Many of the largest Smartphone manufacturers choose to unveil their flagship devices at gala events: following the example set by Apple, they opt to have complete autonomy over their release events. Just this past month, we’ve seen the release of the Blackberry Q10 and Z10 from Blackberry (as well as a name-change from Research In Motion), as well as the long-awaited unveiling of the HTC One, courtesy of simultaneous launch events in London and New York. But even so, there’s one event that every mobile phone manufacturer has to keep a presence at, and that is the annual Mobile World Congress. Every year in February, the top people in the industry make their way to
First up is Samsung, the South Korean conglomerate that’s gained international renown for their Galaxy series of Smartphones. It’s very unlikely that the upcoming Galaxy S4 flagship will see its grand unveiling until March (though rumours are spreading that representatives from carrier companies will get a private chance to see the prototype S4 in action), but Samsung are still scheduled to reveal quite a few new devices. Not many of these relate directly to the mobile market: a range of Smart TVs and Samsung’s own proprietary TV service (a rival for Apple TV) would be a fitting centrepiece for their presence at the MWC. But we still anticipate a number of mid and entry-level Smartphones on the way – the entry-level Galaxy Star is rumoured to arrive shortly. Far more exciting is the news that Samsung will be diversifying the software of its devices: disenfranchised by Google’s acquisition of Motorola and the preferential treatment that Motorola may receive down the line as a result, Samsung is looking to focus less on Android this year and gradually shift the OS of its low and mid-range phones to the Tizen system, which was independently developed primarily by Intel and Samsung themselves. Additionally, Samsung would like to make a splash in the enterprise market with their B2B system, highly secure software that builds upon their previous SAFE (Samsung Approved For Enterprise) platform to make Android handsets more safe to use in enterprise environments. This would bring them into direct competition with both Blackberry and Windows Phone, who have a strong reputation for security and a robust presence in the business market. One thing’s for sure – Samsung are patently unhappy with their reputation for knock-off devices, and are looking to innovate as much as possible to impress their consumer base!
Next up we’re going to be looking at LG. Unlike Samsung, whose flagship phones are generally released at stand-alone events, LG are looking to unveil a huge range of devices at the MWC. They’ve been providing teasers for weeks now, with a subtle and pervasive advertising campaign that focuses on specific phrases: V for ‘View’ probably refers to the Optimus Vu series of series of handsets, while L for ‘StyLe’ (we thought it was a stretch too!) undoubtedly refers to the upcoming refreshed range of Optimus L phones, featuring imaginatively titled devices like the Optimus L3-2 and Optimus L7-2: hopefully, these are just developmental titles and will be changed on release. F for ‘Freedom’ corresponds to a new, upcoming range of Optimus F devices, while the G for ‘Greatness’ is an obvious reference to the flagship range of Optimus G devices – hopefully, we could be seeing a release of the rumoured LG Optimus G Pro, a refreshed and updated version of the original high-end, quad-core Optimus G! A rumoured range of Windows 8 devices is also on the horizon: while LG was an early adopter of the WP system, their comparative inexperience and some pitiful hardware meant that they abandoned the effort. But with the experience and hard work that long integration with the Android system has brought, LG is perfectly positioned to dip their toe back in the pool and attempt to break into the emerging WP8 marketplace! In particular, we’re expecting some tablets running WP8: model numbers of Z160 and H160 have been leaked and LG are hinting that at least one of their tab books will break cover at the MWC on their official blog. We’re certainly going to be keeping an eye on LG during the proceedings!
Sony are also going to be maintaining a healthy presence at the Mobile World Congress. Though they unveiled their new flagship Xperia Z Smartphone and some other high-end devices several weeks ago at the annual CES, they’re aiming to round out their selection of phones with some more mid-range Smartphones: details are continuing to leak about a phone codenamed the Sony C680X, also known as the C6802. We don’t have very much information about this phone yet – only the resolution (which is high, at 1080 x 1920) and operating system (Android 4.2). However, given that the Xperia Z is designated C660X, it’s possible that that the 680 designation refers to an updated, higher-end version of the Xperia Z, though we consider this unlikely considering how recently that device was released. It’s more likely that the C680X is the Sony Huashan, a rumoured Smartphone that we wrote about many months ago. Rumours are also circulating that Sony are planning on diversifying into the ‘phablet’ marketplace, with a 6.44 inch display and stylus pen suggested as likely additions to their upcoming device – if this is true, Sony are clearly attempting to launch a serious competitor to take the crown from Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2. The specifications that have been ‘leaked’ for this phablet, codenamed “Togari”, are very impressive: a quad-core 2.3 GHz processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and a hefty 3500 mAh battery, as well as a 13 Megapixel camera and some interesting Bluetooth experimentation (including NFC and an ‘IR blaster’ functionality which will allow the phablet to be used as a remote when coupled with one of Sony’s Bravia TVs). If this is true, we’d definitely say Sony are one to watch during the MWC, but it would be a strange move to release such a high-end device as this just a few weeks after their so-called flagship phone made its debut – either Sony are trying to dazzle the marketplace with as many top-end Smartphones as possible, or they’re willing to cannibalize part of their own market, which could be a very big blunder in the long run. Only time will tell!
We haven’t heard much else about the other big names in the Smartphone world: Apple are conspicuously silent, aside from a steady stream of rumours regarding their upcoming iWatch, which will undoubtedly be released at a stand-alone launch event sometime in the future. HTC have already released their flagship One phone and are attempting to consolidate their shaky position in the market, so we’d expect a modest presence from them, and while Nokia have released an exclusive app to help consumers navigate through the MWC (with features such as viewing venue maps without the need for an Internet connection, a live feed with upcoming events and their times noted down, and the ability to share your contact information via NFC, allowing insiders to network with people in the industry), we still haven’t heard anything substantial about new Nokia phones or tablets. Google are reducing their presence at the MWC, with an official statement that they’ll have staff on hand to aid their Android partners but only a modest, two-man booth: as usual, any significant Google announcements are scheduled for their yearly I/O fest in May. And Blackberry, of course, have already released their Z10 and Q10 flagships and are unlikely to make a splash this year. There are a number of smaller companies that are making ripples in the water this year, though – ST-Ericsson are scheduled to debut their new processor, a quad-core monster named the NovaThor L8580. Clocking in at a massive 3 GHz, the NovaThor is rumoured to be able to reach speeds normally reserved for the PC market, and ST-Ericsson have already made the bold claim that it’s the most powerful Smartphone processor to date. Asus have also released a pretty impressive advertisement featuring a UFO landing on the famous Sagrada Familia church in
There are a huge number of impressive phones and tablets scheduled for release this year, but it looks like 2013 may be the year that the technology that underpins Smartphones and tablets comes to light. With Smartphone and tablet manufacturers opting for stand-alone events for their most impressive devices, the Mobile World Congress is now the primary domain of the telecommunications industry itself – and in our view, the most exciting things scheduled for this year are things such as the NovaThor processor and Samsung’s upcoming enterprise platform. For the first time that we can remember, software is starting to overtake hardware as the most important consideration when purchasing a device, and we couldn’t be more excited!
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First up, the HTC One X. This device is the perfect high water-mark for testing the game; not only is it one of the strongest Smartphones currently on the market, it also contains the much-touted Tegra 3 chipset. For those who didn’t peruse our review of the game, Dead Trigger was designed with the Tegra 3 in mind: those fortunate enough to own a Tegra 3 device are privy to a special “ultra-high” graphical option which substantially improves the game’s graphics. Predictably, of the three devices we tested, the HTC One X came out on top.
The game ran extremely smoothly, but that was no surprise. What really amazed us was the quality of the effects. The colours were vibrant, the bloom effects were polished and miscellaneous effects such as water droplets, steam coming from pipes, and of course the muzzle flashes from your weapon were incredibly realistic. Loading times between missions were minimal, and movement was predictably smooth. In fact, the only issue we found was unrelated to the game itself: as a by-product of running the game on the coveted “ultra-high” graphical setting, we found that the HTC One X became very warm, and ran out of battery power much more swiftly than otherwise. However, battery power is a notorious issue with the One X, and the warmth of the device appeared to have no adverse effects, and swiftly faded.
Next, we tested Dead Trigger on the Samsung Galaxy S3. Despite being arguably the strongest Smartphone currently on the market (at least in terms of raw specs), the S3 is only comparable to the One X in terms of graphical capacity. Samsung do not outsource chip production to Nvidia, as HTC do; they produce their own graphical chips in-house. The Galaxy S3 runs a quad-core ARM chipset dubbed Exynos 4, which is a competitive SOC but doesn’t yet have the same range of support as the Tegra 3. Consequently, there is no option to opt into the “ultra-high” mode for the Galaxy S3. But as we saw with the overheating and battery consumption of the One X, “ultra-high” essentially constitutes overclocking: ramping up the game’s graphics at the expense of much more power. So is that necessarily a bad thing?
