Review: HTC One X - Is this the winning formula?

I am sure you have probably read a few dozen reviews of the HTC One X. 

I had the good fortune of using the HTC One X for over two weeks, which gave me enough of a chance to get the use and feel and see what they have done this time with their latest Android offering. First things first - Google released the ICS, a few centuries ago but I just got a chance to try out, - which is Android 4.0 - and this has probably been the best thing to happen in that sphere. The SuperSmartPhones now come loaded with a nice comparatively bug-free baseline OS. This is Compared to Froyo (OMG) and Gingerbread (Are you kidding me?) :)

 

HTC immediately used this update to upgrade the OS on their range of smartphones - I think the Sensation range got it's upscale new look quite quickly. Hot on the heels of this they announced the One series. I got invited to this launch.. read about that here. 

 

If you see that article, my initial comments already cover most features. But what does this mean in terms of actual usage? Let me break it down for you!

 

Form

The Unibody design is gorgeous. The Polycarbonate material does not give the phone a cheap plastic-y feel which some other phones, that use the same material, exude. It feels rather full and gives you the sense that you are, in fact, holding a >$500 Smart Phone! The let down is that you cannot remove the back - to remove the battery, but that may not be considered a flaw if you look it. This design was to ensure integrity and if the phone fell (I did not let mine fall even once, nor did it give me the feeling that it would) it would remain unharmed. HTC designers took this into consideration when they made the phone and reinforced the Polycarbonate with a metal frame and Corning Gorilla Glass 2.0 for the display making it, for the most bit, resistant to small dings and dents. Surface scratches are no longer bothersome.

The phone felt like it was meant to be held. It fit snugly in the palm of my rather large podgy hand and make no mistake, I am very fussy and never like holding a phone for a long period of time. When I am done with a phone call, I immediately stow away my phone except to check email and social media. This phone however, was firmly placed in my hands comfort zone and I liked holding on to it. (Enough about my hands already :P)

 

Display

The next thing you notice is the Display. The brilliant 4.7" inch LCD display is really quite superb. What I really liked is the reduced bezel. Most older phones have a pronounced bezel which gave the phone its larger form. With a reduced Bezel, the handset lost a lot of its baby weight and focused on what was important, the display. This also gave me better access with a single hand across the phone and reduced the strain on my thumb joint. 

Move past the thin bezel and the screen responds beautifully to every touch. The phone showers your visual sense with dazzling rich, deep, colours on a bright vivid HD display. Camera shots are no longer trial and error, because what you see is precisely what you get. Of course, the camera has a major role to play, but you get my point. Watching a movie is really a treat. I had a HD quality movie (Avengers) which I saw on the One for the last half hour. Let's just say, that the phone may be puny in size, but The Incredible Hulk lost no granduer!
 
Camera
This phone boasts of an "AMAZING CAMERA". That is far from being an exaggeration. The camera, truly, is amazing. They had features listed against camera in my briefing pack, so let me tick them off the list there and tell you my experience from that.

1. 8MP camera on the back. CHECK! :) With a really high resolution, those 8MP are really being used to the max. High quality of photographs really filter through and HD video is quite amazing :)
2. 1 second startup time. SEMI CHECK! Why semi-check? Well I did not really TIME it... but it was faster than any other phone unlocking straight to the camera I have seen EVER. So yea, semi check.
3. Burst mode. CHECK! Just press the shutter, hold it and move around the room REAL SLOW. This reduces blurring. This burst saves each photograph as a single group for you to use as a group or you could use...
4. Best Picture mode (CHECK!) and pick the best picture and delete the rest.
5. HD Video Recording - CHECK! This is pretty self explanatory.
6. Video mode with photo inlay. Take a nice print quality photograph while you record video at HD. That is like Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing

 
Interface
HTC Sense 4.0 came preloaded, and I upgraded to 4.01 in the middle of my review cycle. There were multiple things that I looked at when rating this particular portion of the handset experience. 

