Search results matching tag 'Blackberry'

The N97, the ultimate Symbian smartphone or Nokia's big joke?

2085942 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:15:00 GMT

I have to admit that I was in a state of giddy anticipation when I got home to find that the courier had delivered a shiny new Nokia N97: It came in a under-stated black box which resembled a treat from a Regent Street boutique. It was a pleasure to unbox, as I appreciated the way it feels comfortable in my hands.

The N97 is a radical new design, somewhere between a classic touch-screen like the iPhone and a keyboard-phone like the Blackberry. The whole device slides open with a very satisfying swing that just exudes quality engineering revealing an easy to use QUERTY thumb-pad and a joystick for people who do not enjoy using touch-screens. Other bloggers have complained about the angle of the slide: The screen is at approximately thirty degrees to the key-pad, and it's impossible to push it flat. I never found that to be a problem because the shape of the phone when opened out makes it very easy to hold securely while typing and walking.

I agree with Susy Weaser when she says that the test of a good gadget is that you should not need to read the manual. It does not take me long to download the Facebook and Twitter application.

However, it takes me ages to find out how to change the basics: date and time, profiles, personalisation. I found the structure of the configuration application very confusing: It took half an hour to connect to one of the many WiFi access points in the house and even more time to download the Google Apps.

Nokia are pushing their "Ovi Store" as the one-stop shop for all applications, however I found that I couldn't find the applications I wanted. The search did not seem to work at all.

In all I think I must have spent about twelve hours customising and tweaking the phone's apps and settings before I had something which seemed vaguely right.

Speaking of customisations - the phone seemed to want to do it's own thing: For example even though I set up my own Google Mail application and then the "Mail for Exchange" client (which can be used to connect to Google's calendar and tasks) it still insisted on forcing me to set up Nokia's own mail software each time I powered on the phone. Even after I relented and signed up for "Ovi Mail" it still wanted me to set up the mail service every time I switched the phone on, which happened rather a lot given the phone's tendency to crash in the middle of whatever I happened to be doing.

And on the subject of reliability: The Symbian platform is known for it's dependable full-featured phones. I've been using Nokia's S60 phones for more than three years. Unfortunately somebody in Nokia's testing department must have been on holiday when they were preparing this for release: Even after upgrading all the software to the latest version this phone crashed two or three times per day. It usually happened at the least appropriate time, such as when I was talking on the phone.

The most annoying bug was a quirk on the key-lock: If left un-used for a minute the device automatically locks it's keyboard to prevent accidental dialling. You are supposed to be able to unlock it by simply flicking the keylock switch on the side, however from time to time it would decide to ignore this. Other than removing the battery to hard-reset the phone I could find no way to get back in control of the device. Given that this happened two or three times a week I'm astonished that Nokia's quality-control people did not spot this problem.

Finally, my biggest gripe is the screen itself: It looks just like any other mobile phone touch-screen however unless you push it quite hard nothing happens. I found it required quite a bit of pressure to make it work, and then given the force you have to use it becomes very imprecise so I often found myself pressing the wrong button by mistake. The N97's touch-screen is really quite clumsy. It's got no multi-touch and Nokia cheekily bundle a little stylus with the phone - suggesting that Nokia are well aware that this touch-screen is not intended for touching.

The iPhone has already set the standard for a touch-screen. Everybody knows how well the iPhone works - you can touch it with one or two fingers. You can manipulate images on screen with easy to learn gestures. You do not need a stylus or any special accessory to use it. Like most modern touch-screens the iPhone, HTC Magic, Palm Pre and pretty much everybody else uses a "capacitive" screen which can sense the presence of your fingertips without the need to push. The N97 uses an older generation of screen known as "Resistive" - it's the same kind of screen that you find on a Nintendo DS. This cheaper sort of screen relies on actual pressure in order to register input.

Please do not mistake me for an Apple fan, it's just that I recognise that they got it right whereas Nokia got it wrong. And that's a real shame because the screen was supposed to be the biggest selling point of this new machine. I cannot think why Nokia decided to go 2nd best for the phone's main feature.

The N97 is packed with features, cool things like a built in FM transmitter, the best mobile-camera on the market, and an email application that easily rival's Blackberry's flagship. On paper this looks like the best phone ever made however silly design mistakes frequent annoying bugs makes me reluctant to recommend this product. Other than the screen (which a great many people will not find a problem), all of the phone's problems are to do with it's software so in theory Nokia could release an update which corrects all of the phone's faults. Rumor has it that they will be releasing a refreshed version of the N97 with an improved screen (but without the joypad) - I hope that Nokia can pull it off second time around.

