Review: Nokia Asha 311

Three things first attracted me to the Nokia Asha 311:

1) It's extremely small size. (~3.5")

2) It's completely unique operating system, Asha OS, designed to bring the design and much of the feature set of larger smartphones to a single-core 1Ghz feature phone.

3) A price tag just a hair over $100. For this low amount, users get to experience an entirely new platform on an unlocked device that costs less than most subsidized on-contract devices cost.

After spending good time with the device, it's clear to me that the Asha 311 neither wishes to compete with smartphones, or to be mistaken for one. That's totally fair for $100, but some of the more worrying flaws of the device have nothing to do with unfair comparisons to more heavyweight hardware.

Certain key device features seem to be either heavily obscured, or left completely out. For instance, why isn't there an easy method to manage data or format memory cards? There's a settings panel for viewing usage, much like Android's. But when it comes to wiping the Micro SD card the best tutorial I found online seemed to suggest that the only method for performing a Micro SD wipe was accessible through the Gallery app. This is odd, since the card is used for a lot more than pictures. To make matters worse, the Gallery app on my Asha 311 refused to open at all. It reliably crashed every time I tried to open it. This was probably due to its trying to render thumbnails of unsupported media -- the media I wanted to wipe off the Micro SD in the first place (just a guess) but this wouldn't have been a blocking issue if wiping the SD card had been properly supported through the Settings menu.

So I can hear you saying, "but Asha OS is young! Nokia will continue to update and support it to fix issues like that."

That's unfortunately untrue, as Nokia's recent acquisition by Microsoft will almost certainly kill off any hope for an update to Asha OS. It is the next promising-but-underdeveloped OS in line to be axed by Nokia execs who seem willing to dump zillions of dollars into early development, but no time or money into supporting and iterating an OS into a success story.

Think about iOS at launch, and how limited that was. Think about Android 1.0 on the G1. Neither of those were stunning. They both lacked polish and basic features, taking years to become the slick and attractive systems they now are.

Nokia has a knack for launching OSes that are actually more polished than either Android or iOS at launch, and then swiftly killing them off without allowing any resources to support their improvement. Maemo, Meego, Asha... All the same pattern. All that hard work being continuously thrown away.

So back to the Asha 311: don't expect any improvement on what comes out of the box. What comes out of the box is a limited, attractive, low-spec entry-level feature phone with a better-than average touch interface that showcases loads of promise which will never be developed further.

The 3 Megapixel rear camera takes fuzzy dim photos that look like they're from a camera-phone from the mid-'90s.

The slick plastic back swiftly becomes a greasy embarrassing mess (beyond the complaints you'll hear about Samsung phones. This is actually worse.)

The app grid interface looks pleasant, and a lot like Meego, but I was unable to locate an option to delete apps, and there were plenty of bloatware game "Demos" making my grid less than attractive. There's also an "EA Games Gift" which supposedly gives you access to a large number of EA Game titles, but touching that icon just forwarded me to a "no results" screen of the Market. Frustrating that I'm stuck with such a useless icon on my app grid.

I found the touchscreen to be nicely responsive, but the frame rate of the OS overall was very low. Felt like moving around the interface was happening at about 15fps.

If you want to spend a little over $100 on a small phone, there are plenty of good options for you, and they're all running Android. You shouldn't feel bad for going mainstream in this case, because what you're doing is supporting an ecosystem that has made time and resources available for quality iteration.

It needs mentioning that if you double your money, you could have a Nexus 4, one of the smoothest, most versatile phones available on the market. It really makes me question the validity of spending $100 on the Asha 311.

Thank You, Google, for Android 4.3

You may have read it elsewhere, but I'm speaking from personal experience right now when I tell you that Android 4.3 on my 2012 Nexus 7 totally revives this hardware. It's really true what people are saying. This machine now performs as smoothly as the Nexus 4 is famous for doing.

I'm very pleased with the responsiveness upgrade, which people are saying is due to implementation of better memory management. Whatever the cause, my Nexus 7 feels like modern hardware again, and I love it.

Reasons the Ubuntu Edge Will Succeed

I've read a lot lately about why it's likely that the Ubuntu Edge campaign will fail. While I'm a born pessimist, I don't agree that the failure of the campaign is a foregone conclusion, or even likely.

In fact, while I agree that the goal hitting $32,000,000 within a month sounds a little insane, the hardcore crowd that this device is aimed at have proven in the past to be a greater force than pundits acknowledge. And they're not a financially strapped set of fellows, either.

This BoingBoing write-up details a Humble Indie Bundle campaign in which Linux gamers, for example, were twice as generous as Windows gamers, and 40% more generous than Mac users -- the stereotypically "rich" set. In other words, those Linux users are not using Linux because it's cheap. I believe they're using it because they are fans of bleeding-edge technology, and they want to be involved in the creation of that technology.

