Across the world, Nokia adopted a strategy that has worked so well for them in the past and is still working up to some extent.

The strategy is very simple,create a phone and then split it into different variants with certain features removes. A classic example of this is the Nokia 5800 split into two different phones namely the 5230 and the 5530.

The Nokia 5230 features the same screen size of 3.2 inches that is on the 5800 and has 3G connectivity while the Nokia 5530 features a 2.8 inches screen with XpressMusic branding and WiFi.

Even on lower end phones like the Nokia C1 and C2. The main difference between the two is that the C1 is a single SIM phone while  C2 is a dual SIM phone.

Samsung on the other hand seems to have widely fine-tuned and adopted the strategy across their whole mobile product line and across the different operating systems that they support.

A very good example of this is their Galaxy line of phone and tablets. Do you want a 4 inch mobile? Get a Galaxy S. Is it a 3.5 inch display that you fancy? Get a Galaxy Ace. For 3.2 inches, you can get the Galaxy Gio.

If you want to get a tablet, you are offered different choices too with Samsung making a tablet for practically anybody that wants to get a tablet.

You can either get a 10.1 inch version, a 8.9 inch version or a 7.7 or 7 inch version, should you want a tablet of more compact size.

Even when you look at lower end Samsung phones like the Chat series, there is the the Ch@t 222 and Ch@t 322 with one of the major differences been the optical trackpad.

Platforms

On the Operating System level, Samsung has various operating systems running on their wide array of phones. These include: Android, Windows Phone 7, Bada and TiZen.

Last year, Samsung shipped a total of 300 Million devices which goes to prove that they may finally overtake Nokia this year as the number one handset maker in the world, thanks to their versatility in production and distribution.

Ever so often, I come across comments that outrightly paint devices running a mobile platform or OS as “rubbish” or “crap”.

By way of example, a recent commenter simply referred to BlackBerry as “crap”.

Personally, from what I know of the diversity of human needs and wants, I think that such a comment speaks more of that person’s ignorance than of the qualities of the BlackBerry platform.

It is not only BlackBerry that has been subject to this sort of verbal dismissal. Fanboys of various platforms are often found dismissing competing platforms as rubbish.

In my opinion, such people are simply full of cow dung. They have no idea what they are talking about.

If an individual says, for example, “I will not buy an iPhone because I cannot live with the limitations of iOS and the phone itself,” that makes sense. A valid reason for his personal choice has been presented.

But should such a one say something like, “The iPhone is just a useless piece of junk,” then I would have to respond that the individual in question is stuffed full of chicken feathers.

In all probability, the person who says that BlackBerry devices are useless lives in a different social (perhaps even business) sphere from those others who want and prefer a BlackBerry device. As such, it does not meet his needs. But he is misguided in thinking that those devices do not meet anyone else’s needs.

The individual whose preference is Android certainly has his reasons for choosing that. They are his reasons, and that should be respected.

The New Lack Of Tolerance
I dislike the depths of intolerance that I see on display at times. If we are this intolerant over such a flimsy subject as choice of mobile devices, it’s no wonder that there is no peace in most parts of the world.

We must also learn to acknowledge the pros and cons of whatever devices or platforms we have adopted. No platform or device is perfect for everyone. Some are better suited to certain people, while others are better suited to another demography.

Someone criticising Symbian for being too late in evolving it’s UI to modern trends is not necessarily a Symbian hater. He is simply stating a fact. Yet, UI is not all there is to a phone, so some people will still prefer Symbian because of its strengths over others.

Another person criticising iOS for being too locked down is not necessarily a hater either. It’s not worth crossing swords over. He has made a statement of fact, and in all probability cannot live with that. That’s okay too.

A few days ago, an individual spent enormous amounts of energy trying to convince me that iOS meets my needs if I were to adopt certain workarounds (all of which introduce other issues, of course). Well, those workarounds don’t float my boat.

That doesn’t make me an iPhone hater, but then this individual’s persistence grated on my nerves. He almost sounded like a used car salesman.

It is amazing that we exult and revel in our supposed enlightenment in the modern, civilised world, yet can be so narrow-minded as to think that we know what’s best for others. Actually, it is disgusting.

