Here is a sneak preview of the upcoming Mobility blog app for Android.

We have a talented Port Harcourt based app developer who we are working with to bring you a user-friendly solution for Android users.

The Mobility blog app for Android will incorporate the following core features:

1. Viewing of latest articles and comments
2. Posting of comments
3. Searching of the Mobility blog archives

We are quite excited about this, as we have a fast-growing community of Android OS smartphone users here on Mobility.

More features may be added and the layout as shown above may change.

We will be following up with a BlackBerry app as soon as possible. Already, our Symbian/MeeGo/Java app has clocked over 6,000 downloads.

Whatever happens, exciting times are ahead here. Brace up!

Canalys have released their Q4 2011 and full 2011 estimates, and the above and below tables give the summaries.

Notable Highlights

Besides the obvious, here are some other notable points from the Canalys report:

1. Total annual global shipments of smartphones exceeded those of client PCs (including pads) for the first time
2. Samsung shipped 3.8 million Bada OS smartphones
3. Nokia shipped 1.2 million Windows Phone smartphones
4. Nokia shipped only 0.6 million MeeGo smartphones, so the N9 didn’t sell as much as some hoped

Nobody is paying Bada OS much attention, but Samsung is making great progress with it. 3.8 million Bada OS smartphones is no joke. It is doing significantly better than Windows Phone at the moment, though that may change as Nokia increases Windows Phone shipments this year.

Most importantly is the fact that smartphones have finally overtaken the PC. Do click the source link below to access the full report.

Source

In December 2011, in publishing the news of Sony taking over Sony Ericsson, I made a brief mention of the Ericsson R380 as the very first Symbian smartphone.

In this feature article, I am going down memory lane to talk about that elegant device. Being my very first smartphone, the Ericsson R380 holds a special place in my mind.

The very first time that I saw it, it was love at first sight. Gadget lust waxed strong within me and I told myself that I was getting one.

But it wasn’t just my first smartphone, it was the first smartphone ever!

Meet The Great Grandfather Smartphone

Released in 2000AD, two years after Psion became Symbian, I didn’t get my hands on one until December 2002.

The R380 was the first device to be marketed as a smartphone – PDA and phone wrapped into one, and in a nice form. As such, sentiments aside, this guy is the grand-daddy of every smartphone circulating around today. Even the first of my beloved Communicators didn’t show up until 2001 in the form of the Nokia 9210.

The R380 looked and worked like any other mobile phone of its day when closed up. But you can open the front flip to reveal the large landscape display. It weighed only 164g.

The R380′s main specs:

• WAP 1.1 browser (an improved version later shipped with WAP 1.2.1)
• Large 3.5-inch backlit monochrome STN touchscreen display (120 x 360 pixels)
• Flip cover with regular alpha-numeric keyboard for use as a regular phone
• Stylus for use with the resistive touchscreen
• POP3/IMAP Email
• Calendar & notes
• Synchronization with Microsoft® Outlook and Lotus® Notes and Organizer
• Symbian OS version 5
• Infrared port
• GSM 900/1800 dual band phone
• 2MB RAM
• 1.2 MB user-accessible storage
• Handwriting recognition
• Voice notes
• Speakerphone functionality
• Dial-up (CSD) internet connectivity
• 1 -chord (monophonic) ringtones
• Built-in Games:
• Built-in modem
• RS-232 cable for PC connectivity

Though running Symbian, the OS was “closed” at the time, as no 3rd party apps could be installed on it. But it came with pretty much what everyone used then.

Here are some screenshots:

The R380 was a delight to use back then. I subscribed to CSD (circuit Switched Data AKA dial-up internet) with MTN back then, with which I browsed and managed my emails. At that time, this was magic to almost everyone I met here in Nigeria then. Very few of us used mobile internet on mobile back then.

There were no expansion slots yet, and Bluetooth wasn’t on the table either. But infrared was king of the day for wireless connectivity.

I wish I had details of the processor (if someone can help me out with that, I’d be delighted), but the R380 performed admirably. It wasn’t a perfect smartphone. I also remember some occasional freezing up, especially when using internet connectivity (which in retrospect may have been network issues).

