Author Archive: Gareth

Orange to launch mobile HD Voice in 2010

Here is a very interesting press release just in from Orange, looks like voice quality will be significantly improved on Mobiles in the future.

London, 31^st December, 2009:  Orange today revealed it will be launching HD Voice nationwide for customers on its mobile network in 2010 – the first such announcement by a UK operator, and testament to the company’s focus on innovation.

With its crystal clear, superior sound quality, Orange’s introduction of HD Voice will herald a new era for mobile communications and a new standard for the telecoms industry.  HD Voice delivers excellent audio quality to mobile calls and will be available to Orange customers with a HD Voice enabled handset. Orange is already working with leading handset manufacturers on the development of devices to be rolled out next year.

The 2010 launch follows two years of considerable investment in the Orange mobile network with expansion and technology upgrades across large areas of the UK. Orange currently provides high speed 3G coverage to more than 93% of the UK’s population – more than any other UK operator – and was voted ‘Best Network’ by the readers of What Mobile magazine.

Tom Alexander, CEO of Orange UK, said:  “Orange is proud to be leading the industry into the next decade by announcing a new standard in voice innovation that will transform the mobile experience for customers in the UK.  HD Voice really does inject a level of innovation into mobile phone calls, making it sound as if callers are actually in the same room.  Once people have tried it, they won’t want to go back.”

HD Voice uses the WB-AMR (Wideband Adaptive Multi-Rate) speech codec.  This provides excellent audio quality due to a wider speech bandwidth of 50–7000 Hz compared to the current narrowband speech codec of 300–3400 Hz.  The WB-AMR (Wideband Adaptive Multi-Rate) delivers significantly enhanced sound quality whilst utilising the same network resources.

Further details on the Orange HD Voice roll out will be made available in 2010.

Windows Mobile 7 and Xbox Live games linked

Our prayers have been answered over at Mobiletechworld. Microsoft’s biggest success recently is Xbox. Finally, it appears, that Microsoft has decided to link their flagging operating system to their prized piece. It’s a no brainer really and it will be interesting(or disappointing) as to what will come out the end of the of their mincing machine. If Microsoft can make an operating system that is is appealing to their legions of games console fans then they will corner one heck of a large percentage of the market. Check after the break for the complete article.

HTC Confirms that HD2 Gets Windows Mobile 7 on Twitter

Quickly becoming the most updated mobile in Windows Mobile history, the HD2 is getting Windows Mobile 7 making it the Windows Mobile phone to buy. I was notably impressed by the device on launch with only a couple of quibbles but now it has hit that the Windows Mobile 7 upgrade will occur possibly around this time next year. Bit of a wait but something for all those who managed to buy it to look forward too.

We just got an interesting news tip pointing to the HTC Twitter account from Russia. The tweet mentions that the only HTC device currently on the market to receive a Windows Mobile 7 upgrade will be the HD2. And we’ve suspected this for a while, considering that the HD2 meets Microsoft’s hardware requirementsfor Windows Mobile 7. Here’s what they said:
for Diamond 2 firmware is not planned. Of the existing communicators on the market, only the HD2 firmware to get WM7.
Hopefully what we see here is a true (and considering that this was said by an official HTC rep, it should be), because the HD2 is going to turn out to be one of the most popular smartphones of all time. If it’s getting an upgrade to 7, this will make a lot of people happy.
Thanks for the tip, av8612.
(via: HTC Russia Twitter)

[Source Pocket Now]

Pretty important update to this story here: It’s not quite true.

WebOS 1.3.5 hits

Making good with their updates Palm has released a tidy looking update to WebOS. Reports are that the OS is notably faster, especially the browser. Have a read after the like for the update list.

Iphone.tvcatchup recommendation

One of our faithful readers, Justin, has sent in a recommendation for a site he feels strongly enough about to put forward a rant about. Seems like a great resource for those with an iPhone who wish to catch up on vital TV viewing on the go. Here’s Justin’s testimonial.

iPhone.tvcatchup.com/is a beta version of a website that I believe is still applying for app status with Apple. As i understand it, this application has been ongoing for sometime. It features practically live TV (maybe a minute behind the standard broadcast) on the iPhone.
Where I live and where I work, it streams faultlessly over 3G. It has 20 odd channels including BBC1 and 2, ITV 1,2, 3 and 4. Film 4, Film 4 plus 1 etc etc. I’ve saved it to my homescreen for easy access, And of course at this moment in time, it’s free! On the downside, maybe 10 percent of the time I tried to access it, the website was down.
Watching TV whilst on the move (on a train journey) can be hit and miss as the signal changes. Mobile carriers I’m sure are watching data usage. But I’ve been sensible with it and I’ve had no issues. Everyone
I’ve recommended it to has been extremely pleased with the result.

Thanks to Justin for this.

Review: Acer A1 Liquid

My initial reaction to this Acer Android device was desire and excitement. On paper everything looked great, the design was sexy, the OS robust and the price tag was uber-attractive. Did it do it for me? Well, yes and no. You will have to decide.

iPhone Bluetooth Keyboard Driver coming to Cydia soon

The iPhone Bluetooth Keyboard driver allows you to use a Bluetooth keyboard with the iPhone and iPod Touch. Foldable, travel-friendly keyboards have been supported for at least a half of a decade by all smartphones, except by the iPhone. That is a shame, as the the iPhone is a compact computer you already carry around. Combined with a portable keyboard, it can replace your laptop for taking notes or writing emails at meetings or at your favorite coffee shop.

This iPhone Bluetooth keyboard driver fills this gap. It is based on the open-source BTstack project, a Bluetooth stack designed for embedded devices where resources are scarce.

This driver runs on the iPhone 3G(S) and all iPod touch devices with Bluetooth support. It is unclear yet, if it works properly on the iPhone 2G. It will be available via the Cydia Store soon.

via

24 Hours with the Archos 5 Internet Tablet

From my darling Leana I was given the Archos 5 Internet Tablet with Android. This in the latest device from the French portable media masters Archos. I do not feel it right to review a device I own so I thought I was draw up some passing thoughts on this 160gb flavoured bad boy.

More of Clove’s Xmas bargains

The cold weather must be getting to them, as they are offering some last minute Christmas Deals.