Galery

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Ivan Petkov

For a long time smartphones have been ranked as business class functional phones, meeting the needs of managers. They travel constantly and need not only a phone but also email and an Internet connection. The emergence of the iPhone has totally changed the definition of “smartphone” and turned these devices into portable media centres, not only for work but also for entertainment - music, films, games, various applications, chat with friends, video chat ... A whole new universe. Of course, the newly emerged market was very attractive with its high growth rate and predictions that for several years these new gadgets will literally take over the telecommunications segment. Many large companies involved in the race and some of the traditional players are out of the game already! Actually, the market has become so dynamic that it really is difficult to predict its development. One thing is clear – the main key players are Apple, Google and Microsoft. October will be the month for the most important events associated with each of the major players - the month of smartphones. Moreover, the strongest trading period – Christmas – is fast approaching and what they show the consumers and how they will impress us will be of great importance.

iPhone 5

For several years now, Apple has presented a new generation of iPhones in early summer. This year, the tradition was broken and users were surprised. They had no idea when the next generation of the most successful product of the company from Cupertino would appear. We saw the presentation of some of the major innovations in iOS, the operating system that powers the flagship of the "nibbled apple." Apple has never given official preliminary information about their products and the information vacuum fuelled flourishing rumours. With the advent of autumn, passions heated so much that we started to hear rumours about problems, delays, possible technical features and wonders that await us:

 This is not the next iPhone, but simply a conceptual design, of the kind that always appear before the release of the next generation of Apple’s Smartphone.

An important event marked our anticipation - Steve Jobs, the creative drive and face of Apple withdrew from his post of CEO. In the meantime, the company he heads became the company with the largest market capitalization.

Then our long wait was finally over when it was announced that Apple’s new CEO would present iPhone 5 on October 4. What can we expect? Various rumours abound, but the following are the most likely:

Regarding the design, iPhone will not turn its back on the traditions of the company in offering extremely beautiful and stylish devices. We expect a metal back, a non-existent or very thin frame around the screen and a screen not larger than 4". The heart of the new flagship will probably be a 1.2 GHz dual core ARM processor, 1 GB RAM, a new and more powerful graphics processor offering more comfort to mobile gamers. It is likely that Apple will offer an 8 MP camera for making 720 p videos for photography lovers and video makers.

Whether or not the rumours are true, we will only know in a few hours’ time.

Android 4.0

When it comes to Apple’s greatest competitor, the challenge usually regards development of the company's operating system (OS) rather than specific devices. The next generation mobile OS by the company from Mountain View will be presented on November 11 alongside the Nexus series Smartphone, especially designed for Google by its various partners. The next Nexus will be called “Galaxy Prime” and for the second consecutive year it will be made by Samsung.

The expectations for the new Google OS, code-named “Ice Cream Sandwich”, are great. Android 3.0 appeared only in tablet version. Version 4.0 should combine tablets and phone versions and offer users a single experience, bringing innovations in tablets into smartphones.

When it comes to Apple’s greatest competitor, the challenge usually regards development of the company's operating system (OS) rather than specific devices. The next generation mobile OS by the company from Mountain View will be presented on November 11 alongside the Nexus series Smartphone, especially designed for Google by its various partners. The next Nexus will be called “Galaxy Prime” and for the second consecutive year it will be made by Samsung.

The expectations for the new Google OS, code-named “Ice Cream Sandwich”, are great. Android 3.0 appeared only in tablet version. Version 4.0 should combine tablets and phone versions and offer users a single experience, bringing innovations in tablets into smartphones.

When it comes to Apple’s greatest competitor, the challenge usually regards development of the company's operating system (OS) rather than specific devices. The next generation mobile OS by the company from Mountain View will be presented on November 11 alongside the Nexus series Smartphone, especially designed for Google by its various partners. The next Nexus will be called “Galaxy Prime” and for the second consecutive year it will be made by Samsung.

The expectations for the new Google OS, code-named “Ice Cream Sandwich”, are great. Android 3.0 appeared only in tablet version. Version 4.0 should combine tablets and phone versions and offer users a single experience, bringing innovations in tablets into smartphones.

As for the Nexus Galaxy Prime, nothing less is expected. Like its name, the next Nexus will have

supreme technical features. It is anticipated that the processor will be dual core Samsung Exynos with

an operating frequency of 1.5 GHz. In addition, it will have 1GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory and a

microSD slot for additional memory. The display is expected to use the 4.65" Super AMOLED+ panel with

1280 x 720 pixels. According to the information, the phone's frame will be metal 8.8 mm thick

and its battery capacity will be 2000 mAh. Impressive features, so, all we have to do now is to

wait until November 11 to see which of them will be realized in practice.

Windows Phone 7.5 Mango and Nokia

A few days ago, the long-awaited update of Microsoft’s mobile OS, code-named “Mango” was released last month. Users have the chance to enjoy many innovations that were hitherto unavailable for the completely remade OS of the giant from Redmond. They include multitasking, front camera for video calls, sharing Internet through Wi-Fi, Copy-Paste functions and others, which the OS rivals offer their customers. What remains to be seen are the new smartphones powered by Mango: The greatest interest shown is for the first phone from Nokia, which will be powered by the mobile OS from Microsoft. You can see what we can expect in the presentation of the phone code-named “Sea Ray”, made by Nokia CEO Stephen Elop himself:

What technical features can we expect?
1 GHz processor, 512MB or 1GB of RAM, 16/32Gb or 64GB of internal memory, 8MP rear camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash, recording 720p videos. The screen will most probably be 3.7"/3.8" or 4 ClearBlack AMOLED WVGA. Of course, we will find out the final features during the Nokia event planned for the end of the month.

A month of hot technological events is in store. The major players will bring their strongest trump cards and we will see how the market for smartphones and all related services will develop. If you are planning to buy a Smartphone, then my advice is to wait at least another month or two. There will certainly be some new and interesting offers.