if you've glanced through my blogs you know I love the N95, no other phone comes close to it in features and capabilities (go ahead and argue with me about it) and the only fair comparison would be with the iPhone. while iPhones has its strengths, based on a prototype of iPod with a phone, beautiful design and interface (never expected less from Apple), it is still very underutilised and very limited in available software and utilities and easily beaten by the good old N95 in that. Obviously Apple will be working hard to make up for in the subsequent models and will be learning from its mistakes as the newcomer in the smartphone world.
Well... if you still haven't bought either one of them, then dont! iPod I am sure will mature in those areas in due course of time like all new products. As for N95, the long awaited successor N96 is here and lives up to the expections! its a real media powerhouse of a phone with an endless feature list.
I am sure we'll be getting a lot of buzz around this baby with reviews and comparisons, for now just check out this video here:
5MP high quality camera with Carl Zeis lense, dual flash and really bright video light (check the video clip at the bottom), 30fps VGA video recording with video stablisation, 2.8" screen with the sound through stereo "3D" speakers for gaming and music, built-in digital TV reciever (its actually got a little stand so you can put it down and watch videos or TV, check the video clip above). GPS with assisted GPS support and automatic insertion of capture location (for pictures), 16GB memory (which can be beefed up to 24GB with a microSDHC card and of course, HSPDA (3.5 G) and WiFi... *phant phant* please excuse my while I wipe off my drool!
and obviously its running on the Symbian S60 - OS 9.2 Feature Pack 2.0
you gotta see to believe how bright its video light really is:
Bilal
http://elanist.com/bilal
Showing posts with label nokia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nokia. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
N96 leaked info
i've always loved the N95 (as you can tell from my previous posts), specially the 8GB, certainly the coolest phone in its class, better than iPhone in fact.
and now there's leak photos and info of N96 ! based on Symbian S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2. total coolness.
bilal
http://elanist.com/bilal/
and now there's leak photos and info of N96 ! based on Symbian S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2. total coolness.
bilal
http://elanist.com/bilal/
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Who chooses Windows Mobile?
I know i'm going to ruffle a few feathers with this one, but what the heck, I actually HOPE I ruffle more than a few! Windows Mobile is now in its 6th version and what is it biggest draw back? its still "Windows".
OS being one of the most important factors when getting a smartphone, there are still a number of OS options in the market for smartphones. However, Symbian is the most prolific and mature OS for these devices by far. So for the most users this choice is made easier compared to other factors when looking for a smartphone. Though there is a small faction of users, who still feel Windows Mobile might be the right choice when getting their first (and possibly second) smartphone. A little puzzling as it might be, lets consider what type of users might fall under this category:
a. American users:
Obviously not the smartest of the smartphone users on the planet. Many of the American mobile phone users are still learning to SMS. No wonder its the only place on earth where Symbian users are still a minority. The cave dwelling Taliban are rumoured to be more mobile savvy than the average american citizen.
b. First time smartphone users:
Many smartphone users are still first timers and coming from a PC background so they feel a Windows Mobile based phone might be easier to use than a Symbian one. An unfortunate assumption which often leads such users to a lengthy cycle of frustration from one WM phone to another till they finally make the jump to a better OS (google on it a bit).
c. Mislead by the name "Windows" Mobile:
Some new users are under the impression that having Windows Mobile means the smartphone would have better support for MS Office files, and sync better with their PC windows. This might be an unfortunate assumption and they cant be blamed for it. One would expect a Microsoft OS to work better Microsoft's own products. New users somehow believe that a Windows Mobile phone would give better usage of MS Office files or online services from MSN, and better synchronization with their Windows based PC. But then again... what a silly assumption. How can someone not be aware of the unreliability and sluggishness that is synonymous with Windows name. Ironically Windows Mobile is probably the worst OS in this regard (arguably right? so go on and argue).
d. Little hand-held PC:
There are still people who think having a smartphone is like having a hand held PC that can make phone calls. Such users might feel that "rebooting" the phone now and then, just like the PC, is normal. That it is normal for their smartphone to keep getting sluggish if not rebooted now and then (google on it, will ya?), it is normal for the OS to suck the life (battery life) out of the phone. They have just learned to live with the frustration and take it as the norm. So with such low expectations, they can kinda cope with the frustrations of Windows Mobile.
