Android smartphones, tablets on the march

Just a year ago, Android handsets accounted for a slim 8.7 percent of the global smartphone market, with OS vendors such as Nokia, RIM, and Apple well in the lead, according to an industry survey. Not anymore. Also: Android establishes a beachhead in the tablet market.

We've already been hearing plenty of reports about how Google's Android OS has been surging in the domestic and worldwide smartphone marketplaces, but the latest figures from the industry analysts at Canalys put the new mobile platform landscape on stark perspective, with Android sales seeing an extraordinary, 615-percent growth spurt in 2010 to topple Nokia's Symbian platform off its throne.

As of the end of the fourth quarter last year, Android enjoyed a 33.3 percent share of the global smartphone market, according to Canalys, with Nokia's Symbian OS trailing (just barely) at 31 percent.

Mind you, Nokia still ranks as the No. 1 global manufacturer of smartphones, the survey noted, with the Finnish phone giant seeing worldwide shipments of its smart handsets grow 30 percent in 12 months.

But that wasn't enough to stop Android, which saw its global market share kick in the afterburners with help from a veritable gang of smartphone makers—think HTC, Samsung, LG, and Acer, according to Canalys.

After Nokia comes Apple, which saw its fourth-quarter 2010 global iOS market share dip ever so slightly to 16.2 percent, from 16.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009—although as with Nokia, Apple still saw a healthy surge in global sales (up nearly 86 percent compared to the fourth quarter of '08).

In fourth place, we've got BlackBerry maker RIM with 14.6 percent of the global smartphone market, down more than five percent from the year-ago 2009 period, while Microsoft saw its fourth-quarter 2010 market share slump to 3.1 percent.

Narrowing our focus to the U.S. market, the contest for the top smartphone OS really wasn't one, with a new NPD Group survey crowning Android the crown last quarter with a whopping 53 percent slice of the domestic pie.

Far behind in terms of smartphone platforms was Apple with a 19 percent share, according to NPD. Apple still had the top-selling smartphone in the U.S. last quarter with the iPhone 4, but a trio of Android handsets were nipping at the iPhone's heels: the Motorola Droid X, the HTC Evo 4G, and the Motorola Droid 2.

RIM was tied for second with 19 percent of the U.S. smartphone market last quarter, NPD said, with the old Windows Mobile OS at 4 percent and the new Windows Phone 7 platform at just 2 percent.

Meanwhile, Android isn't just surging in the smartphone department, with researchers at Strategy Analytics reporting (via Bloomberg) that Android-based tablets grabbed a 22-percent share of the worldwide tablet market last quarter, up from a mere 2.3 percent the previous quarter.

That's still far behind Apple's 75-percent global tablet share last quarter, but consider this: Apple's tablet share in the third quarter of 2010 was a dominant 95 percent, meaning that Android managed to take a serious chomp out of Apple's share of the slate market.

But while Android may be gaining ground on Apple's tablet market share—and eclipsing it in terms of smartphones—it's important to keep in mind that almost all the big mobile OSes are moving more devices (many more, in some cases) than they were a year ago.

For example, Apple saw its tablet sales surge an eye-popping 74 percent between the third quarter of 2010 and last quarter, according to Strategy Analytics, even as Android tablet sales soared to 2.1 million units from just 100,000 in the same period.

Same goes for smartphones, with only Mircosoft selling fewer smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2010 than it did during the year-prior period, according to the Canalys survey. Indeed, overall smartphone sales nearly doubled from 53.7 million units to 101.2 million handsets.

In other words: even if Android's piece of the mobile pie is bigger than Apple's, or Nokia's, or RIM's, the overall slices are getting bigger—a lot bigger. For us consumers, that's a good thing.

Source: Yahoo News

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Google topples Symbian from smartphones top spot

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Google's Android dethroned Nokia's Symbian as the global leader in smartphone software in the last quarter of 2010, ending a reign that began with the birth of the industry a decade ago.

The reshuffle underscores how quickly Google, which offers its software to phone makers for free, has raced to the top of the smartphone market ahead of Apple's rapid ascension. Google and Apple have revolutionized the smartphone market in recent years, sending Nokia scrambling.

In the fourth quarter, phonemakers sold 32.9 million Android-equipped phones globally, roughly seven times more than the year-earlier quarter, compared with Symbian's sales of 31 million, according to Research firm Canalys.

