The Anphase Blog - Latest Comments

Re: SPB Mobile Shell for Symbian s60v5 on the Samsung i8910(video)

Niksagar88 — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:34:28 -0000

whr i can update my omnia hd?

Re: The Symbian Advantage

WanRizqi — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:31:50 -0000

Symbian is not outdated. You people just don't have any clue -_-

Re: Nokia Android Phones Coming Soon?(Video)

BASHIRSONU — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:56:04 -0000

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Re: The Future of Symbian: An OS in trouble

Madcap369 — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:09:57 -0000

Could you please provide a reference for this image? It is one of the best depictions of the S curves I have seen. Where is it from?

Re: 2012, Year of the Tablets #2

T-rex — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:55:46 -0000

So u think that nothing can ever beat the ipad??

Re: Updating…

Rex — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 04:35:38 -0000

awesome

Re: Mobile Phone OS Battle: Symbian vs. Android

Sushant — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:35:50 -0000

Guys don't think symbian is deadsymbian is all time favourite..when it comes to user friendly den sysmbian is way way ahead of android...android has many problems...in near future hw android cam will be dead also soon...u all will see that...in todays world every phone company is moving towards android..but nokia is doing a smart thing to be different...nokia jst launched a new os that is symbian anna it is much more better den older symbian...so u'll see that android will not last long even though today there is much hype of it

Re: Change

Anphase — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:45:31 -0000

I really like the X7, it's the perfect balance of size, power and price! Thank you so much for the invaluable help. I probably would have made a regrettable decision without your input. I'll keep you posted :-)

Re: Change

Jax667 — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:39:26 -0000

P.P.S. Hope I could help and please let me know which smartphone you chose. That is always interesting to me :)

Re: Change

Jax667 — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:03:52 -0000

P.S. Nokia X7 for 250 Euros.

Re: Change

Jax667 — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 06:45:25 -0000

A Huawei Vision for 300 Euros with a 3,7 inch Display and a Nokia X7 with a 4 inch Display is also worth contemplating. Both good design and build quality.

Re: Change

Anphase — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 06:03:35 -0000

I hadn't even thought of that, getting a low end phone. That's a pretty good idea. I agree with you on Symbian phones for that, low end Android phones are mostly pretty terrible; stuck on Android 1.6 or something.
I got the Desire HD around early January this year and the Galaxy S2 was announced at MWC 2011 in Feb and released around April I think. Some new hardware will be announced at MWC 2012 for sure and the devices will be expensive when they finally come out later in the year. The 701 performs extremely well (from the GSM Arena video you linked) but the screen looks rather small for my liking. I'd have to try it in person to see just how well it works for me. The screen size is why I'd been aiming for the Galaxy Nexus, or even the Note although I think the Note is really on the edge of phone and tablet.
I think I'll give it a few weeks to see what developments crop up. I'm considering getting more focused devices like the PS Vita for gaming, a simple Symbian phone for calls, iPod for music/apps, point and shoot camera for photos etc. But I really wouldn't want to lug so many devices around lol. Thanks again for the input! Much appreciated! :)

Re: Change

Jax667 — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:00:10 -0000

Thank you very much! I am just interested in the mobile space like you and many people ask me which smartphone to buy :)

As for Windows Phone, the near future is safe enough, perhaps I was exaggerating. Nokia will release many new devices and developers will release many new apps. In my estimation the patient will be alive for at least one year and after that it depends on success. Microsoft HAS to do everything to ensure they are relevant in mobile, because here innovation and technology are more important than in every other industry. It is the first time since their domination in the PC industry that they are afraid of losing significant market share and therefore power. Look at the Iphone, it made people buy Macs, Macbooks and other Apple hardware, because they are fascinated by IOS. If a Linux mobile operating system like Maemo would dominate the mobile space with 80 %, people would begin to ask themselves why are stuck with Microsoft Windows on their Desktops and Notebooks because everything that binds them to that (Games, Office, just everything) wouldn´t be relevant any more. That is why Microsoft paid Nokia billions to stay with them and that is why Microsoft will do everything to make Windows Phone a success.

So buying a Omnia 7 would also not be a bad idea. There is metal involved in the construction, I like the rectangular look and the Super Amoled display together with a decent camera round off the device. But as I already mentioned earlier, a Windows Phone doesn´t make much sense for someone owning a IOS device.

