My SmartPhone : Qtek A8300: My Tryst With A Tornado

Hi fellas,

I think this post was long overdue! To make up for that, I am putting up a long post!! ;P

Well, the news(?) is that I got a new smartphone in February replacing my old Nokia 3310/ Nokia 2100/ Sony Ericsson T105/ Samsung C145 Guru set of mobiles. My sister bought it on my behalf during her brief stay in the US of A. It reduced the burden in my pocket by about 100$. Well, I did spend quite a lot on gadgets, including this mobile, through her. I got a Tb drive and a couple of 2 GB DDR3 RAM for my future rig. Six months later, I still don't regret it as I had saved all the money for that itself. That and some more!! :D Do I need all that? I think yes! Did I want all that? Hell yeah!! :D Being an amateur shutterbug and a music buff, I needed all the space I could gather. And with the amount of browsing and multitasking I do and intend to do further, I need a good amount of fast RAM.

Well, the device in the question is Qtek A8300 aka Cingular 2125 aka Orange SPV C600 ( among a host of other names ). As they say in Samskrutha, many names but same device. Most notably, it is a variant of HTC Tornado called Faraday, which is exactly same as Tornado but lacking a WiFi chip and instead sporting an extra hump at the top, which actually houses a large antenna.Qtek is actually a European subsidiary of the popular Taiwanese company HTC. It has a TI OMAP 850 processor clocking at 195 Mhz ( but safely overclockable to 252 Mhz with optimum stability ), 64 Mb shared storage for RAM and ROM ( which I deem is just barely enough ), Bluetooth 1.2 chip( no A2DP or other profiles by default ), a 1.3 mp lens without flash but with a mirror ( which is not that good ), bundled earphones ( superb ones!! Absolutely mind-blowing quality ), light sensor ( slick!! Switches the keyboard backlight on or off based on ambient light levels! Works like a charm!! ), mini USB port ( a god send!! ), Quadband support, EDGE capability, infrared port and most importantly Windows Mobile 5.0 SmartPhone edition.

Well, this was how my phone's homescreen ( standby screen ) looked like until about a week since I got it:

Then I installed a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional ( i.e OS for Touchscreen phones ) ROM from XDA Devs. It then looked like this:

It was blazingly fast and gorgeously beautiful when compared to WinMo 5.0 SmartPhone edition.It had smaller DPI and therefore, smaller fonts which made reading SMSes and browsing easier and faster for me.

I then installed the WinMo 6.1 Standard edition which was slower than the Pro edition. I just gave it a try before I got tired of it and eventually switched back to Pro. This is a WinMo 6.1 Standard homescreen:

Then came the Windows Phone 6.5 Professional, which I am currently using. It is an absolute beauty. Some screenshots to show that:

I tried using the Standard edition of the 6.5 version again and I liked it too but there was not much of a difference between 6.5 and 6.1 standard versions. So eventually I dumped it and returned to the Touchscreen version. Well, that is the Linkin Park logo you see there ( I just love LP!!! ) :D

The interface is mostly controlled by joystick in the Pro version instead of the keypad shortcuts as in the Standard version, the reason of which is quite obvious as the OS itself is for the touchscreen devices, most of which sport only the direction buttons and stylus for navigation. You get a virtual cursor which can be used like a stylus point for touchscreen functions like tapping and sliding. It is controlled by the joystick, though you get programs like 9way keypad which enable you to make use of the keypad for the same purpose. The cursor is only needed for rare tasks, so it's not much of a hassle.

The interface confused a lot of my friends and they gave up after a few minutes! But once you get the hang of it, you start thinking why other OSes don't have it. Some of the tasks are made so easy that you find it cumbersome to use other mobiles. Eg., the SMS applications in 6.1 and 6.5 versions have a threaded mode, which enables you to view all the messages exchanged with a single contact to appear in a single window, IM style. It is like chatting with somebody using an IM client like GTalk. All the messages are grouped like that and that makes the inbox tidier. Another neat feature is the way in which you can search for contacts: if you want to call anyone, all you need to do is press the digits which contain the letters of the name, i.e if you want to call me, all you have to do is just press 725284 ( Rajath ). It will show a list of names which can be typed like that. Now I even stream music to my PC through bluetooth and can play music through my speakers connected to the PC as I got A2DP and other BT profiles. I can even browse through my friends' mobiles through BT Explorer.

