Back in November, Nokia had announced an update of the N9′s firmware to 20.2011.40-4. Since then I have checked every blessed day to see if my update was available. day after day threw this disappointing message to me: “Your device is up-to-date”.

Finally, a few minutes ago, my device prompted me of an available update, and it turns out its version 22.2011.44-2, which reads like a more recent version of than the earlier announced one. checking the “About” menu, the new version is listed as PR1.1.1

In addition, there are other smaller application updates with this for the following applications: User Guide, Twitter, Store, Real Football 2011, Ovi Music, NFS Shift, Galaxy on Fire 2, AP Mobile, and Angry Birds Free.

The entire update was done over-the-air (OTA) and lasted less than an hour. Though I did a backup, I lost no files or settings in the update process. Everything went according to the text book.

As of now, I have noticed some visual and performance improvements in Facebook and Twitter (including photo upload). Visual improvements are also visible in the Messages app, plus some performance improvement in the general UI. I will have to use the mobile some more over the next few days to observe the improvements.

In the meantime, exploring the new firmware should cure me – if only temporarily – of the terrible boredom that I have been experiencing in the last few weeks.

Back in September, Etisalat Nigeria launched Easyblaze, a mobile broadband 3.75G/HSPA platform. Since then, I have used Easyblaze consistently. Here is a brief account of my experience with the service.

Where’s the 3G?

One of the first issues I ran into after the launch was that I couldn’t get an Etisalat 3G signal on my mobile. Nothing that I did worked. All I got was a GSM/EDGE connection.

I eventually complained to a staff of Etisalat, who enlightened me that 3G is not activated on lines until a plan has been subscribed to. In other words, I needed to subscribe to one Easyblaze plan to get the 3G service.

Of course, I wondered why this piece of information was not made public or put on any FAQ document then.

Anyway, I subscribed to an Easyblaze plan, and just as explained, 3G came live on my Etisalat line.

Subscribing to Easyblaze

Subscribing is easy. You load the required amount of airtime and dial the specified code for the package of your choice.

Speed

Easyblaze is fast. Very fast. I have been blown away by the speed. It beats anything I ever got from MTN, Airtel, Visafone, Multilinks, Zoom, or Starcomms.

Notice that I left GloMobile out of that list. Yes; the only other mobile internet service that has delivered that kind of speed when it works is Glo. The operative phrase there is “when it works”. You see, QoS on Glo’s mobile internet (and Glo’s everything) has been really bad of recent that.

Reliability

Easyblaze is good for everything you need to do with an internet connection – web browsing, email, social networking, downloads, the works!

For the most part, Easyblaze works. However, once in a while, it simply goes AWOL (Absent WithOut Leave) and does not connect. One time, it went AWOL all night, which was rather frustrating.

Another time, it was several hours. The annoyances have increased of recent, though contacts in Etisalat cite cut cables and the like for the disruptions and say things are being fixed.

I hope that things get fixed. Subscribers will be delighted to have one network that they can depend on.

Conclusions

This is an account of my experience with Easyblaze. Your experience may differ, depending on your location.

I am still using Easyblaze as my primary mobile internet service, which is saying something. It is less schizophrenic than any of the other mobile internet services that I have used – and I have used all of them.

Do I recommend that you give Easyblaze a try? Yes; I do. Can I guarantee a good experience at your end? That would be between you and the guys at Etisalat.

We already covered the launch event of the Huawei U8180, and Yomi has a review of the Gaga phone here on the blog already too. So, you might be asking, What’s the point of a second review?

What you are to expect from this review is a narrative from someone who is having his first ever experience with Android OS. Yes; that’s me. It is also the first time I am spending a great deal of time with a full touchscreen device. I once bought the Nokia N8, but sold it shortly after.

The Gaga phone is a small, dainty device with Android 2.2 and a 2.8-inch screen. The full specs were already published in the previous review here.

