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Top 4 Handsets from Mobile World Congress 2010

By Jon RustcloseAuthor: Jon Rust Name: Jon Rust
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HTC Desire – ‘In Your Face, Google!’

Google must be livid- barely had the white-hot buzz on their HTC-manufactured Nexus One started to cool, when leaks came through of the HTC Bravo, which looked undeniably similar.

Officially announced at MWC as the HTC Desire, the handset is essentially a Nexus One, but better. Underneath the stunningly vivid AMOLED screen, there’s a superfast Snapdragon processor, the latest version of Android OS, enhanced 3G capabilities and WiFi and a sharp 5MP camera.

The main improvement however, is the sleek optical track pad which, combined with HTC’s super-easy to use Sense UI, makes for one of the most delightful navigations since Blackberry replaced their trackballs.

With the Nexus One only available to order over the internet, the HTC Desire is poised to clean up this year.

Available on preorder from a variety of retailers now, expect to see the HTC Desire arrive in April.

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Form Factor Acrobatics from Motorola’s Backflip

Sporting a unique design, with a track pad nestled on the reverse of the QWERTY keypad, the Motorola Backflip has certainly drawn a lot of curiosity, but going into MWC, we still wondered if it would be any good.

After a hands-on in Barcelona last week we reckon the Backflip is a winner!

First of all, the Backflip’s form is as comfortable as it is quirky. Meanwhile, the QWERTY is of the best we’ve used – with large spaced out keys, perfect for fat fingers like ours.

Sure, it might not tote the latest version of Android (it runs v.1.5) but as Motorola’s third Google-based phone, this is Motorola’s chance to get the formula right.

Gone are the lag-inducing visual fireworks as experience on the Milestone and as a result it feels similar to the original DEXT – with simple widgets sitting atop an uncluttered UI.

The overall result is that Motorola have produced a refreshing handset in an increasingly clone-like market.

Could the Backflip be the phone to bring Motorola back from the brink? Quite possibly.

Available on these shores from April.

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X10 Mini Pro –World’s Smallest Android Makes Us Drool

After hearing bits and bobs about the X10, the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini came as a bit of a surprise to us.

Not only does it hold the prize for smallest Android handset, but we can also confirm that it is – THE BOMB. But a very small bomb… an incendiary device perhaps?

Sony Ericsson offer a highly customisable version of Android, in contrast to Motorola’s stripped down presentation of google’s OS. At it’s centre is a Social-Media Time-Scape which allows you to manage all your communications with contacts from a single place.

Moreover, the X10 Mini offers customisable shortcuts in the four corners of the device’s cute 2.5” QVGA screen, making navigation even more simple and going some way in sidestepping the frustrations of having to operate a tiny handset with multiple button-pushes.

And if you feel you need a QWERTY, then Sony Ericssson have thrown that in with the Mini Pro too.

You won’t have to wait long to get your mits on this little beast either… expect to see Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro and X10 Mini deals on Omio at the beginning of April.

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HTC Smart

Despite more entry-level phones now claiming to grant you access to all your favourite social networks, few of these actually deliver a satisfactory experience. HTC Smart on the other hand, offers the first smartphone experience at a low price, with uncompromised functionality:

The HTC Smart represents the future of entry-level handsets.

Conceived and executed around the concept of HTC’s “people-centricity”, the HTC Smart features the ‘Sense’ UI, which at it’s core features an integrated friend stream that pulls together all your phone conversations, email, SMS and IM’s into one place.

Clean compact design on the outside is then mirrored on the inside with a clean and efficient BREW MP Operating System, courtesy of Qualcomm.

At half the price of other smart phones, the HTC Smart punches way above it’s weight.

HTC are confident that this is the phone that will entice the youth market away from PAYG and into the wider world of social messaging on the move. Having tried this handset out at MWC, we’re inclined to agree.

Expect to see HTC Smart deals available on O2 from April.

MWC 2010: Motorola Booth Tour – All A MotoBLUR

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
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We are all pleasantly surprised at Motorola’s return to relevance in the mobile game, betting the farm on taking the Android OS close to their bosom and coming back with a bold bunch of phones, as well as decent customisation with the MotoBLUR interface.

