Lumia is dead. Where to from here?

I tend to be a rather loyal consumer when it comes to brands.
I've always liked Nokia, and I have stuck it out with Cell C ever since I left MTN over 10 years ago, but there comes a point at which it just becomes illogical to flog a very nearly dead horse.

I am of course referring to the steady decline in popularity and market share of Microsoft's Lumia range (formerly Nokia), and how the decidedly lacking app ecosystem of Windows Phone has contributed to this factor.

When I received my first Lumia, the 920, I was unfazed by the critics and naysayers, all of whom were very quick to point out the lack of apps available on the Windows Phone platform.
At that point, apps weren't quite as big a deal as they are now, at least not to me.
I could do everything that I needed to, and for the most part I had all the apps that I required, with a decent piece of hardware to run it all on.
Also back then, Windows Phone was still gaining some traction, and developers were starting to work on more and more apps for the platform as a result.
Not so anymore it seems - all you see these days are Android and Apple logos all over the place.

This becomes especially troublesome when you work in the technology field daily - all the more reason to have all of the latest and greatest apps and tools at your fingertips.
Lately it just seems that the apps that I need the most, simply don't exist on the Windows Phone platform - very disappointing since the Lumia hardware has always been up for the challenge.

I then had an opportunity recently to play with the spaceship that is the Samsung Galaxy S7 - my mind was shredded when I started to grasp the sheer extent of the number and variety of apps that are available for Android.
This is of course common knowledge to Android users I would imagine, but for a Lumia user experiencing it for the first time, it's quite overwhelming.
The S7 also just does everything right - "it just works", as Apple once mistakenly claimed about every single one of their Macs... except this time, the S7 does just work, and damn well too.

Given my history with phones then, I would say that my next step would logically be to Android - possibly the Samsung S7, or whatever flagship is around when my upgrade is due early next year.
If you're an Apple user reading this, I can only begin to imagine what must be going through your head right now:

 - "...what about the exploding Samsung battery???";
 -"iPhones are the best!";
 -"the new iPhone 7 has the best hardware in the world!" (probably all made by Samsung anyway ;))
 -"iPhones are the best!";

Truth is, you either like a platform or you don't.
Of late, I've just warmed up to Android, and I like how Samsung releases smartphones that get people talking - not just about how they look or because they're "cool", but about the incredible technology and functionality that they pack into each new device that they release.

So let's have it - Samsung lovers, Apple lovers, Android lovers and haters, Nokia loyalists, Windows Phone lovers, Blackberry purists, bring it on.
What should I go for?

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This has to be the king of PC error messages...

This is not what you want to see when copying files from a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini...:

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What will the next "WOW" feature be in smartphones...?

Of late I have noticed that most of the big players in the smartphone game are releasing new phones with obvious improvements over older models, but lacking any real sanity-smashing game-changing new features.

Some may beg to differ, but I am talking about influential features like these:

• NFC - upon launch it was a biggie, but now this is pretty much a standard;
• Wireless charging - what no cables? How can this be? Very useful indeed;
• Hand gestures / facial recognition type technology that are now present in a lot of high-end smartphones;
• Fingerprint readers - building a seriously solid layer of security into devices that are often full of sensitive info;

So my question is, what's next?

Samsung are generally pretty good at the "wow" stuff, with insanely powerful beast phones powered by V8 motors, and capable of some pretty amazing things... :)

I am also bombarded daily by tech mail ranting on about iPhone 6 this and iPhone 6 that, "new" features (which are nearly all present on competitor devices), how the iPhone 6 will take down all competitors etc... beyond boring really.

In truth, what game-changing and crazy new features has the iPhone 6 got?

Well, there is Apple Pay, which is an attempt at replacing the traditional credit card in order to pay for goods. 

Others have tried (with some success), but I'm not sure how widely adopted it will be, especially after Apple's recent spectacular fail at the hands of hackers, which resulted in the leaking of hundreds celebrity photos - go iCloud, you impenetrable fortress you!

Right, so we know that Apple cannot be trusted to safeguard data. Good luck Apple Pay!

On an unconfirmed note, I have heard rumours of a feature that may find its way onto the next Nokia Lumia flagship, and this one really would be a game-changer if it turned out to be true...:
Solar charging.

We are all at the mercy of cellphone battery capacity nowadays, so if the battery dies, who cares what else your phone can do anyway?

But a device that you can just pop in the sun to revive? Now that's something that I would pay good money for.

Think it's true?

What feature do you think could be added to new smartphones to make your life simpler, or otherwise change the game completely?

Related articles

• iPhone 6 Plus vs. Nokia Lumia 1520, Battle of the Giants
• Apple's plan to change how you pay for everything
• Everything You Need to Know about the Microsoft Lumia Denim Update
• Apple locks down iPhone 6 NFC to Apple Pay

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What People Do On Smartphones To Pass Their Time?