You're not getting the picture yet? let me share one of the postings on Gizmodo. This message was posted as a response to an article about frustrations with Windows Mobile 6 on the Moto Q9m:
"Maybe using a touchscreen Pocket PC makes me immune to these frustrations. I dont see how a non-touchscreen Q should be compared to a touchscreen Iphone for usability".
Fortunately, users tend to change our phone (even smartphones) far quicker than they change their PC or any of their other electronic devices for that matter. So its still not a big loss if their first smartphone is not the right one.
And by the way... if any of you got any issues with this post, let me give you some idea what kind of mobile phones I use:
Bilal
http://elanist.com/bilal
OS being one of the most important factors when getting a smartphone, there are still a number of OS options in the market for smartphones. However, Symbian is the most prolific and mature OS for these devices by far. So for the most users this choice is made easier compared to other factors when looking for a smartphone. Though there is a small faction of users, who still feel Windows Mobile might be the right choice when getting their first (and possibly second) smartphone. A little puzzling as it might be, lets consider what type of users might fall under this category:
a. American users:
Obviously not the smartest of the smartphone users on the planet. Many of the American mobile phone users are still learning to SMS. No wonder its the only place on earth where Symbian users are still a minority. The cave dwelling Taliban are rumoured to be more mobile savvy than the average american citizen.
b. First time smartphone users:
Many smartphone users are still first timers and coming from a PC background so they feel a Windows Mobile based phone might be easier to use than a Symbian one. An unfortunate assumption which often leads such users to a lengthy cycle of frustration from one WM phone to another till they finally make the jump to a better OS (google on it a bit).
c. Mislead by the name "Windows" Mobile:
Some new users are under the impression that having Windows Mobile means the smartphone would have better support for MS Office files, and sync better with their PC windows. This might be an unfortunate assumption and they cant be blamed for it. One would expect a Microsoft OS to work better Microsoft's own products. New users somehow believe that a Windows Mobile phone would give better usage of MS Office files or online services from MSN, and better synchronization with their Windows based PC. But then again... what a silly assumption. How can someone not be aware of the unreliability and sluggishness that is synonymous with Windows name. Ironically Windows Mobile is probably the worst OS in this regard (arguably right? so go on and argue).
d. Little hand-held PC:
There are still people who think having a smartphone is like having a hand held PC that can make phone calls. Such users might feel that "rebooting" the phone now and then, just like the PC, is normal. That it is normal for their smartphone to keep getting sluggish if not rebooted now and then (google on it, will ya?), it is normal for the OS to suck the life (battery life) out of the phone. They have just learned to live with the frustration and take it as the norm. So with such low expectations, they can kinda cope with the frustrations of Windows Mobile.
You're not getting the picture yet? let me share one of the postings on Gizmodo. This message was posted as a response to an article about frustrations with Windows Mobile 6 on the Moto Q9m:
"Maybe using a touchscreen Pocket PC makes me immune to these frustrations. I dont see how a non-touchscreen Q should be compared to a touchscreen Iphone for usability".
Fortunately, users tend to change our phone (even smartphones) far quicker than they change their PC or any of their other electronic devices for that matter. So its still not a big loss if their first smartphone is not the right one.
And by the way... if any of you got any issues with this post, let me give you some idea what kind of mobile phones I use:
Bilal
http://elanist.com/bilal
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
MS Office on smartphones
Folks you might wanna pay a bit closer attention to this one and why I say Windows Mobile is bit of a warning lable if you expect to make good use of your smartphone. Thats right! I said it: its a warning label!
When buying a smartphone, users often presume that getting a Windows Mobile based phone means they would get better usage and support for their MS Office files. Its probably one of the worst myths in the world of smartphones. You cant entirely blame them for this faulse assumption. One would expect "Windows" based smartphone to give better functionality for Word documents, Excel sheets and Power Point presentations. Unfortunately, it doesnt work that way. If only people could google a bit more before investing in a smartphone or better still... read my blog!
Most people would find it strange or might even be reluctant to believe that the first generation of ESeries smartphones came with Nokias own application, Documents, for accessing MS Office files, was so good that not only it was better than any 3rd party software, it was actually better than Microsoft's own devices! Its not just Mobile Review who declared Nokia's MS Office capabilities to be superior to Microsoft's proposition, others have been expressing their frusration with even with just document viewing on Windows Mobile. funny huh? well if you use Microsoft Windows (and most likely you do), its not that hard to believe.
