High Performance Computing

Archive for the ‘Smartphone’ Category

At the turn of the century, experts were all but certain that we’d be paying with our mobile phones by 2011. But the year came and went, and although we’ve worked, played, watched movies, taken photos and listened to music on our handsets, mobile payments have yet to take off.

To be sure, we’ve gone leaps and bounds in that direction. The biggest step the industry has taken was Near Field Communication (NFC), a way for mobile phones to interact with point-of-sale systems and connect to bank networks. Users can load up money on “mobile wallets,” linking their phone and bank accounts and essentially eliminating the need for cash. For the most part, the switch has been hampered by a slew of security issues and the resulting lack of interest from smartphone manufacturers.

For example, Apple’s latest offering, the iPhone 4S, did not incorporate NFC technology as many had expected. With the tech market heavily dependent on trendsetters, it’s safe to assume that any new feature will catch on when market leader Apple decides to use it—and the next iPhone probably won’t come until much later in the year.

But what goes on in the Apple boardroom isn’t all that defines mobile payments. Other major players are hot on the trails of NFC; for instance, Google launched Google Wallet and will soon find itself pitted against mobile phone carriers with more than enough resources and motivation to invest in the technology. Even tech start-ups are joining the game: a small company in Redwood, California is working on an open-source NFC platform that’s free for anyone, from independent app developers to banks and phone providers.

A more tangible obstacle is the lack of infrastructure to support NFC payments. About 85% of purchases are still being made with cash, despite the millions of credit cards currently in circulation (the financial crisis has been a major factor). Until more institutions start accepting mobile phone payments, it  may be a while before you can pay for your lunch with a wave of your iPhone.

Nonetheless, 2012 is set to be a big year not just for mobile payments, but for NFC technology in particular. Besides faster shopping, it allows for easier access to everything from classrooms and library books to advertising messages from retailers. So even if you’re still paying with your credit card in December, it’s likely that mobile payments will already have changed the way you shop.

The thing about Android apps is there are rarely trial versions. If you want to check something out, your only option is to download the app and play around with it. There are two issues here: first, you don’t want to bog down your phone with memory-hungry apps, and second, if you pay for an app that you don’t end up liking, you don’t get a refund.

BlueStacks, a relatively new software outfit, has come up with a solution that allows you to run Android apps on your PC. Their eponymous program has made it possible for app developers to offer test runs on their websites, and for users to manage their data from phone to PC. Game enthusiasts are now also able to play their games on larger screens.

The program is basically a virtual operating system incorporating Android’s features and user interface, but made to run on the PC. That means it uses your computer’s processor, Internet connection, sound card, and other resources, including your mouse and keyboard. When it’s open, it runs in the background and is able to store, play, and even download apps. You can buy apps through BlueStacks using your Facebook account; you have to subscribe to updates to see which apps are available by the day.

You can also sync the program to your phone (the same way you sync your iPod to iTunes) using Cloud Connect, a free app from the same company. It’s meant to be installed on your phone and is easy to find on the Android Market. BlueStacks will provide a 9-digit pin which you will have to enter on your phone, allowing phone and PC to recognize each other.  All you have to do is select apps from either BlueStacks or your phone and choose the Sync option—the two will connect using your internet connection.

So what’s the catch? Since it’s a relatively new program, BlueStacks isn’t able to run all apps. This can be due to hardware incompatibility or wireless network requirements, but the biggest hurdle is licensing: the free version of BlueStacks can only hold 26 apps at a time. The pro version, which is expected to come out soon, will be able to hold more apps, although there’s no word on how much (or whether there’s a limit). Nonetheless, it’s a useful app whether you’re an avid gamer, a mobile businessman or just someone with one too many gizmos.

Chances are, if you’re still attached to your flip-top phone from 2007, you’ll have traded it in for a smartphone before the end of the year. The trend kickstarted by Apple five years ago hit the mainstream market last year, and shelves are now brimming with handsets from virtually every manufacturer. Companies that had been written off in the hype are making impressive comebacks, offering up phones that offer most, if not all, of the functionality and sleekness of the iPhone without the notoriously heavy price.

Nokia, for example, has partnered up with Microsoft for a series of Windows-powered phones that pose some serious competition, at least to the Android market (currently the biggest threat to Apples iOS operating system). The Lumia series offers a range of entry-level to business-friendly phones offering such features as 4G capability and seamless, high-speed operation. In terms of appearance and power, a Lumia is no iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. But Nokia seems to be targeting the market of first-time smartphone owners, those who want to upgrade from simple voice and text messaging but aren’t quite sure where to start.

