Gadgets Blog » Blackberry

If the world of modern electronics has taught us anything, it’s that social norms and standards are liable to shift at any given point in time. Telephone calls used to be a private action, e-mail and texting were considered impersonal, and putting personal information online seemed a risky endeavor. Today’s gadget, the Looxcie (which I’m assuming is a play on “look-see”), challenges another social norm, that being recording everything you do with a video camera is done only by weirdos and creeps. This bluetooth enabled camera is mounted on your ear, documenting your every move.

Its an interesting concept, one that is bolstered by the Looxcie’s innovative design. Just a bit larger than a typical bluetooth headset, the camera has a bright light that goes on when its recording. Using a foam-based clip, the unit latches onto either you left or right ear. The camera can record for up to five hours of video before it doubles back to the beginning and starts writing over the start of your clip. The battery life is impressive to allow for such a thing, but this is perhaps understandable when you look at the video quality: it’s only 480 x 320 with 16 fps.

The tablet wars are in full swing. Even though Apple beat competitors to the punch with their iPad tablet, the rest of the field has quickly reacted to their latest product, with companies like Toshiba and Dell creating new devices as quickly as possible. This week, a new challenger to the tablet market was announced, one coming from a mobile pedigree that could boost its presence in a big way. The Blackberry Playbook, developed by the company behind Blackberry, RIM, boasts a number of features that could make it an excellent option on the market.

The specifications are impressive to say the least. A seven-inch screen boasts high-definition images, with vivid colors that pop right off the tablet. The Playbook supports 1080p video, meaning even the most high-definition films look great on its display. Other multimedia options only enhance the experience with the tablet. Dual cameras, one on the front and one on the back, allow for both picture taking and video-chatting via apps like Skype. HD video capture is possible on both cameras. In an exciting twist, an HDMI port on the side of the tablet allows you to play back pictures and images on a larger screen with ease.

The hardware inside the tablet is a lot to get excited about as well. With 1GB of RAM and a 1GHz dual-core processor, the Playbook packs some serious punch on the processing side of things. The processor supports true multitasking, enabling the user to operate multiple programs at the same time. Additionally, web browsing on the Playbook will come with the full support of HTML5 and Adobe Flash, enabling access to virtually every website on the Internet. All of the user’s favorite sites, multimedia, and games will be accessible on the Playbook.

While Sony might be better known for their television displays and gaming systems than their smartphones, the company has still had a great lineup of gadgets that have provided solid options for folks not wishing to go the Apple or BlackBerry route. The Sony Ericsson phone line has been a solid effort for the company, despite the name not reaching the same level of brand recognition of their main competitors. All that, however, could be changing with the new concept phone design that Sony unveiled earlier this week. Still in the concept stages, the latest Ericsson could have a screen unlike any other on the market.

Technically a flip-phone, the mechanism holding the two halves of the phone together operates differently than other phones of a similar build. Instead of “flipping” open, the Ericsson pivots, enabling the screen to move in a variety of horizontal and vertical ways. It can function like a traditional clamshell phone, with one half boasting the screen and the other half the keyboard. But the screen can also position itself so that the two halves are next to each other, creating an entirely new shape and resembling something of a small tablet computer. This screen positioning is intended to improve the quality of web-surfing and media options.

In some surprising news this week, sales reports from the first quarter of 2010 revealed quite the interesting trend: Google’s Android operating system might slowly be gaining some ground upon their competitor, Apple. An article published in PC Magazine Online announced the news, which was quite surprising for the future of the smartphone market. While the Apple mobile OS runs exclusively on the iPhone, Android has the advantage of being available on several different models of phone, including Motorola’s Droid. The article itself provided some insight into the new market break-down.

Android phones climbed to 28 percent, above Apple at 21 percent. The numbers are somewhat unexpected, given that other research firms, such as comScore, have placed Android phones, which has placed the Android OS at 10 percent for February.

On Friday, IDC released its first-quarter market share data, placing Nokia and RIM atop the worldwide market, with 39.3 percent and 19.4 percent of the market, respectively. Apple finished third, with 16.1 percent, and HTC was fourth at 4.8 percent. IDC did not reveal its share breakdown for the various OS flavors, however.

Likewise, for the first quarter within the U.S., comScore said that Samsung, Motorola, and LG finished in a virtual dead heat, with 21.9, 21.9, and 21.8 percent of the market. Again, comScore did not break out first-quarter market share for the various Android flavors.

The news is certainly exciting for Google, but should be expected due simply to the varying number of phones available running each OS. What once was regarded as a strength for Apple, brand integrity, appears to be harming them over time. By only having a single phone in the market, Apple has the potential to lose customers who want something slightly less than the expensive iPhone. By using their operating system for a wide variety of phones, Google can gain market share more effectively, a great option for the company as it tries to catch up.

