Smartphone

This is a review provided by the wife of a long term reader of the blog.

Before I begin this I should point out that we are an iPhone family.

Admittedly my two previous phones from the Apple family have been hand me downs from my partner but I have been amazed at how these phones work, the features and apps available have made life easier and I have found myself able to do most of my online work and leisure through the handset rather than having to switch on the computer.

So it was with some scepticism I received the news that I was to be given a new phone to trial and it was not an Apple. Big boots to fill you could say.

My requirements beyond the usual making and receiving phone calls and texting the kids have grown to fit the modern smartphone world with email, taking photos, Facebook and browsing the web becoming an increasing part of my usage.

The first thing that struck me upon opening the box was the wireless charging. Quite how it works is a complete mystery but surely all rechargeable items will be using a similar method soon. You just lay the phone on the charging pad and hey presto! No more knotted wires, no more trying to plug it in. Just put the phone on the pad and away it goes.  Read more »

ᔥ NZ Herald

A smartphone and tablet application developed for Budget 2012 cost Government nearly $6.90 per download, new figures show.

The NZ Budget app, developed in less than four weeks by Treasury and Wellington company PaperKite, allowed users to read documents including the Budget speech and watch video coverage.

Government today revealed the app cost $59,000 to develop.

It was downloaded 8600 times, at a cost of $6.86 for every download.

Finance Minister Bill English said the development costs would be funded from $100,000 or more in expected savings in Budget printing.

We have always managed to read the budget without a $59000 app in the past.

ᔥ Sydney Morning Herald

David Shearer thinks we should be more like Finland…there are some appealing aspects to this…the hot chicks…the naked beer runs…and top rifles they make…but it isn’t all good news out of Finland:

Samsung Electronics has ended Nokia’s 14-year leadership of the global mobile phone market in the first quarter of the year, outselling the struggling Finnish handset maker for the first time ever, according to a Reuters poll of analysts.

The poll showed analysts on average expect Samsung to have sold 88 million mobile phones in January through March, surpassing the 83 million which Nokia sold in the quarter.

Nokia had announced the sales total on Wednesday when it warned of losses from the phones business in the first and second quarter. Samsung is due to release quarterly numbers on April 27.

Nokia has struggled for several years in the smartphone race, but its dominance in the lower end of the market has allowed it to keep its rank as the world’s largest mobile maker by volume.

The fall of the Finnish firm has been rapid over the last few months as in a similar poll in January it was still expected to stay far ahead of Samsung.

“After 14 years as the largest global mobile phone maker, getting knocked off the top spot will come as a bitter blow to Nokia,” said Ben Wood, head of research at CCS Insight, who has followed the industry since the 1990s.

“In contrast it will be greeted with euphoria by Samsung – they’ll be dancing from the boardroom to the factory floor,” Wood said.

As you probably already know on the November 21 TV3 election debate they are letting people with smart phones participate with the Roy Morgan Reactor App (the Worm) for people with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

You can download the Roy Morgan Reactor App (the Worm) for people with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch from the Apple App Store.

For those with Android devices you can get it from the Android Marketplace.

Loyal army members with these devices should download in preparation.