to strive to implement new features as the public seem to eat up all these new great functions. So, if accessing the internet either for fun or for work is important to you, then you’ll be very happy to see not only a great technology in 3G but also so many manufacturers implementing it into their new handsets.

What will come next? Well, we’ll have to wait and see in 2010 but with the advent of the Android OS and 3G, who needs an Apple iPhone?