Penny Mobiles – Mobile phone news, reviews & information

While it may seem to some that Google’s win over the Viacom lawsuit was a given, the fact is that the struggle has taken three years and for quite some time, the results could have gone either way.

Many are championing the internet as the base of free speech, freedom of information and in the dissemination of information, but the fact of the matter is that there are thousands of gigabytes worth of copyrighted material that are being illegally transferred every day. While this may not warrant the need for YouTube to scrutinize every single video upload that is made on the servers, it still makes for quite a strong argument.

But yes, Google has won and YouTube fans (as well as users of many other video sharing websites) can now rest easy knowing that there is no law that would prevent people from uploading video content on the media sharing site.

Smart phone users rely heavily on the YouTube web service as a host for the many videos that are shared online. A vast majority of Facebook’s videos link to YouTube hosted content. Had the Viacom lawsuit pushed through, Google might have had to take down all videos and screen every single file individually for copyrighted content.

The reason for the win is quite simple; Google already cooperates with the appropriate copyright holders when content is being contested. Upon the request of certified property owners, video content is investigated and taken down if necessary. Certain regions are also locked out from viewing content that has not been declared as allowed in the territory.

The fact the Google also provides the necessary power to copyright owners means that the lawsuit from Viacom is not only redundant, but quite unnecessary. Still, the fact that the lawsuit was made in the first place is a reminder to everyone that being able to upload content is a privilege that should be taken seriously.

According to recent reports, Microsoft has been offering cash incentives to developers and groups in order to encourage them to create new games for the upcoming Windows Phone 7 mobile platform. While some developers have declared that the cash offering is indeed substantial, it would still not cover the cost of developing for the complex platform that the new mobile platform uses.

Prior to this announcement, it has also been known that Microsoft has also been distributing WP7 handsets to developers in order to show programmers what the new OS is capable of.

In many ways, the strategy being employed by Microsoft is actually pretty smart, even Google was giving out Android handsets to developers at the I/O conference. This is because getting programmers to test and see the actual OS at work gives them an idea of what apps will be great for the device.

The fact that Microsoft is also bringing in the Xbox Live Games service to the platform makes the whole act seem a little more desperate. As it is, MS is luring its existing crowd of Xbox gamers to also make use of the Xbox services on the phone –the support for existing accounts and even inclusion of gamer points and in game achievements is meant to show players that the smart phone can also provide a similar gaming environment.

While some players are excited at the prospect, there are those who feel that the inclusion of gamer points and achievements for the many casual games that are played on smart phones should be separate from the achievements they have accomplished on the console.

In many ways, Microsoft is expecting game players to shell out plenty of money this year as the company will not only be launching a new smart phone operating system, they are also launching a second, smaller version of the Xbox 360 as well as the new Microsoft Kinect motion control system accessories as well.

When it comes to the Android, anyone who is familiar with technology would have plenty of reasons to praise and be happy with this mobile platform. From its open source nature to the fact that it supports so many standards, it is hard for any tech junkie to not like any product that is sporting the little green robot from Google.

But for the general public, the Android is just another name, and being open source is hardly a reason to choose an OS. In order to figure out what makes and Android smart phone so good, here is a quick layman’s look at Google’s operating system.

First off, the Android is an operating system. This is basically the digital foundation upon which all apps, functions, features are accessed and run from. The iPhone and many other smart phones all have their own operating system, and aside from the hardware features of a mobile handset, the operating system is an important factor to consider when buying a phone.

The Android is unique from the iPhone OS as it is an open source platform. For the consumer, this technical term may not mean much, but the bottom line here is that open source operating systems tend to have more apps that can do more things. Literally speaking, the phone will be more “open” to developers. This means that the people that make apps will have access to more of the phone’s features, like the camera, music player, and other valuable resources. In turn, this will allow for the creation of a wider range of apps.

Another reason why Google’s Android is so good is because Google made it. This means that all (well, most) of Google’s online services are accessible from an Android device. Be it Gmail, Google Buzz, Google Chat, Google Earth, Maps, Street View, YouTube, Picasa and everything else is compatible with the system.

Finally, no mobile OS would be worth much without a decent set of handsets that employ it, and the Android certainly doesn’t fall short here. At the high end, phones like HTC’s Desire provide an impresive array of features, while phones like the upcoming SE XPERIA X8 allow access to to this powerful OS on a budget.

The last trend on the internet that has taken solid roots is the ability to take old videos, convert them into digital format and upload on the net. Photos are significantly easier, simply upload the existing digital images (or simply scan old photographs) and users are ready to go send these contents into Facebook, YouTube, Picasa and other media storing and sharing websites. User generated content is the main bulk of today’s online media, and that volume is not going to stop growing anytime.

