Apples and Oranges

Each year dedicated fans eagerly await flagship devices to be announced by their favorite manufacturers. Yesterday the fans in question were Apple fans but as it is with these events fans of competing platforms were also keen on the proceedings waiting for a flop device. So, as it turns out the best Apple device or devices were announced and the mixed reactions were displayed all over the interwebs. But if you are familiar with these events then you’ll know that isn’t a big deal as it happens every time and with every manufacture. What really caught my attention were the direct cross platform comparisons.

The main platforms currently in the market are unique and therefore very different from each other. Windows phone thrives on the live tiles and relatively minimal hardware requirement. Android thrives on customizations and a certain level of disintegration. IOS has always been the consumer friendly choice with unlimited amount of apps. Each time these opposing platforms create a new device they focus on the key attributes and attributes from the rival platforms are added only to improve on these key attributes.

As an example windows phone devices are now running on the latest chipsets just as android devices. But this is only needed to improve the display hence the more vibrant live tiles and better camera performance that the Lumia range is well known for. On the other hand several Asian phone manufacturers have acquired that metallic iPhone look to make their android devices look more premium. Apple has also over the years introduced a couple of features borrowed from Android and windows phone such as notification bar (which also windows phone borrowed from Android), multi window and multitasking window.

It’s really hard to compare devices from different platforms as it always boils down to the type of user you are and which services you use. Only iOS fans can tell you whether the latest Apple offerings are worth your dime and in the same way only android users can tell you whether it is better to shift to the latest Note series. In the same light, Winphans can give you all the advantages and disadvantages of the recently announced Lumia series.

In the end it is always advisable to get the whole picture before passing judgment. This is one weakness that affects even the tech enthusiasts.

Improved Tech Scene

We are getting there slowly but surely. No, actually we are getting there at fast pace. The technology scene in Kenya has come a long way and comparing how things were about 5 years ago and how they are now is ridiculous. We look forward to product launches and even the Samsung S5 event was televised. Our internet prices are relatively cheaper compared to other countries (yes, really). This by no means implies we are exactly where we should be. We still have a long way to go but sometimes you just have to stop and admire your achievements.

What excites me most is devices availability and pricing. I remember the days when phones took several months to hit the country long after being launched in other countries. We still have the same problem for some devices (ahem! Nokia) but this mostly affects the “official” channels. What I mean is that official channels such as Safaricom in partnership with the manufacturers may take their sweet time to launch devices depending on so many issues I’ve never understood but this has given independent importers a golden opportunity. Devices such as Xperia Z2, HTC One M8, Desire 816 have not been launched in the country but that does not mean they are not available. Moreover, they are actually available at competitive prices. Devices from mainstream manufacturers are available except Motorola for some weird reason.

There has been a rise and rise of the blogs to the extent that the journalists are worried. But in the technology space, you will probably learn more from blogs such as this one than on television and newspapers. Clearly money and passion cannot be viewed from the same light.

The broadband issues are hard to understand but generally things are positive. Cable internet is on the rise but you still need to live in the right areas to be connected. Mobile internet is still widely used but with limited unlimited options (see what I did there). Actually there is no unlimited mobile internet but the alternative is still alright if you understand your internet usage. If you really want to appreciate our mobile internet then just leave the country and try the mobile options that you will find in your host country. Still, broadband connectivity is a grey area and there is so much to be done. There is uneven growth in this field with Safaricom set to launch their 4G network while some other operators are still rolling out 3G.

You know how when you want to buy an application from the mobile application store but you cannot because you don’t have a credit card? More people are using credit cards and buying applications and a few other online transactions. However, in the windows phone segment things are a bit easier. All you need to do is buy airtime, go to the windows store and buy an application using your airtime. Opinions are divided on this one but I believe that is the simplest and efficient way to buy an app. And I am not supporting the idea based on my habit of saving my money under the mattress. I am lazy and even going to the ATM is a task and I certainly hate bank queues.

