Archive for 2009

O2 XDA Venn unboxing video

O2 released the new XDA Venn last week here in the UK but it’s not a totally new handset. The Venn has been on sale for a while in the USA as the Pantech Matrix Pro on the AT&T network and is also known as the Pantech Mustang 2. For those of you unfamiliar with the Pantech or the Venn it has a unique trick up its sleeve in that it has a dual slide action with both a numeric keypad and and full QWERTY keypad.

The O2 XDA Venn

The Venn is one of the few Windows Mobile Standard devices available at the moment so there’s no touch screen here. It’s a fairly well featured handset though with 528mHz Qualcomm CPU,  128mb RAM, 256mb ROM and quad band connectivity. However, there is a glaring omission in my opinion, the total lack of WiFi connectivity is a real shame as this is something that’s become pretty much standard on most handsets now.

We’ll be reviewing the XDA Venn this week and will have the review online shortly, so for now sit back and take a look at the unboxing video below.

O2 XDA Venn Specification:

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
• Qualcomm 528mHz CPU
• 128MB RAM
• 256MB ROM
• 2.4" QVGA (240×320) transflective display
• Quad Band
• GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, HSUPA
• Bluetooth 2.0
• MicroSD memory card support
• 2.0 megapixel camera
• GPS(?)
• Weight: Dimensions: 106 x 51 x 21mm (H x W x D)

Posted by: Matt

N900 Video Roundup

With so many hands on videos coming out of Nokia World this week, its been hard to keep up with all the goodness from Germany. The Nokia N900 hasn’t been shy either and was voted the most anticipated device from Nokia World and is without doubt the best thing to come out of Nokia since the N95.

Is the N900 the device for you?

More after the break…

Nokia X6 Video Roundup

Next up for the video treatment is the X6, the Capacitive screened touch phone is sure to be a hit with media and social users. It packs live widgets, 32GB of storage and unlimited music downloads, looks like Nokia is going head to head with the iPhone.

More after the break.

Nokia N97 Mini Video Roundup

More videos coming out of Nokia World this week, this time its the turn of the Nokia N97 Mini. Enjoy this selection and hopefully it will help you decide if the N97 Mini is the device for you.

More after the break.

T- Mobile Pulse PAYG Android phone (HTC Click)

It seems T-Mobile UK has revealed that it’s going to have an Android Pay-As-You-Go handset named the T-Mobile Pulse; made by the manufacturer Huawei, it will coast around £179.99 and be available in October.

The handset is a 3.5 inch HVGA touch screen with a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, GPS and Wi-Fi and like the HTC Hero; it’s got multiple profile screens. This will be the UK’s first Android handset without contract.

Xperia™ Pureness announced today

This morning at an event highlighting our new brand direction and its alignment under Sony’s make.believe brand message we showed the next device to be launched under the Xperia brand to a select few journalists.

It’s called Xperia Pureness and will launch during November 2009. Pureness is a really simple design phone, based around the core concepts of talk text and time but dressed up in a highly designed, sculpted shell and created around the idea of the handset as a work of art.

Toshiba announces the WM 6.5 TG01

It IFA today Toshiba have just announced the new version of their popular TG01 handset which will be one of the first handset out there to have Windows Mobile 6.5. Note that existing TG01 customers will qualify for a free update to Windows Mobile 6.5 as well. So if you win the TG01 in our competition then you’ll be able to upgrade it! 🙂

Toshiba Information Systems (UK) Ltd, Mobile Communications Division, today announced  the launch of the TG01 Windows® phone, a variant of its groundbreaking TG01 featuring the new Windows Mobile® 6.5 operating system.

The arrival of Windows Mobile® 6.5 and Toshiba’s immediate adoption of the platform for the TG01 sees the handset become a fully-certified Windows® phone; the updated TG01 Windows® phone will start to appear in stores across Europe from 6th October 2009. Toshiba customers who have previously purchased the TG01 will also be entitled to an upgrade to the new Windows Mobile® 6.5, free of charge.

