News

Android Gingerbread not coming to the HTC Desire

The title says it all, folks. For the thousands upon thousands of HTC Desire owners, the dream of 2.3 Gingerbread hitting their phone will have to continue to be just that. The HTC Desire was one of the most popular phones for HTC, and played an important role in really driving Android devices into the hands of general consumers. Not even 18 months old, HTC are already closing production of the Desire hardware. Now, software development has ceased too; Desires will have to stay on Froyo. Unless you want to explore the unofficial channels and flash a custom rom. Here is HTC’s excuse official statement:

Our engineering teams have been working hard for the past few months to find a way to bring Gingerbread to the HTC Desire without compromising the HTC Sense experience you’ve come to expect from our phones. However, we’re sorry to announce that we’ve been forced to accept there isn’t enough memory to allow us both to bring Gingerbread and keep the HTC Sense experience on the HTC Desire. We’re sincerely sorry for the disappointment that this news may bring to some of you.

Whether I believe them is questionable – after all, the Wildfire S for example, gets along with a slower processor, same amount of ROM, and less RAM, yet plenty of Gingerbread. Either way, at least HTC tried and perhaps it’s time to retire that Desire for something HTC thinks is a bit more sensational.

Post by: Vince

Orange to launch The Barcelona

With the huge success last year that Orange had with the San Francisco (ZTE Blade) could they be set to do it again? On the ‘coming soon’ page of the Orange site is the Orange Barcelona, a front facing QWERTY Android device. Running 2.2, supporting HD voice and with a touch screen this one could be another huge hit for Orange. No word on pricing yet but I would imagine it would be very competitive.

Orange say:

Brighten up your life with the Barcelona from Orange. Equipped with the powerful Android 2.2 operating system and a 2.6-inch TFT touch screen, this phone makes communication easy and fun. And it really looks the part with its sleek, ergonomic design. With a 3.2-megapixel camera to play with, you’ll always be able to capture life’s moments as well as listening to your favourite music using the FM radio.

You can see the specs below:

Pre-Order the Toshiba Thive in America

As planned Toshiba have put their Thrive up for pre-order. Prices starting at $429.99 and it seems that the US is first on the list to get this. There is little indication as to when we can expect to see it here in the UK. Here is what Toshiba had to say.

Introducing the Thrive Tablet by Toshiba. Powered by Android 3.1, Honeycomb, this tablet delivers a better way to browse the Web, enjoy e-books and HD videos, play games, listen to music and more. Complete, convenient and customizable, it’s everything a tablet can and should be, with a gorgeous 10.1″ diagonal high-res multi-touch LED backlit display, features you can personalize, and speedy performance so you can multitask your way through your digital life (and favourite entertainment) with ease.

• Android 3.1, Honeycomb
• 10.1" High-resolution LED Screen
• Dual front and back webcams
• User-replaceable Easy Grip Back cover and battery
• One USB 2.0, One Mini USB, One HDMI and an SD Card Slot

Posted by Gareth

Android Market to show compatibility

Google has revamped Android Market, its own app store, to show devices that are compatible with each individual app. Now, when you visit Android Market on the desktop, the app that you’re viewing or trying to purchase will give you a compatibility list showing which of the Android phones or tablets that you have registered will work properly with the app.

With the compatibility check, Android users may feel more confident in making more app purchases, especially considering that Google had shortened the refund period for app purchases recently.
Also, as the Android platform is fragmented with various devices, device-makers, and also OS versions of Android, a compatibility check will help users quickly identify if the app will work with their particular device(s). Previously, users had to rely on developers to list specific compatibility in the app description.

Posted by Gareth

Asus Windows 7 Eeepc Tablet arrives through the backdoor

Asus has quietly launched a new 12.1″ Windows Tablet. I remember reading a review some months ago on Cnet and they were quite favourable of the device noting it as having  powerful specs, plenty of features  and a huge screen, which I sure you could have worked out yourself. However they also noted that it was difficult to use and hold because of it’s weight and the huge screen and the battery didn’t last as long as expected at only 3 hours.

