|
|
 Keep taking the tablets
Electronics giant Samsung has announced its first ever Apple iPad rival tablet computer, the Galaxy Tab - which arrives running Android 2.2 and is the only tablet style computer to be DivX certified.
Samsung Galaxy Tab has been rumoured for some months where it’s now had its official launch, at Berlin’s IFA consumer electronics show.
The Galaxy Tab has 7-inch TFT LCD touch screen display, running the latest version of Google’s mobile OS with the Samsung TouchWIZ UI. The device is powered by the Cortex A8 1GHz application processor, with on board storage coming in the form of either 16GB or 32GB variants with a microSD slot. Other specs of the device range from front and rear facing cameras, 3G HSPA connectivity, along with 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0.
Video playback is one of the device’s strong points, as not only is it the world’s first DivX certified tablet but it also supports HD video in popular containers such as XviD, MPEG4, H.263 and H.264.
The Tab complements Samsung’s Galaxy existing series of products, where the previous largest display was seen on their recent Android 2.1 Galaxy S mobile phone - with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen.
Samsung’s Android tablet can also perform in much the same way as any mobile phone, as it accepts a SIM card for data, voice calls and messaging.
Vodafone announced at the same time as the launch event it will be selling the Tab from October onwards, where this move can be seen as competition to O2 exclusively selling the Dell Streak - a similar Android product.
No prices or tariff details have yet been set, but if O2 is anything to go by the Samsung Galaxy Tab could be free on a £25 data or £35 data and voice contract.
 Clearer calls from now on
Mobile phone network Orange has unveiled its high definition voice service on a number of handsets, which brings in a better quality of calls over the airwaves.
Orange is the first UK network to announce this service, which effectively reduces background noise and therefore improves the overall quality of a call. The Sony Ericsson Elm ‘Eco’ handset arrives with a similar feature, but its technology is built in to the phone and it’s not an over the air service.
This new feature from Orange is available on a number of handsets, such as the Nokia 5320, Nokia E5 and Samsung Omnia Pro. Other upcoming mobile phones will support the service too, where new devices will be shipped with an Orange HD Voice logo to identify the handset is compatible.
HD Voice runs from a 3G network and uses the WB-AMR (Wideband Adaptive Multi-Rate) speech codec, which provides better audio quality due to its wider speech bandwidth of 50-7000 Hz - as compared to the current narrowband speech codec of 300-3400 Hz.
Orange has been successfully trialling out HD voice since June, where we first brought you news of the technology at the end of 2009.
The service is available now and at no extra cost to 3G based Orange customers, where we suspect more handsets will support this ability within the next few months.
 Latest handset with the newest OS
South Korean electronics giant has unveiled another mobile phone running their own Bada operating system, the Samsung Wave 723.
The mobile phone manufacturer is bringing the OS and the phone to the masses, with a set of specifications to make it affordable. This latest handset from Samsung arrives with a 3.2-inch TFT LCD screen, instead of the Super AMOLED display that accompanied the first Samsung Wave S8500 Bada mobile - which keeps the costs down.
Samsung’s own open source Bada platform runs the phone, in which the company is hoping it will give Android a run for its money. Samsung has toyed with many operating systems in the past, where they’ve even used Symbian and after Nokia had acquired the company behind it.
The Wave 723 arrives with a leather flip cover and is just 11.8mm thin, with a 5 megapixel camera, the 802.11n WIFI specification as standard and access to Samsung’s own App Store.
Samsung’s Wave 723 is due to be unveiled at Berlin’s IFA in September, where Germany will be the first country to have that new handset on sale with other parts of Europe following on from there.
UK women takes a swipe at USA title
A British woman has broken the Guinness World record of text message writing using a Samsung handset and Swype - the alterative way of text entry on mobile phones.
Melissa Thompson from Manchester wrote: “the razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human”, in just 25.94 seconds. The previous world record holder was Ann Franklin from America, who wrote the same text in 35.54 seconds.
The new record was set on the Samsung Galaxy S mobile phone running Android, by using Swype.
This alternative way of entering text works by sliding a finger across the screen instead of removing it from the display, for each and every letter accessed and is apparently is a faster way of text entry.
Swype first shipped on Samsung Omnia II in 2009 and also featured on handsets by Motorola, whilst the latest beta is downloadable in addition to being installed by default on newer phones.
Guinness has yet to confirm the validity of the record breaking attempt, so there’s still time to have a swype at the title yourself.
Link
iPhone 3GS lookalike gets a better Google OS
Samsung has confirmed their recent Galaxy S smartphone will receive an update to the Google mobile OS 2.2 at the end of September, and to all networks as well.
