Tag: iphone

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Nokia <3 Microsoft

“WTF!” was my immediate reaction when I read about Nokia CEO Stephen Elop’s announcement that Nokia is partnering with Microsoft and putting Windows Phone 7 in their phones.

A few days ago, Elop sent out a memo likening Nokia to a burning oil platform. There was anticipation that a big change is coming, perhaps Nokia joining the Android juggernaut or perhaps Nokia joining Elop’s former employer Microsoft.

Unfortunately, it was the latter. Apparently, Elop has decided that they Nokia must first and foremost beat Android. I guess this is a nod that Android will beat the iPhone. Unfortunately, his decision precludes choosing Android. Too bad since, choosing Microsoft is IMHO just dumb.

The iPhone is formidable because it is such a tightly-controlled well-directed “closed but powerful ecosystem”, to quote Elop himself. More importantly, behind that control and directions is a true visionary: Steve Jobs. It also enjoys with a considerable lead time in the market and in the number of developers and apps.

Android is formidable because, being open, a lot of players can (and did) join in: HTC, Motorola, SonyEricsson, Samsung, and LG. Even the KIRF makers in Shenzen are joining in. With the huge marketing effort by these players and the huge availability of phones, comes a lot of developers and apps. Who cares about fragmentation? The PC is fragmented. There is no doubt Android will beat iPhone. It’s the PC vs Apple II all over again.

But WP7? It is the descendant of Windows CE and Windows Mobile both of which were failures. The constant rebranding should be clue enough. Symbian is not any worse than WP7. Heck, Symbian has more apps and developers than WP7!

There could be some synergy in Microsoft and Nokia working together, combining their strengths in marketing and technology development. But such close cooperation might actually alienate HTC and others who also make WP7 phones, nudging them completely to the Android side.

Elop has just failed Nokia’s stockholders.

UPDATE: I guess investors feel the same way because Nokia’s stock took a dive a bit after the announcement.

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DIY Micro SIM Adapter

Michelle borrowed the iPhone for the wedding she attended last night. Since my micro SIM won’t work with the E51, I had to make my own Micro SIM Adapter. After about half an hour, I was able to make one and, more importantly, it actually worked. Here’s how to do it in case you find yourself in a similar predicament.

Things you need:

  1. An old SIM
  2. The old SIM’s carrier card
  3. The micro SIM’s carrier card
  4. Some tape
  5. A cutter
  6. A nail file

Procedure:

  1. Tape the two SIM’s carrier cards together with the SIM’s carrier card at the bottom and the Micro SIM’s carrier card at the top. This will serve as your guide.
  2. Replace the old SIM into it’s carrier card.
  3. Use the cutter to trace a slot for the Micro SIM on the old SIM using the hole on the Micro SIM’s carrier card as a guide
  4. Slowly but surely cut progressively deeper into the old SIM until you create a hole. Be careful as the sides are a bit thin.
  5. File a bit with the nail file for a snug fit.
  6. Voila! Your own Micro SIM Adapter!
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Infinity Blade

I had nothing much to do while recuperating from a nasty cold so I played and finally finished Infinity Blade, an iPhone game. The gameplay itself is nothing to write home about. You, and your descendants, make repeated attempts to kill the antagonist, the so-called God King. To this end, you have a progressively more expensive array of helmets, shields, armor, swords, and magic rings.

Once equipped, you head into the God King’s castle along a pre-set path, encountering a handful of the God King’s champions along the way and impaling or disemboweling and generally disposing of them until you reach the God King in his throne room and try to do the same to him.  To accomplish this, you can dodge, block, parry, slash, stab with your sword, and occasionally cast a spell.

Pretty run-of-the-mill stuff, right? But how all these was translated into a mobile touchscreen-controlled game and with such gorgeous graphics is the marvelous thing. It’s only a few years ago that this kind of graphics can be found only in monster gaming PCs with bleeding edge graphics cards. But here it is now in the palm of your hand. Nothing short of awesome!

Rating: 5/5

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Speck PixelSkin

Okay so putting the gorgeous iPhone 4 inside a case generally fuglifies it. Nor is it recommended to put it in a case with a covered back due to spontaneous cracking issues. However, there are times when you need a measure of protection. Depending on how rough your destination is you can choose between a bumper to a heavy-duty case like the Otterbox Defender.

Continue reading “Speck PixelSkin”

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Nexus S vs Galaxy S vs iPhone 4

The latest Google Android reference phone is out. This is going to be a three way fight between the current top Android phone and the latest iPhone. The tale of the tape:

Samsung Google Nexus S Samsung Galaxy S Apple iPhone 4
Size 123.9 x 63 x 10.9 mm 122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9 mm 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm
Weight 129 g 119 g 137 g
Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
HSDPA 1700 / 2100 /900 HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100 HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
Display Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
480X800 pixels, 4 inches 480X800 pixels, 4 inches 640 x 960 pixels, 3.5 inches
Processor ARM Cortex A8 1GHz processor ARM Cortex A8 1GHz processor 1 GHz Apple A4 processor
RAM 512 MB RAM 512 MB RAM 512 MB RAM
Internal Storage 16GB 8/16GB 16/32 GB
External Storage No External Memory Up to 32GB No External Memory
Data Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
Near Field Communications Yes none none
Video 720p@30fps 720p@30fps, LED video light 720p@30fps, LED video light, geo-tagging
Operating System Android OS, v2.3 Gingerbread Android OS, v2.1 Eclair w/ TouchWiz 3.0 iOS 4
Camera 5 MP, 2560 x 1920 pixels, autofocus, LED flash 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Apps About 100K from Android Market + access to non-market apps About 100K from Android Market + access to non-market apps About 300K from Apple app store
Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh Standard battery, Li-Po 1420mAh
Standby Up to 713 h (2G) / Up to 428 h (3G) Up to 750 h (2G) / Up to 576 h (3G) Up to 300 h (2G) / Up to 300 h (3G)
Talk-time Up to 14 h(2G) / Up to 7 h (3G) Up to 14 h(2G) / Up to 7 h (3G) Up to 14 h (2G) / Up to 7 h (3G)

Based on the specifications, the winner is the iPhone 4 though not overwhelmingly. And it seems the Nexus S in not at all too different from the Galaxy S. Understandable since it’s made by Samsung but not expected since it is newer and Google is involved. So there’s no real reason to get the Nexus S unless you’re developing NFC applications. Just as well since it’s probably going to be priced higher than the Galaxy S which is already overpriced as it is.