Windows Phone 8: A BIG Step in the Right Direction

So, the latest announcements from Microsoft: the 'Surface' tablet and the 'Windows Phone 8' seem to be pointing to one single thing: Microsoft wants to catch up and if possible supersede both ‘Google’ and ‘Apple’. Both the announcements are equally important in a way that Microsoft is betting its future on. While it might seem that Microsoft wants to take advantage of the constantly growing tablet market, if we observe carefully, we can figure out the real thing that the company is concentrating on is its ‘Windows OS’.

The reason is quite simple and pretty obvious from its latest announcement: “Windows Phone 8”. The reason that this is very important is that ‘Windows Phone 8’ will be running on the same kernel that ‘Windows 8’ runs on which will allow it to support a lot of features detailed below:

a.      Support for Multiple Platforms

Developers shall be able to easily port apps from ‘Windows Phone 8’ to ‘Windows 8’ due to the ‘Windows NT’ kernel. Not only that, the kernel will also support native C and C++ Code which will make it easy for them to port apps from Android and iOS as well

b.      Support for Multi-Core Architecture

‘Windows NT’ kernel will also allow ‘Windows Phone 8’ to not only support dual-core and quad-core architectures but to also offer support up to 64 cores theoretically

c.       Support for HD Screens

Most people want their displays to be very crisp as they have to read text out of small screens. While the ‘800 * 480’ resolution on the ‘Lumia 800’ was good it was nowhere near the industry’s best. Thankfully, this problem has also been addressed in the underlying architecture as the ‘Windows NT’ kernel will allow ‘Windows Phone 8’ to support HD resolutions like WVGA, WXGA and 720p

d.      Support for Full SD Cards

The earlier architecture that ‘Windows Phone 7’ was based on, didn’t allow full SD card support which meant that users had to use only some manufacturer recommended SD cards which severely limited users’ ability to store more data in the form of music or photos or videos etc. in their devices by using other SD cards. Microsoft has also rectified that by using ‘Windows NT’ kernel which allows Full SD card support.

e.      Support for NFC

‘Windows NT’ kernel also allows ‘Near Field Communication’ to be enabled which means that Microsoft can design its own ‘Wallet’ service which will not only allow users to store sensitive information related to ‘Credit Cards’, ‘Debit Cards’ and ‘Coupons’ but also will allow them to transact instantly by swiping their smartphones. In fact, Microsoft will be designing the service in such a way that information can be seamlessly sent across its own Operating Systems: ‘Windows Phone 8’ and ‘Windows 8’

Apart from the above features, Microsoft is also planning to put to good use, the companies that it has acquired and has partnered with. ‘Windows Phone 8’ will have ‘Deep Skype (VoIP) Integration’ and ‘Better Navigation features’ through the use of ‘Nokia Maps’. The User Interface will also be revamped to allow the users to see more information through smaller ‘Live Tiles’.

There was a big uproar from user community who stated that Microsoft hasn’t done the right thing by not allowing the existing ‘Windows Phone 7.5’ users to get upgraded to ‘Windows Phone 8’. Well. How will it? Most of the sweeping changes that Microsoft is proposing are tied to hardware. What Microsoft should ensure is that it allows all the ‘Windows Phone 7.5’ users access to all the features in ‘Windows Phone 8’ which are not tied to hardware. It has already said that existing ‘Windows Phone 7.5’ users will get another update: i.e. ‘Windows Phone 7.8’ which will visually look similar to ‘Windows Phone 8’.

So, while ‘Windows Phone 8’ is definitely a step in the right direction for ‘Microsoft’, people will not stop wishing if only the company started with ‘Windows Phone 8’ as its entry OS for smartphones. Well, better late than NEVER.

Stay Tuned..!!

NovaThor: Is it a Worthy Competitor to Tegra, Exynos and Snapdragon?

So another SoC (System on Chip) is slowly but surely making its way into the market and is aiming to become the top dog that mobile manufacturers would turn to. It is none other than the ‘NovaThor’ SoC. So, is it a force that established SoCs like ‘Tegra’, ‘Exynos’ and ‘Snapdragon’ have to reckon with? Let’s find out!

Introduction

‘NovaThor’ is a product of ‘ST-Ericsson’, a joint venture of ‘ST Microelectronics’ and ‘Ericsson’. The joint venture company has lined up many variants out of which 4 have come into focus. They are ‘U8500’, ‘U9500’, ‘L8540’ and ‘L9540’.

The Insides: CPU and GPU

There is a reason why the ‘NovaThor’ SoC has got such popularity and it has partially got to do with the components of the SoC: the CPU and the GPU. All the 4 ‘NovaThor’ SoCs outlined above have CPUs manufactured on the basis of the designs licensed from ARM. These are dual-core cortex A9 microprocessors that have gained popularity over the past year and have now become the standard in most of the high end mobiles that are being manufactured by companies such as ‘Samsung’. Now here ends the commonality among the 4 variants. The differences are what make each of them unique:

• While the ‘U8500’ and the ‘U9500’ have the A9s clocked at a frequency of around 1 Ghz, the ‘L8540’ and the ‘L9540’ will have the A9s clocked at a frequency of around 1.85 Ghz. This implies that the 'L Series' SoCs will be more powerful
• While the ‘U8500’ and the ‘U9500’ have GPUs from ‘ARM’ (‘ARM Mali 400’), the ‘L8540’ and the ‘L9540’ have GPUs from ‘Imagination Technologies’ (‘Power VR SGX 544’). This implies that the 'L Series' SoCs will perform much better as far as graphics are concerned as we have already seen from the innumerous fights between the above mentioned GPUs where 'Power VR SGX 544' comfortably trumped 'Mali 400' in this department
• While the ‘L9540’ and ‘L8540’ provide 4G capabilities (LTE), the ‘U9500’ and ‘U8500’ will work to provide 3G capabilities. This implies that the 'L Series' SoCs will provide better download and upload speeds
• While the ‘U9500’ and ‘U8500’ are manufactured using 45 nm semiconductor technology, the ‘L9540’ and ‘L8540’ are manufactured using 28 nm semiconductor technology. This implies that the 'L Series' SoCs will be power efficient as compared to the 'U Series' SoCs
• The ‘U9500’ will have an edge over ‘U8500’ as far as download and upload speeds are concerned
• Similarly, the ‘L9540’ will have an edge over ‘L8540’

Mobile Manufacturers: What do they think?

