An advert on YouTube for the N79 Active handset. Looks great fun, but come on, do people really run around like this?
vendredi 30 janvier 2009
jeudi 29 janvier 2009
N82 Firmware Update 31.0.016
So, a couple of days after the firmware update was announced, I decided to update my N82 last night. Steve at AAS had suggested the update had interfered with the Maps functionality on his phone, but on the whole most users were reporting a successful update, with suggestions that the phone operates faster and smoother, that the Auto Screen Rotation had been improved, the call ending bug had been fixed, a faster GPS lock, better battery life and improvement in the loud speakers.
I've never experienced the call end bug - apparently some users have seen the phone 'hang' for a few seconds after ending a call. As for the ASR, I have that turned off, the only time it is useful to me is in the gallery, or sometimes web browsing. Most often it is just bloody annoying. Just to see what it is like, I re-enabled this feature last night. My impression is, if this is now 'fast' then before it must have been excruciatingly slow! So, I've turned it off again. GPS in my experience on the N82 has always been fast, what I did notice is the positioning is slightly more accurate. When I've loaded Maps in the past at home, I was always located at the property next door, but last night it accurately positioned me at home. I only activated the Maps to try the log on, it seemed no quicker, but also no slower, just more accurate. Battery life remains to be seen, but the speakers are a definite improvement, even for someone like me who rarely notices these things. Play music on loud speaker now, then turn on stereo widening, and you can clearly hear the difference.
So all well with the phone, but I did wonder half way through the update if I would even have a working phone at all! The firmware downloaded ok, the update started, after a few minutes I got a message on screen saying the connection to my N82 had been lost! I started to think I may have bricked my phone somehow. I followed the message on the screen which said to remove battery, charger and USB cable from the device, then re-insert the USB cable, battery and charger, press the power button for one second and see click the retry button on screen. I did all that except plug in the charger, as I wasn't using the charger to begin with.
After about a 7 minute wait, I got the error message again! I wasn't quite panicking just yet, but was starting to get concerned. I followed the instructions on screen again, but this time did plug in my charger. That somehow seems to have done the trick as the phone kicked back into life and the firmware install started again and everything, thankfully, went through fine with no further issues.
As you can see from the screenshot, I now have version 31.0.016 running on the phone. For now all seems to be ok; I'll post up if I come across any issues.
I've never experienced the call end bug - apparently some users have seen the phone 'hang' for a few seconds after ending a call. As for the ASR, I have that turned off, the only time it is useful to me is in the gallery, or sometimes web browsing. Most often it is just bloody annoying. Just to see what it is like, I re-enabled this feature last night. My impression is, if this is now 'fast' then before it must have been excruciatingly slow! So, I've turned it off again. GPS in my experience on the N82 has always been fast, what I did notice is the positioning is slightly more accurate. When I've loaded Maps in the past at home, I was always located at the property next door, but last night it accurately positioned me at home. I only activated the Maps to try the log on, it seemed no quicker, but also no slower, just more accurate. Battery life remains to be seen, but the speakers are a definite improvement, even for someone like me who rarely notices these things. Play music on loud speaker now, then turn on stereo widening, and you can clearly hear the difference.
So all well with the phone, but I did wonder half way through the update if I would even have a working phone at all! The firmware downloaded ok, the update started, after a few minutes I got a message on screen saying the connection to my N82 had been lost! I started to think I may have bricked my phone somehow. I followed the message on the screen which said to remove battery, charger and USB cable from the device, then re-insert the USB cable, battery and charger, press the power button for one second and see click the retry button on screen. I did all that except plug in the charger, as I wasn't using the charger to begin with.
After about a 7 minute wait, I got the error message again! I wasn't quite panicking just yet, but was starting to get concerned. I followed the instructions on screen again, but this time did plug in my charger. That somehow seems to have done the trick as the phone kicked back into life and the firmware install started again and everything, thankfully, went through fine with no further issues.As you can see from the screenshot, I now have version 31.0.016 running on the phone. For now all seems to be ok; I'll post up if I come across any issues.
mercredi 28 janvier 2009
Audio Smileys
A new application of absolutely no relevance from Nokia Beta Labs, Audio Smileys. Whilst the app has no general relevance it *is* good fun, and can create a laugh around unsuspecting friends. See the video clip below for more. In the clip the question is asked, do we want to see more apps like this or not? I think that it is good to see fun apps being thrown out for phones every once in a while, and think it should be encouraged. Click the link to download the application.
lundi 26 janvier 2009
Nokia N82 Software Update
Steve at AAS got the scoop on a new update for the Nokia N82, but since updating has been having issues with Nokia Maps.
If you've done the update and have feedback, or if you are having issues with Maps to, pop over and join in the chat. Personally I think I'll wait and see how things go before I update my phone.
If you've done the update and have feedback, or if you are having issues with Maps to, pop over and join in the chat. Personally I think I'll wait and see how things go before I update my phone.
Nokia N82 - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!
So, after a long time deciding, I now have a sure idea in my mind what I want in my mobile phone. I still say phone, when in reality it is so much more. But Mobile Communication device just sounds naff!Candy bar is my preference, followed by flip, then slide. I want a proper alphanumeric keypad on my phone. No QWERTY, no touchscreen. It must be S60.
At the moment, the Nokia N82 fulfills my requirements for the above. But the N82 is not perfect. Here's my take on what is good, what is bad, and what is downright ugly!
The Good.
5mp Camera - With the N82 you've got to start with the standout feature, the camera. Excellent high quality pics, proper Xenon flash, quick processing. Video clip quality is very good too, more than acceptable.
Connectivity - Everything you need, from WiFi to HSDPA, Bluetooth, backed up by HSCSD, GPRS and EDGE.
Messaging - Everything covered here, too. Email is the main one I use, so much cheaper with a good data plan to email than use text or SMS. Also being S60 there are so many options for connecting to IM services, too.
GPS - If you are going to have a feature like GPS on your phone, it is good to know it will work when needed. The GPS on the N82 is damn fast, I rarely have to wait too long to get a log to the network, and with aGPS as a back up location finding is almost instant. I rarely use maps, but on the occasions I have the software has never let me down, and t hat applies to either Nokia Maps or Google Maps.
3.5mm Connector - Having a music player on a mobile phone is pretty much standard these days, but a 3.5mm connector is not. Even some handsets that are heavily branded as music phones, like the Walkman range from Sony Ericsson, lack such an obvious option.
For me, the above are the highlights of an excellent product. There is much more that the phone offers, but those are the standout features I appreciate having. But, it isn't all rosy....
The Bad
I don't like the Micro USB cable - I have so many standard mini USB cables lying around, but for that one phone I have to have a Micro USB cable. Annoying. I don't understand why Nokia couldn't stick with the standard mini USB here?
Multimedia key - Unlike some other bloggers, the multimedia menu on the Nseries range doesn't bother me so much, as I rarely use it. But that silly key does bother me, a lot. It just gets in the way, and it looks naff.
And if that key is bad, then the actual keypad is a nightmare. Although recent experience has shown me it is preferable to a QWERTY set up, it is still uncomfortable for long term usage.
The Ugly
This is ugly! Just look at that Homescreen, writing all over the place! I actually like having the shortcut icons on my screen, at the top, but I do not like in any way the whole list of writing that comes with it. Search content, share online, calendar entries, etc, it just looks so messy. I'm not really bothered about themes, as you can see I tend to stick with plain looking ones, so it is not having the wallpaper covered that bothers me but the mess. What makes the whole thing worse is knowing that Nokia could very easily implement the excellent homescreen plugins used on the Eseries. The all or nothing approach with the Nseries handsets is just not on, not with a perfectly acceptable solution just begging to be used.
So currently my screen looks like this. It just looks wrong without the six icons across the top. It's a good thing that I can create shortcuts around the Navi-Key, but it isn't the same.So, that's my thoughts on the N82 for now. By no means an exhaustive list, but just a highlight of what I like and dislike about the phone. Until a proper replacement comes along, it is the phone I choose to use.
dimanche 25 janvier 2009
Stick With What You Know
I have always been of the mind that I don't like touch screen phones, and I have always been of the mind that I don't like QWERTY keyboard phones. You would have thought that by now, I would accept this and just deal with it. I guess wisdom doesn't always come with age!
The main thing I use my phone for is messaging, text and email. I rarely call. I web browse frequently, and I like the added extras available on most modern smartphones, such as camera, GPS, MP3 player, etc. I've tried all platforms, from Windows Mobile to UIQ to S40 to your bog standard phone interface, and nothing performs to the level of S60.