Finally, it's been said that the N97 is one of the most eccentric products that Nokia have ever made: The week before I had to give it back they sent me an even more bizarre product to review. It's supposed to be an "anti-theft" device for the N97. You clip your state of the art Nokia into what looks like an early 1980's phone and then run an application which is intended to make the N97's screen look exactly like an old-fashion phone keypad.

The end result is that your N97 is made to look like something that Cybill Shepherd in Moonlighting might have used. My kids love it. It shows that even if they did not get the N97 completely right, Nokia has a sense of humour.

U2 Love Blackberry .... and Apple

1244467 — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:47:00 GMT

I've just seen the new Blackberry ad, "We Love U2".

I like it...but it reminded me of something...What was it...of course, the iPod U2 ad!

A mistake? An oversight? No, I can’t believe it’s anything but a conscious effort to take a leaf out of the iPod book of marketing. After all, if you want to emulate them and beating them is not really on the agenda, why not copy them? Mmmmm...

Blackberry detox

902609 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:38:00 GMT

I am just back from annual holiday and this year, 2 weeks away.... Fabulous! 2 whole weeks. So, as I set off, I dutifully turn off the blackberry email push.

Oh. No flashing red light, I still find myself checking email, even though it has been switched off

Email has come to mean that I am wanted, needed, valued. With no emails, then have I become superfluous? What is going on? How is everything going? Of course, the bigger question is why should I care when I am on a Greek beach for the next two weeks, but I have become so used to being plugged into what is going on almost 24 hours a day that becoming unplugged is incredibly difficult.

Our pace of life at work has accelerated such that I expect to be plugged in almost 24 hours a day. Blackberries allow us to take our office with us wherever we go, at any time. We are never away from the office, and never unable to answer questions. Add in twitter and facebook updates on your mobile, and a holiday quickly becomes merely a change in location.

So, I went cold turkey on the blackberry, and it took a few days, but I did manage to wean myself off blackberry dependency and eventually thoroughly enjoyed the freedom from emails. Have I changed my blackberry habits after returning though? Try emailing me after 9pm and see!

Thousands download Skyfire's new 1.0 version for smartphones

2292853 — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:30:00 GMT

This week the mobile browser Skyfire released it's long awaited 1.0 version, for use with smartphones, taking the company out of a hugely successful beta period that has seen 1 million people downoad the free service.

Skyfire is free to download at: www.get.skyfire.com

The service is currently available in the UK, USA and Canada, and runs on Windows Mobile (smartphones and PPC) and Nokia N and E Series (Symbian S60, 3rd Edition) phones. With its release yesterday, thousands of people lit up on fire with excitement for Skyfire and have been reporting their experiences on Twitter, with many tweeting that the service is the iPhone for other handsets. Skyfire is feeding the strong popularity and desire people have to get connected to the internet by their mobile phones, for instant access to social networking sites, viewing videos and reading their RSS feeds, among other features. Skyfire describes its service as bringing the full web experience to handsets, and it is the only mobile browser that supports Flash, Silverlight and Ajax, technologies that normally crash when attempting to access the internet from a handset.

Skyfire's 1.0 release means millions more people will be able to catch up on Facebook, Twitter and watch YouTube, BBC iPlayer from their mobile, and this rich-media content experience bodes well for brands who are increasingly using the mobile internet for advertising and marketing. The excitement for this new milestone in technology captured the attention of mainstream media and bloggers, who have given the service rave reviews. Here's what some have said:

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“You see, Skyfire isn't a 'proper' browser, more of a content viewer, with all the serious processing handled by the company's proxy servers, the pages then being 'rendered' onto your phone. Just like the Opera browser in fact, but with more whistles, bells and streaming video.” – T3’s David Walker

“The release brings with it a host of improvements, such as improved navigation, zooming and interaction and a faster launch, lower power consumption, and new search functionality. Also, while the new version of the browser starts up, you can begin typing URLs or search queries into the box at the top, saving time. The company is operating a closed alpha for the BlackBerry platform, so that'll likely be next for release.” –Pocket-lint.com’s Duncan Geere

“Their browser is fast and responsive, and Skyfire’s goal is to give a faithful representation of web pages that is equivalent to the desktop browsing experience. One important focus for Skyfire is in the area of video rendering… Skyfire’s approach is to introduce their own video-crunching servers between, say, YouTube and your Nokia N95. These servers take full Flash (Flash 10) and then video transcode the signal in real-time, giving a lower frame rate (8 frames per second), and a smaller screen rendering for mobile. The result is that the Skyfire browser can render an original YouTube page or Vimeo page, or even blogs with embedded video, so that you have access to the entire video catalogue, live on line.” –Martyn Davies, The Really Mobile Project

Watch The Phones Show hosted by AllAboutSymbian.com's Steve Litchfield, for an interview with Skyfire’s VP of Business Development Raj Singh, who offers extra insight to the browser’s features and hints of what’s to come.

