Showing posts with label apps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apps. Show all posts

Best smartphones in 2017

Smartphones mobile phones have quickly became the foremost celebrated school merchandise on the world and with every yr, the Innovations changes to the purpose wherever new advances ar thought of reliable.

With what we've detected already on the new phones in 2017 it sounds like we have a tendency to as an entire have a substantial degree, to anticipate however all the massive players like Apple, Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, HTC, Sony, Motorola, and lots of a lot of at the top of the day new developments may be seen that we have a tendency to don't ought to see.

The top prospects for the simplest phones contain 2017 several recognizable names that ar relied upon to refine the prevailing models, whereas some new parts seem. New operating parts conjointly seen as each the new Apple iOS and Google golem operating framework fully a major range of phonephone of the simplest component is upgraded.

Both 2017 golem and Apple phones ar to require all the conventional safety and versatile rates to a radically new level. With the pattern of development isn't solely the capability advantageous written account once looking, even with the capability in and of itself to try to to with improved security in an exceedingly development concern has become.

New developments with associate eye-awaited innovation, improved remote loading, true 4K displays, collapsable to capture concepts, 30MP cameras, most a lot of. a number of what we've to seek out the hearing not we glance within the 2017 models, is 5K handiness and real collapsable leader.

This sneak peek at the most of the highest handsets in 2017 examined the specifications, the weather, the price and unharness date for each Apple and golem phones to return provides a ton of understanding of things. Below we have a tendency to examine the 2017 arrival of the cosmic system S8, S8 universe Edge, iPhone sevens World Note 7, LG G6, LG G Flex four, Xiaomi Mi8 and therefore the Xperia Z7.

Samsung displaying absolutely the majority provided phones every last year and therefore the new cosmic system S8 basically was higher than the present model appears to be. exploit with Sammy hopes to induce driving one among the primary lines in 2017, you'll assume that the interest of the client to a are unmatched high.

drives with S7 mid-2016, it'll not take long till the official specifications of GS8 be uncovered. Separately, we have a tendency to ar currently hearing plenty communicative  morsels from Choson counsel Samsung is hoping to gift one thing fully new within the GS8 plan.

The extension to the fulfillment of each the GS7 GS7 and margin is that the eighth model was supported so as to enhance well what the shoppers expect the foremost. With a lot of customers to induce to his subject, what they will hold within the palm of the hand, expect the GS8 can perpetually maintain and attain a lot of.

This is all the best distinction within the rising Cosmic System makes S8 plan however it feels like associate expandable memory are seen at the top of the day. it's additionally to name, it each GS8 and GS8 Edge can integrate terribly solid and versatile dynamic arrangement. additionally, we have a tendency to ar getting ready the simplest Samsung Camera Specifications see nonetheless, expandable memory, quicker processor, a lot of economical battery, and more.

Under we have a tendency to examine the Samsung World Specifications S8, elements, the price and for the cargo in 2017 expected unharness date data.

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Best Smartphones and Mobile Phones 2015

What's the world's best cell phone in 2015? Basically, there isn't one. Rather there are various phenomenal mobiles, all of which have their own specific qualities. We've gathered together the best cell telephones available to help you make the right buy to suit your inclination. 

Our rundown incorporates the best telephones for key highlights, for example, esteem for cash, screen quality, battery life and selfies. We've likewise included some shiny new cell phones that are situated to hit the racks in the impending weeks. 

Hit the "Following" bolt above or click here to skim our best cell phone list now – our round-up is part into reasonable telephones, top-of-extent telephones and those that are impending soon. 

Perused on for more guidance on what to consider when purchasing another telephone. 

What amount would it be advisable for you to spend on another cell phone? 

While leads appear to be getting more lavish by the year, laying your hands on a decent cell phone is really less expensive than at any other time in recent memory. By all methods sprinkle the money on a masterpiece like the iPhone 6 or HTC One M9 in the event that you need to, however endure as a primary concern that a few saltines like the 4G-empowered Motorola Moto E (2015) cost not exactly £100 on pay-as-you-go and just somewhat more without sim. 

