Wireless Archive

Google: We’re no Copycats. Apple’s Rewriting History

David Adams 2010-07-12 Wireless 25 Comments

Google co-founder Larry Page has denied that Google entered the phone market after Apple and the iPhone, accusing Steve Jobs of "rewriting history" . . . "We had been working on Android a very long time, with the notion of producing phones that are Internet enabled and have good browsers and all that because that did not exist in the marketplace," Page said. "I think that characterization of us entering after is not really reasonable."

Guest post by snydeq 2010-07-09 Wireless 26 Comments

Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister discusses 10 ways locked-down app store delivery models limit choice for developers -- and ultimately hurts users. The model, best known in the form of Apple's notoriously finicky iPhone App Store, has established an entirely new relationship between software vendors and consumers, one some are calling 'curated computing,' a mode in which choice is constrained to deliver more relevant, less complex experiences. This model, deemed essential to the success of tablets, provides questionable value to developers, undermining their interests in a variety of ways. From disproportionate profit cuts, to curator veto powers, to poor security, fragmentation, and hostility to free software, developers must sacrifice a lot to 'curated computing' to get their wares into the hands of end-users.

Symbian-Guru Closing Down

Submitted by fran 2010-07-05 Wireless 24 Comments

In an ill omen for Symbian fans, the publisher of Symbian-Guru is abandoning the platform: "As of today, I will no longer be updating Symbian-Guru.com, and will be purchasing an Android-powered smartphone - my new Nexus One should arrive tomorrow. I've been a Nokia fanboy since 1999, and a Symbian fanboy since I got my Nokia 6620 in summer of 2004. Since then, I've personally owned 10+ different Symbian-powered smartphones, and have reviewed nearly every Symbian-powered smartphone that's been released in the past 3 years or so. I've tried to use all of Nokia's various products and services to the best of my ability, and I just can't do it anymore." His post continues with an exploration of the sorry state of Symbian and Nokia that only a once-true-believer could have written.

Submitted by vivainio 2010-07-05 Wireless 12 Comments

After having the Netbook UX of MeeGo out for quite a while, the MeeGo project released the first preview of Handset UX for public scrutiny. This is, finally, the Qt based heir of Maemo. There is also a youtube video available, with someone running the release on Moorestown-based Aava reference phone. While this can be flashed on your N900, that is only recommended for platform developers; this release is not productized to be useful for consumers. Pics after the jump

Microsoft Kin is Dead

David Adams 2010-07-01 Wireless 32 Comments

Microsoft has killed the Kin after only six weeks on the market. The first Windows Phone 7-ish phone apparently didn't sell, likely thanks to its too-high-for-the-demographic $30 data fee from Verizon.

Submitted by Skeletor 2010-06-30 Wireless 3 Comments

Cisco has announced plans for the Cisco Cius, an Android based tablet. However, it seems to be mainly targeted at business users. It will be packed with features like one-click video conferencing and will be able connect to the Internet via WiFi or a 3G cellular network.

Android 2.2 (Froyo) Update for Nexus One Phones

David Adams 2010-06-29 Wireless 23 Comments

Starting today, Nexus One users will begin to receive the Android 2.2 (codenamed Froyo) over-the-air software update on their phones. This update provides some great new features including support for making your handset a portable hotspot and support for Adobe Flash within the browser.

Symbian^3: A Review

Eugenia Loli 2010-06-24 Wireless 8 Comments

Mobile-Review took on the exhausting task of reviewing the new Symbian^3 Nokia system, an evolution off of their touchscreen-based S60 5th Edition. A new system at a time when Nokia announced that their high-end N-series phones won't run Symbian anymore, but MeeGo.

iOS4 and Linux

Submitted by dmbkiwi 2010-06-24 Wireless 1 Comment

One thing that is always of concern when dealing with Apple is the extent to which Apple might break "unauthorised" access to "your" device with a new OS update. The recent 1.0 release of libimobiledevice allows access to iPhones and iPads on Linux. So does iOS4 break this newcomer to the iPhone scene? Read more.

Guest post by Moochman 2010-06-22 Wireless 15 Comments

In a move out of nowhere, Toshiba just announced the limited release of a "concept" device with almost the exact same form-factor as the Microsoft Courier. The Libretto W100 features dual 7" multi-touch screens that fold out flat or clap together like a book. Those wanting the full Courier experience, be prepared for disappointment, however: no pen support is present, and the OS is stock Windows 7 Home Premium--albeit with the addition of some pretty slick-looking touch-friendly widgets.

