Curious Geek

What an exciting day yesterday turned out to be at MWC (Mobile World Congress). Rumours had been floating around the internet that Microsoft we’re going to make a big announcement and they sure did. They announced Windows Phone 7 Series (A bit of a mouthful).

Start Screen

They have gone back to the drawing board with this one. Gone is the Windows Mobile we all knew and hated. Everything is now finger friendly. We have the smooth animations which Apple made us all want. We have multi touch gestures throughout the OS. It really is an entirely new beast. One aspect which really excites me is the Xbox Live integration. If done properly and given the attention it deserves, this could be an excellent addition to what’s already looking like a great OS. I should give the Zune integration a little mention as this also has great potential.

Games Hub

I love the Hub concept, it really worked in the Demo’s we have been shown so far. Some of the neat little touch, such as inside the People hub, being able to touch the letter and then filter by a different letter. Its the little things like that which make this OS really exciting. I was worried Microsoft wouldn’t go back to the drawing board like they really needed too and once again polish the turd that is Windows Mobile 6. However they have alleviated all my fears and shown off something which could change the landscape of the mobile phone industry just like Apple did all those years ago.

Picture Hub

Despite all this praise, I do have some concerns and whilst I’m sure these will be addressed at MIX10 (Microsoft has promised more details then) for now, they continue to worry me. What will support be like for third party developers? How well will third party applications be able to interact with existing hubs? Is there any multi tasking support (Can I listen to last.fm whilst writing a word document?)? Copy and Paste?

These are all questions which need answering and I hope Microsoft tell me developer support will be good and multi tasking will be present because if they do, I may very well be sold. Unless Google’s continuous Android improvements manage to bring it to the same level as what WP7S appears to be at. Whilst we wait until MIX10, we will just have to live with the very pretty interface demo’s.

Android 2.0.1 finally been made available to UK users of the Motorola Milestone. It feels like we’re the last ones to get it…but it’s here now so I’ll stop complaining.

Its a manual update from Motorola’s Website unfortunately but it will be coming OTA soon enough. Heres the link.

Now bring on 2.1…

I haven’t installed many games on my Android handset but recently decided to have a look around and see if there are any games worth my money. It turns out that there are, despite the rumours that Android has no decent games. Its not the App Store for 3D games, buts its not bad.

Well, everyone else in the world has now blogged about it, so I figure its now my turn.

It was possibly the most hyped event I’d ever seen, everybody knew what was going to be announced but despite all of that, I’m left feeling a little underwhelmed. I was hoping this would finally be an Apple product that I really desire, something that could change the way I live my life. I think I, along with most others, got drawn in by the hype and expected something amazing and new but in reality, were we ever going to get that?

What we did get, is essentially a big iPod Touch with 3G capabilities. What that means is that whilst we get a device with great software, its software that is lacking in many areas for a device of this size. If apple are trying to out net books with this device, there are some core features which it needs to bring to the table (the sooner the better if they want it to succeed).

The biggest issue I have, and its an issue I’m sure Apple are going to rectify eventually, is the lack of Multitasking for non Apple apps. Its something that all other mobile OS’s support and it should be here. A device which is trying to fill the gap between mobile and laptop needs to let me flick between applications without having to close them so I can be as productive as possible and at the moment, thats impossible with the iPad. I can’t even leave an internet radio station streaming in the background whilst I send an e-mail. If this comes with iPhone OS4.0, then for me the iPad,as well as the iPhone, will suddenly become a lot more appealing.

I won’t go into detail on other things that this device and Apples iPhone OS are missing as I really want to send home the message about the lack of Multitasking. It really is that important to me. However, some things I wish the iPad and the iPhone could do are:

