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Choosing the Right Mobile Device! With so much choice on offer when it comes to buying a new gadget it can be tricky deciding on the right one to meet your requirements. The laptop has long been the ideal computing choice if you have a wide variety of chores in mind, thanks to the recent spate of laptop deals, the decent specifications, practical screen sizes and a full keyboard layout they were always the device of choice. However, more recently things have become a lot more interesting thanks to the advent of the tablet computer. While netbooks were starting to replace laptops in many cases, lots of people are now discovering the potential of the tablet instead of any kind of conventional computing gadget. What started it?
Without doubt, the Apple iPad was the gadget that got the ball rolling in the tablet marketplace. Not only was it the first, the handheld device is backed up by an enviable mountain of apps that allow users to boost the functionality of their tablet. Not only that, the iPad is well made and beautifully designed, even though the original incarnation had its flaws. However, since the iPad 2 was unveiled, the tablet has become a huge seller while at the same time it has inspired a stack of rival tablets from manufacturers around the globe. In that respect, the advent of the tablet computer has been a revolution for consumers, because you’ve now got a choice of devices that run a variety of operating systems.
Which one to buy? So which one do you buy? Well, the good news is that you can pick a tablet with an operating system of your choice. If you’re a fan of the Google Android operating system, for example, then a tablet armed with that OS will deliver no-nonsense performance and durability, while also offering a range of apps from the Android Market. In fact, it’s the apps side of things that makes the whole tablet concept increasingly appealing, because it’s these add-on programs and software that make them all the more useful for a variety of uses. While a laptop or netbook is fine for day-to-day computing tasks, the sheer variety of apps on the market means that a tablet can be customised to carry out all manner of different tasks. Pros and cons of apps While apps can transform your computer task list, it has to be said that many rival tablet devices leave rather less to be desired when it comes to overall quality of the software.
One of the main benefits of the App Store from Apple is that all of its listings are carefully approved beforehand. There are lots more of them too.
How to Use an Antenna Analyzer. Force-12 “Ruby” 2M / 70CM SHVD – Advertised bandwidth of 1.4:1 for more than 20 mhz. I verified that this is true with my MFJ-269 analyzer. I Found that performance wise (simplex 2M QSO between Lafayette and Petaluma) it is “comparable” to my Diamond X50. It is half the size and built like a tank. A photo of Dr. Ernie Mills, CEO & Founder, when he was 6 years old. #ThrowbackThursday You can learn more about Dr. Mills and the history of the Durham Rescue Mission at The Victory Program is the Durham Rescue Mission's addiction recovery program providing.
While it is possible to download apps for other tablet operating systems from a variety of sources, it’s this core quality control that makes the iPad one of the best when it comes to computing on the move. And, adding to that is the high fun quota offered by the gaming angle on an iPad thanks to its potent processor power and top-level graphics. As an all-rounder then, it’s a pretty hard one to beat on most counts. This Guest Post was contributed by Rob Clymo, who writes on behalf of Broadbandgenie.co.uk, the online consumer portal for researching offers from broadband providers UK and the latest choices in netbooks, tablets and smartphones.
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In the gadget business, there's a tendency to continuously add features, functionality, and options with each new version, but you shouldn't expect a drastic revamp from Amazon with its latest Kindle ($189 direct) ebook reader. Although the new Kindle adds Wi-Fi, more capacity, a leaner form factor, and a sharper screen, the functionality is largely the same. But that isn't necessarily bad thing, in fact given its new low price along with its massive library of ebooks and dead-simple book buying, the Kindle keeps its crown as our Editors' Choice. Simply put, it's the best dedicated ebook reader you can buy. Design: A Slimmer, Lighter Read Perhaps the most dramatic change in the Kindle is the size: it's a lot smaller, but maintains its 6-inch e-ink screen.