But come on! how hard is it to have a quick browse on the net to find out the most suitable software or using MS files on any smart phone? to figure that Quick Office is probably currently the most popular solution. Until recently, Office 2007 files were not supported by any smartphones, and yes not even for Windows Mobile. But now finally this has been fixed and solutions are availble for most devices. QuickOffice has also just released Premier 5.0 now supports Office 2007 on Symbian smartphones.
Better than that! the ESeries phones like E61 and E62 both come with excellent and comprehensive a built- in full Office suite which allows you to view, edit and create Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. For both these devices, contacts, calendar, tasks and notes, all of them easily sync to Microsoft Outlook using the included PC Suite. And if you're a power user, you probably already own or at least eyeing the E90.
When buying a smartphone, users often presume that getting a Windows Mobile based phone means they would get better usage and support for their MS Office files. Its probably one of the worst myths in the world of smartphones. You cant entirely blame them for this faulse assumption. One would expect "Windows" based smartphone to give better functionality for Word documents, Excel sheets and Power Point presentations. Unfortunately, it doesnt work that way. If only people could google a bit more before investing in a smartphone or better still... read my blog!
Most people would find it strange or might even be reluctant to believe that the first generation of ESeries smartphones came with Nokias own application, Documents, for accessing MS Office files, was so good that not only it was better than any 3rd party software, it was actually better than Microsoft's own devices! Its not just Mobile Review who declared Nokia's MS Office capabilities to be superior to Microsoft's proposition, others have been expressing their frusration with even with just document viewing on Windows Mobile. funny huh? well if you use Microsoft Windows (and most likely you do), its not that hard to believe.
But come on! how hard is it to have a quick browse on the net to find out the most suitable software or using MS files on any smart phone? to figure that Quick Office is probably currently the most popular solution. Until recently, Office 2007 files were not supported by any smartphones, and yes not even for Windows Mobile. But now finally this has been fixed and solutions are availble for most devices. QuickOffice has also just released Premier 5.0 now supports Office 2007 on Symbian smartphones.
Better than that! the ESeries phones like E61 and E62 both come with excellent and comprehensive a built- in full Office suite which allows you to view, edit and create Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. For both these devices, contacts, calendar, tasks and notes, all of them easily sync to Microsoft Outlook using the included PC Suite. And if you're a power user, you probably already own or at least eyeing the E90.
E61 Screens
The lesson learned? Windows Mobile does not mean it gives better support for MS Office, in fact you might even wanna treat "Windows Mobile" as a warning lable (indulge me a little), specially if you wanna use your Windows Mobile device with Vista.
Bilal
http://elanist.com/bilal
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Controlling your PC with your phone
thats right! if you didnt know this before now you do. You can not only use your mobile phone as a TV remote (since ages ago), you can use your regular mobile phone to control sotware applications on your PC (or Mac). Specially if your phone is based on Symbian S60, and even better if you have an E-series phone. In fact the new Salling Clicker software is actually native for E-series phones like the E61. And it uses WiFi or Blue Tooth for connecting to your PC, and does all the detection for you. PRETTY cool!
thats all there's to it. you can control software and send and recieve data and sort of be able to see whats happening on the PC as well.
there's are a lot of possibilities here folks! all depends on how far can your evil mind think. Look at what people were doing with a simple infrared control 10 years ago! consider this: when Palm Pilot was still the rage, car thieves actually used Pilot's infrared port to pick up frequencies of car locks from a distance. then used their Palm Pilot to unlock and steal the cars. this became quite a problem in the UK if I remember correctly.
and I'm not even going to mention what people did with the zero lux infrared capability of the olddd Soney handycams (my blog is PG13 remember?). Point is, we give you the stuff, your devilish mind should do the rest, and there's a LOT of devilish stuff you can do with a kickass smartphone like the E61 and its siblings.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
how to make S60 browse like iPhone
if you wanna get more out of browsing from your smartphone, there's this guy Harri Salminen who's come up with a pretty cool way to make websites think your S60 phone (come on, its about time you found out your phone is running Symbian (or it should!)) is actually an iPhone. and why the h*ll does that matter? well like Harri says, thanks to all the marketing buzz behind iPhone, many major websites have special optimized pages for browsing on the iPhone, when your S60 phone can render pages just as well, or better.
