Penny Mobiles – Mobile phone news, reviews & information

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.

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.

While the world did wait for the delayed release of Apple’s new touch screen tablet device, nobody else in the UK felt the weight and burden of the passing time than those who spent the whole night camped in front of Apple stores for the launch of the iPad.

Many folks have waited for more than 16 hours –and while many came ready with food and supplies, several spent the night through sheer willpower alone. In any case, even those who had brought their gear found their selves tired and exhausted after more than half a day’s wait for the iPad to be available.

It is also a good thing that Apple stores decided to open shop early –as early as 8 in the morning, to accommodate the number of people that they have expected to come. As seen with the US launch of the iPad, there were hundreds of people across many Apple stores waiting for the device. It also seems that Apple is more prepared; not only did their stores readily accommodate the customers, they also had plenty of stocks ready and waiting –almost everyone went home happy, clasping the brand new tablet in their arms.

In general, the people who bought the iPad were very much satisfied with the gadget; many could not help but play around with it despite the fact that they are already tired. While a few did admit that they will be tinkering around with their new purchase after they take a long snooze, they were still happily beaming when they admitted to their physical state of being.

The Apple iPad is a tablet with a 9.7 inch touch screen display, it can play media files, access the internet, read eBooks, and run apps for the iPod Touch, iPhone and exclusive iPad apps.

There is plenty of focus on the availability of eBooks on digital devices. Since the launch of the Apple iPad touch screen tablet, there has been a renewed media focus on digital literature. Google has not only launched Google Editions and a Kindle app has been released for the Android as well. Indeed, eBook reading is a smart phone feature that people actually want and manufacturers recognize that need.

Still, games developer PopCap has taken a small study of user preferences and from their findings, people would rather play games than read eBooks when they are on the road or travelling. While it might be said that people in general prefer to play games than read books, there is also the fact that this study is pretty isolated and that the sample was taken from a very niche crowd –gadget owners who are on the commute.

In general, people grow up knowing that games can be played everywhere. Book reading on the other hand, is practice that most people prefer to engage in when they are at the comfort of their homes (certainly, there are also individuals who are quite comfortable reading a book in public).

Another factor to consider is that book reading is an activity that requires more time than a quick round of a casual mobile phone game application. It makes more sense for a person to engage in a quick activity for the duration of a commute. Had the study taken in samples of people who are otherwise engaged in long trips then the number of people who read would also increase.

In any case, the study did prove something very valuable; it is that small, easy to play games are quite appealing to a lot of people. Many folks spend bits and parts of their days engaged in small moments of waiting and rest that they would want to fill in with something entertaining –like a good game to play.

It seems that Apple is focusing all of its efforts on making their US clients happy as they have delegated a full two months simply to distribute the device in the United States. The iPad touch screen tablet has been out in the US since April 3 and has been unboxed, reviewed and even taken apart for the world to see.

Oddly enough, the “world” will have to wait until the end of May before the device is properly distributed to all other countries outside of the US.

It was ironic that it was Steve Jobs himself who stated that production of the iPad is ongoing and that they are able to keep up with the demands for the product. In the very same week that he said that, Apple announced that it would not be able to launch the iPad in the end of April, but it would be delayed until the end of May instead.

Simply put, Apple is screwing over the international market.

Even those who have decided to have the device shipped from the US are getting a bad deal. With the iTunes store for the iPad currently locked only to US based users, there is no way of downloading free content without coming up with a fake US address. Of course, purchasing apps in the store is completely impossible as it would require an American credit card as well.

The iPad touch screen tablet functions as a web browser, eBook reader, media player and even as an app running device. Its small size make ideal to have around and it is also lightweight allowing users to read it for long periods of time (or simply have it lying on their lap).

It may be disappointing, but according to local operators Vodafone UK, Orange Mobile and O2 UK, the Apple iPad touch screen tablet launch has been moved to May. The earliest pre-orders will be available by the 10th though the device will be officially released by the end of May.

In what seems to be Apple’s biggest blunder of the year, it turns out the company failed to foresee the immense demand for the iPad and has been unable to produce enough of the device to fulfill consumer needs. This launch delay is one of the most horrible in the tech industry as it pushes back the international availability of the device for a full month despite the fact that it is already available in the United States (if the iPad had yet to be launched anywhere, this would be a different story).

Disappointed fans have been ranting across forums and comment pages on the internet in their frustration at the development of events. In any case, it has not changed the demand for the touch screen tablet. The rage pretty much stands as a testament to how much people would want to get their hands on the tablet device.

Many critics and reviewers consider the Apple iPad to the biggest game changing device for the internet subculture. With many people that need to go online but have very little use for a full computer, the iPad is an excellent alternative (and it consumes less energy too). Of course, the iPad would never be able to replace netbooks and computers in terms of handling other tasks. But for basic informational, educational and entertainment purposes, the iPad is a perfect fit to today’s modern needs.

Get the rest of the info about the delay on the Apple iPad and the release plans of local network operators at the Guardian UK.