The EP121 features a beefy Intel i5 processor, 32GB/64GB of storage with 2GB/4GB of RAM respectively. Complete with USB ports, Mini-HDMI, and memory card slots, the device also has a virtual keyboard hardware button, and an orientation lock also. The device weighs in at 2.6 pounds, which you had to expect with the 12.1? inch screen. This is been the Achilles heal for Windows 7 tablets, and I am sure something Microsoft and Intel want to change with Windows 8 devices.

Posted by Gareth

Vodafone to sell the other Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 1

Vodafone seems to be changing their tune as the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1″ goes on sale in the US. An email has gone out to interested customers alerting them to a change of plans. Vodafone is switching out the thicker Galaxy Tab 10.1v and its 8MP camera in favour of the “slim” version unveiled at CTIA.

“An important update regarding the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1v

We’ve decided to add the slimmer Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 to our range, which will now take the place of the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1v.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 is packed full of cutting edge technology but is one of the world’s slimmest Honeycomb tablets, measuring 8.6mm thick and weighing just 599g. We’ve updated our website with more details, which you can see here

We’ll be in touch again soon with more information on pricing and availability.

Thank you”

The slimmer Tab 10.1 was created in response to the announcement of the iPad 2, and was designed to compete at a better price point with a more appealing 8.6mm-thick form factor. I mention the 8MP camera above because this is one are where Samsung downgraded, moving to a 3MP camera. The 10.1v will not be available. Vodafone has updated their product page to reflect the change.

Source Phandroid

Posted by Gareth

Orange set to launch ‘Signal Boost’

Next Wednesday (June 15th)  sees the launch of the Orange signal boost. Subscribers to the new service will be able to get full signal on their Orange mobile using their existing W-Fi connection.

Whether there are costs involved I don’t know at this stage but it will be a god send to many users and will more than likely drum up some new business for Orange where customers have not previously had an Orange signal at home.

This concept is nothing new as many users of certain handsets can already take advantage of a similar technology in the form of UMA. All BlackBerry devices are UMA supported and when the Orange signal is weak the phone will automatically use a Wi-Fi connection to route all calls and data.

This new service sounds pretty neat if you ask me. We have been invited to the lauch event so we will report back with full details next Wednesday/Thursday.

Posted by: James

FaceBook for BlackBerry PlayBook gets an update

Not only did we get an update for the BlackBerry Tablet OS today, but the Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet app has been updated as well! The update is available as part of the OTA (over-the-air) BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5 update and will also become available for download from the BlackBerry App World storefront over the next 24 hours. Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users are sure to love the new features that have been added since the initial release last month, including:

. Video uploading
. Facebook Search enhancements
. Improved access to Pages
. Message deletion
. News Feed improvements

If you have a PlayBook go grab the update.

Posted by: James

HTC ChaCha Gets a Quiet CPU Boost

The sneaky people over at HTC have quietly updated the ChaCha’s processor by 33% from 600MHz to a nice and solid 800Mhz one and by my remedial calculations, this increase should equal an improved user experience. The ChaCha is one of two handsets from HTC that sport a dedicated Facebook button but it is the only one in their fleet of Android devices that have a portrait QWERTY keyboard.

You can pre-order the ChaCha from clove.co.uk for £252 including VAT and they expect first stock on June 9th, so it will be not long to wait if you wish to have this handset in your possession.

Apple’s WWDC 2011 Keynote – Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5 & iCloud!

Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference has kicked off with a keynote presentation and what a keynote it was! We saw Mac OS X Lion, all the brand new features that will be in iOS 5 when it comes out later this year and we saw the full details of Apple’s iCloud that has been rumoured since time began (well almost).

Read on for everything announced by Steve Jobs and the team over at Apple!