I had a brief playtime with the HTC ChaCha Android smartphone last week, and thought I’d post some vital statistics about the device and pictures that I took.

Some quick specifications:

• Released June 2011
• 2.6 inch, 480 x 320 pixel, TFT capacitive touchscreen, with Gorilla Glass
• Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread)
• 800 MHz processor
• HTC Sense 2.1 UI
• 512 MB RAM
• QWERTY keyboard
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
• 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash

In hand, the ChaCha gives the impression of a well-built device. It felt really sturdy. The QWERTY keyboard is very usable with large keys and good tactile feedback. I do think that the placement of the Facebook button is off though.

I also loved the user interface – lots of white space in a clean, elegant way.

Typical of HTC devices, audio reproduction was tinny. I did a comparison with the N8 for a few people present and the difference was as clear as night and day. If HTC’s reputation is anything to go by, I wouldn’t bet on the camera shining either. HTC has never stood out in the multimedia space. If interested in multimedia, you are better off with a Nokia, Apple, Sony Ericsson or Samsung device.

I enjoyed the short time that I spent with the ChaCha. It is a lovely QWERTY device. Here are some pictures:

The QWERTY keyboard feels good and works well

The menu - clean. I am a sucker for clean, neat UIs with lots of white space

Web browsing

Music player on the HTC ChaCha. Tinny speakers spoil the experience.

The camera interface

The rear of the ChaCha

The ChaCha is in the same price range and class as the Nokia E6, another QWERTY candybar. Audio music quality apart, I’d take this one over the E6.

fMobi, the popular Facebook app for Symbian devices, has been updated to v1.4. The app is now available in the Ovi Store for a modest fee of US $1.59. I think its worth the price too, so get out your Master/VISA cards and support the developer.

Download for Symbian^3 / Anna / Belle (v1.4)

You can download an unsigned limited time version for free.

Popular Facebook mobile application for Symbian^3 and Maemo smartphones, fMobi, has now been made available for Symbian S60 5th Edition smartphones as well.

You can download fMobi for S60v5 here.

Recently reviewed Facebook client for Symbian^3, fMobi, has received a major update today from v1.2 to v1.2b. The newer version brings:

• Back button
• Searches: Feed, Places, Events, Groups, Friends, Pages
• Fullscreen photo viewing
• “User Agent fix”
• Places to support non satellite positioning methods
• Recent checkins
• Nokia Pure font
• Share link
• Links are clickable in feeds/comments/chat
• Fullscreen view
• New sounds for alerts
• Time to chat messages
• Refresh button for status and checking for new comments
• New settings: Enable T9 (then you have the last word missing bug), Louder sounds, Font size
• UI fixes
• Bug fixes

I have the update installed and running on my Nokia E7 already, and everything seems to work fine, except for the following:

- the Chat menu displays a blank screen; no users or chats are displayed.
- When you select the Dark theme, it is not persistent. Shutting down and restarting the app returns it to the Light theme.

Update 1 (31st July): The above issues don’t happen if you uninstall the previous version first then install the new version clean. Be sure to uninstall any existing versions from your device first.

This updated version is significant in almost everyway, enhancing usability and bringing additional features and benefits.

Update 2: (31st July) A bug fix has been released as version v1.2.1

Download fMobi v1.2b.

The Facebook experience on Symbian^3 devices has been less than exciting for me. Believe me, I have tried almost every available Facebook app, including:

1. Social (built-in)
2. Gravity – while excellent for Twitter, just sucks for facebook
3. FB Browser
4. Fb Touch
5. FriendChat, and
6. Kasvopus

The above all work but with lots of limitations on various fronts. fMobi, on the other hand, ticks almost every box on Facebook, including:

• Sharing of status
• Profile viewing
• Chat
• News Feed
• Groups
• Events
• Notifications
• Friends
• Messages
• Places

There’s also audio notifications, and fMobi gives you the option of two themes – one light and the other dark. There’s also the ability to set an automatic update/refresh cycle.

One of the things you will observe first with fMobi is the fact that it has been themed after Symian Anna, whether you use the light theme or the dark alternative, both utilise Anna-style icons.

During a chat, when the person at the other end is typing, there is an animated pen under the name of your conversant to indicate when he/she is typing. This is something that I have always loved in IM apps.

Conclusion
fMobi delivers the most complete Facebook experience that I have experienced on the Symbian platform. It comes highly recommended.