It’s the same thing when someone says that he cannot see any reason why anyone wants to purchase a mobile with a physical QWERTY keyboard. Well, he may not see it. As human beings, we don’t always see everything. But if QWERTY works for some people, it’s none of your business. Or mine.

By way of throwing more light on this, with automatic transmission firmly in the mainstream of motor vehicle technology now, why would anyone want to buy and drive a manual transmission car? You have no idea? Splendid! Don’t worry about it; the buyer knows why he wants one.

Live And Let Live
If for example you love Android, do enjoy it. Praise it to high heavens for its sterling qualities, but please do not act and talk like it is the alpha and omega of mobility and has no flaws. Same goes for every other platform – iOS, Symbian, BadaOS, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone.

People who buy and use devices from other platforms apart from your choice are not stupid. For all you know, the person dissing everything else but his favourite may be the smallest mind in the room.

Comments welcome!

Dear readers,

We are planning to publish a number of reviews soon, but thought it would be interesting to involve you in deciding what phones to review.

You tell us what cutting edge, top-end, or budget devices you would like to have reviewed on your favourite blog, MobilityNigeria, and we will go after it.

Happy commenting?

I remember the first mobile phone in my house. It was a Trium, and we fondly called it ‘Triumphant entry’. A basic device that did voice calls and text messaging it was, and I am sure that such was the experience with a lot of our phones back then.

Then our phones started having fun edges to them. Rather than the basic functions of communicating with friends and loved ones via call and text, you could also relax and enjoy a game.

Back then, we thought that was grand.

But further down the road, our phones became more of several things – FM radio, cameras, mp3 players, and in this part of the world, a source of light with the introduction of torchlight phones.

Phones have become mini-computers: for E-mail, organising, documentation, instant messaging and the like.

Phones have become mini theatres: you can just relax in your own comfort zone and have Silverbird cinemas in the palm of your hands. Sort of.

Today, our phones are constantly in our hands. It is almost embarassing. Even more embarassing it would be if our phones could speak and were to ask us something like this: ‘Why are you always running your hands over my body and fingering me?‘ What would be your response?

In the meantime, I patiently await a phone with air conditioning facilities to save me from today’s terrible heat.

Please refer back to the question and share your experiences of what your phone is today.

If you retail mobile phones, accessories, mobile applications, or just want to sell off your own used devices, you can now put them up for sale for free here on Mobility Nigeria.

Nigerian mobile application developers too can publicise their works for free on Mobility Nigeria.

Head over to Mobility Nigeria’s Free Ads forums to put up your mobile-related ads.

According to Wikipedia, Mobile Number Portability (MNP) enables users to retain their mobile numbers when they wish to change from one mobile network to another. For instance, I can retain my Glo number when switching to the Etisalat network – this means I will make calls and send messages at Etisalat’s tariffs. When I call friends and family, my Glo number is displayed.

There are 2 ways in which MNP can be implemented – the more popular method is for the customer to contact the new operator (Recipient) who then makes the arrangements on behalf of the subscriber with the old operator (Donor). The other, only practised in the UK for now, only allows the subscriber to contact his old network (the Donor) to obtain a code which he then gives to the Recipient.There are several technical issues involved in MNP but the most significant is the routing of calls and messages to the mobile number once it has been ported. The widely accepted means is through the use of a Central Database (CDB) of ported numbers. Worldwide, porting times have varied from as fast as 3 minutes in Australia to 2 hours in the US and currently 2 working days in the UK. The service has been mostly free in most countries but has also attracted a minimal charge in some. MNP costs about 30 Euros in Germany.

The idea of MNP was first mooted in Nigeria by the NCC in 2007 but since then little has been heard of it. Some of the reasons given for its proposed introduction back then were to break operators’ monopoly of numbers, help reduce complaints of poor quality of service/improve quality of service and reduction of tariffs. As at 2007, Engr Ndukwe was credited with saying that it would only require a dial to migrate from one mobile network to another. Other technical officials were quoted to have said that the service might attract a “little” cost to subscribers.

