Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! to ANDROID OS and all current users and fans. As for those who are still waiting to accept that Android is the best OS, we’ll be ready to accept you as a fan once you decide. In a couple of “posts” from this, I will be reviewing some mobile phones and Tablets that run the  Android OS.

Meanwhile, let me share a few reason why I doff my cap for the Great Android OS. I recently told my friends that “I can’t buy any smartphone if it doesn’t run on Android”. Find out why below:

• It’s OpenSource: Android being opensource means that anyone (manufacturers or even you) who wants to use Android (for product development) doesn’t need any to pay for the usually expensive license fee from Google to further develop and customize it for his own use. The advantage of this is that the improvement and development of Android is open to “all”. Meanwhile, I am an Opensource person, anyway.
• Android gives room for choice: Unlike our friends who use Blackberry, iTouch and many others. All these are strictly tied to the their makers (e.g. iOs runs on Apple products only, bbOS runs on RIM products only and many others. On the other hand, there are many phone manufacturers that power their smartphone and tablets with Android e.g. Samsung, Motorola, Sony, Huaiwei even Chinese phone makers (Chinko) – Expect an article on this soon. The advantage of this is that it gives room for Choice. Take for instance, I may not like phones made by a particular manufacturer due to some technical lapses on  their part. I can easily switch to a better manufacturer and still enjoy my Great Android features as long as the new manufacturer has an android powered phone. (e.g. Mr. S dislike maker Y because their batteries do no last lnog…he then switches to maker Z and continues enjoying his android OS).
• Great App Market: Due to the opensource status of Android, many developers are being encouraged to develop their apps and upload on the Android Market. This in turns mean more apps  for users. As at April, 2011 there were there were 206,143 android apps with over 3Billion Downloads. The statistics have changed since then, though.
• It enjoys great Support from the Great Google.

This is Nigeria. It is the year 2011 and we are counting 10 years of the introduction of the Global System of Media communication (GSM) into the country.

Before the introduction of GSM technology, the number of connected phone lines in the country was 450,000 out of an estimated population of 120 million people.

Like most things, GSM has had its good, bad, and ugly sides, just like the two sides to a coin. This article looks at the first part, the positive effects.

GSM was received warmly when it landed here on our shores. Why wouldn’t we have received it warmly? A revolution was about to occur. We had been denied communications. Our lives and the economy were about to get better.

Our Lives
We communicate better now than before the advent of GSM. In addition to standard communications, we record spectacular moments of our lives, listen to music, transfer videos, install and run applications on our device, etc.

Our social life is better as our relationships, friendships, are kept alive through communication.

Even our conduct of business has taken a different turn.

Our Economy
Recently, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) pegged the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the industry at about US$15billion.

GSM has stimulated significant job creation, with a tremendous impact in the economy. The sector is said to be the highest employer of skilled & unskilled labour in recent times.

Various sectors of the economy, have witnessed unprecedented growth with the integration of GSM technology (voice and data) into the running of corporate organisations.

The financial sector is one of such sectors. With the introduction of mobile banking, a customer has full access to his or her bank account right at his or her finger tip.

Now we have e-health, e-banking, e-security, e-education etc.

On the corporate social responsibility front, individuals and communities have benefited from the actions of service providers and phone companies. Some have provided educational facilities, medical facilities, sponsored health campaigns, and events, among others.

Between 2001 and 2007, the federal government earned over US$ 2.5 billion from spectrum licensing fees alone. Taxation and import duties have also contributed to the revenue of the federal government.

How has GSM positively affected your life and business? As an individual, how do you feel going through a day without your GSM mobile phone?

Nokia has changed – and for the beter too – the naming system of their mobile phones. No more silly dichotomy of uses i.e. business versus media. Goodbye N-series; goodbye E-series! See my recent article, Why Can’t a Business Device Have a Superb Camera?

According to the Nokia Conversations blog, here’s how the new system works:

The first number is the relative price/feature point. So a Nokia 900* would be top dog and a Nokia 100* is the most accessible option. The second two numbers gives each device a unique identifier within that point. So we can release 99 phones at the 500 point before we have to recycle any names, for example.

It seems well thought out and is quite useful, considering the range of devices that Nokia produce.

The new naming system took off with the launch of the Nokia 500. The first number indicates that it is a mid-range device, so you have an idea of the price range from the word, Go. Neat.