While the ‘NovaThor U8500’ has already found its way into mobiles being manufactured by companies like ‘HTC’ (‘Sensation’) , ‘Samsung’ (‘Galaxy S Advance’, ‘Galaxy Ace 2’, ‘Galaxy Beam’) and ‘Sony’ (‘Xperia U’ and ‘Xperia P’), the rest of the three (‘U9500’, ‘L8540’, ‘L9540’) are not far behind. Another major player like ‘Nokia’ is also looking at integrating this SoC into its models. This will be the first time that ‘Nokia’ is looking at partnering with another chip manufacturer since all of its ‘Windows Phones’ released until now are based on ‘Qualcomm’s’ SoC (‘Snapdragon’).

The Competition: ‘Tegra’, ‘Exynos’ and ‘Snapdragon’

If you are an avid reader and follower of tech news, you would probably have noticed that some of the specifications of the ‘NovaThor’ SoC match another SoC very closely. Yes, as you would have probably guessed by now, it is the ‘Exynos’. The ‘Exynos’ SoC, used in ‘Samsung Galaxy SII’ and ‘Samsung Galaxy Note’, contains exactly the same components that the ‘NovaThor U8500’ SoC does: a ‘Dual-Core Cortex A9’ CPU and ‘Mali 400’ GPU. The only difference is that while the ‘Dual Cortex A9s’ in ‘Samsung Galaxy SII’ ‘Exynos’ SoC are clocked at 1.2 Ghz, they are clocked at 1.4 Ghz in ‘Samsung Galaxy Note’ ‘Exynos’ SoC and at around 1 Ghz in ‘NovaThor U8500’ SoC. Though the ‘U8500’ appears to have a disadvantage here, the rest of the capabilities like 1080p HD Video recording, HSPA capabilities, Extensive video format support are what put it in competition. In fact, the LTE equipped ‘NovaThor L9540’ and ‘NovaThor L8540’ are definitely going to be stars in their own rights and will guaranteed, match what other SoCs like ‘Tegra’ and ‘Snapdragon’ are offering.

Something is amiss….??: Yes, Quad-Core!!

Yes, ‘ST-Ericsson’ hasn’t outlined the Quad-Core roadmap for its ‘NovaThor’ SoC. The scene in the market is rapidly changing and the roadmap gains all the more significance as ‘Nvidia’ and ‘Samsung’ are already out with their Quad-Core offerings in the form of ‘Tegra 3’ and ‘Exynos 4 Quad’ respectively. ‘Qualcomm’ is also going to be out with its Quad-Core ‘Snapdragon’ offering very soon. So, ‘ST-Ericsson’ has a lot of work to do. It has to first impress the customers with the first 4 variants and then it has to manufacture and market its Quad-Core offering very rapidly to take advantage of the growing smartphone and tablet market.

The Bottom Line: Yes, ‘This means War’!!

The mobiles in which the ‘NovaThor U8500’ is fitted have already gained attention in the market. While the ‘Galaxy Beam’ is Samsung’s first offering which is coming out with an integrated projector inside it, ‘Sony’ is hoping to return to profitability with offerings such as ‘Xperia P’ and the ‘Xperia U’ and hence it is investing heavily on marketing the ‘Xperia’ models. If people accept the above phones, then ST-Ericsson can challenge market leaders like 'Nvidia', 'Samsung' and 'Qualcomm'.

Stay Tuned..!!

Samsung Galaxy S III: Features which make it Unique

The Samsung Galaxy S III has been announced with much fanfare. So what has changed in Samsung Galaxy S III that is different from Samsung Galaxy S II? The Display? The Processor? The OS? Yeah.. Yeah.. All of those have changed. The Galaxy S III now sports a ‘Super AMOLED HD’ display. The processor is now quad-core and the phone now comes with ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ as the default OS.

All of these are fine and yes they represent an improvement over the previous Galaxy. But, the real improvement shows up in the following features:

Smart Stay

More and more smartphones are being manufactured with 4.5+ inch displays that have made many people want to read articles, magazines or books on their smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S III is no exception as it has a 4.8 inch display that will enable people to read them without any problem. But, how many times have you been faced with the following situation: You are reading an article and suddenly the display turns off. You had to press a button or touch the display each time to wake the screen up. Samsung has taken note of such a situation and has come up with a smart solution. It has put the front camera to work. If you have enabled the ‘Smart Stay’ option, the display doesn’t turn off while you are looking at it

Pop-Up Play

You are watching an interesting video and you just remember that you have to send out a short e-mail urgently but you do not want to stop watching the video. While previously this wasn’t possible, worry not, as Samsung has addressed this situation too with ‘Pop-Up Play’. This feature allows you to play a video in a pop-up window that can be dragged around the screen while you are interacting with other apps. So you want to continue watching a video while you are browsing through that photo gallery, you can happily do it now!

Direct Call

You are sending an SMS to a person and suddenly you feel that it is better to talk to them. Now, how many times has this happened to you, courtesy: Your Girlfriend!! Now, you can just hold your phone to your ear and the phone will automatically dial their number. This makes you avoid cancelling the message, going to the contact list and dialing their number. Pretty handy, isn’t it?

Buddy Share

You have gone on a trip to a place with your friends and you have captured many photos using your smartphone. If your friends want those photos too, you normally upload it on a cloud storage site and give your friends the link to download the photos. But, the buddy share feature lets you avoid that complicated process. When you have tagged your friends in the photos, you can send those photos instantly

Social Tag

You are browsing through the photo gallery and you suddenly want to view what the current status messages of people in the photo. Woah! This is one feature that even many people wouldn’t have even thought about. With the help of the Galaxy S III, it is now possible.