That is exactly the demographic that will support the Ubuntu Edge Superphone.

Here are some other reasons I think the Ubuntu Edge can succeed, both short-term in the campaign phase, and long-term as a true superphone showpiece:

• Linux users care about supporting and being a part of new tech.
• Linux users don't care as much about jumping into a vast and established app ecosystem; they are just as likely to want to be a part of the creation of that ecosystem as they are likely to want to avail themselves of it. (For example, for a standard user, a smartphone without Instagram is a major bummer. A Linux user does not need or want Instagram as much as they want to help code the eventual replacement.)
• A lot of unforeseen things could happen to support the campaign. New price points added; new perks added; numerous management and promotional decisions will shape the remaining days of the campaign in ways that disrupt current predictions.
• The campaign has currently been savvy enough to remain on schedule, against odds.
• As the dollar amount inches closer to the final target, optimism will overtake doubt and it will be possible that a burst of funding will result from a final push. The press loves an impossible last-minute victory, and will give the campaign nonstop attention if it's anywhere near the goal in the final week.
• High-paid Linux professionals want this to succeed. They want the exclusive phone. One or several of them may be willing to make an insane contribution in the final days of the campaign, if less well-funded users don't step up.

So if you're on the fence about supporting the Ubuntu Edge, because someone has told you it's not likely to happen, I encourage you to go ahead and sign up for your new phone. Remember, there's no "wait and see" in this case. The phone either gets funded, or it doesn't, and those not involved in the campaign will never be able to buy it at retail.

Review: Sony Xperia ZL

Key Specs

Processor: Qualcomm MDM9215M / APQ8064, Quad-core @ 1.5 GHz
Storage - Internal: 16Gb
Storage - External: Up to 32Gb via MicroSD
RAM: 2Gb
Battery: 2370 mAh
Camera: 13 Megapixels
Camera - Front: 2.2 Megapixels

First Impressions

I've already reviewed the Xperia Z which I had high hopes for, but was ultimately quite disappointed with. However, most of my issues with the Z had directly to do with the inconvenience of the hardware's waterproof design, coupled with the large, clumsy phone body with sharp glass edges that made me feel like I was either about to drop it, and/or actually wanted to drop it.

Due to that, I stayed positive about the ZL that I received in the mail a couple days ago. The device, which is ~$100 cheaper than the Xperia Z retains all of the same internal specs and the same screen, while replacing the body of the device with a regular, textured rubberized plastic phone backing. The ports aren't covered with fiddly little glass caps, and the size of the device is slightly reduced, all while adding a dedicated camera button, a slightly larger battery, and support for the T-Mobile HSPA+ network (a must, for me -- possibly not important at all for you).

In short, this is the phone that I thought the Z was going to be. Due to the hardware "compromises" this cheaper device is actually much more of what I want from a phone, and I'm very pleased with it.

Yes, the back is "plastic" and yes, people are having a negative reaction to that lately. But it's miles more comfortable to hold than the Xperia Z and at the same time, much more premium in the hand than a Galaxy SIII so I don't think there's a real complaint to be had here. I also love having normal, unencumbered access to the headphone jack and USB port. Things you take for granted, until they're taken away.

What's a "PlayNow™?"

My complaints about Sony's version of Android running at this pixel density are already documented, and hold true for the ZL too, but after using the ZL as a primary device for a couple days, my new complaint is focused on Sony's exclusive, built-in apps. What a waste! What the heck is a "PlayNow" and why is it's blurry little low-res icon sitting amongst my other pre-installs? I launched it and the first time, it crashed. The second time, it timed out with an annoying blank screen, and the third time it finally loaded up an unimpressive-looking HTML interface seems to have been coded about five years ago, and populated with a bunch of throw-away game trials and media I'd never heard of, with preview images at the incorrect resolution for the ZL's pixel density. This is not the way for Sony to make money. Where is the effort that could have been spent on this? Why bother including this at all, if it's so utterly abandoned?

The same story holds true for Sony's much-vaunted "PSM" Android app, which was originally intended to let us sign into our Playstation Network accounts and buy original PS1 games, as well as exclusive new titles tailored to Sony's high-end hardware. Does anybody remember this promise? Well, it might have died, but the app remains.

I logged in to find that none of the purchases I made on my PSP (even of PS1 games) were available to download. Fine; I understand that. But I don't understand why none of the PS1 games I purchased on other Xperia phones were available to download either. They were all mysteriously missing from the market and from my download menu, where they used to live. Surely this hardware, which is leagues above that old Xperia hardware should be able to play the games, right? Have they just been removed entirely? Even after I purchased them? Needless to say, I wasn't happy about that.

