The new iPhone OS4 has more than 100 new feature but the most prominent features are below:

• Multitasking: Now you can run your favorite third-party apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.
• Folders: Organize apps into folders with drag-and-drop simplicity. Get faster access to your favorites and browse and manage up to 2160 apps.
• Even better Mail: See messages from all your accounts in a unified inbox, organize messages by threads, open attachments in third-party apps, and more.
• iBooks: More than a great ebook reader, iBooks is also an amazing place to browse and shop for books, day or night.
• Create playlists: Create custom playlists right on your iPhone.
• 5x digital zoom: Get closer to your subjects by zooming in up to 5x.
• Tap to focus video: While shooting video, tap the display to choose where to focus.
• Faces and Places in Photos: View photos based on who’s in them and where they were taken.
• Home screen wallpaper: Change the background wallpaper on your Home screen.
• Gift apps: Send apps as gifts to your friends or family.
• Spell checking: A built-in dictionary automatically suggests words and corrects spelling. It works in Mail, Notes, and other apps.
• Wireless keyboard support: Pair a keyboard based on Bluetooth wireless technology with your iPhone.

The new iPhone 4

Google's Nexus One Phone

The key features of Nexus One are:

• Manufactured by HTC.
• The Nexus One features dynamic noise suppression from Audience, Inc.
• A large 3.7″ OLED display for deep contrast and brilliant colors.
• GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ chipset for blazing speeds.
• Running on Android 2.1, the newest version of Eclair
• The software includes innovations like a voice-enabled keyboard so you can speak into any text field
• Fun Live Wallpapers
• A 3D photo gallery for richer media experiences and lots more.
• Of course, it also comes with a host of popular Google applications, including Gmail, Google Voice and Google Maps Navigation.

Google's Nexus One Phone

Google announced the launch of its new generation of super-phones starting with  Nexus One.

Along-with the announcement of the phone Google has adapted a new strategy for selling phones i.e. through its online Google Store. Currently the phone is being offered as unlocked phone for $529.00 (Buy the phone without service and insert your own SIM card) and you can also buy a subsidized phone from T-mobile for $179.00 (You must be eligible for service and accept a new two year contract to qualify for this pricing. Existing T-Mobile customers may qualify for upgrade pricing). Also, Google plan to add more phones and operators in future. The best part of this strategy is that the phone is not tied with one mobile operator unlike its main competitor Apple’s iPhone.

As per Google’s release:

“Well, today we’re pleased to announce a new way for consumers to purchase a mobile phone through a Google hosted web store. The goal of this new consumer channel is to provide an efficient way to connect Google’s online users with selected Android devices. We also want to make the overall user experience simple: a simple purchasing process, simple service plans from operators, simple and worry-free delivery and start-up.

The first phone we’ll be selling through this new web store is the Nexus One — a convergence point for mobile technology, apps and the Internet. Nexus One is an exemplar of what’s possible on mobile devices through Android — when cool apps meet a fast, bright and connected computer that fits in your pocket. The Nexus One belongs in the emerging class of devices which we call “superphones.” It’s the first in what we expect to be a series of products which we will bring to market with our operator and hardware partners and sell through our online store.”

Only time can tell whether this strategy will work or not in US market but I definitely believe it is the right way for a phone manufacturer to go i.e. let the device be independent of service provider and consumers make the ultimate choice of operator. Just like you buy a TV and then choose your cable operator independently.

Read the reviews and more details about Google Nexus here.

Google's Nexus One Phone

Google has launched its own phone Nexus One.

The reviews across the web have been mixed:

Techcrunch says:

Overall the Android is a superior mobile device, particularly when paired with Google Voice. Google is calling this the first of the Super Phones. And they may not be exaggerating all that much.