Knowing this, I still like to try out new phones, new features, new services and new products. But, every time, I go back to what I know. Of all the phones I have owned, only a few have really stood the test. Amongst those are the Nokia 6310i, Nokia 7650, Nokia 6600, Nokia N73, Nokia N95 (inc 8GB version), and Nokia N82. I wouldn't suggest I am a Nokia addict, but the phones that pass the test are for me the phones that I keep going back to, after trying something new. Before owning a 6310i, there was never a phone I was particularly bothered about, although the 2110 was ok, as was the 8110, but the 6310i was in a class of it's own. I'd buy a new phone, but nothing came up to standard, so I would go back to it. Until the 7650 came along. And the same with that, I must have bought the 7650 at least 5 times, as I would sell for a new phone, only for it not to come up to scratch, so I would buy the 7650 again! Same with the 6600, N73 and N95. Sure there would be a period in between whilst I was using other phones, but none ever passed the test the way these phones did.
And now, the latest phone to pass the 'test', is another Nokia, another S60 phone, another NSeries phone. Over the last few months, I've been using the E51, then the Samsung F480 Tocco, followed by a Sony Ericsson C905. The Tocco, whilst a nice enough phone for a touchscreen affair, just didn't cut it, especially web browsing, and text entry was a pain. The C905 is a great imaging phone, with some nice features, but the keypad was hard and lacked any decent feedback, and it just looks like an old phone. Kinda plain and normal.
So, I took the opportunity to take a look at the market, and see if there was anything new out there for me. And, rather than make an impulse buy like I usually do, I took my time and compared phones. As mentioned in previous posts, I took my choice down to mainly the E71 or E66 with the E51 as an outside option, or the N95 8GB or the N82. I nearly went for the E71, I truly did, but that blasted QWERTY keyboard, it sucks! Surprisingly usable it may be, but not usable enough. For a quick message it was fine, but once I got into a long text conversation, it wasn't long before the phone and I became bitter enemies! I did try to persist, but I can't begin to tell you the relief of putting my SIM back into the N82. No more typos! Simple, easy, T9 assisted text entry. Just what I need.
So, after all the fannying about of the last few months, I hope I will remember the lesson learned. I actually do not like touchscreen phones; I actually do not like QWERTY keypad phones; nothing compares to S60 for usability, 'customisability' and functionality.
Basically, I should stick with what I know, and right now the current hero handset that I know, the latest to pass 'the test', is the Nokia N82.
The main thing I use my phone for is messaging, text and email. I rarely call. I web browse frequently, and I like the added extras available on most modern smartphones, such as camera, GPS, MP3 player, etc. I've tried all platforms, from Windows Mobile to UIQ to S40 to your bog standard phone interface, and nothing performs to the level of S60.
Knowing this, I still like to try out new phones, new features, new services and new products. But, every time, I go back to what I know. Of all the phones I have owned, only a few have really stood the test. Amongst those are the Nokia 6310i, Nokia 7650, Nokia 6600, Nokia N73, Nokia N95 (inc 8GB version), and Nokia N82. I wouldn't suggest I am a Nokia addict, but the phones that pass the test are for me the phones that I keep going back to, after trying something new. Before owning a 6310i, there was never a phone I was particularly bothered about, although the 2110 was ok, as was the 8110, but the 6310i was in a class of it's own. I'd buy a new phone, but nothing came up to standard, so I would go back to it. Until the 7650 came along. And the same with that, I must have bought the 7650 at least 5 times, as I would sell for a new phone, only for it not to come up to scratch, so I would buy the 7650 again! Same with the 6600, N73 and N95. Sure there would be a period in between whilst I was using other phones, but none ever passed the test the way these phones did.
And now, the latest phone to pass the 'test', is another Nokia, another S60 phone, another NSeries phone. Over the last few months, I've been using the E51, then the Samsung F480 Tocco, followed by a Sony Ericsson C905. The Tocco, whilst a nice enough phone for a touchscreen affair, just didn't cut it, especially web browsing, and text entry was a pain. The C905 is a great imaging phone, with some nice features, but the keypad was hard and lacked any decent feedback, and it just looks like an old phone. Kinda plain and normal.
So, I took the opportunity to take a look at the market, and see if there was anything new out there for me. And, rather than make an impulse buy like I usually do, I took my time and compared phones. As mentioned in previous posts, I took my choice down to mainly the E71 or E66 with the E51 as an outside option, or the N95 8GB or the N82. I nearly went for the E71, I truly did, but that blasted QWERTY keyboard, it sucks! Surprisingly usable it may be, but not usable enough. For a quick message it was fine, but once I got into a long text conversation, it wasn't long before the phone and I became bitter enemies! I did try to persist, but I can't begin to tell you the relief of putting my SIM back into the N82. No more typos! Simple, easy, T9 assisted text entry. Just what I need.
So, after all the fannying about of the last few months, I hope I will remember the lesson learned. I actually do not like touchscreen phones; I actually do not like QWERTY keypad phones; nothing compares to S60 for usability, 'customisability' and functionality.
Basically, I should stick with what I know, and right now the current hero handset that I know, the latest to pass 'the test', is the Nokia N82.
samedi 24 janvier 2009
Arrivée du Nokia 3600 Slide aux couleurs de Rip Curl chez Bouygues Telecom
Nokia est associé à Rip Curl, l’une des plus prestigieuses marques de surf pour lancer le Nokia 3600s Rip Curl. Ce téléphone dédié aux demoiselles passionnées par la mode et les joies de la glisse, sera commercialisé chez Bouygues Telecom dès le 19 janvier 2009, au prix de 9 euros avec un forfait Bouygues Telecom ou 49 euros avec un forfait Universal Mobile.
Tendance et performant, le Nokia 3600s Rip Curl se différencie par sa forme compacte et l’originalité de ses dessins aux courbes aquatiques. Ce slider aux lignes fluides possède des surfaces étincelantes et de jolies nuances de couleurs. A la pointe de la technologie, avec son appareil photo 3.2 mégapixels, la vidéo, Windows LiveTM Messenger, son lecteur MP3, sa radio FM et le site de personnalisation Rip Curl, le Nokia 3600s Rip Curl permet de rester en contact permanent avec ses amis.
A propos de Rip Curl
Depuis sa création en 1969 en Australie, Rip Curl est la marque de surf la plus authentique et fait partie des leaders du surfwear international. Aujourd’hui, Rip Curl est numéro 3 mondial. La marque s’adresse à tous les pratiquants passionnés de sports de glisse –surf, snowboard, ski, …- en proposant des produits innovants et au design marquant.
Rip Curl, « the Ultimate Surfing Company », peut se vanter d’avoir certainement les meilleurs événements féminins européens ainsi que le meilleur team surf internationale. Il en sera encore de même pour l’année prochaine. Une volonté et une valeur de la marque australienne jamais ébranlées par les diverses crises. Pour la 8ème année consécutive, Rip Curl revient sur les meilleurs spots européens pour permettre à toutes les filles de s’initier au surf, avec cette année l’aide d’Hawaiian Tropic.
Egalement, en octobre, le Rip Curl Pro Mademoiselle s’invitera pour la toute première fois lors du Rip Curl Pro Search Somewhere. Les 17 meilleures surfeuses de la planète débarqueront sur la prochaine destination de l’étape la plus attendue du tour masculin et constitue une opportunité unique pour le grand public d’assister à une compétition d’exception.
Le surf féminin est en train de vivre une nouvelle mutation avec l’arrivée d’une jeune génération talentueuse venue tout droit d’Australie, Hawaii mais aussi d’Europe. Dernière petite surfeuse à avoir fait sensation, la jeune française Pauline Ado. Elle réalise l’exploit de remporter le titre de championne du monde junior professionnel, et rentre dans l’histoire de l’ASP en devenant la première européenne à remporter ce titre. Une performance historique qui accompagne les exploits récents de Stephanie Gilmore. Cette dernière, à peine âgée de 20 ans, est devenue en quelques mois la leader charismatique et respectée de cette nouvelle génération du surf féminin. Une fille saine, sportive, dynamique, souriante et féminine, la Rip Curl Girl parfaite !
A propos de Bouygues Telecom
Créée en 1994, Bouygues Telecom compte plus de 9,3 millions de clients, dont 6,9 millions de clients Forfait, et 8 000 collaborateurs. L'entreprise a pour ambition de "devenir la marque préférée de service de communication personnelle" en privilégiant le service et l’accompagnement de ses clients.
Créatrice du forfait et du répondeur gratuit en 1996 puis des offres illimitées (Forfait Millennium), Bouygues Telecom lance en 2006 Neo, le premier forfait illimité vers tous les opérateurs tous les jours dès 20h.
En 2008, la nouvelle gamme de forfaits Neo permet à chacun de choisir sa période d’illimité et de surfer sur Internet sans contrainte.Bouygues Telecom devient fournisseur d’accès Internet (FAI) et lance en octobre la Bbox sur son propre réseau fixe acquis en juillet.
Le réseau Internet mobile de Bouygues Telecom associant les technologies 3G+ (72% de la population couverte au printemps 2009) et Edge (94% de la population couverte) permet de profiter d’une excellente couverture partout en France et de très hauts débits dans les principales villes pour une qualité de service adaptée aux besoins de ses clients.
