Moving out

I'm going to be switching to Blogger and closing the LiveJournal version of this blog. I like the Blogger platform a bit better (I've had another profile on it for a bit). Hopefully I'll be able to build a following there, but here's to keeping you guys posted!

Go Samsung

Again, I really love MWC. Check this out:

image courtesy engadget

It's the Samsung OmniaHD, the successor to the current Samsung Omnia. First drool-worthy point: the screen is 3.7" and is AMOLED (Active Matric Organic LED). Now quick aside: I'm a materials science major, and I've made OLEDs before. Think of how bright an LED is. That's exactly how bright an OLED is. 

Now OLEDs can be made thin, making them pretty ideal for screens. The awesome part of an OLED vs. an LCD screen though is that the OLED produces its own light AND color, whereas the LCD relies on an energy hogging backlight. This should (hopefully) mean the Omnia HD will have some pretty sweet battery life. No mention on whether the display is capacitive or resistive, but it's supposed to run S60, which means there might still be hope (Windows Mobile doesn't have any capacitive touchscreen support).

Second drool-worthy point: It shoots video in 720p! And it has a 12 MP camera! And it can store 8 gigs or 16 gigs (dependant on model) of media! This thing really packs in the tech. Apparently it can also wireless broadcast to compatible HDTVs in HD. Samsung's clearly looking to appease the technophiles with this one.

I am REALLY hoping this phone is coming stateside. It just dethroned the iPhone in terms of which phone I want to get next.

Toshiba's Got Game

image courtesy pcworld

Oh wow, I love MWC and the weeks preceding it. So stumbling about the internet, I came upon Toshiba's announcement of the TG01. This thing is about as close to overkill as a cell phone gets, I think. It has a 4.1" screen. To put that in perspective, think of the iPhone. Pretty big screen, right? Well, this screen is 0.6" bigger diagonally. It is a MONSTER.

Toshiba's also apparently built it on the Snapdragon platform, clocking the TG01 at nearly a GHz. There's all sorts of pictures available over at TechOn of the device's performance in 3D rendering and GPS navigation. The UI's a bit odd, though. It has a number of of (I believe 3) vertical stripes, that can then be flicked through. The device runs on Win-Mo, though, which means that the massive, beautiful 4.1" screen... is a resistive one. Get out your stylus, and check this phone out.

Back from break

And what a break it was. Unfortunately, my iPod Touch was stolen, so I'm currently working with a Sansa c250 as my main MP3 player. In addition, my XV6700 finally broke, so it's back to dumbphone-ville for me until my contract is up. 

Seems my friend picked up a T-Mobile G1 over break. I got to use it for a few minutes, and from the impression I got, it seems pretty sweet. Expect me to attempt a review of it as soon as I can wrench the thing from his hands.

About that iPhone Battery Life...

My friend was complaining recently that she can't hold down a half day of charge on her iPhone 3G, whereas other friends have lauded the phone for its excellent battery life. Now, both of these people tend to use their iPhones the same amount, so I don't really have a clue as to why there would be so much variance in battery life. I haven't managed to find anything conclusive online.

Defective unit, maybe? Who knows?

Support a Good Cause!

Hey everyone! I'm playing a charity concert on Dec. 20th. There will be some really awesome musicians there like Glen Burtnik and Marshall Crenshaw. You can find out more about the show at this site. If you're from the New Jersey area, I hope to see you there!

Blackberry Storm

image courtesy ZDNet

Today, I had to go speak with a professor. As I entered his office, I was a tad shocked to find the new Kanye West album (I don't recommend it) playing. I was equally shocked to find a brand new Blackberry Storm sitting on his desk. He noticed me glancing at it, so he encouraged me to play with it a bit. Here are my initial impressions:

1. The click screen takes a lot of getting used to. Not in the good way, either. It just felt slow and rather ungraceful, especially when working on something like typing quickly.
2. The screen is quite nice, actually. Nothing astounding, but it definitely was bright and clear.
3. Apparently there's Rhapsody support planned, which should be great news to any of you who might use the Rhapsody service.
4. I didn't manage to see any sort of app store. I guess the reason I expected it to be obvious was because of the App Store's prominence on the new Apple touchscreen devices.

I would have loved to get a chance to compare it to the iPhone 3G, but I couldn't find one of those lying around. My professor and I chatted a bit, and he made it pretty clear that he thinks the Storm is really more a marketing power play than an actual product, and that the Bold smokes the Storm in terms of usability and utility (he's an entrepreneurship professor, in case you were wondering). Interesting thoughts.