4 iPad Apps I’ve Been Wasting Time With

October 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

1- World of Goo (5/5)

I fucking adore this game. I tell people I meet with iPads that if I had been a software developer, and had to design a game, World of Goo would most definitely be it. The graphics, the narrative, the gameplay, the music… It’s all absolutely perfect. This physics platform game needs you to assemble different species of “goo” balls over a 4 chapter storyline. The worlds and puzzles change immensely and sometimes, you could spend hours trying to figure that level out. So far, I’ve played it all 6 times in my lifetime, and I guess I’ll be playing it a whole lot more! Heck, I even bought the game legitimately off the App store! That’s how much I liked it.

2- Contre Jour (5/5)

If Cut the Rope and World of Goo got married, they’d have a Contre Jour. This sexy app has a soundtrack and set of graphics to match the perfect physics platform you can use to manipulate the environment and collect all the “light” in every puzzle. This is my current favorite game, I sneak in a few minutes of gameplay even when I’m stuck in traffic! But seriously, the soundtrack is absolutely perfect for the game, not the 8-bit rubbish or normal video game showtune, but a set of somber-ish classical tracks that’ll get that brain of yours focused and clear on solving each level.

3- Supersonic (4/5)

This is an extremely simple, but extremely addictive game. It’s basically maneuvering through a never-ending tunnel in space, while trying to avoid obstacles and collecting as much gems and diamonds without interruption so your score accumulates exponentially! The electronic soundtrack is perfect, and that coupled with the glowy environment and fast-paced graphics probably make it a no-no for my epileptic readers, but for everyone else, this is one trippy-fun app! It gets a 4 cause every time you collect a red spiky thing, your score reverts to x1 (versus x30 x50) and that’s sorta a bummer if you’re well into a level. Some shield option or something would be perfect!

4- deadmau5 Remix (4/5)

This app comes preloaded with plenty of trademark deadmau5 loops, so naturally, you can imagine how fun this app must be for me. It’s incredibly easy to use and it will help you avoid getting embarrassed in front of your friends. It automatically cues loops so they’re in-sync and if you have a good ear and nimble fingers, you’re bound to impress. I give it 4 stars because it has SO much room for potential. More details about loops, like length, name, etc. or whether they’re lyrics or bass or melody, would create a much more enjoyable experience!

More apps soon! =D
Filed Under: Tech Tagged With: , ,

All Hail the N9

September 28, 2011 By 1 Comment

It’s all about user interface (UI). I see people with iPhones and Galaxy SIIs everywhere. It sorta makes you regain faith in humanity, that people are properly embracing technology. But, then I check their app grids and drawers, and I lose faith in that same humanity again.

The apps you’re sure to find are Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja and of course Whatsapp. Perhaps a couple of other simple apps or the preloaded apps Class charges you 40$ for, but which you probably never use. So, the iPhone ends up as a 1000USD+ fashion accessory, its potential never used. Just like a Ferrari 458 that never makes it past the second gear, it’s an awesome machine but the user doesn’t match its specs.

Here’s where the problem lies in the mobile world. Phones are just fashion accessories for many people, and that’s a shame. When you’re using a phone, you should worry about one thing: the UI. As chief of Design at Nokia, Marco Athisaari put it, you don’t really care what oil runs in the motor, as long as you’re enjoying driving your car.

Here’s where the guys at Nokia think they’ve scored big with the N9. This would-be Android killer is two years late, and to many, the birth of the N9 is a still-birth after Nokia signed on with Microsoft to produce Windows-powered phones, versus MeeGo powered phones (like the N9). No one’s complaining though, cause for me and many like me, the N9 is definitely a collector’s item. Nokia has also promised to support this OS and not leave it to die. In fact, I myself am a developer for MeeGo now along with thousands of other techie people form around the world.

Nokia has also looked at what we people use most in the Middle-East, and made sure these apps were available for the N9. The biggest disappointment was when I sat with Henri Matilla after the launching in Dubai, and was informed that the Whatsapp developers have no plans to make the cross-platform chat app available for MeeGo.

But, Marco put things in a very beautiful way. He compared the mobile industry today, to the automotive industry in the 1890s. It was a period where a lot of different formats and UIs were popping up, and companies were learning from each other and bettering the cars of the time, ultimately giving us the two-pedal, steering-wheel cars we all drive around today (versus lever-steered cars for example).

In 2007, Apple revolutionized smartphones. The iPhone-type UI of a fixed app-grid, where you need to get out of the app, return to that same rigid grid, and go into another app, is getting old. Despite the minor adjustments, like the double-click multi-tasking bar, that UI is proving insufficient. I agree with that, in fact, that’s the main reason I switched to Android-powered phones: customization. The Google UI philosophy is personalization. My Android is mine, I can build it how I want to, with widgets and launchers that I can manipulate fully. But, Marco thinks there’s even more room for improvement in the UI department, and he believes Nokia has managed to add a new pattern to already-established UIs in the Nokia N9.

He might be on to something. The N9′s UI is centered on one, fluid, very human motion: a swipe. You swipe to do virtually anything on this fully-touch phone. There are three homescreens. One is a feed from your phone, social networks and any other feed you wanna add. The second is an app grid. The third is all the apps you’re currently running. In other words, the traditional “homescreen” is no longer there. Instead, it’s all about multi-tasking.

