MobileSyrup.com » Reviews – Manufacturer

Otterbox “Livestrong” Commuter case for iPhone 4S review

Daniel Bader — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:01:27 +0000

When we reviewed the Otterbox Commuter case for the iPhone 4S, we loved most things about it, but in some ways it lacked the aesthetic panache of many of its competitors.

Radio Shack (in the U.S.), Otterbox and LIVESTRONG, part of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, have partnered to release a Special Edition Commuter case for the iPhone 4S, and besides having all the pros of its namesake, it improves upon it in a number of ways.

Firstly, the oft-maligned “vanity hole” that showcases the Apple logo is gone in favour of a smooth and unbroken black backing, replete with a tasteful vertical Livestrong logo. The polycarbonate shell, which goes over a soft and flexible silicone “glove” has a more matte texture, and is less rough than the original.

The camera hole is also a bit smaller and tighter, and overall the case feels less bulky than other Commuter cases. Thankfully, the fundamentals haven’t changed: easily-pressed soft nubs cover the power and volume buttons, and the front edge extends just past the screen to prevent scratches to the glass when dropped. As usual, the kit comes with a dry-apply screen protector and a soft cleaning cloth.

This is easily one of my favourite iPhone cases, and goes to show how Otterbox is listening to its customers and changing up the design of its popular cases for the better.

While the Livestrong edition of the Otterbox Commuter is not for sale in Canada, it can be obtained from the company’s website, and in Radioshack stores across the U.S for $34.95.

Otterbox Commuter case for iPhone 4S review

Daniel Bader — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:49:16 +0000

Otterbox is one of the best examples of a quality case manufacturer, and though they’re an established brand their products are constantly referred to as “great surprises” among newfound fans. The Commuter case series is probably its most popular since it combines excellent manufacturing quality and awesome device protection.

The iPhone 4S model has been slightly remodelled from its predecessor, with a larger camera hole for increased flash diffusion. The white iPhone 4S is especially prone to flash issues with case so this nips that problem in the bud right away.

Otterbox is quite generous with the quality of its products: you can tell they use very strong rubber and scratch-resistant polycarbonate shells. The Commuter series has an inner silicone “keeper” and an outer hard case that fits over the more vulnerable parts of the device. It’s worked for years, and despite adding a bit of bulk to the iPhone we are glad they maintained the design.

With the case installed, all of the ports are covered against dust and debris: there is a rather stubborn flap protecting the charging port, and a more cooperative one on top for the headphone jack. Power and volume buttons receive little rubber nubs that protrude 2-3mm and are very easy to press and delineate between without looking.

The Commuter is very shock absorbant and scratch resistant: we dropped our iPhone from upwards of six feet with no perceived damage to the outer shell. All four corners are protected by the outer plastic layer, and the whole kit comes out just far enough to protect the front of your iPhone from scrapes and scratches.

There is no question that the Commuter is a compromise between size and durability. If you are averse to covering up the inherent beauty of your iPhone 4 or 4S, this may not be the case for you. It’s more utilitarian than designer, but it brings its own dual-toned charm. Other than the black-on-black combination, there are five colourful alternatives to choose from.

The Commuter comes with a dry-apply screen protector, for which we have our reservations, but it’s better than nothing. You can purchase the Otterbox Commuter from Future Shop or Best Buy, or from their website for $34.95US.

Speck CandyShell Flip for iPhone 4S review

Daniel Bader — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:38:59 +0000

There are gimmicks and then there are features, and to be honest I don’t know which category the Speck CandyShell Flip falls into.

Its claim to fame is its easy-to-deploy “flip” stand which doubles as an easy slide-in entry for the iPhone itself. But let’s start from the basics. The Flip is made of a sturdy, bright and glossy plastic that looks more like a toy than it feels. In the hand the iPhone is sturdy and secure, though I far prefer the feeling of the CandyShell Grip.

The “flip” itself consists of a rubber hinge constructed out of what seems like a single piece of plastic, or as close to it as you’ll likely find. While it works well in theory, when the iPhone is installed the bottom portion is never entirely even with the top; there hinge always seems on the verge of coming loose.

This is essentially the compromise: in order to facilitate quick entry and exit, and a flexible stand, Speck had to make some decisions. Make the hinge too tight and you risk losing that multi-placement flexibility.

When leaning on its bottom half, the iPhone is in a perfect position for watching movies and browsing web pages. Except that portrait mode is not ideal for the former activity, and we can’t think of many situations in which you’d want to have the phone stationary for the latter.