So Many Mobile OSes, but Microsoft Lacks an iPad Killer

Submitted by fran 2010-06-20 Wireless 47 Comments

Microsoft has Windows Mobile 6.x (on the way out) Windows Phone 7, Windows Embedded Standard 7, Windows Embedded Compact 7 and then Windows 7 for tablet PCs and netbooks. What this bevy of systems is missing is a coherent answer for the tablet form factor. Windows Embedded Compact 7, which is the OS aimed at the mobile sector, isn't yet released, and when it is, it won't have a uniform UI, but will depend on hardware vendors to customize. It's an appealing strategy from the vendors point of view, I guess because they get to differentiate their products from their competitors, but it's not a recipe for success.

MeeGo 1.0 review

Submitted by Rohan Pearce 2010-06-20 Wireless 20 Comments

I recently got to spend some time with MeeGo, an Intel-sponsored Linux distribution designed for netbooks and other mobile devices (such as Nokia's extra-geeky N900 smartphone). I tested MeeGo on a Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbook and I was extremely impressed.

HTC, Sprint See Successful EVO 4G Launch

Thom Holwerda 2010-06-07 Wireless 28 Comments

While the spotlights are usually all over Apple's iPhone, there's another phone company out there which is busy winning the hearts and minds of many: HTC. Founded only 13 years ago, the company has become the primary supplier of top-notch Android phones. Last Friday, Sprint launched the HTC EVO 4G to raving reviews and considerable consumer interest.

Guest post by kristoph 2010-06-06 Wireless 41 Comments

A number of recent reports provide a new picture of the current smart phone market landscape and the trends likely to impact that landscape over the coming year. The latest US market share report by Nielsen shows both the iPhone OS and Android growing at the expense of Windows Mobile and the Blackberry OS.

Submitted by poundsmack 2010-06-03 Wireless 8 Comments

Another mobile Linux consortium? Yup, another mobile Linux consortium. "ARM, Freescale Semiconductor, IBM, Samsung, ST-Ericsson and Texas Instruments, today announced the formation of Linaro, a not-for-profit open source software engineering company dedicated to enhancing open source innovation for the next wave of always-connected, always-on computing. Linaro's work will help developers and manufacturers provide consumers with more choice, more responsive devices and more diverse applications on Linux-based systems."

Verizon: No Verizon iPhone in the Immediate Future

Thom Holwerda 2010-06-03 Wireless 15 Comments

A lot of people point to a possible Verizon iPhone as the one thing that will staunch Android's remarkable growth. Sadly for those of you stuck on AT&T, there won't be a Verizon iPhone any time soon. Verizon Wireless spokesman John Johnson has said that his company has "no plans to carry the iPhone in the immediate future". Bummer for all you frustrated AT&T people.

HP CEO: “We Didn’t Buy Palm to Be in the Smartphone Business”

Thom Holwerda 2010-06-03 Wireless 33 Comments

Not too long ago, a lot of people were pleasantly surprised when HP announced it would buy smartphone maker Palm. While Palm launched a very well-received mobile operating system, the hardware it ran on was of questionable quality, leading to lower-than-expected sales and thus financial problems. Now that HP has bought Palm, we're certainly going to see the webOS running on top-notch smartphones, right? Well, not if it's up to HP CEO Mark Hurd. Update: This gives a slightly different angle.

Kno Dual-screen Tablet Confirms the Future Is Awesome

Thom Holwerda 2010-06-02 Wireless 36 Comments

Of course. Just as I'm about to finish university, and leave school behind me for good, some company comes up with a dual screen tablet which I would've killed for to replace that boatload of textbooks I've read over the years. It's called the Kno (more here), and it's a massive thing for sure - but considering their target demographic, it actually makes sense.

Tablet Overload at Computex

Thom Holwerda 2010-05-31 Wireless 22 Comments

It's time for Computex! This means loads of gadgets and related stuff to flood the internet, so let's get started by focussing on ASUS. The company showed off two interesting tablets: the Eee Tablet (which is actually a notepad) and the Eee Pad (which is actually a tablet). No, this doesn't make any sense, but product naming hasn't been a strong point at ASUS for a while now. There's also the ExoPC Slate (not from ASUS), which has a pretty interesting user interface.

Nokia N8 Demonstration: Nokia’s Got Work to Do

Thom Holwerda 2010-05-28 Wireless 57 Comments

Like Research in Motion, Nokia is playing catch-up, software-wise, to the iPhone OS and Android, which is funny in a cruel way because both Nokia and RIM have a far larger market share than both of them. Nokia has put out a preview video of their upcoming N8 smartphone, which runs the latest Symbian version, Symbian^3. Nokia, like RIM, has got work to do.