The good: The iPhone 3GS finally adds common cell phone features like multimedia messaging, video recording, and voice dialing. It runs faster; its promised battery life is longer; and the multimedia quality continues to shine.

The bad: The iPhone 3GS’ call quality shows no improvements and the [...]]]>

The good: The iPhone 3GS finally adds common cell phone features like multimedia messaging, video recording, and voice dialing. It runs faster; its promised battery life is longer; and the multimedia quality continues to shine.

The bad: The iPhone 3GS’ call quality shows no improvements and the 3G signal reception remains uneven. We still don’t get Flash Lite, USB transfer and storage, or multitasking.

The bottom line: The iPhone 3GS doesn’t make the same grand leap that the iPhone 3G made from the first-generation model, but the latest Apple handset is still a compelling upgrade for some users. The iPhone 3GS is faster and we appreciate the new features and extended battery life, but call quality and 3G reception still need improvement.

Three years after the first rumors of an Apple cell phone began to make the rounds, the iPhone continues to garner huge buzz, long lines, and a growing share of the cell phone market. And as we approach the second anniversary of the first model’s frenzied launch day, Apple drops the newest model in our laps. The iPhone 3GS, which will hit stores June 19, promises faster processing and network speeds, extended battery life, more memory, and additional features. It’s enough to get our attention, but not enough to get us completely excited.

In many ways, the iPhone 3GS delivers on its promises. The battery, which could sometimes deplete in less than a day on the iPhone 3G, lasted longer in our preliminary tests, and the phone’s software ran noticeably faster. Yet, we still have some concerns. A faster AT&T 3G network isn’t going to happen overnight, and some features, like tethering and multimedia messaging, aren’t scheduled until later in summer 2009. We also struggled to see any change in call quality, which, as any iPhone owner can tell you, remains far from perfect.

So should you buy it? That will depend on how much you’ll have to pay for the privilege. If you don’t own an iPhone yet, and you’ve been waiting for the right model, now is the time to go for it. The same goes for iPhone Classic owners who never made the jump to the iPhone 3G.

But, if you’re a current iPhone 3G owner, the answer isn’t so clear. If you’re eligible to upgrade at the cheapest prices ($199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model), we suggest doing so, as long as you don’t mind the required two-year contract. If you own an iPhone 3G, but are not yet eligible for the upgrade, we recommend upgrading to the new iPhone OS 3.0 operating system, and then waiting. As much as the iPhone 3GS brings, it’s not worth the extra $200 that the 16GB and 32GB models cost.

Design and interface
The iPhone 3GS looks exactly like the previous model. It shares the shape and the same external controls, but the iPhone 3GS is unique in a handful of ways. You can get both memory sizes in white or black, and the iPhone 3GS display sports a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating that is supposed to attract fewer fingerprints and smudges. The new model shares the same dimensions as its predecessor, but it’s slightly heavier (4.76 ounces versus 4.7 ounces), a virtually unnoticeable difference.

The menu interface is also the same, but in the past year, as we’ve added apps to the Home screen, something new has begun to bother us. As intuitive and simple as the interface is, it becomes unwieldy after you get above four menu pages. Swiping through multiple pages is tedious; and it’s rather painful to drag applications from page to page if you’re an organizational freak. We hate that there’s no way to categorize related apps into folders, such as one for news, another for social networking, and so on. Not only would this cut down on menu pages, but you’d also be able to find your app faster. And while we’re at it, how about letting us delete some of the native apps we never use?

Features
Since the iPhone 3GS inherits many of the features from the previous model, we’ll concentrate on what’s different on this device. If you need a refresher on such elements as the clock, YouTube, weather, iPod player, calculator, and e-mail, please see our iPhone 3G review. We’ll start off with the new features that only the iPhone 3GS will offer.

Camera
Until now, the iPhone’s camera has been good, but far from great, with decent photo quality, but no editing features. Apple didn’t include options such as white balance, a digital zoom, or a self-timer that come standard on many basic VGA camera phones. The minimalist shooter bothered us so much that we began to worry if Apple was leading a new trend of “dumbing down” cell phone cameras.

The iPhone 3GS puts some of those fears to rest. Apple boosted the camera’s resolution to 3 megapixels and added a new “Tap to Focus” feature. As you point the lens toward your subject, a small box appears on the center of the display. Tapping that square focuses the camera automatically on that point and adjusts the white balance, color, contrast, and exposure accordingly. If you’d rather focus on the edge of your shot, just tap the display at your chosen point and the square moves with you. If you don’t tap anywhere, the camera will focus the entire frame.

Tap to Focus performs well. For example, if we photographed a book cover sitting on a desk, we were able to get a clear reading on the book’s title. If we shifted the focus away from the book, the title became somewhat blurry. Alternatively, if we focused on the brightest part of an image, the entire picture would appear brighter. But if we focused on the darkest part of any image, the photo would darken accordingly. The iPhone still doesn’t come with a flash, though, so don’t expect miracles.