Thanks to the standardization of digital cameras on mobile phones, there are now more and more people who are able to instant web celebrities, news reporters or simply sources of funny content. There is plenty of freedom here, which brings us to the main question, should this be controlled?

So far, having the ability to upload content on the internet has not been the cause of trouble, many people are able to report crisis and emergencies as they happen –which speeds up the verification process that some groups need before they can mobilize. Any user with a video capable smart phone and access to the internet can instantly share with others the latest events.

While this freedom cannot be caged up, it should still be self-managed. Several months, back, Google Executives took the fall and blame for an uploaded video to the now defunct Google Video service. While the content was not created by Google, the Italian government still found it proper that the company be held responsible for the content that their site possessed.

In many ways, people should be more conscientious about what they shoot and more importantly, what they upload. Many people now feel anxiety when performing in large crowds or even private locations –not because of performance anxieties, but that worry that someone in the crowd would record the whole thing on a mobile phone, and upload it to Facebook where the whole world can see it.

Microsoft’s Window Phone 7 is going to be their biggest move in the mobile phone industry. For many years, they have stayed within the business market, creating their own niche for the Windows Mobile operating system. But as the number of smart phone users increased –and the type of users started to range from business users to the general market, Microsoft has seen the need to create an operating system that appeals to the larger crowd.

Looking at the preliminary versions of the Windows Phone 7 operating system, one cannot help but be impressive by how neat and stylized the interface is. The screens slide and sweep from side to side, panels (or tiles) swivel from the background to the foreground and buttons pop up in smooth fluid animations that create a sense of composition.

Accessing content could not be easier, with just a few taps of the screen; you can be instantly updating all your social networking accounts with a single status update. With a few more taps, you’re at the contact screen viewing all the latest updates online. And just a menu more and you can be instantly uploading new images and content to your favorite social networking site and adding tags to the photos –all using the WP7 interface.

It does not stop there. Zune integration means that you can instantly get access to a large library of media content online –no need to hook up with wires, the WiFi access is more than enough for this sort of task. Silverlight and the MSN player will also be included as well.

Microsoft’s Xbox Live service will also be present in the OS, which means that players now get to earn achievements for their hard work, and they can even connect to their exiting XBL accounts as well.

Digital camera maker Altek is a Taiwanese company that is known for making cameras. What has caught our attention was the latest device that they unveiled at the CommunicAsia event in Singapore.

With a 14 mega pixel CCD sensor camera with 3x zoom capabilities and Xenon flash, the Altek Leo makes for a very good digital camera. It even comes complete with software features like smile detection and photographers can even do tricks like panoramic sweeps. The Leo also has a nice big touch screen display on the back which lets users view the images and even do some quick edits.

But what is most interesting about the Altek Leo is that you can also take and make calls with this device. Yes, the 14 mega pixel snapper loaded device is actually a mobile phone- -and it also runs the Android operating system.

This makes Altek’s Leo the camera phone with the best features for anyone who wanted to fully consolidate a high end digital camera with a powerful smart phone. While Altek has not revealed the full spec sheet for this device, it is estimated that the display is a 4 inch TFT capacitive touch screen. Hopefully, they match this device with a good CPU at 800MHz or faster, and of course, plenty of internal storage (or at least supports 32GB micro SD cards).

So far, Altek has given no clue as to when this device will be launched. It is confirmed that it will certainly be coming out in Asia, though hopes for getting this Android smart phone locally in the UK are pretty low at the moment.

This latest device shows the world how far the mobile phone has come since the very first devices made it to store shelves. These days, people rely on mobile phones for everything. As more and more features are put into the phone and even more gadgets are consolidated into a single device, it will not be long before smart phones will be all that we need.

Despite the fact that most of us are already waiting for the release of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 mobile platform, the fact is that Windows Mobile 6.5 is far from dead. In fact, Microsoft has already stated several months ago that even after the WP7 handsets are released, they will still continue to support and develop for WinMo 6.5.

While it is not confirmed if they will push through with the supposed name change from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone Classic, they are certainly going to keep the OS alive. Despite the announcement that Microsoft Office Mobile 2010 will indeed be available for the new OS, people are still looking to the older WinMo OS for business needs. Simply put, the new WP7 is not simply cutting it for business users –this is actually a very important market for Microsoft (they hold the second largest share of the business market next to BlackBerry, and that is how they managed to survive despite WinMo’s lack of support in the general market).

A recent announcement from Samsung further proves that WinMo 6.5 will still be around for a while, the new Samsung Omnia Pro 4 and Omnia Pro 5 smart phones will be making use of the older Microsoft mobile platform with updated versions of Office Mobile and Communicator Mobile.

