News

RIM responds to alleged bad PlayBook sales

BGR posted the other day that they had heard from one big retailer that the BlackBerry PlayBook sales were not quite as good as we were led to believe. The post even went as far as saying that 90% of PlayBooks were being returned. RIM have responded to this with the below quote:

The source of the reported comment is anonymous and unknown to RIM, but the comment is certainly inconsistent with the positive feedback we have received from our main retail partners. As previously indicated, RIM will provide a business update on BlackBerry PlayBook results on June 16.

For reference, here is a public statement recently offered by Best Buy:

“Best Buy has had great success selling BlackBerry smartphones in North America, so our sales expectations for the BlackBerry PlayBook were very high. To date, we have far exceeded those expectations and we’re finding that customers are even more interested in purchasing once they’ve tested the PlayBook in the store.”

I didn’t believe the original post so as Matt is in the USA i sent him down to BestBuy to investigate. Not only were BestBuy out of stock of the PlayBook due to good sales but a member of staff told Matt that he had had no returns. Good news for RIM.

Posted by: James

Secret Gingerbread hidden under Honeycomb

Here’s a bit of interesting news for you technophiles that like to monkey around with your tablets. Apparently, their is a "hidden feature" within Honeycomb that allows you to "activate" an experimental Gingerbread interface. This is done by simply changing the pixel density settings of your Honeycomb tablet from 160 dpi to 170 dpi, and voila, you can play with a Gingerbread look to your UI. Here’s a quote from Engadget explaining how the tweak works,

According to modder Graffix0214, all you need for making the jump is one simple tweak in a system file: assuming you already have root access, use your preferred method — Pocketables recommends the LCDDensity for Root app — to change the LCD density value to 170 or higher to emulate a smaller, denser display. After a reboot, you should then see some Gingerbread love as demoed by Graffix0214’s video after the break; and likewise, set the value to 160 or lower to roll back. It sure is nice to have an option, eh?

This seems pretty nifty. Be sure to share in the forums what you think of this if you "monkey around" with it. Here’s a video demo after the break:

Protect your bubble teams up with TagBak to return your precious lost gadgets

Protect your bubble, the gadget insurance specialist, today announces a tie-up with TagBak, the confidential reward and return service, to make sure that Protect your bubble go one step further and actually help return your original gadget if it’s lost.

TagBak is a clever reward and return service that easily rewards taxi drivers, nightclub staff and members of the public for doing the right thing and reporting your gadget as lost. Gadget fans just have to stick a tag on the back of their gadget and register it online. If they mislay their gadget a diligent member of the public just rings the number or visits www.tagbak.co.ukto register they have found the item. TagBak will then arrange the return of the gadget back to its rightful owner. The finder is rewarded by the TagBak team for their help.
Sounds pretty good. Read on for the full details.

An Android app for Epilepsy

The Epilepsy Society has launched a mobile app for the Android Market following the charity’s hugely successful iPhone app in 2010. The app, available free of charge, contains essential first aid tips, including a step by step guide to the recovery position, basic information about epilepsy and a link to an interactive seizure diary.

NSE communications manager Amanda Cleaver said:  “Epilepsy is a very complex condition. Being able to record details about seizures and make notes about circumstances leading up to an episode are vital to the management and treatment of the condition.

“We also hope that the app will have universal appeal  as the first aid advice and step by step guide to the recovery position can be a useful tool for anyone.”

The Android app has been developed with the help of employees from IT company Citrix through the company’s Global Day of Impact scheme. Volunteers, including Robert O’Keefe and Shawn Fraser, worked to develop the app based on knowledge of the Android platform and  the design of the original iPhone app.

Robert O’Keefe, localisation manager at Citrix said: “Epilepsy is a subject close to my heart and having the opportunity to put my skills towards improving public knowledge of the condition is invaluable. When I saw the iPhone app in the App Store, I knew there was a chance to reach a wider audience in the Android market and was determined to make it happen. The Global Day of Impact scheme played a crucial role in bringing the app to market and I’d urge more companies to look at similar programmes. “

Commented Amanda: “We are so grateful to Citrix for their help in this project. Thanks to them, the latest technology is now available to more people than ever before.”

The app, ‘epilepsy society’ is available to download free of charge from: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.nse

Posted by: James

Twitter for BlackBerry updates

Twitter for BlackBerry 2.0 is now available in BlackBerry App World. The new update incorporates simplified navigation and new functions, with an updated navigation bar design and the ability to search for Tweets and people from a single location.

