Friday, December 17, 2010

Samsung's New Wave Series-Wave 525,Wave 533 Aka Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro

                  Samsung Wave 525-
Introduction: 

Samsung announced the low-range phones to carry its own bada OS back in June, naming them the Samsung Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro. Afterwards the company took care of the mid-range with the Samsung Wave 723, which we reviewed recently. The last news from the bada camp were for a true successor to the first Samsung Wave, called the Samsung Wave II. 

To avoid duplicate pronunciations, the low-end members of the bada family are now ready to enter the markets, but with names consisting strictly of numbers. The Samsung Wave 2 is now the Samsung Wave 525 and the Samsung Wave 2 Pro, which simply adds a QWERTY keyboard, is Samsung Wave 533.  We have the Samsung Wave 525 of the duo announced in June, and are taking it for a spin to check how bada OS looks and behaves on a rock-bottom hardware...




Design:

The Samsung Wave 525 will not win any design awards with its plain black rectangular shape with chrome-like accents, such as a thin rim around the phone. The capacitive touchscreen screen is 3.2" with 240x400 pixels of resolution, which makes the interface and websites look scraggy, and average sunlight visibility. Underneath it is the home button, flanked by send and end keys. There is a volume rocker on the left, microUSB port and 3.5mm audio jack on top, as well as a lock/power button plus a dedicated camera key on the right. Don't ask us why bada phones have a separate shutter key, while their Android brethren by Samsung only have virtual camera buttons, as we can't answer that on behalf of the company.                              



The back hosts the 3MP camera, and replaces the usual glossy black plastic Samsung is using in most of its handsets of late for a dotted pattern one, which makes the phone less slippery to handle. The phone lies comfortably in the hand, and is fairly thin and light at 4.31 x 2.17 x 0.47” (109.5 x 55 x 11.9 mm), and 3.53 oz (100 g) of weight. The back cover is pretty prone to smudges and visible marks from everyday use, despite that it is not glossy plastic, but a simple wiping takes it all away. The Samsung Wave 525 will be available in three colors - black, white and pink. 

Pros

  • Bada OS
  • Feature Rich
  • Bang for the Buck
  • Battery Life is Awesome
  • SNS Intergration
  • Java

Cons

  • Net Surfing Little Laggy on Default Browser


You can find the detailed specificatons below:-
Samsung Wave 533-

Introduction: 

Samsung Wave 533 Review
After reviewing our first low-range bada OShandset in the form of the Samsung Wave 525, now time has come to take a closer look at its version with a physical keyboard – the Samsung Wave 533. It is the first handset with Samsung's own mobile OS to sport a slide-out QWERTY. 

Thus, we will keep most of the software part, which duplicates what we found on the Samsung Wave 525, and focus on the design differences and keyboard performance instead, so read on to find out what they are... 

Design:

The Samsung Wave 533 is a plain looking all-plastic handset, with a chrome-like rim around it, which marks the separation of the screen and keyboard halves. The 3.2" capacitive touchscreen has the lowly 240x400 pixels of resolution, which makes everything on the display look jagged. The viewing angles are decent, though, and it has average sunlight visibility on full brightness. Below the screen is the  menu button, as well as send and end keys, in a typical bada OS handset fashion. 


 The Samsung Wave 533 is a plain looking all-plastic handset with a chrome-like rim around it


The rest of the buttons are found on the keyboard half. There is a volume rocker on the left side, protected microUSB port and 3.5mm audio jack on top, as well as a lock/power button and a dedicated camera key on the right. Every button is easy to find and press, with the exception of the rather smallish lock/power key.



 
The back is flat, with a 3MP camera centered in its upper part, and the speaker grill down right. The usual piano black plastic Samsung is using in most of its handsets of late, is replaced for a battery cover with dotted pattern, which makes the phone easier to grip and hold. The 0.59” (15.1 mm) thickness is average for a phone with a physical keyboard, and adds to the easy grip feeling. At 4.09 oz (116 g), it is a heavier than the 3.53 oz (100 g) Samsung Wave 525, but not by much, and feels pretty light in the hand. Similar to the other two basic bada phones, the Samsung Wave 533 will be available in three colors - black, white and pink.


