Archive for January, 2011

Samsung Acclaim Android

January 6th, 2011 androidphonesplaza

Android OS is one of the least demanding operating systems made for smartphones. Most devices shipped with Android OS v1.5 can be updated to 1.6 or even 2.1, those shipped with 2.1 can be updated to 2.2 and some shipped with 2.2 can be updated to 2.3. This is the point where the situation changes. Android OS 2.3 already requires a 1GHz processor and a lot of RAM to run at an acceptable speed. The upcoming Android OS 3.0 Honeycomb will need even more processing power.

According to reliable sources in China Android Honeycomb will run only on processors with at least 1.2GHz frequency and two cores. This is bad news for all smartphone owners who have just purchased a 1GHz Android phone for HD video recording. On the other hand these greater requirements make sense, because industry leading ARM processors have already challenged Intel Atom processors from the netbook sector, which of course are able to run a full version of Windows 7 with decent multi-tasking performance. The minimum screen resolution for Android 3.0 will be 1280 x 720, much bigger than smartphones have today, 480 x 800.

Samsung Acclaim unfortunately has an even smaller resolution screen, only 320 x 480, which disqualifies it from major future OS upgrades. The only rational solution for all single core and slightly lower resolution smartphones is for Google to continue the development of Android 2.x version operating systems, without exceeding the average hardware configuration of devices sold at least in 2010.

For now Samsung Acclaim comes with Android OS v2.1, and there’s no possibility to upgrade yet. According to PDADB.NET it has 256MB RAM and 512MB ROM. It’s unknown how many Megabytes of internal storage are available for the user, however the CPU speed seems to be working at 800MHz frequency.

The practicality of this phone is based on its compatibility (only) with certain service providers. This is unfair from the user’s point of view, because there aren’t enough choices in such cases. The only situation in which the poor selection is understandable is when all phones are offered for free with a 1-2 year service plan. That’s how certain carriers manage to convince clients to use phones from manufacturers with whom the carrier has preferential contracts. In my country (somewhere in Europe) the cheapest service provider uses really cheap Huawei or ZTE 3G phones (not smartphones) and broadband modems, but absolutely free. With a 2EURO service plan you get the free Huawei or ZTE phone and unlimited minutes in the biggest national fixed phone networks.

Soon these average Android smartphones (like the Samsung Acclaim) will most likely suffer the same fate. There won’t be any technical reason why a customer will choose it, so the carrier will have to offer it for free. At the moment Samsung Acclaim still has three major strong points. One is the Wi-fi B/G connectivity, which means high-speed Internet for no extra cost. The second attractive feature is easy to use GPS software, while the third one addresses the largest crowd, I’m talking about the decent battery life of course. Samsung Acclaim Android phone can stay in stand-by mode for up to 450 hours or provide up to 8 hours of talk time exactly when you need it. Not many people talk for more than 8 hours a day, so by recharging each day you are pretty much covered by the 1500 mAh battery pack.

On eBay it can be found with very low bids, but in theory a new Samsung Acclaim should be sold for at least $150, although it cannot be used in any network.11

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Posted in Samsung

ACS Android Phone

January 4th, 2011 androidphonesplaza

Alaska Communications is one of thE largest cell phone carriers in Alaska. It uses the same strategy to expand as other communication companies.

Based on its fixed telephone subscribers it offers them service packets at special prices. It has the largest coverage within the state, over 72% of the population is addressed by its services, mostly by EVDO Rev A, but 3G and 4G is also quickly spreading. You can get more information about coverage on the official ACS website.

Motorola Milestone is available with a two-year service plan for $99, or for $450 without a contract.

