Bye Bye Cell Phones - Hello Smartphones!

The title says it all, doesn't it? These days, a simple cell phone which was primarily used to make and receive calls at the go, seems to be extinct, and those days of simplicity seem to be a thing of the past. Mobile phone is no longer a phone, it has evolved into a gadget, a device that you can use to do multiple things, a Smartphone, that will make your life easier, or difficult, depending on how you see it!And as if that's not enough change, we see a new device making a grand appearance every month or so. Blackberry started it all, and then the iPhone made it all look cool and fancy, getting everyone hooked to the wireless world of Smartphones and Pocket-PC's, where seamless connectivity seems to be the mantra of this era, and reading mobile phone reviews is a favorite timepass!

After the unprecedented success of blackberry and iPhone, the latest devices that are attracting immense attention are the Palm Pre and Droid, both taking after the iphone success and launching their own App stores. If you do not know how to write an iPhone app, or your app is not cool enough to meet their stringent top 20 requirements, then you can easily migrate to the Palm OS and get a headstart on the increasing app storefront. Android-based Droid already has more than 20,0000 apps to its credit, and people are raving about Google's OS which promises to be a tough competition for iPhone.

in fact, Dell just released its new Android-based Mini 3iX for their China and Brazilian markets. Without any buttons and a sleek look, it is turning heads, no doubt! And if that's not surprising, try this. Word is out that with a planned launch of Palm Pre in 2010, Verizon is all set to introduce its own Verizon WebOS, just to entice its gadget-driven customers.

Holidays are around the corner, and getting deals on SmartPhones is a coveted desire. if you are into gadgets, but not so much into iPhone, here's a list of competitive iPhone alternatives, ready to get you rolling no matter what cell-phone carrier or network you choose. The increasing amount of apps, and the larger display sizes, plus the added functionality that makes it easier to access, view, store, update and share personal information makes Smartphones a wise choice for the tech-savvy individuals. There are loads of options available out there, and you'll definitely find something to suit your needs and your budget. So start reviewing your choices, and I hope you find your perfect gadget-mate before the Holiday season!

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iPhone App to Store Files Online

For those of you who are ardent iPhone fans, you are probably aware of the growing library of more than a million iPhone apps available at your disposal! Though I agree not all of them are bound to make your life easier, they do provide flexibility to handle most of your personal and business life at the touch of a button on your iPhone. A recent addition to the library is the iPhone app for Online File Storage, provided by filesanywhere.com. As more and more people look toward the power of cloud computing for online storage, this might be the app you'd want to spend 5 minutes to check out.

With this FilesAnywhere app you can view, share and manage your remote files directly from your iPhone. As the name suggests, it allows you to share any and every type of file or document, be it Photos, Microsoft documents, movies, slideshows, presentations or entire folders - any type or size of file can be shared in seconds from any computer. And the ability to use the optional Windows or Mac client app to sync your desktop files to your online file storage on your iPhone makes it flexible and easy, beyond doubt.

Besides a bunch of features that are standard for any online storage, FilesAnywhere comes with some other cool capabilities like Automated Login, Zoom in/Zoom out feature on all file types, and the ability to send faxes to any machine in the world using your iPhone!

Right now, you can download this app and a 1GB account at www.filesanywhere.com completely FREE! The Catch - You have to login once every two months to keep your free account active. Of course, once you try it, and like it, you can always upgrade to larger plans available online from 2GB to 500GB, as well as multi-user group accounts. I think its a great offer to try out, especially for people like me who love to share stuff through gadgets, plus, you get the benefit of a secure online storage available with free live support! So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, and download this right now!

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Google's GPhone G1 vs iPhone 3G

For those who haven't heard yet, Google and T-Mobile introduced the world to Android and the first Android device, the T-Mobile G1 yesterday evening. And with the much-awaited GPhone out, the natural comparison of how it fares vs the iPhone has become a hot topic! As expected, the T-Mobile G1(device by HTC) boasts of a lot of features & controls that look impressive, but the device is definitely not as good-looking as the iPhone. While people have been buzzing and raving about Android, the Google ODS that powers the gPhone, let's take a look at how the actual G1 devicee compares with the industry-leader iPhone 3G.

Apple and Google employ different strategies, different ideals, and different means but the goal is the same—to take as much of the cell phone market as they possibly can. Is either of them a clear winner? Read on to see if you can tell!

