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Lets All Bid Adeu to the Idou-Sony Ericsson Pulls Satio From Shelves
Nov 27th
Nokia Doing the Same With N97?
What’s the Deal With the Satio?
The Sony Ericsson Satio, also known one time as the Idou, was one of the first phones to debut a 12 megapixel camera. It has other features such as 3.5″ with a ratio of 16:9 with 640×360 resolution, 3G and Bluetooth, along with the usual Smartphone capabilities. It is a really nice phone and sales were almost through the roof.
OK, So Why Was It Pulled?
The phone was doing really until is was pulled from shelves by Carphone Warehouse and Phone4You, two of the largest retailers of mobile phones in the UK. They were apparently still available from other dealers such as T-Mobile and Vodaphone, but after reading the following, I sincerely don’t think anyone will want to.
The phone, the retailers and customers are saying, seems to be freezing, powering off, crashing and showing other signs of incompatibilities and nuisances. This is apparently due to a problem with a software skin placed over the phone’s native OS. It is said the customers are returning the phone because when trying to switch apps, or access their stored apps, the phone will power down for no reason. Two of the Satio dealers, Orange and Vodaphone do not use these skins, but have their own, which could be why they are still selling the phones and haven’t pulled them as of yet. It seems the phones with those skins aren’t having any problems.
Is There A Solution?
Sony says there is a solution in the works. Apparently it will come in the form of a patch that can’t be deployed over the air. So the best thing is to bring the phone back to whee you got it from so it can be fixed. Sony is also saying the patched should be in place and the phones back on shelves before Christmas. According to The Times, Carphone Warehouse and Phones4you are also offering new phones in place of the defective ones.
What’s The Deal With the Nokia N97?
Apparently, the Nokia N97 was pulled for almost the same reasons as the Satio. When someone goes to the Vodaphone site to purchase the N97, they are immediately redirected to the N07Mini (which isn’t actually so mini…).
What Is the Actual Problem?
Most people are thinking that because the two phones both use the Symbian OS software that it might actually be the problem. The phones were pulled to test the OS as well. And this in no way is what Symbian needed at the present time. With other companies looking at Maemo, and Android, Symbian is hitting a major setback in trying to keep a hold of the open source smartphone OS world.
So What’s the Verdict?
I think that with the Smartphone competition so fierce these days, the companies were in a way being forced to get their product on the shelves as soon as possible. But apparently the need to so so has shown the quality of the phones to be lacking at best. Just like Microsoft releasing the WinMo 6.5 OS, not really being a major upgrade like they said it was supposed to be, they should have waited until everything was tested and sure of the quality. Sony and Nokia should have waited as well. In their rush to play the market, they are hurting not only their sales in the holiday season, but their reputation as well.
For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org
Check back tomorrow for more of the latest in the mobile phone industry. If any if our readers have any suggestions as what to review, or something you think needs to be talked about, feel free to leave a comment and I will see what I can do. Til then, happy phoning!
The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Youserbase.org’s executive staff, and Youserbase.org as such hold no liability of any damages arising from any opinions expressed by the author.
Apple Selling Out, Nokia Taking Over and New Releases for Samsung and Sony
Nov 16th
Apple Patents Advertising Gimmick and Rumors of Nokia Taking Over Palm
What’s the Deal With Apple?
According to the New York Times, Apple filed for a patent for a type of advertisement that completely takes over whatever device you are using. This type of ad will completely lock up your screen until you click on the ad itself, or pass a test and if you don’t, the ads become more aggressive and harder until they are permanently stuck on your screen commanding your attention. And even then it might not let you see the page you are on, and it works on anything that has a screen.
You can’t really tell me that Apple is so hard pressed for money that they have to resort to slimy techniques to get ad revenue, can you? They won the suit against PsyStar and are probably going to rake it in on that one, not to mention the fact they are still on top of the Smartphone world when it comes to popularity AND sales.
What on Earth would they need to resort to the low down advertising of the likes of spammers? And Steve Jobs’ name was number one on the patent application itself, and that’s only happened 4 times in the history of Apple. No wonder Bill Gates made a statement recently about Apple being “..a force in doing good things.” They are alike. A force of Evil that must be stopped.
What’s the Deal With Nokia?
You have got to love Wall Street. Apparently there is some hype (again) about Nokia wanting to take over Palm. And because of the rumors, Palm shares have jumped a bit over 5% at closing. This has been heard from Wall Street before, but will they do it this time?
