News

Qualcomm demonstrates MSM8660

There is an obsession at the moment with dual-core CPU’s in phones with the Optimus 2X  already on sale and HTC’s Sensation due out soon both sporting whizy new dual-core mobile CPU’s.

Now we’ve already see the benchmarks of Qualcomm’s latest MSM8660 CPU which runs at 1.5GHz, impressive enough for sure but a few days ago Qualcomm uploaded a demo video of the new Snapdragon in use within one of their own development devices. In the video, which I’ve embedded below, you can see them show off HTML5 video streaming, Flash video streaming, and 1080p playback. Not only that but there’s multichannel audio support and a phenomenal user interface.

Oh and they’ve crammed in a 13 mega-pixel camera on the back.

Check out the game demos too! I WANT ONE!!

Android 2.3.4 to have Video Chat

According to the Google Mobile blog, Google has begun it’s roll out  of Android 2.3.4 which will begin being sent to Nexus S handsets sometime in the near future. Google will bring a new key feature in 2.3.4, Video Chat. The chat will operate on your android device through the Gmail and GTalk applications and will allow video chats to take place with someone else on a compatible phone, tablet or any computer. Video chat fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the video chat feature will be available over the mobile network and Wi-Fi.

Using the new features is simple. On your Android device, from the Google Talk contacts list, you’ll see a video and voice chat icon next to each contact. Touch the button for the feature you’d like to use, and chat away.

Video can be paused while audio chat continues if you need to navigate elsewhere during a video session. During voice or video chat, text chats from that contact are overlaid on the device screen.

White iPhone 4 thicker than the black

This is one of those odd titbits that popped up on my radar this morning and initially I was like ‘So what!?’ however, upon reflection it’s not only a bit curious but also potentially annoying.

Despite the iPhone 4 being announced last year and a delay of close to 10 months the white iPhone 4 model went on sale here in the UK this past week. Even the Apple website say ‘Finally!’.

So it turns out that the white iPhone 4 is actually 0.2mm thicker than the black model, the difference caused by the white glass on the front and rear being 0.1mm thicker each. No big deal I hear many of you say, and in itself I would agree. BUT, where the annoyance lies is in that quite a few of the cases designed for iPhone 4 wont fit the white model, particularly the more rigid plastic cases.

0.2mm doesn’t sound like a lot but the difference is visible when you look at the two side-by-side and is enough to mean that a number of cases manufacturers may end up back at the drawing board!

Posted by: Matt

Google Docs Android App hits

A dedicated Google Docs application has finally been released on the Android Market by Google, for all devices with Android 2.1 or above. The app allows access for documents, images, text, spread sheets, and presentations. It also boasts a built-in OCR (optical character recognition) feature, which converts pictures to text. The application also supports account syncing. It isn’t a full fledged office application yet, but it is a good start for a long awaited feature.

Get it here.

Posted by Gareth

Toshiba Tab specs finally Revealed

For a few months now, many have been waiting anxiously for the official announcement of the Toshiba Android 3.0 Honeycomb Tablet that has been teased since CES. We now have the announcement from Toshiba of the 10.1-Inch Honeycomb Tablet dubbed, "Regza AT300". Here are the released specs:

Nintendo reveal plans for next generation Wii console

With the extraordinary success of the original Wii, it’s hardly surprising that Nintendo are lining up a successor, and it’s been revealed that it will be arriving sometime next year. There will also be a working demonstration at the E3 gaming show in June. Although sales of the current Wii having been slowing down in recent quarters, talk of 86 million units sold globally is no mean feat, despite it arriving around 5 years ago; I still remember the mad scramble that would drive people to pay double the retail price on eBay for the always-out-of-stock console.

The Wii was the first console with motion controlled gaming and it wouldn’t be surprising if Nintendo had another unique gameplay aspect up their sleeve. Nintendo’s CEO Satoru Iwata said that "It will offer a new way of playing games within the home" which does sound like a new gaming concept. Mind control maybe? We’ll find out later this summer.

Posted by: Vince

Sony announces a pair of Android tablets

This one came as a little bit of a surprise to me actually as until now these had passed me by, I just received an email from Sony telling me that they have just officially announced their first entry in to the Android tablet market with not one but two tablet models cleverly named the S1 and the S2!

The S1 is a fairly conventional tablet design with 9.4″ screen, the S2 on the other hand, is somewhat more unusual with two 5.5″ screens in a folding arrangement which has a Nintendo DS look about it.

Rumour has it that they will both run on the Tegra2 chipset but we’re just waiting for the official specs to be sent through to use before we post them.

Full press release follows.

Free BitDefender security software with Tracy and Matt

By way of an exclusive offer to our readers, we’ve teamed up with BitDefender to offer a free 3 month licence of their Internet Security 2011 software.

With internet users facing a range of threats from viruses through to online fraud, whether you’re an advanced user or a beginner it makes sense to stay protected.

And of course, what better price is there than free? To claim your copy, just click on the following link: Download Your BitDefender 90 Day License

I personally use BitDefender for my Mac and can honestly say it’s one of the best security suites I’ve used.

Posted by: Matt

IM+ coming to the BlackBerry PlayBook

Here at tracyandmatt we have covered various versions of IM+ over the past couple of years. The multi platform instant messaging client is coming to the BlackBerry PlayBook which is good news if you ask me. I often use IM+ on both my BlackBerry and iPad and as I will be picking up a PlayBook it is nice to see that some familiar apps will be supported.

No date is given yet for the app, but I have just spoken with Shape Services and as soon as it is ready we will have a copy so we can bring you a video demo.

Posted by: James

Buy a Motorola XOOM today

Yep, if you have been waiting to purchase the Motorola XOOM then today is the day you can. If you head over to the Carphone Warehouse you can pick one up either on contract or buy it outright. You can get the XOOM free on contract from £25 per month or buy it outright for £579.99.

Here is a quick overview of the XOOM:

Motorola XOOMT 3G is a fast, powerful tablet with all the features you need to stay entertained and get online on the go. It’s one of the most feature-rich and exciting tablets yet.