Tag: Mobile Phones

Screen Capture for Android

October 30, 2011 / / 0 Comments

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.

Android, iPhone4, and Windows Phone 7, Which Grills Fast?

November 15, 2010 / / 0 Comments

Warning: the video below contains scenes that may not be so totally acceptable to the faint of heart geeks.

This video is a marketing campaign for the EZGrill disposable grill. I know the idea is not original, as we’ve seen videos like “Will it Blend?” before. Yet, they got our attention just the same.

Who wouldn’t when these people are burning some iPhone4, Android G2, and a Windows Phone 7 HTC Surround:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm0AkFUYpLQ&fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]

The Android G2 went out first, followed by the iPhone4, and the HTC Surround lasted the longest.

We could only wish they gave any one of them to us instead.

Cherry Mobile D15 Meets Half of My Expectations

August 25, 2010 / / 0 Comments

I was recently looking for a good backup phone. I was scrounging through some of the China phone models from Cherry Mobile, Torque and MyPhone. My initial criteria for a good backup phone were:

  • Dual sim (i.e., dual standby);
  • A good battery life (despite the dual sim capability);
  • Less bells and whistles – to support the long battery life;
  • Sleek, sturdy and small — that puts Qwerty phones out of the question (I already had a Qwerty phone);
  • A sub-P2K price;

[adsense250]

Having these in mind, I settled for the Cherry Mobile D15, features of which include:

  • Dual SIM / Dual Standby;
  • Camera;
  • FM Radio;
  • MP3 / Video Player;
  • Flashlight;
  • Micro SD Card up to 2GB;

At a price of P1,999, I guess the extra features (on top of my minimum requirements) including the FM Radio and MP3/Video Player make CM D15 worth it. And these features are basically what make up the pros.

Now, for the cons:

  • Meager battery life performance. That’s 3days for light use, 2 for moderate, and 1 for heavy use before recharging. It may be acceptable to many, but not for me who have experienced using the small and sturdy Nokia 1202 (the latter could last me 2 weeks on light use);

    UPDATE: Turning off one of the sims improved battery life dramatically. It took me 5-6 days before recharging when only 1 sim is active.

  • The keys are a little bit on the hard side;
  • Typing a message is faster than reading what you have typed. If you type real fast into its numeric keypad, you have to wait a bit for the screen to actually display your message;
  • Volume during mp3 playback is not adjustable;
  • Substandard voice-call-audio quality. Volume for voice calls are adjustable, yes. But the sound quality–it’s like listening from a tin can;
  • A headphone jack that often fails to lock into position;
  • An FM Radio where radio networks battle over one frequency. You tune-in to one station (that’s “spot on” in its digital frequency dial), and you’ll hear two network programs fighting for your attention;
  • The OS is proprietary, which I think is not optimized at all to extend battery life before recharging;
  • Picture quality of the camera, in a rate of 1 to 10, is 1;
  • The body is built of almost (if not all) plastic. But then, that’s what makes it lightweight;

Conclusion

I’m not one of those people who hop from one blog to another just to bash about the cheap cellphones’ lack of this and that “loser” features. Why look for a cheap phone when the features you really want don’t come cheap to begin with?

As the cliche goes “you get what you pay for”.

As for me, I’m half-satisfied with my purchase. At least I have my dual-sim phone and I intend to push it to its limits. For its price, I wouldn’t mind if it won’t get me even a year of extreme usage.

The upcoming release of the dual-sim phone from Nokia (the Nokia C1 or C2) is a welcome development. Hope it comes with the *needed* long battery life just like the Nokia 1202 and within the same price range.

P.S. Another insightful review of the Cherry Mobile D15: A good phone is a useful one: the Cherry Mobile D15.