The screen shots give a general idea about the difference between a standard webpage on the phone screen compared with iPhone optimized:
normal S60 browsing
The screen shots give a general idea about the difference between a standard webpage on the phone screen compared with iPhone optimized:
normal S60 browsing 
with the iPhone hack
So your Nokia or any other phone running S60 (depending on what model you have) can do just the same with this little hack. You can download the hack from Harri's website below:
S60 to iPhone hack
Harri had actually encountered a little bug which wasn't letting his N95 make the most of this phone, but thanks to another genius, Robin Jewsbury, there's a fix for that little bug too:
S60 to iPhone bug fix
happy browsing!
Bilal
http://elanist.com/bilal/
Monday, December 17, 2007
New grid comparison of smartphones
I was going through some message boards and came across a posting from someone about this really cool grid that calculate the scores of smartphones based on your own preferences.
http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/grid.htm
ok it may not be REALLY cool, cuz of some of the models *you* would want to be see in there may not be there. but think again! there may be a reason why such a model was not put in there in the first place!
I'm not surprised at all about the winner and runner-up in that grid if all criterie are set to preference.
Bilal
http://elanist.com/bilal/
http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/grid.htm
ok it may not be REALLY cool, cuz of some of the models *you* would want to be see in there may not be there. but think again! there may be a reason why such a model was not put in there in the first place!
I'm not surprised at all about the winner and runner-up in that grid if all criterie are set to preference.
Bilal
http://elanist.com/bilal/
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Cash Prizes for Flash Lite developers
well if you are into developing for Flash, now there is better and more interesting incentives for you to flex your expertise a bit: Ca$h. The upcoming games portal playyoo.com has just offered a prize fund of $25,000 for Flash Lite games.
They also have setup a a sneak preview currently on offer section on their website to download some of their current cool stuff directly onto your smartphone. I've read that this game "Dawn of the Fly" is rather addictive but I havent tried it myself yet.
Flash Lite is already available on all the major smartphone OSs, but majority of the smartphone models supporting Flash Lite at the moment are running S60 on Symbian.
You can get basic information on Flash Lite on Adobe's website and for tools, SDKs and detailed stuff, Nokia has setup a forum for Flash Lite developers.
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
They also have setup a a sneak preview currently on offer section on their website to download some of their current cool stuff directly onto your smartphone. I've read that this game "Dawn of the Fly" is rather addictive but I havent tried it myself yet.
Flash Lite is already available on all the major smartphone OSs, but majority of the smartphone models supporting Flash Lite at the moment are running S60 on Symbian.
You can get basic information on Flash Lite on Adobe's website and for tools, SDKs and detailed stuff, Nokia has setup a forum for Flash Lite developers.
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
Monday, November 26, 2007
Making love to a plastic doll
Ok check this, touch screen is expected to be a prominent feature in most mobile phones by 2011 with upto 200 million units. Well that doesnt work for me unless it comes with tactile feedback (or haptics as they call it). Ever tried writing email or sms with touch screen? or played any games using touch screen? eugggghhh!! thats like making love to a plastic doll! I'm sure lot of you guys know how that feels like right? no feedback no response, no "feel'! sounds like someone you know?
No, if you want touch screen it BETTER come with tactile feedback so that at least you know what you're touching! As far as I know, so far only Symbian S60 has the capability for mobile phones, as demonstrated by Nokia last month. And hopefully we should be able get our hands on some of these feedback babies in the coming spring. Lets see when the rest can catch up.
I know what most of you are thinking now, "if only someone could make plastic dolls with tactile feedback".
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal/
No, if you want touch screen it BETTER come with tactile feedback so that at least you know what you're touching! As far as I know, so far only Symbian S60 has the capability for mobile phones, as demonstrated by Nokia last month. And hopefully we should be able get our hands on some of these feedback babies in the coming spring. Lets see when the rest can catch up.
I know what most of you are thinking now, "if only someone could make plastic dolls with tactile feedback".
