News

Dualsim Glofiish DX900 Goes On Sale

We have reviewed a few GloFiish phones on our site over the past year and the latest one to come from the Eten camp is it’s Dual Sim DX900

Eten Glofiish DX300

Powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 the Glofiish DX900 is "probably" the first Windows based device with a brand name to be released.

Eten Glofiish DX900 Specifications:

• 2 SIM card slots – both working at the same time
• VGA display (640×480 pixels)
• GPS
• Samsung S3C 6400 processor running at 533 MHz
• 3G
• microSDHC slot
• G-sensor (tilt sensor aka accelerometer)
• 3 megapixel camera with autofocus
• HSDPA

Price wise you can expect to pay around £500 for this phone ($760 or 531 euro).

I’m not overly sure if Eten will send this one to use but if they do I for one would like to review it as I have to use 2 phone’s daily and getting rid of one would be a godsend.

Posted by: John

02 Germany Announce XDA Glide

O2 Germany announced their latest XDA handset yesterday named the XDA Glide. Looking very much like the very popular XDA Orbit 2 and modelled on what looks like the HTC Touch 3G which we be reviewing early next week, we believe that this is the new HTC Cruise 09 that we’ve been hearing about.

The Windows Mobile 6.1 powered device comes with GPS, TomTom Navigator 7, Car Kit and a Mount holder which suggests (even to me) that this is primarily a SatNav phone just like the XDA Orbit 2.

Specifications wise we can expect it to have:

• 528 Mhz Qualcomm MSM 7225 processor
• 256 MB Ram
• 512 MB Rom
• MicroSD Slot
• TouchFlo (2d we think)
• 2.8 inch QVGA Screen
• HSPDA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth 2.0
• A2DP
• Opera Mobile 9.5 browser

Among the most interesting features of the new O2 XDA Guide there is the footprint function and the dedicated footprint button. The footprint feature lets you send pictures taken with the built-in 3.2 megapixel snapper along with positioning data. On a compatible device, the pictures can be used for navigation and whoever received them will be able to navigate to the photographed location by a single click.

The O2 XDA Guide is about to start shipping by mid-February 2009, price tag still unknown.

Touch HD gets Mobile Internet Explorer 6

Paul from MoDaCo forums has devised a cooked ROM to enable HTC Touch HD users to have Internet Explorer 6 on their device.

So here’s a custom WWE (English) ROM rom for the Blackstone, created it for my own use to try out IE6 and thought y’all might like to have a play!

It’s based on the 1.19 Asian ROM.

Changes…

– Added IE6 Mobile!
– Changed IE6 Mobile default search to Google
– Added official MS build of Flash Lite
– Added .net CF 3.5
– Added Remote Desktop Mobile
– Added AppToDate
– Added Batti (with main battery meter disabled)
– Added Donate
– Added ‘Blackstone Additions’ performance tuning (AppToDate compatible)
– Added Business Card Reader from Euro ROMs
– Added RSSHub from Euro ROMs
– Added MoDaCo News and MoDaCo Podcast to RSS Hub defaults
– Added Google Map from Euro ROMs
– Added TouchResponse (uninstallable)
– Removed Windows Update
– Removed Welcome Center
– Removed MS Sample Music
– Removed .net CF 2.0
– Using JBlend JVM
– Changed Opera 9.5 and skin to be uninstallable

– UC Compatible

Known issues:

None as yet. Be aware that if you are on T-Mobile, the auto config puts in a proxy that screws a number of things up. Immediately after completing the wizard, hit up settings -> connections -> connections and disable the proxy!

Update format:

– Custom RUU – ensure you have HardSPL installed from here first! You can also install by extracting the EXE with WinRAR (PC) / Betterzip (MAC), renaming ruu_signed.nbh to BLACIMG.NBH, placing it in the root of your storage card then turning on your device with the volume button held down. Handy for mac users like myself

Included:

– OS ONLY, no splash or radio

Obviously Tracy & Matt take no responsibility for issues arrising from this download however it is rather interesting so we thought it worth posting.

If you want this then here it is.

Posted by: John

Press Release: Prodad Announces Adorage Effects Package 10

If you are looking for an HD Video Editor and Effects package then look no further.

Northampton December 9^th 2008– proDAD GmbH leading software developer for creative video editing, have announced the latest addition to its popular Adorage Effects Package – Adorage Effects Package 10 – Full HD Video Effects Generation. Adorage Effects Package 10 includes hundreds of video effects and transitions from previous Adorage Effects Packages, now in Full HD resolution.

