Home » Archives for Gareth » Page 159
Author Archive: Gareth
Seasoned tech blogger. Host of the Tech Addicts podcast.
Dealers have complained of a shortage of HTC Desire (pictured) handsets just two months after its launch, criticising the manufacturer for underestimating demand.
One dealer said: “The HTC Desire is a fantastic phone, but we just don’t get the stock.”
Another said: “We need the stock to meet the demand. It’s so frustrating to tell customers they’ll have to come back in a few days, and risk losing them altogether.”
The HTC Desire was backed by the Taiwanese firm’s biggest-ever marketing campaign at launch, twinned with the HTC Legend. It said sales since launch have been double that of any other HTC device in an equivalent timeframe.
Meanwhile, repair centres have complained of problems with the digitiser on the HTC HD2 and claimed parts are hard to obtain.
Steve Jobs took to the stage today and announced the most anticipated phone of the year. No not that one, the iPhone 4!
With all the excitement Apple have delivered a rather impressive product with an equally impressive price tag. Whilst not cheap the value on offer here is second to none. Nothing yet on prices in the UK and I’m sure there will be a little extra added to the top just to annoy us Brits. However, At&t have also offered a little extra value by helping people upgrade with out crucifying them, like in previous years. Read on for a rough outline of the specs:
HTC has announced two firmware updates for its HTC Legend and HTC Desire Android smartphones. However, these updates aren’t Android 2.2 upgrades but simple Android 2.1 bugfixes for both devices. While HTC hasn’t announced yet which bugs will be fixed, posts at xda-developers indicate that the fixes include new radio images, a new YouTube application with HQ option, as well as it fixes Facebook/unknown contact issue and it comes with a new bootloader. Other users reported that the speaker volume is increased now. The ROM update is now available as a free over the air (OTA) download. While it’s about 4 MB only, HTC recommends a download via WiFi.
An new Acer with a front facing Qwerty keyboard was spotted out at Computex. The phone is equipped with a 2.6-inch QVGA touchscreen display and a scroll ball. The E130 is part of Acer’s lower end BeTouch line, featuing a mere 416MHz ST-Ericsson CPU, 256MB of RAM, and 512MB of ROM. Additionally, it runs a terribly out dated Android 1.6 OS. We guess we can’t expect every smartphone to boast a 1GHz Snapdragon and a beta version of Froyo.
Archos have very kindly upgraded their firmware for the Archos 5 Internet Tablet to cater for the incoming wave of 3D games Android is now sporting. Utilising OpenGL these games are running very, very, smoothly. Check my little video after the break:
Coming soon is the True Intercom Mobile Phone, Walkie-talkie Cell Phone Babiken V1. This is a Windows Mobile 6.5 GPS WIFI Smartphone PDA with a capacitive screen.
Babiken V1 mobile phone is the first China mobile phone that integrate real Walkie-talkie function. More amazingly it is a windows mobile 6.5 pda smartphone, so you also have WIFI for internet and can install windows mobile applications. With its bulit-in GPS antenna, you can use it as a navigator as well. For intercom function, please remember you have two phones to actualize it.
Operator Three has today “slashed” its voice and data roaming charges for football fans travelling to the World Cup in South Africa.
From today, Three customers accessing the internet in South Africa using a mobile phone or a mobile broadband dongle will be charged £1.25 per MB.
Three claims its roaming charges are 50 percent less than its nearest UK rival, and claims one operator is charging £8 per MB.
Three has also reduced the cost of making a call from South Africa by 30 per cent. Customers will be charged £1.40 per minute for an outgoing call and 99p to receive.
Sending an MMS picture message will be charged at 25p and a standard SMS text will cost 25p.
Three said the reductions will allow its customers to continue to access the web, update their social network status and send emails without the fear of incurring substantial charges.
The offer will remain in place through the duration of the tournament with all customers will automatically be given the discounted rate when entering the country.
Three sales and marketing director Marc Allera said: “Staying in touch with friends and family while abroad, and sharing the experiences you are having, is really important to our customers. Smartphones mean that data roaming is now mainstream, but some operator’s data roaming prices are still eye-wateringly high.
“That’s why we have decided to reduce the cost of doing this for UK fans travelling to South Africa for the World Cup, especially around data roaming prices. It’s great news for Three’s customers travelling out for the world’s biggest sporting event.”
The covered TVcatchup when in its infancy long, long ago however now they have upgraded it to be iPad compliant. Whilst added login details for viewing however it appears the same smooth feel is still evident. Check it out you iPadder.
There isn’t too much to glee of the LG Panther however there is of note, 720p video recording, a 5 MP Camera, AMOLED screen, and a Snapdragon. Nothing that’s to surprising, and it’s still with an expected drop date of Q4 2010.
Wirefly have filmed a little comparison between the HTC HD2 and the HTC Evo 4G. Two devices almost identical in size yet one running Android, the other Windows Mobile 6.5. It’s nice to see the two devices together as a lot do consider the Evo to be essentially the HD2 running Android. Whilst there are no plans for the Evo to arrive in the UK it would be imaginable that a non 4G version will probably appear at some stage, God willing.
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.