TechPaparazzi » Gadgets

Nokia Hits 45 Percent of Second Generation Windows Phone Market Share

Sarv007 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:44:34 +0000

Nokia has recently lunched its very first Windows based phone Smartphone, the Lumia 800 by Nokia in November, 2011, and this initial Windows phone has been launched in the United Sates, and it eventually appears that Nokia has been able to dominate the second generation Windows Phone devices.

Nokia’s Success

Nokia has been able to come across some excellent initial success from its evolutions to exclusively supporting the Windows Phone platform for its high-end devices. The initial sales of Nokia’s first two Windows Phones both Nokia Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 are prone to perched approximately 1.3 million units. This particular data however is not fully verified as yet, but for these two smart phones that were launched back in 2011, November, this is certainly not bad. In addition, the fact is that the Windows Phone is not much sought-after or renowned operating system as yet, and the as Nokia has only launched its very first devices in the region on the United States few weeks ago, and the figures are all pretty much extraordinary.

Occasional Gamer Report

As per a report published by Occasional Gamer, now Nokia has been able to acquire approximately 45% of the entire second generation Windows Phone device market. This particular data is basically an estimation whereas the entity has more than one million game installs on the Windows Phone based platform, therefore it should be very much precise, HTC stands at second place with approximately 40% of the entire Smartphone market share, and Samsung stands third with capturing just 12% of the entire market share.

Devices Launched by Nokia

As a matter of fact, Nokia has just launched its very first Windows Phone 7 Smartphone last year in November, 2011, the figure and the market share it acquires seems exceedingly impressive, and it has been suggested by the industry tech experts that Nokia may also end up being the leading and primary Windows Phone handset manufacturer in the near future.

Rivals!

The Nokia OS rivals’ mainly include iOS and Android. In case Nokia was really able to sell 1.3 million units of its Windows Based Phone in the very first round, its metaphor may be pertinent. If we consider the entire Smartphone market as a warzone, then Nokia may as a matter of fact be moving into an appropriate position. It will not outset Android anytime soon, but the tide perhaps be turning for the stressed and under pressure Finnish maker.

Once it happens, it would be truly amazing to see how accepted and popular Nokia is going to be when it comes to the Smartphone’s industry, and not only Windows Phone devices over the period of next twelve months, furthermore, it has been anticipated that Microsoft and Nokia will become partners and it is certainly going to be a successful venture.

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Exciting Tech gadgets to expect in 2012

Sarv007 — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:36:03 +0000

It’s a new year and there’s a lot of buzz going on about the brilliant new developments that will come over the next 12 months, which promise more fun, power and everyday benefits.

The New iPad3

Rumor has it that Apple is planning to launch the iPad3 sometime during the fourth quarter of this year, according to the Taiwanese site Economic Daily. Though any solid information will have to come directly from the company when they officially unveil it, there have been some popular rumors and hopes. Retina display, better rear camera and even thinner than the iPad2, pushing the boundaries of thinness. Can they go thinner than Samsungs Galaxy Tab 10.1? We’ll wait and see.

Samsung Galaxy S III

Speaking of Samsung, there was a leak through a supposed employee connected to the company in Russia. Yes, we need to take this with a grain of salt, but think of the possibilities. A phone that would work on both Android and Bada OS, runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a quad core 1.5GHz processor? Wow. Follow that up with a 5-inch screen, 9mm thick, a 12 megapixel camera with Xenon flash and a front two megapixel camera in a metal case and USB 3.0.

