Author Archive: Gareth

Nokia jumping on the Android bandwagon

According to The Guardian a well respected UK Newspaper who also broke the news that the Palm Pre will be hitting O2 soon are now reporting that Nokia will be releasing a Android Handset.

The new touchscreen device will be unveiled at the Nokia World conference in September, say industry insiders, as the Finnish handset giant tries to revive its fortunes in the smartphone market.

Nokia, which makes roughly four out of every 10 mobile phones sold, has been losing out in the market for phones that can access the internet, send emails and download third-party applications, to products such as the Apple iPhone and BlackBerry Storm. The Android software platform, meanwhile, has been gaining ground with over half a dozen handsets expected to be available by the end of the year.

Analysts at HSBC reckon Nokia had 47% of the global smartphone market in 2007; that was down to 35% last summer and 31% at the end of the year.

The smartphone segment is critical as it is the only part of the mobile phone market which is growing. Cash-strapped consumers are either holding on to their existing phones and opting for cheaper SIM-only deals or "trading up" to more advanced gadgets such as the iPhone.

Opting to use Android, an "open source" platform that any software developer can access, is a reversal of the company’s previous strategy in mobile phone software.

via The Guardian

Android powered Xperia coming soon

A website called mobile.nu have discovered what appears to be “internal documents” on Sony Ericsson’s forthcoming Android-powered phone, an XPERIA codenamed Rachael. Rachael is rumoured to have a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, HSPA date and a 8MPcamera. The screen size is unknown, but looks like it could be anywhere from 3.5 to 4.1-inch and yes there’s a there is a 3.5mm headphone jack.

This is all we know so far but it is one lovely looking Android handset, Xperia has previously been a Windows Mobile brand for Sony Ericsson.

via Android Community

Help disabled children with Clove

Our great friends at Clove are running a campaign to raise money for a local charity, to whom they have close ties.  Victoria Education College is a specialist school which cares for disabled children. 

A detailed description of what they do and why Clove are supporting them can be found on the following links:

http://www.clove.co.uk/ifihaveto.aspx

www.ifihaveto.co.uk

As part of their campaign to raise money for the cause they have amongst many other things donated 2 x Sony Ericsson C905, SIM FREE UNLOCKED Handsets which are up for auction on the following links:

Auction 1

Auction 2

Every penny raised from the sale of these units goes to the cause!

On a separate note they have also put together some fantastic deals on a whole host of devices.

They are running promotions across the board, from HTC to Samsung and there really are some great deals to be had.

The best of which are on Nokia Products.  Click the link below to find out just what crazy prices they are offering on the latest Nokia handsets.

http://www.clove.co.uk/category.aspx?department=Nokia&category=5114EB0F-4EC3-4FF9-B422-AE298BA32E3D

Orange announces HTC Touch Pro2 for business customers

Orange today announced the availability of the HTC Touch Pro2 for all business customers, combining multimedia and powerful business tools with smart styling.

The HTC Touch Pro2 makes organising, hosting and participating in conference calls easier than ever before. The appointment reminder tool will cue up dial-in details and the call agenda and with a tap of the screen you can effortlessly join the call. Further taps to the screen allow the user to also confer privately with a single person and then return to the conference call if they so wish. The HTC Touch Pro2’s quad-band 3G+ connectivity also delivers reliable high quality voice calling and with Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional, users can very simply synchronise all Microsoft Outlook email, contacts and calendar information directly with their phone.

Business users can also use the HTC’s Straight Talk™ feature to switch from an email account to single or multi-party voice calls by pressing the image icon of the email sender. For those on the move, the HTC Touch Pro2 transforms into a professional quality speaker phone with a noise-cancelling microphone and speakers, just by placing it face down on a surface.

The device also boasts a 3.6-inch high-resolution touch screen, while a slide out QWERTY keyboard with adjustable tilt allows users to easily write emails or amend documents. With capacity for an 8GB MicroSD card, professionals can use the HTC Touch Pro2 to watch a film, listen to music or browse the internet on the move.

