Archive for the ‘Mobile’ Category

Video: Could the Nintendo DSi become the second mainstream WiFi tablet?

by Steve O'Hear

February 24th, 2009 | Posted in Mobile | Comments1 Comment

Following Apple’s iPod touch, could Nintendo’s revamped handheld games console – the DSi – become the second “mainstream Wi-Fi mobile platform”? That’s a claim that the company’s first attempt – the DS Lite – could have made if it wasn’t for the crippling speed of its otherwise innovative dual screen web browser.

On Nintendo’s original device, web pages simply render far too slowly, and as I noted at the time, the company didn’t even bother to offer the Opera web browser on-board the console itself. Instead, the software came stored on a separate memory card so that you have to keep swapping it out when you want to actually play a game, and then change cards again every time you want to browse the web. Both these issues, however, have been addressed in the updated DSi model, as the following video demonstrates…

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Why you may never see Spotify on iPhone

by Steve O'Hear

February 23rd, 2009 | Posted in Audio, Mobile | Comments1 Comment

The video demo of the upcoming version of Spotify for iPhone (and iPod touch) that was yanked from YouTube has reappeared via Tech Digest. The mobile version of the streaming music service looks as polished as Mike Butcher over at TechCrunch UK first reported, although now that I’ve had a few hours to ponder its existence, I can see a number of reasons why Apple may never allow Spotfy into the iPhone App Store. Spotify isn’t the only music streaming app for iPhone (and therefore iTunes competitor) but it differs in two crucial ways:

  • Unlike Last.fm or Pandora, specific tracks and whole albums can be streamed on-demand, as apposed to having to be content with the choices or recommendations of the app itself – with no limits aside from the size of Spotify’s music catalog.
  • According to reports, Spotify on iPhone is able to cache tracks referenced in the playlists it creates so that the service can still be used outside wireless coverage. This solves one of the major drawbacks of streaming-only offerings and makes Spotify a much more direct iTunes competitor. Interestingly, Slacker offers similar functionality in its Blackberry mobile app but stripped off-line plackback from the company’s iPhone version.

Concept: iPhone app management in iTunes done right

by Steve O'Hear

February 23rd, 2009 | Posted in Mobile | Comments1 Comment

I have a fascination with all things usability, and when it comes to the art of user experience, Apple is second to none. But that’s not to say that they always get things right or that ideas from Cupertino can’t be improved upon. They can – just ask Palm with its Pre smartphone and webOS.

More proof comes via a concept video published on YouTube, demonstrating a much better way to manage iPhone apps via Apple’s desktop iTunes software. As Gizmodo explains:

The concept is simple, and wouldn’t require a change of habit by iPhone/iPod touch users: in iTunes, users see a representation of their various home screen(s), with which they can remove, move or sort apps. Sorting options are an obvious addition—sorting by most-used is what most people do manually (and imperfectly) anyway, so having a one-click option for that would be an immediate improvement. If custom sorting is your game, this will make the previously cumbersome process almost instant.

The result is simply brilliant and if the comments left on YouTube are anything to go by, Apple should hire this guy and get to work immediately putting his ideas into the next version of iTunes. As per usual, video demo after the jump…

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Spotify for iPhone in existence, S60 version on its way too

by Steve O'Hear

February 23rd, 2009 | Posted in Audio, Mobile | Comments3 Comments

I recently hailed Spotify as my streaming music service of choice but bemoaned the lack of a mobile version. That’s set to change, reports my friend Mike Butcher over at TechCrunch UK, with a working version for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch already in existence – though not yet publicly available through the App Store – along with a Symbian S60 version in development.

See also: Spotify, a very compelling music streaming service

Interestingly, Butcher says that it’s rumored that the iPhone client will only be available to users who use the paid-for version of the service, which is certainly one way for Spotify to sell more subscriptions. Right now the audio ads that persist on the free version of Spotify aren’t intrusive enough to make me want to switch to the paid version, but adding more value through a mobile client could make the difference. Especially if playlists can be ‘cached’, as Butcher suggests, so that you’ll still be able to use Spotify on the go even when you’re without a wireless connection. This will also help to save on battery life too, which can an issue with any mobile streaming service, not just Spotify.

After viewing a video demo of Spotify running on the iPhone (which has since been yanked from YouTube), Butcher says that, with the addition of a mobile client, the service “could even give the iTunes store a run for it’s money”, since it gives instant access to millions of tracks. “Assuming Apple lets it into the App Store of course”.

Official video ad of Spotify after the jump…

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Video: 26 minutes of Palm Pre goodness

by Steve O'Hear

February 20th, 2009 | Posted in Mobile | CommentsNo Comments

It’s a quiet day today on the news front after the flurry of announcements that came out of Mobile World Congress (MWC). And although I already highlighted five new handsets that caught my eye, none captured my imagination quite as much as the Palm Pre and accompanying webOS that was unveiled last month.