However, those are all things I could have brought up in my Xperia Z review as well, and really have nothing to do with the hardware or everyday user experience. I wish I could single-handedly convince Sony to either put real work and weight behind these software efforts, but the truth is I'm more than happy with the regular Google Play store game offerings, and I guess I'll just ignore Sony's apps like everyone else does. I'll just say that they'd have a real customer in me if they'd ever really support one of these attempts of theirs.

The Specs

These are last-generation specs, which is a little bit frustrating. Why is Sony launching a device now that features a quad-core 1.5Ghz processor, 2 gigs of ram, and an Antutu benchmark of 16,954? This device is not significantly more powerful than the Galaxy SIII that you've had in your pocket for a year, which scores a 16,301 on Antutu's test. However, it is significantly less powerful than the Galaxy S4 that is about to launch in a month or so. Furthermore, the OS's frame rate and overall fluidity of interaction on Sony's Z and ZL stutter a great deal more than what I've seen in other build's of Jellybean, even on significantly less powerful devices.

Final Thoughts

For me, the supposedly cheaper hardware of the ZL is a huge improvement over the all-glass, uncomfortable construction of the Z. Comfort matters in a mobile design. It's why I keep going back to my Galaxy SIII even though the interface is butt-ugly and the phone feels like it was made out of milk jugs. Sony's Xperia ZL is the first Xperia device I would recommend to anyone in a long while, and I give it higher marks than the Z purely on that basis. However in many ways the specs make it a last-generation Android phone, possibly launching too late to be relevant to many who will be considering it in the coming two months.

Rating

Build Quality: 8/10
Screen: 9/10
Camera: 9/10
Processor Power: 9/10
Battery: 5/10
OS / Software: 7/10

Overall: 7.8/10

Real Talk about 'Facebook Home' Android Launcher

Facebook is a fact of life for most of my friends in the tech industry. I've seen firsthand the impact that not having a Facebook profile can cause to hiring decisions, networking, and even whether or not friends will include you in their social engagements. These days, not having a Facebook profile has real negative financial and social consequences. Many years ago, when I signed up to reconnect with my college buddies, I'm not sure this is what I was signing up for.

So the very idea of installing a more pervasive version of Facebook on my Android device does not appeal to me.

But to be more specific:

1. I don't trust Facebook to provide an efficient or well-coded Android experience. I have never seen them do so with the standard app, and am genuinely appalled at the idea of handing over my primary device interaction to developers who seemingly don't value UX. Why would I give them my primary user experience, when they have never handled a secondary one particularly well?
2. This whole battle about who controls access to my information is becoming a little unnerving to me. Each month, it seems like the curtain is pulled back a little further.
3. Once and for all, Facebook is not about connecting us with friends. It's about watching our connections and selling the data that they generate. Facebook tries to warm-and-fuzzy this up, but it's not warm, or fuzzy. It's a business model that I wish didn't exist, and no amount of feel-good footage of happy frolicking hipsters with sun glinting into the camera lens is going to change that.
4. I'd like companies to stop trying to hijack Android, but it's not going to happen, and I guess I have Google to blame for that. Android should have been closed. This whole 'open' thing is not working for them, because it only results in cheap, nasty devices and bad user experiences that tarnish the reputation of the platform. If every Android device were a Nexus, or the quality of a Nexus, this image problem we have now would not exist, sales numbers be damned.

So, in a word, "no." I will not be installing Facebook Home. I will be uninstalling the Facebook app if it nags me to install Home very often.

Review: Sony Xperia Z

Key Specs

Processor: Qualcomm MDM9215M / APQ8064, Quad-core @ 1.5 GHz
Storage - Internal: 16Gb
Storage - External: Up to 32Gb via MicroSD
RAM: 2Gb
Battery: 1800 mAh
Camera: 13 Megapixels
Camera - Front: 2.2 Megapixels

First Impressions

The Sony Xperia Z looks incredible in photos. The specs that look awesome on paper. The phone, itself, is less fabulous than the combination of its looks and specs would lead you to believe, though. As is often the case with Sony products, there are one or two sore points so egregious that they end up holding the entire product back, almost unfairly.

I was very excited when I received my review unit of the Xperia Z, having slobbered over press photos, and read the stories about how this was Sony going "all in" to rescue their position as a premium handset maker. This time, the story goes, Sony was going to get it all right, and really impress us with their combination of top-tier internals and stunning hardware design.

Having been personally burned by last generation's Xperia S and the cute but egregiously underpowered Xperia Sola I wanted to believe that the Z was the comeback story that Sony has needed. However, I don't think the truth is as generous as that.

First of all, this much ballyhooed waterproof design is a major annoyance. There may have been some double-digit number of marine life experts loudly demanding a top-end waterproof phone, but I have doubts that this feature was actually requested or wanted by many members of the general public. Sure, it'd be a fine assurance to have if there weren't such a steep cost to the convenience of the device, but due to the phone being waterproof, all of the ports (including your most-used ports such as headphones and USB port) are covered by fiddly little rubber plugs with precariously attached glass facades on top to make them blend with the rest of the phone's all-glass design. They are beyond annoying, and I have no doubt that the glass top layer on these plugs will eventually fall off with repeated use. The glass layer also makes them difficult to get a finger under, when you want access. It's just not worth it, when you realize you'll need to do this multiple times a day.

