Archive for April, 2009

By April 30, 2009 Read More →

Unannounced Sony Ericsson Flip Phone Slips Through FCC

An unannounced Sony Ericsson flip phone has slipped through the FCC recently, with indications that it may be headed for AT&T.

w518a_fcc w518a_fcc 2

The W518a Walkman handset supports HSDPA 3G data on the 850 and 1900MHz frequency bands as also features quad-band GSM/EDGE support. The W518a has both a small external display as well as a larger internal one that is expected to have QVGA (240×320 pixel) resolution. The outside of the flip houses external music controls and the phone also features an FM radio, M2 memory card support, and the Walkman music player on-board. We won’t know availability and pricing information until the phone is officially announced.

Posted by: John

[source]

Posted in: Rumours
By April 30, 2009 Read More →

Press Release: Samsung Tocco Lite

Jumping in on the success of the Tocco range Samsung have now launched a LITE version of the handset.

samsung-s5230-00
Samsung Tocco Lite

Samsung launches new addition to the Tocco family – Samsung Tocco Lite

London, UK, April 29, 2009 – Samsung Mobile UK today announced the launch of the Samsung Tocco Lite, in the UK market, the latest addition to the Tocco family. The Samsung Tocco Lite has enhanced social media features and will continue Samsung’s leadership in the touch screen market, delivering the style and features consumers come to expect from Samsung, at an ultra competitive mid-range price.

“The incredible success of the Samsung Tocco handset last year has paved the way for this latest addition to the Tocco family,” said Mark Mitchinson, Vice-President Samsung Mobile UK and Ireland. “With its vivid and responsive full touch screen, the Tocco Lite will appeal to consumers who want to access their social media sites in a simple and colourful way.”

The Samsung Tocco Lite uses online widgets to ensure users can keep their Facebook status up-to-date, log on to their Myspace page or browse YouTube for the latest videos, all from a simple one touch interface on the main menu screen. Users can also tag photos of their contacts on the device, as well as uploading their favourite shots to their own social networking sites.

The Tocco Lite offers all the multimedia features consumers would expect from a Samsung full touch device. The slim body incorporates a 3 Megapixel camera designed to capture spontaneous moments with family and friends, using enhanced features such as smile and face detection.

Featuring an FM radio, high quality 3.0″ WQVGA touch screen, music recognition and Samsung DNSe 2.0 (Digital Natural Sound engine) which ensures natural, high quality sound, the Tocco Lite is a multimedia phone that keeps users entertained wherever and whenever.

The Samsung Tocco Lite is set to launch in UK stores mid May and will be supported by a £1.5 million marketing campaign.

Samsung Tocco Lite Specifications:

  • GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
  • Dimensions: 104 x 53 x 11.9 mm
  • Weight: 93.5 g
  • Display Type: TFT resistive touchscreen, 256K 240 x 400 pixels, 3.0 inches
  • Accelerometer sensor
  • Handwriting recognition
  • Gesture lock
  • DNSe (Digital Natural Sound Engine)
  • Card slot     microSD (TransFlash), up to 16GB
  • GPRS Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 – 48 kbps
  • EDGE Class 12
  • Bluetooth  Yes, v2.1 with A2DP
  • USB v2.0
  • Camera: 3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels
  • Video: QVGA@15fps
  • WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
  • Stereo FM radio with RDS
  • Java MIDP 2.0
  • Shazam Find Music service
  • Battery: Li-Ion 1000 mAh
  • Stand-by     –
  • Talk time     –

So what are the main differences between the Tocco F480 and this new Lite version?

Feature Tocco Lite Tocco
3G No Yes
Screen Size 240 x 400 240 x 320
Internal Memory 50mb 232mb
Card Slot 16gb Micro SD 8gb Micro SD
Bluetooth V2.1 A2DP V2.0 A2DP
Camera 3.15 MP 5 MP

Posted by: John

Posted in: Press Releases
By April 30, 2009 Read More →

Tiger Woods PGA Tour available in the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch

image Just noticed that one of my favourite PC and Xbox games has just hit the App Store. It is a huge 160 MB download and by the description sounds pretty awesome.

You can play as or against Tiger Woods in true 3D game play and realistic sound effects. There is a new touch-n-drag control system as well as swipes to add spin to the ball.

It is available now in the App Store at a cost of £ 5.99, I am downloading it right now so expect a full review to follow.

