News

Orange Vegas – Some More Details

6 Days ago Matt brought you the news that the Orange Vegas was now official but at that stage we didn’t post much about it so here is all we know about this handset.

Not many people will know this but the device is manufactured by 3G dongle manufacturer ZTE which is a little unusual but as we have been given one to review we will tell you just how unusual it is early next week.

Officially the cheapest full touchscreen handset the Orange Vegas is already available for purchase at the carriers points of sale across UK or online for a price of only £48.50 for pay-as-you-go customers.

I’m sure Orange are fully aware that the Vegas ain’t anywhere near as cute as the other touchscreen phones out there  but its price is low enough to make you say "Deal!".

Looking at the phone you can can only say that it reminds you of a cross between the XDA Orbit and the HTC Touch Viva but it doesn’t nearly have the same brains or goodies under the hood.

The carrier were smart enough to launch the Orange Vegas in pink or black as there is definitely a market for pink phones.

The handset offers a 2.4" TFT touchscreen and UI that is designed exclusively for Orange. Unfortunately it only features a 1.3 megapixel camera but the microSD card slot can take cards with up to 4 GB of memory. The good news is that it does have built in FM radio and Bluetooth making it acceptable for today’s teen market. Another nice touch is the free access to services like Bebo, Facebook and MySpace.

Posted by: John

Press Release: Vodafone Freeday Today Only

In short the press release below says that for today only you can surf the internet on the Vodafone network for FREE and starting tomorrow you can browse for a flat rate of 50p per day.

A very good move for Vodafone in my eyes as this now sets the standard for other networks to follow or beat.

30^th April 2009

VODAFONE MAKES FRIDAY ‘FREEDAY’ SO YOU CAN PLAN THE MAY BANK HOLIDAY ON US

• New flat rate 50p daily rate for internet browsing and webmail from your mobile phone
• Internet browsing and webmail on your mobile free to use all day Friday 1^st May
• Facebook most visited site

Vodafone UK is introducing a new flat 50p daily rate for internet browsing and email on your mobile phone. The new rate will become effective from tomorrow, May 1, for all pay as you go and contract customers who don’t already subscribe to a monthly mobile internet bundle.

The new pricing is being introduced in response to customer feedback that flat rate unlimited browsing gives peace of mind and more control over how much customers spend.

To mark the new flat rate, tomorrow Vodafone customers will be able to browse the internet and pick up emails on their mobiles for free all day. Vodafone’s ‘Freeday’ will be the perfect way for customers to plan their May Bank Holiday while they travel to work on the train, wait for the bus or kill time waiting for friends to join them in the pub. More information about ‘Freeday’ can be found at: www.vodafone.co.uk/freebrowsing

Customers can browse the internet on a wide range of Vodafone mobiles and use it to look at the same internet sites they are used to on their home computers from Facebook, Bebo, PriceRunner, YouTube, MySpace and eBay, through searching on Google, train timetables and the latest results from Sky Sports, to the best in city, gig and event guides.  They’ can also check webmail accounts such as Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo!, AOL or Google Mail.

Customers don’t need to do anything to qualify for ‘Freeday’, just simply click on the Vodafone live! or the browser icon in the menu of their phone to get started on the day.

Millions of customers can access the mobile internet using Vodafone’s fast and reliable network. Among the most popular sites Vodafone customers visit are social networking and news sites, with Facebook topping the charts of most visited sites:

Top most visited sites using Vodafone’s mobile internet service are Facebook, Google, BBC, YouTube, Windows Live, Bebo, eBay,

Top Google searches using Vodafone’s mobile internet service are Facebook, Bebo, eBay, Hotmail, YouTube, Yahoo, MSN, Google, Flirtomatic and BBC

For more information about using the internet on your mobile and details on how to set up your webmail account head to Vodafone.co.uk/mobileinternet

Posted by: John

HTC Magic Launched

OK, OK dont get excited, the HTC Magic has just launched with no other but Vodafone Spain. But you may not have heard that the coveted Cupcake update (also known as Android OS 1.5) is now available to Android Dev phone users via the HTC website and now OTA for G1 users.

The HTC Magic is the second Android phone by HTC after the HTC Dream (a.k.a. T-Mobile G1). We already reviewed the G1 and we were quite happy with the perspectives for the new mobile OS. There certainly is some missing stuff, but a lot of those misses are taken care for in the latest version of Android called Cupcake. If you happen to own an Android Dev phone, you can get yourselves all dressed up with a new OS by following this link.