N°1 de la Relation Clients en téléphonie mobile* pour la deuxième année consécutive, Bouygues Telecom assure un service de proximité. Ses six centres de relation clients implantés en France qui emploient 2 000 conseillers de clientèle, son réseau de distribution de 580 Clubs et le site Internet disponible 7j/7 et 24h/24 permettent d’offrir une présence de qualité auprès de ses clients.
* Podium de la Relation Clients BearingPoint-TNS Sofres (avril 2008)
À propos de Nokia
Leader mondial dans le domaine de la mobilité, Nokia contribue à l'évolution et à la croissance des marchés convergents d'Internet et des communications. Notre vaste gamme de terminaux mobiles, de services et de logiciels garantit aux utilisateurs une expérience optimale dans les domaines suivants : musique, navigation, vidéo, télévision, photographie, jeux, mobilité professionnelle et bien d’autres encore. Nous nous attachons en priorité à développer et élargir notre offre de services Internet grand public, ainsi que nos solutions et logiciels professionnels. Par l’intermédiaire de Nokia Siemens Networks, nous fournissons également des équipements, des solutions et des services pour réseaux de communication.
jeudi 22 janvier 2009
Orange est partenaire du Train pour l'Emploi et l'Egalité des Chances
15 000 postes à pourvoir
à bord d’un Train-expo™ exceptionnel
le « Train pour l’Emploi et l’Égalité des Chances »
Fort du succès rencontré lors de sa première édition, « le Train pour l’Emploi et l’Égalité des Chances » sera de nouveau sur les rails du 17 au 31 mars prochains et stationnera dans 12 gares. Cet événement s’inscrit dans une démarche offensive qui consiste à recruter des femmes et des hommes sur les seuls critères de compétences, de motivation et de mérite. Les candidats motivés, volontaires, diplômés ou non, pourront choisir de postuler à l’un des 15 000 emplois et contrats d’alternance offerts par des entreprises de renom (privées et publiques) et fédérations à bord de ce nouveau Train-expo™ d’envergure.
Plus que jamais, il est bon de souligner que des entreprises ont des besoins en recrutement et savent se mobiliser pour l’emploi. Groupe La Poste, Orange, la SNCF, AXA, groupe Carrefour, Keolis, la Défense Nationale (Armée de Terre, Armée de l’Air, Marine Nationale), NRJ se regroupent dans ce collectif qui veut donner à chacun sa chance en matière d’accès à l’emploi. Avec le soutien de la CGPME, la Fédération Française du Bâtiment, ETHIC, la Fédération des entreprises de services à la personne, elles vont ainsi au plus près des publics diversifiés, de tous âges, issus de tous horizons, qui ne viennent pas spontanément à elles.
Cette année, le partenariat renforcé avec Pôle emploi et le Conseil national des missions locales permettra à tous les demandeurs d’emploi de postuler plusieurs semaines avant l’arrivée du Train. Un site internet est ouvert à compter du 2 février 2009 et permet de déposer son CV en ligne : train-emploi.fr
Ce projet ne serait rien sans la conviction qui anime ses créateurs et organisateurs. Karim Zéribi, porte-parole du Train pour l’Emploi et l’Égalité des Chances commente : « pour donner sa chance à chacun, il faut veiller à ne pas tomber dans le piège qui consiste à créer de nouvelles inégalités en voulant lutter contre. C’est dans une dynamique d’ouverture et de diversification des voies de recrutement que se fera ce voyage. Notre objectif est de donner à chacun sa chance, la priorité des recruteurs se portant sur l’évaluation des compétences et des aptitudes du candidat. Il est temps de cesser de définir nos concitoyens par leurs origines ethniques, leur lieu d’habitation, leur sexe ou leur âge. Ce collectif d’entreprises n’a qu’un objectif à bord de ce train pour l’emploi : recruter les meilleurs ! ».
Hugo Boss Mobile Phone by SAMSUNG
Quand l’allure entre en mouvement
HUGO BOSS Mobile Phone représente, plus qu’un téléphone, un véritable mode de vie pour les hommes et les femmes en quête d’une silhouette contemporaine et d’un mobile ultra compact. Reflet de la ligne HUGO BOSS, il incarne le style de la marque moderne et sophistiquée pour ceux qui aiment le design, les créations raffinées plutôt que les tendances éphémères.
Un téléphone sur mesure HUGO BOSS Mobile Phone arbore un design métal noir aux finitions stylées en harmonie avec la silhouette HUGO BOSS. L’interface (icônes et fonds d‘écran) a été repensée pour s’accorder aux couleurs de la marque. Et une playliste de titres sélectionnés par HUGO BOSS a été intégrée au téléphone dans l’esprit de la maison de mode.
Le « label noir » véritable emblème de la célèbre marque se retrouve également dans le design de l’étui en cuir griffé HUGO BOSS et de l’oreillette Bluetooth HUGO BOSS qui permettra à chacun de communiquer avec style. D’une extrême finesse et légèreté, cette oreillette offre un confort optimal grâce à son contour d’oreille amovible, sa touche multifonctions permettant la gestion complète des appels et sa fonction de reconnaissance vocale.
Style & tactile
HUGO BOSS Mobile Phone permet à l’utilisateur d’accéder instantanément à ses fonctions favorites par simple effleurement des raccourcis dynamiques. Une galerie d’icônes représentant les fonctions horloge, radio, lecteur musical, rappel d’anniversaires, agenda, album photo, visiophonie, messagerie ou encore répertoire, s’affiche selon ses besoins. Particulièrement interactive, la technologie tactile « VibeTonz System » développée par SAMSUNG offre un retour de sensation lorsqu’une fonction est sélectionnée.
Divertissement Multimédia et Connectivité Intégrée
HUGO BOSS Mobile Phone cumule les performances et embarque toutes les fonctions multimédia: Navigateur Internet, Lecteur et enregistreur vidéo, Appareil photo 5 millions de pixels, Lecteur MP3 et Radio FM avec système RDS, Mobile Blogging. Photophone de qualité, le menu Photo intègre la fonction autofocus, un détecteur de portraits, le flash ainsi que le Mobile Blogging via le client ShoZu pour un post direct des photos sur son blog. Doté d’une mémoire interne de 235 Mo et d’un port MicroSD, HUGO BOSS Mobile Phone permet de stocker photos, vidéos et bibliothèque musicale. De plus, l’accès Internet haut débit (HSDPA – 7.2 Mbps) et la connectivité USB 2.0 permettent aux utilisateurs de transférer et de télécharger des données encore plus rapidement.
HUGO BOSS MOBILE PHONE by SAMSUNG
-Ecran tout tactile 2.8’’
-Interface personnalisée avec raccourcis dynamiques
-3G+, 7.2 Mbps -Appareil photo 5 millions de pixels
-MP3 et playlist HUGO BOSS
-Radio FM avec Système RDS
-Port MicroSD
-Dimensions 98 x 55 x 11 mm
OREILLETTE BLUETOOTH HUGO BOSSby SAMSUNG
-Finesse (5.9 mm)
-Légèreté (9 grammes)
-Norme Bluetooth 2.0 -Portée 10 m
-Contour d’oreille amovible
-Mini support de charge
-Commande du dernier appel
-Appel en attente / rejet d’appel entrant
-Reconnaissance vocale
-Contrôle du volume
-Dimensions 49 x 16.5 x 5.9 mm
HUGO BOSS Mobile Phone et l’oreillette Bluetooth HUGO BOSS seront disponibles, en Europe, dans une sélection de magasins HUGO BOSS et, dans le réseau du partenaire exclusif de distribution « The Phonehouse » / « Carphone Warehouse » à partir de Décembre 2008.
A propos de HUGO BOSS
Depuis de nombreuses années, le groupe HUGO BOSS se situe parmi les leaders mondiaux de la mode haut-de-gamme et continue de renforcer sa position. Aujourd’hui, le groupe HUGO BOSS génère des ventes atteignant 1.6 milliard d’Euros et emploie plus de 9.500 personnes à travers le monde. Une bonne maîtrise des produits et une excellente logistique assortis à une connaissance avancée des marchés et de ses consommateurs à travers plus de 100 pays constituent les clefs du succès de HUGO BOSS. La force du groupe repose également sur un grand nombre de boutiques HUGO BOSS à travers le monde (plus de 1.250) auxquelles s'ajoutent plus de 5.900 points de vente-partenaires. Un visual merchandising consistant et innovateur et des stratégies marketing efficaces contribuent enfin à renforcer l’image du groupe et de ses marques BOSS et HUGO.
Pour en savoir plus, veuillez consulter le site www.hugoboss.com.