All the above features, which the Samsung Galaxy III comes integrated with now, present an indisputable case that smartphones are increasingly becoming smarter. It now remains to be seen how much smarter they can become in the coming future.

Stay Tuned..!!

Exynos 4 Quad & Tegra 3: The Quad-Core age is here!!

Lo and Behold!!! The quad core devices are here and it's most definitely their year. While 2011 was a great year where we saw the tablets and smartphones graduating from using a single-core processor to a dual-core processor, 2012 will be the year when gadgets will start coming integrated with quad-cores which will perform much better as compared to their dual core counterparts.

ARM has been licensing its designs to companies like Nvidia and Samsung for a while now and these companies have been very successful in manufacturing the processors designed by ARM. This shows in the success of single-core 1 Ghz smartphones that companies like HTC, Samsung came out with and it had got reiterated with the success of dual-core smartphones. Now, Nvidia has started manufacturing quad-core processors with Samsung not far behind.

The HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S III are the most talked about devices currently each sporting a quad-core processor System on Chip, although these do have a different architecture compared to one aonther. The HTC One X sports an Nvidia Tegra 3 and the Samsung Galaxy S III sports an Exynos 4 Quad. While Tegra 3 is an evolution of Tegra 2, the Exynos 4 Quad is an evolution of Exynos 4 Dual.

The major highlight of Nvidia Tegra 3 is that it doesn't have 4 processors but it has 5! The extra 5th core is actually a companion core, clocked at a lesser frequency as compared to the other 4 cores, that takes over in the case of low intensive tasks that doesn't require running the other 4 processors. With this companion core, Nvidia Tegra 3 will make the device consume lesser battery and consequently make the device run much longer. Performance is obviously better than Nvidia Tegra 2 and that is pretty much expected

The Exynos 4 Quad also attempts to differentiate itself on the basis of the battery life factor. It is built using 32nm HKMG (High K Metal Gate) process that allows the device to consume battery at a much lesser rate than compared to Exynos 4 Dual which is built using the 45 nm process. 

What is common to both the processors however is that both of them deliver excellent performance with enhanced graphics and superb processing power (The 4 cores in both the System on Chips are ARM Cortex A9s). Although, the initial reviews have suggested that Exynos 4 Quad has an edge as compared to Tegra 3 due to its 32nm process build. The Eyxnos 4 Quad also allows you to play most of the video formats thanks to the ARM Mali 400 MP GPU unit in it.

The Exynos 4 Quad has also impressed another company: Meizu. Meizu's MX Quad Core phone also uses the Exynos 4 Quad System on Chip and the initial benchmark tests on this device have rated it at the top of the current crop of android devices. While benchmark tests do not necessarily indicate real world performance it nevertheless indicates the level of performance one can expect.

So, going by the initial indications it seems that both the SoCs: Nvidia Tegra 3 and Exynos 4 Quad are highly capable of delivering excellent performance. We'll just have to wait for the devices and see the extent to which we are going to like them.

Stay Tuned..!!

Why the ‘Motorola Droid Razr Maxx’ is a harbinger of better things to come in Smartphones?

If you rewind the clocks by about 8 years, the only mobile that was on people’s minds and undeniably on their tongues as well was the ‘Motorola Razr’. The general population was so head over heels in love with the mobile that even today, it remains one of the largest selling devices in the history of smartphones and the characteristic that made it stand out from the regular run-of-the-mill phones was: it’s SLEEKNESS.

Back to the present, and you are again greeted by the same company trying to recreate the yesteryear’s magic by releasing an entirely different beast sporting the same appellation. Yes, the ‘Motorola Droid Razr’ is that phone, which for a brief period of time justified the title ‘World’s thinnest smartphone’ awarded to it. So, did it meet with the same fate as its predecessor namesake? The initial results: Not Quite.

Now if you analyze why, you will eventually get to know that though the smartphone has the build quality unmatched by any other phone and its internals match the internals of the best phones available on the market, the main factor that let it down a bit was only one: Battery Life. Is it that Critical? Yes, it is and there are no doubts and second thoughts about it.

The reason is pretty simple and straight forward. Smartphones are getting increasingly smart and increasingly capable and they are being integrated with functionalities that can guzzle battery much in the same way as SUVs guzzle fuel. Yes, I am talking about you LTE!!! So, what good is a phone that lets you do numerous things but which requires the user to charge it once every half-a-day if used extensively?

So, what has Motorola done about it? Simple. They went back to the drawing board, figured out what 

people wanted, designed and brought out an upgraded version: the ‘Motorola Droid Razr Maxx’ and if you think they only changed the name. Well, think again. The ‘Motorola Droid Razr Maxx’ has a 3300 mAh battery tucked in its back that lets the phone have a talk time of around 21 hours!!! Stunning, isn’t it? Initial reviews suggest that though the phone isn’t coming close to the claimed talk time it is still beating every other phone’s talk time capacity by a HUGE margin. Now, why is this relevant?

As I mentioned, today’s smartphones let the users do numerous things like Watch Videos, Browse the Internet, Listen to Music, Read books, Write notes and last but not the least Make and Receive Calls. To support all these functions, the phone needs to have battery-life so that user is able to do all the functions listed above on a typical day. Now, the 3300 mAh battery is so good that it gives the ‘Droid Razr Maxx’ enough juice to let you watch videos continuously for up to 15 – 16 hours.

The ‘Droid Razr Maxx’ isn’t the first phone that has broken the non-imposed thresholds of battery capacity that a smartphone today has got. Samsung got to the party first, with their super-sized smartphone: the ‘Galaxy Note’. When all the smartphones being released into the market were sporting batteries with capacities ranging around 1500 mAh – 1800 mAh, it went ahead and included a 2500 mAh battery to power its beast. But, the important difference between the ‘Galaxy Note’ and the ‘Droid Razr Maxx’ is that a 2500 mAh battery is powering a 5.3 inch screen loaded ‘Galaxy Note’ whereas a 3300 mAh battery is powering 4.3 inch screen loaded ‘Droid Razr Maxx’.

