Archive for May, 2011

By May 10, 2011 Read More →

Android Ice Cream Sandwich coming to all device types in Q4

ice creamThe pace of Google Android development won’t cease or slow down any time soon, and over at Google I/O there are some major changes being shown off in the successor to Honeycomb. First and foremost, the tasty new treat is dubbed “Ice Cream Sandwich”. It is a bit more of a mouthful than previous names, but it also comes with a slew of new features.

This version will run on both phones and tablets, intelligently scaling the UI for use on many different resolutions. This means that eventually we’ll see the same Android firmware across all types of devices, and not the phone or tablet specific versions we have now. Another major feature are the new camera functions, namely face recognition and tracking. For the homescreen, widgets are now resizable. USB host is now native, so USB devices from cameras to game controllers can be plugged in just like a traditional PC. Over in the US, film purchases and rentals directly from the Android Market is on its way, as well as cloud storage and playback for your tunes; it’s currently unclear whether these will be arriving at our shores here in the UK. Finally, the ‘Android Open Accessory’ program certifies Android compatible accessories from game controllers to exercise bikes. There’s even a demo of a real Labyrinth gameboard controlled by an Android device!

Perhaps one the most pleasing things Google is announcing however, are the new guidelines for post-purchase support. HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson and Vodafone are among partners in this scheme who will be committed to providing timely updates for at least 18 months after release (hardware dependant). This is huge news, giving consumers confidence that their device will be riding the newest OS for quite some time after purchasing.

Sounds super sweet to me!

 

Posted by: Vince

Posted in: News

Nokia E7 Review

Nokia E7We first got hands on with the Nokia E7 last September when James visited Nokia World in London. That seemed a lifetime ago but the device is now available to buy.

With Nokia losing ground over their rivals they need to pull something out of the bag to keep their followers interested. The E7 sports a 4″ AMOLED screen with a slide out QWERTY keyboard and an 8mp camera able to record HD video. But is it enough?

Take a look below to see what this long time Nokia fan thought.

 

Posted in: Reviews
By May 10, 2011 Read More →

HTC Puccini: 10-Inch LTE Tablet

htc-pucciniAccording to Pocketnow we will soon see the HTC Puccini, a rumoured 10-inch tablet HTC is preparing to follow its seven-inch Flyer. All fingers seem to be pointing at AT&T right now for release and the Puccini will be one of the first devices compatible with their "true 4G" LTE network. Specs for this model remain unknown, although it’s likely to run Android 3.x Honeycomb and support HTC’s Scribe capacitive pen input technology. Since Giacomo Puccini was a 19th and 20th century opera composer (La Boheme, Madame Butterfly), there may be a musical focus here as well.

Exciting stuff and it will be nice to see HTC release a hefty tablet to take on Motorola, Samsung and LG as the Flyer looks a little paltry in comparison.

Posted by: Gareth

Posted in: News

HTC ChaCha and Salsa on pre order from Amazon

htc-facebook-salsa-chacha

HTC’s two ‘Facebook’ phones look like landing with us next month. The two devices have shown up on Amazons UK site and are showing a release date of June 26th.

Now we know that these things are often subject to change so I wouldn’t get your heart set on that date. It may be sooner or later than June 26th. However, if you want to know what we think of the two new handsets we will have them for review prior to them going on sale so stay tuned (even though we are not on the radio!)

If you want a quick reminder of what the ChaCha and Salsa are all about you can find the details below.

 

Posted in: News

BlackBerry Bold 9900 launching soon?

Screen shot 2011-05-09 at 10.17.03

We all know from last weeks announcement that the new BlackBerry 9900 is coming soon but the question is how soon is soon.

I made my daily visit over to the UK BlackBerry website today and was not only pleased to see the 9900 there but even more glad that it says on the site ‘launching soon’.

If you are interested in getting the BlackBerry 9900 with its touch screen and BlackBerry 7 OS then you can head on over to the site and register your interest. RIM will then email you when more news regarding the launch is available.

With a 1.2 GHz processor and 8GB of expandable memory, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 Smartphone is the very definition of high performance. It also features the best in Wi-Fi technology – so you can quickly tap into Wi-Fi hotspots whenever you need to. And with an HD video recorder, you can even capture exceptional moments in all their vivid detail.

Sleek, high-end, and loaded with the ultimate tools, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 Smartphone is the thinnest, sleekest BlackBerry Smartphone yet. Made of high-quality brushed stainless steel, with sculpted surfaces and refined touches, it’s got the looks to match its power.

Continuing to build on past success, the BlackBerry 7 OS has been powerfully enhanced. Enjoy a fluid touch screen experience – swiping, zooming and scrolling around apps and websites with ease.

Our new operating system is integrated with BlackBerry® Maps, giving you immediate access to Location-Based Services such as the sights and amenities in your local area. Plus with NFC (Near Field Communications) you have the opportunity to pay for travel, redeem coupons or even gain secure access to your office – all with just a swipe of your BlackBerry BoldT 9900 Smartphone.