A propos de SAMSUNG Electronics
SAMSUNG Electronics Co. Ltd. est un leader mondial dans les domaines des semi-conducteurs, des télécommunications, des supports numériques et des technologies de convergence numérique, qui a réalisé en 2007 un chiffre d’affaires de 105 milliards de dollars. Forte d’environ 150 000 salariés travaillant sur 134 sites dans 62 pays, l’entreprise se compose de quatre grandes divisions: Appareils numériques, Écrans à cristaux liquides (LCD), Semi-conducteurs et Télécommunication. Reconnue comme une des marques bénéficiant d’une des croissances les plus fortes dans le monde, SAMSUNG Electronics est leader dans la production des téléviseurs numériques, des puces de mémoire, des téléphones mobiles et des écrans plats à cristaux liquides (TFT-LCD).
Pour en savoir plus, veuillez consulter le site www.samsung.fr.
A propos de The Phone House
Avec plus de 316 magasins et 1 600 collaborateurs dans toute la France, The Phone House est le n°1 de la distribution indépendante en télécommunications en France. Grâce à son approche multimarques, The Phone House a développé une expertise unique sur l'ensemble des segments du marché des télécoms: téléphonie mobile 2G et 3G, téléphonie fixe, accès Internet haut débit, offres double, triple et quadruple play, offres duales GSM-Wi-Fi et maintenant ordinateurs mobiles. The Phone House France est une filiale de Best Buy Europe. Fondée sur sa totale indépendance envers les constructeurs, opérateurs et intermédiaires, la stratégie de The Phone House France est basée sur la priorité donnée au client et l'impartialité du conseil.
Pour plus d’informations sur The Phone House, visitez: www.phonehouse.fr.
Le Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, le premier téléphone à écran tactile de Nokia, est disponible à la vente en France à partir de mi janvier 2009
Plébiscité par la presse, les opérateurs et les revendeurs, le Nokia 5800 XpressMusic bénéficiera de nombreuses offres opérateurs avantageuses, son prix sans subvention sera aux alentours de 459 euros TTC, ce qui en fait le mobile tactile le plus attractif du marché. Le Nokia 5800 XpressMusic est disponible sur la boutique en ligne Nokia à l’adresse boutique.nokia.fr.
Disponible en rouge dans un premier temps, il se déclinera en bleu et noir dans les prochains mois.
Tirant profit de la technologie tactile, le Nokia 5800 XpressMusic innove par son interface révolutionnaire. Il propose une nouvelle interface sociale et un nouveau menu multimédia déroulant (« Media Bar »), permettant d'accéder directement au contenu musical et au contenu de divertissement, y compris aux morceaux, vidéos et photos favoris de son détenteur. La Media Bar offre également un lien direct vers le Web et vers le partage en ligne. Grâce à sa prise en charge du format Flash, le Nokia 5800 XpressMusic permet à l'utilisateur de surfer sur l'intégralité du Web et pas uniquement sur certains sites. Par ailleurs, le Nokia 5800 XpressMusic est « taillé » pour la musique : entre autres caractéristiques, il est équipé d'un lecteur de musique multiformats et d’une radio FM RDS, intègre 8 Go de mémoire permettant de stocker jusqu'à 6 000 titres, et est équipé d’un jack 3,5 mm. Les haut-parleurs stéréo intégrés avec son surround libèrent un son d'une puissance sans équivalent sur le marché.
Pourvu d’un grand écran tactile 3.2 pouces ainsi que d’une haute résolution en format 16 :9ème, la qualité et la variété des couleurs, 16 millions, ne cessera de surprendre.
Le Nokia 5800 XpressMusic est un mobile quadri-bandes offrant une connectivité haut débit : 3G, 3G+, WiFi et Bluetooth stéréo. L’interface et l’ensemble des fonctions de ce téléphone supportent à la fois l’utilisation du doigt ou du stylet.
Complet, il est également doté d’un GPS compatible A-GPS associé au logiciel Nokia Maps avec la carte de France installée dans la carte mémoire de 8 Go incluse.
Le large écran de 3,2 pouces offre la meilleure résolution qui soit sur un téléphone mobile et restitue magnifiquement les couleurs et la netteté des photos, des séquences vidéo et des sites Web. Avec un format 16/9ème et un débit de lecture et d’enregistrement de 30 images par seconde, cet appareil se prête idéalement à l’enregistrement et à la lecture de séquences vidéo de qualité VGA. De plus, grâce aux câbles fournis, il est possible de partager toutes les vidéos de haute qualité directement sur la télévision.
Le Nokia 5800 XpressMusic est également doté d’un appareil photo de 3,2 mégapixels avec une optique signée Carl Zeiss. D’une simple pression sur une touche, vous pouvez partager vos photos et vos vidéos par le biais d’un site communautaire en ligne tel que Share on Ovi, Flickr ou Facebook. Les titres enregistrés dans une liste de lecture peuvent aussi être échangés via Bluetooth, MMS ou en ligne.
Conscient que la fonction email prend de plus en plus de place dans les utilisations quotidiennes, Nokia a conçu des solutions pour intégrer la messagerie au plus grand nombre d'appareils, dont le Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, et s'assurer que le service est compatible avec la plupart des solutions de messagerie du marché. Les comptes Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail et Gmail, ainsi que les comptes de messagerie électronique fournis par les milliers de FAI du monde entier, y compris le nouveau service de messagerie de Nokia, sont désormais accessibles en quelques clics depuis l’écran d’accueil des téléphones mobiles
Nous rappelons que ce prix est communiqué à titre purement indicatif. En effet seuls nos revendeurs sont habilités à déterminer le prix public TTC des produits qu'ils revendent. Le taux de TVA est de 19,6 %.
À propos de Nokia
Leader mondial dans le domaine de la mobilité, Nokia contribue à l'évolution et à la croissance des marchés convergents d'Internet et des communications. Notre vaste gamme de terminaux mobiles, de services et de logiciels garantit aux utilisateurs une expérience optimale dans les domaines suivants : musique, navigation, vidéo, télévision, photographie, jeux, mobilité professionnelle et bien d’autres encore. Nous nous attachons en priorité à développer et élargir notre offre de services Internet grand public, ainsi que nos solutions et logiciels professionnels. Par l’intermédiaire de Nokia Siemens Networks, nous fournissons également des équipements, des solutions et des services pour réseaux de communication.
lundi 19 janvier 2009
Smart phones are Too Smart for the Average User
I saw a story over at AllAboutSymbian, referencing a survey from the BBC, claiming that many people are 'baffled' by new features on their phone.
I work in mobile retail, and the results of that survey don't surprise me in the least, in fact I'm surprised the percentages are not even higher. I get to see the 'average majority' of mobile phone users, and without exaggeration I regularly have to deal with people who cannot:
Turn their phone on!!
Do not know how to answer a call
Or read a text
Or compose a text
Or listen to voicemail
Or turn up the volume in call
Or change their ring tone (You know the people who have that damn annoying standard Nokia tone? It's just because they don't know how to change the bloody thing!)
Or lock the keypad
And so on. And those things are just the basics. So many times I have to hear people tell me how awful T9 is, that they cannot compose a message using it, when in fact little is as simple and easy! Maybe they just can't spell?
As most people I deal with struggle with the above, I am not surprised that things such as email and the like confuse people so much. I can accept that occasionally certain applications do not operate as expected, and occasionally things just 'go wrong', but that does not account for a lot of the problems. Generally, when it comes to technology, most people are ignorant, and they revel in it! They come in store, proud as anything, that even though they have given in to the evil advances of modern technology, there's no way they are going to use that as an opportunity to actually learn something! Oh no, better to be ignorant and one of the crowd than actually know something, because that might mean you are not normal! Because normal people are ignorant, only smart ass geeks understand technology. And if you are a geek, you are different, and different is bad. It's like being at school; no one wants to be the class swot, better to sit at the back of the classroom and muck about instead of actually learning something.
Of course, there is a lot I don't know; the way to learn is to ask from those who do, read, study, research. Then learn, remember, apply your learning and use that to understand the next step. Wallowing in ignorance is nothing to be proud of.
For as long as the general population remains generally thick, smartphones will always remain smarter than those who use them.
I work in mobile retail, and the results of that survey don't surprise me in the least, in fact I'm surprised the percentages are not even higher. I get to see the 'average majority' of mobile phone users, and without exaggeration I regularly have to deal with people who cannot:
Turn their phone on!!
Do not know how to answer a call
Or read a text
Or compose a text
Or listen to voicemail
Or turn up the volume in call
Or change their ring tone (You know the people who have that damn annoying standard Nokia tone? It's just because they don't know how to change the bloody thing!)
Or lock the keypad
And so on. And those things are just the basics. So many times I have to hear people tell me how awful T9 is, that they cannot compose a message using it, when in fact little is as simple and easy! Maybe they just can't spell?