Even so, overall the 7.5-by-4.8-by-0.3-inch (HWD), 8.7-ounce device is 21 percent smaller, with a narrower bezel and tighter keyboard. The smaller size makes it a snap to slide into a coat pocket and easier to manage single-handed. Oh, and you get a color choice this time around: Besides the typical Kindle white, you can opt for a grayish-blackish graphite, like our review unit. View Slideshow See all (8) slides Amazon Kindle (3G + Wi-Fi): Angle Amazon Kindle (3G + Wi-Fi): Front Amazon Kindle (3G + Wi-Fi): Controls Amazon Kindle (3G + Wi-Fi): With Cover More The Kindle has never been known for its great controls, but with this iteration, they get better.
In fact, Amazon replicated the symmetrical Page Forward/Page Back buttons found along the sides of the screen on Barnes and Noble's Nook ($199 direct, ). They're a little smaller than the old page controls, but this layout is much more logical. Amazon also traded in the stubby, square, track-point for a more intuitive four-way toggle button. Sensitive Kindle users will also notice the keys on the QWERTY keyboard are raised slightly, making them easier to punch. Moving the Power button to the bottom of the device seems like an unnecessary change, but you get used to it.
The number one complaint with e-ink displays is that they're too gray and lack adequate contrast. This is just is a product of the technology; all ebook readers have gray screens. That said, Amazon has managed to increase the contrast on the Kindle in a way that sets it above the Nook, Sony Readers, or any other dedicated ebook reader we've tested. The company claims it has upped the contrast by 50 percent over the last Kindle. Whatever the actual percentage, the effect is dramatic—text and photos looks sharper and clearer. Don't compare it to the bright color touch-screen LCD on the Apple iPad ($499-$829 direct, ), but it is the sharpest e-ink display I've seen. Some measure of that sharper text is because of improvements in the Kindle's text handling.
Version 3.0 of the Kindle software features improved font handling and faster page turns. The company developed two new, proprietary technologies: waveform controls how the final gray level is set for images and text and font-hinting optimizes font display when pixels are limited, as is the case with e-ink displays. And it works well. When I tested page turn speed against the previous Kindle running version 2.5.6, I found them to be similar—both fast, and much faster than the Nook. Kindle: Now with Wi-Fi!
One of the more notable additions to this Kindle is integrated Wi-Fi in addition to the free, always-on 3G modem. (There's also a $139 Wi-Fi-only Kindle). I spent a little time trying out the Kindle's new Wi-Fi features, and found logging into a network very straightforward. Downloading books is quicker; although 3G download speeds are so fast it almost doesn't make a difference—but it's still nice to have the choice.
This is when that QWERTY keyboard comes in handy, it makes typing in network passwords quick work. Until now, Wi-Fi was one of the key advantages of the Barnes & Noble Nook.
The Kindle's new Webkit browser works better than the old one, but is still no joy to use. Pages take forever to navigate and you need to drag the cursor around the page before you can zoom-in and click on links. And of course, the pages are in black and white, not color. Suffice to say, the browsing experience is no match for the iPad, or even your average smartphone. Buying books is as easy as ever. Just open the store, type in an author or title, click buy, and within a minute the book is sent to your device either via Wi-Fi or 3G. The Kindle store currently sells about 630,000 books, including 109 of the 111 New York Times Best Sellers.
You'll also find free book titles, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and audiobooks. Amazon has also added some neat sharing features; personally I love tweeting links to my favorite book passages right from the device.
(Current Kindle owners with version 2.56 also have this capability.) Overall, the Kindle experience is familiar, consistent, and comfortable. And for an ebook reader, that's a good thing.
File Support: A Sore Spot File support has always been the Kindle's Achilles heel, at least for the geek crowd. The problem is that the Kindle uses its own file format for books: AZW.
It works fine, offering fast performance and lots of security for publishers, but it's proprietary. No one else can use it. Worse, the Kindle can't handle the widely accepted EPUB format that's supported on Sony's Reader devices, Borders' Kobo eReader ($149.99 direct, ), and, well, just about every other ebook reader on the market. This is also the format many public libraries use to lend ebooks. For format purists this is a deal breaker, but the truth is most consumers will be very happy with the huge selection in the Kindle store. Even so, as I have said for years, the Kindle should support EPUB. The device also natively supports TXT, Audible, MP3, Unprotected MOBI, and PRC.
And DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP are supported via conversion. PDF support is much improved this time around.
Not only do PDFs just look better, but you can make notes and zoom into pages. In fact, when I loaded a protected PDF accidentally, I was pleasantly surprised to see a password prompt that quickly let me access the file. PDFs still don't compare to natively formatted files in terms of usability, but you can read them. It's hard to describe just how dull testing Kindle battery life is. Amazon claims the rechargeable battery will last as long as a month with your wireless modem turned off, or for 10 days with it on. That means I'll need a least another week to get results.
For now, trust me, the battery will last a long time. Will robots that help astronauts in space be as friendly and likeable as fictional 'Star Wars' droid 'R2-D2'? NASA researchers envision futuristic robots that 'act' like people to enable these mechanical helpers to work more efficiently with astronauts. 'Our goal is not for robots to have the same 'thought process' as humans, but rather for them to act, respond and interact more 'naturally' in ways that humans do with other humans,' said Illah Nourbakhsh, a scientist who leads a group developing human-robot teams at NASA Ames Research Center, located in California's Silicon Valley. Rover and astronautThere are three main areas that Nourbakhsh's team will develop. One is called 'collaborative control,' during which the human being and the robot will speak to one another and work as partners.
'A key benefit of collaborative control is that the robot is able to ask questions of the human in order to compensate for (the robot's) limitations,' Nourbakhsh explained. Image right: Rover and astronaut in planetary analogue site, field testing autonomy and human/robot interaction technologies. Image courtesy: NASA. A second area that NASA Ames researchers will develop is to build robots that have reasoning mechanisms that work similarly to human reasoning.
'Of primary interest is making the human and robot understandable to each other,' Nourbakhsh said. 'We believe that by building robots with reasoning mechanisms and representations that are similar to what humans use, we can make human-robot interaction more natural and human-like,' Nourbakhsh explained. Thirdly, the researchers will conduct field tests of people and robots working together. The group's robot development work will focus on specific tasks essential for basic exploration mission operations, including: shelter and work hangar construction, piping assembly and inspection, pressure vessel construction, habitat inspection and resource collection and transport. The robots will help assemble buildings, test equipment, weld structures and dig with small tools.
Human-robot teams will use a checklist and a plan to guide their joint efforts, according NASA Ames scientist Terrence Fong. Human beings and robots will use 'partner-to-partner' interaction to share information and to support one another. 'It is the way human construction and maintenance crews frequently operate,' Fong explained.
To make human-machine teaming a reality, a NASA multi-pronged research project is underway to improve robot intelligence and human-robot communication. The project is a multi-million dollar collaboration among researchers at NASA Ames; NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston; Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.; the Naval Research Laboratory; and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Robonaut'Teams will include humans and robots working in close quarters as well as humans controlling and interacting with robots over medium distances and from ground control,' Nourbakhsh predicted. Image left: Robonaut is a humanoid robot designed by the Robot Systems Technology Branch at NASA's Johnson Space Center in a collaborative effort with DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The Robonaut project seeks to develop and demonstrate a robotic system that can function as an EVA (Extravehicular Activity) astronaut equivalent.
Image courtesy: NASA. 'Conventional human-robot dialogue is limited to 'master-slave' commanding and monitoring,' Fong said, speaking of how robots generally have been controlled to date. 'As a result, system performance is strictly bound to the operator's skill and the quality of the (computer) user interface.' In contrast, partner-to-partner operation reduces the need for fine-grained planning and resource scheduling, according to Fong.
Another advantage of partner-to-partner operation is that it 'does not require the human to continuously engage in robot teleoperation or supervision,' Fong said. The system under development at NASA Ames will enable robots to interactively support one another so that they 'can quickly jump in and help the other (human or robot) resolve issues as they arise,' Fong continued. NASA Ames researchers at first will focus on developing technologies that will enable robots to operate more like human beings during construction and maintenance tasks. These technologies will be evaluated on robotic test beds, including Robonaut, a humanoid robot that project collaborators at NASA Johnson's Robot Systems Technology Branch designed. Robots have worked as field geologists during previous field tests, but in the future, these human-like machines will also do non-scientific work. They will not only look for raw materials on planets, but also process those materials, according to researchers.