More importantly, the Flip is designed to allow the phone to sit in most standard iPhone docks without having to remove the case. This is indeed an important advantage of its competitors, as most dock users will attest to. The inside of the Flip is made with a gentle ribbed silicone that absorbs most moderate shocks, while the outer portion is a firm and precisely-milled plastic.

It also cannot be stressed enough how nice the back of the Flip looks. While I could do without the garish blue bezel (the case is also available in white-and-pink and all-black) the overall design is quite attractive. Not only is the easy entry and exit a huge plus, but it prevents the occasional scratches that come with cases that require you to wedge your phone into one side or another.

All the ports are freely accessible: Speck has wisely chosen not to close off the charging and headphone ports, though there are rubber nubs that take over for the metal power and volume buttons. The bezel extends a couple millimetres over the front glass, preventing surface-level scratches when the phone is dropped on its face. In exchange the case feels somewhat bulky, though not quite to the same extent as the Otterbox Commuter.

The Speck CandyShell Flip is available for $34.95 from the company’s website. It is also fully compatible with the iPhone 4.

Asus Transformer Prime Review (Video)

Daniel Bader — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:21:52 +0000

The first Tegra 3 tablet is a big deal, but Asus’ Transformer Prime is the first of a myriad tablets launching in 2012 with better processors, faster GPUs and sharper screens than the iPad. I’m not going to beat around the bush, since the iPad is the King in this space, with nearly 70% market share.

But more importantly, more than the specs on the ground, it is developer mind share supplying auxiliary fire that will ensure a much-coveted Android “win” in this war. Excuse the obtuse analogy, but when you’re done “ooh-ing” and “aww-ing” over the outside, it is ultimately what you do with a tablet that counts.

The Transformer Prime shipped with Android 3.2.1 but has now been upgraded to a fairly stable Android 4.0.3. Follow us as we you through the hardware design, the awesome specs, the delights and, occasionally, the problems.

At 8.3mm thick and 586g, with sloped sides and an aluminum backing, the Transformer Prime is lovely to hold. It is 15g lighter than the iPad 2 which makes the long-and-skinny 16:9 aspect ratio less of an incumbrance when holding the tab in one hand. Like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, which is a bit ligher and shorter, the Transformer Prime is a fantastic media consumption device; better, though, it is a first-rate gaming machine, too.

The 10.1-inch Super IPS+ display is marketing magic at its very best, but it means that the Prime is easier to view in direct sunlight; the maximum brightness is a scorching 600nits. The 1280×800 screen is lovely, and though the screen is outfitted with hardy Corning Gorilla Glass, it makes for a fingerprint magnet.

Around the back, the aluminum bezel has a subtle concentric circle design, with an 8MP camera in the top middle. I was amazed the tablet actually takes decent photos — nothing earth-shattering, but good enough to snap the occasional baby smile or cute kitty while lounging around the house.

Buttons are kept to a minumum, and are placed in solid positions around the perimeter: power on top left, just behind the screen, making it a snap to turn on and off when holding in both hands. The tablet is biased to landscape usage, as are all Android tablets, but in this case I had no issues with that. The volume rocker is on the left side above microUSB and microSD slots. A logical pity there are no full-sized inputs here: the width just could not abide.

The bottom is where you plug the tab into its optional keyboard/battery dock ($149) which I didn’t bother to purchase. After spending $499 plus 13% HST on the latest and greatest Android tablet, I would expect a usable software keyboard (and was not disappointed) but I’m of the opinion that due to its sandboxed multitasking, no tablet is up to the task of being a full laptop replacement. If you can manage to do everything you need to on the Transformer, and can justify the extra expense (the 22Whr addition should add 10 hours or so 8-10 you’ll already receive), more power to you.

So the outer hardware is good — really good — but that’s half the story. Inside we have a 1.3Ghz quad-core Tegra 3 processor with an extra “companion” core for all those menial tasks like maintaining a connection to the internet when the screen is off. This manages to keep the idle power usage to a minimum while eeking out every bit of battery possible, and for the most part it works. If you use the tablet like a maniac, your battery life will be between eight and ten hours, though I would err to the former, especially if you’re doing any sort of gaming.

I put the Transformer Prime through my suite of battery tests and was able to eek out more than nine hours on a single charge. Though I wasn’t able to perform the same tests on High Performance and Battery Saver mode, I’d expect each one would negatively or positively affect overall battery life by a couple hours respectively.

