Oct 16
Reviews David
android, phablet, phone, samsung, tablet
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 featuring the S-Pen
I recently wrote an article for All About Symbian called “Don’t Supersize my Smartphone” , in which I lamented the trend towards larger screen sizes equalling better specification. Therefore, the technological fates dictated that the behemoth Samsung Galaxy Note 2 would come to stay with me for a weekend, courtesy of a freelance article I was commissioned to write by CNET UK, see it here.
In this review, I would like to offer my perspective and impressions, rather than giving a forensic audit of every single feature . After all, I
only had it for a weekend! The Note 2 is unabashedly BIG. For the first couple of hours with the device, I’d go so far as to say it was unmanageable. Despite that, its smooth contoured (but plastic) body and remarkably thin design made it rather pleasing to touch.
Samsung came up with a rather clever way of mitigating the ample width of the Note 2 by creating portrait keyboards (qwerty and T9) that were squashed up to one side of the screen. With practice, I think that should work for most people. I was able to send several text messages with ease in this “one handed input” mode – even so, I had to perch it, precariously, on top of my little finger.
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Jul 13
Editorial David
android, google, jelly bean, nexus, tablet
Google’s latest Android flagship, the Nexus 7 arrived on doorstep today – several days ahead of schedule thanks to some eager marketing on the part of Ebuyer.com. I have to say, that I have always been sceptical over the need for tablets. I’ve always felt that if I had a laptop and a smartphone (and I do), then I had all I needed. However, Google have achieved something here that nobody else has by bringing to market a reasonably priced device that looks good too. So, I’ve spent my hard earned cash to see what life with a tablet is like!
The Nexus 7, running Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), has been designed by Google and produced by Asus – there’s much talk in the press about whether Google is even managing to break even on this device, but there’s something more important than profit at stake for Google. Rather, Google has thrown its own engineering weight behind this device in an attempt to stimulate the Android tablet market.
Thus far, Android tablets have failed to effectively compete against Apple’s iPad. With the wildcard of Microsoft’s Surface tablet on the horizon, Google had to act now.
The device comes in very compact packaging and with no other accessories than a USB cable and mains adapter. However, you do get a digital gift in the form of £15 credit on the Google Play Store.
I have yet to test the device, but many people are eager to see what’s on offer, so I’ve photographed everything that comes in the box and prepared this blog post before I even turned the device on.
Enjoy!
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Jun 19
Editorial David
metro, microsoft, surface, tablet, windows
Yesterday, or today depending on your time zone, Microsoft held a press conference in Hollywood. The whole thing had been very mysterious. The press were given extremely short notice to book their flights and get to the location in time, and nobody knew what all the fuss was about.
Now that we know what the announcement was, it’s not worth going through all the theories that journalists and bloggers were forming in an attempt to work out what the heck was going on. One thing was for sure, Microsoft managed showed it could keep a secrete as well as Apple does.
The device turned out to be a tablet – the Microsoft Surface – which is clearly capitalising on the brand name that Microsoft developed for its table-sized touch devices that it produces in conjunction with Samsung. I monitored the initial reactions of both the live blogs, and the bloggers I speak to on Twitter – and those reactions were unprecedented for a Microsoft device. Everybody wanted one.
Mind you, the reactions were qualified, there are still some unanswered questions about this device, and they mostly come down to cost. Microsoft didn’t really give us any useful information about that – all they said was that the price would be comparable with Ultra book devices – which makes it sound way too expensive.
And it’s money were Microsoft could still screw all of this up. Apple can get away with charging a premium, it’s loyal user base is conditioned into paying those prices – I don’t think there’s another company, including Microsoft, who can get away with that.
I think, with the Surface, Microsoft could have a run-away hit on its hands, but only if they can sell them by the shed load. Which really, Microsoft NEEDS to do because it is already taking a risk by putting Metro UI on its next major release of Windows, and it’s struggling to get Windows Phone 7 (which Metro UI also runs atop of) to some degree of decent market share.
There is understandable inertia in getting Metro UI adopted by consumers – especially as there are still productivity question marks over it, and the dual Metro/desktop nature of Windows 8. The argument over Metro is still far from settled.
Therefore, Microsoft need to get as many people as possible using Metro, and since they’ve gone to the trouble of designing and producing what seems to be a very sexy looking tablet, there couldn’t be better way.
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Jun 5
Mobile News David
android, dell, phone, smartphone, Streak, tablet
Rather fittingly, the biggest mobile phone you’re likely to come across, needs little introduction. The Dell Streak is a rather unique piece of mobile technology, having one foot in the smartphone world, and the other in the tablet space.
Given that it’s been out for around a year, there are plenty of other reviews on the Web. So, I won’t make this an exhaustive review of a device you’ve probably already read about. However, I was fortunate enough to have a two week loan of Tim Salmon’s Dell Streak, see the photos I took of the device along side other smartphones. Therefore, these are just my thoughts about the device, while my memories are still fresh.
The Dell Streak, a 5 inch Android phone, or is it a tablet?
So off we go, here’s my thoughts on Dell’s generously proportioned slate-come-smartphone, running Android 2.2 Froyo …
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May 18
Mobile News David
android, c7-00, dell, hd7, htc, mobile, nexue one, nokia, phone, tablet
In my continuing series of device gallery posts, I’m turning the camera onto the mammoth Dell Streak. Just like the HTC HD7, I’ll be writing a full blog post about the device soon. As a taster though, here’s the eye candy post!
The Streak is an Android device, and it’s honestly a matter of opinion as to whether it should be classed as a large phone or a small tablet. It’s a fully functioning Android phone, but its five inch screen makes it difficult to describe as “pocket sized”.
The differentiators of the Streak, apart from its screen size come in the form of Dell’s “Stage UI”, which I didn’t find too offensive in comparison to the pure Google experience offered on the HTC Nexus One. The other unique(ish) selling point is inclusion of the Swype virutal keyboard. I’ve tried Swype on Symbian, where I was quite underwhelmed. However, there’s something about doodling lines to type words on such a large screen that is actually an enjoyable experience.
Thanks to Tim Salmon for the loan of this one.
The Dell Streak, a 5 inch Android phone, or is it a tablet?
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