An alternate case, the LG G3 – is currently accessible for not exactly £300 without sim. It's a large portion of the cost of some other leader telephones. It's still generally as great now as it was a year ago, so its an awesome approach to get top-end highlights at a lower cost. Don't expect you need to spend huge on the most recent and most prominent. 

Related: Best Cheap Mobile Phones 

What size cell phone would it be advisable for you to purchase? 

Substantial screened mobiles are all that much popular nowadays, with even Apple grasping phablet fever. Telephones measuring in at 5.5 inches or more can be considered thusly, and are normally honored with fantastic presentations that are extraordinary for viewing features and playing amusements on. 

Anything somewhere around 4.5 and 5.1 inches is more handy for fingers and pockets, while still useful for skimming the web, gaming and that's just the beginning. 4-inch cell phones, then, are perfect for youngsters and clients who aren't complained about recreations and features. In case you're uncertain what's best for then a 5-inch is a decent size for a great many people. 

Different things to consider 

You should seriously mull over additional highlights to be similar to the sprinkles on top of a cake, yet they're significantly more critical than that. Things like microSD card openings, NFC, unique mark scanners and water-resistance can drastically influence the general client experience of a cell phone. For all the more on these, and further purchasing counsel, read our Mobile Phone Buyer's Guide. 

Best Smartphone in 2015 – 

We've part our best cell phone round-up into three classes: the best passage level and mid-reach telephones that are more reasonable; the best lead telephones that have all the most recent highlights; and forthcoming cell phones that are impending soon and merit holding up for. 

Note: Contract costs from Carphone Warehouse. Without sim costs from the least expensive legitimate retailer. Costs right starting 19/03/2015. 

Best Smartphones 2015 – Entry-level and Mid-range 

You'll see that entrance level and mid-reach telephones are regularly controlled by comparative processors. Spending more won't get you a speedier telephone, yet what it will get you is more pleasant outline, a superior screen r camera and other extra features.

Motorola Moto E 2 2015 
– 4.5-inch phone with 4G and great battery life

Honor Holly 
– 5-inch smartphone with an 8-megapixel camera and HDR

Moto G 2014 
– 5-inch smartphone with excellent battery life and 4G

Asus Zenfone 5 
5-inch phone with an 8-megapixel camera with HDR

Doro Liberto 820 
– 4.5-inch smartphone that’s perfect for older first time owners

Nokia Lumia 735 
– 4.7-inch mobile that’s great for selfies

Huawei Ascend G7 
– 5.5-inch smartphone with a great camera and class-leading battery life

OnePlus One 
– 5.5-inch mobile that's perfect for enthusiasts

Honor 6 
– 5-inch smartphone that delivers brilliant performance

Nokia Lumia 830
 – 5-inch smartphone with excellent cameras

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact 
– 4.6-inch waterproof mobile with a 20-megapixel camera

Best Smartphones 2015 – The Flagship Phones

These flagship phones are the very best out there. In most cases you pay a little more for the pleasure of owning them, but you won't regret buying any of these great phones.

LG G3 – 5.5-inch smartphone with a stunning QHD screen
HTC Desire EYE –

5.2-inch water-resistant smartphone that’s built for selfies

Huawei Ascend Mate 7 –

6-inch smartphone that’s great for gamers

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 –

5.7-inch smartphone with a lovely QHD screen and a stylus

iPhone 6 –

4.7-inch smartphone with excellent performance and a fingerprint scanner

iPhone 6 Plus –

5.5-inch smartphone with a good screen and excellent battery life
Best Smartphones – Coming Soon in 2015

All these phones are due for release in the coming weeks and months. You may want to wait for these new models to come about before buying, particularly if you want the latest phone available.

HTC One M9 – Due 31 March

5-inch smartphone available from 31 March

Samsung Galaxy S6 – Due 10 April

5.1-inch mobile available from 10 April

Sony Xperia Z4 – Due in August

Expected in autumn

LG G4 – Due in June/July

Expected in the summer

The cell phone world is famously divisive, with Apple-venerating "fanboys" toward one side of the range and Android-fixated "phandroids" on the other. The littler Windows Telephone OS has likewise aggressor supporters who don't yet have an aggregate name, and you ought to overlook every one of them.