It is such a privilege to have been around early enough to use the very first smartphone on the planet as my first smartphone. Ladies and gentlemen, a hat tip to the stately Ericsson R380.

Looking at the older Nokia C7 and the Nokia 701, there is no difference on the outside. They share the same sleek, well-built hardware that gets your attention from the word go.

In this review, I won’t be doing a full, detailed review. Rather, i will be focusing on what stands the 701 out in the market today.

Of all the recent Symbian devices that Nokia has released, the 701 is the sleekest, well-built bloke on the block. It has a very solid feel to it too – like it was made of some premium materials. It is not N9-sleek, but it sure looks and feels good.

The ClearBlack display rocks – and at 3.5-inch, the device is compact.

The Belle User Interface

The Nokia Belle user interface on the 701 is a breath of fresh air and a departure from the traditional Symbian user experience.

You can add up to six (6) home screens. Scrolling between them is smooth and instantanous too. A different wallpaper can be applied to each of the home screens and widgets of different sizes are now available.

There is a system-wide notification menu that can be pulled down to reveal controls to turn on/off Mobile Data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Silent mode.

New messages notifications, quick access to Music player controls (when playing music) and access to mobile data usage details are also available from the pull-down menu.

In any menu, at the bottom of the display is a persistent back key, a search button and menu button. The main menu is flat, but the option to create folders or re-arrange icons can be accessed via the menu button. Icons can also be moved about by holding down and dragging. Nice to give users multiple options of customizing the interface to their taste.

Audio Quality

I love my music. Scratch that. I mean, I have an ear for audio, so when I listen to music, i want to hear every beat, jingle and reed in the best quality possible. This means that I love the Nokia 701, because its audio reproduction quality is one of the best I have seen yet. It beats the E7, the N9, and the Samsung Galaxy S II hands down.

The speakers on this baby are really good. I wish I had an N8 around to compare with.

Speaking of the N8, the Nokia 701 is the phone to get if you want a Nokia smartphone but can’t be bothered about a 12 megapixel camera. You see, its got everything the N8 has – and more:

- a better processor (1GHz, as against the N8′s 680 MHz)
- same 3.5″ display size, but ClearBlack added
- Nokia Belle
- 512 MB RAM (against the N8′s 256MB)
- FM transmitter (same as on the N8)
- bigger, removable battery (yaaaay!)
- microSD card slot (same as on the N8)
- NFC
- its got TV-out and USB On-the-go support too

However, its got only 8GB mass storage, compared to the N8′s 16GB. Then there’s that 8 megapixel full-focus camera.

Camera

The full-focus camera means that you can forget about close-up shots, but it really is good for regular shots. Colour rendering is good, but details are terrible for close-ups.

Dual-LED flash means that you can manage some dark and night scenes. Certainly not all.

However, the 701 is superb for video recording.

Conclusions

The Nokia 701 is what the N8 should have been, minus the camera. It is sleek, functional and modern in every way. If this had hit the market a year ago, things would have been different today.

But all that is history. Still, if you love the functionality of the old Symbian and want it with a nice user interface, you cannot go wrong with the Nokia 701. And costing only N53,000, it is a steal.

The app ecosystem is not as robust as what obtains on Android or iOS, but most of the apps that you need are available anyway. At the end of the day, its your decision.

Ladies and gentlemen, the phone that the N8 could have been?

The last time I was this excited about Facebook on Symbian was when fMobi was launched. Like fMobi, Facinate is a Qt-based Facebook app for Symbian smartphones.

I downloaded and installed it on my Nokia E7 this morning, and it instantly wowed me. It has got everything built in, and best of all, the developers say that it is free for life.

The UI is sweet and fluid, and you can scroll vertically or swipe horizontally. Yes; you heard me right. Swipe has come to Symbian via Qt! Now, you can now try out some of those fancy N9 moves that I make on your Symbian smartphone.

