Samsung Galaxy Pro Vs Blackberry - Impressions

Continuing life as a Samsung Mob!ler I recently came into possession of the new Samsung Galaxy Pro, Samsung’s first stab at combining a QWERTY keyboard candy bar style phone with Google’s epic Android operating software. Here’s a brief overview from YouTube (the funky fresh accent should keep you engaged at the very least ;)

So a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard...? Is this the Blackberry killer?

Well not exactly. Samsung have produced a mid-entry phone, clearly not intending to knock the blackberry world sideways, but rather tease the loyal RIM/Blackberry users about life beyond blackberry... And there is life beyond blackberry... So the screen resolution is not gonna blow your mind... neither is the quality of the camera... nor does the Galaxy Pro house a hefty super-speedy 1.2GHz processor...and so on...

Now I’ve never been a blackberry user, so I can’t give you an in-depth breakdown of which phone is better... but what I can share is my impressions of both operating systems.

I’ve always seen Blackberry phones as business first then play; whereas Android is telling the mobile phone world that if you like... business can be play. The Galaxy Pro gives you an intuitive, fluid and ‘fun’ way of using a business phone. As far as mobile phones go.. it looks pretty cool too... has a real solid feel in your hands...

Having fallen in love with the likes of the Galaxy S1 and Galaxy S2 I can’t see myself using a Pro full time, it’s not the sort of phone that can do everything you ever want. BUT it’s a handy piece of kit... well priced... so if you like the ease, creativity and simpleness of google and you don’t quite fancy forking out on a phone that gives you a better quality image than your cinema... the Galaxy Pro might just be for you... it’s a chilled-out-business phone, handy for replying to emails and and texts, catching up with the news...  and its long battery life and array of fancy apps and games makes it great for those long commutes.

Oh and another thing...I have to admit, since the advent of touch screens, texting just isn’t as fun as it used to be. There’s a sort of satisfaction you get from typing away, click after click, pressing button after button. There’s something real about it. The Galaxy Pro gives you that satisfaction and ease (and speed) but with all the fast and fluidness of android. Access to over 100,000 Android apps.

So all in all... blackberry users might have their interest piqued by what the Galaxy Pro has to offer. Yes, it doesn’t contend with the latest and greatest blackberry phones, but it doesn’t intend to. My impression is that the Galaxy Pro is the first of a series of business-style-android phones that Samsung will be putting out to offer.

So... Samsung have shown they can take a good bite out of Apple... looks like they’ll be adding some blackberry to their fruit salad soon ;) Check out the Galaxy Pro at a mobile phone near you... or come find me and you can have a play with mine ;)

Galaxy S2 - Life... Facilitated.

Hello everybody!

So for my next Samsung mission I've been tasked to design a poster that describes what the amazing Samsung Galaxy S2 is to me. With it's speed, amazing camera and fantastic Android 2.3 Software, the Samsung Galaxy S2 really does facilitate your life.

I don't have much Photoshop skills (I don't even own Photoshop!) So I did the following concept picture in Paint and then designed the final poster in Word!!! You're welcome to try and do a better version. The concept is quite simple... I hope you get it!!

Paint version:

Word version: (click on the picture to see the full version)

Let me know your thoughts!!

Bilal

The Return of the Mob!ler - Galaxy SII :D

Goooood day people!

In the spirit of true awesome-ness, my favourite mobile phone company have kindly extended to me the new Samsung Galaxy SII to put through it's paces. I've had the phone for just under a week and I have been truly blown away by its amazing-ness..!

Overview

The Galaxy SII packs a mighty punch - a dual core processor makes it literally the fastest phone on the market. No delay, no stutters, just lightening fast intuitiveness. It boasts a mahoosive 8 megapixel memory with HD recording, tons of memory and the latest Android Operating Software, all in a tiny 8.49mm case, making it the slimmest and lightest smartphone you can buy. I often wondered why mobile phone companies don't just put all the awesome things they could into one awesome phone. Finally, Samsung have done it. This phone just feels great in your hands, slim, slick and sturdy. Every phone shop and review website have gone a little Galaxy SII barmy, it's very difficult to fault this phone... and I haven't even gone on to the best feature...