Henry Blogdet has a concise article that compares gPhone with the iPhone, as far as features and hardware is concerned. This should be a good starting point for your comparison. He's been testing the new G1, and considers it a worthy competitor to the iPhone. "But the two devices have different strengths and weaknesses, and are likely to attract different types of users", he adds.

While the iPhone is much more sleeker, stylish, lighter and thinner, the G1 aims to get an edge for its features like a user-friendly design, a keyboard, a 3M Auto-focus Camera, a changeable battery, a built-in navigation compass, the ability to copy/paste and others that iPhone lacks. Add this to the fact that its cheaper ($179 vs $199), and is not tied to just one carrier (though you'd have to pay a huge price to switch!), it does have some edge over the iPhone.

The iPhoneBlog also has a cool hardware comparison for both the phones. While its no eye-catcher, the first version og Google Phone is way better than what others generally offer, and Android is really up on really raving reviews! Google says the G1 is just a device to introduce people to the power of Android, and not to serve as an iPhone competitor. And hence there are mixed reviews about the device. While iPhone was a trend-setter, the gPhone aims to accomplish a different objective, making people embrace the power of Android - and I think it is successful in doing so! As Engadget says : "It’s a fine, solidly designed device that has enough style to please most users — but it won’t win a ton of beauty pageants."

Here's another article on gPhone reviews, which shows that while it doesn't set things on fire, it surely superceeded a lot of expectations. Where stalwarts like Samsung and RIM came out with devices that couldn't even come close to the iPhone, HTC has done a decent job of making a gPhone that is attractive and commendable for a first edition! T-Mobile has set up a page for G1 Emulator which allows you to become familiar with the G1’s basic functionality. I think it looks impressive, but hop on to play with one yourself, and you can decide who wins the gPhone vs iPhone wars!

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10 Free iPhone 3G Applications You Need Now

The revamped 3G iPhone has everyone buzzing about the cool applications that you can have on your phone, and guess what, while they are great to show-off in front of friends, some of them are actually pretty useful too! Now that the iPhone platform is open to young developers, one can surely expect a wide range of fun games, cool apps, social-networking adaptations for iPhone, and of course, the more important tools for navigation, maps, browsing and search. But not all of them are free, and not all of them are worth it! So here's a list of the 10 free iPhone applications that should start with on your new iPhone. Download them, use them, and tell us what you think! I've left out social networks, as I know you already have them there!

Google Mobile App
This is similar to Firefox 3's "Awesome Bar" for the iPhone. Not only does this search-bar-on-steroids suggest popular query matches for you once you type in a few letters, but it'll also search your phone for any contact names that start with the same few letters. Tapping a search result launches it in a browser window, and tapping a contact name lets you message or call them. The program’s Search with My Location feature taps into the iPhone’s ability to detect your location in order to help you find businesses near you. Easy to use, and backed by Google's tried-and-tested search quality, this is definitely the first thing you need to have on your iPhone.

Evernote
This is the best application for taking, storing or reviewing notes. You can take notes either by typing them, taking a photo or recording your voice. The best thing about it is the web component which allows you to synchronize your notes and access them from where ever you happen to be. You can use Evernote for lists (to-do, shopping, etc), expense tracking, and more. Check more detials on their website.

Pandora's Music App
Thanks to the iPhone version of Pandora's free music Web site, you may never need to use the iTunes Music Store again...just as long as you like your music to play randomly. Just enter an artist's name, press the Create button, and listen as your selected artist and similar-sounding acts play in no particular order. If you already have a Pandora account, the Pandora iPhone app lets you access your preexisting stations and even sends your listening data to your Facebook profile automatically. One fun use for this app: Put your iPhone on your bedside table and have it play your custom stations through the phone's on-board speakers--it sounds like a clock radio playing all your favorite acts. Surprisingly, this music-streaming app works without a hitch even at EDGE speeds.

Truveo Video Search
Trying to find cool videos to watch on your iPhone? Truveo Video Search lets you find videos from a variety of sites. You can play highest ranked or most popular videos and you can customize the interface with your favorite categories. You can also share videos via email.

Loopt Mobile
This is a location-aware social network that will help you connect with your friends while on the go. You can also use Loopt to discover and explore nearby places and events recommended by your friends and other popular services like Yelp. its good to know that their service is entirely opt-in, and only approved users can track your whereabouts. More for young teenagers, but then, they are the biggest clientele for the new iPhone too, right?!

