Showing posts with label Nokia. Show all posts
One of Nokia's most popular feature phones, theNokia1100, is once again inthe news. A handset with that model number was spotted running Google's latest Android build and powered by a quad-core processor under the hood.Nokia's legendary phone has been spotted at a benchmark listing tipping details of the innards. First spotted byNokia Power User, the Nokia 1100's Geekbench browser benchmark results show the handset runningAndroid5.0 Lollipop while including a quad-core MediaTek (MT6582) processor. The listed Nokia 1100 handset is seenfeaturing512MB of RAM. Apart from the Android version, processor, and memory, there are no details about other specifications.With the form factor of the original Nokia 1100, we find it hard to believe the Finnish company might be testing running any version of Android on it, forget Lollipop. It is more likely an in-development smartphone that the company is using the same model number for. Of course, the spotted Nokia 1100 with Android is unlikely to debut before Q4 2016, as the terms ofMicrosoft's acquisition of Nokia's Devices and Services businessstipulateNokia can no longer use its brand on smartphones till Q4 2016, and on feature phones for 10 years.The Nokia 1100 was launched late in 2003 and is one of the company's biggest milestones as it's owned by around 250 million people worldwide, according to the company.Nokia even claimedthat the Nokia 1100 was "the world's most popular phone."Last year, Nokia neatly bypassed the restrictions imposed by the Microsoft deal and launched theNokia N1tablet. The company called it the "first Nokia-branded Android tablet" and was initiallylaunchedin China in Q1 2015 with a brand-licensing agreement extending toan OEM partner (Foxconn) that would manufacture, distribute, and sell it.
The Microsoft event at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 at Barcelona just got over and except for a few snags in between (read sudden burst of loud music from the stand opposite Microsoft’s and Cortana scheduling a 8 PM dinner at 6 PM), it went well.
The event was about the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL, Windows 10 (with the focus on its mobile version) and some interesting new stuff (like the Universal foldable keyboard).
Both the Lumias look beautiful and feel sturdy like most other Lumias. Windows 10, the OS that Microsoft is counting on for its ‘One Microsoft’ vision has been the talk of tech town since it was shown off. Of course, its preview not being available for some important Lumia devices has also been the talk of tech town, but I digress.
Stephen Elop wants you to have a productive mobile experience
While listening to Stephen Elop talking enthusiastically about the new devices and Windows 10, I couldn’t help but wonder if this enthusiasm would translate to a radical change in the Windows Phone sales when the new flagships with Windows 10 come out starting this April. Will Windows Phone take a leap towards a bigger share of the market, with its promise of offering a truly uniform experience across the Windows platform? Will you finally start seeing Lumias in abundance (like it was here) all over the world? We’ll talk about all that but let’s begin with the two new devices that were shown off today.
Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL
No one can have just one – The Lumia 640s
If I were to summarize the Lumia annoucements in two words, it would be ‘budget’ and ‘work anywhere productively.’ That’s what Microsoft seemed to focus upon repeatedly during its presentation.
I am glad they decided to narrow down the USP of their devices and make sure everyone gets what purpose these two Lumias will solve, instead of going on a spec-comparison rampage with other phones. They could have done that actually, considering the specs are impressive for the price at which these devices are being offered. The Verge has a rundown of all the hardcore technical details for the geekier ones among you. Let me talk about my first impressions after using the devices for a good few minutes at the demo zone.
One of the things that impressed me about the bigger Lumia 640 XL (yes, I got to play with that first) was the way it felt in my hands: Light, and yet a good grip with a premium feeling. Unlike the iPhone 6 Plus, which feels great but also gives you this nagging feeling of it slipping out of your hands the minute you get distracted, this one sent none of those chills down the spine.
The Lumia 640 looks great, especially the blue color. Stephen took a dig at iPhone while showing it off, mentioning that it’s not silver or golden but blue (don’t ask me what I think about that… no, don’t).
In my time of playing with both the devices, I found them to be working smoothly without any stutter. Of course, the true test of any smartphone comes after 2-3 months of usage when you’ve got a lot going on it, and that’s when you start seeing the “lags.” But Windows Phone has always fared well in that area, almost like iOS. So I don’t anticipate any major issues on that front.
Focus on Productivity through Office and Uniformity
Microsoft wants you to get actual work done from your Lumias and that’s exactly why you’ll getOffice 365 Personal free for a year with the devices. MS officials spent a lot of time on the stage showing why they think Office on your mobile is the best and how easily you can switch between devices and continue working on the same Excel spreadsheet without worrying about the challenges of the smaller screen.
Microsoft wants to make your computing experience smooth and uniform
There is no doubt that Office still rules when it comes to spreadsheets, presentations and documents, and Microsoft wants to entice the professional who has probably switched to an iPhone from his BlackBerry and while he loves taking pictures from his iPhone, he wishes if he could get work done better and faster on it when he’s on the go.
