technokrz {dot} com » iPhone

Disappointment for Google Phone

Sharl — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:11:47 +0000

According to a report released by market analytic company Flurry, Google’s Nexus One smartphone has been a commercial flop compared to initial sales of the first generation iPhone and Motorola Droid handsets.

During the first 74 days on the market Apple sold one million first generation iPhones. Motorola Droid sales were even more impressive with 1.05 million units shipped during the 74 days after its initial launch (making it fastest selling Android phone ever launched).

In comparison, Nexus One sales estimates are sitting at a miserable 135k.

Nexus One could be a flop?

“Despite the fact that the Google Nexus One is the most advanced Android handset to date, and enjoyed substantial buzz leading up to its release, the launch has been overshadowed by lower than expected sales,” said Flurry’s vice president of marketing Peter Farago in a blog post.

Source: Relaxnews

Android Dominates, Windows Mobile Plummets, iPhone Stagnant

Sharl — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:21:54 +0000

By Tony Bradley

The results are in from comScore for the most recent quarter for smartphone usage in the United States. With smartphone use up 18 percent over the previous quarter, topping 42 million users, Google’s Android mobile operating system stands out as the dominant winner for this quarter.

The smartphone statistics from this quarter demonstrate that the smartphone is still viewed primarily as a business tool rather than a consumer toy. Businesses and business professionals continue to embrace BlackBerry and Android devices, in all of their many shapes and forms, over the Apple iPhone.

Verizon’s massive marketing effort leading to the launch of the Motorola Droid, and Google’s major media attention for the introduction of the Nexus One appear to have paid off. Android more than doubled its market share over the previous quarter–jumping more than 250 percent from 2.8 percent of the U.S. smartphone market to 7.1 percent.

Apparently, much of that market share increase came at Microsoft’s expense. Microsoft finally unveiled the next generation Windows Phone 7 platform, but that hasn’t helped stop the bleeding for the current Windows Mobile devices. In fact, the lack of a path to upgrade current devices to the new Windows Phone 7 operating system when it arrives, and the lack of backward compatibility to run current Windows Mobile apps probably mean Microsoft can expect sharp losses in the next quarter as well.

Analysts have generally praised Windows Phone 7, which is a completely new platform from the ground up rather than an incremental evolution of the waning Windows Mobile operating system. The market is hungry for the next generation mobile operating system from Microsoft, and hopefully Microsoft will rebound and reclaim some of its lost smartphone market share once the new platform arrives.

In spite of the steep losses, Microsoft remains in third place behind Apple, which remained relatively stagnant. The iPhone saw an increase of 0.3 percent–statistically irrelevant and essentially no gain at all. The iPhone remains as the device that all others aspire to be, but Apple may have reached a saturation point when it comes to consumer adoption of a smartphone device.

Despite its monumental success, Apple faces some hurdles in trying to continue growing iPhone market share. The combination of a closed, proprietary platform, inferior or immature tools for integrating it with business environments, and the fact that the iPhone is tied to a single wireless provider are all handicaps for the iPhone OS.

The consumer versus business is apparently more than just a label. While Apple has made strides to make the iPhone more business-friendly, and IT administrators in many businesses have reluctantly embraced the platform, the fact is that it is still viewed as more of a consumer toy than an enterprise smartphone.

It makes sense that those jumping ship from Windows Mobile would embrace Android, as appears to be happening. Android provides an experience approaching what users have come to expect from an iPhone (assuming you get the right device), but delivers it on an open source platform that is much more customizable and business-friendly than the iPhone.

Android is now available from all four major wireless providers in the United States, while the iPhone is still available exclusively from AT&T. The initial Android device available from AT&T–the Motorola Backflip–is a weak device compared to the Droid or the Nexus One, but the door is open and AT&T will continue to expand its Android portfolio over time.

Microsoft Windows Phone 7 devices are not expected to be available until later this year–probably just in time for the holidays. That means the next quarter will once again be a battle between Android and iPhone, and Android will most likely continue to be the benefactor of Microsoft’s plummeting market share.

If Google and Microsoft both have another quarter like this one again, Android could actually jump past Windows Mobile to take third place when the next comScore results come out.

Tony Bradley is co-author of Unified Communications for Dummies . He tweets as @Tony_BradleyPCW . You can follow him on his Facebook page , or contact him by email at tony_bradley@pcworld.com .

Why I Dream for iPhone?

