DIY Screen test I recently read this article, on the MOTO labs website, for a DIY touch screen test for capacitive touch screen phones. So, I decided to put the i8910 to the test to see how it compares to the others and this was the result, click on the image for a better view: The test on the i8910 showed there’s waviness and stair-stepping, an indication of low touch screen sensitivity. The outer edges show low sensitivity as well but this is probably deliberate because of the screen’s close proximity to edges and also because there are no contours around the screen. The lower edges are even more sensitive than the iPhone though. That’s not bad considering that the i8910 is the ‘oldest’ device in this test and it has similar with performance similar to the Droid. I should make a note that this is not a 'scientific' test and the fact that the testers were different could mean the results are not entirely correct. The purpose of this test was just to see how the i8910 fares against the competition. I took a lot of care in trying to carry out the test in the same way it was on the other devices. If you'd like to try the experiment yourself, I used Mobile Paint which has no line …

I’ve prepared a video to give you a preview of the upcoming update. The firmware is not final, it still has a few issues to be ironed out but it does give you an idea of what’s to be expected. I’ve also included a few apps from Samsung Mobile Innovator and Imagination Technologies PowerVR SDK. All these are freely available for download. So far, these demos are as close as we can get to the full power of the i8910, and that’s a lot of power. I’ve also added an extra video with a preview of Symbian^4 running on the i8910 courtesy of AAS from The Symbian Exchange and Exposition SEE 2009. Short demo of upcoming update and a bit more Links (Updated) You can download qt demos from qt demo website. To get Qt to run on the i8910 you need to install the following files: Qt_selfsigned Qt_installer Fluidlauncher After that you’ll have a suit with several Qt demos. You can then install the Weather, Budget apps etc that are on the Qt website above. A bunch of Qt apps on the i8910 SMI Demo pack from Samsung Moblie Innovator (You need to have a free account with Samsung Mobile Innovator to download) (Updated)Opera moblie browser from Opera Mobile. Watch a video comparison of Opera Mobile vs. …

Why have tablets failed thus far? Thing about tablets is that they’ve never been great. The reason for this being that virtually all of these tablets are built on desktop/laptop software or mobile phone software. Microsoft has made moves to include programs that try to make the UI more suitable for tablet PCs, that’s not enough. A lot of manufactures also loaded their tablets with mobile phone operating systems ranging from Windows CE to Android. This is where they all failed and continue to fail. Desktops and laptops are built around the premise that there is a keyboard and mouse. In order to make a tablet that works, the OS has to be built from the ground up with tablets in mind. Everything about the UI for a tablet computer has to be for a tablet computer for it to work. There should be a radical difference between how people use a tablet, a laptop and a mobile phone.(update: It’s Official) Tablet..a whole different ball game... Form factor A tablet is in between a mobile phone and a laptop. It’s about as different from a mobile phone and a laptop as they are from each other, if not even more. A tablet, unlike a laptop or mobile phone shares the same form factor with something …

Note: this article is not factual. It's a wishful/sarcastic post meant to highlight the potential of the i8910 and what Samsung could do with it. I've included details and ideas that I mean to present to Samsung in my meeting with them. This may not be real now, bit with more pressure on Samsung it could soon be a reality. Exciting news guys, Samsung has just released an awesome update for the i8910! Pure gold of an update! This update is packed to the brim with features and fixes I don't even know where to begin! That's a lot coming from me after that report and petition fiasco. The browser has been overhauled. It works like a breeze now, navigating through the browser is like running your fingers across a small puddle of water, it's pure fluid. It pans smoothly, responding to the slightest stroke with no stutter at all. Zooming in and out is far smoother, it feels more natural now, it's almost like there's no other way to do it better. Flash content now runs like a charm with major improvements to sites like YouTube. The browser now at least matches that of the iPhone in general browsing, beating it with flash support. The camera has also been improved across the board. First …

So, Samsung has announced that they are releasing an update for the i8910. That’s shortly after I released the final report to them and a month after the petition started. The press release says this: SEOUL, Korea - December 23, 2009 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today announced a firmware update to the Samsung I8910 HD (OMNIAHD, GT-I8910) to further improve the speed of multimedia performance and add new functionality to the device. The I8910 HD is Samsung’s ultimate multimedia powerhouse with high definition, giving users full-touch control of their multimedia lives. The new firmware improves the user experience by delivering faster Web browsing, an improved graphics engine and enhanced full-touch screen experience: -Webkit update: A faster user-interface when online, for swift navigation of your favourite websites -Graphic engine: An improved graphic engine, increasing the speed to access the multimedia content -Kinetic scrolling: The addition of a kinetic scrolling system provides a superior full-touch experience The firmware update will be available from January 2010 in the UK and gradually rolled out to other European markets, Southeast …