Whilst we hear that the US manufacturer might have already been tapped up to make the next Google phone in the form of the Shadow, but we were focussed on the present at Mobile World Congress and Motorola certainly had some decent phones to show.

Whilst the idea to offer a stream of instant messages, tweets and status updates directly to a handset’s homescreen or widget might have been refined (and rinsed) by the competition, but MotoBLUR still offers the original ‘phone with social skills’ experience on Android.

The Motorola DEXT was present and correct, a forerunner that lacked a bit of flair in execution and build quality, but still served as a great proof of concept that Android widgets could perform equally as well as blanket customisation to Google’s operating system.

Building on that social networking heritage was the Motorola BACKFLIP, seeing its first European airing here at Mobile World Congress.

The idea takes the experience from the DEXT’s slider to a reverse-hinged clamshell device, adding a touchpad behind the display for unobscured scrolling.

A gentle tap on the pad serves as a click, whilst the keyboard and build quality have both been tightened up significantly.

The insanely quirky form factor and novel touch method of the Backflip may not be copied by the rest, but certainly demonstrated Motorola’s individuality yet again.

The Motorola QUENCH presents yet another form factor – the single candybar – for use with the MotoBLUR social synching service, chucking out the QWERTY keyboard and offering a responsive touchpad at the bottom of the device.

Specifications are largely the same as for the original DEXT, with a 3.1-inch display, Android 1.5, 3G and HSDPA. Browsing is a bit better than expected, with multi-touch support and YouTube integration.

A 5-megapixel auto-focus camera is also carried over, this time with the addition of an LED flash.

Rounding out the selection was a few handsets (such as the Motocubo, below) that have only seen release in the far flung corners of the globe, but show Motorola’s insight and innovation in the form factor of hardware.

What was most immediate about Motorola’s stand at this year’s Mobile World Congress was the difference that twelve months has made for the company. Last year, there was barely a single handset on display, and a focus on enterprise solutions and audio cancelling technology.

This year was a vibrant display of Android handsets, a proud demonstration of a calculated risk in Android that has paid off a little, if not in spades.

With the recent news that the business will split into two separate entities, perhaps this new found freedom will see Motorola’s mobile division return to those halcyon RAZR phone days. Their turn out at MWC was certainly a good start.

MWC 2010: Motorola QUENCH – Tasty Tablet Satisfies MotoBLUR Desires

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
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Whilst the world and his wife (well, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba) has become addicted to sticking QWERTY keyboards to their handsets, Motorola has decided to take theirs away from the DEXT, resulting in the lozenge-shaped loveliness of the QUENCH.

The Motorola QUENCH (also dubbed the CLIQ XT in America) is the manufacturer’s latest Android handset, marking the return of the social networking savvy MotoBLUR interface that skipped the MILESTONE on the way to market. Too manly for it, perhaps?

MotoBLUR is a selection of widgets enabling a constant stream of status updates, mail and messages from sites including Facebook, Twitter and Gmail to appear directly on the homescreen.

The tablet-shaped QUENCH may lack a keyboard, but more than makes up for this QWERTY deficiency with a wealth of input methods.

Navigation is handled by with a touch pad in the centre of the device (where was this on the DROID?), making short work of surfing websites and showing off the blur-free scrolling on the rich 3.1-inch display. Adobe Flash Lite enhances the browsing experience further still.

Typing is already a cinch thanks to predictive text, but is made easier still with the addition of Swype. This novel user input method enables users to glide from one virtual button to the next at lightning pace, and makes for quick and easy messaging.

The feature is a great asset on the QUENCH, and the memories of the DEXT’s keyboard are banished after a couple of tries of this innovative alternative.

The camera is no slouch with a 5 megapixel lens and an LED flash, Wi-Fi and GPS are included out of the box and the QUENCH benefits from all of the usual Google-flavoured connectivity perks of running Android (Cupcake, in this case).