So, in other words, the Nokia N9 is a fashion accessory, a powerful touch phone and truly one of a kind. MeeGo might not be on Nokia’s to-do list anymore, but the lessons learned and beautiful elements incorporated in the N9 UI will definitely be seen in Nokia’s future devices.

I won’t go further into the device itself, I will wait till I test and carry the device myself. I’ll leave you with the pictures of the very fun event Nokia were generous enough to invite me to in Dubai last week. There, we got to meet and greet top Nokia execs, interview them, play with the devices and have wicked awesome photo shoots.

Videos, the full interviews and more exclusive photos coming REAL soon in the full Nokia N9 Review.

Oh, and that’s me and Samira at the event =D

Filed Under: Tech

A Handful of Lebanese Apps for Android Users

August 19, 2011 By 3 Comments

As Android users, we often jump to the conclusion that most companies and developers based in Lebanon seek to develop apps for iOS. After all, it’s the “in” thing nowadays. However, loads of developers and establishments are acknowledging the rapidly growing Android community in Lebanon, and here are a few apps that make my life easier.

1- Beirut Airport 5/5

You might know this app from iOS platforms, and it’s awesome for people like me. Most of my family and friends live abroad, and every other week, I’m picking up or dropping off someone at the Beirut International Airport. NOTHING sucks more than a delayed flight, where you have to spend hours waiting at the airport, or paying a fortune in their “cafes”. This app is as simple as it is sexy. You can see a full listing of all departing and arriving flights, their statuses and their ETAs. You can also activate notifications for specific flights, so you don’t forget to pick up your parents from their second honeymoon =P

I give it a 5 out of 5 because it does what it’s supposed to do marvelously and fast.

2- Lebanon Movies Guide 3/5

I often open Cineklik.com. But, Opera Mini isn’t the sleekest solution and using other browsers will drain your life, and megabytes, away. This fairly new app is a neat one which allows you to check out the movies available, what each theater is offering and of course what times each movie is screened. You also get a brief description of the movie, and can reserve a seat using the app (automatically dials the theater’s number)

I give it a 3 out of 5 because it’s sluggish sometimes and needs to load everything every single time, even though its updated just twice a week. Offline viewing of this app would be a massive plus.

3- Beirut.com 5/5

This is one of the most beautifully designed apps on all three platforms. Even the limited, sluggish Blackberry OS, has a fantastic Beirut.com app.

Beirut.com is a comprehensive directory of EVERYTHING that has to do with Beirut. It’s neatly organized by day, week, type, venue, etc. Hotels, shops, clubs, restaurants and everything you need to know about Beirut. You can also search for almost everything else, including this blog! Other perks include the realtime weather, a beautiful gallery at the bottom of upcoming events as well as a colorful, vibrant and sleek navigation between categories and

I give this app full marks, because it truly is awesome.

4- MTV Lebanon 5/5

This station is by far my absolute favorite, and their Android app really put them on TOP! Most of us will not view the streaming live feed, but the app is useful for several other reasons.

For one, you have the full schedule, description and sneak peak for every show. Also, you have a written live news feed which has minute-by-minute updates which you pull down to refresh. Third, and most impressive for me, is a citizen-journalism functionality where you can report a breaking story, a violation or other interesting events and topics MTV Lebanon follows closely. This functionality alone wins this app my utmost love and respect.

Filed Under: Tech Tagged With: ,

6 Reasons Why the Nokia E6 is Awesome

August 10, 2011 By 11 Comments

1- INSANE Battery Life

I’ve been carrying this phone for close to a month now, and it’s battery life is unbelievably long. Back when we held the 6600 and 6630, the battery life used to last ages. But back then, screens were less powerful, we didn’t use 24/7 GPRS and the processors were a joke compared to today’s smartphones.

However, a Whatsapp-enabled touch-and-type E6 defies the smartphone norm and lasts no less than 60 hours (considering I barely sleep and it is fully-functional day and night). What’s also cool is that you can either charge it with its USB port, or via the thin Nokia charger head, saving you the hassle of finding the right charger at the right time. So, compared to the 12-18 hour average I get from my other phone, the Samsung Galaxy S, that’s a MUCH welcome feature in this brand new Nokia device.

2- The Beautiful Metal Case

Nokia’s well-known for quality devices. Even though we might question the Symbian OSes, there is no debating that in terms of tech-specs and all-in-all look and feel, Nokia’s still very much at the top of its game. The E6 keeps the general business-messenger format with a full QWERTY keyboard and a full, firm metal case that will allow the clumsy user (such as myself) to not worry about ferrying the device to and from the service shop.

In other words, the plasticy feel we get from Blackberry and Android devices and the fragility of full-touch phones, is non-existent in the sturdy E6 device.

3- Full HD Capacitive Touch Screen

The pixel density of the 2.8-inch screen is the same as the iPhone 4′s. The screen is of course half the physical size, but the resolution and pixel density are the same. This is a much-welcome improvement over the E6′s big brother, the E7. The beautiful, vivid display is also VERY thumb-friendly.

On a bigger screen, such as the 4″-4.3″ screens on several new touch-phones, your thumb cannot physically reach the whole screen surface if your holding the phone with one hand, making it somewhat awkward to utilize. The smaller E6 screen on the other hand, is perfect for thumb-functionality, despite the fact that you probably need to become more accurate in your selections on the tinier screen.

