20 posts tagged “3mobilebuzz”
My time with the INQ1 is coming to a close. I've grown kinda fond of the little fella. Sure the thing's not perfect but many of its foibles can easily be overlooked or worked around.
Now I have to get it all ready, which means backing up what I had on it (will be kinda difficult for some things as the trial units weren't shipped with the CD with the PC Suite on it.. d'oh!) For instance I have no idea how to back up any text messages, so I'm gonna just have to sacrifice them (I like keeping messages, rarely will I delete them).
Anyway, I better get on with it...
The 3mobilebuzz guys are perhaps a little disappointed I've not blogged even half as much about the INQ1 they generously loaned me as I did when I received a pair of the original Skypephones last November. It's not because I don't like the phone and it's not because I haven't been using it... On the contrary, I've been using it almost exclusively since I received it just over two weeks ago. I'm hardly missing my N95 8GB to be honest.
When something works well you just forget about it, it blends into the background of one's life and that's kinda what it's like using it. Sure it's not perfect, I'm not a fan of its own browser and the camera isn't all that (it's next to useless in low light so don't rely on it for party snaps) but I'm able to get past that be using Opera Mini and um, not taking pictures!
Anyway, they'll be more on my experiences with it next year and in the meantime check out this random Christmas Day picture...
On Saturday I received my trial INQ1 from the fine folk at 3mobilebuzz. I've had some play time with it over the weekend but haven't really digested my thoughts of it yet. One thing that stands out however is how good it looks in the flesh. In comparison my much more expensive N95 8GB seems plasticky and, dare I say it, cheap.
Anyway, here's some pictures I've taken with it so far. These are an accurate indication as to what a newbie taking pictures on the phone can come up with. Hopefully I'll take better ones when I've gotten used to it. Although low light will always be a problem as it doesn't have a flash.
Sorry, I'm out of puns that are remotely funny or relevant. Anyway, below you'll find some hastily edited videos from the guys that were behind the new INQ1 handset that's now out to buy in the shops right now (or at least it should be).
Why so hastily edited and why so long after the launch event? The footage was on the Toshiba Tecra M9 that the kind folk of talkToshiba loaned me (for a very generous amount of time, I might add... cheers guys!) And er, that was going back today. As for why I hadn't already edited and upped the videos... I'm terrible at getting things done when they should be done!
All videos captured on a Canon DV camcorder (the model I forget) and edited with Windows Movie Maker on a Toshiba Tecra M9. Nice and simple, if I can do it anyone can! Oh, and I was able to transfer files and use Firefox without a hiccup during the video authoring/conversion process. Excellent stuff!
I got papped at the last MGoL so I papped back this time. So there Donna (from WOM World)!
The host with the most... Mr Whatley(dude)...
And um, ones I took on my ill fated walk to Waterloo in time for last train (maybe had I got a taxi, maybe had I not stopped to take pictures, maybe had I realised that there is no service after 1.05am from Waterloo - damn you National Rail Enquiries website and your promise of a 2.38am train!)...
Okay, so this is a rubbish round up as I'm just spurting it out (hey, I can't even think of better words...!)
- It's quad band
- Features A2DP Bluetooth stereo
- It can make videocalls (if you don't mind using a mirror/being creative)
- Facebook and Skype contacts are fully intergrated into the phone's contacts
- You can task switch between a java and any other app (couldn't do that on the Skypephone S1)
- It doesn't have GPS, but future handsets will
- It doesn't have WiFi
- It is HSDPA ('3.5G') and works as a mobile broadband dongle
- It isn't a QWERTY device, but one will follow
- It is almost the same form factor as the Skypephone S1 but seems bigger
- The screen is bigger than the S1 and is nice and bright
- It has Last.fm support but only 'scrobbles' doesn't stream (I think I've said this numerous times already, but whatever!)
- It has 'flight mode' so can be used on airlines (unless the airline is fussy!)
- A lot of the phone has been designed to work just as well when offline (obviously you can't communicate though!)
- Facebook avatars get imported into your contact list too, so you see those when you receive a call from a Facebook bud.
- And last but not least, push email from Seven is also integrated into it.
Something I often say is... I'll er, tidy this up later!
It was an unusually warm day today here in Blighty (well at least in this part). I have no ADSL at home at the moment and my parents' broadband was flaky (sort it out Sky, I'm switching to you too and won't put up with that!) What's a guy supposed to do? Go on a walk, that's what. With a Walkman phone.
I could put that brand spanking new Sony Ericsson W595 through its paces while I'm pacing, I thought to myself. And so I did. Below are some pictures I took along the way.
