Monday, June 11, 2012

The Ice Cream Sandwich Vs Gingerbread

Released on November 17 2011, the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) is set to be the next big thing in the world of Android operating systems, bringing a completely different look to Android. The ICS (Android Version 4.0) promises to be compatible with almost every Android device.

The ICS claims to be very easy to use and it certainly does have some great navigation tools and makes searching for apps and the like on your hand set so much easier, but the ICS is not the only 'next big thing' to hit the market and claim to change the ever-popular Android operating systems, because Google's Gingerbread has also recently been launched and threatens to knock the ICS off one of the highest spots on the consumer market.

Sprint Cellular Phone

After having a detailed look at both the Ice Cream Sandwich and the Gingerbread systems I am tending to swing towards the ICS mainly because it is much easier to use and is more widely available.

The Ice Cream Sandwich Vs Gingerbread

Similarities

There are a lot of similarities between the two operating systems and although this is good in some respects, it can make it hard for the consumers to decide which one is better for them.

At the moment, both of the Android operating systems seem to work well when it comes to working hard to save your battery by closing down any apps that are running in the background and they both have a newer, faster and better keyboard that works even harder to improve the predictive text function so you don't accidentally type a word that could change the whole context of the conversation and confuse things.

There does seem to be one thing that the Gingerbread is slightly better at than the ICS and that is helping you to save the battery. It will work out for you what apps use the most battery power and then its up to you to decide whether or not you want to stick with them and although this could be a good thing, it seems to me the Gingerbread system is shouting 'Look what I can do!' and using up more memory when the ICS just gets on and does its job.

Sorry, unavailable

While the ICS is available on most new handsets and can be downloaded on other older handsets, the Gingerbread operating system is not as widely available and those with HTC, Samsung and some Sony devices are still waiting to use this system that has been available for months and well before the Ice Cream Sandwich made its appearance on the market in November 2011, and users of the LG, Motorola and Samsung phones are still waiting for an upgrade while the ICS continues to flourish.

Although the Gingerbread operating system does work well and makes an effort to save battery power, it's availability is lacking and by the time the makers decide to make it more widely available, the Ice Cream Sandwich would have found its way to many more mobile devices and made even greater improvements while the main ingredients are still being added to the Gingerbread.

The Ice Cream Sandwich Vs Gingerbread

Savings Rates Weight Loss Meals Apply For A Credit Card

Thursday, June 7, 2012

What Is The Best SmartPhone On The Market Today?

The answer to this question is really a personal one. Everyone's likes, wants, and needs will be different. Now... how do you decide which is right for YOU?

In all honesty there is no 'best" smartphone, just the best one currently available for your needs. For 5 different use cases, there will be 5 different "best" choices, so I can only guess as to your use case.

Sprint Cellular Phone

Is there a particular carrier you have to use?

What Is The Best SmartPhone On The Market Today?

Also, there are lots of different definitions of "smartphone". To me a smartphone means that I can load my own applications on it. It can get my e-mails, contacts, and appointments over air from a MS exchange server. And that it has a means for significant text entry, for responding to e-mails.

There are some great phones that don't meet my definition (IPhone doesn't yet have an official way to load your own applications, Sidekick doesn't let you load apps, Nokia N95 doesn't have a high volume text input method, etc...). There is lots of room for experienced users to disagree with me on this definition, so be warned.

The Windows Mobile OS (current version is 6) is used in the Motorola Q series, the Blackjack I/II, Palm treo 750 and many of the HTC phones.

The RIM OS is used in all Blackberries.

There are other OS out there (OSX for the IPhone, Palm for the Treo 755/Centro, Symbian for several of the Nokia phones, etc...). But only the MS OS has a universal way for syncing over air to a corporate exchange server. All the others require an additional piece of middleware. Of those solutions, the RIM Blackberry Enterprise Server is by far the most popular. So if I have to guess for you, I'd limit myself to those two OS's.

The RIM OS is pretty easy to use, reliable, and straight forward. It does what it's intended to use well. That's why for non technical users, I almost always recommend a RIM based phone. It may not have every bell and whistle but it's a workhorse for sending and receiving e-mail.