Well… yes, frankly. The highest normal graphical setting is certainly impressive by the standards of a Smartphone, but it fails to match up to the HD next-gen graphics set by ultra-high. It’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination: the water effects in particular retain their sheen, right down to the droplets which spatter the camera when you walk under a leaking pipe. But when compared side-by-side to the One X version, the lighting is somewhat more muted, movement is slightly more jerky and loading times are noticeably longer. However, this is solely because it lacks the ultra-high setting; Samsung’s chipsets are generally on-par with Nvidia’s in other respects, so it seems obvious that the S3 has the capacity to run as well as its competitor, it just isn’t being allowed to. We’re sure that once Madfinger Games gets around to it, the S3 can expect similar integration to that enjoyed by the One X.
Finally, we tested Dead Trigger on a Motorola Xoom tablet. To be honest, we weren’t expecting much from the tablet, as the game was designed with Smartphones in mind, but we were pleasantly surprised. It suffers a definite loss in quality; the colours are significantly grainier, loading times were longer, and – crucially – there’s a time lag between touching the screen and seeing it transfer to an on-screen result, which means you’ll often find yourself missing targets through shooting too late. On the other hand, the larger screen made things a lot easier to see, and the controls were easier to use, courtesy of the broader buttons. And in some respects, the muted colour palette actually added to the attraction – Dead Trigger, after all, has faced a lot of criticism for its overly-colourful design, with many One X users reporting headaches after prolonged use. Overall, though, the tablet experience was significantly different enough from the One X and S3 to almost qualify as a new game entirely! We definitely had a few Resident Evil 4 flashbacks while playing it.
In summary, we’d recommend that you stick with a Smartphone, though – the majority of users aren’t going to be impressed by easier controls, if the trade-off is noticeable lag. Both the One X and the S3 versions are fun to play, and if the coveted ultra-high setting makes its debut on the S3 before too much longer, they’d be virtually identical anyway!
The plot is typical zombie fare: a dystopian vision of society, where the common man rose up against the ruling classes – and the corrupt politicians release a virus to turn people into bloodthirsty monsters en-masse to make good their own escape. You play a generic grizzly-voiced survivor, who stumbles into a haven of other survivors (imaginatively dubbed ‘Safe Haven’) and becomes their primary protector, roving around the city and using a selection of guns to help out his new friends. But the plot is almost immaterial; the short missions (rarely lasting more than a few minutes) and broad-strokes storyline lend itself to a burst style of play, putting Dead Trigger in the curious position of being a lunchtime game with next-gen graphics. We approve of this pick-up-and-play style of gaming, but it might have made the game more engrossing if there was an ongoing story – unfortunately, most of the ‘plot’ consists of text-only info-dump at the start of story missions, and it’s easily overlooked by casual gamers, who click “skip” to get to the zombie jamboree as swiftly as possible.
On the plus side, there are a large variety of missions. Some of them charge you with merely surviving until the timer runs out, and generally place you within an enclosed area to make the task more difficult. Others force you to protect escape routes to let your fellow survivors make good their escape. However, with a fairly small handful of enemies to shoot in the face, and repetitious map design, it can become tiring doing the same thing over and over. Fortunately, the wide range of different guns – everything from pistols to machine guns to a freakin’ mini-gun – and a prompt to change your equipped weapon/s at the beginning to each level (along with a ‘Recommended Gun’) means that you’ll at least have a healthy arsenal of weapons in your war against the undead. The game has faced some flak for only allowing the best weapons to be unlocked by spending real-life cash, but given the price of Dead Trigger itself (currently retailing at £0.75 on the Android app store), it’s difficult to find fault with Madfinger’s strategy. They have to recoup money somewhere, after all.
In terms of graphics, it stands head-and-shoulders above its competitors. (It’s certainly a far cry from, say, Temple Run!) In particular, the Tegra 3 version of the game automatically pre-packages an “ultra high” graphics setting, which dramatically boosts the quality of such niceties as water effects and the muzzle-flash on your gun; but if you’re fortunate enough to own a Tegra 3 chipset device (such as the HTC One X), you’re going to notice a sizeable decrease in your amount of battery time when running ultra-high. The lower settings still permit a respectable experience - particularly when compared to competitor games, or even Madfinger’s previous offering, Shadowgun – but if you’ve purchased Dead Trigger, you’ll probably want to set your graphical settings as high as possible. Unfortunately, on older compatible devices, this can cause frame-drop issues which seriously interfere with the experience.
Speaking of issues, there are several to be found with the controls. Dead Trigger opts for a similar input to Shadowgun: the left-hand side of the screen permits movement, the right permits aiming, and a small targeting reticle allows you to shoot. (There’s also an option to zoom in, via another button located close to said reticle.) But the touchscreen controls aren’t always the most responsive. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, a careless sideward swipe can cause your character to spin around, allowing a zombie to bite at your back before you have a chance of recovering. More serious is the indistinct overlap between the left and right hand sides of the screen: occasionally you’ll attempt to alter your aim, only to find you’ve began running towards the enemy, instead. And as a veteran FPS player, I found the zoom-in function slightly lacking: often, the targeting did not accurately map to the location I was shooting, and reloading causes you to exit the zoom-in function entirely (unlike many comparable console shooters, which zoom out for the reload animation and instantly zoom back in, permitting seamless fire). We’d recommend anyone playing Dead Trigger on Android to opt for a gamepad, which Madfinger (wisely) support for use in their game, as this makes the experience vastly less frustrating.
Overall, Dead Trigger is an excellent game that suffers few problems. These problems are restricted mainly to its polish and presentation; with just a little more pre-testing, the annoying issues with aiming and controls could have easily been averted. The repetitious level design is a little harder to remedy, but given the majestic, baroque environments of Shadowgun, we’re sure Madfinger had more in them than a succession of dreary car parks. Nevertheless, Mobile Madhouse heartily endorses Dead Trigger, and recommends you purchase it – because despite its issues, it’s just fun to play. It might not devour your brains, but it’ll sure eat up your lunchtimes!
Look at the statistics: though Amazon’s recent Kindle Fire dominates the smaller, 7” tablet market, its sales are grossly outmatched by Apple’s ubiquitous 10” iPad. Despite being more than twice as expensive - the Kindle Fire retails at $199; iPad prices start at $400, and rise to $800+ for superior models – Apple regularly boast sales which leave Amazon in the dust. While Amazon confidently expects to sell 17 million Kindle Fire’s this year, Apple is equally sanguine about the possibility of selling 70 million iPad’s. Apple dominates over 60% of the tablet market, in fact – and it’s entirely possible that the Kindle Fire only lays claim to its humble piece of the pie because of its comparative cheapness. What are they going to do when Google’s Nexus 7 retails at $199 for the basic model, with superior spec and hardware to the Kindle Fire?
It’s a similar story in the Smartphone market. Google’s Android OS currently lays claim to over 51% of the US market, with Apple’s iOS close on its tail with around 30%. The rest of the market is divided up between smaller operating systems, such as Windows Phone, Symbian, Tizen and others. The same applies to the consumer side of things; Samsung and Apple together dominate over 50% of Smartphone sales, and – owing to their high-end devices such as the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 4S – over 90% of Smartphone profits. So in essence, the operating system war is a two-horse race between Google and Apple, and the sales war is a two-horse race between Samsung and Apple. How much of a dent can a new contender possibly make, when long-going mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia and RIM have already been edged out of the running by the current industry leads?
There’s a more pressing problem, as well – patents. As anyone with a passion for Smartphones will be aware, litigation is rife amongst Smartphone manufacturers. Apple is leading the fray, with simultaneous lawsuits against companies as diverse as HTC, Samsung, Motorola and Google, courtesy of their enormous legal department and impressive cash reserves. But even Nokia have been getting in on the act recently, launching a patent suit against Google for allegedly infringing upon one of Nokia’s Wi-Fi patents with their new Nexus 7 tablet. Most of these companies have spent years building up solid patent portfolios; Apple is well-known for registering enormous amounts, and Google has a reputation for buying out companies in order to acquire their patents: they recently bought out Motorola for $12.5 billion, obtaining more than 17,000 patents in the process. Amazon, by contrast, recent balked at the possibility of spending $400 million to outbid chipset manufacturer Intel on a number of Smartphone-related patents, despite the obvious impact this would have on their plans to diversify.
So how committed are Amazon to their new Smartphone? And how do they expect to gain substantial profits in a market already saturated with Smartphones of every stripe? Only time will tell.
For the uninitiated, Windows RT is a stripped-down version of Windows 8 designed to run on devices using ARM-based processors, such as tablets. The OS is sold only to developers, for the express purpose of preloading onto their devices; it is not intended as a standalone product for consumers. So why have Samsung opted to follow Microsoft’s lead, and release a new tablet to coincide with the release of Windows 8, when they’ve traditionally been associated with Android? Surely it would make more sense for the South Korean chaebol to utilize Google’s upcoming Android 4.1, Jelly Bean – or even wait for their much-anticipated Chrome OS, which is ultimately expected to homogenize the Google user experience and act as a bridge between laptops, tablets and Smartphones.