We are not exactly where we want to be but we are standing at a safe spot. So much has to be done. It is highly encouraged to look at this from a positive angle. Look at it in terms of opportunities especially if you have an IT background or have a business mind.

The Perfect Device

Sit back, relax and let your mind wonder. Think about your perfect device. Think about the hardware, maybe a unibody design. You are not sure whether you want it to have an aluminium frame or a polycarbonate plastic like the Lumia offerings but you can take either. Think about the screen size, maybe 5” or 5.5”, either will do. You obviously want the thinnest bezels. You want the front panel to be about 90% screen real estate. You want the phone to be beautiful but you don’t want it to scream out because let’s face it, you still use public transport and don’t want to appeal to the wrong crowd. You want the HTC boom sound speakers but you will probably use earphones all the time when listening to music or watching your Top Gear videos so any stereo speakers with good sound balance will do just fine.

Now, imagine the internals, the raw power, the ram and even the battery capacity. The Snapdragon 800 chipset was excellent but you are obsessed with power. That means you want the latest Snapdragon 801 chipset. You don’t really care about the Krait processor clock speed but a surprise 2.5GHz would be welcome and since you don’t want to put the phone down for even a second you want the Krait processor paired with 3GB of RAM for your endless multitasking. You want a decent camera. It doesn’t have to be 41MP offering from Nokia or the software manufactured 50MP from Oppo but a 13MP will do just fine and an equally decent secondary shooter for all the Instagram selfies because you want to keep up with the socialites. With all that power you want a massive battery. Anything above 3000mAh will be alright for a day of really heavy use.

How about the OS? Well, if you have thought about all this then you are probably a geek and consequently a loner. That means you’d rather stay home and flash the latest ROM on your phone than go out. I know you probably want HTC’s Sense UI but you will get bored after a week and look for Carbon ROM. So in that case how about Cyanogenmod as the OS of choice?

Now, what if I tell you that your dreams are valid and that the phone you just imagined actually exists. It is called the OnePlus One and it was only launched recently. I know you just got overjoyed until you thought of the potential pricing. You are probably broke and can’t afford a device with such specifications. But hold on. First, wear that smile again as the price is not that high. It’s only about 299USD for the 16GB model. The bad news is that you may have to go to great lengths to get it. OnePlus cannot rival Samsung’s distribution network so the device will probably have limited availability. But you know you can use your connections abroad to get it so don’t get too worried. The other setback is that there is no SD expansion but this is also not a problem to you as you have probably used a Nexus device before and you were OK with it. In any case the 64GB version is still cheaper than the Nexus 5.

The menace of updates

There are different types of phone users. The nerdy kind will always want the latest updates even though it compromises performance and limits features (yes, I am addressing you custom ROM enthusiasts). However, the vast majority want the device to work efficiently right out of the box and they will never bother about updating the device. Some of these people don’t even know that an applications store exists in their devices. This causes two major challenges to device manufacturers; how and when to push out updates and what to include out of the box (bloatware).

It may sound like a simple issue but it is actually a big deal. Look at it this way. The manufacturer spends a lot of resources (time and money) in coming up with a device update yet only 5% of the users will go ahead and update their devices. To counter this some manufacturers prepare updates based on demand. So in most cases flagship devices are the ones that are updated. The OEM also spends time and money developing applications that will give you a better out of the box experience and some people, though a small percentage, will be quick to remove these apps terming them bloatware. Stock android, for instance, is fluid but there is not much you can do with stock android. In most cases you will have to visit the Playstore and download more apps and this is something that my mum has no idea about.

So what can OEMs do to solve the issue? When people buy devices they always want to be assured of support. How many people have returned their devices to Safaricom or other stores claiming that the device is faulty while in fact they forgot to switch on mobile data? Service centres are needed and it is even better if a store also serves as a service centre. It’s about time OEMs invested in their own stores/service centre. I know that the current stores only know how to sell devices and when the customers return with a problem, answers such as “LG is a bad device, please try a Huawei device” are common.