The jury is out on this one. Nokia has some pretty good reasons to buy Palm, like the taking over of control of the Web OS that everyone loves so much. And a takeover of Palm might get them out of the US hole thy dug themselves… But will they really do this? If history shows anything, probably not. It’s most likely just a ploy to get shares up at Palm and Nokia both before the coming holiday season. News like this would definitely move quite a few units, true or not.
What’s the Deal With Sony Ericsson?
Another New release, that’s what. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.
Meet the Xperia X10
This beauty is a much awaited new addition that will be the first Android OS based phone to have an 8 MP camera with touchfocus, and 5 faces finder with the photos to be displayed on a 480×854 WVGA TFT Touchscreen. It will also have ActiveSync, TimeScape, where you can have all your social media apps in one place, and Turbo 3G. The internal memory is 1GB and a powerful 1Ghz SnapDragon processor. The external memory is in the form of a SanDisk Micro SD card of 8GB and can use ones up to 16GB.
Wow. Go Sony… IMHO I think this is one of the nicer smartphones to come from Sony in a while…
What’s the Deal With Samsung?
Samsung has just released, today in Europe, the Samsung i5700 Galaxy Spica. It is the first Android OS(Cupcake 1,5) based phone to offer support for DivX video with the help of an 800 Mhz processor and, according to Mobile Burn.com, it is a
“…quad-band GSM/EDGE phone that also supports 3.2Mbps HSDPA data speeds on the 900 and 2100MHz UMTS bands. It features a 3.2-inch Half-VGA (320 x 480 pixel) TFT capacitive touchscreen display and also sports a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus.”
The phone is also HTMl browser capable with GPS Bluetooth 2.1 and WiFi capable.
And the Verdict Is?
My, my, my… Apple just doesn’t give up do they? First all the petty rejections of the iPhone apps, then court cases and now advertisements lower than those an Affilliate Marketer would use? No offense to those who read this, please, I’m just trying to make a point. Apple needs to get a grip and give up on the ad thing. They get enough sales, and they are on top of the world.
It’s bad enough I got stuck with one of those ads on EWeek.com last night. Now Apple, for whom I actually had more respect than Microsoft, is going to try to use them, or at least sell them to someone else contributing to the loss of respect for them and loss of our browsing freedom… I sincerely hope this goes all over the net in protest.
As for Nokia taking over Palm… Never gonna happen. They have said it before and it never happened. I think it’s just said or hinted at to make shares go uo so they can make some money, since they haven’t done anything here and lost most of their market share a long time ago..
both new releases are great. Sony’s is absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait till it hits shelves. Samsung did the right thing hitting Europe with it today. I’m not sure it would have gone over too well in the US…
For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org
Check back tomorrow for more of the latest in the mobile phone industry. If any if our readers have any suggestions as what to review, or something you think needs to be talked about, feel free to leave a comment and I will see what I can do. Til then, happy phoning!
The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Youserbase.org’s executive staff, and Youserbase.org as such hold no liability of any damages arising from any opinions expressed by the author.
Sony Ericsson Finally Graces India With Its Presence-With 3 New (Really Awesome) Smartphones
Oct 29th
What’s the Deal?
Well, 3 new phones are released in India by Sony Ericsson. They are the Satio, Aino and Yari. And, they have to be the greatest smartphones available. Not because of the OS, but because of the specific features on each phone. According to Anil Sethi, president of Sony Ericsson Mobile India, these phones will “…set the trend for the new age smartphones.,” and she also said “…Once the 3G spectrum allocation happens, we can roll out more features with better network.” So does that mean that the Indian people can’t use them yet? No, it doesn’t. It just means that they have limited service and features.
What DO They Have Then?
Well, they each have their own respective features. The Satio is the greatest for photography with its 12.1 megapixel camera. It also has a 3.5″ screen with 16:9 wide screen format. What kind of OS does it have? Who cares? It’s got a 12 megapixel camera!
And the Aino has almost just as great of a camera at 8 megapixel. And the feature of thsi phone that stands it apart from the other two is that is cn access information stored on a PS3 from anywhere, as long as there is Wi-Fi service available. It has remote play access to all media as well.
The Yari is the last of the bunch with only a 5 megapixel camera. But it’s feature that sets it apart is that is can play games without touching the screen by allowing the moves to be made in front of it. Interesting… I wonder how they do it…
What’s The Verdict?
