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Plantronics Backbeat Go 2 Review: Convenience with a Dash of Magic

When the Plantronics Backbeat Go were announced, more than a year ago, they instantly piqued my interest. They were everything I wanted in a pair of earbuds: wireless, bluetooth-enabled, simple, and in-ear. And the idea that a pair of earphones could just be connected with one wire, no added main unit, no bulk, no connectors, nothing dangling from your head to your phone or clothes or pocket, seemed a little bit like magic. Countless times I found myself wandering off to Amazon and almost clicking that “Buy” button but I kept telling myself that I should just wait for the second generation.

So when the Plantronics Backbeat Go 2 came along, I was more than ecstatic. I had been using a Sony Ericsson MW-600 for a few months, and although it had been a great music and podcast companion, I was yearning for the convenience of the Backbeat Go 2 — and that added touch of magic! I finally received a Go 2 unit for review last week, and I have been using it ever since. Does it work as advertized? How does it compare to other bluetooth units? And what are its strengths and weaknesses? I’ll explain it all in my review below.

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There Are Six Major Problems with Windows Phone, and Apps Isn’t One of Them

I keep running into this same sentence, over and over again “Windows Phone lacks apps”. Every single review of a Lumia for example ends with the same foregone conclusion: “it’s a great phone but there are no apps”. I usually shake my head at this statement, but the recent talks about Nokia blaming Microsoft and the lack of apps have me worried.

If anyone — at Nokia, or elsewhere — thinks that this is the culprit behind Windows Phone’s failure to gain market traction, then they’re clearly disillusioned. It’s not as if the release of Instagram will be the magical panacea to the platform’s issues.

While the app problem is partly true, it is in no way, shape or form, the sole reason why Windows Phone isn’t gaining traction. As a matter of fact, you will likely find 80-90% of the same or equivalent apps that you are used to on Android or iOS, and the community is very active — and creative — in trying to fill the remaining gap, so the app problem is only minor, if anything.

Windows Phone’s issues run way deeper than that. The apps are a symptom of the problem, an outward expression of it, if you will, but they are not the underlying cause. And while I don’t claim to be an expert on mobile phone markets and strategies, there are six problems I can see with Windows Phone that I will explain below.

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Dear Microsoft, Taking A Screenshot Shouldn’t Be A Privilege Nor A Struggle

I have had the Nokia Lumia 800 in my hands for a couple of weeks and been marveling at the Windows Phone Mango interface and usability. As a blogger, I want to share these with you, but you know what I discovered? You can’t take a screenshot on Windows Phone 7. Actually, you can, but you’ll need to go through so many hoops that you’ll want to kill yourself before the process is done. Here’s a rundown of my trials and tribulations over the past few days with the process, in hope of shedding a light on the sheer silliness of the situation.

First of all, a screenshot may not be vital for all users, but it’s vital for the platform

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First Nokia Lumia Windows Phone Impressions From A February 2011 Believer

Warning: this post is subjective, the most subjective you will ever find. I am writing it for the many readers who understand that and who still want to hear my opinion regardless of whether or not they agree. If you want to bash, build conspiracy theories, point your finger and say that I’m a Nokia hater or a Nokia lover, I’ll save you the trouble and tell you beforehand that you won’t change my mind and that I am both: I love them so much I ended up hating them two years ago. Otherwise, read on.

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5 N9 “Novelties” Nokia Should Keep, And 2 It Should Kill

Over the past year, a lot has been said in regards to the Nokia N9 and Meego’s future, be it in Nokia’s portfolio or with other manufacturers. We all don’t really know what the future holds, but after a couple of weeks with the N9, a lot of joy and a lot of sorrow using it, there are some Nokia N9 ideas that I think are worth having in other devices _ Meego, Windows Phone, S40, Symbian, or whatever the future Nokia devices will run _ and some others that I believe should be locked away in a drawer for all eternity. I’ll take the liberty of loosely calling these ideas “novelties” even though some of them aren’t exactly new to Nokia or the mobile industry as whole, but these have mostly been made more prominent with the N9.

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There’s A Special Spot In Hell For The Nokia N9

After a few hours with the N9 in my hands, I was even more convinced (as if that was possible) of why Nokia had to make the decision to go with Windows Phone as its main Operating System. Despite the sheer joy of discovering a new OS, using and abusing the swipe gestures, and marveling at the well thought-out package between Meego and the N9’s hardware, I have to say that Meego is simply not up to par with other OSes at this point, and the N9 also comes with some terrible decisions.

I am therefore fairly certain that despite deserving its own spot in heaven, the N9, even on PR1.1, should have a special spot in hell as well. Continue reading “There’s A Special Spot In Hell For The Nokia N9”

There’s A Special Spot In Heaven For The Nokia N9

For the past two days, I have had one of the most elite and exclusively available smartphones in my hands: the Nokia N9. Prior to trialling this unit, I was what you can call an N9-virgin: I knew it had something called Swipe, I knew there was a PR1.1 firmware that fixed a lot of bugs and added the possibility to share a picture to Twitter, and I knew everyone loved the design. That’s about it. I hadn’t seen any videos or read any extensive reviews because I wanted to avoid adding any other expectations about the N9. The device, and the OS, had already a lot of baggage and prejudice attached to them, what with Nokia’s decision to go with Windows Phone as its main platform, so I needed to leave a little bout of mystery around the N9 and give it the chance to surprise me.

In this post, and the following one that will come tomorrow, I will discuss the different aspects of the Nokia N9 and Meego that WOW’ed me then the ones that made me swear to the gods of mobile phones for the torture they were putting me through. These are, by no means, a full review of the N9, and I will try to stray away from all the tech talk that you can find in any other N9 posts. So let’s focus on the positive first.