Setting up the phone up was simple. Power on the phone and enter your Google email and password. If you do not have one, you’d do well to create one. Without it, you will not be able to access some basic features of the phone like the Android market.

Take note, the Huawei u8180 that I am reviewing is a loaned device from Etisalat. It is available for offer at N18,999. Bear in mind also that it is locked to the Etisalat network, so forget about trying to slot in a SIM from another network. That won’t work.

What I adore about the device
As someone who is coming from a Symbian environment, there are certain things I immediately loved about the phone.

Integration of third party apps with the Phone – This is a feature that can be found in other Android phones too, not just the Gaga phone. I use Opera Mini browser much, as it helps to conserve amount of data consumed. As soon as you click the option icon on the Opera Mini browser and click on Share, you will be presented with different options depending on the messaging apps you have installed on the device.

In my own case, I had installed Facebook, Twitter for Android, Twitterific, Buffer App, Google+ and Gmail that came with it. The browser gives you option to share whatever you are reading to these locations with ease.

Android Market
In the Android market you can search between paid and free apps. There are lots of free apps in the Android Market. In my case, I was keen to download, Twitter for Android, Twitterefic, Angry bird. Facebook app, Whatsapp, Google plus and some other apps I was playing with. You have to be signed in to your Gmail account before you can access the Android market. After you do that, the rest is easy.

Software
Gaga runs Android 2.2 Froyo. Given the screen estate, there is not so much opportunity for you to enjoy its features to the maximum. But I tell you after spending a few days with the phone, you will be forced to like it and want to take it with you any where you go. It is not as smooth and fast when switching from one operation to the order. For its price range, however, I will say that it is okay.

Entertainment
YouTube is there for you. There is an app that comes pre-installed with the phone. With ease you can search among the numerous videos that are on YouTube.

I was able to stream some videos over Etisalat’s 3.75G network.

Music playback has some nice quality too on the device.

Social Networking
The major social networks have apps that are free for Android, and so available for the Gaga phone. There is Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Google plus, Facebook, and Skype. They all integrate effectively with your contacts. When downloading the different apps, the phone will prompt you and ask if you will like your Facebook contacts to be synchronised with your contacts on the phone.

I particularly like the way the contacts can synchronise with the other apps. It would sync your Google contacts with your mobile phone for you. While working with Twitter of Facebook, it’ll allow you to decide what browser you want to use to open the link.

Typing on The Touchscreen
Typing on the touchscreen will be a chore for starters. However, as soon as you get more comfortable with it and use the auto-correct feature, you’d be comfortable. I spoke with a few people who are hard core physical QWERTY fans and who say they will not go for any touchscreen phone. I think that’s a sentiment that will last only for a while. Soon touchscreen will become ubiquitous.

I was not happy about a few things
I could not get an app to take screen snaps. After a few inquiries, I was told I would have to root the device to make the screenshot apps that are available work with it. It is most likely that those who will pick interest in the Gaga phone are not geeks. So, they will not be ready to root or hack their phone to perform such a function.

The battery does not last long enough. I do not get a full day use from it. I am a heavy user.

The Gaga phone comes with 50MB monthly free data from Etisalat. I exhausted the 50MB in less than 4 hours. If you do decide to get the phone and will like to know how to manage it to minimise data consumption, be sure to check this piece we did here – Managing mobile internet consumption on Android smartphones.

Look what dropped in at Mobility Towers yesterday – the Samsung Galaxy Gio S5660! Etisalat Nigeria gave units of the Gio out at their 3rd anniversary event yesterday, so we got one.

This is not the first time that we are getting a free smartphone from Etisalat either. The Huawei U8180 was first. Our thanks to the Etisalat PR team and agency.

Quick Description

The Galaxy Gio is the smartphone (at least one of the available options) that you buy if you want a Galaxy but cannot afford the S-class – and you don’t want to buy a budget droid.

