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Saturday, May 14, 2011

3 Latest Android Superphones To Satisfy Your Smartphone Lust

Posted: 13 May 2011 09:57 PM PDT

Ever since Android OS was launched, technology has taken a revolutionary turn especially in the smartphones department. Companies like HTC, Samsung and Motorola have been jockeying for position to get to the top spot and have thus delivered some of the coolest and most awesome smartphones - superphones if you will - that run the famed mobile operating system.

With these companies trying to outdo each other, we see Android smartphones getting released on a regular basis. Keeping up with that many phones can be challenging so I'll save you some time by giving you the 3 latest Android superphones that will satisfy your smartphone lust, for now.


1. Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II

The Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II is the successor to the critically acclaimed Samsung I9000 Galaxy S. It upgrades all the important specs of the Galaxy S and overshadows everything its predecessor had.

It is said that the Samsung Galaxy S II is twice as better as the Galaxy S and is bigger, faster and slimmer. This phone has everything a superphone should have. And more.


Measuring 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5mm and weighs in at 116 grams, this monster is powered by a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor on an Orion chipset and is clocked at 1.2GHz. This power is boosted by 1GB of RAM while the exceptional graphics owe their gratitude to its Mali-400MP GPU.

The Galaxy S II may be a big phone but the ergonomics are exceptionally good and the device is comfortable to grip due to its being lightweight and slim.

The display of the Samsung Galaxy S II is something to watch out for. With a massive 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus capacitive Gorilla glass touchscreen and a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, colors literally appear to pop right off the display.

Also, the screen of the S II looks sharper because it has 50% more subpixels and provides better viewing angles compared to the original Galaxy.

The Galaxy S II has a rear-facing 8-megapixel shooter and a front-facing VGA snapper for video chats. The 8MP shooter comes with auto-focus and LED flash for photos of up to 3264 x 2448 pixel resolution. The images captured using the Galaxy S II's rear-facing camera came out very good and the camera has features such as scene modes, smile detection, touch focus, geotagging and image stabilization among others.

The 8-megapixel shooter also doubles as a video recorder capable of recording videos in 1080p and the resulting MP4 file has a lot of detail and come in 17Mbps bitrate.

Running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the Galaxy S II packs a 1650mAh Li-Ion battery that can give it juice for up to 6.5 hours of talk time and 350 hours of standby time.


2. Motorola Atrix 4G

The Atrix 4G is the first dual-core smartphone in Motorola's stable. It is also the first to flaunt a qHD (quarter HD) touchscreen. It is also the first handset from Moto to support the fast HSDPA+ network, hence the 4G moniker. With credentials as solid as these, you've got a Droid that isn't afraid of what the future might have in store.

The Atrix 4G is certainly the most powerful phone in the Motorola lineup. The specs sheet is just impeccable. Measuring 117.8 x 63.5 x 11 mm and weighs in at 135 grams, the Atrix 4G gets all its power from a dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor on a Tegra 2 chip working side by side with 1GB of RAM. Not only that, it also packs a ULP GeForce GPU to take care of graphic matters. It has 16GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via a microSD card slot.


One of the key selling points of the Atrix 4G is its display. Under the Gorilla Glass sits a massive 4-inch qHD capacitive touchscreen with a 960 x 540 pixel resolution. For a mobile device, 960 x 540 is an extremely high resolution to have and should provide the user unprecedented quality and clarity in its display.

The Atrix 4G is found somehow lacking in the camera department and only has a 5-megapixel rear facing shooter with autofocus and LED flash capable of taking pictures of up to 2592 x 1944 pixels. A secondary front-facing VGA shooter for video chats completes the camera ensemble.

As expected, the rear-camera also doubles as a video recorder that records videos in 720p HD rather than the 1080p HD the Tegra 2 is capable of.

One bit of a letdown though is that Motorola decided to equip the Atrix 4G with Android 2.2 Froyo but plans of upgrading it to Android 2.3 Gingerbread are already in the pipeline.

In terms of juice, the Atrix 4G is equipped with a 1930mAh battery that is seen as a considerable step up compared to other power packs seen on other smartphones. With that kind of power supply, the Atrix 4G has an approximate 9 hours of talk time and up to 400 hours of standby on a single charge.


3. HTC Sensation 4G

HTC has just taken 3 short years to rise from a relatively unknown manufacturer to market-leading company. With the launch of the HTC Sensation 4G, the company is cementing its foothold on the smartphone market.

Though the Sensation 4G brings an impressive specs list to the table, the superphone is much more about content and user experience than it is about the specs. Under the hood, the Sensation 4G has a dual-core Qualcomm MSM 8260 Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.2GHz souped-up by 768MB of RAM. The Adreno 220 GPU handles all graphics matters and handles them very well.


It has 4GB of onboard storage that can be expanded via microSD card slot and can take up to 32GB cards.

Measuring 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm and weighs in at 148 grams, the Sensation 4G is a little thicker and a bit heftier compared to other Droid smartphones in the market.

Under the Gorilla Glass lies the Super LCD capacitive touchscreen with 540 x 960 qHD resolution. An accelerometer sensor is included in the display for intuitive UI auto-rotate support for multi-touch input method is standard. Despite not packing an OLED screen, images and videos still looked absolutely crystal clear on the display of the Sensation 4G.

