Here is a shot I noticed over at Prethinking of the Palm Pre’s O2 packaging. Looks fairly standard as far as pacakging goes for a Palm device. I remember when the Palm Treo Pro appeared in this guise there was a bit of buzz about how well thought out the packaging was. Nice to see it continue.
Another device with a sliding QWERTY keyboard hits the market, this time the GW520 from LG.
It does seem like every manufacturer is suddenly compelled to release their own QWERTY keyboarded handset and LG are no different. The GW520 has a similar Flash-based OS to many other LG handsets but has the obvious added benefit of a full, sliding QWERTY keyboard.
Having spent just a little time using the handset I have to say that the keyboard is quite impressive, LG have done a decent job here. But, for a handset that is clearly designed ad messaging and social networking it’s rather disappointing not to have built in WiFi.
James is reviewing the handset at the moment and the review will be on site over the next week or so. Feel free to direct questions at him via the forum. In the mean time have a look at the unboxing video below for a taster of what the LG GW520 has to offer.
In Touch.
Stay on top of the latest updates from friends with the LG GW520 and its social networking site integration. Get status updates, upload photo’s, or just send you own updates and let the world know what your up to.Message.
Stay in touch with friends and family with more then voice. Built in instant messaging (IM) support lets you connect with friends and send messages instantly. Support for personal and business push email lets receive messages the moment they are sent. The QWERTY keyboard makes it a breeze to compose messages. Whatever you need the LG GW520 is always ready.
LG GW520 Specification:
Posted by: Matt
HTC today officially announced the HD2 which will be running a version of the popular Sense UI that can be found on the HTC Hero.
This device has been the talk of the town for a while now as it sports a whopping 4.3 inch screen as well as a superfast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. It is also rumored that the HD2 may be upgradable to windows mobile 7 next year although that is still to be confirmed by HTC or Microsoft.
TAIWAN – October 6, 2009 – HTC Corporation, today unveiled the HTC HD2ä, the first Windows phone with HTC Sense, a customer experience focused on putting people at the centre by making their phones work in a more simple, natural and personal way. With its industry leading, high-resolution, 4.3-inch capacitive touch display, the ultra thin HTC HD2 delivers more visible content in a sharper, brighter and richer way.
“At HTC we believe that the best things in life should be experienced, not explained. HTC Sense is based on this principle by making the phone more simple and natural to use and by enabling people to personalise their mobile experience in their own unique way,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. With HTC Sense, the HTC HD2 melds the power and flexibility of the Windows platform with the most advanced phone we’ve ever created.”
“HTC has a long history of innovation with Windows Mobile, shipping millions of devices over the years in a wide range of designs,” said Andy Lees, senior vice president, Mobile Communication Business, Microsoft Corp. “The HTC HD2 Windows phone breaks new ground with its responsive, touch screen.”
The HD2 uses the first capacitive touch display on a Windows phone to make viewing, zooming and resizing websites, Microsoft® Office files, PDF documents and pictures easier with just a pinch of your fingers. The large display also enables faster, more efficient and accurate typing using the onscreen keyboard. Utilizing Qualcomm’s new 1Ghz Snapdragon mobile processor, the HTC HD2 offers enhanced performance that improves the speed of applications, videos, games and more.
Developed with a passion for enhancing people’s lives through innovation, design and ease of use, HTC Sense is rooted in three fundamental principles of Make it Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected.
Make It Mine
The HD2 continues HTC’s drive for personalization by reflecting not only what you want on your phone, but also where you are. Using its large 4.3-inch window-like display, HTC has brought a new dimension to weather with a localized, animated weather experience that utilizes HD2’s entire display without being invasive to your important content and information. The HD2 can also be further enhanced to reflect your needs and style by downloading a wealth of applications at the new Windows® Marketplace for Mobile.
Stay Close
The HD2 helps you stay close to the important friends and colleagues in your life with HTC’s people-centric communication approach that provides a single contact view that displays individual communication snapshots of your conversations with the people in your life regardless of whether a call, text, Facebook status update or email were used. While in the midst of email exchange with someone you can easily transition to a call by pressing the call button. HTC has also included a new Windows-based version of its Twitter application, HTC Peep. The pictures you take with the 5MP camera can also be quickly shared via Facebook or Twitter.
Discover the Unexpected
With the HTC Sense experience, the HTC HD2 includes a variety of enhancements that expand and improve the overall phone experience. The HD2 includes a variety of sensors including a proximity sensor that is used to prevent false screen touches when the phone is picked up to answer or make a call. A light sensor automatically adjusts the brightness of the display. Leveraging its 3G broadband connectivity, the HTC HD2 also offers personal Wi-Fi anywhere for your computer or other devices.
Also available for the HTC HD2 is the optional car kit that automatically transforms HD2’s user interface into a finger friendly in-car navigation experience for driving.