 The physical keyboard is what makes the phone stand out in the tsunami of bada handsets, so let’s slide the screen half away open and check how are the keys' spacing and tactile feedback. The keyboard  is pushed out with a rather tight and controlled movement, revealing four rows of keys, which light up in white when used. The additional symbols, including the number row on top, are colored in yellow, and the mode switch is down left, colored the same. 



Samsung has included four grey dedicated cursor arrow keys, which we pencil as one of the advantages of physical keyboards over virtual ones, together with the fact that the whole screen remains visible when typing. Each individual key is placed in a frame independently, with enough space in between, and the key travel has reasonable depth. Long-pressing the spacebar mutes the phone. The screen slides back over the keyboard with a significant push, making the spring mechanism feel rather solid. Overall, we were quite satisfied with the physical keyboard, and feel it can be a major selling point for the Samsung Wave 533.


‘India will become world's No. 1 mobile market by 2013'


India's cellular subscriber base is set to rise to 1.159 billion by the end of 2013, making it the world's largest mobile market, according to London-based Informa Telecoms and Media's latest forecast.
This will represent an extraordinary growth since 2000 when there were just 3.2 million active mobile subscriptions. Conversely, growth in China is set to slow down, and by the end of 2013, the number of active mobile subscriptions will be 1.106 billion.
“There are two main factors fuelling this growth in India - increased competition and the prevalence of multi-SIM activity. With just three national operators in China, there is just not the same level of competition as in India, and therefore not the same febrile atmosphere surrounding pricing and promotional activity,” explains Ms Shannon Keefe, senior market forecaster at Informa Telecoms and Media.
Not only will India surpass China in terms of the total number of active subscriptions by 2013, but, according to Informa's forecasts, the Indian market will have a higher subscription penetration rate (75 per cent ) than China's by the end of 2011 (69 per cent ). By the end of 2014, India's subscription penetration will be 101 per cent .
This serves to accentuate the preponderance of multi-SIM activity in India and the speed with which cellular communications have spread to the mass market.
However the bad news for operators is that when it comes to revenues, India will continue to lag behind. Informa Telecoms and Media projects that, by the end of 2013, the Chinese mobile market will be worth approximately $107.5 billion, as compared to India's mobile market, which is set to be worth approximately $35.5 billion.
Market share
Bharti Airtel, currently the market leader with over 127.6 million active subscriptions and a 22 per cent share of the market, will lose market share to the new entrants. Informa projects that Bharti's share of the market will fall to about 19 per cent by the end of 2013 (233 million subscriptions).
Newcomers such as Telenor, Etisalat and Videocon, will, between them, account for about 5 per cent of the total market by then.
Informa projects that India's mobile data market will be worth approximately $9 billion in 2014, up from $2.3 billion in 2008.

Samsung Galaxy S Vs. Nokia N8

Introduction:

If a Clash of the Titans movie was to be made for the smartphone industry, it would certainly feature the Nokia N8 and the Samsung Galaxy S. These are the current cream-of-the-crop handsets of the world's largest and second-largest cell phone manufacturers. The Nokia N8 and Samsung Galaxy S might be the high road for both companies, but the purposes behind them are different.

The Nokia N8 is a flagship phone with premium feel, and still, with Symbian^3, it feels like the pinnacle of Nokia that were, a peak hardware effort, before the Finnish company morphs into something yet unknown. Nokia wanted to make the highest end device to run a tried and true mobile OS that millions of users are accustomed to for years. In that respect, it is an evolutionary phone, despite some best-in-class features. 