There are a number of explanations. The most obvious is the notion that Samsung have already established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Android market: they’re exceeded only by Apple as the premier provider of Smartphones (at least in terms of profits). It would make sense to try and diversify their market with a tablet utilizing a new OS, rather than stick to the same, tired iterations of Android. More ominously, this could signal a sea-shift in Samsung’s attitudes towards Google. Many have hypothesized that Samsung are attempting to distance themselves from Google, recently - though Google make a show of support for all adopters of their Android OS, Samsung has recently made the decision to utilize the Tizen operating system on their lower-spec Smartphones, despite the surfeit of older versions of Android (such as Froyo and Gingerbread) that are perfectly suited for this task. Samsung clearly want a little more autonomy in terms of software; or perhaps they’re just uncomfortable with putting all of their eggs in Google’s basket.
Whatever the case may be – whether diversifying their market share, or radically shifting dimensions into a new one entirely – Samsung’s tablet is slated for release in October, which will coincide with the release of both Windows 8 and Microsoft’s Surface tablet. They’ll have a lot of work ahead of them; with both a new OS to tinker with, and a hardy market opponent in the form of the Surface, diversifying into the Windows tablet market will be an uphill struggle. But assuming they can overshadow their Microsoft competition, Samsung stand to gain substantial profits from this move!
But, as is customary when a company steps on Apple’s toes, rumours are flying about Apple’s upcoming “7 inch tablet”, a supposed reaction against both the Nexus 7 and Amazon’s new version of the Kindle Fire, slated for delivery in early August. If the traditional “industry insiders” are to be believed, this hypothetical product is slated for an October release date (around the same time Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 5), and will lack the retina display of its larger brethren. The specs are expected to include an underclocked A5 processor and about 512MB of RAM, along with the same 8GB / 16GB storage options currently provided by the Nexus 7 itself. However, the Chinese site “MyDrivers” which ‘leaked’ the specifications also reported a $249 to $299 price-tag for the 8GB model – significantly more than the Nexus 7’s 8GB version, which is currently priced for pre-order at $199. This begs the question of what, if anything, a device with similar specifications to the Nexus 7 would be able to offer to warrant such a bump in price.
The answer is comparatively little. The Amazon Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7 are priced so competitively because they stand to gain little, if any, profit through direct sales; the devices are sold for scarcely more than they cost to manufacture. Profit margins are recouped through digital media sales (and in the case of Google, advertising). The larger iPad is priced higher because of its greater range of features: the option for much larger storage, the high-powered processor and – of course – the much larger screen all ensure that customers seeking a luxury purchase will opt for the iPad in lieu of cheaper tablets. The shallow end of the tablet market does not benefit from a ‘luxury’ mini iPad – so (assuming these rumours have any basis in fact) Apple would have to radically alter their traditional marketing strategy if they wanted to make a dent in a market dominated by the Kindle Fire (and set to be shook up significantly by the arrival of the Nexus 7).
The original Firefox was a revelation on release: the first internet browser to truly offer an alternative to the then-ubiquitous Internet Explorer, it attained success through a combination of superior features and a conspicuous lack of any serious competition. Mozilla managed to build up some serious goodwill amongst its users (courtesy of its non-profit, open-source nature and extensive add-ons) and briefly emerged as the premier internet browser of the time, before Google released Chrome and usurped their crown. Now Mozilla is planning on penetrating the Smartphone market too; but this time, it seems, the positions are reversed. Now it’s Google that has the early lead with the Android OS, and Mozilla that is planning on stealing first place. But it’s not that simple, because a very different situation has arisen in the Smartphone market.
Mozilla is no longer competing with Microsoft, a company well-noted (and well-criticized) for a decade-long decline in both hardware and software manufacturing; Mozilla are not up against an antiquated foe in a strictly two-horse race. The Smartphone market is dominated by Android on one side and the iOS on the other. The battle lines have already been drawn: Apple have approximately 30% of the Smartphone market, while Google dominate over 50%. Apple have established a closed-circuit system, manufacturing both hardware and software in-house for a cohesive user experience - while Google are lauded for their open-source approach, freely distributing the Android OS to developers to create a broad spectrum of devices. The two major players have been going from strength to strength, gradually inching out competitors such as RIM and Symbian, while effortlessly steam-rolling emergent operating systems such as Tizen… so what can Firefox bring to the market?
Mozilla claim that they’re aiming for the lower end of the Smartphone market, but the large number of older Android operating systems like Gingerbread and Honeycomb – coupled with simpler operating systems like Windows Phone and Bada – means that there’s no real gap in the market. The higher end is dominated by the more powerful iterations of Android and, of course, Apple’s iOS. As if Mozilla’s position were not tenuous enough, they’re currently being paid $300 million a year by Google, to ensure that Google remains the default search engine option in the Firefox browser. So how will the information supergiant react when Mozilla attempts to muscle in on their Smartphone market with a new OS? It could cause serious financial issues for Mozilla if Google decide the upstarts are more trouble than they’re worth, and simply opt to not renew their agreement in 2013.
We have to wonder if Mozilla have a trump card up their sleeve (or simply think they do), because this endeavour seems to have the odds stacked against it. Even if they were to succeed in harvesting a piece of the pie of the low-end Smartphone market, it wouldn’t be an especially notable victory; profit margins in the shallow end of the pool tend to be unspectacular, compared to the kind of annual profits seen by the likes of Apple. And even if Mozilla succeeds in offering a superior experience to its competitors, will anyone notice or care to adopt a new OS in a market where most customers have already developed entrenched brand loyalty? In the opinion of Mobile Madhouse, Mozilla should have struck to the arena of browsers, where it’s guaranteed a profit instead of just a pipe dream!
First up, the tablet we all knew was on the way, the Nexus 7. The specifications were exactly the same as were leaked in a training document earlier this week: a 7” screen, which gives the device its name; a front-facing 1.2MP camera, but no dedicated back-facing one; a 1280x800 IPS display; 1GB of RAM; Wi-Fi and Bluetooth availability; and a Nvidia Tegra 3 chip, enabling the quad-core processor which is, increasingly, becoming standard in top-end tablet and Smartphones. As you might expect from the size, the Nexus 7 is intended to counterpoint Amazon and their Kindle / Kindle Fire devices, which currently dominate the cheaper end of the tablet market – a clever marketing decision by Google, as it doesn’t tread on Apple’s feet by challenging the high-end tablet supremacy of the iPad. Nexus 7 is reportedly going to ship with Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, pre-installed: which brings us neatly to Google’s next announcement!
The Jelly Bean OS was officially announced as an incremental improvement to Android’s current OS, Ice Cream Sandwich. The largest new feature introduced is codenamed ‘Project Butter’, and is essentially software intended to improve Android hardware performance. Project Butter produces smoother animations, and improves touchscreen input recognition, as well as cutting down the speed on load times significantly. Google also managed to streamline their proprietary search interface by introducing a new search interface, which they call ‘cards’. Cards are intended to split up information into digestible and attractive snippets; for example, if you entered a number of appointments for July 25th and then searched for July 25th on your Smartphone, all of your appointments might be segregated by time. Or if you searched for a weather forecast, the display could be segregated into multiple cards displaying temperature, whether or not it is raining, barometric pressure, etc.
Google have introduced this card featured alongside a polished-up version of their voice interface software, Google Assistant. Though it doesn't yet have the sheen of Siri, Google Assistant is fast approaching the time when it will be competitive with Apple software – and the combination of clean card interface/vocal interaction offers an intuitive user interface light-years ahead of anything possible with Ice Cream Sandwich. The remainder of Jelly Bean’s innovations were largely incremental; changes like a polished-up home-screen, a superior camera application, Google Beam software to Bluetooth photographs and other media back and forth, and several other interesting utilities.
Finally, the Nexus Q. Though the Nexus Q was unveiled as Project Tungsten at I/O 2011 - and preliminarily linked to Android@Home, Google’s controversial plan to interconnect home appliances like cars, TVs and lights and have your Android Smartphone act as a ‘universal remote’ controlling them all – it was largely forgotten in the wake of other Google successes, or overshadowed completely by rumours of the Nexus 7. It was a real surprise for the Mobile Madhouse team when this spherical device was pulled out on stage. Essentially, the Nexus Q is a home media device: a black sphere with a built-in amplifier, which can wirelessly access music and play both music and video when hooked up to different devices. It’s intended to act as a gateway to Google Play, their online content distribution service, and streams music direct from the Cloud. When we predicted Cloud storage potential in Google’s future, we didn't quite have this in mind!
