Category Archives: Mobile Phone

Top 10 Smartphones and Tablets for the Holidays

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Looking for some holiday ideas for someone, perhaps even yourself? Looking for a tablet or a smartphone? Here is a combined list of the top 10 smartphones and tablets available. This list was made based on my critique and opinion and reflects serious consideration and an unbiased approach.

1. Apple iPhone 4S – Phone – The iPhone 4S is definitely a pretty obvious choice. This device has a dual-core processor, 8-megapixel camera, the ever-popular Siri, and it still retails for $199 for those who buy a two-year service contract. Apple has higher security and a stronger operating system than any other out there, so this one comes as no surprise. Even if you cannot get the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4 would still be above any other phone. While the iPhone 4 and 4S do not have 4G support, they really don’t even need it and you won’t notice, especially if you have the ability to connect via WiFi.

2. Apple iPad 2 – Tablet – The iPad 2 is definitely the top tablet available, and really has been since the original iPad. The tablet starts at $499, but is definitely worth the price. With a 9.7-inch display, dual-core processor, and support for FaceTime, this is completely feature-packed. The iPad and iPad 2 have been above any other tablet since the idea was introduced, and no one has really come close. If you’re looking for Internet, the iPad 2 also supports WiFi, with 3G-capable models as well.

3. Amazon Kindle Fire - Tablet - While this tablet is very cheap, it is also pretty impressive. Selling at $199, this device features a 7-inch display and runs a modified version of Android unique to Amazon. This is made pretty much for reading books and not really so much for apps and surfing the internet, but is very good at what it was made for.

4. Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet - Tablet – This is another tablet designed as a cheap entry-level tablet. This tablet is also Android-based and comes with a 7-inch display and 16GB of storage. This device supports the Barnes & Noble e-book store and is a very good e-reader. This device sells for $249, so a little more than the Kindle Fire.

5. Samsung Galaxy S II – Phone – Some people don’t really care for the iPhone 4S, or perhaps it’s sold out and you just really want a phone. Well, then the Samsung Galaxy S II may be the phone for you. This device has a 4.3-inch screen and supports 4G networks. The design comes close to matching the iPhone 4S, but the software may be a little inferior.

6. Motorola Droid RAZR – Phone – This device has made quite the stir, and there’s good reason for that. This device comes with 4G support, allows users to stream content form their PC to the device, and even has a front and rear-facing camera. Motorola used the RAZR branding because they think this device can sell, and so far they are proving to be right.

7. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 – Tablet – The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is probably the best alternative to the iPad 2, but not the best e-reader around, which is why the Kindle Fire and Nook are rated higher. The rating also comes from the court debates. This tablet features 4G connectivity on its 10.1-inch screen. It runs Android software. While currently in court for patent infringement against the iPad, this device is still for sale and you may want to grab yours while you still can.

8. HTC Titan – Phone – Not everyone wants an iOS or Android-based device, and may even want the Windows Phone 7 operating system. For those people, the HTC Titan might be the best choice. This device has a 1.5GHz processor and a huge 4.7-inch display. The 16GB memory isn’t the greatest, but the design is pretty nice. The Titan is by far the best Windows Phone 7-based device on store shelves right now.

9. Motorola Droid Bionic – Phone – The Motorola Droid Bionic is a device that will appeal to holiday shoppers that want a strong Android-based unit. This device has a 4.3-inch display, 4G support, and the ability to share that connection with up to five other devices with its mobile hotspot feature. However, the low ratings come from the $249.99 price tag with a two-year agreement. All in all, not a bad device if you can afford it. Yet, there are better phones for lower prices.

10. Research In Motion BlackBerry Bold – Phone – If Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7 are just not for you, or you find yourself really needing that physical keyboard, then the BlackBerry Bold may be right for you. This is the only phone on the list with a physical keyboard, basically because they add space and companies aren’t looking for that. Research In Motion isn’t the best company for mobile devices, but some users may find that the BlackBerry Bold suits their needs better than the other phones on the list.