Secondly, the fact that the entire phone is covered in glass goes beyond stylish to obnoxious. I can deal with a LG Nexus 4 because A) The glass is only on the front and back, B) The sides are comfortable to grip and C) The glass on the Nexus 4 is very smooth and smudge-resistant. On the Xperia Z, the phone is very wide, very tall, very thin, and covered by glass back, front, top, bottom, left, and right edges. It feels just awful to hold. Almost unfinished. The glass on the sides is particularly uncomfortable as it cuts into the hand. It doesn't look so good outside of glossy human-free product photos, because it smudges up and gets grimy almost instantly. Do you really want to be wiping down all six surfaces of your giant glass-encased phone on a regular basis?

Interface

The interface of Sony's current-generation phones is something I'm starting to take issue with. As far as customized versions of Android go, I have always found Sony's flavor to be tasteful, though not particularly superior to stock. However, the looks of Sony's UI have not changed significantly since it was targeting ~480x840 pixel devices, with a PPI of ~250. Taking those same elements and simply increasing the image fidelity of them to suite a screen that is 1080x1920 at 441 PPI -- it doesn't work so well. You can tell these elements were designed to look good at significantly smaller size and pixel density. Mind you, I'm not saying the UI is up-sampled or pixelated. It has been refreshed to take advantage of the new monster screen, but the fact remains that it was designed for something smaller and less detailed, so looking at it on a Z, there's a strange impression that the interface has yawning chasms of blank space and an overall lack of detail.

Battery Life

Also, battery life isn't good. I'm not sure what kinds of tests people ran to achieve the quoted, "11 hours" of talk time, but I don't use my phones for talking very often. Mostly I use them for gaming, web browsing, email, and checking my calendar. With that combination of activities, I was only able to get about 4 hours out of the Xperia Z before it was demanding to be charged again. I can't imagine that working out well for anyone's schedule. I believe that device makers need to embrace the fact that users are increasingly using their phones for screen-on activities -- we need bigger batteries built in, even if it means going back to thicker phones. Nobody has been demanding extremely thin phones, but we have all been begging for more potent batteries for years.

What about the Camera?

The camera in the Xperia Z takes big 13 Megapixel photos, like most members of the upcoming generation. But unfortunately, the quality of them is only on par with the photos I have taken with my 8 Megapixel Galaxy S3, and the customized camera software is not very user-friendly or accessible. I much prefer the interface inovations that Google's stock camera on the Nexus 4 provides, over the larger size of the Xperia Z's photos.

Specs-wise, with the Z hitting benchmarks at about the same place as the much-cheaper Nexus 4 (and in light of the other issues I've listed) I continue to admire the design goals of the Xperia Z, and I applaud Sony's efforts to up the build quality of their already-attractive devices, I don't think it's a good choice for comfortable daily use.

Though I'm noticing the reviews seem to favor the Z elsewhere on the 'net, I would actually recommend the slightly cheaper ZL over the Z if you're dead-set on a new Sony Xperia phone. It has the same specs, the same great screen, no waterproof-necessary port covers to contend with, and a textured back that at least removes some of the discomfort of holding the device.

Rating

Build Quality: 6/10
Screen: 9/10
Camera: 9/10
Processor Power: 9/10
Battery: 4/10
OS / Software: 7/10

Overall: 7.3/10

Update: Meizu MX2 Upgrade to Flyme OS 2.2 Brings Bug Fixes

Just a couple days ago I reviewed the Meizu MX2, and though extremely positive, I sited the unusual combination of onscreen "back" and "menu" + hardware home button as an unfortunate cause of bugs in some of my preferred apps like Rdio, and Twitter's official client.

Literally the morning after publishing my review, I received a push update to the newest version of Flyme OS, 2.2, in which the behavior of the onscreen hardware buttons seems to have been greatly improved. I am no longer experiencing as much broken compatibility, due to them. Also the vertical height of the status bar at the top of the home screen seems to have been reduced to a normal size, which may also be helping compatibility with apps.

Furthermore, I am now experiencing much smoother performance, overall. Though the prior Flyme was already based on Jellybean, I'm now really feeling the "Jellybean" smoothness that so many other Android users are familiar with.

Due to this update, the Meizu MX2 has become an even better choice for a small, powerful Android device, in my assessment. Even though not officially released in English-speaking countries, I think this is one of the best English-language Android phones of the current device generation. Though not stock Android, by a long way, I love the device so much, I think of it like a tiny Nexus 4 with more storage and otherwise very similarly impressive performance.