Windows phone
As a new Windows phone, the HTC HD2 showcases the powerful messaging, browsing and productivity capabilities delivered by Windows Mobile® 6.5. Offering a best in class e-mail experience complete with the ability to synchronize with Microsoft Exchange, you have the ability to check and manage multiple email accounts. Microsoft’s new My Phone service enables you to automatically back up and synch photos, music, contacts and text messages for free from the HD2 to the web.
Availability
The HTC HD2 will be available later this month with selected operators across Europe, before rolling out to other regions in the coming months."
The HD2 is a great looking handset and we should hopefully have a review device in the coming weeks, so please keep an eye out for Matt’s unboxing video “coming soon”.
Posted by: James
Slashgear have posted one of the first reviews of Palm Pre on O2. There’s not a great deal of new reading if you have read any of the Sprint Pre reviews but for those who are interested, read on for a great review by Chris Davies from Slashgear.
For European consumers, the Palm Pre has been a long time coming. Announced – in CDMA form – back in January 2009, with Palm coyly dancing around the matter of a GSM version until its Sprint launch took place in June, the smartphone has even gained a sibling (in the shape of the Palm Pixi) before those across the Atlantic have had a chance to play with the original. That’s all finally changing this month, with carrier O2 exclusively offering the Pre in the UK and Ireland from October 16th and Germany from October 13th. Has time dulled the Pre’s appeal? SlashGear have been testing out the GSM Palm Pre; check out our full review after the cut.
Our latest podcast Episode 44 is now available for download, this week we discuss Windows Mobile 6.5, devices and OS enhancements, Marketplace and App Stores 02 trailing LTE networks. You can subscribe via iTunes, RSSor download the mp3 file here. Full show notes after the break.
I had the pleasure of attending the London launch of Microsoft’s Windows Phone. This involved presentations from both Microsoft and some of there associated partners and detailed the new features found in windows mobile 6.5.
The most prominent changes to the Windows Phones are Visual ones. Microsoft have tweaked as many bits as they can to make using the OS a more attractive experience as well as more finger friendly with bigger icons.
The initial visual change you will see when first using a new Windows Phone is the lock screen.
The supplied picture above is not the best to demonstrate the lock screen but you should get the idea from my explanation. The icon at the top will normally be the only one present and this will show you of any new notifications you may have. If you have voicemail, for example, you can drag this notification down and open the notification without unlocking the screen. The same goes for messages and missed calls. A nice feature if the only reason you are checking your phone is the notifications.
To unlock the device the unlock button at the top just has to be swiped left or right. Simple
The Windows Phone homescreen has had a major facelift. Gone are the days of the boring homescreen with limited information available.
Now there is tonnes of info on the screen and each header allows you to view more info by sweeping left or right. For example – pressing on text messages will show you the latest message but you could also sweep to the right to view the next message and so on. Each swipe only shows you the basic info of the message but this allow you to see who is communicating with you without having to go all the way into the messaging application.
The start screen has also seen some major changes. No longer does a drop down list appear which is fiddly to use. Now you get a full page grid design with big icons making it super finger friendly.
These icons can be rearranged by means of dragging the ones you want to the top of the screen. This is 100 times nicer than the 6.1 option. Good stuff Microsoft!
Windows Marketplace was next on the list.
Marketplace is Microsoft’s app store. Initially it launched with 246 quality apps, according to Microsoft, with many more to come. With some catching up to do compared to the IPhone, Marketplace has its work cut out and it will be interesting to see how prices compare with other app stores. The interface certainly looks nice and user friendly. At the moment here in the UK Marketplace customers will need to register a credit card for payment, where as in the USA they also have the option to be billed by there network provider on there phone bill. This will make life easier if we can get this option here.
My Phone is an amazing service that lets you back up phone data to the cloud.
I have been using the Beta version of My Phone for a few months now and its great. Not only can you sync your phone contacts but also photos, videos, sms, calendar, tasks, browser favorites, music and documents. This means if you do lose or damage your phone all you need to do is install My Phone on the new handset and all your personal info syncs back to the phone. Nice!
You can set My Phone to sync automatically at a time of the day to suit or just do it manually. In addition it will also back up the information you have stored on a memory card.
All your saved data can be viewed online and you may find it easier to edit data this way. My Phone works, plain and simple.
A new feature with My Phone will come in handy if your phone is lost or stolen. Firstly you can locate the phone on a map using its last cell position! If you cant find your phone you can make it ring! Finally you can remotely lock the phone to prevent others from using it. Genius!
I have given details of the main new features discussed by Microsoft at the launch, although in windows mobile 6.5 there are dozens and dozens of new tweaks in the OS. The only real way to check them all out is to get a Windows Phone. Windows is my platform of choice and im happy with the new changes/features. It should be enough to see me through the next year or so until version 7 arrives which should be a major event.
Once I have got the new 6.5 rom on my Touch Pro2 I will share my thoughts on the blog. Watch this space..
Posted by: James
Today in Milton Keynes Orange opened its first UK multimedia store. Unlike the other 401 Orange Retail stores this one is designed to encourage engagement between consumers and the range of multimedia technology that is now offered by Orange.