The app is currently in 1.1.2 beta. Visit the developer’s page to download fMobi.

Facebook have launched a java app to run on phones with more limited resources than today’s cutting edge super smartphones. The new Facebook for Every Phone app offers a fast and comprehensive Facebook experience on over 2,500 different phones.

According to Facebook, this app includes Facebook’s most popular features, such as News Feed, Inbox, and Photos, and also enables users to upload photos and find friends from your phone’s contacts. People all over the world can download the app by visiting m.facebook.com and scrolling down to the download link, or by entering d.facebook.com/install directly into their mobile browser. You can also find it in leading app stores, including GetJar, Appia, and Mobile Weaver.

While the new Facebook Java app is designed to be highly data efficient, such that Internet data usage is minimal, Facebook has also arranged for free Internet usage with operators around the world for a trial period of 90 days.

In other words, on certain networks, you will not be billed for using this app for 90 days. In Nigeria, only Etisalat is part of this arrangement. Below is a complete list of operators offering free data access to the Facebook Java app for a limited time:

• Aircel (India)
• Airtel (India)
• Banglalink (Bangladesh)
• Beeline (Russia)
• Celcom (Malaysia)
• Etisalat (Egypt, Nigeria)
• Globe (Philippines)
• Idea (India)
• Indosat (Indonesia)
• O2 Telefonica (Germany)
• Reliance (India)
• Smart (Philippines)
• Smartfren (Indonesia)
• Telkomsel (Indonesia)
• Three (Indonesia, United Kingdom)
• TIM (Brazil)
• TMN (Portugal)
• Ufone (Pakistan)
• Vodafone (Turkey)
• XL (Indonesia)

The Facebook for Everone app is a good move by Facebook. It puts access to Facebook in the hands of millions of mobile subscribers around the world who use basic feature phones. Also, because of the small data usage footprint, this will go down well with subscribers with on a limited budget.

I will be trailing the app on the Motorola EX115 Dual-SIM phone that I am currently reviewing. In the meantime, what do you think of this development?

Credits: Thanks to Otekbits for the headsup!

The Social application for new Symbian phones (Nokia N8, C6-01 and C7) has received a significant update to version 1.3.

A post on the Ovi Blog lists the new features added to Social to include:

• See your friends’ status updates right from their Contacts Card – now you can see what your friends are up to before you make a phone call.
• Linked Contacts Indicator enables you to see whose Contacts Cards are socially enabled and whose are not. Now you can manage your social networks more efficiently. No need to sync all your Social contacts at once, just pick and chose your closest friends and always know what they are up to.
• Add caption when sharing pictures from your camera to bring your photos to life.
• Higher resolution picture upload up to 4 MB so what you share is clear and sharp.
• Want to share your favorite Tweet? Now you can retweet!

To get the update, simply launch Social on your device. You may also need to login to your Facebook account after launching the app. You will be notified of the update.

Once you’ve got your update installed and running, let’s have your thoughts on the new features.

Source

Perhaps I should have titled this article, The Avalanche of Social Networking and Instant Messaging Services. Still, the current title is not exactly out of line.

Like most people in my social class, I have a Facebook profile that is quite active. Facebook has been immensely useful in catching up with old friends, as well as loved ones who had been scattered to the winds for years.

Recently, I was able to re-connect with scores of my old classmates from back in the day at Federal Government College Odogbolu. Facebook is indeed a powerful platform for catching up and interacting.

However, I noticed that rather than send an email a number of people (consciously or unconsciously) have resorted to using Facebook messages (and even chat) as a standard means of communication. The result is that now, when I am looking for certain information, I have to search both Facebook and my email box in order to find it. Some are here and some are there.

That may be trivial if you deal with small amounts of information, but when you are constantly bombarded with loads of information, messages and requests like I am, it simply becomes a burden.

It may be different with others, but I also find Facebook chat intrusive. When I log into Facebook, I am looking to see what’s new with my contacts – and then that chat menu pops up, breaking my flow. Aaargh!

So, many weeks ago, I simply turned off Facebook chat. And I generally do not bother with Facebook messages anymore. My website and email addresses are public on my Facebook profile, so anyone who has anything serious to pass across to me can use email. That way, my messages are all accessible and archivable in one place. I also no longer send anyone a Facebook message unless in rare cases that they do not have their contact info public. And when I do, I ask for a response via email or phone.

