Author Archive: Matt

More than 20 years in the IT industry. Blogging with a passion and thirst for new technology since 2005.

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By April 26, 2011 Read More →

Sony announces a pair of Android tablets

S1_S2_01_0426_2011 This one came as a little bit of a surprise to me actually as until now these had passed me by, I just received an email from Sony telling me that they have just officially announced their first entry in to the Android tablet market with not one but two tablet models cleverly named the S1 and the S2!

The S1 is a fairly conventional tablet design with 9.4″ screen, the S2 on the other hand, is somewhat more unusual with two 5.5″ screens in a folding arrangement which has a Nintendo DS look about it.

Rumour has it that they will both run on the Tegra2 chipset but we’re just waiting for the official specs to be sent through to use before we post them.

Full press release follows.

 

Posted in: News
By April 25, 2011 Read More →

Innopocket waterproof case for iPhone 4 unboxing video

innopocket We all know that there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of different cases available for the iPhone 4 and they all offer varying degrees of protection. Perhaps none offer as much protection as the Innopocket waterproof case for the iPhone 4, not only does it protect the iPhone from water but also dust and shock thanks to a robust polycarbonate internal shell and and external silicon jacket. It therefore is guaranteed waterproof to the international standard IP68.

This molded polycarbonate inner shell is rigid and crush proof making the case durable and strong. The silicon jacket and its dump out corners will further protect your iPhone 4 from accidental drops. Amphibian is the ideal solution for all outdoor users. – Innopocket

Despite the layers of protection you can still use the buttons, touchscreen and even the camera. The Amphibian case allows you to use the iPhone as an under-water camera!

Take a look at the video below to see how it all works.

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
By April 24, 2011 Read More →

Does Android violate Linux GPL?

android According to some heavy hitting IP experts Google’s Android operating system may in fact violate the GPL (General Public License) terms of the Linux kernel that it is based upon. This is a massive claim and if it has any legs could be far worse than the wrangle between Oracle and Google over their Java usage.

No Linux lawsuit has been filed yet, and there’s nothing to say that it would be for sure but it’s potentially disastrous for Android.

The Linux kernel is open source and freely available, however there are strict licensing terms relating to its usage. For example, if you use and alter the open source Linux kernel you must also offer your software under the same open source agreement as the original work.

According to NoSoftwarePatents campaign founder Florian Mueller:

"Google copied 2.5 megabytes of code from more than 700 Linux kernel header files with a homemade program that drops source code comments and some other elements, and daringly claims (in a notice at the start of each generated file) that the extracted material constitutes ‘no copyrightable information,’"

Via FOSS Patents he writes:

To eliminate the risk of a collapse of the Android ecosystem and navigate around copyleft, the misappropriated Linux code would have to be replaced. The only real viable alternative is a library called glibc (GNU C library). That library is the industry standard and is used by Android’s major mobile Linux competitors, MeeGo and WebOS.

This could be a huge shakeup to the Android platform. Watch this space!

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: Editorial
By April 23, 2011 Read More →

Echostar HDS-600RS unboxing video

Echostar What do you get when you marry a SlingBox with a Freesat+ HD box? The EchoStar HDS-600RS is a HD set top Freesat+ box with built in SlingLoaded capability which offers TV anywhere feature and access catch up & connected TV apps such as BBC iPlayer. This unique feature allows you to control your digital entertainment remotely throughout the home, at work, on the train or on holiday – so wherever you are your entertainment is available at the touch of a button.

The HDS-600RS includes a 500GB hard drive for recording and later playback and thanks to the dual LNB’s you can record one channel while watching another or record two shows at the same time.

The SlingPlayer app is available on iPhone, iPad and Android as well as PC and Mac so you can pretty much watch anything you’ve recorded from anywhere!

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
By April 22, 2011 Read More →

Free BitDefender security software with Tracy and Matt

BitDefender_logo By way of an exclusive offer to our readers, we’ve teamed up with BitDefender to offer a free 3 month licence of their Internet Security 2011 software.

With internet users facing a range of threats from viruses through to online fraud, whether you’re an advanced user or a beginner it makes sense to stay protected.

And of course, what better price is there than free? To claim your copy, just click on the following link: Download Your BitDefender 90 Day License

I personally use BitDefender for my Mac and can honestly say it’s one of the best security suites I’ve used.