Click the link below unless you are in the USA, if you are you will need this link as for some reason they are different.

image

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Posted in: Phones
By April 30, 2009 Read More →

Palm Eos 3G GSM WebOS phone sighted

image Engadget are reporting that they have the details on the recently rumoured new Palm Pre Mini and it is going to be called the Eos. (in Greek mythology, the Titanic goddess of the dawn, who rose from her home at the edge of Oceanus, the Ocean that surrounds the world, to herald her brother Helios, the sun.) well we wouldn’t go that far but that is what Eos means, anyway, the Palm Eos will run the new Palm WebOS and it will be a GSM phone with quadband. The phone will supposedly be 10.6mm thick, 55mm wide and 111mm high and will weigh only 100  and will have a 2.63-inch, 320 x 400 capacitive display.The rest of the specifications are after the break.

Posted in: Phones
By April 30, 2009 Read More →

The Palm Pre Mini rumour

palm-pre-150x150 After the break is a rumour I certainly hope is very much not true. Whilst I’m far from opposed to a variety of Palm Pre phones I’d much rather they established the Palm Pre first before spending any time developing a second phone based around this model. Check after the break for the article from Electric Pig.

Posted in: Phones
By April 30, 2009 Read More →

HTC Touch Viva review

Yet another HTC device designed to be finger friendly, is this cheaper version worth a look? HTC claim that it is ‘responding perfectly to your finger gestures’. Can a low end device of this kind really cut it?

When Matt happened to slip the Viva in to the ‘to do’ tray I was overjoyed to give it a whirl. (sorry, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and all that.)

Moving on from the many versions of this device such as the Touch, Touch Dual, Touch 3g etc., this device is set at the lower end of the market, with a price tag around the £250 mark.

The HTC Touch Viva

The HTC Touch Viva

What’s in the box?

  • HTC Touch Viva
  • AC Charger
  • miniUSB cable
  • User manual
  • Software CD
  • Screen protector

Have a look at Matt’s HTC Touch Viva unboxing video for more.

 

HTC Touch Viva specification:

  • Processor: TI’s OMAPT 850, 201 MHz
  • Operating System: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
  • ROM: 256 MB
  • RAM: 128 MB
  • 104.5 mm X 59 mm X 15.75 mm
  • 110 grams (3.88 ounces) with battery
  • 2.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with QVGA (320 X 240) resolution
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
  • 4-Way navigation control with Enter button
  • Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for stereo wireless headsets
  • Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
  • HTC ExtUSBT (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
  • 2.0 megapixel camera with fixed focus
  • Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery 1100 mAh
  • Talk time: Up to 480 minute
  • Standby time: Up to 270 hours
  • microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

 

General

On the top of the device is only the power on button.

HTC Touch Viva top view

HTC Touch Viva top view

 

The left hand side is the up/down volume rocker

HTC Touch Viva left side

HTC Touch Viva left side

 

The right hand side you can find nothing but the small non-telescopic stylus holder.

HTC Touch Viva right side

HTC Touch Viva right side

 

On the bottom is miniUSB socket for sync, charge, headset etc.

HTC Touch Viva bottom view

HTC Touch Viva bottom view

 

The rear of the Viva is home to the 2 megapixel camera, with no flash, no mirror, and a speaker slot.

HTC Touch Viva back view

HTC Touch Viva back view

 

On the front of the phone is the 2.8’ QVGA touchscreen, the end and send buttons and flanking the 5 way Navigation and Enter button.

HTC Touch Viva front view

HTC Touch Viva front view

 

As with most of the Touch range, it is minimal to say the least. Even the box is sparse with no freebies, not even a set of headphones have been included, I know it is the cheaper end of the market, but no headphones? As I have mentioned before not necessarily my cup of tea.

Highlights

  • Minimal design (if you like that sort of thing)
  • Faster than you would expect with that processor

Lowlights

  • Low end spec, i.e. no GPS etc.
  • Camera

Review

The device itself is fairly standard as these HTC Touch models go; it does carry one of the latest versions of TouchFlo, although it is more 2D than 3D, as the animated icons are not present.

The overall design and build is really good if you are into the minimal look, it does feel a little plasticy, but it is smooth and all the buttons have a nice positive feel to them.

The screen is the type that neither Matt nor I like in that it is recessed and not flat, sometimes making it difficult to reach all areas especially the corners without resorting to the stylus. Not greatly finger friendly. I also feel that it is not the brightest or most vibrant that I have come across.

The camera albeit 2 megapixel, is not bad, although the colours I found tend to wash out somewhat dependant on lighting, and with no flash pretty poor on low light. So for a basic photo it will do. The panoramic feature was quite cool and easy to use, overlapping a number of sequential pictures together to produce a pleasant panoramic picture.