Sharl — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:44:56 +0000

It still admire iPhone and one day I must have one. Yeah! It’s a smartphone and what’s the big deal behind the Apple iPhone? First of all it’s expensive and that’s why I cannot afford it. It’s revolutionary phone and a lot of cool features and function. But are its features worth for your money?

Apple is very popular today and with all the popularity, you can assume everyone’s at least heard about it. What does the Apple iPhone feature for you and what can it do?

#1: Multi-Touch Technology

The most outstanding feature is the iPhone’s radical multi-touch screen. The MT screen allows any mechanical button to appear on this high tech toy. It simply allows you to use your fingers to operate it. This is contrary to any other phone today, which either have mechanical keyboards or a stylus.

By tapping the screen with your finger, you can navigate menus, dial phone numbers, write e-mail messages and likewise use the whole functionality of the popular gadget. The three-point-five-inch screen displays a keyboard for inputting text via multi-touch. Most consumers are seemingly skeptical about typing with the virtual keyboard, but Apple has predicted the common problems and has made sure the iPhone was constructed with features like automatic spell check and word prediction, not to mention an enhanced customizable dictionary. More so, the iPhone addresses the problems of typos commonly known to multi-touch usage by adding self-correction capabilities.

When scrolling, the usual wheel is not found at the side of the gadget. The multi-touch screen functionality allows its owner to scroll by dragging a finger in the desired direction. The speed of scrolling is designed to be proportional to the speed at which you drag your finger.

The multi-touch feature furthermore enables several more functions like multi-touch sensing for magnifying or reducing photos and even web pages. Using this feature, you can regulate object size simply by placing two fingers at the side of the object and then moving them, by dragging, either further apart or closer to one another. This feature does not distort images because images are initially scaled according to its original dimensions in the first place.

Hands down, the iPhone is more intelligent than any other phone today.

#2: Revolutionary Sensors

The gadget’s sensors have the ability to detect changes to the iPhone’s environment. The sensors are minuscule yet absurdly powerful. The three major sensors include an accelerometer, sensor for ambient light, and a proximity sensor.

The accelerometer sensor conveys the ability to detect any changes in the iPhones positioning. …The iPhone’s screen display will actually rotate to portrait or landscape, while still packing its contents into the 3.5-inch screen. Because it changes the view according to ratio, images are not distorted among web pages, videos, or photos.

The proximity sensors.

These high-tech features detect the location of the iPhone with regard to the skin. When you make a call and hold the iPhone up against your ear, the display will automatically set to standby. This is important in that it serves two basic functions.

One, by shutting off the display when not necessarily needed, this saves your battery’s life. More so, this avoids accidental touches to the screen, which would otherwise be sensitive. As soon as the cell is moved away from your face, the proximity sensors react in this way.

Ambient light sensor.

Through the AL sensor, changes in the phone’s environment are detected and instantaneously adjust the display’s brightness. Your iPhone’s display will always be well adjusted in regard to lighting.

#3: Mac OS X Operating System

The hype behind the Apple iPhone increased when Mac fans found out the Mac OS X would be included. The Mac OS X is the operating system inside the latest Apple computers. On the other hand, the electronic doesn’t have the complete functionality of the operating system. The entire OS X is too large to fit within the 4GB or 8GB internal memory. The iPhone contains a 500 MB version of the operating system.

Tom Tom iPhone Car Kit

Sharl — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:22:18 +0000

Overview

The TomTom app on your iPhone 3GS or iPhone 3G puts award-winning technology at your fingertips, like IQ Routes which gives you the smartest, most efficient route any time of day. That’s just the beginning. Combine it with the TomTom Car Kit to experience enhanced GPS performance for the ultimate in-car navigation.

TomTom Car Kit features

Secure docking
TomTom’s specially designed, award-winning EasyPort mount attaches your iPhone securely to your windscreen or dashboard – perfectly within reach. It lets you rotate the screen for widescreen route display. And it folds flat for easy moves from car to car.

Enhanced GPS performance
The TomTom car kit’s built-in receiver increases the GPS performance of your iPhone to give you a truly reliable signal – even in high-rise urban areas.

Clear voice instructions
With the built-in volume controls and superior speaker, you’ll hear every voice instruction loud and clear – so you’ll never miss a thing.

Easy charging
Dock your iPhone 3GS in the mount to charge it as you drive, so it’s always fully charged and ready to go.