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CNET was among the first outlets to announce the news yesterday, and just prior to Skyfire’s 1.0 launch, The New York Times named the browser as “App of the Week”.

My consultancy the Hai Media Group handled the UK/EU media outreach for Skyfire, teaming up with our fantastic US media partners VSC Consulting to orchestrate this highly successful PR 2.0 outreach programme.

Still finding more and more coverage results for Skyfire,

-Lisa

Innocent until proven innocent

1725283 — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:32:00 GMT

Today is May 1st. The day that people dance around the maypole. Sometimes naked. And to celebrate we've decided to officially launch Campbell Lace (Beta.)

We start the day with a big meeting with a big potential client. It's a fascinating project, and not the sort of thing a traditional agency would get asked to do. The meeting is over by 10am. We really really hope we get this. It would get us off to a brilliant start. Fingers crossed.

Next we go back to the office to submit an RFI (request for information) for a pitch. We've been working on the RFI all week. We've put a fabulous team together. Experts from all sorts of disciplines. Our solution is anything but conventional. We stick the RFI on a bike and wave it goodbye. Toes crossed.

Now onto the next RFI. It also has to be sent off today. But Garry has other ideas. He has become obsessed with getting on the Innocent pitch. Even though the list has been compiled and is now shut. Garry is like a Pit Bull with lockjaw. He can not and will not let go.

Robert is delighted. Innocent are one of the best brands on the planet. We are unconcerned by Innocent's reputation for being difficult to work with.

When Virgin came to RKCR in 1993 they had a reputation for being the client from hell. They turned out to be the client from heaven.

Perhaps the difficulty is that Innocent have not yet found the agency that is right for them.

Ad agencies often have problems working with clients who have already had a powerful idea for themselves. Like Innocent and Virgin. They just can't accept that clients can be creative too.

Garry's Blackberry is smoking. Please Innocent. Put us on the list. Before Garry spontaneously combusts.

Great Viral - BlackBerry's Storm

2458936 — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:53:00 GMT

Two fruits can tell a story in less than 20 seconds if they happen to be the symbols for two of the most iconic brands in the world. New York-based agency Guava's ad for BlackBerry's Storm touch phone shows a blackberry used as a bullet being shot violently through an apple. The clip has already been viewed more than 720,000 times on youtube.com.

Obama sees unfettered email as a human right

1319935 — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 07:43:00 GMT

Does today's report that Obama will be the first US president to use email mean digital is normal now? Mind you, yesterday the FBI announced an investigation into hacks who got hold of Sarah Palin's email.

A whole new world of complication for authoritative and paranoid institutions opens up.

One wonders if Obama's Candide-like attitude to technology will shift the attention from the real reason people take up email, Facebook, Twitter and so on - they want to communicate with each other, freely and without fear, to the miserable place of recrimination and *** covering, the downside of corporate communication management.

I recently receive hundreds of messages from around the world as I left MRM Worldwide, wishing me luck with my new venture and other kindly comments.

Many of them were *not* by email on account of big brother concerns. It's a sad reflection on corporate life that individuals are subsumed to the corporate will without a second thought to the perfectly reasonable human desire to communicate with people they like.

There is of course, email etiquette and certain guides to successful email life that I have promoted. Don't send email when you're a) pissed b) angry c) very angry. Do a) spell correctly b) make the message title relevant and c) consider the recipient may have two hundred unopened in an inbox.

One excuse I've heard from corporate apparatchiks for not doing something they were supposed to was they were too busy dealing with hundreds of emails. Don't confuse activity with progress was my advice back. Let's hope Obama doesn't either.

The geek endorser in chief

255762 — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:52:00 GMT

Barack Obama could be the biggest celebrity endorser in the history of endorsements with estimates that his oft expressed love for his Blackberry could be worth as much as $50m dollars to the PDA firm. If only he didn't have to part company with the thing in a couple of weeks.