In other words, the Gio is mid-range. You get most of the functionality, but the Android and Samsung/TouchWiz experience are there. Specifically, you get:

• a 3.2″ capacitive display without the AMOLED touch
• an 800 MHz processor
• 158 MB internal storage (plus microSD slot) and 278 MB RAM
• a 3.2 megapixel camera
• Android OS v2.2 out-of-the-box, but upgradable to v2.3
• No DivX/XviD/WMV video support
• no TV-out
• no Flash support in the web browser
• a 1350 mAh battery

It seems a nice enough package for the target market.

Setting Up

Setting up was trouble-free, as it should be. I configured my Gmail account, and all my contacts, calendar entries and email were on board in minutes. Next up was Twitter. Then Facebook. All easy pie.

Firmware Update

The Gio came with Android version 2.2.1 out of the box. After setting it up last night, the first thing I did was connect it to a PC running Samsung Kies to see if the v2.3 update was available.

The mobile gods must have been happy with me, because an update was available. It didn’t take more than 20 minutes to get the Gio updated and purring on Android 2.3.3, which is the latest version for this particular device.

PS: Ye gods, I am still waiting for my N9 update (by the way, can/should one wink at the gods?).

Ready to Roll

I have pulled out my microSIM from the N9 and managed to get it into the Gio by adaptation and I will be using it as my primary smartphone for a number of days.

I have over 70GB bonus data on my line, so Android can guzzle all it wants. Already, from 8pm last night when I set it up till this morning, 82MB of data has been used. That’s almost 100MB in 12 hours (and I slept 6 of those hours).

But all is well. I’m covered. While on the subject, I have been getting lots of help requests from Android users who are freaked out at how their devices consume data like its going out of date tomorrow. I have an article in the works with tips to help you guys out, so hang in there!

Any questions about the Gio or a feature on Android that interests you? Please submit in the comments box below.

I have had the Nokia N9 for a couple of weeks now and have put it through my regular work schedule – and pushed it some more too.

It is not everyday that a smartphone like the N9 comes along. This dude packs a rare combination of holistic aesthetics with functionality like no other – and I’m afraid that includes its newer cousin, the Lumia 800.

The N9 In Summary

Strengths

• superb hardware design and performance
• Very good display
• Very good battery life
• Excellent user interface
• One-handed use and fluid desktop interface
• Superb social networking integration

Weaknesses

• Limited 3rd party apps
• Limited production units and distribution

If you want to stop there and find out whether I recommend the N9, my answer is a Yes; go buy one.

If however, you want to get the juicy details, do read on.

Operating System and User Interface

The N9 runs Maemo 6 Harmattan branded as MeeGo. True to tradition, the N9′s user interface is sweet and fluid without skimping on functionality.

Its older cousin, the N900, was king of multi-tasking in its day. The N9 handles multi-tasking like a champ – and without draining the battery like the N900 used to.

As a matter of fact, the N9 is a miracle in terms of performance – a 1GHz processor, a fluid interface, and multi-tasking in a sleek shell. It is paradise for both geek and non-geek alike.

The physical shell and the UI are a seamless blend, and the swiping gestures are natural and intuitive. Navigation is almost 100% by swipes. No button is present, and none is required to interact with the OS.

Display

At 3.9 inches and a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels, it gives a pixel density of about 251 ppi.

While the specs read good, non-geeks don’t care about specs. The N9′s AMOLED capacitive touchscreen is gorgeous to behold and to use. The curved glass, with anti-glare polariser translates to sharp images in every condition – indoors and outdoors. Even under direct glare of the tropical sun, you do not lose any legibility. Text and images are sharp and clear.

Web Browsing

The built-in browser is a mix of simplicity and advanced standards. The interface is clean and offers little by way of options, but it is fast and is one of the top HTML5-compatible browsers in the mobile space.

Sadly, there is no Flash support. I also noticed a bug – when entering text in a text box and the text overflows, there is no way to scroll through the text. This is a serious usability issue for people who use the browser for submitting info online.

Updated: The real issue is with interacting with text input fields – you can’t scroll through or highlight text, and so cannot copy or paste either.

