News

TomTom now available for Android – Well, some devices

You can now download TomTom for your Android smartphone, however at present there is a slight glitch depending on what phone you use. While the app looks great, if you have a device with a screen resolution of up to 800×480 / 854×480 then it is not compatible. This includes many of the latest Android releases including the Nexus 7, Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Note 2.

I’m pretty sure the restrictions will be ironed out pretty soon but if you want to give TomTom a shot you can get the UK & Ireland map for £30.99 here.

Source: MoDaCo

Posted by: James

A Google U-turn

This has to be the most shocking news of the day, (if not the week and month). Apparently Google’s subsidiary, Motorola Mobility has completely withdrawn their ITC patent complaint against Apple. In case you missed it previously, Motorola filed a complaint with the ITC attempting to ban sales of a multitude of Apple’s products from sale in the United States. Supposedly, these products infringe upon seven patents held by Motorola. The case was under investigation for these claims since August 17th.

For whatever reason, Motorola asked the ITC to "terminate all claims in this investigation without prejudice," and adding that "there are no agreements between Motorola and Apple, written or oral, express or implied, concerning the subject matter of this investigation."

Right now, there is nothing but speculation as to why this might have been the case. Currently, there are only two theories that we have heard as to why this might have happened. One is that Motorola themselves somehow determined the patents were not actually being infringed and decided to withdraw the case before things made them look bad. The other is a much happier outcome, and that is maybe, just maybe, Google and Apple finally worked out some sort of licensing agreement and can begin to end the ridiculous patent wars. Wouldn’t that be great?

Posted by: Gareth

What does RIM have in store for us on the gaming front with BlackBerry 10

We all know that gaming has not been one of the strong points of owning a BlackBerry in years gone by. That is all going to change in Q1 next year when BlackBerry 10 is released. Finally the gaming experience will be as good, if not better, than on the likes of iOS and Android.

Recently at BlackBerry Jam Americas RIM gave a brief demonstration of what we can expect to see when the new OS launches. As you can clearly see from the video below BlackBerry users will at last be able to have not only the best communication tool but also a amazing gaming and media smartphone.

You can catch the video below and please let us have your thoughts in the comments section. Is BlackBerry 10 going to make you come back to the platform if you are now a iOS/Android or Windows Phone user?

HTC One X+ full specs

With the HTC One X+ just being announced you may want one quick and easy place to check out the full specifications and this it it.

The full specs can be found below and I must say, they do look rather impressive. In particular (although not really that exciting) I’m loving the battery size.

• SIZE: 134.36 x 69.9 x 8.9mm
• WEIGHT: 135 grams with battery
• DISPLAY: 4.7 inch super LCD 2 touch screen, HD 720p resolution, with Gorilla® Glass 2 for greater durability. Optical lamination for superior sharpness, clarity and reduced light reflection
• CPU SPEED – NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 AP37, 1.7 GHz quad-core
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with HTC SenseTM 4+
• MEMORY – Total storage: 32GB & 64GB, available capacity vary, RAM: 1GB
• NETWORK – HSPA/WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz, GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

Auto Trader are giving away a car – via Twitter

This isn’t our normal type of post but seeing as Auto Trader are going to be using the power of Twitter to give away a car to someone I thought it was news worthy.

They will be suspending a SEAT Mii 35 metres over London’s South Bank and giving it away, all through Twitter! To enter the competition all you need to do is tweet #winMiiwithAT and tell us why you deserve to win the car!

You will also have a chance to win one of 35 mystery spot prizes – in celebration of Auto Trader’s 35 year automotive heritage. Prizes range from an iPad, to petrol vouchers and fluffy dice.

Search #winMiiwithAT from 12pm this Wednesday and check out New Car Drop for all the action. We would love it if you’d like to get involved and tell your followers why you deserve to win Mii?!

Posted by: James

Warning – HP in Attack mode!

It seems that HP is going to jump back into the tablet market big time. In fact, they are also planning to "aggressively attack" the smartphone market as well, and they plan to use the Android OS to do it. Here’s a quote with some of the details,

Quote:

HP will “aggressively attack” both the smartphone and tablet markets, according to Jefferies analyst Peter Misek recent note to investors.
“While the move makes sense strategically, we see it as a high risk move,” Misek explained. “On top of adding costs and working capital burdens to an already stressed balance sheet, there could be additional write-offs.”
HP’s last attempt to enter the mobile space was a short-lived one. Just around a month after it launched the webOS-based HP TouchPad, the company pulled the plug on webOS, cancelled its HP Pre 3 project, all under the strong influence of then CEO Leo Apotheker.
Newly appointed Meg Whitman seems to renew HP’s somewhat lost focus in consumer products and the mobile industry and we can only hope the company brings a great Android device, competition is always welcome.

This seems like a daring move by HP. We are looking forward to seeing what they can come up with. Would you consider moving to an HP phone or tablet?

Posted by: Gareth.

ZTE V9A Light Tab 2 gets a price drop at Clove – A Nexus 7 alternative?

The ZTE V9A – Light Tab 2 may not be as great specs wise compared to the Google Nexus 7 but it does have a 3G modem built in which you can’t ‘currently’ get with the Nexus. With a discount on the tablet at Clove the price is only £142.80 including VAT which for what you are getting is a pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

Yes, it only runs Android 2.3 and only has 4GB of internal storage but the 3G capabilities kind of make it attractive,.

You can pick up the ZTE Lite Tab 2 at Clove here.

Posted by: James

BlackBerry 10 Sneak Peek – It’s all about the flow

Posted by: James

Bad Piggies released by Rovio

Rovio Entertainment released its newest game, Bad Piggies, for iOS, Android, Mac, and PC. Told from the pigs’ point of view, this innovative game lets fans build amazing machines that crawl, roll, crash, and fly the pigs to the eggs!

“We’ve never done anything like this,” said Petri Järvilehto, EVP of Games. “Where Angry Birds was all about destruction, Bad Piggies is all about the joy of construction. It’s not just about getting three stars — in this game, failing is almost as much fun as succeeding!”

The game is set on Piggy Island, where the Bad Piggies are after the eggs again — but as usual, nothing is going according to plan. They need help in creating the ultimate flying machine and steering it safely to their destination.

With more than 60 levels, and free updates coming up, there’s hours and hours of pig-crashing, exploding, and flying fun. Fans can unlock an additional 30 levels by getting three stars, and four sandbox levels let them stretch their creativity to the utmost. With 33 objects available to create the ultimate machine, the sky’s the limit — if you can navigate around all the obstacles first!

This is the first time the Bad Piggies are protagonists of a game, but it’s just the beginning of a series of Bad Piggies related games and other entertainment.

Bad Piggies is available now on iOS, Android, Mac, and PC, with Windows Phone coming soon.

Posted by: James

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 – Wi-Fi 16GB price drop from Expansys

If you are in the market for a new tablet we have good news regarding the price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9. Expansys are now offering the tablet for £209.99.

• Processor: 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2
• Memory: RAM: 1GB / ROM: 16GB
• OS: Android Honeycomb
• Display: 8.9" capacitive TFT LCD widescreen with 1280 x 800 WXGA resolution
• Connectivity : Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n,

If you fancy it head on over to Expansys.

Posted by: James