With efficient and trusted customer service centre device owners will get training on how to update their devices or get the devices updated for them and also learn more on how to use the device. I know that manuals are always provided in the box but few would attempt to follow instructions from them as most people are better off being shown by an actual person how to do things. Manufacturers such as Nokia have been in the country long enough but they are yet to come up with efficient service centres. I know they have a service centre but the complaints from customers who have visited the place are overwhelming. I don’t know how the situation is on other service centres but I hope they are affordable and efficient.

Maybe I am just paranoid but I believe customer satisfaction will help increase need for updates and bloatware specific to the various markets. There is no point in Google, or Microsoft or Apple bragging about the latest operating system update while most devices are still stuck on previous versions.

 

Nokia X + Meego

Analysing Nokia’s X series can make the head swell and burst. So many factors come into play and you wonder why some decisions were made in the first place. But there is something that hasn’t been mentioned yet when discussing the X series and one that would have avoided the craze. Many people may have forgotten about the discarded Nokia operating system called Meego but somehow it all goes back to it.

You see the reason why Nokia X phones exist, at least according to Nokia, is the ability to push prices down while having access to many apps. However much Nokia sugar coats it, I believe this has less to do with apps given there is no Playstore out of the box and you must rely on third party stores. It’s probably because Windows Phone is still incomplete and license fees may be a bit high. If apps are to go by, the current situation is more than adequate for the target audience. I mean how many apps do you install on a Galaxy pocket? In any case some apps cause slow downs on such phones hence you are limited to the basic apps. People who use more apps tend to go for more capable high/mid range phones and that is not the case with the Nokia X series. So where does Meego come in?

Ideally, Meego was supposed to be a high end OS. However these were the days Nokia smartphones ran on 128mb ram with 500MHz processors while high end was considered to be 1GHz. The incredible Nokia N9 ran on 1GHz although it was paired with 1GB ram. Every N9 user will tell you how the phone was fluid and there was never a hiccup. Fast forward to today and low end devices run on dual core processors including the best selling Lumia 520 and newly introduced Nokia X series. And if there is one thing Nokia is good at then that is optimising an operating system to support low end devices. I bet Meego would be flawless on the X series and I am not getting ahead of myself or anything but they would be worth midrange status.

Considering the small matter of apps Meego is linux based and so is Android. If apps were lacking in the hypothetical meego store then it wouldn’t have been that difficult to port Android apps on Meego just like developers ported apps from WebOS. In any case Nokia is currently doing the same process porting Android apps to their store for the Nokia X (removing Google services and replacing with Microsoft) and this is a process that takes a few hours to one full day.

Meego was considerably more stable and lighter than android. Meego was also an in house project meaning prices would be as low as Nokia X series prices. If the Meego idea seems too ambitious then there was also a cheaper OS called Meltemi which never saw the light of day. It was supposed to revamp the Asha series since meltemi is a mix of Nokia’s series 40 and Linux. But let’s give Nokia X phones a chance and see how it turns out. However, you can’t stop wondering about what could have been. Just maybe Nokia would still have their reputation and more importantly dignity.

Three way Lumia midrange battle

Nokia recently unveiled the Lumia 1320 and the Lumia 1520 locally. The 1520 is the monster while the 1320 is the cheaper version and a device that should be really considered. But there is problem and it comes from Nokia themselves. Do you get the 1320 or do you go for the previous flagship devices i.e. the 920 and the 925 whose prices have dropped to the price point of the 1320? It’s a really difficult choice as you will realize as you read on.

The 1320 is an exciting device. It flaunts a huge 6 inch display and is relatively thin for its size. The display is 720p so it isn’t so bad. Under the hood you get a dual core S4 chip clocked at 1.7GHz paired with 1GB of RAM and Adreno 305 GPU. This is like a turbo charged v8 engine for windows phone. You get a lowly 5MP camera on the back with LED flash. What really sets the 1320 apart aside from the large display is the enormous battery. The phone comes with a non removable 3400mAh battery which will get you about 2 days of use but you could get more depending on your use.

