The Top 10 Smartphones

Top 10 Mobiles
The pace of smartphone innovation in the US has gone wild, and super-duper handheld computers are breaking out all over. While the iPhone vs. Google Android battle is clearly the headliner of the moment, there's a lot of action in the undercard as well.

We've called out our top 10 smartphones - for the moment - with every one a winner. What's mind-boggling about this list is that it's sure to change within weeks. New top-of-the-line Android phones from Samsung are coming to Verizon and Sprint before the summer ends. BlackBerry is teasing their new OS 6, and we've been playing with prototypes of Windows Phone 7.

So here are the top 10 smartphones in America - for the moment. You'll see that whether you're on AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint or T-Mobile, you have a solid choice available.

1.
iPhone 4 (AT&T)
 
Our top smartphone is more smart than phone, but its reception problems don't outweigh its excellent OS, sharp camera, fast processor, great app ecosystem and amazing screen.

2.
Motorola Droid X (Verizon Wireless)
 
This Google Android-powered behemoth has a huge screen, great call quality, a fast processor and works as a Wi-Fi hotspot for all of your gadgets.

3.
HTC EVO 4G (Sprint)
 
The nation's first 4G, WiMax phone, the HTC EVO gives Sprint users fast connections and great Android power, at the cost of battery life.

4.
Samsung Captivate (AT&T)

AT&T's best non-iPhone is an Android super-phone with a brilliant screen and terrific media capabilities.

5.
Samsung Vibrant (T-Mobile)
 
The Captivate's sibling on T-Mobile is that carrier's top smartphone, and its Super AMOLED screen must be seen to be believed.

6.
HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon Wireless)
 
If the Droid X is too big for your hands, the Droid Incredible delivers almost the same amount of power in a much more comfortable form factor.

7.
iPhone 3GS (AT&T)
 
Still on the market, the tried-and-true 3GS gives you access to 225,000 iOS applications on a platform that's had a year to work out its kinks.
8.
BlackBerry Bold 9700 (T-Mobile/AT&T)

The only phone on this list from the nation's number-one smartphone maker, this is a solid, traditional choice for messaging maniacs.

9.
Palm Pre Plus (Verizon Wireless/AT&T)

Palm's WebOS software is so much fun to use, we're glad to see that HP has promised to "double down" on the operating system that made this phone a star.

10.
HTC HD2 (T-Mobile)
 
Windows Mobile 6 makes a valedictory appearance on a gorgeous slab of high-end hardware, but all the megahertz in the world can't cloak the fact that this operating system is old news.

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Android 3.0 Honeycomb: 10 things you need to know

Google unveiled its tablet-specific Android 3.0 OS at CES to a flurry of excitement thanks to some pretty exciting new tablet-focused additions to the already impressive OS. 

But, with a preview of the SDK only just released to developers, we won't be seeing Honeycomb on our Android tablets for a little while; in the meantime, whet your appetite with our round-up of the key new features. 

1. There'll be 3D-effect graphics

You can't swing a cat without hitting something 3D (literally) in the tech world these days, and Google knows it. Honeycomb offers developers the opportunity to use high-performance 3D graphics which should offer no noticeable lag, even with the extra rendering required.

This means we'll see 3D creeping into our apps, wallpapers and carousels as the developers get to grips with the extra dimension. 

2. The Android UI has been redesigned especially for tablets

The Android user interface had always been intended for smartphones with screens no bigger than around 4-inches – with the advent of tablet devices, displays have shot up in the size stakes. Lucky for us, they're not short of a brain cell or two over at Google and have re-designed the Android UI taking the larger screen into account. 

The updated UI isn't a million miles away from what we're used to on Android handsets – there are still multiple, customisable homescreens, universal search box and widgets galore – but the small tweaks will make it so much better to use on the larger scale. 

 

An ever-present menu bar at the bottom of the screen will hold notifications, system status updates and on-screen navigation as well as a handy clock, with a "lights out" mode to dim the bar when you're watching a film and want the full screen. 

Meanwhile, the action bar at the top of the screen is dependent on the app you're in; its look and feel are dictated by each individual app, as are the options available to compensate for the lack of dedicated menu button. 

3. Recent apps will make multi-tasking a breeze

Multi-tasking is where we expect the dual-core Android tablets to shine, and Honeycomb gives it the tools to do so. 

The 'recent apps' launcher lays out the last apps you used and the state you left them in, so you can quickly nip from one to another and straight into work. The tool lives in the system bar which is always onscreen, so there'll be no tedious navigation through menus. 

 

4. The keyboard will be tablet-friendly

Of course you could buy an external keyboard for your tablet but lugging a million accessories around defeats the object of having a sleek and handy tablet.

To save you the hassle, Google has put a bit of thought into the onscreen keyboard; the keys have been reshaped and repositioned to make typing more comfortable and the targeting more natural for the larger screen, instead of simply scaling up the keyboard.

We love the inclusion of a tab key, which makes the typing experience more akin to that of a desktop or notebook than that of a phone. 

5. Better copy and paste than ever before

Ah, copy and paste. Such a small function and yet so universally adored. While regular Android does allow text selection, copying and pasting, the Honeycomb system has had a few tweaks.