On the other hand, the new automatic macro setting didn’t appear to make much of a difference. Close-up shots looked slightly better on the iPhone 3GS than they did on the iPhone 3G, but we couldn’t tell when the macro focus was working and when it wasn’t. As with the autofocus feature, the macro setting is a welcome addition, but we’d prefer to have more control over it. In other words, the iPhone 3GS’ camera is smarter than those on the earlier iPhones, but the camera, rather than the user, still runs the show.

On the whole, the iPhone 3GS’ photo quality looks better than the 3G camera’s quality, but it depends on the shot. Outdoor shots and photos taken in natural light looked less blurry in our tests, with brighter colors. Photos taken during cloudy days were less likely to be blown out, and photos in low-light conditions looked brighter and had less of an orange tint. Indoor shots without natural light showed little change, however. The iPhone’s camera is not optimized for fluorescent light. For a full gallery of shots taken with the camera, see our iPhone 3GS camera slideshow.

Video recording
The iPhone 3GS is the first iPhone to offer video recording, another feature other phones have offered for years. Apple makes up for some lost time by offering an easy-to-use video-editing option right on the phone.

Controls for video shooting work just like the still camera’s controls, and you can use the Tap to Focus feature here, as well. The quality is just VGA, but the camera shoots at 30 frames per second, so while colors look muted and some videos appear washed out, the iPhone 3GS did better at handling movement than most cell phone cameras. After you’re done recording, you can send your clip in an e-mail or upload it directly to your YouTube account. We were able to upload to YouTube and send a video from our synced IMAP4 Exchange account, but when we tried to send a video from a synced Yahoo POP3 account, an error occurred. We’re checking with Apple on the discrepancy and will report back.

The phone’s video-editing tool is utterly intuitive and fun to use. After loading a previously shot video, you’ll see it displayed frame by frame in a linear format along the top of the touch screen. Using your finger, you can slide the cursor to any point in the video and start playing from there. If you care to edit, just touch either end of the border that surrounds your video. When the border turns yellow, you can shorten the clip by dragging either end toward your desired cutoff point (the image on the display will conveniently change as you move along). Once you’ve made your edits, just hit the “Trim” control.

We liked the video-editing feature a lot, but it’s worth noting a couple of small complaints. First off, when you trim a clip, the edited version replaces your original video, rather than saves it as a new file. Also, you can trim only in a linear format–meaning you can’t cut out something in the middle and stitch the remaining two ends of the video together.

We also like a new feature that allows you to quickly open a photo or video that you just shot. After taking your snap or video, a small thumbnail will appear on the bottom of the viewfinder next to the shutter control. Tapping that thumbnail takes you to the photo gallery page, from where you can view your work or send it on to a friend.
Voice Control
We’ve long berated Apple for not including voice dialing on previous iPhones, particularly in this age of hands-free driving laws. Overdue as it is, the new Voice Control feature goes far beyond just making calls. To activate it, hold down the home button until the Voice Control feature appears.

As with hundreds of other cell phones, Voice Control lets you make calls by speaking the contact’s name or phone number into the receiver. After you say your command, you’ll get audio confirmation and the name or number will show on the display. If the iPhone makes a mistake, you can press an “undo” touch control at the bottom of the screen. The feature is speaker-independent, so you won’t need to train it to recognize your voice; you’ll be ready to go the first time you turn on the phone.

In our tests, the voice dialing performed well. When using names, it understood us accurately most of the time. It made occasional mistakes–for example, it wanted to call “Siemens” instead of “Stephen”–but that’s hardly unusual for a voice dialer. Voice Control performed better when using only numbers. We didn’t have to speak loudly, except in noisy environments, but it was capable of filtering out most background noise.

If you call a contact with multiple numbers, but don’t specify which number you prefer, it will prompt you with “home,” “work,” etc. If you ask for a name that has multiple listings in your phone book (we know multiple people named Tim, for instance), it will prompt you for your choice, while showing the options on the screen. Alternatively, you can call a contact using his or her company’s name, but that company must be in the contact’s electronic business card.

Voice Control also interacts with the iPhone’s iPod player and the iTunes Genius list. You can ask it to play a song by artist name and album, and you can request an entire playlist. Once music is playing, you can pause, skip to the next song, and go back to the previous track, using your voice. Say “shuffle” and the player skips to a random song. The feature was accurate most of the time, but it occasionally confused some artist names.

Unsure which song is playing? You can find out by asking, “What song is this?” You’ll then get audio confirmation of the track name and artist. Like what you’re hearing? Say, “Play more songs like this,” and the player will use your iTunes Genius list to play a related song. In either case, the music will dim while you speak. They’re nifty features, to be sure, and we can’t think of another MP3 player or cell phone that offers such capability.

