If your interested in how the Blackberry Storm OS looks, then the video below may shed some light. It is a Vodafone marketing video so not sure how accurate this is to a real life demonstration, having said that it looks pretty good to me and it maybe changing my opinion of this device. Check out the video after the break.
Google has put itself in charge of policing Android devices. The search giant is retaining the right to delete applications from Android handsets on a whim. Unlike Apple, the company has made no attempt to hide its intentions, and includes the details in the Android Market terms and conditions, as spotted by Computer World.
I was just having a quick mooch around the web and taking in the regular sites that I visit when I came across what can only be described as an uber bargain!
Paul from MoDaCo has managed to pull together a sweet deal on the UBiQUiO 503G for an incredibly cheap £109.99! This is a price drop of £120 on the regular price, and is only available between 11am today and 4pm tomorrow (UK time)!
Head over to MoDaCo.com for the full low down on the offer!
Posted by: Matt
Ever find yourself with time to kill, wishing you could watch some TV? or even a program you’ve recorded on your Sky Plus?
Well that’s what the Slingbox does, it allows you to control your home TV whilst you are on the move. You can watch programs live, or if you have a Sky Plus type setup, you can watch recorded programs – basically everything you can do at home you can now do from anywhere in the world over an Internet connection.
http://uk.slingmedia.com/go/slingbox-classic-slingplayer
What’s in the box
General
The box itself is a fairly simple looking affair – all the connections at the back and just a couple of LED’s on the front to confirm it has power and an Internet connection.
Connections across the back of the box
Most users of the Slingbox, in the UK at least, are going to be using it for controlling their Sky box remotely so I’ll talk in those terms. [Though if you look at the SlingMedia site you’ll see that the Slingbox supports lots of other devices].
In general I would imagine that everyone would use the Scart Adaptor, that comes with the box, plugged into one of the Sky outputs. Then the 3 pin Combination Audio/Video cable plugs into that, and then the other end into the input of the Slingbox.
Then you hook up the ethernet cable to your router, plug the IR Cable into the Slingbox and route the cables so that the IR transmitters are pointing at the right part of the Sky Box.
Plug in the power and that’s the box setup done.
You then need to install the software on your PC/Mac to let you setup the box further.
Once the Software is installed it will find your Slingbox on the network and walk you through the setup, all very straightforward.
At the end of the setup process it offers to setup the remote access that will allow you to view your video from anywhere in the world (providing you have Internet access). If you are just planning on sharing the signal around you home network then you don’t need to set this up obviously.
The only other thing you need to setup is the software on the devices you plan on watching your programs with, be it a laptop or a mobile phone.
Computer Requirements
Minimum PC Requirements
Minimum Mac Requirements
Minimum Network Requirements
Audio and Video Sources
One aerial/coaxial antenna and one standard definition audio/video source such as:
*Includes built in Freeview DVB Tuner
Review
Windows or Mac based PC – check
High-speed Internet connection – check
Home network router – check
Want to watch Sky TV on the move – check
So assuming you also have the same checklist, then the Slingbox is an interesting device.
It literally gives you remote control of your Sky TV wherever you have a decent Internet connection. You can be sitting in an airport terminal or your local coffee shop using their WIFI access to watch the latest episode of your favourite soap on your mobile phone. Sitting on a long distance train journey and have time to kill? then watch the movie you recorded last night (assuming the train has WIFI access and isn’t the old rolling stock that so much of the UK still has).
All sounds great, certainly something that could change how people watch their TV.
Out of the box there are a plethora of cables to allow you to hookup your Slingbox – nothing is left to chance, I can’t actually think of a setup that the cables supplied don’t support [apart from HD, but that’s a different product].
Everything connects up really obviously, nothing complicated in that.
And then you reach for the CD to install the software that finishes setting up the device…
In my case, I’ve got a Windows XP system and after putting in the CD it pops up with a menu.
