In praise of the BlackBerry

Why the New York Times is wrong to dismiss Blackberry users as "uncool" and "embarrassing.

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  Memeburn - Letter to the editor: RIM CEO defends his ‘shameful’ smartphone
  
   The day had finally arrived: My two-year cell phone contract was up, and I could finally ditch my Blackberry. It also happened to coincide with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S II, the first Android that reviewers said could compete with the iPhone. I gleefully took the plunge.
  
  Like those ashamed Blackberry users profiled in yesterday\'s New York Times, I was sick of the "mockery and derision" directed at the last remaining holdouts, and was excited for all the possibilities of my new Android.
  
      MORE RELATED TO THIS STORY             —NYT: The BlackBerry as black sheep            —Why everyone wants RIM to fail
              —Can BlackBerry be cool again? Sure, but…
  Two months later, I switched back to my Blackberry.
  
  The primary reason I went back is the physical keyboard. I always had trouble using a touchpad to type when I would borrow friends\' iPhones or Androids, but foolishly believed their assurances that "It get\'s easier" and "You\'ll get used to it in a few days." It didn\'t.
  On my Blackberry, I could easily write entire articles (which I often had to do on the road as a Middle East correspondent). On my Samsung, I struggled to write a standard email. I found myself waiting until I got back home to my laptop to type anything that was more than a sentence or two. Downloading a SWYPE keyboard (which is weirdly lacking on iPhones) improved things significantly, but I still had to pause in between each word, which made typing on a touchpad remain an awkward and frustrating experience.
  The other dealbreaker for me is the horrible battery life. On my Blackberry, I could go two days without recharging. On my Samsung, I was lucky to get to dinner without a recharge -- and on busy days, I often needed to recharge twice. (I hear similar complaints from honest iPhone users.) And I was not a heavy user, most days averaging a few short phone calls and a few emails. I resorted to carrying both a charger and a spare battery around with me. This is not acceptable for a smartphone in 2012.  I don\'t care how fancy a phone is -- if it can\'t make it through the day without a recharge, it\'s not worth it.
  A related complaint is that, while Android does have a setting for "push email" -- meaning that emails get delivered to my phone in real time, rather than checking for new emails every few minutes -- it is a huge battery drain. One of the main reasons I have a smartphone is so that I can get emails immediately. I shouldn\'t have to choose between push email and battery life.
  One of the vaunted advantages of Androids is that the open-source software allows develops to correct flaws or weak programming in the system. For example, I hated that my Android played a loud jingle whenever it booted up -- so thankfully I found an app that disabled the sound for that.
  But there is not an app for everything. I could not find an app to turn off the sound when I shut down, or get rid of the boot up animation altogether. Yes, you can always "root" your phone (an operation that seems to crack open the entire operating system to hacking), which seems to vastly increase the number of ways you can tweak your phone. But it is pretty complicated to do for an average user like me, and also invalidates the phone\'s warranty.
  There are other minor annoyances that, independently, would be tolerable, but do add up to considerable limitations. For example, the alarm clock does not work if the phone is off. I turn my phone off at night, so that made the alarm clock useless. (In the interim before I switched back to my Blackberry, I actually used my Blackberry as alarm clock for this reason.) And no, I couldn\'t find an app for that.
  I also found the lack of external LED light to be surprisingly inconvenient. I had to turn on my screen every time I wanted to see if I had an email -- as opposed to the Blackberry, that has a red blinking light I could see from the top of my pocket. I did find an app that simulated this feature by making colored squares appear on the screen whenever I had an email or a text message. But that was far less useful than the Blackberry light -- and, yet again, became such a battery drain that I had to disable it.
  Another key feature of the Blackberry for me is the international data plan, which I have yet to find for any other smart phone. T-Mobile offers a $20/month add-on for unlimited emails overseas, only for Blackberries, which is a lifesaver for someone who travels as much as I do. With my Android, I was stuck paying criminally expensive roaming charges for even minimal international email usage. For a while, I would use my Android at home and move my SIM card to my Blackberry for when I traveled; after one such trip, I was too busy to switch back to my Android -- and after a few days, realized that I didnt even want to.
  The saving grace of the Android is supposed to be the apps. That was what compelled me to stick with my Android for as long as I did. But when I looked through all my Android apps, I realized that almost all the ones I used with any frequency (such as Pandora, Our Groceries, Zipcar, Google Maps, and Twitter) all had Blackberry versions -- and for some, the Blackberry  version were even better (such as the NextBus app).
  To be sure, some Blackberry apps are pretty weak (like Evernote, which doesn\'t allow you to edit notes, only view them). And some of my most used apps don\'t exist for Blackberry (like Pocket, Instagram, or a Car2Go locator). But the majority of those apps I downloaded on my Android I have barely used more than once or twice.
  With all that said, the decline of Blackberry will become a self-fulfilling prophesy. As more users flock to iPhones and Androids, fewer new apps will become available on the Blackberry. Eventually, the gap in availability will become a significant drawback for the Blackberry. When that time comes, I will reluctantly dust off the Galaxy S II sitting on my shelf (not to mention the extra batteries and travel charger). But until then, I will remain a proudly uncool Blackberry user.
  