Here's a quick video borrowed from T3 to tickle your taste buds..!


                       Disclaimer: That's not actually me in the video
                       (and the taste buds comment above was purely metaphorical, this phone is not edible)

Dream Screen

Words cannot do justice to the beautiful 4.3 inch Super AMOLED+ screen.
I feel the need to resort to poetry:

"Any one in love
will have no religion
in the religion of love
there is no heresy or faith
love knows no
body heart or soul
there is only
oneness and no more" - 


Do you feel me? That's what I'm talking about. Love.
*bursts into song*

Okay, allow me to explain... Like love, you can't really appreciate the beauty of this screen until you've immersed yourself in it. I remember the first time I saw a mobile phone with a colour screen. I went a bit gooey inside. The screen on the Samsung Galaxy SII invokes similar feelings, it really is that much of a leap. The colours just jump out at you. It brings your pictures and video to life like never before. You get to enjoy the phone on an entire new level. The 4.3-inch 800 x 480 screen is objectively the best screen on the market. It even makes sending text messages a joy!

What I'd suggest go down to your nearest mobile phone shop (or come find me) and put this phone through its paces. You won't be let down. Once you go Galaxy SII, you won't go back! Let me know your thoughts... Enjoy!

Reflections from a Samsung Mob!ler

This will be my last official post as a Samsung Mob!ler 2010 and I am taking the opportunity to reflect on the experience and share some of my thoughts.... who knows if I'll return in 2011..!

Confused curiosity

I was pleasantly surprised and equally curious as to why I had been chosen to be a Samsung Mob!ler. My understanding was that I would be given some high end Samsung mobile phones and would be asked to write about various aspects of them. With considerable money invested into the program I wondered Why me?’ Granted I have a keen interest in Mobile Phones and a wide social network base but I wasn’t a techno expert, far from it. When we were given tasks from writing about the operating software to testing out the Camera, this curiosity turned into a little confusion; just what was in it for Samsung?

Seeking Purpose

Prior to starting our Mob!iler missions I sought to clarify just how our posts should be framed. Were we to be critical of Samsung? Who was reading our posts? Was the idea to promote Samsung products? Were the Mob!lers an extension of the Samsung marketing wing? Or were we more Research and Development? It seemed the ball was really in our court to shape the missions as we like; to be as critical or as promotional as we’d like to be. Whilst I accepted this, I guess I was seeking a sense of purpose which seemed to be missing somewhat throughout.

Mission (is)Possible

Over the weeks we were given various ‘missions’ where we were asked to review (writing or video blogging) features of the latest Samsung Mobile Phones as well as the newly released Samsung Galaxy Tab. The missions were quite general and presented to us fairly informally, with little instruction; thus there was a lot of variety in the quality and length of each of the Mob!ilers posts. For many of the missions (such as reviewing “Google Android” or “Samsung Bada” operating software) I felt that there was sufficient information already online, both technical and layperson orientated. So again I wondered what was the real point of us writing these reviews? I thus tried to give my blog posts a degree of uniqueness, giving my own personal perspectives and throwing a bit of humour in for good measure.

Saving the Best till last

Of all the missions we were given, the best for me was the last. We were asked to write about what sort of applications we would like to see produced on the Galaxy Tab or for smartphones in general. Finally I thought! My ideas and thoughts would be heard on a senior level, and maybe even shape the future development of applications offered by Samsung. This would be an almost dream job for me; offering creative direction. It plays to my strengths; I probably put most effort into that last mission by doing a lot of research/planning/posting onto other forums. What would be even more rewarding would be to see some of the Mob!lers ideas, not necessarily my own, be taken on board. I guess I liked this task best because I had a clear objective/aim and an audience (at least in my head) that I was writing to.

Future

It’s a shame that the Mob!iler journey is coming to an end. I’ve enjoyed approaching the technology with a critical mind and have built up a little online bubble of people following my posts online. I would have hoped to have met more people from the Samsung team and exchange some thoughts and ideas in person. I would definitely be interested in future collaboration and hope that this is not entirely the end of the road for the Samsung Mob!lers! I guess we’ll see one way or another!

All in all I am grateful to Samsung for providing me with this great opportunity. I’ve met some cool people, am the new owner of some really cool gadgets and who knows may even get the opportunity to visit a really cool part of the world!

