Archive for 2009

What if Android doesn’t show up at Mobile World Congress?

Next week is one of the biggest events of the year for enthusiasts of mobile technology. Mobile World Congress (sometimes called MWC) is the largest trade mobile technology trade  show, and is held in Barcelona every February. Most handset manufacturers make their big announcements at or Just before Mobile World Congress. The mobile enthusiast community is abuzz this year with speculation about all the new Android announcements that are thought to be coming at MWC, but what if Android doesn’t Show up?

Samsung has already announced that they won’t be showing any Android based devices next week in Barcelona (or anywhere else), instead saying the announcement will now be made sometime around the second half of 2009. Besides the T-Mobile G1, there hasn’t been another Android device released, despite the fact that the G1 has been out for over 4 months. Lenovo has announced an Android phone, the Ophone, but so far it is just vaporware, and there were a few android devices announced at CES last month, but they were mostly from no name Asian OEMs, and will most likely never see the light of day.  

Microsoft stores aim to encourage Windows shopping

The thrust of Microsoft’s efforts to reclaim control over its public image and counter the perceptions planted so successfully by Apple involves trying to connect with consumers on a more personal, less monolithic, level. The many faces of the “I’m a PC” ad campaign was one step. The next involves showcasing Microsoft products where the masses gather (or at least where they used to) — the malls.

Windows Mobile 6.5 video on the HTC Touch HD

We saw quite a few screenshots a few days back taken from an HTC Touch HD running a Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM, well now we have a video to go with it and it is over 9 minutes long so make yourself a cup of tea and sit back and enjoy. It starts right from the beginning showing the actual flashing of the ROM so its all covered. After watching it I have the impression that this is a nice looking update and it seems very snappy with lovely smooth scrolling. See what you think, the videos after the break and if it doesn’t play jump the slider along a few seconds and it should work, not sure why that is but it worked for me.

Trailer for the iPhone Everything

Check out the Purchase Brothers, the ones who are making a big dent in Youtube, they have put together a fun little trailer for the iPhone. Seems to contain everything humanly possible including the Neural Interface Revolution. Check out the video after the break (when you are done go and watch the Half Life 2 short they made: Escape from City 17.)

iPhone Jailbreaking proposed to be exempt from Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Even though it’s officially not illegal to jailbreak your iPhone 2.2.1, etc., it still would make everyone rest easy if it was indeed made legal especially if it would help you retain whatever warranty you have on it. Well, that’s what the Electronic Frontier Foundation is doing right now. They’ve proposed to the Copyright Office that the iPhone be exempt from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s rules on breaking access protection thus making jailbreaking totally prohibited and legal. Of course, you wouldn’t expect Apple to take this one sitting down as they’ve already expressed their counter-arguments for such a proposal. We won’t go into the full details of this, but we will, however, report whatever happens come October where the Copyright Office is expected to make a final ruling. I’m sure this will be of utmost importance especially for hesitant jailbreakers out there.

[PMP Today via engadget]

Point UI Home 2 (beta) review

One of our readers David Hush has been testing out the just released beta of Point UI Home 2 and has very kindly shared his experiences of this much improved software for Windows Mobile. David has been using it on his HTC Touch HD and these are his thoughts:-

First of all I downloaded the .cab from the Point UI website (www.pointui.com) on my Touch HD using my t-mobile HSDPA connection (it’s only 500k!). Ran the .cab to install, changed my today plugins by deselecting Touch Flo 3D and selected Point UI and WOW! Read on for the full review.

Ofcom looks to boost mobile broadband

UK communications regulator Ofcom has taken the next steps in its plan to release more radio spectrum to support mobile broadband services. The watchdog has launched a consultation today on proposals that could lead to faster, more reliable wireless broadband services in homes, offices and businesses across the UK. "In particular we are consulting on how we should implement a proposed European Directive and a draft Radio Spectrum Decision that would require the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands to be made available for UMTS (3G) as well as GSM (2G) technologies," said Ofcom in the summary section of its consultation.