Samsung Galaxy S III

With a 4.8" HD Super AMOLED in a chassis slightly bigger than the Galaxy S II, the Samsung Galaxy S III embodies the Android lovers dream of having a slim and light device with huge screen. With a powerful quad-core Exynos chip, which turns into Snapdragon S4 + LTE for the US, the phone becomes the 2012 Android yardstick. It is not only the hardware specs, though, but rather the holistic approach to communication with the user, dubbed Natural Interaction, and the innovative media sharing features that make it

Samsung Galaxy S III is Vodafone's most pre-ordered Android phone ever

Not that this is a surprise, but Vodafone has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S III is the most pre-ordered Android phone in the history of the carrier. Vodafone didn't mention any specific number, but considering that the phone is the fastest selling gadget of all-time with 9 million units pre-ordered (and that obviously doesn't include the U.S.), it would make sense for Vodafone to be ringing up some impressive numbers for the handset.


Vodafone customers can actually get the 16GB Samsung Galaxy S III for free with monthly plans as low as 41 GBP a month ($64 USD). That plan gives customers 2GB of data, 900 UK minutes, unlimited texts and 100 free music tracks. You will need to sign up for 2 years of this plan to get the free 16GB Samsung Galaxy S III which Vodafone hopes to deliver by the end of this month. By the way, you do get to choose between two colors, white or blue.

Vodafone also has limited exclusivity in the U.K. for the 32GB model of the Samsung Galaxy S III. To get that version of the phone for free, you need to sign up for, at the least, Vodafone's 46 GBP a month plan ($72 USD). This is the same as the 41GBP plan except that it offers 300 more UK minutes for a total of 1200. To pre-order the phone, click on the sourcelink.

HTC new phone U.S. sales delayed due to customs review

U.S. sales of two new smartphones from Taiwan'sHTC Corp <2498.TW> will be delayed due to a patent dispute withApple Inc , a fresh blow to the company as it tries to turn around declining sales in what was once its largest market.

The news knocked its shares down 5 percent.

Apple scored a narrow victory against HTC in a patent lawsuit in December over technology in the smartphones, one of many such disputes in the fiercely competitive smartphone market.

HTC said in a statement on Wednesday that "the U.S. availability of the HTC One X and HTC EVO 4G LTE has been delayed due to a standard U.S. Customs review of shipments that is required after an ITC (International Trade Commission) exclusion order".

Under that ruling, HTC phones with the disputed technology would be banned from entering the U.S. from April 19. HTC has said that it has a workaround in its new phones to avoid the technology. The shipments still require inspection however.

Some shipments of the One X model had reached the U.S. before the ban date, enabling the model's launch, but further shipments are being delayed, an HTC official in Taipei said.

U.S. operator AT&T, which has been carrying the One X model in store since May 6, says the smartphone is "out of stock" on its website.

The launch of the EVO 4G LTE by Sprint, originally scheduled for Friday, will be delayed. Sprint has been taking pre-orders on its website.

In its statement, HTC said it believes it is "in compliance with the ruling and HTC is working closely with customs to secure approval". Sprint and AT&T both declined to comment.

As of 0405 GMT, HTC shares were down 4.6 percent in a broader market down 1.3 percent.

"Previously, it was expected that general exclusion order from the patent infringement referred to only old models from HTC. However, the latest news suggest otherwise with all models (new and old) potentially at risk," Goldman Sachs said in a trading note to clients seen by Reuters.

It said the U.S. market was expected to account for 15-20 percent of HTC's second-quarter shipments, and this delay might hit the company's earnings this quarter and possibly in the third quarter, depending on how quickly HTC could resolve the issue.

