News

HTC go HD with the HTC Touch HD

Our friends at MoDaCo have breaking news of another new device from HTC, this time in the form of the HTC Touch HD which looks like an iPhone killer if ever I saw one!

As you would expect, very little known about this new device at the moment but early specs suggest the folowing:

HTC Touch HD Specification:

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• Qualcomm 7201A processor @ 528MHz
• 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM (+32MB on processor)
• WVGA (480×800)!!!
• 115mm x 62.8mm x 12mm
• GPS / HSDPA etc. etc.
• 5 Megapixel camera (no flash)
• No Dpad or scroll wheel, does have a stylus
• microSD slot
• 1350mAH battery
• 3.5mm headset jack on the top

There are plenty more photos and information about the Touch HD on MoDaCo.com so check it out. What an amazing looking device!

If you know more then please drop us a line!

Posted by: Iain

Sony Ericsson launch dedicated Xperia blog site

Today Sony Ericsson is launching a dedicated blog site for the up coming Xperia X1. The site will go live later this morning and will offer news and announcements regarding the Xperia. Head over to www.xperiancers.com later on to see what they have in store!

Hi, welcome to the Xperia blogger’s centre. We’ve created it so that Sony Ericsson can start to understand and engage in all of the conversations that are already happening about the Xperia.

It’s fair to say that up until now, apart from with the developer community, we’ve not done a great job of listening to and talking with the wider blogging community. This is our first step in changing all that. We’ve been inspired by some of the great initiatives by other companies, but this is very much our own idea and we hope we’ve learnt from what others have done.

Like everyone else, we are hoping to get our hands on the X1 soon and will have a review online just as soon as possible!

Posted by: Matt

Palm Treo Pro launch event (now with video)

I’m just heading back from the Plam Treo Pro launch event which was held today in London. I’ll have some photos and video online just as soon as I can download and process them so do watch this space!

Initial impressions of the Treo Pro is that it’s a nice looking device that seem to have everything built in! We should have a review unit in a few days too so that’s another thing to keep your eyes open for!

Here are a couple of images of the Treo Pro for you to look at. The video is taking a while to process but that too will be here soon!

A Selection of Treo’s!

Palm Treo Pro side view

Palm Treo Pro bottom view (showing the micro USB and 3.5mm headphone socket)

I’ll have better pictures for you over the next few days. The lighting at the venue wasn’t great!

The presentation video will appear below as soon as it has finished processing. I’m sorry about the quility but I took a different camcorder with me to this event and it was quite dark in the room. If anyone wants to give me a decent HD camcorder then please email me! 🙂

Make yourself comfortable – the video is almost 30 mins long.

Posted By: Matt

Google Chrome – A fresh take on a browser

Google yesterday released a comic book guide to their new powerful browser Google Chrome on their official Google Blog. Today they released the actual browser for all to use

I’m not going to depress everyone with thousands of text about this browser but simply say "go have a look", I think you will be simply impressed with what Google have to offer.

Google Chrome Logo

"On the surface, we designed a browser window that is streamlined and simple. To most people, it isn’t the browser that matters. It’s only a tool to run the important stuff — the pages, sites and applications that make up the web. Like the classic Google homepage, Google Chrome is clean and fast. It gets out of your way and gets you where you want to go."

"Under the hood, we were able to build the foundation of a browser that runs today’s complex web applications much better. By keeping each tab in an isolated "sandbox", we were able to prevent one tab from crashing another and provide improved protection from rogue sites. We improved speed and responsiveness across the board. We also built a more powerful JavaScript engine, V8, to power the next generation of web applications that aren’t even possible in today’s browsers."

A full review of this as a stand alone browser will be posted tomorrow at some point.

Posted by: John

New Lower Price on the ASUS Eee PC 701 Surf

New Lower Price on the ASUS Eee PC 701 Surf – only £158.99 inc VAT

eXpansys have reduced the price of the ASUS Eee 701 to an amazing £158.99 inc VAT. Ideal for students going back to college or university this is one of the smallest and lightest ultra-portables ever made. Not that this mini laptop is just for students, it’s hardwearing and a real work horse making it ideal for business. Available in two colours, you can choose between the stylish white and the sophisticated black.

They aren’t going to last for long at this price so snap one up before it’s too late.