Hands-free calling
Receive calls without taking your eyes off the road, using the built-in extra-sensitive microphone and speaker. And the app automatically starts navigating again as soon as the call ends.

Your music on the move
With the audio out connector you can play all your favorite songs through your car’s audio system with the optional audio cable*. It even fades music out when receiving calls and giving directions.
* Requires compatible car audio system

Tap and go
Using the multi-touch display on your iPhone 3GS or 3G, you can tap your way from A to B – so you get all the best routes. Scroll through the menu, or pinch to zoom in and out on a map.

Go your own way
See your route, your way. Simply rotate from portrait to landscape to get an easier view of the road ahead.

Meet friends and find a place to eat
Find an entry in your iPhone contacts list, and the TomTom app directs you there. Or choose a restaurant, call to reserve your table, then follow the directions.

The smartest routes
The shortest route isn’t always the fastest. TomTom IQ Routes always gives you the most efficient route. It’s the only app that uses the driving experiences of millions of drivers to base routes on actual road speed data.

The world at your fingertips
Always be prepared. The TomTom app comes with an up-to-date, detailed map – and you can add worldwide locations to suit you.

Technical Specifications

Audio out: 3.5 mm
Volume control: Yes
Portrait/Landscape support: Yes
Windscreen and dashboard mounting: Yes
iPhone charging via CLA: Yes
Dimensions: 5.17 x 2.7 x 1.96 in./131.43 x 68.68 x 49.86 mm
Weight: 4.13 oz./117 g

A Searchable File for Your Notes

Sharl — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:08:45 +0000

As long as people are making list and checking them twice, it’s a great time to look at the organisational tool called Evernote. The app is available in a free or premium version for iPhone, Palm OS, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and, soon Android. Evernote collects notes in written form, as photos or as audio notes, and makes them searchable in many ways.

Each entry is logged by time, date and location, and you can add a title and search words as tags, as you would on a blog, The app even uses optical character recognition to read type on photos, so you can search pictures for words.

The free version of this app allows the user to upload 40MB of material a month. The premium service, which is USD45 a year allows 500MB of uploads. Premium users can also use more kinds of files, like Word or Excel, and can convert scanned documents to PDFs.

iPhone users reported some text-editing problems, which the company said had been fixed. Overall, Evernote belongs on the list titled “nice.”

Source: New York Times Special

How to Guides: iPhone Basic

Sharl — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:00:43 +0000

This is just a simple and basic guides about using iPhone. In the slide there are guides about how to use the iPhone, how to use the Home Button, to know about iPhone battery, and how to clean iPhone.

Publish on Bukisa / iPhone Basics – Part 1

10 Internet Moment of The Decade

Sharl — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:00:41 +0000

Nowadays Internet has blend into our life. The Internet almost cover every aspect in our life from commerce, communication, politics and pop culture. The Webby Awards list of the top 10 most influential Internet moment of the decade.

Craiglist online classified site expands outside San Francisco (200)
The launch of Google AdWords
The launch of online encyclopedia Wikipedia (2000)
The shutdown of file-sharing site Napster (2001)
Google’s initial public offering (2004)
The online video revolution led by YouTube (2006)
Facebook opens to non-college students and Twitter launches (2006)
Apple’s iPhone debuts (2007)
The use of Internet in the US presidential campaign (2008)
The use of Twitter during the Iranian election protest (2009)

Nintendo Predicts Strong Season Despite Sales Slip

Sharl — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:26:14 +0000

By ERIC A. TAUB

Although October sales of Nintendo’s Wii console dropped 36 percent compared with the same period last year, company executives expect robust sales in the holiday season.

“We’ll have a very strong November and December,” Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s president, predicted.

Mr. Fils-Aime said in a telephone interview that Wii sales are in line with expectations at this point in the product’s life cycle. (It was introduced in November 2006.) Nintendo’s sales were particularly strong in October 2008, when it sold 803,000 units. He said, “The third year is always the strongest.” Mr. Fils-Aime said he was encouraged by an 80 percent increase in weekly sales since the price of the console was lowered in September to $200, from $250.

Nintendo remained the leading console maker in October, with 506,900 Wii units sold in the United States, the NPD Group, a market research firm, said Thursday. Sony’s PlayStation 3 was the second-biggest seller, with 320,600 units, while Xbox 360 sales were 249,700.

“You just can’t sniff at 500,000 units,” said Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles. “They’re doing fine.” Nintendo has sold 22 million Wii units in the United States.

