Didn’t you notice? It was just Nokia World! But with profits plummeting and executives fleeing—both at alarming rates—maybe it should have been a reckoning instead. More »
After a year of lackluster handset launches, Nokia may have a winner on its hands with the N8 smartphone. We spent some time with the new device at Nokia World 2010 in London, and while it wasn’t enough time to draw up a full review, we were able to get some hands-on first impressions.
First off, the hardware is fantastic. Wrapped in a beautiful anodized aluminum body with a 3.5-inch OLED display, the N8 will ship in green, blue, orange, silver, and graphite colors. While the display size is a bit smaller than the 4+ inch options on the market, it strikes a nice balance between “too small” and “way too big.” At 4.76 ounces, the phone is lightweight, feels good in the hand, and can easily be slipped into a tight pocket or purse.
The unit ships with Symbian^3, the newest version of the Symbian platform. Among the improvements, the user is greeted with three homescreens and the ability to add up to 24 shortcuts to each. Simply press and hold the screen for a few seconds to add or remove widgets and applications. It’s a nice revision to Symbian versions of the past and does a decent job of bringing the platform into the 21st century. Despite the updates, the OS still seems a bit tired at this point.
The phone is powered by a 680 MHz ARM 11 processor, which falls below the typical 1 GHz benchmark in today’s high-end smartphones. In our hands-on time with it, we noticed a bit of lag when transitioning between homescreens and opening apps. It wasn’t terribly alarming, but could be a point of contention for those used to the speedy performance of Android and iOS.
Thanks to the capacitive touchscreen, the virtual keyboard is responsive. In portrait mode, the N8 displays a T9-style keypad, while in landscape mode, the user is given a full QWERTY layout to work with. We tested it by typing out several messages, and within minutes, we were clicking away with ease.
The device sports a non-removable battery, so for those that travel on a regular basis, the inability to replace the battery on the go could prove to be frustrating. That said, Symbian has proven itself to be a warrior in the battery life department, and early reports claim over one day of juice with moderate use.
The N8 packs a 12-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a Xenon flash, so pictures look great. It also has the ability to capture HD video in 720p resolution at 25 frames per second, and offers an HDMI port for direct connections to the television. The combination of powerful camera optics and a mechanical shutter creates a bulge on the back of the unit, but Nokia has done a decent job of integrating it with the overall device design.
The Nokia N8 is a solid step forward for the Finnish manufacturer, and given Nokia’s name recognition, it’s a device that should sell well worldwide. The hardware is top-notch and feels fantastic, but the user interface seems a bit tired in comparison to other options on the market.
What’s more, no carrier partnerships have been announced in the United States, so those wanting the device will be forced to pay the full retail price.
The combination of an unsubsidized price and inability to view it in a retail store (yet) will likely lead U.S. buyers to choose other devices.
The Nokia N8 is expected to be available in the last week of September, and you can pre-order it for $550 from NokiaUSA.com.
For more on the N8 and its business-oriented sister phone, the Nokia E7, check out PhoneDog’s video of the N8 and E7, below.
Photos: Aaron Baker/PhoneDog.com
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HTC, Android handset maker extraordinaire, has launched a pair of new-ish phones. New-ish because they are more or less just worldwide versions of the Evo and the T-Mobile G2 Googlephone.
First up is the Desire Z, which is pretty much a G2 without the T-Mobile branding, and with HTC’s own Sense UI plastered on top of the Android 2.1 OS (2.2 Froyo will be an over-the-air update). You get a 5MP camera, an 800MHz processor, 512MB RAM and that neat slide-out QWERTY keyboard which tucks in behind the 3.7-inch screen.
Next is the Desire HD, which is really just the EVO. Hewn from a block of aluminum and featuring a huge 4.3-inch screen and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, the HD also has the Sense UI, but this time running on v2.2 Froyo. Flip it over and you see why it’s called the HD, with an 8MP camera that will shoot 720p video, and a dual LED flash. You might also notice that the kickstand has gone.
