Archive for 2011

By July 9, 2011 Read More →

Amazon tablet coming this year?

amazon-tablet Is there any hardware manufacturer out there that isn’t developing or releasing a tablet this year? Seems that almost everyone is releasing their version of what they hope will be the next big thing in the tablet market. Apple are light years ahead with their iPad at the moment leaving all the others very much out in the cold.

So enter Amazon. Amazon have already had some success with several flavours of their eBook reader, the Kindle so are arguable in a good place to develop their own answer to the iPad. Amazon certainly have the exposure and the branding to pull it off. The clever money suggests that Amazon will have their tablet ready for the end of Q3 or beginning of Q4 of this year to ensure that they maximise the Christmas sales.

Amazon themselves have been extremely tight lipped about the possible Tablet so there is certainly nothing close to concrete when it comes to specification but I’m guessing it will be Android based. In any case I’m sure that Amazon will have been watching and learning from all the other tablets on the market, each one has come with its own share of problems and mistakes and perhaps the most important lesson is simplicity. My daughter could use an iPad from age 2 so if a 2 year old can use it the UI must be beyond intuitive, it must be innate. If Amazon, or anyone for that matter, can come up with a UI that can rival the iPad then maybe they have half a chance.

There is one other thing that Amazon could do to make an impact and that would be to use their whisper sync technology on a tablet. Imagine buying a tablet with built in 3G connectivity and never having to pay a subscription just as with the 3G Kindle. Perhaps unlikely for now but maybe it’s coming!?

As always we’ll be watching closely and will return with updates as we get them.

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: Rumours
By July 9, 2011 Read More →

Apple to release 2 new iPhones in September

iphone5 The rumour mill is back in full swing again and almost everyone is speculating about the new iPhone that Apple is expected to release later this year. I think almost all sources are pointing to a September launch of the iPhone 5.

Of course no one knows exactly what the iPhone 5 will look like and what its eventual spec will be, however, I would expect to see it with the same A5 dual-core chip from the iPad 2, probably with more ram and a version with 64GB of storage. I also personally think the design will be much more like the iPad 2 with curved aluminium back and probably thinner than the existing iPhone 4.

US-based blog 9 to 5 mac say that they have sources close to Apple and claim that September will not only see the launch of the iPhone 5 but also another iPhone handset in the same announcement. It’s thought that this phone with be the iPhone 4GS. The new iPhone 4GS is expected to be a cheaper and lower spec phone to compete with those low-end Android phones that are flooding the market.

Apple could make a less expensive iPhone by taking existing iPhone 4 technology and putting it in a cheaper aluminium body and replacing the screen for a non-IPS model.

If Apple do mange to pull this off and come up with an iPhone 4GS and iPhone 5 line-up then they are really on to a winner. Cant wait to see what September holds!

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: Rumours
By July 9, 2011 Read More →

Research from Protect your bubble shows that Dance fans are most at risk of losing their mobile at festivals this year

protect_your_bubble

Protectyourbubble.com, the gadget insurance specialist, has found that 1 in 4 festival goers will lose something. Dance fans are the worst with over one in 10 losing their mobile at a festival (12%), despite 43% owning an expensive iPhone.

Protectyourbubble.com polled Wireless Festival goers, quizzing music fans of the different genres to find out how likely they are to lose their phone and other items. Hip Hop fans, though losing their mobiles slightly less (9%), place themselves at the most risk, with 29% bringing along BlackBerry’s and over 70% admitting to not having any mobile phone insurance cover at all. 84% of the group also confessed to drinking over 7 pints of lager at a festival, placing their gadgets in even bigger danger. Twice as many gadgets are lost from ‘drunken incidents’ (56%) than through being stolen (21%) or dropped (12%).

Pimms-drinking Pop fans are the most likely to look after their gadgets with them half as likely to have their phone stolen and one in three (35 per cent) having specific mobile phone insurance cover. They also bring the least money with most (61%) bringing under £40 to a festival compared to Dance fans who flash the cash with 15% spending well over £80 on the day. On average people spend £54.65 at a festival.

Rock fans are the most loyal fans with 32% travelling over 100 miles for the day. They are also the most likely to leave their iPhone at home with 29% bringing cheap ‘dumb phones’ to a festival with them. They are the most likely to lose other items at a festival though, with 8% losing their shoes and 5% losing their girlfriend or boyfriend.

Posted in: News
By July 8, 2011 Read More →

Warning over Facebook video calling scam

videocalls Earlier this week Facebook announced a tie-up with Skype that’s resulted in a video calling service, for full video chat, within the Facebook web interface. I haven’t tried this out yet but I’m looking forward to doing so.

However, since the announcement a raft of scams relating to the video chat service have plagued Facebook. These fake applications within Facebook are nothing to do with the official service but instead offer the promise of video chat but are, in fact, rogue ‘apps’ asking you for access to you personal information, permission to post on your wall and read your posts!

So just a word of warning, if you see a post on your wall or in your profile saying ‘Enable Video Calls’ or similar avoid it like the plague! If you’ve already succumbed to the temptation then head in to your settings and revoke privileged access to the naughty scammers!

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: News
By July 8, 2011 Read More →

BlackBerry SDK update

rim-logo

If you are a BlackBerry developer or it is something to are looking to pursue then the following news from RIM will be of interest.