Performance is astounding. Though I spent no time using the Transformer Prime on Honeycomb, I am attributing most of the interface smoothness to the engine rather than to software optimizations, though they cannot be overlooked. The reason I say such a thing? Because, unless an app is being truculent or downright buggy, there is zero loading time. Swiping, scrolling and general web browsing is fantastic.

Ice Cream Sandwich on the Transformer Prime is nice, but if you don’t like Honeycomb you won’t appreciate this much more. The interface has been cleaned up significantly, and there is a sense of unity and polish that was sorely lacking from the first year of Android tablets. It’s clear that Asus worked directly with Google here because the build is largely stock ICS — much like an oversized and stretched version of what you’d find on the Galaxy Nexus — but there are some nice additions make to the software.

In addition to the refreshed apps like Gmail, Calendar and Music, there are some Asus inclusions like MyNet and AppBackup that are well appreciated. You can create folders by dragging an app icon onto another, and the Settings menu on the bottom right of the screen has received a nice overhaul.

The browser has been dramatically improved, its performance a revelation. Too often, however, it would crash, taking all my tabs with it. While text alignment, loading speed and overall usability has matched iOS, I still can’t rely on it the way I can Mobile Safari. On the same token, once I completed the update to Ice Cream Sandwich, I found Google+ nestled comfortably within the app drawer. Too bad, though: without ever opening the app, I would get prompts of “Google+ has stopped responding,” forcing me to disable it completely from the Applications menu.

Speaking of the app drawer, it too corresponds to what you’d expect from a Ice Cream Sandwich, so you’re going to be picking widgets from an ever-lengthening list of pages. We wish Google had kept the old option intact, since after installing several dozen apps the list becomes unruly.

I know you want some actual performance benchmarks, so here they are:

Sunspider 0.91: 2406.6ms (Normal mode) / 2208.7ms (Performance mode) | (Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE: 2221.0.ms)
Linpack single-threaded: 43.663MLOPS
Linkpack multi-threaded: 85.142MFLOPS | (Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE: 80MFLOPS)
Vellamo: 793 (Normal mode) / 1219 (Performance mode) | (Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE: 1157)
Smartbench 2011: Productivity Index 4085 / Games Index 2482
Smartbench 2012: Productivity Index 3260 / Games Index 2289

Suffice it to say, there aren’t a lot of applications yet taking advantage of all four cores. Smartbench 2012 has been updated to support quad-core chips, but I have very little tablet data to compare it to. You’ll see my regular phone charts in the next review, once I am able to gather a sufficient amount of data for more than two devices.

Tegra 3 actually has built-in governors for the CPU that allow for more or less power, depending on your battery needs. By default, the tablet is set to ‘Normal’ mode which finds a balance between low-end ‘Battery Saving’ and high-end ‘Performance’ modes. For all the tests, I kept the tablet on ‘Normal’ mode except for the Vellamo test, and as you can see it rarely uses the highest speeds.

It’s also clear that the Vellamo test is not optimized for the GeForce instruction set, as the 1.5Ghz dual-core processor in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE scored almost twice as high as the quad-core 1.3Ghz Transformer Prime.

I should mention that games look and run famously on the tablet. Pound for pound there is not a more powerful tablet on the market and games optimized for the improved GeForce GPU look fantastic. In particular Riptide GP and Shadowgun are examples of how quickly ARM-based devices are becoming the new consoles: these graphics are easily as good or better than what we had on the Playstation 2. And, because Ice Cream Sandwich natively supports game controllers, you are not relegated to using on-screen controls like you are on iOS.

To allay any concerns, I will be forthright: after the latest update, the GPS on my Transformer Prime works like a champ. Until that point I could not get a lock on any satellite regardless of whether I was standing underneath the bright daylight sun.

WiFi also works well, though the signal is slightly more attenuated than other devices like the Galaxy Nexus and iPad 2. This is to be expected, but throughput was not significantly less than the aforementioned devices until I moved far enough away for obstructions to play a large role.

The camera supports 1080p video and 8MP stills, and they’re pretty good for a camera. But since this is a tablet review, and you’re unlikely to be using this as your main point-and-shoot, it wouldn’t do us much good to dwell on the quality. That being said, results are significantly better than the 3.2MP back camera on the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and, if you’re going to use the functionality you should be pleasantly surprised.