1. The Home Screen - managing the shortcuts, apps and widgets on the home screen is easier now with everything available with a simple long press anywhere on the home screen. Customizing the lock screen means reassigning what appears on the home screen app dock on the bottom and the two are not mutually exclusive. The widgets are varied including some that are HTC Sense designed and the others available on the app market as well. Function and Customisation are now standard for this range of phones, so nothing impressive there, just useful.
2. Messaging - here there are a few things that really count to me. First, the format of the messages displayed - with the larger display, there was no complaint. Second, the keyboard. I had a few issues here.. there is a inbuilt "Swype" like keyboard but it is not as effective and kept missing my words, or suggesting changes that had nothing to do with what I "swyped". Downloading a 3rd party keyboard will solve this issue effectively. No harm no foul.
3. App Switching - for a phone that is so "well-endowed" technically, app switching was not really a problem. There was a fair bit of lag in the switch where the Sense UI decided that it should make the person wait for a second more before switching to the active app selected. The updated UI decided it should switch and then make the person wait. I felt that version 2 was a better choice :) The process, however, is the slickest - using the OS's inbuilt app switching ability to it's best advantage and creating a special shortcut for JUST that! Brilliant. No more long presses for app switching anymore.

 

Sound

HTC boast about amazing sound. With or without earphones, this phone was very clear, and fairly loud as most phones go. Nothing tinny or missing in terms of depth. With a Beats headset (I had one, did not get it with the review unit) the sound is great, but I think it had more to do with equalizer settings (something 3rd party applications can attain - no biggy) but it was still quite good. I tried using my Skull Candy headset with it - and was pleasantly surprised to hear the clarity not change. So beats or no beats, you are bound to have a great aural experience :)

 

Performance

Let's bring it down to the heart of the matter. The HTC would not be as awesome externally without having some major tech support internally. For you tech's out there, I will copy paste some Wiki text here and then attempt to Anglicize it for the layman :) Wiki Text in Italics for reference. Please bear with me.

The One X features a NVIDIA Tegra 3 SoC with a 1.5 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, (which makes it faster than most phones available in the market - the only other phones to reach this level of performance are the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Sony Xperia S and the Nokia Lumia 900 to name a few.) 1 GB of RAM (for an android phone, the more the RAM, the better the app performance and the more you can achieve on the cloud. Unless you have a light OS and there is no bloatware - very rare scenario that); a 1,800 mAh battery (the battery is the most powerful in all the HTCs and boasts of fairly long usage time - I managed to clock a work shift on a single charge - about 15 hours with moderate usage - i had active use of Data, BT, WiFi, GPS and at least 6 apps - I was listening to at least 25-30 minutes of music a day, and randomly using the internet browser for searches and stuff) , a dual-band 802.11n WiFi radio, Bluetooth 4.0 with apt-X (I have no idea what apt-X is and I could not be bothered to search but the BT connection is definitely faster and better. I could transfer photos and songs from my phone to the laptop via bluetooth faster than my Nokia E7), GPS, NFC (read about NFC here), and 32 GB of internal storage (This is plenty and in addition to the space that Dropbox gives you with your phone, this is very good). The One X also features a standard array of sensors including a digital compass, proximity sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer and ambient light sensor (they all work well and are on constant power saving mode which means that they consume less battery, but are instant to respond when needed.

The One X has three physical keys; a power button on the top and higher and lower volume buttons on the right side. On the front of the One X are three capacitive touch keys for the Back, Home, and Recent Application functions. On the left side of the One X is a Micro USB 2.0 port. This port doubles as a Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) interface, allowing the One X to output1080p content to an external display via HDMI through the use of an adapter. A 3.5 mm headphone jack is located on the top of the One X as well as one of the two stereo microphones. The second microphone is located on the bottom. The One X has two speakers, a loudspeaker on the rear of the phone and a speaker above the front display, serving as the earpiece. The front speaker grill also houses the notification LED, which flashes green for notifications, flashes red for low battery, and illuminates red when the phone is charging

My Verdict

It is a good phone to invest in if you are looking for a good looking phone that can replace your camera, your mobile phone and your planner. The phone is powerful so will not let you down. There is definite value for professionals who are looking for mobile productivity in a small package.

I recommend buying an HTC One X if you are looking for an all rounder.