• Output video to my TV – This is mainly a feature I see the iPad having. I really wish I could plug it into my TV (via HDMI) and watch the movies downloaded from iTunes, I know you can do it through the dock (via composite, urgh) but I shouldn’t need to buy a dock to do this.
• Notifications – Why oh why do Apple insist on forcing the pop-up notifications in their OS? Its annoying at the best of times. Just show me an icon in my status bar…i’ll get to the message when I’m ready to. Thanks.
• eBooks – No iBookstore in the UK? Shame and I hope it comes soon. However, I hope nobody is buying an iPad because it looks like a good eBook reader. It won’t have a scratch on Amazon’s Kindle, which has better battery life and uses e-ink so your eyes don’t melt after staring at a screen for 4 hours.
• Camera – A front facing camera would have been nice. Nearly all net books have this and I really thought the iPad would follow here.
• Flash – Apple…PLEASE let Adobe put flash into Safari. *Sigh*
• No USB – That means the only way to get data onto this thing is to transfer it through iTunes and store it on the iPad’s internal memory. I want to be able to browse a USB Flash drive or plug my camera into it and transfer my photos off it.

Despite these negatives though…it has plenty of positives. The browser will be great (Although absent of Flash as usual) and the App Store will continue to be a great source of Apps, its great that the iPad can run apps created for the iPhone. Its screen will be beautiful, LED backlit. Its got great connectivity (if you opt for the 3G version) and its going to be fast and slick thanks to that 1Ghz chip under the hood. However, nothing else is particularly exciting, just all the regular features you’d find in any smartphone these days. Thats all this really is, a big smartphone…thats not even a phone, or particularly smart. I’ll leave you with this image…

iPad Vs Blu-Tack

For more information check out:

The iPhoneBlog – Complete Specs
TheiPhoneBlog – What We Didn’t Get
Apple – iPad

I’ll most likely be writing up a Blog post tomorrow with my feelings on this seriously hyped device (assuming it gets announced today) but for now, here’s what we already know…

From http://www.thedoghousediaries.com/

As a proud new owner of a phone with poor battery life, something like this could be revolutionary. Imagine plugging a device into your phone which can then charge it by simply being near any WiFi signals, well its now a possibility thanks to the RCA Airnergy.

RCA Airnergy

Admittedly this solution is a little bulky but they are working on shrinking this down and putting it into the batteries themselves. If this works (I’m not very optimistic) then it really could boost battery life by a significant amount. If it doesn’t work as well as I’m hoping then it could just be one big waste of money.

If you want a little more information, head over to Everything USB.

I finally made my decision last month. I’d waited long enough and I only owed Orange £35 to cancel my contract, so I took the plunge and decided to go Android. There is only one Android phone which really grabbed my interest and that’s the Motorola Milestone (Or the Droid as it’s known in the US). So here’s my mini review and impressions so far.

Motorola Milestone

The first thing that really impressed me was the build quality. This thing is as solid as a brick. The sliding mechanism is sturdy, the metal casing gives the phone a real premium look and feel and none of the buttons shake or wobble. Then you notice the screen. Glorious. At 854×480, its one of the highest resolution screens available on a mobile phone and it really makes a different, especially on a 3.7″ screen. The screen is bright and vivid, with quick and accurate responses to all my touches. It also has a notification LED and as a Blackberry user, this was essential. I need to know without having to turn my screen on if there is something waiting for me (one reason I dislike the iPhone).

Motorola Milestone Screen

Now onto Android. The Milestone runs Android 2.0, at the moment, but today it has been announced that it will be getting Android 2.1 in the near future, so I won’t waste too much time on this. Its nice and quick and looks better than 1.6 does (New Icons mainly) but 2.1 looks even better. The processor is also faster than previous Android devices and it definitely feels quick with little to no lag in animations or scrolling. The browser has also been given a good polish and is now quick, renders very accurately and on the Milestone supports Multitouch zooming. I feel for the US Droid users who don’t have multitouch, this is one thing Apple got right and I’m glad other companies are following in their footsteps.
Another big selling point of Android is the App Market. With well over 15,000 applications there’s plenty to chose from and some are great. A good market is now essential to any smartphone platform and Android has one of the best. It might not be quite up there with Apple’s App Store yet but its gaining more and more developer support and I believe has a very bright future ahead of it. Some of my most used applications are:

• Facebook
• Twidroid
• vizBattery
• MotoTorch LED
• Shazam
• Last.fm
• FMyLife
• Mystique
• Robo Defense (Addictive!)
• And good old Solitaire

