There was a time when buying a smartphone was easy. You had a couple of platforms and a handful of models to choose from. Things have changed a lot today. You now have over half a dozen platforms out there with hundreds of different models between them, priced very close to each other. It doesn't help matters when several phones are identical to each other but simply running a different brand of operating system.
You can decide what features you want in your phone but what about the operating system? There is no way you can choose between them looking at the spec sheet alone. Being in a position where we get to use all the latest smartphones on all the different platforms, we think we have answers to your operating system related questions.
What follows is a brief comparison of the top four smartphone platforms - iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7 and Symbian ^3 - where we try to find which one is the best, ultimately narrowing down your number of options while buying and helping you choose better.
Aesthetics
iOS is the oldest of the four platforms here. Even though it is four-and-a-half-years old now and has barely undergone any major UI makeover, it still looks great. The UI design has a sense of timelessness to it and no matter how many times you look at it it does not look boring. Apple has also designed it in a manner where it is out of your way most of the time so that you can concentrate on your applications. This means there are no unnecessary animations and transition effects and whatever little is there looks natural and is functional.
Android on the other hand has gone through considerable changes since its first iteration and has only got better with age. Having said that, over the years it has lost some of its simplicity and picked up some UI design elements that seem overdone, such as the 3D image gallery or the live wallpapers, which serve no functional value whatsoever and just consume resources for meaningless eye candy. This behavior is at odds with the usual Google way of designing things, where functionality takes precedents over attractiveness. Still, overall it is an attractive OS and although it lacks the timeless beauty of the iOS or the contemporary look of Windows Phone 7, it manages to look pretty good. Too bad you rarely get to see the real Android below the custom skins.
Symbian ^3 borrows the basic UI design of its predecessor and improves upon it. Despite that the end result is not something that one would call modern. You can see the roots of the operating systems, such as the soft keys at the bottom of the screen that were necessary for devices with buttons and a scroll bar for when there was no kinetic scrolling. It does not look bad per se, but it is not in the same league as others. Luckily, it is skinnable, so you can give a new look to it with a custom skin, although don't expect to make a swan out of a goose.
The latest entrant into the world of smartphones, Windows Phone 7 took the world by surprise when it was first announced, partly because no one expected Microsoft to come up with something that was so fresh and modern. The beauty of the UI design on Windows Phone 7 is unlike anything that you have seen before on other smartphones.
Unlike other operating systems here, especially Android, which borrowed heavily from iOS initially for their UI design, Microsoft came up with something that was completely original and yet incredibly good looking. So good is the UI design that most people would be seduced into buying a Windows Phone 7 device based on the look itself.
Ease of use
Designing a good looking interface is one thing. Designing a good looking interface that is also easy to use is another and no one does this better than Apple. If you don't believe us just search online for videos where kids are given an iPad or an iPhone and within minutes they manage to figure out the basics.
In our experience iOS has turned out to be the easiest mobile operating system, where everything was so clear and obvious that anyone who used it for the first time, regardless of age, could figure it out without having to refer to a manual. The reason for this is that it does not assume that the user knows how to use it and because of that you can go around doing basic things without any help. It is incredibly intuitive and makes you wonder why others haven't figured out a way to make their software work this way. It feels as if it was designed with regular human beings in mind, not robots or geeks. We loved the keyboard especially.
Next in line of intuitiveness is Android. It does not have the same level of simplicity as iOS, were you can detach you brain and still manage to work the interface, but it is still very easy nonetheless. Unfortunately, you would rarely get to use stock Android on every phone you use, which means if you are someone who's not a geek and are used to, say, an HTC Android phone, you will be lost when you pick up a Samsung Android phone.
So even though Google and the OEMs try to make the UI user friendly, the fact that there are so many different types of them is bound to leave a layperson confused.
Using the early versions of Symbian S60 5th Edition was as much fun as amputating your arm with a dull blade. The UI was designed for phones with keypads and Nokia had done little to ensure that it was usable, if not a pleasure. That's not the case with Symbian ^3, however, which feels miles ahead in terms of usability.
Things now work the way they should and there is no longer a doubt in your mind whether clicking something will just highlight it or launch it. We still don't like the way the applications are scattered across the menu and the on-screen keyboard could have been better. But overall the latest version of Symbian is pretty user friendly, and unlike Android, you don't have to worry about different interface layouts on different devices.
Windows Phone 7 may look great but it isn't the best when it comes to user friendliness. There are some things that aren't immediately apparent, such as the way you have to press and hold on certain items to display additional options. Then there is also the quirky behavior of the search button or the tiny call/end keys and the need to unlock the screen before you can receive a call. But more than anything, it's the lack of basic features such as multitasking and copy-paste for text that really makes things difficult for the users. We do love the keyboard though, which is on par with the keyboard on Gingerbread and almost as good as the one on iOS.
Features
Features was never a strong point of iOS, but over the years Apple has added a lot of functionality to the OS, such as the ability to install applications, multitasking, copy-paste, folders, etc. iOS today leaves very little room for complaint. However, there are some things that Apple is yet to take care of such as Bluetooth file transfers, file manager, mass storage, homescreen widgets and FM radio to name a few, but we have a feeling none of these will ever be addressed.
Fortunately, Apple does add additional functionality with every major firmware upgrade but more often than not these are limited to newer devices, whereas the older ones get the short end of the stick.
Android's biggest advantage over iOS has been the features and with the latest release Android has almost every feature that you could want, whether it is multitasking, widgets, tethering, Wi-Fi hotspot or Adobe Flash support. It feels the most complete out of all the four platforms here in terms of features, and if features are all that you are looking for then you would be happiest with Android.
When it comes to features, Symbian ^3 is no slouch either. You will find almost every feature here that you get on Android, along with some that you don't, such as FM radio and USB On-the-Go connectivity. You even get multiple homescreens (three, to be exact) and widgets for them, which are very handy. Features like multi-tasking and copy paste, something others have just discovered and others are yet to, have always been part of Symbian since the first iteration several years ago and have been executed perfectly. Symbian ^3 has most of the features that you would want and there wasn't anything that we felt it should have that it didn't.
This is one aspect where Windows Phone 7 fails miserably. For an operating system launching in 2010, Microsoft has left out some pretty major things. Although they are saying they will eventually incorporate most of them through updates we feel they should have had them from day one. While it was excusable to leave out on those things back in 2007, Microsoft has no such excuse, considering they were in the smartphone business even before Windows Phone 7. It does have some good features, such as the homescreen tiles, Xbox Live support, Zune pass and Office integration, but we don't think that will be enough to compete against the rivals.
Performance
When iOS first came out, it wowed the world with its fluid interface that ran perfectly even on the modest hardware of the first generation iPhone. Over the years the OS has become heavier and the proof of this is the way the iPhone 3G struggles with iOS 4.0. But try the same OS on an iPhone 4 and you will notice a world of difference. The UI is silky smooth throughout with no noticeable sluggishness. Even when switching between multiple applications, the UI maintains its smoothness without faltering.
Something similar has been observed in case of Android. As long as you provide it with fast hardware, it runs fine but tends to choke on slower devices. However, unlike iOS, even when running on faster hardware, Android is never perfectly smooth. At times you will notice unexpected and inexplicable slowdowns while going through the UI, which deters from the overall experience. Google has also added unnecessary eye candy to the UI, which also tends to bog down devices with less than perfect hardware.
Also, Android does not use the GPU to render the on-screen images, which means the CPU is overburdened, causing further slowdowns. Still, with some optimization, Android can be made to work pretty well on slower devices.
One of the greatest strengths of Symbian is that it has always been a very light operating system that could be run even by weaker hardware. This is why all the Symbian phones have hardware that seem less impressive than what we are used to seeing on high-end devices, but that is absolutely fine as even on that hardware the OS runs perfectly well.
Since the OS is so light, it removes the need to unnecessarily jack up the hardware and burn more battery in the process. This is why Symbian phones have the best battery life among smartphones. Nokia has also made good use of the on-board GPU to render all the on-screen images, leaving the CPU free to handle other tasks.
When it comes to UI smoothness, Windows Phone 7 is unbeatable. That's mostly because it is always sitting on powerful hardware, but also because the OS is well optimized for it. This is another good example of the kind of performance you get when you know what the weakest device your software would work on and then optimize it accordingly.
This is also why Android does not work well on low-end devices. The UI of Windows Phone 7 is so smooth, it gives you the illusion of moving physical objects around instead of UI elements, an illusion that Android fails to maintain, thanks to the occasional stutter. Unfortunately, the smoothness is only limited to the default applications as third-party applications could not live up to the same standards that Microsoft has set. We have seen Android developers come up with smoother applications even though they had no idea what phone their application would be running on. We hope things get better in future as these applications are updated.
