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More HTC Touch HD2 T-Mobile news

The below picture was posted on the T-Mobile website today and listed the HTC Touch HD2 as coming soon.

T-Mobile HTC HD2

Now, what is rather comical about this is that T-Mobile are saying “Choose from loads of applications to download from Android Market”. That may be quite hard to do on the HD2 considering its a Windows Mobile phone! Do T-Mobile not know what they are selling? Somebody better tell them quick!

Also the phone in the picture is not even the HD2. Its the original HTC HD!

Somebody better tell them quick!

Anyway, that being said at least it showing up as coming soon, cant wait to get our hands on the HD2! Notice also that T-Mobile are including ‘Touch’ in the name of their HD2.

Posted by: James

Orange iPhone confirmed to November 10th

Orange has this morning confirmed that November 10th will see the release of the iPhone on their network.

Orange

The good news is that you can get the iPhone for free from as little as £30 per month!

You will be able to buy either an iPhone 3GS or 3G from not only Orange retail but also Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U, Apple  retail stores and also other high street partners. Some Orange stores will be opening there doors at 7am on November 10th and staying open late to cope with demand.

Tom Alexander, CEO of Orange UK, said, “The excitement for the iPhone is immense, and this is a great day for our customers, our company and our employees. Since we announced the iPhone on Orange we have already seen more than a quarter of a million customers register their interest on our website. We will be matching their enthusiasm with a 3G mobile broadband network that covers more people in the UK than any other operator, a commitment to deliver the best 3G experience on the iPhone and best-in-class applications and plans. Earlier this year we stated our ambition to become the destination brand of choice for high end mobile users in the UK. With the launch of the iPhone on November 10 we’re pleased to be fulfilling that ambition.”

Apple iPhone

Pricing:

. Pay Monthly – iPhone 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models will be available on multiple monthly plans, with the 3GS free on all £45 plans and the 3G model free from £30 plans (both with a 24-month contract). For those looking for full all-inclusive packages, a new high end “traveller” offer with inclusive roaming call and data allowance is available at £125 month. All plans include unlimited** anytime, anywhere UK mobile data usage on Orange’s data network, which has the largest 3G population coverage in the UK. In addition customers will also get free unlimited use of the UK’s largest single public Wi-Fi network, BT Openzone.

. Pay as You Go (PAYG) – Customers topping-up by £50 at purchase will be able to buy an iPhone 3G on Orange PAYG for £333. Any customer buying an iPhone on Orange PAYG will automatically get 250MB of data each month, plus unlimited use of the UK’s largest single public Wi-Fi network, BT Openzone, for 12 months.

Watch this space for further news.

Posted by: James

Google Maps Navigation comes to Android

Google Maps have released a beta for there navigation software to be trialed on the Android platform!

Google Maps

I’m sure most of us have used Google Maps at some point but if you have ever tried to use it for navigation while driving you would have found that its a real pain in the butt as it will only give you on screen prompts and no voice guidance.

Well it looks like all that is about to change and if the beta testing goes to plan I am sure we will see it rolled out to all mobile operating systems.

There are certainly some benefits to using Google Maps navigation. Here’s the best bits:

Firstly it will be free which is always a bonus, however I strongly recommend an unlimited data plan as the maps will be downloaded as required.

If you don’t want to type the address onto the screen Google will allow you to just say it.

If you don’t know the address Google Maps will search the web and find it.

Google Maps currently shows traffic delays and these are incorporated into the navigation program.

As Google already has satellite and street view these are also utilized in the navigation software so you can actually see your destination before you get there.

Google Maps Navigation map options

You can click here to see a demo video. Go check it out as it looks pretty amazing if you ask me.

Posted by: James

HTC HD2 photos

I know everyone is hungry for more information on the HD2 – photos, video and just about anything you can lay your hands on, we know what it’s like, we’re also keen to see more! 🙂

So here are a few photos for you that I took just a little while ago. Yes we’ve been able to see the HD2 but we’re not allowed to show you any video just yet, HTC don’t want us to show you the pre-release ROM build.

So here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. I’ll also have some more later today/tomorrow of the HD vs the HD2. Click the images for a larger version.

So starting with the front of the HD2 you’ll notice the huge 480×800 pixel display measuring 4.3" on the diagonal, just about the biggest there is on a Windows Mobile device (apart from the HTC X7500 perhaps).

The HTC HD2 front view

On the back you’ll find a large loudspeaker, 5 megapixel camera and, at long last, a dual LED flash! You cant really tell from this angle just how rounded the back of the HD2 is but you’ll see that below.

HTC HD2 back view

On the bottom of the HD2 you’ll find a MICRO USB connector for sync and charge (I hate microUSB!) and thankfully, a 3.5mm headphone socket good for your own headphones or the supplied wired headset.

HTC HD2 bottom view

There’s not an awful lot to see on the top of the HD2, but you can see how curved that back is.

HTC HD2 top view

The left side is home to the obligatory up/down volume control rocker, and not much more!

HTC HD2 left side view

Nothing to see on the right side but as you can see again in this picture, the back is very curvy! 🙂

HTC HD2 right side view

Finally (for now) the keypad on the HD2 is a little different to any of the other recent HTC models, we see the return of physical keys, thanks goodness! So we have the send/answer key, home button, windows start menu key, a back button and finally the end/hang-up button.