Adorage Effects Packages are a low cost way for video editors to add a wide range of high quality effects and transitions to their video productions. Adorage has been extremely popular among hobbyist video editors for many years due its ease of use and low cost, and is now enjoying popularity within the professional video editing community for the same reasons.  Adorage Effects Package 10 now includes plug-in support for Adobe® Premier/Pro/Elements, AVID® Liquid, Canopus® Edius, Sony® Vegas/Vegas Pro, and ULead® Mediastudio NLE applications (previous Effects Packages required separate purchase of Adorage All-Plug-in Collection at a cost of $29, now included with Effects Package 10).

it’s 10 years since the first Adorage effect package was published and today, the Adorage range includes more than 10,000 effect presets. Now the 10th Adorage effects package is out – with more than 700 effects in up-to-date HD quality. The best Adorage package ever, with the ultimate technology for all HD enthusiasts – and SD film-makers too.

This package offers you a range of amazing effects for your video productions. And these are the themes:

• Love and weddings

• Family memories

• Holiday, travel and landscapes

• Parties and events

• Sports

Plus a vast range of effects for universal use:

• Magic particle effects

• Decorative frames

• Atmospheric shapes and colours

• Decorative zoom, scaling and rotation effects

• Brilliant opening/closing effects for introductions or film endings

The best Adorage effects ever – only on Adorage Volume 10

• Multicore support for superfast rendering

• Quick & easy selection of effects

• Improved handling

• New video filter plug-ins for a wider range of uses

Why not head over to their site to find out more about what this new package has to offer.

Posted by: John

Press Release: i-mate Go brings one touch browsing to handsets

We all like freebies and this time it’s the turn of i-mate to give things away.

i-mate™ Go brings one touch browsing to handsets

Simplified user experience and Windows Mobile® 6.1 position i-mate for mass market appeal

9th December 2008 – i-mate™, the global specialist in Microsoft Windows

Mobile devices and software, today launched Go, a new user interface for imate handsets. i-mate Go takes advantage of i-mate’s high resolution touch screens and advanced capabilities to deliver one touch access to the user’s favourite functions through a simple icon based menu.

Today also marks the start of Windows Mobile® 6.1 availability for the i-mate Ultimate range, commencing with the i-mate Ultimate 9502 and Ultimate 8502. Windows Mobile® 6.1 will be available for the Ultimate 8150 and Ultimate 6150 very shortly.

Designed with first time i-mate customers in mind, i-mate Go is also expected to appeal to experienced Windows Mobile users. This is because it offers a faster way of getting things done, whilst also ensuring the full suite of Windows Mobile tools remain within easy reach.

With the tap or slide of a finger, i-mate Go easily navigates through the full suite of Windows Mobile tools. Users can customise the interface adding their own icons for one touch access to the things they use every day from emails, notes and text messages to pictures, the internet or music. i-mate Go is available as a free download for the Ultimate 9502, Ultimate 8502,

Ultimate 8150, Ultimate 6150, and JAMA 101.

Commenting today about the launch, Jim Morrison, CEO and founder of imate said, “Our mobiles already offer a unique combination of impressive functionality that you won’t find in any other mobile phone. The free release of i-mate Go together with the backing of Windows Mobile 6.1 is the icing on the cake delivering unparalleled usability and performance. Add to that our extensive support and free innovative solutions to see why i-mate really is the smarter choice.”

Windows Mobile 6.1 delivers a host of enhancements to i-mate Ultimate handsets including the ability to thread together text messages to track a conversation just like Instant Messaging, faster connection to Wi-Fi, easier email set up, Bluetooth pairing improvements and improved battery performance.

i-mate GO and Windows Mobile 6.1 are available for free at www.imate.com.

Simply register your i-mate mobile online and download.

The new i-mate Go interface is powered by VITO Winterface.

As mentioned in the press release the new i-mate go is powered by Vito’s Winterface which we have done several reports on in the past. If you want this then head on over to the i-mate website where it’s available for FREE.

Posted by: John

HTC Touch HD on O2

It’s not yet officially on the o2 website but the MoDaCo team have announced that you can now get this handset on an o2 monthly contract from mobiles.co.uk.