Still, there is little question the current game machines are reaching the end of their life cycle.

“There’s such a thing as market saturation,” said Richard Doherty, an analyst with the Envisioneering Group. “One or more of the competitors’ consoles is in 60 percent of Wii households.”

At this stage, Nintendo is concentrating on “adding value for the late adopter,” Mr. Fils-Aime said. He pointed to the eight million units sold in the United States of the Wii Fit gaming exercise board as evidence that the strategy is working. “This has given us the unparalleled ability to bring in new consumers, especially females.”

Mr. Fils-Aime acknowledged that the current console game titles needed freshening, and said this will happen Sunday with the release of a new version of the Mario Brothers franchise, Super Mario Brothers Wii. It will compete for the gamer’s dollar with the just-released Activision sequel, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PCs, the title sold 4.7 million units on its first day of release in North America and Britain.

The combined sales of Nintendo’s portable game devices, the DS Lite (for dual screen) and DSi, were 457,600 units in October, putting the game platform in second place. Sony’s PlayStationPortable and PSPgo sold 174,600.

While some analysts have expressed doubts that Nintendo can continue to prosper in the hand-held market now that inexpensive games have proved popular for the owners of Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch, Mr. Fils-Aime expects no impact on the company’s portable business.

Sky TV app brings Premier League football to iPhone

Sharl — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:39:45 +0000

By Emma Barnett

The application has launched today and for £6 a month people can access the Sky Sports bundle – which includes access to Sky News, the Sky Sports channels and the ESPN channels live on their handset or iPod Touch for the first time.

The Sky TV app is free to download initially and allows users to stream TV via WiFi and not 3G at this stage. It is understood this is because of restrictions from O2. It will be available to all iPhone owners, regardless of what mobile network they are signed to, including Orange, which begins selling the handset today.

Subscribers to the app will have access to live televised matches from the Barclays Premier League, Scottish Premier League and Football League, and other sport tournaments such as the European Tour golf, Premiership rugby and international and domestic cricket.

O2 is offering its iPhone customers three months’ free subscription to Sky Mobile TV. The service is available to anyone but it is standalone – meaning existing Sky subscribers will still have to pay the monthly fee for the live mobile access as it is not included in any TV-broadband bundles. Anyone who wants the service also needs to register for a Sky customer ID.

David Gibbs, general manager for Mobile at Sky, said: “In less than a year we’ve already seen millions of downloads of Sky’s Apps from the App Store. Our new Sky Mobile TV App combines the demand for great live TV on the move with the high quality viewing experience offered by iPhone and iPod touch.”

According to Sky’s figures, there have been two million downloads of the other Sky apps to date. These include Sky+ Remote Record, Sky News, Sky Sports Cricket Score Centre and Sky Sports Football Score Centre.

Dangerous of Unlocking iPhone

Sharl — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:04:47 +0000

Since Apple released its latest gadjet, the Apple Iphone, over 5 million units have been sold. Aplle Expects to sell atleast another 12 million units in 2008 worldwide. Apple keeps improving their gadjet, and rumors are that they will soon release a 3G version iPhone for the European market. Wich will probably increase its popularity even more.

Apple Estimates that around 20% of the iPhones that are being sold are being unlocked. Wich means breaking it free from network restrictions, so you can use any SIM card and any provider in your iPhone. Benefits of unlocking are clear: You can make cheaper calls, use local SIMcards when you travel and your not bound to any contract to be able to use the iPhone.

Peter Smit told us that there are many unlocking solutions available online and offline. One solution is even better then the other when you beleive the marketing stories.
Fact is that 90% of the people who try to unlock their iPhone by themselves, have no idea what they are doing.

“When you unlock your iPhone you are flashing the core of your Phone, this brings many risks. In some of the cases you will permanently damage your $400,- Dollars iPhone, or load it with virusses or other malware that is constructed into the unlocking software” Unfortunately there are a lot of people who are still willing to take this risk. Many of them end up with a $400, broken – unusable ‘brick’.

“In many cases we are able to repair the broken phones via a new software flash, but it some cases there is no option left then to dump the phone in the garbage, as Apple does not give any warranty to unlocked phones.”

The lesson to learn is to be careful if you want to unlock your iPhone. Benefits are clear, consider the downsides of unlocking as well. And IF you decide to unlock your precios gadjet, make sure you do it with a service that understands what they are doing.