More important than the quality is Google’s excellent adaptation of the Ice Cream Sandwich camera UI to the larger size. You zoom with a nice curved thumb rail, while they’re also seen fit to include the excellent Panorama mode from the Galaxy Nexus. It still doesn’t discount the ridiculousness of holding up a sheet of glass and aluminum and pointing it at a bunch of things, but again, who am I to tell you what you can and can’t do with your minty tablet?

A definite improvement over Honeycomb is the new Gallery app which not only consolidates your Google+ photos (if installed, more on that later) but your Picasa albums. Thankfully Google got rid of the terrible 3D effects from Gingerbread, quickened the performance over Honeycomb, and made a fantastic photo hub in the process. Like on the Galaxy Nexus, it supports easy one-touch sharing to your favourite applications.

A few odds and ends. Though the tablet is large enough for two, there is only a mono speaker that emits fairly muddy sound.

Our model had an issue with backlight bleeding owing to a raised portion of the glass on the bottom left of the device. It would physically move if I put pressure on it with my thumb, and the bleeding would subside considerably, only to return to its unfastened original position when loosened. I have heard the odd story of this happening with owners of the Prime, but less so than with the original Asus Transformer. Thankfully I was within my 14-day return period and the retailer exchanged it without hassle.

Mainly, my continued squabble with Android tablets derives from the poor app selection. Enter the Marketplace on the Transformer Prime and you are greeted with a section dedicated to dozens of tablet-optimized applications, many of which are “universal” phone apps with large-screen features added as a throwaway second thought.

Google’s first-party apps are stunning, giving you the impression your endeavours into finding third-party equivalents are going to be equally satisfying. But even Asus comes up short in this regard. Its Library app, powered by an unknown vendor called textr, crashes more often than any other app on the device. E-reading services like Kobo have not yet optimized their apps for tablets, so books read in landscape mode are one long swath of text.

The most popular social networks apps like Twitter, Facebook and even Google+, are stretched reconstructions of their phone equivalents. Sure, they work fine as Andy Rubin once superciliously proclaimed, but fine does not make me want to come back for seconds. The dearth of true tablet apps is truly saddening; as the iPad gains millions of fans and billions of hours of investment, Android is seen to be languishing behind iOS in terms of third-party app support. Whereas Google’s phone ecosystem is thriving, even seen to be surpassing the iPhone in developer popularity in the next year, I haven’t used a single tablet app on Ice Cream Sandwich I would say is beautiful. Merely good, sometimes nice, but never great.

I’ve used them all: Pulse, News Republic, Evernote, Springpad, Dropbox, Tweetcaster, FriendCaster, StumbleUpon. Their UIs are bloated examples of how not to design an Android app, necessitating hidden menus and UX elements ripped straight from iOS.

Games are where the Transformer Prime shines: if you take a look at the water effects in Riptide GP or the delicious fullscreen animations in World of Goo, you can appreciate the hardware capabilities of the device itself. But I don’t use a tablet to play games, I use it, for the most part, to consume information. And my experience on Ice Cream Sandwich is an improved facsimile of the iPad, and that’s entirely due to the developer ecosystem. At this point, however, the two cannot be separated.

I am not going to broach the subject of the OS itself: Android 4.0 is a highly-capable, increasingly attractive and versatile OS in a way iOS cannot and will not ever be. Its homescreens can be festooned with widgets, made garish with large clocks or scrolling news displays, or as austere as desired by confining all the app icons to the drawer. I am an avid tinkerer, ROM flasher and kernel tweaker. I will continue to use Android tablets (even if I didn’t have to review them) because I enjoy using Google’s native services and first-party apps and because there are some third-party software that appeal to me. But I will never be satisfied with stretched phone apps or undervalued tablet “additions.”

The Asus Transformer is easily the best Android tablet money can buy right now. Except for the fact that, though you are getting 16GB or 32GB more internal storage for the equivalent price, at $499 and $599 respectively for the 32- or 64GB models the prices are the same as the iPad 2.

At the moment such a high price does not seem to be quelling demand: the Transformer Prime is sold out almost everywhere in Canada. But give it a few months and Acer, Lenovo, HTC, Samsung and others will have Tegra 3 tablets offering many of the same improvements Asus has made with the Prime. There is already a HD version of this model, the TF700T, coming soon for $100 more.

