Facebook Phones are being introduced to the world at Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona, Spain, we will look at them in greater detail as we get them. Adopting a dance stance, we do wonder whether future iterations of such handsets will not be enhanced with a suffix, but rather, take on other names like the HTC Rock, HTC HipHop or even HTC Classical. I digress, let us see what these social networking phones are able to do.
First off, the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa do stand out from the rest of the smartphones that are on the market simply by virtue of a dedicated Facebook button that delivers one-touch access to the key functions of the Facebook service. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the HTC Sense experience is diminished in any way – no sir, you will find yourself more entrenched in Facebook more than ever now.
After all, with over 500 million active users worldwide, Facebook is a tour de force that will surely be a powerful brand name to be associated with, making sense for HTC to jump at the opportunity.
The Facebook button on the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are context-aware, where it will gently pulse with light whenever there is an opportunity to share content or updates through Facebook. This means pressing it just once will let you update your status, upload a photo, share a Website, and even post the song that you are currently grooving to. How about snapping a photo of friends on your phone and have it uploaded instantly to Facebook?
The possibilities are more or less endless, and perhaps HTC does not want to put all their eggs in a single basket, hence the splitting up of the Facebook phone to theHTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa variants. The former will come in a unique tilt design which shapes the display and physical QWERTY keyboard, making it a snap to see everything that goes on as well as being easy on your fingers as you type. Features include a 5-megapixel color camera with auto focus and LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera, a 2.6-inch, 480 x 320 resolution landscape touch screen.
As for the HTC Salsa that reminds us of the HTC Legend, it is more of what you’re used to if you aren’t a BlackBerry addict, sporting a generous 3.4-inch, 480 x 320 resolution touch display.
Expect both handsets to hit Europe and Asian markets in Q2 this year, while they will arrive Stateside via AT&T in an exclusive agreement. Please wander back for more mobile phone advice.
Data hungry mobile broadband users in the United States and UK could face hefty bills if they exceed their data allowance. Carrier after carrier has switched from unlimited mobile broadband data plans to tiered pricing. Sprint is the only carrier to still offer true unlimited broadband. But this just brings the United States in line with the UK where no providers offer truly unlimited broadband there, too. The 3 Mobile Max mobile broadband for £15.00 a month with an 18 month agreement has the highest data allowance available.
With mobile broadband speeds on the up, many people are seeing mobile broadband as a viable alternative to paying for a form of fixed broadband. And why not? The coverage area is constantly increasing and it is hard to beat the convenience of having internet wherever you go with next to no hassle. Modern smartphones even offer the ability to act as a mobile hotspot, routing your laptop’s Wi-Fi connection through the phone over 3G. That way, as long as your device supports Wi-Fi, you can provide it with a 3G connection, no router or software configuration necessary.
But in order to use a mobile broadband connection in place of more traditional wired broadband deals, you need a data plan with high data caps. While there is no true unlimited plan offered in the UK, there are several heavy usage plans. 3 Mobile Broadband has a heavy 15 Gb data plan for only £15.00 a month. For most people that will be enough. O2 offers an interesting twist on the unlimited data concept, having set up a series of Wi-Fi hotspots that have no data cap, as long as you are in range of them. Then their lower true mobile broadband plans may be able to cover your needs.
There is no ideal solution. Mobile broadband has come a long ways, but it is still extremely expensive to operate. In a couple years, the price should fall just like it did for wired broadband. Of course, we’ll have invented even more bandwidth intensive applications by then. Stay tuned for more cell phone advice.
Is the new Blackberry smartphone handset – the first with Blackberry OS 6 phone in Australia – a shining beacon for RIM, or just a flash in the pan?
The line between a personal phone and a business phone is blurring quicker than a chalk drawing in the rain and its apparent that RIM is paying attention. Whereas older BlackBerry models have traditionally screamed “professional” louder than a pinstripe suit, the newly launched Torch 9800 has a slightly different aesthetic.
In fact, the new handset has almost a “reverse mullet” feel – the party’s at the front and the business is at the back. Or at least there’s a full QWERTY keyboard waiting to slide down from behind the screen, with a very satisfying clunk. Speaking of the screen, despite the 480×360 res on the 3.2in HVGA display, it actually feel quite bright and crisp when used. The touch is pleasantly responsive and one actually wonders why RIM included the traditional BlackBerry track pad at all – it’s certainly not been used much in this office.
Despite the hidden keyboard, the Torch doesn’t feel overly thick or heavy, although it certainly doesn’t sport the svelte lines of certain other phones.
Starting up from a fresh install of the battery takes a bit over two minutes, but the Torch has cunningly disguised its hibernation mode as “powered down” so in normal use, the total time elapsed between hitting the power button and ready to rock and roll is actually 3.4 seconds.
Weirdly, the home screen doesn’t scroll side to side, but the applications pages do. This means you’re not getting the nice widget-style home screen functionality of an Android or Windows Phone 7. The 624MHz processor may not sound like much, but it works perfectly, with applications opening quickly and everything feeling remarkably smooth.
The new OS 6 is also quite enjoyable, although hardly a quantum leap from the old one in terms of look and feel. What changes there are however, are welcome with universal search across all messages, contacts, apps etc being a great addition for users.
In all, our first few hours with the Torch were pleasant, although hardly a life-changing revelation that would make us consign all other phones to the dustbin of history. But dedicated CrackBerry addicts will find a lot to like here.
The Torch is available exclusive on Optus for the immediate future, available for $0 on the $79-per-month plan. RIM has stated that the unit will also be available from Tesltra and VHA when the Optus exclusivity period ends.