I realize that the tablets and phones are mixed together, and some people may want either a tablet or a phone and not be open to both options. For those people, simply sift through. I have added “Phone” or “Tablet” after each name so that it may be easier for you.

This list may help you with your Black Friday shopping, or perhaps even your future Christmas shopping if you’re doing it later. But these devices will prove to be useful for more than just the holidays, and will perhaps be reliable and recommended for even a couple of years. Technology moves very quickly, so it’s time for some shopping!

If you have any questions or want more guidance, e-mail tyler@seowhat.com or comment on this post. Happy holiday shopping!

Pakistan Bans 1,100 “Naughty” Words From Texting

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Phrases such as “beat your meat,” “fairy,” and “lovegun” are among the lists of words banned in text messages by the Pakistani Telecommunication Authority. On November 14th, phone companies operating in the Islamic country were handed the list of words with a letter explaining that they have to block those words on their networks within seven days or face legal action. Operators will also have to submit monthly reports on the implementation of the block.

“There are more than 1,600 words in the list including indecent language, expletives, swear words, slang, etc. which have to be filtered. The filtering is not good for the system and may degrade the quality of network services–plus it would be a great inconvenience to our subscribers if their SMS was not delivered due to the wrong choice of words.”

Other highlights from the list, which was issued in English and Urdu and can be seen here, include “roach,” “pocket pool,” “deposit,” “hershey highway,” and “honkers.”

Officials from the Pakistani Telecommunication Authority refuse to comment on the ban, but Twitter has been ablaze with people mocking the move, using #ptabannedlist for a hashtag.

Sports blog Deadspin says the list actually comes from the NFL. It’s unclear if the Pakistanis used the list as a starting point for their English-language censor list, but a Pakistani official did state that the texting blacklist is meant only for “testing.”

Source: Ars Technica

Steve Jobs Wanted Apple as Carrier

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Steve Jobs wanted iPhone on its own network, carrier-free

When Steve Jobs designed and invented the iPhone with the dedicated employees and team of Apple, he didn’t want it to run on AT&T, Verizon Wireless, or even Sprint. He wanted to create his very own network. John Stanton, who spent a lot of time with Jobs during the development period, has stated that Jobs wanted to replace carriers completely. Jobs had the idea of using the unlicensed spectrum that WiFi operates on for his phone.

“He and I spent a lot of time talking about whether synthetically you could create a carrier using WiFi spectrum,” Stanton said on Monday at the Law Seminar International Event in Seattle. “That was part of his vision.”

WiFi and cellular frequencies belong on the UHF level of the radio frequency spectrum. WiFi takes up five channels of the 2.4 GHz band. The FCC assigns other frequency bands for various purposes and cellular providers. Jobs worked on the idea of eliminating carrier contracts until 2007, where he settled on a deal with AT&T.

Normally, carriers helped develop phones, adding tweaks, features and software throughout. However, Jobs sold the iPhone to AT&T without them even getting to see it first. This changed the game completely, and phones soon followed with this, yet not as much as the iPhone had done.

It’s interesting to wonder about what happened and what challenges Jobs encountered that led him to give up and give in to a carrier contract. Honestly, Apple could have just bought a carrier, but it seems like they are content with the profit they are making with just the phone.

Source: Ars Technica

Google No Longer Supporting BlackBerry’s Gmail App

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While Google has already made quite a few significant cuts to services that it is supporting and deeming more “outside of its focus” in the past few months, another has made the list. However, the userbase is a little smaller than many think and Google is trying to push out services for the majority.

Google will end support of the Gmail app for BlackBerry phones on November 22nd. Those that have the app installed already will be able to continue using it, but it will not be supported by Google. This means there won’t be updates and the like no matter what happens to the actual service. If Gmail were to receive some strange update that made the app useless until the code was changed to coincide with the service, the app would remain useless. Google also will not have the app available for download after the cut-off date.