It is a known fact in the electronics industry that once a manufacturer comes out with a feature or a technology, the competitors improvise on it at such a pace that it even amazes the company that has introduced the technology in the first place. So, if the 3300 mAh battery sporting Motorola Droid Razr Maxx is regarded as the starting point, you can foresee where the middle and the ending points are. Can’t you?

Stay Tuned..!!!

Intel Medfield: The new CHIP on the block

Nowadays, you guys must be hearing the term 'Medfield' a lot. So, what is Medfield?

If you even have a vague idea of the 'Chips' and 'Microprocessors' market, you would know that Intel is one of the principal market leaders. Laptops and PCs from leading manufacturers like Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo etc. use Intel's chips to power their bodies which has made Intel one of the undisputed leaders in this segment. So, what about the smartphone market then?

Intel, for some reason, hasn't really focused on the smartphone market, which had thrown up a huge opportunity for companies like ARM and Qualcomm to make their mark in this segment. Today, they are one of the undisputed leaders in this market and have even for the last quarter earned huge revenues and also made huge profits by selling smartphone chips. The reason obviously is people's increasing preference towards buying smartphones. ARM and Qualcomm had probably forecasted this then and now are reaping  its rewards.  So, what about Intel?

It seems that Intel have finally realized their mistake and are now focused on gaining a slice of the 'Smartphone Chip' market pie. They are going to be out with their first SoC (System-on-Chip) in this year. The platform for this SoC is named 'Medfield' and the SoC itself has been named 'Penwell'. So, is the 'Penwell SoC' ready to take on established players like Exynos and Tegra? Let's find out.

Intel has demonstrated the power of their new SoC by pitting it against devices like Samsung Galaxy Nexus and have won the appreciation of everybody. The SoC seems to have a 1.6 Ghz single-core Atom Z2460 processor (CPU) and a 400 Mhz Power VR SGX 540 (GPU). In benchmark tests like 'Sunspider Javascript' and 'Browsermark', Intel's SoC has defeated the current leader (TI OMAP 4460 in Galaxy Nexus) by quite a good margin. While the 'Galaxy Nexus' scored 97381 on 'Browsermark', Intel's Penwell SoC scored a better 116425. As you already know, the CPU is entirely responsible for the remarkable performance on these tests and by the demonstration of such performance, it seems that Intel's single-core 1.6 Ghz Atom processor (also called 'Saltwell') is better than TI OMAP's dual-core 1.2 Ghz processor. Guess that the old man did have some wise tricks up his sleeve!!!!

Anyways, what feels like a kind of blip in this amazing SoC is the choice of GPU that Intel has made, a Power VR SGX 540. It's actually surprising why manufacturers like Samsung and Intel are opting to go for this GPU from 'Imagination Technologies' as it has almost been 2 years since it initially debuted in the market. But what actually makes the Power VR SGX 540 in Intel's SoC better than the other Power VR SGX 540s is that the GPU here is clocked at a higher frequency: 400 Mhz. Hopefully, this should make it perform better in Intel's SoC.

So it is pretty clear that if Intel had debuted with this offering for the smartphone market a year ago, it would definitely had a huge advantage and would probably have been rubbing shoulders with the current leaders like ARM and Qualcomm as far as 'Smartphone Chip' market is concerned. Anyways, as the saying goes, 'Better Late than Never'. Initial reviews suggest that Intel's first offering is most definitely not bad and it will only get better when the company comes out with their dual-core offerings. That might actually be the beginning of a new era as far as Intel is concerned.

Stay Tuned..!!

Why do Android Phone Manufacturers Need to Update their Phones?

The other day, my roommate wanted to know how he could connect his 3G enabled android phone to his laptop in order to just surf the internet. I asked him to go the 'Settings' application on the android phone and enable 'Tethering'. When he went to the 'Settings' application, he couldn't find the option. So, I immediately checked out the android version he was using and I found that it was Android 2.1 (Eclair). As you guys would be knowing, tethering capabilities have been enabled in Android 2.2 (Froyo). So, I had to look up the internet to find out what were the alternative options that I could adopt to enable tethering. While some websites prescribed me to root the phone (which my friend was dead against. Obviously, since that nullifies your warranty!!!), one other website prescribed me to download a simple application to enable wireless tethering on an Android 2.1 (Eclair) phone.

There are a lot of people out there who wouldn't go through this painful process of finding out what their smartphones in fact offer and what they do not. They wouldn't know whether their smartphone would be capable of tethering or not. If the phone is updated to a better version which provides more features they will easily spot it and use it. If the phone isn't updated, they just accept the fact their smartphone is in reality, not that smart!!! It was decided at a Google I/O conference that manufacturers will support devices until 18 months after their release, but I hardly see that happening. A case-in-point is my roommate's phone. He purchased his android phone one-and-a-half years back and it still hasn't been updated from 'Eclair' to 'Froyo'. In the age of 'Ice Cream Sandwich' such news sounds like blasphemy!!!.

You don't need an expert to tell you that what's going is on not right. People purchase their smartphones investing a lot of money and they expect it to get updated to the latest versions at least for a reasonable period of time. I had a 'Nokia E71' previously (I have an Android now!!!) and even 2 years after purchasing that phone, I used to receive updates (Long live Nokia!!). I still have a sense of attachment with that phone and even today, my father uses it and he is very happy.

Let's look at the whole issue from 2 perspectives: the 'Customer' and the 'Mobile Manufacturer'. As far as the customers are concerned, the example I quoted above is what makes them develop a sense of 'TRUST' towards a brand. This is what makes them 'LOYAL' to a particular brand. There are plenty of people, even today, who will swear by a Nokia phone even though other manufacturers have surpassed it in terms of features integrated in their smartphones. When customers become loyal to a brand due to the immense satisfaction they have had from using it, in the future, if they want to purchase a phone, they will consider the same brand from where they had purchased earlier.