We've clarified the fundamental focal points and disservices of each of the three principle portable working frameworks beneath.

Purchase an Android cell phone if…
 you need an extensive variety of alternatives. The Android working framework offers a superior offset of mixed bag and reasonableness than its opponents, because of the sheer differences of Android cell phone producers. Some leader models, in the same way as the LG G3, are accessible for not exactly £300, while you can likewise discover something less garish yet similarly brilliant for not exactly £150.

In Google Play, Android has the biggest determination of applications and recreations as well, however there's a ton of waste blended in with the well done. By and large, its an extraordinary working framework and its absolutely the best choice on the off chance that you'd rather not spend huge cash on a sparkly new cell phone.

Related: Best Android Telephones

Purchase an iPhone if…
… cash is no article. iPhones are the most lavish cell phones you can purchase, and the last-era iPhone 5S will at present set you back near to £500. Then again, plan is dependably on-point, implying that the iPhone is as much device as it is design thing.

Apple's Application Store isn't exactly as populated as Google Play, yet its confinements are more tightly, implying that the general nature of iOS recreations and applications is higher than what you'll discover on Android. It's likewise an incredible alternative in the event that you claim other Mac contraptions, in the same way as MacBooks and iPads, as the hard incorporated administrations make life simple.
Purchase a Windows Telephone cell phone if…
… you esteem consistency in style. Windows Telephone mobiles are right away conspicuous, on account of the utilization of a solitary outline diagram. They're all rakish with clean corners and edges, and the decision of hues you get is significantly more dynamic and energizing than what you'll discover somewhere else. Additionally, there are a great deal of shoddy Windows Telephone models accessible.
Tragically, the Windows Telephone application store is small in correlation to those of Android and iOS. There are a huge number of applications and amusements accessible, yet a few top picks like Snapchat and Citymapper are still nowhere to be seen.


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How to set up iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus for Apple Pay?


Apple Pay is Shrewd Wallet of iphone 6/ iphone 6 Or more managers to shop online and make portable installment. The Application is likewise perfect with other Mac gadgets like Macintosh Watch-good gadgets (iphone 5 and later models), ipad Air 2, and ipad Small scale 3. It lives up to expectations with Visa's Paywave, Mastercard's Paypass, and American's Express Pay terminals. 

To begin, explore to Menu in your iphone 6 or iphone 6 Or more 

Just underneath itunes find the Choice, 'Passbook and Apple Pay'. 

Next Tap on Passbook and Apple Pay 

apple pay 222Next Tap on Include another Credit/ Check card. 

No compelling reason to fill card subtle elements physically. As seen in the picture above, click on Cam symbol nearby Card No. Hold your Charge card/ Plastic Before iphone Cam and consider Application to sweep it. 

Next Consent to Terms and Conditions and complete check process. 
apple pay 111


Aeropostale 

Babies R Us 

BJ's 

Bloomingdale's 

Champs Sports 

Chevron 

Duane Reade 

Extramile 

Foot Locker 

Footaction 

Place of Loops 

Children Foot Locker 

Woman Foot Locker 

Macy's 

Mcdonald's 

Nike 

Office Stop 

Panera Bread 

Petco 

Radioshack 

Run by Foot Locker 

Six:02 

Sports Power 

Metro 

Texaco 

Toys R Us 

Unleashed 

Walgreens 

Wegmans 

Entire Sustenances 

Anthropologie 

Disney Store 

Free Individuals 

Petsmart 

Sephora 

Staples 

Urban Suppliers 

Walt Disney World 

Picture Cre 

dit: Macworld.com 

Making installment with Apple Pay is sheltered and secure. 'More than one million Apple ios clients embraced Apple Pay inside 3 days of its dispatch,' cited Apple's President Tim Cook on October 27, 2014. 

On the off chance that you are glad manager of iphone 6 or iphone 6 Or more however did not Set Up Apple Pay with Charge card, do it now. Apple pay is protected and secure to shop online and make installment in matter of few taps. Setting Up Apple Pay is basic and simple, 

apple pay 111 

apple pay 222 

Presently you will have the capacity to make online buys utilizing Apple Pay. 

Who acknowledges Apple Pay? 