The iPhone5

Expected to hit the Apple stores in October of 2012, the iPhone5 is going to have to hit the market hard with some amazing features if it hopes to knock back Google’s Android from taking the lead. What does the rumor mill say? Try being the first 4G (LTE) phone on all three US carriers (AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon), an entire front face screen, growing from 3.5 inches to 4 inches, wireless, inductive charging, but putting the phone on a mat—which could be placed anywhere you might set the iPhone down. Data sharing is available through the air via iOS5, so this feature alone could make the iPhone 100% cordless. A faster chip, better display materials and technology, more memory, improved battery and new antenna design advancements will round out the brilliance.

iTV

Apple seems positioned to dominate the year with technological advancements as it also includes the long rumor iTV release. Taiwanese publications claimed Apple is setting up production of Apple TV sets, starting with a screen product line. But analysts aren’t worried about Apple being able to deliver the technology so much as the content deals needed to make it a success. iTunes is great for downloads, but people will be expecting live broadcasts. Cable and satellite may work, but it doesn’t fit Apple’s revolutionary style—which might lean towards Internet or IPTV. Throw in the high probability of voice control and you have another killer gadget to look forward to this year.

Game Systems

Look for some amazing jumps in game play this year as Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo bring it to the table:

Xbox 720 rumors include a cutting edge AMD Fusion chip, Avatar-style graphics, improved artificial intelligence, more computing horsepower, and a new ecosystem of both apps and games to work between Windows Phone, Windows and Xbox 720.
Sony’s PS4 will be hot on the heels of Microsoft, unwilling to let the Xbox grab the victory over next-gen consoles. Taking a good look at the shortcomings of PS3, the future PS4 will finally get the company back on track to what customers and developers wanted all along. This starts with recycling the Cell processor, ungraded chipsets, reduced sized, improved cooling, a massive hard disk, brilliant new graphics processor and a jump in onboard memory.
Wii U sports a new touch screen controller, precision motion controls and awesome, full HD graphics on a 6.2 inch screen. Nintendo may hit a home run with this more services oriented console which includes a rumor of eReader abilities. Wii U is redefining how the TV, the internet and your game console work and interact together.

About the author: Jaime is an avid skier who enjoys writing in her spare time for U.S. Bundles – home of www.usbundles.com

Smart Moves with Smartphones

Sarv007 — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:55:38 +0000

Not everyone in the world uses smartphones, most likely because not everyone realizes exactly what a smartphone can do for them. Never fear though! The moment smartphones emerged, tech-savvy heroes came flocking in smartphoneville. Never again will you need to wonder if you are using your smartphone to its fullest extent.

Droiddog.com, for example, recently published a smartphone infographic that helps people understand the capabilities of their smartphones and how they can better use them. For those looking for more details, here are a few more nuggets of information about your precious smartphone:

Image via Flickr

Use Smartphone to Access the Convenient Zone

For anyone who belongs to the I-don’t-need-a-smartphone-to-get-through-the-day school of thought, think for a moment about finding a telephone number for a business. Now think about whether you would like to flip through the thick-heavy yellow pages or through the cluttered telephone book, or rush to the Internet and pull up all information in ten seconds. It’s not about how we made smartphones a necessity in our lives, but on how they certainly improve our standard of living.

Smartphones also let you have a great level of organization in your life. You can sync calendars and carry them around with you in your pocket. One of the best things about a smartphone is its portability. More portable than the checkbook, day planner or calendar combo, smartphones let you keep track of phone numbers, directions, locations, and schedules. Having your smartphone act as a secretary to keep track of all those things leaves you free to focus on bigger things.

Image Courtesy of Phil Roeder via Flickr

Smartphone: Your Portable Hero

One special nice feature of a smartphone is its almost instantaneous connection to help in case of an emergency. Without one, you have to resort to numbers you have memorized; with a smartphone, you can get in touch with emergency services, family, employers, and others.

Another great thing about smartphones is that they’re with you all the time; they’re practically an extension of yourself. If you’re rushing around getting ready for a flight out of town, you’re smartphone can tell you that the incoming snowstorm delayed the flight for two hours. You can always be reached, not only by phone calls, but by video, text, email, and many other ways.

Scratch the I-don’t-a-smartphone mentality. Nowadays, smartphones are a do-or-die necessity. They really do make life a heck of a lot easier.