As most people I deal with struggle with the above, I am not surprised that things such as email and the like confuse people so much. I can accept that occasionally certain applications do not operate as expected, and occasionally things just 'go wrong', but that does not account for a lot of the problems. Generally, when it comes to technology, most people are ignorant, and they revel in it! They come in store, proud as anything, that even though they have given in to the evil advances of modern technology, there's no way they are going to use that as an opportunity to actually learn something! Oh no, better to be ignorant and one of the crowd than actually know something, because that might mean you are not normal! Because normal people are ignorant, only smart ass geeks understand technology. And if you are a geek, you are different, and different is bad. It's like being at school; no one wants to be the class swot, better to sit at the back of the classroom and muck about instead of actually learning something.
Of course, there is a lot I don't know; the way to learn is to ask from those who do, read, study, research. Then learn, remember, apply your learning and use that to understand the next step. Wallowing in ignorance is nothing to be proud of.
For as long as the general population remains generally thick, smartphones will always remain smarter than those who use them.
jeudi 15 janvier 2009
News flash: Microsoft lied
"I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!" --Claude Rains, Casablanca
I'm a little late in getting to this item, but I recently came across James Plamondon's online confession that he lied while working as a technology evangelist for Microsoft (link). Actually, "lied" is probably the wrong word. James systematically misled and manipulated software developers, and enthusiastically taught others at Microsoft how to do the same. Some samples from his work there:
You can see the details here. Be sure to skim the comments at the bottom. They're a hoot.
Speaking as someone who led the competitive teams at Apple and Palm for many years, I guess I ought to get worked up about this stuff. But mostly I think it's just old and tired. The whole "Microsoft is evil" theme is kind of pathetic these days, like the trial of an 85-year-old mobster. Yeah, I know, they deserve everything that Google's doing to them. Let's move on.
It's also not really news that a lot of analysts and conferences are on the take. For the record, you should always understand who's paying the bills when any "authority" talks.
I'm usually not moved by someone who apologizes only after being exposed in court and abandoned by his employer (link). But I'll take James at his word that he's trying to make amends.
Apology accepted, James.
That doesn't mean, though, that I agree with his prescription on what the industry should do about the situation. James says the best way to prevent a recurrence of Microsoft's misdeeds is to set professional standards for evangelism:
James is even writing a book on what he thinks those professional standards should be. That ought to be an interesting read. Maybe Amazon could do a two-for-one offer with the Martha Stewart Guide to Ethical Investing.
But I think the real problem isn't missing standards, it's missing morality. I believe James was able to thrive at Microsoft because the company's hypercompetitive culture condoned dishonesty, as long as you didn't get caught in public. Everybody in the industry believed they worked that way. I think the problem wasn't just in Microsoft's evangelism, it also included the company's marketing, business development, and so on.
Unfortunately, they're not the only company in the tech industry that thinks that way.
The real cure here is not to read a book or professionalize anything. Just take a course in business ethics. Or better yet, save your money and memorize this rule:
Never mislead a customer or partner.
And if an appeal to morality isn't enough to move you, keep in mind that even the cleverest liars eventually get outed. Just ask James Plamondon.
(By the way, James, if you really want to make amends, how about sending the royalties from your book to the stockholders of the companies you damaged or destroyed?)
==============
Thanks to Andrew Shebanow for pointing out this issue, in a cool little essay here.
I'm a little late in getting to this item, but I recently came across James Plamondon's online confession that he lied while working as a technology evangelist for Microsoft (link). Actually, "lied" is probably the wrong word. James systematically misled and manipulated software developers, and enthusiastically taught others at Microsoft how to do the same. Some samples from his work there:
Working behind the scenes to orchestrate "independent" praise of our technology, and damnation of the enemy's, is a key evangelism function... "Independent" analyst's report should be issued, praising your technology and damning the competitors (or ignoring them). "Independent" consultants should write columns and articles, give conference presentations and moderate stacked panels, all on our behalf (and setting them up as experts in the new technology, available for just $200/hour). "Independent" academic sources should be cultivated and quoted (and research money granted). "Independent" courseware providers should start profiting from their early involvement in our technology....
Analysts sell out - that's their business model. But they are very concerned that they never look like they are selling out, so that makes them very prickly to work with....
The key to stacking a panel is being able to choose the moderator. Most conference organizers allow the moderator to select the panel, so if you can pick the moderator, you win. Since you can't expect representatives of our competitors to speak on your behalf, you have to get the moderator to agree to having only "independent ISVs" on the panel....Sounds marvelously independent doesn't it? In fact, it allows us to stack the panel with ISVs that back our cause....
Get a well-known consultant on your side early, but don't let him publish anything blatantly pro-Microsoft. Then, get him to propose himself to the conference organizers as a moderator, whenever a panel opportunity comes up. Since he's well-known, but apparently independent, he'll be accepted....
A Jihad is a road trip. in which an evangelist visits a large number of ISVs one-on-one to convince them to take some specific action. The classic Jihad is one focused on getting Tier A ISVs to commit to supporting a given technology by signing the technology's Letter of Agreement...As in sales, the purpose of the exercise is to close – to getthe markthe ISV to sign on the dotted line, in pen, irrevocably.
The Role of ISVs
* Pawns in the struggle....
* Valuable pawns
o We can't win without 'em
o Must take good care of them
* Can't let 'em feel like pawns
o Treat them with respect (as you use them)
Developer Conferences....
* Subvert independent conferences
o Love them to death
Developer Magazines
* Same as developer conferences
* Infiltrate and subvert
You can see the details here. Be sure to skim the comments at the bottom. They're a hoot.
Speaking as someone who led the competitive teams at Apple and Palm for many years, I guess I ought to get worked up about this stuff. But mostly I think it's just old and tired. The whole "Microsoft is evil" theme is kind of pathetic these days, like the trial of an 85-year-old mobster. Yeah, I know, they deserve everything that Google's doing to them. Let's move on.
It's also not really news that a lot of analysts and conferences are on the take. For the record, you should always understand who's paying the bills when any "authority" talks.
I'm usually not moved by someone who apologizes only after being exposed in court and abandoned by his employer (link). But I'll take James at his word that he's trying to make amends.
Apology accepted, James.
That doesn't mean, though, that I agree with his prescription on what the industry should do about the situation. James says the best way to prevent a recurrence of Microsoft's misdeeds is to set professional standards for evangelism:
Microsoft...is this week launching its first public volley in the Mother of All Standards Battles, to control the de facto standards of cloud computing. For Microsoft, this is a life-or-death struggle. When Microsoft's back is to the wall, can it reasonably be expected to refrain from using the TE tactics that it KNOWS will help it win, if its use of those tactics is unrestrained?.... This problem can only be treated, I believe, by professionalizing TE, and thereby inoculating platform vendors against unethical TE practices. That's why I felt compelled to come forward now. Only now have I realized how wrong I was, and by coming forward now, in the opening skirmishes of the Cloud Computing Wars, I can begin to make amends for my past wrong-doing.
James is even writing a book on what he thinks those professional standards should be. That ought to be an interesting read. Maybe Amazon could do a two-for-one offer with the Martha Stewart Guide to Ethical Investing.
But I think the real problem isn't missing standards, it's missing morality. I believe James was able to thrive at Microsoft because the company's hypercompetitive culture condoned dishonesty, as long as you didn't get caught in public. Everybody in the industry believed they worked that way. I think the problem wasn't just in Microsoft's evangelism, it also included the company's marketing, business development, and so on.
Unfortunately, they're not the only company in the tech industry that thinks that way.
The real cure here is not to read a book or professionalize anything. Just take a course in business ethics. Or better yet, save your money and memorize this rule:
Never mislead a customer or partner.
And if an appeal to morality isn't enough to move you, keep in mind that even the cleverest liars eventually get outed. Just ask James Plamondon.
(By the way, James, if you really want to make amends, how about sending the royalties from your book to the stockholders of the companies you damaged or destroyed?)
==============
Thanks to Andrew Shebanow for pointing out this issue, in a cool little essay here.
Steve's Smartphone Grid
Steve Lichfield, from AllAboutSymbian fame, has for a long while had a 'smartphone grid' on his 3Lib website. It basically lists a selection of smartphones and grades them based on their usability for a set list of functions. All grades are Steve's own opinion, but seeing he has been around for quite a while, I think he knows what he is talking about. I remember talking with him via email years ago as I made my first venture into the world of Psion, and looking over the scores he has given, there's little if any I would dispute. I'm also pleased to say I have no experience at all with over hyped rubbish like the iPhone, other than playing around with one in the shop, and am not too well versed in recent Windows Mobile phones either.
Anyhow, enough of the waffling. I've played around with this smartphone grid a few times, and it always used to tell me, based on the criteria I selected, that the E90 was the phone for me. I could see why this handset was recommended, based on my selections, but I just didn't like that phone. Too big, see.