Also, the option to copy text from web pages isn’t here either, which definitely limits usability. Shame, really.

It seems a limitation specific to the browser, as Firefox Mobile 10 on the N9 let’s me highlight and copy text both off web pages and text input fields.

So, if you need those features desperately, Firefox Mobile to the rescue (and with a more excellent HTML5 score of 314 too).

Email & Sync

Email rocks on the N9 – Mail for Exchange, Gmail, regular POP3/IMAP. All have worked well. With my Mail for Exchange account, my contacts and calendar entries are synchronised seamlessly to my device.

Organizer and Office features

The calendar is superb. The notes app is cool.

There is a Document viewer that supports Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF. The option to edit is not available. I would have expected that a device at this price point would include editing capabilities, so I am a bit disappointed there.

Multimedia

Multimedia on the N9 is good, but coming from the N8, it pales in comparison.

Let’s get it right: the N9 stands well on its own with a good 8 megapixel camera, a good music player and nice video playback.

However, let’s put the controversy to rest once and for all, the N8 beats the N9 in all these areas. N8′s camera performs better. N8 audio quality and volume is better. N8′s video codec support is better.

I must add here something that ticks me off – there is no physical shutter button on the N9 (though it’s twin sister, the Lumia 800 has one). It’s a big deal for me, as this absence means that I can’t take self-portraits. Yes; I love my face. Yes; I’m vain. Thank you.

The N9 also lacks an FM Radio and Transmitter as found on the N8.

Gaming

Games purr nicely on the N9, whether its Need For Speed, Angry Birds, Real FootBall or any of the other available titles.

The 1GHz CPU, graphics accelerator and accelerometre do a fine job of
keeping games running really nice.

Battery life

Honest to God, I was skeptical of how the N9′s 1450 mAh battery would hold up. I am glad to announce that all my fears have been wiped out. My N9 goes for a full day and a good chuck of the next on a single charge.

See my previous article, A look at the Nokia N9?s battery life, for details.

Built-in Apps

The N9 is on solid footing with regards built-in apps. The usual suspects are there on any smartphone platform, plus some nice integration of social networking and allied services.

Integrated apps and services are: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Skype, Flickr, Picasa, YouTube, and SIP.

Wifi Hotpot functionality is built in too.

3rd Party Apps

This is the only serious issue to be picked with the N9. The available 3rd party apps are limited, so if you are after hundreds of thousands of apps, please don’t look in this guy’s direction.

The N9 has the basic needs covered well – social networking especially. So if you are like me and don’t need or use 3rd party apps much, you are good with the N9.

My Conclusions

The N9 is spectacular and sublime. It screams and whispers.

It is death and also fresh life. It is the beginning and the end. There will be no more Maemo/MeeGo devices after this. Yet, it is Nokia saying, “Take a look at some of the nifty stuff that we are bringing you on other devices“. In other words, expect to see elements of the N9?s user interface on some upcoming Nokia products. This is just Nokia showing off.

The N9 is open and closed. It is functionality and aesthetics married in superfluity. It is what no other device is.

The polycarbonate unibody of the N9 is nothing short of outstanding craftsmanship. The N9 is the sexiest phone on the block It is a phone that you want to be seen with.

The OS and UI are superb and intuitive. They work. They flow. They wow! The N9 is a drop-dead absolutely stunning piece of work.

If you are a mobile enthusiast, you should get one.

FindTheBest, an online products comparison site, has launched a Smartphone Buyer’s Guide section. This new section allows users to compare smartphones based on price, specs, cell phone plans, monthly access rates, plans, and more.

Most significantly, FindTheBest said that the guide pulls in information on carriers and plans, including helping to filter plans by contract requirements and carrier support.

I was interested in seeing how it works, so I headed to the smartphone section. I ran a couple of searches that seemed to return results that were accurate. However, one of the searches turned up something interesting. Here’s how it went:

Using the “Filter Results” left sidebar, I selected the features that I was interested in. In this case, under Wireless Connectivity, I picked “3G”; and under General Features, I picked “FM Transmitter”.