Conference Calling With Mobile Applications

Sarv007 — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:41:47 +0000

Conference calling is becoming increasingly popular in the modern business world. It is a fantastic tool for easy communication between employees and external partners and clients and something that is beginning to take advantage of the ever-advancing world of technology. Conference call applications are now in abundance for smartphones and iPhones around the world, so it has never been easier to hold or join a conference to maintain smooth business.

Image provided courtesy of Andres Rueda via flickr creative commons

Companies like PowWowNow and PGi have brought such conference call apps to the world and they are available in the Android Market and the iTunes Store. It is easier than ever to schedule audio conference calls in the palm of your hand. You can arrange it, invite people and send out reminders before the call and add people and put them on hold during the call. You can even choose the music that plays when they are on hold. The audio calls are completely free and, what’s more, you can record the calls you make.

Another wonderful application is Skype, which is also entirely free if every participant in the call has it installed on their device. Group calls are so easy on Skype that you can start them with just one touch – it has a feature whereby you can arrange your contacts into groups and call them collectively with the ‘Call Group’ function.

This function is unfortunately not included in the free version of Skype, but there is a variety of passes available to buy for every kind of business need. If you only require group conference calling for a single day, then there is the day pass at £2.99; 1 month will cost you £4.99, while 3 month and 12 month subscriptions will cost you £4.49 and £3.74 per month respectively.

The PGi app is free to business customers of the company and, again, has the function to record conference calls so you never miss that all important point – gone are the days of scribbling down minutes of every meeting.

Technology is always improving and business is always looking for new ways to incorporate technology to make operations much smoother, which can only mean one thing: conference calling is only going to get better, more efficient and easier to use. The standard is pretty high at the moment, so it will be difficult to make things any easier than they already are with the conference call apps mentioned above.

Win 2 iHelicopters Controlled by iPhone or Android – Christmas Giveaway!

Sarv007 — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:39:42 +0000

iHelicopter is the best Present for this Christmas 2011 to gift to a geek! , and now we are going to make you a Pilot by by giving away brand new iHelicopters to two lucky participants in this Christmas Giveaway. I personally liked the ThinkGizmos iHelicopter, and wish to test my geek skills as soon as ParamountZone.com sends me the review device-iHelicopter Review. But you can now too have this Geeky Gizmo, just by entering a simple contest. This contest is open to all countries.

The Contest Has Ended!

but wait, you can still win 5 awesome gadgets including an iHelicopter here.

What is iHelicopter?

This Chopper can be controlled by iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and many android smartphones. Rather than using a typical remote control the iHelicopter uses mobile technology to get the smart looking gadget off the ground. A simple transmitter is included in the package which fits into the ear phone jack on your handset or compatible device. The user will then need to download a free application(Copter Controller) from the apple app store or android marketplace and start it up once it has been installed. Then you are able to start the fun by controlling the iHelicopter using the touchscreen control panel.

How to participate?

You have to complete few mandatory steps which are compulsory, Which are: Liking TechPaparazzi On Facebook, Following @MrTechPaparazzi At Twitter and Liking this post . You can also complete other steps , which will give you extra points and your chance of winning will increase. We are using Rafflecopter for this giveaway and you will need to do 3 steps which are mandatory.

Get started, participate, and fight to win this smart iHelicopter worth $60 (around Rs. 3,100).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules & Regulations

Last date of participation is ~~December 25, 2011.~~ Winners will now be announced on 18th Dec, So it can reach to lucky winners by Christmas!
We are using RaffleCopter to manage this giveaway. The decision of RaffleCopter will be final and binding.
No spam please. Spamming entries will not be considered at all.
Open to all geographic locations.
Giveaway includes free iHelicopter+Spares and shipping.
Winners will be contacted by email.

Motorola RAZR XT910 Takes Slimness to a New Level

Sarv007 — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:11:17 +0000

Just before the launch of the first iPhone in 2007 Motorola were one of the leading companies in the mobile phone industry. Their RAZR handsets were the 2005 equivalent of the iPhone – a phone so trendy that everyone had to have one regardless of how much it cost or how long they had to wait in line.

