On the Origin of Smartphones by Means of Natural Selection

Consequently, there is a frequently recurring struggle for existence, it follows that any being, if it vary however slightly in any manner profitable to itself, under the complex and sometimes varying conditions of life, will have a better chance of surviving, and thus be naturally selected – Charles Darwin 

When the original iPhone debuted in 2007 it changed everything. I think it’s safe to say that its introduction was the first truly revolutionary smartphone device. However, despite how every manufacturer and their dog now likes the throw the R word around (Apple themselves more guilty than most), it seems the original iPhone was also the last of its kind.

By the time the iPhone 4 came around, Apple had a firm grip on not only the fiscal market but also the imagination and adoration of countless tech enthusiasts and status seeking hipsters. It was delivering a product that each time came with a promise of striking design and unparalleled functionality. It was delivering something that worked and worked well and for a time it was exciting. The company isolated itself from the competition; subconsciously reassuring consumers that its products were a treat for the elite and that they themselves stood separate from those other manufacturers who scrabbled and clawed in the dirt for scraps of the market that Apple would no doubt in time convert.

This was their position and it seemed to be working wondrously. However it seems their hubris led the Cupertino conglomerate to become almost stagnant in their quest for perfecting the human/computer interface and even after the reveal of the iPhone 4’s incredible design and screen technology, they could surely hear the footsteps of strange little green robots all about them.

These little green robots, these “Androids” were nothing more than a nuisance, surely. How could they hope to compete with the mighty Apple in the arena that they had renovated to such a degree they would claim to have built it from scratch?  Impossible? Improbable? 

This survival of the fittest, which I have here sought to express in mechanical terms, is that which Mr. Darwin has called 'natural selection', or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. – Herbert Spencer 

But the little green robots were growing, and they were learning and they were doing this at an alarming rate. Soon enough Apple would find themselves surrounded by their enemies and standing on the other side of a line they themselves had drawn. The Androids were quick to understand and adapt, to learn from their mistakes (and there were many.) They were able to do this so quickly and so forcefully because within their overpopulated fraternity there was something that Apple had always lacked, there was competition.

This healthy competition between manufactures led to opportunities to expand and explore. Maybe phones could have bigger screens? Maybe they could have faster processors? Maybe game pads, styluses, widgets and more? There was nothing to stay their imagination for they had to do something different, something drastic to simply survive. Still however, even with their enemies at the gate, Apple were not so easily frightened. But they were roused.

In their minds at least they still confidently believed that they were the best and not even a robot with a sweet tooth could alter that paradigm. Apple became angry, petulant almost and thought that if they couldn’t punish the Android’s seemingly mechanical approach to imagination, they would punish their perceived inspiration. How dare the little green men enter the arena and attempt to compete with the mighty Apple. There was a line and it wasn’t to be crossed so easily. In an attempt to keep the segregation alive, Apple took the Androids before a judge and cried ‘plagiarism.’ It’s a move that although not entirely unfounded has corrupted the market to this day with the consumer becoming collateral damage that is all too easily accepted. However fight as they might, it was too late. The Android movement was no longer mere rebel skirmishes. It had become an all-out civil war.

Google introduced two incredible weapons in quick succession; Ice Cream Sandwich and later, Jellybean. Their OS had evolved. The Androids had become self-aware and only now is the iPhone beginning to look in the mirror feel aged; only now in the wake of its unrelenting opponent can it see that since its 2007 revolution, very little has changed.

The iPhone has always set its own bar. It hasn’t ever been concerned with anything outside of its own aspirations. Google’s Android however seems to have no bar and is content with devouring brothers and enemies alike in order to keep reaching further. One was raised caged in a zoo, pampered and aided with little need for panic. The other was raised in a jungle, hungry and afraid with its champions being naturally selected.

Only the strong survive and it seems that for the very first time, the balance of power is shifting.

Time of the month. iPhone 5 and Nokia's Windows Phone 8

It’s going to be a busy month. Apple look set to launch the new iPhone and although I personally am not a huge fan of the company as a whole I’m hoping they can at least pull something entirely unforeseen out of the bag, for theatricality’s sake at least.

I mean what I’ve seen thus far is nothing short of underwhelming. iOS 6…I mean…really?....that’s it? And as for that mock up design demonstrated in a recent video on tech nirvana The Verge, well, the less said about that particular disappointment the better. Don’t get me wrong I wasn’t expecting any radical changes design-wise but I can’t help but feel a little deflated. Let’s hope those guys got their intel wrong on that one.