It is therefore with some reservation that I would recommend such a tablet — namely any tablet — unless you are set on the Prime for a particular reason, be it the super bright display or particular form factor. At $499 and an extra $149 for the dock it can be utilized as a laptop replacement, but I don’t agree with such framing. Rather, ask yourself if you can justify the price on an Android tablet, and if so, this is the one to get.

New RIM roadmap confirms HSPA+ Playbook, Curve 9220 and 9320, October BlackBerry “London” launch and more

Daniel Bader — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:53:32 +0000

This is a nice way to start the day. The entire RIM roadmap for 2012 has leaked and it’s a doozy.

Let’s start with the simple stuff: the Curve 9220 and 9320 are ready to go for a mid-year release. The 9220 is indeed an EDGE-only device with a 2.44″ 320×240 display with a 2MP camera, 512MB RAM and ROM, WiFi, Bluetooth. It will probably not come to Canada as Rogers is the only network remaining with EDGE service an they are transitioning away from that technology.

The 9320 is going to be very popular. Likely launching for $299 or less, it also has a 2.44″ 320×240 display, a 3.2MP fixed-focus camera with video recording, 512MB RAM and ROM, WiFi, Bluetooth, FM Stereo and a dedicated BBM button. Very cool! The left hand side button will likely launch BBM from wherever you are in the OS, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it can be re-assigned to other functions.

The Curve 9320 looks to be launching in Q2 of this year.

Next up is the 3G Playbook, which looks and feels the same as last year’s but has an updated 1.5Ghz TI OMAP 4460 processor, 42Mbps HSPA+ and NFC capabilities. It will launch with Playbook OS 2.0 sometime in Q2.

We don’t have any idea whether it will be offered by Canadian carriers, but you can be sure there are going to be some killer bundles with some upcoming BlackBerry devices. White 9790 anyone?

In addition to white Bold 9900 and Torch 9810′s we’re looking at a white Bold 9790 and Curve 9380 at some point this year. Probably launched sometime in the first or second quarter.

The BlackBerry 10 roadmap still seems pretty far off, but we have confirmation that there is going to be at least one BB10 device this year, likely late September or early October according to the roadmap. Anything is subject to change, but we hope that RIM doesn’t rush the device; rather get one killer device out the door.

Some other cool stuff? Wireless Media Server capabilities are coming to BlackBerry 7 devices, which will allow for streaming of photos, movies and music to your favourite electronics such as PCs, consoles and stereo systems. Considering this wasn’t bundled in the BlackBerry 7.1 release, it will likely be in the next major update.

There are some interesting statistics around Playbook owners and ownership, too: 72% of Playbook owners are aged 35+, 84% are male and the average annual income is $78,000. Not bad. Definitely peaking higher than the rest of the pack.

So there you have it! Lots of cool stuff on the way from RIM. What do you think of all this news? Does this bode well for the company’s turn-around? I wonder if Thorsten Heins is upset about the leak…

Source: BGR

Seido Surface case for Galaxy Nexus review

Daniel Bader — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:50:34 +0000

The Seido Surface is one of the first cases available for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and it’s a pretty simple affair. Made from high-grade machine-cut plastic, it comes in two pieces and snaps together for minimal bulk.

It allows access to all the major Galaxy Nexus ports, including the second microphone and back speaker, and offers enough space around the volume and power buttons to as to be unobtrusive.

Before the Surface I had on a rubber OEM slip-on case, and the difference between the two in both feel and build quality is definitely noticeable. The bottom portion of the Surface has a felt lining to keep the GNex from sliding around, while the top portion snaps on very accurately: the two pieces are only misaligned by half a millimetre or so.

Holding the Galaxy Nexus feels much better with the case: the matte finish is effective against slips and drops, and the only adds a couple millimetres to the overall bezel. Once snapped in place the two sides are extremely secure: it takes quite a bit of effort to remove them, which will aid the device tremendously in the case it is dropped.

Occasionally, when putting pressure on the seam between the two pieces of the case, usually when holding it to my ear, the plastic will creak and pivot slightly. This is a reality of multi-part phone cases, and something you’ll either grow used to or not. After a couple times I barely noticed it.

The only other reservation I would have about purchasing the Seido Surface is that it’s fairly bare-bones; besides the logo on the back, it adds nothing to the overall design or function of the device. At its core, the Surface is about form and function over design, and that’s why it will likely stay on my Nexus — let the beautiful screen and slim design do the majority of the work on its own.