Other robot jobs may include scouting, surveying, carrying equipment, inspecting and maintaining machines and habitats. Androids could well serve as field medics, monitoring, helping and transporting injured astronauts. Human-robot teams must be reliable, survivable, reusable and low-cost, according to scientists, who hope to enable robots to receive general commands, such as, 'inspect habitat.'
The human-like machines would then autonomously perform tasks and seek help only when they encounter problems they cannot solve by themselves. 'A challenge that scientists face is enabling robots to perform tasks on their own as much as possible, and giving these androids the ability to ask for human help and knowledge only when necessary,' observed Fong. Two robot characteristics are that these machines will communicate by speaking and gesturing. In places with little or no atmosphere, sound cannot travel well, and without radio communications, a gesture might be the most practical way for a robot and a human being to communicate, according to researchers.
Asimo, the humanoid robot created by Honda’s research and development engineers, will return to South Africa for a number of demonstrations at the Johannesburg Motor Show, to be held at Nasrec, in October. An earlier generation of the Asimo robot visited South Africa for the first time at the Auto Africa motor show in 2006. However, Asimo – Advanced Step in Innovation Mobility – has since learnt many new skills. The humanoid robot coming to South Africa is the twelfth version in the programme started by Honda in 1986.
It is 1.3 m tall and weighs 54 kg, which Honda says makes it the perfect size for helping around the house, or assisting a person confined to a bed or wheelchair. Its height means it can look directly at an adult sitting in a chair or sitting up in bed. The latest version can run faster than its predecessors, with running speed now at 6 km/h, up from 3 km/h. It also has a greater range of movement than before, enabling it to do more twisting, bending and pushing.
(Posture control technology allows Asimo to maintain balance and prevent foot slippage while running.) New technology even permits the robot to carry a tray and put it on a table, while it can transport heavy loads – up to 10 kg in weight – by pushing a trolley. Asimo uses its camera eyes to recognise stationary obstacles, storing this information in its memory, which then enables it to avoid bumping into them when walking. It can also recognise moving pedestrians in its walking path, and will stop momentarily until they are out of its way. The robot’s intelligence goes further in that it can understand a number of voice commands and give an appropriate response, while it also uses a communication card to recognise and greet a person. Asimo is powered by a 51,8 V lithium-ion battery, which is located in its backpack. It can operate for about 40 minutes on a single charge, with recharging taking three hours. Only one person is required to control the robot, using a laptop or portable computer and a wireless network.
Plasma TVs use a sheet of miniscule individual plasma cells that create a picture when an electrical charge is applied — examples of plasma televisions include the Panasonic TH-50VX100W, LG 50PS80ED and Panasonic TH-P50G10A. LCD televisions, on the other hand, use liquid crystal compressed between two glass plates; an image is created when electricity is applied to these crystals. LCD televisions can range from cheap models like the Changhong LT4268TA to more expensive sets like the Sony Bravia KDL40W5500 and the Toshiba Regza 42RV600A. LED TVs use liquid crystal, but unlike regular LCD televisions they use a backlight made of hundreds of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) instead of a fluorescent lamp.
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The LEDs can be evenly distributed around the back of the television’s panel or situated in the edges of the screen to create a very thin display chassis. LED televisions include the Sharp LC40LB700X, Samsung Series 7 (UA46B7100) and Sony Bravia KDL55XBR45. How well an image is displayed on a television panel — whether it is a Blu-ray movie, an HDTV broadcast or a high-definition video game — depends on a television's display technology and its image processing capabilities. Contrast ratio A television's contrast ratio represents its ability to show detail in high contrast areas of the screen, in the form of minute gradations of colour and blacks or whites. For example, a panel with a low contrast ratio will struggle to show the higher or lower extremes of an image.
