Android Smartphones to take on the iPhone 4S

If you’re looking for a new smartphone and either can’t afford the Apple iPhone or simply want something else, then handsets running the Android operating system make the next logical step in your search. After all, this OS is now hugely popular, not just with phone users but with tablet owners too and it’s not hard to see why thanks to a proven track record of reliability and a fun but highly functional feature set. So, which Android smartphone should you buy that can take on the might of the iPhone? Are there any options out there in mobile land? Of course there are – Android smartphones are everywhere and there’s something to meet every kind of budget. Naturally, from a performance and specification standpoint, you have to spend a little more to get an iPhone-beater, but they do exist…

Perhaps one of those at the top of the pile is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which is a veritable monster amongst the many handsets out there. This comes packed with sophisticated new technology, is designed and built well and, naturally, because it runs Android, is quick and easy to use.

Motorola continues to impress with it’s Defy + model, which is a lot cheaper than the Galaxy Nexus but still comes packed with a raft of great features and also looks good on the eyes. Again, Android is featured but it also boasts some cool tweaks and fine-tuning from the manufacturers too, so it’s worth a look.

The Samsung Galaxy SII is a smartphone that ticks all of the boxes when it comes to form and functionality, with a delicious design, a durable build quality and a specification that can easily rival the iPhone. It’ll cost around the same amount however, so it’s a serious bit of kit but the sales figures suggest this is certainly up there alongside the Apple counterpart.

Alongside Samsung, HTC is one of the most prolific smartphone manufacturers out there right now and they have a whole range of great phones that can nearly match what the iPhone has to offer. One such example, the Sensation, is a cracking little device that sports a fabulous screen and is also packed with high- end entertainment features such as video and music options.

Elsewhere, if you fancy a little bit of Japanese quality and finesse then take a look at the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, which has been out for a few months but attracted huge praise for it’s funky design and superior build characteristics. However, if you want to stay bang up to date then check out the new Xperia X10, which, as Sony states on its publicity blurb, is the ultimate Android multimedia smartphone. It comes with HD too!

So then, that’s just a few of the current best buys on the Android front. And, while some don’t quite enjoy the trendy status of the Apple iPhone, they are certainly worthy contenders as rivals to the sought-after handset. What’s more, shop around and you can often get them for a much better price than the undeniably expensive iPhone.

About the author: Joe Linford writes on behalf of Smartphone Genie. You can find all the latest Android and iPhone 4S deals here.

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Google +1 button optimized for mobile web

The Google +1 button, the public sharing tool which was introduced to the internet a few months back has now been thrown open for mobile web as well,. This development with respect to mobile phones comes after Google + was introduced for the iPhone in the second half of July. With this, net savvy users can publicly share what they like or recommend while on-the-go.

The +1 button works in a two-way manner. With this, users can share pages they like, find useful, or want to recommend for possible future use to others. This can be done within their circles, restricted to people viewing the +1ed pages in the profile or it can be shared with everyone.

The other way round, this button helps improve the Google search process by showing +1 recommendations in a separate category in the search results. Thus, users can refine and simplify their search process by seeing what pages from their search have been +1ed.

Users can also control the visibility of their +1s. They can easily change the settings to restrict the visibility to a select number of circles, while blocking a few. Also, +1s can be kept hidden in the profile where no one will get a view of a user’s list, while they remain publicly visible.

According to the update, the Google +1 button will appear automatically to anyone using Android version 2.1 or above and iOS 4.0 or higher browsers.

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Google brings +1 button to android, iOS mobile devices

Google’s +1 button, which helps people get recommendations from their friends, is now available for mobile devices such as phones and tablets.

Punit Soni, lead product manager for Google+ Games and Mobile, said this should help people around the Web make recommendations even while on the go.

“The button will automatically be visible to anyone on Android 2.1+ and iOS 4.0+ browsers. When you +1 something, it will be displayed publicly across the Web as an annotation on the content you +1’d," Soni said in a Google+ post.

Soni added that with the +1 button available on the mobile web, a user with an Android or iOS device can tap to +1 directly from his or her mobile phone or tablet.

The +1 button allows one to start conversations by publicly recommending pages across the web, or share with the right circles on Google+.

Google said the +1’s can help improve its search too, “since you can see which pages your social connections have +1’d right beneath search results and ads." — LBG, GMA News

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Screenshots of HTC Sense 3.5 leaked

HTC has some peppy new handsets lined up for 2011 like the Bliss and a bunch of other WP7 smartphones. And as we all know, HTC is known for its user interface known as HTC Sense.

There have been a bunch of versions of Sense over the years and today Sense 3.0 stands as the newest and greatest version of Sense. But all that is set to change soon with the launch of the HTC Bliss which will introduce the Sense 3.5 UI.

We have read rumors about HTC Bliss and Sense 3.5 since the past few days but none of them have been conclusive enough. And now, some alleged screenshots of the Sense 3.5 UI has leaked on the internet courtesy of a Chinese website.

 

Well, the Sense 3.5 UI is pretty reminiscent of Sense 3.0 but there are some significant changes. The homescreen has an entirely new touch. The typical Menu, Phone and Settings icons on the bottom of the screen have made way to the separate Menu and Phone icons on the bottom left and bottom right of the screen.

There are some other minor tweaks to the UI which is clearly noticeable but not to such an extent. And reports suggest that this particular version of Sense is meant to run on mid ranged HTC phones like the Bliss which is said to feature a 3.7 inch display, an 800 MHz processor and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

But things would seem much better if HTC would allow reverse compatibility of the user interface for older handsets like the Incredible S, Desire S, ChaCha, Salsa, Desire HD and others. It seems like HTC had to come up with Sense 3.5 since Sense 3.0 requires higher processing and graphics performance.

HTC is holding an event in London on September 1, where it is expected that the Bliss would break cover along with Sense 3.5. Other announcements could include the HTC Puccini which is set to be the company’s first Honeycomb tablet.

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Google Docs for Android Lets Users Add Photos to Documents

Google Docs for Android now lets users dump photos they take from their Android smartphone into a Google document.

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) enhanced its native Google Docs for Android application, adding the ability to drop photos users take from their Android smartphone right into a Google document.

The search engine in April launched the Google Docs application for Android with a nifty feature that lets users turn photos with text into documents that may be edited from smartphones.

Users simply tap a button to create a new document from a photo or select the camera icon from the widget.

The document will then appear in the documents list after the phone user snaps the picture. Users may also convert existing photos from their Android phone by sharing them with the Google Docs app.

With the Docs for Android bump, users can now tap the camera icon from the Docs widget icon on their Android phone, shoot a photo, and then select "send to Web Clipboard" and press "OK."

Then users can open any Google document from their computer, click the Web Clipboard icon and pick the item to paste into their document.

Google also improved the app so that users can open documents with any compatible viewer application or send a document as an attachment through email or another app on their phone.

The idea is that not only can users create, edit and access documents from their mobile phone, but they can augment the documents with photos, then save them in Google's cloud computing system for later access on desktop computers and laptops.

Such mobile workflow capabilities are important at a time when corporate professionals are increasingly tasked to complete their projects while traveling.

While the initial Docs app was available only in English, the improved Docs app is available in 45 additional languages.

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