Full article: What’s in a name? Nokia’s product name conventions

This article is the first in a new category we are introducing. Named “Human Interest”, this category will feature stories of how mobile phones are impacting everyday living. It is a category that both mobile fans and people with no more than a cursory interest in mobiles will enjoy reading – admin

Recently, a friend of mine, who is himself an avid Blackberry fan, got his girlfriend a Blackberry 9630 Tour. The idea was to boost communication between the two of them, since BB Chat would now be a convenient means of communication between them. The two lovebirds live in two different cities.

Well, just last week, my friend informed me that his girlfriend was considering ditching the Blackberry. Of course, I was interested in knowing why. You see, the device was purchased from me. Was it faulty?

No; it wasn’t. My friend replied that his gal was complaining that since the BB arrived, he was no longer calling her as much as he used to!

I advised my friend to call her more often, with the tip that his gal simply wants to hear his voice more. That’s how ladies are built. There is not available in a BB chat message the kind of warmth that a lover wants.

Personally, I got married before GSM hit Nigeria. Perhaps, I wouldn’t be married to my wife today if things had been different. You see, she once told me a few years after we tied the knots, “If I had known that you love phones this much, I wouldn’t have married you.” Of course, I have since made adjustments such that she no longer sees my phones as her competition (I hope!).

Of course, my phones contribute to our relationship positively in many other ways – we talk regularly during office hours, have fun taking pictures, share a love song on the spur of the moment, and so on and so forth.

What about you? What are the good, the bad and the ugly effects of your mobile phone on your relationships?

When last did you visit a cyber cafe?
Eight years ago, my answer would have been “right now”. I would have been writing/reading this on a computer in a cyber cafe. Right now however, I am lying somewhere comfortable in my home, whilst punching the soft keys on my laptop. A few years ago in Accra, one could count more than ten internet cafes between Vodafone (then Ghana Telecom)’s Head Office around Kwame Nkrumah Circle and BusyInternet on Ring Road Central.

There were: True Internet, WWWPlus Mega Cafe, Krofa Internet Cafe, Java Internet Cafe, and several others whose names I do not remember at this time. Sadly, most of them have closed shop. Whilst several reasons could be offered for the failure of these enterprises, one cannot overlook the solid impact of mobile phones and mobile internet technologies.

Mobile Websites
A quick glance at the traffic metrics website Alexa.com reveals that the most visited websites in Ghana include: Facebook, Yahoo, Google, YouTube, Live.com, Wikipedia, MSN, GhanaWeb, BBC. Email used to be the most popular online activity in this part of the world but social networking websites seem to have taken the lead in recent times. News websites come third. Thus, the composition of the ten most popular websites is not much of a surprise. What is more interesting is that ALL the most popular websites have mobile versions of their services.

Typing facebook.com into a mobile web browser for example, automatically redirects one to a mobile version of the popular social networking website. The mobile websites are stripped-down versions but offer a lot of functionality, in a layout small enough to fit into tiny mobile phone screens. It is thus now common place to find people get busy with chatting, twittering, reading the news & more, from  their mobile phones.

Smartphones
Smartphones are raising the stakes and pushing more possibilities into our hands, literally. They now have enough processing power to stream high-definition video and enough memory to download and store databases of music, photos and videos from the Internet. Some smartphones come with full QWERTY keyboards and thus making typing a pleasure. Emailing, blogging, chatting can now be done virtually anywhere.

Lower entry costs
Personal Computers are no longer the exclusive preserve of the rich and well-educated. 10 years ago, the pricing of an average laptop was about $2,000. Not any more. New, more powerful, full-featured laptops are available today for as low as $700. Their smaller cousins (netbooks) even come at lower prices; mwave.com currently prices an ASUS EPC900B-BLU01X Eee netbook PC at only $209.99.

Used and probably refurbished PCs even drag the entry costs lower, for obvious reasons.

USB Modems
Those little devices have further democratised internet connectivity. Where mobile phones and smartphones are not enough, one could easily buy a USB Modem for as low as 60 Ghana Cedis (about $42) and connect it to a desktop, laptop or netbook for a full Internet experience. MTN Ghana is currently offering their USB modem at that price. Gone are the days when one needed to obtain a hard-to-come-by fixed phone line from the telecom monopoly or a fixed wireless antenna pointed at the Internet Service Provider’s radio mast, or a VSAT satellite dish + modem. None of those came cheap.