But hey, do not mistake me for a dead-eyed cynic. I’d love nothing more than for Apple to prove me wrong here. Innovation is always great for the field (as is competition by the way Apple….just so you know…) so here’s to my naivety showing and here’s to Apple shocking the world with a time-travelling super-phone that cooks omelettes and cure’s cancer. But come on people, I can’t be the only person out there that has the sneaking suspicion that these guys have run out of ideas. Google have refined the user experience wonderfully with their Jelly Bean update making the system far more enjoyable to use than iOS and the likes of Samsung continue to up the stakes in the field of sheer power and hardware (if not build quality.)

Apple will really have to pull something out of the bag on the 12^th of September. Something with more stomach than Facetime, Siri or a simply a prettier screen. Something, dare I say it, revolutionary. Whether they can or not…..well…we’ll have to wait and see.

Also I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention the highly anticipated iPad mini right!?........*silence*……..Now that that’s done we can move on.

On the other end of the spectrum Nokia look set to come out guns’a’blazin’ with the Lumia 820 and the Lumia 920, the first in their range of Windows 8 devices. I’ve always wanted to love windows phone and Nokia have a special place in my heart seeing as a Nokia 3210 was the first mobile I ever owned and one of the best! I played around with the Lumia 900 and couldn’t help but think that with a little refinement and little time Microsoft would have something truly special in their arsenal. The OS is an absolute joy to use and something incredibly refreshing in today’s market however I couldn’t get on board with the screen resolution and the dire/expensive market place. The design of the Lumia 900 itself though is phenomenal and judging from leaked pictures (yes, okay, again from The Verge) it’s great to see that Nokia have applied that wondrous unibody to its new line up and from what we can see it looks thinner and even sexier than before!

Also said to support high resolution screens, multiple core processors and wireless charging these phones are set to be great flagships for Windows phone 8 if no doubt underappreciated by the mass market in general. Apple’s new iPhone is dropping and It’s hard to compete with a company that has that kind of influence on the general public but hey, I know who I’m rooting for!.....well….until the next Nexus phone :)

Peace and love!

Return of the Groupie! and the Importance of smartphone philosophy

I’m back! And what a wonderful world of smartphone joy it is that I’ve returned to! In my absence we’ve seen an HTC device become (in this humble blogger’s opinion) the best Android, nay, the best smartphone on the market today with only the mighty Galaxy Nexus (a very personal favourite and my current daily driver) able to match it’s greatness. I can already hear the fanboy expletives being screamed at computer screens across the realm of Geekdom however I stand by the statement and you’ll see why later.

Since I’ve been gone we’ve also finally seen the reveal of the much anticipated Samsung Galaxy SIII, a smartphone which I must admit even had me a little wet around the gooch in anticipation….I’m sorry.  However the unveiling of Korean manufacturer’s flagship has left more than a few phone groupies (myself included) a little underwhelmed.

Sure it does everything it should do on paper and sure, it does it all really, really well but the antiquated design, Siri imitation and substandard build quality just fail to show the innovation and ambition that can put a device that one precious step ahead of it’s peers, something it seems HTC have taken heed of with it’s One series of smartphones. Sense 4.0 not withstanding, the One X is one of the most beautifully crafted and considered handsets I’ve ever had the pleasure of tinkering with. Yes I still feel Sense, even its Ice Cream Sandwich incarnation is annoying and convoluted however the device illustrates something that the Galaxy SIII failed to do, and that something is design philosophy.

Now this is something Samsung clearly knows how to pull of as they managed it splendidly with the Galaxy Nexus. As we all know a nexus device represents an Android clean slate, a device free from manufacturer meddling and running Google’s latest OS as envisioned and that’s exactly what the Galaxy Nexus was through and through. Even it’s beautifully monolithic design (a feat which in my eyes surpasses even the iPhone 4’s) with its lack of conventional buttons and its smooth, sleek chassis spoke volumes about the phone’s design philosophy. This is why I place the Galaxy Nexus above the SIII and on par with the One X.

In this day and age, simply making sure your device is outfitted with the best specs isn’t what matters *cough* LG! *cough cough.* A design philosophy, consistent within itself, is needed to strike a rapport between manufacturer and consumer. That rapport is invaluable. Love them or hate them it is something Apple mastered years ago and is something other manufactures are finally taking on board as seen in devices such as the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC One series.

It’s just a shame that Samsung, after showing such promise with the Galaxy Nexus (questionable build quality not withstanding) then decided to throw the baby out with the bathwater when they needed it most.

One small step for Apple. One not-so giant leap for tablet technology

Now I hate to say I told you so but…well, you get it!