On the other hand, we can’t imagine that many people would use it outside of a car. And the iPod Voice Control isn’t perfect. It read Pink’s name as “P N K” in our tests (Pink spells her name as “P!nk” on her album covers), and it twice tried to call “Annette” when we asked what song was playing. Also, we’re not sure how Gwen Stefani would feel about being related to Britney Spears in the Genius list, but there you have it.

Compass
You’ll find the iPhone 3GS’ digital compass option directly on the Home screen; just tap to open. The attractive interface shows a large compass with your bearing and your latitude and longitude. Similar to any other compass, it continues to point true or magnetic north as you turn around. Reception was spotty inside, so you’ll need to stay clear of any interference. If it can’t get a bearing, you’ll be advised to move away from the interference and re-establish the compass’ orientation by moving the iPhone in a figure-eight motion.

The compass also interacts with Google Maps to point you in the right direction. To switch to the maps, just press the familiar bull’s-eye icon in the bottom-left corner. You’ll see your position on the map, and if you tap the bull’s-eye again, the map will rotate to show the direction you are facing. It’s a nice touch, and we like how the standard Google Maps view now shows the 3D outlines of buildings.

Accessibility features
The iPhone 3GS is the first iPhone to offer a full set of accessibility features. Visually impaired people can use Apple’s Voice Over to navigate the handset’s menus and type messages and e-mails. As you drag your finger around the display and tap a button, the iPhone will read a description of that button. The phone will also read the text of dialog boxes, the time of day, the status and orientation of the display (locked or unlocked, portrait or landscape), and detail information, such as the battery level, Wi-Fi, and cellular network signals. What’s more, it speaks each character as you type a message, and it will suggest autocorrection choices. Voice Over can read text messages, e-mails, and even Web pages.

To use Voice Over, you will need to learn a different set of gestures–for example, you’ll have to double-tap to open an item–but the feature provides audible instruction. You can set the speaking rate and choose from 21 supported languages. Voice Over works with all of the phone’s native applications, but support for third-party apps varies. Though we’re sighted and our Voice Over user experience can’t compare with someone who is visually impaired, we were impressed by the feature’s capabilities. The iPhone 3GS also adds multitouch zoom support for the Home, Unlock, and Spotlight screens for all applications, both native and third-party. Previously, zoom only worked in the photo gallery, e-mail in-boxes, and the Safari browser. You can activate the enhanced zoom in the Settings menu, but you can’t use it and Voice Over simultaneously.

You also can reverse the display’s contrast to white on black. Menus will show white text on a black background, while the Home screen will change to a white background. Just be aware that the contrast change alters the appearance of photos in the gallery so that they look like negatives. It has a similar effect for app icons on the Home screen.

What else is new?
The iPhone 3GS includes support for Nike + iPod, which integrates your iPod with a sensor that fits inside Nike running shoes. You use it as a pedometer to track your distance traveled and your pace. When you turn on the app in the settings menu, an icon will appear on the Home screen. The headphones included with the iPhone 3GS also show changes. You’ll find controls for using the Voice Control feature, adjusting the volume, answering calls, and controlling music and video playback.

iPhone OS 3.0
The iPhone 3GS will support the new iPhone OS 3.0 update from day one. The OS 3.0 is a significant update that promises 100 new features, including such long-awaited gems as multimedia messaging, stereo Bluetooth, a voice recorder, and cut, copy, and paste. Apple has yet to release a fully detailed list–and we’ve barely scratched the surface in our testing–but we’ll continue to report improvements as we find them. First announced in March 2009, it was released June 17, 2009, for the iPhone Classic and the iPhone 3G.

Multimedia messaging
We’ve ranted endlessly about why it took so long for Apple to achieve multimedia messaging (MMS), so we’re glad that it’s finally on its way. Besides photos, you’ll also be able to send videos, audio files, and map locations. At long last, the iPhone can do something that almost every other cell phone can do, and has done for ages.

But, and this is a big “but,” AT&T doesn’t have things ready on its end. We don’t know the real reason for the annoying delay, nor do we have a timetable for deployment; we just know that AT&T will support MMS “later this summer.” (Also, because it wasn’t integrated with the proper radio, the iPhone Classic will not support MMS.)

When we first tested the beta version of iPhone OS 3.0, we were able to compose, but not send, a multimedia message in a few quick steps on our iPhone 3G. In subsequent OS 3.0 updates, Apple removed the process for doing this; presumably you’ll get it back when MMS goes live.

The good: The Samsung Code offers a sleek design with an easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard. The smartphone also has Bluetooth, GPS, and a 2-megapixel camera.

The bad: Runs on the older Windows Mobile 6.1. No Wi-Fi.

The bottom line: The Samsung Code is a basic but solid messaging smartphone [...]]]> Product summary

The good: The Samsung Code offers a sleek design with an easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard. The smartphone also has Bluetooth, GPS, and a 2-megapixel camera.

The bad: Runs on the older Windows Mobile 6.1. No Wi-Fi.