However if you don’t own a Dev phone, but you live in Spain, you might as well get yourself the updated OS along with the latest hardware. Not only does the HTC Magic come with all the latest Androidish goodies, but it’s also got a slimmed down waistline by shedding its bulky hardware QWERTY thumboard and it’s now available with Vodafone Spain.

The HTC Magic can now be had only on a 18-month contract from 19 to 199 euro depending on the choice of monthly plan. Whatever your tariff however, there’s an obligatory 12 euro monthly for unlimited browsing as according to Vodafone the handset uses internet connection automatically even without user intervention and having a data plan is a must.

The other good news is that the device will launch on May 5th in the UK on Vodafone.

Posted by: John

LG Viewty Smart given Release Date

Thanks to the uncharacteristic slip-up of some Germans, we already knew plenty about the LG Viewty II, it will be called the Viewty Smart, and will be exceedingly thin at only 12mm thick.

Now LG has officially announced that the Viewty Smart will be landing on shelves on May on Orange.

LG Viewty II (Smart)

The Viewty Smart will feature a WVGA screen, and its 8-megapixel camera will have quite a few improvements over the first Viewty, including sensitivity up to ISO 1,600 for low-light shots, touch gestures for zooming in and out, and multiple face-detection. It’ll also have something called ‘intelligent shot mode’, which LG says will analyse the photo and compare it against seven pre-programmed scenes to improve picture quality. But there won’t be a xenon flash previously suggested and rather will sport just an LED light.

The Viewty Smart will also launch with Wi-Fi and 7.2Mbps HSDPA for faster surfing, a 76mm (3-inch) touchscreen display, 1.5GB of internal memory expandable with a microSD card of up to 32GB, and GPS.

Posted by: John

Samsung GT-i7500 Newest Device on Android

Now what do we have here then? It looks to me like Samsung are planning to launch their very own Android handset sitting snugly on the Android 1.5 Cupcake OS which is the same given to us on the new HTC Magic handset being launched by Vodafone.

Samsung GT-i7500

So what do I know that I can share with you?

Samsung GT-i7500 Specifications

• Expected Release Date: June, 2009
• Dimensions: 56 x 115 x 11.9 millimetres
• 119 grams (battery included)
• Operating System: Google Android 1.5 (Cupcake)
• CPU: 32bit Qualcomm MSM7200A
• CPU Clock: 528 MHz
• ROM capacity: 7.5 GiB
• RAM capacity: 128 MiB
• Display_Type: color AM-OLED , 16777216 scales
• Display Diagonal: 3.2 "
• Display;Resolution: 320 x 480
• Microphone(s): mono
• Loudspeaker(s): stereo
• Audio:Output: 3.5mm
• Cellular Networks: GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS900, UMTS1700, UMTS2100
• Data Links: CSD, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA
• Call Alert: 40 chord melody
• Vibrating Alert: Supported
• Speakerphone: Supported
• Positioning Device: Touchscreen
• Directional Pad: 5 -way
• Expansion Slots: microSD, microSDHC, TransFlash
• USB 2.0 client, 480Mbit/s
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Wireless LAN: 802.11b, 802.11g
• Built-in GPS module
• Assisted GPS, Geotagging
• Main Camera: 4.9 MP
• Autofocus (AF)
• Optical:Zoom: 1 x
• Macro Mode: Supported
• Built-in Flash: mobile light (LED)
• Secondary Camera: 0.3 MP
• Built-in accelerometer
• Battery:Capacity: 1500 mAh

Here is what we know about the OS the phone has:

• Full Name: Google Android 1.5
• Short Name: Android 1.5
• Developer: Google
• Codename: Cupcake
• Release Date: June 01, 2009
• Predecessor: Google Android 1.0
• Operating System Family: Linux operating systems
• Operating System Kernel: Linux 2.6.27
• Supported CPU: Instruction_Set(s): x86, ARM

Can we assume then that this handset will go either directly to o2 or Orange based on the fact that the predecessors have went to the other 2 networks? The short answer to that is, who knows, only time will tell.

I have been in touch with Samsung already and asked for details more info. As and when we have them we will post them straight away.

Posted by: John

HTC Magic Delayed Launch

HTC and Vodafone might have created what they thought was the perfect storm of interest with the new Magic when they unveiled it at Barcelona earlier this year, but delays mean it won’t hit the UK until May.