It has been a long time coming for India and they definitely deserve these phones. And I think that India should stop putting off the allocation and get on with the extra features already. I mean, they already have so many awesome features, but think about it… More to come. What else can there be? X-Ray vision? Money printer? Damn… A 12 Megapixel camera… Oh well, The Holidays are coming anyway.
For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org
Check back tomorrow for more of the latest in the mobile phone industry. If any if our readers have any suggestions as what to review, or something you think needs to be talked about, feel free to leave a comment and I will see what I can do. Til then, happy phoning!
Apple vs. Google Voice-With A Little AT&T and the FCC Thrown In For Good Measure
Oct 15th
Why Did Apple Reject The Google Voice App?
And Why Was The FCC So Quick To Step In?
Finally, I get to talk about this Google/Apple thing.
Luckily for me, the controversy is still going strong, so I still get to report on a still hot topic. As a matter of fact, just a day or two ago, there was a new update on the situation. All of this back and forth between Google and Apple is turning it into a “he said she said” situation, with a little bit of AT&T and the FCC thrown in for good measure.
So What’s the Story?
Well, for starters, let me give a little background on the situation. Apparently, Google had applied to Apple to offer the Google Voice iPhone application that had been created to sell in the iPhone’s App Store. Google stated that the app would “enable users to send international text messages and make inexpensive calls.” Google was violently rejected. Apparently, according to Apple, they rejected this specific one and started pulling others form the store because “…Google has duplicated some of the proprietary content and code…” Google claims that they were denied because the service simply did not live up to the standards of Apple’s high app prices.
So the FCC decided to step in as they sent letters to all companies involved (As it turns out, the FCC was already on both of the companies tails for the board of directors stunt that they both pulled, more on that in a future post…). Google also stated, after a request concerning the Freedom of Information Act, that
“Apple’s representatives informed Google that the Google Voice app was rejected because Apple believed the app duplicated the core dialer function of the iPhone. The Apple representatives indicated that the company did not want applications that could potentially replace such functionality.”
And after the FCC stepped in to ask questions, Apple counters that
“Contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it. The application has not been approved because, as submitted for review, it appears to alter the iPhone’s distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone’s core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail.”
So What’s The Real Deal?
Well, as of right now, today, Apple is still claiming that they are reviewing the application and they also claim that they never officially rejected it in the first place. But apparently Google has proof otherwise which they stated in their written response to the FCC.
What Does All This Have To Do With iPhone Users?
Well, for starters, Apple is limiting the services that it will be offereing to iPhone users. For a company who claims to have great customer service, why then would they do that? Well, to be blunt, they are afraid. Because it’s so blatantly obvious that Apple is rejecting these Voice applications because of the pricing structure involved. The Voice app is so very cheap, that it would completely crush anything else offered in the app store. Apple claims that Google’s Voice app is just basically a repeat of other functionality already included in the phone, and that is a reason why it was rejected.
But think about this… Apple approved Skype, which has all of the same functionality as Apple’s AND Google’s apps. So why not deny Skype too? And why not deny any other VoIP application? Also, the Voice application is not the only application belonging to Google that has been pulled. There was one called Latitude that was pulled because of its “identical functionality” as iPhone capabilities. And then there is an app called Textfree, that is exactly the same as iPhone’s text program. Yet it is up and running just fine. Why don’t they ban that one too?
So What’s The Verdict?
Well, I think that it is obvious. Apple is afraid that Google will steal its thunder. There is no real good reason why they should have denied, banned, or taken down any previously approved applications made by Google. I believe that I will be proven right when I state that the only reason that Apple is playing these games is because they are afraid that Google will make Apple lose too much money
Who knows? Maybe Apple is just a little too High Class for a Google app… But then again, Google has a reputation for giving their customers exactly what they want. Peace of mind, great products, at unbeatable prices, usually meaning FREE. And Apple is afraid. It’s that simple. Apple is afraid.
For more articles like this and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org.
Check back tomorrow for the Windows vs. iPhone App Store Wars…
Is Symbian A Dead End Or Just At A Fork In The Road?
Oct 9th
What’s Up With Symbian? A Bit Of History
Despite its surge in sales and its 47% share of the market, Symbian has been declared by most as a dead end. When Sony Ericsson started laying off employees as it closed down its UIQ department and ported some pieces of the UIQ to Nokia in 2008, it has gone downhill. Ever since then, S60 has been knocking at death’s door as well, although David Wood, one of Symbian’s great masters said that “the statement was a little premature, but attention grabbing.”