Last month, HTC Chief Executive Officer Peter Chou said HTC would not return to the days when more than 50 percent of its revenue came from the United States, a market where it saw a big drop last year because of the fierce competition from Apple's iPhone 4S. [ID:nL3E8FH0MU]

Former contract maker HTC had a fairytale ride in 2010 and early 2011, when its shares more than tripled in the 14 months to April 2011. The company's sales grew four-fold in 1-1/2 years as consumers snapped up its innovative phones with their distinctive large clock numerals.

But it suffered an equally rapid fall from grace as its phones failed to keep up with Apple's AAPL.O iPhones and Samsung's 005930.KS Galaxy range.

In late February, HTC announced its One series of models with fast graphic chips and advanced music and photography functions, to generally positive reviews from analysts and tech bloggers.

Aircel-Maxis deal: Government denies wrongdoing

 Amidst allegations from opposition overHome Minister P. Chidambaram's involvement in the 2006 Aircel-Maxis telecom deal, the government Monday denied any wrongdoing in the deal.

Chidambaram gave a clarification in the Rajya Sabha after fresh opposition uproar, while Mukherjee read out an identical statement in both houses.

Opposition alleged the company of the home minister's son was transferred money, before the Foreign Investment Promotion Board(FIPB) cleared a proposal from Aircel pertaining to its telecom service venture in 2006.

Chidambaram, who was finance minister at that time, said that no illegitimate transfers were made to any company involving any of his family members. "Neither I, nor any member of my family has any equity in any telecom company."

"Plunge a dagger in my heart rather than question my integrity," the minister said.

As the opposition insisted that the present finance minister should give a clarification, Mukherjee said in both houses that there was "no scope for misunderstanding and misinformation" on the issue.

"There is no scope for any misunderstanding and misinformation in both cases there was no delay in granting the approvals," Mukherjee said in his statement.

The issue was raised in the upper house by Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley. He did not take any names, but alluded that Ausbridge -- in which Advantage Consultancy, partly owned by Chidambaram's son Karthi, had a stake -- received money from Aircel.

Seeking to give more details, Jaitley said Maxis, the Malaysian company which acquired shares in Aircel, had declared to Malaysian stock exchange that it acquired more than 99 percent shares in Aircel.

But the Indian policy permits no more than 74 percent share to foreign investors in telecom ventures. The money was allegedly transferred by Aircel Chief C. Sivasankaran on the eve of FICB clearance to the Aircel-Maxis deal.

The home minister, however, said his "family" had nothing to do with Ausbridge.

"It is true my son had shares in Advantage Consultancy. But young men have all the right to start a business. He invested Rs.1.8 lakh in the company, which had another share holder -- Rajesh," the home minister said.

The minister, however, said Karthi had sold his share in the firm to his friend and had no holdings in the company. He further clarified that Advantage took shares in Ausbridge only in 2011, much after the 2006 clearance to the Aircel-Maxis deal.

The leader of opposition questioned how both Ausbridge and Advantage had the same e-mail address in 2006, to which Chidambaram said he was not aware "if they shared the same web address".

"I don't deny that the promoters of Ausbridge and Advantage did know each other. All are doing business in Chennai," he said.

He also said whether or not the Malaysian company gave wrong information to some other country could be examined by the finance ministry. But the FIPB gave its clearance in 2006 for a stake below 74 percent.

He also dismissed allegations for delaying the process of clearance.

Giving the dates on which the application for investment was made and the final approval was granted, Mukherjee said it was clear that the proposal was processed in the normal course and approval granted in the normal course without any delay.

In Rajya Sabha, however, opposition members said they wanted more clarifications. The finance minister assured that time would fixed for clarifications.

New 'affordable' BlackBerry smartphone launched in India

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Research in Motion (RIM) on Wednesday launched in India what it called its "most affordable" BlackBerry smartphone, part of an aggressive push in one of its few growing markets.

The new Curve 9220 is priced in India at 10,990 rupees, higher than the price of Curve 8520, which is RIM's best-selling phone in India, and comes with an introductory offer to download free applications worth 2,500 rupees.

RIM, which will start selling the new phone in India on Thursday, will launch it in a number of other countries in coming weeks, Carlo Chiarello, executive vice president of RIM's smartphone division, told reporters.