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsun...

Regarding Symbian I can´t recommend it under all circumstances. Developers retreated and apps aren´t coming any more, so in my opinion you have to live with what is already available. I know Symbian pretty well, that is why I am very pleased with the selection of apps. There are enough games (Dungeon Hunter 2, Eternal Legacy HD, Angry Birds, Hawx HD, Spiderman HD etc..) and just about every useful app you can think of (I had some discussions with IOS and Android users about what seems not to be available on Symbian and they soon realized being wrong). So if you are okay with the momentarily situation, you should take advantage of the price drop and take a Symbian Smartphone. As for the N8 successor, you have to decide for yourself if you want to wait 3 or 4 months.

In your special case, you already have an IOS device, so if I were you I would get a cheap phone for calls and sms. But you already have a Desire HD, so I assume you want to get a highend smartphone? Firstly I would decide wether or not to wait until new smartphones will be presented in february in the Mobile World Congress in 2012 and secondly keep in mind that those will be expensive when they appear in april. If you are looking for a new smartphone now, I would take one which is already available. Highend Android devices are the already mentioned Galaxy S2 (400 Euros) and of course the big brother Galaxy Note (500 Euros).

My advice for you: Get a Nokia C7 or the newer model 701. Both with beautiful designs and good hardware (701 with 1 Ghz processor and 512 MB Ram, GPU is stronger than Iphone 4 on both smartphones), with a decent camera (Edof, no autofocus). The 701 has Symbian Belle already and together with the worldwide offline navigation, 250 Euros are a good price-performance ratio which is hard to find in the competition.

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_...

Re: Change

Anphase — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:00:47 -0000

Wow brilliant! This website is my main one by the way, the other one just mirrors this one. Thanks for the thorough and swift reply. I have to say I'm blown away by your insight.
I already have an iPod Touch so the iPhone 4s is out of the question. I think Siri is awesome but it's not enough to justify getting the iPhone when I've already got iOS 5 on a decent retina display with the Touch. As for Windows Phone 7 you're right, its future is not certain. The last thing I would want is to have a phone on a dead platform. That's the reason why I didn't even consider the N9 although the hardware is tempting. The hardware on Windows Phone 7 also seems to be lagging behind the competition; single core processors and 512MB ram and all. The Lumia doesn't even have a front facing camera yet they're cropping up on other WP7 phones and Microsoft bought Skype!
I do agree that Samsung has some of the better hardware out there. The Galaxy S2 seems like a very good option for me. The Galaxy Nexus will be the first to get any ICS updates for at least the next year though. Major problem with the Galaxy Nexus is the 5MP camera – reviews say it's pretty bad compared to the S2 and obviously the N8.
If there is going to be successor to the N8 I might as well wait. The camera isn't all that important for me (maybe because the one on the Desire HD sucks so much!) but great build quality and bleeding edge updates are. Thanks for the reply, it's really made me rethink this whole thing much clearer. Cheers :)

Re: Change

Jax667 — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 12:15:39 -0000

First of all one question: I found two anphase homepages, which one do you use or keep up to date, because on both sites the last post is from october, the 21st?

My recommendation? As to the os itself you have to decide for yourself, I can´t and shouldn´t tell you which one to choose. IOS and Android are the most used ones nowadays, followed by Symbian and Blackberry OS. Personally I prefer Symbian. Why? Because of the hardware (N8 with aluminium body, 12 MP camera with xenon flash, usb on the go, hdmi out) and the worldwide offline navigation for free. The software is now quite nice with Symbian Belle, the browser is still lame but most people including me use the no. 1 mobile browser called Opera Mini which runs smooth and fast.

I know you for quite some time now since the I8910 Hd times, so I am aware that you used Symbian and after that the Desire HD with Android which makes sense, because both operating systems are basically the same and very similar to each other. Windows Phone and IOS share the same situation, because Microsoft took the Apple approach regarding mobile software (no system-wide file manager, no Bluetooth file transfers, no USB mass storage mode, no Flash (nor Silverlight) support in the browser, too dependent on Zune software for file management and syncing, no video calls, no true multitasking, no DivX/XviD video support etc). If I had to recommend you an os it would definitely be Android, because IOS and WP7 are too limited when you come from Symbian. Android is already well established with lots of apps and highend smartphones.