It is worse on mobile. Usually, when I go mobile, it is because I have something specific in mind to do at the time. I don’t bother with Facebook apps and plugins that enable chat. I find no use for them.

There are so many social networking and instant messaging services available that it is just crazy. As a rule, I have stayed with yahoo for chatting, Facebook for social networking, and Twitter for professional updates. How many IDs and logins does one have to do to stay in touch?

Do you use Facebook messages? Do you use Facebook chat (both on PC and on mobile)? How many social networking accounts do you have? How many instant messaging services do you use?

This is the age of conversation and the era of sharing. Information and gist travel very fast now, so fast that we need to start looking at how we can gain control and use this speed to our benefit as individuals, as businesses and as individuals.

Sharon Omolayo was a five year old girl when she went missing. I was on the road when I got hold of the news via my Twitter TimeLine (TL) and I retweeted it. I also shared it immediatley via my Facebook account.

It wasn’t too long before I got informed via Twitter that Omolayo was found. This is just one of the numerous uses and benefit of engaging social media via mobile. You can stay in the know at all times, and you can help pass viatl information along real-time.

Cast your mind back to the time you created your Facebook account, and I suspect that you have memories of the challenges that you went through getting started. But you did eventually get the hang of it, and now you are either a pro at it, or you know better.

Also, you would remember how not too long ago updating our Facebook status was an occassional thing. Things are however better now. With GSM networks coming into the internet game and granting access to the internet. via mobile, it is easier for more people to get onto the social media buzz. Status updating is more of a realtime affair now. This was the reason it was easier to get the word on Sharon Omolayo out very fast.

Then, came the Blackberry buzz. This one is so huge and going viral now. In parties, club and events you’ll see young people typing away on their Berries. In some places, not having a Blackberry would induce feelings of inadequacy.

A Look at Twitter

The same way it was a little difficult for some of us to get started with Facebook, it has been difficult for some to get started with Twitter too. There are those who would say Twitter is too complex, some would just open an account and leave it dormant.

In an upcoming series, I will be sharing with you how I got my TwitterRave on, my early challenges and how you can completely navigate through your first challenge with Twitter.

Other reasons for watching out for this series:

• why you should be on twitter
• who should be on twitter
• unique features of twitter
• How Twitter is not a duplicate of Facebook
• why many more people are spending more time on twitter
• essentials of your Avatar and handle
• And so much more

This series will be very interactive, fun-filled, engaging and exciting. It will help you discover new and effective uses for social media as a private individual, a business owner, corporate organization, celebrity, an interest group, NGO or Clubs, and even as a marketer.

What was your experience like getting on into Facebook, and how have you been using your mobile phone to connect to social media? I will like to hear from you. Have your say using the comment box below.

*So you won’t miss any article in this series, I strongly recommend that you subscribe to Mobility Nigeria.

On the 5th of November, I updated my Facebook status with the following:

In contrast to me, my wife is very cyber-disconnected. For example, she has over 60 pending FB friend requests. How can I win her over to the “dark side” of ultra-connected people?

You see, she would go for weeks (and sometimes even months) without access to her Facebook account or Yahoo mailbox.

I got some interesting responses to that status, with a good friend even jabbing me for using up the quota of connectivity that she should have used. Here are some of the responses:

• Ah! sir, I don’t think you can win this battle. Even fasting and prayers won’t solve this. Maybe you should try gisting tech things with her. I’m not even trusting this would work sha
• How can she when you have taken over her own quota of connectivity. You need to slow down a bit so she has some more opportunity.
• Yomi, whenever u get the answer let me know so I can use same formula on my wife Lol

Well, I do think that the solution I opted for hit the nail right on the head. The following day was her birthday, so I simply gave her a new phone as a birthday present. Since then, she has been active online with Facebook, her Yahoo mail account, and web browsing. She even visits Mobility Nigeria. Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.

Now, I know that you are all interested in knowing what phone that must be. A device that has successfully turned an internet-disconnected middle-age mother of two and corporate manager into a semi mobile nerd within two weeks must be of interest to anyone who is into phones.

Is it a Symbian device or a Blackberry? Windows Mobile or Android? Or perhaps even an iPhone? Please hold on to your horses and take a chill pill first.

