Mobile Phones Down the Years

December 3rd, 2011 | Mobile Technology

Mobile phones have, despite being regarded by some as a very recent phenomenon, actually been around for a number of decades.

The technology was firmly in place for their future development by the 1940s, and this basically consisted of the ‘mobile ring’ radio technology that was used by the police, ambulance and fire services for communicating with the base whilst on the move.

The First Generation mobile phones that were introduced by Motorola in 1983 and used analogue technology were, by the early 1990s, replaced by more advanced Second Generation phones that incorporated the latest digital technology for clearer and faster signals and enhanced capabilities.

Phones became much smaller as the batteries reduced in size and also increased in efficiency. The compact design meant they no longer had to be carried around in their own briefcases, but could instead slip conveniently into a hip pocket.

3G and 4G phones have recently flooded the market with their wealth of functions, and now there seems no limit to what you can use a smart phone for.

Check the Motorola Razr review for what’s hot right now.

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An App a Day

November 15th, 2011 | Applications, Mobile Technology

Apps are a great way to keep mobile phones updated without the need to upgrade.  Handsets such as the HTC Desire and Blackberry Curve enable the user to view and install apps of all kinds.  Blackberry apps can be found in App World and the HTC Desire can access the Android Market with many apps to choose from.  Below are some examples of apps that offer a fun and useful way to keep in touch or learn a new skill:

Gaming

A large collection of games are available to download, from popular classics such as Scrabble, Monopoly and Tetris, to small yet fun apps including brain teasers, arcade, action and sporting games.

Productivity

Many apps are available to enable faster and easier work flow, such as invoice managers, document editors, VAT calculators, organisers and time trackers, enabling users to work away from the office.

Entertainment

Mobile phones are becoming the perfect multi-media package with hundreds of apps available to stream music and video, tune up musical instruments, sing along to karaoke classics, and discover new music.

Social Media

Keeping in touch can be fun and exciting with social media apps, enabling the user to connect with friends simultaneously, all without a single phone call or text.  Services such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ allow the user to install apps to post status updates, chat in real time and upload photos from their handset. 

The Android market is available on a variety of handsets, including HTC, Motorola and Google handsets.  HTC Desire reviews are available online which offer information on all the features the handset offers.

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LG Optimus Black Review

November 9th, 2011 | LG, Mobile Phone Reviews, Touchscreen

The LG Optimus Black is a sleek, attractive smartphone, similar in style and looks to the iPhone 4.  Highly rated in reviews, this handset compares favourably to previous LG smartphones and it stands out for such distinctive features as its vibrant bright screen, modern controls and extremely light weight.  Ideal for web browsing, there are some very attractive LG Optimus Black deals to be had which make it a worthwhile buy.

Running on Android 2.2, it offers many Android apps, as well as a highly effective FM radio and five-megapixel camera, but it is the innovative ‘gesture’ button at the side of the phone which really makes it different.  A high spec phone with a crystal clear NOVA display and exceptionally user-friendly interface, some of the features included in the LG Optimus Black are an auto rotating touch screen, Android sat nav apps, a digital compass, Google Maps, an on screen keypad and keyboard, and touch sensitive controls.

NOVA is designed for high visibility, even in bright sunlight, and offers good power saving and super natural colours, and it is here that the LG Optimus Black is above its competitors.  A music player comes as standard, along with MP3 ringtones, and the range of connectivity is excellent.  LG Optimus Black has 3G HSDPA, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth, GORS and Micro USB, among others.  Battery life is adequate and there is the option to upgrade to up to 32 GB of memory with an optional memory support card.

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Motorola Atrix – a powerful smartphone

November 7th, 2011 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Motorola

Compact and powerful, the Motorola Atrix is the most advanced smartphone that Motorola has ever produced.  A dual core Android phone, there are some great Motorola Atrix deals to be had in the current market.  One of the defining features of this excellent phone is Webtop, designed to revolutionize browsing and co-coordinating documents and apps.  Boasting 16 GB of internal memory, the Motorola Atrix runs on Android 2.2 and offers a highly responsive four inch display screen with sharp resolution.

The integrated technology of this smartphone works exceptionally well, with a nice interface and social networks available on the home screen with the Moto Blur feature.  Solid and powerful, the Motorola Atrix also has an excellent camera with LED flash and HD 720p video recording capabilities.  Android sat nav apps such as Google Maps and Street View work extremely well on this user-friendly and efficient phone.