The Apple Pay Wallet is acknowledged in all Apple Stores. Moreover, taking after accomplices likewise perceive Apple Pay. 

Not long from now emulating more will likewise be included the Apple Pay Dealer List
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Top 8 iOS 8 Features That You Should Know

Apple is going to release new iOS 8 soon which is going to be apple’s biggest update in recent years. There are plenty of cool iOS 8 features coming this september for iPhone and iPad users going to love. So we are going to tell eight key iOS 8 features.

Here are the 8 key Apple iOS 8 features:

Health:

Apple has been pushing health connected apps in future, that square measure one the related to Nike’s Fuel Band company. With the Health app, apple taking it a step any for its future. As we have a tendency to all know, Health take US along from completely different health apps associated with apples apps into one place, making a comprehensive profile for the user. It additionally lets the users send health info to doctors at elect hospitals.

Home Kit:




The best from apple in iOS 8 features is its home kit that is in a position to remotely management your home device that square measure connect together with your mobile with Bluetooth or wireless local area network. Home Kit may be a step toward changing your apple smartphone into a foreign management device to control connected devices in your home.

New tricks for Siri:

The iPhone’s known voice assistant, Siri learn many new things in IOS eight. currently it will work additional higher together with your voice and action.
And you’ll modification your song with the assistance of the newest technology of Shazam app I apple iphones.

 ‘Do Not Disturb’ in Messages:

This is an easy very little feature, it’s alittle modification in it however take additional eyes thereon the
‘Do Not Disturb’ in Messages that assist you in cash place. In Messages, “Do Not Disturb” you\’ll mute your conversion threads at the time on=f meeting. So, if your buddies square measure nailing down that disturb you whereas you’re at work, you\’ll build them hush.

 QuickType:

Google is best with prognosticative text in there smartphones however Apple giving it a lift with QuickType. The keyboard feature in IOS eight can build causation messages quickly by estimate that what you’re reaching to write before you end it, lease you faucet and locomote to following word. This feature in your Phones is already featured. however Apple secure that QuickType is that the new feature which can learn your language and writing habits, as well as however you text with several completely different message threads.

Interactive Notifications:

With this one, Apple catches a brand new notification feature that is already employed by humanoid house owners. Interactive Notifications is assist you to manage your notification from notification center to direct the app.

 Family Sharing:

A new feature for iTunes gamma hydroxybutyrate vi mambers will share there apps and songs purchases across completely different devices of apple. suggests that no got to grap one things 2 time in an exceedingly same home.
The catch is you’ll ought to use a similar mastercard for all those purchases. It’s Apple’s approach of preventing too liberal interpretations of the word “family.”
This iOS 8 feature additionally can let relatives additional simply share calendars, photos, reminders and also the like.

 iCloud ikon Library:

Apple can currently provide additional storage for all of your photos and videos within the cloud with access to them from any device.
The iCloud ikon Library additionally can embody a “smart” writing feature that lets users slide their finger to regulate multiple effects at a similar time. as an example, the app can permit you to tweak light-weight, distinction and color on photos, with each adjustment mechanically updated across all of your devices.
We love to know what our readers think about these iOS 8 features, so do comments and share your views.
Best Mobile Phone newest technologies about how these will be used in the future. On this blog I'll share my thoughts about the future of technology,
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Download WhatsApp + Plus 6.32D Watts Live Plus for Android Apps

Whatsapp notwithstanding 6.32 is transforming into an authentic rebellion in the Android world and in spite of the way that it is a casual interpretation of the predominant messaging application, its execution is much better. Today, essentially find customers who don't know or have not gotten to be mindful of Whatsapp + or +Whatsapp notwithstanding Holo and that is the reason today we expected to present to you a complete methodical manual for make sense of how to download, present and configuration the casual unmistakable MOD Whatsapp. 

As we said above, to be a "casual" type of Whatsapp, we can not find the notwithstanding structure available for download on Google Play, so we have to get our inventiveness to download Whatsapp notwithstanding. In any case, you can inhale a sigh of help in light of the way that in the going hand in hand with lines we are going to uncover to you unequivocally where you can will download the latest variation of this standard application. 