Applications
This is one area where iOS pulls out a massive lead ahead of all the other platforms here. Being around the longest has certainly benefitted it and there are millions of applications available on the App Store right now waiting to be downloaded. Granted that more than half of them are not worth a second look but there are some really brilliant apps here. In fact, the general quality of applications available is the highest among all the smartphone platforms. Some of these apps have truly revolutionized the way we use our smartphones and in a way that not even Apple would have imagined when they made the iPhone. If apps are all you care about more than the device, then iOS is the platform to be on right now.
Although Android is fast catching up with iOS in terms of number of applications, we have failed to come across truly compelling apps that would sway us in favor of the Droid. Most of the great apps on Android are already available on iOS and the remaining ones are Google's own apps. There are very few great apps or games that are exclusive to Android right now. Sure, things would change down the line and once everyone realizes that Android is the better platform to develop for, considering there are no strict restrictions to follow unlike on the App Store, people would eventually make a move towards Android.
With Android already outselling iPhones in the US soon everyone would want to develop for the OS with the most number of users. Right now though, things aren't that great as such and if it's apps you want you should be looking at iOS, not Android. Also, remember that even if tomorrow Android Market does get all the great applications that does not mean they will stop making them for iOS.
There was a time when people boasted about the number of applications that Symbian has. Although it does have one of the best libraries of applications available in terms of sheer numbers, a lack of application store meant it was difficult to have access to them. Now that Nokia has the Ovi Store, things are looking better. When we reviewed the N8 we remarked about the number of applications available for it.
Even though the platform was quite new, the store had decent number of apps available for it. Even now it is growing at a steady pace. But the thing about the Ovi Store is that it will just take care of the basics and you won't be spoilt for choice as on iOS or Android. Want a Twitter client, there is Gravity. Want an IM app, use Nimbuzz. While this does make it easier to choose, at times you wish you had more apps from the same category to choose from.
Windows Phone 7 has the least impressive library of applications available for it and although one can blame this on the short period of time it has been out we must say the Windows Marketplace didn't flood with great apps the way we expected it to be.
Just like Ovi, it has all the basic applications covered, but there is nothing here that isn't available on the other platforms as of now. Also, the applications and especially games seemed unreasonably expensive on the Marketplace compared to App Store or Android Market. The same app as on these stores would cost two to three times more on the Marketplace for no reason.
Perhaps developers are seeing Windows Phone 7 as a premium platform, considering all the Windows Phone 7 devices are high-end and think they can get away with pricing their apps high (the same reason why Android developers either choose to go the ad-based way or through OEMs because they know Android buyers aren't big spenders).
Verdict
You probably expected Symbian to be at the bottom of the chart when you started reading this article, but as surprising as it may be, it isn't. That (dis)honor goes to Windows Phone 7, which has a long way to go before it can play with the big boys. Sure it has the potential to be great with a killer interface that would seduce people into buying this phone (and flame me in the comments section for writing bad about it). But right now there are few reasons to consider buying a Windows Phone 7 handset. Perhaps by the time you are ready to buy your next smartphone, it would be ready for you.
Symbian has gone through a lot of changes over the past years and it has never been in a better shape before. But we feel it has reached the end of its potential and it's about time it hands over the torch to MeeGo, which will take over as the premium operating system on Nokia's smartphones. While there is nothing bad about it, others just seem a generation ahead and although it still has the one of the best feature list around it's not enough in today's world. The fact the Ovi Store isn't exactly brimming with great quality apps is also another reason why it lags behind.
iOS has had a long and successful journey and it still has a long way to go, but it seems too rigid in today's world. The interface design is still top notch and Apple's attention to detail is exemplary. However, you still miss some of those features, such as widgets for the homescreen or a notification system that does not annoy you. More than anything else, iOS's biggest trump card is the App Store, which is undoubtedly the best in the business. But the fact that you can only enjoy this wonderful OS on two smartphones, both of which are high-end devices, does not bode well for those who don't have 'Ambani' as their last name.
Android today is a completely different animal compared to what it was two years ago. It felt rudimentary, to say the least, and although it showed potential it was difficult to predict back then what it would be today. Google has worked hard on the OS and thanks to a steady stream of updates it has completely transformed into this new OS that can go head-to-head with the best of the business. It's still far from perfect though and certain issues such as fragmentation would never be solved. But people have accepted them and found ways to make things work regardless of presence.
Today's Android offers the best combination of features, performance and support from the developer community in terms of application and the fact that it can run on even a sub Rs. 7,000 handset proves that you don't need big bucks to own a smartphone. And it's because of all these qualities that it manages to narrowly nudge ahead of iOS, which has so far been the undisputed king of the smartphone segment. So our verdict is simple, if you don't have the cash to spend on an iPhone 4, get an Android.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Samsung Galaxy Fit, Ace, Gio & Mini Unveiled
Samsung has announced four new Google Android based smartphones for its Galaxy lineup in Korea. These four new devices are aimed at the budget-minded consumers who don't wish to spend much on phones. All four new Galaxy smartphones - Ace, Fit, Gio and Mini - will support Quad-band GSM networks, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth, A-GPS, and 3G with HSDPA support.
GALAXY Ace GT-S5830
We've reported earlier that GALAXY Ace GT-S5830 sports a 3.5-inch HVGA display and houses 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7227-1 Turbo processor. It will come loaded with Google Android 2.2 Froyo with TouchWiz 3.0 UI layered on it. Packing 5 megapixel camera, Ace will also offer Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and Stereo FM Radio. The Samsung GALAXY Ace will be made available in Russia immediately and eventually in other European countries, India and China.
GALAXY Fit GT-S5670
The GALAXY Fit GT-S5670 sports a 3.31-inch QVGA display with 5MP camera for imaging. Packing a 600MHz processor and running Android Froyo, this mid-range smartphone sports Nexus One like chin. Nevertheless, Fit S5670 does appear to be a decent contender for mid-range budget. The Samsung GALAXY Fit will be available from February in Russia and gradually to other European countries, India and South America.
GALAXY Gio GT-S5600
Sleek design based GALAXY Gio GT-S5600 sports a 3.2-inch HVGA display and packs social networking capabilities with Android on it. Under the hood, Gio sports 800MHz powerful GPU with 3 megapixel camera. That's quite an odd combination for a mid-range smartphone. The Samsung GALAXY Gio will come to Russia and gradually to other European countries, India and China.
GALAXY mini GT-S5570
Emboldened with a flashy color stripe along the side, this mobile is aimed at the youngsters and social networking frenzy folks. Sporting a 3.14-inch QVGA display, GALAXY mini GT-S5570 is also powered with 600MHz processor. The Samsung GALAXY mini is available in Russia and will gradually be rolled out in other European countries, India and China.
Samsung hasn't announced prices of these new Galaxy family smartphones but we presume them to be somewhere between Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 17,000 approximately.
GALAXY Ace GT-S5830
We've reported earlier that GALAXY Ace GT-S5830 sports a 3.5-inch HVGA display and houses 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7227-1 Turbo processor. It will come loaded with Google Android 2.2 Froyo with TouchWiz 3.0 UI layered on it. Packing 5 megapixel camera, Ace will also offer Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and Stereo FM Radio. The Samsung GALAXY Ace will be made available in Russia immediately and eventually in other European countries, India and China.
GALAXY Fit GT-S5670
The GALAXY Fit GT-S5670 sports a 3.31-inch QVGA display with 5MP camera for imaging. Packing a 600MHz processor and running Android Froyo, this mid-range smartphone sports Nexus One like chin. Nevertheless, Fit S5670 does appear to be a decent contender for mid-range budget. The Samsung GALAXY Fit will be available from February in Russia and gradually to other European countries, India and South America.
GALAXY Gio GT-S5600
Sleek design based GALAXY Gio GT-S5600 sports a 3.2-inch HVGA display and packs social networking capabilities with Android on it. Under the hood, Gio sports 800MHz powerful GPU with 3 megapixel camera. That's quite an odd combination for a mid-range smartphone. The Samsung GALAXY Gio will come to Russia and gradually to other European countries, India and China.
GALAXY mini GT-S5570
Emboldened with a flashy color stripe along the side, this mobile is aimed at the youngsters and social networking frenzy folks. Sporting a 3.14-inch QVGA display, GALAXY mini GT-S5570 is also powered with 600MHz processor. The Samsung GALAXY mini is available in Russia and will gradually be rolled out in other European countries, India and China.