San Francisco yesterday was host to the next phase in the evolution of Apple's tablet technology and with the announcement of the ludicrously titled New iPad the guys and gals down at Cupertino officially put yet another stamp on the market whilst of course simultaneously attempting to belittle and undermine the progress of their competitors.

Now at first glance you may look at the new iPad and think to yourself that not much has changed. But take another look and…well…you'll probably still think the same thing. The chassis is similar enough to it's predecessor but let's face it, there was never going to be a radical redesign in that department. Where the true change lies (at least according to Apple) is inside the beast.

The new iPad introduces Apple's A5X dual-core chip which is said to have a greater knack for graphical output with Apple stating that it's on par with quad-core chips. I'm expecting the new iPad to fall in line with its predecessors and sport the same Imagination Technologies Power VR SGX-based chip.

Now here's where it gets interesting! Apple believe their new A5X chip to be, and I quote "twice as fast" as NVIDIA’s coveted Tergra 3 chip and say it will boast for times the graphics performance. Now if you know anything about this stuff you will know that the Tegra 3 chip GPU with it's 12GeForce graphic cores is an absolute monster when it comes to performance which leads me to believe that Apple are starting to believe their own hyperbolic marketing bullshit. I doubt it's even possible that their dual-core chip exceeds NVIDIA’s own at all let alone by such an epic margin. Hey, if I'm wrong and they have indeed invented the superchip then fair dues but it's crap like this that really winds me up about Apple in general.

I'll admit that a significant leap forward has been made in regards to the New iPad’s screen technology. Apple have moved away from the previous iPad’s 1024 x 768 LED-backlit display and upgraded to a 2058 x 1536 resolution display that incorporates 264 pixels per inch. This is pretty awesome regardless of how you look at it and it's something I can't wait to lay my peepers on. I think Tim Cook said something about it having like a million more pixels than the HDTV in your home but I'll chalk this up to the usual Apple hyperbole/bullshit.

The new iPad does also have 4G LTE connectivity for you lucky guys out in the states which apparently isn't too much a drain on the devices battery. It also sports a 5MP camera with something called iSight (sigh) and 1080p recording with video stabilization. It sports the same height and width as it's predecessor but comes in a tad thicker at 9.4mm as opposed to the iPad 2's 8.8mm.

So that's it really. I'm guessing they stayed away from calling this thing the iPad 3 because it really isn't that much of a leap forward over the iPad 2. It's conventional fare and is exactly what everybody who is familiar with this industry expected. Better screen. Faster processor. Siri (Which apparently isn't as vocal as it's iPhone cousin.) Better Camera and whatever else.

In this blogger’s opinion, there's nothing to suggest that the average consumer need purchase this above the more than adequate iPad 2. This is a device for tech junkies and elitist douchebags. Unfortunately, more so for the latter.

I just can't do it Captain; I don't have the power!

Personally, I've always been astonished at how battery life on a mobile device has never seemed to be a priority with manufacturers. What's the use in giving us all this super fast processing power, hi-def screens, system intensive apps and the like if we're only able to squeeze roughly 8 hours of use from the device and in many cases much, much less!?

In my opinion battery life should be at the forefront of manufacturer's concerns, ahead of how many cores the thing has, the size of the screens and yes, even the size zero thinness we've all come to know and expect from our smartphones. That's why it was great to see Motorola release a dedicated battery powerhouse device in the Razr Maxx. 3000+ mAh batteries should be the standard. Despite a great performance in Europe even the Galaxy Note's hefty 2000+ mAh battery suffered when the device was introduced to the US and adopted the awesome but power-hungry LTE technology.

It should be simple enough really. Nokia have made a step in the right direction it seems by announcing the 1600.2487.8107.12070 ROM update which is said to triple to battery life of it's flagship Lumia 800 series of phones. Now while I think this may be a slight overestimation of the ability of this update (although I'll be happy to be proved wrong) it will no doubt come as great news to those who own what otherwise is an absolutely fantastic device. However considering that this is a single core phone with a relatively small screen it begs the question, 'Isn't this a problem that could have quite easily been avoided?' I mean, I know that the Lumia 800's unique hardware approach may have played a hand in the undermining it battery potential but surely not so significantly.

Anyway. That's enough of that. As you all know we're expecting iPad 3 news very soon so check back for my entirely meaningless opinions on Apple's latest offering.

Quad Core; You know the score

With Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona well underway, as expected we're seeing a plethora of quad core devices making their way into mobile space. I don't know about you but I'm tiring of the hearing the term 'Quad Core' already. Over the next year it's clear that these powerful chipsets will become the standard for both phone and tablet technology yet I'm am firmly of the belief that it will take more than simply doubling the process power to really win over consumers.