Streaming hubs have existed before, however. The main innovation of the Nexus Q lies in its manufacture – it is officially the first piece of hardware to be manufactured in-house by Google’s own design team. Though Google have always excelled at creating software (their open-source Android is adopted by companies as disparate as Motorola, Samsung and HTC), their true test has always been matching competitors like Microsoft, Amazon and Apple in the hardware stakes. But if the sleek and stylish sheik of the Nexus Q sphere is anything to go by, Google have nothing to worry about – they’ve passed the design test with flying colours, creating a product that Apple themselves would be proud to call their own. Though, with a price tag of $300 ($200 more than Apple TV, Apple’s version of a media streaming hub), it remains to be seen how many consumers will adopt the Nexus Q in the long-run.
So that’s Google’s I/O Conference in a nutshell – for now, at least. Its unlikely Google will be revealing any new hardware or software over the next two days, but it’s eminently possible that they’ll lay out their plans for the future, or spend their available time convincing developers of the boons of creating applications for the Android OS. We here at Mobile Madhouse can’t wait to see what they come up with next!
Unlike Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which is more about spectacle, showmanship, and the unveiling of new products, Google’s I/O (which stands for both input/output and “Innovation in the Open”, the I/O motto) is focused more on the technical side of things: it is designed primarily to appeal to developers. It features in-depth sessions and seminars, with the central aim of expanding Google’s internet and mobile phone market applications. Past I/O events have run the whole gamut of themes: from OpenSocial and the App Engine in 2008 to an onus on Google TV in 2010, Google have a habit of fixing their sights on a target and doggedly pursuing it, using the I/O as a platform to define their intent. But Google has two products that are always just in the background, defining and propping up Google themselves: their mobile phone OS, Android, and their proprietary Chrome OS, an operating system designed to run on only specific hardware from Google and its manufacturing partners (such as Asus). Given the way things have been going this year, we can make some educated guesses as to which way the wind is blowing!
First up is the Google Nexus 7 tablet. This is a definite showpiece: after an internal training document leaked online recently, revealing the design and specifications of the device, Google will really have to pull out the stops to ramp up some excitement for this long-anticipated tablet. Dubbed the Nexus 7 because of its 7” screen, this smaller tablet offering is designed to compete directly against Amazon’s Kindle in the budget tablet market, eschewing the more expensive tablet marketplace (currently dominated by Google’s chief competitor, Apple, and their ubiquitous iPad).
Secondly, the new version of the Android OS, dubbed Android 4.1, or “Jelly Bean”, if we’re following Google’s alphabetical/sweets naming scheme. Judging by the fact it’s Android 4.1 instead of Android 5.0, Jelly Bean will be an incremental update over the current Ice Cream Sandwich OS, providing a more polished experience and greater utility, but no real overhaul. Common consensus is that alterations will include Chrome becoming the default browser, a refurbished GUI, and the debut of Google’s long-rumoured voice interface program, currently codenamed ‘Majel’ after the wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Such a program could provide the edge that Google needs against Apple’s much-touted Siri system.
Finally, we can probably expect to see some expansion in Google’s Cloud-based storage systems. Out of all the “big three” developers (Google, Microsoft and Apple), Google are the company to embrace the potentialities of Cloud-based storage and computing the most fervently. It wouldn’t surprise us if an expansion to their Cloud storage services was imminent – though this news would be of little importance to the casual user, as the ability to rent out virtual servers to provide extra power for applications is something only the hardcore user (or developer) would be interested in pursuing. But for budding online businesses, such an expansion could be a real boon – and it would make sense to compete with Elastic Compute Cloud, Amazon’s Cloud storage service, since Google are already going for Amazon’s tablet jugular with the Nexus 7.
But this is all speculation for now – we’ll have to wait until tomorrow for any real details. And just like a child at Christmas, we can’t wait to see what Google pull out of their sleeve!
What does this mean for the consumer? Given the lower version number, we can assume that Jelly Bean is going to be a less radical overhaul of the Android OS than previously anticipated. Images of the Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ seem to corroborate this, with new default wallpaper and a different version of Google’s search bar on the homepage, but few other differences from the standard ICS. We confidently predict Google to notch up a few additional features, too; it’s likely Chrome will become the default browser for the iOS at this point, and the drivers will probably be optimized to help save battery life, especially considering the surplus of new quad-core Android Smartphones like the One X and Galaxy S3 (which can run out of battery in a mere day of hard usage).
But if you’re looking for any kind of overhaul – whether in terms of software or UI - we’re afraid you’re going to have to wait for the Key Lime Pie update!
But despite their comparative lack of experience, Microsoft have made a clever decision in deciding to take full control of their tablet computer; one similar to Apple’s recent decision to launch their own mapping system, rather than rely on Google Maps, or Samsung’s recent decision to utilize Bada instead of the Android OS on their entry level Smartphones – essentially, it’s not a great idea to rely on companies you’re in competition with in other areas. Both Apple and Samsung have a healthy mistrust of Google (proprietor of both Google Maps and the open source Android OS) because it has an impetus to harvest their customer’s data for advertising purposes: ergo, they are trying to become more self-sufficient, and cut Google off at the source (or at least stymie their efforts). Similarly, Microsoft could have outsourced hardware production to a company like Intel or Samsung, but by doing so they are essentially ‘sleeping with the enemy’. Additionally, by overseeing all aspects of both design and programming, Microsoft ensure that the Surface Tablet really is their device, custom made from the ground up and thus guaranteed to contain all of the features they desire.
And what are those features, you may be wondering? Well, sadly, Microsoft hasn’t released all of the specifications for their device yet, but the ones they have are fairly promising. They pledge to create two versions of the Surface Tablet: a smaller and weaker variant (weighing 676g at 9.3mm thick, designed with Windows RT and low-power processors in mind), and the Pro version (weighing 903g at 13.5mm thick, running the standard Windows 8 OS and designed for standard Intel chipsets). Both, however, possess 10.6” HD screens, a case incorporating a thin (and optional) keyboard peripheral, and a kickstand so users can watch the screen without straining their hands. While the Pro tablet has a maximum of 128GB memory, the RT version has a peak of only half that (and its standard version is a mere quarter, at 32GB). The Microsoft press release that accompanied the unveiling states that the Surface Tablet has a full sized USB port, a 16:9 aspect ratio and 22 degrees angled edges, meaning that even the weaker RT version should have no issue with running full 1080p HD video.
So far, reaction to the device has been mixed. Most pundits are impressed by the design of the Surface Tablet: one stalwart Apple blogger even grudgingly conceded that Microsoft could make substantial money by simply revamping the Surface Tablet case for the iPad, since it is so innovative and attractive. But the prevailing opinion is that there are not enough details about the specifications to make an informed judgement about the Surface Tablet yet. And almost everybody feels that Microsoft may be jeopardizing its relationships with other companies (such as Samsung, manufacturer of a previous Microsoft tablet computer) – analyst Michael Gartenberg speculated that “Microsoft felt they could not rely on others to deliver on their vision for Windows 8 in mobile computing”. Will Microsoft’s former partners resent their decision to stand on their own two feet, and withdraw support? And if they did, would Microsoft be capable of producing their own hardware in the long term? And – most seriously of all – is the fledgling Surface capable of going head-to-head with the ubiquitous iPad and coming out on top?
Only time can tell if Microsoft’s decision to diversify will be a good one.
This isn’t a particularly substantial rift in the two company’s fortunes. While Bada has the potential to steal some of Android’s thunder (and thus risk diluting the essential two horse race between the iOS and Android), the fact it’s designed with budget Smartphones in mind means that it will essentially act as a ‘gateway’ OS to draw in new customers, who may not be attracted to expensive, high end tour de forces like Samsung’s Galaxy S3. Samsung are also considering combining the base Bada system with the open-source Tizen OS; as another system which is not intended to upset the balance between Android and iOS (and as one which attracts third party developers courtesy of its freely-distributed nature), Tizen should add the muscle which Bada has so far sadly lacked.
It’s a savvy business decision from Samsung; they won’t be upsetting the proverbial apple cart, but simultaneously they’ll be setting the groundwork for a day when their own operating system is poised to take a chunk of the market. And with Tizen’s developers on board (along with the developers who helped develop the MeeGo system, swathes of which were appropriated for Tizen), Samsung are guaranteed at least some success in the arena of third party development, ensuring a healthy library of applications on launch. We’re fairly confident that Samsung will be launching at least one Bada/Tizen Smartphone this year; though the cost of developing software like this may be prohibitive under normal circumstances, Samsung’s healthy financial future means that it’s impossible to rule it out entirely!
But even a strategic partnership with Microsoft hasn’t turned Nokia’s fortunes around, and they recently announced a number of dramatic cuts. 10,000 Nokia employees will be losing their jobs during this cull, which Nokia claim is the only way to preserve their struggling company. In addition, an unspecified number of manufacturing plants are to be shut down, there are to be numerous changes in personnel, and Nokia’s luxury phone brand Vertu - whose devices are made of ultra-expensive materials like gold, diamond and carbon fibre – is to be sold off to a third party. Nokia’s forecast for the future remains grim, however: they have predicted continued financial hardship for the remainder of the year, to “[a] somewhat greater extent than previously expected”. And we’re regretfully forced to concur, because cuts of this magnitude can often be devastating to a company: particularly a company like Nokia, intent on reclaiming their lost resources. By trimming the fat to such an extreme, Nokia may well have lost the capacity to compete on equal footing with their Android/Apple competitors, and doomed themselves to a slow degeneracy as a result.