The more spectacular thing is that 3.5G USB modems offer real broadband speeds today.

Back to those cyber cafes. The rapid closure of cyber cafes is not limited to Ghana. 234Next.com, a leading Nigerian news source, today published a report titled Cyber cafes are vanishing. Here’s an excerpt from that report:

“In those days, around 2000 and 2001, I used to go to cyber cafe, pay money to check my yahoo email. You know the feeling that time was powerful. I was the only one who could browse amongst my friends then. We will go to a cyber cafe and crowd around one system, five of us, and then the systems were always very slow, so if we hear that one cyber cafe somewhere was fast we will go there,” said Solomon Edema, a computer engineer. “Now, all of us browse with our phones. I also used my laptop. I have not gone to a cyber cafe for over a year now“, Mr. Edema adds.

Nowadays, the proliferation of computers and 3G mobile phones, including the famous China phones, has resulted in cheaper prices. As a result more people can afford internet-enabled phones. Similarly, the competition in the telecom industry has also led the telecom firms out-doing one another in offering cheap modems and internet access. Traders at Computer Village, Ikeja, now offer software that enable free internet access on laptops and mobile phones.

It is clear that mobile phones are pushing cyber cafes out, the same way public phone booths and “communication centres” have become endangered species. What waits to be seen is how long the few cyber cafes that remain would last. Would they close shop or evolve their business model? Time will tell.

In choosing to buy a mobile phone or mobile computer (as I choose to call smartphones these days), a Manufacturers Warranty should be a very important consideration.

The manufacturer’s warranty is your insurance that if something should good wrong with the device you purchased (usually within 12 months) the manufacturer will carry out any repairs needed, and where the device is beyond repair, a replacement will be issued.

Note that the warranty is only valid if the said fault is not as a result your carelessness or abuse. The warranty covers non-damages only.

Contrary to what some consumers would like to do, a manufacturer’s warranty is a guarantee from the manufacturer to you. It is not a guarantee from the retailer.

For example, if you purchase a phone from an i-Cell store, usually the i-Cell warranty specifies that you can fall back on i-Cell should the phone develop a fault. But if you purchase a Nokia phone with a manufacturer’s warranty from ABC Stores, should the phone develop a fault, you turn to Nokia; not ABC.

Please be sure to read your warranty terms, so you know exactly what to do should you need to fall back on it someday. Of course, at the point of purchase be sure to confirm that your purchase has an official warranty covering it.

There is no point venting at the retailer if the warranty terms do not specify that the retailer is a support channel. While as a consumer you may be aggrieved, your grievance is being channeled in the wrong direction if you do not follow the guidelines of the warranty. The retailer did good selling you a device covered by a manufacturer’s warranty. Now take up your case with the manufacturer or their appointed agents.

For information purposes, i-Cell provides warranty service on devices from Nokia, Sony Ericssson, HTC, Samsung and Motorola. Nokia also has its own care centres on ground. But be sure to check the warranty cards and pamphlets included in your sales package for details.

Recommended Reading

• The Manufacturer Presence and Support Factor

Various factors are available for consideration in making the decision to purchase or not to purchase a particular phone. Usually, cost is a major factor here.

One factor that does not seem strong in these parts is manufacturer presence and support. By manufacturer presence and support, I mean that the mobile manufacturer has an official presence (directly or through a third party) through which they provide support.

Picture this: you buy your spanking new smartphone at over N60, 000, and excitedly return home with your new toy, probably your wife’s only competitor (ladies, marry a geek, and you never have to worry about “the other woman”).

Two weeks (or 4 months) later, some keys on the phone stop working. Or its the touchscreen. Or some other thing. Suddenly, you realize that you are helpless, because the manufacturer of your device has no presence and provides no support here in the country. In effect, your one-year manufacturer’s warranty is not worth the paper on which it is printed.

On the contrary, consider the following real-life scenarios:

Scene One
My mother purchased a phone by a popular manufacturer late last year. Last month, the bottom row of keys stopped working. No problem. Why? The phone has a year’s manufacturer warranty and there’s a support centre available.

We sent the phone to the support centre, and its back within three (3) weeks fully functional, and at absolutely no cost besides what we spent tgetting to and from the support centre.

Scene Two
October last year, I took possession of a brand new Nokia E90 communicator. Being the geek ever on the cutting edge, I immediately proceeded to carry out a firmware update on it, so I could enjoy the latest, greatest features the device had to offer.