Vodafone’s Magic mini-site (as in a site for the phone, rather than a site where cool things happen) previously stated that the phone would be coming in April this year when pre-orders were announced earlier in 2009.

But this has now been shifted to May, with Vodafone rather sheepishly stating that if you order today "we will aim to deliver by 5 May," hinting that the problems that have plagued the handset might not have been fully resolved.

HTC Magic Mini Site

Issues with the handsets hardware, as well as rumoured issues with the latest version of Android (necessary to work the virtual keyboard on the device, which is pretty important when there are only three physical keys) meant that the HTC Magic was subject to a last minute delay.

[source]

Posted by: John

Orange Vegas now official

Yesterday I mentioned that I’d had a tip off about Orange’s new Vegas touchscreen handset and this morning we have the official announcement.

Orange today launched the ‘Vegas’, the smallest, lightest and cheapest touch screen mobile available in the UK. Priced at just £48.50 for pay as you go customers, the stylish Vegas handset is available in black and exclusive to Orange in pink.

Featuring a simple one-touch interface designed exclusively for Orange, the handset allows customers to quickly get to grips with its many features. The Vegas combines a lightweight and elegant style with a 1.3 megapixel camera – so users never have to miss out on the action and can share their photo and video experiences with friends within minutes. It also offers MP3 and media player capability as well as a built-in FM radio for keen music fans.

The handset’s large 2.4 inch high quality touch screen means it’s easy to navigate to your favourite social networking sites to stay in touch with friends. And when you top-up by £10 on Orange pay as you go Dolphin, you get 300 free texts, £10 credit to spend however you want plus free access to Bebo, Facebook and MySpace. Pay as you go Dolphin is the best value package on the market for those who want to access social networks on their mobile and Vegas is the perfect phone – great value with all the functionality and style that you’d expect at a higher price.

Speaking on the announcement, Francois Mahieu, Director of Devices, Orange UK said “The Vegas is the perfect handset for customers who wish to have the touch screen experience without breaking the bank. It provides a good functionality with a touch screen at a cheap and affordable price. Combined with our pay as you go Dolphin package which offers free access to Bebo, Facebook and MySpace – it really does offer consumers tremendous value.”

The Vegas comes with an in-built memory of 128MB and a microSD card slot that supports a data capacity of up to 4GB. Available immediately for only £48.50 the Vegas is also on offer to pay monthly customers. For more details visit Orange shops or www.orange.co.uk

Posted by: Matt

[ Post Tags: Orange, Vegas, Touch Screen Handset, Dolphon Tariff, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]

Orange to launch Vegas handset

We just got a tip off that Orange will be announcing the launch of ‘Vegas’ tomorrow morning. It’s claimed that Vegas will be the smallest, lightest and cheapest touch screen mobile available in the UK.

The Orange Vegas

Featuring a simple one-touch interface designed exclusively for Orange, the handset allows customers to quickly get to grips with its many features, including camera, MP3 player and FM radio.

Combined with Orange’s pay as you go Dolphin package – which provides free access to Bebo, Facebook and MySpace – Vegas is the best value mobile for those who want to enjoy social networking on their mobiles.

Looks kinda similar to that ever-popular HTC Touch?!

We’ll have more for you once that press release becomes official!

Posted by: Matt

Windows Mobile 6.5 Coming Soon

The final version of Windows Mobile 6.5 is expected to be unveiled at Microsoft’s Tech Ed 2009 event on 11th May.

A post on a Microsoft developers blog announced:

Stephanie Ferguson, GM of Business Experiences at Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business is going to deliver the kick off presentation of Windows Mobile 6.5 on Monday, May 11th at 1:00PM – 2:15PM. This Tech Ed 2009 session focuses on Windows Mobile 6.5 and is targeted at both IT Professionals and Developers, with a cool demo and an outline of great stuff to come.

The OS will be an updated and more fully featured version than the one that received mixed reactions when shown off at Mobile World Congress in February. However, devices running the new system are still not expected to be available until Q3 at the earliest.

Posted by: John

July Launch for Nokia N97 on Vodafone

Vodafone UK have released details of its forthcoming release, the top of the range Nokia N97.

Vodafone Website Page

Vodafone says that it will make the phone available during July and they have a web page available where you can sign up to receive updates relating to the new smartphone.

Posted by: John