The New York Times has a report today on the last days of Obama's association with his favourite device, which he was often seen with doing the Blackberry prayer on the campaign trail, as once he takes over the Oval office on January 20 he looks likely to lose it for security and legal issues.

"I’m still clinging to my BlackBerry,” Obama said Wednesday in an interview with CNBC and The New York Times. "They’re going to pry it out of my hands."

Those words are worth a small fortune to Research In Motion, which makes the Blackberry, in terms of free marketing with estimates put at between $25m and $50m. Might seem high, but he's the most talked about man on the planet and his reach is global. Why hire Jerry Seinfeld like Microsoft did for millions of dollars when you luck upon Obama for free?

Doug Shabelman, the president of Burns Entertainment, told the NY Times: "This would be almost the biggest endorsement deal in the history of endorsements. He’s consistently seen using it and consistently in the news arguing - and arguing with issues of national security and global welfare - how he absolutely needs this to function on a daily basis."

He's a natural geek. He's just run the most tech savvy YouTube and Facebook friendly presidential election campaign and he's even this week helping Marvel shift a bumper amount of Spiderman after making the front cover (in some story about two Obamas - and evil Obama? Say it ain't so).

Although I'm not sure it's entirely intentional, of course, Obama and his people must know that being associated with such a product that is at the cutting edge of mobile technology says a lot about the President elect: that not only is he tech savvy (The Whitehouse 2.0), but he has so many friends and people wanting to get in touch with him underscoring his popularity and almost making him seem available and like you and me.

Slate even has a long piece on why Obama should be allowed to keep his Blackberry. There's probably a Facebook group, but it's banned at work still following all the virus stuff last year so really I've no way of knowing. Somone should set up a group. Save Obama's Blackberry - maybe one for RIM's agency.

Sadly, RIM and no one else is ever going to get to write the campaign that would feature Obama. Although some have had a go: "If Blagojevich can pick my replacement, I can pick my device".

If Apple had picked up on it quicker, maybe back on the campaign trail, you could have imagined an iPhone ad suggesting "Time for change Mr Obama - it's an iFuture".

For RIM this has all come as its BlackBerry Bold has been suffering technical problems with Orange talking of pulling the phone because of persistent problems including dropped calls and poor reception. This has resulted in "uncharacteristically high" return rates.

If anyone can fix it Obama can. Maybe someone could ask him if he ever gets a dropped call? I'm guessing not.

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Is this Christmas the tipping point for video on mobile ?

1363416 — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:05:00 GMT

The Blackberry Storm, the I-Phone and Nokia's N96 are locked in marketing battle in an attempt to get their phones on the Christmas lists of millions.

The great news is that they are all using VIDEO as a key selling point. Is this what we have been waiting for in the industry so that mobile video content will finally become a core component of the marketing mix?

Or is its marketing bark louder than its bite? Will this opportunity for mobile video to reach critical mass be dogged by poor viewing results because of data charges and navigation issues?

And will those of us in the content creation industry just get frustrated because the relationships between mobile operators, handset manufacturers and their various intermediaries are so complex that making original creative content designed for mobile will be harder than trying to get a Great Dane through a cat flap?

iPhone Killer 2 - Storm Warning

1649191 — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:08:00 GMT

I predicted a few weeks ago in my blog that the G1 from Google wouldn't be the iPK (iPhone Killer). Well, time will tell whether I'm right or not. Well a new week, a new phone and this one (in my opinion) has more chance of winning the clash of the touch titans. The Blackberry Storm (pic below) will be launched this side of Xmas in the UK exclusively through Vodafone with pretty much all the features of the iPhone (and a few more besides). For instance it will be 3G enabled (natch), it has a 3.2 mp camera with video function, GPS capacity, mp3 etc. And one advantage it has over the Google G1 ? This one actually looks the part.

However, the main feature of the Storm is actually the touch screen itself. It apparently has a 'clickable screen'. So what does that mean exactly ? Well, the screen is kind of flexible and responds to how hard you touch it. In theory you will be able to type things much more easily because you know that the click has been registered by the Storm because the screen will depress slightly. Sounds cool right ? (and from experience of the iPhone I know that sometimes your touch commands are not all that easily registered by the unit, so the reassuring analog nature of a kind of soft click sounds funky).

As for price, well expect it to be pitched around the same as the iPhone. And with a legion of Crackberry addicts (me included) waiting impatiently for a touchscreen version of our constant companion I reckon that this little baby may just be the real rival for the iPhone we have been anticipating.