Call quality and signal strength where fine not outstanding but very adequate, I have read of the occasional problem with the phone ringing but no notification on the device itself, this I believe now fixed on the HTC website. It tends to be a little harsh on full blast and not pleasant to use on max volume.

I would have thought that only having a 200 MHz processor would be an issue in itself, but I really didn’t have a problem with this, it is certainly responsive enough and the TouchFlo works fast and well. Nipping around the device really wasn’t a problem and still using my trusty old Asus P526 now and again for a change, there is no problem there either, so don’t be put off by the low spec processor.

Software included again is pretty standard for Windows Mobile 6.1 users and the usual suspects are present as you would expect, the likes of Opera browser, Google maps etc.

Viva_angled_left

 

Conclusion

As I mentioned I was not really looking forward to reviewing this device as it is not my sort of gadget, I love buttons and tweaks and things to play with, this offers very few of these but by design.

I was surprised by the overall functionality of the Viva, it proves to be accurate and easy to use, it is lot quicker than you would expect, the shape and form of the phone is easy to live with, being as smooth as it is, it fits well in the hand and the pocket.

If you are looking to get into the Windows/HTC market then this entry level model will not disappoint, but that said a few more pounds will get you a much better spec’d device that would prove even better to live with.

Personally I would not entertain the HTC Viva as my device of choice as it is too minimal and too boring for me to part with my cash. But if that is your thing then it is very capable and worth a look, especially if money is tight. The biggest problem for me is that this device is in the middle of a competitive market and I don’t really think it does enough to stand out from the crowd.

Now let’s see what the Acer DX900 has to offer.

 

Review by: Steve

Posted in: Reviews
By April 30, 2009 Read More →

LG Viewty Smart given Release Date

Thanks to the uncharacteristic slip-up of some Germans, we already knew plenty about the LG Viewty II, it will be called the Viewty Smart, and will be exceedingly thin at only 12mm thick.

Now LG has officially announced that the Viewty Smart will be landing on shelves on May on Orange.

lgviewtysmart 
LG Viewty II (Smart)

The Viewty Smart will feature a WVGA screen, and its 8-megapixel camera will have quite a few improvements over the first Viewty, including sensitivity up to ISO 1,600 for low-light shots, touch gestures for zooming in and out, and multiple face-detection. It’ll also have something called ‘intelligent shot mode’, which LG says will analyse the photo and compare it against seven pre-programmed scenes to improve picture quality. But there won’t be a xenon flash previously suggested and rather will sport just an LED light.

The Viewty Smart will also launch with Wi-Fi and 7.2Mbps HSDPA for faster surfing, a 76mm (3-inch) touchscreen display, 1.5GB of internal memory expandable with a microSD card of up to 32GB, and GPS.

Posted by: John

Posted in: News
By April 29, 2009 Read More →

Amazon buys Stanza

image Stanza is an eBook reader for iPhone (see also our review of Stanza for iPhone). Stanza is made by small company called "LexCycle", that has been just required by Amazon!

Posted in: Phones
By April 29, 2009 Read More →

Tellme coming to Windows Mobile 6.5

image For the past decade, Tellme has been pioneering voice services for businesses and consumers, answering billions of calls every year and helping millions of people get the information they need simply by speaking a request. Now the convenience of voice is coming to Windows phones, bringing people closer to the things they want by providing easier access to more of the phone’s functionality. With Tellme people using the latest Windows phones will be able to simply say what they want, such as ‘call mom’ or ‘text Jim’ or ‘pizza,’ and results display on the screen.

Tellme will be available for free on Windows Mobile 6.5 phones in the Fall 2009 when the phones hit store shelves. Initially available in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile store, Tellme will also make the service available for free to mobile operators and carriers to embed ‘on-device’ for a voice experience right out of the box.

Sounds like an interesting service, you can read the full press release here and after the break there is a demo video so you can see what it is all about.

Posted in: Phones
By April 29, 2009 Read More →

New WebOS Screenshots

image We haven’t covered the Palm Pre very much recently probably because we are losing interest very quickly. Not just because we don’t know a delivery date for the US version, hell, Palm haven’t even officially announced that it is even coming to Europe, what carrier it will be on or anything interesting for that matter. It now looks quite clear that we are going to have to wait quite some time for a GSM Palm Pre to appear in Europe and we will all just have to look over the pond at our US friends who will get to enjoy this great looking phone well before us. Ok thats the moaning out of the way, PreThinking have managed to get hold of some Palm Pre WebOS screenshots from the recently released SDK, take a look at them after the break.

Posted in: Phones
https://www.ukmeds.co.uk/surgical-face-masks