What made the RAZR phones so popular was that they were very slim. Prior to the first Motorola RAZR, mobile phones had been very bulky, with unsightly antennas sticking out all over the place. The RAZR adopted a stylish flip-phone design, and was barely noticeable in even the tightest of trouser pockets.

Ultra-thin, lightweight design and mind-blowing features, Motorola RAZR is about to make heads turn

Motorola experienced a bit of a drop in popularity with the launch of the first iPhone, as everyone’s attention switched away from flip-phones to the new breed of touchscreen devices. The launch of Google Android gave Motorola some respite, as they were able to launch some successful touchscreen phones of their own – including the Droid/Milestone and more recently the Atrix.

While these have been excellent phones none of them have quite managed to reach the same stratospheric heights of popularity as the earlier RAZR phones. It was with this in mind that Motorola decided to revive their old brand and blend it with their newer breed of Android smartphones.

The new Motorola Droid RAZR XT910 takes the best of Motorola’s Android expertise, adds in the super-slimness of the old RAZR phones and then tops it off with some of the rugged durability features of the Defy for good measure.

Recently, as part of their ongoing war over everything and anything mobile phone related, Samsung and Apple were locked in a bitter battle over the title of ‘world’s thinnest smartphone’. This is the title that Apple had adopted for its 9.3mm iPhone 4, but Samsung had challenged it with their 8.5mm Galaxy S2.

Physical Body

The RAZR is even thinner than both of these devices, measuring just a mere 7.1mm in thickness. One of the worries that people have about purchasing such slim phones is that they will be more liable to breaking easily – but Motorola have catered for this by throwing in some rugged sturdiness in the form of Kevlar.

Kevlar is an extremely strong material that is used by the US military for making ballistic face masks, bullet-proof vests and even for protecting aircraft carriers. With this in mind, you can rest assured that the Motorola RAZR will withstand a great deal more knocks and drops than some certain glass phones on the market. Even though it is not marketed as a ‘rugged phone’, the RAZR also includes extra splash resistance to protect it from liquids such as water.

Even leaving aside its unique build materials and extra thin design, the RAZR is a superb Android phone and one of the best smartphones that Motorola have produced for many years. Running on Android Gingerbread, the RAZR has plenty to keep entertained through the web, YouTube and Android Market.

Screen

Currently, the bestselling Android phone deal is the Galaxy S2 and one of the biggest reasons for this phone’s popularity is its 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus screen. This makes the phone well suited for video entertainment and games, and also makes it an excellent device for browsing the web.

The Motorola RAZR has an equally impressive screen on offer. While it is not Super AMOLED Plus it is just a short step down in terms of vibrancy and colour contrast, utilizing Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology. This is the same screen technology that was employed on the original Galaxy S. The RAZR also gets one up on the Galaxy S2 by coming with a sharper qHD resolution, offering greater clarity for images and text.

Performance

Likewise the RAZR comes with a similar level of hardware power at its disposal, with a 1.2GHz dual core processor and 1GB RAM. This makes it one of the most powerful smartphones on the market and has been shown to outperform many other leading phones in benchmark tests.

The Motorola RAZR is not just the thinnest smartphone in existence and perhaps one of the most durable touchscreen smartphones, it is also the first Android phone to be released that has any real chance of knocking the Galaxy S2 from its position of popularity. If this handset is indicative of what Motorola has in store for 2012, then we may very well see the company shoot back to the top of the industry and enjoy the sort of sales and popularity that they did all those years ago when the first RAZR was released.

Christmas Presents For Geeks : Is the iHelicopter The Perfect Gift?

Sarv007 — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:02:10 +0000

If you are finding it difficult to locate the perfect Christmas present for the man in your life why not take a look at some of the latest gadgets. One of the most talked about and desired Christmas presents for geeks to come out in October 2011 is the iHelicopter, but what is it and could it really be the perfect gift that you have been looking for?

