News

Grand Theft Auto III on Android

If you are a fan of the gritty sand-box style action game "Grand Theft Auto III" From Rockstar Games, and you have one of the following Android devices listed below, then you are in for a treat very soon. Rockstar Games is reportedly going to port their award-winning and highly successful game to a limited amount of Android devices. It’s pretty amazing to think that one of the most advanced PS2 games is now playable from a device that fits in your pocket. That just gives us a bright vision of the future where we can experience holographic virtual environments projected onto our retinas.

Okay, so that’s probably still a ways off, but you can’t blame me for being forward thinking. I will have no problem with being lost in a virtual "Elder Scrolls 10" on my "Samsung Galaxy Nexus Prime 12 SE" when I am in my 80’s.
Here’s a list of compatible Android devices:

• Droid X2
• HTC Evo 2 (Probably the EVO 3D, or is it some unknown future device?)
• LG Optimus 2X
• Motorola Atrix
• Samsung Galaxy S2
• Acer Iconia
• Asus Eee Pad
• Motorola Xoom
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Posted by: Gareth

Motorola Fire available now

The Smartphone Centre have dropped us a line to let us know that the Motorola Fire is now in stock. Seeing Android phones in this form factor is becoming a little more common now and the Fire looks to be pretty decent with the added bonus of a low price tag at just £159.95 inc vat & delivery.

Never compromise individuality with the Motorola Fire. A touchscreen plus QWERTY keypad for easy use. Powered by Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) for quick web access and a long life battery that won’t want to stop.

The Motorola Fire has a sleek, modern design and a sophisticated finish. It’s full QWERTY keyboard and 2.8″ touchscreen display provide the perfect combination of tools for emailing, texting and browsing the Web. Users can stay in constant contact with friends and family through the world’s leading social media applications.

As with all our smartphones, the Motorola Fire is SIM Free and Network unlocked. We also offer FREE UK Delivery.

RIM address the BIS outage – Video

It has been a rather rocky and somewhat embarrassing week for Research in Motion. Unless you had your head buried in the sand you will be aware that BlackBerry Smartphones in much of the world have been without data for three days. Here in the UK the Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) was restored early this morning so users are pretty much back to normal.

RIM have today released a video where Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis explains and apologizes about the issues they have been having.
Many have criticized RIM for not being more open and forthcoming with the BIS problems, so it is encouraging to see the main man hold his hands up and say they are sorry and are doing everything they can to fix the problem.

You can see the video below:

Motorola announce the Motorola Lapdock 100

Remember the laptop dock that you could get for the Motorola Atrix? Well yesterday in the USA Motorola announced an new improved Lapdock, the 100.

The main issue we had here with the Atrix one was its cost. It was so expensive it was ridiculous. Motorola are saying the Lapdock 100 will be more affordable which is good news.

The problem is that it was announced as coming to some U.S carrier but no mention of the UK so we will have to wait and see what happens.

It looks alright though.

You can see more details below:

Capped contracts on Tesco Mobile

I saw a TV advert last night for Tesco Mobile. Now not only was it a very nice advert but the fact they are offering capped contracts stood out for me. What a superb idea. Do any other networks offer this? If so then I have never seen it marketed.

In this day and age most children, maybe 10 years and up, carry a mobile phone. I would imagine that the majority of these kids use PAYG which in itself is the near perfect solution as you don’t want the little angels running up high bills. However, surely having a contract with a cap on the maximum usage would be an easier option. No more topping up and chances are you may well get a better deal on a contract than PAYG in terms of monthly allowance. One of the benefits is that switching to Tesco’s capped contract is that it is sim only meaning if you have an unlocked phone or one running on O2 it is just a case of putting the new sim card in and away you go. With the option of a 12 month or rolling 30 day contact it couldn’t be easier.

So i just thought I would highlight Tesco Mobile to you if you are a parent. It may not be the perfect solution but looking at the Tesco Mobile website it looks pretty attractive.

You can see some more details below:

Vodafone reduce the price of the iPhone 4S

What nice people Vodafone are. They have lowered the upfront cost of getting an iPhone 4S on contract. In addition there are some other benefits which you will see detailed below.