Here's the Pyrenees and here's a bunch of other photos...
I'm still getting to grips with the handset and have only started to read the manual. Hopefully any gripes I have with it are down to me not doing things the right way or not understanding how the UI behaves/should work. Things like the web browser closing down when you bring up another app, or what seems like a long drawn out process trying to switch tasks.
The main task being the music player, the camera (obviously), the phone (you know to actually make a call!) and Google Mail.
Oh, and The Darkside (if you're wondering what that's got to do with the price of carrots) - there's now video on YouTube* of 3's spine-chilling spooktacular. Was I really scared? No, not really... I had to speak to quite a few of the undead this week over the phone (Tiscali!) and a couple came to life (well, they sounded quite animated). :-D
*I've yet to see if I'm on there, to be honest I barely remember the 'rusty lift shaft' as I'd drank too much complimentary alcohol (it complimented the alcohol I'd already drunk). Really fun evening and nothing like what neither I, nor anyone else, was expecting.
Cheers to 3, the 3mobilebuzz gang (you know who you are), I guess Sony Ericsson (presume they had some small hand in it too), the lady that kept topping me up and the guy from Pocket Lint for not knocking me out. When one's drunk, shortsighted and doesn't have one's glasses - one ends up staring out total strangers thinking they're someone completely different but one can't figure out who!
Always good to see Ben from Mobile Industry News, Abul from adonismobile and Miss Geeky, Melinda. (BTW Abul, I found the link to the YouTube channel from your blog - cheers!)
Whilst I leave the fellas at mBlox, Hotwire PR and McGrath/Power alone for the time being as I'm focusing my attention on Jamba/Jamster.
My latest mobile bill has three texts to the shortcode number 88888. As you can see from the scan below, these were all supposedly sent around 2.10am on July 31st (I presume my network, 3, considers a day begins and ends at 6am - so in reality this would be the 1st August).
Still with me? Good. Okay, here we go...
I went to Mobile Geeks of London on the 31st July* (not in the least bit geeky FWIW) and caught the train home afterwards. It was the last train and was a sloooow train. If I remember correctly, it took well over an hour. As usual, I walked from the station to my flat - that's another 30 odd minutes. And I had a phone that didn't have that much juice in it nor was I carrying a spare battery.
Why is any of that of relevance? Glad you asked! Because I had barely any battery life left on my phone I didn't want to waste it. I even sent a text to my mum to say that I'd be turning it off (I never turn it off - so wanted to put her mind at ease in the unlikely event anyone tried to ring me at 1am and couldn't get hold of me!) I then turned it off. Once I was on the train and found a power outlet I turned it back on and left it to charge. Would it really make sense for me to text 88888 in order to get myself some Crazy Frog wallpapers or crapola ringtones?
Now for Exhibits 'A' and 'B'... (for those eagle-eyed readers, I sent these on my laptop - not my phone!)
So I ask you fine people of the jury this, would I - someone that never ever feels the need for paying £1.50 for a picture of an ugly "frog" - decide to text the accused not once, but three times? And when my phone had barely any juice, when I wanted to be able to use it if necessary, on a late night train journey, then walk, home?
Funny thing, I was supposed to have texted 88888 at around 2am on another morning a few months earlier... (NB also 79998 - I think that one's genuine but can't be certain as it's not listed on PP+'s number checker and 68888 which certainly isn't genuine!)
As you may have read from my previous post, Jamba/Jamster were telling me my issue was with 3, and 3 were telling me my issue was with Jamba. I even entered pleading/begging mode with the 3 CS guy, something along the lines of, I just want to know who is at fault, who can help me and I don't want to be passed the buck any more. Of course that got me nowhere other than the usual script. He did say there was no way my phone/SIM could be cloned or my account remotely accessed - so I had to have sent those messages.
Jamba on the other hand say that they received "my" texts but didn't send me anything back. That got me thinking (yes, I know - that's dangerous!) if Jamba received these texts surely they were meant to provide a service? Or do they just receive a mass of presumably blank text messages at 2am that their computers log and don't act upon?
I'm tired already! Got to wind down... (although I may give Jamba another call, globalisation has its benefits sometimes!)
*How's this for a twist..? That T-shirt I'm wearing in the picture has 888 written on it!
Yeah um, Tech Digest are one of the more mainsteam UK tech sites. I don't go there daily, but I do stop by once in a while. Anyhoo, they were fortunate enough to get a preview Skypephone S2 (bitter, me? No*) and have made a mistake they really shouldn't make in their write-up.