It runs Android OS of course and has an exceptionally high resolution 3.7″ screen (480 x 854 pixels). A very important feature for typing is the slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Even with the relatively large screen it’s much harder to write messages or E-mails using just the on-screen keyboard. It runs Android 2.1 and can be upgraded to 2.2, although the system memory is very limited, only 256MB RAM and 133MB available internal storage. This can be certainly expanded with the help of a microSD memory card up to 32GB. Unfortunately such high capacity cards are unnecessary, because it can’t handle high definition videos. 720 x 480 at 24FPS is the most it can handle with its 600MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor and PowerVR SGX530 graphics processor. 3D games are supported, because they need more graphics and less CPU power. It supports Wi-fi, Bluetooth and up to 10.2Mbps HSDPA and 5.76Mbps HSUPA (3G). This doesn’t mean that it will work at these speeds in real life, considering the long distances, but it gets better reception and higher speeds than a device with only 3.6Mbps support. The 1400 mAh battery offers up to 6 hours of talk time or up to 350 hours of stand by, although is severe cold these figures should be considerably less.

HTC Desire costs $99 with a two-year service plan or $470 with no contract. Its price is the same as the Motorola’s, but it has significantly stronger hardware. Yes, its screen is slightly smaller, 3.7″ diagonal with 480 x 800 pixels, but it has more than twice as much RAM, 576MB and 512MB ROM. And like all Android phones, it has a microSD slot for cards up to 32GB. The processor is a 1GHz Snapdragon, which can process HD (720p at 30FPS) video. Please note that it comes with Android 2.1, and the HD recording/playback feature is only available if you upgrade to 2.2. The communication options are better than in the case of Motorola. HTC Desire Android phone supports A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HSDPA at 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 2Mbps, a little slower than the Motorola, but it also has FM radio to compensate for the lack of 3G speed. Even though its processor is almost twice as fast, the HTC Desire is much more efficient. With the same 1400 mAh battery pack it offers up to 6:40 hours of talk time or 360 hours in stand by.

There are three more Android smartphones available at ACS with or without a contract.

HTC Wildfire has a much smaller screen, 240 x 320 3.2″, an 528MHz processor, 384MB RAM, 512MB ROM. A-GPS, Wi-FI, 3G, Bluetooth and FM radio are all available. For $50 with a two year contract or $299 without it’s a real bargain, considering all the features and increased battery life of up to 8:10 hours of talk time or 690 hours in stand by.

HTC hero costs $50 with- or $389 without a contract. 320 x 480 3.2″ screen, 288MB RAM, 512MB ROM. Android 1.5, up to 8 hours talk time, up to 440 hours in stand-by. It can’t record HD, because it has a 528MHz processor.

LG Axis AS740 costs $70 with, or $350 without a contract. The 3.2″ screen has 480 x 800 pixels and there’s also a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, recommending it for E-mail and test messaging on the go. Up to 7:30 hours of talk time or 20 days in standby is what the 1500mAh battery can offer. The downside is that available internal storage is only 102MB and it accepts microSD card up to only 16GB.11

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Posted in Android Phones

Screen Saver For Samsung Android

January 4th, 2011 androidphonesplaza

The screen saver, background or maybe the whole theme are parts of any operating system that almost all users change as they begin to customize their mobile phones, smart phones or computers.

Samsung Android phones aren’t exceptions, so information about great screen savers (possibly free) are useful for many users.

The first thing you have to consider is the resolution of your Samsung Android phone screen. For a screen saver or background to look good on a screen, it has to be in the same resolution, or adopted with special algorithms to the screen’s resolution, so it won’t look like a poorly encoded video clip on a FullHD computer screen. Before going any further you have to know that today the only screen saver that really saves something is the one that lets the screen turn off at least the backlighting, so it can save power. Originally the screen saver was invented for primitive CRT which could get burned in if the same image was displayed for a longer period of time. Today with TFTs and AMOLED screens that’s no longer an issue. The only concern is about energy saving, or about displaying some useful information while you’re not using the phone, such as a large clock and date, or other information updated through the Internet connection.

The screen saver in the picture above works well in 320 x 480 resolution and it’s downloadable from androidzoom.com for free.

This next screen saver is compatible with Samsung Galaxy S.