In layman's terms, this means detail will be lost in bright areas as well as in dark scenes. In a Blu-ray movie, for example Batman Begins, the loss of detail in dark scenes will quickly become apparent. Most manufacturers increase the contrast capabilities of their screens by dynamically altering backlight brightness.
This allows extra detail to be shown in dark scenes and can be a life-saver for a panel with a low static contrast ratio. Some manufacturers have taken their estimations of this dynamic contrast ratio to excess, rating their screens at contrast ratios of 1,000,000:1 — and even higher. While these figures demonstrate the advantages of dynamic contrast ratio alteration, they don't need to be a big factor in your buying decision. It is generally accepted that plasma televisions have better contrast ratios than LCD panels, due to the fact that a plasma television can completely deactivate the light source for individual segments of the screen.
This means sections of the screen can be completely dark while others are displaying bright colour, unlike a traditional LCD screen which has a single backlight array that can only alter brightness levels for the entire screen. The latest LED backlight technology allows the television to individually control backlight segments. This technology allows for contrast ratios similar to those produced by plasma television panels. However, edge-lit LED televisions — usually available in an ultra-slim form factor — will have lower dynamic contrast ratios than the backlit LED models so be sure to check this detail before you purchase. Viewing angle The narrower a television's quoted viewing angle is, the smaller the range in which it produces a 'perfect' image with no loss of contrast or colour. Many manufacturers quote an unrealistically high viewing angle — close to a full 180 degrees in some instances — but the best way to test this is to test the screens in person.
In these present days Robots are very helpful to us now gemini scout robot is very wonderful. It’s one thing to have people and dogs helping out in search-and-rescue operations, but it’s really interesting when robots start doing even better than your two- or four-legged friends, thanks to some of their sensors and other features. The Sandia’s Gemini-Scout Mine Rescue Robot is such a robot. It’s remotely-controlled, runs on treads, and designed to help in mining accidents. Gemini scout robot sandia mining remote control rescue Gemini-Scout’s main purpose is to gather information about the disaster, and report back. It can find structural weaknesses within the mine shafts, detect the presence of poisonous gases, explosive gases, and the likelihood of flooding. It’s got an articulated suspension that makes it pretty nimble, and capable of handling even the most challenging terrain.
It can climb 45-degree inclines and its diminuitive size will allow it to go places where people can’t. It’s operated remotely via a standard Xbox 360 controller, which makes it easy to control. Apple review, Apple commentary, Apple news. Everything Apple The latest, shrunken touch-screen iPod nano marks a rare misstep from Apple. Because it is an iPod, the 6th-generation nano works seamlessly with a graceful user interface, but it's a flawed concept. Last year's 5th-gen nano came with a larger screen, a video camera, and video playback. Frankly, the only thing it lacked was a multi-touch screen, but it was a great deal at $149 (8GB) and $179 (16GB).
At identical prices and capacities, the new nano has a tiny multi-touch screen with no video capture or playback. The least-expensive video-capable iPod is now the $229 8GB touch ($229, ) so if you're on a budget, but want video in your iPod, you're out of luck. Simply put, this nano should be the new iPod shuffle ($49, )and it should be priced like a shuffle. Design Did we mention the new nano looks like an iPod shuffle with a screen? The long, slender, sexy nano is no more. At 0.7 ounces and 1.5 by 1.6 by 0.3 inches (HWD), it's not quite small enough to be swept away by a gentle breeze, but a modest gust might do the trick.
That's where the clip, that's built into the back of the anodized aluminum frame, comes in handy. The Volume and Power buttons live on the thin top panel, while the 30-pin connector for USB computer sync and charging, along with the headphone jack, can be found on the bottom panel. The previous nano's 2.2-inch, 376-by-240 pixel display has been downgraded to a 1.5-inch, 240-by-240 pixel screen that occupies the entire front panel. There's no built-in microphone, but you can record voice memos if you upgrade to any Apple-certified mic-enabled earphones. Apple's anemic earbuds and a sync cable are included in the box. More The nano remains colorful this time around, but now, since it's so small, you see less of that color.