The numbers speak for themselves. While Samsung and Apple have gone from strength to strength (Samsung have sold 44.5 million in the Smartphone market this quarter, while Apple have sold 35 million), Nokia are increasingly falling behind (with sales of 12 million in the first quarter). Their stock value is at its lowest level since 1996, putting it at a sixteen year low. An August 2011 statement by Nokia’s US subsidiary head, Chris Weber, sums up their issue: “the reality is that if we’re not successful with Windows Phone, it really doesn’t matter what we do”. And as our 
For example, the company was busy developing three separate designs for the Galaxy S3 at any one point, to throw sleuths off the trail. That doesn’t mean there were two dummy designs and a real one, with only the real one facing upgrades – all three designs faced the same periodic updates, ensuring that even the engineers working on them couldn’t differentiate the truth from the lies! These prototypes were locked in secure cases even when carried to an adjacent developer’s room, guaranteeing that passers-by couldn’t get a glimpse of the device. And such transportation was a necessity, because reproducing images of the S3 prototypes were strictly forbidden. Engineers couldn’t snap a photograph or even take a sketch of the components, and were instead forced to describe the nuances of the design out loud when requesting items from Samsung’s procurement department, to avoid even the grainiest photograph or the roughest sketch from leaking into the public domain.
And of course, that’s not mentioning the usual security measures established in a situation like this – a team of elite engineers and developers who are the only ones permitted to view the device; a separate working area from the rest of the development staff; sophisticated security technology like retinal scanners, fingerprint identifiers, etc to avoid drop-ins… as staff have acknowledged, the security measures were often incredibly tedious, and were described by one engineer as “tiring and frustrating”. They were forced to lie to even close family members in order to ensure that no “loose lips sink ships” scenarios came to the fore. One engineer denied his involvement with the Galaxy S3 to his precocious young son, who had (correctly) guessed that his prior work on the Galaxy S and S2 would lead to a similar position on the S3’s design committee. Others had to repudiate allegations from curious wives and parents, bound to a non-disclosure agreement that was valid until the 3rd of May (the eve of Samsung’s gala event in London, at which the S3 was introduced to the public).
Ultimately, all of their preparation paid off: despite a few grainy photographs managing to leak online, the disparity between the three “prototypes” reduced their veracity, and nobody managed to view the complete design prior to its grand unveiling. The engineers deserve a lot of credit for their efforts; not only on the development of the device, but the incredible lengths they went to in order to keep it under wraps. The lack of publicity meant that the introduction of the S3 was that much more special – and could certainly account for a portion of their record-breaking 9 million pre-orders!
The Tipo’s appeal is simple: it possesses two SIM cards, and has a dedicated hardware key allowing you to switch between them at will (in addition to software settings which permit you to automatically switch between SIM cards during conditions which you can pre-set, such as time of day). It bolsters its usefulness by being a fairly good low-end Smartphone, to boot, with a 3.2 Megapixel camera, just under 3GB of storage (expandable via SD card) and connectivity features such as 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as the prerequisite scratch resistant glass. Essentially, it’s intended to bridge the gap between a cheaper feature phone and the low end of the Smartphone market, and act as a jumping-off point for new consumers. Unusually for such a device, though, it’s running the most recent version of Android (the Ice Cream Sandwich OS) despite having only a single-core processor with a mere 800MHz – the Sony Xperia Play pulls down 1GHz and is still apparently unable to handle ICS. Running the latest version of Android should certainly sweeten the deal for the casual user, on what could otherwise appear to be a fairly lacklustre and gimmicky device.
But accusations of gimmickry aside, Sony are still learning a trick that many of their competitors have yet to master – diversification. In much the same way that the Xperia Acro S and the Xperia Go were intended to appeal to mobile phone user’s on-the-go, the Tipo Dual is intended to appeal to casual users and individuals who’d like to utilize two mobile phone networks simultaneously. Sony’s recent devices may lack the power of HTC’s One range, but they’re succeeding with their goal of appealing to very different types of users, and by doing so they're broadening their market reach accordingly. And, if rumours of the upcoming 
There are obvious merits to a system like Android; parent company Google’s policy of allowing disparate companies to adapt the OS as they see fit means that massively more Android Smartphones are being activated every day – some estimates place it at over 900,000, or roughly 10 per second. But with so many Android handsets out there, it’s a strain for developers to create applications that are capable of running on multiple devices. For example, when Instagram – a popular application that made its name on the iPhone – initially launched on Android systems, it lacked compatibility with HTC’s flagship One X device; arguably the most powerful Android Smartphone on the market at that time. That would be equivalent to Instagram lacking compatibility with the iPhone 4S on release; it would curtail a massive amount of potential users.
Apple, by contrast, utilizes their proprietary, homebrewed iOS on their Smartphones. The numbers speak for themselves: while only 7% of Android users are utilizing Android’s most recent version, 5.0 (the Ice Cream Sandwich OS), more than 80% of Apple consumers use the iOS 5 (and are consequently poised to immediately upgrade to the iOS 6 upon release with no issue). For the majority of users, this isn’t exactly a deal-breaker; only the hardcore fringe of customers cares about having the most up-to-date operating system sheerly for the sake of it. What is a deal-breaker, however, is being unable to use the most recent and popular applications because your phone was left out of some anonymous developer’s calculations. And it’s impossible to deny that the risk of that happening is far greater for an Android device than an Apple device.
That’s the biggest difference between the two opposing operating systems – unity. While Android may have a vibrant audience (and unquestionably broader, in terms of market appeal, than Apple’s), their sturdy opponent has a much greater ability to shepherd their users towards the most recent versions of their device. But, as in all things, there is a trade off for this - at the top echelons of development, the iPhone becomes inferior to devices like the Samsung Galaxy S3 or HTC One X. While a much more consistent OS than Android, leaving the iOS in the hands of one company has made it less adapatable and spontaneous overall. So while Apple may snicker at the "nerds" who tinker with their devices to maximize performance, or the applications which make such software alterations possible, they're still able to milk much less out of their Smartphones than the dedicated Android user.
According to Micha Benoliel, CEO of Open Garden, “as long as the devices are in proximity they [can] recognize themselves seamlessly. If once device in the mesh has access to the Internet, then the other device can benefit from it.” This is a revolutionary method of connectivity: as long as someone nearby has the Open Garden app, and available Wi-Fi connectivity, any other user in the area with the application can “piggyback” from their connection. When there’s no available internet connection, the application can access the internet via links through other devices, such as laptops. And there’s no need to worry about the stability of your connection; if the connector device leaves the network, the connection is automatically routed through the next-best available device.
While this kind of peer-to-peer networking is nothing new on desktop computers, there are few precedents of this variety of software being utilized successfully on mobile devices. The application is particularly useful as it works on devices of different calibres: you can utilize a laptop to connect via an iPhone, or an iPhone to connect via an Android device, ensuring cross-platform use. There are even plans to tailor the amount of memory and data that users can allocate to the application, as well as the capacity to connect to different social networks in order to designate the desired network sharers. While all this stands to be very useful for consumers, some mobile networks have criticised Open Garden’s plans, foreseeing loss of revenue: Benoliel, for his part, claims that Open Garden will help to decongest crowded networks, as Wi-Fi offers more capacity. Whether Open Garden will have a profound effect on the future of 3G and 4G, however, remains to be seen.
That means that if certain conditions are met, the profiles will kick in and perform their set function. For example, you could overclock your processor up until it reaches a certain temperature; and at that point, automatically cause it to return to default factory settings (or even reduce CPU speed further, to allow swifter cool-down). Or you could set your mobile to automatically enter sleep mode during a certain time of the day, ensuring that you don’t compromise your battery by forgetting to turn your phone off after bedtime, or during work hours. It’s far from the most exciting application out there, but if you’re looking to have total control over the technical aspects of your device, there are few better applications out there.
9 – FlightTrack
If you’re in a line of work which necessitates repeated plane travel, FlightTrack will be literally indispensable to you. It does exactly what you’d expect, based on the title: tracking over 16,000 airports worldwide and covering more than 1400 airlines, FlightTrack gives you real-time, constantly updating information about all the minutiae of any flight you’re embarking upon: departure times, gate statuses, and even direct links to alternate flights. In the event that yours is cancelled, you can find a replacement in a mere tap!
In addition to this basic utility, FlightTrack has a number of other features; including the ability to share the status of your flight via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, the capacity to view your seat in relation to the rest of the plane, and even fully imaged tracker maps, which will detail the type of weather your flight can be expected to encounter on-route. It’s refreshing to see an application with such a clear-cut use include so many fringe features like this, to make the experience that much more user-friendly.