Well, in a few minutes, I had bricked the phone. To “brick” a phone is to kill it. Something went wrong during the update and the E90 simply refused to boot from that point. Same day I purchased it!

Off to Nokia it went and came back in two (2) weeks with all systems functioning. Absolutely free. Without the manufacturer presence in the previous two scenarios, some significant amount of money would have been spent getting those devices back in shape.

Several mobile manufacturers have setup presence in Nigeria already and offer support for their products. Many others are yet to.

Is manufacturer support important to you? Do you put this into consideration in making new phone purchases?

Recommeded Reading: Buying a phone with Warranty

China Phones! I wouldn’t have given them a chance some months back, but that is changing as the chinkos are manufacturing better looking and more functional phones. It is looking like we no longer can afford to ignore them.

I remember one of the first China phones to hit the Nigerian market. A friend had brought a unit and asked me to help install useful mobile applications and to configure it for internet. Do I have to say that we were not able to put any application on the phone and also didn’t succeed in configuring it for internet? Simply put, the phone was useless.

Fast forward to 18 months later, a completely different person asked for the same thing- to help install useful mobile apps and configure for internet on his China phone. My initial response was, “There’s no use, it won’t work”. But she begged and I decided to give it a shot. The first thing I did was to manually input internet settings. Once that was done, I launched the browser and to my amazement it loaded well. The browser even loaded a social networking site like Facebook. This was the first surprise. The second was that the phone gladly accepted Java applications and they worked well on it.

It has been an upward trend for China phones since then. They are getting more and more matured as the days go by.

However, what I dislike about these phones and wish will change is the use of brand names of other mobile phone manufacturers by the people behind some of these phones. An example is the “Nokia N99i” (pictured right), which is by no means manufactured by Nokia.

These phones I dare say are now good enough to have their own brand names, and with their current pricing scheme, these phones will continue to do well in emerging markets. Some of them are already doing this, and we have brand names such as i-mobile.

China phone, anyone?

Over the years, there has been varying amounts of scaremongering with regards mobile viruses. Those of us who are able to objectively look at the situation keep refuting the scares. This time, the scare is coming via the BBC World Service.

According to a Digital Planet podcast (28/04/2009), researchers from the U.S. think that mobile phone viruses are set to increase.

Says Prof. Barasbi of Northwestern University in the United States:

Once 10% of us share the same operating system, phone viruses could spread within hours via Bluetooth or text.

Scaremongering is almost always based on bits of possibilities combined with the ignoring of other facts and factors. So, let’s examine the facts and factors in this instance. I will be using the Symbian OS to illustrate my points, seeing that its a platform I am very familiar with.

Fact 1: A number of mobile OS platforrms already have more than this “critical” 10% share. Symbian had 47.1% in 4th quarter 2008; Blackberry had 19.5%; Windows Mobile 12.4%; and iPhone OS 10.7%.

On a global, all-time count, Symbian alone certainly exceeds 10% total share.

Fact 2: That a virus breakout could spread within hours via Bluetooth and SMS (or any other media) doees not mean that it will happen. Symbian OS, for example, is built up such that an application (legitimate or rogue) CANNOT be installed or run without the conscious permission of the user.

Fact 3: By definition, a virus is self-propogating. The Symbian OS does not allow this. Current “viruses” for Symbian are not actually viruses. Malware yes; virus no.

Simply put, a Symbian phone (by way of example) cannot be infected by a virus without the phone user deliberately authorising the actions of that malware. The much talked about application signing process behind Symbian makes it very difficult for a rogue application to get into my hands.

To make this short and simple, there are mobile OS platforms that have exceeded the 10% “critical mass” presented by Prof. Barasbi that have existed for years, and the virus outbreak hasn’t happened.

It hasn’t happpened, partly because unlike PC viruses that run without permission, mobile OS platforms are generally more secure, because 3rd party applications cannot run without the permission of the user.

After years of hundreds of downloads, bluetooth messages, incoming SMS, installations (including trial runs), I am yet to face one single virus issue on any of my Symbian devices.

Caveat:
I cannot hold brief for individuals who patronise cracked applications. That is one sure way to open yourself up to mobile malware. Stay away from sites that promote hacked or cracked applications you are safe.