The competition is the Lumia 920 and 925. These are identical devices but for the looks. Internally they both have a dual core 1.5 GHz Krait processor with 1GB of RAM paired with Adreno 225 GPU. There is an 8MP Pureview camera which is way ahead of other 8MP shooters. You get 2000mAh battery on both and this should only be enough for a day’s use. If you are a power user you may want to invest in a portable charger. The difference between the 920 and the 925 is the build design. The 920 is chunky and has the Nokia N9/Lumia 900 design while the 925 is made of Aluminium and very sleek and thinner.

So what does it come down to? If you want a bigger display probably for media consumption and better web browsing experience and of course that terrific battery life then selecting the 1320 is a no brainer. However, if you want a smaller device with a better camera then the 925 should be your device. You should pick the 920 is you want a smaller device and you are on a budget since the 920 is cheaper than the 925. Whatever your choice, you will have something to smile about, either a big display and excellent battery life or a premium design and a kickass camera.

Nokia Android Phone: What you need to know

Nokia is no longer the number one mobile device company but it still has a way of making headlines. The latest buzz is about an upcoming android phone. Most people had wished for Nokia to go the Google way instead of Microsoft and this latest buzz goes on to show that people still have that dream. The rumoured device causing the stir is only known as the Nokia Normandy and based on the leaks it runs the latest version of android. But there is more to it, or lack thereof.

Based on the leaks the Normandy is a low end device in the league of the Lumia 520 with a dual core processor and 512mb of RAM. Most of you don’t care about that as the mention of android is still making your heads spin. Well, here’s the thing, android is open source meaning it is free. Google however supports the development process of android but they don’t own it. So to make business sense out of it they bundle their services such as Gmail, Google Play, Google maps and the other Google apps and package this to OEMs. The packaged android is more appealing to device manufacturers since it saves them the hassle of developing apps and even marketing the OS.

In China, however, things are different. Google services are rarely used. So most phones developed for the Chinese market make use of the forked android. Amazon does the same thing with Kindle and goes ahead to provide its own applications store. This is the path Nokia wishes to pursue. The main reason for this would be budget. In terms of cost Windows Phone or even the Google sponsored android can only be pushed down to a certain level. Forked android is free hence costs can be pushed further down. The Normandy may certainly join the Asha line up and this will be a much needed refresh. This also upgrades the Asha line up to fully fledged smartphones. I bet I am not the only one who feels that the Asha series don’t deserve the smartphone tag. So maybe there is already a deadlock in the Series 40 coding meaning it is costly and time consuming to add new features like it happened with Symbian.

Nokia will probably provide their suite of apps for the phone and maybe partner with some of the Google independent app stores to provide more apps. Leaks suggest that the device has been customized with the metro/modern UI. This may be a marketing strategy. So, let’s say you get the budget Normandy device. In case you need to upgrade you will look for a windows phone rather than an android device because of that metro UI that you are now used to.

Now we just wait and see how this turns out. After all we are still only dealing with rumours.

We need more than faster processors

It is great that devices are getting faster. In fact the speeds double every year or two. But are we putting the great speeds to good use? Let us analyse that for a few seconds. The great speeds enable us to open apps and games faster and in most speed comparisons you will notice that on the two devices being compared the reviewers try to open different apps to determine which one is faster. So apart from opening apps and games how else is a speed increase better? Well, RAM improvement also comes in for better multitasking and to enable things such as multi window on Galaxy devices. GPU improvements help with smoother gaming. Basically specification improvements only help to better what is already there.

I will always refer to the older Nokia devices. Phones such as Nokia N95, N82 only had a 300MHz processor and 64MB and 128MB RAM respectively but they could do so much. The E series could also do much more. Those good old symbian days it was never about the specifications but what the phone could do. Apple is selling the same concept. Their devices are known to be user friendly and they just work. The apps make up for lack of features hence what’s running under the hood has never been a big deal.

The reason why NFC has not really been successful is because we still focus on apps. NFC compatible accessories should be mainstream by now.

Water resistant devices from Sony are a great idea and other manufacturers should join in.