There are only two real disadvantages to be found with FlightTrack, in fact – first, the fact that charter flights are not supported via the application; secondly, the fact that its many features means that it’s a real drain on the battery power of your Smartphone. Perusing it for any kind of extended period can be devastating. With that said, FlightTrack has anticipated even this failing, by incorporating a simple homescreen widget, to allow you to track your flight of choice even when the application is closed. For the constant traveller, there’s no better companion to be found than FlightTrack.
8 – Nova Launcher Prime
Nova Launcher Prime is, essentially, a homescreen replacement compatible with Android 4.0+ Smartphones, for those who want a more performance-driven UI than the default Ice Cream Sandwich. With that said, the amount of features Nova possesses marks it apart from other, lesser overlays. For a start, it’s very intuitive; there are a number of default gestures that you can perform to swiftly (in some cases, automatically) launch applications on the homescreen, such as pinching, swiping, or two-finger tapping, which cuts down on the clumsy touch-screen fumblings that some overlays encourage.
In addition to its intuitive interface, Nova Launcher’s smart features perform automatic tasks like hiding little-used applications on the desktop, ensuring that there’s less clutter to be found, and features an automatic count of any missed messages, ensuring that you’ll never lose important information from your Gmail or SMS. There is the capacity for unlimited custom tabs, and apps can be organized into individual tabs or custom folders. It’s a much cleaner and more utilitarian option than the messier ICS default screen, and for that, it has the Mobile Madhouse recommendation!
7 – SketchBook Mobile
While desktop computers possess far greater power when it comes to drawing/editing applications such as Photoshop, most of the artists I know prefer to perform on a tablet computer. That’s because it’s a far more intuitive and personal experience, and probably also because it’s more evocative of classical art: it’s almost like an electronic sketchpad. So I’m always excited to see a mobile and tablet-oriented piece of drawing/editing software, especially when it’s of such a high-quality standard as SketchBook Mobile.
It possesses most of the same features an illustrator would expect of Photoshop: the capacity for multiple layers, many different brush types, a full spectrum of colours to choose from and even some fairly basic editing software. It has an attractive UI, a negligible price tag and is very responsive to pen strokes: everything, in short, that you would require from your editing software.
The only common complaint I’ve heard about SketchBook relates to its “pen pressure support” feature; theoretically, the application should be able to detect how hard you’re pressing down with the pen, and adjust the resultant illustration accordingly in terms of line thickness/depth of shading. But many customers claim this functionality is stunted or completely absent on their device. While I can’t say that’s a crippling loss for a casual sketcher like myself, it may well be a deal-breaker for a desktop-user, accustomed to fine-tuned detail and unwilling to compromise on perfection. With that said, the price of SketchBook Mobile, coupled with its plethora of features, means that it’s hard to get angry about even its failings. At it's core, it remains a very competent and very fun app.
6 – SoundHound
Following in the footsteps of applications like Shazam, SoundHound is specifically designed to circumvent one of life’s major irritations – having a song lyric or tune stuck in your head, without remembering the song name or artist. Unlike Shazam, however (whose major draw was the capacity to hold your device up to a radio, and have information about the song rapidly show up on screen), SoundHound also possesses the incredible ability to recognise songs when sung or hummed by you, making it far more useful on-the-go.
In addition to its primary function of swiftly recognising different songs, SoundHound has a number of fringe features, too; links to the social networking sites of identified artists, links to YouTube to watch song videos, optional auto-sharing so your friends can see the songs you’ve listened to, and even the capacity to buy songs in several different formats, once they’ve been identified. For ease of use, there’s a homescreen widget which permits you to identify music without having to launch the application. And for the purposes of nostalgia, the application can even remember the location you first discovered a song, in case you want to get a little teary-eyed over that Rod Stewart ballad. So if you have a bad memory, and a passion for music, you should make SoundHound your first priority.
5 – Star Chart
Some of the applications we reviewed were utilitarian to the extreme, focusing only on bare-bones utility; of them all, only Star Chart surpassed its base usage to transcend into something of gorgeous aesthetic appeal. All you have to do is point your Android device up at the sky, and hey presto – Star Chart will identify the star (or planet) you’re looking at. Utilizing state-of-the-art GPS technology and 3D imaging techniques, Star Chart also calculates the positions of every other star and planet in the sky based on your initial image, permitting you to know precisely what’s going on in the sky – even in broad daylight!
But, of course, that isn’t all. The constellations are rendered as beautiful pieces of artwork (inspired by the art of a 15th century astronomer), lending an elegant and classy air to the application. It also permits you to explore the night sky through finger-tapping, allowing you to play at being an armchair astronomer yourself – and with accurate, photorealistic depictions of the 5000+ different stars visible from Earth, you may even be caught up in the illusion yourself! Additionally, you can find out more information about any celestial body of your choice by simply clicking on it - allowing you to find out its diameter, distance from the sun, and more!
Fully configurable to your exacting specifications, Star Chart allows you to ignore any object you’re not interested in. If you just want to view the constellations responsible for star signs, you can; if you only want to see planets, and no stars, you can do that too. You can even manually enter a location to discover what the night sky looks like from a different continent. The crowning achievement for me, though, is the capacity to point your Android device at the ground during daytime, and see the opposite hemisphere’s star system. Even if you have no interest in astronomy or the solar system at large, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t give Star Chart a look; you won’t find a cheaper way to blow apart your mind and your expectations!
4 – Titanium Backup PRO
No frills, no fancy widgets, no overlays – the Titanium Backup PRO is usable and useful, a no-nonsense application with a clear-cut mission statement and a dedication to fulfilling it. Its primary function, obviously, is to back up your files: its utilitarian interface allows you to quickly and easily set up a backup system. Whether you want to individually back up your save game files and applications, or have them automatically backed up en-masse at preset intervals, Titanium Backup has the capacity to cater to your exacting specifications.
It also possesses a number of auxiliary functions, such as the capacity to freeze apps, encrypt your files to ensure they are secure, sync itself to cloud-based storage systems such as Dropbox... it can even backup your applications without closing them down - ensuring total system security even when you’re, say, playing Angry Birds on the sly. The developers are constantly adding new functionality as and when appropriate; the capacity to sync to Google Drive was enabled less than three days after its initial debut! With constant free updates, you can’t really say no – so if you don’t want to lose any vital information on your Android mobile, make sure to invest in Titanium Backup.
3 – Paper Camera
Another stylish novelty application, Paper Camera is one of a plethora of applications that allows you to set a filter, which will subsequently be applied to any photograph you take with your phone’s camera. Though a fairly simple proposition, the sheer number of filters available (including sketches, neon, and film noir style) ensures that you have a huge amount of choice when it comes to your photography. Additionally, it differs from many other applications that utilize such filters, in that the filter is pre-set prior to taking the photograph, rather than acting as a post-effect (which can compromise on the quality of the photographs).
The watchword of Paper Camera appears to be “convenience”, because the whole experience is streamlined and stripped down. Once a photograph is taken, it is automatically placed into your gallery; there’s no need to save it, or introduce a file name. The interface is practically idiot-proof; without any complex editing options to trip up the casual user, there’s virtually no learning curve whatsoever – once you’ve enabled your effect of choice, you just snap, snap, snap to your heart’s content. That’s what really makes Paper Camera so special, compared to competition which is often more polished and professional; while it’s a little rough around the edges, it has heart to fall back on.
2 – Smart Tools
Smart Tools is, essentially, a portmanteau application: a combination of five separate applications, released (for free) individually under the aegis of the titular Smart Tools Co: Smart Ruler Pro, Smart Measure Pro, Smart Compass Pro, Smart Meter Pro and Smart Light Pro. As you might be able to guess, Ruler was designed to measure things like length and angle; Measure was designed to measure height and distance; Sound Meter is a sound-level meter with a vibrometer attached; Compass is (of course) a compass, with a GPS and metal detector also attached; and Light is an application which simulates a flashlight.
Individually, these applications were all useful pieces of utility, but together they constitute the software equivalent of a Swiss penknife: multi-purpose and innately adaptable. If you ever find yourself wondering how long your pen is, or how far exactly you are from the nearest toilet, you now have the capability to satisfy even the most meandering supposition! Smart Tools may not be nearly as glamorous as an application like Paper Camera, but of all the applications we downloaded in preparation for this list, Smart Tools assuredly saw the most use.
1 – SwiftKey X Keyboard
You might be a little underwhelmed by the notion of a digital touchscreen keyboard taking precedence over flashier (and, let’s be honest, more groundbreaking) applications like SoundHound in our estimation, but anybody who has used the SwiftKey X Keyboard will attest to how incredibly useful it is. It possesses much more sophisticated technology than other digital keyboards; while many keyboards have the capacity to “learn” words, ensuring that they become more synchronized with your idiom and vocabulary as time goes on, SwiftKey X – as the name implies – is much faster at synonymising itself with you.