In the grand scheme of things it's not a major mistake, but you'd expect they'd know how the tech they're writing about works, would you not? I mean, they're not just some guy who has a VOX blog and rambles on and on... ;-)
The mistake? Oh, yeah - I was off on one again! They claim the Skype app works over HSDPA. It doesn't. In fact it's routed as a voice call. The HSDPA is used for the data side of Skype (your status, friends' status, IM etc). Pedantic? Yeah, a little - but remember, if they get something like that wrong (and they shouldn't) then what else do they get wrong?
*Sam from 3mobilebuzz informs me they only had a few, but one will be winging it's way to me at some stage. And, to be fair, if I were them I'd be sending them out to the big blogs, tech sites and mobile sites before tiny lil' ones like mine too.
...and reading listening between the lines.
Excuse the pun but I think Ewan at SMStextnews has done a stirling job covering 3's pre-pre-Xmas preview (all handsets and devices are out a good while before Santa has made final judgement '08 stylie) If anyone wants the run down on what's coming up, I recommend going there. I didn't Qik anything or take photos (I was going to ask nicely but forgot!)
Usually I'm useless at the smaller things, the minor details, that kinda thing but having a good read through of the press pack and remembering (another thing I'm not all that good at!) what was said yesterday I can think of a bunch of things that I don't think I've seen reported anywhere else or, if they are, I can add a bit more info to:
- In the Autumn, 3 will start transcoding websites for all handsets - making them look like they normally look on a PC. How will this work exactly? I'm not quite sure - there's a variety of different ways this can be achieved. Many of us are doing something similar at the moment... using the excellent Opera Mini.
- Mobile push-email will be on all 3's handsets in future - It'll simultaneously work with numerous email accounts, won't be a huge battery drain (due to some amazing trickery, well I was impressed!) and is unlimited on any internet package (they start at £2.50 p/m)
- Email attachments will be downloadable, won't come out of the user's internet allowance - I presume there'll be some fair-use thing in the small print, otherwise I'll be having mp3 mixes emailed to myself!
- 3 really like their Nokia E71 - I can't stress that enough. They're happy to have RIM on board with their BlackBerry Bold and everything, but they're smitten with their exclusive white paint-job E71. It's kinda weird as my love is for the Bold, not the E71.
- Bold, 3 in one device?* Yes, the BlackBerry Bold has all the usual fruitiness plus some 3 on top. It won't, however, clean and condition your smalls. The one on display was a vanilla Bold, the 3-ified version isn't ready yet. The Bold will be, if I understand correctly, a unique effort for 3 due to the way RIM's devices work (most stuff going in and out of a Blackberry is via RIM's servers**)
- Upcoming USB modems will not be Linux-friendly - I got the impression that 3 understand the ever-increasing importance of Linux sub-notebooks (note the Mini-Note) but that Huawei don't. Whatever the case may be it's a huge oversight in my opinion as the smaller and cheaper the laptop, the more important cheap mobile internet is ...and laptops are cheaper without Windows!
- Nice new UI for dongles on Windows - Connection, account and usage all there in dashboard-stylie, nice and clear and now looking fit for the 21st Century
- HSDPA router on display - they've not decided whether to go with it or not. The one I saw doesn't actually have 3G built-in, it accepts a USB dongle instead. It's also mains powered, so no WiFi hotspot on the go.
- The new Skypephone is noticeably heavier than it's predecessor and... my own view is that it doesn't look or feel as good. The screen is bigger and better, I liked the menus and they did a good job with Facebook but... those keys and the shiny back. Horrible. That's more personal taste than fact, of course. The keys however, might pose a problem for anyone that likes Skype chatting or texting lots. Only available in black. White not gonna happen, people didn't like the original in white. They weren't 100% certain but they believed it would be usable in the US (as a normal phone, the Skype part will, like the original, only work in countries where 3 have sister networks.)
- There was talk of pink devices in the future - I don't know any female that likes pink consumer electronics, I don't know any blokes that like (or will admit to liking) 'em either. And the Skypephone wasn't well received in white. What are 3 considering bringing out in pink? Damned if I can remember (this is what happens when I don't do Brain Training everyday!)
- They're happy to get Samsung on board at last! - Not touched on this yet so throwing it at the end.
Thanks to the folk at 3 and Sam at 3mobilebuzz for the invite. They treat bloggers, both big and small, the same as they treat the mainstream journos. Which is nice.
*I tried but failed to come up with a Bold 3-in-1 pun that would make sense, that was the best I could do!
**I won't pretend to be an expert on BlackBerrys. Hell, I've only just learnt that the second 'B' in the name is capitalised and that the plural of BlackBerry isn't BlackBerries - it's BlackBerrys.
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