While things were certainly looking up for Apple last week, the iPad launch has taken a complete turnaround as more internal problems has been revealed and the inability of Apple to keep up with the demand has forced a delay in the international launch of the touch screen tablet.

iPad users in the Princeton University will have to hold back on using their iPads to connect to the in-campus WiFi network as the device has been confirmed to be unable to comply with expiring IP addresses assigned by the DHCP server. While this is not a big issue for home networks, it is a serious matter for large networks such as the one used in the University. The problem has already been reported to Google and they are still awaiting a solution before the campus-wide ban on the device is lifted.

This issue is more of a software problem than the hardware itself – a major sigh of relief for many existing iPad users. There are however, other problems that occur in the device such as the inability to connect dual band WiFi routers and more.

In bigger Apple iPad news, it has been confirmed that the tablet will not make it to the upcoming originally planned late April launch. The device launched first in the US last week, April 3 and has had a successful sales performance.

Despite the successful sales, it seems that Apple has underestimated the growth of its tablet market and as such, they are trying to keep up with the demands. While it seems like a bad argument, the fact of the matter is that the launch has been set back by a full month from late April to late May.

Read more about the Apple iPad being banned from Princeton and more at Softpedia.

The tech industry is no stranger to Steve Jobs’ lack of support for Adobe Flash; in fact, it has become something that many already expect from the eccentric Apple CEO. However, many developers now feel a sudden crunch from Apple as the License agreement on the iPhone operating system version 4.0 SDK clearly blocks out the use of Adobe Flash Professional CS as a viable tool for developing new applications.

Consumers have plenty to worry about as well, with Apple tightening its grip on developers and fully blocking out Adobe, it is possible that the there will now be less app support for the iPhone.

Adobe on the other hand is trying hard to keep up with the needs and demands of Apple. According to Steve Jobs, Flash is unstable and slow, and that the reason why Apple products such as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch lack Flash support is because it would impede the device’s performance. While many experts fail to see the logic behind this claim, it is more than enough to have Apple completely do without support for the feature.

The announcement of the SDK license agreement has sent shockwaves through the industry as developers now find themselves needing new tools for the OS and Adobe losing its ground as one of the largest developers of design software.

Steve Jobs has been pushing for the use of HTML5 as a viable format of web video, and though it is powerful, many existing websites still use Flash FLV –which is why plenty of websites with streaming video are inaccessible through the iPad touch screen tablet.

Some developers are still hoping for a workaround or a loophole that would enable them to make use of Flash content for developing iPhone apps in the future.

Read more about the Adobe’s reaction to Apple’s announcement at Business Week.

The Apple iPhone’s new 4.0 OS update is coming soon and it brings plenty of new features.

Sadly, “new” does not necessarily translate into “good” as Apple mixes in iAds to the host of new functions that users get to try out. While versions 4.0 does not change anything drastic, it does bring users access to multitasking, background images, icon folders and several new extras.  It is big news when Apple finally provides users with a basic function that they have been deprived of.

In general, the update brings many nice things for people, but it also brings a feature that is quite questionable: iAds.

Simply put, this new function will be running in the device’s background and delivering new ads to users while they browse the web, run apps, listen to music and more. How it exactly works still remains to be seen, but expect it to keep track of user preferences and usage patterns in order to bring relevant ads as well as choking bandwidth and transfer speeds when it decides that you need a fresh new batch of advertisements to ignore.

This is why it is not surprising that iAds is simply Aids spelled differently.

Aside from bringing a new function that would most probably earn the ire of users, Apple has also cast a stormy cloud over the horizon for developers –according to the agreement on the 4.0 SDK, developers are not allowed to use Flash to create content. Considering that many iPhone games were developed using a Flash compiler, this would certainly alienate developers who use Adobe software.

It is common knowledge that Steve Jobs hates Adobe, and everyone already tolerates the lack of Flash support on the device; but this one goes a little too far.

Read more about the new features about the Apple iPhone 4.0 OS at Tech Radar.

As a first generation device, one would expect that the Apple iPad has its’ share of hardware malfunctions and problems. Ranging from factory defects to unforeseen usage compatibility problems, there has been several reports of various errors and problems that have made many early buyers unsatisfied with the tablet and in some cases, returning the touch screen device for a refund.

The first problem that was brought up was concerning the WiFi errors. According to many users, the iPad has problems connecting to some hotspots and even in local home based routers despite other WiFi devices having no problems. Others on the other hand report that they are unable to maintain a strong connection long enough. The iPad reportedly jumps WiFi strength from 3 bars to just 1.

Apple has already made a comment regarding this problem and while they have yet to officially come out with a solution, they have been able to isolate the cause and have suggested that users change router settings in order to compensate for the iPad’s incompatibility with routers that use dual band technology.

Another major issue that has been brought up is with the device’s problem with maintaining a working temperature. While Apple has already preset a sensor in the device that would warn users if it is overheating, many users reported that the error has popped out too many times despite running the device in cooler temperatures.

Some users have complained that the iPad is unable to run some iPhone applications properly. Apps are reportedly hanging and crashing when being loaded on the iPad. Lastly, there have been complaints that USB charging is problematic for some. Some users stated that their iPad refused to charge unless the device was shut down.

Get to know more about the overheating issues on the Apple iPad at Macworld UK.