Nokia, JBL, Lumia and Windows 8 - refreshing and new

New Nokia Lumia Range Delivers Latest PureView Camera Innovation; New Navigation Experiences and Wireless Charging on Windows Phone 8

Nokia Lumia 920 Captures Best Pictures and Video Ever Seen on a Smartphone
 
Nokia today announced the Nokia Lumia 920 and the Nokia Lumia 820, the first in Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 range.

The Nokia Lumia 920 is the flagship Windows Phone 8 smartphone, including the latest advances in Nokia PureView imaging innovation. Using advanced floating lens technology, the camera in the Nokia Lumia 920 is able to take in five times more light than competing smartphones without using flash, making it possible to capture clear, bright pictures and video indoors and at night.

“Nokia PureView continues to deliver cutting-edge technology to make it possible for a smartphone camera to take the kind of images usually only seen on a standalone SLR camera,” said Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices. “With the Nokia Lumia 920 we have made it possible to shoot pictures and video at home, outdoors, in a restaurant or even at night, and come out with professional-looking results.”

“We view imaging as a core area for differentiation in the smartphone space,” said Crawford Del Prete, Executive VP WW Products and Chief Research Officer, IDC. “Low light photography has been a weak point for smartphones. Nokia has addressed this with PureView to create real customer value. By applying its rich expertise in imaging Nokia has created a best-of-breed experience for everyday use.”

The Nokia Lumia 920 also comes with Nokia City Lens, the latest addition to the Nokia location suite. By pointing the camera at a city street, City Lens overlays information about restaurants, shops, hotels and more on the surfaces of buildings, for the most intuitive way to explore surroundings. Nokia City Lens is the start of a new augmented reality experience that also enhances Nokia Maps, making it possible to move between maps view and augmented reality view to help people check their direction and surroundings. Along with enhancements to Nokia Drive and Nokia Transport, the Nokia location suite of services represents the most comprehensive, integrated mapping experience of any smartphone.
The Nokia Lumia 920 also comes with Nokia’s largest ever battery (2000mAh) and, for the first time, built-in wireless charging for an easy, convenient way to get more out of every day.

The Nokia Lumia 820

The Nokia Lumia 820 is a stylish, mid-range smartphone that delivers high-end performance in a compact package.
While the Nokia Lumia 820 has the same unibody look and feel as the high-end Lumia smartphones, it comes with an exchangeable shell design. Exchangeable shells not only make it possible to select from a range of colors, but also to add wireless charging. Beneath the shell is room to insert a micro SD memory card.

Powered by Windows Phone 8
Windows Phone 8 provides a more personal smartphone experience, with a start screen that can be more easily rearranged to reflect individual priorities and new animated Live Tiles for real-time updates on the things that matter most. The ability to sync content between Windows Phone 8 smartphones, Windows 8-based PCs and tablets or Xbox means files, music, pictures and video can be accessed in whichever way is most convenient. With Internet Explorer 10 for faster, safer browsing and Microsoft Office apps built into the platform, Windows Phone 8 is also the easiest way to get things done.

Wireless charging partners

Nokia also announced a range of wireless charging accessories and partnerships.  The Fatboy® Recharge Pillow provides a fun way to recharge, while JBL introduced the JBL PowerUp Wireless Charging Speaker for Nokia, a wireless charging docking station with high quality audio in retro styling.
Deals with Virgin Atlantic to put wireless charging stations in the London Heathrow and New York JFK Clubhouse Lounges and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® to offer wireless charging facilities in its cafés for customers who want to recharge their phones whilst on the go, were the first of many deals Nokia intends to sign to take wireless charging outside the home and office.

Availability
The Nokia Lumia 920 comes in yellow, red, grey, white and black. The Nokia Lumia 820 comes in red, yellow, grey, cyan, purple, white and black.  Both phones will be available in global pentaband LTE and HSPA+ variants and are expected to start shipping in select markets later in the year. Nokia will announce pricing and specific roll-out dates country by country when sales are due to begin.