The Nexus One is an important milestone in the smartphone market. This is a software company, frustrated with making compromises with hardware manufacturers, that has taken the product bull by the horns. HTC makes the phone, but the branding is mostly Google and it’s clear that they directed every aspect of the development of this phone. It’s Google’s vision of the perfect Android device, from the huge and beautiful screen and massively fast Snapdragon processor to the software elegance of Google Navigation, Live Wallpaper and the Voice Keyboard. When combined with Google Voice there is no phone on the market today that can touch the Nexus One.

Unlike previous Android phones, and I’ve used most of them, the Nexus One has no obvious flaws or compromises. The phone is the state of the art in mobile, and I will use it happily. Until, as I always say, something better comes along.

Mashable says:

Overall, it’s what we expected: a slick, fast Android smartphone meant to be a true competitor to the Apple iPhone. It provides some new features (the voice technology is especially impressive) and is fast, but we’ll have to wait to see whether or not this is the phone that will give Apple a run for its money.

Wall Street Journal says:

The Nexus One finally has the right combination of hardware and software to give Android a champion that might attract more people away from their iconic iPhones and BlackBerrys. It has a larger screen than Apple’s phone, and is a bit thinner, narrower and lighter—if a tad longer. And it boasts a better camera and longer talk time between battery charges.

Finally, the iPhone is still a better apps platform. Not only are there more apps, but, in my experience, iPhone apps are generally more polished and come in more varieties.

But, with its fresh phone and bold business model, Google is taking Android to a new level, and that should ramp up the competition in the super-smart-phone space.

Engadget Review says:

Industry politics aside, though, the Nexus One is at its core just another Android smartphone. It’s a particularly good one, don’t get us wrong — certainly up there with the best of its breed — but it’s not in any way the Earth-shattering, paradigm-skewing device the media and community cheerleaders have built it up to be. It’s a good Android phone, but not the last word — in fact, if we had to choose between this phone or the Droid right now, we would lean towards the latter.

Check out the post by BillShrink: NEXUS ONE VS IPHONE, DROID & PALM PRE – TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP

Find the best cell phone plans and more graphics at BillShrink.com

Watch Nexus One Official YouTube video:

Hands-On With The LG Expo Projector Phone – PC Magazine:

CES 2009: LG Cell Phone Projector

Recently the Gwent Police Department produced a video, the PSA (public service announcement) sends out a graphic visual to illustrate the dangers of texting while driving. It currently isn’t being aired on U.S. television and to even view the ad on YouTube, you must assert you are at least 18. It is a graphic scare tatics used by the producers to scare away especially the teens from texting while driving.

Watch the video below to believe it and respond to the polls below.

Poll 1:

Poll 2:

Pic courtesy: Microsoft OneApp

Microsoft (MSFT) today announced that it is launching OneApp, a new software application that allows “feature phones” to run popular mobile phone applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger and Mobile Wallet.

Feature phones are mobile phones that are capable of running some apps but that lack the capabilities of smartphones.

OneApp actually is targetted for emerging markets where smartphones have yet to make an impact and people are using “feature phones”. This software unlocks the potential of of feature mobile phones and enables people to do more with their phone. The result is a better mobile experience for the many people around the world who want to do more with the phones they already own.

OneApp is designed from the ground up to enable mobile apps to be accessed by feature phones with limited memory and processing capability. For customers, OneApp appears on their phone as a single application where they can then easily access all of their mobile apps:

• The OneApp lightweight on-phone footprint of just 150 KB makes the initial installation easy and fast.
• OneApp dynamically launches just the parts of a mobile app that a person wants to use, eliminating additional installation time and the need for a person to store all of the mobile apps on the phone.
• OneApp includes cloud services that help offload processing and storage from the phone to the Internet, improving overall performance.
• OneApp uses data networks efficiently to reduce data access charges, saving money for the customer.

More about Microsoft OneApp is at http://www.microsoft.com/oneapp.

Possible future applications:

• high-resolution home theater displays
• wearable health monitors
• biomedical imaging devices.

