Android sat nav apps have enjoyed a boost in recent times and have climbed quickly to the top of the ‘must have’ app list. Now the consumer has a large choice of absolutely free, 30-day trial sat nav packages. The brilliant Google Maps works well for many users and comes as standard with Android sat navs. In addition, Google Maps now offer turn by turn navigation, and the app is updated on a regular basis. However, if a more precise and exacting navigation device is required then a more specific sat nav app can be installed.
There are a great variety of Android sat nav apps to choose from depending on what you need your app to do. For example, some apps store the sat nav maps on the SD card for the Android phone and this has the added bonus of allowing the user to plot a journey on the phone screen as well as in the car. Another plus point here is that the router will operate even when there is no mobile phone signal. On the down side, this type of app will take up a lot of space on the phone memory card.
Sat nav apps that download routes from the internet are of course guaranteed to be right up to date and contain current information on road closures, diversions and speed cameras, but these apps will only operate if a strong mobile signal is available.
The first smartphone in the world to be offered with a dual-core processor, the LG Optimus 2X is a highly impressive model. Coming complete with an inbuilt 8-megapixel camera and high quality HD video recording facility, the LG Optimus 2X is a sophisticated and sleek-looking phone supporting an Android 2.2 system (easily upgradeable to Android 2.3). Highly rated by experts, the LG Optimus 2X has an excellent touch screen and scores highly on its graphics, faster web browsing and multi-tasking abilities.
A brilliant quality camera with LED flash, and D video and music player technologies add to the fantastic experience offered by the LG Optimus 2X. It also comes with 8GB of inbuilt memory and the capacity to add more with a micro SD card. Well priced within the marketplace, the LG Optimus 2X has fabulous graphics and many apps from Google Maps to Angry Birds, all of which are simple and easy to access and use. It also offers a vast battery capacity of 1500mAh, which could last you up to several days without recharging, and there is great connectivity with Bluetooth, Wi-fi and USB as well as a bonus HDMI connector.
The LG Optimus 2X certainly matches many of the best smartphones currently available on the market, not least for its superb camera and HD recording features, multi-touch zooming and web-browsing capacity. Standard Android apps are also easily accessible and the LG Optimus 2X comes with its own inbuilt apps for Twitter and Facebook.
Sony Ericsson mobile phones were first seen in 2001, after the merger between technological experts Sony and communications giants Ericsson. Prior to the merger both companies produced their own mobile phones, although they have since traded under the name of Sony Ericsson.
In the past, Sony Ericsson models have been known for their style, reliability and high-quality cameras. However, since the arrival of Apple’s iPhone, the company has struggled and is now only the sixth-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, behind Apple, Nokia, Samsung, LG and Research In Motion. Sony Ericsson’s inability to outsmart its rivals has meant that shipments of handsets have fallen from 30.8 million in 2007 to just 8.1 million in early 2011, with many experts fearing for the fate of the company.
Sony Ericsson has recently launched its Xperia range, which it hopes will reverse its recent trend of operating losses. Furthermore, Sony’s BRAVIA TV technology has been introduced to several models, including the Arc, in order to try and rival AMOLED technology. The reviews of the BRAVIA technology have been largely warm, with many critics claiming that BRAVIA-equipped smartphones produce screen resolution of a much higher quality than many competitors.
Sony Ericsson is currently the official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League as well as the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament. Stephen Croix, head of global marketing for the company, claims that it will enliven fans experience before, during and after the game.
Offered to the market by Samsung mobile phones and one of two Google branded phones, Samsung’s Google Nexus S is an outstandingly rated phone. Powered by the latest Android 2.3, also known as Gingerbread, the Google Nexus S promises to deliver on many counts. Offering an incredible 100,000 apps to choose from, this is one of the new generation of smartphones and in many respects one of the best on the market.
The Google Nexus S contains vast amounts of inbuilt memory, and is powered by a super-fast processor, the 1GHz Hummingbird. Offering an improved keyboard and some popular Android features, such as Wi-fi hotspot and multi-tasking, the Google Nexus S is one of the fastest phones currently available. It is exceptionally smooth to run and includes cutting edge features, such as an integrated graphics processing unit.
As you would expect from Samsung mobile phones, the Google Nexus S is a good-looking handset and is beautifully designed with a curved glass screen. This has been specially designed to fit snugly into the palm of a hand, and also to follow the contours of your face when using the phone. A high contrast bright screen adds to the appeal of the Google Nexus S. This clever handset also supports Adobe Flash and has fast loading pages. It even has a noise reducing function, which is highly effective when using the phone in busy and noisy areas.
The HTC Desire HD is a follow-up to the HTC Desire, one of the most popular Android based handsets to enter the market.
The physical unit is 68mm wide by 123mm long by 11.8mm thick. The screen is 4.3inches, with four touch sensitive points located at the bottom. These take the place of the physical keys found on the original Desire.
While the front of the phone is taken up by screen, the back features an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash. Video can be recorded in 720 pixel high definition. While there is a speaker on the front of the handset, the one on the back seems to be the primary source of sound.
The HTC Desire HD uses Sense UI and features additional widgets and a series of home screens to play with. Navigation through the screens is made easy with a pinch motion, which brings up a screen overview page. The notification bar provides easy access to your most recently used icons. These are just a few of many new features.
For gamers, the HTC Desire HD comes with a built-in GPU, which means it can handle fairly heavy graphic processing.
Overall, the HTC Desire HD features a virtually flawless interface with superior web browsing capabilities; offering everything Android is best known for. The handset is let down by the battery life and some people will not like the size of the unit or the screen. However, for a latest and greatest phone that works well, HTC Desire HD is a good choice.