I understand that Android needs more power to function as well as it's competitors simply due to the nature of the beast but if we analyze this brute strength approach we find that maybe this shouldn't be the case. I'm not suggesting for a second that Android phones and tables migrate toward a more closed off ecosystem ala Windows Phone 7 or iOS but if Google were to focus on first providing a clean, reliable user experience across all platforms there would be less need for all the battery-sucking processing power. After all, Less is more.

LG were first to jump on the Dual Core bandwagon way back when and whilst I will admit that the Optimus 2X was a fast and powerful phone I was left more than a little under-whelmed with the device. This is also true for a host of Dual Core mobile phones that were released in the following months. It seemed manufactures had lost all touch with what it actually was that the majority of users wanted in favour of flashy tech, convoluted UI skins and uninspired hardware. As loathe as I am to say it, what sets the likes of Apple, and now Microsoft apart are their philosophies. It's these philosophies that are etched into every facet of their OS' and which appeal to users the world over because they are weaved with love and genuine care.

Although Ice Cream Sandwich is a major leap forward for Google's OS it's still a way away from having any sort of identifiable personality, the sheer power of it's ever evolving processors being the only thing segregating it from it's peers and when it comes down to it, brute strength simply isn't enough. I've been keeping a close eye on the Mobile World Congress coverage so far and everything I've seen is pretty much what I expected. Sure phones are becoming more powerful, screens are more visually impressive and whatever else but if you really dig deep you wouldn’t be remiss for believing that very little had actually changed in the smartphone world.

iPad SchmiPad!

I for one am not terribly excited about the news that the iPad 3 is likely to be officially announced on the 7th of March and slated for a release date of the 16th. Now before all the Apple fanboys out there decide to plant their fingers on the home row and fire out a series of nerdy retorts, let me explain. This is a blog and not a news site so I'm free to lace each post with my opinions, however irrevocably biased they may be. I don't hate Apple. I just don't hold them in the same esteem as the majority of my peers.

Ipad 3 Back panel

The mere fact that people are getting overly excited simply because the leaked picture of the device's alleged back panel has floated onto the net says it all really. Sure, the tech geek in me is salivating at the chance to see a new toy demonstrated but unless Apple pull something entirely unexpected out of the bag I'm guessing the whole thing should prove to be pretty conventional fare.

The iPad 3 will be a necessary evolutionary step in an ever more competitive tablet market. It will likely incorporate the Retina display, possible LTE connectivity, Siri, improved camera functionality and perhaps the rumoured A6 chip (whether it be dual or quad core remains to be seen) but taking even these things into account I see little evidence as to why this product should be thought of as anything more than the iPad 2s.

My hope is that the design differs slightly from what we've already seen although if I have to submit to Apple's superiority in any regard it would be in the design department as their hardware innovations have been nothing short of (he says begrudgingly) revolutionary.

There is also rumour that Apple could possibly be releasing a smaller 8-inch budget friendly iPad alongside the iPad3. If this unlikely speculation proved true then I would have a lot more respect for the people down at Cupertino. Despite the fact that it would be interesting to see what Apple's idea of 'budget friendly' is, it would still mean that the tech giants are actually toying with the idea of moving away from solely making elitist devices for people with more money than sense and maybe, just maybe, considering the average consumer……pppfffftttt hahahahahahaha!!

All of this and more remains to be seen however until I'm proved wrong I still maintain my stance that the iPad 3 is nothing to get that excited about

Phone Wars: Episode....I've lost count...

So as I’m sure you've all heard, the late Steve Job's desired 'Thermonuclear' war against Google has taken another turn with Apple now setting their sights on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the U.S, a device which allegedly infringes upon 4 of Apple patents. I think even Apple must recognize that the actual patents in question are somewhat insignificant however this has little to do with the technology itself. This is about systematically annihilating the competition. This is what happens when business becomes almost personal.

I think I read something about how Apple and Samsung are currently engaged in around ten legal battles across something like twenty different countries around the world. This shows the sheer scope of what Apple are trying to do. For the folks at Cupertino this is about more than just winning the legal disputes and hampering their competitors progression. This is about undermining the credibility it's rivals.

If Apple were interested in financial gain from these lawsuits then they'd be going about it the wrong way. They could easily reach a settlement and licence their tech to companies like Samsung for a fee which would in turn also allow Apple a peek at the ways in which their rivals were evolving but this doesn't interest them. What interests them is smiting each and every company that they genuinely believed to have copied their ideas with furious vehemence and zero mercy.

However with Google easily able to circumvent Apple's restriction through simple alterations and modifications (which in turn may even lead them to innovate), all that this legal chest pounding and teeth baring succeeds in is stagnating progression within the industry with the only ones that really lose out being you and I, the consumer.