ASUS Eee PC 701 Surf (White)

ASUS Eee PC 701 Surf (Black)

Posted by: Matt

Palm Treo Pro event today

Later on today I’ll be heading across London to attend a press event being held by Palm. During the event we’re expecting to see more of the new Palm Treo Pro and hopefully come away with much more information about it. I’m also planning to record the presentation itself.

If you too are attending the event then drop me a line and I’ll see you there.

Don’t forget to come back and visit later on today when we should have more Treo Pro news for you!

Posted by: Matt

JVC’s First Blu-ray Home Theatre System Receives DivX Certification

JVC joins the home theatre ranks with their new, DivX certified NX-BD3 system.

The Blu-ray player will be Profile 1.1 compliant, but will not be upgradeable profile 2.0. As it is, it will support 24fps video as well as xv.Color and Deep Color via its single HDMI 1.3a output. Other connections comprise an optical audio output, analog audio input, and HDMI-CEC input. DiVX files on CD, DVD or Blu-ray will be supported and an AM/FM radio tuner included.

The JVC NX-BD3 Blu-ray system

DivX Inc. and JVC, a leader provider of home audio equipment, today announced the DivX Certification™ of a new Blu-ray home theatre system from JVC. The system will be available to consumers across Europe starting in September.

The new DivX Certified® system, the NX-BD3, is JVC’s first entry into the Blu-ray market and is capable of playing back high-quality DivX® video, providing consumers with a comprehensive approach to premium home entertainment. The NX-BD3 is built around the world’s first DLNA CERTIFIED™ (Digital Living Network Alliance) Blu-ray Theater System, which allows consumers to seamlessly play back content over wired or wireless home networks, bringing libraries of video stored on the PC to the living room. NX-BD3 users will be able to enjoy high-quality digital videos burned to CDs or DVDs.

“The demand for DivX video playback in living room consumer electronics encouraged us to consider it as a checklist feature for our next generation home theatre system,” said Hiroshi Nishiumi, Deputy General Manager of Engineering Department, Audio/Video Systems Division, Victor Company of Japan, Limited. “The NX-BD3 provides our customers with a premium entertainment experience and we believe that working with DivX has considerably enhanced this, differentiating us from our competitors.”

“The DivX Certification of JVC’s NX-BD3 significantly contributes to our growing momentum within the Blu-ray market and offers consumers a complete solution for their home entertainment,” said Kevin Hell, Chief Executive Officer, DivX, Inc. “We are dedicated to enabling a high-quality media experience across any device platform and we are delighted to work with JVC in offering a superior solution for their digital video.”

Products that bear the DivX Certified® logo have undergone a rigorous testing program to ensure a high-quality DivX media experience, including reliable video playback, interoperability with other DivX Certified devices and the visual quality users expect from DivX.

Posted by: Matt

Nikon Announce the D90 – The First Digital SLR Camera With HD Video

Here comes the Nikon D90, a camera that manages to outshine features from its current professional line-up as well as claim the honour of being the first digital SLR with HD video recording capabilities.

Nikon D90

Not happy at showing off with its 12.1MP it shoots continuously at up 4.5 frames-per-second. With an impressive power up in just 0.15 seconds and a shooting lag of just 65ms this camera sits at the forefront of the camera world just now. The new HD video party trick, called D-Movie Mode, allows snappers to capture 720p video in Motion JPEG format at 24fps with sound. The camera has low noise ISO sensitivity from 200 to 3200 and there’s a 3in 920,000-dot LCD display with 170-degree viewing angle.

Other key features include built-in image sensor cleaning, 11-point AF system with face priority and fast auto-focus, one-button Live View, 5 scene modes, in-camera image editing and GPS geo-tagging.

It’s not as highly specified as the Canon EOS 50D but then it is cheaper, with a US price tag of around £500. There’s also a new lens, the AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, and the kit price is around £650.

Obviously, those prices will inflate the closer it gets to its UK "expected" release date of September 5th but, it also means that the existing D80 will be getting a serious price cut bargain hunters.-Martin Lynch

HTC Dream Aka G1, Android-Powered Handset Launch Date Confirmed

The HTC Dream aka G1 is the first handset of T-Mobile which is to run the Google Android as the operating system. There has been a little confusion about its launch date, but now it is confirmed on the Oct 13th.

HTC Dream

T-mobile is planning to take pre-orders from its online store as well, starting from the Oct 17th. Now, HTC Dream G1 has got some leaked images which have been floating around the Internet before the launch date. In the picture, the HTC Dream G1 handset seems to have a pretty unique design, which its bottom has a slight tilt and a trackball is found there too. But this adds extra length which tends to make it easily to poke out while it’s in the pocket.