A Fantastic Gadget for the 21^st Century

Think about remote controlled helicopters for a minute. These toys for the big boys have been around for a while now and their popularity is yet to wane. They are incredibly cool to look at and are a whole lot of fun to fly outside; even just watching them zoom around the skies is extremely entertaining. Now think about these incredibly cool machines using the latest technology being available to the masses at fantastic low prices i.e. $48 and this Chopper can be controlled by iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and few android phones.

The iHelicopter is the perfect Christmas present for men who love to have the latest gadget and always enjoy getting hands on with their gadgets. If you know a guy who likes to have the latest handsets then the phone operated helicopter could very well be the ideal present you have been looking for.

Forget the Remote Control – Just Use Your Smartphone-iPhone or Android!

IFRAME Embed for Youtube

Rather than using a typical remote control the iHelicopter uses mobile technology to get the smart looking gadget off the ground. A simple transmitter is included in the package which fits into the ear phone jack on your handset or compatible device. The user will then need to download a free application(Copter Controller) from the apple app store or android marketplace and start it up once it has been installed. Then you are able to start the fun by controlling the helicopter using the touchscreen control panel.

However, the fun doesn’t stop there. Owners of the latest smartphones and tablets will love to make use of the technology that they have in their hands. So the designers of the iHelicopter have given users the option to make use of the tilt technology which is built into the handset. With one touch it is possible to fly the gadget by tipping and turning the device. This gives a whole new and unique way of flying and once mastered it can be a huge amount of fun.

Clever Design and Quality Materials

The helicopters have been expertly built so there is no need to worry about any damage occurring while practising flying. The body is made out of a durable metal which helps to absorb the shocks and reduces the risk of scratches and bumps. In many of the kits you are provided with spare rotor blades and a tail propeller just to be on the safe side.

There are many different iHelicopters which can now be purchased from the best retailers. Some of the models are limited to iPhones, iPad 1 and 2 and the iPod Touch. Many of the different models however are now compatible with the latest Android handsets too so more people are able to join in the fun.

All the features have made the iHelicopter the must have Christmas present for a Techie. If the special friend you have in mind loves gadgets and his mobile then this could possibly be the ideal gift you have been looking for on Christmas.

Final Verdict

It is largely a fun, inexpensive device that, despite taking a while to get used to, is simple to use, and a unique way to entertain yourself. Considering the iHelicopter’s price, overall acceptable performance, quality and usability, whilst weighing out the cons I encountered while using the device, I award the iHelicopter a 4 out of 5.

Buy iHelicopter Now !

iHelicopter with Launching Missile iPhone/iPad/iPod touch/Android control
iHelicopte+Shipping for £29.99 i.e. $48(Limited to Europe only)

More Deals…

Best budget Facebook phones

Sarv007 — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:54:34 +0000

Most of us would love to own the latest iPhone or other high-end handset, as a status symbol if nothing else, but if the one feature you’d use 90% on a smartphone is Facebook, or if you’re on a budget, you might want to consider something cheaper. These phones all cost a lot less than a heavyweight like the iPhone 4S or Galaxy S2, so can be ideal for the teenager or other young socialite who wants to stay in touch while out and about, but doesn’t want to drop £400+ on a phone.

Most offer physical QWERTY keyboards rather than touchscreen keyboards. This can be another boon to a lot of users – some just prefer the feel of a real keyboard, however small, and others find touchscreen keyboards frustrating or annoying to use. Considering this, what are the best phones for Facebook users?