Product specifications

Nokia Lumia 920

·         Display

o    4.5 inch Nokia PureMotion HD+ WXGA IPS LCD

o   Super Sensitive touch

o   Nokia ClearBlack with high brightness mode and Sunlight Readability Enhancements

·         Battery

o    2000mAh with integrated Qi wireless charging

·         Processor

o    1.5GHz Dual Core Snapdragon S4

·         Main Camera

o    8.7MP with Nokia PureView advanced optical imaging stabilization and Carl Zeiss optics

o    Full 1080p HD video capture at 30fps

·         Front facing camera

o    1.2MP with 720p HD video

·         Memory

o    1GB RAM

o    32GB mass memory with 7GB free SkyDrive storage

 

Nokia Lumia 820

·         Display

o    4.3 inch ClearBlack OLED WVGA 800x480

o    Super Sensitive touch

o    Nokia ClearBlack with high brightness mode and Sunlight Readability Enhancements

·         Battery

o    1650mAh with integrated Qi wireless charging

·         Processor

o    1.5GHz Dual Core Snapdragon S4

·         Main Camera

o    8MP Auto Focus with Carl Zeiss optics

o    Dual LED flash

o    Full HD 1080p video capture at 30fps

·         Front facing camera

o    VGA

·         Memory

o    1GB RAM

o    8GB mass memory with microSD memory card support and 7GB free SkyDrive storage

 

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Capture, Connect and Share with Samsung

Samsung’s NX20, NX210 and NX1000 SMART cameras
- The world’s first Wi-Fi Enabled SMART compact system cameras

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies is breaking new ground with its award-winning NX series with three new compact system cameras (CSC) that pioneer built-in Wi-Fi connectivity: the NX20, NX210 and NX1000. Now professional quality images can be easily captured, shared and stored straight from your camera - wherever you are in the world. 

Mr. Raj Varma, General Manager of IT division at Samsung Gulf Electronics, said that the new NX range offers the versatility of a point and shoot and the quality of a DSLR camera. He added, “The new NX range marks an evolution in the SMART camera, offering wireless connectivity and fantastic image quality, so consumers can capture and share the best moments with friends and family from wherever they are. This dedication to innovation will make Samsung a leader in the SMART camera market.”

Introducing the NX20, NX210 and NX1000

The innovative additions to Samsung’s NX range represent the future in CSC technology: SMART cameras with in-built Wi-Fi technology that allow users to connect to wireless networks without any additional cards or devices. Full Wi-Fi connectivity is complemented by an impressive range of features, continuing the heritage of innovation that the NX series has been consistently recognized for since the launch of the NX10 in 2010.

As standard, all three NX models feature a 20.3 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, developed in-house by Samsung to give high quality images in rich color and detail. They are also fully compatible with the NX series’ unique i-Function system, enabling users to control parameters using the lens itself, adjusting the image without ever having to move off target. With Samsung’s range of nine lenses and professional standard accessories, the NX eco-system ensures that all imaging ambitions can be realised, whatever the user’s photographic speciality or interest.

Enhancing Samsung’s 2012 SMART CAMERA ecosystem, these latest additions to the NX range have been designed to satisfy the ambitions of users of all abilities, whether an experienced professional or someone just looking to trade-up from their point-and-shoot.

The NX20 is the perfect match for enthusiast amateur or professional photographers looking for a highly portable camera that gives the professional look and feel of a DSLR but at a fraction of the size and weight, with the addition of an ergonomic grip to fit comfortably into the hand. Delivering impressive speed with its 1/8000s Fast Shutter, breath-taking images are shown on its clear 3.0” clear AMOLED swivel display, increasing visibility by approximately 20%. The NX20 also incorporates a range of functions and manual controls in order to deliver pro-standard pictures every time, including SVGA EVF so users can frame images like a professional. 

 

The NX210 follows the NX’s design heritage, with a premium metallic finish. Like its predecessor the NX200, the NX210 also offers a 3.0” AMOLED display for viewing images and Full HD movies in brilliant resolution. With easy access to Wi-Fi functions, the NX210 allows quick sharing with friends and family, whilst with Samsung Mobile Link users can show off their best images on phones and tablets, or on the big screen with TV Link connecting the NX210 wirelessly to internet-enabled TVs.