The bottom line: The Samsung Code is a basic but solid messaging smartphone for MetroPCS customers.

The Samsung Code (SCH-i220) is MetroPCS’s first Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone, which seems like a step backward seeing as Windows Mobile 6.5 devices are available. However, that shouldn’t detract the customers from getting the messaging-centric device. The Code offers a sleek design, easy-to-use keyboard, and decent performance and call quality. Plus, it costs $100 less than the carrier’s only other smartphone, the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330, making it a nice and affordable alternative. The Samsung Code is available now for $299.99 with a $50 prepaid monthly plan, which includes unlimited voice, text, and data.

Design
Having seen several QWERTY slate devices over the past few months, we expected it to be a much of the same as we’ve seen; however, we were pleasantly surprised by the Samsung Code’s design. While it’s nothing incredibly fancy, the Code has an eye-catching dark metallic gray chassis and slim profile. The handset measures just 4.6 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.5 thick and weighs 3.6 ounces, so it fits into a pants pocket without adding too much bulk and it feels comfortable in the hand.

The Code features a 2.4-inch QVGA (320×240 pixels) non-touch display. While on the smaller side, text and images look clear and bright on the screen, though it tends to wash out in bright sunlight. You can customize the Home screen with various background images, home screen layouts, themes, and so forth. We found the Samsung WizPro home screen layout to be particularly useful as it provides a toolbar along the bottom where you can scroll through some of the more commonly used applications, including your Calendar, favorite contacts, and multimedia.

To help you navigate through the menus, there is a directional keypad below the display that also doubles as a jog wheel. It works well both as a D-pad and scroll wheel and features a center select button. You also get two soft keys, Talk and End/power buttons, a Home shortcut, and a back button to make one-handed operation of the phone easy.

Also easy to use is the Code’s QWERTY keyboard. The keys are raised above the surface and don’t feel too soft or stiff when pressed, so that made for a comfortable typing experience. With large buttons, we had little problem composing text messages and even cranked out longer e-mails with minimal mistakes. We can’t foresee too many users having problems with the keyboard.

In addition to the aforementioned navigation controls, there’s a volume rocker on the left side and a user-programmable shortcut key on the right, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack and Micro-USB port. As usual, the camera and self-portrait mirror are located on back with the microSD slot behind the battery door.

The Samsung Code comes packaged with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a software CD, and reference material.

Features
Powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard Edition, the Samsung Code doesn’t offer some of new enhancements of Windows Mobile 6.5, such as an improved Internet Explorer Mobile browser and revamped Home screen layout. However, Microsoft has opened up its Windows Marketplace for Mobile to Windows Mobile 6.1 phones, so you should be able to access the store to download more apps to the Samsung Code. In addition, MetroPCS throws in a link to its own app store on the phone.

As is, the Code ships with the full Microsoft Office Mobile Suite and a handful of productivity tools, including a PDF viewer, an RSS reader, a voice recorder, a notepad, a calculator, a stopwatch, and a measurement converter. There’s also a Task Manager so you can switch between apps and end tasks to optimize memory usage and the smartphone’s performance.

Being a Windows Mobile phone, you also get Microsoft’s Direct Push technology for real-time e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization with your Outlook calendar, tasks, and contacts via an Exchange Server. In addition, you can configure the device to access your POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts. Samsung includes its own setup wizard to help you along the process and includes direct links for popular clients, such as Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, and Comcast. All we had to do to get our Gmail on the Code was simply enter our e-mail address and password, and the phone did the rest. While the smartphone offers text and multimedia messaging, the smartphone only comes preloaded with Windows Live Messenger.

Phone features of the Samsung Code include a speakerphone, speed dialing, three-way calling, conference calling, and voice dialing. The address book is only limited by the available memory and has room in each entry for multiple phone numbers, e-mail addresses, company information, and so forth. For caller ID purposes, you can assign a photo, group ID, or custom ring tone.

Both Bluetooth and GPS/A-GPS are onboard. MetroPCS has its own location-based service called MetroNavigator so you can get voice-guided driving directions and real-time tracking with the smartphones GPS. Supported Bluetooth profiles include A2DP for stereo Bluetooth, hands-free kits, audio-video remote control, object push, file transfer, phone book access, basic printing, and personal area networking. Unfortunately, there’s no integrated Wi-Fi but the Code is 3G EV-DO capable.

The Code’s multimedia capabilities are average. You get the standard Windows Media Player with support for MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, MPEG-4, and WMV files. In addition, you get a 2-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities and a decent amount of editing options, such as white balance settings, effect, and night mode. Picture quality was quite impressive. Images looked sharp and despite the fluorescent lighting, colors looked pretty rich.

Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1,900MHz) Samsung Code in San Francisco using MetroPCS roaming service and call quality was decent. We made multiple calls during our test period and experienced clear audio with very little voice distortion or background noise. We also had no problem using an airline’s voice automated system. Meanwhile, friends reported mostly good results, though some did say that we sounded tinny. Speakerphone quality wasn’t very great, however. While callers said they could hear us OK, the volume was very low on our end so it was hard to hear the conversation even in quiet environments. We had no problem pairing the smartphone with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones.