One outstanding feature is the Biometric Fingerprint Reader, a security measure that scans your fingertips to unlock the phone, a unique selling point not yet found in any other mobile phone model.  Furthermore, the Motorola Atrix also comes with fantastic connectivity and a large amount of integrated memory, with the capacity to upgrade to more.  A magnifying glass tool is another welcome feature, useful for correcting typos. Overall this phone offers sharp detailing and fast browsing ability.  Handy optional extras include the Lapdock and HD Multimedia docks which can be purchased separately.

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A Guide to HTC Sense

November 4th, 2011 | Google Android, HTC, Mobile Technology

For many mobile phone handsets, the GUI (Graphical User Interface) is of extreme importance, and makes or breaks the deal for users.  Whilst the interface can be fun and exciting, it should be easy to use with the ability to customise the design by changing the colour theme and background, and shortcuts should be removed or added to the home screen with ease.  HTC sense is a perfect example of a stylish yet simple interface.

What is HTC Sense?

HTC Sense is the GUI for mobile phone handsets such as HTC Desire and HTC Incredible.  The interface displays a fun yet elegant design, with shortcuts to calendar, email, web browser and SMS messages. 

Below are some tips and tricks to make the HTC Sense experience even better:

Silence is Golden

If you receive a call at an inconvenient time, turn the handset upside down to activate silent mode.  Turning the volume down one step can also do this.  Restore the ringer by turning the volume up one step.

End a Sentence

Save time whilst composing a text message or email, simply by double tapping the space bar to insert a full stop.  This will insert a space after the period and capitalise the next letter.

Picture This

Tap the picture within a contact entry to bring up a menu to communicate with your contact in a variety of ways.  Options include composing a text message or email and dialling their telephone number.

HTC Incredible S deals are available which use HTC Sense.  HTC Incredible S reviews can be found online where details about the many interface features and handset features are available.

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Motorola Atrix Smartphone Review

October 29th, 2011 | Google Android, Mobile Phone Reviews, Motorola

The Motorola Atrix smartphone is now as powerful as a computer so if you are looking for an Android smartphone that could dispense with your laptop then this is the one.  Since the development of smartphones computer parity has always been their aim, and the Atrix got there first.  In short, the Motorola Atrix is the smartest of smartphones that can, when plugged into a range of docks, morph into a net book, sat nav and media centre. 

Another advantage of the Atrix is the innovative fingerprint reader.  Situated on the top of the device, the fingerprint reader doubles up as the power button (you’re gonna have to touch it!)  Although it is not necessary to use this option, it does allow unlocking of the phone via a finger swipe. 

The Atrix has a 540×960 pixel 4” high-resolution touchscreen which Motorola calls ‘qHD’.  The user interface on the Atrix is clear and sharp especially in the web browser.

Motorola Atrix runs Android 2.2 Froyo for which a Gingerbread update is imminent.  In the meantime, the user can enjoy merging address book to Google account and there are other intelligent and smart options.

The appearance of the Atrix is businesslike, elegant and professional.  The design is slim with rounded corners and four touch controls horizontally along the bottom.  The device itself feel substantial and yet small enough for compact storage and easy mobility.

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Shop Online with Your Handset

October 16th, 2011 | Mobile Technology, Wireless Technology

The great thing about new and improved handsets is the ability to browse the internet with faster downloads and a larger display screen. With a large number of retailers adapting their website for mobile viewing, shoppers can browse items without having to compromise their shopping experience.  In addition, there are a large variety of shopping apps available with Google Nexus and Motorola Atrix deals. You can find out more information with Palm Pre 2 reviews and many other handset reviews and deals.

Previously, mobile shopping was compromised by simplifying the interface with text only content, whereas in recent years the shopping experience has produced rich content, enabling the user to view photos and videos in order to make an informed decision in choosing a product.  From fashion outlets to supermarkets, online shopping has become truly mobile with the aid of mobile enhanced websites and shopping apps.

Fans of online shopping will love not only shopping direct with retailers, but also online stores such as eBay and Amazon which are community based, providing sellers with a retail platform.  If you are searching for that special item and not sure where to look, search engines such as Google and Bing can be a great place to start.  Simply type in the name of the product you have in mind and the search engine will display a number of websites with the item in stock, together with the ability to sort results by price range.

