Archive for 2010
O2 today announces that Research In Motion’s BlackBerry® has launched on Pay & Go from O2 and a whole new audience can now send each other messages on BlackBerry® Messenger (BBMTM), use RIM’s powerful multitasking software and keep up to date with their email and favourite social networks on the go.
With five BlackBerry® smartphones available to choose from, there’s one to suit every pocket, case or bag. The range includes the BlackBerry® PearlTM 3G – the smallest BlackBerry smartphone ever, available in black or purple, exclusively on O2 – at £249.99, the BlackBerry® CurveTM 8520 at £149.99 or the hugely popular BlackBerry® BoldT 9700 at £349.99. A huge range of accessories are also available in store and on o2.co.uk including cases designed by Ed Hardy and Lulu Guinness.
After Google killed the Nexus One commercially last month, there was great mourning amongst the geek community. But now Google has pumped life back into the Nexus One, by selling it as the official Google developer phone, which succeeds the previous developer phone, the Google Ion. Apparently it is unchanged from the dead consumer model, but Google says that you will need to upgrade to 2.2 when you receive the phone, as it only comes with 2.1. To get the Nexus One, you first need to become an official Google developer, then pay $529 (about £333) then get it shipped from the states. However, you are going stuck with T-Mobile, as it is carrier locked to them.
Vonage have announced their mobile app for facebook which will allow users to make free calls to their facebook friends who also have the application installed over Wi-Fi or 3G . And the calls are free!
The application currently supports iPhone and Android but I am sure other platforms are being worked on.
I have just downloaded the app and will be testing it out later so will update you on its efficiency etc.
Vonage Holdings Corp. today introduced the Vonage Mobile application for Facebook. This new service allows users to make free mobile calls to all of their Facebook friends who have the app, anywhere in the world, directly from their friends list, with a single touch.
oadable application is free to get and free to use. The new service enhances the ability to connect with Facebook friends through the addition of voice calling. It is available for iPhone, iPod touch and Android devices. And the service works over Wi-Fi and 3G /4G networks in most countries.
In the following video I give you a very quick demo of the keyboard options on the BlackBerry Torch 9800. As you will see, as well as the hardware QWERTY keyboard you have on screen options as well. What I don’t show though is that if you prefer you can have the onscreen keyboard set to suretype, meaning you have two letters on each key. I personally cant stand that one hence the reason that I didn’t think to test it!
As I mentioned in an earlier post the hardware keyboard is much the same as on the current BlackBerry Bold 9700. It did feel a little different to me but I am putting that down to the fact that the Torch feels totally different in the hand compared to the Bold 9700.
What I can tell you is that the onscreen keyboard worked perfectly. I managed to type 100% mistake free in portrait mode, something which I cant even to on my iPhone so overall i am incredibly impressed with the on screen typing options on the Torch. Nice work RIM.
Media has always been one of the things that has let down BlackBerry in the past and this has now been addressed with BlackBerry 6 on the Torch 9800.
As you will see I had a quick play with the media features on the device at the press event and things have most definitely taken a step in the right direction.
With a new picture gallery, music player and video player which looks good (unlike on current BB’s) RIM have really listened to what people want from a smartphone. Sorry about the camera going out of focus. It was the lighting in the room. You will however see the important bits.
Apple has just told CNET that they have fixed the bug in mobile safari which allowed the jailbreakme.com jailbreak by the iPhone Dev Team. The bug that allowed the jailbreak was a security vulnerability in the way it loads PDF files from the Web. An Apple spokesperson said that “We’re aware of this reported issue, we have already developed a fix and it will be available to customers in an upcoming software update,” but there was no word on when it was going to be released.
Whenever this update gets pushed out to the world, the jailbreakme.com jailbreak will not work and the iPhone Dev Team will have to work out another way to piss Jobs off.
With Gareth away on his hols, last night Matt, Andy and myself recorded the weekly podcast and although we were a man down we picked up a lady instead, Tracy.
On this weeks show we discuss the iPhone 4 jailbreak, The BlackBerry Torch 9800 (that I played with yesterday!), Froyo on the HTC Desire, and three other Android devices we have our hands on as well as other bits and bobs.
If you have not listened before please check it out. As usual we have a laugh and a joke as well as some comedy limericks at the end of the podcast!
To download you can either click here or find us on iTunes.
Posted by: James
One of the most requested features of the iPhone is music streaming, and it seams that Apple has giving it to us. Well, that is you have MobileMe, as Apple has just updated iDisk for the ability to play music files from the your computer in the background. This basically means that you can stream any music files that you have in your iDisk folder and play them over the air while it being in the background. The update for iDisk is available on the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad and you can stream music to multiple devices at the same time.
After over a month of O2 not allowing new customers to get the iPhone 4 on their network, O2 have finally given in and letting new customers to get the iPhone 4 with a contract or on pay as you go. The iPhone 4 is also available to purchase online through O2’s website, rather than having to get it in store.
RIM announced the BlackBerry Torch 9800 yesterday at a joint press event in London and New York. Our man James was there and during the Q&A session asked the question: “Will there be any kind of network exclusivity on the Torch when it’s released here in the UK?” RIM said that they were unable to answer the question but that left us with a horrible feeling that it would be available on only one carrier initially.
However, our fears seem to have been somewhat unfounded as a little bird tells us that Orange will be stocking the Torch 9800 soon so will not be exclusive to just one carrier here in the UK as it is in the USA. Great news!
Posted by: Matt
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