Overall, the Samsung Code felt like a responsive device. There weren’t any major delays in performance, aside from some brief pauses when working in multiple apps, nor did the phone crash on us during our test period. Though the Code is EV-DO capable, we were only able to get 1xRTT in San Francisco. CNET’s full Web site loaded in 1 minute 20 seconds, while mobile sites for CNN and ESPN came up in 15 seconds and 13 seconds respectively.

The Samsung Code features a 1440mAh lithium ion battery with a rated talk time of 6 hours and up to 12.5 days of standby time. In our battery drain tests, the Code provided a solid 7 hours of talk time on a single charge. According to FCC radiation tests, the Code has a digital SAR rating of 0.623 watt per kilogram and Hearing Aid Compatibility rating of M4/T4.

OS5.0 is FAST. Menus open and close with no noticeable delay and the device feels generally snappier. In fact, those that reviewed the Bold 2 9700 often attributed it to the newer device or the application memory but it appears it was entirely the new OS5 that comes preloaded with the [...]]]> Speed:

OS5.0 is FAST. Menus open and close with no noticeable delay and the device feels generally snappier. In fact, those that reviewed the Bold 2 9700 often attributed it to the newer device or the application memory but it appears it was entirely the new OS5 that comes preloaded with the new Bold. Upon loading it up in the older Bold 9000, the same snappiness was experienced. This is the single biggest improvement of OS5 and makes using the Blackberry a real pleasure.

Battery Life:

Battery life seems to have improved a bit. With 3G turned on and moderate use, surfing, streaming Youtube, lots of Blackberry Messages, Google Talk running in the background, couple of texts and a few short calls and 17 hours later, I just hit red at 6% battery. This used to run flat about 3-4 hours earlier with IM off! Do note that my battery is rather old and it may have lost some of its original charge holding ability but you can expect your phone to last the day without the need for a recharge with moderate use.

Reception:

Now reception is a tricky one considering even on the 4.6 builds, this varied greatly from build to build. However I didn’t see any notable difference between this and my previous build 4.6.303 which is generally a good thing!

Bootup Time:

Another thing many reviewers reported was the faster bootup time. I’m actually not too sure about this as on my build, it did seem a tad faster though I have a suspicion it’s a psychological effect due to the new progress bar shown while on bootup. The bar gives you a rough idea of how far its into the bootup process and gives you the feeling that ’something is moving’ rather than just a blank hour glass loading that has no apparent end.

On my test, my Bold took 5 minutes to boot-up, still far too long, but the progress bar makes things better.

Media:

Now perhaps the most important thing that was resolved is that thumbnails load quickly now and media scanning no longer takes an eternity.I loaded some 187 songs into my phone, complete with album pictures and folders and it scanned them all in less than 10 seconds. A pretty good improvement considering that it used to take minutes. There are also some slight UI changes though nothing significant.

Browser:

Slightly faster, but still chokes on Javascript. We probably still have to wait for their Webkit based browser.

Almost the same just some slight cosmetic tweaks

Blackberry Messenger

Many of you who had upgraded to BBM version 5.0 which is available on the older OSes would see no surprises here. Those who haven’t would see use of Avatars, a nicer UI, the option for Blackberry Groups, barcode scanning and very importantly remote backup of your BBM Contacts

Blackberry’s Killer App is improved

Threaded SMS

For those of you envying IPhones for their threaded SMS feature, envy no more! Threaded SMS is here with a variety of styles and works pretty well making it feel like a BBM conversation. Expect your SMS bills to soar.

Threaded SMS finally!

IM Contact on Home Screen

I’m unsure if this is a new feature of OS5.0 or simply an updated function of Gtalk and MSN but now you can place contacts on your Home Screen or folder for quick access! I felt this was pretty neat.

Closing Thoughts

Now I didn’t have much expectations of OS5.0, expecting it to be a minor cosmetic update. Although yes the OS remains by and large the same, the speed improvements and snappier feeling, improved battery life combined with the faster media scanning makes it a must upgrade for Blackberry users (who know what they are doing). OS5.0 is a huge step in the right direction and all the Blackberry needs now is a real browser (and perhaps a slightly snazzier UI) and a bigger app library. Annoyingly, you still can’t easily add a new number to an existing contact….

It’s a bit of a bittersweet feeling as I recently purchased myself a 9700 Bold which will now feel almost exactly the same as my old Bold in terms of responsiveness since it has the same 624mhz processor. Battery is still at 1500mah and I have a feeling we’ll get similar battery performance. Suddenly the 9700 Bold seems to be a much less compelling upgrade with only a better 3.2 megapixel camera, trackpad, a smaller form factor (which to those with large fingers is a bad thing) and a higher definition screen (which in real life is practically unnoticeable).