The picture attached here doesn’t show you its QWERTY. But in fact, it’s got a QWERTY. It’s a slider, which slides to the side to reveal its QWERTY. The keys on the QWERTY are neatly spaced, which lets your fingers easily type along. At the back of this phone, you can see the words “With Google”. Apparently, the handset is to make use of the big name of Google to get itself more popular.

Google Android OS

T-mobile will offer this handset with pre-order price $199 after the instant rebate, and you’ll be bound with a 2-year contract. You’ll also need a GMail account to setup the HTC G1 handset. Since it runs on Android, do expect that it comes bundled with tons of Google services. What are known now are those common ones such as maps with Street View, You Tube, IM and text, Gmail.

Other goodies you can find on HTC Dream G1 handset are a 3 megapixel camera, video playback, music player, memory card slot and an application store. And it’s equipped with a huge touchscreen that is likely to rival the iPhone’s.

Posted by: John

Grab your eXpansys money-off voucher!

If you missed our newsletter and eXpansys offer earlier this month then fear not! We’ve teamed up with eXpansys once again and we’ve a shed load more of £10 off £20 vouchers, valid at eXpansys.com!

To grab your own voucher all you have to do is submit your name and email address and we’ll send you your unique voucher code.

The offer is £10 to put towards an order of £20 or more between now and the 12th October 2008 30th November 2008!

To use your code you can:

• Enter it in the Voucher Code field at checkout, or;
• Call 0161 868 0868 and quote it and the fact you are purchasing via TracyandMatt to your sales advisor, or;
• Email [email protected] with your voucher code after placing your order, again stating you are purchasing via TracyandMatt

You can even send the sign-up link to family and friends so that they too can take advantage of this great offer!

NOTE: This offer has now come to an end.

If you’re not sure what to spend your voucher on then here are a few ideas:

Samsung i900 Omnia in stock – Windows Mobile 6.1 and 8GB storage
The Samsung i900 Omnia has a 3.5-inch touch screen, Bluetooth, WiFi and a 5-mega-pixel digital camera. Add 8GB in-built storage and you have a smartphone that is ideal for music as well!

NDrive G800 In-car GPS in stock
The NDrive G800 In-Car GPS is now in stock and has been worth the wait! You can now navigate with 3D real life picture images instead of using traditional maps.

MoGo Dapter – Bluetooth USB Dongle
The MoGo Dapter USB dongle adds Bluetooth v2.0 to your device, and is specifically designed for users who do not have embedded Bluetooth functionality on their laptop, tablet or UMPC and hate carrying around full-sized bulky adapters. Once you plug MoGo Dapter into your USB connector you do not need to unplug the unit during travel – as its mechanical design does not protrude
Now only £11.99 inc VAT

Celio Redfly – Now at a new lower price under £250
The Celio Redfly Mobile Companion connects to your Windows Mobile device with via USB or Bluetooth – and it changes the resolution of your smartphone display so that applications, web sites, email and attachments can be accessed on an 8-inch screen with a full size QWERTY keyboard and a mouse. Compatible with Windows Mobile 5 and 6, it offers over 8 hours of battery life.
Now only £249.99 inc VAT

Garmin Forerunner 50 + Foot Pod
The Garmin Forerunner 50 + Foot Pod is ideal for running, cycling and other fitness activities. The foot pod measures both stride rate (cadence) and stride length, which are extremely useful metrics to track when aspiring to become a more efficient runner.
Now only £77.99 inc VAT

Acer v200 In-Car GPS – European mapping for under £100
The Acer v200 In-Car GPS  is thin and light, and will easily fit in your pocket once you have reached your destination. Complete European maps are pre-installed on the supplied SD card – no installation or activation is required, works straight out of the box. This is a great deal for the price.
Now only £98.70 inc VAT

By registering for your eXpansys voucher you will be added to our newsletter mailing list which you can unsubscribe from at any time. Vouchers are only valid at www.eXpansys.com and when you spend £20 or more. One voucher can be used for a single order, between the 27th of July 2008 and up to and including the 12th October 2008 30th November 2008. Discount will be applied to the cost of the goods and excludes delivery charges. Not to be used in conjunction with any other eXpansys special offer. Valid for use with UK orders placed on www.expansys.com or with our call centre and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or to purchase memory cards.

Posted by: Matt