Sadly, we didn’t learn much new about the Pre at MWC, such as an exact release date (either in the States or here in the UK), but the good folks over at precommunity.com did capture an extended demo – all 26 minutes – of Palm’s comeback device. Once again it looks like bloggers and the wider press could look but not touch, nonetheless things are a lot less rushed this time and even in the space of a month the Pre’s software appears much more complete, making the wait that bit harder. Full video after the jump…

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MWC: Five handsets that caught my eye

by Steve O'Hear

February 17th, 2009 | Posted in Mobile | CommentsNo Comments

This week’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona has seen a flurry of handset announcements boasting, amongst other features, more megapixels, support for HD video, OLED screens and touchscreen UIs. Here’s five handsets that caught my eye.

Samsung Omnia HD

Not content with competing on megapixels alone, the Omnia HD, as the name suggests, is the first smartphone to both record and playback High Definition video. And that’s proper High Def (720p) unlike the slightly misleadingly named Touch HD from HTC. However, there’s much, much more to like about the Omnia HD, not least its 3.7″ AM OLED touch screen, which if the screen on Nokia’s N85 is anything to go by (I have one on loan right now), will be absolutely stunning. The device also has full DLNA certification, meaning that it’s possible to share media shot or stored on the handset with other UPnP AV devices, such as a PlayStation 3 connected to a High Definition TV.

OS-wise, the Omnia HD uses the latest Symbian OS and the touch-friendly version of S60, although Samsung have customized the home screen quite a bit, including various widgets as first seen on the Tocco.

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Nokia announces 'Ovi' mobile app store – is that a Facebook app I see?

by Steve O'Hear

February 16th, 2009 | Posted in Mobile | Comments1 Comment

MySpace and Facebook are cited as early partners

Apple may not have a physical presence at this week’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, but the company’s influence can be seen everywhere. Not least in Nokia’s newly announced third-party application store.

The Ovi Store will offer “a range of content including applications, games, videos, widgets, podcasts, location-based applications and personalised content”, and will be available on both S60 and Series 40 devices. The first handset to ship with the store pre-installed will be the recently announced Nokia N97, which is set to launch by June. Sensibly, Nokia will also make the Ovi Store available to existing S60 and Series 40 handsets through a simple download in May. Revenue from paid-for apps will be split 70/30 in the developer’s favor, exactly the same deal offered by the iPhone’s App Store. All very Apple-esqe, so far.

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Should Nokia get into bed with Facebook? Err, yes

by Steve O'Hear

February 12th, 2009 | Posted in Mobile, Social | CommentsNo Comments

Nokia is in protracted talks with Facebook about ways to further integrate the hugely popular social networking site into select handsets, reports WSJ. Although any partnership deal has yet to be struck, and may never be, according to the article, citing “a person familiar with the talks”.

An obvious feature that’s being explored is deeper integration of Facebook user profiles and contact info into the phones address book, similar to the INQ1 and the yet-to-be released Palm Pre. “When users looked up a contact, they could see whether their Facebook friends were logged on, send them messages and post comments on their profile pages.”

A potential stumbling block, however, is Nokia’s concern over how much mobile-specific user data Facebook would get their hands on. “Nokia doesn’t want the service to provide Facebook with an avenue to compile data about cellphone users, such as their Web browsing or purchasing habits…”

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A year after launch, free music service Qtrax has all four majors but questions remain

by Steve O'Hear

February 12th, 2009 | Posted in Audio, Mobile | Comments1 Comment

Twelve months ago, free ad-supported music download service Qtrax launched in a blaze of controversy, most notably claiming it had support from all four major record labels, which was news to them. Qtrax is going after the holy grail of music, free and legal downloads, and so it wasn’t surprising that the company faced a licensing uphill battle. A year later and all the “t”s have been crossed and the “i”s dotted: EMI, Warner, Sony BMG and Universal Music are on board, reports AP, and a relaunch is planned for next month. However, a few questions remain.

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HD video coming to a Netbook near you

by Steve O'Hear

February 9th, 2009 | Posted in Mobile, Net TV | Comments2 Comments

I may have jumped on the Netbook bandwagon a little early, as these low-cost mini-notebooks are about to get a whole lot better. Especially in terms of video playback.

Intel has released a new version of its Netbook-friendly Atom chip, which although only bumps the speed up slightly, is being paired with the company’s new GN40 chipset, whose graphics capabilities includes hardware-based 720p HD video decoding. The current range of Netbook have no problems playing back lower quality YouTube content and standard definition DivX movies but really struggle with higher definition content. So Intel’s new offering, first seen in the new Asus Eee PC 1000HE, makes Netbooks a much more viable media player.

Not content with 720p video playback on your Netbook, then you may want to hold out for future offerings based on Nvidia’s rival Ion platform with all its hardware-based 1080p decoding goodness. Watch this space.

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