However, there are some bad points. Whilst I knew about these they didn’t stop me from picking this phone and I don’t believe they should stop any other possible buyers. The first is that awful Physical keyboard. Whilst its sold as an advantage over other touch screen phones, I find myself using the on screen keyboard more often, unless I’m typing out a long e-mail. Its not that the keyboard is badly spaced out or that the its hard to distinguish between the keys (some complain of this, but I don’t find that an issue). The simple fact is that its off centre.  That 5 way D-Pad is in such a bad place that it ruins the entire typing experience. Your right hand just can’t reach across the keyboard far enough and it makes typing a little challenging. I think I’m getting used to it but its definitely no Blackberry.

Motorola Milestone - Keyboard out

The next is the Battery Life. It does seem to be getting better than when I first purchased the phone and apparently it should get better with future planned updates, but at the moment, i’ll struggle to get a full day without it being charged at sometime during it. It meant an In-Car charger was essential (I bought this beauty) as was keeping a MicroUSB cable at work. I’m used to it now though and its just become part of my day as I’m sure it would anyone else. It would just be nice if I could get through the night and for my phone to still be alive in the morning when I leave it with 30% battery before I sleep, its not like its doing anything.

Despite these niggles, its a brilliant phone and I’m very happy with my choice (although the Nexus One does look quite nice). With regular updates and the constant stream of new applications, I have no doubt that this phone will easily get me through my 18 Month contract.

I also bought a Car Mount (Since it comes with MotoNav for satellite navigation)  and a phone pouch (It didn’t come with one, I assume because it has a very tough screen)

Motorola Milestone Pouch

I know I never said I was going to go anywhere (I apologise) but between Christmas and my Birthday I haven’t had the time to write up anything remotely interesting.

All the festivities are out of the way now though and once the new year is in it’s going be straight back down to work, although this year is going to hopefully bring a few new interesting ventures. I’ll be talking more about those in later blog posts.

So that’s its for this brief instalment, I just wanted to say I’m back and the articles are going to be coming in thick and fast. I might even have to re-giggle my main website around soon to make room for the new projects I’m working on (There’s a little clue as to one of my new ventures!).

I hope you had a great Christmas and I wish you all the best for the New Year.

**Update**

There’s been some other changes to the Blog that I forgot to Mention, d’oh. The most obvious change is the new name. From the boring ‘Me and Technology’, I’ve now decided on ‘Curious Geek’. I guess it better describes me and its far more catchy.

The other change isn’t quite as obvious, unless your browsing this from a Touch Screen mobile. I’ve now implemented WPTouch, which is a glorious theme designed for Touch Screen mobile phones. It’s styled as an iPhone app (urgh) but its very functional and that’s why I’ve gone for it. It should make your mobile browsing of my blog all the more enjoyable!

Brilliant game. This makes me want to buy 4 iPhones, then once I get bored of this game…I can throw one out of the window, set another on fire, stamp on one and flush the last down the toilet, where it belongs.

My hatred towards to the iPhone ramped up a gear today following Orange’s tariff announcement, which is identical to O2’s (not counting the 11p handset difference). Apple shouldn’t be allowed to force their prices, its ruining competition in the mobile market and that competition has always been fierce in the UK. Here’s to hoping no other handset makers attempt to follow in Apple’s footsteps. A competitively priced iPhone might have been tempting but now I’m definitely waiting for either one of the soon to be announced Android phones (X3, DROID, HTC Dragon) or the HTC HD2.

I’ve been hearing rumours for a couple of days about this…but google have finally dropped the bombshell. They are releasing a totally free Car Navigation System for Android.

3D View

This is probably the feature which is going to decide my next phone. I’ve been trying to decide for a while now but it looks like I’m going to be waiting for an Android 2.0 phone to come to the UK, be it the Motorola Droid, HTC ‘Dragon’ or Sony X3.

Check out the Google page here.

*UPDATE*
Its almost like Engadget read my blog and did a news post to make me happy. Motorola DROID spotted in GSM form…hopefully it’ll be UK bound sooner than I had hoped.