Archive for 2012

By February 15, 2012 Read More →

Going to the Arctic? Take a Samsung Galaxy S II with you

Galaxy S 2

Samsung Electronics UK is proud to announce that its best-selling smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S II, has prevailed in an independent test to ascertain whether phones can function in severe sub-zero temperatures. The endurance test conducted by Finnish magazine MikroPC, has verified that the Galaxy S II is able to function in temperatures ranging from 38°C to -20°C.

The technical review team at MikroPC tested 15 of the most popular mobile phones available to buy in Finland at the Weather Room, a scientific lab situated in the VTT Technical Research Centre at Espoo, Finland. This specialised research lab enables researchers to control the internal temperature, meaning readings can be altered to a fraction of a degree.

MikroPC discovered that the most weather resilient smartphone was the Samsung Galaxy S II, which functioned until temperatures reached -35°C. It was also the only smartphone to run smoothly when the temperature reached -30°C. While the Samsung Galaxy Xcover was not part of the comparison between the 15 most popular mobile phones, it performed just as well as the Galaxy S II.

The initial temperature in the research lab was set to 0°C, from which it was lowered by increments of five degrees until the smartphones being tested stopped functioning. One by one the popular smartphones gave into the cold; however, all five tested Samsung phones survived beyond -20°C.

A major contributing factor that causes smartphones to fail at sub-zero temperatures is the battery. When the temperature drops low enough, mobile phones register that its battery is empty, even if fully charged, and will not turn on.

For those willing to brave the cold, the Samsung Galaxy S II is the smartphone of choice for the arctic climate.

 

Posted by: James

Posted in: News
By February 15, 2012 Read More →

ZTE Tania now in stock at Clove

zte-tania

You can now pick up the rather nicely priced ZTE Tania over at Clove.  After last weeks price drop it can be yours for £165.83 (£199.99 inc. VAT). Don’t let the price fool you though, its low price tag does not mean low quality.

Key features of the Tania include:

  • Windows Phone 7.5

  • 1GHz processor

  • 4.3 inch display

  • 5 megapixel camera with auto focus & flash

  • 4GB Internal Memory

  • WiFi 802.11b/g/n

  • 3G/HSPA

 

You can order yours today by clicking here.

 

Posted by: James

Posted in: News
By February 15, 2012 Read More →

A Love story: Google and Motorola Mobility

Gavel-courtroomThe Department of Justice gave its seal of approval to Google’s proposed takeover of U.S. cell-phone maker Motorola Mobility on Monday, just hours after European regulators also gave the deal clearance.

The $12.5 billion acquisition positions Google to move into the device market and potentially into more direct competition with companies like Apple.
Google wants to own the hardware to pair with its Android operating system for smartphones, and could use the acquisition to protect patents as well as to develop other devices such as home gaming systems.

“The combination of Google and Motorola Mobility will help supercharge Android,” Google’s Don Harrison said in a blog post earlier in the day. “It will also enhance competition and offer consumers faster innovation, greater choice, and wonderful user experiences.”

The European Union earlier on Monday approved the deal, which still needs the approval of regulators in several other countries, including China.

 

Posted by: Gareth

 

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Posted in: News
By February 14, 2012 Read More →

ZTE launch the Light Tab II

zte-light-tab-v9a_2

Following on from our earlier unboxing video, ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) has launched its 7-inch V9A tablet, the ZTE Light Tab II, in the UK. Although ZTE are using the term ‘launch’ I don’t think you can actually but one today. Clove are expecting stock at the end of the month I believe.

The highly-anticipated device will be ZTE’s first own-branded tablet available to UK consumers. Running on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) it has a tidy 7- inch TFT-LCD, capacitive touch screen and speedy Qualcomm MSM8255 processor which allows for efficient data usage on the move.

Weighing in at just 402g and small enough to carry around, the portable device comes equipped with popular apps such as YouTube and Google talk. It has an FM radio and battery life enabling 5.5 hours of movie play, ideal for extended commutes.

With 4GB of in-built memory the tablet can hold over 200 photographs taken on either the front facing 0.3MP camera or with the larger 3MP rear camera, or over 500 of users’  favourite tracks, which can be bolstered with an external micro SD memory card.

Operating on GSM, UMTS, and HSPA networks, the tablet will be available for purchase through a number of channels in the open market.

“ZTE V9A is ZTE’s first own-branded tablet made available in the UK and we are very excited about its entry into the market. We plan to continue our progress in the UK, introducing ZTE branded consumer devices with key capabilities at reasonable prices,” said Wu Sa, Director, Mobile Device Operations, ZTE. “Our UK strategy is very much focused on providing quality devices – a factor which is apparent through our growth and development in the handset arena”.

ZTE Light Tablets are shipped to more than 30 countries and regions around the world. The V9A is also currently sold in Spain, Indonesia and Hong Kong.

 

Posted by: James

Posted in: Press Releases
By February 14, 2012 Read More →

Exclusive – ZTE Light Tab 2 Unboxing Video

zte-light-tab-V9A

Enter the ZTE V9A – Light Tab. From one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers, the Light Tab is a 7 inch tablet computing solution that offers performance and reliability at a price that we all prefer.