OK, click Install, wait what? That says ‘Download & Install’, surely that can’t be right, someone must have labelled the button wrong.
Nope, that’s right folks, out of the box you have a 40MB download to do before you can setup your box. The CD shipped is the equivalent of a web address. And the kicker? When you ask the software to check for updates, it again opens a webpage in the browser and tells you that you need to download an updated version, and yup it’s ANOTHER 40MB download 😮
Once you get the software down and run the installation it then opens up a wizard to setup the Slingbox. It’s all fairly straight forwards – which country is the Slingbox in, which input on the Slingbox are you using, What is your Television Source (Sky in my case), Brand of the Device you are wanting control, etc.
[Please bear in mind that all these screen caps are missing the actual video as my capture software doesn’t grab it correctly]
Once that’s all set and you’ve tested the control of the device, then you just setup the box password and the box’s administrator password.
If you are wanting to control the box over the Internet instead of just your local network then first you register with SlingMedia. This will setup an account that keeps track of the IP address of your box on the Internet, which allows you to point your mobile devices to it over the Internet [in one version of the software I played with you could also set the box to use DynDNS.org to keep track of the IP address].
A couple more screens to auto-tune the video settings and away you go – it starts up the client program and you are watching and controlling your Sky box over your network.
The actual player
All the settings are reconfigurable from menus in the player, you can either let the player control the amount of network bandwidth the Slingbox uses or manually configure it, you can change your picture to widescreen, letterbox etc – in fact every setting I could think of wanting to play with was there, all very nice.
For viewing you can install clients on Windows XP, Mac OS X or some mobile phone OS’s (Windows Mobile, Symbian S60/UIQ or Palm).
These can connect to your Slingbox either over your local network or over the Internet from wherever you happen to be.
Although I was primarily testing this over my local network on desktop PC’s, I did try the Windows Mobile client (there’s a 30 day demo) and I was very pleasantly surprised – it just worked, what more could you ask 😀
[Obviously be aware that mobile connections to the Internet can be chargeable depending on your connection type and phone contract]
And once it’s all running there’s not a lot to do but kick back and enjoy it.
Picture quality on the desktop is OK, nothing special – but it’s never going to be DVD quality from the input source we are using, which is then compressed. That same picture quality on the mobile screen is far more palatable. [You can look at the new Slingbox HD for higher def solutions]
In both cases I could definitely imagine myself watching programs over the Internet – I’ll happily accept the slight dip in picture quality as a trade-off for being able to watch your own TV anywhere.
Highlights
Lowlights
Conclusion
So after the surprising lack of inclusion of the software you need on the included CD the rest of my experience with the Slingbox was very very smooth.
The ability to sit potentially anywhere in the world and not just watch, but also control your TV is very cool in my opinion, and is an excellent addition to any Sky Plus setup to allow you total control over your TV viewing no matter where you are.
Just be sure to warn the people at home you are going to be remotely controlling the setup to avoid freaking them out 😀
ZDnet have got it and looked at it in a lot of detail. There are 100’s of pictures and a few videos for you to sink your teeth into alongside a whopping 7 page review. Generally the review is very positive and most interestingly the reviewer has pointed out quite a few omissions from the hardware. Video and overview after the break.
2Moo International Pty Ltd, has announced the immediate availability of the BD-906 the world’s first A2DP iPod iPhone Wireless Audio Bluetooth Dongle with Power Pass-Through and device independent volume controls. The BD-906 connects and is powered by any iPod and iPhone model that features the 30-pin dock connector. Models supported includes the latest generation iPhone 3G, iPod nano 4G, touch 2G and classic 2G.
You may have read my post about the ongoing SMTP issues within Windows Mobile 6.1. We’re still waiting for the official fix from Microsoft which we expect to come in the form of a CAB file that you’ll need to install.