4- Divine Keyboard

The QWERTY keyboard on my Blackberry Curve is tiny, awkward, loud and hurts my thumbs if I type too much, too fast. And, no matter what anyone says and no matter what new input method is created, typing on a touch screen will never really be as easy and fluid as a real keyboard.

Here’s where the E6 is super-sexy. The keys on the E6 are smooth and large and their tactile feedback makes your want to type just for the sake of it. I know it sounds funny, but when you hold one in your hand, you won’t be able to resist doing a piano-style swype of the keyboard keys.

5- Touch and Type Winning Hybrid

This might not be the first Nokia touch-and-type device, but it certainly is the best. The two interfaces do indeed complete each other, but they’re also fairly good at standing alone. In other words, you can avoid touching your screen altogether and use the keyboard and navigation keys to find your way around your phone. You can also avoid using the keyboard for nearly everything except of course, typing, since the small screen does not support a virtual keyboard.

This hybrid interace is extremely convenient in my opinion. It’s nice to navigate through menus, galleries and apps via touch, but it’s also a lot easier to Whatsapp and SMS using a good-old real keyboard. The Nokia E6 allows you to do both simultaneously, combining the best of both worlds.

6- Improved Symbian Anna OS

The Achilles Heel of Nokia for many users and techies is of course their choice of Symbain OS. The glitchy, groggy operating system is notorious for crashing and slow performance. In fact, it’s the main reason I switched from my Nokia N97mini to an Android device. However, after being given the E7, I realized how far Symbian had come. The phone operated and responded rapidly and never crashed with me.

The E6 is even better, for apart from the increased speed and reliability, it certainly looks much sexier. The icons and customization options are much greater, with the availability of several home screens and the silky smooth Anna theme making the E6 fun to navigate through.

Verdict

If you’re looking for a new revolutionary phone, the Nokia E6 is definitely not it. It’s something better. It’s a mashup of several favorites and beloved features from previous devices. You might want to compare the E6 with its simpler sibling, the E5, but you would probably be safer in comparing it to the highly successful E71 and E72 devices. The E6 is the E72 on steroids. It’s faster and sleeker with a powerful camera and full HD touch screen. It’s improved OS makes it much faster and more reliable. It’s 8 megapixel, full HD camera makes it a formidable camera phone, and its internal memory of 8GB is more than enough for your music, photos, videos and apps (you can add an extra 32GB of external memory, a HUGE plus over the E7 which did not offer an external memory card option).

If you’re a fan of the E71-E72 devices, you are going to absolutely adore this device. If you’re a fan of touch technology, but also like that organic feel of pressing a button, you don’t need to choose anymore with this new Nokia device.

Most iPhone and Android users barely use the specs those phones were designed to perform. Downloaded apps are mainly Whatsapp, Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja. You don’t need an 800-1200 USD phone to use Whatsapp and play Angry Birds. The Nokia E6′s 420-450 USD price is more than fair and its features are more than enough for both business users and personal users.

GENERAL 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
Announced 2011, April
Status Available. Released 2011, June
SIZE Dimensions 115.5 x 59 x 10.5 mm, 66 cc
Weight 133 g
DISPLAY Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 640 x 480 pixels, 2.46 inches
- Gorilla glass display
- QWERTY keyboard
- Multi-touch input method
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
SOUND Alert types Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
MEMORY Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
Call records Detailed, max 30 days
Internal 8 GB storage, 256 MB RAM, 1 GB ROM
Card slot microSD, up to 32GB, buy memory
DATA GPRS Class 33
EDGE Class 33
3G HSDPA 10.2Mbps, HSUPA 2.0Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB, USB On-the-go support
CAMERA Primary 8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, fixed focus, dual-LED flash,check quality
Features Geo-tagging, face detection
Video Yes, 720p@25fps, check quality
Secondary Yes, VGA
FEATURES OS Symbian Anna OS
CPU 680 MHz ARM 11 processor, 2D/3D Graphics HW Accelerator with OpenVG1.1 and OpenGL ES 2.0
Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS
Games Yes + downloadable
Colors Black, White, Silver
GPS Yes, with A-GPS support
Java Yes, MIDP 2.1
- Stainless steel panels
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- Digital compass
- TV-out
- MP4/H.264/H.263/RV player
- MP3/WMA/WAV/RA/eAAC+ player
- QuickOffice document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF)
- Organizer
- Flash Lite 4.0
- Voice command/dial/commands
- Predictive text input
BATTERY Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh (BP-4L)
Stand-by Up to 681 h (2G) / Up to 744 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 14 h 48 min (2G) / Up to 7 h 30 min (3G)
Filed Under: Tech Tagged With: ,

Google+ Preliminary Review

July 2, 2011 By 5 Comments

The similarities and differences between Google+ and Facebook are many. Perhaps the most obvious disadvantage of Facebook is teaming up with Microsoft, with integrating Bing and as of next week, Skype into its services. The most obvious advantage for Google+ is integrating ALL of Google’s services into this new social network. Services like YouTube, Picnik, Picasa, Gtalk, video conferencing (for free and with several people), Google Docs and much, much, MUCH more.

Here are a few screenshots I took of things I found sexy and awesome.