A few weeks ago, toward the end of December Steve posted about some tweaks he'd made to the smartphone grid, so I thought I'd pop on over and give it a go. After all, I'm still not totally decided on my next phone purchase, what with the E71 I purchased yesterday throwing a spanner in the works! (See post below)
After entering in all my choices, the top three phones recommended for me, are, in reverse order:
3rd Place: Nokia N95 Classic/N82 tied with 246 points
2nd Place: Nokia N95 8GB with 250 points
and the clear winner:
1st place: Nokia E71 with 267 points!
The E90 which was regularly my number one recommended handset is now in fourth, with 244 points.
So, is it to be the E71 that I roll with? Well, I've spent most of the day getting the phone set up with the configuration I like, installing maps, changing layout, setting email, installing my usual applications, and so far I like what I see. It may just be possible that if I don't stick with the N82, then this is the phone I will go for. The main issue for me, the QWERTY keyboard, is surprisingly usable, so this no longer counts as a negative mark against the phone. What I really need to do is get it unlocked and use it with my main T-Mobile SIM. Currently it is locked to Three, so I either risk dealing with the notoriously poor Three customer services, or try my luck with one of the local market stalls. Thing is, they would need to send the phone away for a few days, which isn't my preferred choice.
I'll give it a few days, and see how it goes. One thing I've noticed, as an aside, is how much better HSDPA is than 3G. Yeah, I know that's an obvious thing to say, but seriously, 3G is just so slow! Where I live I get HSDPA on T-Mobile, but only 3G on Three, and downloading some apps to the phone, was just painful. I realise that I'm spoilt with choice, but 'stepping back' to 3G is not something I'm enjoying!
Anyhow, enough of the waffling. I've played around with this smartphone grid a few times, and it always used to tell me, based on the criteria I selected, that the E90 was the phone for me. I could see why this handset was recommended, based on my selections, but I just didn't like that phone. Too big, see.
A few weeks ago, toward the end of December Steve posted about some tweaks he'd made to the smartphone grid, so I thought I'd pop on over and give it a go. After all, I'm still not totally decided on my next phone purchase, what with the E71 I purchased yesterday throwing a spanner in the works! (See post below)
After entering in all my choices, the top three phones recommended for me, are, in reverse order:
3rd Place: Nokia N95 Classic/N82 tied with 246 points
2nd Place: Nokia N95 8GB with 250 points
and the clear winner:
1st place: Nokia E71 with 267 points!
The E90 which was regularly my number one recommended handset is now in fourth, with 244 points.
So, is it to be the E71 that I roll with? Well, I've spent most of the day getting the phone set up with the configuration I like, installing maps, changing layout, setting email, installing my usual applications, and so far I like what I see. It may just be possible that if I don't stick with the N82, then this is the phone I will go for. The main issue for me, the QWERTY keyboard, is surprisingly usable, so this no longer counts as a negative mark against the phone. What I really need to do is get it unlocked and use it with my main T-Mobile SIM. Currently it is locked to Three, so I either risk dealing with the notoriously poor Three customer services, or try my luck with one of the local market stalls. Thing is, they would need to send the phone away for a few days, which isn't my preferred choice.
I'll give it a few days, and see how it goes. One thing I've noticed, as an aside, is how much better HSDPA is than 3G. Yeah, I know that's an obvious thing to say, but seriously, 3G is just so slow! Where I live I get HSDPA on T-Mobile, but only 3G on Three, and downloading some apps to the phone, was just painful. I realise that I'm spoilt with choice, but 'stepping back' to 3G is not something I'm enjoying!
mercredi 14 janvier 2009
Changing my mind?
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It's like I'll never decide what I want!When it comes to phones, I never normally have to make up my mind, as I regularly change handset. New phone released, get a new deal, new number or upgrade, sorted for a few weeks til the next one comes out. With a few recent changes I no longer have the option to change as often as I used to, basically I'm cutting down on the number of commitments I have with the networks. They get too much of my money as it is!
Recently I've been posting about my decision on choosing a new handset, and I had it down to basically three Eseries, the E51, E66 or E71, or the N82. There were other choices but I discounted those. Now, it is probably obvious that my bias lies with the Nseries range, after all that is what this blog mainly focuses on. I picked up an N82 recently, and I was reminded just how good a phone that really is, til the camera stopped working, that is. (Still not fixed either!) But all round the N82 is hard to beat, quick GPS, email, web, looks good, nice size, etc.
I was in town today though, and found an opportunity to pick up an E71 for a really good price, which I covered through some sales on Ebay recently. I've played around with the E71 in the shop a few times, and every time someone comes in looking for a Blackberry or similar device, I always recommend the E71. Once you start listing 3G, HSDPA, WiFi, Email, Web, GPS, etc, then looking at it, the build quality, the look, an excellent QWERTY keyboard, fantastic battery life and more, I think I've sold myself the device too. I've downloaded the latest firmware to the device this evening, and copied my back up from PC Suite. This is a real nice product.
Thing is, there's no point in keeping both phones. I can only use one at a time after all, apart from my contract SIM all others are PAYG and I only keep them around for who knows what, I make no regular usage of them. So, I'm back to square one.
N82? Or E71? Decisions, decisions....
lundi 12 janvier 2009
The Palm Pre: Think Similar
Palm died. Palm OS died. Get over it.
Now let's talk about this new company, and product, that happens to be named Palm. I don't know if they'll survive or not, but they have a chance, and they're definitely interesting.
That was my overall impression after visiting Palm at CES 2009. The differences started with the meeting room itself. Rather than shelling out for a (very expensive) booth, Palm had an upstairs display room off the show floor. That in itself is not unusual; companies low on money often take a display room at CES so they can have some sort of presence at the show. Usually they get very little traffic, because you have to make an effort to find them.
But there was a short line outside Palm's room. A friend and I got into line, and the Palm folks asked us for our business cards. They went away for about 30 seconds, came back, and pulled us both out of line. "You can go right in."
I'm not sure why they did it, since neither of us are VIPs. But somebody was screening the cards and pulling out anyone whose name they recognized. That was the first sign that I was dealing with a different company -- although the old Palm was pretty well organized, that level of attention to detail would have been unusual.
The second difference came when we entered the room itself. A display room at CES usually is an empty space about 40 feet (13m) or more on a side, with one big presentation screen, some chairs, and a couple of demo stations along the walls. You can take in the whole thing in 30 seconds. Instead, Palm had divided its space into almost a maze, with little meeting rooms (lined with couches) and corridors, all set off by gauze curtains. Along the "corridors" were abundant food carts (with servers, another unusual touch), and small stations where employees were giving continuous Pre demos to groups of up to about a dozen people. You could get very close and intimate with the device, although no touching was allowed.
It felt like a technology harem.
I don't think the old Palm would have decorated quite like that, let alone shell out that much money for exhibit space in a time of layoffs and financial stress.
The presenters were extremely well briefed and disciplined, although they didn't feel robotic. They showed the features they wanted us to see, and wouldn't be baited into going further. The overall impression of the space and staff was extreme design consciousness, a bit of opulence, and intense discipline.
Very un-Palm-like. More like boutique Apple without the rock star CEO.
Think Similar
The theme continued in the product. The Pre does not look like the Treo or any previous Palm product. If anything, it looks like an iPhone with some of its limitations fixed. The design of the hardware, graphics, the fonts, the way things move on screen, and the touchscreen gestures are all elegant, and reminded me intensely of the iPhone. You can even do a pinch gesture to shrink and expand things, which I thought was patented by Apple (this shows why I'm not a lawyer).
Unlike an iPhone, you can run multiple applications at the same time and switch between them. There's a thumb keyboard built in. The battery can be replaced. The APIs are supposedly based on web standards, so many people should be able to program the Pre without learning a new OS. Palm says it will have a software store built in, but the app approval process won't be as restrictive as Apple's. Palm will also apparently allow companies to port other platforms, like Adobe Flash, to the Pre, which addresses another iPhone drawback. (There's a comparison table between the iPhone and Pre here, but it focuses mostly on hardware specs.)
In contrast to all the iPhone references, it's very hard to spot any Palm legacy in the Pre (other than the company logo). The calendar still compresses unused hours, which was one of my favorite Palm features. But literally that was the main similarity that I noticed.
The device won't run current Palm OS apps, although I think Palm is open to someone porting a Palm OS emulator to the device if they want to. But I don't know how you'd operate those apps without a stylus. The browser is based on Webkit, so no more Blazer (yay).
The design of the interface looks nothing like Palm OS. Palm's old design ethic was all about sacrificing beauty in order to produce maximum utility. The result was often extremely efficient but plain (okay, ugly). The new Palm treats aesthetics like Apple does -- the device has to be useful, playful, and beautiful. That's incredibly hard to design, but apparently Palm has imported enough Apple talent to pull it off (or at least to make the demos look good).
Will Palm survive?
Prior to CES, it was fashionable for a lot of people online to predict Palm's imminent demise. That was a misreading of how the world works -- we technology insiders lose interest in a brand long before the public does. Palm still has a strong name, and it will get a good hearing in the market.