The NX1000 is highly portable and its eye-catching compact design makes it as useable as it is attractive. Available in stunning white, classic black or eye-catching pink it houses a feature-rich range of specs, with technology such as Smart Auto 2.0 and the Smart Link Hot Key, making it simpler than ever to shoot and share great images instantly.  

In-Built Wi-Fi for simple sharing and saving

With Samsung’s latest SMART features, users can share pictures at the touch of a button, uploading to social networks including Facebook and Picasa, or emailing them to friends and family – all straight from their new NX camera. The cameras also offer further options for capturing and displaying images via other devices, including the ability to link to a Samsung smartphone and use as a remote viewfinder, and - with the Samsung Mobile Link function - to display images on devices such as tablets or internet-enabled TV.

Creative control at the touch of a button

Pictures shared on the spur of the moment are no longer restricted to simply shooting and sending - with the creative features of the new NX cameras, Facebook pictures can be artistic without ever going near a computer. The ten Smart Filters and added Selective Color function, for example, mean that users can adjust the look and feel of shots as they take them. In addition, all three cameras also feature Panorama and 3D Panorama, allowing the whole story to be told in one complete picture. With the Smart Panel featured on all the new models, settings and features can be easily accessed and applied, making creative photography easier than ever.

The NX20, NX210 and NX1000 are available across all leading retail outlets in the UAE. Prices for NX20 model is AED 3,799, with the NX210 available for AED 3,299 and the NX1000 for AED 2,299.

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Nokia's Gift Machine

I visited Nokia's Mall of the Emirates store recently to have a look at the Lumia and the PureView. I found a machine, not unlike a vending machine, standing in the corner, inviting me to check-in to their location using foursquare and win a prize! I thought to myself, this can not be an April Fool joke. Not in June. So I searched for Nokia Gift Machine on Foursquare on my E7 and checked in with the hashtag #NokiaGifts. 

Now having checked in twice (the second time was on my BB), I found that the machine swallowed my check-ins while the staff very nicely used a NFC sticker to redeem me a prize (a Galaxy Hazelnut chocolate). But I found that the system was devised to work but obviously fate had other plans.

The point of this post was to say that Nokia are coming up with really innovative techniques of reaching out to their target audience! This Gift Machine is one way. Their facebook page is really churning out interesting innovative competitions and crowd gatherers, while the conversations there leave much to be desired - it seems to work!

Good going Nokia!

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Jumbo Electronics unveil the new BRAVIA(R) television line-up

The new BRAVIA® television line-up comprises two distinct series – the flagship HX series and the mid-level EX series. Each new model delivers best picture quality and offers a range of features to give consumers flexibility in choosing the right entertainment solution.

The new Sony Bravia series features an improved picture enhancement technology, X-Reality PRO, which enhances lower quality signals taking them closer to HD quality, as well as making 2D and 3D images clearer.

The new HX and EX series also offer more channels, apps and connectivity options in the online TVs. Moreover, the new series is packed to look more stylish with newly designed stands and screens.

Sony’s HX855 series carries forward Sony’s distinctive Monolithic design incorporating Gorilla® Glass by Corning®, making the screen material thinner, lighter and stronger. Complete with X- Reality PRO and Motionflow XR 800, the HX855 is a fully Internet-connected television with built-in 3D, delivering a premium viewing experience. Furthermore, the stylish design makes the TV a valued addition to the home décor.

On the other hand, consumers wishing to step into internet-connectivity and Edge LED backlighting will not lose out on picture quality with Sony’s out-of-the-box Wi-Fi-ready EX650 series. The EX series uses Motionflow XR 200 processing, delivering superior Full HD 1080p resolution, and integrates the Clear Resolution Enhancer to provide vivid, clear and life-like picture.

The new BRAVIA models offer new enhancements and additional innovations. Select models incorporate Dynamic Edge LED with local dimming that deliver brilliant Full HD (1080p) picture with increased brightness and outstanding contrast, particularly in superior deep blacks. Sony’s exclusive OptiContrast panel elevates the picture to the front surface of the TV and creates a dark background for rich, vibrant, high contrast pictures even in well-lit rooms.