Android smartphones have become very popular over the last few years and are now the best-selling kind of smartphone available. Google and a consortium of other companies involved in the telecommunications market have developed the Android operating system.
Applications, or apps, have become a big market. Apple offers a huge range of apps for their mobile devices, which have not only enhanced the iPhone’s capabilities but have also provided companies with a new platform from which to sell their software. The companies involved with Android have not been slow to increase the amount of apps available for this system as well.
The Android Market is an online shop built by Google for the various software apps developed. An app called ‘Market’ is installed on nearly all Android phones. It enables users to download other apps created by a variety of third-party developers. By the end of 2010 there were around 200,000 apps, games and widgets available on the Android Market.
There are many different kinds of application available. Google has developed a number of different apps including; Google Voice, Google Finance, Sky Map; which is used for watching the stars, Google Translate, Listen; which is used to help users with podcasts, and many others.
One popular segment of the market is for Android sat nav apps. Many android phones come with an in-built GPS device. When combined with an app like Google Maps, the application transforms the phone into a sat nav device that can be used in a vehicle or just for directions when walking around. Google Locate is another Android app that enables you to share your location with friends.
Undoubtedly one of the best Motorola mobile phones around right now is the Motorola Atrix. It certainly feels to be somewhere between a mobile phone and a computer, and its processing power suggests just that. The 1GHz dual-core processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM, ensures that this phone can claim to be at the cutting edge of mobile technology, and is surely a sign of things to come from other manufacturers as they attempt to catch up to this superb smartphone.
As well as such high-end specs, Motorola has introduced the novel technology of fingerprint recognition to the Atrix, meaning that instead of unlocking the phone in a normal way, owners can train it to recognise their fingerprint to unlock the device for added security.
In a world where technological frontiers are constantly being pushed, with the latest smartphone just around the corner, it is safe to assume that the Motorola Atrix will stand up against the very best in a year’s time.
Motorola has been struggling with sales in recent years as emerging markets produce cheaper and better smartphones, and it certainly hopes that the Motorola Atrix will signal a reversal of fortunes. The American-based company cannot claim to produce a fantastic wealth of handsets, unlike competitors such as HTC or Samsung, but it can be confident that the Motorola Atrix is a quality device that will produce customer satisfaction.
Although many people have heard the name Blackberry, some are still not sure how to answer the question, what is a BlackBerry phone? The term BlackBerry refers to a range of mobile email phones and smartphones produced by the company Research In Motion. The company started manufacturing these phones in 1999, and they have become one of the most popular smartphones on the market.
BlackBerry phones are particularly popular among business users. They are best known for their capability to send and receive email wherever there is mobile network coverage or Wi-Fi connectivity. This is also known as ‘Push’ technology. Here, the central server initiates a transaction to the phone that is connected to it when coverage is available, rather than the user having to initiate a request for information. This is ideal for business users who need email to stay in touch with a variety of colleagues and clients.
Another prominent feature of these phones is the BlackBerry Messenger instant messenger service. It allows communication quickly and easily between two BlackBerry phones. It operates either through a mobile phone network or via Wi-Fi if that is not available. Again all these features help quick and secure communication, which is essential in modern business. However, this secure encrypted communication has caused controversy in countries that want to monitor all emails and calls for security reasons.
BlackBerry has also entered the smartphone market while retaining the handsets defining characteristics. Their smartphones feature full Qwerty keyboards to help quick and accurate typing. The new Curve and Torch ranges have been very successful for the company.
The LG Optimus 2X is an Android phone with a dual-core processor, one of the first of this type of phone to arrive in the shops. The extra power of the processor provides the phone with a lot of functionality.
It is powered by a Tegra 2 chip, which is made by Nvidia. This makes web pages load faster, allows better multitasking and in general provides a better experience all round. The pinch-to-zoom feature works seamlessly and changing from portrait to landscape view is quick. The screen size is 4 inches, great for games or Google Maps.
The camera has 8 megapixels and a wide variety of features and settings. It can also shoot full HD video, 1920 by 1088 pixels. It comes with HDMI support, which enables you to watch your phone’s video clips on any HD Ready TV.
Games generally run very well on the phone, though there are the occasional graphical glitches. The amount of apps available for Android phones is growing, so you can find apps that you like. Battery life is perhaps not the best around at the moment, so you will probably need to take your charger with you if you intend to use the web or play games a lot.
If you like your phone to have lots of bells and whistles, you should look around for some LG Optimus 2X deals. This phone really has a lot of features, with the full HD making it really stand out from the crowd.
This Android smartphone from HTC is one of the latest from this company. It is part of their new ‘S’ range of phones initially revealed in Barcelona in February. It is pitched between the HTC Desire and the more powerful HTC Desire HD in terms of its specification and price.
The screen is reasonably sized and is fairly bright. There are two cameras, the front-facing camera perfect for videophone calls. It comes with the HTC Sense system. For those who don’t know what HTC Sense is, this is the graphical user interface now incorporated into all of the Android and Windows Mobile phones from HTC. Battery life on this phone is impressive. Memory storage is catered for with an 8GB microSD card, ideal for all the music and apps you could want.
The Android app market is obviously not as developed as Apple’s apps, but it is growing and there are some good android sat nav apps around. Some will unfavourably compare its looks to the iPhone 4, but this is a minor criticism. Although the camera has 8 megapixels, the pictures do not seem to be much of an improvement from previous phones.
At the moment this phone is only available from Carphone Warehouse, though there should be some HTC Incredible S deals available. This is a great phone despite a few minor faults. It is definitely worth considering if you want a new mobile.
