Microsot's Hero

Look at this device, guys. This is the device responsible of keeping Microsoft's Windows Mobile pretty much alive in the market, the device responsible of making us believe, for a brief period of time, that Windows Mobile can actually play at the same level as webOS, iPhone OS and Android, although it clearly doesn't.

Anyhow, this device is so important, it has set a new standard and a new concept of "high-end smartphone"; this is a device that will probably never become old, because it's so impressive, any other device looks from the past in comparison. It's important not only for Windows Mobile, but also for HTC, since the hardware of this device is pretty much the best we've ever seen tucked up in the same device, setting a new benchmark, and making us wonder whether this monster is actually better than Apple's flagship product. Let's dive into HTC's work of art.

RIM and the Storms

In January 2007, Steve Jobs unveiled the mythical iPhone to the world, showing all handset makers how a smartphone should be built, both in hardware and in software. Research In Motion, a Canadian handset manufacturer based in Waterloo, famous for the most successful smartphone brand for corporate users (BlackBerry), paid close attention to Apple's entrance into the smartphone industry, and thought that, if Apple could build such a revolutionary device in its first attempt, surely they could do something better, as they too, focused on high-quality products and had an established set of exclusive customers.

Thus, they set a target release date of 2008 for the new device, and started working on a new consumer-focused, revolutionary touch-screen smartphone.

Week One

We're back.

We've been around for more or less a week, during which we got caught up with work these last couple of days, and couldn't give you guys much time. Before celebrating our first week though, there's something we need to talk about.

Thanks to the connected world we live in today, we know about the tragedy in Haiti, and we at Smart Mobile World would like to give the people living this tragedy some of our time, too. If you live in the US, there are many ways you can donate a small amount of money, using only your cell phone, through an SMS; for us living abroad, we need to use credit cards, but we would like to point out, that with a little effort, all of us can help. Nowadays cell phones, of any kind, are so much more than just "mobile phones", they do a lot of stuff (mainly through SMS), and with just a few key-presses or touch-downs, you can help, and we can all make a small effort become something big. A message from the Motorola Developer's Group:

In the words of anthropologist Margaret Mead:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has."

TechTalk: Building a smartphone

This is going to be a very, very long post, guys. So please, grab a cup of coffee, put on some sweet music, and read on...

In this first issue of TechTalk, we will provide you with a basic understanding on how a CPU works, how this is then crammed into our smartphones, and we'll finish looking at the most common CPU running on many devices being sold today. Tech lovers, gadget lovers, computer software architecture students, this post is for you!

Verizon and the Droid

It is not hard to see why the Android community welcomed the Droid with so much affection; the Droid, running on Verizon Wireless' network, became a reality after a summer (2009's) full of rumours and speculation about a new device from Motorola, codenamed Motorola Sholes and/or Tao, which would run on Android 2.0. It all turned out to be true; on 27th October Google launched the Android 2.0 SDK to developers showcasing Android's new features on a device with a massive screen we had not seen before, and the next day, Motorola officially unveiled the Droid, and together with Verizon, started breathing new life into Android.

Creating Live Wallpapers

The new Android 2.1 SDK lets programmers creating live wallpapers. What are live wallpapers?

Live wallpapers are animated backgrounds that can interact with the events that are produced by the users when they touch the screen. This is interesting, yes... but it spends much battery if they are not well programmed. A smart mobile like HTC Hero, Magic or another one cold hold on in a few hours, not days.

Another kind of mobile phones like the new Nexus One has got animated wallpaper included since they fabrication, another thing for choosing Nexus One today.

On icons and the iPhone's consumer awareness (Part Two)

Here we ago again. The Apple iPhone, unveiled on January 9th, 2007, represents Apple's present. Since 2001, Apple changed completely and took the world with it to introduce a new culture, Apple's culture; and all of this, began thanks to the iPod. From 2001 to 2006, Apple sold over 70 million iPods, and was ready to show the world it's new invention... the iPhone.

