When we got up close and personal with the Lady Gaga Heartbeats back in September we were automatically drawn to the the whole fashion meets technology angle. Lets face it, Lady Gaga epitomizes that concept. We finally got our hands on a review sample of the Heartbeats and lets just say, it’s not a bad romance. Design: At the press conference way back in September Lady Gaga, stated the reason for the design of a triangle was to exemplify the three things she would die without: love, fashion, and writing
….well at least in comparison to S60V5. A month ago, Symbian’s CEO gave a rather vague presentation on the new Symbian UI . On Thursday, Engadget posted up a sneak preview of the upcoming Symbian UI which no longer resembles the murky confusion that is S60. With the new Symbian UI users will have: Reduced clutter Improved input methods Capacitive Screen (death to resistive on high end!) Multitouch Pinch and Zoom Single touch improved (less taps to get to places- would be fantastic if we can get to everything with 3 taps or under) Better website compatibility, Quicker flash UI will be faster – 3x faster than our high end (which one, N97 or N900?) Scrolling will be 60FPS vs current 15fps Optimized graphics – more responsive, beautiful Drastically reduce complexity and bring new fresh appeal – when Nokia does, many people will take a new look at Symbian to achieve what no other manufacturer can.
HD Video: Stunning 3D Gaming on N900 – Bounce Evolution – The Scenic Route
Graphics wise , whatever glitzy eye candy game you can show off on the iPhone, the N900 can do it too. Bounce Evolution was the first 3D game shown on the N900 and everyone was stunned at how good it looked (and it’s on a Nokia!). I loved Bounce on my 7210 – kept me busy for ages – I’d never have thought that it would ever look as good as this
This was not the best week for computers at BBGeeks Studios. On Wednesday evening my laptop took a foot and a half tumble into oblivion. On Thursday morning Coopers computer crashed and erased mostly everything. So we’re dealing with plenty of issues here.
Review: Powermat Wireless Charging Mat for BlackBerry
When the Palm Pre first launched, one of the coolest features was the ability to wirelessly charge the device by setting it on the TouchStone dock. Well a new product called Powermat is here to do the same thing for nearly all mobile devices. The Powermat is a wireless charging solution designed for a range of devices, including BlackBerry, iPhone, iPod, Nintendo, etc. So the first question you’re probably wondering is how does this thing wirelessly charge my device?
One week with the N900: 22 things I love and a few things (9) that I don’t
One week on with the N900. Although I’ve reviewed and given a first impressions of the N900 in September , that was based on very short weekend usage. Here’s just over a week (received N900 last Wednesday) on what I’ve found so far. It was only meant to be a short number of things that I loved about the N900 but one thing kept popping up after another
If you are the sort of phone user who likes to make a statement with a brightly coloured phone, then it just may be that Nokia are about to launch the device for you. Expected in Q1 2010, the Nokia 6700 Slide comes in six bright, vivid colours – Pink (there’s always a pink), Red, Petrol Blue, Aluminium, Lime and Purple. You’ll certainly get noticed with one of those! Thankfully, there is more to the Nokia 6700 Slide than just a few garish colours. The Nokia 6700 Slide is the latest ‘non-smartphone’ Nokia running on the S60 operating system.
Low Light photo, Flash off Let’s compare the fourth photo with the N82 which sports a Xenon Flash. This was actually not that good for N82, most other photos are solid clear – but on every occasion, the undisputed king of low light has about 99% success rate of sharp, well lit photos, frozen in time. Related posting plans ahead: Within a week, I’ll be posting another N82 vs N900 low light (on lock down this week to revise for Friday exam so may post on Sunday) I’ll also be uploading the rest of the photos from London in the N900 Photo sample part 2.
It’s been a few days (almost a week) spent with the N900, and I have to say it’s been used as a 2nd device predominantly. Mainly due to one issue – at this current time it will not work with a new 3G only 3UK sim card, but apparently there is a firmware update coming which will fix this issue. I think that would be a wise decision 3UK are very much like the N900 – open (well more than their competitors) so it makes sense to make it widely available. Whether using the N900 as my 2nd device has affected my opinion of it so far I have to say is unlikely
The musical Avenue Q might want to update it’s lyrics to “The Mobile Phone is for Porn.” While Apple has avoided allowing a porn store on its iPhone, Google’s Android device won’t judge. Called MiKandi , the world’s first adult-only app store was recently launched for Android devices. In the porn-only store, users can search a range of free and paid applications. Users can post reviews and join discussions. What does adult videos have to do with mobile marketing
There’s a few apps out there that seem to compliment the BlackBerry OS, as though they are the missing piece of the puzzle, the “mini Me” that complete the OS making it as close to perfect as it can be. This is one of those apps. With The Mobile Heist today, I thought this would be a great time to review AddOnIs by Twinkler Software and let you know what I think of it. This app is really interesting. It normally sells for $9.95 in the BlackBerry Sync Store, but for one day only you can grab it for $4.97.