1- Profile View

The profile is somewhat the same, only much more stream-lined and fresh. The info section is sexier too. What’s also amazing is that you can immediately and easily change any bit of information. You don’t need to open a million tabs and keep refreshing and opening new pages to change your relationship status for example. All you have to do is highlight the piece of information you want to change, and change it!

2- Streams and Selectivity of Sharing

A problem I face on Facebook is sharing stuff that might be irrelevant to many of my friends (or inappropriate =P). In other words, I want to share private stuff with family and close friends, and naughtier stuff maybe with other people. On Facebook, splitting friends into different groups and networks is extremely hard when you have a lot of friends. There is no fast way of splitting them. On Google+ it’s super easy, you split them into circles. Then, you can choose what you share and post’s privacy. In other words, choose whether your “friends” or “family” or “acquaintances” see it, or all three see it.

So, the beauty of Google+ is you can share info about Twitter for example, to just your “Tweeps” circle!

3- Circles and Groups

All you have to do is drag the contact into one of the circles below. You can of course create your own circles. That’s how you can categorize your friends on Google+, and share what you want with who you’d like to see it. This also helps in interacting with these different groups, such as through Google+’s Hangout, which we come to next

4- Hangout

This is the combination of Google Talk’s video chat, along with Google Wave, where you can share stuff, create stuff and just have fun with as many people as you want, depending on which circles are included in the Hangout. With this, Google+ has beaten Facebook and Skype silly, making it very hard for FB and Skype to put up with the speed, freedom and facilities Google+ Hangout offers.

5- Photo Viewing and Uploading

Here’s where you keep track of what your friends are uploading

Here’s how you upload your photos, you just drag them into the box and you’re done!

Here’s what an album would look like. The layout is very nice and artsy, similar to the awesome Windows Mobile layout.

Here’s where you view a single pic. It’s much faster than FB’s and the comments fit nicely on the side, allowing for quicker viewing without scrolling up and down so much. It’s also cool cause you can use your trackpad or scroll-wheel to flip through the images, making for a smoother, faster transition between photos and their comments.

6- +1 is the new Like

+1 was not really clear when Google launched it a couple of weeks ago. Now we know what it means! It’s sort of like the FB “like” button, and everything you +1 is displayed on your profile under the “+1″ tab.

I won’t really restate what has been already posted online,so I’ll direct you to this article to get into the technical stuff of why Google+ is better than Facebook in terms of trustworthiness, potential and of course, PRIVACY!

It includes comments on things I purposefully left out, like the mobile app.

Google+ is still in Beta and on an invitation-basis. I’m expecting, on top of all the awesome features we already saw, an explosion of Google awesomeness on Google+ which I am expecting will kill Facebook softly.

I will of course be following those religiously like all of you guys, and as the network grows, we will put it through its paces rigorously together =D

For invites, just email me gino@ginosblog.com, but don’t expect a fast reply (A)

Filed Under: Tech Tagged With: , ,

Whatsapp vs Kik vs LiveProfile vs Kakao

May 23, 2011 By 23 Comments

It’s tough choosing one, especially since there are so only minor differences between them, that make a HUGE difference. Whatsapp is the undisputed cross-platform mega-beast. It’s easy and automatic contact-fetching can be figured out by any dummy, making it good at the most vital feature of a mobile messenger: universality.

However, it is glitchy and counts mainly on the spiritual world to predict whether or not an IM was sent, delivered and read. Kik is lightning fast, with the BBM  s d and r symbols that make it so handy, so does LiveProfile.

Anyway, based on my trials with these apps on my Android Galaxy S and Nokia e7, I’ve drawn up this simple table:

For now, it’s really a race between Whatsapp and Kik. However, I don’t like to choose, for if you settle for whatsapp, you settle for snail-powered chat, though one that all your friends can use. If you stick to kik, you’re gonna lose all your BB slave friends and Sybian Nokia users, but you do get lightning-fast chat capabilities with your iOS and Android buddies. So, download all 4 if you can, like I have on my Android, and keep your options open!

Or, wait till RIM ends it’s silly suspense-game and tells us when it is releasing the BBM for Android and iOS devices!

Read: Kik vs. Whatsapp and BBM Coming to Android and iOS

Update: Kik is back on BB! Read more here. Thanks Sh4do3

Filed Under: Tech Tagged With:

The Audi A1 Lebanon Launch at Forum de Beyrouth

May 22, 2011 By 5 Comments

After registering your name, and booking your own test-drive, you are greeted by the spine-tingling sound of screeching wheels and aromatic scent of burning rubber. To your left, a large track, with two Audi A1s, are tearing up the pavement with passengers on the edge of their seats, as professional drivers Abdo and William show us what those tiny red and white monsters were capable of.

However, while you wait your turn (or your second, third and fourth turn) you can admire the complete Audi arsenal on display to your right, the different A1 models and colors huddle up next to the white inflatable tent, and of course, the top-of the line s-line A1 Turbo, displayed in the middle of the tent.

The same tent where you could drive the A1 in GT5 on a PS3, or on a special-edition Asphalt 6 game on one of the iPads also available. On the decks, was none other than Jade, spinning the perfect soundtrack for the erected speed and precision track.