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: News
By April 19, 2011 Read More →

HTC goes on tour

htc-logo-300x188 An interesting idea here from HTC as they are putting on a roadshow over the next 6 weeks in order to showcase HTC Sense and their latest smartphones. It’s the first time I’ve heard of such a thing happening here in the UK so it’ll be good to see what HTC do with it.

I’ll be heading to at least one event to check it out!

Full details and dates follow:

 

Posted in: Press Releases
By April 18, 2011 Read More →

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 video

Samsung-Galaxy-Tab5 You certainly cant fail to notice the influx of tablet computers on to the market at the moment. Tracy and I love using our iPads whereas Gareth much prefers his Samsung Galaxy Tab. For me the size of the screen on the original Galaxy Tab was just too small, I’m quite happy with a tablet in the 9-10 inch range, the 5 and 7 inch variety seem too cramped for my taste.

Fortunately, at MWC,  Samsung announced that they would be introducing a 10 inch tablet later this year, the Tab 10.1 I’m looking forward to trying a larger-screen Android tablet so was pleased to find a demo video of the 10.1 in action.

While the demo video below may not be English language it still gives a good indication of what we can expect and you can see that this one is running Honeycomb too!

 

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
By April 17, 2011 Read More →

LG Optimus 2X unboxing video

Optimus2X-main The LG Optimus 2X was announced a little while ago and when it went on sale it was the worlds first dual core smartphone. Inside you’ll find nVidia’s Tegra2 chipset running at 1GHz. Obviously last week saw the announcement of the HTC Sensation which also boasts a dual core CPU but at 1.2GHz. It will be very interesting to see how the real world performance compares.

The Optimus 2X has a great 4-inch display, 8GB of built in memory and an 8 megapixel camera. Now, thanks to the power of dual core, you can record video in full HD 1080P. You get all of this on a handset weighing only 139 grams and costing £414. Seems quite a lot for your money.

Our review model currently run Android 2.2 Froyo but the update to Gingerbread is said to be very close. I suspect that there will be some performance gains to be had with the OS update too.

I shall be working on the review over the coming week and will have that online for you shortly. In the mean time you can see my unboxing video below and a quick demo.

 

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
By April 16, 2011 Read More →

Mobile Tech Addicts podcast award nomination

Web bannerHopefully many of you already tune in to our weekly podcast and may have heard Gareth mention that the Mobile Tech Addicts podcast has been nominated in the “Best use of social media by broadcast media” section of the Northern Ireland Social Media Awards.

We are up against some very stiff competition from the big local media however! UTV, CoolFM, City Beat and Talkback are some of the most popular local broadcasters in NI so the fact that we are alongside them is pretty cool.

So to those of you that tune in and enjoy our podcast (and even if you don’t) I’d like to ask you to please consider voting for us. You can find us under category 6 and all you have to do to place your vote is go to the Northern Ireland Social Media Awards voting site, put in an email address and tick the box next to our name. Simples!

Thanks so much to those of you that already voted and to those of you about to do so. We’ll let you know how we get on! 🙂

 

Posted by: Gareth

Posted in: News
By April 16, 2011 Read More →

Nokia E7 unboxing video

Nokia-E7-300x291 We first saw the Nokia E7 late last year but if the rumours are to be believed there have been ongoing issues with manufacturing which has led to a number of delays. However, the E7 has now been made available for pre-order from a number of retailers with stock expected next week.

I’ve been able to get my hands on a pre-release model to look at and you’ll see me have a quick play with the E7 in the video below.

Overview of Nokia E7

The Nokia E7 is an elegant Smartphone which incorporates and an innovative design. It is constructed from anodised aluminium for a stunning finish. With benefits including both a tilting full QWERTY keyboard and a high resolution 4″ AMOLED touch screen, the Nokia E7 is ideal for mobile media and communication.

High Definition (HD) video and photos can be captured with the integrated 8 megapixel camera which features a dual LED flash. This and other media can be viewed in full 720p resolution on the Nokia E7 with ability to connect to your HD TV, using the HDMI connection. Dolby Digital Plus and surround sound are available when connecting to your home theatre equipment when using the HDMI connection.

The Nokia E7 is supplied with Ovi maps which come with free lifetime GPS navigation and voice guidance for convenience.

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
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