Remote App
The free Remote app lets you control your iTunes library or on-screen Apple TV action directly with your iPhone via a Wi-Fi connection. Once your iPhone establishes a Wi-Fi connection, you simply select your iPhone from iTunes' 'Devices' list, enter the four-digit passcode on your iPhone's screen, and use it as a touch-screen clicker. It worked seamlessly in my tests with iTunes.

NYTimes & Mobile News
If you are a news-junkie, and would love to remain in touch with what's happening around the world, you need to get the NY Times and Mobile News ; between these two apps, all your daily dose of news fetching and sharing is covered! NY Times has content from the New York Times, classified into a number of sections, including Latest News, Business, Opinion, and a Photos section where clicking on an image will take you to a story associated with that image. Stories can be read in either portrait or landscape mode, and the summary page for each category shows headlines, a small portion of the article, and a photo. Mobile News gives you the ability to set up a number of locations for local news. By default, it will set up your current location as one of your locations, and you can easily add others, read saved stories later, or flip between multiple locations. At the bottom of each news story, there are four buttons—you can SMS or email the story to a friend, actually send in a report on a story if you have personal experience to add, and a button to save the story.

eReader
If you are an avid reader who likes reading on the phone-screen, this is a must have app for someone like you. Even if that's not something you do often, you could read something while commuting in a public transportation or waiting in some queue. I often wonder why Apple did not pre-load a similar eReader app itself? maybe there' room for iPhone-3!!:) Anyways, for the time being, the eReader app, courtesy of FictionWise, is going to be available for free at the iPhone app store.

SportsTap
If you are a sports-freak like my husband and need to be up-to-date with the latest buzz, SportsTap is totally for you. Be it MLB, NFL, NBA, international soccer, NHL, car racing, NCAA, PGA, tennis, or anything else, SportsTap covers them all--it's a nice free app that will put these at your fingertips. The interface is clean and intuitive, and the scores load fast, even on EDGE. SportsTap doesn't allow you to select a favorite team or teams to keep an eye on, but even so, the score you're looking for is always a couple of taps away.

WeatherBug
This is not an absolute necessity, but these days, the Global Warming is making it very difficult to predict weather based on seasons! So the WeatherBug can help you get satellite weather maps, current radar, detailed forecasts, weather cameras, and severe weather alerts. You can get weather from 45,000 locations all over the world. A weather junkie's dream, if not yours!

The iPhone is not longer a phone; its a device that replaces your mobile phone and your laptop. With hordes of free applications to choose from, it can be hard to decide what you wan the most. Hope this list helps you find a beginning, and do share with us more iPhone apps via your comments!

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Blackberry Bold vs iPhone-2

People are still waiting with bated breath for the release of next-generation iPhone which promises 3G, GPS, enterprise software and more. But looks like RIM will fascinate the crowds with its latest Blackberry Bold, supporting 3G networks worldwide, as well as Wi-Fi and GPS, all packaged in a sleek, elegant yet bold look! RIM (Research in Motion) has always been an industry leader in dishing out cool and powerful blackberry devices. Like Apple, it has a huge fan-following, and with this new Blackberry Bold, it has a headstart in the 3G market which could impose serious competition to the next iPhone version, supposedly being released in June.

Comparing Blackberry Bold with iPhone-2

Equipped with support for tri-band HSDPA and quad-band EDGE (for worldwide support), 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth and both assisted and autonomous GPS, the Bold is RIM's most powerful and most connected BlackBerry to date. With a look and feel similar to iPhone(except for a smaller screen), it comes with a QWERTY keyboard, rounded corners, and personalisable back-plates. The keys are sculpted for easier typing and navigation, and even with a smaller display size than iPhone, the images look much higher-res on the Bold 9000. However, the Bold does not have a touch-screen, which could make it a wee bit less attractive than its competitor.

The Blackberry Bold's 624-MHz StrongARM processor with full MMX (multimedia extensions) is the most powerful CPU on a handheld and can handle full-motion video on its 480-by-320-pixel, 65,000-plus-color display for a smooth and crisp picture. With its 1GB of on-board secure memory (on top of its 128MB of flash) it offers attractive storage for personal and business data that you'd rather not store on an SD card. It also features a 2-megapixel camera capable of up to 5X digital zoom.