Data Test Drive
All new and upgrading consumer pay monthly customers will be able to use as much data as they like, for whatever they like, for three months so they can fully explore what the latest version of Apple’s iPhone can do.
Vodafone’s Data Test Drive is designed to give customers the confidence to experiment with their new iPhone, get to grips with the new features in iOS5 and explore all the apps that are available for it. At the end of the three month period we’ll let the customer know exactly how much data they’ve used and whether the price plan they have chosen suits their needs.
Buy Back
We will buy back a customer’s current handset – up to the value of £270 – and guarantee to match the best price available today. Customers can bring their old phone back, or send it to us and in return we’ll give them a new phone at a reduced price, a high street voucher or cash.
Collect in store
Our customers lead busy lives and may not wish to wait for their phone to arrive at their home.  They can choose to collect the iPhone4S in a store convenient to them – we’ll let them know when it’s there.

The new plans are set out below – those highlighted have been lowered:

BlackBerry Curve 9360 now available on Orange

The Blackberry Curve was the best selling Smartphone in the UK last year. The latest version, the 9360 has now rolled out on Orange, packing an improved processor compared to previous Curve models and also running BlackBerry 7, the latest version of operating system.

You can pick up the BlackBerry Curve 9360 from £249.99 on pay as you go or from free on a contract.

We now have the Curve 9360 here at trayandmatt towers so expect a full review in the coming weeks.

You can see a bit more information about the device below:

Pre order the HTC Explorer from The Smart Phone Centre

We posted just a couple of weeks ago that The HTC Explorer had been announced. The Smart Phone Centre are now taking pre orders and the device will set you back a reasonable £179.95 which includes VAT and delivery.

HTC Explorer Overview
With HTC Explorer we’ve put what’s most important to you right at your fingertips. The lockscreen lets you access your contacts, mail, camera, and messages in one swipe even when your phone is locked. And to make things convenient for you, HTC Explorer offers an intuitive, clean homescreen design that focuses on the most frequently used features and notifies you when you’ve received an email or text message or have a calendar event.
Web browsing similar to your desktop computer.
With HTC Explorer, you’ll enjoy web browsing that’s similar to your desktop computer. Websites are easy to find and easy to read. To make your viewing even easier, the HTC Explorer automatically adjusts the text on your screen so you won’t have to pan left and right to get all the news. Zoom in and dial a phone number on the web page in one easy step. And when you click on an address, a map opens up instantly for you to check out its location.

Facebook app for iPad goes live

The wait is over iPad users. There is now an official Facebook iPad app at last.

Here are some of the highlights:

A hands-on Facebook

Use your fingertips to scroll through your News Feed. Give the screen a swipe to page through albums. Pinch a picture to zoom in. Whatever you’re up to, using Facebook on your iPad just feels fun.

Bigger, better photos

Photos really shine on the iPad. They’re bigger and easy to flip through, like a real photo album. It’s like having a slideshow with all your friends and memories, wherever you go.

Thieves target Apple store in Covent Garden

Detectives are appealing for witnesses and information after a smash-and-grab in central London. Police were alerted at approx. 01.00hrs this morning (Monday 10 October) to a window broken and property taken from the Apple Store in Covent Garden.

It is believed there were around 7 moped riders / motorcyclists involved, most if not all with a pillion passenger. All persons were in full face crash helmets. They stole iPads and other similar devices. Shortly afterwards Islington police saw a moped and followed and attempted to stop it, but it was lost.

A moped was subsequently found abandoned in the vicinity of Wyclif Court, St John Street EC1 – officers saw two men inside the block of flats, and they were pursued on foot and apprehended within the block at approx 01.20hrs. Some property, believed stolen from the store, was found in bags in their possession. The men  are now in custody at a north London police station.

Detective Sergeant Nathan Tozer of Westminster CID said: "Although two men are in custody on suspicion of burglary, the inquiry continues and other persons are sought. It is essential that anyone who saw the smash-and-grab, or the suspects making off, contact us as soon as possible."

What naughty men!

Posted by: James