As far as the mobile manufacturers are concerned,  they can derive a lot of value from the customers due to the sense of loyalty that they develop in people. Just to make this point more clear, movies like 'Avatar' and 'The Dark Knight' haven't become 'Top Grossers' just due to the high ticket rates or the movie being watched by more people. The reason that they became 'Top Grossers' is because they had attracted 'Repeat Audience'. That is the exact reason why they had become so commercially successful. If you want an analogy with respect to the 'Smartphone' industry, you can always remember the company from Cupertino which has shown that it will take care of its customers who had purchased its phones even 3 years back. That is where the current crop of android phone manufacturers should aim. Otherwise, it is a known fact that smart people will buy only those flagship phones from the android phone manufacturers, that they believe would be updated in the future.

Stay Tuned.!!



What does a Google Tablet mean?

“In the next 6 months, we plan to market a tablet of the highest quality” – Eric Schmidt

The above move from Google had to come sooner or later. Most of us will agree that the year 2011 was the year when Google pushed really hard to bring out a competitor to the hugely successful iPad. Has Google been successful? Let’s look at some numbers for finding out answers.

According to a recent report that was published by IDC (International Data Corporation), Apple’s iPad leads the tablet market share with about 61.5% while Google’s Android tablets took the second place with 32.4% and Samsung having the highest market share (among Android) with 5.6%. So, a group of big names like Samsung, Motorola, HTC, Asus etc. who supported Android couldn’t quite match up to Apple’s iPad which continues to dominate the tablet market even today. From the start of 2011, when everybody witnessed the much awaited XOOM tablets from Motorola to the end of 2011, when everybody saw the latest Galaxy Tabs from Samsung, Google has never been able to produce a worthy competitor.  Why?

The answer mainly lies with respect to ownership of hardware and software. As I already said in my previous posts, Apple is always in control of both of its components that make up the tablet: Hardware and Software. So, it precisely knows how to produce a tablet that contains software that can take the maximum advantage of the underlying hardware. This was what was lacking in Google’s tablet strategy. The fact is that Google has always been producing software (with not much of a great idea regarding the hardware’s cohesiveness with the software) which was being modified extensively by other android-tablet manufacturers who put that software onto the tablets. Google never really worked closely with any of the manufacturers as far as tablets are concerned when it ideally should have, as Google is not responsible for the hardware part of the devices. The reason that people can see a great phone like Google’s Galaxy Nexus today is because Google hasn’t left any stone unturned in its desire to produce a phone that can take the user experience to a next level. It has coordinated really well with partner companies like Texas Instruments, Samsung etc. and the result now is there for everybody to see.

So, does it now make sense for Google to produce its own tablet? Absolutely. Many experts have always believed that the stock ROM offered by Google is always better than the modified ROMs like Touchwiz and Sense in terms of general zippiness. There is some truth in these opinions as evidenced by the benchmark scores that the devices get and the kind of lag that some people experience in tablets being produced by manufacturers. The latest truth comes in form of stock Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) running in the Galaxy Nexus. Thankfully, Google has realized this and is now wasting no time in bringing to market as what Eric Schmidt said "the tablet of the HIGHEST quality". Go Google.!!

Stay tuned..!!

LCD TVs and LED TVs: Are they really different? (Contd.) - 1

Yesterday, we discussed about the truth behind the LED TVs. Today, we’ll go further into the various categories of ‘LED backlit LCDs’ available in the market today.

Currently, ‘LED backlit LCDs’ are available in the market in 2 varieties: ‘Edge-Lit’ and ‘Full-Array’. In an ‘Edge-Lit LED backlit LCD’, LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are present in the entire perimeter (periphery) of the television. The backlighting of the screen is achieved with the help of what are called ‘Light Guides’. These ‘Light Guides’ direct the glow towards the center of the screen.

The following are the advantages of these kinds of televisions:

1. They are very thin (as much as 40% thinner) when compared to ‘CCFL backlit LCDs’
2.  They consume much less power (as compared to the ‘CCFL backlit LCDs’
3. They are also very much lighter in weight (In fact, most of them could be wall mounted)
4. They can produce a bright image with very nice colors and deep blacks

The following are the disadvantages:

1. The entire screen may not be lit uniformly (The edge of the screen may be brighter than the middle of the screen)
2. True blacks may not be achieved consistently across the entire screen

In fact, both the varieties: ‘Edge-Lit’ and ‘Full-Array’ LED backlit LCDs have the capacity to produce deep blacks as the LEDs could be simply turned off when no color is being reproduced on the screen.

Now, for the ‘Full-Array LED backlit LCDs’: In these kinds of televisions, several rows of LEDs are placed behind the entire surface of the screen.

The following are the advantages of these kinds of televisions:

1.  They are thinner (as compared to the ‘CCFL backlit LCD’ variety)
2. They consume much less power (as compared to the ‘CCFL backlit LCD’ variety)
3. They are lighter in weight (Again, as compared to the ‘CCFL backlit LCD’ variety)
4. They can produce ‘True Deep Blacks’ (as compared to both ‘CCFL backlit LCD’ and ‘Edge-Lit LED backlit LCD’)
5.  The brightness and colors are better (as compared to both ‘CCFL backlit LCD’ and ‘Edge-Lit LED backlit LCD’)

The following are the disadvantages of these kinds of televisions:

1. ‘Blooming Effect’ (described below) affects the picture quality a little bit
2. Slightly thicker and heavier (as compared to the ‘Edge-Lit LED backlit LCD’)

The reason that ‘Full-Array LED backlit LCD’ can achieve truer blacks is because whenever blacks have to be reproduced on a significant portion of the display, an entire section of LEDs can be turned off without affecting the display properties of the other LEDs. This property is widely known by the name: ‘Local Dimming’. So, local dimming leads to better blacks but also leads to an effect called ‘Blooming’. If a bright color (LEDs turned on) is being displayed inside a black section (LEDs turned off - Local Dimming), the bright color creeps slightly into the adjacent black portion (like a halo). This effect is called ‘Blooming’. But hey, it is ever-so-slightly-noticeable.