In addition to this swift learning capacity, the SwiftKey X can also predict the structure of your sentences, meaning it will offer suggestions on words you’re likely to use next. After building up a bit of a rapport with your keyboard, it’s even possible to construct sentences “mad-libs” style, by just allowing the keyboard to predict the words you want. It also has a spellchecker of unparalleled sophistication; even the sloppiest typographical errors are magically transformed into cohesive sentences. As if all that wasn’t enough, the keyboard can be resized at will, meaning that an individual with smaller or larger hands won’t suffer unduly while typing – all they have to do is alter the settings of the application!
With thirty five different language keyboards to choose from, and more on the way, SwiftKey X Keyboard truly deserves its lofty position in the top five rankings of Android’s (paid) application store. At less than £2, it’s one of the best bargains available there, too – you really stand to lose nothing by giving it a try. It comes highly recommended, and is, by common consensus, the favourite utility application of the Mobile Madhouse team!
But as a site that manufactures mobile phone peripherals, our chief area of interest lies in Google’s mobile phone operating system – the freely distributed Android OS. Owing to this open-source policy of distribution, Google have successfully manoeuvred themselves into a position of supremacy in the Smartphone market; the concept of a mobile OS that can be tinkered with extensively is an attractive prospect for companies like Samsung and HTC, who incorporate their own GUIs to ensure browsing their unique phones is a singular experience. It’s the anti-iOS: unlike Apple’s proprietary operating system, which is singularly linked to the experience of owning an iPhone, Android prides itself on its diversity and usefulness across a broad spectrum of devices.
But Google, clever company that they are, know that there’s always room for improvement, and they’re looking to their competitors for inspiration. In the past, Microsoft attempted to run their Windows OS across different types of devices, such as tablets, phones and desktops, to provide a homogenous user experience, building up brand familiarity. Their efforts, sadly, failed. This stands in contrast to Apple’s successful policy of building up a brand through marketing, while utilizing thoroughly different operating systems for different devices – just compare the iOS, their iPhone operating system, to the OS X, the classic operating system of their wildly popular Macs. Keeping this in mind, Google are opting to move towards a gradual conflation of Android, their Smartphone operating system, and Chrome OS, their cloud-based operating system that recently debuted on their chromebook and chrometop devices.
It makes sense from a business perspective. In the past, Google had to adopt the simpler Android system for phones, because they lacked the processing power to run software as sophisticated as that found in the Chrome OS. But as Smartphones grow smarter, and prices gradually decrease, it’s becoming more and more cost effective and easy to premiere powerful, versatile software like Chrome OS on a device small enough to hold in one hand. But they don’t want to make the mistake that Microsoft did, which was, essentially, brutally ramming an operating system designed for desktops across platforms that simply didn’t complement it. So their plan is to smoothly and organically combine the two platforms, taking the best features of each to create a seamless (but still distinctive) browsing experience. Their Chrome web browser has already made its debut on Android 4.0, marking Google’s first steps into convergence; who knows what kind of conflated Chrome/Android powerhouse could be created by the time the 5.0 or 6.0 versions roll around?
It’s easy to lose yourself in the clouds (or perhaps simply place your head in cloud-based storage for a time) when thinking of such heady notions, but for the casual consumer, there’s likely to be little change. Google is a superb company ran by bright and forward-thinking people; they’re sure to retain the unique elements that make Smartphones and desktops special, no matter how similar the operating systems of each may become!
Though the platform is outsourced to different hardware vendors, in much the same way Android is, there’s no clear sense of that community that makes the Android such a singular experience; there’s a dearth of apps, and much fewer developers, compared to the Android’s surplus of both. There’s considerably less customization available as a consequence – meaning that despite having a business ideology similar to Google’s Android, the homogeneity and simplicity of the OS makes it seem a lot more like Apple’s. Compare and contrast this to the hardware of Windows phones, which, by and large, express the same degree of variation that you’ve come to expect from Android. The experience is not cohesive enough: it lacks the trademark focus of its competition.
Microsoft is certainly attempting to make up for this deficit; they’ve been making a real push to expand their market lately, contributing huge amounts of money to developers and even, in some cases, giving away devices in order to ensure that the prospect of developing for their company seems as attractive as possible. They’ve also updated their design philosophy: with the advent of proprietary, functional software like Metro (a clean and minimalistic UI, with easy window toggling to reduce confusion while utilizing multiple applications) and Bing (a multi-input search engine function that allows you to seamlessly blend touchscreen, voice, and vision input to fluidly search for content), they seem to finally be developing a market identity of their own.
Sadly, however, it still seems to be a market identity founded on the notion of compromise – compromise between the respective extremes of the open-source Android OS and the proprietary Apple iOS. Even at their most inventive, the Windows phone selection that presently exists is mid-range: mid-range in terms of specifications, mid-range in terms of price and, sadly, mid-range in terms of available features. Whether they can pick up the slack to eventually compete on an equal footing with their competitor’s remains to be seen; but, given the current climate of Smartphone development and programming, Microsoft would be better sticking to the desktop computer marketplace.
It’s a shame; a greater range of Smartphones can only result in more choices for the consumer. But in this system dominated by only two companies, it seems that consumers aren’t interested in choice; they’re more concerned with brand recognition.
The Acro S (pictured above) has some fairly impressive specifications, when stacked up against its foes in the Smartphone market. Though it couldn’t hope to rival top-end Smartphones like the S3, it still boasts a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 12 Megapixel camera, 16GB of onboard storage (with a card slot that can add up to another 32GB in a pinch), and a number of fringe features like image/video stabilization, smile detection, and active noise cancellation for smoother conversations.
But while you’d need a case or cover to protect a different Smartphone of correspondingly powerful specifications, the Acro S has an almost preternatural fortitude. With a 4.3 inch screen made of scratch-resistant, shatterproof glass, and a casing designed to be water and dirt repelling, Sony claims that the Acro S can survive being submerged in water for up to thirty minutes without suffering any ill effects – making it the perfect Smartphone to enjoy on the beach, in the bath, or even scuba-diving! (Imagine the quality of pictures you could take underwater with this bad boy!)
The Xperia Go (above), meanwhile, is even tougher. While its specifications are considerably more modest (with half the onboard available storage, a 1 GHz dual-core processor, a mere 5 Megapixel camera and more stripped down, utilitarian fringe features, in addition to a smaller screen and lower pixel density), Sony place its toughness at a staggering IP67 certification. Compare this to the hardy Xperia Acro S, which has a mere IP55, and you’ll come to the (correct) conclusion that the Xperia Go is virtually the toughest mobile on the market today - discounting all the low-end, feature phone bricks out there, of course.
Given Sony’s recent bad luck with legal battles, weak sales, and money trouble, it’s nice to see them getting back on their feet in a way as unique and interesting as this. They’re carving out a new niche in the market: one defined not by the power of the phone’s software, or by an ultra-impressive range of specifications, but by the raw, bloody-minded strength of its hardware! We here at Mobile Madhouse can respect the dogged determination of the Sony giant – don’t be surprised if, a few months down the line, we debut a range of Xperia Go and Xperia Acro S peripherals!
Anticipation for the S3 has been high for quite some time. Its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S2, was the high water-mark for Samsung’s burgeoning Smartphone expansion in 2011 – the device which afforded them record highs in their ongoing struggle against Apple, the market-dominating behemoth responsible for the ubiquitous iPhone.
For the first time, Samsung showed market growth exceeding that of Apple: more than 80% comparative to Apple’s roughly 50% gain. So the follow-up to the S2 was regarded as something of a Holy Grail for those disgruntled with Apple’s comparative supremacy; the device finally capable of knocking the iPhone from its coveted pedestal.
But the excitement reached fever-pitch on May 3rd, when Samsung unveiled the device and its many possibilities at an ultra-glitzy launch event at Earl’s Court in London. A mobile which, up until that point, had been regarded as some mythical ideal was painstakingly demonstrated in full – and, somehow, failed to disappoint.
Features such as the touted eye-tracking (preventing the phone from switching off while you observe the screen), the smart voice control (allowing greater utility when busy with other tasks) and expansive Cloud-based storage (courtesy of a partnership with digital storage company Dropbox.com) whipped up Samsung loyalists into a veritable frenzy of anticipation.
Now that the phone has finally been released, all of Samsung’s market goals have been confirmed: the S3 has had the most successful launch out of any Samsung product to date. In fact, not only has it marked Samsung’s most successful launch to date, but also the most successful launch for any Android phone, boasting more than nine million pre-orders – a heady figure, considering the comparatively lacklustre performance of the iPhone 4S (just over 4 million).
