Communications Technology

A leaked portfolio of upcoming HTC products indicates the company is shifting much of their focus to Android-based phones. Five of the eight models due for 2010 will sport Android, the remainder powered by Windows Mobile
6.5. This marks a change for HTC, which has primarily manufactured Windows-based devices.

As a member of the Open Handset Alliance, HTC’s move is unsurprising. The HTC Dream — known by most as the G1 — was their first success. The phone debuted Android for the world, demonstrating the platform’s flexibility. HTC will capitalize on this growing market with their “flagship” phone for 2010, the Bravo, which will be an Android device.

Android 2.0’s feature richness may have been a factor in HTC’s decision. If it can pull a company away from Windows Mobile 6.5, it could erode market share for other big-name players too.

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NOKIA’S latest Eseries mobile phone is the little brother of the more powerful and slimmer E71. Commanding an outright price of under $400, the Nokia E63 retains most of the Nokia E71’s design traits - including a full QWERTY keyboard - but it lacks built-in GPS and HSDPA connectivity.

The Nokia E63 is quite similar to the Nokia E71 in terms of its design, though it’s thicker and is made of plastic rather than shiny metal. This means it is less prone to fingerprints, but it doesn’t feel as solid or sturdy as the Nokia E71.

The full QWERTY keyboard is comfortable to type on, but the spongy keys will not suit everyone. The individual keys are slightly squashed but do provide reasonable tactility. A particular issue is just how close the first and last column of keys are to the edges of the handset, and, annoyingly, the spacebar has been shrunk when compared to the Nokia E71. The shortcut keys - home, calendar, contacts and mail - remain, as do the five-way navigational pad and selection buttons, but there are no side volume controls or buttons.

The Nokia E63’s display is slightly smaller than the E71’s, but it retains an identical resolution and offers similar performance. It isn’t outstanding, but viewing angles are good and its performance in sunlight is passable.

The Nokia E63 runs the popular Symbian S60 platform, and it includes plenty of business features, including the ability to read and edit Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents and access PDF files. One of the best features of the Nokia E63 is its speed - applications open and close in a flash, and despite running multiple programs we didn’t experience any lag or slow down.

The Nokia E63 commands a much lower price point than the E71 and as a result lacks some of the latter’s features; namely, built-in GPS and HSDPA connectivity. While we can live without GPS, HSDPA connectivity should be standard fare in a business device, so this is definitely a big omission. The Nokia E63 is still 3G-capable, but the maximum data speed is just 384Kbps. If you’re a heavy mobile Web user you’ll definitely notice the drop in speed. Thankfully, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with A2DP are included.

The Nokia E63 works with the Microsoft Exchange Server in addition to personal e-mail accounts like Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. Setting up an e-mail account is a hassle-free experience, as after entering your name and password it will automatically search for the settings required. Despite the lack of a built-in GPS receiver, the Nokia Maps application is still included on the Nokia E63.

The handy mode switcher present in the Nokia E71 is also found on the E63. You can switch between business and personal modes and edit a number of settings including enabled applications, notifications and themes. You can then toggle between the two modes - for example you could block access to your work e-mail and tools when in the personal mode if you wish.

The Nokia E63 is a handy multimedia device and has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack - the first we’ve seen on a Nokia Eseries device. The screen displays video quite well, but it’s a little small to use frequently. The camera has been downgraded to 2 megapixels and a fixed focus, but it does include an LED flash and self-portrait mirror. The E63 also has a flashlight function that allows the camera flash to be used as a torch, activated by holding down the spacebar.

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Would you like to let AT&T know when your iPhone has dropped a call? Well, now there is an app for that.

AT&T on Monday released a new application called “Mark the Spot,” which lets iPhone users submit complaints about dropped calls, poor service coverage, and less-than-perfect voice quality.

The application is free and available in the iTunes App Store. It uses GPS technology in the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS to pin point where the user is when experiencing the problems. For first generation iPhones, it uses cell tower-triangulation to get a fix on problem areas.

Once the application is launched, users have several complaint options. They will see a screen that has buttons that let them report a dropped call, poor voice quality, or poor service coverage.

AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said AT&T plans to use the data collected to identify trends and prioritize the company’s network investments.

“We think this is a great way to get customer feedback to improve our network,” Siegel said. “We are always looking for ways to make it easy for customers to share their experiences. And this app lets customers report issues. It logs the time and location and automatically forwards the information to our network planning team.”

iPhone owners have been complaining about AT&T’s network since the Apple iPhone went on sale in the summer of 2007. Complaints mounted after the 3G version of the phone was released a year later in 2008. And as more iPhone users come onto the network, more people, particularly in densely populated urban areas, such as New York City and San Francisco, have experienced problems with dropped calls and congested data networks.

AT&T executives have not admitted that AT&T has a problem with its network. But executives, such as AT&T Chief Technology Officer John Donovan, have said that the company has seen a surge in data traffic attributed to iPhone users, who typically consume more wireless bandwidth than other AT&T wireless customers.

AT&T has been upgrading its network to keep up with demand. But problems persist. And AT&T’s network recently got a poor ranking in terms of customer satisfaction in a Consumer Reports survey.

Verizon Wireless, AT&T’s chief rival, has taken advantage of AT&T’s struggles with a series of advertisements that point out AT&T’s lack of 3G network coverage in certain parts of the country. Verizon is running advertisements that mock the Apple “There’s an app for that,” catch phrase with one that says, “There’s a map for that.”

AT&T fired back with a lawsuit and an advertisements of its own featuring actor Luke Wilson, who points out AT&T’s strengths while taking a few shots at Verizon Wireless.

AT&T recently dropped its lawsuit against Verizon. And Verizon, which had been suing AT&T over claims that it has the fastest 3G wireless network, also dropped its lawsuit against AT&T.

Siegel said that the new “Mark the Spot” application was not prompted by the bad publicity around its network issues nor was it prompted by the current ad wars going on between AT&T and Verizon. Instead, he said that the application was simply a part of AT&T’s ongoing commitment to listening to customers.

“We are always looking at ways to get customer feedback in as timely a manner as possible,” he said. “That’s why we pay attention to Twitter, Facebook and blog. One of the great values of these social networking tools is that it’s a great way to get instant feedback. And it helps us identify problems.”

The “Mark the Spot” application can be downloaded onto all iPhones running version 3.0 or later of Apple’s operating system or it can be access using iTunes and synchronized to the iPhone via a PC or Mac.

Siegel said that AT&T is testing the “Mark the Spot” app for other devices. And he said AT&T hopes to offer applications on other smartphones in the future. No date has been announced yet. And Siegel didn’t specify which devices might get the new application, but considering that AT&T sells a lot of Research in Motion’s BlackBerry devices, it’s likely it will create an application for that device. The app could be offered through AT&T’s own application storefront or through RIM’s BlackBerry App World.

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