A1 hats and merchandise decorated the 200 or so winners and invitees, with delicious fruity cocktails and hot Crepaway food making sure everyone was well-fed and well-hydrated in the searing 30 degree sun.

Renowned Lebanese driver Abdo Feghali didn’t just stick to his red A1, but on his “break”, he put the Audi R8 and the Audi TT RS through their paces, much to the delight of everyone present.

For all you techies and petrol-heads, CBK was kind enough to summarize it in language you can understand better: The Audi A1 is not just any hatchback mini car. Its class is the supermini, where its rivals are the Mini S and the MTO. Its a front wheel drive car, and it hosts a 4-cylinder 1.4 Twincharged engine that delivers a whopping 122 HP, and for such a light car that amounts to alot of power. At first sight the car looks humble enough, but once inside, that small car is a monster. With a top speed of over 200 Km/hr and a 7speed tiptronic gearbox, this car has it covered when it comes to raw power. However it dosen’t stop here. The Audi A1 has all the latest safety features including, and not limited to front and side airbags, the latest ABS and ESP technologies which we got a firsthand demonstration of courtesy of none other than the great Abdo Feghali. In short, this car is a well rounded supermini that can bring serious competition to the market.

Another spec I adored, was listed next to the A1 inside the tent, and it read how many grams of carbon the car released per 100 km.

All in all, it was awesome fun, and the A1 is a beautiful machine. It comes with a hefty price tag though, north of 45,000 USD, but hey, as the Lebanese saying goes, “Kil shi bi 7a22o” (meaning: you get what you pay for) and for the first time in the luxury hatchback department, I’d definitely prefer something over the Mini Cooper S.

Filed Under: Competitions, Leb, Tech Tagged With: , , ,

7 Reasons Why The Nokia E7 is Awesome

April 23, 2011 By 8 Comments

I’m one of those people who has tried every single phone manufacturer available on the market, and I’m always on the lookout for what’s the next best mobile device.

I’ve carried Nokias, Sony Ericssons, iPhones, Blackberries and most recently, Samsung Galaxy S Android phone. Now that I’m done boasting about my excessive spending on mobile devices, let’s get to the task at hand: the Nokia E7 review.

Nokia Lebanon were kind enough to lend me a black E7 to try out, and I’ve been carrying it around for 3 weeks now, putting it through the horrors that come with being my phone. To be honest, by experience with my N97mini was an unpleasant one, pushing me as low as a Blackberry Bold 2 *barf*

I was highly skeptical about a Nokia running on Symbian winning my heart, even after I had tinkered with a couple of the devices the Nokia team carried. However, the E7 has changed that, and here’s why:

1- 4″ Capacitive Touch Screen

I had to be very angry while touching my N97 mini and its resistive touchscreen. Several older touchscreen Nokias were notorious for their unreliability and glitchiness. The E7 however, is comparable to Apple’s iPhone in its immensely responsive, smooth, scratch-proof screen. It’s also bigger than the iPhone’s screen, for those of you wondering.

2- 4 Types of Ways to Type

Touch phone users know that typing can be annoying. Heck, www.damnyouautocorrect.com is dedicated to just that. You don’t have that problem with the E7, which allows you to type in virtually every way possible.

The slide-phone has a full, real QWERTY keyboard with beautiful, real buttons you can actually feel, taste and smell. It also has a virtual QWERTY keyboard on the touchscreen when in landscape, and as soon as you hold your device vertically, it switches to the traditional dialpad keyboard.

You can also use Swype on the virtual keyboard, which is the insanely cool input method where you trace a line over the letters you want to spell, and voila, you get the word and impress a bunch of inferior blackberry baboons with their puny, overcrowded keyboards.

3- Heavy-Duty Metallic Cover

My Samsung Galaxy S is pretty cool, but it’s cover makes it look like a cheap toy. The plasticy, disposable feel is unfit for a smartphone. The E7′s cover is a beautiful and robust metallic one. It feels like one large piece for each half, with no access your battery, so nothing hangs loose. You insert your SIM card in a slot on the side of the phone, for those of you wondering.

In other words, the sophisticated features and specs are matched by the elegant encasing, that will make your phone a lot more durable, and a lot kinder on the eyes

4- Easily Plug In Your USB or HDMI Cable

If you took a wicked video of last night’s party, the last thing you’re gonna want to do is download it on your machine, then burn it on plastic to play it on your DVD. Also, dozens of cables and extensions tend to get annoying. The E7 though has a fully-functioning HDMI port on top, so all you have to do is plug it into your TV and enjoy the show.

A tiny extension allows you to do something that I truly found awesome: plug in your USB! You can download files from the USB to your phone, or vice versa, without the need for a middleman (computer or internet connection). For that, the E7 gets a huge push.

5- 8 Megapixel, HD Camera

Even though it’s 4 megapixels short of the N8, 8 megapixels is more than enough for a phone camera. The camera might not be the most awesome I’ve used, but it was perfect for capturing two of the Fail photos on this blog! The real treat is the video mode, with impeccable resolution and fluidity, and virtually no fluctuations in the video despite being held by shaky hands.

6- Fast and Multitasks

Symbian is notorious for its slow, crashy performance. However, no matter how hard I tried, and no matter how many apps I opened simultaneously, the E7 failed to crash or become sluggish. This, to me, was the best thing about this new phone. You can also multitask, with long-press on the menu button allowing you to toggle between the different running apps, and better yet, close the ones you don’t need with relative easy, versus the old and time-consuming option>exit route.

