Nick Kewney

Bad news for tech loving Scots—the iPhone 4S doesn't always understand what you're saying. Siri, Apple's personal assistant, can recognise accents everywhere from Australia to London. But live in Glasgow and you're out of luck!

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Although nobody knows what will happen in the industry over the next few years, I’ve been thinking about how online services, particularly mobile, will evolve. We are probably still some time away from another tech revolution, so I believe that the next few years will be defined by the following three areas:

1. Developers creating for mobile devices before desktop

While PC shipments slow, mobile has been exploding for some time now and growth shows no signs of stopping.  I believe it is important for any development team to focus on mobile first, because development for devices with smaller screen sizes  forces teams to focus on only the most important data and actions. Unlike the web, there's no room on a 320x480px screen to include unnecessary elements. Prioritisation is very important and what differentiates a good web site or app from a cluttered mess.

Additionally, and from a development perspective, mobile extends your toolbox. Whether you’re developing for iOS or Android or leveraging valuable GPS or orientation information from the device to utilise in your apps, developers can utilise new technologies and functions that traditional “desktop based browsers” aren’t well equipped to perform.

Going "mobile first" allows us to use all of the capabilities of mobile devices to create context-aware applications instead of limiting themselves to the constraints of the traditional web browser.

2. Addressing the current infrastructure issues

For the past 6 months, getting a stable data connection on Vodafone in Glasgow has been hit or miss, mostly miss.

I logged a fault with Vodafone in April, as did many friends and neighbours, however upon investigation, engineers found no fault with cell sites in the area; just ‘congestion’ issues at the data centre.  I then found a thread on Vodafone's eForum and noticed there are hundreds upon hundreds of posts about issues in this area.

When asking about a bill credit, one user on the Vodafone forum was told:

"I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to give you any credits at this point as you are still able to use 2G. Calls on 2G seem to be unaffected by this issue so you can still use your phone for its purpose (making calls)."

This was met with the following response by a user:

That response would have been suitable if it was perhaps at the start of 2005 but not today. Consumers come to vodafone with smart phones take contracts out for multiple purposes, not just to make calls as you suggest above. I entered into the agreement with Vodafone to provide both circuit switched services (calls and SMS) and packet switched services (data). As you’ll see from my usage, I’m very much a heavy data user and don’t tend to use too many SMS or use much of my allowance. You even advertise data as part of your PR for your network (see “deep pan” and other silly marketing terms you use).

It is widely thought that something needs to be done at network level to accommodate the growing number of smart phone users and their bandwidth rich applications. I've used a local example to explain this point, however these issues have been reported nationwide. 

3. App discoverability improvements at operator level

App stores are still exploding, making quality content harder and harder to find.  There are several ways operators can address this:

Quality over quantity. Perhaps the mobile networks should play the role of app gatekeepers and let the app stores store the rest in their "warehouses".

More well-known names. Brands like Zynga (Farmville, Poker), Newtoy (Words with Friends) and Electronic Arts have got this just right. People tend to embrace brands they know and trust. We need more brands in the app stores.

Build a better recommendation engine. Enable users to set preferences with the app store, allowing the operator to display only apps which are relevant to them.

Keep it clean out of the box - Operators, don't pre-load apps people don’t' want. Keep it clean and provide a platform to populate the phone with apps based on the users preferences.

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I posted my opinion on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet a few weeks ago and maintain that it is a solid piece of engineering. It’s slick, fast, intuitive and has so much potential. I wonder, however, whether it’s already too late to recover the device from what so many consider an extremely shaky start.  I, for one, hope it isn't.

I have been following the progress of the PlayBook since its inception and have read through many user comments (some positive, mostly negative) on popular tech sites like CrackBerry and Engadget. Most of the negative feedback derives from the lack of an e-mail client and the questionable quality of the applications available on App World. Others are from users who feel the company have placed too much emphasis on the new tablet and not enough in bringing their ageing line of smartphones up to date.

Since the PlayBook launch, some users have been extremely vocal about their frustrations and many believe that RIM’s popularity, like their share price, is on a downward spiral. Others, possibly for nostalgic reasons or just because they make great products, are quick to defend the company and its products.