In addition, simply don’t accept unsolicited files via Bluetooth, SMS or MMS, and you are good. Even if you do, no mobile phone malware is able to install itself without your consent.

I have been using Nokias for years. I have used a significant number of Nokias over the years. As such, I have been a loyal user to this manufacturer, and this also means that I am in the know about the trends with Nokia.

But I am fast getting tired of what seems like Nokia’s inability or unwillingness to change with the times. Okay, they do change a bit, but they are not innovating fast enough. I am very particular about Nokia’s high-end offerings (mostly smartphones), so be sure to read my piece within that context.

1. Give us adequate RAM
What is the point of touting multi-tasking on a device when the user is just going to run into an “out of memory” error soon along the line?

I am not talking about some 4 year old phone, but recent releases like the 5800 XpressMusic and the embarassing flop, the N96.

2. Fix S60 UI Sluggishness
S60 has been known to be sluggish for years. Competing platforms are often snappier. And is there a sworn oath by Nokia executives to the effect that they must not authorise adequate processors for their devices?

For example, the N97 is already outdated before its release with a 3-year old processor. Compare the upcoming Samsung OmniaHD with that and you get the idea: a powerful, power-saving 600 MHz processor on an S60 device! Previews already refer to the snappy interface on the OmniaHD.

While Nokia sleeps and trundles on, it is very clear that the very first snappy Symbian S60 device in years will be the Samsung OmniaHD. Anyone wanna bet otherwise?

3. What is Nokia doing with Web?
I find it a contradiction that the Finnish boys have been marketing the mobile web on their devices since Adam, yet have one of the most sluggish web browsers in the smartphone world. Yes; S60 Web, with all its other capabilities, is sluggish and can be frustratingly slow at times. This may or may not be a fsallout of the underpowered processors that most Nokia smartphones are equipped with.

But whatever it is, having to be slowed down by my mobile web browser when I have a speedy 3.5G or WLAN connection is not endearing.

4. Nokia is stretching its resources in too many directions.
Yes; this has its advantages, as Nokia is able to sell different flavours of what is essentially one device to different people. But it does not look like it is helping Nokia channel the right proportions of resources into development and innovation.

5. Please fix “Download”
Download is the application on Nokia’s smartphones that is supposed to serve as an application store. I use the word “supposed” because, “Download” just doesn’t work. Plus, it is very user-unfriendly.

Nokia had years to improve this, but never did. Then Apple came along and worked wonders with its app store. Okay, Nokia, we will forgive you if you copy Apple again on this one. Just make it work.

6. S60 5th Edition UI is inconsistent
If you are going to copy, please copy right. Nokia’s S60 5th edition is a slight improvement on its older sibling, but having played with it a bit, i find certain inconsistencies in the interface.

At one level, you tap once to move to move to the next level of the menu. At others, you have to double-tap. Excuse me, but such inconsistencies can be disorienting to users.

I would have thought Nokia would adopt the now dead UIQ’s method. Tap to enter. Tap and hold to pop up an options menu. Works well.

7. Finally, Nokia seems to be going retro these days with internal memory.
Older smartphones had as much as 150mb internal disk, and many of Nokia’s new offerings provide much less. Think 5800 (80mb) or the E75 (50mb for a 2009 smartphone!), and the just announced E52 (60mb!).

What are the guys at Nokia thinking?

The majority of nokia’s smartphones are outdated before their release. Take the N97. This and other Nokia devices are already outgunned by many other competing devices from different manufaturers even before their releases (underpowered processors, outdated user interfaces, 3-year old camera specifications, meagre RAM and internal memory). No way!

It feels good to finally have my say on this. Samsung, LG, Apple and HTC are parading a nice array of mouth-watering devices, and I am beginning to feel like I am stuck in the stone age with Nokia’s latest efforts.

Sony Ericsson used to be my second port of call after Nokia, but they are clearly running on 4-year old steam pretty much the same as Nokia is.

This year, I will be shopping around a bit, and I have pencilled down the following devices from different manufacturers and platforms:

1. Palm Pre, running WebOS
2. Samsung i7500, running Android
3. Apple iPhone 3G, running Mac OS X
4. HTC Touch Pro, running WinMo
5. Whatever else catches my fancy

Who knows what manufacturer and OS platform I’ll be using as my primary device this time next year?

Traditionally, the Mobility Nigeria team has focused on reviews of higher end mobile devices. In truth, that is where most of the action have been for years. The higher end of the mobile market is always the cutting edge, and that is what we have focused on.

