OS

Symbian Belle – Buzz All Around !

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Symbian Belle is the buzz that has been around for while with many devices already been launched and  some models due for an upgrade. The  Nokia 600, Nokia 700, and Nokia 701 are the devices that are ready to use with Symbian Belle.

Why does one need to migrate from Symbian 3^(Build Anna) to Symbian Belle?

The UI has changed to a reasonable extent considering the Symbian development cycle is finished. Nokia has still made an attempt to make sure that it cares of its existing users.

Tops Visible Changes Include:

  • Flexible Widgets
  • Smooth Sweep
  • Notifications Bar
  • Toggle Widgets
  • Modernized Menu
  • Contacts
  • Flexible  Widgets

If we compare the home screens of a Symbian Anna and Belle based device, the widgets on a Belle based device are more flexible and easy to customize leaving the user with ample space and adjustment options and making the phone more personal. The image below is an example of the customization options.

  • Smooth Sweep

The Overall improvements have led to a smoother interface where once can switch between home screens at a faster speed without an inconvenience, although this might vary on handsets depending on display type and the overall  hardware performance.

  • Notifications Bar

The Notifications Bar  is similar to the Android operating system, the top swipe displays a menu providing access to Mobile Data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Messages and Missed Calls which is comparatively much better than Symbian Anna.

 

  • Toggle Widgets

Toggle widgets are a great way to make things easier which includes Wi-Fi On/Off , NFC, GPS, and Packet Data widget. Toggle between services to enable or disable them.

  • Modernized Menu

The menu design is similar to the Nokia N9. Folder based navigation is no longer a part of the menu, all menu items are accessible within the main menu.

  • Contacts

Contacts have been given a good space and room within the widgets area of different home screens one can add various contact widgets, it includes contacts with larger image and better visibility also the ability to drag an individual contact from one home screen to another.

 

Still Waiting for the Symbian Belle Update for My Nokia E6-00, will keep you posted with an interactive post or a video once I’ve experimented more.

Blackberry Mobiles

RIM Launches 3 New Blackberry Smartphones in India

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Research in Motion (RIM) has launched three new smartphones powered by the Blackberry OS 7. These are the Blackberry Bold 9790, Blackberry Curve 9350, and Blackberry Curve 9380. The Curve 9350 is identical to Curve 9360, the difference being that it is a CDMA phone. The Curve 9380 is Blackberry’s first complete touch phone with an elegant optical track pad and navigation keys, an initiative to attract existing customers and new users to adapt and switch to the all-new multi-touch interface.The Curve 9380 sports a sleek, stylish, and slim design. The Bold 9790 is a touch and type smartphone both offering both a QWERTY keypad a touch interface. A quick review of technical specifications, features and pricing for all newly launched models is found below.

Features

Blackberry Bold

9790

Blackberry Curve

9380

Blackberry Curve

9350 (CDMA)
Display Size

2.45-inch

(480 x 360 pixels)

3.2-inch

(480 x 360 pixels)

2.4-inch

(480 x 360 pixels)
Processor

1 GHz

806 MHz

800 MHz
RAM

768MB

512MB

512MB
Camera

5MP Auto-Focus

With Led Flash

5MP

With Led Flash

5MP

With Led Flash
Video Capture

VGA

(640×480)

VGA

(640×480)

VGA

(640×480)
Expandable Storage

Yes

Micro SD Card Up to 32GB

Yes

Micro SD Card Up to 32GB

Yes

Micro SD Card Up to 32GB
Internal Memory

8GB

512 MB eMMC

512 MB eMMC
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/3G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes
A-GPS/GPS/NFC              

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes
HSPDA

Yes

7.2 Mbps

No

No
OS

Blackberry OS 7

Blackberry OS 7

Blackberry OS 7
Media Playback

Multi format audio and video player

Multi format audio and video player

Multi format audio and video player
Talk Time

Up to 5.3 Hrs.

Up to 5.5 Hrs.