Samsung hasn't announced prices of these new Galaxy family smartphones but we presume them to be somewhere between Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 17,000 approximately.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
HP Pavilion DM1 Netbook Runs Fusion APU
HP has announced its first AMD Fusion APU laden notebooks starting with the Pavilion DM1. The new ultraportable Pavilion DM1 notebook features dual-core AMD Zacate APU. Though low-powered, the new Fusion APUs from AMD are capable of 1080p HD video playback capability. For US nationals, HP will release this netbook with Long Term Evolution chip to support the 4G network. HP Pavilion DM1 ultraportable notebook will be available in the US at a price of $450 from January 9, reported SlashGear.
Pavilion DM1 sports an 11.6-inch display that supports 1366x768 pixel resolution, which is good enough to play 720p HD video on it. To support the high definition video playback, the dual-core 1.6GHz AMD Fusion E-350 powers this ultraportable along with ATI Radeon HD 6310 graphics. Combining the Fusion APU and the Radeon HD graphics, this ultraportable is ready to play all recent DirectX 11 games in HD resolution. The ultra portable runs windows 7.
HP has also added Altec Lansing speakers with Dolby Advanced Audio to back up the HD graphics. One can add up to 8GB RAM while 3GB comes by default and a 320GB HDD storage. For physical connectivity, the ultraportable offers USB 2.0, VGA, Audio ports, memory card reader, gigabit Ethernet port and HDMI out port. Apart from that wireless connectivity is backed up with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth. Video chat is also possible with the integrated webcam.
Packing a 6-cell battery, the Pavilion DM1 promises about 9.5 hours of battery life and slots it in the league of the current generation netbooks offering the same.
AMD Unveils Low-power Fusion APUs
After over four years of hoopla, AMD has finally announced the low-power Fusion Accelerated Processing Unit chips. These Fusion APUs incorporate multi-core x86 CPU, DirectX 11 capable graphics with parallel processing engine, dedicated HD video acceleration block and high-speed bus for speedier data processing across the cores. Intel had just announced the Sandy Bridge CPUs and to complement them in the CPU game, AMD rolled out the new low-power platform Brazos based Fusion APUs for notebooks and desktops. The low-power Fusion APU loaded Tablets and embedded devices would be made available in the first quarter of this year.
AMD's Fusion project was announced way back in 2006. A Fusion APU comprises of x86 CPU crammed with GPU and dedicated Unified Video Decoder 3.0 HD video acceleration block for better video output. This UVD 3.0 is the same video acceleration block from the Radeon HD 6800 series graphics. This APU also has parallel processing engine that speeds up the application performance compared to an average CPU.
This means that the Fusion APUs would be capable of smooth 1080p HD video playback, upscaling of standard definition video to high-definition visually, conversion of 2D to stereoscopic 3D, load graphics-intensive web pages quicker and enjoy 3D gaming in HD resolutions. Of course, you'll get to enjoy the all recent DirectX 11 games.
Low-power Fusion APUs:
- E-series codenamed Zacate: dual-core 1.6GHz E-350 with 18W TDP rating and single-core 1.5GHz E-240 with 18W TDP rating; these APUs are designed mostly for notebooks, All-in-one desktops and nettops
- C-series codenamed Ontario: dual-core 1GHz C-50 with 9W TDP rating and single core 1.2GHz C-30 with 9W TDP rating; these APUs are meant for HD netbooks and emerging form factors
- A-Series codenamed Llano: quad-core x86 CPU crammed with DirectX 11 capable GPU and is meant for mainstream notebooks and desktops.
AMD noted that these new low-power Fusion APUs promises about 10 hours of battery life that even Intel Pineview processors offer.
Leading manufacturers that include Acer, Asustek Computer, Dell, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Lenovo, Micro-Star International (MSI), Samsung Electronics, Sony and Toshiba will roll out Fusion APU based products in this year. Out of these many would showcase AMD Fusion based notebooks and desktops at CES 2011.
Games that will Rock the PC in 2011
Crysis 2
Expected: March 22, 2011
Easily one of the most visually stunning games that is expected this year, Crysis 2 is easily one of the hottest games set to launch for all platforms. Whether you played the first two games or not, it doesn't matter, as Crysis 2 starts a whole new chapter in the franchise. It's now set in an urban city resembling New York where you battle the alien scum with your new and improved Nanosuit 2.0.
The new suit clubs some of the powers seen in the first and also introduces new ones to give you an edge in battle. Although it's launching for the consoles as well, Crysis was designed to be played with a keyboard and mouse as are any FPS titles. Also, the PC version should look a lot better as we aren't limited to the older hardware on the consoles.
Dead Space 2
Expected: January 25, 2011
One of the creepiest games since Doom 3, Dead Space won the hearts of every horror/action video game fanatic when it made its debut back in 2008. Three years down the line and Visceral Games is ready with the sequel. The sequel takes place on a space station called the Sprawl, which soon gets infected by the Necromorphs. We will also see a Multiplayer component being added to give the game some replay value.
Mass Effect 3
Expected : Q1 2011
Mass Effect 3 is coming and for all those who have enjoyed the first and second one, and there's no doubt you are excited about this one. The third installment will follow the timeframe of the second game, and will be the final game in the series. This will complete Commager Sheppard's journey and will incorporate over thousand variables from the first and second game to give the player a familiar experience. I'm sure you'll be able to use your old save games here as well.
Batman: Arkham City
Expected : Q4 2011
After the massive success of Batman: Arkham Asylum, it was only commonsense for Rocksteady Studios to plan a sequel. The one thing we missed in Arkham Asylum is sneaking on the roof tops of Gotham waiting for the baddie to arrive, while rain dripped from the bat suit, just like in the movies. That's exactly what you'll be getting in Arkham City. This time we have a new super villain, Hugo Strange, although it is rumored that the Riddler, Two-Face and the Joker will make an appearance as well. There's also going to be a multiplayer component this time, but we haven't got any concrete details as yet.
BulletStorm
Expected : February 2, 2011
This is another great looking FPS from EPIC game, the people who bought us Unreal. Players assume the role of Grayson Hunt, who, after few years after his exile, has become a drunken space pirate. Similar to Unreal, the game will feature oversized weapons and some new crazy combo moves. Check out the trailer below.
RAGE
Expected: September 2011
Based on the new id Tech 5 engine, which has been in development since Doom III came out, it will finally hit PCs and other platforms this year. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world similar to Fallout and will features a healthy mix of racing and FPS action. You'll even be able to upgrade your ride from the money earned in theses races.
BulletStorm
Expected : February 2, 2011
This is another great looking FPS from EPIC game, the people who bought us Unreal. Players assume the role of Grayson Hunt, who, after few years after his exile, has become a drunken space pirate. Similar to Unreal, the game will feature oversized weapons and some new crazy combo moves. Check out the trailer below.
RAGE
Expected: September 2011
Based on the new id Tech 5 engine, which has been in development since Doom III came out, it will finally hit PCs and other platforms this year. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world similar to Fallout and will features a healthy mix of racing and FPS action. You'll even be able to upgrade your ride from the money earned in theses races.
I Am Alive
Expected: TBA
This upcoming action game is being developed by Ubisoft Shanghai and takes place in Chicago after a high intensity earthquake has destroyed the city and separated it from the mainland. The player has to evade enemies, fend off dehydration, find his missing girlfriend and stay alive in a crumbled city of hate. A very interesting concept that we hope will have good game play as well.
Portal 2
Expected : April 20, 2011
This game certainly needs no introduction. If you haven't played the first games, run to the store and buy the Orange box or just buy it off Steam. In the sequel, you return as Chell after being in stasis for several hundred years. With GLaDOS defeated in the first game, the Aperture Science facility is now in ruins. Be prepared for another exciting adventure with your handy portal gun and of course, the companion cube.
F.E.A.R 3 (aka F.3.A.R)
Expected : March 22, 2011
With Project Origin receiving a rather insipid reception, we all 'feared' the worst for the franchise. However, F.3.A.R is shaping up to be a bit more interesting than the second one. This is a direct sequel to Project Origin and will include a new co-op mode as well as a new cover system. You'll be able to play as Point Man or Paxton Fettle this time, giving you new powers like Telekinesis, stun, possession and much more.
Dragon Age 2
Expected : March 8th , 2011
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Expected : TBA
Human Revolution will be a prequel to the first game and is the third game in the series. The game takes place during the year 2027, 25 years before Deus Ex, and features mechanical augmentations rather than nanotech, since those weren't invented at the time. Judging by the trailer, this is certainly going to be one stunning game on the PC.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Expected : TBA
This fantasy role-playing game is being developed by Bathesda Game Studios and will be the fifth installment in the series. Skyrim will utilize a new game engine that will incorporate some technologies used in other games like Oblivion and Fallout 3. I'm not a fan of RPGs myself, but I know many who are eagerly awaiting this launch.