If you use the code ‘MODACO’ you will get a free ‘Jabra Bluetooth 2010 Drive Pack’!

Good news for all you HD fans then. Remember that the Q&A post for the touch HD is live and questions can still be asked.

Posted by: John

[source]

Sonim Announce Deal with Land Rover & New XP3 Handset

Lets start of by telling you about the deal that Sonim has just signed with car manufacturer Land Rover. Together they`ll produce co-branded rugged mobile phones and the first models will see daylight next year. The first two models should be available by mid-2009 named the Land Rover S1 and Land Rover S2 G4. A third one is expected to hit the market a bit later in 2009. The companies plan to contract with some of the top operators and to spread their phones in 40 countries.

Just as the latest Sonim XP3, all Land Rover handsets will be submersible and should withstand salt, fog, humidity, transport and thermal shock. They are also supposed to survive a 1.6-meter drop to concrete.

Land Rover S1

Next is the news of their latest handset the Sonim XP3 which aint the best looking mobile phone but will be a treat for anyone in a job where they have to face extreme conditions like the building trade.

Sonim XP3

Sonim XP3 Specifications:

• GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
• Dimensions: 118.8 x 56.3 x 24.6 mm
• Weight: 140 g
• Display Type: TFT, 65K colors
• Size: 128 x 160 pixels, 1.77 inches     
• Vibration
• GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 – 48 kbps
• Bluetooth v1.2
• miniUSB
• WAP 2.0/xHTML
• Shock, water and dust resistant
• Drop-to-concrete resistance up to 2m
• Water proof up to 1m
• Organizer
• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Voice memo
• Stopwatch
• Count-down timer
• File manager
• Built-in handsfree
• Standard battery: Li-Ion 1180 mAh
• Stand-by: Up to 220 h
• Talk time: Up to 5 h 30 min

Posted by: John

[source]

Samsung S9402 Announced with Name Change

On the 27th of October we gave you the news of a leaked dual sim handset from Samsung named the S9402 DuoS. Today we can reveal that it’s official but it does have a name change.

The dual SIM Samsung S9402 will now be called the Samsung Ego and will pack a 2-inch AMOLED display, and a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with face recognition.

Samsung Ego

The Samsung S9402 Ego is made by a new exotic liquid metal alloy developed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Compared to titanium this new material seems to be more than perfect for the body of a high-end gadget like the new Ego. It turns out that the liquid metal is 3 times stronger and 1.6 times more flexible. It withstands 1.8 times more pressure, has 3 times better vibration absorption and 100% lower thermal conductivity.

Samsung Ego

Everything else in the Samsung S9402 Ego is exclusive too – content, menu, ringtones were created especially for this model and won’t be found in any other of the company’s devices.

Samsung Ego

The Samsung S9402 Ego is expected to hit the shelves (Russia first) this month at an estimated price of 1400 euro (around 1800 US dollars) which is just a bit less than what Motorola expects to get for their Aura and a lot more than the price of a Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte.

Samsung Ego S9402 Specifications:

• GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1
• GSM 900 / 1800 – SIM 2
• Dimensions: 115 x 48 x 16 mm
• Weight: 140 g
• Display Type: OLED, 256K colors
• Size : 240 x 320 pixels, 2.0 inches
• Vibration
• microSD (TransFlash), up to 8 GB
                1 GB user available memory
• GPRS
• EDGE
• Bluetooth  v2.0 with A2DP
• USB
• SMS, EMS, MMS, Email
• WAP 2.0/xHTML
• Camera: 5 MP, 2560?1920 pixels, autofocus, image stabiliser, video, flash
• Liquid metal body
• Dual SIM
• Java MIDP 2.0
• MP3/AAC+/MPEG4 player
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Document viewer
• Voice memo
• Built-in handsfree
• Standard battery, Li-Ion 960 mAh
• Stand-by: Up to 280 h
• Talk time: Up to 3 h 30 min

Posted by: John

[source]

Press Release: O2 to Launch BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone in the UK

A nice piece of news here for Blackerry fans in general ad those on the O2 Network in particular.

Blackberry Curve 8900

9 December 2008 10:09

O2 to Launch BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone in the UK

O2 today announces that the new BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 smartphone will be available for pre-registration in the UK from December 10th and pre-order from December 22nd from the O2 website: www.o2.co.uk/blackberry. The BlackBerry Curve 8900 will be available to customers from 5th January 2009.