The BlackBerry Curve 9220 has a dedicated key for accessing BlackBerry Messenger and FM radio, along with a 2 mega pixel camera, and works on second-generation mobile networks.

(Also read: In Asia, BlackBerry's RIM sees a glimmer of hope, click http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/04/18/blackberry-curve-9220-rim-india-asia-ind-idINDEE83H06220120418)

RIM's BlackBerry devices have struggled to compete with Apple Inc's iPhone and iPad and a slew of devices based on Google's Android platform, and the Canadian company reported a quarterly loss last month as sales of its phones slumped.

While RIM's U.S. sales have fallen for five straight quarters, and analysts say consumer acceptance of its smartphones is starting to erode in Latin America and Europe, countries in Asia such as Indonesia and India offer hope for the Waterloo, Ontario-based company.

In India, for example, RIM has seen fast growth as it expanded aggressively into the consumer segment with low-cost offerings and by positioning the device as a gadget for aspiring young professionals and even college students.

Last year, RIM had a 15 percent share of the Indian smartphone market, while Nokia led the segment with a 38 percent share, according to data compiled by technology researcher CyberMedia.

Patrick Spence, RIM's global head of sales, said smartphones account for just about 15 percent of mobile handsets sold globally, but was bullish on the potential for their growth.

"We are very early in this game," he told reporters in New Delhi.

India has are more than 900 million mobile subscribers, making it the second biggest wireless market after China, but smartphones account for just about 6 percent of total handset sales but are growing quickly.

Motorola announced their S9 Bluetooth Headset

Motorola announced their S9 Bluetooth Headset

It’s David Beckham! Motorola has launched their new 32g Bluetooth stereo headset codenamed “S9” in Korea. This headset supports version 2.0 Bluetooth wireless technology and comes with a stable behind-the-head style. There’s also a button which enabled user to switch the music to calls. This headset will be suitable for sports use as it is water and sweat resistant. The Motorola S9 Bluetooth wireless headset comes with a suggested price of 99,000 KRW ($108) when released. More pictures after the jump.

World’s Smallest Laptop

World’s Smallest Laptop

Fujitsu Lifebook

Fujitsu Japan has announced the world’s smallest laptop, the super compact Lifebook U. It measures only 171×133×26.5 - 32mm and weighs a mere 280 grams. It is powered by Intel A110 processor at 800Mhz and Intel 945GU Express chipset which has an onboard graphics processor. This Lifebook U features Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Fingerprint sensor, 1 x USB 2.0 port, CF and SD card slot, Ethernet and VGA out. It can be run on Windows XP Professional or Vista Business. It has a 5.6 inch (1024 x 600) touch screen display that can be rotate.

Its onboard Lithium Ion battery provides you 4 hours of Windows XP or 3.5 hours of Vista, no worry you can get an optional battery for extended computing hours. Pricing and availability has not been announced.

Facts about Nokia

Facts about Nokia

1) The ringtone "Nokia tune" is actually based on a 19th century guitar work named "Gran Vals" by Spanish musician Francisco Tárrega. The Nokia Tune was originally named "Grande Valse" on Nokia phones but was changed to "Nokia Tune" around 1998 when it became so well known that people referred to it as the "Nokia Tune."

2) The world's first commercial GSM call was made in 1991 in Helsinki over a Nokia-supplied network, by Prime Minister of Finland Harri Holkeri, using a Nokia phone.

3) Nokia is currently the world's largest digital camera manufacturer, as the sales of its camera-equipped mobile phones have exceeded those of any conventional camera manufacturer.
(read 07 more facts after the break...)



4) The "Special" tone available to users of Nokia phones when receiving SMS (text messages) is actually Morse code for "SMS". Similarly, the "Ascending" SMS tone is Morse code for "Connecting People," Nokia's slogan. The "Standard" SMS tone is Morse code for "M" (Message).

5) The Nokia corporate font (typeface) is the AgfaMonotype Nokia Sans font, originally designed by Eric Spiekermann. Its mobile phone User's Guides Nokia mostly used the Agfa Rotis Sans font.

6) In Asia, the digit 4 never appears in any Nokia handset model number, because 4 is considered unlucky in many parts of Southeast/East Asia.

7) Nokia was listed as the 20th most admirable company worldwide in Fortune's list of 2006 (1st in network communications, 4th non-US company).