Postal III
Expected : Q1 2011
Microsoft May Launch New Set Top Box TV
Microsoft's Xbox 360 may have found reasonable success as a media centre solution, but the Software giant's other TV ventures have not been successful. The history is rife with wreckages like WebTV, Microsoft TV, Media Center and other debacles from Microsoft's trysts with invading the living room. However, with rivals Google and Apple making headway into the living room, Microsoft has finally decided to throw the gauntlet with its own TV device.
According to a Seattle Times report, Microsoft intends to launch a set top box running a stripped down version of Windows overlaid with Windows Media Center interface. The device is also slated to incorporate media streaming and remote control capabilities for an approximate price of $200. In a nutshell, the new box aims to amalgamate regular TV with online media under Microsoft's existing Media Centre interface. More information will be forthcoming when Microsoft kicks off CES with its keynote.
Will Microsoft be lucky this time around? Well, all that is subject to how streamlined, accessible and well integrated the platform will be.
20 percent PCs in the World run on Windows 7
According to Computerworld, the giant in the OS market that we know as Microsoft Windows has crossed a milestone with its latest version. Windows 7 now runs on 20 percent of the computers on the planet. Meanwhile, its troubled predecessor - Windows Vista - has declined to 12.1 percent currently from the 18.8 percent adoption rate in October 2009.
One reason for this achievement could be the widespread adoption of Windows 7 as the pre-installed OS on branded desktops and laptops. Even Netbooks, which were sold with the ancient-grade Windows XP for a long time, are now seen with Windows 7 Starter Edition being bundled instead. Windows still may be the most dominant OS in the market, but its overall usage share is slipping point-by-point. Apparently, its losses are gained by hugely popular mobile OSes like Apple's iOS or Google's Android.
The Mac OS X usage stayed constant at 5 percent. Windows XP may be 9 years old, but it still rules the roost at 56.7 percent share. Lastly, despite having thousands of different flavors and being entirely free, Linux still appears only on 0.96 percent of the OS market share. You can click here to track a month-by-month account.
One reason for this achievement could be the widespread adoption of Windows 7 as the pre-installed OS on branded desktops and laptops. Even Netbooks, which were sold with the ancient-grade Windows XP for a long time, are now seen with Windows 7 Starter Edition being bundled instead. Windows still may be the most dominant OS in the market, but its overall usage share is slipping point-by-point. Apparently, its losses are gained by hugely popular mobile OSes like Apple's iOS or Google's Android.
The Mac OS X usage stayed constant at 5 percent. Windows XP may be 9 years old, but it still rules the roost at 56.7 percent share. Lastly, despite having thousands of different flavors and being entirely free, Linux still appears only on 0.96 percent of the OS market share. You can click here to track a month-by-month account.
Intel Launches Sandy Bridge Processors
Intel has launched one of the most awaited and technologically superior iteration of its desktop and mobile processors - Sandy Bridge - on Monday, January 3, just before the Consumer Electronics Show. Intel was earlier expected to launch it at CES, which is one of the biggest technology fairs of the year.
Sandy Bridge processors have names with four numerals, starting with the number 2 . If it ends with K , then the multiplier is unlocked. It also features a new Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, which can automatically push the core speeds and this time round, they will not limit the speed, so that the overall CPU power consumption remains within the rated TDP.
Sandy Bridge processors feature DirectX 10.1 graphics support, which is a step above the DirectX 10 in the previous generation processors. It will also support version 2.0 of Intel Wireless Display to connect to a display without using wires. DRM is built into the processor and is called Intel Insider. This lets you unlock premium high-definition content such as movies on your PC.
AMD will be releasing Fusion, which is also a combination of graphics with CPU on the same chip, at CES, and Intel's Sandy Bridge may face some competition over there on the laptop front. But the desktop segment seems to have been secured by Intel thus far. The first Sandy Bridge processors in the market will be quad core models, and more will be expected soon. Stay tuned for price updates.
Monday, January 3, 2011
India's Technological Progress Since Independence
Firstly, we wish to take this opportunity to wish you all on the 64th Independence Day of our nation. When we freed ourselves from the shackles of colonial British rule on 15th August 1947, we were left with more of internal conflict and very little in terms of financial reserves or development. It was almost like a clean slate and having to start afresh from scratch. Today, after 63 years from that date, we are still a developing nation with the second largest population on the planet, but we have indeed made a lot of progress. Defence, Computers and IT, Space and Telecommunications are a few of the topics we will talk about to showcase the progress our country has made thus far.
Defence:
At the time of our country's Independence, the Indian armed forces consisted mostly of Emergency Commissioned Officers of World War II and were almost ill-equipped. Our country lacked the infrastructure to produce even a rifle at the time, let alone aircraft or tanks. A foundation had to be laid for the defense industry at that time, especially because there was almost immediate invasion from our neighbors. Modernization of the defense forces was a must. It was a long process which involved several border conflicts, where India learnt about the kind of defense necessary. We also went on to conduct nuclear tests, even risking international criticism and repercussions to irreversibly upgrade its nuclear deterrent capability. While India has been an avid supporter of international nuclear disarmament, the nuclear arms development was purely meant as means of self-defense to thwart any evil schemes of aggressors. Even though it is nuclear capable, India reiterates time and again its No First Strike doctrine.
Today, the Indian Army is equipped with supersonic cruise missiles such as BrahMos, Prithvi I, II and III, Nag, Shaurya, etc. capable of carrying conventional as well as nuclear warheads and capable of striking deep into enemy territory. We also have Exo-atmospheric interceptor system, commonly known as anti-missile technology, which can intercept and destroy enemy ballistic missiles before they reach the target.
In terms of aircraft, we have the LCA and the latest multi-role air superiority fighter Sukhoi Su-30MKI which is jointly developed by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia s Sukhoi Corporation. India's own nuclear powered Arihant class of submarines are slated to be unveiled next year, while Shivalik class stealth frigate has been commissioned for this year.
In addition to addition to the Indian Army's arsenal of several different weapons and armoured vehicles developed in India, there is also a new program to modernize the infantry, known as Futuristic Infantry Soldier As a System (F-INSAS) to be commenced in 2012 and to be completed by 2020.
Computers and IT:
While computers have been in use in government institutions and certain colleges in India since 1956, these were off limits to the general public. Supercomputers were not available to India and when a request for one was made in the 1980s to the US, it was promptly denied. So Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) took it upon itself to develop a supercomputer indigenously. In 2003, the Param Padma was launched with development cost stated at US$10 million. This had the computational capability of 1 teraflop (1 trillion processes per second) and a capacity of 5 TB, later increased to 22 TB. This instantly placed India amongst the elite club of nations with supercomputational capability. Then in 2007, the Computational Research Laboratories, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons Ltd. in Pune, integrated a Hewlett-Packard Cluster Platform 3000 BL460c system with their own innovative routing technology to achieve 117.9 TFlop/s performance. This made it the fourth fastest supercomputer in the world.
Computers started reaching people's homes just a couple of decades ago. The period before that can be considered almost as a dark age in terms of computer literacy here and the enlightenment started in the early 1990s. Today, almost every other urban home has a computer and the rural areas are also not too far behind. The government has also been trying to make computers more affordable, as it was reported a few days back, it has announced the availability of an Android-based tablet PC for just US$35 or around Rs.1650 with the target to make it less than half as expensive later.
From dial-up, we have got broadband virtually everywhere, thanks to EVDO and soon to be rolled out 3G USB modems requiring no wired network infrastructure. This increase in penetration of internet connectivity in rural areas has directly and indirectly affected the lives of people in the villages. There have been initiatives such as e-Choupals by ITC allowing big business conglomerates to link directly with rural farmers via internet, thus bridging the gap and eliminating middlemen. This involves installation of computers in rural areas where farmers can easily access the latest marketing and agricultural information. Currently, there are over 6,500 e-Choupals operating, with plans to expand to 20,000 by 2012 covering 1,00,000 villages in 15 states serving 15 million farmers.
The world recognizes India as an IT giant today. Companies such as Wipro, TCS, and Infosys are globally recognized IT giants with listings on the NSE and NASDAQ. A huge number of IT professionals are produced in India and they are in huge demand all over the world.
Telecommunications:
When it comes to telecommunications, the first thing that comes to our mind is the mobile phone. In 1947, India had a very sparse network of wired telephones and an STD call which was known as Trunk call at that time, had to be specially booked at least half an hour beforehand. The infrastructure of wired telecommunications has rapidly increased so much that just after 10 years from then, there were millions of names in the waiting list for a landline telephone connection.
TRAI was established in 1997 and cellular services were first launched in the country in 1999, and India has never looked back. Today, with a host of GSM and CDMA mobile service providers, the number of mobile telephone users has outstripped the number of landline users by a huge margin. We have arguably the lowest call rates in the world and since internet has become available also through mobile phones, an increasing number of people have been using it for activities such as e-commerce in addition to just staying connected.