Signing out, yours truly

Bilal                                                     

My Top Three Dream Apps... (and a whole lot more!)

One of the best things about being a Samsung Mob!ler is being able to give constructive feedback and reflections and knowing that they will get listened to. So it is with great enthusiasm that I approach this week’s task to write about what sort of Applications I’d like to see on the Galaxy Tab/Galaxy S/Smartphones in general.

I’m a very creative person, and always have a million and one ideas, however I’ve learnt over the years not to let my creative juices overflow and to take the perspectives of other people. I enlisted the help of our friends at XDA developers and began a thread for people to feedback their thoughts. With 2000+ views and over 50 responses it seems like I’m not the only one who has ideas about what sorts of Apps we’d like to see on the new generation of smartphones/tablets. (Check the link: http://bit.ly/9aONAY)

Whilst there were a handful of complainers (as can be expected), there were also some really good ideas of very practical applications that I hope can one day become a reality. So below I’ve described my top three ideas and also taken from the comments made on the XDA forum and listed them too!

1.       Message Bureau
This has been bugging me for too long! Various 3^rd parties have attempted to address this issue, but no one has done it effectively yet. It’s very simple, our Sms/text messages should be as accessible as our emails. They should sync up to our online accounts (Gmail for example.) You should be able to save them, label them, back them up, restore them, access them on numerous devices, search through them etc. I know there’s apps out there that seek to do this, I’ve tried many but they are very basic and there’s just so much potential here. Google/Android/Samsung/Someone needs to sort this out!! It should just be a standard feature.

2.       Photo/Picture editing

I’ve not used the iPad/iPhone apps but word on the blogsphere says they’re pretty impressive. With the beautiful 7inch screen the Galaxy Tab should be offering comprehensive digital picture/photo editing suites. The Tab should be the portable canvass that every artist can carry around with them. I’d love such an app to use multi-touch, various painting tools, picture effects etc. A kind of Photoshop-lite that’s easy and fun to use but at the same time, something that could produce some mini-masterpieces with.
 

3.       Microsoft Office Android Edition
Something in the depths of my soul tells me the right people somewhere in the world are already talking about this. The Galaxy Tab/Galaxy S come with “ThinkFree Office” which allows you to edit Word, Powerpoint and Excel documents but the level of editing is still very basic; I still need to lug around my Laptop for editing documents. But there’s no reason why we can’t have a fully functional Office Application, we have the hardware just need that dream App to be produced!

Some more ideas that have been suggested, some goldmines here:

• -          Music editing app
• -          Voice recognition
• -          A more spruced up and fully integrated Calendar app
• -          A more customisable Daily Briefing app
• -          Google Books Mobile App
• -          A stock Android Task Manager App (with Switch to function)     
• -          Copy and Paste functions in email (and elsewhere!)

There’s also been some hardware suggestions for the Galaxy Tab Two. So throwing them in for good measure:

• -          DVB TV tuner
• -          Trackerball/optical pad
• -          Better camera on the Tab! (C’mon Samsung)
• -          Super AMOLED screen
• -          More internal memory (It’s pennies really)
• -          Flashing LED
• -          A Touch sensitive back cover that you could ‘soft click’ (my idea)
• -          FM Radio Transmitter
• -          Virtual Laser Projector Keyboard (my idea)
• -          Earpiece (so you can make calls like a normal phone, look a bit silly, but good option to have!)
• -          USB connector/(or include a dock as standard)
• -          More sensitive touch screen – Sensitive enough to recognise fingerprints! (my idea!)

What do you think? Your thoughts and suggestions most welcome!!
Thanks for reading!

Meeting the CEO of Google, Eric Scmidt

Life as a Samsung Mob!ler has it's ups and downs.

For our latest task we were asked to dream up the ideal Application for a mobile phone or tablet device. I've spent the past week or so putting the new Samsung Galaxy Tab through its paces. It's a mobile phone/Tablet not too different to the Apple iPad, a little less known but a lot more cooler (and portable!) The tab is run by Google Android Software and any application would have to fit in with their system.