The numbers also highlight Google's success in battling Apple, whose shipments of its popular iPhone increased to 16.2 million from 8.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Unlike Apple or Nokia, Google does not make its own phone hardware but instead offers its Android operating system free to other phone makers who can adapt it to suit their devices.

As a result, Android has become the standard software for many phone makers. U.S. phone maker Motorola Inc has even managed to stage a comeback of sorts by focusing solely on Android after years of heavy market share losses.

Hit models from Samsung Electronics, HTC and LG Electronics also helped Android in the quarter as phone companies in many regions aggressively promoted Android phones.

In fact, only Nokia, Apple and RIM have so far resisted using Android software.

Meanwhile, Symbian suffered from the troubles of its owner and main user, Nokia.

Last week Nokia warned of a grim start to 2011 after rivals ate even more of its smartphone market share, highlighting the scale of the task its new boss has to turnaround the business.

Stephen Elop, a former executive for Microsoft Corp who took over as Nokia chief executive in September, will unveil his plan to revamp Nokia's strategy on February 11.

Elop said last week he wants to reopen markets such as the United States, where Nokia has lost out badly, and flagged a possible change in software strategy.

Some experts said this may mean that Nokia will announce plans to introduce smartphone models using Android.

Nokia shares fell 0.7 percent to 7.79 euros on Monday. Google shares rose to more than $603 in early trade after closing at $600.99 in regular Nasdaq trade on Friday.

(Additional reporting by Sinead Carew in New York; Editing by Will Waterman and Derek Caney)

Source: Yahoo News

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BlackBerry Experiences Brief Outage

If you couldn't access your email on your BlackBerry this morning, you weren't alone. RIM's BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) experienced a brief outage early Saturday.

"BIS email delivery was delayed this morning in (North America) due to system maintenance," RIM tweeted from @BlackBerry, its official Twitter account. "Service is now being restored. We apologize for any inconvenience."

The outage was also confirmed by Verizon Wireless.

"This morning's RIM email issue 100% over," @VerizonWireless tweeted. "All BlackBerry users on all wireless companies should be back up. Apologies!

Additionally, AT&T mentioned the issue on its Twitter feed.

BlackBerry is still the leading mobile operating system in the U.S. with 33.5 percent of the market share. However, the most recent numbers show a decline in RIM's lead. According to numbers gathered in November, BlackBerry dropped 4.1 percent from the 37.6 percent share that it snagged in August.

This decline could be attributed to the growth of Google's Android platform, which recently leapfrogged Apple to become the number two mobile platform in the states. Android and iOS are in a close race, however. Google's os leads with a 26 percent share, and Apple isn't far behind with 25 percent of the market.

While BlackBerry has faltered, both Google and Apple have strengthened their foothold. Android gained 6.4 percent of the mobile platform market and Apple added 0.8 percent to its share.

RIM also continues to face problems with India, with the government threatening to cut off BlackBerry service in the country if RIM does not hand over access to encrypted data traveling over the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES). While the two parties have reached a solution for BIS, no solution has been reached for BES.

Source : Yahoo News

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The Main Differences Between iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4

There is no doubt that the appearance of the iPhone brought a true challenge to the phone manufacturers. It was amazing to watch how all the other companies started copying the iPhone. Nobody was probably expecting Apple to release a phone and here I will say not just a phone but the best smart phone ever made. Didn’t really matter how hard they tried, no one could copy the iPhone. Even the high price of it did not stop people from buying and some of the countries even run out of phones to sell – the demand was that big. Of course, after the release of the smartphone and the results that followed nobody believed that any other phone will be able to achieve the same. However, in 2010, Apple proved them all wrong with the release of the new iPhone 4.

I suppose you have all seen the new smartphone. The style doesn’t differ much from its predecessor, although the new iPhone 4 is the slimmest smartphone to date. Its strength has also been improved by the stainless steel back. The front of the phone has a special cover that is against scratches. However, not only the design has been changed. As we all know the iphone 3GS did not have two cameras and recording abilities. The new iPhone 4 has two cameras and video recording, helping you to remember all the important events. The new iPhone 4 has the function FacetoFace talk, which allows you to have video calls with your loved ones. Of course, this is not all. There are more pixels with higher resolution that allow you to enjoy the true colors of the applications and especially the one that allows you to read books. The other improved feature is concerning the applications. Now you can have many applications opened at the same time without worrying that they will be slow or will shut down any minute. The only problem known to Apple was concerning the built in antenna. Some people were saying that when they were holding the phone with their left hand, they lose the signal. Apple tried to rectify the problem with some specially made covers but then got rid of it completely.

