Optimising Battery Life on Android devices
At Google I/O 2010, Larry Page has mentioned that Android’s battery life is pretty good and added that “if you are not getting a day, there is something wrong.” Most issues of short battery life for Android are partly blamed on apps and unnecessary data usage that sucks out battery life without you realising it.
Initially we thought Larry Page was just giving an arrogant response to those who doubts Android’s power management but we ended up agreeing with what he had just said. After playing around with Android devices, we admit that how you set up your device does make a big difference when it comes to battery life.
We’ve compiled a guide on how to improve and optimise your battery life for Android devices.
Maxis offers BlackBerry Bold 9700 in white
If you’re getting bored with BlackBerry’s black, Maxis has something different. We spotted an ad running on TheStar that tells us that Maxis is offering a white version of BlackBerry Bold 9700.
The ad also says that the first 200 buyers will get RM500 worth of Freebies and it is only available at Ampang Mall, KLCC next Friday 4th June 2010.
That’s all we know as clicking the ad brings us to this page which is not available.
It is either Maxis‘s web team had forgotten to upload the page or simply their advertising agency had placed their ad ahead of schedule. There’s no sign of such white BlackBerry on Maxis’s website either.
Anyway, having a white BlackBerry does stand out among the sea of black BlackBerry devices. So for those looking to buy a unique looking BlackBerry might consider waiting until next Friday for it.
Update: Maxis finally uploads BlackBerry White promo page. Read all about it here.
If you think 8 is a lucky, think again
Bulgarian telco Mobitel have suspended what appears to be a very auspicious 0888 888 888 mobile phone number after every single person carrying that number died in the span of 10 years.
A Bulgarian Mafia boss, a crooked real estate agent and even the CEO of Mobitel himself have all died while carrying the number – one due to cancer and the order two brutally gunned down.
So if you’re thinking of getting a 8888 number for your mobile phone line, remember Bulgaria.
[source]
iPhone HD/4G video chat confirmed, TVC on the way
Apple’s iChat is confirmed on the next iPhone HD/4G released by Apple. According to a source, Sam Mendes will be directing a commercial showing a mother and daughter having a video chat thru the iPhone in one of its commercials.
This significantly assure us that the front facing camera is really included in the final production model and will be used for video conferencing.
It will be interesting to see how Apple known for revolutionising things will succeed in mobile video conferencing. Video calls which is the killer function in 3G never really kicked off in a big way and it is exciting to see how Apple will turn things around.
[ Source ]
iPhone 3G dropped and iPhone 3GS price slashed
According to a tip off, sales of the iPhone 3G has been frozen by AT&T signaling the end of the model. At the same time, the price of the iPhone 3GS has been reduced by Walmart with the 16GB version going for only $97.
All these changes are pointing that the iPhone HD/4G launch is near, making the iPhone 3GS the lowest entry level model in the market. Maxis did the same thing last year when iPhone 3GS was launched.
Lets just see how soon Maxis & DiGi will react towards these market changes for iPhones.
[ Source ]
DiGi to implement Facebook Zero, fast and Free way to Facebook
Recently Facebook just announced Facebook Zero or better known for 0.facebook.com. This basically is a lightweight text only version of Facebook which aims to allow Free access to mobile users on supported telcos. It was launched with more than 50 telcos worldwide.
Lowyat has reported that DiGi too is in the running to implement Facebook Zero. Once this is implemented, DiGi users can access Facebook for free with this light version. Free Facebook access, who would complain? We tried now with our DiGi SIM but the site says that our current network is not supported yet. There was even a tweet from @digi_telco cautioned that those trying the site may incur some data charges.
Let’s hope this will come true soon even if it means DiGi willing enough to sacrifice some of its revenue on its Facebook SMS Service.
Of course, there are some limitation as no photos and external links will be charged separately.
[ Source ]
DiGi revises DG50 to give you more but is it really more?
We found out that DiGi has just revised their DG50 postpaid plan which strives to give more value to its subscribers. When we look at it, it doesn’t look much different from the original DG50 launched nearly 2 years ago. The rates are still the same and even the billing block cycle is still 30 seconds.
Postpaid rates has been pretty stagnant lately and old fashion price war is not heading anywhere. So what’s new with DiGi postpaid? If they can’t cut the rates, they give further discounts depending on your total bill spend.
So does this translate to big savings? Well, Yes and No.
Samsung bada debuts in Malaysia in June
We’ve got word that Samsung’s very own mobile OS – bada – will make it’s Malaysian debut sometime in June. We’re not sure if the OS launch will be accompanied by a device launch but we’ll be sure to look out for the latest development on that.
If you don’t already know, Samsung is also eyeing the lucrative mobile OS market with its own OS called bada.
The Samsung bada is an open source OS that will be the basis of Samsung’s “smartphone for everyone” objective. Samsung says the bada OS will not compete with existing smartphone platforms but instead provide cost-effective smartphones for everyone.
Ermm…we’re not sure if they’ve heard of Android.
Currently there’s only one device that supports bada – the Samsung Wave S8500. The specs of the Wave look impressive with a 3.3in Super AMOLED screen (800 x 480), 1GHz processor and a 5MP camera with flash all wraped in a unibody chassis. The edgy design looks dated in our oppion but the proof is in eating the pudding, so we’ll reserve our final judgement when and if we do get our hands on one.
And if you’re wondering, bada actually means ocean in Korean.
You can read all about the OS here.
There’s a video demo of the bada OS after the jump. We feel it looks like a mishmash of Android and iPhone OS. The UI runs smooth but the look isn’t as polished as either one. And take a look at minute 1:18 onwards, what’s up with using CDs as icon for its media library? Nobody uses those discs anymore.
2010 FIFA World Cup app for Nokia phones
The Associated Press has released its version of a World Cup tracker app for Nokia phones on Ovi Store.
The app running on Flash Lite will allow users to follow their favourite team’s progress through the tournament. The app features live game scores, schedules, standings, and more. Additional features include star player profiles, photos and videos, venue information and interactive voting to pick your favorites.
The AP 2010 FIFA World Cup app is available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese and is free for download here.
D-Link DIR-457 pocket WiFi router review
Have you ever been in a situation where you wish that you had a WiFi hotspot to connect to the Internet to? If you wanted to get some surfing done while out and about you would be limited to hotspots at restaurants or cafes; or you’d have to get a dongle and plug it into your laptop – not really a feasible option for someone who needs to whip out his computer get connected right away.
Also, we’re putting it on record that 3G dongles are ugly. We just hate looking at the thing jutting out of a laptop USB port with a blinding blue lights flashing at every single click.
Enter the WiFi pocket router. A WiFi pocket router grabs 3G signals and turns it to WiFi connectivity for you to use. Unlike USB dongles, these pocket routers allow you to share your 3G connectivity with as much as five WiFi devices.
Some people will instantly see how a WiFi pocket router would be tremendously useful for them but for others, they might not see the point. Which side do you belong to? Well, read the rest of this review to find out.
This is our review of the D-Link DIR-457 pocket WiFi router.