The picture quality is further enhanced with Sony’s X-Reality PRO and X-Reality digital video processors. The dual-chip X-Reality PRO optical engine optimizes video sources by utilizing a vast database of signal patterns and comparing incoming signals with ideal scenes to display unprecedented detail and astonishingly vibrant colours.

The X-Reality picture engine separates incoming video into its constituent parts of outline, texture and colour/contrast, and then applies image enhancements to deliver outstanding picture. Additionally, Sony’s newest version of Motionflow XR technology reduces blur caused by quick camera movements, enhancing sharpness and creating a smoother viewing experience for fast-paced sports and movie programming, as well as gaming.

From the Sony Entertainment Network portal, consumers can find a variety of applications for online entertainment and information such as news, weather, games, and videos from YouTube™ as well as access to social network.

The DNLA-certified and Wireless LAN built-in HX models easily connect to and share content from mobile devices and computers, as well as allow consumers a wide variety of control options via Sony’s Media Remote and Remote Keyboard apps. Viewers can ‘throw’ a browsed website from a Smartphone to the BRAVIA for easier viewing. The application allows control of the web cursor with one thumb, tapping for selecting links, and pinching in and out to enlarge or shrink the viewable areas. The apps, available for download from both the Android Market and Apple App Store, also function as a full remote control with keyboard, allowing easy online content search and playback.

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Click this button - I dare you!

Go ahead and push the button!  

Push this button ... yes I said push it .. go ahead, don't be afraid ...

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Why you no say you haz gaming machine?

Being a part of the gaming industry over the past 2 years has given me some insight into a few facts. I thought I would take some time and just highlight it - just for the heck of it.

Gaming as a job in an industry is probably the most misunderstood, to begin with. Why? It is in the name - gaming. Most people assume that being in the gaming industry is just fun and games. But it is not just that. It is some of that but it is not all that. It is a serious business for a lot of people and even large companies are beginning to see this. The only people who rely on gaming as a business are the game software developers and their distributors. The hardware makers are the ones who understand that gaming is a serious business and making plenty of headway into applying technology to make gaming that much more interesting, yet they will not trust it enough to give gaming it's own space. 

I have noticed that hardware manufacturers hide their gaming businesses in the midst of their home entertainment verticals despite the fact that these businesses account for what is possibly their most specific R&D and most expensive products in the IT industry. Examples? Sony Corporation invests a lot of money in Gaming despite posting losses in Q3-2011, and taking a hit in the sales in Consumer Electronics (source: pcmag.com). Microsoft has 2 whole divisions dedicated to the Xbox experience - the Xbox hardware and its related R&D and the Xbox Live division that works on the UI, the delivery of new games online, and the delivery of premium content through their new system! Nintendo, although being one of the first to get INTO gaming (around the same age as Sega), are moving along slowly but bringing in some absolute classic hardware - although their software could do with an over-haul! All they seem to do starts with an M and ends with an Ario ;) - Sega's games too start with S and end with Onic... nothing new in their games; but Nintendo are planning an ace up their sleeve with the Wii-U. 

These are companies who kind of focus on gaming but are hiding in plain sight. There are companies that you probably did not know about or know about but were not aware that they love gaming too. Do you know these companies: LG, Samsung, Dell, HP, Asus and MSi. Why do I say this?

All these companies have the know how and resources to invest into gaming hardware that people would trust, and they do invest in making super expensive gaming hardware assembled for optimum efficiency. Why, then, do they not make their presence felt? Why did I need to pry it out of their brains that gaming is part of their system? HP just happened to let slip about their Phoenix range of gaming deskware. LG and Samsung have HUGE budgets for gaming hardware (like monitors, 3D technology, gaming laptops) and are in fact making it a part of their regular products as well - but their marketing does not do much to promote this. Same with Asus and MSi who make the best gaming components out there - everyone knows this. But when it comes to promoting their home grown machines that cost a fraction of what it would cost with an Alienware tag, no one is aware of their capability!

