Category Archives: Mobiles

Update Your Nexus S to Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0

Galaxy Nexus S Ice Cream Sandwich Upate

Good News! Nexus S GSM users can now manually update their phones to Android Ice Cream Sandwich. We will give some quick instructions that would allow you flash the update of Nexus S Device. This update is especially for those who are eagerly waiting for Android ICS. The aforesaid update only works out for GSM devices and does support any CDMA models. An important thing to keep mind is your phone has the original Android Gingerbread and that you are not trying to update it via a custom ROM as you might damage the device. Please follow the instructions below and enjoy the ICS update. Please go through instructions carefully before updating and make sure device has a battery charge of 50 percent or more. I would suggest a fully charged phone anytime for a phone flash.

Instructions to flash your Nexus S:

  • Once you have downloaded the update file you can rename it incase needed to “android4” or any convenient name.
  • Connect you device via mass storage mode and paste the aforesaid file on to SD Card root directory.
  • Turn off the your phone and then power it on by keeping the Volume Up and Power Button together till the time you see a menu screen.
  • On the menu screen you can find an option named “Recovery” which can be highlighted by using the Volume Up key and selecting it by pressing the Power key.
  • Once the option is selected it brings an exclamation mark on the screen that needs to be selected by pressing the Power Button and then pressing the Volume Up Key.
  • The next screen will has various options including “Update from /SD Card”. Select the option by keeping the Power Button pressed.
  • On selecting the option you will be to access the root directory or main directory of your SD card.
  • Select the update file i.e. android4.zip by pressing the Power Button.
  • The file will flash your Nexus S to Android ICS 4.0 and will ask you to reboot the phone once all done.
  • Enjoy! Your Phone is Now Updated! Have the flavor of Android Ice Cream Sandwich. 😉

LG Optimus devices to get an upgrade to Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Earlier during the day LG’s Official Facebook Page posted its initial models that will be eligible to Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 Upgrade. The Optimus 2X, Optimus Black, Optimus 3D and Optimus LTE were among the upper end phones to be a part of upgrade program. The manufacturer also promises to evaluate the compatibility, features and performance of the ICS OS across multiple LG smartphones and plan to upgrade as many of them.

A complete list of models eligible for the upgrade would be available by December this year, although there is no specific time frame revealed by LG as to when the update would be released.

5 Positives and 10 Negatives of the Nokia E5

Pros:

1. Very Feature Rich compared to other E series phones like the older E63 and even the newer Nokia upper-end model E6 (except there’s No Touch in E5).

2. The Best Symbian OS version in its class till date.

3. Excellent Camera with Flash. However, Not with Auto Focus.

4. Nice Grip and overall Dimensions of the Phone. Convenient for Shirt Top Pocket.

5. The Nokia Suite aka OVI Suite aka PC Suite Software has appreciably improved.

Cons :

1. Flimsy Plastic Panel around the Navigation Key above the QWERTY Keypad. However, there is nothing wrong with the Navigation Key.

2. Home & Messaging Keys get Stuck in the 6 Key Panel and Tilt upon pressing.

3. The entire 6 Key Panel above the QWERTY Keypad makes Squeaking Sounds upon pressing towards the Display.

4. The Display is Vivid but with 256K Colors unlike 16 Million Colors Display on other Popular Nokia Phones. Cost Cutting by Nokia.

5. The QWERTY Keypad is slightly different from E63. Takes a while for an E series user to migrate. The transition is worse for someone using an E63 or an E6.

6. The SIM Card is placed under the Battery and can be inserted/ removed only after removing the Battery. Inconvenient for Users who do have to change SIMs often.

7. The SD Card is also placed under the Battery and can be inserted/removed only after Battery Removal. This is Very Inconvenient.

8. The SD Card has to be inserted/ removed in or from an Obsolete Mechanical Push/Pull Tray. The Mechanical Tray can get Permanently Damaged, if the SD Card  is removed and inserted frequently.

9. A very small ~4″ long USB Cable has been provided, it is Very Impractical specially for those Users who connect the Phone to Front USB Ports on their Desktop PCs. Laptop Owners have to place the phone right next to the Laptop. It is Not Convenient to Answer/Make Calls with such a small USB cable connected to the Laptop. Nokia, Do Cost Cutting Elsewhere.

10. Don’t Recommend buying the very attractive looking Original Nokia Silicon Cover for this Phone. When placed on a Table, the E5 rocks on the left and right in it, due to a protruding Rectangular Silicon block with Nokia printed on it.

For Nokia Loyalists, in this price range the only Phone which does not have the above mentioned Negatives is the older Nokia Model E63. It is Most Stable and  Most Reliable albeit has lower Specs.

Till a better Symbian QWERTY Phone is launched by Nokia in this Price Range…Like the E5 or Sulk or Move-On to Android based Smartphones 🙁

Nokia Lumia 800 : The Switch to Windows Phone

 

Its everywhere on the internet from rumors to leaked videos to pricing and specs and so on, today we go ahead and discuss  about the feature packed Nokia Lumia 800.