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal/
Friday, November 23, 2007
Qwerty still rules... even with touchscreens
lot of people often look for a good comparison of which OS based smartphones are better, even though everyone already knows which OS has the largest market share for a long time to come.
Anyway, this one of the better comparisons of three different phones, all three really good ones and all three having a different OS: Nokia E61i, Treo 750 and HTC S620
Litchfield has given a pretty clear comparison chart and E61i evidently comes out on the top. But much of the credit for E61i's edge over its competitors comes from its Symbian OS and the features that come with it like the best battery life, 3G and Wi-Fi, the best camera, arguably the best applications and plenty of free/bundled add-ons.
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
Anyway, this one of the better comparisons of three different phones, all three really good ones and all three having a different OS: Nokia E61i, Treo 750 and HTC S620
Litchfield has given a pretty clear comparison chart and E61i evidently comes out on the top. But much of the credit for E61i's edge over its competitors comes from its Symbian OS and the features that come with it like the best battery life, 3G and Wi-Fi, the best camera, arguably the best applications and plenty of free/bundled add-ons.
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Smartphones showdown
any of you read Wired magazine? well... neither do I. well on occasion. but its probably the best known technology magazine, specially in terms of culture and economics.
Anyway! The good old Wired magazine had a smartphone show down last week. To be frank I would not really have guessed who came on top, with so many models coming out nowadays and its not so easy to pick a "winner". But from the best of the lot, Wired Mag has picked Nokia E61i. most notably for its fast and effiecient Symbian OS, which according to the mag "puts Windows Mobile to shame by loading apps almost instantly". Actually the phone comes on top in terms of internet connectivity, collection of business and media apps, and 11 hours, thats right ELEVEN hours of talk time!... on a smartphone!
There is some interesing stuff to read about the other smarphones too, and why they didnt take the spot from Nokia, including BlackBerry. My favourite quote from all the reviews there would be "All work and no play makes a phone a BlackBerry", haha! you said it Rick!
Interestingly but not surprisingly, the magazine has noted Windows Mobile 6 and its sluggishness, and cumbersomeness wherever used.
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal/
Anyway! The good old Wired magazine had a smartphone show down last week. To be frank I would not really have guessed who came on top, with so many models coming out nowadays and its not so easy to pick a "winner". But from the best of the lot, Wired Mag has picked Nokia E61i. most notably for its fast and effiecient Symbian OS, which according to the mag "puts Windows Mobile to shame by loading apps almost instantly". Actually the phone comes on top in terms of internet connectivity, collection of business and media apps, and 11 hours, thats right ELEVEN hours of talk time!... on a smartphone!
There is some interesing stuff to read about the other smarphones too, and why they didnt take the spot from Nokia, including BlackBerry. My favourite quote from all the reviews there would be "All work and no play makes a phone a BlackBerry", haha! you said it Rick!
Interestingly but not surprisingly, the magazine has noted Windows Mobile 6 and its sluggishness, and cumbersomeness wherever used.
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal/
Sunday, November 4, 2007
N95 Vs iPhone (seriously!)
few days back I had posted a video clip from CNet giving a comparison betweenNokia N95 and the iPhone. It looked like a pretty close call. But there is this guy named Steve Litchfield who is considered some sort of an online legend when it comes to testing mobile phones. And I gotta say, his recent comparison of the two smartphones is quite detailed with some really interesting preceding discussion on the comparison as well. In Steve's own words "Nokia N95 8GB is simply awesome as a piece of technology, winning by a landslide (over the iPod) on data connectivity, camera, video camera, GPS and application openness".
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Buying a smartphone - battery life
one of the things that can be a pretty important factor in choosing the right smartphone could be the battery life. Specially for someone who is not a light user or travels a lot. I had heard before that windows mobile phones do have some battery life issues, which is not a surprise considering they can be quite resource hungry even on standby. But I did wonder how symbian phones would generally fare in a test of battery consumption. I am sure other people must have tried testing too, but I came across this comparison which seems kinda popular amongst the msg board junkies. The guy had compared battery stand by time for K-Jam (Windows Mobile 5) and Nokia 9500 (Symbian OS 9), with all comms distabled for both phones (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
Nokia 9500
K-Jam
| K-JAM (Windows Mobile 5) | Nokia 9500 (Symbian OS 8) | |
| After 12 hours | 94% | 7 bars (out of 7) |
| After 24 hours | 78% | 7 bars |
| After 36 hours | 72% | 7 bars |
| After 48 hours (2 days) | 62% | 7 bars |
| After 72 hours (3 days) | 50% | 7 bars |
| After 96 hours (4 days) | 40% | 7 bars |
| After 120 hours (5 days) | 15% | 6 bars (phew, a change at last!) |
I think the difference is really marked! But I wonder how significant is the difference in battery life in recent models. Anyone wanna share their experience with their device?