A sleek, new twist on a classic style, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is the thinnest BlackBerry® smartphone yet. With its powerful communications functionality and rich multimedia capabilities, the smartphone enables people to remain productive and entertained while on the move.

The new BlackBerry Curve 8900, as well as being an exceptional phone with email, messaging, organizer, web browser and multimedia applications, also features built-in Wi-Fi®, GPS including BlackBerry® Maps, a fast processor and a dazzling hi-resolution display that gives users an enjoyable and exceptional communications experience.

The stylish new BlackBerry Curve 8900 has a full featured media player that supports media streaming and can play all your favourite songs and videos. With a 3.2 megapixel camera, auto focus, digital zoom and flash, you can take sharp, print quality pictures that you can send straight to friends or post directly onto the Internet.

Steve Alder, General Manager Group and UK Devices for Telefónica O2 UK said “The BlackBerry Curve 8310 was one of our fastest selling handsets and we are pleased to offer our customers yet another fantastic smartphone from RIM, the BlackBerry Curve 8900. It is ideal for both business customers and consumers who want the functionality of a smartphone in a sleek, slim form that feels great in your hand.”

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is approximately 110 grams and 109 x 60 13.5 mm. Its large, striking, 2.4 inch HVGA+ display projects vivid colour and makes information easier to read.

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 will range from free to £234 depending on tariffs and is supported by O2 for BlackBerry® Enterprise Server and BlackBerry® Internet Service.

For corporate users BlackBerry Enterprise Server tightly integrates with IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange and Novell® GroupWise® and uses advanced encryption and IT policy controls to enable secure, push-based wireless access to email and other corporate data.

BlackBerry Internet Service is designed for smaller businesses and individuals. It allows customers to access up to 10 supported corporate and personal email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts such as, Yahoo! Mail and Google Mail) from a single device.

Technical Data

• Preloaded DataViz® Documents to Go® allows users to edit Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the handset
• A sleek, new twist on a classic style with a large 2.4-inch, HGVA+, 480×360-pixel display with light sensor
• 3.2 megapixel camera, with variable zoom, auto focus, image stabilization and a powerful flash that also provides continuous lighting when recording video
• Built-in assisted and autonomous GPS
• 256MB Flash memory and a microSD®/microSDHC® memory card slot that supports up to 16 GB of additional storage
• A 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, support for Bluetooth® 2.0 stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP) and dedicated volume controls
• Quad band support for GSM/GPRS/EDGE on 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• 512 MHz processor
• It features a full QWERTY keyboard and is the thinnest full QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone
• Extend your wideband coverage with its built-in Wi-Fi support (802.11 b/g)
• 1400 mAh removable/rechargeable battery with 5.5 hours of talk time and 356 hours/15 days of standby time

We will of course be getting a hands on with this device really soon so watch this space for our review and our un boxing video.

HTC Release Fix for Touch HD Screen Freezing

Not a problem that I have ever encountered with the Touch HD but I’m sure there are lots of people who have had it hence HTC’s fast Hotfix release.

HTC Touch HD

Hot fix to enhance response time for HTC Touch HD

Date: 2008-12-04 Category: Hotfix

Sometimes the screen stops responding for about 3 to 5 seconds when running an application that needs to use the stylus to click the screen repeatedly within a short time. For example, the windows built-in software like SMS, email, solitaire, etc.
Installation Instructions: Follow the instructions below to install this software onto your device.

Note: This hot fix can only be installed in ROM version less than 1.19.???.?. To check your ROM version, tap Start > Settings > System tab > Device Information to confirm the ROM version.

Follow the instructions below to download and install the hot fix on your device:

1. Make sure you have Microsoft ActiveSync^® installed on your Windows XP PC or Windows Mobile Device Center on your Windows Vista^® PC. You can find Microsoft ActiveSync from this link or Windows Mobile Device Center from this link.
2. Connect and synchronize your device with your PC via Microsoft ActiveSync^® orWindows Mobile Device Center using the USB cable.
3. To download the hot fix, first select the check box below. Next, select the hot fix and the desired FTP site then click Download.
4. Copy the hot fix, which is an .exe file, to your device.

To install the hot fix, tap the .exe file and follow the on-screen instructions.

* If you perform a hard reset of your device, you need to reinstall the hot fix after the hard reset. 

To get the hot fix head on over to HTC’s website and carry out the instructions shown there.

Posted by: John