So, there are 4 kinds of ‘LED backlit LCDs’:

1. ‘Edge-Lit LED backlit LCD’ without ‘Local Dimming’ 
2. ‘Edge-Lit LED backlit LCD’ with ‘Local Dimming’
3.  ‘Full-Array LED backlit LCD’ without ‘Local Dimming’
4.  ‘Full-Array LED backlit LCD’ with ‘Local Dimming’ (Usually, the best of the lot)

I’ll again reiterate. There is no ‘True LED TV’ available commercially in the market right now. A 'True LED TV' can be defined as follows:

“Each and every individual pixel should have the capability of being independently brightened or turned off. For this to be achieved, an LED has to be present for each and every pixel. Currently in the market, a ‘Full-Array LED backlit LCD’ with ‘Full HD’ (having a resolution of ‘1920 * 1080’), has only a maximum of 2000 LEDs. If it has to qualify for being a ‘True LED TV’ there should be 2073600 LEDs.”

So, go get your TV right now.

Stay Tuned..!!

LCD TVs and LED TVs: Are they really different?

Nowadays, you can see a lot of people spending hours and hours together shopping for the perfect television which would occupy the center-stage of their respective living rooms. With the ubiquitous presence of ever-confusing marketers of the television-manufacturing companies, the decision is becoming all the more difficult. So, let us understand the technologies before you splurge your hard-earned money on them.

Earlier, you used to find televisions with only one kind of technology. They were called ‘CRT TVs’ (Cathode Ray Tube). With the help of electron guns, coils and a fluorescent screen, the CRT TV was able to produce a viewable image. Now, there were problems with this technology

1. A number of components were used to manufacture the television which made the processes of production, repair and maintenance difficult
2. The individual components were also bulky which made the television quite heavy  
3. Some of these televisions had a problem of ‘Image burn-in’ (Permanent discoloration of areas on electronic display) and a problem of ‘Image Loss’ at the boundaries of the display
4. These televisions produced noticeable flicker at low refresh rates
5. They consumed high power and generated a lot of heat

To overcome the drawbacks of this technology, manufacturers started producing LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) televisions. An LCD is a flat-panel display that makes use of light modulating properties of liquid crystals. Now, these liquid crystals do not emit light by themselves, so a backlighting source is required in cases where there is higher power consumption. To understand this, you need to take note that there are two kinds of LCDs: ‘Passive Matrix LCDs’ and ‘Active Matrix LCDs’. In ‘Passive Matrix LCDs’ like ‘Alarm Clocks’ and ‘Calculators’ where the power consumption is less, a backlighting source is usually not required. Contrast this with ‘Active Matrix LCDs’, where some sort of backlighting mechanism is required. Now, this backlighting has been traditionally achieved with a ‘Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp’ (CCFL) in an LCD Television. So, the ‘CCFL backlit LCD’ television overcomes the problems of CRT in the following fashion

1. They don’t use phosphor. So, the problem of ‘Image burn-in’ is eliminated
2. They can be configured to run at high refresh rates. So, the problem of flicker is eliminated
3. When compared to the CRT television, the components used are lighter in weight, so the heaviness of the television is reduced
4. They consume lesser power and generate lesser heat while lighting the entire screen uniformly
5. There is no ‘Image-Loss’ at the boundaries and the entire screen is viewable

Consequently, manufacturers found out that they could improve upon these televisions too by changing the backlighting mechanism. They found that they could bring about the following changes

1. Reduce the power consumption even further
2. Reduce the thickness of the display even further
3. Increase the image quality even further
4. Increase the brightness of the display even further
5. Reduce the weight of the display even further

The manufacturers used LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) as a backlighting source instead of the conventional CCFL sources and were able to achieve all-the-above stated objectives. So, this gave birth to the ‘LED backlit LCD’ televisions. Currently, if you go shopping for an LCD television, you won’t find a true LED TV. The only things you will find are ‘LED backlit LCDs’. So, don’t expect to see a radically different picture altogether as compared to a ‘CCFL backlit LCD’, albeit the images produced by the ‘LED backlit LCD’ televisions are in fact much better. Even these televisions can be further classified into 4 different categories. I'll explain these categories in the next post

Stay Tuned..!!

AH-IPS, LTPS and ASV: Decoding the Smartphone Display

Well... If you would have read my first two posts of this blog, you would have by now become familiar with most of the display technologies being used today. Here are 3 more:

AH-IPS

This display technology has been invented by LG. It is an abbreviation for Advanced High performing - In-Plane Switching LCD. It is being touted as the actual competitor to Samsung's 'Super AMOLED' display. In a competition held by 'Intertek', LG's AH-IPS display actually defeated Samsung's Super AMOLED in 2 parameters: Color-Accuracy and Power-Efficiency. You can find this display in the recently released LG Nitro HD.

LTPS

This is an abbreviation for 'Low Temperature Poly Silicon' LCD. One of the important characteristics of such displays is that, the drive circuits are directly integrated onto the glass surface which contributes to reducing the number of component parts designed on the outside substrate. This leads to the display's durability being enhanced. The reduced size of the TFT section leads to a crisper display and also leads to lower power consumption. You can find this display in the Lenovo LePad S2005.

ASV

This is an abbreviation for Advanced Super View display. The important characteristic of this display is that it offers excellent viewing angles and competes with the In-Plane Switching (IPS) LCDs. You can find this display in theMeizu MX.

Benchmark Tests for Android Devices: Browsermark, Neocore, AnTuTu and Vellamo

Let's get to know the remainder of the benchmark tests that can gauge the performance of your smartphones/tablets.


Broswermark

Rightware, recently spun off from Futuremark, has introduced the 'Browsermark' benchmark test in order to compare the browsers of various smartphone devices. The test measures a browser's performance in JavaScript and HTML rendering. The test results are reported in numbers. If you want a reference point for your device, currently, among the smartphones, the 'Samsung Galaxy Nexus' has the highest reported browsermark score of 98272.