The Motorola QUENCH is destined to satiate the thirst of European Android fans in Q1 of this year, with pricing yet to be disclosed.

Android vs. iPhone: Homerun Battle 3D Brings Cross Platform Multiplayer!

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
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The Motorola DROID actually seems like an impressive gaming machine judging by this vid, taking the iPhone title Homerun Battle 3D and running it more than a little nicely.

Not only that, but the iPhone and DROID can in fact talk to each other, enabling cross-platform multiplayer between Android fans and Apple gamers for the first time!

Another example of phones leading the way when you might have expected fuly-fledged consoles or handhelds to work together first.

Imagine bringing PC, PS3 and XBox players together and shooting one another in the face in perfect harmony…

Spotted: Motorola MOTOSPLIT

By Jon RustcloseAuthor: Jon Rust Name: Jon Rust
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What would a week in the mobile business be without a shaky snapshot of a forthcoming handset?

Boring and grey and dull and sad, that’s what.

Bright news from Statesiders Engadget then, who spotted the Anroid-based Motorola MOTOSPLIT which boasts a snazzy split QWERTY form factor, not seen since the heady days of Nokia’s E70 and 6820.

Admittedly, it’s only a render snapped during a projector presentation, but any sneak peaks of quirky form factors are fine by us.

Motorola appear to be embracing the unconventional of late – the Motorola Backflip, unveiled at this year’s CES, offers a touch sensitive pad on the back of the keyboard allowing you to navigate without touching the screen.

While the MOTOSPLIT does look flimsy, it’s left (and right) of center design is sure to turn a few heads when it eventually deploys in solid form.

Motorola To Sue RIM For Patent Infringement

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
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Not ones to miss out on a party, Motorola has engaged in a bit of litigious action of their own by suing rival phone maker Research in Motion over using their wireless technology for a little too long.

Motorola claims that the use of “Wi-Fi access, application management, user interface and power management” features from their devices which had been licensed out to the BlackBerry makers, had in fact expired in 2007.

As RIM has continued to build and ship devices without a renegotiation or contract renewal, Motorola have now unleashed the dogs of law by going to the US International Trade Commission in an attempt to ban sales and further imports of the BlackBerry.

RIM is yet to respond to the allegations.

One can’t help but feel that there was a tacit agreement of sharing technology in the mobile industry for a significant length of time, and a certain recent entry might have, well, upset the apple cart somewhat.

In turn, Nokia started proceedings against Apple over patents, who then sued Nokia in retaliation, whilst Kodak sued everyone.

As the mobile industry’s battle lines are redrawn in the Android age, alliances may be become more fragile (as well as closely scrutinised by a highly-qualified tem of lawyers) than ever before.

Motorola Milestone Confirmed To Receive ‘Eclair’ Android Update “In The Next Two Months”, DEXT Too

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
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Motorola Europe has just reiterated the good word out of CES, that both the new Motorola Milestone and socially-savvy DEXT will both be receiving updates to the current v2.1 ‘Eclair’ build of Android in due course.

Not only that, but the interim tweak to Google’s operating system that U.S. DROID fans are currently enjoying is also on the way to our (and German) shores, according to Motorola Europe’s Facebook fan page:

“Attention Android lovers. The 2.01 update is on its way for all Milestone users. The Android 2.1 upgrade for Milestone is also on its way and will be ready in the next 2 months. We can confirm that DEXT will get the Android 2.1 upgrade as well.”

Between this and a recent announcement that Vodafone’s HTC Magic will see Sense -  namely the slick user interface seen on the Hero – it’s great to see manufacturers giving support to Android early adopters and new converts alike.

Source: The Unwired

CES ‘10: Motorola BACKFLIP Bounces Onto Android Scene

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
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Following on from the success of backing Android with the DEXT/CLIQ and the DROID/MILESTONE (what is it with these split personality UK/US naming conventions?), the recently announced Motorola BACKFLIP marks the American manufacturer’s third handset running on Google’s mobile operating system.