HTC ChaCha

The ChaCha (also known as the HTC Status in the USA) is available for around £10 a month (including the handset for free), so should fit fine in anyone’s budget. Its QWERTY keyboard has plastic, rubberised keys, and comes with the all-important dedicated Facebook button, allowing you to instantly fire up Facebook. The keyboard is easy and comfortable to use, perfect for texting, emails, and of course Facebook. The ChaCha does come with a capacitive touchscreen too, but without the need to put a virtual keyboard on there, it doesn’t seem too small at a mere 2.6 inches across. Impressively, it runs the current version of Android (Gingerbread), with all the customisability that entails. This is great going for a budget handset, particularly since it doesn’t struggle to run Gingerbread fast and well. The presence of two cameras (5MP with flash, plus a 2MP front-facing one) also gives it the feel of a much more expensive machine.

Vodafone 555 Blue

This handset is very similar to the ChaCha in appearance, complete with QWERTY keyboard, Facebook button, and clean design, but the construction is a little cheaper. At £55 for the handset on pay-as-you-go, it’s well within Christmas or birthday present territory. It has an appropriately cheap 2.4-inch screen and an even cheaper 200MHz processor, running a specially designed Java operating system, so other than Facebook, basic phone features, and a 2MP camera, this one doesn’t offer much – which is fair enough, given its budget price. The biggest drawback is that as a PAYG phone, it doesn’t come with any included data allowance, which as far as we can see rather defeats the object of a dedicated social networking phone. It might be OK for very light phone users who still want to check status updates daily, but who usually have access to a computer or other device to do so.

Inq Cloud Touch

At around £13.50 a month, the Cloud Touch is the most expensive of our handsets today, but still very much a budget option when the latest iPhone or Android smartphones can be over £40 a month. It’s also the only one without a QWERTY keyboard, giving it the look of other Android machines rather than the more BlackBerry-like feel of the other machines, so personal taste will be a big issue here. This inevitably means there’s no physical Facebook button, but the main Facebook features are integrated into the homescreen instead. The 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen is a little small compared to higher-end handsets, but certainly adequate, and the phone overall looks sleek and stylish. Android OS, free Spotify integration, and a variety of messaging services (GoogleTalk and MSN Messenger as well as the expected Facebook chat and SMS) make this a versatile, great quality phone.

Motorola MotoKey Social

Well, it’s black rather than the the lighter colours of the other handsets, comes with the usual QWERTY keyboard, Facebook button, and 2.4-inch capacitive touchscreen, but that’s about all the info we have about the upcoming MotoKey Social right now. Like the Vodafone, it will have its own proprietary operating system, which hopefully means a significant cost saving but may also mean a lack of other features. The camera is confirmed at 3MP. Worth checking up on once there are more details available, especially if it’s out in time for Christmas. Right now, though, the specs don’t look enormously promising unless this is a real entry-level handset.

The iMessenger vs Blackberry Messenger

Sarv007 — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:33:43 +0000

For years, Blackberry has been the standard go-to for business email and messaging, and mainly because of its Blackberry Messenger application. However, Apple just recently decided to throw its own messenger app contender into the ring, and iMessenger will soon go head-to-head with Blackberry Messenger in a battle that should end all battles . . . that is, until the next new thing comes along. If your smart phone serves first and foremost as your instant messaging service, then you may find your ears perking up at the sound of Apple’s iMessenger, even if you’re currently happy with your Blackberry. That’s because Apple has a reputation for providing the latest and greatest technology available. Does the new iMessenger app live up to all the Apple hype? Read for yourself and see what you think.

Third party apps. Apple’s iMessenger can be replaced with other third party apps like DropBox and What’s App Messenger, as these apps are both available in the iPhone apps store and compatible with even broader platforms. Blackberry’s Messenger, on the other hand, cannot be replaced by any third-party app, and is therefore unique to Blackberry and invaluable. In this case, nothing can outshine Blackberry Messenger.

User interface. The Blackberry Messenger interface is altogether separate from its SMS (text messaging) service interface. This means you must be using either one or the other screen at a time, and cannot access both messenger and SMS correspondence at the same time. Apple’s iMessenger offers a user-friendly solution to this problem by integrating the iMessenger interface with the Messages app and differentiating the two message types with color-coding. Apple’s win.

