News

HTC 7 Pro will come to the UK

We missed out on the HTC 7 Pro at launch here in the UK but it is coming, trust me. The device is rumored for a European launch early next year. At a secret meet up last week where I used all the UK HTC WP7 devices we were told that the HTC 7 Pro would be available to all networks when it arrives here. Could this be a nice sim free solution?

The 7 Pro has some great specs as well as that stunning looking tilting keyboard. We all know that HTC are experts at producing great designs like this. Just look at the HTC Touch Pro 2. That was one of only a few phones to instantly be snapped up by all major American carriers when it launched there.

Anyway, enough of my waffle. See the HTC 7 Pro’s specs and some more photos after the break.

Samsung Omnia 7 pops early

Looks like someone at Samsung in Russia has followed LG and leaked the Omnia 7 early! The 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA smartphone runs the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 processor with 8GB of onboard storage and a 5-megapixel autofocus camera.

There’s also WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 and A-GPS, along with USB 2.0 and triband UMTS/HSPA (900/1900/2100).  AS well as a built in FM radio the Omnia 7 is capable of recording video in 720P HD. Battery life is tipped at up to 520 minutes talktime or 390 hours standby from the 1,500mAh Li-Ion pack. 

Full specs can be seen in the picture below.

LG a bit over keen with Windows Phone 7

With the launch of Windows Phone 7 not until later this afternoon someone at LG decided to publish the details of their offering a little early! The Optimus 7 appeared on their blog but has since been removed. Chris from Slashgear spotted it though and the info is below. Naughty LG!

Today LG Electronics announced the UK launch of its first Windows Phone 7 handset, the LG Optimus 7. Utilising Microsoft’s brand new operating system, the LG Optimus 7 heralds a new era for smartphones and consumers.

The LG Optimus 7 represents the product of close work between LG and Microsoft to create a user-friendly handset that combined the glance and go experience of the Windows Phone 7 combined with the best features that are exclusive to LG devices. These include the DLNA-based Play To, augmented reality and Voice-to-Text, which can all be added as Live Tiles on the Windows Phone 7 to personalise your device and can be accessed via integrated “Hubs”.

The Optimus 7 was developed to fit at the heart of our digital lives. The Play-To feature was exclusively developed for the Optimus 7 to allow DLNA based multimedia-sharing. This allows users to access their multimedia including pictures, video and music via any DLNA compatible device meaning you can listen to the music on your phone through your favourite speakers or view you pictures on your TV.

Canonical releases Ubuntu ‘Maverick Meerkat’

The time has come again for another release of an LTS version of Ubuntu, one of the most popular Linux distributions. Being the 10th of October (10.10 edition), Canonical have seen it fit to unleash the Maverick Meerkat on Linux users and abusers, and this version is apparently the best yet. Personally I have installed the new version and there’s an even simpler idiot-proof installer, and a new custom Ubuntu font, which I have to say, looks very nice. This also comes with a new-look interface which, with the effects on, has the wow factor of a truly modern OS; commercial applications are now integrated into a new Software Centre. Just like the previous edition, Canonical is embracing the cloud with Ubuntu One with 2GB of free cloud storage for each and every penguin out there. Notably, there is also mobile access on Androids and iPhones, as well as a music sync function to said devices.

The Netbook Remix edition also includes the new ‘Unity’ interface, designed specifically for smaller screened devices that even includes support for touch gestures – click through for a short demonstration video.

IM+ updated for iPad/iPhone

You may have seen some time ago our review of IM+ for the iPad. If you now use it you will be pleased to hear an update is available that will bring you the following features:

• VoiceOver: incoming messages instant playback without tapping
• Extra wallpapers available for downloading
• UI improvements
• Large contact list management improvements
• History saving in IM+ Web at https://plus.im
• Lock Orientation repaired for iPhone

If you don’t currently use it why not try IM+ Lite. It’s free which always helps.

Posted by: James

Windows Phone 7 Launch Event

Monday is the big day for Windows Phone 7. Microsoft are holding an event in London, that we have mentioned before, to officially launch the new OS. I will be there at the event and will be tweeting the news as it happens so please keep an eye out in your Twitter timelines for me.

At the event I would imagine we will get a confirmed date for when we can expect devices to be available to buy. I know the 21st has been knocking around the web as a strong possibility.

Fingers crossed we will also get to see some devices from the manufactures that are supporting Windows Phone 7. It will be interesting to see how many each are unveiling and on which networks.

If you don’t follow us on Twitter you can do so by clicking here.

Oooh, it’s so exciting!

Posted by: James

ÜberTwitter gets an update for BlackBerry users

If you use a BlackBerry then chances are you may use UberTwitter. The app has received an update today to bring you the below features and improvements.

• Map Provider – Allow users to select either MapQuest (default) or BlackBerry maps to display users locations. User action to retrieve a map You now have to click the ‘Retrieve Map’ button after opening a tweet in order for the map to be retrieved. This will result in substantially lower bandwidth requirements and improved battery life.
• UberChannel date display bug fix – Fixed a bug where tweets in UberChannel streams had the date incorrectly displayed.
• Resetting tweets to retrieve bug – Fixed bug where on an upgrade the number of tweets to retrieve would reset to 60.
• Highlight color in Midnight Theme bubble layout – The highlight color in the Midnight theme when using the bubble layout is now much easier to discern.
• Text Ad color -  We changed the color of the text ads to conform to the them colors. The ads are still clearly marked as an advertisement.
• GPS Radio Activation -  The GPS radio will now only be activated when you open the compose tweet screen IF you have selected to use the GPS radio to determine location. This should greatly reduce battery drain, but may result in the location mechanism falling back to the cell tower method on some occasions.

ÜberTwitter is a free Twitter app but there is a paid version if you don’t want the adverts on it. You can subscribe by clicking here.

Posted by: James

Firefox beta available for Android and Maemo devices

Firefox is the latest alternative browser now available for Android as long as you are running version 2.0 and and above. The Nokia N900 is also supported.  Want to check it our? just click here.

Here are the all important features you will get with Firefox beta for Android:

Greenpois0n Jailbreak Coming 10/10/10 at 10:10:10

Put it in your calendar people, the greenpois0n jailbreaking solution for iOS 4.1 has been announced to be among us on 10/10/10 at 10:10:10 am GMT. The tweet below by @p0sixninja, the jailbreak should be available when by mid-morning on October 10th. So get ready for greenpois0n so you can have all of the jailbreaking treats, alongside all of the great stuff in iOS 4.1.

Start the countdown ladies and gentlemen.

HTC Sense online goes live

If you are lucky enough to have pre ordered the HTC Desire HD or Desire Z you will be pleased to know that the online HTC Sense webpage is up and running ready for when you get your new device later this month, hopefully!

Although the web portal is currently restricted to these two new devices we hope that the service will be rolled out to slightly older devices at some point in the near future.

The online service will allow you to manage your phone online as well as track and even wipe everything from it in the event of loss/theft.

Sounds pretty sweet and a big selling tool if you ask me.

Lets hope the devices don’t take too much longer to arrive in stock. We of course will have full reviews of both the Desire HD and the Desire Z as soon as we can.

You can register for HTC Sense online here.

Posted by: James