Now the iPhone has been around for a while and it is apparent that it’s changed the game. It’s changed what people expect from a mobile phone. The key behind its success being that it’s more than just a mobile phone; it’s a mobile platform, a platform that has evolved over time. Figure 1 iPhone 3GS The latest iteration of the iPhone platform. Looking at the iPhone's hardware specs, there's really nothing that we haven't seen on other devices. It has the usual features that are found in other smart-phones, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, large display, plenty of memory, a plethora of sensors and more recently GPS, 3G, compass and many other goodies. So what sets the iPhone apart? Others may argue that it is the App Store that sets the iPhone apart but it is not. The App Store is merely peripheral; it is the result of that which sets the iPhone apart. Figure 2 Lots of great mobile devices out there. From left the iPhone, Nokia n97, HTC Hero, Palm Pre, Samsung i8910 and the Sony Ericsson Satio I'm by no means an iPhone fan boy, in fact, I'm almost a hater. I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to follow the crowd and I've chosen other phones over the iPhone twice so far; big mistakes. But I'm …

Report on the i8910 v3 Yes the report is up, better than ever before! It took hours so feel free to dive in and enjoy!!! 7421 words, 38 images and countless hours of work! Coinciding with 2000 signatures signed! Here’s a screen cap of a few pages: A few corrections have been made, some people picked up a few typos and stuff. This is the last report. The journey ends here.. I’ve worked really hard to deliver on this report but now I have to move on to other things. Three weeks in the making and countless hours of work. I really hope this pays off, I put my heart and soul into it. At the end of the day, the situation is out of my hands, its up to Samsung. I will continue to update on the progress the report has made but unless something really big happens, this report is final. Thanks to everyone for the support, it has been a great journey and learning experience for me. So here’s the press coverage so far for the petition and report: Engadget Mobile: Wronged i8910 buyer prepares doctral-quality thesis on issues Samsung Omnia HD Blog: Samsung i8910 owner preps 25-page quality control report GSM Arena: Report on the i8910 Omnia HD points out its flaws All About Symbian: Samsung i8910 …

Version3 of my report is almost complete. This time around I’ve made several changes and corrections and I’ve also included a change-log to show all the changes I’ve made. I’ve taken more contributions from the community as well so the report is slightly longer and yet easier to read. The special thing about this report more than any other is that I will be submitting it when the petition signatures reach 2000 AND I will be submitting it directly to a top figure at Samsung who contacted me after my first report came out. An update to my previous article on my i8910’s white screen of death: I’ve taken it back to the retailer and they said I should expect it back in 3 weeks. That basically means I’m not getting it until after the holidays and that really sucks. Someone else had the exact same problem as me in the forums so we might be seeing more white screens of death soon! All that glitters...sometimes has bugs i8910 Gold Edition; Hope for a better tomorrow? With the recent announcement of the new Gold Edition of the i8910 it is hoped that new firmware will come, but who knows? I haven’t seen shots of the phone from behind but I’m guessing it is going to have a similar to the back …

In an unfortunate twist of events, my i8910 is dead! Yup, it showed the white screen of death (wsod). I’ve Googled it, searched several forums and stuff but I’ve found nothing - nothing that even closely resembles it. I’m assuming I bought a faulty device but it has worked flawlessly for the past 2 months or so; so sad after my petition and reportL. But never the less I will continue my efforts and return the phone for repairs or whatever tomorrow. I was in the middle of a phone conversation when the screen just went all white; a stained sort of white. As I touched the screen I could hear the sounds and feel the vibrations, meaning that everything else was and is working. I’ve tried everything, switching the phone off then on, checking for updates, syncing, hard reset, soft reset, taking out the battery, leaving in on, leaving it off and nothing stillL. Leaving it on the charger it starts to heat up like crazy and I don’t want to leave it there for too long to find out what happens. Here are some screen shots: Really sad for me... I've switched back to my trusty innov8, I used it to capture these horrific images and it did a decent job really. Hopefully my i8910 will be back by …