Regarding the iPhone 4

It’s been almost 2 weeks since the iPhone 4 was announced at WWDC, almost a week since pre-orders started (a fiasco that probably deserves its own blog post), and with launch only a few days away, I wanted to share my thoughts on Apple’s latest object of desire…

Palm Pixi Plus camera

Short version. The Palm Pixi Plus camera is crap!

Long version. The Pixi Plus offers significant value with significant compromise. While the software is elegant and intuitive, the hardware is cheap and slow. Ditto the camera…

Quickie: LG KM900 (Arena)

One of my coworkers recently let me take a euro-spec LG KM900 (Arena) for a spin…

It’s a feature phone that was introduced about a year ago to compete with the iPhone 3G, and while the software is nothing to write home about, the hardware is actually quite decent!

What’s also interesting is that AT&T recently introduced a US-spec Arena (with 3G on the 1900/850 MHz bands).

So how does it stack up? Find out after the break :)

Pictures taken with the HTC Hero

Talk about déjà vu… Sure, the HTC Hero features a 5 megapixel camera, but compared to the 3 megapixel camera on other HTC devices, it’s just more of the same!

But I’m not complaining – “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” :)

Pictures taken with the Nokia 6790

On paper, the Nokia 6790 (Surge) camera looks like a whole lot of “meh“! With only 2 megapixels, no auto-focus, and no flash, it’s nothing to write home about… Or is it?

The lens and sensor are relatively decent, color balance and exposure are generally good. Other than the lack of macro, the resulting pictures are pretty nice for this class of device.

Just like the iPhone/iPhone 3G and the Blackberry 8320 (Curve) cameras, the 6790 camera surpassed my expectations, and that’s something to write home about :)

Apple iPhone 3GS vs. Palm Pre camera

iPhone 3GS sample pictures (slide show):

Pre sample pictures (slide show):

OK, you’re probably thinking this is a bit of an unfair comparison – although the Apple iPhone 3GS camera lacks an (arguably useless) LED flash, the Palm Pre camera lacks the (absolutely essential) auto-focus, as well as video recording…

But, other than the difference in camera and storage specs, the missing GSM/UMTS radios, and the limited selection of apps, the Pre provides 95-105% the iPhone 3GS user experience and features a QWERTY keyboard – that is pretty impressive!

People currently looking for a subsidized über-phone in the US are going to compare the iPhone 3GS and the Pre (and perhaps even the T-Mobile G1 and the Blackberry Storm). So what about the 3 megapixel camera on each device?

Unboxing the Apple iPhone 3GS

The iPhone 3GS has landed, and with it, “the June tsunami” – as Matt and I are calling it – is finally over :)

So I picked up a black 16 GB iPhone 3GS to contrast with my white 16 GB iPhone 3G…

Of course, I’m particularly interested in putting the 3 megapixel auto-focus camera through its paces!

Take a look at my unboxing pictures and video.

CTIA: Palm Pre walkthrough

During CTIA I visited the Sprint VIP lounge and I recorded this exclusive 45-minute video walkthrough of the Palm Pre! I also snapped a bunch of pictures…

Podcast: Talking with Matt #8

It’s time for another podcast (27 min) with Matthew Bennett:
- Audio version (uncut)
- Video version (in HD)

This Last week (I’m behind in posting this – blame GDC) we discussed Matt’s new blog – US Mobile Industry, the upcoming trip to CTIA, my adventures with the Samsung T929 (Memoir), plus a few other things, while sitting outside of Cafe Flore :)

Click here to subscribe to this podcast.

Life with the BlackBerry Storm

I only have 2 words to describe my 3 weeks with the BlackBerry 9530 (Storm): epic fail! From the day the Storm was announced it was clear to me that some nasty weather was heading this way from Canada. Hold this thought as a segue for moment.