The Sensation 4G has two shooters: a rear-facing 8-megapixel snapper with auto-focus and dual LED flash designed to take photos of up to 3264 x 2448 pixel resolution and a front-facing VGA shooter intended for video chats. The rear-facing camera also acts as a video recorder capable of recording 1080p vides at 30fps WITH stereo sound recording. Now, that's a first.

As for the user experience, the Sensation 4G will run HTC Sense 3.0, the latest version, on top of Android 2.3 Gingerbread. This potent combination promises of an even more feature-rich user experience.

The Sensation 4G packs a Li-Ion 1520mAh battery to provide it juice for an approximate 6 hours and 40 minutes of talk time and up to 400 hours of standby time on a single charge.


Conclusion:

Actually, what you read about the three superphones mentioned above is just a short but sweet rundown of the most important things people look for in a smatphone, namely: processor, GPU, RAM, internal storage, display and the like.

On paper, these three smartphones are impressive I know. But whatever you've read will pale in comparison once you already have one of these bad boys in the palm of you hand, ready to do all your bidding.

If money is no object and you are perfectly willing to shell out the dinero just to take one of the fellas listed above home, lucky you! For the meantime though, most people are going to have an unquenchable smartphone lust, which can only be cured by buying a new superphone.

The fix however, will only be temporary judging by the rapid advancement of technology nowadays. The risk is that the sleek and powerful smartphone you have in your hands right now might become a "has-been" in just a couple of months. Are you willing to take risk?


Written by: Antonette Pineda, Tech Source's gadget reviews and news correspondent.

Why Google Chrome OS is Crucial for the Linux Desktop

Posted: 11 May 2011 08:03 PM PDT

As Google Chrome OS nears a grand release, everyone is excited about a brand new operating system entering the monopolized desktop market. On the other hand, Mark Shuttleworth has set a target of 200 million Ubuntu users in the next four years. With Ubuntu 11.04 'Natty Narwhal' not being as good as expected, Shuttleworth's plans, if not impossible, may seem a bit too ambitious.

Many people believe that Chrome OS's release can further hamper Ubuntu's stagnating growth. However, if we consider the recent desktop trends, and if everything goes well for Google, Chrome OS might actually be the magic boost Ubuntu so desperately needs. Here's why:

Adieu desktop, welcome to the cloud:

As far as the marriage of desktop and the cloud is concerned, Ubuntu has rapidly managed to get an upper hand over its competitors. With the introduction of UbuntuOne, a cloud or online data backup service tightly integrated with the desktop, Ubuntu gives the cloud-curious crowd one good reason to switch. Now, when Google releases Chrome OS, the cloud will certainly become the next big thing. There will be many Windows and Mac users who'll be fascinated by the concept of desktop-cloud integration. But of course, not all of them can switch to Chrome OS, as it's not as powerful as their desktop or even laptop. They would want something that will work on their own computer yet give them the full cloud experience. Here's where Ubuntu can fetch a lot of users. With Windows 8 not ready yet, and Mac OS's grand cloud plans not being concrete, the only cloud-integrated free OS left is Ubuntu. All Canonical has to do is to market UbuntuOne as a service in the best way possible. Or, maybe they can ready a Windows and Mac OS version of Ubuntu One soon enough so that they can pitch it as an Open Source Dropbox alternative. As of now, UbuntuOne works only on Ubuntu and Chrome.


The Web is the future:

If Google is to be believed, everything in the future is going to be web-based. This means, the core operating system will become less and less significant as we move forward in time. Well that's good, but won't that be bad for the Linux desktop? Surprisingly, the answer is no. Google Chrome will come with applications that will sync between the Chrome OS as well as the browser. And, as soon as the OS releases, developers will rush in to make apps for it that are alternatives for the time-honored Windows ones. This in turn, will provide users a great reason to try out other Operating Systems out there, one of them being Linux. Thus by taking applications to the web platform, Google evades another longstanding dilemma of the desktop world that is application compatibility. Users would be able to access applications like Google Docs, Springpad and many others from any device, be it a PC, Chrome OS or Linux.


Change the perceptions about Linux:

We've already talked about the many problems Linux faces right now. One of those problems is the public perception that Linux isn't a user-friendly operating system and that it is centered around geeks and hackers. However, with the success of Android, Google has managed, to an extent though, to convince users about the power or advantages of using Linux. If Google Chrome OS does succeed, the doubts about Linux and its ability to deliver on desktop platforms will be wiped clean. This itself could give a huge boost to the Linux community.


Towards a more secure future:

Many people who have been using Windows for a long time are always looking for solutions that will address their security issues. Viruses and Malwares have been the most frustrating things Windows users have to deal with. With the release of Google Chrome, there will be yet another Operating System that is more secure and less complex than Windows. Thus Google Chrome in a way will give users a good reason to break free from the Microsoft shackles that bind them every time. This will definitely benefit Linux users, because people who are sticklers for all-things Microsoft will, for the first time, move out of their self-imposed cage. Once these users start roaming around in the OS wilderness, they're sure to stumble upon Linux distros like Fedora and Ubuntu. Let's just hope they do.


Conclusions:

So, how do you think will Chrome OS affect Linux or even Windows and Macs? Join in on this discussion using the comments section below.

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:06 PM

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