Sporting the MOTOBLUR customisation that debuted on the DEXT, social network syncing is also the order of the day on the BACKFLIP. Facebook updates, recent tweets and messages are all fed into a customisable home screen, with the ability to add RSS widgets for news and gossip.

The BACKFLIP’s allure is in the form however, with a 3.1-inch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard nestled behind it on a swiveling hinge. This keyboard doubles as a stand for the BACKFLIP, as the flexible phone can then be placed on a table for use as a mobile media player or even a digital picture frame.

Behind that keyboard is the most interesting feature – a trackpad on the reverse of the keyboard that allows swiping and navigation of menus without obscuring or touching the screen itself.

Specs-wise, it seems very similar to the DEXT with a 5-megapixel camera, microSD card support, A-GPS and wi-fi connectivity, albeit in a slightly slimmer and more assured body.

The device runs on Android version 1.5, meaning that the graphical whizzbangery witnessed on the DROID and recently revealed Nexus One will not be making the leap just yet, but Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha has assured that both this device and the DEXT will see an update to v2.1 in the future.

UPDATE: Catch live pictures of the BACKFLIP in the flesh, up on Pocket-Lint!

Social Networking on Mobiles: Esoteric or Essential?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
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Time was once that talking and texting were more than sufficient functionality for a mobile phone.

The fact that mobile phones could keep people connected irrespective of time and place made them the social networking tool.

No more notes left on the fridge, no more answerphone messages or waiting by payphones, the mobile as a primary means of communication was a turning point that increased people’s voracious appetite for instant gratification.

The downside of this is that now everyone has to know what was going on, all of the time. Which is fine, because everyone else is only too happy to broadcast the minutiae of their daily lives from the comfort of a computer.

More erudite than text, more vivid than picture messages, these sites serve as mini-blogs where thoughts, feelings, rants and regaling of tall tales became commonplace.

All the while mobile phones have been missing out, out of step with the explosion of social sites. Up until recently, attempts to take social networking mobile have been little more than a paltry logo in a phone menu serving as a bookmark, with the use of a mobile-optimised site painfully unintuitive to use upon its languid arrival.

Whether these sites actually serve a purpose is moot. People are inextricably linked to them, their Wall acting as a meeting point, their homepage reflecting personality and acting as a virtual pinboard for all their photos, messages and moods. The need to maintain these with more frequency was overwhelming, and only recently has mobile truly stepped up to fill that void.

The shift has only gathered pace now that cutting-edge mobile phone tech has become a mass market commodity. 3G connectivity is now a necessity rather than a luxury, as are full QWERTY keyboards. The fact that Samsung has managed to sell over 9 million units of their Tocco Lite in a mere six months (and 3 million of the Genio Touch in two months) is a stark sign that touch screen phones are no longer the preserve of CEOs and ardent early adopters.

The initial wave of social networking on mobile seemed to embrace the concept of ‘push’, not in the sense of the instant forwarding of mail, but rather in the nature of beaming out alerts and updates with the mobile phone acting as a beacon to the world.

Little more than text windows, these light servings of social media at least enabled access to the core functionality of a site, without the drain that the profusion of images, Farmville updates and sheep throwing usually faced with when logging onto Facebook. Log in, look at the status updates of others, add a new one of your own, log off. Simple.

Despite seeming like the latest bandwagon to jump on, the latest phones have shifted from a push service to one of ‘pull’, drawing information from a variety of social networking hubs to populate a handset full of unique personal information.

Handsets like the Palm Pre, Motorola DEXT and the forthcoming Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 all ‘pull’ data from these sites (once given permission) effortlessly, adding contact names and images to phone numbers, drawing status updates and alerts to present them in full view. The latter two operate on Google’s Android operating system, a platform engineered to make the most of the mobile web. Novel additions like tracks listened to on Last.fm and recent tweets truly add a vibracy and level of interaction with contacts that has never been seen before.

This idea of pulling data from social networking sites has managed to transcend the mobile phone entirely with offerings like Vodafone 360, termed as an internet service that brings phone, email, chat and social network contacts together in one place.