So the real question is, is the Pre good enough to make Palm profitable? I think it's too early to answer.
For one thing, we can't touch the product yet. The canned demos were incomplete -- I didn't see the dialer or the software store, for example, and I don't know details of how the product will sync. The SDK hasn't been released, so we don't know what it will be like to create apps for the device.
But my biggest concern is about the strategy, not the product. I'm not sure who the customer is for the Pre. Dr. Rob Enderle took time off from diagnosing Steve Jobs' medical condition (link) to tell a San Jose radio station that the Pre is a better e-mail device than the iPhone and a better consumer device than a Blackberry. Which is probably true, but misses the point -- it's probably a worse entertainment device than the iPhone (because it doesn't have iTunes) and probably a worse e-mail device than RIM (because it doesn't have RIM's server infrastructure). So who exactly is it best for?
Mobile devices that sell well usually have a well-defined market of people who look at them and say, "that one's perfect for me." The Pre is intensely elegant, which intrigues aficionados like me, but there aren't enough of us to make a lasting market. Beyond that, it's apparently perfect for people who want a compromise between a Blackberry and an iPhone, but don't need the best of either. Who are those people? And are there enough of them to make a business for Palm? I honestly don't know.
I guess the old Palm installed base might be a first source of customers, but many of them have moved on. Although there's a lot of enthusiasm on the Palm discussion forums (for a wonderfully detailed article, check here), longtime Palm users don't appear to have a lot of compelling ties holding them to the new device. Their old apps won't work, and they'll have to learn a new interface. Usually when a company makes a transition like this without backward compatibility, the user base reads it as an invitation to consider alternatives. Palm cannot take them for granted -- and even if it could, they alone are not enough to sustain the company.
What it means for the industry
Regardless of whether Palm survives, I think the Pre does some important things to the industry. It's the first smartphone that matches the iPhone on overall UI aesthetics, and it fixes many of the drawbacks of the iPhone. Other smartphone companies will be under pressure to match the Pre's features. Mobile companies like Samsung and Motorola, which lack software expertise, look increasingly vulnerable to gradual share erosion.
I'm very hopeful about the application development model for the Pre. By basing its development model on web standards, Palm apparently will empower the world's vast base of web app developers to quickly create Pre applications. If Palm implements the APIs right, that is a very smart move. It aligns Palm with the forces of the web, and might even make Pre the preferred mobile development platform of the web app community.
I don't know if that alone can make the Pre a success -- mobile devices usually build a base first with a particular function and then branch into apps. But it gives Palm a much better shot than it would have had if it tried to create yet another proprietary platform. The brass ring in the mobile app world is getting the attention of the web app community, and Palm now has a shot at it.
Google, are you listening?
What to do if you're a user
Wait.
We'll learn tons more about the Pre as it gets closer to shipping. Apple's undoubtedly working on new iPhone products (I'm betting on a smaller device, like a Nano version of the iPhone), RIM's getting the Storm debugged, Nokia is finishing the N97, and there are rumored to be more Android devices coming.* If you're thinking about getting a smartphone, you're going to have a great selection later this year. Hold out until you understand more about your choices.
__________
*There are probably some more Windows Mobile products coming too, but does anyone care any more?
Now let's talk about this new company, and product, that happens to be named Palm. I don't know if they'll survive or not, but they have a chance, and they're definitely interesting.
That was my overall impression after visiting Palm at CES 2009. The differences started with the meeting room itself. Rather than shelling out for a (very expensive) booth, Palm had an upstairs display room off the show floor. That in itself is not unusual; companies low on money often take a display room at CES so they can have some sort of presence at the show. Usually they get very little traffic, because you have to make an effort to find them.
But there was a short line outside Palm's room. A friend and I got into line, and the Palm folks asked us for our business cards. They went away for about 30 seconds, came back, and pulled us both out of line. "You can go right in."
I'm not sure why they did it, since neither of us are VIPs. But somebody was screening the cards and pulling out anyone whose name they recognized. That was the first sign that I was dealing with a different company -- although the old Palm was pretty well organized, that level of attention to detail would have been unusual.
The second difference came when we entered the room itself. A display room at CES usually is an empty space about 40 feet (13m) or more on a side, with one big presentation screen, some chairs, and a couple of demo stations along the walls. You can take in the whole thing in 30 seconds. Instead, Palm had divided its space into almost a maze, with little meeting rooms (lined with couches) and corridors, all set off by gauze curtains. Along the "corridors" were abundant food carts (with servers, another unusual touch), and small stations where employees were giving continuous Pre demos to groups of up to about a dozen people. You could get very close and intimate with the device, although no touching was allowed.
It felt like a technology harem.
I don't think the old Palm would have decorated quite like that, let alone shell out that much money for exhibit space in a time of layoffs and financial stress.
The presenters were extremely well briefed and disciplined, although they didn't feel robotic. They showed the features they wanted us to see, and wouldn't be baited into going further. The overall impression of the space and staff was extreme design consciousness, a bit of opulence, and intense discipline.
Very un-Palm-like. More like boutique Apple without the rock star CEO.
Think Similar
The theme continued in the product. The Pre does not look like the Treo or any previous Palm product. If anything, it looks like an iPhone with some of its limitations fixed. The design of the hardware, graphics, the fonts, the way things move on screen, and the touchscreen gestures are all elegant, and reminded me intensely of the iPhone. You can even do a pinch gesture to shrink and expand things, which I thought was patented by Apple (this shows why I'm not a lawyer).
Unlike an iPhone, you can run multiple applications at the same time and switch between them. There's a thumb keyboard built in. The battery can be replaced. The APIs are supposedly based on web standards, so many people should be able to program the Pre without learning a new OS. Palm says it will have a software store built in, but the app approval process won't be as restrictive as Apple's. Palm will also apparently allow companies to port other platforms, like Adobe Flash, to the Pre, which addresses another iPhone drawback. (There's a comparison table between the iPhone and Pre here, but it focuses mostly on hardware specs.)
In contrast to all the iPhone references, it's very hard to spot any Palm legacy in the Pre (other than the company logo). The calendar still compresses unused hours, which was one of my favorite Palm features. But literally that was the main similarity that I noticed.
The device won't run current Palm OS apps, although I think Palm is open to someone porting a Palm OS emulator to the device if they want to. But I don't know how you'd operate those apps without a stylus. The browser is based on Webkit, so no more Blazer (yay).
The design of the interface looks nothing like Palm OS. Palm's old design ethic was all about sacrificing beauty in order to produce maximum utility. The result was often extremely efficient but plain (okay, ugly). The new Palm treats aesthetics like Apple does -- the device has to be useful, playful, and beautiful. That's incredibly hard to design, but apparently Palm has imported enough Apple talent to pull it off (or at least to make the demos look good).
Will Palm survive?
Prior to CES, it was fashionable for a lot of people online to predict Palm's imminent demise. That was a misreading of how the world works -- we technology insiders lose interest in a brand long before the public does. Palm still has a strong name, and it will get a good hearing in the market.
So the real question is, is the Pre good enough to make Palm profitable? I think it's too early to answer.
For one thing, we can't touch the product yet. The canned demos were incomplete -- I didn't see the dialer or the software store, for example, and I don't know details of how the product will sync. The SDK hasn't been released, so we don't know what it will be like to create apps for the device.
But my biggest concern is about the strategy, not the product. I'm not sure who the customer is for the Pre. Dr. Rob Enderle took time off from diagnosing Steve Jobs' medical condition (link) to tell a San Jose radio station that the Pre is a better e-mail device than the iPhone and a better consumer device than a Blackberry. Which is probably true, but misses the point -- it's probably a worse entertainment device than the iPhone (because it doesn't have iTunes) and probably a worse e-mail device than RIM (because it doesn't have RIM's server infrastructure). So who exactly is it best for?
Mobile devices that sell well usually have a well-defined market of people who look at them and say, "that one's perfect for me." The Pre is intensely elegant, which intrigues aficionados like me, but there aren't enough of us to make a lasting market. Beyond that, it's apparently perfect for people who want a compromise between a Blackberry and an iPhone, but don't need the best of either. Who are those people? And are there enough of them to make a business for Palm? I honestly don't know.
I guess the old Palm installed base might be a first source of customers, but many of them have moved on. Although there's a lot of enthusiasm on the Palm discussion forums (for a wonderfully detailed article, check here), longtime Palm users don't appear to have a lot of compelling ties holding them to the new device. Their old apps won't work, and they'll have to learn a new interface. Usually when a company makes a transition like this without backward compatibility, the user base reads it as an invitation to consider alternatives. Palm cannot take them for granted -- and even if it could, they alone are not enough to sustain the company.
What it means for the industry
Regardless of whether Palm survives, I think the Pre does some important things to the industry. It's the first smartphone that matches the iPhone on overall UI aesthetics, and it fixes many of the drawbacks of the iPhone. Other smartphone companies will be under pressure to match the Pre's features. Mobile companies like Samsung and Motorola, which lack software expertise, look increasingly vulnerable to gradual share erosion.