I’ve got a question. How many of you have had the opportunity to try out the new BlackBerry Bold 9700, regardless of the carrier? Pretty cool device, don’t you think? I mean with WiFi, HSPA, new optical trackpad, even the battery life has improved quite a bit. So all in all, seems like the perfect BlackBerry, right? Well, not exactly. While I do feel that the Bold is probably one of the best BlackBerry devices ever due to all that’s mentioned above, it is my opinion (and I’m sure I’m not alone) that the Bold, along with other newer devices, is way too small. It seems to me that RIM isn’t considering the fact that not everyone has tiny hands. I’ve got pretty large hands, and have a hard time using it. That’s why I haven’t purchased one, and will not. I have service with Telus here in Canada, and now that we have the new HSPA network, it seems to me that my only viable option is to get a Bold 9000 and unlock it if I want the HSPA speeds on my BlackBerry. Smartphones are small to begin with, and this doesn’t help. I find it very hard to type on and make frequent spelling mistakes when I tried writing a long message on it. If RIM would have made it just a bit bigger, then I think it would be perfect. Now this is not to say there shouldn’t be smaller form factor BlackBerrys, because I know a lot of people who find some other ones too big and don’t want a Pearl due to the SureType keyboard. So that’s all fine. Then there are those who want the smallest phones possible, so the SureType works for that crowd. So what about us? I think RIM should come up with 3 major lines of device… SureType style – Keep the Pearl line the way it is so those who want a small device with BlackBerry features can have the best of both worlds. Curve/Tour/Javelin/Bold 9700 style – Those who want the full QWERTY keyboard without the bulky device Bold 9000 style – Make some bigger phones with a bigger keyboard so I don’t feel like Shaq trying to use an iPod Nano.
HD Videos: Nokia Human Research Department: Good things come in [slightly] smaller packages.
I was destined to meet up with my comfy pillow and duvet but just as I was about to climb under the quilt, I noticed the package that must have been received yesterday (Saturday). It was a big jiffy bag. I thought it may have been something I ordered from eBay. It turns out to be a memory stick from WOMWorld: [note: Photos taken by Nokia N900] What was on the memory stick?
Nokia N900 – Can you do the Fandango? Photo and Video Samples – London – Part 1
Just got back from London, and after an extremely eventful weekend I am minutes from crashing into my bed for a well deserved snooze fest. I’ll leave you with a quick camera/video sample at Covent Garden of a group called “Fandango”, just to demonstrate the video recording quality/audio quality as well as photo quality when using the N900 as a simple point and shoot (as opposed to rigorously testing out the camera with specified fields). I was actually just trying to take a photo of the Christmas Decor, and when I moved to get a better view I saw and heard this great, fun and lively classical group playing to a huge audience. Although I do miss the xenon flash and extensive camera settings of previous Nseries devices, I do love the redefined camera menu that’s just so simple to use. Switching between macro/auto/landscape and photo/video was as easy as it should have first appeared with S60 touch
Huge Black Friday 09 Deals from BBGeeks and Friends
Alright folks it is Black friday and you are all out hunting the deals of the year. Well we didn’t want you to feel like we had nothing to offer you during the holiday shopping season so we have put together a couple killer discount packages that you can take advantage of over the next few days. There are three specific sets of deals laid out below. Be sure to read all the details carefully and note that the final deal is reserved for Monday November 30th 2009 only. We hope you had a great meal yesterday and enjoyed the company of friends and family alike.
After a day filled with food, what’s better to wash it down than a helping of BlackBerry? It was a short week, but we still have BlackBerry issues on the front burner, including the continued dominance of the Curve. So click on over here to hear the BBGeekcast (8 min, 34 sec) And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss future episodes! You can also subscribe to the BBGeekcast in iTunes . Highlights include: Once again, the Curve was the top selling smartphone in America. It beat out two iPhone models in the third quarter, including the 3GS, which was released at the end of the second quarter but which had a full quarter in the third to rack up sales.
Hey it’s Friday! I was just about to leave to catch a train (going home-home first then London for the weekend) but thought that I couldn’t let the weekend go by without a blog post. This is just an absolute quicky showing off the N900’s autofocus video. Unlike the N97 or other Nseries that are stuck to a fixed zoom point (N97 horribly set to infinity, so anything closer than, um 1 mile is blurry), with the N900, the subject can be very far away, within a few cm and the infinite degrees in between. This was literally all shot, edited in 2 minutes.
It seems there is no let up in Samsung’s determination to become the number one handset manufacturer in the world, as we have notice of even more devices that will swell their already large ranks of mid range handsets. It seems that Samsung are determined to keep on producing high quality touch screen devices, to flood the market with their products, so whatever you are looking for, prepay, contract, low, mid or high use, there will be a Samsung device to suit your needs. The Samsung S7070 is another in this long line of Samsung touchscreen handsets, sporting a large, 3.0 inch TFT resistive display, supporting up to 256,000 colours and with a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels.
To be noticed in a crowded mobile industry, a handset needs a twist, a unique feature or look; otherwise there is a real risk of slipping into mobile phone obscurity. Some phones fight it out by being top of the tree and offering all the features possible, whilst others offer a new operating system, high end camera or online integration of contacts and services. The M3310 from Samsung comes to the market with a rather unique twist on a somewhat common design, a dual slide handset that hides stereo speakers in the upper slide out compartment. With DNSe support built in, you can be assured that the music quality is of the highest order; DNSe stands for Digital Natural Sound Engine, and this proprietary Samsung feature aims to offer the end user the best audio experience possible
The sharp eyed regular reader of the blog will have noted a little footnote to our news-of-the-week roundup back at the beginning of September , when we mentioned a forthcoming device in the Sony Ericsson range, news of which only came to light in document from a business update meeting. The press release talked about a device which would be marketed under the name of the Xperia Pureness , and the marketing blurb spoke of a handset designed for “Talk, Text, Time – a holiday from technology” a handset that would be designed to “reflect the purity of water and a sense of calmness when not in use” and most intriguing of all the Xperia Pureness would be the world’s first handset with a totally transparent display.