The Third Dimension

The LG Optimus 3D (Thrill 4G to our US cousins) was not a bad phone. Hell, I'll admit it. I actually got one. The tech world dismissed it's 3D capabilities as nothing more than a gimmick, which it undoubtedly was, however I've always felt that the feat of bringing dedicated 3D space to a mobile device had always been overlooked. I know that HTC also brought out their EVO 3D but on that device the 3D functionality always seemed a lot more tacked on than it did on the Optimus 3D, not to mention the 3D itslef was of poorer quality.

I've always felt LG have received pretty rough treatment from the mobile press. They may not be as flashy as Apple or Samsung but where others see 'Generic' I see 'Subtlety.' The company has never shied away from heavy hitting devices and has kept their high-end hardware consistently up to date and exciting (if not always perhaps aesthetically pleasing.) Perhaps this is why the Optimus 3D was overlooked. Perhaps people simply saw the name LG and never really got excited about the prospect. Or maybe it's the simple fact that with all the 3D films and 3D TV's being released, the world is suffering from overexposure to the third dimension.

The whole 3D movement has become synonymous with a tacky add-on and perhaps for people to see it as anything more on mobile devices it would take a company like Apple, instead of LG or even HTC to pioneer the idea. I say Apple because the media and consumer alike seem to genuinely believe it every time the folks down at Cupertino tell them that they're revolutionizing the entire technological infrastructure…again. If Apple had started the 3D bandwagon on mobile phones, the landscape of mobile 3D might be very different today.

Apple's 3D tech

That said, looky here. It seems Apple have filed a patent for their variant on mobile 3D technology and wouldn't you know it, they've invented 3D! Well apparently it's a new kind of 3D tech that is capable of gauging depth and displaying a 3D environment based on the user's eye movement. This apparently will also lend itself to the actual UI.

Now believe it or not I have nothing against Apple themselves and I applaud advancement and progression and feel they genuinely do innovate with the majority of their products. My gripe is with the public perception of Apple as saviors of techdom but I'll get into that another time. All I'm saying is that if when Apple do 3D, everybody starts raving about how it's the greatest thing since Natalie Portman I will be a very unhappy individual.

LG Optimus 3D 2

For those of you still interested in the good old fashioned parallax-barrier 3D display however, shots have indeed been leaked detailing the LG Optimus 3D 2. The chassis is reported to be a mere 9.8mm thin. I personally had no problem with the original Optimus 3D's size as I appreciate a bit of heft to my devices (It makes me feel like it wont snap in half if I look at it the wrong way) but I'm sure there are those of you that will adore this change. The display is also rumored to be a high-resolution IPS-LCD. My guess is the device will make it's official debut at MWC at the end of the month.

Core Strength

Windows Phone does not need a dual core processor! It will do eventually, and I'll get to that, however at the moment, trust me, it copes just fine. Here's the deal, and I'm sure you've heard the argument re-hashed a thousand times but heck, it seems the majority of phone junkies are gluttons for punishment.

Android needs all the power it can get in order for its OS to run as smoothly as possible. If you believe that to be a testament to its superiority then more fool you. I'm not suggesting that Google's Android is any better or any worse for this fact but it is what it is.

Windows phone and even IOS run perfectly fine on single core processors and I'm sure anybody who has been privileged (retarded) enough to upgrade from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S will tell you, you will not notice a substantial difference in the day to day use of the platform.

Now this is not to say that I am a philistine. I admire evolution. I admire progression, however only when necessary and it will eventually be necessary for Windows Phone 7 to make the switch to dual core processors. This still has nothing to do with the OS. As I've already stated, the OS is fine. It's to do with apps. It's the same reason Apple had to make the switch from single to dual core.

Mobile apps and games are becoming more sophisticated and system intensive everyday and the fact is that more power will be needed under the hood in order to smoothly cope with developer demands. Windows Phone, as we all know has roughly around 60-70,000 apps in it's Marketplace, a mere fraction of those found on the App store or on the Android Market and it's safe to say that the best of these apps are tailored for Windows Phone use. However, yes, when that Market eventually grows larger and begins to adopt more sophisticated games (a certainty, given Microsoft’s prominent gaming console) Windows will need to up the stakes in terms of processing power, but only then and not before.

So basically my point for today is, unless you are arguing Android to Android devices, kindly shut up about the processing power of your phone as you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. Come on people, Microsoft is a big enough player in the tech world wouldn't you agree? Don't you think if they believed their devices needed dual core processors at this stage in their evolution, they'd have not only the funds but the intelligence and foresight to make it happen?