There are tens of thousands of useful apps for WinMo. Most of the older apps run flawlessly on the 6.5 version, so there are no major backward compatibility problems. I'll list a few of my favourites later.

There are a few irksome issues too. The bluetooth is slow and weak compared to the phones available nowadays. Java apps run through an emulator and are buggy at times. You have to keep cleaning the memory and close the apps which you don't use frequently or the phone will slow down. Those who don't do this usually end up rebooting it at least once in a day. The memory card has to be accessed by removing the battery, which is actually beneficial for me as it prevents easy theft/ accidental removal ( I know many such cases of memory loss ;) ).

Some of the other better things are the build quality, the call quality and the battery life. My phone survived sinking in the hot lemon sherbeth during my sister's marriage. The reception is great indoors and even in elevators. The phone manages to sail through a couple of days under my heavy usage but it does depend on the ROM I run. Did I say the earphones rock?? :D And using the SRS WOW HD audio driver, I can even amplify the sound and tune it to my liking. The apps available for this platform are terrific, I must say. And due to the hardware keyboard present, I can message even in the college too. ;P

Enough for now, I guess! Later then!! :D

What do you think? Feel free to comment or ask questions below!

An Intro To Mobile OSes.

Hi fellas,

As I had promised earlier, I am posting my article which came in my college's IEEE magazine "Interface", giving just an introduction to the various Mobile operating systems which are revolutionising our lives today.

Conversation \ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃən \ , noun:

is the verbalization of concepts involving abstractions and concrete objects which make up the world we live in. 

      It is this need for communication of our ideas and exchange of thoughts that necessitated the invention of all the communication technology that has developed in the recent world. Now, as that goal has been reached to a comfortable level, we humans – unsatisfied as we are with all those we have and enjoy – are looking to achieve more with the present technology and also create new tools. To be able to talk to anyone, at any time, without the mediator of the human messenger and without the messenger’s attendant delays, is a thoroughly modern triumph of human engineering. 

      Today, cell phones have taken over our life completely. Almost all of us have cellphones / mobiles / handhelds whatever you prefer calling them...whether we are at home, work or just about  anywhere....we feel that something is amiss without them.There are so many varieties/colors/brands of these all over the world! Some have the basic features, while others come with camera, video, email facility, GPS, text messaging, mini TV with OTA streaming support, weather alerts, chatting etc.... A fashion accessory, a travel companion, your business aide and an entertainer - mobile phones have won the heart of people from all walks of life and have undergone a complete makeover with its different facets and different meanings. 

      In 1983, Motorola introduced DynaTAC, now considered the first truly mobile telephone, and by the end of that year, the first commercial cellular phone systems were being used in Chicago and in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. Area of the United States. 

 A Mobile operating system is the operating system that controls a mobile device including the wireless versions of broadband and local connectivity, mobile multimedia formats, and different input methods. Now lets have a look at the major operating systems designed for “mobiles” , which actually threaten to change the definition of Mobile Communication Systems.

Android from OHA

(Released in 2008)

      Android has yet to own even a small part of the phone market because of its recent release date. Android is a software platform and operating system for mobile devices, based on the Linux kernel, developed by Google and later the Open Handset Alliance and allows developers to write managed code in the Java language, controlling the device via Google-developed Java libraries. Applications written in C and other languages can be compiled to ARM native code and run, but this development path isn't officially supported by Google. Thee Open Handset Alliance(OHA) is a business alliance of 47 firms including HTC, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, Samsung, LG and Nvidia to develop open standards for mobile devices. This OS already has a cult following among programmers eager to develop apps as it is flexible, Open Source(not fully though) and allows full control of the available hardware. 

      The first commercially available phone running Android is the T-Mobile G1 (also known as the HTC Dream). It became available on October 22, 2008.

BlackBerry OS from RIM (15.2% Market Share Sales Q3 2008)

(Released in 1999)

      BlackBerry OS is the proprietary software platform made by Research In Motion(RIM) for their BlackBerry line of handhelds. It makes heavy use of the device's specialized input devices, particularly the thumb-wheel, though new touchscreen devices have also made their entry to this highly competitive market. This OS is focused on easy operation and was originally designed for business. Using Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES), Blackberry devices can integrate into enterprises to make email and other PIM(Personal Information Management) data available wireless to business users. Recently it has seen a surge in third-party applications and has been improved to offer full multimedia support. The new BlackbBerry Storm is a good example for the platform's evolution, shedding the customary QWERTY keyboard and sporting a brand new touchscreen interface.