This Infographic is produced by Coupon Audit (provides Abebooks coupons) and Nybbles And Bytes

Want to place this infographic on your blog?
Just copy and paste the code below, and you are good to go:

<br /> <img style="max-width: 100%;" src="http://www.couponaudit.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/What-People-Do-On-Smartphones-To-Pass-Their-Time.jpg" alt="What People Do On Smartphones To Pass Their Time?" /></p> <p> </a></p> <p> This Infographic is produced by <a href="http://www.couponaudit.com/coupons/abebooks">Coupon Audit (provides Abebooks coupons) </a> and <a href="http://nybblesandbytes.blogspot.com/">Nybbles And Bytes</a> </p> .<br />

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WWSJD...? :)

Figured out the acronym yet?

Here's a clue - it has something to do with that Cupertino-based behemoth known as Apple Inc...
Well given their current position, the acronym should be pretty easy to work out:

- What would Steve Jobs do? -

Steve Jobs shows off the white iPhone 4 at the 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Regardless of your opinion of Apple, it is clear that things are not quite as rosy for the company as they have been in the recent past.
Up until the iPhone 4s and the 3rd generation of the iPad, it looked as if the company were well set to become the world's next superpower.
Since the untimely departure of the man who is widely seen as the genius behind it all - the late, great Steve Jobs, the playing field has changed and Apple seem to have lost their edge somewhat, in a market that requires constant innovation to even think of keeping up with the pack.

I cannot even begin to contemplate what went on in the one of a kind brain that Steve Jobs carried around in his head, but he certainly had incredible vision and drive.
I imagine that once he had his mind set on an idea, nothing could get in the man's way until the idea was executed to absolute perfection.

Image via CrunchBase

So with that in mind, just what would Steve Jobs do right about now?
The iPhone 5 is decidedly lukewarm when compared with past iPhone models, software updates on the iPad have resulted in serious WIFI connectivity issues, flagship phones from other companies are presenting a serious challenge (Samsung Galaxy S3, Nokia Lumia 920 to name but 2...), Apple Maps has been found to be sub-standard when compared to other Map / GPS / Navigation offerings... the list goes on.

So as Apple's share price continues to fall, formerly loyal Apple supporters are beginning to see the technology giant as less than infallible, and without the iron fist leadership of Steve Jobs at the helm, does Tim Cook have what it takes to turn things around?
I reckon that what Apple need is some serious innovation - Steve Jobs style.

What might that amount to? Who knows...
All I can say is that forthcoming iPhones, iPads and iDevices are going to have to pack some astounding new functionality, because no longer is the lure of the Apple logo sufficient for the company to stay at the top.

What's your take?
Is this just another tiny speed bump for the fruity-techno-giant, or is the game changing so rapidly that Apple will soon be having to scramble?

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• Is Apple Losing Its Mojo?
• Apple Reduces iPad Screen Production
• Is Apple Really Failing?
• Apple No Longer Considered "Cool" to Next-Gen Smartphone Adopters
• Giant iPhone: Interactive monument to Steve Jobs unveiled in Russia

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Unboxing the New Samsung Central Station Wireless Hub Monitor...

Check out the unboxing of the new Samsung Central Station Wireless USB Hub Monitor below.

This awesome product includes a wireless USB 2.0 dongle that connects to a USB port on the portable computing device.
The monitor then ‘comes alive’ if your computer is within 3 feet of the ‘Central Station’ and what’s more, you can plug desktop peripherals such as a keyboard and mouse into it.



You can read more about this amazing product at the Samsung website here.

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My next phone might just be a Samsung Galaxy - check out this video...

Of late I have been thinking ahead to handset upgrade time, which for me will be in about 2 months.
I have up until now been a firm Nokia fan, but I have been very impressed with the new range of Android-powered Samsung Galaxy phones that are currently making waves in the industry.

Check out this cool video of Samsung's 4 recently launched new models, the Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Fit, Galaxy Gio and Galaxy Mini:

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Time for a dilemma of note... Nokia N8 / Nokia E7 / iPhone 4 / Android... what to choose?

Time sure as hell is moving at a rapid pace...
It seems like just yesterday that the courier arrived with my brand spanking new Nokia N97, much to my disbelief (and joy!) at the time...!

I can hardly believe that I am due for another handset upgrade in about 3 months - 108 days to be precise.
So the question on my mind now, is what phone do I go for next?
I must say that my N97 experience has been a mixed bag, although the pros far outweigh the cons.
The N97 (when it was launched) easily out-specced most other smartphones out there, iPhone included (relax Apple fans :).
For example, only now has the iPhone 4 managed to include a 5MP camera, which the N97 had years back (with Carl Zeiss optics no less).

