The G1 - Google phone

Its a new day for mobile connectivity.




A new paradigm to having a phone and being connected to 'the Cloud'. Google launched the first phone, the G1 with its Android OS thru T-Mobile in the US. This adds to the rich mix of great applications and OS's that now proliferate the mobile market.






The best thing that appeals to me about this Google Phone is that now all the user is always connected to the Google apps on the mobile phone, on the desktop, the Internet tablet - in other words everywhere. So no more of the old paradigm of having to sync the phone with the desktop (sync-ing always made the mobile device as a slave to the desktop). Now all the contacts on the phone OS, all the calendar events will stay synched with google calendar and contacts over-the-air.

So in case of losing the phone or replacing it with a new model (which people do more often) you don't have to go thru the trouble of syncing or backing up and restoring your vital information. It will all be on the cloud and you just download the latest info from the internet on to your device again over-the-air. This is the way Mobile connection should be. Not the old way of syncing with desktop or the iPhone way of synch-ing via iTunes on desktop again.

The mobile device is now a complement to the desktop/laptop. In fact with more services built in like maps, GPS, Amazon MP3 service and Google apps, the Google Phone (called G1) can in fact replace the ultraportable laptop in many cases. Call it the computer in the pocket.
And this adds to the growing excitement of having mobile devices which are changing the market in its own way - the S60 phones, the Nokia N800/N810 tablets, the iPhone and now the Android based G1.

And did I say its a open platform - or as open as we get these days.

Technorati Tags: Android, Google phone,

The Companion

I started this blog off to highlight the mobile world and the options that are available.

The N810 got me really connected to the "interweb" even though I have used the Linux based 'Zaurus' handheld also a long time. But the N810 from Nokia really opened up the world wide web to me when away from the computer. The moniker "Internet Tablet" really applies very aptly to the N810.

But it has its deficiencies. Unlike the iPhone (and the umpteenth comparison), the Nokia Tablet does not have a phone - and hence no internet connectivity apart from the built-in Wifi. For photo (flickr) afficiando's like myself, the N810 camera is a total let down - it is only fit for VoIP and nothing else. The tablet built-in GPS is good, if not fast ans this is supplemented by aGPS on the phone.

So to fill these voids I went looking for a good phone and nothing fits the bill better than the Nokia N95. Now my Nokia tablet has a contant companion for
a) Instant painless BT connection with the Nokia tablet with DUN support (no MS PAN hacks needed - I got over that pain with my Blackjack)
a) Wireless internet connectivity (3G) over BT thru the N95
b) A 5MP camera to compliment the great viewing screen on the N810
c) Wireless Bluetooth music - the tablet still is not upto snuff when it comes to A2DP support.
d) Instant on GPS in a quick flash - particularly when you are in the big maze of New York city and looking for someplace. Also comes in handy with Geolocation on Flickr Uploads from the N95 (I use Shozu) also.

For more rocks-n-sucks review of the N95, go here.



I wish there was more integration between these "companion devices" and I could share information better betwen the two - apart from pushing photos taken with the N95 to my N810 to later blog it up (using Maemo WordPy) and all such.




Or to create content more symbiotically - like add photos to my Facebook or Orkut account (yes, yes - in America but still using Orkut guys - as most of my friends are on Orkut - as is a greater population of the world, than on Facebook) taken on the N95 but accesible on the N810 thru the blogging software. In fact accessible directly on the N810 thru the file manager even (and not only after pushing it to the N810 thru bluetooth). Why not ?

Follow this thread by Thoughtfix on the integration or "Ntropy", as it puts it between the 2 devices. Glad to know more people with the same thoughs.

And should I mention, that the N95 makes great calls - crisp and clear and less drop-out then any of my previous phones ?

Happy calling !