While many BlackBerry users are a little disappointed with this announcement, Google has released a statement. In this statement, they have stated that while the app will no longer be supported, users can use the mobile web app through the browser. Google also added that the mobile web app is a place that they will continue to invest in.

Source: Engadget

Motorola Droid 3 Launches July 14 on Verizon

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Motorola has been hard at work for an improvement to the already popular Droid series. The Droid 2 was an amazing seller for Motorola, and speculations of the Droid 3 began right after the Droid 2 was released. Well, Motorola has just released the specs for the upcoming Droid 3 mobile smartphone, which will be available on Verizon Wireless on July 14th.

The biggest changes to the phone includes a dual-core processor, in which the Droid 2 had a single core processor. The screen is even bigger, and the internal storage is twice that of the Droid 2. The Droid 3′s dual-core processor has been clocked at 1GHz, and the phone carries 512MB of RAM. While the storage of the Droid 2 was 8GB, the Droid 3 will carry 16GB, though a microSD card can carry up to 32GB extra, totaling a possibility of 48GB of storage at one time, as users could purchase multiple microSD’s.

The Motorola Droid 3 will have a screen that is 4 inches tall and will have a 960×640 pixel resolution of qHD. The slide-out keyboard will still be present, though this time there is a row of numbers. There will be an HDMI-out port, and the phone will now be able to capture 1080p HD video with its 8MP camera.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread will come with the Droid. Neither Verizon nor Motorola have indicated if they have plans or not for any upgrade goals or timelines. The Motorola Droid 3 will be available, as stated above, on July 14th. The phone will be sold for $199.99 and will be the first mobile phone by Verizon Wireless that buyers must choose tiered data plans.

Source: Motorola

iPhone 5 to be “Lighter and Thinner”

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The iPhone 5, if that is indeed what Apple will name the next-generation iPhone, is expected to be released in September, or close to, of this year. The iPhone 5 will be “thinner and lighter” than the iPhone 4. While Foxconn, the manufacturer of the iPhone, has had difficulty assembling the devices, Apple may try to attempt to move as many as 40 million iPhone 5′s by the end of the year.

The Wall Street Journal’s component supplier sources have confirmed that the iPhone 5 will include an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera as well as baseband processors that will be supplied by Qualcomm. These sources are the same that have suggested that the iPhone 5 will be “thinner and lighter” than the current model, after recent reports that people thought the dimensions would be nearly identical. This does also add to Apple’s goals, as Steve Jobs seems to love to push out things that keep improving in the technological world, not remain “nearly identical.”

Now, Bloomberg and other sources have also said that the iPhone 5 will also look similar to the current iPhone 4. So if this is all true, it will have the same look, but will change in how thick the device is. Perhaps we will see a device that is closer to the iPod Touch 4G, even on the Verizon Wireless network.

Hon Hai (aka Foxconn) chairman Terry Gou complained last month that iPhones and iPads are already difficult to assemble because they are so thin. “We hope to raise the yield rate and volume in the second half which will help improve our gross margin,” Gou said. That doesn’t seem possible if Apple plans to use a new form factor that is “complicated and difficult to assemble,” according to WSJ‘s sources.

So we already know that the hardware and software will be improved, and we have some idea of what the device will have for features, such as the camera. Now, we are down to deciding what the actual iPhone 5 will look and feel like. Well, if the sources add up and if Gou is speaking honestly, then we can bet that the iPhone 5 will have a similar build, yet still be thinner and lighter. This seems to be right on track with what Apple loves to do, and I definitely think there is yet room to follow Moore’s Law and keep making improvements in this field.

Source: Ars Technica

Leaked: Droid 3

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Sure, I purchased the Droid 2 on the day that it was released. But since then, I have been fully awaiting the release of the Droid 3. “The device is expected to have a 4-inch, 960×540 qHD display and a dual-core processor, as well as an HDMI-out port and an 8-megapixel camera with a flash that will take HD video.”

