Gadgets Blog

Sony Ericsson, the fourth largest handset maker revealed its new X10 mobile phone this morning, its first attempt to run on Google Inc’s android operating system . It has now formally enlisted in the ever increasing group of vendors that have come out with smart phones running on Google’s OS this past year. Well at least you will have more options if you are a part of the anti-iPhone movement!

The X10 will have a 4-inch-wide touch screen, music player, high-speed web access, Google Maps, a touch-screen interface and will use Qualcomm Inc’s Snapdragon processor. It also comes with an 8.1 megapixel camera that supports geo-tagging, face/smile detection, image stabilization, auto-focus and flash. The facial recognition software will be able to recognize up to five faces in a single picture, automatically connecting that photo with a user’s “social phone book” comprising of calls and messages sent to and from that person. Sony’s strategy takes a fresh turn from entertainment and mega pixel rich units to full scale social media. A new “user experience platform” enables people to organize their contact information, social networks and personal media through an “open, human and intuitive user experience”. It has a “social phone book” that threads conversations by person, and a one click access to all your interactions with contacts whether the medium of interface was by text or email, or on Facebook.

Sony says the interface will be overlaid on the existing Google Android foundations and will be the first mobile phone to “truly humanize the way people interact with their phones”. Where have we heard that before? Sony has added two unique applications of its own that it calls Timescape and Mediascape. Timescape is a messaging application that lets users access all of their communications in one place including Twitter posts ,Facebook updates, phone calls and SMS messages. Mediascape is a media management application that lets users arrange their music, video and web content like YouTube and Sony Ericsson’s PlayNow apps store. Of course one can download all the additional apps and software you want to from the Android Market. It will go on sale in selected markets at the start of 2010.

For more specifics, visit sonyericsson.com.

There will be two new offerings in the overflowing smartphone market this holiday season to confuse us further in arriving at a decision. While Motorola introduces its first touchscreen Cliq smartphone in Google’s mobile platform, Android; Palm will be launching its second phone in its own webOS mobile platform called the Pixi.

Cliq boasts of a social facilitator that Motorola calls “Motoblur” that lets your friends, pics, emails, messages and Facebook, MySpace and Twitter happenings, get all synchronized in one place with continuous updates and back-ups. Motorola promises that there will be no need for logins or apps to open even though complete data security is assured. More Motoblur capabilities include:

• The ability to see a caller’s name, number, status and profile picture Syncs personal and work contacts and connected social networks photo sharing with MySpace, Photobucket, Picasa, Facebook

• Customizable home screen (status, messaging, RSS widgets) Facebook, MySpace and Twitter direct messaging

The phone will offer 3G/HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, a full HTML Web browser, 6 hours of active battery use, POP3/IMAP and Microsoft Exchange support.

Find more details on Cliq here.

 photo courtesy: engadget.com

Pixi on the other hand is a teeny tiny version of the original Palm phone the Pre, coming at just 0.43″ thin. It still manages to have a full keyboard, a capacitive touchscreen, GPS, a 2-megapixel camera and accelerometer, though it sheds a wifi and thankfully a whole lot of lot of weight. You will still be able to download applications & music and indulge in extensive messaging and social networking. This time around Palm has included LinkedIn and Yahoo to the synergy contacts, Yahoo to the messaging application, and an official Facebook application. For all those relentless fashionistas out there, Palm presents what it calls “Artist Series“, which consists of limited edition back covers in fashion colors and designs that you can find here. Read more about the Pixi here on Palm’s site.

Both phones will go on sale during the holiday season, Cliq on T-Mobile and Pixi from Sprint . While the exact price point is unknown for both at this point of time, there is wild speculation that Pixi would even go for as low as $99 as the Palm Pre itself has fallen to $149.99 in with contract.

According to a recent report by Juniper Research, the number of smartphones shipped with open source operating systems will increase from 106 million this year to 223 million by 2014. It seems like companies are in a hurry to make the prediction happen sooner than later as they keep bombarding us with different versions of Android phones every week. Android of course is the mobile open source operating system that runs on Linux initially developed by Google and has become the platform of choice for most smartphones du jour. Open source phones have also gained momentum due to the fact that you can get your hands on to the complete source code of the underlying software allowing all and sundry to add and create whatever applications they choose to for their gadgets. T-Mobile‘s My Touch gets a look-alike this October as Sprint débuts its first Google Android phone HTC Hero. The striking similarities include a large touch screen, physical controls, and a trackball. In addition, the 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen is said to support pinch-to-zoom capability.

The Hero is not a total clone and is not without its share of “Why should I get it?”s. It is the first U.S. device to have Sense, which offers seven home screens and a broad degree of customization. The phone also possesses HTC Footprints that lets users create digital postcards with photos, an audio clip and GPS coordinates. Other impressive firsts are a 3.5-millimeter headset jack and Microsoft Outlook integration with e-mail, contacts and calendar while MyTouch has e-mail only. Not to worry, the HTC device also comes with the usual bells and whistles that we have come to expect from our over delivering phones. It has  a 5-megapixel camera with video recoding, Bluetooth with a stereo profile, an accelerometer, visual voice mail, Sprint TV, a microSD card slot, NFL Mobile Live and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile, a speakerphone, personal organizer options, messaging and e-mail, a music player, Wi-Fi, and integrated GPS. The Hero will provide access to all applications in the Android developer market and offers built-in Google mobile services such as Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube.

Hero will be on sale starting October 11. You can preregister right now at Sprint.com. It would cost you $179 with a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year Simply Everything Plan. The plan starts at $69.99 for 450 anytime minutes plus unlimited nights and weekends, data, messaging and e-mail.

Shop through a variety of cell phones at Smarter.com.

Keep an eye out for T-Mobile’s second generation myTouch 3G phones to storm the stores today for $199.99 and a two year contract. It features a 3.2, highly responsive touch screen display with a virtual keyboard, a 3.2 megapixel camera, 4GB MicroSD memory card for music player, with enhanced video capabilities design by HTC Corporation and Google’s open source Android software.

In this day of sexy electronics, myTouch 3G’s sleek, glossy appearance is a welcome improvement over T-Mobile’s previous G1 version. It also provides a fast web browser, a decent battery life and comes inside a handy zippered travel case equipped to carry all of its accessories as well as the device. Nice! Measuring 4.4 x 2.2 x 0.6 inches and weighing 4.1 ounces, it is smaller than G1 and that’s a good thing ‘cause who wants a bulging pocket? The smartphone is available in black, white, and a deep merlot.

The Android Unlimited Web data plan costs $25 per month excluding text messages. An Android Unlimited Web + Unlimited Messaging plan would cost you $35 a month. All in all, I say not a bad deal at all coming from a partnership between two great companies, T-Mobile and Google! For more information please visit T-MobilemyTouch.com.

Shop for more affordable cell phones at Smarter.com.

Apple’s latest press release has stated that the iPhone will have about 8-hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback.

They also announced that they upgraded the phone’s 3.5-inch display screen from plastic to optical-quality glass to make it more scratch resistant and add more optical clarity.

Below is a chart, comparing the iPhone to call the other Smartphones on the market.

 

To read the full Apple, press release, click here.