Is the 9700 Bold worth the high RM2XXX price if you are an existing Bold user? Probably not with OS5.0 running so well on the 9000 Bold. I’m frankly quite surprised that RIM did not take the opportunity to upgrade the processor further but perhaps they didn’t see the need to with OS5.0 running so smoothly already on existing hardware. I do feel that it was a missed opportunity to really have a device that stands out considering the Bold IS the flagship device for RIM. I think this was most apparent when the 9700 Bold and Storm 2’s release was almost entirely overshadowed by Motorola Droid’s release. RIM seriously needs to get its ’sexy’ back.

Oh and would appreciate if comments were steered away from ‘IPhone ROX’ sort by the Mac fans among you. They do rock as a lifestyle device but still have ways to go before becoming a true business communication device with secure e-mail and multi-tasking still unimplemented and a short battery life which I’m sure would be rectified in future releases.

The holder of the news seems sensational, no doubt you are quite right, but not publish it if we did not know which is endorsed by the prestigious Mashable and supported by a job offer that Apple publishes jobs. apple.com.

The offer amounts to a position to seek cover in Cupertino for an expert and I quote the ad text “integrate the iPhone OS on new platforms.” And say Mayra G. K. (the oldest in the place know who I mean), “until I read here, now the rest of the world (Maquera, that is) we have to interpret these lines.

Looking a bit more in detail we will also call for development experience under Unix platform, circuit design expertise and experience in mobile phones based on Unix, because clearly focused supply people for example who has worked as a developer for the same iPhone or Android. If we let ourselves be carried away by the rush, they are bad counselors, may interpret that Apple may want to open the iPhone OS to other platforms or other Unix-based phones. Big mistake, or rather, should it happen that Apple would be throwing away his philosophy that developed the software that runs on their hardware, hackintosh and Jailbreaks through. Without doubt the possibility that recounts the sensational headline and the previous paragraph can be produced, clear and also it can snow in the Gobi Desert. However, I would rather bet on the other possibility, is that those other devices that can integrate the iPhone OS, future devices will be developed by Apple. For me it makes perfect sense, but not opening the platform to be used by other phones or to compete with Android. Think What sense does that now appear HTC terminals, to take one example, the iPhone OS? I do not see much sense. We advocate freedom and how nice it would be an open platform and share with many terminals and open the possibilities of the platform and … okay, what about the practical business sense and ?. And what devices might be? We just have to get carried away by our imagination: An evolution of the Apple TV for example with a command to the Wii would have enough sense that it could host an adapted version of the iPhone OS or some other multimedia device that has yet to come, such as a multitouch iPod nano or a more basic model of the iPhone, why not an iPhone Nano. Or, if the iPad is your concept of “netbook”, may also consider making a kind of EEPC but with a multitouch screen. Although they may seem far-fetched ideas, I hope you see the sense in which I would like to holder, that are other Apple devices and not naturally imagine, so the company objectives are others who bet heavily on operating system that has given them so many benefits so far. I sincerely believe that this is the way that Apple wants to exploit in the future and has designed and planned a series of devices that will evolve along with the capabilities and potential that gives the iPhone OS platform. As Steve Jobs said in his day “Skate to where the puck is going), not to where it was” therefore I think Apple’s bet for the future is very clear, has a name: iPhone OS

This amazing slider phone is available [...]]]> Sony Ericsson has designed another handset to join their already popular C range of camera phones which is known as the Sony Ericsson C903. The C903 is a super stylish slider phone which comes with an array of user friendly camera features & high speed technologies.

This amazing slider phone is available in three colour options which are a glamour red coloured casing, techno white & a lacquer black coloured casing. The handset is mainly coloured in the users chosen colour but the phone has accents of silver which add to the overall design of this beautiful 3G slider phone. The slide opening system is smooth & easy to use which allows the user to slide the screen section of their handset up to reveal a numeric keypad on the lower section of the handset. The C903 is from the same family as the Sony Ericsson C902i & the Sony Ericsson C905 which are also stunning camera phones designed by Sony Ericsson. The Sony Ericsson C903 Mobile is a slim cyber-shot™ slider phone which measures only 16mm deep by 49mm wide by 97mm tall when in its slide closed position & the casing weighs 96 grams which is an ideal weight for carrying purposes. The large 2.4 Inch screen has a crystal clear viewing display which supports an automatic rotation feature allowing the user to view their screen in a wide screen mode.