The results were way off though, because of the five devices returned, Samsung Epic 4G Touch, BlackBerry 9630, Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro, Pantech Crossover, and Sony Ericsson Vivaz, not one had an FM Transmitter.

I know that the Nokia N8 has an FM Transmitter, but it wasn’t on the list. That suggests that FindTheBest is US-centric, seeing that the N8 is not carrier supported in the U.S. Still, the results showing five different phones, and none of which have an FM transmitter, is worrying. That suggests that the database needs further tweaking.

I scrolled further down in the left sidebar to the camera section, and adjusted the camera slider to “12 megapixels”. The page returned the following:

No results were found. Try adjusting the filters.

Are we missing something? Add It!

Again, the Nokia N8, which has both FM transmitter and a 12 megapixel camera, is missing. As long as we bear in mind that this service is likely US-centric, no problems again.

The nifty part is that users can help fill in the gaps in the database of FindTheBest. A login is required, and IDs from Facebook, Google, AOL, Yahoo, and OpenID are accepted, so almost everyone should be able to login without having to create a FindTheBest account, an option that is also available.

FindTheBest’s smartphone section seems targeted strictly at the U.S. market, so users from that region will probably benefit the most from this service. It should be a Godsend tool for those looking for smartphones and plans in that market.

By a stroke of good fortune, I recently got my hands on an HP TouchPad. The TouchPad is a 9-inch tablet running WebOS.

WebOS is not a popular mobile operating system. It never made a significant mark even on its US home turf. Here in Nigeria, I doubt that it made a micro-blip.

However, WebOS was Palm’s answer to the new mobile age. I owned a Palm Pre smartphone, which also ran WebOS, and enjoyed the user interface. But the lockdown of the device by Palm meant that I couldn’t use it for anything besides voice calls and SMS here.

The TouchPad is HP’s answer to the iPad, a device that is the undisputed king of tablets till date. The question is, does the ToucHPad measure up?

Setting Up

To say the least, setting up the TouchPad was harrowing.

First, this tablet is unusable without signing into your WebOS account. If you do not have one, the option to create is there. As I didn’t have one previously (the Palm Pre that I used to own wouldn’t connect to the internet at all, so I never could create one back then), I had to take that route.

And what a route it was. Creating a WebOS account meant that I needed to use a Wifi connection. Well, the TouchPad has a streak of crazy when it comes to Wifi. It wouldn’t connect to either of the MTN or Etisalat Mifi hotspots I had. It wouldn’t connect to another hotspot via my netbook.

I went to Google in search of what the problem could be, only to find an avalanche of similar complaints on the web about the TouchPad’s choosy Wifi idiosyncracies. Different reports on how it would connect with this type, but not that type.

But I was determined… [in Kanu Nwankwo's intonation]

A trip to CcHUB

A trip to a cyber-cafe with Swift’s hotspot service turned just as frustrating. Finally, I hit myself on the head for forgetting Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) at Sabo, Yaba.

At CcHUB, the nice guys there gave me free access to their hotspot and the TouchPad latched on to it happily.

However, creating a WebOS account returned an error saying that the account could not be created. The options were to try again later or get to HP Support. I did try again – like ten times. All failed.

Then I said to myself, What are the chances that the account has been created and the stupid system is just, well, stupid? So, I went a step back, chose the login option and entered the login details I used with each account creation attempt. What do you know, it let me in! Ha!!

I had to verify the new account via a link sent to me via email, and I was good to go.

A bit on CcHUB: If you are interested in startups, small businesses and technology in any way, CcHUB is a good place to hangout to meet people of similar persuasion and to get work done. membership fees are moderate, and for those who just want to pop in once in a while to use the facilities (nice cozy environment, comfy chairs, wifi hotspot, et al), there’s a pay-as-you use option costing N1,000 per day too.