      On 18 Dec 2008, RIM announced the number of BlackBerry subscribers has reached approximately 21 million.

iPhone OS from Apple Inc. (17.3% Market Share Sales Q3 2008)

(Released in 2007)

      The iPhone uses an operating system called iPhone OS, which is derived from Mac OS X. It uses the Darwin foundation Third party applications were not officially supported until the release of iPhone OS 2.0 on July 11th 2008. Before this,"jail-breaking" allowed third party applications to be installed, and this method is still available. But as of February, 2009, there are over 20,000 applications officially available for the iPhone and over 500 million have been downloaded from the App Store. It has been nicknamed as the hype-Phone because of its extensive media  coverage and the fad factor continued from the iPod/iMac line 

      The iPhone OS's user interface is based on the concept of direct manipulation, using multi-touch gestures. Interface control elements consist of sliders, switches, and buttons. Interaction with the OS includes gestures such as swiping, tapping, pinching, and reverse pinching. Additionally, using internal accelerometers, rotating the device on its y-axis alters the screen orientation in some applications. This has made it very popular in the multimedia arena with many new games taking advantage of these revolutionary but now common features.

      Apple claimed in Oct 2008 that it had crossed 10 million user mark. Apple is planning to release version 3 of their iPhone OS.

Symbian OS from Symbian Ltd. (46.6% Market Share Sales Q3 2008)

(Released in 2000)

      Developed by Symbian Limited(formed as a partnership between Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola and Psion on June 24, 1998), the Symbian OS was designed specifically to run on mobile devices. It is a descendant of Psion's EPOC and runs exclusively on ARM processors. There are a number of Symbian platforms designed to suit a variety of phone form factors, namely UIQ, Series 60, Series 80 and Series 90. UIQ and Series 60 are the most commonly used. Series 60 is primarily developed by Nokia, but also used by Samsung. UIQ is primarily developed and used by Sony Ericsson. The first Symbian phone was the Ericsson R380 running on Symbian OS v5.

      In June 24, 2008 Nokia announced plans to acquire full ownership of Symbian and start the Symbian Foundation, which will be an independent force for the future development of Symbian OS. They stated that Symbian OS will become open source in the first half of 2009.

Palm webOS developed by PalmSource (a subsidiary of ACCESS)

(Forthcoming)

      Palm webOS is an embedded operating system developed by Palm, Inc. for smartphones, and was introduced to the public at the Consumer Electronics Show(CES) in Las Vegas on January 8, 2009. This is

      Palm webOS, previously known as "Nova", is designed for use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It includes a suite of applications for personal information management and makes use of a number of web technologies such as XHTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Palm claims that the design around these existing technologies was intended to spare developers from learning a new programming language. Although many of the pre-loaded applications available on webOS are based on the original PIM applications available on Palm OS, webOS is a completely new operating system based on Linux Palm Pre, scheduled for release during the first half of 2009, is the first device to run on this operating system.

Windows Phone from Microsoft (13.6% Market Share Sales Q3 2008)

(Released in 2000)

      Developed by software giant Microsoft, Windows Phone is a compact version of the popular Microsoft Windows operating system with a suite of basic applications for mobile devices based on the Microsoft Win32 API. Devices that run Windows Phone include Pocket PCs, Smartphones, Portable Media Centers, and on-board computers for certain automobiles.It is similar to desktop versions of Windows, feature-wise and aesthetically. Additionally, third-party software development is mighty good for Windows Phone. The first release was as Pocket PC 2000 and latest version is Windows Phone 6.5, with almost every new version bringing a drastic change to the user interface. It was previously known as Windows Mobile(WinMo in short).

      Microsoft licenses Windows Phone( or Mobile) to four out of the world's five largest mobile phone manufacturers, with Nokia being the other. The main advantage is that it ran on a host of phones from different hardware vendors like HTC, Motorola, HP, Dell, O2, i-mate, Qtek etc., with different versions only for touchscreen and for keyboard-input devices. Another advantage is that it is easily customisable and was easy for developers to port programs from the desktop platform to the mobile platform as it shared a similar API. MS sold 18 million WinMo phones in 2008. 

      All of the above devices are revolutionary in terms of the technology packed into a pocket device. The convergence of communication, business, internet, entertainment and mutimedia in such a small device is a wonderful example of the technology humans have developed. Lets see what the future has in store for us.

Feel free to comment below!