The series’ flagship unit is the Lumia 800, which Nokia dubs a “no-nonsense phone.” This is obvious in its simple yet efficient design, sporting only a volume control, power button and camera shutter on one side and keeping the other bare. And the construction is surprisingly solid for a Nokia phone: the 12-mm body sports a one-piece shell made with scratch-resistant polycarbonate. Other features include an 8-megapixel camera, AMOLED screen (the same as in the Galaxy series), and some well-received proprietary apps such as Nokia Music, which conveniently connects to a music store, and Nokia Drive, a surprisingly efficient navigation app.

The Lumia 710 is a less feature-packed but equally impressive model. Like its big brother, it runs on Windows 7 and is 4G-capable. It also has the same 3.7-inch screen with an 800×480 resolution, although it’s not as bright. This can be a good thing if you’re concerned about battery life; tests showed that a fully-charged phone can last two days of average use. Uniquely among smartphones, its home screen is a raised button at the bottom front rather than a touch button—most likely a cost-cutting decision on the design end. But all things considered, it’s a very good phone for its price: you can get it for $50 in the U.S. with a two-year plan.

The Consumer Electronics Show, the most anticipated trade show in the tech world, kicks off in Las Vegas in less than a week for its 2012 run. Every tech reporter will make a beeline for certain exhibitors whom they think will have something relevant to show or say. The smartphone market is sure to draw in many of them—some will automatically go for the big guns like Apple and Samsung, while others will check out the likes of Nokia and RIM for signs that they’re ready to rejoin the game. Some will keep an eye out for new tablets and tablet technologies, others will want to know what’s new in cloud computing. One thing’s for sure: whatever will rock the tech world in 2012 will be somewhere in the 1.7-million square foot hall. Here’s what some experts think will be worth watching for.

Windows Mobile and the Smartphone Market

In what is likely Microsoft’s last CES appearance (it has pulled out of the show for next year), the company is expected to end its run with something big. We’ve already seen snippets of Windows 8, a tablet-ready OS. Its teamup with Nokia for the much-anticipated Lumia smartphone series has been stirring up tech blogs and magazines for months. Most expert agree that this year will be Microsoft’s bid to break out of its PC roots and be recognized as a relevant player in the age of mobile computing.

Laptop-Tablet Hybrids

The industry has nicknamed them ultrabooks, a term that’s unlikely to catch on. This new generation of PCs is designed as an alternative to tablets, with extra-light, extra-thin bodies and added computing power. They are also expected to match up against the popular MacBook Air. We have yet to see most manufacturers come up with their own ultrabooks, but the tech-savvy will expect instantaneous bootup (a perk currently exclusive to tablets), sleek graphics, and introductory prices exceeding $1,000.

Newer and Better Tablets

Tablets have yet to reach the ubiquity of laptops, but this just might be their year. Many manufacturers are expected to make their first entry into the tablet market at CES; some of the most anticipated ones are Lenovo, Toshiba, Acer, and ViewSonic. Most of them will be running on Google’s slick, powerful, but unfortunately named Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Android. Also worth watching out for are powerful processors; quad-core tablets came up in late 2011 and may become the norm this year.

In the 1990s, a typical household had maybe one computer and one member with a cell phone. The rich kids would proudly tout brand-new mobiles the size of a foot. Today, it’s not unusual for even a preteen to have a mobile phone, a laptop, an iPad, and a car to lug it all around in. Mobile technology is now so readily available that the issue for most of us isn’t getting our hands on one device—it’s choosing from the handful or so that we already own.

The main competitors are smartphones, laptops, and tablets. It’s too much hassle to bring them all on the road, so which one is the most practical? There’s no single answer—it really depends on how much of your life you put into which device—but here’s a quick guide to help you make your choice.

Which replaces what?

In your arsenal, there’s likely to be one gadget that can replace another, if only for emergencies. If you have a tablet, chances are you’re able to use it in the absence of your laptop; for example, you can send a quick email or draft a letter for later revision. You probably won’t be writing a doctoral dissertation on your iPad, but its size, weight, and battery life make it a good on-the-road companion. However, if you have a good smartphone, it’s a tossup between the two—and it’s a question of how much typing time or call time you need.

Reinventing the laptop

Keyboard attachments for tablets hit the market not long after the tablets themselves, highlighting one of the touch screen’s most obvious weaknesses. But as one internet meme has wittily asked, what’s the difference between buying a laptop and buying a tablet plus a keyboard? Not much, according to most experts. If you rely a lot on your keyboard, then you’re better off with a netbook or laptop, depending on your portability requirements. Otherwise, you might find more appeal in the sleek, light, and very 2012 look of a tablet.

Ultrabooks and ultraportables

These are mostly fancy words for the thinnest and lightest laptops on the market. Ultrabooks, the newer of the two, are the PC’s answer to the tablet market, offering packing as much computing power as they can into sizes that more or less match that of the tablet. If you do anything heavier than Web browsing and office work, then it might be worth the $1,000+ price tag (although Intel promises to make them more affordable this year). But if we’re talking graphic design and thousand-page spreadsheets, your best bet is still the tried, tested, and relatively bulky PC.