Once in a while, you will find myself and other members of the Mobility crew hanging out there. Visit the CcHUB Nigeria website.

Firmware Update

I was notified of a waiting firmware update for the TouchPad, so I went at that right away. In a few minutes, the 62 MB WebOS 3.0.4 firmware was downloaded and ready for installing. No issues installing. Now I was ready to use this baby!

User Interface & Multitasking

The WebOS cards-based user interface is a delight to use. Press the menu button to display running apps. Swipe horizontally to scroll through them. Flick one up to close the app. Tap another to bring it to the foreground and work with it.

Multi-tasking here is the way it should be – just as it was on the Maemo-running Nokia N900. You can see exactly what is running, not just icons of the running apps.

What’s not to like there? It is fun to use and feels natural.

Wifi Issues Persist

The TouchPad handles web browsing, email, Facebook and a host of other instant messaging/social networking services nicely – when the Wifi connection works.

After the initial setting up with the CcHUB hotspot, I found that the TouchPad could now connect to my mifi hotspots and use those for web browsing and Facebook. For the life of me though, it wouldn’t work with the email client.

I had setup my Mail for Exchange account earlier at CcHUB and so my contacts, calendar entries and mails were already on the device. using my mifi hotspot, however, I wasn’t able to connect to my email anymore. Not once.

Checking for device updates too no longer worked. It is crazy, really.

Anyway, web browsing is fine. There’s Flash support, which is a plus in my books. The browser is not tab-based but rather opens new windows which are grouped together in the task switcher.

Multimedia

The TouchPad supports music and video playback. During audio playback, however, there are times the audio quality is good and at other times it comes out faint or scratchy. A bug? Dunno.

There is a front-facing camera that can be used for self-portraits. I’m not sure if it will be used much.

Once your Facebook account is setup on the Touchpad, your Facebook pictures are automatically imported to your gallery for viewing. Nice.

Documents

Office documents viewing and editing are supported on the TouchPad. I tried out Word and PowerPoint documents, and had no issues with those.

I was also able to view PDF files nicely.

Connectivity

For internet access, its Wifi all the way, and I have detailed the issues already.

For transferring files to and from a PC, mass storage is there via USB, and it works well without issues.

Bluetooth is also there but functionality is limited.

Messaging/Services Integration

I love the way that various services are integrated into messaging on the TouchPad. There’s Skype, Yahoo Messenger, LinkedIn, Dropbox, Gmail, and Facebook, among others.

This is similar to what obtains on the Nokias N900 and N9.

Performance

The TouchPad runs on a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core APQ8060 processor. But… it often felt like it was running a 600MHz unit when launching apps. I don’t know if the problem is WebOS or HP’s implementation. However, once the apps are running, switching between them is fast, though still a tard slow.

In comparison, the iPad 2, which runs a 1 GHz dual-core CPU feels much faster.

Conclusions

The HP TouchPad has potentials. It works, but not as well as any of us would have loved for it to. The wifi issue is its greatest weakness, followed by the insanely sluggish application launching.

Its no wonder that sales were very low and that HP has given up. I still wonder: is the problem with HP, or is it WebOS? No-one is telling.

If you followed my reviews of the Nokia N9′s older brother, the QWERTY slider N900 last year, you will remember that I found it an excellent device. Its main sore thumb, however, was poor battery life.

As such, one of my apprehensions concerning the N9 was this very issue: how well would this new kid on the block manage battery power?

As a rule, the N9 takes me through a full work day of email, web browsing, Twitter, calls, SMS and a few others. I hardly ever have to worry about running out of juice, and often go over 30 hours on one charge.

It really is amazing, considering that I had to move on from the N900 primarily because of its poor battery life.

The guys at GSMArena have also setup a new battery performance test for devices. Incidentally, the N9 was the first device to be subjected to this new test, and here is the verdict:

That gives the Nokia N9 a final score of 39, meaning that the smartphone will need to be charged every 39 hours if you do 1 hour of each of the three activities described above [3G voice call, web browsing, video playback - Editor]. So reasonably heavy users should expect to get about a day and a half from the N9.