This is something I find weird. Why? As a gamer, who spends a lot of money on games and hardware, I would be most happy to know that there are a LOT more options out there than the ones that actually market themselves! Any gamer is looking for the best value for money proposition out there that would give him/her the chance to improve his/her game without burning a hole in his/her pocket. The solutions are out there with manufacturers investing time, effort and money to make them - but little effort is made to promote them to the right audience.

This can be changed if communication is made to the right audience in the right manner. And it does not cost a lot too :)

Anyway, if anyone wants to make a difference and improve the visibility of the gaming range of products to the right audience, then the simple solutions are out there for everyone to see.

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HTC One X is here. I know; I saw it

For all those people who have been waiting patiently for the next big thing in mobile devices or have been putting off buying that smartphone for sometime now, I would probably recommend that you go and look at the HTC One X. I am sure that disappointed, you will not be!

For One(x) thing, HTC seem to have done things right on a lot of fronts and let me list down those things, which - in my opinion, needed work in the first place. I am not particularly fond of Android handsets. I guess I can put that down to being exposed to the lower strata of Android handsets that probably need to be rooted to get the best out of them. Quite frankly, I have tried, unsuccessfully at that, to do so and therefore have given up unceremoniously.

A few manufacturers seem to have got things right - HTC and Samsung to name the top 2 in my list. My first introduction to HTC was with the Desire. The phone is perfectly sized as an entry level, high spec smart phone. Price was almost right as well with it hovering around the $400 mark (I could be wrong you know). With a large application memory cache, it made downloading and using applications easier. HTC only improved this with the new range of phones with the Desire S, Incredible S and so on. Then came the HTC Sensation - and I was blown. That phone was not a phone - it was a mini power house. They also spoiled you with variants depending on what you wanted to focus on! Incredible - I mean, Sensational! :P

Then they went silent for some time until last week, they emailed me and said "Come check out the HTC One X" - and go I did.

What happened next was me - a devout not-liker of Android - actually jumping for the pen and recommending the HTC One X because I do really recommend that product. This mobile device can do EVERYTHING you need from a mobile technology companion. What could you possibly want?

1. Camera: The One X boasts of an 8 megapixel camera with something that HTC calls Image Sense - and its pretty cool. With low light pictures coming out really sharp and bright despite, well, low light conditions, the clarity and depth really is amazing. Burst is exactly that in the true sense of the word! Other modes do exist but Low Light HD Capture, and Burst were the highlight of the still camera. The video on the other hand records 1080P (I can't change the case for numbers!) of flawless video in the midst of which you can capture still images at 2mp quality. That is still print quality right there!! 

2. Screen and Touch: HTC have upgraded their OS to now be slightly smarter. Called the HTC Sense 4.0 this thing can now sync music through any music software and any Desktop OS. Nothing is proprietary anymore (*cough* iTunes *cough*). Easier to switch through the screens, better linked socially, improved connectivity and more through the new Sense 4.0. 

3. Media: Beats Audio - nuff said ;) 

Oh ok, fine - Audio quality is the same as the previous Sensation - with the addition of a few sensible functions like the ability to plug in ANY beats headset and get optimum quality sound through the Beats Audio engine in built!

4. Form: This is where I particularly loved the One X - it is larger than the Sensation - a 4.7" screen compared to the Sensation's 4.3" but in no way does it need me to have extra long thumbs anymore. Slimmer, more practical, a thinner bezel all make the actual phone a LOT easier to hold and manage compared to the Sensation.

5. Tech: Let's get technical for a bit here now -  out of the box with Android - ICS, the 32GB media memory, the 2GB inbuilt app memory, the 4.7 in HD screen, HTC Sense 4, Image Sense, OMG - and a companion core ONLY to manage the battery - this phone is the best thing since chocolate chip cookies - and the HTC Sensation ;). Coupled with 25 GB of Cloud Storage - really what more could you need?

Priced at AED 2499, the phone is already available in the market and I hope to get my hands on a review unit soon.

Hey you could buy your phone from JadoPado for the best deals online.

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How to pick your tablet

As an avid user of all things gadget-y, I have a particular fondness to go to a store and try out all the new toys that arrive at our shores. Every now and then, I get this urge to binge and buy the first gadget I touch. Thank God, or I would be penniless! Albeit I could get my money back from the resale - but that's not quite the point of buying them in the first place, is it?

