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Thursday, January 6, 2011

24 hours with the Google Nexus S: part two

Mark Bridge writes:

So there I was with my Nexus S, a cup of tea and the challenge of synchronising calendar, contacts, tasks and notes from Microsoft Outlook. I’d found Syncdroid.net and its list of suggestions… and then an email arrived on my phone from the ‘Android Team’

“Welcome to Nexus S” it said.

Nice work, I thought. You’ve noticed that I’ve set up my phone with my Google account and sent me a message. Could this be serendipitous?

Google and Samsung have partnered to bring you Nexus S, a pure Google experience phone. Learn more:

Register your Nexus S for access to premium support from Samsung
Visit our
Nexus S Help page for a full list of help resources
Watch Nexus S on our
YouTube channel

Once registered, you can contact Samsung directly at +1 855-EZ2NEXUSS (+1 855-392-6398) for support.

Sign up to to receive updates and promotions about Nexus S.

Enjoy!

A shame it’s so obviously aimed at the US market but, what the heck, let’s give it a go. Tap the help link and… see a page that invites me to visit the Nexus S Help site. Okay, try again. Tap the link… and, no, that’s not very helpful. An on-screen circular device with Call Us, Email Us, Twitter, Hot Deals, Videos and Mobile Pulse options. Doesn’t seem very mobile-friendly. Still, let’s try Mobile Pulse.

Good guess. “Google and Samsung Nexus S Resource Center”. Hit Nexus S FAQs and…

Oh, dear me.

How Do I Charge The Battery On My Generic GSM GT-i9020T (Nexus S) Phone?

What Items Come With My Generic GSM GT-i9020T (Nexus S) Phone?

How Do I Insert Or Remove The Battery Cover, Battery, Or SIM Card From My Generic GSM GT-i9020T (Nexus S) Phone?

What Do The Different Icons Mean On My Generic GSM GT-i9020T (Nexus S) Phone?

Where & How Do I Obtain A Copy Of Samsung Kies For My Generic GSM GT-i9020T (Nexus S) Phone?

…and many more in a similar vein.

Horribly depressing. You’d think someone could have done better. In fact, I know someone could have done better. Even the person who did it could have done better.

Let’s pop back to Syncdroid.net and continue with my Outlook challenge. Companionlink.com looks like the best bet for what I’m after – but its nothing like as straightforward as my old Windows Mobile device. That’s a shame.

As a quick fix, I’ve synchronised my Outlook calendar with the Google calendar – and I’ve imported my Outlook contacts into Gmail. (Selecting the CSV DOS export option from Outlook works nicely). That’ll do for now.

And I’ve added a few more apps: well, I had to see what all the Angry Birds fuss was about, plus there’s Foursquare, Friendroid (a FriendFeed client), Gowalla, Kitchen Timer, Last.fm, the LinkedIn beta, OI Safe for a few passwords, TweetDeck and my first paid app: HiFiCorder.

I appreciate the warning with every app that explains which services and features it’s able to access

In fact, I’m enjoying most aspects of the phone. I’m even inclined to offer that much-abused description: ‘intuitive’.

But I really should have thought more about the Microsoft Outlook issues. As someone who tends to rely on Outlook for email, contacts, calendar, tasks and notes, I’m struggling to find a sync solution I’m happy with. Mind you, I’ve only been using the phone for a day. I’ll let you know how my searching goes!

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Opinion Articles

Mobile optimised websites v native applications for mobile devices

James Rosewell writes:

51Degrees.mobi's figures show 10 per cent of web traffic in the UK originates from mobile devices. In India this figure rises to over 90 per cent. With global mobile internet usage expected to grow from 14 million at the end of 2010 to 788 million by the end of 2015, every business needs a strategy for mobile connectivity.

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Last week at The Fonecast: 5th December 2011

Mark Bridge writes:

Season of goodwill?  Not in the mobile phone industry.

Orange UK is putting its prices up next month. It says the 4.34% rise is less than inflation, so you might think customers would be pleased. You’d be wrong. Also unhappy are many people who’ve discovered Carrier IQ software embedded on their phones. Fortunately for the UK mobile industry, most of those people seem to be in the United States. And there was unhappiness in Egypt as Twitter’s acquisition of privacy and security company Whisper Systems saw Whisper’s mobile encryption applications taken (temporarily) offline.

Author: The Fonecast
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My phone isn't spying on me... and yours probably isn't, either

Mark Bridge writes:

“Mobile operators track who you call. In other news, banks know how much money is in your account and utility companies know where you live.”

At the end of a week in which so-called ‘spyware’ on mobile phones had been creating headlines, this tweet from Benedict Evans offered an alternative perspective.

Author: The Fonecast
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Farmers want QR cows, infrared sheep and mobile-controlled sheepdogs

Mark Bridge writes:

A brainstorming day run by T-Mobile UK with a dozen farmers, M&C Saatchi Mobile, the National Farmers Union and EBLEX (the organisation for the English beef and sheep industry) has resulted in some fascinating mobile-focussed solutions. The aim was to raise awareness of the benefits that smartphone technology can bring farmers and other small business owners.

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Mobile marketing in 2012: ten predictions for the year from 2ergo

John Barratt, product lead for 2ergo, predicts what lies ahead within the mobile marketing arena for retailers in 2012:

1. Mobile search marketing spend to increase significantly in 2012.

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