With that said, there was a fairly large issue on launch – despite promising the definitive capacity to meet every pre-order issued, an issue with the manufacturing process of the “pebble blue” coloured devices means that they have been delayed. They will now hit the market more than two weeks late; even the casual Smartphone user can see how this would alienate a significant proportion of Samsung’s user-base, especially in the light of their prior guarantee.
g~~60_35__82946.JPG "The Pebble Blue Samsung Galaxy S3")
For the time being, then, the Galaxy S3 is the Smartphone of the moment, a title it richly deserves due to its power, utility, and clever marketing. But the year is only half over; and with Apple’s annual WWDC just around the corner, the iPhone 5 (or “The New iPhone”, as the case may be) is almost certain to make its own debut before the end of the year. Samsung enthusiasts may be hoping that their chosen developer pulverises Apple effortlessly… but if we know anything about their company, it’s that the iPhone giant unlikely to go down without a fight!
1000.jpg "Samsung Galaxy S3 Black S-Line")
1000.jpg "Samsung Galaxy S3 Pink Flip")
If you’re not fortunate enough to own this sublime piece of hardware, you’ll be forgiven for not knowing why it’s such an excellent mobile. Undoubtedly, part of the reason is psychosomatic: HTC recorded a degree of profit loss prior to the release of the One X, and it’s clear they threw their heart and soul into its production as a way of proving their worth to their detractors. The subsequent success of the device has made it something of a golden boy in the eyes of Smartphone enthusiasts, and definitely revived HTC’s flagging fortunes, fanning the fire of their financial success.
But, of course, that’s not the only reason why this phone is so popular. The HTC One X is powerful. Secreted in its lightweight, slimline 8.9mm frame lays a quad-core processor, Nvidia’s Tegra 3, which provides some genuine oomph in terms of CPU speed. Its screen is 4.7 inches, which would be a formidable enough size on a phone with less features (HTC have, in fact, marketed entire advertising campaigns around screen size before – just look at the HTC Titan), but seems to be just business as usual with the powerhouse One X. This gargantuan display is capable of 720p HD, utilizing LCD technology (in lieu of the AMOLED display favoured by rival Samsung) to offer an incredible visual experience, with less blurring and more exacting colour accuracy than nearly all competitors. This is carried through by the sleek and minimalistic design of the One X, eschewing excessive button input in favour of a slate-inspired modus that is far more elegant and intuitive.
In terms of its software, the One X ships with Android 4.0, the Ice Cream Sandwich OS that most Smartphone enthusiasts have come to know and respect. As per usual for HTC devices, it’s overlaid with the HTC Sense GUI, transforming the OS into one of the sleekest, most professional and eye-catching browsing experiences around. It comes prepackaged with Beats Audio, ensuring lossless, studio-quality performance, irrespective of the music you prefer. There’s 32GB of onboard storage; which is fairly good, but possibly a little lacklustre when you consider the dearth of superb HD movies that would look sublime on the screen of the One X, but would never fit simultaneously in its memory. Additionally, without a card slot to subsidize this (comparative) deficit, hardcore Smartphone enthusiasts may find their available space diminishing rapidly. This shouldn’t be a problem for the average user, however - and the HTC One X does possess a lot of average users, compared to its competitors.
And, in a roundabout way, that’s what makes the HTC One X such a special phone – the fact it crosses the normally clear-cut boundary that separates usability (exemplified by the iPhone 4S) and raw power (exemplified by devices like the newly-unveiled Samsung S3), to create a user experience that can appeal to both sides of the Smartphone market. Yes, there’s the traditional plethora of fringe features for hardcore enthusiasts, like simultaneous HD video recording and picture taking, face detection lock (ensuring other people cannot utilize your unique device), and an autofocus 8 Megapixel camera (with response times which average about a third of a second)… but it’s all so easy to use that you never feel intimidated by its potentialities. Rather, the HTC One X feels like an adventure of discovery; you feel compelled to utilize all of its disparate features, rather than put off by them. I’ve no doubt that, in the future, many once-inexperienced phone-users will cite the HTC One X as the mobile phone that got them truly interested in the industry. That’s what makes it such a special device, and the current high water mark of the Smartphone industry.
With the schedule Apple has set for releasing new products that means we shouldn’t expect an announcement about the hypothetical iPhone 5 for at least another month, with their June 11th – 15th WWDC (worldwide developer’s conference) slated to be the platform from which the iOS 6 is unveiled. At this point, even the name “iPhone 5” is just speculation. After all, as the upcoming sixth release in the cycle, it could just as easily be dubbed the iPhone 6!
It’s to be expected, though. As an incredibly popular company, Apple products produce a disproportionate amount of buzz. Tickets for the WWDC sold out in a mere two hours, denying some U.S developers a chance to even attend. While previous WWDC outings were well-anticipated (the previous year had tickets selling out in just twelve hours), the fevered excitement for this new iPhone can easily be singled out as the culprit for this years ticket-snatching mania.
But is it truly warranted? After all, Apple produces many more products than the iPhone; their computer operating system, the Mac OS X, undergoes developmental upheavals just as regularly as the iOS, and the OS X is certainly going to have at least a few sessions and seminars devoted to it. Isn’t it equally likely that this year’s WWDC will focus on the computing, or the music and multimedia side of their business? Isn’t it even possible that Apple themselves have leaked the tantalizing hints of the iPhone 5, to drum up interest over a prolonged period of time? It's certainly true that they've finally got around to registering the iPhone5.com domain name.
We’d like to hear your thoughts on Apple, the WWDC, and the iPhone 5 (or perhaps “The New iPhone”, following in the footsteps of the iPad) via the comment system. Do you think it’s all meaningless hysteria, or just savvy marketing technique? Do you expect an announcement over the summer WWDC, or perhaps an autumn announcement, more in line with Apple’s traditional routine?
Whichever it may be, rest assured - when the product is unveiled, we’ll be first on the market with a fine selection of iPhone 5 cases!
So yeah – it’s essentially the HTC One X. There are a few key differences: the battery is slightly larger (it has 200 mAh more than the One X, which was widely criticized for poor battery life), the body is unibody aluminium (instead of plastic), and the processor is dual-core instead of quad-core - though, since the American release of the HTC One X actually used the exact same processor as the Evo 4G LTE, they'll see even less difference between the two. But the main difference is the LTE compatibility. Though the Sprint network, which the HTC Evo 4G LTE is exclusively compatible with, has not yet launched its LTE service, it’s rapidly nearing the point when it will. Most industry estimates suggest the Evo 4G LTE is the reason why. Once Sprint has launched its LTE network, you can expect the HTC Evo 4G LTE to be one of the fastest Android Smartphones on the entire market: maybe not in time for the device’s release date (expected to be May 18th; preorders have already begun), but certainly shortly thereafter.
With smarter marketing, it might have gained as much notoriety as the Galaxy S3 – it’s a shame HTC weren’t more savvy about the possibilities of their latest device. But given the power of this device, at the very least we can expect an increasing slow burn of excitement for this Yank-exclusive release!
But as Sun Tzu might have noted, sacrifices have to be made in the pursuit of power. The old 7.1mm case of the Motorola Razr has been discarded, in favour of a bulkier (though still noticeably svelte) 8.9mm version; the new battery simply couldn’t have fit in the old body. That also means it’s got a bit more heft than its progenitor, weighing in at around 147g (counterpointing the old 129g). Still, it’s nice to see the Razr range – which has always had a reputation as a device for show-offs and celebrities, courtesy of its glamorous, ultra-slim frame and multitudinous media appearances – branch out a little, sacrificing some of its aesthetic appeal in favour of usability and convenience.
If you’re looking to purchase the device, it’s going to make a sizable dent in your wallet or purse, I’m afraid; at more than £400, its price is comparative to high-end devices like the One X, which boast a much greater range of features.
But then the One X isn’t quite as glitzy, is it?
Transliterated, Hayabusa means “Peregrine Falcon”, which is a little corny, I think you’ll agree. The other rumoured appellation, LT29i, seems more appropriate. Nevertheless, the Hayabusa seems destined to become Sony’s new flagship device for 2012. And it’s easy to see why – the leaked specifications for the device are pretty impressive. With a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, a 4.55 inch screen (larger than any mobile Sony has released to date), a powerful 13 MP camera (capable of filming in 1080p HD) and a 2200 mAh battery, this is the kind of device that could go toe-to-toe with industry frontrunners like the HTC One X, or the Samsung Galaxy S3, and stand a chance of winning.
As if that wasn’t enough, the case for the device is rumoured to be a mere 7mm thick. Considering everything crammed into it, that would be an impressive achievement for a HTC phone – but for Sony, who have a reputation for blocky, less-than-stellar designs, it’s not too far off miraculous. It’s certainly plausible, though, and in fact a clever strategy of production: by waiting until HTC and Samsung have manufactured their 2012 flagship devices, Sony has allowed the technology to mature, permitting more efficient miniaturization of components.
Without even a definitive price announced, anticipation for the phone hasn’t quite reached fever pitch just yet. But with a tentatively-scheduled announcement in June, and a July release date, there’s plenty of time for the Sony marketing juggernaut to pick up the slack.