After viewing just a handful of terrestrially broadcast Doordarshan channels for more than three decades, satellite television became available in the early 1990s and completely revolutionized the way we watch television. Today, we have HD television channels available from several satellite television providers something that would have been hard to imagine a couple of decades back
The first Indian satellite Aryabhatta was launched in 1975 followed by the Rohini series of experimental satellites. While this were the first steps into space for India, the launch of the INSAT or Indian National Satellite System series of satellites was a major milestone due to them bringing a vast improvement in telecommunication. The IRS or Indian Remote Sensing Satellite series was the next successful series of earth observation satellites which provided services useful especially for the agricultural sector and the natural resources industry. ISRO is also in the process of launching India's very own satellite navigation system, Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS), which will eliminate our dependence on foreign satellites for the same.
The latest amongst the achievements of ISRO is the successful Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe expedition in 2008, which carried out explorations of the lunar surface, sending back valuable scientific information. This put India in the elite club of a handful of nations who could manage the successful landing of a lunar probe. Hot on the heels of the first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2 is already on the anvil with an expected launch in 2013. The next major objective of ISRO is already set and that is to send a manned expedition to the moon by 2020, which they are very optimistic and upbeat on achieving.
We must also mention that there is a variety of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV), Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) designed and used by ISRO to launch satellites and probes. These have been used to launch not only Indian satellites, but have even been used to launch payloads from other countries, thus generating a lot of revenue in this highly profitable business. With our own launch facilities and launch vehicles, we are truly in a unique position which cannot be boasted of by most other nations.
These are not the only fields where India has excelled post-independence. There are other fields such as superconductivity, nanotechnology, nanomaterials, biotechnology, medicine, energy and so many more that it is impossible to cover them all in a single article. Even though we still remain hindered by red-tape bureaucracy, we are surely making strides towards becoming a developed country from a developing country. So before you think about comparing India with a developed nation such as U.S.A., you should give it a thought that U.S.A. has been independent for 234 years, while we have been so only for 63 years, which is a fourth of that period. U.S.A. did not inherit poverty and unrest like India did after its independence. Yet we have come so far that it is indeed an achievement in itself that deserves our respectful salute.
Defence:
At the time of our country's Independence, the Indian armed forces consisted mostly of Emergency Commissioned Officers of World War II and were almost ill-equipped. Our country lacked the infrastructure to produce even a rifle at the time, let alone aircraft or tanks. A foundation had to be laid for the defense industry at that time, especially because there was almost immediate invasion from our neighbors. Modernization of the defense forces was a must. It was a long process which involved several border conflicts, where India learnt about the kind of defense necessary. We also went on to conduct nuclear tests, even risking international criticism and repercussions to irreversibly upgrade its nuclear deterrent capability. While India has been an avid supporter of international nuclear disarmament, the nuclear arms development was purely meant as means of self-defense to thwart any evil schemes of aggressors. Even though it is nuclear capable, India reiterates time and again its No First Strike doctrine.
Today, the Indian Army is equipped with supersonic cruise missiles such as BrahMos, Prithvi I, II and III, Nag, Shaurya, etc. capable of carrying conventional as well as nuclear warheads and capable of striking deep into enemy territory. We also have Exo-atmospheric interceptor system, commonly known as anti-missile technology, which can intercept and destroy enemy ballistic missiles before they reach the target.
In terms of aircraft, we have the LCA and the latest multi-role air superiority fighter Sukhoi Su-30MKI which is jointly developed by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia s Sukhoi Corporation. India's own nuclear powered Arihant class of submarines are slated to be unveiled next year, while Shivalik class stealth frigate has been commissioned for this year.
In addition to addition to the Indian Army's arsenal of several different weapons and armoured vehicles developed in India, there is also a new program to modernize the infantry, known as Futuristic Infantry Soldier As a System (F-INSAS) to be commenced in 2012 and to be completed by 2020.
Computers and IT:
While computers have been in use in government institutions and certain colleges in India since 1956, these were off limits to the general public. Supercomputers were not available to India and when a request for one was made in the 1980s to the US, it was promptly denied. So Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) took it upon itself to develop a supercomputer indigenously. In 2003, the Param Padma was launched with development cost stated at US$10 million. This had the computational capability of 1 teraflop (1 trillion processes per second) and a capacity of 5 TB, later increased to 22 TB. This instantly placed India amongst the elite club of nations with supercomputational capability. Then in 2007, the Computational Research Laboratories, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons Ltd. in Pune, integrated a Hewlett-Packard Cluster Platform 3000 BL460c system with their own innovative routing technology to achieve 117.9 TFlop/s performance. This made it the fourth fastest supercomputer in the world.
Computers started reaching people's homes just a couple of decades ago. The period before that can be considered almost as a dark age in terms of computer literacy here and the enlightenment started in the early 1990s. Today, almost every other urban home has a computer and the rural areas are also not too far behind. The government has also been trying to make computers more affordable, as it was reported a few days back, it has announced the availability of an Android-based tablet PC for just US$35 or around Rs.1650 with the target to make it less than half as expensive later.
From dial-up, we have got broadband virtually everywhere, thanks to EVDO and soon to be rolled out 3G USB modems requiring no wired network infrastructure. This increase in penetration of internet connectivity in rural areas has directly and indirectly affected the lives of people in the villages. There have been initiatives such as e-Choupals by ITC allowing big business conglomerates to link directly with rural farmers via internet, thus bridging the gap and eliminating middlemen. This involves installation of computers in rural areas where farmers can easily access the latest marketing and agricultural information. Currently, there are over 6,500 e-Choupals operating, with plans to expand to 20,000 by 2012 covering 1,00,000 villages in 15 states serving 15 million farmers.
The world recognizes India as an IT giant today. Companies such as Wipro, TCS, and Infosys are globally recognized IT giants with listings on the NSE and NASDAQ. A huge number of IT professionals are produced in India and they are in huge demand all over the world.
Telecommunications:
When it comes to telecommunications, the first thing that comes to our mind is the mobile phone. In 1947, India had a very sparse network of wired telephones and an STD call which was known as Trunk call at that time, had to be specially booked at least half an hour beforehand. The infrastructure of wired telecommunications has rapidly increased so much that just after 10 years from then, there were millions of names in the waiting list for a landline telephone connection.
TRAI was established in 1997 and cellular services were first launched in the country in 1999, and India has never looked back. Today, with a host of GSM and CDMA mobile service providers, the number of mobile telephone users has outstripped the number of landline users by a huge margin. We have arguably the lowest call rates in the world and since internet has become available also through mobile phones, an increasing number of people have been using it for activities such as e-commerce in addition to just staying connected.
After viewing just a handful of terrestrially broadcast Doordarshan channels for more than three decades, satellite television became available in the early 1990s and completely revolutionized the way we watch television. Today, we have HD television channels available from several satellite television providers something that would have been hard to imagine a couple of decades back
Space Technology:
The Indian Space Program spearheaded by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad and Dr.Homi Bhabha at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 1945 initially included the study of cosmic phenomenon such as solar radiations. Eventually, the Space Program was taken over by the Indian Space Research Organization started on 15 August 1969.
The first Indian satellite Aryabhatta was launched in 1975 followed by the Rohini series of experimental satellites. While this were the first steps into space for India, the launch of the INSAT or Indian National Satellite System series of satellites was a major milestone due to them bringing a vast improvement in telecommunication. The IRS or Indian Remote Sensing Satellite series was the next successful series of earth observation satellites which provided services useful especially for the agricultural sector and the natural resources industry. ISRO is also in the process of launching India's very own satellite navigation system, Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS), which will eliminate our dependence on foreign satellites for the same.
The latest amongst the achievements of ISRO is the successful Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe expedition in 2008, which carried out explorations of the lunar surface, sending back valuable scientific information. This put India in the elite club of a handful of nations who could manage the successful landing of a lunar probe. Hot on the heels of the first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2 is already on the anvil with an expected launch in 2013. The next major objective of ISRO is already set and that is to send a manned expedition to the moon by 2020, which they are very optimistic and upbeat on achieving.
We must also mention that there is a variety of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV), Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) designed and used by ISRO to launch satellites and probes. These have been used to launch not only Indian satellites, but have even been used to launch payloads from other countries, thus generating a lot of revenue in this highly profitable business. With our own launch facilities and launch vehicles, we are truly in a unique position which cannot be boasted of by most other nations.
