RagnaRollFact File

As soon as Google announced the development of the Android Mobile Phone platform way back in 2007, people began eagerly anticipating the release of the new phones that would be created. The early versions of these phones are finally starting to be released to the market; the first one to come out is the T-mobile G1. Dubbed the HTC Dream during its development, the T-Mobile G1 has been anxiously eyed by everyone who wants to know how much a Google phone platform could possibly shake up the mobile phone world. The G1 brings together the best Google software programs (like Gmail and Google Maps) with innovative third-party software options (available through the Android Marketplace) to give you a phone that can do the things that you want it to do, whatever those things may be. It’s an early version of the Android phones that we’re likely to see improved in the future but it’s definitely a great start for the person who wants to be in on the cutting edge of new phone development.

DESIGN & FEATURES:

• Touchscreen. People today are really interested in having a touchscreen for their smartphone because it’s so much more convenient and efficient than the traditional phone screen. The G1 has a 3.2 inch touchscreen with a resolution of 480 x 320. This makes it a great phone for viewing video and accessing the Internet. An accelerometer inside of the phone makes it so that the phone can be turned form landscape to portrait and the screen will adjust accordingly.
• Full QWERTY keyboard. People who are getting used to using full keyboards on their smartphones are going to find themselves comfortable with the G1 which includes this feature as part of the hardware design.
• Additional navigational keys. In addition to the QWERTY keyboard, there are six other navigation keys on the G1 which allow you to do basic things with a single touch (for example, you can initiate or receive a call or you can go back to the home page or menu page of the screen using these keys).
• 3G abilities. The hardware of the G1 makes it so that it is 3G compatible which is increasingly important to mobile phone users today. The phone also has built-in Wi-Fi and can move back and forth between the two types of connections.
• Camera phone. The G1 includes a 3.2 megapixel camera phone which is not an outstanding camera phone but is sufficient to meeting the basic snap-a-picture needs of the average mobile phone user.
• Memory. The G1 can accommodate up to 16GB of memory utilizing a memory card inserted into the slot on the phone.

Here’s a look at some of the G1 software that you would be likely to use as an average mobile phone user purchasing the first of the Android smartphones:

• Gmail. You can easily check your gmail account from the G1. There are also options for accessing other email accounts (such as Yahoo!) through the web.
• Google Maps. Most people are seeking a phone with GPS these days and so they’ll be happy to know that they can get that service from the G1. A built-in GPS receiver is supplemented by a digital compass to make it easy for the phone to figure out where you’re at. Use of the standard Google Maps that you’re likely already familiar with from the Internet makes it easy for you to get to where you want to be. The Google Maps available on the G1 has advanced viewing features just like the full-Internet version of the site which means that you can get “street view”, “traffic view” and “satellite view” of the places that you’re trying to see on your mobile phone.
• Google Calendar. This feature allows you to access and use your Google Calendar from your new mobile phone. This means that you can easily see where you’re supposed to be and what you’re supposed to be doing. It also means that you can update your calendar while you’re on the go. The advanced features of Google Calendar make it so that you can also share calendars with family, friends and organizations to keep your life totally organized. And the G1 brings that to the palm of your hand.
• Google Talk. If you’re the kind of person who wants to be able to chat online via IM from your mobile phone then you can appreciate this software feature. You can also add other IM programs (such as AIM) if you don’t prefer Google’s service.
• YouTube. One of the pre-loaded software tools available on the G1 is a YouTube video player which allows you to easily access videos on the popular video sharing site so that you can entertain yourself wherever you are at.

What is great about the G1 is that it comes preloaded with these software options which are the things that you are going to be most likely to want from the phone. However, it doesn’t stop there. The G1 also comes with something called the Android Market application which is basically an application that allows you to access an online storefront where third party software developers make their applications available.

DISADVANTAGES:

The main thing that must be noted about the G1 in terms of drawbacks is that it’s the first of the Google-based phones. This means that there is going to be a lot of competition against this phone in the months to come.There are two additional things which have caused some complaints in reviews of the G1. The first is that the phone is lacking strong multimedia capabilities. This is something that has become a standard feature of smartphones (including the new Blackberry devices which just finally added the feature in the past year) so it’s unfortunate to find it lacking in the G1. However, you do have a basic music library and some other basic functions so you aren’t totally at a loss with the G1 in this area.

The other complaint has been the fact that the G1 doesn’t support corporate email. This is mainly a complaint of the BlackBerry fan set since users of the BlackBerry phones have gotten comfortable with the advanced email features of those devices.

Verdict:

Entry Level Smart phone from Android Mobile Platform but not bad(3.8/5)

While the Apple app store has a range of ideas to turn your iPhone into a handheld gaming device or even beer glass, there hasn’t been anything in the way of turning it into a IR remote to control your TV and DVD player. Until now. Despite the fact the the iPhone doesn’t have an IR emitter (which may account for the lack of this functionality up til now) some students at the University of Toronto have made this feasible.

They have created the UiRemote which is an iPhone app plus an IR widget that will plug into the headphone jack of the iPhone and will turn sound into IR pulses. How neat is that?

The UiRemote is still in prototype stage and not available for sale, but there is hoping they will commercialise it within the next few months.

Sony Ericsson W508 Walkman phone : Enjoy music the way you want it with the Sony-Ericsson W508 Walkman Phone. Consumers can have the most interactive mobile experience as individual as they are, with clever technology such as Shake and Gesture control, SenseMe and TrackID, as well as one extra Style-Up cover with the new Sony Ericsson508 Walkman phone. The Sony-Ericsson W508 also includes popular Walkman features such as SensMe, for matching your mood to the music and touch keys on top to play, stop and skip tracks.

FEATURES:

• Interchangeable front covers.
• The W508 is a 3G handset.
• It features the Walkman music player, an FM RDS radio and a video player.
• The accelerometer controls screen rotation and features such as Shake Me! and other gesture controls.

Sony Ericsson never really ‘did’ clamshell phones, but the W980i changed all that with its sleek and modern style, so it’s good to see them continuing the theme with the W508.  Although clearly not the same level as the W980i, this little Walkman phone still has a lot going for it, as it still uses the same Walkman software to give the same brilliant  - it’s just a shame they still haven’t put a 3.5mm jack plug socket actually in the casing.

Another feature rarely seen on Sony Ericsson mobiles are the variety of interchangeable covers, which they call ‘Style-Up’, available for the W508.  You get one free alternative in the box and others can be purchased later.  Aside from the standard metallic look, a purple, green, orange and multicolored artistic design will be out to tempt you.

The fun continues with Shake Me!, where a shake of the phone shuffles your music or shifts track while the gesture control lets you silence calls and alarms just by waving your hand over the phone!  The spec is rounded out with a 3.2 megapixel camera and a M2 storage card slot to increase the memory to a possible 16GB!

Verdict:

Though a bit sluggish in performance,but stands out for its brand(4/5)