Recently, in a March 31, 2009 article on NEXT, Engr Ndukwe has set May 2009 as the date for the announcement of a timetable for MNP takeoff. On the mode of implementation, he said that the NCC will be working with an independent company which would be responsible for subscribers wishing to retain their mobile numbers while switching networks. He also revealed that the operators were on board and ready.

However, no mention has been made of the cost implications to the subscriber (if any). Aside this, how long will it take to carry out the change-over process (porting time)? Also, to prevent abuse of the system how often can one change operators over what time period? Is MNP going to be limited to GSM or are the CDMA networks involved too?

The benefits of MNP are immense for any telecoms market. It will truly create an atmosphere for competition. Operators can be free to roll out better packages for subscribers without restrictions (within limits, that is). New entrants are also better positioned to compete favourably as they can be judged by the quality of their service and products. In the long run, the customer, as king, benefits the most – increased choices, ability to retain your mobile number, improved service, lower tariffs. On the other hand, the system could be abused by subscribers who flit from operator to operator at the slightest whim. Also, there could be underhand practices from operators who want to hold on to their customers at all costs. This calls for proper regulation by NCC and the establishment of proper and adequate protocols for the process and regular reviews to ensure compliance.

All in all, I am eagerly awaiting the advent of MNP here in Nigeria. Maybe, just maybe, it will be the harbinger of better things in the telecoms industry.

This is a rant, and it was triggered off by a comment posted at All About Symbian by someone who calls himself Natureboyzone. Here is what he posted:

Hi.i am new to the forum.i use N76 and my network is mtn nigeria.how do i activate it for free browsing.i also heard about the data call pls send me the settings or link me up with someone who can help.thanks

If you follow the AAS link I provided above, you would see that the topic under discussion has nothing to do with configuration settings, muchless free browsing. Note also that he is new to a community, and the first thing he does is this.

I see this embarassing, beggarly attitude on different forums, including foreign ones like Esato and My-Symbian (My-Symbian has a number of Nigerian IP addresses blocked already).

Here on the homefront, Nairaland is has the worst hit mobile community. Over 95% of the exchanges there are about free browsing on GSM networks. It is almost impossible to find an intelligent discussion to engage in the mobile forum there.

Here on MobilityNigeria, we keep stressing that we have no such information to give, but these desperate young men (and women) keep mailing in to request for free browsing tricks and information. As a responsible business and as responsible individuals, we cannot promote practices that undermine the business of others. But that is beyond the point of this article.

What I am bothered about is the nuisance that these free browsing beggars have become everywhere on the WWW, and the bad publicity that they generate for Nigeria. It is bad!

People are having an intelligent discussion, and then someone barges in, begging for free browsing tricks. Sigh. I can imagine that various well-known mobile figures around the world would have received private mails from Nigerian hounds looking for free (illegal) browsing hacks and tricks.

What is more shocking is the fact that the majority of those who jump on the free ride don’t put it to productive uses (See my article published in November 2008: The Free Browsing Tricks on Mobile Networks).

Get productive, guys. Put innovation to work. Get off your butts and do something to better your lot and that of the country you live in. Stop begging and hitch-hiking. Okay, its fine to hitch-hike the first few legs of your journey if things are really bad for you. But build from there, and get off that road ASAP.

I remember using CSD (circuit switched data) years back when call and data both cost N50.00 per minute (anyone remember those days?) to manage my emails, customer orders and support in the early days of my webhosting business. Even at that exhorbitant cost, I put it to profitable use and built something out of it. Circuit Switched Data is the technical name for GSM dial-up.

Thereafter, GPRS (and later 3G) arrived and was much costlier than what we have on ground today. Yet; I still put it to productive use.

Today, we see an army of young people using cost as an excuse (excuse me?) to defend what is largely a product of irresponsibility. I am under no illusions that this article of mine will produce any change. I’ll bet my entire year’s income that this article will be read, noses raised at me, and the hunt further pursued.

But at least, I have had my say. And hopefully, maybe one – just one – of these free browsing hunters will be awakened through what I have written here, and choose to stand apart, get responsible, and do something really productive with his or her life.

Maybe.