HTC HD2 key pad

HTC HD2 specification:

• Operating System – Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional
• Processor – Qualcomm® MSM8250™, 1 GHz
• Memory – ROM: 512 MB / RAM: 448 MB
• Display – 4.3-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGAresolution
• Network – HSPA/WCDMA: Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Bluetooth 2.1
• WiFi 802.11b/g
• MicroUSB
• GPS – Internal GPS Antenna
• Audio – 3.5mm Audio Jack
• MicroSDHC
• Camera – 5 megapixel colour camera with auto focus and dual LED flashlight
• Talk Time – Up to 380 minutes for GSM
• Standby Time – Up to 490 hours for GSM
• Battery – Lithium-ion 1230mAh removable 
• Dimensions – 120.5 X 67 X 11 mm (4.74 X 2.64 X 0.43 inches)
• Weight – 157 grams (5.54 ounces) with battery
• G-Sensor
• Digital Compass
• FM Radio with RDS

Of course we’ll have our HTC HD2 review online just as soon as we can get our hands on one that we are allowed to video and talk about!

EDIT: Our extensive HTC HD2 review is now live on site.

Posted by: Matt

HTC Touch Diamond2 gets rom update

You may of seen our post a couple of weeks ago where we informed you that HTC released Windows Mobile 6.5 rom updates for the Touch Pro2 and Snap.

Well now they have also released one for the Diamond2.

HTC Diamond2

The Europe update can be accessed by clicking here. Like all rom updates please ensure you back up all data on the device as it will all be erased. If you have not tried Microsoft’s MyPhone this may be a good time to try. I use it and its works a treat!

Posted by: James

SuperEtrader site redesigned and relaunched

Our friends over at SuperEtrader have been busy over the past few months and have totally redesigned and re-launched their website and online store.

If you are not familiar with SuperEtrader (why not!?) they specialise in Unlocked/SIM-free smartphones and wide range of accessories. SuperEtrader also sponsor our forums that we launched recently.

Why not check out their new site at www.superetrader.co.uk?!

Posted by: Matt

HTC HD2 Discount

Our friends at Devicewire have kindly just let us know off a promo offer they have on the HTC HD2 and also the car mount.

HTC HD2

If you are planning to get the HTC HD2, for this weekend only, you can get an extra £5.00 off the phone and also the car mount just by using the following code when you order.

Promo code : HD2TAM

This device is going to be extremely popular so get your pre-orders in quick. You know you want to!

Buy HD2

Buy Car Mount

Posted by: James

Blackberry Bold 9700 coming to Orange

RIM officially announced the Blackberry 9700 today and not long after Orange UK sent out a Tweet that it will soon be available. Cool!

Blackberry Bold 9700

The Blackberry Bold 9700 (also being called the Bold 2) will more than likely be one of the best selling devices in the world over the next twelve months. If you have not heard of it yet you will be impressed with its specs.

Although the 9700 is a Bold it is the size of the Curve 8900 which will please a lot of users. However unlike the Curve this hot new device will support 3G (about time too!)

Also new to the Bold 9700 will be the trackpad replacing the standard trackball. I used the trackpad on the recently released Curve 8520 and found it a real pleasure to use.

In addition to the 1GB of storage on board the Bold 9700 RIM have upped the ROM to 256 compared with 128 on the Bold 9000. Although a smaller device the 9700 retains the same screen resolution as the original Bold so screen quality will be as good.

Of course it comes with all the usual stuff such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS and a 3.5mm headset jack so I think this new offering will be around for some time.

Its the new Daddy in the Blackberry camp!

EDIT: Check out the Blackberry 9700 unboxing video that we’ve just uploaded too.

Posted by: James

HTC HD2 available to pre order from Devicewire

If you are keen to get your hands on the new HTC HD2 when its released our friends at Devicewire are taking orders now,  ready for the expected release on November 11th.

HTC HD2

They are selling the HD2 for £499.99 with free delivery which is a bargain.

If you have not seen handset specs be prepared to be blown away!

• Windows Mobile 6.5 with Sense UI
• 4.3 inch capacitive screen 480×800
• Snapdragon 1GHz processor
• HSDPA
• A-GPS
• Wi-Fi
• 5MP camera with autofocus and LED flash
• 3.5mm headset jack

Impressed? Even iPhone users are looking forward to seeing this bobby dazzler!

HTC have also produced a car mount for the HD2 which Devicewire are also selling.

HD2 Car Mount

The mount, which is £59.99, has been designed to attach to most surfaces of your cars interior, from the dashboard to the windscreen. One feature I really like is the fact that you can charge the device while mounted as it comes with a MicroUSB car charger and also a new back cover for the device which incorporates a charging circuit connection.

This will look so nice in the car. I had better start saving up my pennies!

Check out Devicewire. You know you want to.

By the way, don’t foget to let me know if you have any questions about the HTC Touch HD2, I’ll make sure that Matt either covers it in his unboxing video or else I’ll cover it in the HD2 review which we’ll have as soon as we get our hands on the little blighter!

Posted by: James

New Blackberrys on the way

This week has has seen not one but two bits of great news for Blackberry fans.

The first is that the Blackberry Storm2 is now official and coming to Vodafone here in the UK.

Storm2

The specs are without doubt better than the original Storm with the inclusion of Wi-Fi (Yay!). Kevin over at crackberry.com has done a fantastic review of the Storm2, so rather than me waffling on about something I’m not an expert on click here to see his review.

The second piece of news is that the Blackberry Bold2 (9700) may be with us sooner than we thought.

T-Mobile Bold2

T-Mobile in Germany have stated that the Bold 9700 will be with them in November. The Bold 9700, which had the codename of Onyx, is the same size as the current Blackberry Curve 8900. Unlike the Curve though it has 3G/HSDPA which I really missed when using a Curve. Also, gone is the trackball. Its been replaced by the trackpad we mentioned recently when we reviewed the Curve 8520. Along with all the other features you would expect with a Blackberry I think this one is going to be massive for RIM and keep there growth on the upward slope.

Hopefully we will have both these devices to review in due course so keep your eye peeled for further news.

Posted by: James