The new iPhone was a better seller than the iphone 3GS and the reason for that of course is the slim design and the better applications and features. In many countries, there is a huge demand for iPhone 4. There are gossips that Apple is preparing to release iPhone 5, which did not stop people from buying. If there is a new iPhone coming out I am very curious to see what it has to present for us. In my opinion, every modern person has to have the iPhone!

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Android Tablet, Smartphone Boost Samsung in Q4

Samsung Electronics reported a fresh all-time sales high in the fourth quarter, boosted by two products with Google's Android mobile OS on board.

The world's largest maker of memory chips and LCD panels said sales rose 7 percent year on year to 41.87 trillion Korean won (US$37.57 billion) in the fourth quarter, beating its previous sales record of 40.23 trillion won, from the third quarter of last year.

Despite falling prices for LCD screens and DRAM, two of Samsung's main products, the company's net profit rose 13 percent year on year to 3.42 trillion won.

"Overall in the fourth quarter we saw difficult business conditions caused by a slowdown in IT spending caused by the economic slowdown," said Robert Yi, vice president and head of Samsung's investor relations team, in a conference call. A number of companies have said economic uncertainty in the fourth quarter hurt their earnings.

Android, the most potent rival to Apple's iOS in smartphones and tablets, provided a needed lift to Samsung during the quarter, as the world's second-largest handset vendor moved to expand market share.

Sales of Samsung's Android-based tablet, the Galaxy Tab, hit 2 million units in the quarter, while the company's Galaxy S smartphone was a star performer, the company said.

"[Currently] the market is quite inclined to Android OS and we are reacting quite aggressively with a huge range of products from very high-end to mid-tier smartphones. We are also coming up with a more varied lineup for Android," said Lee Younghee, senior vice president of the company's mobile communications business.

Samsung sold 10 million Galaxy S smartphones last year, she said, and is readying a successor that will feature a dual-core processor and a Super AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) Plus display. Samsung also plans to unveil a range of devices to follow up the success of the Galaxy Tab.

Overall, Samsung sold 80.7 million mobile phones in the fourth quarter, raising its 2010 total to 280 million, up 23 percent over 2009.

Younghee cautioned that in the first quarter, "smartphone competition will become fiercer upon launch of new smartphones. At the same time we expect various new tablets to be launched in the market."

The company has set a goal to sell 60 million smartphones this year, twice as many as 2010, she said. Samsung sells smartphones with a range of OSes, including Windows Phone 7 and its own Bada OS.

The electronics giant saw tough times in its component businesses.

Prices for LCD screens and memory chips, both DRAM and NAND flash, fell in the fourth quarter, Samsung executives said. The price declines in DRAM and NAND will continue in the first quarter, but LCD screen prices may have reached bottom, according to Lee Jungryul, senior vice president of Samsung's LCD business. He expects LCD panel prices to start to tick up over the next few months.

Overall, Samsung expects component prices to remain weak in the first half of this year but to pick up in the second half of the year, notable words for people looking for PCs or flat-screen TVs, because weak component prices usually mean deals for end products.

Samsung is considered a technology industry bellwether because it is the world's largest producer of several products, including flat-screen TVs, DRAM, NAND flash memory chips and LCD screens. It's also the second-biggest mobile-phone vendor.

The company plans to spend 23 trillion won on new manufacturing equipment this year, up from capital spending of 21.6 trillion won last year, the company said in a statement. Samsung will invest 10.3 trillion won of the figure on semiconductors, down from 12.7 trillion won last year, and 4.1 trillion won in its LCD business, down from 4.6 trillion won last year.

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Sony unveils new 'NGP' portable game console

Japanese entertainment giant Sony on Thursday unveiled a new portable touchscreen gaming console as it looks to launch a fresh challenge to Nintendo and Apple in the competitive mobile gaming market.

At a special media event in Tokyo, Sony also unveiled a "Suite" application for older PlayStation games, allowing them to be played on mobile phones and tablet computers running Google's Android operating system.

The device, codenamed "Next Generation Portable" will succeed Sony's PlayStation Portable handheld device and boasts 3G mobile connectivity and WiFi, allowing users to download games and other content, said Kazuo Hirai, president and group chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment.

The NGP features a five-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touchscreen, a GPS receiver, a motion sensor and a rear panel touchpad to control certain actions, as well as navigation buttons and a joystick.

Software titles will be available on a small, flash-based memory card, Sony said.

