The Nokia N9 Journal: First Impression, 200˚C On Hotness Meter

Nokia had never stop innovating its hardware designs as it created yet another run away winner with the simple yet potently captivating Nokia N9.

The phone is a pure standout, it looks enigmatic with its deep black dominated screen facade against a playful and colorful background cover making the screen look afloat. The brilliantly thought curve Gorilla glass display also made the magic possible by protruding the screen up. Such impression was boasted further by a minimalist theme with no glimpse of shortcut buttons whatsoever on the screen, the beauty of simplicity on its finest.
The phones simplistic design continues to the rest of the phones angle with no buttons on the left side, a silver coated volume rocker and lock key on the right, loudspeaker on the button, two excellent designed covers for the USB port and MicroSIM card slot on top and the camera and LED flash at the back.

The phone bodes perfectly well on the hand with its thin dimension and curve sides. Made only of high quality polycarbonate, the phone is not as classy and sturdy to hold than that of E7's and N8's anodized aluminum but nonetheless its still very solid because of its single body design. You can never see any major divisions on the phones cover anywhere, a brilliant piece of craft.
Turning the phone on is equally as impressive, I've been ranting about Nokia being to scanty on animations on Symbian, well, the welcome screen teases with its breathing graphics, finally! The ClearBlack Display technology on top of the AMOLED adds more to the phones dazzling array.

The phones user interface is the easiest among the phones I've tried. All users have to so is swipe between the three screens and that's it, users can even expertly navigate around the phone within 10 minutes or less. Its also very responsive, the fastest that I've tried so far. The curve glass mentioned earlier makes swiping pleasurable like it was scientifically calculated to give such impression, very clever.
Overall, I'm very impress with the phone so far, its the most beautiful piece of mobile technology I've encounter , to mention iPhone 4, Galaxy S, Sony Ericsson Arc among others. If only design makes a phone ultimate, then this phone will rule them all but its not, and that I need to find out as I dig dipper to the phone features.

As of the moment, enjoy this early pic's of the Royal Hotness at 200˚C tipping point.

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2011, The Golden Year For Tablet PC's

Magnified, a perfect word to describe tablet computer in relation to smartphones amplifying the user experience 3 folds to most of what it offers. Convenient, when measured up against desktop computers. Handy, when feared against laptop. Tablet computer breezes its way in a segment that is unique on its own.

Tablets are mobile computer integrated into a 7-10” flat touch screen with a virtual onscreen keyboard. It has been in existence for more than 50 years with the very first device to recognized handwriting text instead of a keyboard for working with a modern digital computer. Lots of version have sprung out from then on but it was only 2010 that it picked up interest among consumers when Apple Inc. introduced the iPad.

Advantages

- Can be use in conditions and scenarios that are not suitable to a keyboard and mouse such as lying in bed, standing, or handling with a single hand.
- Touchscreen mechanism makes navigation easier in certain features such as image manipulation, browsing or mouse oriented games.
- Digital painting and image editing are more precise and intuitive than painting or sketching with a mouse.
- The ability for easier or faster entry of diagrams, mathematical notations, and symbols.
- Allows, with the proper software, universal input, independent from different keyboard localizations.
- Lighter weight

Disadvantages

- Input speed — handwriting can be significantly slower than typing speeds
- Screen and hinge damage risk
- Ergonomically, a tablet computer does not provide room for a wrist rest. User will need to move their arm constantly while writing.

So why will 2011 be a year of the Tablets?

Aside from the fact that Apple Inc. re-invigorated the public’s interest in this type of mobile computers, it’s will also be the golden year for web games, social networking sites and internet browsing as a whole where in this tablets will gave the public an expanded and more comfortable user experience with the aforementioned fad.

For instance, if they want to visit Twitter, Facebook among other sites, they would rather want to do it in bed, chair or any places where they will be comfortable than being stuck in a table doing everything in upright position. Touch browsing is also more interactive and enjoyable compared to clicking a mouse or something.

Touch configured games like Angry Birds are getting popular, tablets could expand the fun and excitement to greater heights among the comforts of having a wide and handy gaming device like the Portable Playstation.

People loves video sharing sites like youTube, tablets gives users the screen size of their liking which is huge and widespread. Selling movies online have also been a fav lately so watching movies using the tablet will give a more personalized and pleasing experience than on a pc or laptop.

People like to read, whether its books, newpapers or magazines, and these mediums were already integrated to the web, tablets gives the best interface for doing soo with existing applications that allows flipping of pages among others.

And the list of advantages could go on and on! When tablet was introduce 50 years ago, it wasn’t as comfortable and enjoyable to use because of the limited technology it have, now more than ever, the seamless skills and tools already exists brought about by massive Smartphone and Mobilephone Operating System developments. Apple Inc. saw it coming before hand that’s why the iPad’s introduction was in perfect timing. It’s not a sheer of luck but a product of ingenuity. The time of the tablet PC has come whether you like or not.

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QWERTY Touch Monobloc Form Factor, How Many Devices Are Out There?