The Samsung Galaxy S, on the other hand, represents the top effort of a novel path that Samsung undertook with Android, having the fastest graphics chipset in a phone, and an enormous  4”  Super AMOLED screen. Nokia N8 is like the brilliant film of a beloved movie star at the zenith of their hectic carrier, while the Galaxy S is the straight-As grad student, ready to change the world. 


Design: 

The Nokia N8 and the Samsung Galaxy S are both touchscreen-only devices, and that is where the design similarities end. Nokia N8 is beautifully crafted from a single sheet of anodized aluminum, and exudes that premium feel, aided by the solid heft of the metal body. It is enough to run your nail along the back, or rub your thumb against the etched logo, in order to conclude that this is a high-end craftsmanship. 




 Design: 

The Nokia N8 and the Samsung Galaxy S are both touchscreen-only devices, and that is where the design similarities end. Nokia N8 is beautifully crafted from a single sheet of anodized aluminum, and exudes that premium feel, aided by the solid heft of the metal body. It is enough to run your nail along the back, or rub your thumb against the etched logo, in order to conclude that this is a high-end craftsmanship. 




The Samsung Galaxy S also wows you, but from a different perspective. It is extremely thin at just 0.39 inches (9.9 mm), compared to the Nokia N8's 0.51 inches (12.9 mm). It is also very light in the hand, and thus doesn't feel like the big phone it actually is. Being made entirely of plastic has its positives - plastic is lighter and less rigid thаn metal, and this might actually help the precious Super AMOLED screen survive drops and other rough handling. 


The Galaxy S experience centers around that 4” 480x800 pixels Super AMOLED display, and the 3.5”regular AMOLED with 360x640 pixels  can't hold water against the Super AMOLED Goliath. Thanks to the Super AMOLED tech, the Galaxy S delivers incredibly high-contrast ratio and great viewing angles. For the most part, the ordinary AMOLED screen on the Nokia N8 manages to replicate this experience, but things get quite different when taken outside, under direct sunlight. The regular AMOLED has a relatively high reflectance ratio, while the Super AMOLED's is only 4%, one of the lowest in a smartphone. Still, Nokia has done a great job coating the N8, and the display is decent outside, but the Galaxy S fares even better, on par with the best LCD screens out there.


 Both handsets have physical home buttons under their screens. The Samsung Galaxy S, though, also adds capacitive back and menu Android buttons on its sides. Android’s hardware back and menu keys are frankly a better idea, since the virtual Options and Back in Symbian just take screen real estate.




Looking around the handsets, we find not less than ten openings and buttons on the sides of the Nokia N8, compared to the four in the Samsung Galaxy S, indicative of the difference in the design approach.




One notable difference is that the Nokia N8 has a non-removable battery. The card slots (SIM and microSD), are taken out of the battery compartment, and placed on the left side, while Galaxy S has them inside. On the right side the Nokia N8 has the camera button, while the Galaxy S uses the touchscreen to focus and shoot.




The buttons on both handsets are very responsive, with enough travel. The important ports are protected either by sliding lids or by plastic caps, and, all in all, despite the difference in materials, both the Nokia N8 and the Samsung Galaxy S are manufactured with precision, and feel like they can go for years of faithful service. 









                                                                                                

Monday, December 13, 2010

Top 10 student mobile apps for 2010

Target audience: Students, educators, nonprofits, social change organizations, mobile diehards.


School just got easier with this collection of the top 10 apps that you can’t hit the classrooms without. Having recently left the classroom (Cornell 2010 — woot!), these are some tools that I definitely wish I had. Add them to the list of Top 10 Student Tools for Fall that we ran last month.



Evernote: A revolution in note-taking
1This app is revolutionizing notes as we know it. Evernote is a mobile and web sync friendly, media-rich note-taking machine. The basic function of the app is note-taking with the ability to add voice, photos, location and tags as well as the option to share with friends. The most exciting feature of this app is the Evernote trunk, which is filled with all sorts of valuable tools that are sure to help you excel in the classroom. Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm Pre.