Micro-LED display printed on a thin sheet of plastic, wrapped around a finger. (Credit: Photo by D. Stevenson and C. Conway, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois)

 The team: 

• Collaborative efforts at the University of Illinois.
• John Rogers, the Flory-Founder Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois.
• Xiuling Li, electrical and computer engineering professor, an expert in epitaxial growth.
• Kent Choquette,  electrical and computer engineering professor,a leader in semiconductor optoelectronics.
• Placid Ferreira, mechanical science and engineering professor, developed the printing-based manufacturing tools.
• Researchers at the Institute for High Performance Computing in Singapore provided finite-element studies of the same systems.

From the news release:

“By printing large arrays of ultrathin, ultrasmall inorganic LEDs and interconnecting them using thin-film processing, we can create general lighting and high-resolution display systems that otherwise could not be built with the conventional ways that inorganic LEDs are made, manipulated and assembled,” Rogers said.

Read more details at: http://news.illinois.edu/news/09/0820ultrathin_LED.html

HTC has officially announced their new phone Hero. This is  a first customized Android based phone called HTC’s Sense UI. This is the first phone that supports Flash Technology. HTC cliams “New HTC Hero Delivers More Complete Web Browsing Experience with Adobe Flash Technology“. Seems like Apple’s iPhone needs to some catching up on this end.

As the first Android device with Flash, the new HTC Hero represents a key milestone for Android and the Flash Platform. With close to 80 percent of all videos online delivered with Adobe Flash technology, consumers want to access rich Web content on-the-go.” said David Wadhwani, vice president and general manager, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. “The collaboration with HTC offers people a more complete Flash based Web browsing experience today and presents an important step towards full Web browsing with Flash Player 10 on mobile phones in the future.

Though, its tough to predict if this phone will be an “iPhone Killer” but it seems to be the most advanced and best competitor right now.

Read here to see why I think Android will lead in future.

HTC Official Release: Adobe and HTC Bring Flash Platform to Android

HTC Official Product Page: HTC Hero (Be Brave. Be Yourself)

This update contains over 100 new features, including the following:

• Cut, Copy & Paste with shake to undo

• Landscape keyboard in key applications

• Enhanced Messages application

- Send and receive photos, contacts, audio files, and location via MMS*

- Forward and delete single or multiple messages

• Added search feature in Mail, Calendar, Notes and iPod

• Spotlight search across iPhone

• Support for CalDAV and subscriptions in Calendar

• Improvements to Safari

- Performance

- HTML 5 support

- HTTP Streaming audio and video

- Auto-fill usernames and passwords

• New Voice Memos application

• Sync Notes with a Mac or PC via iTunes

• Internet Tethering over USB and Bluetooth*

• Browse and download movies, TV shows, and audiobooks from the iTunes Store**

• Stereo Bluetooth***

• Wi-Fi auto login

• Enhanced Stocks application

• More Parental Control options for Apps, Music, Movies and TV Shows

• iTunes account creation and login**

• YouTube account login and access to subscriptions, ratings and favorites**

• Shake to shuffle

• New languages, dictionaries, and keyboards

• Find my iPhone and Remote Wipe via MobileMe (subscription required)**

• Support for more Exchange policies

• Create and send Exchange meeting invitations

• Search mail on server (Exchange Server 2007 and supported IMAP servers)

• Search LDAP company directory

• VPN on demand and VPN proxy support

• Encrypted configuration profiles

• Encrypted iTunes backups

• 1,000 new developer APIs, including:

- In App Purchases

- Apple Push Notification Service

- Accessories support

- Peer to Peer Connectivity

- Embedded Maps

- iPod Library Access

• Bug fixes

Products compatible with this software update:

• iPhone

• iPhone 3G

• iPhone 3G S

* Compatible only with iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S and requires support from your wireless provider.

** Not available in all regions or in all languages.

*** Compatible only with iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S.

For feature descriptions and complete instructions, see the user guide for your iPhone at: <http://www.apple.com/support/manuals/iphone>

For more information about iPhone, go to: <http://www.apple.com/iphone>

To troubleshoot your iPhone, or to view additional support information go to: <http://www.apple.com/support/iphone>

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:  <http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222>