In Blackberries you basically have the choice of a full size keypad (Blackberry 8800 or "Curve" style), or you have a streamlined keyboard (8100 or "Pearl" style). The Curves are much better if you have to write a lot of e-mail. The Pearl's are better if you need a smaller form-factor, and are reading more e-mail than you are writting.

In the windows OS there are many different shapes and sizes. I prefer units with a full keyboard like the Motorola Qm or the Blackjack II. Slider phones like the Wave, Wing, etc... You'd need to try some to pick the form-factor you like, but they all will perform similarly since they are based on the same OS. In general the windows based phones can do more, but are more flaky and less reliable. It's not uncommon for some windows based phones to occasionally crash and the user needs to remove the battery to reboot the phone (insert your favorite anti-Microsoft joke here).

Once you've picked a carrier, OS, and form-factor, here's some final criteria to look at.....

A removable battery is a must (another deal break with the iPhone). Is there an option for a higher capacity battery if you don't mind a bit more bulk.

How does it charge? A standard mini USB port will make it way easy to charge in a variety of circumstances and save you money on chargers.

Does it support the latest/fastest wireless data for your carrier? EVDO Rev A for Sprint and Verizon, HSDPA for AT&T.

Does it have a removable media slot (micro SD, etc...).

Does it have an integrated GPS chip? Has the wireless carrier turned off that chip so you aren't allowed to use it? Is the chip the highly sensitive (a good thing) Sirf III chip?

Do you need a camera? 2 Meg is a nice bump over 1.3 as it gives you good enough resolution to actually take pictures of business cards and then have software convert the picture to contact data.

Do you need WiFi?

If I answer all of the above for me, no phone exisits that has it all.

If I had to guess for you with no more information... I'd go with a Blackberry 8800.

What Is The Best SmartPhone On The Market Today?

Cheap Accident Insurance

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Mobile Data Product Review - Novatel Wireless MiFi

As someone who lives off the beaten path, it turns out that some sort of wireless Internet was my only possible solution to higher than dial-up speeds for mobile data. After spending some time comparing services and contracts carefully, I decided against satellite in favor of cellular based wireless Internet. I ended up with Sprint, because they were the only ones at the time offering 3G speeds in my area with a plan that included unlimited bandwidth.

Recently, I had the occasion to purchase the new Novatel Wirelss MiFi at a greatly reduced price (provided I renew my contract, of course ), so I felt it a premium opportunity to share my experience with you. Sprint's retail on this nifty little do-dad is listed at 9, but I ended up paying after contract and mail-in rebate.

Sprint Cellular Phone

If you haven't seen the ads on television, the MiFi 2200 is a small cell-phone sized gadget that works as a mobile WiFi hotspot for up to 5 enabled devices. This happens to be perfect for my house, which has two desktop computers, one laptop and two PSPs, all using wireless networking.

Mobile Data Product Review - Novatel Wireless MiFi

I followed the directions and let it charge for two and a half hours, even though the charge light said it was completely charged as soon as I plugged it in. It really was a seemingly simple device, a slim silver rectangle with one button, obviously marked as the power button. The only other decoration was the prominent Sprint logo and a very small light on the side, which happens to be the hotspot indicator light.

According to the directions, all that was required was to power on the device, wait for the hotspot indicator light to turn solid green, and then connect using my computer's standard wireless networking setup. The MiFi turned on and showed ready in about five seconds, and readily showed up in my wireless network list with 100% signal strength. So far, so good. I connected to the hotspot, and all of a sudden, I was on the Internet.

That was about as easy as it could get, but I was curious, is that all there is to the device? What kind of security does it offer? I decided I should break out the manual.

With a little reading, I managed to log into the web interface for the MiFi, and was surprised to see a complete mini-router. Features include port forwarding, port filtering, Mac filtering and security that runs from 64 bit WEP to mixed- mode WPA/WPA2. You can even enable GPS on the MiFi, and any user connected can do local-based searches using the device's interface.

After some poking, prodding, speed testing and general hammering at it, I am happy to report that the MiFi 2200 is a nice little piece of equipment. It remains to be seen if it will have the longevity of my old Pantech PX500 pc-card. I don't know if it was designed to be a full-time access point. Only time will tell. I may give an update in the comments at a later date.

Mobile Data Product Review - Novatel Wireless MiFi

Life Accident Insurance Accident Health Insurance