There have been millions no maybe gazillions of Smartphone reviews all across the web and we at Gizmo Ave are responsible for them also. Reviewers talk about how much bigger the screen is or how the new touch technology helps to read better in the sun or how many megapixel cameras comes with the phone. Everybody talks about how this phone or that phone is going to be an iPhone killer but people hardly talk about the operation system which is the life force behind these phones So today we thought we would do something different. We will review Android the operating system being used in a lot of these phones.

The complete OS has a very Linuxyy( if that’s even a word )  feel to it. By this I mean that their color co ordination doesn’t really exist. Everything is white on black. If you go on the phone menu then you have the keypad and the call tab and the voice mail tab but the background black and all the tabs are in white. Now here’s where I think a little color co ordination could help.

The App store for Android is called Market. Now this is definitely an important place for a Smartphone since this is where you do your shopping. Now I have a very big quip with the way this works. When you try to install an app it shows you a screen with triangle marks which point out what features of your phone the application might use like for e.g data, your location, GPS capabilities etc/ Now what I don’t understand is why Google wants the user and by user I mean the average Joe who doesn’t or shouldn’t be bothered with these details. Even if you want to tell him fine but don’t make triangles and exclamations marks and make him feel like something is wrong when they are trying to download an App. Here Google has to take a page out of the Iphone book where downloading and App is a lovely experience

But you know what so far I am just being picky maybe the problems I mentioned above are just me. But the notification system in Android absolutely boggles me. I had taken my Motorola Droid out to the city for a spin and I had apparently a couple of missed calls which I didn’t realize. Now every time I opened the phone I saw no notification on the menu for missed events such as calls or voicemail. Even when you get to the home screen where you have the phone icon you see no indication of whether you have a missed call. But Google wouldn’t just forget this would they now. No they won’t. If you squint your eyes and go to the top of the menu you will see all these notification icons so I kept clicking on them hoping they would show me what I missed but they wont open. I have to hold the icon and then drag it in a vertical line downwards for it to show me missed calls or voice mail. I mean why why why. Couldn’t their complete Usability team at Google come up with a better way?

So what’s my final verdict? Will the OS work? Yes it will because it is free and there is no other choice or completion apart from Windows Mobile 7 which ain’t free and is very late to come in the market. Android is already slapped on every single mobile or table device that is coming out or is already out there. Sure there are a lot of manufactures like HTC and Sony who are customizing their own UI on top to give a different experience but you can’t change what’s underlying beneath it.

-Sushi

The nuvifone A50 runs on Android 1.6, but you won’t be able to spot it unless you’re very familiar with the operating system. The reason being Garmin-Asus has almost completely reskinned the user interface. Like the M10, we like what we saw on the software so far. The A50 supports Google Street View and it lets you add location information on your text messages. It also synchronizes with Microsoft Exchange, so that’s good news for business users. Enough rambling. Check out the video for a quick look at the device.

via cnet

As the cell phones continue getting sleeker, smarter, and more versatile, it is increasingly the installed software the enables us to distinguish on another. LG’s latest touchscreen Arena KM9000 with an extra-whizzy user interface in the form of a three dimensional cube. You can call up your contacts and access widgets and create a customizable home screen.

It also has a 5MP camera, onboard wi-fi and haptic feedback that responds to your taps ont he screen, but media functions are its real forte. There is a handy built-in FM transmitter for listening to its output to any nearby radio, and a TV out if you want to render those stored photos or videos on a bigger screen. The 3.5 audio jack will helpfully allow you to plug in any headphones of your own choosing, and while its internal storage of 2GB might not be all that much, this can be supplemented by an SDHC card up to 32GB in size. There is also assisted GPS and a web browser.

Verizon Wireless’ new BlackBerry Storm 9530 takes RIM (Research In Motion) into the touch arena, featuring a large display with an on-screen keyboard, a 3.2-MP camera, GPS, and Verizon Wireless’ 3G data speeds. Are you big on travel? Well, this Storm supports UMTS 3G data speeds in France, Italy, Japan, Spain, and UK. The large screen can be used for editing Excel sheets on the go or catching up on a flick during the morning commute. Verizon and RIM are still to set the price for this smart phone.

Do we have another iPhone killer? This smartphone is basically as good as it gets. The hardware is designed with extreme precision, and still the Xperia X1 weighs less than most smartphones out there. The surface consists of brushed metal. There are no annoying rubber covers for ports. The keyboard has fingertip friendly buttons with a moderate gap between keys. There is also a touch mouse. The screen is bright as a media player with high resolution. The embedded software is Windows 6.1. Battery life is projected to be of 6 hours of talk-time or browse-time.

The interface has a web 2.0 feeling to it. The user can modify the widgets and the specific programs and features. Programmers can use C++ and XML to apply mods to their phones or share with an open source community. Watch the video to get a feel for Xperia X1.

Specifications:
- HSDPA/HSUPA (Quad Band, too)
- WiFi and Bluetooth
- aGPS
- 3.2 Megapixel Camera
- 110 x 53 x 16.7 mm
- 145 grams
- 1500 mAH Battery
- Qualcomm’s MSM7200A CPU, 528Mhz (confirmed)
- 800×480 resolution Touchscreen (flush)
- MicroSD for expansion
- MiniUSB for data and chargin
- 3.5mm headset jack for music