If you choose Android, there is only one manufacturer I would consider a good option: Samsung. Don´t get me wrong, I don´t wanna hate on other players like Sony Ericsson, LG, HTC etc, but they just can´t reach the level of a Samsung Galaxy S2 for example neither in terms of hardware (Super Amoled Plus, MHL USB, audio quality, battery life, camera quality) nor in terms of software (fluid Android user experience, browser, speed). Of course the build quality could be better and some metal would have done wonders, but generally the S2 is still the best Android device until now. I read a lot reviews (GSMarena being my favourite site) and other Android Smartphones show a weaker performance in some of those points mentioned earlier. The Galaxy S2 will get an update to Ice Cream Sandwich.

For me a Galaxy S2 isn´t an option, because I don´t like the design, it is too big, I don´t like the cheap plastic battery cover and the camera is inferior compared to the N8 to say at least. I will replace my device only with one which is superior in every single aspect. There is a rumour of a N8 successor with Symbian Carla andalso an improved camera (a very important aspect for me), so this one will probably replace my N8.

Thats for Android so far, the other operating systems are covered up pretty easily. The future of Windows Phone 7 is uncertain since it perfomed very bad in terms of sales, but with Nokia a new hope arrived (otherwise it would have been a dead os already). I can´t recommend the Lumia, because it basically equals the Samsung Omnia 7 in every aspect (camera, display, speakers) and costs way too much. If RIM keeps on being slow and ignoring the consumer market I am not sure if they survive 2012. I don´t like their os and BBX seems to take years...if you seriously aren´t keen for qwerty keyboards and business solutions, then just look away...the best IOS device is the Iphone 4S, but the Iphone 4 is still a really good choice. Another option is using an Ipod Touch for everything except phone calls and a second device for making calls and sms :)

Android: Samsung Galaxy S2 for 390 Euros (best device, but there are also a lot of cheaper and still good solutions like a Huawei X3 for 100 Dollars)
Symbian: N8 for 300 Euros
IOS: Iphone 4s 16gb for 650 Euros, Iphone 4 16gb for 550 Euros, Ipod Touch for 280 Euros
Windows Phone 7: Samsung Omnia 7 for 280 Euros (wow, it went up from 200 since the Nokia Lumias)

Re: The Future: Siri-ously Lytro

Anphase — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:12:59 -0000

I really don't like cloud computing. I realise it's the future and all but the idea of data crunching happening away from my device somewhere out there is not very appealing. What if they decide to shut down their super computers and I'm doing something very important, a life or death program (ok, that has never happened but hey!). Or they decide to release personal info. I think my problem with it is control. Cloud = someone can access my info without me knowing it and quite easily too. Maybe I'm just too paranoid :D

It's funny how they haven't released many more phones with optical zoom. Maybe they are waiting for Apple to show them how it's done :-p

Re: Change

Anphase — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:02:29 -0000

Nice reply! Your reply couldn't have come at a better time. I'm now looking for a device to replace my Desire HD. I have to say I agree with every point you made, the Desire HD does feel rather cheap and flimsy. So, which phone would you recommend I get? I was eying the Galaxy Nexus but I'm still open to suggestions if that's not a good pick. Windows Phone is also developing quite well and the Nokia Lumia is getting great reviews. Suggestions?

Re: Change

Jax667 — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:51:06 -0000

In my opinion you didn´t choose your device wisely. I for myself look very closely at what is available at the market and what features are built in and then decide wether to buy it or not. Let us take my N8 for example: It was available in november in 2010 and the 12MP camera is still unmatched. The aluminium unibody design is solid with no scratches, the amoled display is still a good decision, features like HDMI out, FM Transmitter or USB OTG are rare to find in other handsets. The N8 will get updates even if Symbian will (at least for the moment) be phased out in one or two years. It got Symbian Anna, it will get Symbian Belle and after that Symbian Carla will make its way, too. Even after that I can expect updates for browser or navigation to keep on coming. All useful apps are available (Symbian is more than 10 years old, so practically everything is available, though not always in the Ovi Store).