PS: Zain has just concluded a month-long free internet promo, and I am sure we will be hard pressed to find a handful of young people who put the promo to real productive use – not just chatting up babes and posting unintelligent comments on discussion boards and weblogs. Not that Zain’s very epileptic internet access helped matters though, but that’s a subject for another article.

Thanks to Yomi for introducing me to Bolt. No; not Usain Bolt, the 100m & 200m World record holder. Neither is it Bolt the dog from the animated movie of the same title. It’s Bolt the mobile browser. I was quite impressed by its features and quickly decided to download, give it a test run and see how it compares to Opera Mini.

The Startpage is quite eye-catching. It is much better looking than the Opera Mini with its 3 tabs (History, Favourites & Feeds) allowing quick access. The arrow pointer feature, which is missing in Opera mini, is quite useful when clicking away. I however found out that you cannot edit the Favourites but can only add to them.

The Full PC style browsing is unique and one can appreciate web pages in all their glory when browsing on a mobile phone. I found the text quite small when reading but there is an option in Settings where you can adjust the font size to suit your viewing. One thing I found disappointing was the absence o the ability to prevent the browser from loading images. Images are loaded as a default. I guess this may be due to the Full PC style browsing.

As regards speed, I cannot quantitatively assess the speed but I must say its comparable to Opera Mini, though I think the Mini is faster. I won’t contest the data compression technology that Bolt claims to use to deliver web pages but another missing feature is the ability to determine how many kb each page you loaded was. On Opera Mini, one was able to see that detail at the bottom of the screen and there is also a Page Information feature under Tools in Opera Mini.

Lastly, there is a bar at the top of the screen in the Bolt Browser that displays progress by percentage when loading web pages. However, I noticed occasionally that it got stuck at 20% before then rapidly completing. I don’t know if it’s due to the network connection or related to the browser itself.

All in all, for a browser in Beta phase it has shown it can provide competition. I give it a thumbs-up!

Bolt is the name of a new java-based browser for mobile phones. The browser uses the WebKit rendering engine (s60 and iPhone built-in browsers come to mind, anyone?) and a proprietary font engine.

Bolt is developed by Bitstream, the guys behind the niche ThunderHawk Browser.
The developers of Bolt have made the following claims about Bolt:

* Full PC-style browsing on all types of mobile phones
* Web content is never reformatted, repurposed or removed
* Loads pages faster than competing mobile browsers
* Patented navigation and display technologies get you where you’re going faster
* 23:1 over the air data reduction speeds delivery of pages to your phone
* Consumes 1/3 of the battery power of other mobile browsers

Furthermore, the developers say:

Rather than offering a simplified, mini version of the Internet, BOLT provides users with a fast, efficient, feature-rich way to enjoy full PC-style web pages and rich media applications on all levels of mobile devices.

Built on Bitstream’s ThunderHawk browsing technology, BOLT is the result of 5+ years experience developing mobile browsers that optimize usability, speed and performance on resource-constrained systems with limited memory, processing power and screen space. (Source: Bolt Browser – About)

But does Bolt live up to these claims? I have taken the browser for a spin over the last few days, and here I present my findings in this review.

Interface

The Bolt interface is beautiful. Opera Mini looks bland in comparison. With Bolt, you get the feeling that you are actually browsing on PC. The startpage is especially well-organised and laid out, with three main tabs, History, Favourites (bookmarks), and Feeds. There’s also an address bar (with word auto-complete function) at the top of the page. Loading the startpage presents you with yourlist of bookmarks right away.

Bolt sports an arrow pointer similar to navigation with a mouse on a PC. The arrow pointer changes to an active pointer (hand-icon) when it moves over a clickable item.

Full PC-style Browsing

Bolt pulls this off well. In other words, what you get is what you would see if you were browsing on PC. I found the text still quite readable in this format, though I had contrary expectations.

But, beautifully, there’s a “Mobile View” option under “Settings” allowing you switch to accessing the mobile formats of mobile-friendly websites. If the website does not have a mobile version, Bolt simply displays the desktop version of web page – without reformatting anything – even if Mobile view has been selected.

Excellent job!