Debuting on their Linux-driven Samsung 360 H1 and 360 M1 phones, Vodafone 360 is designed as being able to exist independently of a particular mobile or manufacturer, acting as a separate entity to keep friends connected (and using data, presumably) on their network.

With plans to serve 360 up as an application for iPhone when the coveted device arrives onto the carrier in early 2010, Vodafone realises that the value and longevity this kind of additional service can extend far beyond shilling a particular handset and in fact become a reason to join their network over another.

Whilst far from a novelty prior to Apple’s device, mobile applications where somewhat of a dark art until the iPhone became an alluring proof of concept for the casual observer, whilst their App Store gave a prominent shop window for these wares to be displayed. Many of these apps piggyback on the fun side of social networking sites, enabling multiple status updates or grouping of content to be done with ease.

Naturally the world’s manufacturers have followed suit, causing dedicated social applications to be created for practically every phone platform, and literally hundreds of third party solutions for micro-blogging and the like.

Sony Ericsson phones like the Yari have Facebook functionality built into the device, enabling a rich and vivid user experience directly from the homepage. A stream of the latest status updates from friends and presented directly onto the home screen, and a single press enables a response, with the ability to add status updates and reply to Inbox messages without missing a beat.

This is the instant gratification users have been clamouring for, that seamless integration of social networking into core functionality, rather than lip service and laggy web apps that do little to enhance the online experience.

The INQ1 from 3 is a revolutionary handset, not only in the degree of connectivity between on- and offline content, pooling of contact information from social networking sites, but also offering instant messaging over Windows Live and VoIP calls over Skype, all in an eminently affordable phone.

Treating social networking and internet connectivity as integral functionality rather than a marketer’s bullet point, the INQ1 was rightly recognised as a landmark device, and put the meagre offerings from many supposedly smart phones to shame.

With the new INQ Mini 3G, they have added support for today’s trending topic – Twitter – whilst giving the phone itself a much needed reboot in the style stakes. The micro-blogging service currently has the pulses racing of the social elite, and it is a natural fit for mobiles to dip into the world of hashtags and retweets.

Having said that, the value of Twitter as a real-time news service cannot be ignored, as breaking events from the Hudson River plane crash to the Balloon Boy saga have been documented in up-to-the-minute 140 character glory on mobiles.

The brevity and constraints of Twitter are enablers to get messages out there with a minimum of fluff, rather than the destroyer of the English language that school professors make it out to be.

The portable nature of a mobile phone combined with the ubiquity and connective tissue of social media sites are finally realising the potential of everyone becoming a news source, first on the scene whether a raging inferno or an underground rave.

Everyone always online regardless of location, with the ability to exchange pictures, jokes and occasionally useful information makes the current age of mobile phone the most exciting since the heady days of extendable aerials and Snake.

Mobile phones have certainly caught up with social networking, and it is up to the sites to pick up the slack. Video streaming, geo-targeting nearby friends Google-Latitude style, multi-player gaming – there is so much more that the medium can offer when unshackled from the constraints of a desktop computer.

When the current crop of networking site adopt the added functionality that a mobile phone can bring, rather than making Facebook a bit more phone-sized, only then might it become essential in our daily lives.

Motorola MILESTONE SIM-Free Release Date Revealed, Pricing

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
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It seems like the Motorola MILESTONE will be making it to the UK by the end of the year in SIM-free form, according to a bevy of online retailers.

Usually the first port of call for mobile phone early adopters, eXpansys have the Android 2.0-equipped handset down for a 7th December launch and retailing for £449.99 SIM-free, whilst Clove are taking pre-orders for the device at £424.35 with the same imminent release date.

There has still been no official word on the MILESTONE coming to British shores from Motorola themselves however, despite a German launch earlier in the month, and the monolithic mobile available on O2 and Vodafone over there.

A quick search on Google shows Motorola has gone so far as to even deny the phone’s existence on the British site (where it appeared briefly), expect them to do the honours with a proper reveal at a later date.

We can only hope to see some Motorola MILESTONE deals by the end of the year, although a December SIM-free launch and little chatter from the networks means a Q1 2010 pay monthly release is far more likely…

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