The Seido Surface can be purchased from their website for $29.95 US, or from your local retailer. It is also compatible with Seido’s Surface Holster ($29.95) and as a Combo for $49.95.

Sony Ericsson has shipped 28 million Xperia smartphones to date

Ian Hardy — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:44:27 +0000

At CES this year there was lots of hype for the future of Sony Mobile Communications, formerly Sony Ericsson. Before the official transaction gets the go-ahead there are some loose ends to tie up. Sony Ericsson has reported their 2011 Q4 financial results and they have announced they’ll a pre-tax loss of about $317 million (247 million euros). Bert Nordberg, President & CEO of Sony Ericsson said the reasons for the loss was due to “intense competition, unfavorable macroeconomic conditions and the effects of a natural disaster in Thailand”.

As for specific results, Sony Ericsson shipped 9 million handsets in the quarter, a 20% decrease compared to Q4 2010. However, a couple years back they decided to make Android their primary OS and stated Q4 handset shipments were 9 million. A staggering 80% of these were Xperia Android smartphones (7.2 million) – thus bringing the total shipments of Xperia smartphones to 28 million to date .

In the press release it was stated that “Sony Ericsson estimates that its share of the global Android-based smartphone market was 10% in volume and 7% in value during the quarter and 10% in volume and 10% in value for the full year… Sony Ericsson estimates that the global smartphone market for the full year 2011 increased by 60% in volume to 463 million units. Sony Ericsson estimates strong growth in the smartphone market in 2012.”

From what we’ve seen so far, confirmed or leaked devices, such as the Xperia S or Xperia Ion, 2012 is certainly shaping up to have a solid start.

Source: Sony Ericsson
Via: PocketNow

Telus MOTOKEY SOCIAL Review

Daniel Bader — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:16:05 +0000

The prepaid market is one that we don’t really broach too often, but it’s an essential component of everyday life for millions of Canadians. While the penetration rate for smartphones is nearly 40%, it’s still much more common to see someone with a cheap flip phone or aging candybar walking down the street. Smartphones are essential to peoples’ lives, but so is the savings from a $89.99 prepaid phone paired with a $20/month commitment-free rate plan.

The MOTOKEY SOCIAL, hereby deemed Motokey for austerity sake, is an interesting take on the the portrait QWERTY phone. At first glance it appears quite similar to the previously-reviewed Android-powered Motorola Pro+ but for the smaller screen and dedicated Facebook button.

Let’s take a look at this pseudo-smartphone and see if it’s right for you, or your younger sibling.

Specs:

- Custom Motorola operating system
- 2.4″ 320×240 capacitive touch screen
- 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM (50MB user available) with microSD slot
- 3MP camera
- GSM 850/900/1800/1900, EDGE Class 10, WCDMA 850/1900
- 910mAh battery
- WiFi / Bluetooth, GPS
- WiFi hotspot support
- Built-in Facebook button
- Stereo FM radio
- 87g
- 60 x 105.5 x 9.98 mm

—

It’s important to note that the Motokey is not, depending on your definition, a smartphone. It runs a touchscreen-”friendly” operating system, but it’s a far cry from the versatility of Android, or even Samsung’s Bada.

This simple Java-based operating system is surprisingly robust, with capacitive touchscreen support and native social networking features. There are smartphone features we take for granted, such as a Java browser (Opera Mobile), Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo and weather applets. I’d be remiss to call them apps, but they perform ably enough.

There are five home screens, each of which is adorned with various widgets and app icons; holding down on one will bring up an ugly prompt asking to change the source of that shortcut. You cannot move an icon, or replace it with a widget, so an icon must be replaced with another, and a widget with another, and so on. The system works quite well, though getting things exactly right is time-consuming and cumbersome. Nevertheless, we have to go back to one thing: this phone provides, for $90, similar albeit vastly simplified functionality as a device three or four times the price.

The hardware is quite hardy for such an inexpensive device. The keyboard is similar to the one on the Motorola Pro+, but adds a dedicated number row in the space where an extra half-inch of screen space would be. The keys are spritely and well-honed, spaced just right for messaging hounds; the number row will appease those with aversions to the “BlackBerry Way” of holding down the alt key for most secondary presses. As you can see, like the Android-powered HTC Status there is a dedicated Facebook button near the bottom left of the keyboard. Such an inclusion leaves no doubt as to whom this diminutive device is to be marketed to.