Anyway, until last month I would constantly visit electronic stores in the city randomly and check out the range of deals and options that tablets had for me. Believe me when I say this - being strong willed was VERY important!! 

What really amazed me were the options available in this class of Consumer Tech! The specifications varied from a Simple single-core processor to a dual-core processor; screen sizes ranging from 7 inches to 10 inches, colour depth and resolution ranging from VGA quality to HD! The operating system options also were pretty amazing within a single class of device - Windows, various versions of Android, RIMs OS for the playbook and the world famous iOS.

So now the question really is: How do you pick the tablet of choice? 

It really is quite simple! Let me just put this into perspective with the way I picked up my Blackberry Playbook:

1. Budget: I had a budget of about AED 1000 - AED 1500. Not too many good options in this price range but thankfully (at the time of buying my tablet) the Playbook 64GB was under offer available at AED 1250. (So that was 1-0 in favor of the playbook)

2. Screen Size: I was not fussy - I needed something larger than my mobile screen and something that was not cumbersome. When I tried out the various 10 inchers I found that the device needed extra long thumbs to use or just one hand. The 7inch screen on the other hand made thumb typing (even in landscape mode) pretty easy. Not to mention that it was not that heavy to lug around and was still bigger than my 3 inch mobile screen. (That is score 2 for the playbook)

3. Processing power: I needed a machine that could manage multiple applications running in the background and still not lag or fail when I am using the device. The only devices powerful enough for this were Apple iPad, and a few Android powered Tabs - Samsung, Moto and even Asus. The playbook featured a Dual Core TI OMAP chipset with 1 GB of RAM dedicated to running applications. That was enough for me. The GPU is no slouch either, making gaming smooth and fun :) - Score 3 for Playbook!

4. Browsing: I needed a full function browser. Now iOS was not a pick here since - let's face it - no flash. Android could have worked but then the devices did not fit into my criteria number 1 - the playbook was perfect with a full function browser with HTML5 and Adobe flash support - I could now play Farmville (if I wanted to, that is) on facebook. My group editor, when I was in PC World showed me that he could! :) Score 4

5. Application support: Now this is a big bone for contention - you buy a table so you have productivity on the move. Which means you need applications running on them. Finding the right application for your use is very tricky but very important. Now iOS and Android have been around for a VERY long time and they both have applications that range from official applications to fan made applications that have been designed to fulfill whatever you need. I went through all the applications stores everywhere. Windows failed right at the outset with not enough applications to do even the basic stuff. Apple had apps but you need a credit card and a little bit of courage to spend from that credit card. Android had the applications too but then getting the right one to actually work on an OS that has bugs in them from the word go - refer to my previous post about why I hate Android - and well that put me off completely. Blackberry, on the other hand, suprised me with application support for all the major things that I needed: Word Processing (this is a business tablet - it came inbuilt); Wordpress (for blogging); camera with editing - and this I must say is pretty nifty for basic stuff - nothing fancy but excellent photo quality and videos too; and even a few applications that were pretty useful like an FTP client and cloud storage access. I was sold - that was score 5 for the Playbook!

6. Connectivity: This is something that you need - it is a tablet and you need to be online! Wi-fi and Bluetooth is standard - 3G is optional. Can you survive with only Wi Fi then you have nothing to fear. With a 3G connection you will constantly worry about usage. How did the Playbook fair? It uses my Blackberry's bridge application to read my emails and even surf the web when I am on the move. I have a virtually unlimited connection on my Blackberry and this was very reassuring that I would not need a separate bill for my tablet. When I am at home or at a friends place, I use Wi Fi and I am sorted. The playbook won me over completely! Score 6 :) if you have an iPhone with a connection, then buy an iPad with only a wifi connection - that should be MORE than sufficient since the new iOS on the iPhone has a wifi broadcast feature to share your connection (called tethering) - all the other problems can be overcome.

This is the way I was able to shortlist the Playbook for myself. But this guide should be able to tell you what you really need to focus on before buying a tablet - after it is more than just good looks, right?

Posted via email from partha's posterous