HTC Tattoo in Orange (and the problems with that)

Having a HTC Tattoo is a good idea? Having a HTC Tattoo whit orange is a good idea? I know the answer.

If you want to have a smart mobile phone and you have decided to buy a HTC Tattoo, I can recommend everybody that Vodafone and Telefonica have that smart phone too. Orange is offering that for the clients who make a contract by two years with internet line. Every month, the internet connection is limited to 300 mb and if you pass this limit, your connection goes down to 128 Kbps. It is only the first condition that is not comparable to other conditions that they don't tell you when you sign the contract.

When I received my HTC Tattoo fifteen days ago i thought "what the hell is that?", I opened the little box and turned on the little gadget. Android is incredible; yes, it is!

I passed all the day studying the phone, using it and finding information by the internet about it; finally I compare. Orange has blocked the terminal and you cannot do anything. Gmail, Youtube and Gtalk are apps that almost everybody needs and Orange has blocked them. But somebody can think... "I can install them by the market", it's an incredible mistake thinking that. This applicattions are not available in the android market and you can't install them.

The market in the Tattoo is not the same, well... it's the same, but doesn't have all the applicacion because of the screen size don't let you install the applicattions you want. Google Goggles, the new and amazing applicattion of Google (tm); and the barcode scanner are not available too, this problem is not caused by Orange. You could install barcode scanner but is not really functional because HTC Tattoo camera hasn't autofocus, and the same for Google Goggles and many more applications.

If you are thinking..."what can I do now?", I only can say to you... "you have twenty four months with Orange for thinking about it, think... Nexus One is coming up!"

On icons and Apple's consumer awareness (Part One)

Apple? Yes, Apple, that big corporation which is today known to everyone, has played possibly the most important role inside the tech industry over the past decade, putting everything we love & need in our pocket.

Let's think about it. Before Apple's iPod, we wouldn't dare to think about the number of songs we could take with us, we had to pick a single cd to put in our music player, and that was it. And then, we got the iPhone, which revolutioned and changed the smartphone market forever, and brought us the standard by which most smartphones  live and attempt to improve. But Apple wasn't always Apple, so please join us after the break as we try to understand the iPod and its impact in Apple's history from our perspective.

Thinking about Nokia and the N900

Last evening we were surprised with an awesome review of the Nokia N900 by Engadget, and were left thinking about Nokia's current situation. We have some interesting posts in the pipeline, but surely, Nokia's position in the smartphone market deserves some time, too. What exactly is the N900? Does it replace the N97? Let's have a look...

New Motorola MOTOROI

The device we knew as Motorola Sholes Tablet or Motorola XT720, is being officially presented as Motorola MOTOROI in South Korea. It will be available in February with operator SK Telecom but it's possible we will see it in other markets, like Europe or America. (Finally it's going to be available in Europe in America).

On Palm and their latest hits at CES

2/2, isin't it? For the last two years, Palm has been really putting the press at work with their CES announcements. Not only did CES show the return of Palm into the smartphone market, but this year, it was the stage for Palm's commitment to gain strength in the tough smartphone business, both with consumers and with developers. Let's dive into Palm's recent announcements.

Android 2.1's biggest win

No, this post is not about the Nexus One; we'll talk about the device later on. First, I'd like to point out which is the best feature I see in Android 2.1. From the beginning, Live Wallpapers has been the feature which  got most of the media's coverage, and although some have pointed out my favorite feature, it's time for it to be under the spotlight.

On an Android 2.0.1 Security Flaw

The recent discovery of an Android 2.0.1 security flaw got me thinking. I developed a prototype of an app I want to put on the Android Market, it was my first attempt at building a mobile platform application; to protect the information stored in it, the first thing you saw after starting the app was a screen asking you for a password. For months, I used it, storing valuable information within it, and one day, instead of touching the "OK" button to input the password, I touched "Exit". I started the app again, and found out... it did not ask me for the password. Similarly, the Android 2.0.1 flaw is found in a situation we, as developers, do not usually think about.