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
Friday, October 26, 2007
Smartphones for "smart" users?
yeeeaah... not really, they are just users, smart or not. like before the web made internet ubiquitous (thats a smart word for "being everywhere"), like 10-12 years ago, computer users were expected to be smart people. Now computers are as commonly used by everyone as the TV (a.k.a the Idiot Box). Get the picture?
At the moment, what matters is, what would you use your smart phone for. Until now users choose smartphones for their "needs". But it will very rapidly become a "want". Remember a time when nobody thought they really need a mobile phone? Well by year 2010, analysts are expecting 250 million smartphones to be in the market. I think the number would be higher, probably much higher. Analysts often underestimate the irrationality of the mindset of general consumers when it comes to such gadgets.
So there is no doubt smartphones are quickly going to become mainstream. The real interesting thing for me would be, what sort of smartphones would become ubiquitous? The OS would be the key differential here. Eventually it comes down to the market penetration of the OS, the ease of use, the features, as I had been saying in my previous postings. Already Symbian has such high penetration that the common user doesnt know and doesnt care what OS their phone is running on. Why should they? they never have to install it, they never have to reformat their phone because it "crashed" again, they dont have to constantly keep it upgraded with patches, they dont have to keep worrying that their current version of Windows is so outdated or that their new Windows is still so buggy and unstable. They replace their phones long before they have to worry about its OS or utilities get outdated. And even if they dont replace it, it still works just fine for years even! Thats how comfortable the general Symbian users have been all this while, such that they didnt need to bother what OS they are on.
Actually its kinda funny that a good friend of mine (Alec Ee) has been using Treo for a couple of years (for the "non-smart" users, Treo uses Palm OS), simply because he had so many problems with their phones they always had to replace it for him within the warranty period, so he kept going with it. Until finally he had so many problems with Treo he recently bought himself an O2. Today he just told me that he is so frustrated with the O2, he has been checking out mobile phone shops to trade it in!
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
Monday, October 22, 2007
Feedback Touch Screens ...and Nokia N95 Vs. Apple iPhone
Hey anyone tried a feedback touchscreen before? like anyone wanna share their experience of the iPhone interface yet? Looks like Symbian is "touch sensitive" too now. Nokia is has already come up with their own touchscreen interface, but they've taken a step further: Tactile Feedback. What the #&*$ is that? well thats the reason why touch screen never really caught up in 25 years! On touch screens, you cant feel what you're touching, which is what even iPhone is sort of "suffering" from. But the touch screen on Nokia not only gives feedback, but each "button" or touch could feel different! so your hand knows what its doing with the phone! haha. Certainly looking forward to check it out!
There is an interesting comparison from CNet between the Nokia N95 and the Apple iPhone. I would say its a pretty close call. I guess its more about how a person wants to use their smartphone.
Anyone heard of any plans for Windows phones coming up with feedback touchscreen?
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal/
There is an interesting comparison from CNet between the Nokia N95 and the Apple iPhone. I would say its a pretty close call. I guess its more about how a person wants to use their smartphone.
Anyone heard of any plans for Windows phones coming up with feedback touchscreen?
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal/
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Apple taking notes from industry leaders?
Looks like even Steve Jobs has to take ques from industry leaders now and then. Like he is doing now citing Nokia and Palm? (Apple loosens grip on iPhone software)
Smart of him to open up iPhone to third-party developers, but perhaps they should have done it in the first place. Now its going to take them till February to come out with an SDK! but I suppose at least this delay is justifiable to make their phones more safe from viruses:
"... While this makes such a phone less than 'totally open,' we believe it is a step in the right direction," Jobs wrote of Nokia's stance. " - CNN, 17 October 2007.