Recent Developments With Nokia and Symbian
Now, back in May of this year a mole form Nokia leaked to the press that Nokia might just be looking to replace their mobile operating system from Symbian to Maemo with the release of the Smartphone successor to the N97, called the N900. All this time since Nokia and Symbian developed the S60 platform, Nokia has firmly stood behind it with their feet firmly planted in cement. Now it’s been confirmed that they are using Maemo instead.
So Why All of A Sudden the Change of Heart?
With the slated release of the N900 set for later this month, we are sure to soon to find out. Apparently, early reviews are stating that this phone is more than just a Smartphone; it should be in a class all by itself, considering that it isn’t a tablet either. Nokia is saying that it will “…bridge the gap between Smartphone and desktop PC.”
The Verdict
But for all you Symbian freaks out there, don’t be too alarmed. While some people think Symbian is dead, it is still going strong. It is true that it took a bit hit when Nokia dropped them with the release of their new Smartphone, but just look at where it’s still alive and well. Sony Ericsson and Samsung are still running the OS, and many Nokia Smartphones are still using it. So Symbian, although sliding a bit, will be around for a long time to come.
For more great opinionated articles, visit the Youserblog.com
Does Anyone Really Need A Digital Camera Anymore?
Oct 8th
The SmartPhone with a built in camera. Why All the Hype?
With all of the smartphones (and now even most regular “dumb” phones) on the market with camera capabilities, it begs a question that must be asked. Who needs digital cameras anymore? The technology that these phones’ cameras possess seem to be, in most cases, just as good and in some cases, better than some digital cameras. Take the Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber Shot phone. It has 8.1 mega-pixels, Xenon flash capabilities, 2.4″ view finder that is larger than some digital camera’s viewfinders, and the usual features you would find on any camera. Auto focus, face detection, and image stabilization. And it is a fully featured smartphone at that. These are all the same features you can find on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W150 Digital camera.
So What Does A Digital Camera Have That The SmartPhone Camera Doesn’t?
Well, a “real” digital camera does come with some features that professional photographers would need that do not come on the camera phones. For example, on Sony’s Cyber Shot mentioned above, it has a 5x optical zoom lens, Smile shutter technology and Sony’s exclusive Double Anti-Blur solution. And with the intelligent Scene Mode it can adjust the settings automatically depending on the environment you happen to be in. All of these are things that a prefessional would need that technology just hasn’t gotten around to integrating into a smatpahone camera just yet.
The Overall Verdict
If you are an amateur who loves to take photos, or a professional on the fly and just need a quick shot, a smartphone with built in digital camera is a definite must have. But if you are a professional who requires a little more than the quick snapshot, you still NEED a digital camera.
For more great articles, visit the main page @:Youserblog.com
Android everywhere: Beta for the mass market
Oct 2nd
Android Android Android. Every company now has to produce smartphones with Android. Of course this is understandable: Since the iPhone came to the market, everyone is now desparately trying to bring their ow version of something touchscreen. And what would be better than an open OS that looks at least a bit like what Apple does? Right now every major manufacturer except Nokia brings out several Android phones, no matter if Samsung, HTC or LG, even Sony Ericsson might one sunny day announce their Xperia Rachael. But is Android really a competitor? I would say no.
Greener world thanks to greener phones? Right idea, strange concepts
Sep 22nd
Green is the new colour of the phone industry. You may not have noticed that as most mobile phones are rather black or silver, but that is just what you see from the outside. What is really happening is something that happens on the inside: new phones are supposed to use less enegry and being made from recycled materials. Is that a good development? Yes, it is.
Review of the Sony Ericsson Aino – on youtube
Aug 5th
Here we go, next round, hours of waiting for iMovie to encode the video and horrible upload speeds are behind us, and our next phone review is online. Its about the Sony Ericsson Aino, the new half-touchscreen-half-keypad media phone. We have also uploaded some pictures taken with the internal camera, have a look at them on our Flickr account.
Review of the Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou)
Aug 1st
Lucky us: We got hands on one of the latest Sony Ericsson phones, the Satio. Yes, it is not yet available, and: yes, it is the “12-megapixel-multimedia-cybershot-whatever-all-in-one“ device that Sony Ericsson really needs to catch up with the others. We hope that you will like it. Bring some time: It’s 25 minutes of review on youtube. Best in HD.