The ZTE V9A – Light Tab 2 is due to be available at the end of February at a price of £234.99 inclusive of VAT from Clove.

  • 7″ Capacitive Touchscreen Display (1024×600)
  • Google Android 2.3
  • 1.4GHz Processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255)
  • WiFi
  • 3G
  • 4GB ROM
  • Micro SDHC slot
  • 12.6mm Thick
  • Rear facing 3.2 Megapixel Camera
  • Front facing 0.3 Megapixel Camera
  • 3400mAh Battery

You can see the unboxing and brief demo video below:

 

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
By February 14, 2012 Read More →

Facebook for Windows Phone gets updated

FB WP

If you are a Windows Phone user and like to partake in a bit of Facebook action then good news for you today as the Facebook app is updated to version 2.3.

I just checked my HTC Radar and the update wasn’t available so it may take a while to reach us here in the UK but should be today.

  • News feed performance improvements
  • New panorama design
  • New profile design.
  • Banner Images
  • Improved navigation
  • Pages
  • Groups
  • View “likes”
  • Feed filters
  • Posting privacy
  • Bug fixing

 

Posted by: James

Posted in: News
By February 14, 2012 Read More →

Motorola Mobility to Bring Style and Strength to UK with Motorola DEFY MINI

Defy Mini

Outdoor enthusiasts are serious about their gear and know durability, reliability and functionality count. Brits – get ready for the smartphone that defies expectations and is ready for wherever your next adventure takes you – the new Motorola DEFY MINI.

Dust-proof, water-resistant and with a scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass display, the new Motorola DEFY MINI is strong enough to keep up with you and your wildest adventures. And all for a price that won’t break the bank.

The phone’s crystal-clear 3.2-inch touchscreen display is great for email, texting and browsing the Web. And its long battery life means you can have this phone on and by your side no matter where the day (or night) takes you.

Posted in: Press Releases
By February 14, 2012 Read More →

Rumours of an iPad 3 launch on March 7th

iPad

The guys over at iMore.com have received a tip from a reliable source who says that Apple will announce the iPad 3 on March 7th. Allegedly with a 2048×1536 Retina display, the iPad 3 will feature a quad-core Apple A6 system-on-a-chip, and possibly 4G LTE networking. Now I am not sure where this LTE business leaves us here in the UK. I suppose we will just get a 3G version as we are lacking behind on the technology front.

Although the above is clearly not confirmed by Apple we can certainly expect so see some improvements on the processor front as well as both the front and rear cameras. However, we must also remember that Apple are experts at keeping secrets from us and once again I suspect the full specs will not be known until launch day.

What we can guarantee though is it will be a fantastic piece of kit. Apple never disappoints (although some may disagree with me on the iPhone 4S front).

 

Posted by: James

 

Posted in: Rumours
By February 14, 2012 Read More →

RIM extends its PlayBook offer for developers

playbook_angle3

Research in Motion has been giving away BlackBerry PlayBooks to devs for a while now. Due to the overwhelming response they have now extended the offer so if you are an Android dev and fancy porting your app over to the PlayBook you have a little more time to do so.

We knew developers were excited about our latest BlackBerry® PlayBook offer for Android developers when we announced it two weeks ago. You asked that Native C/C++, HTML5, Adobe® AIR®, and Qt developers have a chance to participate and we answered by opening the offer to all developers.

Today was going to be the deadline for the offer – but due to the overwhelming interest in the offer, we’re extending it one more time. How much interest? There have been over 1,500 app submissions as of last Friday and over 6,600 new developers registered in the BlackBerry App World storefront.  We have teams working around the clock to approve vendor registrations and app submissions.  Because of the high demand, approvals are taking longer than normal – we appreciate your patience.

If you’re not a registered BlackBerry App World vendor, you now have until 11:59 PM EST on February 15, 2012 to register at http://appworld.blackberry.com/isvportal.

All vendors (new and existing) now have until 11:59 PM EST on March 2, 2012 to submit your application to BlackBerry App World.

 

Posted by: James

Posted in: News
By February 14, 2012 Read More →

BlackBerry 10 images surface

blackberry-10-os-1

The guys over at CrackBerry.com have come up trumps again and posted what they say are images of the next version of Blackberry’s operating system, BlackBerry 10.

As you can see from the image to the right, RIM look to be working on widgets /live tiles which have been hugely popular on other platforms. If these picture are real then us BlackBerry users are in for a real treat and a brand new experience later on this year.

According to CrackBerry they received a pretty *interesting* email, to which was attached a 14-page .pdf file full of Cracktastic goodness. The document was clearly prepared by one of RIM’s external ad agency partners as a BB10 briefing document, providing background information on BlackBerry 10 and outlining some of the OS features and ideas for how to position BlackBerry 10 in future advertising campaigns. BlackBerry 10 Phones may be months away still, but judging by the document it appears the behind-the-scenes work to begin marketing the next-generation of BlackBerry phones is already well under way.

More images can be seen below although please ignore the hardware it appears to be current devices:

Posted in: Phones
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