Some think that this phone won’t have access to Verizon’s 4G LTE network, but I speculate otherwise. If it didn’t, there would not be competition created between the competitors. 3G is just too slow for the modern phones.

Here are some videos you can watch in order to see more information that has been leaked about the Droid 3.



No official release date or price has been made at this point.

Source: Ars Technica

Angry Birds Magic for Nokia C7

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So, you have an NFC-enabled C7 and you notice that it comes preloaded with Angry Birds Magic. Then, you realize that you only have 5 levels. Well, as of right now, there are no hacks or apps to download in order to unlock levels. However, all you have to do is sync your device with another person with a C7 and you will unlock 5 levels, as will they.

The idea is to encourage engagement between users and to strike communication. However, it may end up with people running around with C7′s asking everyone what type of phone they have so that they can sync. Some users may get very annoyed, although annoyance and disappointment seems usual in the past history of Nokia. ;)

Source: Engadget

Sprint Network Down in Some Areas

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Yesterday, approximately 10PM CST, Sprint was having some technical difficulties with their network. Customers were having difficulty sending text messages, but some were also not able to make or receive phone calls. Sprint was aware of the problem right away and worked to fix the issue as quickly as they could.

Here was a statement from Sprint:

“We did have some disruption to Sprint SMS traffic earlier tonight, but it wasn’t a complete disruption — we lost partial capacity for about an hour. Engineers immediately began rerouting traffic and after about an hour things went back to normal.

There is no significant voice disruption anywhere in the US except for a small part of our Sprint network in the Washington, DC area. That has since been resolved and had no relation to the SMS disruption.”

Everything was fixed and is back up and running normally, but this is still something to take note of. The haste taken by Sprint is almost admirable, as many corporations take longer to do much simpler tasks. If you’re on Sprint and you were having some issues, hopefully this helps to solve any question(s) you may have had.

Source: Engadget

First LTE Phone Tomorrow

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HTC ThunderBoltMany of us have long been awaiting the LTE capabilities to the Verizon Wireless network, and even other networks for that matter. Alas, tomorrow the first LTE phone will be released. Some people think the name may have come from Apple’s new Thunderbolt technology, but that really isn’t the topic at hand.

Wirefly began pre-orders on Tuesday for this device. The HTC ThunderBolt was reported to begin pricing at $249.99.  This isn’t the only phone that will planned for the LTE capability. There are three other phones Verizon plans on releasing soon. These phones include the LG Revolution, Droid Bionic 4G and the Samsung 4G LTE. All of these phones run the Android Operating System.

What about when your phone doesn’t have 4G coverage? Well, if the area that you are in does not support 4G or 4G is “not available,” the device will automatically convert its connections and processes to 3G technology, which is more widely available at this point in time. The technology is great, and the reviews have been just as good.

The HTC ThunderBolt also offers some surprising features that have sure been highly approved by consumers and critics. These include:

  • 8 Megapixel Camera and a 1.3 Megapixel Front-facing Camera
  • Android 2.2 Operating System
  • 1 GHz Processor
  • 32GB SD Card Pre-installed
  • Average of 6Mb/sec Download Speeds
  • Simultaneous Voice and Data Capability

The LTE has high expectations, but so far it looks like the deliveries have been just as high. The last point, simultaneous voice and data capability, is one of the key components in making a device 4G, along with the faster speeds of course. It’s important to note that the iPhone 4 does not currently run on the LTE, or true 4G, device. Basically, Verizon will be releasing its first real 4G phone tomorrow.

For a bit of fun and to see more, I have included a review of the HTC ThunderBolt from Wirefly:

And for the price of $249.99, it is to my belief that this device, along with the other three that are planned, could completely revolutionize the smartphone industry and make sure that other phones released, even on other networks, are expected to be up to par.

Source: ComputerWorld