Just a few months back all of us were made aware of the recent establishment between Nokia and Microsoft, as part of venture Nokia has an advantage that they had complete authority to go ahead and fully customize the UI and Phone OS, although less of custom built apps are seen as of now by Nokia.

The Nokia Lumia Comprises of 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon Processor, with an Adreno 205 GPU, the RAM and ROM Size is 512MB, which provides and multitasking at its best. An internal memory of 16GB provides enough space for media including music, videos, apps, documents etc.

What’s New In It? :

  • Enhanced UI with Multitasking support.
  • Excellent Integrated Social Apps within Windows Phone.
  • Sleek Design Improves Reception
  • Nokia Apps and Windows Market Place

What’s Not In? :

  • Bing Maps (Poor Zoom and Street Names)
  • Battery Life
  • Front Camera
  • No Support For Adobe Flash
  • No Support for Expandable Memory (No SD Card Slot)

UI Makes a Difference

The earlier versions of windows mobile operating system were slow, no multitasking and an overall dull interface, that’s the reason it was not a boom or a so called successful OS considering iOS and Android in the ball game. The scenario is now changing towards the positive side with Microsoft’s decision to redo the mobile OS and UI. The Current version of Windows Phone Carries Both Flare and Vivid Functionality. Hardware acceleration with a dedicated GPU and a modern menu makes the touch, look, feel factor to be the best even beating competitors in the league.

The menu comprises of the home screen where one can pin commonly used applications and is ready to go, more the applications better the grouping, if your phone comprises of more than 44 apps it groups apps by names making it easier for the user to use the apps.The home screen interface has dynamic graphics while switching between apps and home screen.

A More Social Phone

Yes, a phone that has social features within the OS, one doesn’t have to download thousands of apps to use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn Etc.

People Hub pulls out a dynamic stream of pictures from Friends across multiple Social Networking Platforms. Social Network Integration is seen across the messaging structure which is similar to Android Devices, with an added benefit of unified communication under a contact, your phone’s texts messages, Facebook, Twitter and so on under a single head and that too with dynamic switching allowing users to switch between phone messaging and social networks.

Sleek Design and Improve Call Quality

The Design of the Lumia Phone has  huge resemblance with The Nokia N9, the outer form factor remains about the same, relatively smaller with a polycarbonate body and narrow curve at the ends allowing the phone to be more compact and easy to carry.

The front part comprises of 3.7” Gorilla Glass Screen and three virtual buttons to go back and forth, access the menu, and perform a search.The top has three quick nooks that comprise of a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Cable Connection Port, and a SIM Slot (The phone uses a Micro SIM). The only physical buttons on the phone lie towards the right side, which includes the volume controls, screen guard lock and a camera key. The camera key has a big plus, it works in standby leading you directly to the camera if you are in mood to snap in a quick photo.The Call Quality is very good on the phone, the  phone design leads to an improved  phone reception in places with weaker signal strength.

Nokia Apps and Windows Marketplace

Applications make our experience more enhanced and interactive, from games to communication, to media streaming, to watching videos and so on.The Lumia 800 has some pretty good and different applications which Include Nokia Music App and Nokia Drive.

Nokia Drive is a complete voice guided driving suite which allows users to get turn by turn navigation details, now don’t think about data usage on it, users get an option to store the maps locally as in offline and can carry and use the application even without a dedicated data plan, you save a lot money by doing so. Besides that it comprises of multiple views, which include 2D and 3D navigation view.

The Nokia Music App seems to be different yet identical to Windows Phone Zune application with unique differences like Mix station and Gigs.

Mix Station allows users to select a favorite genre, select it, zip- zap and the streaming has begun. Although one can skip tracks that they don’t like but the limit to it is seven tracks in 24Hrs. Gigs yet an included feature within the Nokia Music App seems to be more like Nokia Here and Now, which means the latest buzz on concerts, events, parties etc. are just a touch away.

Windows Marketplace is still on a throttle, although applications available might not be as great as compared to Apple App Store or the Android Market, considering that the platform is still fresh and developing.

Getting closer to dislikes or some sour thoughts on what didn’t turn out well includes Bing Maps, from zoom quality to reading street names is a tough task, Street Names visibility on Bing Maps are not as good as Google Maps or Nokia Maps. Seem to cramp up while one tries to navigate or switch tabs.

Battery life is fair, not good or bad one has to charge the phone at end of the day, considering the phone is a Nokia, it makes the phone feel shy comparing battery life performance predecessor Symbian. Windows Phone is more packed with features hence more power needed.

The Phone does not have Front Camera Support, by missing out such an essential feature it seems to be an injustice. The user does not have an option to make a video call.

The phone also lacks support for Adobe Flash for mobile, live flash playback via web browser is not supported as a part of the user interface.

The Camera resides in the center with a 8MP Carl Zeiss Lens. Image Clarity and Output is good besides two constraints, focus response being the first one and image clarity in low light conditions being the other one.

Considering all pros and cons, one must consider all options before buying the handset. The competing handsets like Galaxy S2 and iPhone 4S give more feature rich content and wider application options to customize and enhance user interactivity and experience at very less price difference.