So with a million and one ideas buzzing in my head, and knowing I have the ear of some very senior people at Samsung (and who knows who else!) I decided to take a little power nap.

And then... it happened. There I was advising the CEO of Google, Eric Scmidt, about my new application for Android... I had called it Google Ice.

Unfortunately I was rudely woken up by a friend calling from the United States. I guess I should be thankful as had I not been woken up mid-dream I may never have remembered anything! I hadn't had enough time (in my dream) to outline all my plans to Google, but I do remember I had a marker pen and was drawing all over the screen of my Galaxy Tab. Really not sure why.

So, thank you Samsung for facilitating my introduction (even if it was only a dream) to Eric Scmidt. Maybe one day you'll introduce me to him in person ;)

But for now, if anybody here has any grand plans for a Mobile Phone Application, I'm all ears (as are Samsung!)

N.O.V.A HD. – Next Generation Gaming with the Galaxy Tab

N.O.V.A HD. – Next Generation Gaming with the Samsung Galaxy Tab

The 20 man (and-women!)-strong team of Samsung Mob!ler’s have each been gifted a Samsung Galaxy Tab and we’ve been putting it through its paces over the past week or so. Our first task has been to check out the gaming potential that the Galaxy Tab has to offer, and I’ve focused this post on N.O.V.A. - the outstanding 1^st-person shoot ‘em up style game from Gameloft.

I must say from the outset that I framed the Galaxy Tab as a mini-computer/multi-media/internet/email/phone sort of device, i.e. not something I would play games on so much; maybe just some basic freebie stuff. However N.O.V.A has surpassed my expectations and blown my mind open to just what the Galaxy Tab can offer.

Display

With graphics and gameplay on par with (if not greater) that that of a PSP, the Galaxy Tab and  N.O.V.A make quite the match. Bringing back memories of the classic N64 Goldeneye, the game comes alive on the Tab’s 7inch TFT HD display. It runs smoothly with no lagging or glitches. There’s an ominous storyline throughout the game, and you get to watch a series of videos and radio messages as you follow the story of a retired marine called back into duty following a surge of alien invasions.

Gameplay and Controls

Whilst there is a degree of repetition throughout, N.O.V.A makes for a challenging and entertaining game. The controls are intuitive, simple to grasp and really put you ‘in to’ the game.  There is a virtual touchscreen analogue stick that moves you about and the direction you ‘face’ can be controlled both via the touchscreen (anywhere on the screen) AND controlled gyroscopically with the Tab’s accelerometer. This means you can look around the game environment by moving the phone up and down and literally point and shoot the bad guys. With buttons to fire, reload, throw grenades, switch weapons as well as well as a host of other interactive (and customisable) features, N.O.V.A can really suck you into the game. With the gyroscope in full action you’ll look like quite the crack –pot playing this on the train or bus, but just think how much fun you’d be having at the same time!

Extra features

There’s various little extra ‘bits’ to N.O.V.A that begin to explore just what potential gaming on the Galaxy Tab could be like. Whilst these are not fully developed, they show a lot of promise. Some of them include:

- There are mini ‘hacking’ games, which are essentially little puzzles that you work through and unlock ammo/progress in the game.

- There are some cool features where you have to interact with the environment in a really intuitive way. This could be sliding an arrow to make the lift move, or spinning/moving parts of the walls/doors to open them. I guess you have to see this live… Check out the video!!

- Multi-player mode – Connect over wifi and play death matches with strangers across the world or just play with your friends over a local network! This is an amazing facet to the game, very fun and very addictive!

Conclusion

There’s a lot of ‘wow’ factors to N.O.V.A, as I’ve advanced through the game it opens up various new tasks, weapons, and  ‘missions’ from sniping to drive-by’s.  I just didn’t expect this level of gaming to come from a tablet. Really impressed.

There’s still a degree of repetitiveness to the game with the same sort of ‘baddies’ appearing and attacking you in the same predictable way. It thus becomes a bit too easy sometimes. There’s a good amount of detail given to the terrain/environment, although this could easily be expanded upon and is largely wasted.

All-in-all, this is a game you just have to see in action! Better still, head down to a Mobile shop and put it through your paces yourself! You will be impressed and I just can’t wait to see what else is in store for the Samsung Galaxy Tab!