Twitter for BlackBerry 2.0 also features a new Compose Tweet button, which acts as a single touch point for composing Tweets from anywhere in the app. Users with BlackBerry smartphones that incorporate the BlackBerry 6 operating system can also benefit from the update, which includes integration with the Universal Search function allowing users to instantly search categories within Twitter.

The application is available to download for FREE from BlackBerry App World.

Posted by: James

Samsung Cube heading to Covent Garden this weekend

Looks like Samsung are going on tour. If you are in Central London this weekend why not pop down to Covent Garden and check out the Samsung Cube where as well as being able to have a go of the new Samsung Galaxy S II you may also win a prize.

Samsung is inviting members of the public to head to London’s Covent Garden this weekend to visit the ‘Samsung Cube’ where they will have a chance to play with Samsung’s brand new premium smartphone, the Galaxy S II and win prizes, including tickets to Take That’s upcoming Progress Live tour.

Visitors to the Samsung Cube, which will be located in the Piazza, will be invited to send a Twitter message using a Galaxy S II and get an exclusive code to unlock the prize safe. Thousands of codes will be released on both days but only a select few will unlock the prizes, with winners receiving either their own Samsung Galaxy S II, a pair of tickets to see Take That, or Samsung mobile phone speakers. For anyone whose code is unsuccessful at unlocking the prizes  at the box, there will be a second chance to win a Galaxy S II by entering their code in an online competition.

The Samsung Cube will also be heading to Manchester on 28^th and 29^th May, and Cardiff on the 4^th and 5^th June. The Samsung Galaxy S II is available in the UK now across all major networks, key high street and out of town electrical retailers and online.

Seems like these tour things are all the rage at the moment. Maybe Matt and I will do one. A pub tour I think!

Posted by: James

Android is conquering the masses

More market analysis showing the growth and dominance of the Android platform. Gartner’s Q1 2011 analysis shows Android with over 36 Million Units sold roughly equating to a 36% global market share. This is compared to Symbian in second place with 27 Million and 27.4%, iOS with 16.8 Million and 16.8%. RIM, Microsoft and HP round out the bottom.

Symbian is essentially taking blow after blow from all angles here and whilst there isn’t a massive reduction in units solid they have not benefited in the Smartphone explosion at all. The uptake of Microsoft platform is also of particular interest as Windows Phone 7 really isn’t making too much noise.

Posted by Gareth.

Dell Streak Pro details emerge

Some details regarding the Dell Streak Pro 10-Inch Android Tablet have been recently leaked. Rumour has it that the tab will come to the American network AT&T with it’s 4G LTE Radio they are about to roll out, a similar rumour to the HTC Puccini we heard earlier in the month. Regardless of the rumour, some other details have materialized regarding the device, and here they are:

• 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip
• 1GB of RAM
• Dual-microphones
• 5-megapixel camera and 2-megapixel camera for video chat
• Maybe three different models = 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB version
• 12.9mm thick (quite a bit fatter than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1)

No price yet and whilst the specs look adequate there is little to set this apart from the competition.

Posted by Gareth

Android 2.3.3 to arrive on Sony Ericsson next week?

They might have annoyed the seven people who bought the X10 with their terrible support when it came to updates, but it seems that are going to make amends with some nice updates to their more recent generation of phones. Sony Ericsson revealed today that their Xperia Arc and Xperia Play will soon rank among the short list of devices running Android 2.3.4, the fresh-out-of-the-oven update that brings along GTalk video calling among other things.

The update will also include a little feature Sony Ericsson has been cooking up called Facebook Inside. It creates a deep integration between the phone and the social network, allowing users to “like” currently playing music, share all sorts of content, and contact and calendar sync.

The update is slated to hit UK networks next week, carrier willing. We can only hope Sony Ericsson extends the privilege to the soon-to-be release US version of the Xperia Play.

Posted by Gareth

HTC Sensation available on Vodafone

Looking to get the HTC Sensation? Well you can order it right now as the new HTC flagship device is available on Vodafone.

The device can be picked free for £35 per month on a 24 month contract although there are other options available, 26 to be precise.

Sporting a 4.3 inch screen, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and running Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread the HTC Sensation is sure to be a big seller.

It is a real beauty. I had some time with the device when it was first announced and I am certainly looking forward to getting hands on again.

You can order the HTC Sensation by clicking here and the full specs are listed below if you need a reminder.