News

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.

BlackBerry PlayBook sales appear promising

Many have heavily criticized RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook since its launch but according to Mike Abramsky, General Manager at RBC Capital Markets RIM have sold 250,000 PlayBooks since launch and as the tablet is currently only on sale in North America this isn’t a bad start if you ask me.

If these figures are correct this means that the PlayBook has had a better start than Motorola XOOM tablet which we reviewed recently.

This is also encouraging for the whole 7 inch market. Sure RIM has a long way to go and they wont be catching up with the Apples iPad anytime soon but with the PlayBook rolling out to other countries next month it is looking like the device could have a pretty good first year. The better the sales, the more developers will support the PlayBook so we should see a much broader range of great apps in time.

Our own BlackBerry PlayBook review is very near completion so keep an eye out for what we think of it in the near future.

Posted by: James

HTC Flyer on Three

If you fancy picking up the HTC Flyer you can now order one from Three. As far as I can see there is only one plan available right now but you do get a whopping 15GB of data for your money.

The plan is a 24 month contract and will cost £30 a month with a fee of £169 up front for the device. Now if you do the maths this is going to cost you £889 in total over the next two years. If you don’t mind that commitment then go for it. Personally, I would wait a while. That is a lot of money.

If you did not see our unboxing video you can do so here.

Posted by: James

HTC Flyer sales are positive

For an Android 2.3 tablet and a pretty heavy price tag it seems that HTC’s little 7 incher is being pocketed by a brave few customers. I would be bold to say that many a blogger, tech journalist and enthusiast speculated the device would not only be a hard sell but have a limited uptake. However, if HTC’s sales outline is honest then they are quite pleased with the Flyer’s debut.

Recently, Android tablets have been outlined as a bit of a flop for many reasons, but perhaps people have been holding back, waiting for the device that suits them. The Flyer is in a limited market with only the aging Galaxy Tab as a competitor. The 10″ market seems to be the target of most retailers but the 7″ seems to be were the action is taking place when it comes to Android Tablets.

Posted by Gareth

T-Mobile Sale

If you fancy picking up a new PAYG handset then until 11PM tonight T-Mobile have a sale on and all phones are reduced by 20%.

Many of the PAYG phones come with 6 months free internet so that in itself is another saving.

Click here to visit the shop but remember you only have until 11 tonight.

Posted by: James

O2 network problems caused by vandalism

Customers in parts of London, Kent and Sussex left with limited access to their mobile services

O2 customers in parts of East London, North London, Kent and East Sussex are experiencing problems making or receiving calls, texts or data after theft and vandalism at one of its operations sites in East London damaged the network.

O2 said it discovered the problem in the early hours of this morning and that and had made the site secure and informed the police.

Its engineers are on site now working to replace the stolen equipment and repair the vandalism, and said it expected its network to be fully operational by some point today.

The operator said it was a well organised theft which targeted the operations site and added it has extensive continuity plans which it is bringing into effect now but that the nature of this theft has prevented it from restoring service immediately.

Posted by: James

HTC Desire HD and Incredible S getting Gingerbread now

We mentioned earlier about the Samsung Galaxy S getting a Gingerbread update later this month. Good news also for HTC owners. If you are lucky enough to own an unbranded HTC Desire HD or Incredible S you will be pleased to know that the 2.3 Gingerbread update is happening now in the UK.

If you have not yet had a notification then jump into your settings and go to System Software Updates to manually check for the update.

My HTC Incredible S is updating as I write this.

Posted by: James