Archive for January 23rd, 2007

O2 Flame to cost over $1000?

Well I know that it’s a high spec device with VGA screen, 2GB Rom, USB on-the-Go etc. but would you really pay over $1100 (£600ish) for the O2 XDA Flame? Well if the prices at anything online are to be believed then that’s how much the device could set you back! Mind you, it is an Australian site and I have been told that electronics are a bit more expensive there so perhaps we can expect the Flame to retail for less in the UK – lets hope so!

No firm date for release (coming soon) but you can pre-order the XDA Flame if you are feeling flush!

O2 XDA Flame Specification

Check out MrPalm for more images.

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, XDA, XDA Flame, O2, NVIDIA, GoForce, USB On The Go, Tracy & Matt]

Windows Mobile 6 “Crossbow” thoughts

Ever since the Windows Mobile 6 (Crossbow) rom was leaked and found its way on to the web we have had a number of questions about the likelihood of official rom upgrades being made available for HTC Universal and HTC Hermes devices.

We now know, due to the Hermes and Universal leaked roms, that Crossbow is compatible with these devices so an official ROM upgrade would be theoretically possible. However I cannot think of a time where a hardware manufacturer has actually provided an official rom upgrade to a completely new OS version, and certainly not for free.

It’s all a matter of licensing. When a device is produced and an OS rom installed a license fee must be paid to the OS manufacturer, in this case Microsoft. The license fee relates to a specific OS version and is not transferable to another OS version. For an official rom upgrade to be released I am sure that the device manufacturer or the device owner would have to pay a further license fee.

The mobile market is a little strange in many respects. People generally expect rom upgrades and mobile software to be given for free. Compare this to the PC market. When Microsoft releases Vista would you expect them to give this new OS away for free?

I’m pretty sure that we wont be seeing an official ROM upgrade path for Crossbow on existing devices. It’s a shame as I would be happy to pay for the upgrade for my TyTN!

BTW – You wont find the leaked Crossbow ROM anywhere on this site.

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, Windows Mobile 6, leaked rom, Crossbow]

Samsung i760 comes to Verizon, runs Crossbow

Verizon have announced the Samsung i760 with an estimated release in the second quarter of 2007.

The i760 will run Windows Mobile 6 “Crossbow” and is a 1xEvDO device. The Samsung i760 also has a slide-out keyboard but only a 1.3 megapixel camera. Memory is said to be 128 MB ROM/64 MB RAM and WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.0.

See more at Engadget Mobile.

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, Samsung i760, Verizon, Crossbow]