Author Archive: Gareth

Nokia N97 Mini Video Roundup

More videos coming out of Nokia World this week, this time its the turn of the Nokia N97 Mini. Enjoy this selection and hopefully it will help you decide if the N97 Mini is the device for you.

More after the break.

T- Mobile Pulse PAYG Android phone (HTC Click)

It seems T-Mobile UK has revealed that it’s going to have an Android Pay-As-You-Go handset named the T-Mobile Pulse; made by the manufacturer Huawei, it will coast around £179.99 and be available in October.

The handset is a 3.5 inch HVGA touch screen with a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, GPS and Wi-Fi and like the HTC Hero; it’s got multiple profile screens. This will be the UK’s first Android handset without contract.

Xperia™ Pureness announced today

This morning at an event highlighting our new brand direction and its alignment under Sony’s make.believe brand message we showed the next device to be launched under the Xperia brand to a select few journalists.

It’s called Xperia Pureness and will launch during November 2009. Pureness is a really simple design phone, based around the core concepts of talk text and time but dressed up in a highly designed, sculpted shell and created around the idea of the handset as a work of art.

Android powered gaming device ODROID revealed

Although the device itself doesn’t look particularly inspiring, the concept of manufacturer Hardkernal’s new Android-powered entertainment device is pretty solid.
Slashgear noticed the ODROID floating around the blogosphere. It’s built around the same high-speed CPU as the iPhone 3GS (600MHz Samsung S5PC100 ARM Cortex A8), and also comes with 2 GB of storage, a 3.5 inch LCD touchscreen at 320×480 resolution, Bluetooth, wi-fi, SDHC card slot, accelerometer and an HDMI connector capable of 720p video output.
What the device doesn’t have is cellular connectivity, positioning it more as competition for the iPod touch than the iPhone. Judging by the button layout the ODROID can be used in landscape or portrait orientation, presumably to ensure it is compatible with all the games and applications on the Android Marketplace.
It seems the developer Hardkernal might yet be looking for a manufacturer and/or distribution partner, as there’s no word on if, or even when, the ODROID will become available, or what sort of price we can expect.
Still, it’s a fascinating bit of kit, eh?

[source Pocketgamer]

Samsung’s first Android™ smartphone (i7500) now on sale with O2

Samsung Mobile UK today announces that its Galaxy handset (i7500) is now available on the O2 network in the UK through O2 stores, o2.co.uk and O2’s telesales team. The Samsung Galaxy is the company’s first device powered by Android, giving customers instant access to familiar applications, as well as access to a range of ever-expanding services being developed for the Android platform.

“The Samsung Galaxy is one of the most innovative and high-quality Android-powered devices on the market. We’ve built in all the features people have come to expect from high-end Samsung devices, like the AMOLED screen and fast processing power, to provide a great user experience,” said Mark Mitchinson, VP, Samsung Mobile UK. “We’re fortunate to have the technical ability at Samsung to support a variety of operating systems and demonstrate real leadership in developing the technologies that customers want and understand.’

Live life without boundaries with the Sony Ericsson XPERIA™ X2

Live life in the fast lane with the XPERIA™ X2 from Sony Ericsson. Designed for those who always need to be connected, whether it’s for business or personal life, the XPERIA™ X2 blurs the boundary between work and play.

London, UK – September 2, 2009 – Today Sony Ericsson announces the XPERIA™ X2 a new Windows® phone that offers a best in class email and multimedia experience. In the modern world where 24/7 communication is key, users can instantly synchronise their mail and calendar and open and edit Microsoft® Office Mobile documents quickly and efficiently to stay connected with colleagues wherever they are.

Vorsprung durch Apps – says T-Mobile Germany

September 4-9, 2009, in Berlin, Germany, very big consumer electronics trade show takes place – IFA 2009. It’s bigger than CES, so it’s not small. Both IFA and CeBIT are 2 major trade shows in Germany which always energize German companies to release something and T-Mobile Germany claims that it is releasing wholly new Android phone at IFA 2009… but more important and more interesting is what T-Mobile Germany says about Apps:

Geared for iPhone – review

So, whazzup at app store recently? Well, despite digging through all the latest new app releases, we couldn’t find anything newsworthy, so instead we have taken a look at charts, i.e. which app is the number one, the top selling, paid app in app store these days:

Hands on with the Nokia N900 and Maemo 5

Andrew Orlowski at Register Hardware managed to get some time with the N900 at Nokia World and gives it a thumbs up but wonders how the small battery will cope if you use it as a gaming device.

He was more positive about the future of Maemo and upcoming devices though;

Now that Linux, rather than Symbian, is Nokia’s focus for expensive prestige devices, I’m more confident about improvements. Nokia’s tie-up with Intel suggests larger, faster and more powerful Maemo devices.

The N900 excels at task switching, the communication apps are good enough, and music playback and photo browsing are better than on any previous Nokia.

But even though the N900 is not an essential purchase, Nokia deserves credit for plugging away, and appreciating that a completely fresh approach was needed.

Read the full first look at Register

Update: Tech Radar has a good hands on too.

Next Gen Nokia Messaging Announced

More betas from Nokia World as the Nokia Messaging client gets an early look update to include Social Messaging. With so many sites and protocols for instant messaging coming up, the Social Messaging section hopes to be a clearing house for all your IM needs. This is a very early release, and while support for up to 20 social networks has been mentioned, the client currently only talks with Facebook.

The beta has gone live on Nokia Beta Labs today, and is available for the N97 and 6700. N97 users will be treated to better Facebook integration on the homescreen. Now you can scroll through the latest wall posts without actually leaving the homescreen. If you want to see more from one of your friends, simple click on their status message and you’ll be taken directly to the Nokia Messaging Facebook app, where you can also get the latest messages from your inbox.

Whizzy video here and head over to Nokia beta labs for more.