These are not the only fields where India has excelled post-independence. There are other fields such as superconductivity, nanotechnology, nanomaterials, biotechnology, medicine, energy and so many more that it is impossible to cover them all in a single article. Even though we still remain hindered by red-tape bureaucracy, we are surely making strides towards becoming a developed country from a developing country. So before you think about comparing India with a developed nation such as U.S.A., you should give it a thought that U.S.A. has been independent for 234 years, while we have been so only for 63 years, which is a fourth of that period. U.S.A. did not inherit poverty and unrest like India did after its independence. Yet we have come so far that it is indeed an achievement in itself that deserves our respectful salute.
Evil Twins: Mobile Phone Edition 2010
The prologue to purchasing a phone mostly starts when you look at your old, scratched, boring handset and say, "That's it, time to get a new one". With sweaty palms, you scour the Internet for the phone that fits your requirements as well as budget. And then when you've almost finalized on the handset of your choice, an evil twin raises its ugly head. With a similar feature set and pricing, it lures you to have a look at it. You fall prey and eventually end up confused between the two. Sometimes there are more than two.
I believe manufacturers do this exercise before starting their development on an electronic product - 1) Research the market on what's currently selling and what it has, 2) Create a device that tries to match the feature set and price of competitors, 3) Throw in that extra feature that gives them a reason to brag about why theirs is better. To give you a prime example of this, I'd say look at the Galaxy Tab's marketing campaign - video conferencing, its ability to make phone-calls, a "pocket-friendly" design - all these are things that the first Apple iPad doesn't have.
So, in the end it makes choosing between two devices a frustrating affair. Today, we take a look at five pairs of mobile phones that do this and we'll try to clear the mist of confusion.
Nokia C6 vs. Samsung Galaxy 551
Despite touchscreens becoming good enough to provide an easy typing experience, many still prefer tapping on real buttons than virtual ones. Thus was born touchscreen phones with sliding QWERTY keyboards. The Nokia C6 was released as a rebranded, youthful and more importantly, cheaper avatar of the N97 mini. Although it may have hit the market early, it is threatened by Samsung's newest entrant, the Galaxy 551 - which is basically the Galaxy 3 i5801 with a sliding keyboard.
Both have 3.2 inch displays when measured diagonally. The C6 beats the Galaxy 551 in resolution; 640 x 360 pixels are packed better in the former than 240 x 400 pixels in the latter. But Samsung trumps Nokia by using a capacitive screen instead of a resistive one, which is much better to use with fingers.
Next comparison is the operating system - Symbian Series 60 5th Edition vs. Android 2.2 (Froyo). No points for guessing which one's better (OK, if you're still guessing then it's Android, of course). The OS on the Nokia C6 is just too dated in terms of usability, it would've been acceptable if it used the more recent Symbian^3, but not this.
In comparison, the Android 2.2 is the second-best version of Google's mobile operating system that Samsung used in the Galaxy 551. The well-designed interface and over 2,00,000 apps to choose from is a big incentive. Plus, if you're a user of Google applications like Gmail, Google Maps etc., then Android supports all of it natively.
Although the Galaxy's screen isn't as tempting in terms of crispness as the Nokia's, support for DivX videos out of the box is certainly appreciated. Both the phones roughly sell for Rs. 13,000. If I had to choose between the two, Nokia C6's resistive touchscreen and the ancient Symbian OS would make me look in the other direction. I'd rather choose the Galaxy 551 without batting an eyelid.
I believe manufacturers do this exercise before starting their development on an electronic product - 1) Research the market on what's currently selling and what it has, 2) Create a device that tries to match the feature set and price of competitors, 3) Throw in that extra feature that gives them a reason to brag about why theirs is better. To give you a prime example of this, I'd say look at the Galaxy Tab's marketing campaign - video conferencing, its ability to make phone-calls, a "pocket-friendly" design - all these are things that the first Apple iPad doesn't have.
So, in the end it makes choosing between two devices a frustrating affair. Today, we take a look at five pairs of mobile phones that do this and we'll try to clear the mist of confusion.
Nokia C6 vs. Samsung Galaxy 551
Despite touchscreens becoming good enough to provide an easy typing experience, many still prefer tapping on real buttons than virtual ones. Thus was born touchscreen phones with sliding QWERTY keyboards. The Nokia C6 was released as a rebranded, youthful and more importantly, cheaper avatar of the N97 mini. Although it may have hit the market early, it is threatened by Samsung's newest entrant, the Galaxy 551 - which is basically the Galaxy 3 i5801 with a sliding keyboard.
Both have 3.2 inch displays when measured diagonally. The C6 beats the Galaxy 551 in resolution; 640 x 360 pixels are packed better in the former than 240 x 400 pixels in the latter. But Samsung trumps Nokia by using a capacitive screen instead of a resistive one, which is much better to use with fingers.
Next comparison is the operating system - Symbian Series 60 5th Edition vs. Android 2.2 (Froyo). No points for guessing which one's better (OK, if you're still guessing then it's Android, of course). The OS on the Nokia C6 is just too dated in terms of usability, it would've been acceptable if it used the more recent Symbian^3, but not this.
In comparison, the Android 2.2 is the second-best version of Google's mobile operating system that Samsung used in the Galaxy 551. The well-designed interface and over 2,00,000 apps to choose from is a big incentive. Plus, if you're a user of Google applications like Gmail, Google Maps etc., then Android supports all of it natively.
Although the Galaxy's screen isn't as tempting in terms of crispness as the Nokia's, support for DivX videos out of the box is certainly appreciated. Both the phones roughly sell for Rs. 13,000. If I had to choose between the two, Nokia C6's resistive touchscreen and the ancient Symbian OS would make me look in the other direction. I'd rather choose the Galaxy 551 without batting an eyelid.
Samsung Wave II S8530 vs. Nokia C7 HTC Desire HD and HTC HD7 Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Mini Pro vs. Motorola Flipout
While most manufacturers are fighting the iPhone in the Rs. 30,000 price bracket with their Android-based (and more recently, Windows Phone 7 based) smartphones, there's a bigger price segment that's more lucrative to the Indian consumer - the sub Rs. 20,000 range. It is this price point that acts like a physiological barrier, as anything above Rs. 20,000 is deemed too expensive for a phone by many. We have two competitors trying to make their stronghold in this segment; the Nokia C7 and the Samsung Wave II S8530.
Although the Wave II doesn't have the Super AMOLED display like the first Wave handset, its trump card over the Nokia C7's is the higher 800 x 480 pixel resolution and a slightly bigger screen size (at 3.7 inches). But its not like Nokia's screen is bad - we felt its AMOLED display delivered soothing colors, unlike Samsung's Super AMOLEDs which seem kinda over-exaggerated.
Next is the camera - newbies may want to declare the Nokia C7 as a winner by just looking at the higher 8 megapixel sensor count (the Wave II has 5 mega-pixel). But what spoils it for Nokia is the lack of autofocus. How does that matter? Well, with a fixed focal length any object you click that's either closer or farther than the optimum distance isn't going to be captured with good sharpness. You can read more about the C7's camera here. On the other hand, the Wave II's autofocus sensor will make sure that pictures don't turn out blurry, no matter what the object distance is. If you're keen about using the phone camera, the C7's flaw will pose as a deterrent.
Another important aspect to consider is the Operating System. The Nokia C7 runs Symbian^3, a decent attempt from the Finnish stable with not too many bad things to point out. A few of those black spots like the web browser can be fixed by installing third party apps like Opera. The Wave II runs Bada OS 1.2, Samsung's homebrewed smartphone OS which we found to be quite good for a first attempt.
In fact, we'd go out on a limb and say that we like the Bada OS's Interface better than Symbian (while not trying to sound like Symbian^3 is utter crap). But Symbian is one of the oldest smartphone OSes out there, with an App store that may not match the Apple iOS's or the Android Market, but certainly better than the lackluster availability of apps for the Bada platform as of now.
So it all boils down to this - if stuff like a good web browser, Google Maps or a VOIP app like Nimbuzz or Skype are important to you, the Nokia C7 is your best bet (as you don't have any of those apps for the Bada OS as of now). If you want a good camera phone with superior multimedia and are sure that you won't be pushing the phone beyond what you get out of the box, then the Wave II is a better choice. Want the good camera as well as the decent app support? Then shell out Rs. 5,000 more and get the Nokia N8.
This is a fight between two Sumo Wrestler brothers from a single mother. Both are 4.3 inch 'monster-screened' phones - one running Google Android 2.2, the other Windows Phone 7. There are too many things similar with these phones. As for the difference in their hardware, the Android-running Desire HD has a higher res 8 megapixel camera (the HD7 has a 5 megapixel one).
It also is powered by Qualcomm's newer Snapdragon (i.e. QSD8255) 1 GHz processor, while the HD7 runs the first iteration of that processor (although at the same clock speed). The advantages of the newer chip are seen on the graphics front - it's faster but not as fast as the Galaxy S (or the Nexus S). The HD7 has 8GB built-in memory, while the Desire HD has 1.5GB on-board (well, an 8GB microSD card costing Rs. 800 is peanuts if you're spending Rs. 27,000 on a phone).