Both new handsets will be available in Europe and Asia in October, whereafter they shall, somewhat confusingly, make their way to U.S. soil.
Desire Z product page [HTC]
Desire HD product page [HTC]
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Nokia may be the underdog in the smartphone industry but it is fighting hard to beat competition. The company has introduced three new smartphones running Symbian operating system. The devices also integrate with the company’s improved Ovi services and apps store.
The three new phones are the Nokia E7, Nokia C7 and Nokia C6. Though display sizes and features vary across them, the devices have in common support for multiple homescreens and visual multitasking.
The phones are all expected to begin shipping before the end of the year.
Nokia has faced criticism for the user interface and Symbian operating system powering its phones. The company’s hardware and industrial design on phones have won it kudos but when it comes to the user experience, even die-hard Nokia fans hesitate to pronounce it the best. Meanwhile, the rise of Android OS and the proliferation of Apple’s iPhone has put additional pressure on Nokia.
Nokia says it remains confident that Symbian OS can stay ahead and to ensure that it has rewritten parts of the OS to make it faster and easier to use.
“Despite new competition, Symbian remains the most widely used smartphone platform in the world,” says Niklas Savander, executive vice president at Nokia in a statement.
Though the new phones sound like an alphabet soup, here’s the lowdown on each. There’s no word on the processor used in any of these phones but Nokia has offered enough details to get consumers excited about the devices.
The E7 is Nokia’s new phone targeted at business users. The device has a 4-inch touchscreen, access to Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, security features such as lock and wipe functionality and access to Microsoft Share Point Server.
The phone has a full keyboard in a design similar to that of the Motorola Droid.
The E7 is pretty slim, about 13.6mm thick. It has a 8-megapixel camera and comes with 16 GB of on-board storage.
The E7 also boasts an HDMI connection and Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound. Users can customize up to three homescreens and get updates from Facebook and Twitter on their homescreens. The E7 will offer about 9 hours of talk time and 18 days of standby time.
The device will cost about 495 Euros ($645), excluding taxes and subsidies.
The C7 is a phone for social media addicts. The device pulls feeds from social networks such as Facebook and Twitter and integrates email from Yahoo, Gmail and other accounts to show them directly on the home screen.
The C7 features a 3.5-inch AMOLED display and is about 10.5 mm thick. It has a 8-megapixel camera and can shoot video at 720p resolution. The phone has 8GB of onboard storage–expandable to 40 GB with microSD.
The device is estimated to be priced at 335 Euros ($437), excluding taxes and subsidies.
The C6 is the baby of the group. The phone has a 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display. And as with the C7, this phone will have a 8-megapixel camera. It will support microSD up to 32 GB and capture HD video in 720p.
The C6 will cost about 260 Euros ($339), excluding taxes and subsidies.
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Photos: Nokia
America is divided! One faction is powerful and entrenched. The other is respected by the rest of the world, but can’t seem to seize power here. I’m talking, obviously, about our cellphones. More »
T-Mobile has announced the G2, the successor to the very first Android phone, the G1. The new handset loses the famous “chin” of the original, adds fast HSPA+ data and integrates Google Voice.
With so many Android handsets either blocking or replacing Google services on the “open” Google-owned operating system, it’s nice to see an Android phone as Googly as this one. In addition to Google Voice, there is Google Goggles, voice control and all the usual Google services like Gmail, maps and YouTube. All this, as you’d expect, runs on Android 2.2 Froyo and the T-Mobile press-release promises an “Adobe FlashPlayer enabled Web browsing experience” (read: stuttering video playback and reduced battery-life).
As for hardware, the CPU is an 800MHz Snapdragon and the phone will offer “4G speeds” via T-Mobile’s new HSPA+ network, if you can get it. A keyboard flips from behind the screen for a full, landscape-oriented QWERTY hardware experience, and the screen is a large 3.7-inch multitouch one.