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
Smart of him to open up iPhone to third-party developers, but perhaps they should have done it in the first place. Now its going to take them till February to come out with an SDK! but I suppose at least this delay is justifiable to make their phones more safe from viruses:
"... While this makes such a phone less than 'totally open,' we believe it is a step in the right direction," Jobs wrote of Nokia's stance. " - CNN, 17 October 2007.
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
Metasploit: Cracking the iPhone (part 2.1)
for iPhone cracks and other useful stuff for it you might wanna check out this:
Metasploit: Cracking the iPhone (part 2.1)
bilal
http://elanist.com/bilal
Metasploit: Cracking the iPhone (part 2.1)
bilal
http://elanist.com/bilal
Monday, October 15, 2007
Mobile Wars!
Well actually its mobile OS wars.
Anyone heard the news about Google mobile OS? apparantly its supposed to tackle Windows Mobile and not Apple because its a software project not a mobile phone. http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/10/08/google.phone.os.vs.win.mob/
I think its still too early say, firstly cuz the software is not out yet. Secondly, yes Apple has had a great start with iPhone but its still a start (keep in mind, iPhone sales were expected to be three times higher than they actually were in the first 30 hours). Sure its a great product, but its not quite anything revolutionary enough to start a new genere of mobile/portable devices. Apple's Newton was supposed to be just that, long ago, but failed miserably, instead Palm succeeded in its place and now it has more or less disappeared into the crowd.
It sure is very interesting news. But is there room for more mobile OSs in the long run? in the mid-eighties (I'm not old! i just got into computers way too early!) there used to be a whole forest of great home and personal computers, all with different OSs and own breed of software. You dont know any of them? yeah, thats how comprehensively they were wiped out! Mobile OS's case may be a bit different, because content/software is much more platform independant now, but like I said in my previous post (go read it!) for smartphones, its all about market share and ease of use. Ok Symbian has the largest market share by far and its the oldest and most mature mobile phone OS too, so Symbian is not going anywhere. The interesting thing would be to see how the rest of the mobile OS's battle it out!
--
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
Anyone heard the news about Google mobile OS? apparantly its supposed to tackle Windows Mobile and not Apple because its a software project not a mobile phone. http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/10/08/google.phone.os.vs.win.mob/
I think its still too early say, firstly cuz the software is not out yet. Secondly, yes Apple has had a great start with iPhone but its still a start (keep in mind, iPhone sales were expected to be three times higher than they actually were in the first 30 hours). Sure its a great product, but its not quite anything revolutionary enough to start a new genere of mobile/portable devices. Apple's Newton was supposed to be just that, long ago, but failed miserably, instead Palm succeeded in its place and now it has more or less disappeared into the crowd.
It sure is very interesting news. But is there room for more mobile OSs in the long run? in the mid-eighties (I'm not old! i just got into computers way too early!) there used to be a whole forest of great home and personal computers, all with different OSs and own breed of software. You dont know any of them? yeah, thats how comprehensively they were wiped out! Mobile OS's case may be a bit different, because content/software is much more platform independant now, but like I said in my previous post (go read it!) for smartphones, its all about market share and ease of use. Ok Symbian has the largest market share by far and its the oldest and most mature mobile phone OS too, so Symbian is not going anywhere. The interesting thing would be to see how the rest of the mobile OS's battle it out!
--
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Symbian or Windows Mobile?
So iPhone is a run-away success. Now who didn't see this coming? And what is to be learned from it? It’s been in the making for like 4 years. This could be a long discussion by itself. But one thing that is sure about any smart pocket devices, most of all smartphones, is that the only way to lead in them is through innovation and ease of use.
How Microsoft has been successful in the PC world, by hook or by crook, is a different matter altogether. I often wonder, if Gary Kildall had accepted IBM’s offer to write DOS for PC, the world definitely would be a very different place today, at least the cyber world.
Thankfully, at least the mobile world already is a different place... Let’s face it, Microsoft has never come up with one original idea for software. Every piece of software written by their developers is a hastily put together pile of code copied from someone else’s products. Is anyone keeping count of how many times they’ve been sued for this? Well here lies the good news for the smartphone users: Microsoft did not copy Symbian! Their smartphone OS is loosely based on their own sluggish and bug infested Windows. So not only Windows Mobile has no unfair advantage in the smartphone world, its inherent design will never let it surpass its competition.