As to be expected, the two handsets are very business-like in design, with the BlackBerry form factor (candy bar handsets with portrait physical QWERTY keyboards). The design logic for the keyboards is simple, but they work quite effectively, anyone who has been using a Palm or BlackBerry will feel at ease with these handsets.

It is to be noted that the Omnia Pro 4 actually has better specs than the Omnia Pro 5. The biggest advantage of getting the Pro 5 is the fact that the device is a lot lighter and slimmer than the Pro 4.

When Samsung announced the Bada operating system, many believed that the Korean phone manufacturer would be so focused on their proprietary operating system that they would slow down in the production of smart phones for other mobile platforms. However, it seems that the general assumption was quite wrong and Samsung is making plenty of mobile handsets for the Google Android operating system.

With the launch of the i7500 Galaxy last year, Samsung has begun its series of high end devices that would be making use of the open source mobile platform. The device would later be followed up by the Galaxy Lite (also known as the Galaxy Spica) and now, the series is expanding with many new handsets added to the list.

First to join the ranks is the Samsung i9000 Galaxy S which is basically the Korean manufacturer’s answer to the Nexus One and the HTC Desire This smart phone not only matches the 1GHz CPU and 5 mega pixel camera, but they also bring in their new super AMOLED capacitive touch screen display. According to recent reports, there will be a Samsung Galaxy S Pro smart phone that will be released soon and that the phone will come with a slide out QWERTY keyboard.

Speaking of super AMOLED capacitive touch screen displays, the Galaxy Tape is set to have the largest one around at 7 inches. The Galaxy Tape is considered to be a tablet despite having phone call capabilities. With the Android 2.2 Froyo, a front facing camera and a better resolution display, this is perfect answer to the Apple iPad.

Aside from high end devices, the Galaxy series is also offering more common midrange phones like the Galaxy Apollo which was recently put in a teaser by Orange Mobile UK. The device is the same as the Samsung Galaxy 3 though the two have different number designations. Last on the list is a Corby Galaxy smart phone, the i5500 Galaxy 5.

New smart phones are always fun to look forward to, and when leaks start popping out, that is the time when we really want to get to the bottom of things. These last few days have been filled with updates and new rumors regarding Sony Ericsson’s upcoming handsets and here is a quick review of everything that we know so far.

Originally, three handsets have been revealed; the XPERIA Shakira, a new Walkman handset and an unnamed device that has a 5.5 inch touch screen, a slide out QWERTY keyboard and is reportedly an Android smart phone. While the Walkman handset was rumored to be a new Android device that was based on the X10 Mini (the two phones do share similarities), it was later confirmed that the device is actually the W150 TeaCake which is not an Android handset.

The Shakira on the other hand is pegged as the phone in between the X10 and the X10 Mini, which was later confirmed by Sony Ericsson after they announced that the handset would be named as the XPERIA X8. Despite the new name, SE has yet to announce any further details on the specs of this Android smart phone.

Just recently, there was also news of an upcoming Windows Phone 7 device from SE, the Julie. The phone is reported to have a touch screen display and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. While no further details have been released it is possible that this device and the rumored 5.5 inch Android might be one and the same. If it is, then many Android fans would be disappointed as the handset was shown in pictures as having a hinge that allowed it to be used as a very small netbook.

With the XPERIA X8 named, expect to see more official news from Sony Ericsson in the next few days.

According to recent reports, there are two new additions to Samsung’s Galaxy series of mobile phones. The first is a mid range handset that is a lot like a super upgraded Corby handset, while the other is a massive tablet device that still keeps mobile phone features.

First off, the i5801 Galaxy Apollo; this new handset has been shown off at the Orange Mobile UK website, though the full details have yet to be confirmed. So far, it has been revealed that the smart phone will come with the new Android 2.1 Éclair open source mobile platform, a 3.15 mega pixel snapper and a decent sized 3.2 inch TFT capacitive touch screen display. Overall, it is very HTC Legend like, though it could use a better 5 mega pixel camera and the super AMOLED touch screen which will be used in the i9000 Galaxy S.

While a release date and CPU details have yet to be revealed, expect to see Orange get a semi exclusive version of this smart phone (or possibly even full exclusivity of the device itself).

Last week, Samsung also showed the tech industry that it has been busy planning for the upcoming tablet wars. With the successful launch of the Apple iPad last May, it is no longer a surprise that other companies want a share of the tablet market, and being armed with Google’s Android OS is certainly a great plan.

The new Galaxy Tab has a 7 inch touch screen display. While it is slightly smaller than the iPad (which has a 9.7 inch screen), the Galaxy Tab has a feature that the iPad can never match, the ability to make calls. This is why the Samsung Galaxy Tab is still considered as a smart phone despite its very tablet-like features.

Korean manufacturer Samsung has yet to confirm when the device would be in production, but many tablet fans are hoping to try out the device very soon.