The 2.4″ QVGA screen is appreciably crummy, but not a write-off. With sufficient brightness, clarity and touch responsiveness, it’s a great deal better than a resistive layer. Viewing angles are pretty laughable though, and you can see the banding in most gradients, owing to the limited colour palette.

Around the back is a 3MP camera, for which the software could be worse: one-touch Facebook sharing, plus decent response time makes for a pleasant enough experience. I foresee many young people pointing the lens at their own faces, friends gathering in the shot for a candid self-portrait. The lack of flash is no surprise, but one can take grainy and low-framerate video at a decent 640×480 resolution.

Though the phone does not come with a microSD slot, the phone supports one up to 32GB, and it’s a good thing too, since there are only 50MB of usable storage out of the box for photos, video and music. There is a decent media player built in, though, to accompany the top-side 3.5mm headphone jack. Indeed, the phone appears to be a smartphone from the look of it: it is charged with an industry-standard microUSB cable (provided, thankfully) and has similarly robust build quality.

The Motokey is ringed by a chrome plastic bezel, to which a sturdy battery cover is attached. Underneath the hood is a 910mAh battery, but I had no issues with the battery. Since I couldn’t perform my usual suite of battery tests (for lack of apps), I merely repeated a short video I filmed until the cell wore to zero. The phone lasted nearly fifteen hours on medium brightness, indicating a relatively mild battery draw under load.

Surprisingly, the Motokey has a built-in WiFi hotspot feature to accompany the HSPA+ baseband inside. Telus offers a wide range of Prepaid Plans, though the base cost is 20c/min with a monthly plan and 30c/min without one. Data can be added, in 250MB/month increments, for $20, though it does not look like it can be combined with a voice plan. One plan, which includes such “deals” as $45/month Unlimited Voice gives you access to 5 numbers, plus evenings after 6pm and weekends and no-limit messaging, are a far cry from post-paid contract rates, but perform the function for those people who want nothing to do with a 3-year contract. Per-use data rates are $3/MB.

Thankfully, like all Motorola phones, call quality is excellent. There is an ample-sized speaker on the back for those tinny music urges, and the device, which is around the same height and width as the BlackBerry Curve 9360, is very comfortable to hold in the hand.

There is no doubt that the MOTOKEY SOCIAL is not aimed at me, nor most of our readers. But I decided to review it precisely because it is the type of phone that parents will buy their kids, or themselves, if cost is important and usage is kept to a minimum. Prepaid costs can add up quickly, but those who will seek one out are unlikely to be the heavy “Crackberry” users who will invest in an expensive handset.

As such, the Motokey gets a hearty recommendation without many of the reservations I usually foist on a smartphone. For $89.99 outright, and a $20/month prepaid plan which comes with no commitment, it’s the most robust and feature-filled fuss-free handset I’ve used.

The MOTOKEY SOCIAL is available from Telus for $89.99 outright.

RIM co-CEOs may be forced to relinquish co-Chairmen roles

Daniel Bader — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:40:56 +0000

Based on the initial findings of a Corporate Governance review mandate issued last July, RIM co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie may be forced to step down as co-chairs of the Board.

As we told you in mid-December, there have been calls by RIM investors for a change of governance, with five-year board member Barbara Stymiest leading the pack of candidates for new chairwoman. She “should step up and take the lead in making dramatic governance change,” according to Vic Alboini, Jaguar CEO and RIM investor. What is being called into question is the need, or “business necessity,” for a CEO (or in this case, two CEOs) to be chairmen of the board. This practice is less common in Canada and the U.K., but quite common in the U.S., a reason RIM claims as justification for maintaining the current hierarchy.

While this does not endanger the CEOs’ main roles of running the day-to-day operations of the company, the call to remove Lazaridis and Balsillie as chairs of the Board is the first step in what many see as a fundamental shake-up of the corporate nature within RIM. The common trope is that the company cannot continue the way it has been going; 2011 was a disastrous year for the company, whose stock price tumbled 75% amidst poor product launches and failed earnings expectations.

The co-CEOs, who together own 12% of the company’s total shares, have insisted on sticking to their guns regarding the new BlackBerry 10 OS, which is expected to debut in new smartphones in the second half of this year. Until then we will see a marketing blitz for existing BlackBerry 7 devices with renewed vigor.

The Corporate Governance review is expected to be submitted by the end of January, and there is no word on whether it encompasses, as some investors implore, a splitting of the company into separate divisions. We are only in the first days of 2012 and already RIM is back in the news. Let’s hope this will be the year they turn it all around.

