Category: Mobiles

Smart vs. Globe Battle on iPhone 4S

Unbox did actual tests of both networks on two iPhone 4S’s.

Truth is I’m not surprised at all by the results. Smart Communications beat Globe Telecom 8 times to nil. Based on my personal experience, Smart’s 3G network is usually faster as compared to Globe’s, even at the heart of the Ayala Center in Makati, which is supposedly Globe’s home turf. Nevertheless, I just hope Smart could/had broaden its 3G wireless network coverage to include my hometown, in Tigbauan, Iloilo, as I’ll be spending my time there during the coming holidays.

The Android UI Lag

Even for a dual-core 1.2GHz device like the Samsung Galaxy S II (SGS2), while running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, I could still really tell the UI lag when scrolling, especially when compared to a single-core device like the iPhone 4.

Take for example the official Twitter app. While swiping your fingers from bottom to top to scroll through earlier tweets in your timeline, sometimes the scrolling would stop at the tweet you last put your fingers to, as if you were trying to select or tap on that particular tweet and not swipe through it. This happened so often it actually got so frustrating.

Andrew Munn has a very good explanation why this is so with any Android device: Read the explanation after the jump »

Instapaper for Android

After more than a month tinkering with my Android device, the Samsung Galaxy S II (SGS2), I’ve come to the conclusion that the one app I missed the most about my iPhone is Instapaper.

From the mail app, Evernote, Twitter (Tweetbot), Facebook, to Feeddler (Google Reader) apps, you can easily send articles to read later (and even offline) via Instapaper. Alternatives like ReadItLater are great, but seamless integration with various other apps are wanting, and some articles, although obviously blog posts themselves, are not loading properly in ReadItLater.

To a lot of people, owning a smartphone means a lot of games. I consider myself to not belong to that “lot of people”. The only games I have on my smartphones are those that are really quick games like, the usual suspects like Fruit Ninja, Fling, MasterCode, Flight Control, and some card games like Poker, to pass the time away while waiting for something or someone like in waiting areas of airports, clinics, offices, restaurants and meetings. Read Further »

Samsung pokes fun at iPhone fanboys

Samsung’s Galaxy S II ad: the next big thing is already here:

Jayvee posted:

This ad is spot on. It’s exactly the reaction I get from people who see the Galaxy S II. As I said in previous posts, the S II is the only phone that turns the heads of the fanboys.

I say, yes, this thing may have really got my head turned when I saw one at gadget stores. But having the first hand experience for exactly one month now, I must say I was a bit disappointed. Details about the experience to follow soon. Continue reading Samsung pokes fun at iPhone fanboys

Screen Capture for Android

I have owned an iPhone 4 and probably have gained an in-depth understanding of the iOS system, and its capabilities and limitations. That was easy to do in the first place — to be familiar with the operating system without the need of a detailed manual.

As a disclaimer: I loved my iPhone 4.

Recently, I was provided with Samsung Galaxy S II as a business/office phone. And I got to play with the Android mobile operating system extensively.

And I found out, as advanced Android may be as an OS, it still lack a basic feature like a native capturing screenshots of your screen. Looking through the Android market, you’ll see apps that can only do screen captures if you root your device. If you ever encounter one that needs no rooting, you’ll find bad reviews about it that render it as close to being fake. I mean — there are fake apps in the Android market?

Oh, and there’s another way to do screen capture without rooting — but with the help of a desktop computer. You’ll find the tutorial at Android Central, or otherwise check out this Youtube video.

In my iPhone 4, screen capture is as easy as pressing the sleep and home buttons simultaneously. You don’t need apps for that.

My iOS 5 Top New Features

Maybe the long wait for this brand new OS has somehow diminished excitements about it. We’ve seen these new features demoed by developers.

Nevertheless, having a first hand experience with the iOS 5 today on my iPhone, here are my top “favorite” new features:

  • Notifications center – having all notifications and alerts in one place is one feature that has long been wanting in iOS, that’s why I have it at the top of the list. Yet, just like in Android, I would have preferred to have the quick toggles for cellular data, bluetooth and wifi in the same notification center. Plus, a lot other apps are not yet updated to push their notices to the notification center. Moreover, instead of or in addition to stocks and weather, I wish for an option to have foreign exchange rates and maybe LME prices to be likewise available in there.
  • Wifi Sync – you can now be fully independent from a computer system (either Mac or Windows) once you start using your iOS 5 device, but having iTunes to manage your media and apps is still a neat way to go. Now, you can even sync your device to your computer’s iTunes program via wifi. That’s one less cable system to worry about.
  • Over-the-air future OS updates – this we have yet to experience and find out how seamless it will be. Furthermore, Apple claims further updates will be smaller files compared to the past where it took around 700MB of download file every upgrade.
  • More alert tones via iTunes – now I don’t have to live anymore with the stock ringtones and alert tones of the iPhone. As a matter of fact, I just downloaded Marlon Brando’s “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse” and Acoustic Pluckin alert tones for my use.

