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Windows Mobile 7 creating waves in the mobile community

Im not sure whats with Microsoft, It  could be the luck with version number 7 or Steve Ballmer suddenly found some secret Vault, all their recent products are getting positive reviews even from hardcore critics of Microsoft. After the success of Zune mediaplayer and Windows 7 now its the turn of Microsoft’s Mobile division to show off Windows Mobile 7 a completely rewritten code base and clutter free touch driven interface definitely promises something totally new.

Based on the limited look at the new OS through Developer Build Simulation and some videos, the Windows Mobile OS 7 looks to be driven by simplicity and a typical touch screen based Tiles interface from the Homescreen. No shadows, no unnecessary eye candy and only the intuitive access oriented design, afterall anything else is more annoying than anything. Microsoft has taken the best features from its Zune Media player and embedded in the new Mobile OS. All the applications appear to be completely redesigned (re written ?)  to fit the new OS.

Also Microsoft is going to set Minimum hardware requirements for the Mobile manufacturers so that any device running the WinMo 7 will be as zippy as the devices running competing platforms, If WinMo can make a impact as it appears it would, you can definitely expect a price war benefitting the consumer.

Apple had the advantage of writing iphone’s code from the scratch but the likes of Microsoft and Nokia, included  the touch functionality as an extra feature and it involved tweaking their original smartphone design which wasnt as flexible as the Iphone OS. But with Maemo Nokia is catching up and with Windows Mobile 7, Microsoft is expected to do the same.

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Apple iPad – Hit or a miss ?

Apple’s  “Most awaited!”  Tablet device is out, unlike a full Tablet PC this is  more of an iPhone with a 10 inch screen. It runs the same iPhone OS and almost has identical features of the popular iPhone.Apple Lovers will crave for the device and critics still have a lot to complain.

But Apple has Maintained its consitant tactic of Beauty over features. With a thickness of 1.3 cm and weighing less than 0.75 kg this must be one of the thinnest and lightest computing devices around, also it sure will be a style statement, if you carry one around. But lets get down to business in terms of features.

It is available in two versions one with 3G and other without the 3G support. Below is the price for both versions available in 16GB,32GB and 64GB
                         16GB          32GB             64GB
Wi-Fi              $499             $599             $699
Wi-Fi + 3G    $629            $729            $829

Features –

– 9.7 inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display
(same multi touch as iphone)
– 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
– Fingerprint-resistant coating
– Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
– Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
– UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) (Data only)
– GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) (Data only)
– Email and Document support
– Browser without Flash support
– Accelerometer
– Ambient light sensor
– 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
– Built-in speakers (Mono)
– Microphone

Main Disadvantages
– Not a Full fledged computer OS (iPhone OS)
– No Multitasking support (it can run a maximum of two apple apps)
– No USB
– No Webcam
– Mono Speaker
– You can install apps only from Apple Appstore
– Need to use itunes on PC
– No Flash support in browser
– Limited to AT&T 3G network
– Too pricey for its limited feature set
– 16/32/64 GB Flash drive is too limited for a device like this

Overall Apple has created a device between a Phone and an Tablet PC, but for this form factor and price the functionality provided is very disappointing. Many who own Macs still install Winodws XP on them and use it for many applications which are not supported in the Apple OS.

Possibly a more feature packed version of the Ipad with a full featured Leopard OS will be much more appreciated than the shortcut taken by Apple here.

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Nokia E63 vs Nokia E72 – Price vs Performance review

Well I understand your look, you might be wondering how can I compare Nokia E63 and Nokia E72 when they are in totally two different pricing segments.But considering that both these phones cater to those looking for QWERTY based smartphone, it definitely makes sense to write this one. I have briefly owned E72 and E63, so here are my observations.

Nokia E72 though appears to be an evolved version of Nokia E71, actually is a refinement of E63 + extra features, the keypad is very different from E71 and Same as that of E63. So in more ways E72 is similar in design to E63. So lets look at the major differences

Nokia E63 Black edition
Nokia E72 Black

* 5MP Camera in E72 vs 2MP Camera in E63 (video FPS is same in both models)
* E72 has a A-GPS with free navigation license (As of Jan 2010).
* E72 has 600 MHZ processor compared to 369 MHZ of E63.
* 256 MB of internal memory in E72 vs 128 MB in E63 (This is not the RAM, RAM is same in both these phones)
* S60 3rd Edition FP2 in E72 vs S60 3rd Edition FP1 in E63.
* HSPDA support of upto 3.6 Mbps in E72 vs 384 Kbps max in E63. (both support 3G)
* 8GB memory card free (E72) vs 1GB memory card (E63)
* Metallic finish of E72 vs E63.

+ Office 2007 format support is available in both E72 and E63 (You will get a free upgrade when installing updates in E63)

Apart from Camera and GPS all other differences are minor.Though the processor upgrade appears to be grand one, without an increased RAM, you maynot see a huge difference in performance between these two devices. Afterall E63 itself is a pretty slick phone. Based on my experience with GPS enabled phones (N95 8GB and N97), I dont see them as a huge plus anyway. If you need to use a GPS for navigating then phone GPS is not powerful / fast enough to get a location, it will be better if you get a real GPS. Camera is a big improvement but again, for a business device camera is not a big factor.

Now both the models are available in Black and if you put the leather pouch over it both looks exactly the same except for the name.

But the biggest deciding factor is the price as of today Nokia E72 costs Rs 20,500/- after taxes in Chennai, whereas the Nokia E63 + A free Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH 103 (bundle) costs Rs 10,800/- almost half the price of the premium model.

So its up to you to decide on your device now..