Source: Financial Post

Revisited: the Motorola Atrix

Daniel Bader — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:23:21 +0000

It’s been nearly a year since the Motorola Atrix was announced at CES, and ten months since it was released in Canada. At the time it was running Motoblur on top of Android 2.2 Froyo, and while the hardware blew us away, the software definitely did not.

Since then, three things have happened: 1) It received an upgrade to Gingerbread, which completely overhauled its software and gave it a huge performance boost. 2) Its bootloader was unlocked, allowing for custom ROMs, kernels and recoveries. 3) It’s been surpassed time and time again by its competitors, including some more recent Motorola devices.

But to its credit the Atrix, with its 4″ qHD display, 1Ghz dual-core Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and huge 1930mAh battery, has survived the onslaught of time pretty well.

First, let’s go over what has held up well. Since its launch every major ARM-based manufacturer, from Qualcomm to Texas Instruments to Samsung, has released a dual-core solution. And even NVIDIA’s own Tegra 2, with which the Atrix was the first to launch in phone form, is about to be supplanted by the quad-core Tegra 3. But dual-core 1Ghz still feels fast, and using the Atrix now is not a significant step down from the latest Snapdragon or OMAP.

This is aided by the fact that the Atrix included 1GB of RAM when the rest of the industry was pumping out phones with half that number. Multitasking still feels effortless and fluid. The included 16GB storage has also aged well: there isn’t a single Android phone on the market that ships with more than that.

The Atrix’s speed practically doubled overnight when Bell released the Gingerbread update in August. In truth, though, I installed Android 2.3 long before that, when enterprising hackers unlocked the device’s bootloader and discovered, hidden in plain sight on Motorola’s servers, early builds of the eventual upgrade. Not only was it a big aesthetic change — they did away with most of Froyo’s ugly, blocky design choices — but Motorola injected some magic into the kernel, as the device just flew.

Then came CyanogenMOD7. From being one of the most locked-down devices on the market emerged a piece of versatile hardware that now has a vibrant development community. CM7 changed the way I used the Atrix, giving it the same enormous feature set as the other 50+ handsets supported by the custom ROM.

And, whether you’re running a custom stock-based ROM or CM7, various kernel improvements have helped developers push the capabilities of the 1930mAh battery to unbelievable levels. The Atrix is still, by far, the longest-lasting Android device I’ve ever used. I can easily get two days of use from it.

Physically, the Atrix hasn’t aged so well. Stout even at its release, it feels practically bloated now. We know now the extra girth was needed to accomodate the huge battery, but its plastic body and flimsy battery cover have since been condemned to the “2010 design faux pas” category.

I still think that its 4″ screen size makes for a very comfortable experience — far better than the 4.3″ – 4.6″ variety. The qHD screen is a slim 16:9 ratio, so the Atrix is easy to hold between two fingers. The quality of the screen, however, leaves a LOT to be desired. This is the area in which Motorola has fallen the farthest behind — even on their latest handset — and after using the Galaxy Nexus and Optimus LTE extensively, the PenTile-inclined Atrix looks practically terrible. With inaccurate colours and poor viewing angles, not to mention practically unreadable text at its furthest zoom, we’re happy these days are behind us.

Moving on, the Atrix is a great phone. No, I mean an actual phone: sound quality from the earpiece and speaker is still best-in-class. Fundamentally, this makes it a mean business phone. It’s got all those great Motorola business features such as built-in certificates and extensive vendor VPN support. And remember, it has that unique fingerprint scanner that has yet to make it, for better or worse, to any other smartphone.

The camera on the Atrix still sucks. That won’t change, and as other manufacturers make improvements to their optics the Atrix will begin looking even worse in comparison. Focus is slow, low-light quality atrocious and photos overall lack detail and colour.

But with the Gingerbread update came a nice bonus: 1080p video recording. Though it took a third-party app to actually capture video at such a high resolution, today we have a phone that captures decent true HD at 24fps.

The Atrix was one of the first Android handsets to come with an HDMI-out port, capable of transmitting a 1080p signal to your home theatre system. And while it came with a Webtop and HDMI dock, sold separately, its built-in HDMI mirroring feature was enough for most people.

The Atrix, nearly a year later, is still going strong. Countless Android handsets have been released since March, boasting improved internal specs, sharper screens and better build quality. But then, as now, Bell’s first superphone still retains many of the qualities that made it such a compelling device to begin with.