The bottom line is, the company needs to do something to make people want its products again, and when it comes to the PlayBook, I think they have gone a bit awry in forging and maintaining developer relationships.

I believe that the key to the success of this device lies in developer adoption. Although Apple and Google have been at the game longer, the tablet market is well established and a lot can be learned from previous mistakes. Many criticised Apple for being too stringent with requirements, however RIM seems to have gone in the opposite direction.

The free PlayBook offer which ran between January and March this year seems to have populated App World with what can only be described as a casserole of nonsense. Instead of issuing what must have been thousands of free devices, why not pay a couple of the major players to develop apps for your platform. I do not want a poorly titled farting application to be the first app that appears in App World when I show my iPad owning friends and collages (ready to pounce with criticism) the device and I’m sure the majority of users of this "business tablet" would agree.

Additionally, months after the US launch, RIM seems to be allowing their own rules to be violated, leading to an inconstant user experience across App World. Here’s a screenshot with 4 items potentially damaging the integrity of the service.

1. How on earth did an app get approved with the user’s _Signed extension?
2. The capitalisation of the hangman app just makes it look untidy.
3. "Edges not rounded off" is a requirement of the spotlight image. This looks awful.
4. "Positive user reviews and application rating (3+ star rating)". Two stars?

Users also can’t see the top apps in each category and are instead presented with category names and a list of apps. Adding some structure to the App World would go a long way in bringing the better apps to the forefront and hiding the junk. This would also encourage developers to add more finesse to apps to ensure their sales were up. Right now, the only real way to get sales volume is to get featured.

The scope of RIM’s product portfolio is astonishing. BlackBerry smartphones cater to such a wide audience; from the 12-year old BBM addicted teenager to large corporate customers requiring high levels of encryption and compression. Despite a bad quarter, I’m sure the company will continue to innovate in both the consumer and business spaces in the future and its growth will accelerate again in 2012 as QNX, their new operating system, is ported over to BlackBerry phones. This will mark a new era for the company.

I just really hope they can get the PlayBook up to speed and get developers on board as quickly as possible in order to kick start this era early!

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Despite less than favourable initial reviews, the team at RIM responsible for bringing us the PlayBook tablet has created an exceptional piece of hardware.  They have managed to create a device that, from initial power-on to general usage, doesn’t feel at all like an iPad clone.   The packaging is sleek, black and simple, and the device is small enough to fit in one hand, yet large enough for a comfortable user experience.  I wonder, however, if that’s enough for the device to succeed in such a competitive market with iOS and Android tablets currently dominating the tablet market.

As a developer, the QNX operating system was enough to attract my attention to the device and I managed to get my hands on one in advance of the UK release date of late June 2011.  The QNX sub-OS has has already proven itself in the most mission-critical environments where most operating systems don't dare to go, such as nuclear facilities, medical equipment and space ships.

The US pricing of the device is very competitive and on par with the iPad 2 at $499, $599 and $699 for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models respectively.  It looks like a number of UK retailers have picked up the device (including Phones 4U), but retail pricing has not yet been announced.

The first thing that struck my about the PlayBook was the slightly unusual, almost rubbery back cover.  After seeing the pristine white back cover of a friend’s iPad quickly gather scratches with the smart covers only protecting the front, I think this is a great design decision by RIM, as the durable rubber back means you can sit it on any surface without fear of damaging it.

The operating system, despite being far from perfect has an absolutely rock solid UI, which could be the device’s saving grace and, in my opinion, beats iOS and Android hands down.  The touch sensitive bezels make use of otherwise wasted space on the chassis of the device, removing all traces of buttons from the device.  A swipe from the top gets you the current application’s menu, a swipe from the bottom brings up the home screen and a swipe from the side is by far the fastest way to switch between multiple applications.  Gestures were responsive and relatively jerk-free, however, I have experienced a couple of lock-ups during general usage over the past couple of days.