Fortunately, in case you walk a bit lost in this world and don't know how to acquaint Whatsapp also with gratis and organize it later, we will accommodate each one of you the runs so you can do it. Remember that it is fundamental that you have no official variation of Whatsapp notwithstanding before presenting the same structure, however can be to some degree quiet, since you determined it later, don't push. 


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T-Mobile G1 Google Android Phone Review

There is a lot riding on the shoulders of T-Mobile's G1 Android phone. In some ways, it carries the collective hopes of Linux, open source and Google fans everywhere. It's open, collaborative and community-based, in other words, everything the iPhone and

google with t-mobile HTC G1 post'd by haytham ahmed from haytham ahmed on Vimeo.

get more info at my blogctalog http://fox-hi-tec.blogspot.com

Windows Mobile aren't. As so many onlookers crowd around this newborn phone, there's no way it can hold up all of their expectations—and it doesn't.

After spending a week using the G1, I can say it's a good start, and a clear indication of good Android developments to come. But the phone itself has some serious problems with accessibility and usability, issues that no number of third-party apps are going to be able to solve. Here's what I loved and hated about the T-Mobile G1.

The Hardware Body: The body was made by HTC, a Taiwanese company that makes Windows Mobile devices for Motorola, Palm and its own line. This phone is built just like those. The back is classic matted and grip-friendly HTC. The swivel-flip feels almost exactly like earlier HTC phones, only it extends out and then back in again, revealing the keyboard underneath. This motion gives a satisfying snap when opened, though it might be too loud in a quiet office.

Keyboard: It's got numerous problems. First, it's set so that the raised section on the right, with scroller ball and home and menu keys, is always in your way when you're trying to type. This is annoying, even after you figure out how to work around it. The individual keys aren't raised high enough over the body for easy touch typing, though at least the keyboard is backlit, in case you're texting in the dark. The space and backspace key are tinier than we'd like. And it's even more awkward than normal to type while charging the phone, because the miniUSB cable is in the way.

Buttons: There are five face buttons on the device—call, home, back, power/end and menu—and they're all fairly straightforward. Hit home to bring you back to the home screen, menu to bring up a popup menu in your current app, and power/end button to lock your phone or hang up your call. That last part takes the most getting used to, since you're naturally going to want to use the red power button to quit apps or end tasks, but all that does is lock your phone.

Trackball: It feels great, better than on the BlackBerry Pearl, and it clicks down solidly. Still, switching between the trackball and the touchscreen can get awkward.

Screen: The touchscreen is bright, renders text clearly and is, on the whole, pretty great. It uses capacitive touch, like the iPhone, so you use your fingertip, not a stylus, to poke around. There are cases when screen presses don't register properly—they're not too often, but often enough to be noticeable.

Battery: A full charge lasts about a day, mainly because push Gmail grabs the internet every time the account receives an email, and mine receives plenty. Couple that with 3G data browsing and app usage—which you're most likely going to be doing a lot of—and you'll need to get used to a mid-day charge at work. Thankfully charging from near empty to near full takes only about two hours.

Wi-Fi: The Wi-Fi range seems slightly to be on par with comparable smartphones (HTC's Windows Mobile phones, iPhone), showing just about as many Wi-Fi hotspots in my house as the other ones did.

3G: I got noticeably decent browsing speeds, with an actual test registering 433kbps. This, of course, is only the case if your city has 3G access at all, since T-Mobile's only just starting to roll out their network.

Camera: It's passable and on par with previous HTC efforts. It does have autofocus, but other than that there's nothing spectacular with the G1's camera.

GPS: GPS is actually off by default, which produces a very inaccurate location when you try and find yourself on Google Maps. You'll have to switch this on manually.

Other Issues: It's hard to fathom why HTC left out a 3.5mm headphone jack in 2008, same for USB mass storage mode for Windows or Mac. Really? You have to pop out that microSD card and use a card reader every time you want to load a ringtone or a song or a photo or a video? Seriously? Apologies, there actually IS a USB mass storage mode, but you have to use the bundled HTC proprietary mini USB cable. Any old mini USB cable won't do! But yes, it's possible. Also, when the screen is flipped open, it's tilted down about three degrees—really annoying to certain people who like clean lines.