RIM has been the dominant player in the corporate-oriented smartphone space for some time. By introducing Bold, it is looking to transform a simple messaging device into an attractive device that is fast and easy to use for e-mail, offers multi-media features, as well as support for 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi. RIM has also announced a deal with Thomson Reuters to create a $150 million venture capital fund to invest in companies developing applications and services for the BlackBerry and other mobile platforms (remember iFund??!!).

The price is not yet determined, nor does RIM share any details on which U.S. carrier will introduce the Bold (though AT&T seems to be the most likely). However, there's no single-carrier commitment like the iPhone. The Blackberry Bold is supposed to hit the market in Summer 2008, possibly around the same time frame as iPhone-2 (around June). So if you've been waiting for buying a cool, sleek new device, it might be a good idea to compare the two and see which one fits your needs! While iPhone continues to be a choice for video and multimedia features with its large display and attractive touchscreen, the Blackberry Bold could be a competitive option for business and enterprise needs.

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Samsung's Instinct (Sprint) Ready to Compete with the iPhone

Sprint and Samsung Mobile today announced the upcoming availability of a new wireless device, Samsung Instinct, which offers consumers an industry-leading user experience by combining full touch-screen functionality with fast speeds available on the nation's largest mobile broadband network. This revolutionary device speeds up the user experience like no other touch-screen phone and brings the customer's most-used applications and contacts within a single finger tap. The "Instinct" received the "Best In Show" during the Emerging Technology (E-Tech) Award competition, which took place during the CTIA Wireless 2008 convention in Las Vegas. For those who have been looking ut for iPhone alternatves, Instinct may deserve a look.

The Samsung Instinct was first voted "First Place" in the Mobile CE Smartphones category by a panel consisting of 31 judges. The "Best In Show" award was then chosen by CTIA attendees. Not surprisingly, attendees voted via text message. CNET also bestowed an award on the Samsung Instinct during its Cream of the Crop CTIA 2008 Awards. The phone was given the title "Best Cell Phone" by CNET.

Sprint and Samsung first announced the Samsung Instinct April 1st. The phone is expected to compete with the iPhone because of the touch screen technology used by the phone in addition to its virtual QWERTY keyboard and voice activation features. The phone is also the first EV-DO Rev A device by Sprint which is marketed toward consumers. The Samsung Instinct is capable of accessing a number of Sprint services, including Sprint Navigation (GPS navigation), Live Search for Sprint, Sprint TV, Sprint Exclusive Entertainment, the Sprint Music Store and Pocket Express which provides news and access to weather, sports and movie showtimes based on zip code. The Samsung Instinct is expected to be available in June.

As Sprint's first EV-DO Rev A consumer-centric device, Samsung Instinct also provides access to Sprint exclusive services and multimedia content, including:

* Sprint Navigation, powered by Telenav, with GPS-enabled audio and visual turn-by-turn driving directions, one-click traffic rerouting and more than 10 million local listings
* Live Search for Sprint, powered by Microsoft, provides easy access to directory information on-the-go, GPS-enabled directions, interactive maps and one-touch click to call access
* Sprint TV(R), with an extensive selection of live and on-demand programming
Sprint Exclusive Entertainment (SEE), the industry's only made-for-mobile sports and entertainment video programming network
* Sprint Music Store, allowing users to browse and wirelessly download full-length songs directly to their phone for just 99 cents each
* Pocket Express(R), with up-to-date information on sports, weather, news, movie showtimes and other options customized to the user's zip code

The Samsung Instinct sure looks promising; check out more at Sprint's News Release. It may not be a cut-throat competition to the iPhone, but if it delivers what it promises, Sprint could at least keep its current customer base from moving over to AT&T.

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Android vs iPhone - Truly The Clash of the Titans!!

If there are two names that are creating a buzz in the mobile world today, they have to be "google android" and "iphone sdk". Both are aiming at providing young developers with free tools to design their own mobile applications, and also make some money off it! Both are backed by big tech giants, and both are ready to go to extreme lengths to woo the people, especially young talented developers. Its pretty interesting to see how people react to this unending competition; for some, it may actually create several opportunities to showcase their talents and get some serious attention!

With all of that money floating around, developers are rushing to build the next big widget, social network, or mapping technology for the mobile phone. Not only are developers lured by the idea of making money on the mobile phone, but they're also drawn by financial incentives coming from both camps that might seal their future.