                       2Who needs a textbook when you have Wikipedia’s brain child,Wikipanion? This app has really high ratings – because it’s simply a great app. You can access open source content on any topic imaginable, an essential tool for any class. Platform: iPhone.





GoDocs: Essential for your Google docs

3View, download and send your Google docs from your iPhone or iPad with this $3.99 app. Google docs are the go-to collaboration 
tool for students, and GoDocs will make collaboration even easier. The only thing it doesn’t do is let you edit docs. Platforms: iPhone, iPad.






Cliqset: Consolidate your stream
 4Sharing, discovering and discussing on mobile and the Web just got easier: Follow your streams on Facebook, Twitter, Buzz — 70 social networks all told — in one place with Cliqset. This app is sure to help students simplify their lives and help professors keep students engaged. Platform: iPhone.




MyHomework: Digital planner in your palm
5Make sure you hand in all of the assignments on time – download this app. MyHomework makes it easy to keep track of, and color code all of your homework, classes, projects and tests. The app will also notify you when you have late and upcoming assignments by numbering them on your application icon. Buh-bye, paper planner. Platform: iPhone.

Rate My Profs: Students strike back
6The website has been around for a while — more than 10 million comments about 1 million profs — and now there is a free app available for this. Gotta admit, I love it.Rate My Professor was my bible for finding some of my favorite classes at school and avoiding some of the worst. Democracy run amok? Who cares! Platform: iPhone.






Kindle: Save money on textbooks
7Digital textbooks are for sure the way to save. With over 6,000 textbooks available for the Web, mobile and tablets, Amazon’sKindle will save you about $60 on your average textbook purchase. Multiply that by the amount of textbooks you buy in one semester — that’s a lot of extra spending money. Platforms: iPhone, iPad




FlashCards++: No more 3x5s
 8There are a lot of flashcard apps to choose from – FlashCard++is the best bang for your buck, going for $2.99, less than a deck of 3x5s.This stand-out study app makes it easy to study anything anywhere with your mobile phone. It can sync with Quizlet and also back-up your cards to Dropbox. If you’re not pleased with this one, check out CoboCards, Cram or Flashcards Deluxe. Platform: iPhone.




Sleep Cycle: Wake up feeling your best
9While this won’t help you get more sleep, Sleep Cycle does serve as an alarm clock that wakes you up during your lightest sleep phase, helping you wake up feeling most rested and relaxed. Sleep is almost as important as studying before a big exam. Costing only 99 cents, this app is definitely worth it. Platform: iPhone




iTranslator: Translations at your fingertips
10You can use iTranslator to connect to Google Translator, Babel Fish or Free Translation to help with your language courses. Or, maybe it’ll help you figure out what language your prof is speaking. Platform: iPhone.





Other mobile apps to check out

Other interesting apps that have come across our desk from our friends at GradeGuru:
• gFlash + Flashcards and Tests: Create your own flashcards and share them with classmates as you study.
• Alarm Clock Pro: No need for that annoying alarm clock sound, with this app you can create an alarm clock with customizable themes and the app lets you set an ITunes playlist to wake up to.
• NY Times: Tet news from the New York Times online for free while you’re on the go to make sure you’re up to date before heading to class.
• Graphing Calculator: Not only does this app have all of the functionality of a graphing calculator, a screenshot of the work can be taken and emailed to anyone.
• Convertbot: This app converts currency, length, mass, time and much more. It supports over 440 units of conversion to help with any assignments.
• Periodic: This app offers a complete reference to the Periodic Table of Elements. It also offers useful information such as an element’s atomic weight, electron configuration, melting point, boiling point, atomic radius, ionic radius and year of discovery.
• MyGPA Calculator: Calculate your GPA per semester and cumulatively.
• Look for the upcoming release of GradeGuru’s StudyTracker ($1.99), which helps you track your effort at school, class by class, to help you achieve your grade goals.
What helps you bring home the A+? Please share in the comments below.