Ubuntu 13 10 for Galaxy Nexus first look

I have to say I was very excited to install freshly released Ubuntu 13.10 for Nexus devices. I couldnt resist so I took my old Galaxy Nexus (maguro) and I started the installation procedure. Its very simple to do it all manually. Screenshots below!

I didnt have much time to play with this OS on my device, but so far I have mixed feelings. I am aware its the first public release and it MUST have bugs. Of course all fundamental features are working fine (GPS, modem, camera, Bluetooth, touch panel etc.) and on the project site its clearly stated that:

"It is an experimental development snapshot that can potentially brick your device. It does not provide all of the features and services of a retail phone and cannot replace your current handset. This preview is the first release of a very new and unfinished version of Ubuntu and it will evolve quickly."

So far I had few issues like not responding touch screen, system hangs from time to time or it slows down, so that you cant basically do anything except from reboot. However, in most cases its very snappy. Navigating through the system is completely different than on Android. There are no back or home keys, you need to swipe left/right/down/up and swiping effect is different if you swipe from the centre of the screen or from the edge.

I have a feeling that the whole UI is sort of "too large". Massive icons are taking a lot of space and working with this interface is far from being intuitive. I think that this OS would be much more suitable for tablets instead, where the average screen size is 10".

In current stage this OS is surely not suitable for daily use, but the developers are working very hard to fix all submitted issues and to preview all commits. Here are the screenshots:

Home Screen with 3 additional desktops: Music, Applications and Videos

Lock-screen (swipe left to unlock)

System Settings, About the phone and Battery

Phone, Messages and Contacts

Calendar and Album

Sort of "Quick Settings" available from the notification menu

Installed applications screen and a "must have" app ;)

Weather, Gmail and Notes

Navigation panel (available on every screen, even lock-screen), File Manager and Camera

That would be all for now. I think the first preview of the Ubuntu OS for phones looks very promising, however its officially available only for 3 devices for now and it cant be used as a daily driver just yet.

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Samsung Galaxy Y Pro B5510 Review

Finally, I got my hands on the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro B5510 (also called Samsung Galaxy Txt by some) after my wife bought it for me as a present – I could not wait to write this review of it.

After the initial excitement, I found it to be like any Android 2.3 smartphone – or most them, so I won’t delve into writing much about the OS – which is good by the way.

Form features and ease of use:

Receiving the phone, I first noticed that it was a bit big – enough to almost fill my palm and to dwarf a Samsung B7330 OmniaPRO Windows Mobile smartphone that I also use. My pockets felt a bit heavier as well.

While some guys will find the numeric keys left-side oriented on the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro’s QUERTY keypad as a new experience - most querty phones have the numeric keys in the middle, I had kind of grown to it form using the OmniaPRO.

I did, however, find the ability to ‘touch’ and ‘type’ on the phone, imaginative.

Memory

To compensate for the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro’s very low Internal memory (160MB), it came with a 2GB - at least calming my fears. I am a heavy media consumer, love my games, music, videos and am always downloading new applications.

I still think Samsung could have done something better on the screen which is only at 2.6 Inch – somewhat not relevant for today’s world.

Camera and Video

The Galaxy Y Pro’s 3.2 MegaPixel Camera is sufficient for taking photos outside, or on open areas with good lighting but does not do well in low light. Below is a video taken with the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro B5510.

With a 832 MHz Processor, the phone had reasonably faster speeds when compared with my Omnia Pro and previous Nokia’s running on Symbian.

Battery

The most annoying thing about the phone (maybe it was just a defect on mine), a few days down the line, I noticed that the battery never lasts long – needs a charge almost every 20hrs or less even without excess use. To sum it up, no immediate access to electricity in less than a day, then you are without a phone.

Useful feature:

Find my mobile feature:

When someone inserts a new SIM or USIM card in your device, the Find my mobile feature will automatically send the contact number to specified recipients to help you locate and recover your device. To use this feature, you need a Samsung account for controlling the device from the web remotely. I think this is available for most (if not all) Samsung phones.

I had no problems with the other normal tasks like internet access, texting and calls.

You can also use the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro as a wireless modem or wireless access point for PCs or other devices, and share your device’s mobile network connection via Tethering and portable hotspot or  via USB tethering.

Some specs of the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro below:

•               Dimensions: 110.8 x 63.5 x 11.5 mm

•               Weight: 108.6 gram

•               Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS

•               832MHz Processor

•               3.2 MP Camera

•               2.6 Inch Screen

•               Bluetooth v3.0

•               Internal Memory: 160MB

•               2GB microSD Card included with phone.

•               32GB can be extended by inserting Memory Card

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