However, today once of the talented guys over XDA-Developers came up with the following fix that seems to work:
1. Add the reg key “Operator” to \\HKLM\System\Inbox\Settings
2. Add the reg key "OutgoingServer" below Operator key.
3. Add the reg val (reg_str) "OutgoingServer" below Operator key- “ButtonBoy rules”
4. Soft reset
However, not everyone is so happy modifying the registry so together with Muff from Alien Invention we’ve come up with a CAB file that you can run that does the job for you.
There are two versions of the CAB: One for Windows Mobile Professional and one for Windows Mobile Standard devices . Please be aware, I’ve tested on several devices that I’ve have here but please apply this fix at your own risk, this isn’t the official MS fix for the problem. Once you’ve installed the CAB (run it on your phone) just turn the phone off and back on and you should be able to send mail!
Thanks, to Buttonboy for the original reg settings that need to be altered!
Posted by: Matt
The UK will be able to get their hands on T-Mobile’s G1 Android phone at the end of the month, the carrier said today. The G1 will be available from Thursday, 30 October, T-Mobile said. Sign up for a Combi or Flext £40-a-month package, and you can have the G1 for free. according to The Register. The Combi tariff comes with 800 minutes’ talktime, unlimited text messages and “unlimited” internet browsing on the G1’s HSUPA/HSDPA 3G connection.
Pocketnow have posted a very interesting video testing out text input speeds on 9 common devices. The HTC Touch Pro, AT&T Tilt, HTC Touch, Samsung Omnia, Apple iPhone, Motorola Q9h, Palm Treo Pro and 700w, and BlackJack II. We have the video after the break and it really is a nice comparison so take a look and let us know what you think.
Introduction
So this is my second Glofiish review in the past 3 weeks and with this review I intend to cover some of the points raised by readers in the past few reviews. I have been using both Glofiish phones for the past 3 weeks and of the two I’m afraid that this one was not my favourite.
The 10 second review:
Device: Eten Glofiish X610
Cost: SIM free only: £464.13 (Inc VAT).
Available to pre-order from: CLOVE technology (Go and buy one from here)
Summary: A pretty depressing device with very little more to offer than GPS and an FM radio that requires no headset attached.
Best of: Box & Packaging, FM Radio, Battery Life
Worst of: WiFi connection, phone signal loss, Design
What’s in the box?
Well we wont go into too much detail about what’s in the box as we have an Unboxing Video already online.
Specification
Matt has posted the specs along with the Unboxing Video already so have a look there before reading on.
General
The Eten Glofiish X610 not unlike the other x range Glofiish handsets out there. Weighing in at 136g it’s a good bit lighter than the V900 which was reviewed earlier this month.
The phone design is rather rectangular and apart from the curved edges it looks old. With a large 2.8" 320 x 240 touch screen its not a clear in resolution as the V900. At the top of the screen there is an small square earpiece grill and a status light to both the left and the right hand side of it. The bottom of the pone consists of (from left to right) a call start button, quicklink GPS button, 4 way D-Pad with silver submit button in the centre, home key and call end button.
The left hand side of the phone has just 2 buttons starting at the top with the rocker volume switch and a button a bit lower down which is defaulted as Voice Command but can be customised. The reset button and the 2.5mm Jack socket (please stop this device manufacturers) can also be found here.
Moving over to the right hand side we find the power button and the camera button.
The top of the handset again has nothing interesting to see except for a simple GPS logo etched in.
At the bottom we find (from left to right) the telescopic stylus, microphone, MicroSD slot and the miniUSB port.
Looking to the back of the phone we find the 2MP camera, the tinniest self portrait mirror I have eve seen, an LED flash, and large speaker sitting just to the right of it. At the bottom of the back cover there is simply a windows logo etched into the plastic. A surprising addition to the back of the phone is the sticky out part of the stylus which means that if you want to remove the back cover the stylus has to be removed too (not a great move Eten)
Removing the back from the phone allows you access to the Li-Ion 1530 mAh battery and simcard area. The battery can be removed by flicking a catch downwards that is set to lock the battery in place.