Not only did the store open today but it also launched the new Motorola DEXT, Motorola’s first Android device. This was the first place in the world where the DEXT could be purchased today!
Sian Doyle, Director of Orange Retail said: “Milton Keynes offers the perfect venue to launch the first ever Orange Multimedia Store. Its young demographic and forward-thinking population plus the estimated potential 297,000 mobile users in the city, tells us there is high demand for the latest mobile, broadband and digital solutions. Also, as a sign of our commitment to the Milton Keynes area, we were able to have the much anticipated Motorola DEXTT with MOTOBLURT available exclusively on opening day, a day before it goes on sale anywhere else in the world.”
The mobile market is changing rapidly, with devices and the services operators provide evolving all the time giving you access to a wide range multimedia on the go. The Orange Multimedia Store in Milton Keynes brings the best of mobile multimedia together, creating a ‘live’ experience of what can be accessed and achieved through the mobile.
Popularity of Multimedia on your Mobile
The demand for such an advanced store is backed up by the surge in the popularity and consumption of digital media. Orange’s fifth digital media index shows a ‘digital media boom’ in data usage across mobile phones especially in the area of entertainment and social networking, which increased by 129% in 12 months. Dongle use increased by 4,125% while music and video downloads via mobile have increased by 38% in the last six months alone.
The Milton Keynes Multimedia Experience
The Orange Multimedia Store in thecentre:mk is a digital ‘playground’ – ranging from its giant 70-inch cinema style screen and seating at the front of the store to the bouncy rubber floor when you first walk in. The seated area has been created for new product demonstrations, basic education workshops and film previews, as well as offering it to the local community as a unique platform for endless possibilities, such as book signings and product launches.
The store will also feature live handsets for customers to engage with all the services available from Orange while the showcase screen on the main wall, which is one of the biggest in the UK, is the place where all the mobile technology available in store will be brought to life on a large scale.
This screen will also play host to two of the stores most unique interactive features.
- A giant virtual Mexican Wave which will be made up of customers filmed in store via mobile devices.
- From launch day, people are also being invited to send in pictures of ‘what symbolises Milton Keynes’ to feature on the screen, creating a ‘PhotoClock’, which will display images at the time they were taken / sent from anywhere in Milton Keynes.
Not only is the store packed with state-of-the-art features, it also has a team of experts in store to help bring all these interactive elements to life.
Cherry Peters, manager of the new store said: “Advances in digital media are staggering and increasingly becoming an essential part of our everyday life. Therefore, the need to keep up has never been greater, which is why Orange has created a fun and entertaining centre for all to enjoy whether you’re a tech savvy teen or less aware of what your digital devices can offer to make your life easier.”
The launch of this store will coincide with the exclusive unveiling of Motorola’s highly anticipated DEXTT with MOTOBLURT the only solution that automatically manages and integrates all of your communication, from work e-mail to social messaging activity – all to your home screen in easy to manage streams. Milton Keynes will be the first place in the UK to showcase the Motorola DEXTT with MOTOBLURT.
Orange’s Multimedia Store will open to the public on Tuesday 6th October at 3pm and can be found at on Midsummer Arcade, in thecentre:mk.
It will be interesting to see how the new store takes off. If its a success you could see a similar one coming to a town near you!
Posted by: James
If you haven’t heard that it is here already I wouldn’t say you were living under a rock, it was very low key but here is old Steve Ballmer introducing it to you. Some might get excited, some won’t (many won’t) but it should be interesting to get our paws on 6.5.
SPB TV comes to BlackBerry Smartphones – the number of platforms provided with SPB TV rapidly grows
October 06th, 2009 – SPB Software, a leading maker of mobile applications, announces the release of SPB TV for BlackBerry(R) smartphones. SPB TV is a subscription-free mobile IPTV viewer, designed for tuning in to publicly available digital TV channels from all over the world. SPB TV features exclusive and patent-pending usability innovations and gives the mobile subscribers easy access to over a hundred of international TV channels, directly from their phones.
The application supports such must-have TV features as TV browser with quick channels preview, instantly accessible TV guide for all offered channels, quick channels switching, and more.
TAIWAN – October 6, 2009 – HTC Corporation today announced its first mobile phones to include the latest Windows Mobile® 6.5 software. In addition to the new HTC HD2ä and Touch2ä, newly purchased Touch Diamond2sä and Touch Pro2sä will include Windows Mobile 6.5 while upgrades will be offered to existing customers that previously purchased the Touch Diamond2 or Touch Pro2 phones.
“HTC is pleased to be integrating the new enhancements and services available on Windows phones with four leading HTC phones, this is a testament to the strong partnership HTC and Microsoft have,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “The HTC HD2, Touch2, Touch Pro2 and Touch Diamond2 offer compelling choices to a variety of people looking for an advanced phone that is simple to use.”
Each handset boasts its own sleek and stylish design and utilizes full touchscreen controls to bring the rich Windows phone experience to life, including Microsoft’s new My Phone service and Windows Marketplace for Mobile.
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