MobileViews Blog

Category: Mobile Devices

  • $130 Chipmunk themed tablet with Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4)? Sure, why not?

    Archos is a funny company. I remember seeing a number of mobile multimedia devices from them years ago. But, I’ve never seen any of the many Android tablet models they announce year after year. Here’s another one I’ll probably never see. At $130 it may be the least expensive Ice Cream Sandwich based tablet available. And, you get an Alvin and the Chipmunks theme too.

    Child Pad

    Its specs look pretty good for a $130 device. They exceed the more expensive Kindle Fire and Nook Color.

    7-inch display
    800×480 pixel resolution
    WiFi
    380 grams
    1GB system memory
    4GB flash memory
    microSD slot
    Front facing camera with microphone

  • New Microsoft PhotoSynth for Windows Phone app incompatible with 1st gen Windows Phones

    The first Windows Phone devices released in the fall of 2010 had hardware limitations imposed by Microsoft. Thus, the entire first generation of devices lacked components that were common even back then. Among the hardware missing from the reference design and the devices based on it is a gyroscope. This component has become increasingly important in games and motion based activities. Microsoft’s design shortsightedness has come back to bite it less than two years after the first Windows Phone devices were released. Its own recently released PhotoSynth panoramic camera app for Windows Phone (first released for the iPhone) won’t work correctly with the entire first generation of Windows Phone devices.

    Gee… Thanks, Microsoft, for not future proofing your smartphones! 🙁

  • In the Mobileviews review queue: Wicked WI2150 Jaw Breaker with Mic Earbud

    Here’s another one in the review queue.

    Wicked WI2150 Jaw Breaker with Mic Earbud

    These earbuds list for $29.99 but is available on Amazon for a mere $15.25. Note that it has a microphone. So, you can use it with your phone. I’m having a problem coming to a conclusion about these earbuds though my current opinion is favorable. More later…

  • Smule/Khursh Songify for Android released: Android audio latency solved? Not so fast… (Podcast 55)

    GigaOm reported on the first music app from iPhone music creation app pioneer Smule.

    Music app maker Smule finally gives Android some love

    It references an interview discussion I had with Smule CTO Ge Wang last year (December 2011) in which he said that Smule had not released Android apps because of the platform’s audio latency problems. However, as GigaOm’s article rightly notes: Smule started with Songify because the app doesn’t have the realtime audio needs that other Smule apps do. But she said that Smule has come up with a work-around for Android’s latency problem that will be deployed in Magic Piano.
    (more…)

  • In the MobileViews review queue: Energizer USB Chargers

    OK. I admit it. I am woefully behind in reviewing a bunch of mobile accessories and hardware. It is embarrassing and, unfortunately, rude to the nice PR people who provided these items. So, the least I can do is let people who stumble upon this blog know what is in my review queue.

    First up? Two products from Energizers new USB Chargers series. The first is the Energizer Dual Wall Universal USB Charger with an unusual list price of $28.56 but available for less than $12 from Amazon. The second is the Energizer 10 Watt USB Wall Charger and Cable with a list price of $24.99 but available from Amazon for less than $18. Both models have folding prongs making them potentially useful travel chargers. More later on this pair of gadget chargers.

  • Windows Phone app update weirdness

    I have a SIM-less HTC Surround that is used to try out Windows Phone apps. It works like you would expect for a WiFi-only device for the most part. The one exception is that the Windows Market app does not update software for it as expected. In fact, until last week, no app had been updated in a couple of months. Even going to the product page in the Market app does not force updates to appear. So, imagine my surprise when I saw not just one but 23 apps ready for update recently. I haven’t seen any other updates since then even though several apps for my HD7 (which has a SIM) have been updated in the past few days. Even the HD7 does not get updates when expected, however. It sometimes gets updates a week or more after an app was reported as updated by others.