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LG Optimus Black Deals

October 10th, 2011 | LG, Mobile Phone Reviews, Touchscreen

LG Optimus Black is one of the very slimmest smartphones on the market with a 4” widescreen and WVGA resolution.  This model is one of the most popular products around and may be purchased pay-as-you-go or via a contract deal.

Current Contract Offers

Based on 24-month contract and all payments are shown monthly.

T-Mobile       300-minutes and 300-texts                       £15.42
Orange         400 minutes and unlimited texts    £25.00
Orange        unlimited minutes and unlimited texts      £49.99
Orange         300-minutes and unlimited texts              £18.75 (£150.00 cashback)
T-Mobile       1,200-minutes 500 texts                          £22.34 (9-months free by redemption)
O2             300-minutes and unlimited texts              £18.42 (£182.00 cashback)

Current Pay-As-You-Go Offers

Orange     £89.90 (refurbished)
O2     £94.90 (refurbished)
O2    £129.99 (new)
T-Mobile     £119.00 (new, free delivery)

About LG Optimus Black

LG’s very latest smartphone is slender, lightweight and minimalistic but yet houses an impressive 4” IPS display with 480×800 resolution delivering 700 Nits of brilliances making the images clear, bright and sharp in all conditions, even direct sunlight.   The LG Optimus Black runs on a single core processor at 1GHz allowing web pages and emails to load and run smoothly. The LG Optimus is media friendly too with a 5 megapixel front facing camera.

Although the LG Optimus Black has all the accoutrements one would expect from any self-respecting Android today, the ingenious design makes buttons, when not in use, appear to vanish, or at least remain extremely unobtrusive until called into play.

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Fair Usage Across Mobile Phone Networks

October 1st, 2011 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Wireless Technology

Many mobile phone networks offer free internet access allowing the user to use email, internet and apps which require internet access, such as social networks and online gaming.  Whilst this appeals to many users, mobile phone networks put a level of fair usage in place, which varies between networks and their tariffs.

In order to keep within the tariff data limit, users should be aware of how much data they are likely to use on a daily basis.  The best option is to connect to an authorised Wi-Fi signal where possible, as this does not dip into the monthly allowance of data transfer. This is ideal when streaming video and music, and because Wi-Fi internet runs on faster speeds, there is likely to be less buffering. 

Sometimes users can overlook apps and services and what level of data transfer they use.  Apps such as Skype and other VoIP services use a high level of data when connecting to other users, resulting in gaps in communication.  Gaming apps may require internet access to connect to other gamers and post scores online; this may not be obvious to some users.  When out and about, users should connect to 3G.

There are many handsets, deals and reviews available online to find the best offers.  Some networks limit the data speed when a monthly allowance has been exceeded, whereas other networks allow full speed internet access to webpages and emails once the limit has been exceeded, but block streaming media.  HTC Desire S deals are available from major networks with Wi-Fi and 3G.

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Blackberry – a popular business phone!

September 27th, 2011 | Blackberry, Mobile Technology

Blackberry was originally known as Leapfrog, and this pioneer mobile phone company has been developing mobile phones since 1999.  Blackberry has been developing a superb range of mobile phones, and now smartphones, for over 12 years.  The Blackberry line currently occupies almost 15% of the market worldwide, making it one of the ‘big five’: Blackberry, Nokia, Samsung, Apple and LG.

Blackberry’s Unique Selling Point (USP) for its smartphones was always the efficiency of the email system, and now the Blackberry email service is available to non-Blackberry users.  Blackberry phone developers recognise the importance of mobile email and all current models contain the QWERTY or Suretype keyboard, which is the same as PC keyboard layout, for easier and faster emailing and instant messaging.  The trackball device makes for easier handling and navigating could not be simpler. Blackberry Messenger (BBM) allows super fast communication between Blackberry users. The shape and weight of the Blackberry appliance make it ideally portable.

In order to retain a unique niche in the marketplace, Blackberry has developed Social Feed which links to social networking sites such as Twitter, Squidoo, and Facebook, allowing the user to post to all or one network at a time.  With the new Blackberry it’s never been easier to download and organise music libraries, as Blackberry has improved the Wi-Fi media synch function. Blackberrys now also look the part with wide multi-touch screens and super fast apps, brilliant for users on the go.

Blackberry also has a respectable web browser speed, and with innovation happening quickly, Blackberry is sure to increase it’s hold on the worldwide marketplace.

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