The launch of the TG01 Windows® phone means users will be able to enjoy all the benefits of Windows Mobile® 6.5, including a new Home screen and a finger-friendly start menu. Designed to offer fun and interactive navigation between applications, Windows Mobile® 6.5 provides users with faster access to the handset’s plethora of features.

Windows Marketplace for Mobile enables users to download and install Windows Mobile® applications, including Games, Social Networking functions and office-tools, meaning each handset can be personalised to suit the tastes and needs of each individual user. Support for the latest version of Internet Explorer® makes it faster and easier to browse the Internet, and the free Microsoft My Phone enables users to protect their phone by backing up data and securely share photos with families and friends across PC, phone and the web-based platforms.

The TG01 Windows®  phone also comes with the high-power Snapdragon™ 1GHz processor, as found on the Toshiba TG01, to deliver smooth video playback, super-fast gaming and detail-rich browsing.  The same superb, high-resolution 4.1” Wide-VGA (800 x 480) touchscreen is also present, with on-board Coreplayer providing support for a wide variety of video formats.

Despite all this power, the TG01 Windows® phone comes in the same sleek 9.9mm body as the previously-launched Toshiba TG01.  It also features the same rich multimedia features, but with the added benefit of the new Windows® phone experience provided by the Windows Mobile® 6.5 operating system.

Expandable SDHC memory up to 32GB provides the facility for users to keep a large multimedia library on the move if required, with an  8GB microSD card bundled as standard, enabling users to store multimedia content and take advantage of the the handset’s cinematic mobile performance out of the box.  Integrated GPS and A-GPS technology allows the TG01 Windows® phone to double up as a satellite navigation system, providing rich graphics and detail.

“Windows® phones bring together the best of the Web, the PC and the phone so you can connect instantly to the people and information you care about, no matter where you are,” said from Stephanie Ferguson, general manager, product management, Microsoft Corp. “The new TG01 Windows® phone provides a great end-to-end experience that spans your entire life, at work and at home.”

“Our new TG01 Windows® phone is quite simply the next step in cutting edge mobile technology.  We’ve been thrilled with the market’s response to the TG01 handset so far and worked closely with Microsoft to launch one of the first Windows® phones to the market.  Toshiba is constantly striving to deliver the very best mobile experience and we are excited what this new Windows® phone update will bring our customers, with an improved user interface and access to a multitude of applications through Windows Marketplace.“ said Hidehito Koka, Deputy Managing Director, Toshiba Information Systems UK Ltd, Mobile Communications Division  

An update to the new Windows Mobile® 6.5 operating system for existing owners of TG01 will be available for download from Toshiba’s website: www.toshiba-europe.com/mobile

 

Thoughts?

Posted by: Matt

Android powered gaming device ODROID revealed

Although the device itself doesn’t look particularly inspiring, the concept of manufacturer Hardkernal’s new Android-powered entertainment device is pretty solid.
Slashgear noticed the ODROID floating around the blogosphere. It’s built around the same high-speed CPU as the iPhone 3GS (600MHz Samsung S5PC100 ARM Cortex A8), and also comes with 2 GB of storage, a 3.5 inch LCD touchscreen at 320×480 resolution, Bluetooth, wi-fi, SDHC card slot, accelerometer and an HDMI connector capable of 720p video output.
What the device doesn’t have is cellular connectivity, positioning it more as competition for the iPod touch than the iPhone. Judging by the button layout the ODROID can be used in landscape or portrait orientation, presumably to ensure it is compatible with all the games and applications on the Android Marketplace.
It seems the developer Hardkernal might yet be looking for a manufacturer and/or distribution partner, as there’s no word on if, or even when, the ODROID will become available, or what sort of price we can expect.
Still, it’s a fascinating bit of kit, eh?

[source Pocketgamer]