This generation comes in metallic hues including light and dark gray, aqua, lime green, orange, pink, or like our test unit, there's a Product RED version. If you opt for the red nano, Apple gives a portion of the purchase price to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. View Video User Interface and Navigation The new user interface won't be mistaken for iOS on the iPhones or the iPod touch, but the icon-based system is intuitive like with all Apple products. While the nano lacks an accelerometer, Apple cleverly designed the screen so that a fingertip twist turns it in four different directions so it's never upside down. Like you can in iOS, you can rearrange the icons, which include: Albums, Artists, Clock, Composers, Fitness, Genius Mixes, Genres, Now Playing, Playlists, Photos, Podcasts, Radio, Settings, and Songs.
None of them can be added nor subtracted, however—this is not an apps-based device like the iPod touch. That said, the inclusion (or retention, I should say) of the Nike+ fitness app and built-in pedometer to customize your workouts helps save the nano from feeling completely feature-barren, as does the FM radio tuner, that, for so long, was absent from iPods. Specifications Storage Capacity (as Tested) 16 GB Player Type Flash MP3 Player, Portable Media Player Radio Yes Music Playback Formats AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, Audible, MP3, WAV, Protected AAC Photo Formats BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PSD, PNG, GIF Dimensions 1.5 x 1.6 x 0.3 inches Weight 0.7 oz More The multi-touch-enabled screen is every bit as sensitive and responsive as the iPhone's, but the familiar finger gestures aren't here.
For instance, when viewing photos, if you want to zoom in—and because the screen is so small, you'll often want to—you tap the screen once rather than use the familiar pinch-and-expand finger motion. This zooms to a fixed interval, and tapping again zooms out. If you load photos captured in widescreen 16:9 format, you can't zoom at all. Photos don't look particularly impressive on such a small screen, but the photo section is still easy to navigate and a worthy inclusion.
But the first time you peruse your photo library, you'll see why there's no video support—the screen is way too small. You can choose from nine different wallpapers, that can be swapped in the Settings menu, but you can't use your own photos.
Due to the small screen size, there's no more Cover Flow support, which is a bit ironic because Cover Flow is so much more engaging with a touch screen. Still, album art is displayed when playing music, filling the screen entirely, while Playback controls appear over the artwork and disappear when not in use. Even without Cover Flow, the streamlined process of finding an artist or song in the music menu is as intuitive as it has ever been. Audio Performance Audio will always sound better if you upgrade the low-quality earbuds that Apple ships with every iPod model.
Lose the buds in favor of a more secure-fitting, higher performance pair of earphones. (Our Headphone Buying Guide is a good place to start your search.) As far as audio file support, the nano can handle AAC (protected and unprotected), HE-AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, Audible, MP3, MP3 VBR, and WAV files. For photos JPEG and most other common image formats are supported. The FM radio retains its 15-minute rewind feature, which is a fancy way of saying you can pause live radio for up to 15 minutes before the nano's recording cache gets filled. The recorded radio segments aren't stored as files anywhere—you press the Play icon in the radio menu to pick up where you left off. You can set a limitless number of favorite stations—I created nearly fifty—and doing so is as simple as a tap. Your earbuds serve as the antenna, and when signal is strong enough, you'll get station names and song information scrolling across the screen.
Apple rates the nano's battery life for audio playback at 24 hours—a respectable number for a touch-screen device that's this small. Our own battery test results will be posted here shortly.
A Confusing New Direction Apple giveth, and on the rare occasion, Apple taketh away, like it's done here. With the latest nano, a multi-touch screen on a 1.54-inch device just isn't that impressive, and isn't nearly as valuable as a video camera. This nano feels like a shuffle with a touch screen, only it's not priced like one; it's at least $50 too expensive for its limited feature set. If you're not tied to iTunes, consider the Samsung YP-R0 ($79, ) or the Archos 3cam vision ($99.99, ). Neither is as graceful as an iPod, but they're both less expensive and capable of video playback in addition to music—the latter also captures photos and video. And the designers of pocket video recorders like the Flip are breathing a sigh of relief that the new nano didn't retain its video camera, or worse, get an upgrade to HD. If what you really want is a pocket-size video recorder in this price range, check out the Kodak Playsport Video Camera ($149.95, ) or the Sony Bloggie ($169.99, ), or you could just cough up the $230 for an iPod touch.