GL 2.1

The 'GL Benchmark' is a 3D benchmarking program designed to test how well your phone can reproduce 3D scenes and images. So, this benchmark test is actually a test of the strength of the GPU of your smartphone/tablet device. Currently, the Power VR SGX 543 MP2 is the leader in the GPU department and its stamina is reflected in the GL Benchmark tests. Please note that the GL Benchmark test is a combination of several other benchmark tests whose results are reported in 'FPS' (Frames Per Second) and 'mS' (milli Seconds).

Neocore

Neocore is another GPU benchmarking test which benchmarks the Open GL ES-1.1 graphics performance. The results of this benchmark test are reported in FPS. You can download it from here: Neocore for Android

AnTuTu

AnTuTu can run a full test of a key project, through the "Memory Performance", "CPU Integer Performance", "CPU Floating Point Performance", "2D 3D Graphics Performance", "SD card reading/writing speed", "Database IO" performance. A Total score is reported once you run this benchmark. If you want a reference point for your device, "Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime" with a score of 12872 has the highest score till date.

Vellamo

Vellamo, a benchmark test originally developed by Qualcomm, is a mobile web-browser benchmark that provides a holistic view into browser performance by measuring each component systematically, providing results for CPU and memory, scrolling, JavaScript, HTML 5, canvas rendering speed and network access. So, it is similar to the 'Rightware Browsermark' test.

So, that's some of the benchmark tests that you need to be aware of. Click on the links below to download benchmarking applications or visit sites for testing your smartphone and/or tablet.

-> Quadrant

-> Linpack

-> Nenamark 1

-> Nenamark 2

-> JavaScript (Not an Application)

-> Browsermark (Not an Application)

-> GL 2.1

-> Neocore

-> AnTuTu

-> Vellamo

Stay Tuned..!!

Benchmark Tests for Android Devices: Quadrant, Linpack, Nenamark and Sunspider Javascript

A few days ago, we got to know the basics of benchmark tests. Let's see what they are in detail:

Quadrant

'Quadrant' is a product of 'Aurora Softworks'. It is nothing but a series of tests performed on a mobile device which benchmark the CPU, Memory, I/O and 2D/3D graphics. The 'Standard Quadrant' is free for Android Users who can download the application from the 'Android Market' and run it on their devices. The benchmark provides an overall score which can be compared with the benchmark scores from the other devices. If you overclock your CPU, this will obviously get reflected in the benchmark test in a better score. If you want a reference point for your device, the 'Samsung Galaxy Note' has one of the highest, or probably, the highest Quadrant score of 3624 (without overclocking).

Linpack

The Linpack benchmark is a measure of the system's floating point computing power. Introduced by Jack Dongarra, it measures how fast a device can solve a dense N by N system of linear equations. This benchmark was originally designed to run on supercomputers in the 1970's. So, you can imagine how advanced the device in your hand is today. You can download this application from the 'Android Market' and check the strength of the CPU in your device. The results are designated in MFLOPS (Millions of Floating Point Operations per Second).

Nenamark 1

The first iteration of the 'Nenamark' benchmark test was designed to test the strength of the GPU (The above two tests, Quadrant and Linpack, measure the strength of the CPU). Nenamark 1, designed to run around 10-15 fps (frames per second), uses programmable shaders for graphical effects such as reflections, dynamic shadows, parametric surfaces, particles and different light models to push the GPU to the limits. Results are designated in FPS.

Nenamark 2

Nenamark 1 had been released an year ago and since then, the smartphones have become a lot more capable with refresh rates of their screens crossing 60 fps. So, the Nenamark 1 was not deemed very effective to test such devices and hence Nenamark 2 had been conceptualized. Results are designated in FPS.

JavaScript

'Sunspider JavaScript' is a benchmark that aims to measure the JavaScript performance on tasks relevant to the current and near future use of JavaScript in the real world, such as encryption and text manipulation. In other words, the test simulates real-world usage of JavaScript on Websites. The results are reported in milliseconds (ms). If you want a reference point for your device, the 'Samsung Galaxy Nexus' has one of the best scores: 1879 ms.

Just remember that the more you score on 'Quadrant', 'Linpack', 'Nenamark 1' and 'Nenamark 2', the better. The lesser you score on 'JavaScript', the better.

We'll talk about the rest of the benchmark tests in future post. Stay Tuned..!!

Comparing Ultrabooks: Asus Zenbook, Toshiba Portege, Lenovo Ideapad and Acer Aspire

So, let's discuss the other 'Ultrabooks': The 'Toshiba Portege Z830 / Z835' and 'Lenovo Ideapad U300S'.

Parameter ---------- Toshiba Portege Z830 / Z835 ------------Lenovo Ideapad U300S

Thickness                          0.31 - 0.6 inches                                     0.6 inches

Weight                                     1.12 Kg                                             1.315 Kg

Battery Life                              6 - 7 Hrs                                              6 - 7 Hrs

Storage                                128 GB SSD                                       256 GB SSD

Processor                          Core i7 / i5 / i3                                       Core i7 / i5

Pricing                            Starting From 929$                            Starting From 1095$

Display Panel                        13.3 inches                                          13.3 inches

Resolution                         1366 * 768                                            1366 * 768

Sound                        Waves MaxxAudio 3                     SRS Premium Surround Sound

Connectivity    1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA           1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, HDMI

The battery-life times that have been quoted here are based on real-time testing done by many enthusiastic tech specialists and not the actual manufacturer quoted battery-life times (which are obviously higher). So, some of the categories in which the ultrabooks slugged it out: 

Best Audio: Asus Zenbook

Bang & Olufsen ICEpower is a Danish research and development company specializing in audio applications. They have worked closely with Asus and have integrated fantastic sound performance inside the Zenbook. Previously, audio performance in one of the Acer's other laptops, the NX90JQ, was also highly appreciated. So, it is a no-brainer that the best performance in the audio category had to go to Asus Zenbook. The audio performance in the other ultrabooks is certainly good for everyday listening, but as I said earlier, the standout performer is the Asus Zenbook.