Finally, there’s a 5MP camera with LED light, and the handset comes with 4GB memory and a microSD slot, in which you will find an 8GB card pre-loaded.
If you want the full, unfettered Googlephone experience, without weird carrier restrictions (apart from the coverage restrictions of T-Mobile, we guess) then this might just be the Android phone to go for. It has a plain and handsome design and while the computer inside isn’t the fastest, it is more than competent.
Availability and pricing have yet to be announced, but existing T-Mobile customers will get first bite “later this month.”
G2 product page [T-Mobile]
G2 press release [T-Mobile]
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For those folks who are still clinging to their T-Mobile G1s (and I know there are a few out there) even though they’re officially end-of-life, T-Mobile announced today that its successor, the T-Mobile G2, would be available for pre-order later this month. They didn’t mention how much the new phone would cost, but T-Mobile did lay out a number of its features.
The G2 will ship with Android 2.2 “Froyo” installed, along with an 800-Mhz Snapdragon processor that’s built for longer battery life with a little less performance. The G2 will feature a slide-out keyboard and come with 4GB of internal storage and an 8GB memory card installed. The G2 will also be the first HSPA+ phone in the US, meaning it can take advantage of T-Mobile’s fastest 3G networks. You can read more about the announcement, why it may be the “Googliest phone ever,” and exactly how fast the phone may perform when it’s released over at PCMag.com!
Apple on Thursday published a set of rules about the types of content that aren’t allowed in the iOS App Store, answering questions that have been bugging software developers and customers for years while introducing some new ambiguities.
Still, it’s an important step. By publishing the guidelines, Apple mobile customers will be able to know what they can and can’t get on an iOS device versus, say, an Android phone. Also, third-party programmers will have a clearer sense of whether or not to invest in developing an app, whereas before they were subject to rejection without knowing what they weren’t allowed to do. However, some developers think parts of the guidelines could be more clear.
“By no means is what they put out today perfect,” said Justin Williams, developer of Second Gear software, who quit iPhone development last year. “There are some vague areas. But compared to where we were yesterday, it’s a big improvement.”
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has described the App Store as a “curated platform” that is regulated to ensure a high quality, secure experience for customers. IPhone, iPad and iPod Touch get third-party applications through the App Store, and Apple must approve any software before it can be sold through the store. Unless you hack your iOS device, the App Store is the only way to get additional native software.
The regulated App Store model deviates from the traditional experience of owning a PC, where customers can typically purchase and install any software that’s compatible with their computers. Critics have argued that by curating the iOS platform, Apple tightly controls the mobile devices that customers own as well as the developers who create software for them.
Additionally, by not publishing the guidelines on its iOS app review policy, programmers were left guessing as to what they were allowed to create, potentially putting a bottleneck on their innovation. Publishing the list of app review guidelines — a step that Wired.com called for Apple to take in a previous editorial — addresses this potential problem of self-censorship.
“Hopefully it will give developers increased confidence when starting projects,” said Jamie Montgomerie, developer of the Eucalyptus book-reading app, which was approved by Apple after its controversial rejection. “I suspect there are a lot of interesting apps that were never made because people were scared of the approval process.”
Apple’s seven-page list of guidelines (.pdf) splits reasons for app rejections into 11 categories. Reasons for rejection range from technical to editorial offenses: Apps that crash will be rejected, for example, and apps that defame people in a mean-spirited way are rejected, with the exception of political satirists and humorists.
“We hope they will help you steer clear of issues as you develop your app, so that it speeds through the approval process when you submit it,” Apple said in a statement Thursday about the app guidelines.
The publication of the guidelines is a major step toward transparency for a company as opaque as Apple. Since the App Store opened in 2008, critics scrutinized the App Store for its undisclosed editorial guidelines, which resulted in seemingly arbitrary rejections of a wide variety of applications.
