Author Archive: Gareth

Zune services coming to Windows Mobile 7 all but confirmed

I Started Something have uncovered another job advert from Microsoft that reveals a little more confirmation that Zune services are coming with Windows Mobile 7. Lets be honest without them Windows Mobile 7 will not appeal to the consumer which is where it needs to head. Now Microsoft have finally realised that Business types do have a life outside of work and just because you wear a suit doesn’t mean you can’t wear headphones (with a 3.5mm plug) and enjoy music and entertainment on one device.

The key part of the advert asks for someone to “Collaborate with partners such as Outlook Mobile, Database, Zune, Shell, and OS. Deliver detailed specifications for the technical architecture of the system. Help mentor other members on the Dev team.

The full advert is after the break.

Mobile bills to be cut in the UK

Whilst leafing through today’s The Sun newspaper I managed to find an interesting piece. I also found an interesting story 14 pages on regarding the possability that a tag team of BT and 3’s assault on the UK mobile phone market might lower the overall price of mobile phone bills.
I would suggest anyone interesting in taking action should check out www.terminatetherate.org. I have attached a larger scan of the article after the break.

Samsung i8910 HD has arrived

Mobiles.co.uk are listing what was once known as the Omnia HD. Now, rebranded due to the Windows Mobile connection, the Samsung i8910 HD has hit Orange. Pricing is high and only available free on £35 + contracts over a whopping 24 months! These prices are not quite as eye watering as Orange’s website where the cheapest you can get the phone is £97.50!

Twikini updated to version 1.0

We have mentioned before about the lack of great Twitter clients for Windows Mobile and recently we have seen some good updates to Pocket Twit and now also Twikini.

New in this version is the addition of a public timeline, fast account switching, new themes and lots more, full breakdown of the improvements are after the break.

For the first time Twikini is not free, it will set you back $4.95 but you can still try it out for 14 days before spending your well earned cash on it.

The Carphone Warehouse launches another App Store

The Carphone Warehouse will be the exclusive European distributer of HipLogic’s SnappLife – a mobile service that provides users with a mobile-rich application. The ‘always on’ programme brings a range of applications to Symbian series 60 and Windows Mobile handsets.

A number of free subscriptions are on offer at start up to provide live updates on the phone’s homescreen, including Sky News, Sky Sports, Twitter, WeatherBug and Finance. SnappLife also provides one touch access to native phone applications such as Facebook, Google Search and Google Maps. 

“The Carphone Warehouse is committed to delivering the best possible mobile experience and incentives for all involved” said Andrew Harrison, CEO of The Carphone Warehouse.  “We believe that everyone wants access to the best mobile apps and services.  Through our partnership with HipLogic we are delivering a compelling experience for tens of millions of mobile phones across the UK and throughout Europe.”

iPhone Push notification tests underway

Finally, here is the first sign that Apple is really serious about rolling out Push Notifications in iPhone OS 3.0. Registered iPhone developers are now being treated to a first hands-on experience with the insanely delayed service for the iPhone 3G via an Associated Press app. They were instructed to report any problems in receiving any notifications in the app within 48 hours so that Apple will be aware of the kinks in their system and can make the necessary adjustments. Of course, this was already announced before, but due to the prolonged delay, you can’t blame us for our continued scepticism. With Push Notifications finally going public albeit being limited to developers only, we can more or less check this item off of our list of iPhone features that have an uncertain future. Next thing we’re hoping to get more info on is whether the iMovie app is real or not.

[PMP Today via engadget]

Palm Pre will be available from June 6th in the US

Our good friends in the know with all things Pre and Palm, Pre Central, have got the scoop with the official availability date of the Palm Pre. June 6th is the date when you lucky US readers can get your hands on the Pre at long last. $199 after $100 mail in rebate and a 2 year contract, not a bad price.

Pre Central have heard a few rumours that stock will be pretty thin across the country, so we’re going to go ahead and recommend you start lining up now.

Full Press Release after the break!, great work Pre Central

The Sims 3 iPhone trailer debuts

Pocket Gamer have posted the first trailer for the hugely anticipated Sims 3 iPhone and iPod Touch game.

There’s something of a Matrix theme running through the trailer, which hints at the game’s open world approach to creating a unique Sim, fiddling with their personality and setting them loose on the virtual world to see how they fit in.
Previously Sim’s personalities were defined by how well you managed their lives, but in The Sims 3 it appears you can assign your alter-ego all kinds of mental traits. Create an egotistical, neurotic or flirty character, and they begin to develop from there.
We’re promised a fully functional iPhone version, so let’s hope there’s plenty of scope get our Sims interacting and living it up together. For now, enjoy the exclusive iPhone trailer after the break.

My Phone Beta Opened to All Users!

This was previously a closed beta but quite a few people did manage to get a code to activate the My Phone service for Windows Mobile. Now it has been opened for all and this is what the team have to say:-

We just completed upgrading the My Phone web portal.   Over the next few weeks, we will be updating the companion software for your phone, at which time you will be prompted to download the updated software.  The upgrade process is quick and easy – all your settings and data will be retained — so we encourage you to upgrade when prompted to do so.  Today’s web site upgrade includes enabling 19 additional languages on the web portal, adding a Video Demo on the welcome page, providing Help content, and making a number of other improvements based on your feedback.  With today’s release, we’re opening the beta to all users — no more waiting list or promotional codes!  So you can tell your friends, family and colleagues with Windows Mobile phones to visit http://myphone.microsoft.com and start using My Phone today.