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.