The announcement was made over twitter, with the news of the update from 2.1 to Froyo only arriving a few short months after the Samsung Galaxy S went on sale with their TouchWiz 3.0 overlay to the Google platform.
The tweet came from Samsung’s UK mobile team, which stated “We’ve seen a lot of Q’s about the Froyo update; it’s currently in development & will be released for all networks at the end of September”.
Hopefully, this means there won’t be a long qualifying time for the various networks that currently support the phone. There didn’t appear to be a great deal of carrier bespoke software on the Samsung Galaxy S we reviewed, which is a positive sign for a short period of testing by the networks we believe.
Android 2.2 is scheduled to arrive on the Galaxy S only a few weeks away from the release of Android 3.0, which is said to make more improvements over Froyo.
Link
Windows Phone 7 handsets for everyone
Microsoft has announced they will be furnishing every member of their staff with a new Windows Phone 7 based handset, when the mobile phone OS is ready to ship before Christmas this year.
The information came from a tweet by a Microsoft marketing person that was then retweeted by a ZDNet journalist, which mentions all 90,000 Microsoft employees will be equipped with a mobile running Windows Phone 7.
This initial information came from the company’s Microsoft Global Exchange sales event, where this news was welcomed by all members of Microsoft staff as a thank you for a job well done.
The move will be seen by some as a most definite way to get exposure for your latest product, whilst at the same time assuring the buying public confidence within that product that Microsoft most certainly has.
Microsoft recently confirmed the list of companies that will be running Windows Phone 7 on their mobiles, which are Asus, Dell, HTC, LG and Samsung - although no news yet as to what handsets will be passed out to all members of Microsoft staff.
Link
An out-of-this-world mobile phone
Samsung’s Galaxy S is their latest and third Google OS Android handset, with the original i7500 ‘Galaxy’, and I5700 ‘Galaxy Portal’ all coming before hand and all running a vanilla version of the Google mobile OS. This new model arrives with a much larger screen than ever seen before on an Android mobile phone in the UK, with Samsung’s own familiar tweak to the OS.
Just when Apple stops making handsets that look like all their other iPhones, Samsung comes along and picks up where they left off by releasing a decidedly iPhone 3GS looking device with the Galaxy S. Looking head on at the new handset would confuse many by its appearance alone, especially when the seeing the Samsung logo. The overall shape of the phone, down to its outer silver rim all gives off the impression of an iPhone – which is a very cunning way of selling a mobile phone, particularly to those who previous bought the Apple models.
Samsung’s Galaxy S runs from a 1Ghz processor, but not the Qualcomm version that’s in the HTC Desire only this is Samsung’s own mobile chipset that also features in their Wave phone. It’s fast enough for everything the mobile does, from 720p HD video capture to native playback of DivX/XvID AVI files – a first for an Android mobile.
The Galaxy S’ display has the brightest and most vivid screen we’ve seen, with a 4-inch Super AMOLED 800×480 display that is really the handset’s most outstanding feature. The screen actually puts the Desire’s version to shame, with its colours and sharpness that are beyond belief and are not even washed out in bright sunlight, where AMOLED screens usually are.
Samsung has tweaked the 2.1 Android OS, to have a familiar overlay called TouchWiz. This new version of 3.0 also appears on their Wave phone, which has a different OS altogether. This does feel very similar to their other handset overlays, from the Jet to Toco mobiles that all have early versions but this really is just a Samsung theme running on Android and nothing really major.
Besides the outstanding large screen, there are some other notable features in the Galaxy S that are distinct selling points. These range from the on-board storage, which arrives in 16GB or 8GB along with a microSD slot that can be used to increase the storage capacity even more. There is also the ‘Swype’ feature, which is a way of writing messages on the touch screen, without removing a finger to reach each letter – you just swipe from letter to letter instead.
Bottom Line
This surprisingly light 118gram Android handset has a bit of cheap feel to it, where some might assume it’s a budget model due the plastic casing only it’s far from that. In the states, their flagship handset of late is the 4.3-inch HTC Evo phone and now in Blighty, we have the Samsung Galaxy S on an even par in abilities. The Samsung Galaxy S is a fast mobile, with a truly outstanding screen where movie playback, web browsing and writing are exemplary on the large screen with lots of storage capabilities too.
Latest HTC and Samsung phones are now available on the network
Vodafone has announced a trio of new Google OS driven devices for their network, with prices attached for the first time as they go on sale today. The new handsets are from HTC and Samsung, along with a Vodafone branded Huawei mobile phone.