It is in the software department where the Desire HD kills the HD7 by a long shot. It has over 2,00,000 apps as of now, while the newborn Windows Phone 7's 5000 apps as of now has a long way to catch up. The HD7 won't play DivX videos out of the box (a shame for a phone with a huge screen and comes with a kick-stand), while the Desire HD does. Also, the software incompetency that currently plague Windows Phone 7 OS exist in the HD7 as well. There's no bluetooth file transfer, no Flash support in the web browser, no multi-tasking among other things. Even copy-paste support will be out next year.
The HD7 sells for Rs. 29,000, while the Desire HD actually costs Rs. 1,500 lesser. If you've actually read through the two paras above, it isn't too hard to figure out which phone we'd prefer; the Desire HD, of course. Unless you are really smitten by Windows Phone 7 and cannot do without a feature that it provides that Android doesn't, I don't see any reason why one should go for the HD7 instead of the Desire HD.
Both are mid-range Android phones with QWERTY boards coming out of their bodies. We prefer the X10 Mini Pro for its design because though it may be too tiny for some, its shape is better to hold and pocket than the Flipout's rectangular shell. Also, it has a regular QWERTY keyboard sliding mechanism, while the Flipout's bottom half slides out at a 180-degree angle sideways. This in our opinion isn't really a good design, as it keeps moving when you hold the phone to your ear. Also, you cannot speak on the Flipout without opening the slide, which is not the case in the X10 Mini Pro.
Both the phones don't fare well when it comes to the display due to the low QVGA resolution used. Fonts on the Android appear to have blurry edges thus reducing readability.
The Flipout scores over the X10 Mini Pro with its slightly bigger 2.8-inch screen size, but probably as a result of this, the fonts look even weirder. On the other hand, due to its squareish shape, the Flipout isn't as easy to use single-handedly as the X10 mini pro.
Keyboard wise, both are almost at par - the X10 mini pro's well-shaped and spaced-out keys give as good a typing experience as the Flipout's well-defined and tactile keys. Multi-media is a department where the X10 Mini Pro beats the Flipout, with a 5 megapixel autofocus sensor that takes very good snaps and videos. The bundled in-earphones also give a good audio listening experience.
Motorola has done a decent job with the MotoBLUR UI customization over Android, and so has Sony Ericsson with their rendition. Both phones are available for Rs. 15,000. If you ask me, I'd prefer the X10 Mini Pro out of the two simply because of the unergonomic shape and sliding mechanism of the Flipout, and also because of the better multimedia performance on the X10 mini pro.
BlackBerry Curve 8520 vs. Nokia E5
A lot of people want to go beyond the traditional forms of communication via their mobile phones (i.e. calling and SMS). People want e-mail, they want Facebook/Twitter, they want to chat using them too. BlackBerry's cheapest model yet, the Curve 8520 has been around for long. Nokia's E5 is its latest attempt to re-hash a premium phone (Nokia E72) into an inexpensive solution. The only thing good about the Curve 8520 is its optical trackpad, which is better to navigate with than frantically clicking on a typical D-pad found on the E5. The keyboard design is a subjective choice; although people dislike the Curve's tiny keys, I like their tactility and the way they are laid out.
But other than that, the E5 whacks the Curve in places where I'd rather not say here. For starters, the E5 is 3G (HSDPA) compliant, has GPS with free turn-by-turn navigation provided other than the obvious possibility to install Google Maps. It has a higher-resolution 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash. Push e-mail is offered free on the Nokia E5 and will work with a typical GPRS plan, while you have to shell out a minimum of Rs. 299 per month for just mail and instant messaging on a BlackBerry (Rs. 599 if you want to browse the net or use applications).
The BlackBerry Curve will not support an upgrade to their latest OS 6. The E5's Symbian Series 60 v.3.2, while not great to use, isn't entirely horrible and will get the job done in most cases. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 sells for Rs. 11,700, while the E5 is available for a grand less than that. Again, it isn't rocket science to figure out which one is the better of the two. But if you're sold on BlackBerry's service, then you've unfortunately got no option but to settle with the inadequacies of the Curve 8520 or spend Rs. 6,000 more and get the Curve 9300 to fix some of the issues.
BlackBerry really needs to drop the Curve 9300's price down to the Curve 8520's range and kill the 8520 entirely. Till then, our vote of confidence lies with the Nokia E5. 
Great Phones that don't Exist!
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X9
There are many Android phones cropping up in the Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 range, which puts it in the reach of many people. Sony recently announced a couple of new phones, of which, one was the XPERIA X8. A not-so-mini cousin of big-brother XPERIA X10, the X8 seems like a good mid-range Android phone. While HTC and Samsung have decided to put low-resolution QVGA (320 x 240) or WQVGA (400 x 240) displays respectively in their cheap Androids, Sony Ericsson has bravely embraced the HVGA (320 x 480) type, which is a good enough resolution for a 3-incher in our opinion. More importantly, it is one of the first and most common resolutions used for Android phones till date.
This, as we all know by now, ensures compatibility with maximum number of apps (at least from the resolution point of view). All forms of connectivity like GPS, Wi-fi, 3G are in place, and Sony Ericsson gave us a tasty quote of less than Rs. 16,000 as the X8's selling price on launch.
What more could you ask for, right? Two things is what we could think of. Firstly, like everyone else, I am baffled wondering why they'd put a measly 3.2 megapixel non autofocus camera in the X8? And that too when you know how good that 5 megapixel sensor on its X10 Mini and Mini Pro is.
Secondly, as my colleague Prasad observed, the 3-inch display felt a little too small when using the QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode. I would agree and say that if I had to change another thing about the X8, I would like the display to be bumped up to 3.2-inch, which, we by experience know is wide enough for easy portrait typing.
So, enter the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X9, which is pretty much the X8 but with a 5 megapixel sensor borrowed from the X10 mini and the screen size bumped to 3.2-inches. And while we're at it, it better be released with Android 2.1 or above, instead of a promise to update it after a few months of purchase. At 16,000 bucks, perfect eh?
Samsung Galaxy S Mini
I'm sure you are acquainted with the Samsung Galaxy S. This was probably the first phone I felt can give the iPhone a good run for its money. Despite containing that awesomely vivid 4-inch display, I didn't find the phone to be very bulky or un-pocketable in any way. However, many people don't share that impression and feel that four inches is a little too big to be a phone's display.
While we might get carried away by saying its Rs. 27,500 asking price is value for money, but when you compare it to other Rs. 30,000 phones, it does seem to give you a lot better in return. But 30 grand is no small amount.
Right now Samsung's Android portfolio has cheap 12k phones like the Galaxy 3 i5800 and then the next Android phone is more than twice that price. We're barring the aged i5700 Galaxy model since its probably out of the market by now. So now someone who wants a mid-range Android has no Samsung model to choose from.
A "Galaxy S Mini" if sold for Rs. 15,000 - Rs. 17,000 while retaining all those great features like the Super AMOLED display, DivX HD playback etc. would be a godsend. Getting the screen size down to 3.2 inches would also satisfy the dissatisfied people I mentioned before. But wait, don't we have a phone just like that already?
Sure, Samsung wants to promote their home-brewed Bada OS, but according to their plan Bada would slowly trickle down to all the lower-end feature phones like the Corbys. Samsung already has the hardware ready; just slap Android onto the Wave's body and what you've got is a kick-ass Android phone for under Rs. 20,000.
iPhone Mini / iPhone Nano
How we've wished for this to happen over and over again. But we of course are aware of Apple's "Best or nothing" policy. We also know that they're not into the number game and aren't part of the rat-race. But Apple was in a position to hold this attitude a few years ago when no other device was able to touch the greatness of the iPhone. Today though the game is changing.
Google and many of the big cellphone makers have joined hands to make a pool of phones that mimic the iPhone in function. But the difference with Android is of variety. You've got decent choices for half the iPhone's cost. Apple has the right to defend this by saying that they don't make "cheap products that are not a piece of junk".
But look at it this way: India and China are two of the biggest and fastest growing cellphone countries. People here buy cellphones with the same money required to pay for a meal for two people in a posh restaurant. Plus, with all the cheaper Android phones people begin questioning whether it is really worth paying double the price for an iPhone. We are mostly a value-for-money driven country, where the first thing people look at before buying an electronic product is the price.