“The HTC Touch Pro2 is packed with features to make everyday business tasks a great deal easier and is the ideal mobile companion for the busy business user,” said François Mahieu, Director of Devices at Orange.

via Press Release

Samsung Omnia 2 video review

HD Blog have got their hands on the Samsung Omnia 2 and have shared a fantastic video review of the device.

The Omnia II features Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and the world’s largest 3.7-inch AMOLED display with WVGA resolution. TouchWiz 2.0 User Interface and 3D effects make enjoying multimedia and multi tasking convenient and fun. Advanced R Touch (Resistive Touch) enables faster, more accurate touch response. Multimedia features include DVD-like (480p) video recording/playback, internet browsing and interactive 3D games.

We have the full video after the break.

Hero of Sparta for iPhone – review

Hero of Sparta is number one among top paid apps in iTunes USA and several other countries so here we are reviewing this game. It costs only $0.99 so it is also extremely cheap and since we are cheap skates we like this price.

So what is this Sparta? Sparta was a city in Greece – a country in East Europe – and Spartans were known as the best warriors in the whole ancient Greece. Compared to Spartans, pro wrestlers are little girls.

In this game, touted by its developer as "full-3D", you are King Argos, so quite a honcho Spartan. Apart from fighting regular other warriors, you are fighting also mythical creatures from Greek mythology.

Here is how this app looks like:

HTC Hero hands on pictures

The guys over at Clove have scored an HTC Hero and have shared some hands on pictures of this well anticipated device. They are also telling us that the shipping date has slipped slightly to between 16th-21st July and due to limited numbers you can pre-order if you want one straight away. Enjoy the pictures right after the break.

O2 wins exclusive Palm Pre deal

Palm will next week confirm that it has signed a deal with O2 which will see the mobile phone network become the exclusive UK partner for its eagerly awaited Palm Pre handset.

The Pre, which went on sale in the US last month, has been tipped as the most viable alternative yet produced to the iPhone. The new version of the Apple device – the iPhone 3GS – went on sale less than two weeks ago and a million were snapped up in the first three days.

O2 already has an exclusive deal with Apple to stock the iPhone and grabbing the Palm Pre is likely to further cement its position as the UK’s largest mobile phone network. Reports of a tie-up between Palm and O2 first appeared in May and Carphone Warehouse is also expected to stock the Pre.

O2 is believed to have seen off fierce competition for the device from Orange, which it also beat to the iPhone at the last minute.

Toshiba TG01 coming to UK in July

According  to Pocket-lint Toshiba has confirmed that it will be announcing the UK launch details of its Snapdragon powered TG01 mobile phone on the 9th July.

The phone, first announced back in February, will be the first handset to feature the Qualcomm 1Ghz Snapdragon processor and promises to take on the iPhone, Palm Pre and HTC Hero when it eventually launches in the UK.

The Toshiba TG01 is a skinny 9.9mm running Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional with a 4.1-inch WVGA 800 x 480 384k pixel resistive touchscreen, 3G HSPA, WiFi, GPS and A-GPS.  It also features Toshiba’s own 3D user interface, and is the first device to use Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon QSD2850 chipset.

Although Toshiba is keeping quiet on an operator launch partner, it has already teamed up with O2 in Germany following an announcement on Monday.

Image courtesy of Slash Gear

Uniea Reintroduces Cases for the New iPhone 3Gs with New Look and Features.

Universal Electronic Accessories (“Uniea”), a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative electronic accessories, is set to unveil updates of four classic Uniea cases that will work with the newly-released iPhone 3Gs from Apple. The collection of cases includes the U-Suit Premium, U-Skin, U-Motion, and the U–Suit Folio Premium, all popular Uniea cases offered for previous generations of the iPhone that will now join Uniea’s new U-Glance iPhone hard case. A classic hip-case with leather-clip on the back will also be available as an alternative option.

The U–Suit Folio Premium will offer improved features, allowing easy-access to the headset plug-in and the volume-control, while still ensuring total protection in style. As always, the U-Suit Premium and U-Suit Folio Premium both feature soft, lavish leather construction that is classic and elegant to the touch and works well for the casual and business user alike. The U-Suit Premium comes in three leather options, the signature leather model, a Napa leather model, and an Intrecciato leather model, all in black.