Speed

Bolt is fast. Very fast. I didn’t do any scientific comparisons, so I am very sure that I cannot give figures. Still my experience is that Bolt matches Opera Mini in speed. I leave it to others to give us the specific statistics that will proclaim one as the faster.

Data Compression

Bolt uses compression technology to deliver web pages to the user. Bolt claims that content is compressed 23:1 before being sent to the handset, reducing data traffic and page load times.

Video and Flash

Bolt has limited flash support. You cannot watch Youtube clips directly on the browser, but it allows you to watch them via RealPlayer. For those on an expensive data plan, here’s the good news: Bolt compresses the video into very manageable sizes (most I tried ended up between 300kb and 600kb – I think the 23:1 compression ratio is believable). Of course, viewing quality suffers.

Other Features

- Find text on page
- Back/Forward
- Pop-up blocking
- Magnification (zooming)
- Image download (download is transferred to the built-in browser)
- Navigation shortcuts
- FTP (I haven’t been able to get it to work yet)

In all I have found Bolt a very refreshing application to use. It has replaced Opera Mini as my backup mobile browser. Now, if only I can get that FTP feature to work…

If your mouth is watering a bit by now, please go ahead and download your copy of Bolt.

Convergence makes a lot of sense. Though it has its disadvantages, it has more going for it in an environment like ours.

Last Saturday, I was part of a discussion about the benefits of having private internet access. One of the key problems raised was that of the terrible power supply situation in the country. Someone pointed out that a monthly internet subscription becomes wasteful when there is no power supply to put the subscription to good use.

Of course, I did not need to mention that even with a power generator available, the subscription is still largely under-utilised, and even then the extra costs of running a generating set are just obscene.

I pointed out at that discussion – waving my Nokia E90 in the air – that only those of us who use connected mobile devices really put our subscription to full use – regardless of time, location and availability of public power.

If you need internet access, I recommend that you strongly consider a mobile device and internet subscription. This makes sense financially and functionally.

The E90, for example, in all its glory is cheaper than a laptop and gives you longer hours of usage on battery than a laptop does.

There are places where it would be foolish to take a laptop to e.g. your friend’s wedding, yet no-one would bat an eye-lid at seeing your communicator there. We must also not forget those outdated eateries that want to tantalize you but post bold signs that read: “The use of laptops is not allowed in here“. Of course, my E90 gets in all the time and gets used too. They are really clueless; aren’t they?

After church service on Sunday, a group of us were chatting and someone asked for the location of a cultural centre in Lagos. He needed to find his way there that afternoon. None of us present knew. But Google did – and my communicator was available. In a few minutes, he had the address he was looking for. Thank God for mobility!

The problem of text input is largely resolved on devices with QWERTY-layout keyboards. Copy and paste functionality exists on many of them, and most have capabilities to read and edit Office documents. The majority come with the ability to read PDF files as well. These things are computers – albeit very handy ones.

Honestly, if you are not a programmer, graphics designer and the like, you are on a budget and need an internet device and connection, instead of shelling out for a PC/Laptop and getting a fixed internet connection, you can have a single device with access to internet access anywhere.

Usually, people are hesitant in considering that some mobile devices can serve effectively as PC replacements. For what most people use their PCs for, many mobile devices are more than qualified as PC replacements.

If you have questions on this, I’d be delighted to help you sift through the maze of mobility to narrow down your search for the right device for you. So, post your questions below!

1. Voice
The ubiquitous voice is what almost everyone uses their mobiles for. Being mobile means that your customers can speak with you whether you are in the office or on the road. But you knew that already; didn’t you?

2. SMS
SMS (text messaging) can be a powerful tool in maintaining effective customer service. For example, SMS can be used to deliver instant notices to your clients and customers.

It can also be used to notify single customers of important issues should a need arise. SMS can be used to congratulate a client on his/her birthday or any other special day.

3. Mobile Internet
With a GPRS/EDGE/3G/3.5G connected phone or smartphone, you or your field workers can access information e.g. over Google or email round the clock and when on the move.

Mobile internet can also serve as your primary (or backup) internet connection at the office, seeing that bundle packages are now available at good costs.

Do transactions online, do social networking and more – all on the move.