I thought you would also be interested in the factors that I had to contend with in choosing a device for her. Here they are –

1. Simplicity – the device must not be so complex as to overwhelm her. This is someone who has done little more than voice, SMS and taking pictures with her past phones.
2. Battery life – she very often fails to remember to charge her phones, so it must not be a device that would die by 2pm. Her previous phones went at least two hectic days on a charge.
3. Hardware QWERTY – from experience, she’s pretty much lost with touchscreens. All that swiping and tapping takes her nowhere – or to the wrong menus. If I was getting her this device because of email and Facebook, text entry must be sweet and easy
4. Appearance – well, it must look the part. A trendy-looking, classy-looking device
5. Cost – yes; it must not cost an arm and a leg. This device was supposed to be an experiment to see whether given the right tool, she would adapt. If this worked out fine, I would be very willing to splash out on a more expensive device for her

So, those were pretty much the factors that I juggled in mind in approaching this very difficult problem. Plus, it was almost embarassing that the wife of a mobile web nut like I am goes for months without logging into Facebook or checking her Yahoo mail (for all those of you who had requested her FB friendship, sent a message or mailed her and didn’t get a response until recently, now you know why). Eventually, I did make a choice. And so far, that choice seems to be working. Perhaps its still the euphoria? Is this a crush that my wife has for her new toy or is this the start of the making of an epic?

Oh, yes; the phone?

A Standing Ovation Please
My madam’s new connected lifestyle was made possible by getting her a simple, non-smartphone device – The Nokia C3 running the proprietory S40 operating system. That’s it? yes; that’s it.

Don’t tear your hair out (at least not yet). The solution works. Or is working. Or appears to be working.

Now, you know what to get your wife (or, God forbid, husband) if you’d like to gently prod her into hopefully becoming a hopeless mobile internet addict like yourself.

Starcomms now offers the Hisense C1110, a budget device that gives users access to the following online social networking services:

• Facebook
• Chat services
• Skype
• Twitter
• Google talk
• Yahoo messenger
• Hi5

Other specifications of the device include:

• Qwerty Keypad phone
• 2.4″ 320×240 TFT landscape LCD
• 1.3 mega pixel camera
• Bluetooth
• MP3/MP4 & FM radio
• 1000 phone contacts
• Speaker/Call recorder/Blacklists
• Mini-USB interface
• Supporting max 8GB micro-SD storage
• 1000mAh Battery

The C1110 is currently available for N9,999 from Starcomms. Users will need internet access subscription to enjoy those social networking services.

If interested, visit a Starcomms shop as soon as you can. There is an ongoing promo that gives you free 100 hours internet, plus a chance to win a 42” inch TV.

The world has gone social networking and instant messaging. Keeping in touch with family, friends, colleagues and even customers via Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo Mesnger and other like services has become an acceptable way of life.

In this part of my review series of the various features of the Nokia N900, I will be looking at how social networking and instant messaging services fare on this mobile computer.

The N900 comes with built-in support for instant messaging within the contacts application. No need for a 3rd party app. You open a contact and select the service you want to use and the conversations (messaging) interface presents your interactions in threaded view. Chats are saved automatically to the device so you can reference them later – just like your SMS.

Out of the box, the N900 supports Skype, SIP, and Google Talk within the Contacts application. But, here is where it gets better, there is a plugin that allows you to add even more services, turning the N900 into a social networking monster. In all, you get:

1. Facebook
2. Gadu Gadu
3. Google Talk
4. ICQ
5. Jabber
6. MSN
7. Ovi
8. QQ
9. SIP
10. Salut
11. Skype
12. Yahoo

That’s twelve (12) services all integrated into your Contacts and Conversations. Just to be sure that you understand this. I am not talking about 12 separate applications. All of them are integrated into the Contacts and Conversations on the device.

Now add to these the fact that you can sort your contacts by their availability online, so those who are currently online show up at the top of your contacts list.

You can also set your own status/availability for Yahoo, Google Talk and Facebook Chat. You can create a custom status and even specify your location, if you so desire.

The feature list is extensive and the usability is tops. What Nokia have done with Contacts and Conversations on the N900 is simply awesome. I have never had it this good with instant messaging.

Of course, if you want more than just chat, there are 3rd party apps for Facebook, for example, as well as Twitter and others. These function apart from the Contacts and Conversations apps, but they work well too. Screenshot below is that of friends’ status updates on FaceBrick, a standalone facebook app:

No device is perfect – not even the N900, and I know enough to say that its not for everyone. But permit me to say that I am loving this big guy, and I can’t say that enough!