The screen is a TFT type screen which displays a high colour & high resolution display allowing the user to view high quality video, movies & pictures on their Sony Ericsson C903. The 2.4 inch screen works beautifully as a picture & video viewfinder when the user is using the built in 5 megapixel camera feature. The camera feature is the main feature on the C903 & comes with a huge amount of imaging features to suit all user’s needs. The camera is a cyber-shot™ camera complete with a slide opening camera lens cover which allows the user to access their camera feature by simply sliding back the lens cover. A dedicated camera key allows the user to capture their images quickly & easily. This 5 megapixel cyber-shot™ camera comes with a smile shutter™ feature which will ensure the user captures their subjects smiling faces when taking a shot & a face detection feature will automatically focus on the subjects faces when the user is taking a picture so that the user captures a clear & well focused picture of their subjects face. The camera comes with a flash feature, automatic focus & a 16 times digital zoom which all allow the user to capture the perfect picture when using the Sony Ericsson C903 GSM camera phone. A built in image stabiliser will ensure a smooth picture is captured even of the user makes a small hand movement when taking the picture as the image stabiliser will counteract any small movements for a smooth & high quality capture. The camera also supports geo tagging pictures with the help of the built in A GPS feature & the user can enjoy the Sony Ericsson BestPic™ feature which allows the user to press the capture key once & the C903 will capture a selection of pictures allowing the user to choose the best picture from the selection taken.

The C903 supports video capabilities which include video recording, blogging, video playing & streaming on this stylish 3G slider phone. The user can enjoy recording video with a perfect & smooth video capture as the Unlocked Cell Phone Sony Ericsson C903 comes with a built in video stabiliser which will counteract any wobbly movements made by the user when the user is recording moving footage. This handset also supports 3G video calling which allows the user to enjoy a video calling feature on their new phone & the user can see their 3G video calling compatible contacts whilst on a call to these contacts. The battery can provide up to 1.5 hours of 3G video calling time for the user to enjoy from a fully charged battery.

The Sony Ericsson C903 Cellular Phone supports polyphonic sound ringing tones as well as AAC & MP3 ringing tones sounds which allow the user to enjoy their favourite tunes as a ringing tone if desired. The built in media player supports a stunning graphic album art display which allows the user to view their album covers on the beautifully clear 2.4 Inch screen for a visual & sound experience all in one. The music player comes with a MegaBass™ sound feature which allows the user to gain the best quality sound from their style of music. The C903 comes with a TrackID™ music recognition feature which can provide the user with the name of the song, the artist name & the album which the specific song is from by simply recording a few second of the song & the TrackID™ feature will provide all this information within moments, give it a try it is an amazing & useful feature for today music lovers on the move.

The Sony Ericsson C903 GSM Cell Phone supports Bluetooth™ stereo A2DP technology which means the user can enjoy a wireless music listening experience when using compatible headphones. A built in FM radio complete with RDS allows the user to tune into a FM radio station & enjoy on screen text information regarding the station or regarding the music currently playing. The C903 works on a HSDPA 2100 & quad band network which covers GSM 850, 900, 1800 & 1900 allowing the user to enjoy worldwide network coverage but the full network coverage on the C903 is dependent on the users chosen network provider. The Unlocked Sony Ericsson C903 comes with a built in Web browser which allows the user to experience popular social network sites & video download sites such as YouTube™ on their 3G slider phone. A built in A GPS navigation feature will assist the user to their next location with the help of either Wayfinder Navigator™ or Google Maps™ & the A GPS feature allows the user to geo tag their picture with information on the location each picture was taken. The Wayfinder Navigator™ navigation feature allows the user to gain turn by turn instruction to new locations & desired destinations. The Sony Ericsson C903 comes with one hundred & thirty megabytes of internal memory & has a memory card slot which can hold a memory stick micro™ (M2™) type memory card for further memory expansion. The battery provide with the handset will provide up to 4 hours of 3G HSDPA talk time or 10 hours of GSM talk time when fully charged.

This beautiful handset is a 3G HSDPA technology phone which provides multitasking skills such as the user browsing the Web whilst taking a call as well as features such as 3G video calling. The user can connect their C903 to other compatible devices such as a PC, printer or laptop using a USB cabled connection or a Bluetooth® wireless connection between devices when transferring data files. The EDGE technology provides high speed transfer rates, which means the user can transfer data files between two compatible devices at high speed. The user of the Sony Ericsson C903 can enjoy motion & 3D games on their gorgeous 3G slider phone. The user can communicate with other contacts via their mobile email service which supports Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync™ allowing the user to communicate with business contacts via email as well as friends from their mobile phone.

The C903 comes with an instant messaging service which allows the user to communicate with others that are online. The SMS or MMS services allow the user to create messages with either just text or with text, sound & pictures or video clips. The user can use the MMS service for a more visual messaging experience. For those health conscious mobile phone users the Sony Ericsson C903 Mobile comes with a built in Walk Mate feature. A flight mode functions allows the user to switch their handset to flight mode when the user is in mobile phone restricted areas & then switch their phone back to normal mode when the user is safe to use their handset in normal mode.

The rate of downloads [...]]]> Nokia’s defensive move to make its Ovi maps and navigation free is already seeing strong customer response. Since launching Jan. 21, Nokia (NYSE: NOK – News) said today that people have downloaded the service 1.4 million times, and the one million mark was hit in just a week.