4. Scheduling
Phones have served faithfully as efficient personal organisers for years. Most recent phones (even the low-tier ones) have built-in alarms, notes and calendars. Use them!

5. Grab Information
Record that business discussion in audio format. Or you are driving and see an inspiration scene; pull out your camera and take a snapshot, so you can have reference material later. The option of recording video is there as well.

6. Storage Media
With many phones having external memory card slots and potential card capacities of over 8GB, your phone can serve as a storage media. Use bluetooth, infrared or USB to store those documents or files for reference when you get back to your desk.

7. View and Edit Office Documents
Not only can you store your Powerpoint, Excel and Word files on your phone, many business phones and communicators come with MS Office viewers and/or editors. So, you don’t have to wait till you get to the office to review that document. keep busy while caught in the traffic.

Conclusions
As you can see, there’s much more to phones today than the average user considers. I once ran my entire business operation from a Nokia 9500 communicator and later an E61. And I had excellent results to show for it.

Honestly, its a possibility that I left something out, though I suspect that whatever it is would fall under one of the above categories.

Get smart with using your mobile phone. No point wasting the potentials of a device you spent that much on.

I’ve been using smartphones since 2002. Six (6) years since my first smartphone, and I am amazed at the awesome leaps in the features and capabilities of the devices available then and of those available now.

The Motorola “Accompli” A008 was my second “smartphone”, and I purchased it in April 2003. It was a top-of-the-line device then and was quite classy too.

I currently use the Windows Mobile powered Samsung i780. Here’s a concise comparison of the features of the two devices separated by almost 6 years.

Display
A008: Monochrome 320 x 240 pixels, 8 lines, monochrome touchscreen
i780: 320 x 320 pixels; TFT touchscreen, 65K colors

Processor
A008: 33Mhz [Ahem!]
i780: 624 Mhz Fast Marvell PXA3xx processor

RAM
A008: 8MB [What?]
i780: 128MB

Storage
A008: 2MB internal; no external slot [How did i survive with this limitation then?]
i780: 256MB; External MicroSD slot

Browser
A008: Openwave 1.1 WAP
i780: Opera Mobile 8.65 HTML/WAP 2.0

It is amazing; isn’t it? Just roughly six years, and the Accompli, top of the range in its time, is clearly outdated and outgunned today. Still, here’s a brief review of the Accompli from my archives.

The Accompli sales package came with a TrueSync CD. TrueSync (for PC synchronisation) worked fine for the most part, though synchronisation between the phone and my PC produced a few truncated entries.

The A008 also had the ability to send out documents as fax. It came with “flight mode” functionality, allowing the user to switch off the phone module in restricted areas and still use PDA functions alone.

Because it ran a proprietary OS (Operating System), there’s no support for 3rd party applications except java midlets. The WAP 1.1 browser, naturally, was very limited as to the variety of sites it could load.

Because GPRS was non-existent in Nigeria then, all email handling, WAP browsing and java downloads that I did on the phone were via CSD (Circuit Switched Data) – and the Accompli performed admirably. The built-in email client allows creating and managing multiple POP accounts. large screen and scheduled downloads. An audio alert notified of new mails.

The Accompli also had excellent and fast handwriting recognition. One let-down, though, was the inadequate audio level of the earpiece. I found it more expedient to use the handsfree earphones for calls, as audio was much better on those. It also did not have text copy/paste functionality.

On the fun side, I had java games installed. The device also had a ringtone composer that I played with regularly, and an application that allows the user to create sketches and drawings.

I remember the Accompli with fond memories. Still, I’d rather be using a Samsung i780, Nokia E71 or Sony Ericsson P1i today. Let’s keep history history please.

Update:
Just to further emphasise the progress, here’s a comparison of the results for Java benchmark for MIDP 1.0 Devices for the Motorola A008 and the Sony Ericsson P1i (which I had before the i780):

Score
A008: 135
P1i: 5315

Text
A008: 51
P1i: 1643

2D Shapes
A008: 58
P1i: 1245

3D Shapes
A008: 24
P1i: 504

Fill Rate
A008: 4
P1i: 176

Animation
A008: 0
P1i: 1753

Credit: Java Benchmark results from JBenchmark