My Thoughts on the New iPhone 4S

We all know iPhone 4S has been announced last night. And a lot of people are disappointed. It fell well below most people’s expectations, especially — I guess — the detractors.

But at least let me share my thoughts about this new iDevice:

  • Lack of redesign – at least my iPhone 4, with its already great looks, design, build and construction will still stay relevant for another 12 months or so;
  • 3.5 inch display is so 2007. Everyone else is 4 to 5 inches across– I think it is still the sweet spot for a smartphone. Not too big for just call and text and not too small for internet browsing. And remember, all the 500,000+ apps that are currently available in the App Store are built for that screen size. Make the display larger, given that you maintain the exact aspect ratio, and you might find your apps already pixelated. You may not want a new screen size for an iPhone and count your available apps back from zero? What about the possibility of purchasing the same app you once purchased for use in your new iPhone 4S? If you really want a bigger screen, go get an iPad.
  • No LTE or 4G or HSPA+ support – those technologies are barely, if not at all, existing in the Philippines anyway, so why bother? And don’t tell me it’s the network of the future — because I’m actually satisfied with the current 3G + HSDPA speeds, if only the telcos could make it more consistent across all areas in the country, without the worry of shortened battery life.
  • 8-MegaPixel Camera and 1080p Video Recording – of all the new features of the iPhone 4S, these are my least favorite. Here we are again, back at counting pixels. We all know that the higher the pixel count, the larger the resulting JPEG file, the slower it will take to upload and share with friends. Even a 2-megapixel image is more than enough size for just internet sharing via Facebook or the likes. And 1080p? For my 32″ LCD TV? Obviously an overkill! Improve the lens quality — that’s what I’d say — which they actually did with the 5-element lens and f/2.8 aperture.

So, in a nutshell, the improvements introduced in the new iPhone 4S may be less than impressive but I’m not at all disappointed.

Why I Bought a Kindle?

I used to own a first generation iPad, and I intend to get a replacement in the future. I currently own an iPhone. Both have (or at least used to have) the Kindle app. Likewise, I have Kindle applications installed in both my laptops.

Last Saturday, I bought a Kindle Keyboard (see photo above) — the 3rd generation Wifi 6″ E-Ink display Kindle with Special Offers and Sponsored Screensavers.

Yet, the question that often pops up: Who needs a Kindle when you can read your e-books in your other existing mobile devices like the iPad?

First, let me just reiterate some “obvious” reasons — that which you’ll usually find in other blogs — why Kindle is better than the iPad to suit the bookworm in you: Carry on »

iPhone vs. BlackBerry

I own an iPhone 4 and recently — let’s just say — had a short affair with the BlackBerry Bold 9700. I know they’re not particularly the top of the line of their brands, taking into account that iPhone 5 may be announced in a couple of days.

So, this article is actually more about the hangups I had with my BlackBerry Bold 9700 experience as against that with the iPhone 4. Some points may not be applicable to other BlackBerry models like some touchscreen in the BB Torch line, but definitely some are very much relevant to all models.

First, let’s talk about what I liked about the BlackBerry:

  • Unified Inbox via the Messaging App. From Email, SMS, BBM message, Gtalk, Yahoo! Messenger, as well as Twitter and Facebook notifications — they are all there in one place. The Gtalk, YM, Twitter, and Facebook apps were developed by RIM (Research in Motion) itself, so they are seamlessly integrated into the Messaging app. The Messaging app also serves as the central notification center, which functionality is yet coming to iOS 5.
  • Longer Battery Life. As a second hand device, I still get more than two days of usage if Wifi is on (which I always use in the office and at home), and less than two days when it’s off (meaning I’m always on cellular data connection).

Quite a short list, really. Now let’s move on to where the BlackBerry is really getting into my nerves. This list is in random order, and as such may appear in whichever crosses my mind first: Continue Reading »