The device will also incorporate front and back cameras and gyroscopic controls.

Sony said the device would be available by the end of 2011, entering the market ahead of the key holiday shopping season. It did not indicate a price.

The Japanese giant's PSP Go, launched in November 2009, already features software downloads through a wireless connection, allowing players to also browse the Internet, watch movies, play music and read books and comics.

Its gaming rival Nintendo is also set to introduce its new 3DS handheld device next month which allows users to play 3D videogames without the need for special glasses, the first major game machine to do so.

"NGP has fascinating new features, such as a touch panel on the backside, which would be enough to differentiate itself from rival game consoles," said Hiroshi Sakai, an analyst at SMBC Friend Securities.

"It's easy to try to compare NGP to Nintendo's 3DS, but they have earned two different customer groups already. Sony has earned serious game fans by providing sophisticated consoles."

Sony sold nearly 65 million PSPs as of the end of September 2010, but the device has been overshadowed by the popularity of Nintendo's DS, which has sold at least double that since its release the same year.

Sony's move comes as smartphones and tablet computers such as Apple's iPhone and iPad take a growing share of the market for portable gaming devices on to which high quality games can be easily downloaded and played in minutes.

The PlayStation Suite, an application for Google's Android market that will run videogames of older PlayStation console quality, will be available later this year.

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Trendy And Stylish Latest Gadgets

You can find a variety of gadgets, and each has a unique role to perform. Because it is based on the technology, it is also called gizmos. Users can find wide variety of gadgets that can be used for different purposes. Hence, the gadgets are subdivided into several categories and so you can see many options in each category that you come across. If you are looking for gadgets, then one of the categories to be considered is the latest electronic gadgets that employ the use of new inventions taking place. From time to time you will find some or other change is made, so you can find the same change in your application.
So you can have so many wonderful ideas in this category, and also find some options that suits you. It not only gives you a feeling of comfort, but a new pleasure at the same time. Thus, it is said that you have several options to try and look for. Another option that you can do is go gadget store where you can find some latest collection and so you can easily buy it. As these gadgets will be trendy and exclusive, prices maybe a little higher, but you can afford it, if you want to get some modish. Apart from this store, you can even take a look at the online options where you can get this material for personal use. But most people feel comfort to visit the store as it can completely satisfy themselves and then buy it because it is a costly affair.

Thus you can go through some options in Latest electronic gadgets and can purchase it if you find the suitable gizmos. It is better if you compare its prices in other stores and also to get some help from internet about this. This will help you to get gadget at the best price. You can also search for discounts, if available during the festivals or any special occasion. Therefore, you can see many possibilities, but ultimately it will be your final decision to choose the gadget that gives a modern look.

2011 is good for gadget lovers with a collection of fresh gadgets. Latest trendy and stylish mobile phones are available in the market with new and innovative features. All the mobile phones in 2011 come in the market with cheap deals. So, you can sell mobile phones online and upgrade to new one with various lucrative deals. These mobile phones fall into the category of mobile phones 2011. Usually I sell my phone to a phone recycling company that has best price offer and takes very less time in making payment.

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Samsung Cellular phones: equipment that plans the globe.

Engineering insurance plan the globe and cellphone is actually a outstanding requirement of this items. In today planet, cell phone has occur to a essential device for a number of class of common person. After Once you finished up so unheard of mobile phones and many types of mobile devices done up the essential a real. Due to the fact, with all the advanced anatomist and the need coming from a Clients, most up-to-date mobile phones are progressively becoming obtainable. Those to not just aid your url bring about somewhat furthermore, it protects your feeling with plenty of enjoyment functions. Inside the many cell phone suppliers, Straight talk investigate mobiles are out there with newest engineering enough reason for clear decreasing design to make an impression on you. .

Read the mobile phone agencies come in their advertising and marketing for years. Straight talk wireless choice commenced in the year 1938. From this stringed, Straight talk wireless straight talk samsung make strength Straight talk wi-fi browse the Cell phone that is made up standard to most up-to-day up coming population cell phones. All cell phones from Straight talk are becoming straightforward and proficient with most recent engineering and simple to use characteristics. Straight talk straight talk is probably the electric titans with understanding inside of wide selection of critical systems. That is the conduct why Investigate phones have been about in around world-type to famous mobile phone businesses may buy.