Up to 5.5 Hrs.
Dimensions (HxWxD)

110 x 60 x 11mm

109 x 60 x 11mm

109 x 60 x 11mm
Weight

107g

98g

99g
 Price (INR)

27,490

20,990

20,990
Laptops, Reviews

Toshiba Satellite C Series C600-P4012 Laptop (With HD LED Display)

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Toshiba-C600-P4012

 

PROS :

The Windows Experience Index (WEI) for this Notebook is given below. The Windows Experience Index is a broad benchmark to check how well Hardware Components run Windows 7 :
*Processor : 5.8 out of 7.9
*RAM : 5.8 out of 7.9 (almost standard on all 4GB configurations)
*Graphics with Aero : 3.6 out of 7.9
*Gaming/3D Graphics : 3.3 out of 7.9
*Disk Transfer Rate : 5.8 out of 7.9 (almost standard on all current HDD configurations)

The Windows Experience Index of this Toshiba Notebook puts to shame the performance of any Netbook on the Market, considering this Unit is priced at a level equivalent to a Netbook with an External DVD Writer. Its Processor Performance WEI is also just 10% lower than that of a Second Generation i3 Processor based Notebook.

Overall performance for day-to-day and office productivity applications is Excellent.

The Battery Run-Time after 3 Charge/Discharge Cycles for DVD Playback is 2.5 Hours. Will be slightly higher for standard non-multimedia applications.

The On-Screen Quick-Launch Keys and Synaptics Touchpad are very convenient.

Storage Capacity is Huge at 500GB.

The Intel GL40 chipset is approx. 4 years old but is very stable.

CONS :

1. The Notebook has only 2 USB Ports which is 1 short of competing models. You have to connect a USB Hub if you need more USB Ports. You also have to pay ~Rs.10,000/- more to get a single USB 3 – Superspeed Port based Notebook.

2. The inbuilt Webcam has a VGA resolution whereas other expensive Competitors offer a 1.3 Mega Pixel Webcam.

3. The onboard LAN Port is 10/100 Mbps, some of the more expensive Notebooks offer a Gigabit 10/100/1000 Mbps Port instead.

4. There is no HDMI output Port for connectivity to LCD TVs.

5. More Expensive Notebooks also come with Windows 7 and Device Drivers pre-installed, which is highly recommended.

CONCLUSION :

A Notebook with Outstanding Value and Performance. Will recommend this Model to anyone wanting to purchase a Notebook/ Netbook in a budget of Rs.20,000/- for running Day-to-Day and Office Productivity Applications.

Also strongly recommend upgrading the System RAM to 4GB from 2GB for faster performance(will cost under Rs.1000/-), purchasing a Genuine Windows 7 Home Basic/Premium 64 Bit Operating System with Media (~Rs.4000/- and ~Rs.5000/- respectively) and an Internet Security Application (Kaspersky Internet Security 2011/2012 ~500/-).

 

Laptops, Reviews

Acer Aspire AS5755 Notebook : Review

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21 Good Reasons to Buy the Acer Aspire AS5755 Notebook and a Quick Review of its 7 Negatives

Highly Recommended Notebook for those looking for a Feature Rich Notebook which Bulldozes Competition.

Highly Recommended Notebook vis-a-vis Competing Notebooks with 15% /- Pricing.

This Notebook is equipped with Latest Features, which CANNOT be upgraded later. Most of these Features are “Not Available” on Competing Notebooks at equivalent Prices from other Brands.

Some Good Reasons to buy this Notebook are:

  1. Inbuilt USB 3.0 (10 times faster than USB 2.0). Very Useful Feature for Super Fast Backups on External USB Hard Disks. Not Available on most competing Notebooks.
  2. HD (1.3 MP) Web Camera vs. VGA Web Camera on most competitive Products. Not Available on most competing Notebooks.
  3. Dolby Advanced Audio (Version 2) with Virtual Surround Sound. Not Available on most competing Notebooks.
  4. Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mbps) LAN Port vs. Megabit (10/100 Mbps) LAN Port on most competitive Products. Useful for Users on Enterprise LANs.
  5. HDMI Port for connectivity to LCD TVs. Not Available on Toshiba Notebooks.
  6. Battery with 30-40% Higher Back-Up vs. Competing Notebooks.
  7. 3 USB Ports (Total) vs. 2 USB Ports (Total) on Toshiba Notebooks.
  8. Combo Audio Jack for connecting Headsets with a Single Connector.
  9. Large and Comfortable 15.6″ Display. (However, it is not Anti-Glare. Most Competing Notebooks also have Displays with Glare/ Reflection).
  10. Full Size well spaced Keyboard with separate Numeric Key Pad (similar to Keyboards on Desktop PCs)
  11. Huge Storage Capacity of 500 GB.
  12. Genuine Windows 7 Home Basic 64Bit OS & MS-Office 2010 Starter Software
  13. Easy-to-Use Factory Recovery DVDs & Driver DVD Creation Software from Acer.
  14. Easy-to-Use Backup Management Software from Acer.
  15. Bluetooth Suite and Basic Games from Acer.
  16. Decent Carry Case/ Backpack
  17. Glossy and Impressive Top Cover and Keyboard and Palm Rest Base
  18. Better and Impressive Build Quality vs. other Acer Models like AS5750 & AS5750G.
  19. Promotional Offer of TATA Photon USB Modem @ Rs.750/- with 1GB/Month Free Data Usage for 5 months (optional).
  20. Windows Experience Index.

Upgraded to 4GB DDR3 RAM. Highly Recommended for All Users for Faster Performance.

The Windows Experience Index (WEI) for this Notebook is given below. The Windows Experience Index is a broad benchmark to check how well Hardware Components run.

Windows 7 :

  • Processor : 6.5 out of 7.9 (This is 12.1% Higher than Toshiba Notebooks with a Pentium Dual Core Processor – 2.3 GHz)
  • RAM : 5.9 out of 7.9 (5.8-5.9 is standard on all 4GB configurations not withstanding the Processor & Motherboard Chipset. The WEI on RAM is lower with 2GB RAM)
  • Graphics with Aero : 3.6 out of 7.9 (63.9% Higher than Notebooks with an Intel GL40 Chipset)
  • Gaming/3D Graphics : 3.3 out of 7.9 (39.4% Higher than Notebooks with an Intel GL40 Chipset)
  • Disk Transfer Rate : 5.9 out of 7.9 (5.8-5.9 is standard on almost all current Hard Disk configurations)

The Overall Performance of this Notebook for Day-to-Day and Office Productivity Applications is Excellent.

This review has been written just after a few Hours of usage and is not a detailed review of the Negatives of the Notebook. However, some of my observations are:

  1. The Keyboard of this Notebook is different from conventional Notebook and Desktop Keyboards and the spaced Keys may take some time for the User to get used to.
  2. The “Enter” Key of this Notebook is smaller and different from Standard Keyboards and will take some time for the User to get used to.
  3. The Touchpad Left & Right Buttons appear to be Fragile. The Touchpad Buttons on Toshiba Satellite C600 series and HP-Compaq Notebooks are much Better.
  4. Since the Display is large enough to watch Videos/ Movies from a distance, the Maximum Speaker Output/Volume could have been Higher.
  5. The Display has to be adjusted by moving it Up/Down (Tilting) to get a good Viewing Angle for watching Pictures/ Videos/ Movies.
  6. The Display does not have a Wide Viewing Angle for multiple people watching Pictures/ Videos/ Movies. Although this can be considered Good for User Privacy in Non-Multimedia Applications.
  7. The Aero Glass Effects of Windows 7 cannot be used on this Notebook because of the Home Basic edition of Windows 7. It would have been better if Acer would have pre-installed Windows 7 Home Premium instead (even if it would have cost marginally higher).

CONCLUSION :

A Notebook with Outstanding Value, Features and Performance. Will recommend this Model to anyone wanting to purchase a Notebook in a budget of Rs.30,000/- for running Day-to-Day and Office Productivity Applications.

Also strongly recommend upgrading the System RAM from 2GB to 4GB for Faster Performance (will cost under Rs.1000/-) and an Internet Security Application (Kaspersky Internet Security 2012-Single User approx. Rs.500/-).