Archive for 2010

HTC Desire specification

The HTC Desire, as you probably know, was announced yesterday by HTC at MWC in Barcelona and seems to have gone down a storm. It’s one of the most popular posts here on tracyandmatt over the past 24 hours.

Unsurprisingly many are asking how the HTC Desire differs from the Google Nexus One. In essence they are virtually the same device in terms of hardware, just a few things to distinguish them. The Desire has an optical trackpad and a couple of hardware buttons where the Nexus just has a hardware trackball. The Desire also has an FM Radio and is ‘missing’ the dual noise-cancelling microphones that the Nexus has.

Where the difference will be more obvious is in the user interface. Although both handsets run Android 2.1 the Desire has HTC’s new version of the excellent Sense UI and a number of HTC-specific applications and enhancements.

Obviously we hope to get our hands on one pretty soon but until then thought you might like to see the full specification listed below.

HTC Legend specification

I was in a bit of a hurry to post the HTC Legend information yesterday so didn’t get a chance to include the full specification. I spent a little time this morning going through the HTC site putting the spec together in list form which you shall find below.

So far the HTC Legend seems to have been quite well received so I expect it to be a rather popular handset when it goes on sale next month.

I haven’t seen any carrier announcements regarding the HTC Legend as yet (have I missed any?) so looks like it’s just SIM-free sales at the moment here in the UK.

HTC Legend, Desire and HD mini – availability and pricing

Although these devices were only announced earlier today Devicewire.com dropped me a line a little while ago to let me know that the HTC Legend, HTC Desire and HTC HD mini are already live on their site and can be pre ordered from today. They have also just updated the pricing and availability which you’ll find listed for you below. Obviously we hope to get our hands on review models sooner than this but we’ll let you know when we do!

New from Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericcson have pulled out a few devices from their back pockets. Lets take a look at them:

Toshiba K01 and TG02

Finally a phone with a slide out Qwerty keyboard that does not contain the word Pro in the title. Appearing beside the TG02 The K01 has the same 4.1” Capacitive screen and runs Windows Mobile 6.5.3, however more importantly the K01 has a OLED screen and the difference in the screen clarity is notable. They also had the TG01 on display and it was nice to see the linage of Toshiba’s recent models altogether.  Couple of pictures after the break:

HTC shows 3 new phones

Shown off by HTC at an invite only press conference HTC announced three new phones that will hit stores in April. The HTC Legend and HTC Desire both running Android and HTC HD Mini running Windows Mobile. CEO Peter Chou mentioned they are currently working closely with Microsoft creating some Windows Phone Series 7 … um phones. However lets have a look at what they unveiled. I will be posting a video from the conference on my return to Blighty.

Sky’s Mobile TV now enabled for 3G

Sky Mobile TV is now usable over 3G, with Apple allowing the change to the app and giving users the option to stream television shows and live sports over the mobile phone networks.

Sky’s subscription mobile offering launched on the iPhone back in November – offering streaming television channels like Sky Sports News, Sky News and live sports channels over Wi-Fi.

Now, for the £6 a month fee, Sky’s channels will be available over 3G networks as well as Wi-Fi.

Available on 3G

"The UK’s largest Mobile TV service is now available on 3G for all iPhone users," Sky told TechRadar.

The Sky Mobile TV app launched in November last year and offers the best in live TV on the move initially allowing users to stream content over Wi-Fi from Sky Sports, Sky Sports News, Sky News, ESPN and At The Races.

Sports fans will be able to watch all live televised Barclays Premier League, Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premiere League and Coca Cola Football Leagues on 3G as well as live coverage of international and domestic cricket, PGA European Tour Golf, Guinness Premiership Rugby and a range of other sports.

Customers who already have the app will have received an update to advise them that the service is now available on 3G. New customers will need to download the app from the App store or at www.itunes.com/appstore and subscribe to the Sky Mobile TV service for £6 a month and register for a Sky customer ID.

Well received

The app has been well received, with MacFormat‘s Chris Phin commenting on a Sky Mobile TV review published on TechRadar that the ‘quality was incredible’.

But will the 3G networks be able to cope with it? A spokesman for O2 was kind enough to tell TechRadar that the company was aware of the application.

"Yes, I can confirm that the Sky Sports will work over our 3G network," said O2.

LG Mini GD880 hands-on video

Not to be outdone, LG chose MWC to show off its Mini GD880, a svelte piece built from brushed aluminum in both black and silver. Build quality is striking here — jaw-droppingly so — with fit and finish on all corners, seams, and around the various ports looking spot on.

This device also has heft for its diminutive size — sure, it’s only 99g, but that feels like so much for a device of this size — but it only adds character and, well, it feels like money for lack of a better word. Running LG’s S-Class UI, the touchscreen sadly isn’t really up to snuff, we had to really poke at the screen to get it to register a touch, and there was lag and delay between key press and action.

Of course, this isn’t shipping today, but rather launches in Europe in March — for some unknown price — and then on to other markets. So here’s hoping there is still a tweak or two in the GD880’s future, it’d be a shame to let something as glorious as it looks not deliver an experience to match.

Via

HTC Legend hands-on video

Mobilecrunch paws the oh so shinny HTC Legend which was announced today and is made with an aluminum uni-body, bit like the Mac and Nexus One.

First Impressions:

• It’s absolutely gorgeous. The majority of the unibody design is cut from a single sheet of aluminum, ensuring that there are no screws or unsightly seams. It’s hard not to compare it with a MacBook Pro; side by side, they look like they were born from the same robotic mother.
• The Hero was notoriously slow at launch – and while it sped up over time, it still had its lags here and there. The Legend is only 72Mhz faster (600Mhz vs 528mhz), but that little bump (and all of the work Google and HTC have been doing, presumably) make this an incredibly smooth ride.
• Being accustomed to trackballs, I went into the hands-on a bit unsure about the optical trackpad. I didn’t even consciously notice the difference until someone mentioned it – which says a lot. It works perfectly.
• In terms of durability, the unibody design makes this thing a friggin’ tank. As long as you don’t go smashing the glass screen, you’ll be hardpressed to damage the guts inside. HTC smashed the handset onto the desk multiple times hard enough that it was uncomfortably loud, and it walked away unscathed.
• HTC introduced a Exposé like multi-touch zoom control on the home screen, allowing you to use two-finger pinching to show all of your widget pages at once. This seemed silly in theory, but it’s pretty great in practice. You don’t realize how annoying it is to scroll through 7 pages of widgets until you’re given an alternative.

Via