Smartphones and OS

When I was witting the other entry I thought about other phones issues that happened because of bad design or after usage.

Let’s see other well know problems of phones:
It remember me the well designed 6111 that because of a bad design also, it use to cut the flex cable of the screen with the sliding mechanism. Another issue with Nokia phones appeared on S40. Lot of phones got problems like 6280 cause user received to many data by Bluetooth. This data it’s allowed in phone’s memory instead of memory card. So when the hard drive it’s full computer moves worse, in case of Nokia phones do not power on.
A good failure happened also in Spain, the really old R210 by Samsung (I had to look for the image as I wasn’t sure) got a problem. How is this possible? Well all the phones manufactured in Spain and sold to the carriers were factory unlocked by mistake…Someone was surely fired because of that.
Another problem occurs on VXXX series by Motorola, due to usage, the keyboard scratch the screen. So after few months of use the low part of the screen had the keyboard “written”.
A recent example it’s HTC Touch HD2, the so big and so fast device appeared with a bunch of bugs that HTC and Microsoft boys are solving already
A problem, maybe not of design, but of thinking was at the LG Arena. Designers did a nice minimalist job. But, maybe they were from North Pole or live inside a tree but, using this phone with direct sunlight it’s impossible. Well it’s cool each calling it’s a surprise
Samsung phones, do not think that I’m going to forget any known brand or repeat… They had some time ago problems with their phones, with the usage, some phones use to get rounder. I would like to see a pic of this on the net. This problem and phones samples were showed to me by a Vodafone guy in Spain, so it’s 100% true
If you remember more problems I would like to know them and add in blog as sometimes user work well but manufacturer not.

AS many of you know I’m user of Android phone. I’m still an student so my resources are quite limited to do comparisons between OS…


But, for the very first beginning I realize that Android had a nice feature in market…
If you don’t like you can get refund. So maybe you were searching for an app but after paying it’s not what you expected, what to do? Get refund, simple and easy. ONE BUTTON
Regarding symbian, that I tested on G900 till my dear brother, who bought same model, told me that this phone use to loose the screen because of the use. Nice work SonyEricsson!! So, also would be impossible about testing refund system since no App Store nor market it’s ready “yet”…
Palm it’s going to release new market soon for Pre and Pixi models.
And what about iPhone? Let’s check this story I found on the net

If you are anything like me, you have bought an app for your iPhone, only to discover that it was not quite what you expected so you perhaps stopped using it or even erased it.
This happened to me. I recently bought the RSS reader app Byline and I tried my best to like it and see if it fit my expectations. It didn’t. I liked neither its UI nor the unread items limit of 200. So I stopped using it and cursed my bad luck.
Of course, I didn’t think for 1 second to ask for my money back. I mean, apps don’t cost much to begin with. And I also rationalized – I had done research before buying. Wasn’t it my fault – I knew what I was buying, didn’t I?
No need for speculation, it does exist: the App Store Refund. Here’s how I got mine.
It required a total of 4 emails. First to iTunes Support desk, which as promised sent a reply within 48 hours. I should please contact the developer for assistance as they cannot provide support or technical aid for an app. Fair enough.
Next to the developer, to whom I explained simply that I didn’t plan to use the app and on that basis I desired my money back. My first email went unanswered. I sent a reminder email and got a response 10 days later, informing me that I had to contact iTunes about the refund, explaining that I’ve “contacted the app developer for support and would still like a refund“. I should also make sure to include the order reference number from your iTunes receipt. I did as instructed.
iTunes Support responded by granting me my wish, while stressing that this was strictly a most exceptional occurrence and that I’d better not think of doing this kind of thing every week. Ok I made up that last part. But the tone of the email was indeed clear. This was a one-time occurrence, since all App Store sales are final. Hmm.
I received my refund within the hour (nice!) via PayPal and was grateful at the painlessness of the procedure. Anyway, I was left with a few lessons that I will herewith share with you:
1. Explain calmly and precisely to iTunes Support that the app is not performing as you expected (“I don’t like it“ or “I changed my mind“ won’t cut it)
2. Include your purchase reference number (yes you should keep these pesky emails from iTunes in case you need them in future)
3. Be persistent if you are required to contact the developer for assistance (they will eventually respond)

As I could see surfing at Sprint AT&T webpage the last week they are announcing their incoming releases. And as a picture does more than hundred words…

And if we still have doubts about possible phones to be acquire by AT&T they gave us full details, except for HTC which it’s impossible due to the big amount of phones with Android.