Any serious piece of computing is a serious investment, which is why such a strong market for gadget-protectors exists.I personally have my MacBook fitted with a plastic casing to protect it from scratches. My iPod, however, has a far more personalized case. My friend Jessy, for my birthday several years ago, knit me a multi-colored pouch that has kept the iPod safe from harm for quite some time now.

While not everyone has the patience or skill required for a personalized gift of that caliber, the company GelaSkins has upped the ante for protective gear, allowing the customer to select from a wide variety of artwork, or to submit their own photo for use.

The process of selecting a case at the GelaSkins website is straightforward and shows off the remarkable variety in store. First, you can browse through pre-existing artwork, finding cases specifically made and designed for your sought piece of hardware. Laptops, phones, and cameras are all included, and it’s a breeze to hunt something down, even for some obscure gadgets.

It’s quite possible that my interest in gadgets is genetic. My father, despite growing up in a world entirely devoid of computers, has become quite competent with them, and is fueled by an interest in what makes them tick. Growing up, we took apart desktops, learned how to run programs in MS Dos and upgraded monitors together. Lately he’s taken a great affinity to handhelds, and I must say, his prowess with his old Blackberry likely rivaled users far his junior. And while the Blackberry held a special place in his heart for a good long while, such a love compares naught to his love of his new Motorola Droid smartphone.

It’s more than just the device itself: it’s the implementation of perhaps the most important newcomer to the world of computing: Google’s Android OS. Google, a company displaying mastery of cloud computing, delved into territory previously occupied by titans Apple and Microsoft (and yes, there are other operating systems like Linux and Ubuntu out there for people who enjoy being pretentious about this sort of thing). Android operates bearing all the trademarks of a Google product: compatibility, ease of use, and an intuitive design plan with virtually limitless applications.

While announcements of a Google Tablet bearing the Android OS are exciting, this is really the tip of the iceberg for what Android is capable of doing to the electronics market. And with that in mind, a showdown seems brewing in the electronics world between differing schools of thought for the future of personel electronics. Microsoft represents an older era of computing. Windows still makes up the vast majority of the market share on operating systems, and while their iteration of Windows 7 has proven to be successful (and a huge improvement from Vista), Windows Mobile still lags behind other mobile operating systems in ease of use and compatibility.

Today’s topic on Best and Worst touches a sensitive spot in my heart. The other day, my beloved cell phone of a year suffered a career-ending injury. As I carried a table up a small set of stairs, I tripped, crushing the touchscreen, and thus rendering the top half of the screen black and unreadable. As anyone who has lost a phone can attest, the hassle that goes along with it is frustrating and time consuming. I was lucky enough to still be under warranty, meaning Verizon (bless them) will have a new device sent my way in a matter of days. However, finding a smartphone that suits your personal needs can be nothing short of laborious, especially considering how difficult it is to determine the long-term use of a phone during a first impression. Don’t be fooled by nice designs or attractive colors, the following phones have issues that make them some of the worst smart phones on the market.

T-Mobile Sidekick LX
This phone is the epitome of style over substance. Its flashy design and attractive touchscreen make it initially appealing, but several design flaws plague the Sidekick. First of all, the structural integrity of the design is a bit suspect, as the screen’s two-axis flip motion can break easily if the phone is subject to any sort of abuse. While the phone sports a full QWERTY keyboard, which can make texting a breeze, the buttons on this particular smartphone are packed together, difficult for anyone with larger hands (or anyone without the fine-tuned motor skills needed to operate a QWERTY keyboard successfully). You’re best off looking for an alternative, such as the T-Mobile Dash, which boasts a great interface based out of Windows Mobile.

Blackberry 8300
As a whole, the Blackberry line of smartphones are quite good, with many features available on a variety of networks. If you’re looking for a device with great business capabilities, web integration, and email, a Blackberry can be a great choice. However, not all Blackberries are created equal, and some, like the 8300, fall flat next to their siblings. The Blackberry 8300, in some regards, is a lesser version of other Blackberry phones, meaning that the interface and keypad aren’t as sturdy and up-to-date. For perhaps the best experience with a Blackberry, check out the Blackberry Storm, which boasts some great unique features.

Nokia Surge 6790
Our final smartphone to avoid also looks like it could be a winner. But, alas, looks are also deceiving, once again. The Nokia Surge has a slim black design and a slide-out keypad, making it one of the better-looking smartphones. The device boasts some great synchronization with Gmail, Yahoo, and Windows Live, even if its operating system is a bit dates compared to competitors. However, there are some puzzling design flaws that make using the Nokia Surge downright frustrating. It’s impossible to dial a number without sliding open the keypad, a flaw that becomes more and more upsetting the longer you have the phone. Also, the small and slightly off-center screen can be hard to squint at in dark environments, as the brightness is lacking. For a similar, but better, alternative, check out the Samsung Jack.