However, with the current economic climate we understand that many phone users will be looking more at the mid-tier range for a balance between cost and features – and that makes a lot of sense.

We also see that manufacturers are now in a drive to push out some high-specs mid-tier devices. Think of the Nokia 5800 and the E63. Under normal circumstances, devices with those capabilities didn’t come at those prices.

But even the 5800 is still in the higher bracket of the mid-tier. On the lower rungs of the mid-tier are some interesting devices that we will be bringing your way.

Help Us Bring You These Great Reviews

You can help us bring you more great reviews by patronising Alireta for all your mobile phone purchases. Here are some of the benefits of buying from Alireta:

1. – our team of consultants will help you narrow your choices down to the best 3 devices suited to your needs and budget
2. – have your phone delivered to your home or office
3. – have your phone configured for internet and/or email via GPRS/EDGE/3G/HSDPA on your network (optional, and also network-dependent)
4. – enjoy the option of a 30-day instalment plan i.e. put down a deposit of 75% of phone cost, and a cheque for the balance to be presented within 30 days, and take immediate possession of phone
5. – upgrade phones purchased from us within 365 days of purchase by trading them in for new ones
6. – enjoy telephone and email support on phone usage, features, troubleshooting, and data configuration (9am – 4pm, Mondays through Friday)

Call 0808 439 1076 or 0806 216 7275 to place your order.

Until now, I had never purchased nor used an LG device. I got this device out of a spirit of adventure. The QWERTY keyboard onboard such a mid-tier device was an object of fascination for me.

The KS360 has ended up a bundle of surprises, and I bet that you are itching to find out for yourself. So, let’s cut to the chase…

Quick Stats:
1. GPRS/EDGE
2. 240 x 320 pixel screen + touch dialling
3. 2 megapixel camera (no flash; no autofocus)
4. Side Slider form factor
5. Bluetooth, USB
6. WAP 2.0/XHTML browser
7. Email client
8. 15mb shared memory + MicroSD slot
9. Slide-out QWERTY keyboard

Form factor, Display, and Keypad

The KS360 looks like the regular slider phone – except that the slider opens sideways this time to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. In size, its also quite compact.

The KS360 spots a huge 2.4-inch display that takes up most of the front. Below the display are several buttons, including a clusted navigational set, two soft key buttons, hang up and dial buttons, a “C” button that takes you a step back in whatever menu you are in. The last button is that which activates the touchscreen dialer.

This touchscreen dialer gives you numeric as well as alphabet keys for either typing in a number or typing out a name from the contacts application respectively. The implementation of this touchscreen dialer is beautiful, and it works well. Note though that the touchscreen functionality is avaoilable only in the standby mode with the slider closed. How did LG pull that?

The LG KS360 has well thought-out ergonomics. With slider closed, it fees good in the hand, and is very comfortable even with the QWERTY keyboard slid out.

The display is quite brilliant, and bright. It is one of the better displays in this price bracket. You are also able to adjust the brightness and time-out.

Slide out the QWERTY keyboard, and the display rotates to landscape mode. In this mode, you can hammer out your email, and text messages, and also enter text into webpages.

The QWERTY keys are small but slightly domed for easier usability. The keyboard works well, but don’t expect the most spectacular performance for a phone this size. The smaller a phone is, usually the more of comfort and usability is given up with text entry.

The spring-loaded keyboard slides in and out smoothly, and feels very well built. Actually, the whole device has a feel of sturdiness and quality, though it is made of plastic.

Multimedia

The KS360 has a fixed focus 2MPX camera that delivers good shots. No; not great or spectacular shots. But what do you expect from a 2MPX camera without flash, and without autofocus?

Close-up shots in good lighting come out fine. Anything beyond that is more of a hit-and-miss affair.

Video playback is included in the KS360. Anything above 20 frames per second, though, and playback gets jerky and unstable. I converted a number of DVD movies to MP4 at 15 fps, and they played smoothly. Of course, 15fps meant that the video quality was greatly tampered with.

The KS360 has a built-in MP3 player too. It is quite basic, and produces fairly good sound in terms of quality and loudness. If you are a music buff who is used to iPod-like quality music, however, stay away.

Part two coming up shortly. I am deliberately breaking this review into paarts so as to keep page size down for those browsing on mobile.