And don't tell me Apple hasn't tried making cheap products to bring the "Apple Experience" to the masses. What was the Mac Mini? Or the iPod Shuffle? I have enough faith in Apple to say that if they bring a sub-Rs. 20,000 iPhone to the market, it will put all the VFM Android phone makers in a state of panic. So, if Apple wants to cash in on the success of these two big markets, they'll have to tone down their snobbish rich-boy-only attitude with the iPhone.
Nokia N900 Mini
The N900 was Nokia's first attempt to break that Symbian rut they had going with their touchscreen phones. It ran Maemo, a completely new OS from the ground up, which is now pitted to replace Symbian from all top-end Nokia smartphones. It was an interesting device to play with, but as a phone, I found it to be way too bulky for this day and age. In contrast, something like a Motorola Milestone was thinner despite the sliding QWERTY board. And with so many size zero phones in the market today, I'm sure many people would be put off by the N900 due to its size.
It would be interesting to see the hardware internals of an N900 and the Maemo OS placed in the casing of an N97 mini. We'd call it the N900 Mini, and I'm sure it would be a desirable buy for Nokia lovers. Also, why not replace the decade-old resistive touchscreen with a capacitive one?
Micromax Q8
Ok, it's not like we're promoting Micromax over other Indian china-phone makers. The Micromax Q8 is just a symbolic name and we hope similar models crop up from other makers as well.
After seeing the Micromax Q5 and the Q7, I realized that they're good value for money phones that work fairly well. But that one main differentiating factor between Indian china-phones and popular International handset makers is the User Interface. All Indian china-phones may have different skins and fonts that make the UI look a little better, but from our observation all run the same, age-old OS inside. Plus simple things like multi-tasking between Java applications isn't supported in most, possibly owing to the lack of memory or processing power. Then there are the text-input issues that we had explained earlier.
I'd like to dream of the day when a Micromax, MVL, Lemon or even a Wynncom throws that ancient OS out in the gutter and replaces it with a better functioning one. Google Android is open-source; free for anybody to take and modify. But maybe they can't port it to these phones due to the lack of sufficient processing power and internal memory. Think about it, we know how Android lagged a little even on phones with 528 MHz processors and 128MB of RAM. We can't obviously expect these under-Rs. 5000 phones to possess even this much power.
Only if there was a way to skim Android to make it lighter and work better with low-power devices, they'd most definitely give bigger players good competition. With a good web-browser, applications like Gtalk, Gmail and Facebook built-in, they would become true social networking phones for people with small pockets.
There are many Android phones cropping up in the Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 range, which puts it in the reach of many people. Sony recently announced a couple of new phones, of which, one was the XPERIA X8. A not-so-mini cousin of big-brother XPERIA X10, the X8 seems like a good mid-range Android phone. While HTC and Samsung have decided to put low-resolution QVGA (320 x 240) or WQVGA (400 x 240) displays respectively in their cheap Androids, Sony Ericsson has bravely embraced the HVGA (320 x 480) type, which is a good enough resolution for a 3-incher in our opinion. More importantly, it is one of the first and most common resolutions used for Android phones till date.
This, as we all know by now, ensures compatibility with maximum number of apps (at least from the resolution point of view). All forms of connectivity like GPS, Wi-fi, 3G are in place, and Sony Ericsson gave us a tasty quote of less than Rs. 16,000 as the X8's selling price on launch.
What more could you ask for, right? Two things is what we could think of. Firstly, like everyone else, I am baffled wondering why they'd put a measly 3.2 megapixel non autofocus camera in the X8? And that too when you know how good that 5 megapixel sensor on its X10 Mini and Mini Pro is.
Secondly, as my colleague Prasad observed, the 3-inch display felt a little too small when using the QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode. I would agree and say that if I had to change another thing about the X8, I would like the display to be bumped up to 3.2-inch, which, we by experience know is wide enough for easy portrait typing.
So, enter the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X9, which is pretty much the X8 but with a 5 megapixel sensor borrowed from the X10 mini and the screen size bumped to 3.2-inches. And while we're at it, it better be released with Android 2.1 or above, instead of a promise to update it after a few months of purchase. At 16,000 bucks, perfect eh?
Samsung Galaxy S Mini
I'm sure you are acquainted with the Samsung Galaxy S. This was probably the first phone I felt can give the iPhone a good run for its money. Despite containing that awesomely vivid 4-inch display, I didn't find the phone to be very bulky or un-pocketable in any way. However, many people don't share that impression and feel that four inches is a little too big to be a phone's display.
While we might get carried away by saying its Rs. 27,500 asking price is value for money, but when you compare it to other Rs. 30,000 phones, it does seem to give you a lot better in return. But 30 grand is no small amount.
Right now Samsung's Android portfolio has cheap 12k phones like the Galaxy 3 i5800 and then the next Android phone is more than twice that price. We're barring the aged i5700 Galaxy model since its probably out of the market by now. So now someone who wants a mid-range Android has no Samsung model to choose from.
A "Galaxy S Mini" if sold for Rs. 15,000 - Rs. 17,000 while retaining all those great features like the Super AMOLED display, DivX HD playback etc. would be a godsend. Getting the screen size down to 3.2 inches would also satisfy the dissatisfied people I mentioned before. But wait, don't we have a phone just like that already?
Sure, Samsung wants to promote their home-brewed Bada OS, but according to their plan Bada would slowly trickle down to all the lower-end feature phones like the Corbys. Samsung already has the hardware ready; just slap Android onto the Wave's body and what you've got is a kick-ass Android phone for under Rs. 20,000.
iPhone Mini / iPhone Nano
How we've wished for this to happen over and over again. But we of course are aware of Apple's "Best or nothing" policy. We also know that they're not into the number game and aren't part of the rat-race. But Apple was in a position to hold this attitude a few years ago when no other device was able to touch the greatness of the iPhone. Today though the game is changing.
Google and many of the big cellphone makers have joined hands to make a pool of phones that mimic the iPhone in function. But the difference with Android is of variety. You've got decent choices for half the iPhone's cost. Apple has the right to defend this by saying that they don't make "cheap products that are not a piece of junk".
But look at it this way: India and China are two of the biggest and fastest growing cellphone countries. People here buy cellphones with the same money required to pay for a meal for two people in a posh restaurant. Plus, with all the cheaper Android phones people begin questioning whether it is really worth paying double the price for an iPhone. We are mostly a value-for-money driven country, where the first thing people look at before buying an electronic product is the price.
And don't tell me Apple hasn't tried making cheap products to bring the "Apple Experience" to the masses. What was the Mac Mini? Or the iPod Shuffle? I have enough faith in Apple to say that if they bring a sub-Rs. 20,000 iPhone to the market, it will put all the VFM Android phone makers in a state of panic. So, if Apple wants to cash in on the success of these two big markets, they'll have to tone down their snobbish rich-boy-only attitude with the iPhone.
Nokia N900 Mini
The N900 was Nokia's first attempt to break that Symbian rut they had going with their touchscreen phones. It ran Maemo, a completely new OS from the ground up, which is now pitted to replace Symbian from all top-end Nokia smartphones. It was an interesting device to play with, but as a phone, I found it to be way too bulky for this day and age. In contrast, something like a Motorola Milestone was thinner despite the sliding QWERTY board. And with so many size zero phones in the market today, I'm sure many people would be put off by the N900 due to its size.
It would be interesting to see the hardware internals of an N900 and the Maemo OS placed in the casing of an N97 mini. We'd call it the N900 Mini, and I'm sure it would be a desirable buy for Nokia lovers. Also, why not replace the decade-old resistive touchscreen with a capacitive one?
Micromax Q8
Ok, it's not like we're promoting Micromax over other Indian china-phone makers. The Micromax Q8 is just a symbolic name and we hope similar models crop up from other makers as well.
After seeing the Micromax Q5 and the Q7, I realized that they're good value for money phones that work fairly well. But that one main differentiating factor between Indian china-phones and popular International handset makers is the User Interface. All Indian china-phones may have different skins and fonts that make the UI look a little better, but from our observation all run the same, age-old OS inside. Plus simple things like multi-tasking between Java applications isn't supported in most, possibly owing to the lack of memory or processing power. Then there are the text-input issues that we had explained earlier.
I'd like to dream of the day when a Micromax, MVL, Lemon or even a Wynncom throws that ancient OS out in the gutter and replaces it with a better functioning one. Google Android is open-source; free for anybody to take and modify. But maybe they can't port it to these phones due to the lack of sufficient processing power and internal memory. Think about it, we know how Android lagged a little even on phones with 528 MHz processors and 128MB of RAM. We can't obviously expect these under-Rs. 5000 phones to possess even this much power.
Only if there was a way to skim Android to make it lighter and work better with low-power devices, they'd most definitely give bigger players good competition. With a good web-browser, applications like Gtalk, Gmail and Facebook built-in, they would become true social networking phones for people with small pockets.
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