It's also achievable to you ought to the attributes along with the executive with package cellphone legal agreements. cell offers are readily available on varied light systems. These special discounts offer several dedication price bundles that trust the program you choose and also the eliptical. Consequently, It is important to prefer this can be a plan from specific internet sites, Them figure out and choose the most effective a particular determined by your need. These tips proffer may well Zero cost devices, expense-free of charge units, no cost insurance coverage, etc. The advantages. Get a Investigate cellular phone and go through the change.

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iPad - Much More Than A Toy

Sweeping generalizations have branded the iPad as little more than an expensive toy. Sure, there are thousands of games that already run on the iPad, not to mention the thousands more iPhone games that can run in "pixel doubled" mode. But is the iPad really just a toy, or is there more to the iPad than just having enough horsepower to run just about any apps you want on it?
A Multimedia Player

The iPad is, without a doubt, among the most versatile and best performing multimedia players on the market. It can handle high definition video as well as nearly all forms of audio files, YouTube videos, podcasts, TV shows and music. Having all these functions combined into one sleek, portable device may be worth the $499 base price alone.

An E-Reading Device

Many see the iPad as the biggest competitor to Amazon's Kindle. Despite the Kindle's E Ink display, which is easier to read in many respects than LCD, many Kindle users have already jumped on the iPad bandwagon.

Lots of Apps To Use

Apple's tagline, "There's an app for that" does not apply only to the iPhone. And if the current offerings are not enough, developers continually create new apps to add to the already extensive collection of currently exists for the iPad. The iPad's popularity ensures that there is a continuing stream of new apps to come.

Wi-Fi

Nothing in the Apple ecosystem is without an Internet connection these days, and you can use the iPad to access the vast array of online content wherever you can find a hotspot.

3G Connection

For times when there are no WiFi hotspots available, Apple integrates 3G into some models. As with its smaller sibling, the iPhone, iPad uses AT&T's 3G network, which does not bind users with long-term contracts. You can activate or deactivate your 3G connection at any time, since AT&T's partnership with Apple insures a completely customizable arrangement.

Bluetooth

The iPad has a built-in advantage of allowing external devices that connect via the Bluetooth interface. Apple stores and other retail outlets already sport a wide range of Bluetooth headphones and keyboards compatible with the iPad.

Storage Capacity

The iPad has a number of internal storage options available, allowing you to choose from 16GB, 32 GB and 64 GB versions.

YouTube and Other Video Hosting Sites

As with the iPhone, a frequent complaint about the iPad is it's lack of flash capability, and it is admittedly a drawback. However, there are apps that allow you to get around this limitation, at least when it comes to watching videos. You can watch YouTube, Hulu, and other videos sites using one of the many available video apps.

Web Browsing

The iPad sports a full featured version of Safari, the same browser in use on the Mac and the iPhone, enhanced to accommodate the touchscreen features of the iPad.

Email

The iPad is a great device for sending and receiving e-mails on the go. In the landscape orientation you'll get a convenient split screen view showing both the e-mail list and the currently opened e-mail message. Turn the iPad to portrait orientation to focus on a single message, and it will automatically rotate to fill the screen. Want to print out a message? Use Apple's AirPrint to do it wirelessly.

iWork

You can get some serious work done on the iPad with the use of Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Although typing on the iPad virtual keyboard is somewhat slower than on a real keyboard, the built-in auto correction features do a pretty good job of smoothing over many of the difficulties, and third party and Apple keyboards are also available.

In short, the iPad is a remarkably convenient, portable, flexible device that can go with you just about anywhere. What you do with it is really up to you, the user.

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The main attributes of obtaining cell phone insurance coverage

It really is deemed an apparent issue that cell phones are extremely expensive. for instance on it's individual, you'd will need mobile phone insurance plan defense to be certain contrary is manifested your cellphone unintentionally, you've bought some tiny ease and comfort aside from demonstrating the complete lessening oneself. Cellphone insurance coverage from gotronics cell phone insurance company guards criminals cases since we observe that your mobile phone is the foremost opponent to thieves. You'll get your cellphone grabbed from you and that's just as bothersome and substantially unfulfilling. In case you have cellular phone safeguard programs you'll be granted cellphone insurance plan settlement which they can use to possess a fresh cellular phone minimizing the likelihood of enduring significant rewards of lower-time. Mobile phone insurance company GoTronics offers a tremendous quantity of beneficial discounts which give you your cellphone with assured safeguard regardless of what is demonstrated

Get our cellular phone plan and still have the tremendous returns which we ensure one to get octal supervision of all illnesses which could confront your cellular phone. The mobile phone is generally very excellent. Hit-or-miss damage appear to be to generally be actually shut than you could ever consider. On that foundation, you'll need a cell phone insurance policies which will make sure that any kind of injury that is manifested in your cell phone could possibly be properly included. The GoTronics mobile phone insurance provider gives you exclusively that. Our cell phone insurance policy option with the ensure is helpful to all or any the accidental incidents which your cell phone may possibly truly experience. Yu won't have purpose to be concerned if you've got the GoTronics cell phone insurance policies. We've an in-home mobile phone vehicle repairs which makes sure that your cell phone gets pre-programmed by qualified pros.