The FM transmitter common in symbian devices died with the OS but I would like to see it make a comeback on windows phone.

It is those simple differentiating features that count. The Operating Systems are more or less the same across platforms and the apps and games the same. So if you want to stand out don’t just put the fastest and the latest processor but think of a feature you could add since everyone else uses the same hardware.

 

Just how Significant is the N8?

The Apple iPhone will always be credited for revolutionizing (as Apple like to say) the touchscreen smartphone industry. But that’s really all it can be credited for. Non touch smartphones were already making great strides as the likes of the Nokia N95 and Nokia N82 (released a few months later) proves. Even after the first generation iPhone, touch screen devices continued to be a miss rather than a hit but in 2010 things changed. The Samsung Galaxy S set the tone for what a smartphone should be like albeit with a lot of controversy. However, the smartphone that made manufacturers question their limits was a smartphone released during the same period as the Galaxy S and that is of course the Nokia N8.

The Nokia N8 had it all. This was the period that we didn’t know or care about what was ticking inside but rather what the phone could do. The screen was a Gorgeous AMOLED panel even though there was no Clear Black Display yet. There was 16GB of internal storage which is mediocre in today’s standards but felt like a terabyte back then. USB on the Go was a big deal and still remains a big deal. FM transmitter was there in case you needed it. There was HDMI out for screen mirroring on a television and there was a lot to share on the big screen due to the “crazy” camera.

The camera unit on the N8 was the main selling point despite all the other great features. There was a massive 12 MP on board with the trusted Carl Zeiss optics and Xenon flash. Low light photography became a reality while daylight photography was extraordinary.

The OS was the major problem for Nokia but at the time they still had developer support and great gaming titles made their way to the phone.  The OS, however, still had so much to offer with features such as true multitasking.

The N8 helped manufacturers realize that they could always pack everything into one device and most of the features we enjoy today are just improvements on the Nokia N8 with only a few new features. Actually, there are no new features.

Microsoft Surface 2 vs Lumia 2520

So you’ve made that big decision (no, not marriage) and believe that a windows RT tablet is the one for you. That means you will either get the Microsoft Surface 2 or the Lumia 2520. These two devices are similar in almost everything making the decision a really difficult one. So which one do you go for?

If we consider the hardware, each device has something to offer. The Lumia 2520 design reminds you of the Lumia phones and that means that the 2520 is a beautiful device, one that you will want to show off to your friends and enemies every now and then.  The surface 2 has that trademark surface design which means that you get a full USB port which is always welcome. As much as the Surface 2 looks thicker, both devices are 8.9mm thin. The Lumia spots a better 6.7MP Carl Zeiss camera as opposed to the 5MP on the Surface 2. However, tablets are not devices you want to use to take photos as your smartphone will probably do a better job among other ethical reasons.

Both devices have optional physical keyboards. Microsoft has had a second chance to perfect their keyboard but this is the first time for Nokia. Two different keyboards are offered by Microsoft while the Nokia keyboard adds battery life and full USB port that we missed on the tablet itself. So it’s a tie again.

Surface 2

Under the hood both devices have quad core processors and the same 2GB RAM. The Surface 2 has a Tegra 4 processor while the Lumia gets a Snapdragon processor with a Krait 400 CPU. The Snapdragon processor has a higher clock speed but you won’t be able to tell the difference between the two devices.

In terms of software both run Windows 8.1 RT but the Lumia device has some Nokia exclusive apps such as Story Teller, Here Maps, Here Drive and others. These may later come to the Surface 2 but for now you only enjoy them on the 2520.

Lumia 2520

The extra pointers are that the Lumia 2520 come with 3G/LTE and there is no Wi-Fi only version while the Surface 2 is cheaper, about USD50 cheaper.

In conclusion whichever device you decide to pick you won’t worry about the other. But if I am to choose one I would go for the Lumia 2520 because of 3G and maybe the Nokia applications. However, I haven’t used any of these devices so I suggest you try out both devices and pick the one that makes your heart melt. In an extreme case you could toss a coin.