7- Apps, Apps and Apps

Today’s mobile world is characterized by apps, first and foremost. When we think apps, it’s usually the App Store or the Android Market that come to mind. The Ovi Store however, has been doing a superb job in catching up. The N97 mini’s apps were feeble and limited compared to other phones, but the E7′s is not only comparably, but even better in some cases.

Apps we all need to survive, such as Whatsapp, Skype, Shazam, Gino’s Blog (=P), Opera, Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds are all available and awesome. In fact, Whatsapp and Skype run much, much better on my E7 than on my Android, which was a very delightful surprise! There are thousands of other apps, and I’ll be writing up a best-Nokia-apps post soon, after I’ve tried as many as possible!

To sum up, all the apps you love and want, are now available in all their glory on the Ovi store (such as Gino’s Blog’s app). But what’s even more awesome, is that the phone comes loaded with the apps you’re most likely to use most and need, instead of an empty shell like other smartphones. So, if you’re not exactly tech and app-savvy, you don’t need to feel like a dumbass with the E7.

Other Cool Stuff

  • Threaded messages (conversation-like display for SMSes)
  • Multi-screen homepages with plenty of space for widgets and shortcuts
  • The awesome Nokia calendar, and calendar widget, which I have yet to find a better alternative for

Things I Miss

  • The Yes/No green and red buttons that made it so easy to scrap everything and start fresh on Nokias
  • Can’t insert and external SD card

I could go on, but I like the sexiness of “7 reasons” and “E7″

Below are the official specs and technical details

GENERAL 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
Announced 2010, September
Status Available. Released 2011, February
SIZE Dimensions 123.7 x 62.4 x 13.6 mm, 104.9 cc
Weight 176 g
DISPLAY Type AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 360 x 640 pixels, 4.0 inches
- QWERTY keyboard
- Nokia ClearBlack display
- Multi-touch input method
- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
- Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate
- Scratch resistant Gorilla glass display
SOUND Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
MEMORY Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
Call records Detailed, max 30 days
Internal 16 GB storage, 256 MB RAM, 1 GB ROM
Card slot No
DATA GPRS Class 32
EDGE Class 32
3G HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes, microUSB v2.0, USB On-the-go support
CAMERA Primary 8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, fixed focus, dual-LED flash,check quality
Features Geo-tagging, face detection
Video Yes, 720p@25fps, video stabilization, check quality
Secondary Yes, VGA
FEATURES OS Symbian^3 OS
CPU 680 MHz ARM 11 processor, Broadcom BCM2727 GPU
Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds
Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS
Games Yes + downloadable
Colors Dark Grey, Silver White, Green, Blue, Orange
GPS Yes, with A-GPS support; Ovi Maps 3.0
Java Yes, MIDP 2.1
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- Digital compass
- TV-out (720p video) via HDMI and composite
- Dolby Digital Plus via HDMI
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA player
- MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player
- Voice command/dial
- Document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF)
- Video/photo editor
- Flash Lite 4.0
- Voice memo/dial
- Predictive text input
BATTERY Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh (BL-4D)
Stand-by Up to 432 h (2G) / Up to 480 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 9 h (2G) / Up to 5 h (3G)
Filed Under: Tech Tagged With: ,

The “Fast Lebanon” Controversy and What To Do About It

April 14, 2011 By 4 Comments

The Controversy

The below videos I’m sharing are by a group of zealots who are accusing one of the pro-broadband movements in Lebanon of being backed by a local telecom company and having malicious ulterior motives.

I myself cannot verify or adopt the information and evidence given, or the stances taken. I will leave it to each and every one of you to decide for yourselves whether or not this is a questionable movement or not.

HOWEVER…
What To Do About It

HOWEVER, I will recommend a movement I can vouch for, and that is the Ontornet movement. The movement was launched and is being run by a group of my friends. They are all unaffiliated to a larger corporation and have merely launched an initiative to organize and embody all the Lebanese people’s aspirations when it comes to being online.

Check out the amazing page, blog, twitter account and webstite

Filed Under: Leb, Tech, Thoughts Tagged With: , ,

7 Weeks, 7 Nokia E7s That Could Be Yours!

April 5, 2011 By 4 Comments

Last week, the guys at Nokia Lebanon invited a handful of bloggers and people from tech industry to try out the Nokia E7 “Search for 7.”

The Search for 7 is an interactive Nokia campaign which seeks to engage its users in real life. Nokia has adopted the “glocal” approach with its users for years, with the belief that tailor-made apps, campaigns and services for each country and region are the key for success, the keyword of the new Nokia E7.

Throughout the day, we were emailed clues. Some clues were teasers, others you had to decode to find out the time, and finally, you had to ID places from attached images. 7 clues later, we found out that the search would lead us to Pacifico Monot at 7:00 PM, to find a blue backpack with a Black Nokia E7.

Guy Salameh found the backpack with the E7 in it, much to my dismay (kidding, mabrouk Guy =P), but we all got to try the devices.

After another E7 was found on the slopes in Faraya over the weekend, there are 6 more up for grabs! All you have to do is log on to the Nokia Lebanon Facebook Page and follow the clues, and of course, be the first to get to the designated location at the designated time!