It's so imperative that you maintain a cell phone insurance plan constantly because it also can save you you big money. The GoTronics cell phone insurance provider provides you with an incredibly inexpensive mobile phone insurance policy. You happen to be provided the best respected cellphone insurance policies which seems into excellent with all the current keenness you will adore. That may if the cellphone is busted in addition to no mobile phone insurance plan. What this means is you will probably have traveling and commence looking for a cellphone treatments computer skilled which might not be a simple method. It will likely be the two cumbersome and also pricey. for those who have cell phone insurance plan inside GoTronics cell phone insurance company, you may be often clear on exactly where you'll get a cellular phone pc professional and the expense are already inside cell phone insurance policy.

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How To Choose A Mobile Phone Deal Within Your Budget?

Planning to buy a new mobile phone, but confused how to make the right choice from so many new phones available in the market? You can sell your old mobile phone for cash and invest it in buying one of the high-end mobile phones available on contract in the market. Thus you can enjoy the latest mobile phone features without digging your pocket much. Check out some of the best mobile phone deals currently available in the UK market.

1. Apple iPhone 4 16GB On 3 Mobile

Despite of facing lots of criticism after launch, the latest follow-up to the 3GS still remains a fantastic smartphone. Here, you can enjoy all the apps you want as well as a nice camera feature too. The current deal will offer you 2000 mins, 5000 texts, and a shed load of data over next 2 years for £35 a month.

2. HTC HD7 On O2

The HTC HD7 is one more device that may impress you with its 4.3-inch screen, the Windows Phone 7 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, along with HSDPA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS connectivity and all the sensors you can expect in your phone. HTC has incorporated SRS and Dolby Mobile audio enhancement features in this handset to make it stand out in the competition. This deal offers you 300 mins, a huge amount of texts and 500MB internet for £30 per month over 24 months.

3. Samsung Omnia 7 On Orange Network

The Omnia 7 from Samsung based on Windows Phone 7 sports a 4-inch Super AMOLED touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera with 720p and 25fps, a 1GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 application processor and 8GB of storage HD recording. All these features come into a sleek, slimline design of phone with metallic finish. You can avail this deal for 1200 mins, a load of texts and 500MB internet on a 24-month contract at £35 monthly charge.

4. BlackBerry Curve 9300 3G Available On O2

A speedy email service, impressive looks, great connectivity is all that you will get in this phone. The deal offers you 500 mins talk time, load of texts, 500 MB internet and £50 free tesco gift card on a 24-month contract for £25 per month.

5. LG Optimus One On T-Mobile

The latest Android 2.2 OS based LG Optimus offers a number of features at low price. This budget handset by LG comes with 600 mins of talk time with 500 texts, limited Internet and inclusive flexible booster on a 24 month contract for £20 per month.

Go for a handset that suits your needs as well as pocket the best. But before that, make sure to sell your old mobile phone that you don’t use any more to a good mobile recycler.

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At Last! A Human Review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab

On Christmas day, my Wife handed me a small present and I could not tell if it was clothes or a tablet. I knew it was not an iPad because she already had hers and did not believe in duplication. Well, low and behold, it was a Samsung Galaxy Tab from AT&T

Tab vs. the iPad

The Tab is no where near as simple as the iPad. You actually have to read the manual to learn how to start using your device. In addition, looking up articles or YouTube clips helps learn how to use multitasking features and shortcuts.

They also give you some default apps that are pre-installed. Be careful not to sync too many contacts in as that will eat up your memory – the store tells you that after the fact.

Beware of the Apps

Only download one App at a time and make sure you do your research. The default apps such as email take a little time to learn; however, do not download all the same apps you already have on your iPhone.

I believe the Twitter for Android app caused my device to crash so much that AT&T just switched me out for a new device.