RIM's decision not include native e-mail and calendaring with the Playbook at launch is a decision which reinforces the fact that they are still very much targetting the corporate customer base.  I feel that this will put a lot of people off at launch; however the announcement at BlackBerry World that a standalone e-mail client will be released for the device within a matter of weeks is positive news.  It is reported that the client will support BIS and BES plans, but whether or not it will support IMAP has yet to be announced.

After having owned Android and iProducts in the past (and selling both within a month), I really want to support this device, but the lack of functionality and applications at launch is making it very difficult.  RIM has announced that the PlayBook will be able to run Android applications from this summer; great news, however, will this put developers off from creating applications specifically designed for PlayBook, leaving us to run Android apps in their separate environment, potentially leading to performance/battery issues?

Additionally, the convoluted development approach could do with some refinement from the Waterloo, Ontario based company; however, this has already been covered by Jamie Murai in his open letter to RIM, to which a company representative answered promptly and provided some answers – this article is well worth a read if you have the time.

After a few days with the device, I’d summarise its features as follows:

Arguments For the PlayBook

• Fantastic user interface and gesture based navigation; very intuitive.
• A great tablet choice for IT administrators as the device can be used with BlackBerry BES policy
• No complaints about screen quality or performance, despite a few oS hiccups (it’s V1 of a new OS so I’ll give them the chance to fix!)
• Nice size – although not everybody agrees with me on this one

Arguments Against the PlayBook

• Virtually no applications available at launch – when the “top 10” apps include a translator and weather app, you know you have a problem.
• Built in YouTube app doesn’t allow you to sign in under your own account – basic stuff!
• No e-mail client on the device for people who don’t want to use BlackBerry Bridge – a major oversight and potentially damaging unless they rectify it soon.
• A few Wi-Fi issues – detected a WEP protected network as open and had to add it manually.
• Convoluted development process
• Basic UI omissions like not being able to e-mail links in browser, links not appearing as clickable in e-mail client.  It feels a little rushed!

I really want this tablet to work and if RIM fix these before releasing it in the UK, I think it just might.

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I've been using a BlackBerry Torch 9800 for a few weeks now and think it's a fantastic device.  Here are my favourite things about it; taking into account both the new device and BlackBerry OS 6.

1. It's as solid as ever
   Despite the new features, the operating system still feels as solid as ever.
    
2. Battery life still decent
   Even with the larger screen and updated OS, my battery has been lasting a good few days.
    
3. Multi-touch
   A bit jerk-o-matic at times, but a great implementation.
    
4. The home screen
   Frequently used apps is a very nice touch and very intuative
    
5. Modal style popup commands on tap/hold
   This is a really nice way to present lots of information
    
6. Better music player & file management
   File management was pretty hideous on earlier versions of BlackBerry OS so the new interface is refreshing.
    
7. A half decent browser
   Not fantastic, and still not in the same league as WebKit (Android) but very good nonetheless.
    
8. Nice graphics & display
   UI was always BlackBerry's weak point. It felt solid but was never too aesthetically pleasing. OS 6 changes this.

Test

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I recently got hold of an HTC HD2 and have been using the device for a month now. I'm a huge fan of Windows Mobile and have been using the OS for many years, both as a developer and an end-user. However, due to severe usability issues with the current version of HTC Sense, I'd advise against purchasing the handsets for consumer use until the problems are resolved.

Let me start with the positive. It's a beautiful piece of hardware with a lovely big screen.

Sense UI, HTC's front-end to Windows Mobile, is an attempt to cover up Windows Mobile's shortcomings when it comes to providing UI input on a capacitive touch screen. Don't get me wrong, HTC have done a great job on it and it looks and feels pretty good, but once you skim past the surface, there isn't a lot of substance to it. Power users especially will get frustrated very quickly.

Anyway, there are loads of reviews covering the positive aspects of this handset. The purpose of this post is to outline the reasons why my handset is now on eBay.