If you want to buy a new nokia the once know about its cost Nokia mobile price list in India 2011 Nokia E7 Rs. 24,990 Nokia N8 Rs. 21,475 Nokia N900 Rs. 20,990 Nokia X7 Rs.
20,739 Nokia N97 Rs. 18,599 Nokia C7 Rs. 16,390 Nokia E6 Rs. 15,490 Nokia E72 Rs. 14,990 Nokia C6-01 Rs. 13,390 Nokia C6 Rs. 11,745 Nokia X5-01 Rs.
9,480 Nokia E5 Rs. 8,975 Nokia C5-03 Rs. 8,389 Nokia C3 Touch And Type Rs. 8,075 Nokia E63 Rs. 7,780 Nokia 5235 Rs. 7,599 Nokia Touch & Type X3-02 Rs.
7,590 Nokia C5 Rs. 7,225 Nokia 5230 Xpress Music Rs.
7,190 Nokia C3 Rs. 5,770 Nokia 5233 Rs. 5,690 Nokia C2-06 Rs.
4,903 Nokia C2-03 Rs. 4,422 Nokia X2 Rs. 4,275 Nokia C2-02 Rs. 3,846 Nokia 5130 XpressMusic Rs.
3,844 Nokia C2-01 Rs. 3,840 Nokia 2730 Classic Rs. 3,450 Nokia 2700 Classic Rs. 3,390 Nokia X2-01 Rs. 3,390 Nokia C2 Rs. 2,680 Nokia C1-01 Rs.
2,169 Nokia X1-01 Rs. 1,815 Nokia C1-02 Rs.
1,730 Nokia C1-00 Rs. 1,499 Nokia 1800 Rs. 1,374 Nokia 1616 Rs. 1,153 Nokia 1280 Rs.
Just six months have passed since the iPhone 4 launch, so it may seems a little premature to be speculating about its successor. But given the long lead times involved, you can bet that Steve Jobs’ A-team is already hard at it, toiling away in a maximum security lab, under his close personal supervision. But where next for the iPhone? What can you add to the smartphone that has everything?
With the growing competitive threat from Android, I think that Apple’s roadmap for iPhone in 2011 will switch from adding new features to product diversification, targeting multiple consumer segments and price points. Instead of the iPhone 5, Apple will launch the iPhone Play and the iPhone Air. Here’s why The Android platform has two key advantages over iPhone: it offers consumers choice, and it offers handsets at entry-level prices. This gives Apple’s competitors a “price umbrella,” because the iPhone 4 is currently only competing at the high end, leaving the market for budget smart phones wide open. Apple attempts to address this by offering last year’s model, the iPhone 3GS, at a knockdown price.
But who wants last year’s model? And besides, it doesn’t make you feel very good to buy a phone that Apple can hardly bring itself to promote on its own website. Apple’s main advantage over Android is that the iOS platform is not fractured, with different screen sizes, processor speeds, UIs, etc. This benefits both consumers and app developers, who can be confident that their apps will run on pretty much any device. Therefore the way for Apple to differentiate its hardware is not in terms of system specs – these should be identical. Instead, I think Apple will focus on physical dimensions.
Adopting a super-slim wedge shape for the top-end model, in the style of the new MacBook Air, would create a phone that slips seamlessly into the pocket of a fancy suit, (albeit, this is hardly a sartorial consideration for Steve Jobs). Meanwhile, the entry-level model could focus on adopting the fun styling of the new iPod nano, bringing a choice of colors for the first time to the iPhone line. For the mockup, I’ve called them “iPhone air” and “iPhone play”, because it feels like time to move away from the numbering scheme – especially since the two lines will need to differentiate. In terms of timings, my guess is it’s more likely that the iPhone play will launch in 2011, alongside the current iPhone 4.