I'm very hopeful about the application development model for the Pre. By basing its development model on web standards, Palm apparently will empower the world's vast base of web app developers to quickly create Pre applications. If Palm implements the APIs right, that is a very smart move. It aligns Palm with the forces of the web, and might even make Pre the preferred mobile development platform of the web app community.
I don't know if that alone can make the Pre a success -- mobile devices usually build a base first with a particular function and then branch into apps. But it gives Palm a much better shot than it would have had if it tried to create yet another proprietary platform. The brass ring in the mobile app world is getting the attention of the web app community, and Palm now has a shot at it.
Google, are you listening?
What to do if you're a user
Wait.
We'll learn tons more about the Pre as it gets closer to shipping. Apple's undoubtedly working on new iPhone products (I'm betting on a smaller device, like a Nano version of the iPhone), RIM's getting the Storm debugged, Nokia is finishing the N97, and there are rumored to be more Android devices coming.* If you're thinking about getting a smartphone, you're going to have a great selection later this year. Hold out until you understand more about your choices.
__________
*There are probably some more Windows Mobile products coming too, but does anyone care any more?
Welcome to the real world
The most memorable quote I heard at this year's Consumer Electronics Show came from a business contact who works with a lot of different consumer companies. "No one knows what's going to happen," he said. "No one has ever been through an economic situation like this, and they honestly don't know what to do. They just don't know what's going to happen."
The reality is that we never know what's going to happen, but most of the time we kid ourselves about it. We think we see patterns and we expect events to follow those patterns, which they always do -- except when they don't.
Recent economic events have rubbed our noses in the basic unpredictability of the world. But don't let that paralyze you with fear. The situation has always been that way; you just had some comforting illusions before. Make the best guesses you can, stay nimble, and when the weather is nice be sure to enjoy the sunshine.
The reality is that we never know what's going to happen, but most of the time we kid ourselves about it. We think we see patterns and we expect events to follow those patterns, which they always do -- except when they don't.
Recent economic events have rubbed our noses in the basic unpredictability of the world. But don't let that paralyze you with fear. The situation has always been that way; you just had some comforting illusions before. Make the best guesses you can, stay nimble, and when the weather is nice be sure to enjoy the sunshine.
lundi 5 janvier 2009
Still No N82
My phone didn't get back from the repair centre in time for the weekend, and the earliest I can pick up now is tomorrow. So I am still using the 6600. The lack of HSDPA, good music player, and decent web browser is very frustrating. It has been hard to get used to not using the features I am so used to on a phone. There is one positive on the phone though; it has an excellent keypad!
I just hope my N82 is back tomorrow.
I just hope my N82 is back tomorrow.
dimanche 4 janvier 2009
Will the mobile phone really eat the PC?
It's long been an article of faith for many mobile enthusiasts that mobile phones are going to become the dominant means by which the human race deals with the internet. Lately that idea has been echoed by more mainstream voices:
I have a lot of respect for those sources, but in their enthusiasm for mobile technology, I think they have made two big mistakes:
--They've assumed the internet is a thing, and
--They have forgotten about Moore's law.
The internet is not a thing
It's a collection of standards for data transport, storage, presentation and so on. People do an incredible range of tasks that take advantage of the internet, some of them well suited to a mobile phone and some of them not. Creating documents and graphics that you want to share online, browsing content, and writing online comments all are moderately to enormously easier when you're using a PC with a keyboard, mouse, and larger screen. They also benefit from having large amounts of local storage, which you don't have on a mobile phone.
The idea that people in the developing world won't want or need the benefits of a larger screen and keyboard is patronizing. It assumes that they'll be content to be second class citizens for many Internet services permanently.
If they can't afford a PC, of course they'll do what they can with a mobile phone. But that brings us to the second assumption -- who says they'll never be able to afford a PC?
Moore's Law lives
As I've written in the past, some people in Silicon Valley worry that we're starting to run up against physical limits on the growth of computing performance (link). Although that may or may not turn out to be an issue at the high end of the market, at the low end no such barrier exists.
I'm told by friends on the manufacturing side of things that the production cost of a fully-equipped ultra-mobile PC or netbook (what we used to call a mini-notebook) is now around $200. The street price for basic models is $282-299, a drop of about 17% in the last four months (see here, and here). Many of the key components in UMPCs, such as the screens and optical drives, are also used in DVD players, which means they're being manufactured in large volumes, driving rapid price erosion.
UMPCs aren't perfect -- the keyboards are very cramped, and the screens display text so small that they can be uncomfortable to read. But they are far, far better than a smartphone for many computing and internet tasks.
I am not saying that PCs will become affordable for the world's poorest people anytime soon. But let Moore's Law continue to chew on the UMPC, and I think a PC will soon be within the reach of a working-class family in much of the developing world.
The most likely outcome is that most people who can afford a mobile phone and service plan will also be able to afford a small PC if they want one. My guess is that they'll use both devices in the same way you and I do -- the phone will be better for some tasks, the PC for others. The idea of using one to take over for the other will seem silly, kind of like using a hair dryer to cook dinner.
Someday in the distant future, of course, we'll have smartphones with flexible screens and fold-out keyboards that can fulfill all of the functions of a PC. At that point, the line between your PC and your phone will blur, and you'll be able to say that your phone has taken over your PC (you'll also be able to say that your PC has taken over your phone). But after watching the lethargic pace of change in mobiles over the last ten years, I think we've still got a long wait for the merger of phone and PC. Besides, integrating more features generally raises prices, so the merger of phone and PC will happen first at the high end of the smartphone market. PCs will be dirt cheap long before they merge physically with phones.
"There are over one billion people in emerging markets who will never access the Internet using a PC."
-- Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, on stage at CTIA, September 2008
"Most new internet users will be in developing countries and will use mobile phones."
--The Economist, September 2008 (link)
"Mobile phones are the future of computing, and they are ideally suited for accessing Web services....(The mobile phone will be:)
-the device most likely to subsume the PC's computing and informational dominance
-the most functional and accessible device for conducting Web search
-the natural gateway to Web 2.0 platform applications and services"
--E-Week, October 2008 (link)
I have a lot of respect for those sources, but in their enthusiasm for mobile technology, I think they have made two big mistakes:
--They've assumed the internet is a thing, and
--They have forgotten about Moore's law.
The internet is not a thing
It's a collection of standards for data transport, storage, presentation and so on. People do an incredible range of tasks that take advantage of the internet, some of them well suited to a mobile phone and some of them not. Creating documents and graphics that you want to share online, browsing content, and writing online comments all are moderately to enormously easier when you're using a PC with a keyboard, mouse, and larger screen. They also benefit from having large amounts of local storage, which you don't have on a mobile phone.
The idea that people in the developing world won't want or need the benefits of a larger screen and keyboard is patronizing. It assumes that they'll be content to be second class citizens for many Internet services permanently.
If they can't afford a PC, of course they'll do what they can with a mobile phone. But that brings us to the second assumption -- who says they'll never be able to afford a PC?
Moore's Law lives
As I've written in the past, some people in Silicon Valley worry that we're starting to run up against physical limits on the growth of computing performance (link). Although that may or may not turn out to be an issue at the high end of the market, at the low end no such barrier exists.
I'm told by friends on the manufacturing side of things that the production cost of a fully-equipped ultra-mobile PC or netbook (what we used to call a mini-notebook) is now around $200. The street price for basic models is $282-299, a drop of about 17% in the last four months (see here, and here). Many of the key components in UMPCs, such as the screens and optical drives, are also used in DVD players, which means they're being manufactured in large volumes, driving rapid price erosion.
UMPCs aren't perfect -- the keyboards are very cramped, and the screens display text so small that they can be uncomfortable to read. But they are far, far better than a smartphone for many computing and internet tasks.
I am not saying that PCs will become affordable for the world's poorest people anytime soon. But let Moore's Law continue to chew on the UMPC, and I think a PC will soon be within the reach of a working-class family in much of the developing world.
The most likely outcome is that most people who can afford a mobile phone and service plan will also be able to afford a small PC if they want one. My guess is that they'll use both devices in the same way you and I do -- the phone will be better for some tasks, the PC for others. The idea of using one to take over for the other will seem silly, kind of like using a hair dryer to cook dinner.
Someday in the distant future, of course, we'll have smartphones with flexible screens and fold-out keyboards that can fulfill all of the functions of a PC. At that point, the line between your PC and your phone will blur, and you'll be able to say that your phone has taken over your PC (you'll also be able to say that your PC has taken over your phone). But after watching the lethargic pace of change in mobiles over the last ten years, I think we've still got a long wait for the merger of phone and PC. Besides, integrating more features generally raises prices, so the merger of phone and PC will happen first at the high end of the smartphone market. PCs will be dirt cheap long before they merge physically with phones.
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