I haz Mango on the N9! And a lot of candy next to it 🙂

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The Road To Nokia World 2011 Part 3: How Windows Phone Can Change The Tide

Nokia World 2011 is scheduled for next week in London and it is undoubtedly the most hyped and the most important event in recent Nokia history. Throughout this week, FoneArena will take a look at expectations, realities and myths related to this particular year, in preparation for the big reveals that will come on October 26th and 27th. Join us in this journey, comment, share your thoughts, and feel with us the excitement as the big days approach!

In yesterday’s post, we discussed the need for Symbian and Meego to remain available in the near future in order to cater to long-time Nokia fans. However, we stopped short of explaining Windows Phone’s place in the battle, moving forward. This is what we will do today. Continue reading “The Road To Nokia World 2011 Part 3: How Windows Phone Can Change The Tide”

The Road To Nokia World 2011 Part 2: Why Symbian And Meego Still Matter

If you happened to read some of the Nokia N9 reviews blossoming online as of late, you might have noticed that there is a general consensus from those who weren’t historically known for being gentle with the Finnish manufacturer, that the N9 is a wonderful marvel but that they wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Well, at least the opinion is not 100% negative anymore, which is always a step forward from pure hatred, huh? And although I have yet to get my hands on an N9, this has been my own opinion for quite a while. Continue reading “The Road To Nokia World 2011 Part 2: Why Symbian And Meego Still Matter”

The Road To Nokia World 2011 Part 1: The Need For A Clear Future

One clear truth that everyone knows, regarding Nokia World 2011, is that it might be the event that makes or breaks Nokia’s future. I say “might” because there are many stories of companies sunk thousands times deeper and gone way beyond salvaging that still managed to reinvent and re-institute themselves. However nowadays, the world, especially the tech world, is less forgiving with each passing day. Hence I say “it might”, understanding the possibility of miracles, yet hoping it won’t come down to that. Continue reading “The Road To Nokia World 2011 Part 1: The Need For A Clear Future”

Love Confession: Mugen 1800mAh Extended Battery For HTC Desire Z, Incredible S, G2

One of the main issues of modern smartphones is battery life. The more we move ahead the more it seems that manufacturers are cramming juice draining features in their devices, and disregarding how long these last under normal usage. GPS, bigger screens, accelerometers, cameras, faster processors,…, all of these are aimed to enhance our mobility and yet cripple us a mere couple of hours afterwards as the dreaded “Battery Low” warning starts flashing in front of our eyes. Enter Mugen Batteries. I like to think of them as the modern day geek version of a knight in shining armor, riding on a white horse and whipping their swords to decapitate poor battery life all across the world.

A couple of months ago, I received the Mugen extended OEM-sized battery for the Desire Z for review. At the time, I was about to open my pharmacy, and move from spending most of my time at home, where power sources are abundant and time to charge is not a hindrance, to spending 12 hours a day working, plus more than an hour driving, and generally not really having the time to care about charging my phone except at night. My Desire Z had to be accessible, still running, whenever, wherever, as long as I was up. The Mugen extended battery had better step up to the challenge.

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Nokia E6: The Last Of The Great Symbians

I have had a Nokia E6 in my hands for a couple of days now, and while that isn’t enough to fully explore every aspect of the phone, it is enough to grasp the essence behind the Nokia E6, to love it for what it is, to forgive it for what it isn’t, and to enjoy one of the last fine moments of Symbian on a mobile device.

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Screens: Super LCD vs AMOLED Clear Black Display

Screen Technologies! After monochromatic displays, we had LCDs for a long time, then all of a sudden, we seem to be bombarded by new technologies. OLED, AMOLED, Super-LCD, Super-AMOLED, Clear Black Display, LED, 3D, Retina Display… there are so many we can’t even begin to wrap our heads around.

In this post, we will show you a few pictures to compare the Super LCD display on the HTC Desire Z and the AMOLED Clear Black Display on the Nokia E7.

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Nokia E7 vs HTC Desire Z – Photo Comparison Of The Two Beasts

Ever since the advent of the iPhone in 2007, the mobile landscape changed drastically, with buttons and keys no longer exciting, and mobiles moving more and more towards minimalist designs with as little physical buttons as possible. The form factor that has suffered from this shift, is the communicator-like style: with a big screen and a full QWERTY keyboard, these devices that were always considered the epitome of mobility, are now looked at as bulky, heavy and more fragile offers.

However, 2 recent devices have set out to change the public’s perception on full-QWERTY devices: the Nokia E7 with its solid design, and the Desire Z with its relatively compact size. How do they compare to each other? Follow us after the break to find out.

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Top 30 Qt Apps To Show Off Your Symbian Phone

Qt (pronounced “cute”) has been waved by Nokia for over a year as the next best thing since sliced bread, and the ultimate savior of Symbian. Despite Nokia’s decision to move to Windows Phone as a main smartphone platform, developers seem to stay committed to Qt now, producing some wonderful applications.

I have to admit, I was dubious at first, I mean we were once promised the moon with Web Runtime Widgets and we all know how that went: slow, clunky. So Qt wasn’t flying in my books until I decided to give Qt apps the benefit of the doubt. And lo-and-behold: they are actually good. Yes, yes, I kid ye not! Below, you will find a list of the best 30 applications based on Qt that you can get and install in order to enjoy a breath of fresh air on your Symbian phone and show off to your friends. Continue reading “Top 30 Qt Apps To Show Off Your Symbian Phone”