For example, Apple in 2009 rejected an app called Me So Holy, which enabled iPhone users to edit their self-portraits to look like Jesus Christ. However, Apple that year approved Baby Shaker, a game that involved shaking a baby to death. Apple later pulled Baby Shaker, admitting its approval was a mistake.
Because of its unclear app approval system, some developers gave up on making content for the App Store because they couldn’t be sure that an app would be a wise investment of their time and money. Second Gear developer Williams said he quit iPhone development last year because Apple didn’t disclose its policies.
“One of the big reasons I got frustrated was I didn’t like the black box review system, which is basically you’re submitting your apps to the review process and you have no idea what the review process is,” Williams said. “I think [Apple publishing guidelines] is a good step towards being more up front and honest about what the criteria is.”
However, Williams noted that there was still room for improvement, as several parts of the guidelines are still unclear. For example, one clause in the guidelines reads apps will be rejected if they duplicate functionality of other apps, “particularly if there are too many of them.” Williams said it was unclear how many is “too many,” and such vagueness could discourage developers from competing with other apps in the App Store.
It also remains a question as to whether Apple’s App Store is now allowing Adobe to join the iOS scene. In addition to publishing guidelines, Apple said in a press release that it was “relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to crease iOS apps, so long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This change was not detailed in Apple’s guidelines, but some are speculating that Adobe’s iPhone Packager, a tool to automatically convert Flash software into native iPhone apps, will be allowed — whereas before third-party app creation tools were banned. Wired.com’s Epicenter will have more to report soon on that aspect of Apple’s App Store revisions.
Brian X. Chen is author of an upcoming book about the always-connected mobile future titled Always On, due for publication Spring 2011. To keep up with his coverage in real time, follow @bxchen or @gadgetlab on Twitter.
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Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Apple has opened up the App Store review process, dropping its harsh restrictions on the tools developers are allowed to use and at the same time actually publishing the App Store Review Guidelines — a previously secret set of rules that governed whether or not your app would be approved.
Apple did not specifically mention Adobe — though investors drove up shares of the company up 12 percent on the news — but the changes seem to mean that you can use Flash to develop your apps, and then compile them to work on the iPhone and iPad with a tool called Adobe Packager. This could be boon to publishers, including Condé Nast, owner of Wired, which use Adobe’s Creative Suite to make print magazines and would now be able to easily convert them into digital version instead of re-creating them from scratch in the only handful of coding languages Apple had allowed.
To be clear, that doesn’t mean Flash is coming to iOS as a plugin: You still won’t be able to view Flash content on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. This change in Apple’s policy just means developers can use third-party tools such as Flash to create apps sold through the App Store.
And transparent guidelines will go a long way to making iOS a better place for developers. Previously, you wouldn’t know if you had broken a rule until your app was rejected. And if your app had taken months and months and tens of thousands of dollars to develop then you were pretty much screwed.
This uncertainty has kept a lot of professional and talented developers out of the store and caused the rise of quick-to-write fart applications. In fact, the point I have heard spoken over and over is that the developers don’t mind what the rules are, as long as they know about them.
The second part of Apple’s relaxation of restrictions is even less expected. Here’s the relevant point from the press release:
We are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.
This is a direct reversal of Apple’s previous ban on third-party development-tools. Why? Games. Many games use non-Apple, non-iOS code to make them work: the Unreal Engine behind the stunning Epic Citadel shown off at last weeks’ Apple event, for example, would fall foul of Apple’s previous rules. The “do not download any code” part of this is important. Apple will let you use non-iOS runtimes within your apps as long as it can inspect them first. Anything downloaded after installation which bring out the ban-hammer.
It’s a completely unexpected reversal, and one which will eventually lead to much more complex and refined apps in the iTunes Store. And everyone should be pleased about that.
Statement by Apple on App Store Review Guidelines [Apple]
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Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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