Tapping a single word will select it while the bounding arrows either end make expanding the selection super simple - simpler even than the one used in Gingerbread.

A menu in the action bar at the top of the screen then allows you to either cut, copy, copy to clipboard, share, paste, search the web for or find. 

6. Connectivity upgrades include improved Wi-Fi and Bluetooth tethering

Google has improved Android's Wi-Fi connectivity with a new scanning system; it reduces scanning time across bands and filters, so you should be up, running and connected in shorter times. 

Bluetooth connectivity has been updated too; more devices can now tether to the tablet and share its connectivity, while simple devices with no user interface (think sensors and the like) are also supported. 

7. There'll be anonymous tabbed web browsing

If you fancy a spot of private web browsing on your Android tablet, then you're in luck; the new "incognito" mode lends an air of Poirot-era respectability to your secretive searching. 

Google has also done away with the multiple-window browser, instead going for a tabbed browser system with your open web pages displayed in the action bar at the top of the screen. 

 

Google Chrome users can easily sync their bookmarks to the tablet browser too, thanks to Honeycomb's option to automatically sign in to all Google sites with one supplied account. 

8. Legacy apps will work seamlessly

Worried that you won't be able to make use of the thousands of Android apps already in the marketplace? Never fear, even though they were designed for a much smaller-screened device, Honeycomb is still compatible with apps developed for earlier Android iterations as long as devs add in a simple spot of code. 

The menu key functions from Android phones are migrated to the Action Bar menu in Honeycomb, and there's the option for developers to create dedicated layouts for larger screens and add them to existing apps. 

9. Two-pane email should mean easy inbox oraganisation

Two-paned email sounds a little familiar – oh yes, that's right. We've seen it before on the iPad where it works brilliantly. If it ain't broke, and all that. 

The ability to select multiple messages in the inbox and move or delete them mean there's no excuse for a messy, disorganised inbox, while attachments can be synced to the tablet for you to view later. 

10. Widgets are going to get interactive

Widgets saved to the home screen on Honeycomb tablets are going to have a whole new level of functionality available. Rather than passively relaying information to the user, they'll be interactive.

Gestures can be used to scroll through 3D stacks or lists of content, while touch gestures can also flip and move the widget's innards like never before. 

 

If you're still crazy for more, then check out the video Google has kicked out about the new Android 3.0 OS - it's like looking at pictures but a lot faster.

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Motorola Milestone XT720 Phone

Is there more to the Motorola Milestone XT720 than 720p video recording?

Motorola Milestone XT720 Photos

We've been waiting for the Motorola Milestone XT720 for absolutely ages. When we looked at the Motoroi back in February, we said it was launching in Korea and destined to come to Europe.

Well, with a change of name, the loss of its digital video tuner and a few other tweaks to make it UK-friendly, the Motoroi has made it to the UK as the Motorola Milestone XT720.

If your favourite Android handset so far has been the HTC Desire, with its top of the range specs, we really can't blame you. But the Motorola Milestone XT720 could be the handset to give the Desire a run for its money. 

We say that because of things like its 8-megapixel camera with xenon flash, 720p video recording, HDMI-out – with cable provided – and vast high-resolution screen. 

Of course there's no Sense UI as you'll find on the Desire, but you might be able to live with that, and the rest of the expected goodies are here too, such as Wi-Fi, GPS and 3G.

The Milestone isn't cheap, though. SIM free it'll set you back around £350 (The Desire is currently going for around £390).

The Motorola Milestone XT720 is a chunky beast of a phone. It has to be to contain its 3.7-inch screen, but there's quite a lot of framing around the screen so that overall it measures 115.95 x 60.9 x 10.9mm and it isn't light, either at 160g.

It feels a bit brickish in the hands, partly because it lacks the rounded edges of the Desire, or indeed the iPhone. And then there's the odd 'hump' on the right hand edge which makes the Motorola Milestone XT720 even wider at the bottom than it is at the top.

The upshot is that anyone with smaller hands might struggle to hold the Motorola Milestone XT720 and will almost certainly find it a challenge to reach right across the screen one-handed.

This is a handset that is peppered with buttons and connectors. There's nothing on the bottom edge, but on the top you'll find a 3.5mm headset slot and the main on/off/hold button. Oh, and under a hinged cover, that mini-HDMI port for getting video onto your TV.

On the left there's a micro-USB port protected by a hinged cover. The right edge houses the volume rocker, camera key and a toggle button which moves you between stills camera, video camera and gallery.

 

Motorola Milestone XT720 Photos

 

Motorola Milestone XT720 Photos

 

Motorola Milestone XT720 Photos

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Egypt Goes Online Again

 

Egyptian authorities turned off the internet on the 28th of last month in a bid to end the demonstrations in Egypt. It also blocked Facebook Twitter and other sites as these platforms are used by activist to coordinate demonstrations locations and inform the world about what is happing in Egypt amid the growing protests, however these tactics did not work as around 2 million egyptian demonstrated yesterday in Tahreer square in cairo asking for the resignation of Egypt’s president Husni Mubarak.

Opera the company behind the popular browsers opera has confirmed the restoration of the internet as it said that traffic from egypt is some how back to normal.

Sources to Ac also confirmed that BlackBerry services and 3G access are back too.

from: http://s11.cc/nf7m