Let’s see the clues given by AT&T…

• Motorola’s unique form factor smartphone
• Dell’s first smartphone
• New HTC smartphone

First one it’s quite easy if you followed a little bit the pictures and information from CES at Vegas

Yes, we are talking about the new curious design by Motorola guys.

I must recognize, I like Motorola phones they are good quality phones that are well seen in United States and really bad seen in Europe.

This concept bring us some features like: Android 1.6, MotoBlur interface, full keyboard, and the two more curious specs:

• The swivel keyboard with camera in there
• The touch surface in the back of the screen

I never thought that the touch surface in the back of the screen may be useful, but, for example if you are seeing pictures with your friends to change from one to other you must put your finger in the screen. The advantages of the evolution, now you can’t see the picture… So using this surface you may scroll or change the pic without using the screen.

Second one it’s as simple that it’s close to an insult. They only presented a device

There are not lot of specifications regarding this phone and the features. In fact I’m not here to start talking about dimensions and camera and so on… For such requirements you can surf the net, there are pretty good webpage's.

Even I have never bought a DELL product I like their way of business, and I think this device will be a success if they release in the same way as they release their computers. Nothing else it’s needed.

Please Dell, I know you won’t never read me but I have two wishes:

First one, being tester, I will do a never seen before review

Second, release the phone in the same way as Google released Nexus One. You can choose carrier from your webpage.

The third device, which it’s HTC it’s still a mystery, they can’t show all the information or spies may die of hunger :)

And now some words about Android platform…

The good of Android platform it’s that lot of brands are in.

The bad it’s that if you can find any relationship between this Dell phone and any HTC devices powered by Android will be a coincidence.

And is this bad? Of course it’s. I like that manufacturers may change the interface but, so much means big problem. Updating device means that manufacturer must reconvert again the OS. And maybe it’s easy, but maybe not. And if the idea of Android it’s compete with other older OS like Symbian, WinMobile, Mac OS… they must show as ready to update devices.

This is already not working. Many brands and some carriers decided that they will not jump to Android 2.0

This is an incorrect way of working and the unique losers are the users. Thanks to people like Cyanogen and other programmers there is a hope to update manually your device, but with risk for your device…

We will keep looking at Android future from here and reviewing it…

Next post will be about iPhone :)

After the release the other day of Nexus One Google published this week the SDK of Android 2.1 (while I’m still waiting for 2.0…)

After seeing all the specifications about this phone before the release of the own himself, that prerelease bunch of news gave us details about some minor changes.

We were waiting for the information and just a few days after the release official release of the Smartphone they released the SDK. Now let’s take a look about the improvements at this new version of Android OS.

Those are the improvements, some of them easy to see on Nexus One

LIVE WALLPAPERS

Instead of the classic GIF based image, this time the image it’s not a GIF and it changes continuously. New and different and it’s not Apple :)

TELEPHONY

• There were some changes on the way to check signal and the strength

VIEWS

• The new viewing method present on Nexus One with 3D menu
• The panels are now 5 and there are shortcuts to go from to other.

WEBKIT

• New Web Storage in order to manipulate web storage databases
• Geolocation permissions for Webview porpoises.
• New methods to manage settings, web storage & zooming
• New Webchrome client methods to handle video, history custom views and many more

Now I completely improved the method of adding entries as I started using Live writer. Also categories are established.

Welcome to my dear readers!