It’s basically an intelligent photo frame. It searches for new photon in your folders and when the phone isn’t used it will play a slide show with 8 additional effects. Of course it can be configured where to search for pictures. This feature is useful if you frequently leave your phone on a desk where others may see what’s on the screen (at home, at work…etc.), and you have some pictures you don’t want anyone to see. Even if the screen saver is active, it will display missed calls and messages, probably this is why it’s compatible only with a couple of Android phones. Apparently you can download it for free from areacellphone.com.

Virtual Koi Pond 3D is a more demanding screen saver. 3D enabled Samsung Android phones should have no problem running it, but be warned that 3D drains the battery quicker, even 2D graphics may cause problems when you least expected and there’s not power source around to charge your phone. If you understand the risks, you may download a shareware version for free, but the full version will cost you extra.

Lines – Live Wallpaper - reminds of the good old days of primitive personal computers. At the time this was the most 3D you could display on the monochrome screen, lines between two point of the screen. Randomizing parts of the image displayed by the screen saver results in unique shapes and patterns.

There are a lot of screen savers out there (all over the Internet and Android Market too), choose the right one for you and your Samsung Android phone screen!11

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Posted in Samsung

Samsung I500 Android

January 3rd, 2011 androidphonesplaza

The first Samsung i500 phone was a folding smartphone, released way back in 2004, so its name was recently reused by Samsung for one of the most recent phones, Samsung Mesmerize i500 for US Cellular, also known as Samsung Showcase for Cellular South.

It’s an Android smartphone based on the Samsung Galaxy S phone design, but lacking worldwide GSM network support. Samsung Mesmerize only works on CDMA 800 / 1900 2G networks and CDMA 2000 1xEV-DO 3G networks. The first thing you notice when you hold it in your hand is that it’s relatively thin, only 9.9mm thick, 124.5mm long and 64.3mm wide. The last two dimensions are similar to other Android phones with 4″ high resolution screens. Yes, the Samsung Mesmerize i500 has a 4″ high resolution screen (480 x 800 pixels), based on AMOLED and capacitive touchscreen technologies. In such a small space, it has both the accelerometer for sensing movement and the proximity sensor, mainly to save power.

Internal storage is not very impressive, only 2GB, while top Android phones (like the Samsung Vibrant) have up to 32GB of internal storage space. Fortunately by default Samsung ships its i500 Android phones with a 16GB card in the microSD slot, to compensate the lack of internal storage. The powerful ARM Cortex A8 1GHz processor takes advantage of the 512MB RAM to handle demanding tasks such as recording 720p video at 30FPS and running 3D games on the high resolution screen.

Android 2.1 is responsible for organizing all hardware components in order to display all kinds of useful information, applications and games on the screen. An upgrade for version 2.2 will soon be available, after some the bugs that caused many dead cell phones are caught and fixed.

Connectivity is great on this model, both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support the latest standards. Wi-fi B/G/N is capable of transmitting at speeds up to 300Mbps, although that kind of speed is unnecessary for phones with such small storage space. 300Mbps = 37Megabytes/s, so the whole internal storage could be sent in just 60 seconds. In real life Wi-fi N devices never reach their theoretical maximum speed. Even if they are placed next to each other, the maximum transmission speed is somewhere around 50% of the theoretical maximum. The situation is almost the same with the Bluetooth 3.0 module. It should support speeds up to 24Mbps, but in practice you’re lucky if you reach 8-12Mbps (~1Megabyte/s). This speed is needed for transferring files between two compatible smartphones or a phone and a computer, but headphones and other Bluetooth devices don’t use its full potential. With such high speed connectivity options the 2.0 USB port is unnecessary, because its speed is somewhere around 20Mbps, so Bluetooth 3.0 may be a bit slower, but Wi-fi is without a doubt much faster.

Samsung Mesmerize i500 has a TV-OUT, which comes in handy whenever you need to show pictures or videos to a larger crowd and you don’t have a computer nearby.

At the time of writing this article, it cost $200 when bought on-line with a two year contract from US Cellular. Without a contract it should be around $600, but there isn’t much you can use it for without an Internet connection.11

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Posted in Samsung
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2013-05-25 07:18:23