I've recently became an advocate of a Monobloc QWERTY Touch phone, it came to my realization after trying every possible touchscreen devices from different Operating System in the market at the moment which in many ways than one, failed to fit my needs, preference and lifestyle. I consider touchscreen interface as more of a burden to me than ease especially in writing messages, one of my most used feature.

As I've mentioned in my past articles, my mobilephone is half of my blog's life, it is where I wrote most of my articles and the primary device that I use to connect socially via Instant Messenger, Twitter, Foursquare or Facebook which needs a very able messaging system to be able communicate. Virtual touchscreen input is a big joke if it will be fitted to this kind of setup, virtual keypads just frustrates. Monobloc because sliding equates vulnerability and I don't want to constantly worry about the device all the time.

So back to the question, how many mobilephone devices are there that sports the form factor whom I consider the ultimate of them all. You'll be quite surprise!

If we exclude Chinese cloned phones, there were 53 known branded devices in the market at the moment with the very first device released 9 years ago, the Palm Treo 600. It has a Palm Operating System with a 160x160 pixel 2.5 inches resistive touch panel. The phone actually had quite a feature; web browser, organizer, games, card slot, etc. From right then, there where 5 more phones that come out from the company with Palm Pixi Plus as the latest in the bunch.

Though Palm was the first one to come out with the form factor, it was Microsoft Windows Mobile Operating System that rule the segment with Benq offering the very first device, the P50, a 2.8 screen size phone with a resistive touch panel. There where 31 more phones that came out afterwards with Sony Ericsson's Aspen as the latest in the bunch.

Symbian jumped into the Touch QWERTY segment 3 years after via Sony Ericsson's M600, a UIQ running 2.6 inches, 240 x 360 pixel resistive touch panel phone. But instead of single key per letter mechanism, they infuse two letters in one key. Only 2 more phones came out afterwards, the Sony Ericsson M606 and the Sony Ericsson P1 as the company put its development to rest in 2008.

Android operating devices starts to pop out recently with Huawei leading the way, the U8300, an Android Eclair phone with 2.6 inch resistive touch screen display. Following the trend where 5 more devices from Motorola, Acer and Dell with the Motorola DROID Pro XT610 on the frontline.

On the rumor mill is the Meego Operating System joining the segment with an E72-like business centric device carrying ARM CPU, 640 x 480 VGA screen, HSPA, WIFI and 8MP Carl Zeiss camera with autofocus. It is currently the most interesting device in this segment having seen how impressive the Meego Operating system was in the early pre-production versions. This phone might see the light of day in the upcoming World Mobile Congress next month.

So there you go folks, the not so long history of my very much regarded best form factor of all, the QWERTY Touch Monobloc. More than one reason or another, this segment might grow forward in the upcoming years with the growing number of people getting frustrated with lone touchscreens. Try a little survey like I did, asking my colleagues at work if they like touchscreen on a phone, a massive 80% say they don't because of the very obvious reason, messaging difficulty.

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My Predictions in the Mobilephone World 2011

The mobilephone world has experienced a massive changed and development in 2010 like no other industry in the business world, from the fiercest competition, birth of new competitors, success stories, struggles, and failures to getting back on track in the fullest fighting form among others. It is a healthy battle of competitors in the arena where nobody wins except the buying public.

I will not be detailing such events in this article but instead focus on the things that I expect to happen in 2011.

1. Battle royal of mobilephone operating systems, from Symbian offering massive improvements, Android going for the kill, iOS going defensive, Windows Mobile 7 advancements, BADA’s forward press, Blackberry going offensive with their newly brought user interface and Meego going mainstream.

2. The introduction of Meego devices to droll for from mobilephones, tablets, laptops among others. It will be launch by several computer and mobilephone companies with Nokia leading the way with the Nokia N9 and the Z5000 Tablet.

3. iPhone will be launching another breakthrough product via iOS 5, as much as possible they want to announce something for everyone to talk about to hide the decrease of their market share. iPhone will also become cheaper.

4. More expensive HTC devices with improvements on the Sense UI to envy.

5. New high end Samsung devices both phones and tablets bearing Android Operating System and BADA. 3D will be their game to apt the competition.

6. Sony Ericsson launching their own Android Tablet and will witness how their Xperia Playstation fail in the market.

7. Motorola taking up more market share from Samsung in North America with their rigorous Android campaign.

8. LG to release high end Android phones with 3D screens and joining the Meego team.

9. Nokia going Window Mobile 7 on Tablet devices and the releasing more Symbian^3 devices from all form factors possible. My dream phone will be included abd I cannot afford to buy one until 2012.

10. Android going nuts with multiple handsets from different manufacturers that people would start getting confused and would rather go for unique OS’s.

11. Last but not the least, me buying entry level phones because aside from the fact that it is my most read articles of 2010, I also cannot afford expensive devices anymore. I‘m also routing to buy 7-10” Tablet device, a cheap one to play around when I’m at home. It would definitely serve as my movie, surfing, eBook and gaming buddy. At the moment, the cheapest are the Android tablets from Chinese manufacturers, something around PhP8,000 for an Éclair running one but a Meego running one would be awesome. Early preview of tablets running the Operating System is very cool, dying to own one.

And the next chapter of the blog continues.

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