Editorial

By January 22, 2010 Read More →

Nokia N900 replacing N97?

We reviewed the Nokia N900 recently and were quite impressed with the new Maemo OS, personally I like it better than Symbian. We also reported that the Nokia N97 and N97 mini seem to have been withdrawn from sale, at about the same time that the Nokia N900 hits the market.

Working in London I’ve started seeing posters and adverts for the Nokia N900 popping up all over the place and there are some huge adverts on the tube too so I’m guessing that Nokia are aiming the N900 at the consumer market now. So is the N900 ousting the N97 so that Nokia can sell the more expensive handset or is the N900 filling the void left by the N97 and N97 mini?

My personal opinion is that the N900 is probably filling the void. There have been lots of problems reported with the N97 that Nokia did not, apparently, address when they launched the N97 mini and according to one of our friends at the Carphone Warehouse, the N97’s were probably the third most returned handset just behind the Satio and Aino.

We did also hear a rumour recently that Nokia stated that 90% of the N97 handsets returned had no faults and that the reason for the high return rate was that customers were not able to get used to the user interface!? If that’s true then I think that the average consumer is definitely going to struggle with the N900 as I would have said that was more of an enthusiast phone than the N97’s were!

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

 

Do have a look at our Nokia N900 unboxing (complete with fox) and subsequent N900 demo and N900 review.

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: Editorial
By December 15, 2009 Read More →

Google’s Mystery Clock

Not sure if anyone has seen it yet but when you go to http://www.google.com and leave the search field blank then click I’m feeling lucky you get hit with a countdown clock.

google

With basic mathematics it looks like this is the countdown to New Year in seconds however there are some weirder theories out there like the countdown to Nexus One or even the Countdown to the End of the World.

I’m sure you will have your own theory on it and we would like to hear them.

Posted by: John McKenzie

Posted in: Editorial
By November 21, 2009 Read More →

HTC repair service

Unfortunately I had a couple of keys stop working on my HTC Touch Pro2 recently and had to send it away for repair. I just thought I would share with you what I found to be a fantastic service provided by HTC.

 

HTC

HTC

 

Friday: Called HTC and explained my problem. They said UPS would collect my device on Monday.

Monday: UPS collected as promised.

Tuesday: Email from HTC to say they had received my device.

Thursday: Email from HTC to say they had fixed my device and it would be sent back to me.

Friday: Email from HTC providing me with the UPS tracking number and an expected delivery day of Monday.

Monday: UPS delivered my phone!

 

Overall I could not have expected a better service and was over the moon at the information they provided me. They did fix my device by replacing the keyboard. They even updated my ROM too which I was not expecting.

Top marks HTC!

 

Posted by: James

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Posted in: Editorial
By October 15, 2009 Read More →

Optimization World competition

A while ago I wrote a brief piece about HDMI cables from a US company called Optimization World. This company supplies a variety of quality video and data cables at sensible prices. I bought a couple of HDMI cables from them a few months ago and I was pleased with the products I bought and the service I received that I decided to write about them.

Well that was back in May of this year but David from Optimization World just sent me an email to say how delighted he was that we’d given his company a mention and that he would like to invite our readers to enter his Messy Cable Contest where you could win $100 to spend in his store!

Would your readers would be interested our “Messy Cable Contest” that we are holding through the month of October, you can find the details here http://www.optimization-world.com/contest.html it is just a fun contest for a chance to win $100 store credit.

“Tracyandmatt should be a daily read for anyone interested in Tech. I visit it every day to be caught up on the newest gadgets and technology information. I know first hand that their reviews are thorough, unbiased and truthful. Any companies wanting to get their name out there and see an increase in traffic should not hesitate to have them review a product.” – David French, Optimization World

 

Thanks for the testimonial David!

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: Editorial
By July 19, 2009 Read More →

YouTube partner video length problem

I’m sure that you cant fail to have noticed that I use YouTube a LOT to host the huge selection of unboxing and launch event videos that I’ve recorded over the years.