Settings

This is where you will want to spend a lot of your time. Make sure to customize your settings for yourself. Make sure to set the email chime reminders, weather, world clock and daily news updates. Don’t forget about your predictive text or other settings.

Video Conferencing

This is was one of the big sellers for me. So far, the only app that seems to be the one that works is Mirial, but I can’t find any that have that green video conference button. I can do voice Skype calls, but can’t see the other person nor can they see me.

The Verdict

I like my device and knew about the potential headaches that are with most new products; however, I am not stuck to my desktop or lugging around a laptop anymore.

I think Samsung should centralize a blog around the Tab, but I don’t think that will happen anytime soon.

What do other Samsung Galaxy Tab owners have to say? Let’s share our experiences!

About Author

Deepak Gupta is serving as the VP of Marketing for Help My Resume, a Florida-based non-profit and is the Principal of Marketing By Deepak Consulting Group.

Using Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media/inbound marketing and PR as a means of aggressively increasing brand awareness and consumer engagement, Marketing By Deepak Consulting Group partners with clients and successfully converts their online efforts into qualified leads.

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Smartphone Call Applications for Mobile Phones

Making local and international calls today has never been this convenient. The pace of technological development in telecommunication became very apparent especially to mobile phones. Smartphones, the new face of mobile phone technology, have entered and driven telecom companies for more innovation in their products and services. They are not only used for calls but for enthusiasts in photos, they can also serve as your cameras. The main advantage of having this type of calling device is that you can bring them anywhere you go as long as there is a network service from the provider.

Smartphone applications are a software usually available not only for iPhones but as well as to more than hundreds of phone models from different mobile phone companies. They can be downloaded for free or for a minimal fee and can be easily installed in your mobile phones. The phone numbers in your mobile phone list can be easily contacted using the software. These are dialing applications where the interface is made to be user-friendly for more convenient calling. There are no access numbers to dial. There is no need to enter the account number or PIN (personal identification number) to enter. Enjoy speed dial feature where several numbers can be programmed with corresponding single key to press in order to place a call. These are the numbers that you frequently call.

Mobile phone calls have also become cheaper with the healthy competition of the many companies in the telecom market. There are lots of services that each customer can choose from. Some can offer as low as 1.8 cents per minute for a phone call. There isn't also a data plan when you use this service as they are commonly in prepaid. No need to worry about surging monthly bills. There is also an option for an automatic recharge that the company can offer. This is applicable for providers with their website for easier online account management service. Just register for easier payment with a debit or credit card, or through Paypal.

Companies who offer this service to their customers are also companies who have been in the telecommunication industry for several years. They have already created their name in the business with the trust of their customers. Just look for a company that has excellent reviews and testimonials from their users. Usually they have 95% retention rate as their customers continue to enjoy their service and even recommend this to their friends and relatives.

Call anywhere you want at anytime of the day at the most reasonable rates and superior call quality with any smartphone call applications. Keep the distance short among friends and relatives in other places with spending a few minutes to talk to them.

Febe is a freelance writerwho does reviews and contents on telecommunication companies, services and products for international calls like Pingo.

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The Top 5 Free iPhone Apps of 2010

Keen to keep up with mobile trends? As 2010 comes to a close here is a round up of the most popular free iPhone applications of this year. If you haven't already downloaded these then they're available from the iTunes store for absolutely nothing! Try them out before 2011 comes along bringing a whole host of new apps and mobile technology to fascinate you.

1. Facebook

The most used social networking service across the globe, it's no surprise the Facebook mobile app has been so popular. Removing the fiddly, hassle of Facebook's mobile site via your phone browser, the app ensures connecting with your friends, family and colleagues is effortless. This app also allows for location based status updates so your connections can keep tabs on where you are and what you're doing, should you wish them to.

2. Angry Birds Lite

The free version of this truly addictive mobile game shows no signs of waning popularity. A puzzle game with clear and quirky graphics requires the user to catapult birds and obliterate pigs to clear levels and gain points. For 59p the full version is truly affordable entertainment too.

3. Words With Friends Free

Similar to Scrabble, yet positively not the same (for legal reasons), this free app is an on-line word challenge game which makes the most of the iPhones networking abilities. It's a slow pacer, but if your opponent plays online at the same time as you there is an online chat option that makes the game great as an instant messenger too.

4. Skype

If you have a internet connection then why waste call time connecting with your friends? Skype allows you to make calls, receive calls and enjoy instant messaging with whomever you want all from this mobile app (as long as they have Skype installed too). The latest update of this application even includes the latest mobile technology to allow 3G capability, meaning you don't even need to be near a broadband point! Video calling is also possible making this app a truly diverse download for anyone looking to cut down their phone bill.