Current Issue List

• SMS not being sent properly, sitting in outbox or sending randomly on reboot. The HTC hotfix released last week does NOT fix this.  
• If you switch delivery reports on to address the above, they stay your SMS inbox so every other message is a DR!  
• SEVERE problem with lag when entering a text message thread with more than 5 messages. Actually, this is not an issue, this is a DISASTER.  
• My battery doesn't last the day and my screen brightness is at 20%, Wi-Fi off etc.  
• Facebook App is pretty much a waste of time, cannot 'like' anything or see comments. 
• The user interface feels messy. It's a hybrid of Windows Mobile and Sense UI. You never know when you're going to get a WM dialog.  
• On the camera, if you're using the flash when taking a photo, your photos will look overexposed and unnatural. The white balance sucks.
• The keypad tones are so loud, I have to leave my office to dial a number. Sense UI does not support switching them off or adjusting the volume.

My immediate wishlist:

• I'd like to be able to write a new text message without waiting 20+ seconds for the current thread to load.
• I'd like to be able to rely on the alarm feature, which has let me down a few times now.
• I'd like to be sure people are receiving my texts.
• I'd like my calendar to integrate with Facebook.

One more thing, there's a spelling mistake on the most used screen on the device. "Disable wireless connectionss"

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Vodafone on Thursday announced that the company will no longer supply the long-awaited HTC HD2 device after it has fulfilled current back orders for the device, quoting:

“We won't be re-stocking the HTC HD2 for general consumer sales once our current devices sell out. With subsequent deliveries of stock we've prioritised the fulfilment of back orders for the device. Given the wide and expanding range of smartphones available to Vodafone customers, including the iPhone in early 2010, we're confident that we continue to offer the broadest range of devices to our customers."

Launched officially in the second week of November, the HD2 sports a 4.3” multi-touch screen and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. It is also HTC’s first Windows Mobile phone to use the HTC Sense interface, which was first seen on the HTC Hero.  Experts predicted the HD2 was going to be a huge success and level the playing field between Apple, Android and Windows Mobile.

According to a Vodafone spokesperson, the company's telephone and Internet sales teams have been “overwhelmed with customers eager to get their hands on the [HD2] since launch”, which poses questions about why they’d want to pull such a high profile device from their portfolio just weeks after launch.

Perhaps a combination of huge demand coinciding with the launch of the iPhone 3G on the Vodafone network in January posed concerns that this handset would draw too much attention away from Apple’s flagship device?

Although there may be other factors influencing Vodafone’s decision, I do wonder how many iPhones Vodafone agreed to sell to make this decision?

Competition killing backhanders from Apple, “just business” or is Windows Mobile still not quite there? You decide!

The handset is currently available through other UK carriers including T-Mobile and O2.

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This review will cover the aesthetics, operating system, connectivity options, multimedia and applications.

Aesthetics

I don't think I have to say much here as I'm sure you can see from the photographs that the new design is fantastic. The curves on the device are much more accentuated than on previous models. The keyboard also feels much more comfortable to type on compared to the 8800 and the textured back cover makes it very comfortable to hold in one hand - something I miss with the iPhone 3G. A major usability improvement is the revised layout of the function keys.  The answer and drop call buttons much easier to press and are much bigger than previous models.

 Operating System

The first thing you'll notice about the new user interface is that it looks much neater then previous releases. Pressing the hot key brings up with full menu with a gradiented background. I'm glad they fixed this as the custom backgrounds on previous models just made the desktop look messy. The only complaint I have is that some of the icons are a bit cryptic - I had to hover over a few to fully understand what they were meant to represent.

Connectivity Options

Multimedia and Applications

The bold includes a wealth of applications and of course you can download new ones with ease either through your network's portal, direct from the Internet or have them pushed through your business BlackBerry Enterprise Server. One big plus is the ability to open and edit Microsoft Office files, and the new *.docx format that so many legacy applications have a major problem with.