Howard Chau, for example, has been developing a mobile application that's designed to alert people to their next calendar appointment, factoring in data like the person's physical location and traffic conditions en route to a meeting. In the next two weeks, Chau plans to submit the GPS-based application, called Mappily, to Google in the hopes of winning its Android Developer Challenge, a developer contest with $10 million in total prize money. Because Chau only stands to win tens of thousands of dollars in the first round of the challenge, the money would just be gravy. But Chau is not the only one contesting for it; apparently, this talent hunt has created quite a buzz, challenging and ispiring Silicon Valley's developers to create the hottest new mobile technology applications.

So who's pulling all these strings? Well, besides Google and Apple in a simmering battle in the handset market with respective new platforms and software development kits, venture capitalists, such as KPCB (with $100 million iFund for iphone apps) and Charles River Ventures(likely to fun Android apps) are also involved. Google's Android Developer Challenge is its own version of the iFund at a 10th the size. But surely other VCs are ruminating on forming the Android Fund to rival KPCB.

For many developers, Apple's iPhone is more alluring as a development platform because of the established customer list. Craig Hockenberry, CTO at IconFactory and a longtime Mac developer, said the iPhone offers a clear business path.(His company is developing a Twitter messaging tool called Twitterific for the iPhone, among other applications) "We just want to build small, fun apps and leave it at that. Those are the ideal apps for the iPhone." As for the Android contest, he quotes that "It's a bit of a gamble as there's no hardware yet. You can maybe make a million dollars, but what if you don't? You have nothing. I think what we have going onto the iPhone, it's going to sell.

On the other hand, Hank Williams company Kloudshare(develops an application that will help people manage data on their phone and desktop) aims to enter the Android contest. "The idea that Google's putting $10 million on the table to give it to the best companies by this deadline is more direct in my mind. I would imagine Google will write more checks than the Kleiner folks."

So while Apple seems to have the advantage of an established product, Android seems to be a developer's choice as the platform is easier to create applications for because of built-in mapping intelligence technology and so-called background processing. That's why Chau chose the Android platform, for its in-build mapping technology. Ultimately, it all ends on who succeeds in enticing the mass as well as the talent; but with such huge chunks of money on the market, it sure is an exciting race to witness!!

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Next-Generation iPhone May Soon Hit the Markets!

Steve Jobs has a way of unfolding Apple devices from time to time, thereby satiating the needs of Apple-lovers world-wide. but when the iPhone was unveiled and only US could avail of the benefits, people in the other parts of the world felt left-out. So hackers devised ways to make iPhone work anywhere you want! But here's some more good news for the faithful followers! The day when Apple's next-generation 3G iPhone version rolls out may not be too far. Will this give a boost to the company's stock that has been plummeting down since 2 months now?

An industry analyst's note on Fox News hinted that Apple has lined up the German chipmaker Infineon Technologies to supply parts for its next-generation iPhone, and may release the product as soon as June or July, which would be about 12 months after the iPhone's initial release in the U.S. The 3G iPhone is expected to trigger a flurry of sales to fans who are enamored of the iPhone but feel that its most innovative features — such as the Web browser — are hampered by the slower network.

Speculation has been fuelled by the reports that Apple has begun to reduce its focus on the current iPhone platform — which runs on the slower 2.5G cellular high-speed network known as EDGE — in favor of developing software for the newer device, which will support a software that will allow developers to write applications for the iPhone, says UBS analyst, Ben Reitzes. The second generation iPhone also promises exciting new enterprise features! If Apple can announce fuller connectivity with Microsoft's mail and calendar platforms and Lotus Notes, and other initiatives to make the iPhone a real alternative to the Blackberry for the serious business user, the newer version will likely beat the predecessor in terms of sales!

Another coveted feature is the GPS integrated within iPhone. Rumours have been floating around that Apple might install a SiRF Star III chip (or similar) within the iphone-2. This GPS which will be installed in the phone will be very fast and would give accurate information in crowded cities with mega buildings. SiRF has earlier talked about their link up with NXP's software to improve their existing technology. GPS integration would certainly take iPhone to the next level. Not to mention that Google is specially designing their apps like Maps, Gmail and more to match iPhone resolution and specifications!

Yesterday Apple shares gained more than 4% backed by the theory that if software developers could write applications for its iPhone, it would trigger the demand for the device. That's quite a bit of speculation, and good for Apple investors as it could boost the stock, same as Microsoft bid worked for Yahoo! Apple is due to unveil a "software roadmap" for the next-generation iPhone at a meeting at its headquarters in Cupertino next week, so we'll know for sure what Mr. Steve Jobs has in store for us!

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