So on the plus side, this is what worked for the N97 big time:

- 5MP Camera.
- FM Transmitter (I still use this in my car daily).
- Flip out QWERTY keyboard (awesome for typing long emails).
- 32GB onboard storage (class-leading at the time, and still unsurpassed in the market) + microSD slot (up to 16GB).
- TFT resistive touchscreen, 16M colours.


...and the not-so-great stuff:

- Laggy performance (much improved after several firmware upgrades, but still weak due to the 434Mhz CPU and small amount of system RAM).
- Occasional tendency to randomly restart (mainly in earlier versions of the phone firmware).
- Camera lens cover scratching the camera lens on opening and closing.

Overall though, the N97 has earned its place in my book of awesome devices, and it is with that in mind that I now trundle through the various options on offer when I next upgrade my handset.
...and the contestants are, in no particular order:

Nokia N8

Wow - a 12MP Camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a Xenon flash?
No frikkin' way...!
At launch, the Nokia N8 sported the most powerful camera on any smartphone at the time, and one of the best ever, according to many online review resources.

Coupled to an all new Symbian platform (apparently worlds apart from the laggy N97 version), an ARM 11 680 MHz processor, 3D Graphics HW accelerator, 16 GB storage, 256MB RAM, 512 MB ROM, AMOLED capacitive touchscreen (16M colors), FM Transmitter and much more, the N8 promises to be all that the N97 was and a whole lot more, just quicker!

There is just one little con that bugs me... no flip out QWERTY keyboard. That one feature just comes in so darn handy on the N97!

Nokia E7

Although this stunner is only going to market early 2011, it has already made waves in the smartphone world due to its sleek anodised aluminium case, impressive side-slider form factor (a la N97) and awesome hardware specs.
Basically the E7 is the business-targeted version of the N8, as I understand it.

Core hardware is much the same as the N8 (CPU, RAM, onboard storage, but with 1GB ROM instead of 512MB as on the N8).
The obvious difference though is the full QWERTY keyboard, which according to many reviews is simply incredible to use... and trust me they come in handy when you need to do a lot of typing on the go!

The E7, however lacks a few of the best features of the N8, namely:

- No 12MP camera. Instead an 8MP camera (not the Carl Zeiss variety) is included, with a dual LED flash (not xenon as on the N8).
- No FM Transmitter (sounds petty, but I use this feature all the time).
- No card slot for microSD cards to increase device storage.

Even so, initial reviews online are raving about this device big time...

iPhone 4

People either love or hate Apple products.

In my opinion Apple do not sell products. They sell a name - a lifestyle if you like.

Apple people see an Apple logo and they reach for their wallets. Even if that logo is on a brick somewhere, supplemented by the name "iBrick".

They will then proceed to randomly whip said iBrick out, at social events, with an air of smugness that you simply cannot emulate if you own any other brand of device... :)

That being said, the iPhone 4 is one spectacular device.

I have had the pleasure of playing with one of these babies and I must say that I was very tempted to switch to the Apple side of life...

Although the camera is not particularly headline-inducing (5MP), and there is no QWERTY keyboard, the UI experience more than makes up for those absent features.
If you have ever used an iPhone, you will know what I am talking about. The iOS 4 interface is about as slick as you can find on any smartphone, and plenty responsive to boot.
Powered by the 1GHz Apple A4 CPU and packing 512MB RAM, this phone is no slouch.

Perhaps one of the biggest drawcards of the iPhone 4 is the App Store - the selection of applications (paid and free) that you can get for your device is really amazing - something which Nokia could learn a lot from (their OVI Store 'aint quite as good...:)

Seriously worth considering...

Android-based phones...

There are so many new Android-based handsets on the market right now, that it is just ridiculous to try and pin down any one handset.
HTC, Acer, Samsung, Sony, LG, Motorola... tons of brands are jumping onto the Android bandwagon, and for good reason.

Android gives you choices - choice of brand, choice of thousands of free apps for your device, even choice of different UI's for your device.
Having played with several Android devices, I can also say that the Android platform is very slick and responsive.
Being Google developed and backed also adds a great deal of strength to the platform - I tend to rank Google products pretty high up there!

I have however looked at a variety of Android phones, and I cannot find one with hardware specs that quite match up to the Nokia N8 or Nokia E7...

So all in all, it's gonna be a tough choice when it comes to the crunch.
Which phone would you choose?

Related articles

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• Win a Nokia N8 smartphone (valued at $450) from Rogers (techvibes.com)
• Brand new Apple iphone 4G 32GB for sale at good prices (freeclassify.com)

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