Best Connectivity: Toshiba Portege Z830

The Portege Z830 just manages to steal the crown in this category from the Asus Zenbook. Both of them come with a similar set of connectivity options. But, the Asus has a mini HDMI and mini VGA connectors (adapters are supplied in the box) and a single USB 3.0 and another single USB 2.0 connectors where-as the Toshiba Portege Z830 has a single USB 3.0, Two USB 2.0, a HDMI and a VGA connectors. So, with an extra USB 2.0 connector and a regular sized HDMI, VGA connectors, which do not require any other adapter to be plugged-in, the Toshiba Portege Z830 out-does the rest of the competition.

Best Price: Acer Aspire S3

The 'Acer Aspire S3' is priced the least among ultrabooks. Although, you get less features when compared to the other ultrabooks, it certainly satisfies all the mandatory eligibility criteria for being an ultrabook. That is enough for the Acer to walk away with the prize in this category.

Best Battery-Life: Toshiba Portege Z830

In real world testing, the 'Portege Z830' has managed to beat the other ultrabooks in battery-life, although not by a huge margin. It has sacrificied performance, which is lower than that of the Ideapad U300S or Asus Zenbook, for achieving this feat. 

Best Display: Asus Zenbook

While all the displays contain the latest technology (being LED back-lit LCDs), the 'Asus Zenbook' offers a better resolution. In fact, it offers 1600 * 900 along with 1366 * 768 resolution. The 1366 * 768 resolution is offered in the 11.6 inch zenbook while the 1600 * 900 resolution is offered in the 13.3 inch zenbook. So, the best-display crown goes to the Zenbook.

Best Touchpad & Keyboard: Lenovo Ideapad U300S

Step aside from the specifications, and you have consider this factor, as there are people who type lengthy reports and spend considerable amount of time resting their palms, typing away to glory. The device has to make sure that the user doesn't feel uncomfortable while spending much time and that the touchpad is neither under-responsive nor over-responsive and this is where the Ideapad U300S scores. 

Best Performance: Asus Zenbook

Yes. The Asus Zenbook offers the best performance of all the ultrabooks with the Ideapad U300S coming in at the second position. The reason for this is that the Zebook contains a high performing SATA III disk that not only makes the laptop boot-up in a very short time but also allows it to transfer data in and out of the device at lightning speeds.

So, there you have it. All the 4 ultrabooks currently in the market compared. If you still think that you don't have enough options, wait for the 'Consumer Electronics Show' in January, 2012. A barrage of new ultrabooks are expected to be showcased there and they will soon make their way into the market.

Benchmark Tests for Android Devices: Quadrant, Linpack, Nenamark

Of late, you would have been hearing about benchmark tests like ‘Quadrant’, ‘Nenamark’, ‘Linpack’, ‘Browsermark’ etc. being performed on smartphones and tablets and avid tech enthusiasts eagerly comparing how all these latest devices are competing against each other. We’ll explore what these benchmark tests are, the reason for them becoming popular and the various benchmark tests in this article.

1. What are benchmark tests?
• In computing, a benchmark is the act of running a set of computer programs for the purpose of assessing the relative performance of an object. So, benchmarking in smartphones and tablets is usually associated with assessing the performance characteristics of the smartphones' and tablets' hardware. But, that doesn't mean there aren't any software benchmark tests. So, please understand that these tests are being performed only to compare the relative performance of the devices and in no way can be used to conclude how smooth or how fast the actual user experience will be.
2. Why have these benchmark tests become popular for smartphones and tablets?
• Each and every smartphone and tablet that is being released into the market today has almost the same components: a CPU (Central Processing Unit / Microprocessor / Core), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an Instruction Set, RAM (Random Access Memory), Display containing a particular amount of resolution, Internal Flash Memory etc. Almost all the benchmark tests can run successfully on these devices and gauge the performance of these in-built components. The relevance of some of these tests significantly gains weight when we factor in the ‘Operating System’ that is run on the devices.
3. What are the various benchmark tests that are relevant to the smartphones and tablets?
•  The following list of tests are relevant
•  Quadrant
• Linpack
• Nenamark 1
• Nenamark 2
•  Javascript
• Browsermark
• GL 2.1
• Neocore
• AnTuTu
• Vellamo

We’ll explore in detail what these tests are and how each of them conveys more information about the inner characteristics of the device in future posts.

Comparing Ultrabooks: Acer Aspire S3 and Asus Zenbook

It is an open secret that the success of 'Macbook Air' had prompted Intel to explore the area further which has led to Intel convincing its business partners to explore the category further. Acer and Asus take the opportunity of being the first entrants to this market. Acer came out with its 'Aspire S3' model and Asus has made its launch with the 'Zenbook'. This is how they compare with each other as far as technical specifications are concerned

Parameter -------------------------- Acer Aspire S3 -----------------------------------Asus Zenbook

Thickness                             0.51 - 0.6 inches                               0.1 - 0.7 inches

Weight                                     1.406 Kg                                             1.4 Kg

Battery Life                               4 - 5 Hrs                                            5 - 6 Hrs

Storage                      20 GB SSD + 320 GB HDD                      128 / 256 GB SSD 

Processor                                 Core i5                                           Core i7 / i5 / i3

Pricing                             Starting From 899$                              Starting From 999$

Display Panel                         13.3 inches                                11.6 inches / 13.3 inches

Resolution                            1366 * 768                               1366 * 768 / 1600 * 900

Sound                          Dolby Home Theatre                         Bang & Olufsen ICEpower

Connectivity          Two USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA      1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, mini HDMI, mini VGA

So, as you can see 'Ultrabooks' have some very good specifications and also offer mostly comparable performance. The specifications list is just to show you the kind of power contained in something so slender and light. There are 2 other ultrabooks that are currently available in the market: Toshiba Portege Z835 and Lenovo Ideapad U 300S. We'll discuss the same parameters for these ultrabooks and then study their reviews to find out which one is the best among them.

Stay Tuned..!!