 

This phone gets me all hot and bothered!

You can register your interest here.

 

Posted by: James

Posted in: News
By May 9, 2011 Read More →

Brother Printer Competition

MFC5895CW_FRONT

It has been a little while since we hosted a competition but we’ve got a few coming up for you over the next few weeks. We’re starting here with a Brother A3 All in One Printer competition.

Would you like to win a Brother MFC-5895CW high speed A3 inkjet all in one printer? Ideal for printing your favourite photos for the home or printing professional looking documents and scanning in the office. Compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux the MFC-5895CW also offers wireless printing, a compact footprint form factor whilst delivering 28 page per minute print speeds, 150 sheet paper capacity and Blue Angel environmental standards.

Entering is easy. All you have to do is follow tracyandmatt on Twitter and retweet the following tweet: "RT @tracyandmatt I’m hoping to win a #Brother A3 Printer on tracyandmatt.co.uk – Find out how you can enter too: http://bit.ly/brothercomp" You can also click the retweet link below to save you copying and pasting the phrase. Your twitter name will be entered in to the draw. You’ll have to keep following us as we’ll notify winners via DM.

RETWEET ME!

This competition will run for two weeks, ending Friday 20th May 2011 and only open to UK entrants as the printer will be sent directly from Brother in the UK to the winner. Entrants follow tracyandmatt on twitter in order for us to get in touch with the winner.

The winner will be chosen at random within two weeks of the competition closing and the prize will be sent to the winner within thirty days of the winner being chosen.

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: Competitions
By May 8, 2011 Read More →

Why I JailBreak My iDevice

cydia There are numerous reasons why I JailBreak my iDevice, but the first thing people say is ‘oh you just want free apps’. Whilst this is achievable when your iDevice has been JailBroken, its not the reason I do, but I’ll go on to that shortly.

I’ve been JailBreaking my iDevices for a few years and with every new iPhone or OS Update, the first thing I do is ensure there is a JailBreak method.

Even with the latest iOS Update 4.3.3 released this week, the JailBreak tools were available to download in a matter of days.

JailBreaking your iDevice is different from unlocking your iDevice. In short, JailBreaking allows you to install applications and system modifications Apple do not want you to use. Unlocking your iPhone allows you to use a SIM Card and Network of your choice, even if the iPhone is locked to a specific network. For me, all of my iDevices have been officially unlocked so this is not an area of ‘iDevice Hacking’ I have looked in to.

 

Posted in: Editorial
By May 8, 2011 Read More →

LG Optimus Black unboxing video

OptimusBlack-Main Yesterday a large box arrived here in the office, wasn’t sure what it was as all I was expecting was the LG Optimus Black. Turns out that the huge box did indeed contain the Optimus Black (P970) and that it was in a really cool presentation pack. It’s been a while since we saw anything quite like it.

The Optimus Black was announced back in January and is expected to go on sale sometime in May here in the UK.

There are two main draws for the Optimus Black. First of all LG are claiming the prize for the worlds thinnest smartphone. At just 9.2mm there’s no denying that it’s slim but as for being the thinnest there’s a bit of contention between LG and Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy S2 may indeed be thinner across parts of the body but the Optimus Black is a consistent 9.2mm across the whole handset.

Secondly LG have fitted a NOVA LCD display in the Black. In essence this is a super-bright and energy efficient display technology offering 700 nits of brightness across the 4″ 480 x 800 display whilst consuming as much as 50% less power than competitors screens.

Check out the video and the full specification below to see it in action. Note that this is a PR model straight from LG and not the retail unit. My demo handset has a faulty loudspeaker that pops and crackles periodically, don’t take too much notice. We’ll have a review for you soon.

 

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
By May 7, 2011 Read More →

Pay your taxi fare via your mobile

vodafone-logo This month sees the launch of a clever new initiative from mobile giants, Vodafone.

The networks customers are able to add their taxi fares to their phone bill thanks to a special fleet from Vodafone. The companies branded black cabs are offering customers the option to pay via their mobile phones putting a stop to stopping at cash points and paying by cash.

Not only that, but the 500 modified taxis will be fitted with mobile phone chargers to give your handset a free boost on the ride home.

Genius. Great for both the company and customer.

Vodafone customers will simply text the taxi’s licence number and individual code to have the fare added to their monthly mobile phone bill.

 

Posted by: Tracy

Posted in: News

BlackBerry Bridge demo on the PlayBook

blackberry-playbook 7

Chances are that if you are looking to get a BlackBerry PlayBook you already use a BlackBerry Smartphone. So one of the key features will be the Bridge application that allows you to use email, BBM, calendar etc on the PlayBook.

As you will see in the video below the two devices work seamlessly together and instantly mimic one another. From a security perspective the Bridge is great as once the connection between the PlayBook and the BlackBerry Smartphone is broken all your messages etc are removed from the tablet making it secure if it falls into the wrong hands. 

You can see the video and full details on which features are covered within BlackBerry Bridge below:

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
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