Operating System and Usability Calling: Making phone calls on this thing works well. Call quality is good, but the screen annoyingly times out after about 10 seconds. If you want to power on the screen again, you have to hit the menu key or the "call" key, which takes you to the dialpad. It may just be that we punch in our credit card numbers or find contacts during a call more often than most people, but always having to bring up the screen again is a pain. And pressing the power/end button, which you'd think would power up the screen, actually just hangs up the call. Annoying. But as for the actually making calls part? No complaints from us.

Texting: Texts are arranged per contact in threads, and works well enough since texting is so simple. No cockups here.

Stability: The one word I'd use to describe the Android operating system is "solid". It's been my main device for a week, and I've yet to see the entire OS hang or freeze (haven't had to reboot yet). Individual apps have crashed or frozen, but Android handles this spectacularly well by using the PC paradigm where you can choose to Force Quit a frozen app or wait for it to unstick itself. This way, very little can take down the entire phone under everyday use. (Buggy hardcore apps that snake deep into core functions could probably succeed.)

Background Apps: Multitasking is one thing Android does really well. Apps can run in the background, receiving data and continuing to "exist," even though you don't see them. The OS handles memory management for you invisibly, giving processes a lower CPU priority and taking away their RAM when other programs need it. For now, examples are simple, like opening a browser, then a bunch of other apps, then returning to the browser. You can use four or five apps before before the browser has to re-fetch data on the web page. Presumably, programmers will soon make more impressive use of the background processing power.

Window Shade: Google's most unique multitasking helper is the notification window shade, which serves as an infodump of all incoming emails, messages, IMs and missed calls. Tapping a notification will take you to its corresponding app. No matter what app you're in, the shade drops smoothly into place when you pull it down, dragging your finger from the top. (Just opposite the window shade is the pull-up app menu. If you run out of room on your three desktop screens, you'll be visiting here for lesser used programs.)

Long Clicks: One convention that's used often—but not consistently—is the long press. Long presses are a mix between right clicking and playing the lottery. Hold down an area of the screen—you may see a menu pop up or you may get absolutely nothing. Long click on the main screen and it asks you which app shortcut you want to move to your desktop. Long click on the text message screen and you'll be prompted to delete or view a thread. Long click on Google Maps or a page in the browser, however, and nothing happens.

Interface: As we have observed, the UI suffers from general usability issues such as inconsistent actions or surprisingly unclickable regions like the browser's URL bar or the home screen's clock. But when you use it, you realize it is kinda pretty. Like the window shade, many of the transparencies, transitions, fade-ins, fade-outs, popups and other UI elements are slick, and definitely win out in aesthetics over smartphones like Windows Mobile. Compared to the iPhone, it still loses, but this comes down to a lack of multitouch capability—on the G1, for instance, you zoom by clicking + and - magnifier buttons. Like I said, it's definitely a solid OS, but it also needs some real work by some UI experts to make it easier to pick up and play with.

Apps Contacts: Phone contacts sync nicely with Google's Gmail contacts—great if you use Gmail, and an extra place to backup your contacts if you don't. You can even scroll through them fast by dragging a bar on the right. The problem though is that the quick-scroll dragger is hyper-sensitive, and holding your finger still in one place can make the phone jitter between letters. Each contact has a default phone number displayed under his name—when you tap a contact it feels like you're dialing his number, even though you're just pulling up details.

Mail: There are actually two mail programs on the G1: Mail and Gmail. Mail lets you manage five accounts, while Gmail makes you tie your phone to just one account. But Gmail is one of the best apps on the phone, giving you 90% of the desktop features you use on a day-to-day basis. Archiving, labeling, reporting spam, deleting and starring are super easy and sync to webmail almost instantly. The best part of this Gmail implementation is that it's push the only push Gmail on any mobile device (Helio's phones also have it). T-Mobile failed to mention its cool keyboard shortcuts—I had to fiddle to figure out that you can hit "r" for reply or "a" to reply all. (Surely there are more.) A dumb flaw is that it won't auto-complete names when you start with someone's last name. I have to sort through 10 Brians to find Lam's address, when I should be able to just type Lam and have this be smart enough to figure out who I mean.