I have a YouTube partner account that allows me to upload longer videos and have Adsense advertising to earn a little revenue.

However, I went to YouTube this morning to upload my latest unboxing video, uploaded it in the normal way and a short while later I get an error message telling me that the Video has ben rejected as it’s too long! The video I am trying to upload is 11 minutes long but as a partner I should be allowed to upload videos that are over 10 minutes, I have been doing so for years!

So are there any other YouTube partners out there that have the same problem today? I’d love to hear from you!

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: Editorial
By June 17, 2009 Read More →

Is Blue the next Green?

Yesterday we had a power cut.  For around 10 hours we were deprived of our computers, internet, Facebook, Twitter and a host of other daily “essentials”  When I say “WE”, I mean the whole island!  That’s right, approximately 700,000 people without power.  In my technological nakedness, I was trying desperately to find somewhere to charge my laptop and phone.  I had “forgot” to charge my phones and stuff the night before.  This got me thinking. I needed a way to charge my phone without a power socket, and sitting in the midday heat of Malta, I had a brainstorm.  Solar Power!

It seems some clever chaps from Samsung had already thought of this before me.  Whilst I was busy looking online in the wee hours of this morning for a Solar charger, I came across the Blue Earth phone.

samsungsolarphonewow

Samsung Blue Earth

The idea is brilliant.  Take a bundle of old water  bottles, re-mould them into a fetching blue design, stick a screen on it and a solar panel, and market the first “eco friendly” green phone and with this we can be more green!.  Most office calculators are using solar power nowadays and bus stops are usually honking great arrays of solar panels in Germany, so it made sense.  Then I had a think about it, and a read of a few of the comments online.  Lets break this down a bit.

This is what Samsung has to say on their website (http://www.samsungmwc.com/product.asp?Seqno=47&Rellink=Y)

Samsung Blue Earth is the first solar powered full-touch screen phone

Solar Panel on the back of the phone

Eco- friendly phone made from recycled plastic extracted from water bottles

Free from harmful substances such as Brominated Flame Retardant, Beryllium and
Phthalate

Eco-UI: Eco-mode / Eco-calendar / Eco-walk

5 star energy efficient charger which uses standby power lower than 0.03W

Small and light package made from recycled paper

All very impressive.  But is it just baloney and a marketing gimmick?

Sony Ericsson didn’t as much say “what a load of tosh” but reading in between the lines that’s what I understood when I read their  website  (http://www.sonyericsson.com/greenheart/2009/how-about-solar-cells/)

One feature that we get a lot of questions about are solar cells. We have been evaluating and tracked developments in the area of solar cells for years. As long as there is no breakthrough in manufacturing or efficiency it is not beneficial to put a solar cell on a phone from environmental point of view.

Because:

Current solar cells placed on a phone will, in their life time not generate enough energy to compensate for the energy it took to produce them. They are made out of silicon and to produce them takes a lot of energy.

Current solar cells which are the size of a phone can not replace a charger. The the size vs. efficiency of best cells today makes it impossible to generate enough energy.

….

There may be several reasons to put a solar cell on a phone but at current state of technology environmental benefit is not one of them.

Pretty decent argument against it.  Especially the line about not being able to generate enough energy to compensate the energy it took to produce.  So why have Samsung done it?

I love playing devils advocate 🙂

Samsung didn’t say that the solar panel would produce MORE energy that it took to produce said panel in the first place.  It does say though that the mobile could theoretically last a long time without the need for external power.  It DOES say that large-ish solar panel reduces / removes the need for a charger, even indoors.  That means if this phone lasts 10 years without breaking, then it will consume energy from solar power without ever having to use a wall socket, and ultimately not reduce CO2, but not produce any either.

Sony Ericsson are saying its just a marketing gimmick, and they are producing MORE CO2 than the phone is reducing.

If this is an “Eco Friendly” phone, why stick a great big touch screen on it?  Wouldn’t a smaller screen be more suitable? People are used to sacrificing functionality for the sake of the environment.  Look at the Prius.