As you can see, GSMArena’s tests seem to be in sync with my own average daily usage.

In a nutshell, the Nokia N9 seems to be one of the most power-efficient smartphones in the market at the moment. This dude keeps pulling surprises!

Nokia recently announced their first two Windows Phones, the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710. The former is a Nokia N9 look-alike that is being widely acclaimed as the first true Windows Phone. Of course, that is contestable depending on how you want to look at it.

Anyway, Nokia has provided an interactive app available for Symbian3 smartphone users to experience the all-new Nokia Lumia 800 with Windows Phone on their Symbian device. It is a great way to let current Symbian users get a glimpse of the core features that this Nokia Windows Phone brings to the table.

Take a look at the screenshots that I took off my Nokia N8 running Symbian Belle.

The app does not do a complete demo of the features of Windows Phone. The only sections (or Hubs) that are demoed are: Internet Explorer, marketPlace, and People. Still, it gives a fair experience of how Windows Phone works.

The “Nokia Lumia 800″ app is available for download from the Nokia Store.

The Huawei U8180 is an entry-level Android smartphone. As of now, it is available exclusively on the Etisalat Nigeria network, and costs just N18,999 only.

If the price tickles your fancy, you might also be skeptical of features and performance. If you are, wipe your doubts out. The Gaga smartphone, as it has been nicknamed, does not skimp on features.

It is a standard Android 2.2 smartphone. That means it has everything that Google put in Froyo for you to enjoy. Everything.

That includes Wifi hotspot, email, web browser, threaded SMS, and the rest of the usual suspects. There is nothing missing.

Plus, Huawei has implemented some neat cube-like animation in the user interface. It is sleek and works well.

Performance? Gaga won’t win any benchmark tests, but its 528 MHz processo gets the job done most of the time. Its not super-fast, but I won’t say that I experienced serious sluggishness either. With 256 MB RAM though, you won’t be able to keep lots of apps multitasking.

Perhaps, the tiny 2.8 inch capacitive display helps with performance too. and it is here that most people will balk. I find 2.8 inches small too. Too small for my big fingers. But it isn’t unusable.

I made more mistakes typing on such a small display, similar to my experience on the Samsung Galaxy 5, another 2.8-inch droid.

But for the price that Gaga goes for, the small display is not an issue.

Huawei threw in a 3.2 megapixel snapper as well. You have GPRS/EDGE and 3G/3.5G on board. Plus, Document viewer, and FM Radio too.

Lastly, Gaga is one budget smartphone that does not look the part. it looks more expensive than it costs, though when you hold it in the hands you can feel that its not expensive.

Still, it is a good looking smartphone that gets the job done.

Social networking is the buzz these days. It’s what powers a huge chunk of Internet usage today – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Skype, et al. Yes; one big global village.

If social networking is your thing, you’d be wondering if the N9 cuts it, especially considering the dearth of 3rd party apps for the MeeGo platform.

One outstanding trait of the N9 is that it comes with built-in support for almost every social networking service on the planet. Here’s the list:

1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. LinkedIn
4. Skype
5. Flickr
6. Picasa
7. YouTube
8. SIP

If you used it’s older cousin, the N900, you will remember how tightly integrated some of these services were on Maemo. Well, it’s just as good here.

When you create an account for any of the above services, your contacts on each service are integrated into your contacts and call menu on the N9.

It’s all so nifty and convenient. Still, we must take a closer look at the most popular services, Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook

The built-in Facebook app is quite good. You get your notifications, news feed, profile, friends, messages, events, photos, and chat.

You are able to accept friend requests, search your friends list, access friends’ info, wall and photos. It’s the complete experience minus a mundane thing like pokes.

Twitter

If you have used Twitter on web or mobile, and are comfortable with the features, you will be okay with the built-in Twitter client on the N9.