Marketplace: The Marketplace is divided into Games and Applications, with sub-categories such as Lifestyle, Productivity, Shopping and Tools. Downloading and installing apps are pretty much 1-click, like the iPhone App Store, and most apps launch just fine. However, since most developers don't have an actual Android phone to test their apps on, a lot of programs will be sluggish or even crash-prone in the first few weeks. Expect this to be fixed soon.

IM: The IM app is a very good client that supports AIM, Google Talk, Windows Live (MSN), and Yahoo. It's intuitive, works well with the keyboard and even offers background notification—unlike iPhone—so you can switch to other apps but still get incoming messages delivered to you via the top status bar.

Browser: The G1 browser, like Chrome on the desktop, is based on WebKit, the open source browser engine that also powers Safari and Mobile Safari. This means it's pretty damn good. That said, the lack of multitouch gestures in Android's version makes zooming a pain. It doesn't have Flash support (YouTube gets forwarded to the YouTube app) and it doesn't auto-zoom to maximize the column you want to read in your display. It can, however, remember your password for logins, like a desktop browser does.

Google Maps: Gmaps has most of what you'll find in the desktop version, including Satellite, Traffic and Street View. Once you turn on GPS, the phone's fairly decent at locating where you are even indoors, and Compass View is a gimmick that works sometimes and doesn't work other times—but then again, spinning around like an idiot makes you look like an idiot all the time.

Music Player: It's no iPod, but the G1's built-in music player gets the job done decently. It fits in fairly well with the rest of the Android experience, but we're definitely looking at third-party apps like TuneWiki to pick up the slack here. That's not to say the Music app is bad—it's perfectly fine. It's just not great.

Third-Party Apps: Some of the more promising apps like Tunes Remote, TuneWiki and Video Player aren't as fleshed out and stable as we like. Tunes Remote lags and crashes a lot, TuneWiki can't find our music and Video Player only supports a handful of codecs. We expect these all to be fixed soon. Other apps like AccuWeather, Barcode Scanner and Pac-Man work just fine despite being developed on the Android emulator. We're looking forward to good things here.

Verdict The G1 phone and the Android operating system are not finished products. There are only three working Google Apps here—Gmail, Maps and Calendar—while Google Docs, Google News, Google Reader, Google Shopping, Google Images, Google Video, Blogger and Picasa are nowhere to be found. What's the deal?

We have high hopes for third-party coders to fill in gaps Google intentionally or unintentionally left in this OS. There's already a video player, and we're sure VLC will try and port some kind of version over. But your question is not whether the phone will be great down the line, it's whether or not it's good enough for you to buy it now.

The answer depends most on who you are. Despite all the UI quirks and bad design decisions, it's still better than other smartphone OSes out there. It's not perfect, but for people who like tinkering, its cons are outweighed by its pros such as Gmail and the Marketplace. Hopefully Android updates and more ports of Google apps will augment not just future phones but this one too. This isn't something you're going to give your mom for Christmas, but if you're an adventuresome gadget guy with some money to spend ($179) on a totally new, pretty exciting venture, then why not?

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Map Your Facebook Friends In a Few Clicks

You know who your Facebook friends are, but can you visualize where they are? You might be surprised when you see “Where My Friends Be?,” a Google Maps mashup with all of their locations pinpointed, showing you just how far-flung your friends really are.

We’ve seen other Facebook/Google Maps mashups before, but this one’s different from other friend-mappers. It’s fast, it takes just a few seconds to click into, and suddenly it’s dropping little pins all over the globe, showing you precisely where your pals reside. Says one of its developers, Ajay Mehta:

“Surprisingly, there aren’t a lot of apps like this. There were a few that were very poorly developed and eventually canceled years ago. They weren’t this visual either, most had a lame loading bar or something similar and the mapping was laggy/slow. We have friends pop onto the map in a cool, interactive way (which was the hardest part to hack together).”

Written by college freshmen Ajay Mehta, Wesley Zhao and Dan Shipper, the mashup gives you a quick way to remind yourself that you’re not in Kansas anymore, and neither are your friends. Unless, of course, you all live in Kansas.

The enthusiasm of these frosh is infectious. Future Zuckerbergs?

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