8. Unlike other modern day handsets, Nokia phones do not automatically start the call timer when the call is connected, but start it when the call is initiated. (Except for Series 60 based handsets like the Nokia 6600)

9) Nokia is sometimes called aikon (Nokia backwards) by non-Nokia mobile phone users and by mobile software developers, because "aikon" is used in various SDK software packages, including Nokia's own Symbian S60 SDK.

10) The name of the town of Nokia originated from the river which flowed through the town. The river itself, Nokianvirta, was named after the old Finnish word originally meaning sable, later pine marten.

Sony Transparent TV

Sony Transparent TV

The looks are enthralling and it really seems to be a new spin on the idea of TV viewing. Well, the Sony claims to have built an innovative “Transparent TV”. 04 more images after the break...

Do you guys really think it’s a transparent TV? Well, I doubt it. Take a close look at the pictures and you would find that it’s nothing more than a projector.

The looks are enthralling and it really seems to be a new spin on the idea of TV viewing. Well, the Sony claims to have built an innovative “Transparent TV”.

Still, an idea is an idea. Hats off to Sony for the magnificent idea of making a “Transparent TV” that is sooner or later going to revolutionize the meaning of a TV.

Slim G4 - World’s Thinnest Mouse

Slim G4 - World’s Thinnest Mouse

Everything’s now going super slim (apart from me of course). Mobile phones, notebooks and now mice too. The ultra-slim G4 Mouse, just 5mm thick, serves as a perfect tutorial for mobile mouse construction. The uber-slim mousing instrument of the G4 optical mouse folds perfectly flat in order to fit in your PCMCIA slot when not in use, and when you’re ready, it pops out, ejects a USB cable, and folds into a more ergonomic position for all your mousing needs. It seems it just takes 10 seconds to go from its unbelievably thin structure to being fully usable. It has a major advantage over a lot of mice, in that the USB cable stores neatly into the mouse when it’s not being used. The 800 DPI mouse boasts a left / right click and a touch-sensitive scroll wheel, is apparently Windows- compatible. Available in pink, blue and silver colors with matching pouches, the Slim G4 Optical Mouse costs around $50. 08 more images after the break...

Transparent Laptop

Transparent Laptop

UX is often about hiding the things users don’t care about so that they get the simplest experience possible. Most users wouldn’t even know how to read a line of Java code, much less what that means to them. My Master’s project was designing transparency mechanisms for games that utilized AI agents. Essentially, the challenge was to present the state of the AI agent in such a way that the user understood what the AI agent was doing and why but also explain the algorithm in laymen’s terms. In most interfaces, transparency won’t be that complicated, but we still need to consider when we might want to present transparency to a user. Here’s 5 quick tips about transparency in UIs. Transparent Laptop 07 more images after the break...

Nokia 888

Nokia 888

*The Tnspiration

The idea is that "the perfect form" does not exist. "Form follows you" We create the perfect form for each function.

Tamer Nakisci explains in detail about this work.
*Technologies that are used

It uses liquid battery, speech recognition, flexible touch screen, touch sensitive body cover which lets it understand and adjust to the environment. It has a simple programmable body mechanism so that it changes forms in different situations.
05 more images and video after the break...

*The functionality of design

You dont have to carry it in your pocket or on your wrist. You can carry it anywhere, in anyform. You can roll it, bend it, put on your clothes like a clip. It also makes some form changes that makes it more ergonomical: i.e. when you want to talk on the phone, the body form turns into the form of the good old telephone. You can personalize these forms and record them. So it fits you the best in the way that you have chosen. The functions that it has also create a feeling of electronical pet, as it senses your moves, understand what you want, respond you in the best way. It learns you, to fit you better.Also e-motions lets you send forms to the other 888 users. It could be the shape of a heart or a small dance. This way you can talk without words.

*How the user interacts

E-motions... It means electronical motions that 888 has. You can send and receive forms from / to friends. You can send a heart shape to your girlfriend, so her telephone turns into an icon of heart. Or you can send a dancing form to your friends to call them to the party tonight. This is the fun side of the product. If we look from the functionality side, 888 is quite flexible. You can put it into your pocket, roll it and make it smaller, or put on your wrist when you want to make a video call on the go. If you want to talk like a normal telephone, there you have your telephone shape. We go through a lot of places and situations in the daily life, so it seems like one form is not enough.

*What is Unique ?

You can change the form of the body. Not just the color. And you can do the same by sending an e-motion to your friend.