Although I don’t dabble with spreadsheets and PPTs often, I do find myself jumping to my starred documents and sheets in Google Drive for iOS now and then. I am yet to take a dive into Office on Windows Phone but if the web version is any indication, it should work smoothly.
Microsoft also wants to focus on uniformity of the platform and wants to show the Windows PC user that he/she is better off owning and using a Windows 10 Phone considering the time it’ll save on day to day basis.
Will this Actually Work?
That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? Will all this actually translate to better sales of Lumia phones? They did sell more Windows Phones in 2014 than in 2013, but it was only a slight rise and definitely below expectations. Will they see much better numbers in 2015?
Anyone who’s been following the Windows Phone scene since its inception knows that the devices are excellent when it comes to the hardware and features like camera. But the fact that it was quite a late entrant to the smartphone party, and that the apps lacked in quality when compared with their iOS and Android counterparts, meant that Windows Phone never really took off the way its makers expected it to. Sure, Windows Phones have been selling well in certain regions (India, for instance) but there’s still a long way to go before they catch up with the Apples and Samsungs (if they ever do, that is).
I think with Windows 10 on both desktop and mobile, and the focus on Office, Microsoft is headed in the right direction. If they can convince Windows users (which is like 90% of the computer users around the world) to use a Windows Phone, they could gain significant market share. Of course, quality and availability of apps on the platform should still be priority one. If the iOS or Android app continues to be better than its Windows Phone counterpart, then it won’t help. That is something they really got to fix.
What do you think? Can they pull this off or have they missed the bus? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.
The poor design of two different smartphones, a low-resolution front camera with the new iPhone, the Moto G’s lack of LTE, and the hefty price tag of the Amazon Fire led to disappointment this year when it came to smartphone releases.
The design of the Samsung Galaxy S5
I almost feel sorry for Samsung Electronics and the year the company has had. For example, while the overall smartphone market grew during the third quarter, Samsung’s sales dropped by about 9 percent to 73.2 million units, according to Gartner. And there is no getting around the fact the all-plastic design of the Galaxy S5 was a huge miscalculation and put a damper on the company’s most important product. Samsung has started to make some changes with the use of metal on smartphones like the Galaxy Note 4, but it remains to be seen if that is enough to turn around its high-end fortunes.
The front camera on the iPhone 6
One of the big smartphone trends this year was the addition of high-resolution front cameras for better selfies. But this trend was unfortunately ignored by Tim Cook and his colleagues at Apple. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus only have a 1.2-megapixel front camera, which simply isn’t good enough for products that are as expensive as the new iPhones.
Apple has always been good at knowing how much it has to upgrade the iPhone and still have fans line up to buy one. With their larger screens, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were always going to be big hits, irrespective of other changes. But now Apple has at least one thing it can easily improve on next year’s new models.
The lack of LTE on the Motorola Moto G
When I went to the launch of the new Moto G in September, I didn’t even think to ask if the it smartphone had LTE. To me, that was a given after the company had launched the 4G version of the original model. But the product planners had decided against that. An LTE version of the new Moto G is likely on the way, but Motorola hasn’t reveled any official plans.
Luckily for smartphone buyers, next year LTE will become a standard feature on smartphones priced just below $200 without a contract, thanks to cheaper components. I’ll even bet that the next version of the less expensive Moto E will have LTE.
The screen on the Nokia Lumia 530
One of the main reasons Windows Phone is still around is the success of the Lumia 520, which offered good design and performance for not much money. But when Nokia finally got around to developing a successor things didn’t go well. The Lumia 530 may be cheap at less than $100, but the sacrifices the company felt it had to make to get there were too big. The screen is especially disappointing, and I am not alone in thinking that.
“We hate the Lumia 530’s display. Even though its pixel density is better than that of the Lumia 520, we can honestly say we found that phone’s display more satisfying. And the Lumia 530 can’t compete with the Moto E in this regard. It really is a poor-looking display, in our view. And we can’t really fathom why,” PC Advisor wrote in its review.
The Amazon Fire Phone’s original price tag
Amazon finally launched its first smartphone, the Fire Phone, in July. While the company can be forgiven for not getting everything right on the first try, the decision to charge $199 with a contact, or $649 without one, was delusional. The smartphone didn’t have the features or hardware specifications to justify the price. Amazon quickly realized its mistake, and lowered the price. But it still missed the buzz that comes with a product launch.
Even though Amazon has struggled to sell the Fire Phone, the company shouldn’t give up. The contextual menus and gesture navigation are promising, and the smartphone market needs companies that dare to do something different. So I am looking forward to what Amazon has in store for next year.