A fellow software engineer friend of mine, who was then working at Microsoft, sent me the source code for Windows XP (most geeks out there have already seen this code I am sure). Windows Mobile cannot be much different from its parent. Allow me to share its source code, though I cannot share the entire source, here is main code:
/* Windows Mobile */
#include "win95.h"
#include "win98.h"
#include "winXP.h"
#include "somethingMobile.h"
#include "longErrorList.h"
#include "oldStuff.h"
#include "finguresCrossed.h"
#define INSTALL_HARD
char make_prog_look_big 1600000 ;
void main()
{
while(!CRASHED)
{
display_copyright_message();
display_start_button();
do_nothing_loop();
if (first_time_installation)
{
make_50_megabyte_swapfile();
do_nothing_loop();
random(hang_system);
}
/* printf("Welcome to Windows 95"); */
/* printf("Welcome to Windows 98"); */
/* printf("Welcome to Windows XP");*/
printf("Welcome to Windows Mobile");
if (system_ok())
random(hang_system);
else
system_memory = open("a:\swp0001.swp", O_CREATE);
while(something)
{
sleep(5);
get_user_input();
sleep(5);
act_on_user_input();
sleep(5);
}
create_general_protection_fault();
}
In the long run, the clunky, resource hungry Windows Mobile has an uphill task ahead of it in the long run compared to its purpose built mobile OS's like Symbian.In the last couple of years, Symbian has out-sold both Microsoft and Palm put. Even in Japan Symbian having a virtual monopoly with its ties to NTT DoCoMo, the leading player in the world's most advanced mobile market. Symbian already has a market share 72% in smartphones. The question is really not of who’s winning the competition, right now its more like, is there really any competition?
--
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
How Microsoft has been successful in the PC world, by hook or by crook, is a different matter altogether. I often wonder, if Gary Kildall had accepted IBM’s offer to write DOS for PC, the world definitely would be a very different place today, at least the cyber world.
Thankfully, at least the mobile world already is a different place... Let’s face it, Microsoft has never come up with one original idea for software. Every piece of software written by their developers is a hastily put together pile of code copied from someone else’s products. Is anyone keeping count of how many times they’ve been sued for this? Well here lies the good news for the smartphone users: Microsoft did not copy Symbian! Their smartphone OS is loosely based on their own sluggish and bug infested Windows. So not only Windows Mobile has no unfair advantage in the smartphone world, its inherent design will never let it surpass its competition.
A fellow software engineer friend of mine, who was then working at Microsoft, sent me the source code for Windows XP (most geeks out there have already seen this code I am sure). Windows Mobile cannot be much different from its parent. Allow me to share its source code, though I cannot share the entire source, here is main code:
/* Windows Mobile */
#include "win95.h"
#include "win98.h"
#include "winXP.h"
#include "somethingMobile.h"
#include "longErrorList.h"
#include "oldStuff.h"
#include "finguresCrossed.h"
#define INSTALL_HARD
char make_prog_look_big 1600000 ;
void main()
{
while(!CRASHED)
{
display_copyright_message();
display_start_button();
do_nothing_loop();
if (first_time_installation)
{
make_50_megabyte_swapfile();
do_nothing_loop();
random(hang_system);
}
/* printf("Welcome to Windows 95"); */
/* printf("Welcome to Windows 98"); */
/* printf("Welcome to Windows XP");*/
printf("Welcome to Windows Mobile");
if (system_ok())
random(hang_system);
else
system_memory = open("a:\swp0001.swp", O_CREATE);
while(something)
{
sleep(5);
get_user_input();
sleep(5);
act_on_user_input();
sleep(5);
}
create_general_protection_fault();
}
In the long run, the clunky, resource hungry Windows Mobile has an uphill task ahead of it in the long run compared to its purpose built mobile OS's like Symbian.In the last couple of years, Symbian has out-sold both Microsoft and Palm put. Even in Japan Symbian having a virtual monopoly with its ties to NTT DoCoMo, the leading player in the world's most advanced mobile market. Symbian already has a market share 72% in smartphones. The question is really not of who’s winning the competition, right now its more like, is there really any competition?
--
Bilal Zaheer
http://elanist.com/bilal
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