It lacks the more advanced features of lots of other mobile Twitter apps, but it’s fully Twitter. There’s your Twitter Line, mentions, direct messages, search, and you can reply, retweet and favourite tweets.

It also let’s you view profiles, including yours. Plus, you can edit your own profile. You are able to follow and unfollow as well. And should some pesky spammers hit you, the ability to block an individual is there too.

Homescreen Feeds

Your Facebook and Twitter feeds can be configured for display on the N9′s notification screen, such that you can follow what’s going on on both services in one place. Tap on an item and the respective application launches for you to interact.

Others

There is also a built-in Skype application and your Skype contacts are also integrated into your Contacts. You can send messages and chat via Skype, as well as make Skype calls.

Flickr and Picasa integration allows you to upload your pictures right from inside the Gallery. Video uploading is also possible via Facebook, Flickr, and Youtube from inside the Video app – so long as you have signed in to those services.

Conclusions

All in all, social networking integration on the N9 is quite good and tight. The basics are covered very well. Staying connected with your online communities with the N9 is a cinch.

Today I woke up at 6 am. Siri woke me up actually because I was playing around yesterday and said ‘wake me up at 6 am everyday’.

First thing I did tonight was disable all my morning alarms!

I also decided to try out the Etisalat Easyblaze network on my iPhone 4S today. That turned out to be a great idea. The 3.75G network made Siri reply to my comments almost instantaneously. I also noticed that Siri even connects on EDGE networks.

I figured out a few new features on iOS5 on iPhone 4S that I forgot to mention yesterday, probably due to the excitement. I tried to make all the screenshots smaller so that the page loads faster. I hope that helps.

Here you go:

iMessage

This is Apple’s reply to BBM. It allows you to send messages to anyone with an idevice running iOS5 or later using whatever internet connection is available. It also sends pictures, videos, but not music of course (Apple would rather sell their music – bummer). All in all, it’s pretty sweet.

Pros:

• It’s super fast.
• Shows typing, delivered, read. Even allows you to customize whether or not you want the other person to know when you’ve read a message or not.

Con:

• You need an Apple ID before you can activate it. I feel it would have been nicer if Apple allowed usernames and not those boring Apple ids. The only compensation is that iMessage automatically detects if your contact has iMessage and sends the iMessage to such contact instead of SMS. The iMessage bubble is blue while the SMS bubble is green.

Emoticons
Apple has finally decided to put in Emoji icons in iOS5! I don’t know what they were waiting for! Anyway it works pretty decent. Just go to settings, then keyboard, then add new keyboard, then emoji and you’re off.

iTunes Trailers

Apple recently launched the app, iTunes trailers. It’s nice to have all your movie trailers in one place. Saves you money when you’re thinking of watching a boring movie.

 iCloud

iOS 5 also comes with iCloud. This lets you sync almost everything to the Apple servers. Everyone is entitled to 5GB free space on the servers and you can synchronise from contacts to documents online. Not a bad idea but I don’t think I’ll be using much of that with the costly data plans in Nigeria.

The Speed

Did I mention, it is super fast! Browsing is way faster than on my laptop even on the same network even when it loads the full site. I know that’s not an objective way of assessing but you get the picture. Sometimes, I get ‘wowed’.

The Battery

Today the battery didn’t last so long. Maybe around 14 hours but that’s because I keep caressing the helpless device.

Siri

I still love Siri. You activate either by holding down the home button for 2 seconds or by pressing the handsfree button when using the headset. I noticed that there are some words that sound alike that Siri misunderstands in my accent. I tried to tell her to ‘cancel all my alarms’… she heard ‘counsul all my alarms’. I changed that to ‘remove all my alarms’ and was fine. I seem to think that the server keeps improving as sometimes it understands some certain things, and other times it doesn’t. I’ll add screenshots too for good measure.

What do you guys want to ask Siri? Tell me and I’ll upload her sometimes amusing responses.