Author Archive: Gareth

Review: SplashNotes – yet another outliner for iPhone

Mobile software companies with big experience in making programs for PDAs and mobile phones are nowadays entering also iPhone market but some of their products for iPhone are not as good as they were in versions for other platforms. It seems that iPhone is a big reset where many established companies struggle to get market share and where many new, until now known companies are the winners.

Here we are reviewing SplashNotes for iPhone – a commercial outliner that allows for note taking in hierarchical way. It has been developed by SplashData – a company that before iPhone has been developing software for many mobile platforms, including Palm OS, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry.

Here is how this program looks like (main screen):

HTC Touch Pro2 videos

A Russian site have managed to get hold of an HTC Touch Pro2 and shared some videos of the hardware and software. The device is due for a June launch so this will be a pre-release ROM but never the less it is looking pretty good. The written review also has a lot of pictures with comparisons to the iPhone 3G, Diamond2 and the HTC Max. In case you missed it we posted our review of the HTC Diamond2 this week and will follow up with a Touch Pro2 review as soon as it is released. For now take a look at the videos after the break.

CableJive iStubz, a great solution for a cluttered desk

We discovered CableJive as a company less than a year ago when we had problems charging an iPhone 3G with a Dension Car Kit. It has been documented many times in the past, Apple removed the FireWire charging capabilities from newer iPods and the iPhone 3G. CableJive made a charge converter and their customer service and delivery time of their products has always been excellent from our experience. Now we have been sent some review sample of the iStubz short form iPod dock cables and what a very simple but brilliant idea.

The cables that come supplied with any iPod or iPhone are always way too long as they want to supply something universal that will cover everyone’s use, the problem with this is that you end up with cables coiled up on your desk and they are always in the way.

App Store hits the magic 1 Billion

We knew it was getting close but the ticker has just hit the 1 Billion downloads and we have to say that this an amazing achievement in such as short space of time. The App Store kicked off in July 2008 so in under a year to reach 1,000,000,000 application downloads is phenomenal.

Sure people will complain that lots of these applications are maybe poor quality fart apps or ebooks or whatever else, but there is no denying that Apple have changed the way we access applications and we now see all the other major platforms doing the same. So whatever OS you prefer, you owe Apple a thank you for providing the inspiration.

T-Mobile announces Blackberry Pay Once for a Year of Unlimited Email and Internet

Hot on the heals of Orange offering a pay as you go deal for a Blackberry Pearl, T-Mobile are now offering a pre-paid Blackberry Pearl which include unlimited internet and push email for a year.

The ˜Pay once’ concept is a market first, giving people the chance to experience the hugely popular BlackBerry email service and access to internet sites and social networks on the move for a year “ all for just a single payment of £179.99. Customers just have to top-up their credit as usual to make calls and send texts and picture messages.

T-Mobile’s new offer is set to make BlackBerry smartphones accessible to new groups of mobile phone customers. It’s sure to be a hit with students, letting them stay connected to family and friends by email, via IM, Facebook or MySpace. And for those just starting out in business “ whether they’re running a small business or entering the workplace for the first time “ it’s the perfect way to access personal and work emails, without the worry of hidden costs.

Championship Manager coming to the iPhone and iPod Touch

Many a late night I have spent playing this game on the PC and now according to Times Online this game will shortly be appearing in the App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This is what they have to say:-

The Times can exclusively reveal that the best-selling football management sim Championship Manager is about to come to the iPhone.

Our man would not give a precise release date, but we believe that the new game is with Apple right now, and awaiting their approval for launch on the App store.

"ChampMan" as it is known to the faithful, started life in 1992 as a PC game, but has now gone mobile.

The iPhone version will come complete with all the usual stats and managerial headaches, with a 2D match engine. A 3D version for the next PC edition is currently in the works.

One thing we’re not clear about is how the new game will take full advantage of the iPhone’s touch screen. Watch this space for more details, such as price and playability, when we have them.

So there you go, another fantastic game winged it’s way to an App Store near you.

via Times Online and Just Another iPhone Blog

Yowza!! for iPhone released by actor from Heroes

What is so special about this app? It is an iPhone app released by a company owned by Greg Grunberg, who is an actor from popular “Heroes” TV series (about mutants with superpowers).

Here is how this app looks like:

Bluetooth technology gets faster with 3.0

From its annual All Hands Meeting in Tokyo this week, the Bluetooth SIG formally adopted Bluetooth Core Specification Version 3.0 High Speed (HS), or Bluetooth 3.0. This latest iteration of the popular short-range wireless technology fulfills the consumers’ need for speed while providing the same wireless Bluetooth experience – faster. Manufacturers of consumer electronics and home entertainment devices can now build their products to send large amounts of video, music and photos between devices wirelessly at speeds consumers expect.
Bluetooth 3.0 gets its speed from the 802.11 radio protocol. The inclusion of the 802.11 Protocol Adaptation Layer (PAL) provides increased throughput of data transfers at the approximate rate of 24 Mbps. In addition, mobile devices including Bluetooth 3.0 will realize increased power savings due to enhanced power control built in.

Orange launches the HTC Touch 3G for Business Customers

Orange today announces the eagerly anticipated HTC Touch™ 3G for business customers. Available at Orange in exclusive matt black, the Touch™ 3G cleverly combines work and leisure applications in one device through a range of powerful multimedia and mobile email capabilities. The Touch 3G additionally offers UMA technology, enabling calls to be made over a Wifi/Broadband connection, allowing customers to benefit from enhanced network coverage.

With capacity for a 32GB MicroSD card, busy professionals can use the HTC Touch™ 3G to catch a movie, listen to music or surf the web on the move while mobile email means they easily can keep on top of their work load. Powered by Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional, customers can simply, easily and cost-effectively synchronise all Outlook email, contacts and calendar information directly with their phone.