IFRAME Embed for Youtube

Usage and device compatibility. Using iMessenger, it is possible to send your instant messages to any iDevice, meaning you can start a conversation on one mobile device, then pick the conversation up where you left off on another mobile device; it’s all integrated. Blackberry’s Messenger just can’t do that, as this service uses the unique PIN of each mobile device to send and receive instant messages. In this case, iMessenger has the advantage.

Data plan. One of the things that has always made Blackberry’s Messenger service the industry standout is the fact that its NOC/node infrastructure makes it possible for users to send Blackberry-to-Blackberry instant messages without the need for a data plan. So far, Apple has yet to provide its customers with a comparable solution. Therefore, in this category, Blackberry Messenger is the clear standout.

Now that you’ve seen a breakdown comparison between the iMessenger and the Blackberry Messenger apps, it may be a bit easier for you to decide which is for you – or it may be a bit harder. It seems that each has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Your best bet is to decide which is best for you, and to ask about your phone retailer’s return policy, just in case.

About the Author: Deirdre Flinner is a full-time writer with a passion for marketing and technology. She’s partial to her Blackberry Bold and can’t wait until the company releases it’s next newest model!

A day later: iOS5 and iCloud – Update Problem

Sarv007 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:48:15 +0000

This week saw the launch of iOS5, and its big new feature, the iCloud. This update has become available for owners of older iPhone and iPod models just a day before the launch of the new iPhone 4S on contract. There has been so much demand for iOS5 that Apple’s computers have been overloaded, causing many iPhone owners to have to make up to 30 attempts at upgrading!

So if you are still attempting to make your upgrade, we take another look at the new OS and its cloud computing setup, to see if they have so far lived up to their promises, and to see what you can expect to enjoy when you finally succeed with the update!

Apple promises “It just works”, and that tallied with most iPhone users’ experience. All those features that they might have struggled to operate on another smartphone, if they could even figure out what menu to open to get the feature started in the first place, just seemed to work, on an iPhone. Till yesterday. Talk to anyone who tried to download iOS5 yesterday, and chances are it took them several attempts.

More worryingly at the time, they were generally given an error message proclaiming that their iPhones “could not be restored”. This is not a great way to build confidence in iOS5. This is, in fact, a great way to bring users to the edge of panic, as they wonder whether the update process has somehow got as far as wiping all their data – in a way that “could not be restored” – then abandoning their phone to worthlessness afterwards.

Fortunately, it was just an error message, and like most such messages did not have much of a connection with the actual error, which was caused simply by high traffic, as tens of thousands of Apple customers attempted to download iOS5 simultaneously. For some users, it took many hours, and repeated attempts, before they had a working version of iOS5. This is all quite embarrassing for Apple. It’s not like they don’t have enough sales data to be able to work out how many users are likely to want the new OS on launch day. Even the IT industry reporters of the UK’s “The Register” webzine struggled to get their iPhone fully updated, taking an hour to download and install iOS5.

This could well illustrate a greater problem with iCloud in general, given that its traffic levels will certainly fluctuate, and given how pointless is a smartphone with no data (because everything you used to store on your phone is now on the Cloud). As we mentioned yesterday, cloud computing has its disadvantages. Yes, your data is stored elsewhere, so you don’t need to clog your smartphone up with it… but your data is stored elsewhere, and if anything interrupts or slows down your attempt to access it when you need it, you could find things highly inconvenient!

Still, once users got their iOS5 installed – sometimes after up to 10 attempts – they could start enjoying the benefits of the new OS, and the full access to iCloud, finally out of beta-testing. Security holes have been plugged with iOS5, notably regarding the hacked website security certificates that emerged in the DigiNotar hack this summer. The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple’s developers are in talks with major film studios so as to work out a deal whereby users can stream movies directly onto their smartphone or tablet, but it remains to be seen whether they reach an agreement. The iPad and iPhone phone deals might both get even more popular once you can buy a movie online and watch it instantly, without even needing to download it onto memory.