The multimedia player on the BlackBerry Bold is fantastic. You can sync iTunes playlists (except DRM protected tracks) to your device with the click of a button. What's more you can combine this with ordinary 'Windows Syncs' through the BlackBerry Media Sync software included with the phone. What a welcome change from iTunes. All changes on your local PC are sent down to your BlackBerry next time it's docked. No fuss, no hassle. The #1 improvement from a hardware point of view is the inclusion 3.5 mm audio jack enabling you to use your own headphones with the device. You can take photographs on the phone's 2MP camera and the video player can cope with AVI and MPEG-4 formats plus the DivX and XviD codecs, WMV and 3GP. The resolution of the camera is exactly the same as previous models @ 2.0 Megapixels but the photo quality seems better. The games are definitely worth checking out. As well as the usual BrickBreaker (usually found on Windows Mobile), there's Texas Hold'em King 2 Poker which is well done for the mobile. Two other major features which I didn't screenshot were:

• Tthe ability to view web pages 'desktop style', just like the iPhone. It's really easy to operate with the trackball acting as a mouse, and what's more it supports streaming media through the RSTP protocol.
• The single biggest improvement on the device: The e-mail client. Not only does it deal with HTML emails, but the larger screen and better fonts make them easier to read.

Both of these features out perform the previous models when accompanied by a faster processor in the device and 3G network connectivity.

In Summary

What a device! If I hadn't just bought an iPhone, this would be my next phone.

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I am appalled by the iPhone 3G's battery life. Apple has put an obsessive amount of effort into creating a fantastic looking product that's light years ahead of the competition in terms of overall user experience and external aesthetics. Sadly, their obsession for design has resulted in two major shortcomings 1) The lack of a user replacable battery 2) Extremely short battery life. It looks like the reason for the short battery life on the new iPhone is the power drain from the fast but hungry 3G networks. The graph below shows that if you do nothing else with your phone (calls, texts, email, apps), you can get 197 minutes surfing out of your phone (full story here) Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal for me as I work with power hungry handsets on a daily basis, but since O2 are only offering the unit on an 18-month contract and battery retention is claimed at 80% over 300 charge/discharge cycles, it looks like the phone isn't going to make it to the end of its contract. The iPhone 3G uses a lithium polymer battery (1150 mAh) which is reported to be able to take >300 full charge cycles whilst retaining 80% of its capacity. Here are some quick unofficial YourBit tips on how to extend the battery life of your iPhone 3G:

• You don't have to charge/discharge the battery fully to get the most out of it. In fact, some reports say this is the toughest work this type of battery can do. Unlike Ni Cad batteries, Li-poly batteries don't have a 'memory'.
• Don't let it get fully discharged (<10%) too many times. This type of battery lives longer when kept in the middle of its charge range.
• Avoid topping up the battery. Again, it's best in the middle.
• Don't use cases. The back cover looks like it's made of aluminuim to dissipate the heat. Covering it up will cause it to heat up and do it more harm than good.

Apple has their own 'suggestions' to help you improve the battery life of your iPhone 3G:

• Turn off 3G
• Minimize use of location services
• Fetch new data less frequently
• Turn off push mail
• Auto-check fewer email accounts
• Minimize use of third-party applications
• Turn off Wi-Fi
• Turn off Bluetooth
• Use Airplane Mode in low- or no-coverage areas
• Adjust brightness
• Turn off EQ

In short, pretty much disable everything that makes it different from a Nokia 3310. Apple is selling a replacement battery kit for about £50 but one innovative Chinese manufacturer has decided to capitalise on the product's shortcoming by offering a D.I.Y. kit for $20! Two minor concerns I have about this are:

1. The risk of battery explosion during this process (there are a number of cases where this has happened when counterfeit batteries are used with the original iPhone.
2. If you manage to avoid the fallout from the explosion, surely any "DIY" kit which needs a soldering iron to perform its function is going to end some kind of injury.

If you really want to try this, you can buy the product from here*. It even comes with an 'instruction menu' in Engrish. I would post this using my iPhone on the new WordPress for iPhone app but I can't run apps just in case I need to make a call :(

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Apprently Apple haven't got enough of your money and want some more. Last week saw the announcement of the new iPhone 3G with exciting new features like 3G and... oh that's all? Only Apple could make front page news out of something like this. I actually have Christmas gifts from my 90 year old grandparents that get used more than most 3G services. Anyway, Stu and I took a stroll into the Apple shop on Buchanan Street today and found out that O2 will be offering the device free on certain calling plans. Worth it? Almost but not quite. Apple iPhone. For Beck liking rich people.

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