RIM has announced the availability of the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK v 2.1 for BlackBerry Smartphones. This update comes shortly after the introduction of the BlackBerry® WebWorksT SDK v 2.1 for Tablet OS [http://devblog.blackberry.com/2011/06/blackberry-webworks-sdk-tablet-os-version-2-1/] and brings similar functionality and APIs to the BlackBerry® Smartphone OS. 

The new capabilities that WebWorks developers can now leverage include NTML & BASIC Authentication support, Camera API, Top Banner Indicator API, Enhanced Push APIs and improved rendering speeds for some applications. The APIs enable web developers to deeply integrate with the BlackBerry Smartphone OS and thereby build feature rich apps that offer more immersive and interactive end user experiences. Other benefits developers can derive from the new application functionality and APIs are better app monetization, diversified development approaches, support for standardized security and better integration with the widely popular BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM) Social Platform.

Developers can learn more about the new APIs at http://devblog.blackberry.com/2011/07/blackberry-webworks-sdk-smartphones-v2-1 and can download the latest WebWorks SDK for BlackBerry Smartphones at http://us.blackberry.com/developers/browserdev/widgetsdk.jsp.

 

Posted by: James

Posted in: News
By July 8, 2011 Read More →

OS X Lion coming July 14th?

Mac-OS-X-Lion Many of us are waiting for the official release of OS X Lion with bated breath and as yet there is no clear release date for it. However there are a number of sites speculating that the release will take place on the 14th July, Thursday of next week.

The guys at 9to5Mac claim to have evidence that this is going to happen as Apple have called for all retail stores to make overnight changes to signage which is expected to be all about Lion.

OS X Lion include over 250 enhancements over the current Snow Leopard version of the OS with some significant UI changes that some feel bring it closer to iOS. OS X Lion will be a App Store download via the Mac and will only cost a little over £20, something of a bargain.

It’s also likely that the 2011 version of the MacBook Air will be released within the next few weeks. The new version is expected to have the same Sandy Bridge chipset as the iMac and MacBook Pro and, therefore, to include the new high-speed Thunderbolt port.

Fingers crossed!

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: Rumours
By July 8, 2011 Read More →

RIM are not struggling on this side of the pond.

Screen shot 2011-07-08 at 08.55.46

Despite sales of BlackBerry Smartphones being on the decline in North America it is encouraging for us BlackBerry fans to see that in Europe, the Middle East and Africa things are going the other way. The below statement was tweeted by Research in Motion the other day and it looks like they are pretty proud of themselves.

“BlackBerry continues momentum across EMEA with 1 Million+ new subscribers added in less than 3 weeks,”

I am seeing negative articles daily across the web and this just goes to show that although our friends over in America are ditching BlackBerry for the likes of Android and iOS, RIM are still generating new customers. With 13.2 million BlackBerry Smartphones being shipped in the last quarter RIM are far from doomed. Don’t get me wrong, I do agree that the devices they are producing are lagging behind the competition and the sooner they can show us a Smartphone running QNX the better. Until then I shall still be carrying my trusty BlackBerry.

 

Posted by: James

Posted in: News
By July 7, 2011 Read More →

Swype on Jailbroken iPhones

swype If you’ve been following the iOS jailbreak scene you’ll no doubt know that iOS 4.3.3 has now been jailbroken on the iPad, iPad 2 and iPhone 4! Now we can debate the legalities of the jailbreak and the reasons why you might want to do that with your phone but there is no denying that there are some really cool applications out there available through the unofficial sources that just wouldn’t be allowed in the app store.

One such example of this comes to light today where some clever soul, hacker Andrew Liu, has managed to port the popular Android keyboard alternative, Swype, to iOS.

Now I would absolutely love it if Apple would allow these alternative keyboards, especially on the iPad where there is plenty of room for an extra row of keys for the numbers.

For a demo of Swype in use on the iPhone, have a look at the video below.

 

Posted in: News
By July 7, 2011 Read More →

LG Optimus 3D and new 3D games

gameloft-logo-2

LG are making the most of the Optimus 3D with the announcement of new 3D games that come from Gameloft. New devices will come with three titles pre-loaded, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, N.O.V.A. — Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance and Let’s Golf! 2, with a further fourteen titles available for download.

Sounds pretty interesting. You can see the full press release below:

LG Electronics (LG) announced its entry into the expanding handheld gaming market with the launch of the LG Optimus 3D in Korea and the introduction of 17 Stereoscopic 3D (S-3D) games from leading mobile video game developer Gameloft.

“Today’s smartphones have the horsepower to compete with the best portable gaming devices and LG Optimus 3D is our proof,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “We think 3D is the natural next step in portable entertainment and LG is eager to throw its hat in the ring with the Optimus 3D and Gameloft’s ‘must-be-seen-to-be-believed’ titles.”

 

Posted in: Press Releases
By July 7, 2011 Read More →

Facebook confirms Skype video chat

skypebookWe reported a few days ago that we suspected that Facebook would be adding a full video chat service thanks to some kind of partnership with Skype. Today Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg confirmed all the speculation and confirmed that video chat will soon be added to Facebook.

For now the video chat feature will be limited to a one-on-one service but in the words of Mr Zuckerberg

…it was likely that other "premium" Skype functions would be added in future.

Premium services could include team or group video conferencing or maybe video voicemail? We’ll keep you updated on this story as it develops and look forward to testing the new service out!

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: News
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