Toyota have got into hot water about claims..  with over 168,000 units sold in 2008, Toyota admitted that it cost MORE CO2 to produce the car, than a normal gas guzzler, however claimed that over its life time it SAVED 43% of CO2 in a comparable car, due to its fuel efficiency.   They still haven’t told us how much more CO2 it costs to produce though.

Now..  until I get one of these in my hands to have a play, I will leave you with a few thoughts..

how the heck is it going to work when you have it in a pocket?

Unless my hands are suddenly made of glass, how am i going to benefit, even when I am outside on a gloriously sunny day?

Does it get delivered with oven mitts for when I leave it charging in the sun?

What is the operating temperature of the device?

Will it explode when i leave it on my car dashboard?

Why is no-one else marketing a solar powered phone?

If it costs MORE CO2 to produce than a normal phone, however uses significantly less energy and If the solar panel is SO good it can power itself even on over-clouded days, or indoors  ..  Why did they bundle it with a wall charger?

Posted by: Piero (MVP)

[ Post Tags: Samsung, Sony Ericsson, tracyandmatt.co.uk, Solar, Blue Earth]

Posted in: Editorial
By February 23, 2009 Read More →

Windows Server File Cluster help needed!

I hope you’ll all forgive my unusual approach here but I’ve been having major problems with a file cluster we built a few weeks ago. Naturally I’ve been trawling around the net for a solution but so far I’ve not found anyone else having the same problem.

The problem I am having is with a network name (or Alias) that I’ve assigned to my file cluster so if you are a cluster expert perhaps you could read on and offer some advice?

To everyone else, I’m sorry for the interruption to our normal technology coverage!

Posted in: Editorial
By November 4, 2008 Read More →

Countdown to Christmas – 50 Days to go

With Christmas fast approaching (a little quicker than some would have wanted) we would like to ask all Device Manufacturers, Software Manufacturers, PR Company’s etc….. to start getting your products to us as soon as possible to avoid the disappointment your product not being reviewed before Christmas.

T&M Christmas
The Countdown Begins

To have your product reviewed before the 25th of December or to discuss items relating to this contact Matt via the contact section above or you can mail me ( [email protected] ).

Again for those that don’t already know….. All devices sent to us will get a FULL written review and where possible / applicable a video showing the product being unboxed which will also be shown on YouTube.

For our readers:

We would like to know what products you would like to see reviewed here before Christmas so why not drop us a line or leave a comment in this post and we will see what we can do!

Posted by: John

Posted in: Editorial
By October 17, 2008 Read More →

Reviews should always be honest

image We pride ourselves at Mobile Tech Addicts on reviewing devices fairly and honestly and if something is not working how it should or is a poor product we tell you how it is, likewise if the product is fantastic we are very happy to say that too. Luckily we review devices for two great online companies Clove and Superetrader who both share this same philosophy even though it may effect their device sales. Unfortunately this is not always the case where manufacturers are concerned. Mobility Today share the same honest review philosophy but because of this they seem to have been blacklisted by certain PR companies and manufacturers when it comes to receiving review devices.

Posted in: Editorial, Phones
By August 4, 2008 Read More →

Solitaire meltdown!

Don’t you just love it when something strange happens on your PC or mobile? This one certainly falls under the weird category!

Sitting on the toilet bus this morning I decided to pass the time with a quick game of Solitaire on my HTC Touch Diamond. I started to play the game and realised that something odd was going on – have a look at the screen shot to see if you can spot the deliberate mistake?

Solitaire_oops

Solitaire mess up (click to enlarge)

If you look again you might notice that there are two five of clubs, two 2 of spades, two ace of clubs and two ace of hearts!? Played the game through as far as I could as I wondered if there were two complete decks but turns out to be one and a half decks?!

The very next game was just the same! Anyone ever seen this before? I think my Diamond has forgotten what a deck should look like!

BTW. No I didn’t Photoshop the image, you can watch the video if you want!

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: Editorial
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