RIM's superfast Bold: face of the new smartphone
Published: 18 November, 2008
Handset makers are increasingly looking to advanced integration of popular web services with their devices, to enhance the user experience and differentiate themselves from more generic webphones. And this is putting even more pressure on the manufacturers to soup up the power of their products, to support applications like YouTube video at top speeds. In this race, smaller vendors are often scoring points ahead of the giants, with RIM and even Taiwan's ASUS claiming performance breakthroughs this week.
On the integrated web apps front, Hutchison/3 has gone as far as to set up a subsidiary, INQ, to work with software organizations like Facebook and YouTube to create optimized handsets, and RIM is also turning to this approach to strengthen its nascent consumer strategy, which is based on making the smartphone into the hub for the user's 'four screen' internet (cellphone, landphone, PC and television).
First off, the BlackBerry maker has worked with social networking giant MySpace on an integrated version of its software, which promises the same sort of instant-response, push-based service that is familiar to business users of BlackBerry email, and will be available on phones like the Bold and Storm.
The MySpace system will push social content, supporting a full messaging interface, real time status and mood updates, camera integration and optimized photo management, plus notification of new MySpace events like message and friend requests. In addition, MySpace will launch a new community page for BlackBerry users, offering access to content, videos, games, ringtones, skins and related features.
RIM's web services message should be reinforced by results of recent tests carried out by online laboratory CNET. This ran a full length movie, TV episode and audio track on five high end phones, the iPhone 3G, BlackBerry Bold, Samsung Instinct, LG Dare and HTC/T-Mobile G1. All were equipped with a 4Gb MicroSD except the 8Gb iPhone and all were running on 3G networks. The Bold blew away the competition on download speeds, performing at 13.9Mbps for the movie and 9.59Mbps for audio. The G1 came in second, with ratings of 5.99Mbps and 5.08Mbps; iPhone was third with 5Mbps and 2.79Mbps; the Dare performed at 1.49Mbps and 1.31Mbps; and the Instinct scored 0.79Mbps and 0.74Mbps.
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese device community is seeking to move into the branded, high performance market, in the footsteps of role model HTC. ASUS has shown off a smartphone, the P565, which it says has the most powerful processor at 800MHz - the average in high end handsets is 500MHz. The product also features the Glide touch-driven user interface and runs Windows Mobile, with the Office Mobile suite of apps. It is geared to business users.
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