Highlights and Lowlights
+ GPS
+ FM Radio
+ Screen Size
– Loss of phone signal
– Poor ability to hold a WiFi signal
– No full paper version of instructions
– Design & Shape
Review
Considering the phone is priced phone is priced alongside the better V900 I was surprised at just how depressing the phone was. Aimed I guess at the business end of the market and the less techy people this phone really didn’t do a lot for me. You might find when reading through this review that is reads very similar to the V900 review but take it from me that whilst paragraphs may well read the same the phone’s are very different.
When I took the phone box out of its box the first thing that caught my eye was again a very simplistic yet very orange box. Opening the box again like the v900 was very refreshing, no confuddle of leaflets, cables etc… just a very plain cardboard insert housing the phone. Underneath the initial cardboard insert lay a cardboard box which was very neatly packed with the cables and leaflets that normally clutter the box.
Powering on the phone gave the normal Eten bright orange background After running through the normal Windows Mobile set up it loaded the spb Shell interface which we are seeing being built in as standard more and more now.
Navigation was very simple as you’ll find that all Windows Mobile systems handle the same way. The D-Pad was a lot better than the V900 to navigate with.
Inside the phone menu there was not a great deal on offer program wise with the highlight being the Multimedia folder which had the FM Tuner.
The MicroSD slot this time was 1 million times easier to use than the V900 with a simple slot at the bottom which took and released the card very easily with a finger push.
Moving on to some of the normal asked questions I’m gonna go with Matt’s X1 Q&A section to keep it clean.
What’s the in-call sound quality like?
Actually very good, I had not a single complaint from anyone whilst on a call either outbound or inbound
What is the actual RAM in the device?
64MB SDRAM however the settings page shows 46.25 Storage memory and 49.13 Program memory
What is the Spb Panel like?
Not a big fan of this at first but it seems to work really well and its pre installed which is always a good thing
Can you post sample shots taken from the X610 camera?
I’ll ask Matt if he has the time to post some of these however I will say that the picture quality on its low spec 2mp camera is bumpy and doesn’t really take a great photo.
Does it have a motion sensor?
Nope, fraid not
How is the speed switching between screens?
There is an approx 0.5ms delay in switching screens or launching apps.
How is the feel and reaction of the control touch screen?
To touch it’s the normal smooth texture and the touch is nice and sensative.
How is the sound output quality of the speaker?
Very poor to be honest, in speaker phone mode it’s quite distorted and a little annoying
How well does the FM radio work? How is its reception in areas with weak signals?
This works really well but I do have a very high signal where I live and round about me given that most places in my town can see the FM transmitter mast.
How well does it hold on to cellular signals during calls?
During calls it’s great but off calls it seems to loose itself every 10 to 15 minutes and when you have put the device to sleep it wakes itself back up as a result of this.
Is the hardware fast enough to cope with several applications in the background?
100% no, it’s slow when running 3 apps never mind multiple.
How quickly does using GPS, 3G/HSDPA and Wi-Fi drain the battery?
The battery is one of the better bits of the phone, even using the WiFi it seems to last over a day.
Which is better, the V900 of the X610?
This is a simple one for me, the V900 everytime
How did the GPS handle?
I honestly have no idea because despite having the GPS ability there was nothing worth using on the phone to test it.
Conclusion
I used the phone for over a week and found it a tad simple and boring. I not saying I never enjoyed having the phone but for me there we just too many downsides and I would not be wiling to spend the money wanted for the phone. I am a big Windows Mobile fan and in general love all phones so to have a phone I didn’t find exiting was a bit disappointing for me. I really hope Eten stay away from making devices like this in the future and concentrate in making the v900 a better phone.
I intend to be sending the phone back this week so if you have any more questions then let me know and I’ll do my best to post them before handing the phone back to Matt.
If you are interested in this handset then why not pop over to CLOVE technology where you can pre-order this handset for £464.13 (Inc VAT).
Posted by: John
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