My device is now more than 1 year old and did I make a good decision? You bet! Android devices keep coming every month, so your smartphone gets old very fast. Personally, I don´t like HTC, because their products feel cheap even with Aluminium and I definitely can´t go back to LCDs after using amoled technology. Of course there are other devices too which stay up-to-date like the Omnia 7 with Windows Phone 7. Luckily, Microsoft´s hardware restrictions ensured that. The Iphone 4 is also not regarded as an old phone, Retina Display, build quality and the 1Ghz processor with the strong gpu unit will guarantee apps, games and updates to keep on coming. The Samsung Galaxy S (not even the second one) got an update and will probably get an update to Ice Cream Sandwich (but no matter what, Roms are already available vor the Galaxy S).

You should´ve asked me, Anphase :)

Re: The Future: Siri-ously Lytro

Raheel Kumar — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:58:58 -0000

Yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaah, really have to love Apple and there perspective on making tech more appealing to us, vioce command has been out for years, and it was inconvenient to use (for most of it)..... But then apple come in with their 'clouded supercomputer-powred linguistics engine' and change it all :D

I always knew clouded computing was the future, im hoping to see super-slim tablets with just an adequate internet connection doing every single type of task from crunching numbers to playing the latest most graphically intense games....

Just hoping we get an android (open source) copy of it all too xD

and as for lytro, I saw it on Gsmarena one day, and told everyone about it instantaneoulsy LOL i wonder if we could go back to an n93i like camera with a quality optical zoom, wouldn't that be nice lol

Re: Mobile Phone OS Battle: Symbian vs. Android

Mackysaguinhon — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:54:59 -0000

im a nokia user eversince 3310 startd. Nw wth my n8, so far, no problem about it.. I agree, people get crazy when they have android devices its because their in. Without realizing that its like they're wearing the same shirt with same design but different in color. Lol.. Love my n8 frm s'3 upgraded to symbian anna. Better internet connection, better performance,good quality.better than my friend's android device.

Re: Change

Anphase — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 03:31:14 -0000

Ae, I'm glad someone is still reading! I agree with you completely, I've spent far too much on these mobiles and the manufacturers keep out-doing themselves. I should probably apply for a job at Vodafone as a device tester or something lol. Right now I'm feeling left behind with all the dual-core phones on the market. Problem is, if I do buy one, the inevitable quad-core phones next year will make me THAT phone look bad. Keep me posted on that arm assembly code research!

Cheers

Re: Change

Raheel Kumar — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:22:18 -0000

Whoooaaaaaaaa you're still here xD

Awesome post,

I have to agree that the mobile phone industry is evolving too rapidly for comfort.

The developments made in the hardware part of the industry is truly revolutionary an will continue to develop proportionally with Moore's law I guess. There's no stopping it for a 'double take' and a fix here and there ( i.e. HP TouchPad :-/), or you'll seriously fall waaaaay behind in the industry.

Well you also know how they make their sales, they make amazing phones, make you feel like you need 'em to be tonnes more productive in your daily life. But then surely you end up with a load of regret(especially considering the money you spend on these devices which you need so much, that it becomes a limb).

There will always be something better in terms of technology, I recommend we shouldn't follow it so closely unless we are uber-rich, or unless we are actually developing it. I mean I paid $1300 for my I8910 in 2009, and $1080 for my Moto Atrix at the start of the year (NZ prices are ridiculous). Better than being hooked on a contract for two years and a more advanced phone showing up in its manufacturing process a a day later......... it is sad.

Well as always software is the key, I'm currently doing my research based on arm v7 assembly code, I'm hoping to make my phone last a bit longer than its successor's and its proving to be a huge challenge for me (lol).

Anyways, great to know your still here for your awesome posts, cheers.

Re: Android vs. Symbian Revisited

sabi — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:45:07 -0000

my friend symbian is past accept it. HTC phones with 600mhz processor are running android 2.3 i think u r not a mobile freak.

Re: Android vs. Symbian Revisited

sabi — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:43:16 -0000

My friend take my words Android will ruin Symbian. Nokia phone market has gone down in the last 1 year. several employees have been thrown out. Android mobiles are fast and made for the youth.

Re: The Symbian Advantage

Jnjanaban15 — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 22:35:17 -0000

Really?maybe you still have lack of knowledge about Android.Symbian is already obsolete,right?Try using any HTC brand phone starting from their hero.Surely you'll be amazed.