We might need to wait till 2012 for something like iPhone air. Hope you like the mockups. Please note this is all just speculation, and is not based upon any sources or even rumors! What do you guys think? Will Apple launch a range of iPhone models, or place all its bets on the iPh. We’ve been hearing so much about the new iPhone 5 that it has all but drown out any talk of the iPods, which are traditionally released at the September Apple event as well. There hasn’t been any definitive word, but I expect them to get an update as well before the holiday shopping season.
The new iPod touch will likely head in the same direction as the iPhone 5 – faster A5 processor and better backside camera (hopfully 3MP w/ autofocus?) etc. I don’t expect a lot of innovation on what is already a pretty incredible little device.
Perhaps a $199 entry level price tag (a $30 drop – which we already see quite often) will be the marquee new spec. The iPod classic wasn’t upgraded last year and wasn’t on the keynote slide (below) where Steve Jobs said “we’ve got All-new designs for every model” which kind of makes it feel dead to me. You can still buy Classics in their 2 year old form a year later but with iCloud kicking into gear, I think Apple’s chances of killing it this year are better than keeping it around. More awesome/unlikely would be giving it Wifi and turning out a big HDD wireless media hub like the Seagate GoFlex Satelite. But where I think there will be real innovation, however, will be the iPod nano.
The iPod nano was upgraded/downgraded last year to to remove its camera functionality as well as the large screen and click-wheel interface. Replacing, is an almost Shuffle-sized little touchscreen with four little icons and simple little apps, including FM radio, music app, photos app, voice notes and pedometer for NikePlus. Most importantly, it dropped the scroll-wheel based OS that came from Apple’s original purchase of PortalPlayer many moons ago. The new Nano OS is now a new touch-screen based OS that is a spinoff of iOS. This is the first generation of the product. There is a lot of room to innovate the nano.
First take a look at what the competition is doing. Sony released the ‘Liveview‘ accessory at about the same time as the nano was released. You’ve probably never heard of it but it is an impressive technology demonstration: A more compelling platform may be the WIMM Android platform which is a full fledged, stand-alone device which includes not only Bluetooth but Wifi: LiveView connects to Sony’s phones via Bluetooth. Interestingly, Apple announced support for the ultra-low power Bluetooth 4.0 spec in its latest MacBook Airs and Minis and is now a heavyweight on the Bluetooth spec board of directors. It would be surprising if Apple didn’t bring that same low power Bluetooth 4 to iOS devices next month. With it will come an easy, low power way to sync iPod nanos and iOS devices (and sure, Macs and AppleTVs which also conveniently have inactive Bluetooth). You could get social feeds, email alerts, text messages, iMessages and everything else that Apple channels through its alerts notifications.
IPod nanos were finding their way onto people’s wrists before they were even released so a Nano-watch tie up makes a lot of sense. Perhaps Apple makes a ‘wrist mount’? A Bike mount? A steering wheel mount?
Communication with iOS Devices – making it an iOS accessory – would be huge. With low powered Bluetooth, your songs and picture albums sync automatically. The pedometer app never needs to be plugged in. You could even theoretically stream video to your tiny Nano screen. Speaking of video, that leaked case from earlier this year had a camera.
I don’t know how to rectify that, especially on the back side but there it is. Perhaps this isn’t a camera hole after all and is for something else like charging. But it could get better. With an IP stack, you could even connect to the iOS device’s internet connection over Bluetooth. There, you could stream media from your iCloud directly (rather than having to sync up).
YouTube, Flickr MLB all become options – even Nuance Voice navigation becomes an unlikely possiblity. Perhaps most importantly, you could also lose the 8GB or 16GB of storage and go with something more modest like 2GB of local storage which would make the device smaller and cheaper (offsetting extra wireless parts costs). Dropping this thing to $100 would be huge. Sure the screen is small – perhaps Apple throws some more pixels at the situation.
320×240 would be better for video. But with 200 million iOS devices becoming almost ubiquitous among Apple users, turning the Nano into an iOS accessory (like the AppleTV) seems like a good long term strategy.