Expect a full-review in the coming days after I get the chance to take the device home for a few days and run it through the usual drills! =D

Check out this video by Beirutnightlife.com of an E7 Flashmob at Citymall

 

Filed Under: Competitions, Tech Tagged With: , ,

The Amalgam’s Newest Addition: Maya Zankoul’s Zankoulizer is Now Online!

April 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You’ve undoubtedly seen a Maya Zankoul comic critiquing a particular aspect of Lebanese society at some point in your life. Maya is a brilliant Lebanese cartoonist who has already published two books (Maya’s Amalgam Vol. 1, Vol. 2 with Vol. 3 on the way!) and runs the Maya’s Amalgam Webcomic. Her witty and right-on-the-spot sketches have won a place in many people’s heart, paving the way for Maya’s newest ambitious project:

The Zankoulizer! www.zankoulizer.me, is a nifty website that allows you to create your own Maya Zankoul-style avatar in a matter of seconds. These avatars have begun popping up on my Twitter timeline and Facebook news feed, and I’ve featured the one I made of myself here –>! (Not as handsome as me, but still pretty cool =D)

I wanted to ask Maya about this new project, her previous work, and what’s in store for the future, and the result was this interview =D

How long have you been sketching?

I’ve been sketching since I was a child! However, the style of sketching has evolved and it has been part of my profession for the past 5 years. I studied illustration as part of the BA in Graphic Design program, and of course followed by personal experimentation with the laptop. I sketch on the laptop and not using a pencil and paper. I spend most of my time on the computer and find it more enjoyable to draw directly on the screen using the trackpad.

When did you decide to create the Zankoulizer, and how long did it take to become a reality?

It’s an idea that’s been on my mind since last summer, however I couldn’t work on it for many reasons, some of which are too much work and not finding a good developer to do the website without using flash. Finally, I decided to coincide it with the launching of the new office so I worked on it intensively the past 3 weeks to be able to launch a 1st draft of it on April 1.

What’s next in line for your cartoons? Could we possibly see them animated eventually?

That is exactly my dream! I tried animating them myself, in an amateur way since I am not an animator (see  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kq-18YguVM and  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9FcnUeLOtY ).

Hopefully I can turn them into a professionally animated series, with longer stories, more characters (inspired from the Zankoulizer characters maybe?!). There’s no clear and defined plan, but that would require a lot of work, support and a bigger team. Also, I’d like to publish Amalgam vol. 3 with totally new content by the end of 2011 or in 2012.

How easy is it to make it in the arts business in Lebanon, especially one centered online?

For me, it has been super-easy! I work in a very intuitive manner with not much planning and calculating. I take a lot of ‘serious’ projects (websites, iphone apps, corporate identities, etc.) which allow me to self-fund the work that I love doing, which is all that is relating to ‘amalgam’ (my blog, my books, the zankoulizer). Plus, the fact that most of my work is online makes it even easier: everyone’s on Facebook and Twitter which makes sharing your work as easy as a click. That’s how it all started, before I even knew there was a whole ‘science’ called social media

What do you do during the day? Is sketching your full-time job?

I’m a professional graphic designer. I work on many things besides sketching, so it is not my full-time job, but part of it. I work on UI/UX design for websites, iPhone and iPad apps. I also work in Graphics (posters, infographics, ads, etc.) and corporate identities (Logos, Business cards, etc.). You can find out more about that on pro.mayazankoul.com, my newly launched “professional” website.

Will Meen’s next album cover be a Maya Zankoul special?

I cannot disclose such confidential information! :P (Kidding). I would be honored to collaborate with Meen on any of their upcoming projects, but so far I can only say that their next album (cover and content) will be mind-blowing and sensational. I have the chance to share an office with them and thus get sneak previews of their upcoming album. I am already in love with it and can’t wait for it to be out!!

Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy, Leb, Tech Tagged With: , ,

10 Android Apps You MUST Have

April 1, 2011 By 6 Comments

I’ve been an Android user for some 8 months now, and I’ve tried out dozens if not hundreds of apps on my Samsung Galaxy S. The open-source nature of the android provides almost limitless possibilities on the one hand, but a fair amount of bugginess on the other. Here are the apps I believe every android user should have after testing them and using them myself.

With android on the rise, the Google OS has already overtaken RIM’s BB and Apple’s iPhone, and is poised to take 45% of the smartphone market share by 2016

1- Mobile Guard

To enjoy the full-potential of your android OS, you have to be in constant control of every aspect, from what apps are running, to how you’re battery is being used up, to how the files are managed, software is maintained and your network and data consumption. This app does all that, and more!

Besides being an amazing app killer (the best I’ve used), Mobile Guard is also a quick and easy uninstaller, for the buggy apps you need to get rid of. So, it helps you shave off the apps that are running without you knowing. It also allows you to set your GPRS data limit, and helps you keep track of it in realtime, so you know if you could attach that 1.5 mb photo or not… NetQin have even managed to cram in a file manager, that helps you delete, create and organize folders and files on your mobile. The widget is beautiful too, with a simple “optimize” button that you customize beforehand to speed up your phone’s performance, and buttons to turn on/off your WIFI, GPRS and Bluetooth!