The first thing I did was look for the settings, because that’s where I was likely to get a clear picture of how functional the app was. In the settings, you can:

• pick between two theme options: light or dark
• enable tips
• enable PUSH notifications, including for birthdays, new messages, so you don’t miss anything
• select what time of the day you want to receive notifications (cool!)
• select the intervals for the checking of notifications
• enable either or both of audio and light notifications

Here is a comprehensive list of features and functionality:

• News feed
• Friends
• Messages
• Chat
• Birthdays
• Notifications
• My Wall
• Photos
• Events
• Info – this displays your profile info, wall and photo albums (swipe horizontally to navigate through)
• Settings
• About
• Logout
• Exit

PUSH notifications are delivered via both a homescreen pop-up and audio alert (depending on your settings). Tap on a notification and the appropriate menu is launched in the app.

Probably the best news here is that Facinate supports both S60 5th Edition devices and SymbianNext devices.

Facinate Download Link

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.

Here’s a simple poll for our readers to participate in. The question:

If you got the chance to replace your current primary smartphone i.e. the one you use on a day-to-day basis, What mobile platform would you pick your new smartphone from?

This poll will run till 9pm Friday 25th of November when the poll will be taken down and the results published.

Poll results: Results have been published here.

In my opinion, Nokia has done a smashing job bringing Symbian up to Belle. Belle is a smashing OS version and brings the UI aspect of Symbian up to date.

However, it is looking like there is life after Belle.

According to supposedly leaked documents, Symbian may be getting two more updates after Belle, as follows:

Symbian Carla

• 8.0 Browser
• Dolby soundround
• NFC
• Best Widgets

Symbian Donna

• Exclusive Dual core Equipment

Dual core CPUs on Symbian? I guess with all the fancy UI implementations, Symbian finally needs to go that route.

Anyway, whether this is true or not, Nokia’s legendary history of supporting their products long after competitors have stopped supporting their own products of the same age is commendable.

If Symbian will still be getting more update love after Belle, it is even more commendable. Like I keep saying, no OS ever went out with a bang like Symbian.

This info hasn’t been confirmed via any official channel, but it sure makes for interesting discussion; doesn’t it?

If you want the full details, do head over to MyNokiaBlog for the juicy bits.

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.

Engineered Luxury Meets High-Powered Performance

Stuttgart, Germany/Waterloo, Ontario: Today, Porsche Design and Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM ) announced the elite new Porsche Design P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry®. Designed by Porsche Design, in collaboration with RIM, the luxury brand’s first smartphone delivers engineered luxury and performance.

The Porsche Design P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry is instantly identifiable as a Porsche Design product. The exclusive material choices for this unique smartphone include a forged stainless steel frame, hand-wrapped leather back cover, sculpted QWERTY keyboard, and crystal clear touch display. This customized Porsche Design P’9981 comes with an exclusive Porsche Design UI and a bespoke Wikitude World Browser augmented reality app experience. It also includes premium, exclusive PINs that help easily identify another P’9981 smartphone user.

“Since 1972 Porsche Design has presented milestone products with iconic style, and the P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry will be our next landmark,” said Dr. JuergenGessler, CEO Porsche Design Group. “The pure and distinctive design, coupled with authentic materials and an emphasis on the manufacturing process, perfectly match our philosophy and complement the Porsche Design product assortment.”

“This collaboration stems from a shared belief that form equals function,” said Todd Wood, SVP for Industrial Design, Research In Motion. “The Porsche Design P’9981 is a truly modern luxury smartphone, where the timeless style of Porsche Design meets the unmatched mobile experience provided by BlackBerry.”

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.

Remember the Motorola RAZR? Well, if you believe in reincarnation, its back. And meaner. Take a look.

The original RAZR was known for skimping on specs and splurging on looks. This new guy, however, is as much looks as real muscles too.

Quick specs:
- Sculpted glass face, diamond-cut aluminum accents
- 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display
- KEVLAR® fibre coating
- Corning® Gorilla® Glass screen with splash-guard coating
- Dual-core 1.2GHz processor
- 1 GB RAM
- Android™ 2.3.5
- 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with even 1080p HD video capture
- 16GB internal memory, plus microSD card slot

The RAZR will be available in stores from November.

Motorola disappeared from these parts years ago, so hopes of seeing the RAZR come officially here are next to zilch. Still, what’s to stop Android fans from drooling over this guy?