Samsung’s latest flagship model the Galaxy S 16GB, with their TouchWiz 3.0 overlay, is exclusive to Vodafone and is on sale from today. This handset will be free at £35 per month, on a 24 month contract which includes 900 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of mobile data. There is also a time limited inclusion of a free Vodafone McLaren Mercedes rucksack with every Samsung Galaxy S.
HTC’s budget Wildfire mobile phone also appears from today on the network, which arrives gratis on £20 per month, over a 24 month period which includes 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB of mobile data. This model is effectively the replacement of the HTC Tattoo phone and now sits below their main HTC Desire handset, whilst offering a less quality 3.2-inch TFT LCD screen as compared to the 3.7-inch AMOLED display of the Desire.
The last model arriving on the network today is the Vodafone 845 handset, which is exclusive to the network operator and is a rebranded Huawei device. This handset is free on a £15 per month contract, over the 24 month duration which includes 100 minutes, 500 texts and 500MB of mobile data.
Visit here, for more information.
At first glance, it’s not hard to see why the Samsung i5700 can be so easily compared with the HTC Hero. Both handsets are Android devices and are fairly similar in terms of size, weight and specification. However, this is where the similarity ends, as the phone does not have to spend long in your possession before it feels rather like a cheap imitation, or even a ‘poor man’s Hero’.
It would be unfair not to appreciate the large 3.2” screen which allows for a visually impressive browsing experience. The clarity and brightness of the display are both unquestionably refined, and as such provide an impressive canvas for the customers’ perusal of web content. It is, therefore, a great shame that the touch-screen interface feels both un-responsive and tiresomely inaccurate. For instance, when scrolling through the main menu it is almost impossible to find an area on the screen where you feel completely in control. My frustration soon turned to anger when I found myself constantly opening unwanted apps or selecting the wrong menu items.
Of course, you could solve this problem by opting to use the directional Keypad and Select button. The internal 800 MHz CPU ensures that navigating through the handset in this way is extremely quick, but I would have much rather have seen this feature work properly, as other phones have proved with seemingly minimal effort.
The phone also features an adequate 3.2 mp auto focus camera with video recording, but astonishingly provides no adjustment settings whatsoever. Consequently, the process of actually taking a picture is quite literally a ‘point & click’ affair, certainly not what we’ve come to expect from modern camera phones, especially from such a reputable manufacturer. The image quality is distinctly average, whilst the ‘Camera’ button remains painfully unresponsive; this requires that you keep a steady hand just to increase the chances that a photo is worth keeping.
Encouragingly, DivX and xvid video support could be a major advantage for people who can’t or don’t have time to convert video formats. With much regret, I could not test this feature but if it works effectively then it certainly gives us food for thought when comparing it to other handsets with similar compatibility.
Whilst the Android Market Place provides a marvellous library, where one can find an App for almost anything, the featured list on the device is somewhat disappointing. I expected far more web-based content to be pre-installed and ready to use.
I would surmise that the Samsung i5700 is a great way to experience Android for those of us with low to mid range budget. The handset will inevitably appeal to those who have experienced products from Samsung before. However, I fear that most customers will come away with a sense of resentment, as a lack of basic camera functions and smooth operation detract from the instantly congenial prettiness and sleek design which has become synonymous with Samsung.
Value Android in vanilla flavour
 Samsung’s Galaxy Portal, Spica or I5700 is little brother to the I7500 Galaxy. It’s a basic Android 1.5 touchscreen smartphone, with the punch of a respectable 800MHz processor. Cosmetically a bit chunky and weighing 124 grams, the bottom of the unit sports large and easy to use control buttons.
The 3.2 inch capacitive screen is bright and clear displaying 320×480 pixels. The camera snaps at 3.2 MP with autofocus but no manual settings, ideal novices but not for serious users. Other features include assisted GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD support, up to16GB.
High-speed 3.5G internet is present and other networking options include Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth.
Google Marketplace is a main attraction of Android phones. As an example the Layar augmented reality app is pre loaded. Use the camera and GPS outdoors to have useful information like the nearest pub or rail station displayed as an overlay. Or jump into the market and find all the apps you want for social networking.
So much work has been done in the last year to give Android an improved UI, seeing it in the raw again on the Portal was a bit of a shock. Like re-watching a cherished TV show from childhood, it’s nostalgic, but you might have outgrown it. If you’re new to Android, and want access to apps through the Marketplace this is a great and cost-effective beginning. I had an identical UI experience with my HTC Magic 18-months ago and loved it. However, experienced users may now want more.
Update: Samsung have promised an update to a newer version of Android will be available via download soon.
|