The rate of downloads are staggering, and will presumably surpass Google’s Android user base since Nokia’s reach is much larger. “We’re averaging a download a second, 24 hours a day,” said Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia’s EVP. “When we announced free walk & drive navigation we knew it would be a game-changer. The number of people now using their Nokia for navigation, and as a result looking for more location-aware software, is growing faster than even we predicted.” There’s no doubt that the program is also helping to get the word out about its Ovi Store, which is now averaging one million downloads a day.

Google (NasdaqGS: GOOG – News) started providing free navigation services on the Motorola (NYSE: MOT – News) Droid, and has rolled it out to many more devices since. That prompted Nokia to stop charging for its mapping services. It’s still not clear how Nokia will make money from giving away the software for free. Nokia got into the maps business after it spent millions on acquiring Navteq. Nokia said its strategy is to “lead the market in mobile maps, navigation and location-based services.” Vanjoki: “This is great news for our 3rd party application developers.  Within a matter of days there is an installed base of more than 1 million active users all potentially hungry for new and innovative location-aware apps. For the operators too there is a growing opportunity to sell more data-plans and a complete navigation package to existing and new customers.”

Nokia provided a list of the top five countries where maps are being downloaded the most. They are very representative of the company’s global reach: China, Italy, UK, Germany and Spain. The service covers more than 180 countries and is available in 46 languages. For now, current users will have to download the app to their devices. At least 12 devices are supported. Going forward, all new Nokia GPS-enabled smartphones will include the new version of Ovi Maps, pre-loaded with local country map data, with high-end walk and drive navigation and access to Lonely Planet and Michelin travel guides at no extra cost.

Previously, Greystripe was supporting both the iPhone App Store and the Android Marketplace, but expanding to Nokia [...]]]> San Francisco-based Greystripe has added Nokia’s Ovi store to the list of mobile platforms that can tap into its mobile ad network. Likewise, Greystripe said it is adapting 1,200 game titles from its Gamejump.com entity for the Ovi store.

Previously, Greystripe was supporting both the iPhone App Store and the Android Marketplace, but expanding to Nokia (NYSE: NOK – News) makes sense. Nokia has the largest smartphone marketshare globally, and while many consider its application storefront to be trailing, just last week, the company said Ovi downloads have hit one million a day. Greystripe does not support RIM’s BlackBerry platform, which is considered the second-largest smartphone platform worldwide.

Originally, Greystripe focused on creating free, ad-supported Java-based games, which it distributed through sites, including its own Gamejump.com. But more recently, Greystripe has branched out to support iPhone and Android applications. Despite its emphasis on smartphone platforms, it said that its Java-based games are still downloaded on its network about 250,000 times a day. Those games will work fairly easily on Nokia’s Symbian operating system, and will likely see more downloads because of the increased reach.

Developers that are distributing their apps on Ovi will have the choice of both pre-and post-roll full-screen ads. While advertisers like the Navy and JCPenny were named in the press release as two brands that are looking for the broad reach that Nokia has, those seem like unlikely choices given that most of Nokia’s dominance is outside the U.S. or in emerging markets.

For the third year running, the most popular phone was still the old classic, [...]]]> Finland is sometimes called NokiaLand because the company Nokia comes from Finland and due to the fact that many people in Finland have a Nokia phone. A recent study shows that Nokia´s market share in Finland is 86%.

For the third year running, the most popular phone was still the old classic, the Nokia 3310 with a 5% market share. In fact, the 56 most popular phones were all made by Nokia. At the high end of the range, the most popular phone was the Nokia N70. Nokia held an overwhelming 99% share of the smartphone market in Finland.

From the other manufacturers, Korean phone manufacturer Samsung held about 4% the market, Sony Ericsson 3%, Benq-Siemens 3%, and Motorola less than 0.5%. Other manufacturers made up 1% of the market and 3% of the phones in the study were not identified.

Nokia’s market share has hardly changed in the past three years. Samsung and Sony Ericsson have slightly increased their market share, while Motorola and Siemens have lost out, researcher Antero Kivi told the Finnish news agency STT.The study was conducted in autumn 2007 and was based on information on four million mobile phones from telecom operators Sonera, Elisa (including Kolumbus) and DNA.

Mobile trends in Finland

The findings also showed that Finns change their mobile phones every 2.7 years. There were about 1,000 different phones being used in Finland. According to Kivi, the other manufacturers don?t have a model comparable to the Nokia 3310.

More than 70% of the phones in use had a colour screen and half included a camera. Manufacturers have great expectations regarding the gps feature on the latest models but the study showed that so far this has failed to take off. Only 2% of Finns used phones with gps last autumn and there were still only a few gps models available in the shops.

The third generation 3G phones gained an 18% share of the market, which was more than double the figure in 2006. The market share of the Symbian operating system also increased significantly from 12% in 2006 to 18% in 2007.