5. Tap Tap Revenge 3

Another addictive mobile game, Tap Tap Revenge 3 requires the mobile users to tap rhythms along to the beat of popular music tracks. This latest Tap Tap release includes tracks from some of the worlds most successful bands, including: Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Black Eyed Peas, Metallica and Smashing Pumpkins. This app is the music based game to have on your mobile.

About Author: Tom Harris is a mobile marketing professional who has extensive experience in mobile website design. He works for a London agency offering cutting edge services with the aim of helping brands to engage in the mobile marketing field.

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AT&T’s Captivate GPS Problems

After experiencing the GPS on AT&T’s Captivate, we have been unhappy with the poor system on a supposedly high-tech phone. Samsung Galaxy S-branded phones have various reports of poor GPS systems. I have personally experienced the frustration caused by the Captivate. A major advantage to these smart phones is the GPS ability. If you don’t have a GSP already, your phone is a great place to get one. You know that you’ll always have it with you. The GPS on AT&T’s Captivate, however, is quite faulty.

After finding your destination, it provides you with a car-focused map and route instructions. Conveniently it can also check for traffic. The problem is its reliability. You’ll find yourself mid-drive, thinking you and your GPS know where you’re going, then all of a sudden you hear “re-routing.” This notice is expected if you make a wrong turn or stop somewhere off the assigned route, but if you’re still driving on the same road that the GPS told you to just a moment ago, it’s not a good thing to hear. Now you’re left confused and flustered. Are you going the right way? Should you pull over and wait for a new route? Am I going to be late? These are stresses that you don’t want, and they seem to come with the Captivate’s GPS.

Now apparently, Samsung has created an app called GPS Restore, which is to fix the problems by setting the GPS back it its original state. We haven’t heard much about it yet, but hopefully it works. We’re sure other unsatisfied customers will be interested in giving it a try. We think this Restore app is way too late. The phone has been having problems for months, and many users have already switched to a new device. Sorry Samsung.


This post has been provided by Nicolas D'Alleva. Nicolas is the owner of Specialty Answering Service, an answering service company for small and large businesses. Specialty provides advanced call center services as well as basic answering service support.

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10 Ways You Can Extend the Life of Your Smart Phone Battery

The Smartphone is more advanced than the regular phone and provides the user with more features such as the ability to compute and connect in more ways than the regular cell phone allows. They are more like handheld computers in the form of a mobile phone. You are allowed to run many applications on platforms that could only be run on computers in the past. Some of these include Java as these phones run on an operating system just like your computer. In recent time's application developers have being able to create a number of in demand applications for these phones. You can differentiate smart phones by their operating systems.

If you have one of these phones and use them to their utmost capacity you already know that a long battery life is very important. You will find too that newer phones don't keep their charge as well as the older ones with fewer features. But don't be disheartened there are a couple things you can do to ensure you battery life is extended to its fullest capacity. Here are the tips below;

1. Lowering the brightness of the phone screen.

2. Turn off vibrate when it is not necessary. So if you are not in a meeting or in a building which requires your phone to be off or on vibrate, don't leave vibrate on. This eats up more of your mobile phone battery life than just a ringtone.

3. Only turn on your GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you are using them.

4. Don't use a slideshow for your screensaver. Choose one picture out of them all, even though that may be hard to do because those changing pictures use up battery power.

5. Turn off email alerts. These use battery power especially when you get a lot of email.

6. Adjust the volume for different surroundings. This helps to save power if you are in an environment where your ringer doesn't need to be too loud.

7. Use ringtones that come with the phone or that are similar in size to those on the phone. Many of the tones and songs we download are larger and longer so more battery power is used up when these tones are used.

8. Turn off the backlight during the day and set it to the minimal time setting to automatically turn off when you stop using the keys.

9. Forward calls to your house phone when at home and turn off your mobile phone. This is simple and easy and can easily be reversed and there is usually no or a minimal charge.

10. Keep your phone in a cool place. When the phone is exposed to heat, the battery heats up and when this happens it damages the battery thus leading to less battery life.

These tips are for extending your battery life but if you tend to use your phone pretty much 24/7's you may want to look into getting an additional battery. Batteries don't last forever and over time they will lose their efficiency and you will have to get a new one to replace it. If after following these tips you still don't see an extension in your battery life, then you may need to get a new battery.

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