Definite 5/5. It does everything you need, and is absolutely free

2- Opera Mini

I live in Lebanon, the country with the world’s worst and most expensive internet, so I count kilobytes and not megabytes when I’m keeping track of my data plan limit. That’s why, I use Opera Mini for Android. This beautiful browser has all the features you need, but offers you the fastest, least data-consuming mobile internet surfing. It renders the images on its own servers, and sends a watered-down version to your mobile, sparing you the time and kilobytes. What’s awesome too is that when you hit “back” or “forward”, you don’t need to wait for the page to reload… So, this needs to be your mobile browser on Android, love it!

I also use it to access Facebook, cause their app is super-sluggish on Lebanese internet connections =(

I give Opera Mini a 5/5 for speed, reliability and simplicity

3- Tweetdeck

This is my absolute favorite Twitter client. The only platform I prefer the official Twitter Inc. app on is of course the iPad, where Twitter truly outdid everyone else.

Tweetdeck encompasses anything you need to tweet photos, locations, videos, shorten urls, deck.ly long-tweet support, very customizable notifications and in-app previews of images and embedded media.

What’s cool is that you can also integrate your Foursquare account, and Facebook. I’d recommend you dont use Facebook on TweetDeck, notification over-load, especially if your timeline is active and your FB notifications are too much.

So, I give TweetDeck a 4.5/5, cause no “reply all” option yet

4- Shazam Encore

I club a lot, and listen to a lot of good, and bad, music. The technology gods have given us the ability to find out any song’s name and artist, to either glorify, bash, or just download illegally from somewhere!

For this, I use Shazam Encore. Why the “Encore”, well, the Shazam guys decided they’re gonna be greedy and charge 5$ if you want to tag more than 5 songs/month, which I think is absurd. To by-pass this annoyance, just go to www.4shared.com from your Android’s browser, and punch in: “Shazam Encore.apk” download, save, and voila! Fully functional paid app, for free, with no rooting or other jail-break-ish procedures needed.

Simply tap on the blue screen when the app is open, and let the app “listen” to the song. It will then match it and save it as a “tag” with full details about the song, genre, artist, remix, etc. It also has a cool widget which shows you a “tag stream” from users near you.

I’ll give it a 4/5, cause it doesn’t always get it right the first time, and gets remixes mixed up!

5- Google Goggles

This nifty app is pure Google genius. Your phone has eyes, can read, compute and even solve sudokus using your phone’s camera. If the person you just met’s name is too long, simply Google Goggle it, and it will be scanned, analyzed and become savable as a contact with a tap!

Goggles can also search the terms you scanned, or if it’s a famous painting or piece of art, identify it. It can also work in-sync with your GPS, to identify restaurants and link you to their Google Map entries or wikipedia pages. The app can also scan barcodes and QR codes, but I wouldn’t recommend you use it for that, instead, use the next app in line.

Recently, with Android’s Froyo OS 2.2, it can even solve Sudoku puzzles!

I’ll give the goggles a solid 4/5, cause even though the art and venue features don’t work, the text analysis works charmingly and has proven itself very useful.

6- Barcode Scanner

If you’re wondering what that code on the right side is, it’s a QR code (Quick Response Code). It can contain your choice of information and/or commands for your mobile. You just scan it with your camera, and it either gives you some text, redirects you to a webpage, or makes the information savable as a contact. It is much, much faster than Google Goggles and better than its iOS counterpart. I loved using it, and believe it will one day replace business cards…

I’ll give it a 5/5 for doing its job perfectly and swiftly

7- WordPress

If you use WordPress for your website like me, WordPress apps usually suck. The iOS one on my iPad is virtually useless, and most importantly, does not show you stats! The android app though is surprisingly fast and includes everything you need to moderate comments, create complete posts (several posts, especially Fashals, were posted here by my Android app) and most feed your addiction with stats =P

I give this a shiny 5/5 for being so awesome


8- Google Translate

This app recently gained voice! You can now speak Spanish into it, and it’ll translate it by voice into English, then reply to your Spaniard friend in English, and it’ll talk Spanish for you! For now, this feature is still in Beta, but soon, more languages will be added!

Apart from that, it is a perfect translation app, dictionary and thesaurus. It’s fast, not glitchy, and provides an audible pronunciation of the word (so you never have to argue with anyone over how to pronounce “develop” or “police”)

I give this app 5/5 because it allows you to speak any language, literally!

9- Spaghetti and Marshmallows

My favorite mobile game… You need to combine marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti to build elaborate structures to get to your destination. Watch out for the frogs though. Endless fun, but use 4shared.com to download the full version with all the levels!

It definitely gets a full score of 5/5

10- Dropbox

We all juggle between desktops, laptops, mobile phones, tablets and a million other devices. Unfortunately, USBs never contain everything we need, and for handicaps in certain devices, like no USB port in Apple’s iPad, storage devices aren’t the answer. Dropbox is a simple-to-use cloud-based storage area, where you can “drop” files such as photos, text and even programs and reopen them from any other device which also has dropbox. It is also perfect for sharing files too big to be attached on Gmail (+25 MB)

It is sometimes unresponsive and you cannot cancel an upload, so, it gets a 3.5/5 from me

I hope this helps! And please feel free to add any apps you think I should’ve mentioned too!

Filed Under: Extras, How To, Tech Tagged With: ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »