News

HTC Touch Dual and S730 in stock

Our friends over at Devicewire dropped us a line this morning to say that they now have the HTC Touch Dual and HTC S730 in stock.

HTC S730

HTC S730

Combining functionality with a compact, stylish design, the HTC S730 keeps you in touch and productive while on the road. Much more than just a phone, its powerful features make light work of email, web and calls.

With the complete suite of Microsoft® Office Mobile applications you can open and edit documents while on the move, and the compact phone slides to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, enabling fast typing and dialling.

Important information is just a glance away with the Live HTC Home™ screen, giving you an instant view of email, calendar, messages, missed calls and more. With email directly to your phone, super-fast internet access, and a full range of connectivity options, you can be sure to be kept in touch no matter where you are in the world.

HTC Touch Dual

HTC Touch Dual

Delivering a revolutionary touch experience that will change the way you use your phone, forever. The HTC Touch Dual effortlessly combines an intuitive touch screen and keypad within a stunning design.

Everything you need is at your fingertips. With the flick of your thumb, the touch screen slides to reveal a handy smart-sized keyboard. If you prefer to touch, then the revolutionary TouchFLO™ interface allows you to quickly guide through emails, messages, music and images at the touch of a finger, making navigation a breeze.

A single touch of the screen activates the HTC Home™ screen, providing an instant view of email, calendar, messages, missed calls, dynamic weather updates and more.

High speed, always on connectivity provides you with the ultimate internet experience – wherever you are.

Experience a whole new sensation. The HTC Touch Dual.

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, HTC Touch Dual, HTC S730, HTC P3450]

This is our new home!

If you are reading this post then have reached us at our new home! Last night we relocated our site to a new dedicated server – we overloaded the old one!

Please do let us know if you see anything strange or experience any issues with the site. Drop me a line using our feedback form.

Posted by: Matt

[Technorati tag(s): webserver, ISP, Tracy & Matt]

DivX, Inc. Names Kevin Hell as CEO

Following on from our earlier post regarding DivX support for PS3 here is some more DivX news:

DivX, Inc. today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Kevin Hell as DivX’s new Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board, effective October 31, 2007.

Commenting on the CEO appointment, Jordan Greenhall, the Company’s Chairman of the Board, stated, “Kevin is a strong leader with a distinguished track record who has been leading our consumer electronics licensing business for over five years. Coupled with 20 years in the industry, Kevin is the logical choice as CEO for DivX as it refocuses on opportunities in several key product markets. The entire Board looks forward to working with Kevin as he moves into his new role.”

Hell, 43, has served as the Company’s Acting Chief Executive Officer since July 2007. Between 2002 and 2007, Hell held a number of management positions within DivX including Chief Marketing Officer and Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer, the Company’s CXO for Partners and Licensing, and President. Before joining DivX in 2002, Hell served as Senior Vice President of Product Management for Palm Solutions Group, a handheld solutions company, as well as Vice President of the Connected Home division and Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Gateway, a personal computer manufacturing company. Prior to Gateway, Hell worked with the Boston Consulting Group in Los Angeles focused on high-technology and entertainment. Hell received an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, and a master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): technology blog, video, Tracy & Matt, DivX]

DivX Technology to be Added to PS3

The rumoured DivX support within the PS3 is now official. Check out the press release:

DivX, Inc. today announced that DivX® video technology will be integrated into PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE). The popular computer entertainment system will be added to the ecosystem of devices that currently support DivX video playback. To date, over 100 million DivX Certified products have been shipped into the market, and it is anticipated PS3 will significantly expand that number.

“We are excited to work with Sony Computer Entertainment to bring DivX to PS3,” said Kevin Hell, CEO of DivX, Inc. “Our technology will expand the multimedia functionality of PS3 by enabling users to enjoy access to the broad library of content in the DivX digital media format.”

Products that bear the DivX Certified logo have undergone a rigorous testing program to ensure a high-quality DivX media experience that includes reliable video playback and excellent visual quality. DivX is working currently to certify PS3 and deliver a superior digital media technology to consumers in the near future. Current PS3 end users will be able to add DivX functionality to their systems via a seperate system software update at a forthcoming date. PS3 game title developers will be able to utilize DivX’s decoder technology by updating the system software of PS3’s Software Development Kit to version 2.00, which was released by SCE on November 2nd.

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): technology blog, gaming, Tracy & Matt, DivX, Playstation, Playstation 3, Sony]

HTC announce the Touch Cruise

Hot on the heels of the successful HTC Touch and the Touch Dual, HTC have just announced the HTC Touch Cruise.

HTC Touch Cruise

The Touch Cruise based upon the HTC Artemis, and adds a 400 MHz processor, 3G / HSDPA and TouchFlo to it’s predecessor.

The HTC Touch Cruise is sleek, stylish, and compact, but big on features and with an LCD screen size that gives you an excellent multimedia experience in a mobile device. Featuring HTC’s innovative TouchFLO interface, the Touch Cruise is extremely easy to use. Using ordinary finger gestures, you can quickly browse through e-mails, web pages, messages, music, and images, making navigation a breeze.

Built-in GPS functionality and the included software enable you to find the fastest route to your direction, locate restaurants and services on the way, and never get lost. Avoid traffic and delays, and take detours to visit points of interest and local attractions.

HTC Touch Cruise specification:

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, HTC Touch Cruise, HTC Artemis, HTC P3450]

Sony BRAVIA press event

Last night we were invited along to a press event where Sony introduced their full range of LCD TV’s to members off the press. This was a unique opportunity for us to see each and every model in the range side-by-side playing the same footage. This really gave us a chance to compare them all.

I have to admit that I’m more of a fan of plasma than LCD, however, the products on offer from Sony did start to sway me. I particularly liked the 52″ BRAVIA W3000-Series which is encapsulated in a premium, brushed black metal bezel. The W3000 range features a 40-inch, 46-inch and 52-inch models.

Of course all the other models were represented and we’ll post more about each model and the press event itself later. We are also hoping to be able to bring you more detailed reviews in the near future. In the mean time, here’s some more info from Sony.

The Sony BRAVIA X3500/X3000-Series is the flagship of the BRAVIA LCD TV range. With its perfectly judged combination of picture and sound enhancing technologies, the range represents the next generation of HDTV. It encompasses the latest and most enhanced version of the renowned BRAVIA ENGINE (BRAVIA ENGINE Pro) which optimises the depth, clarity and definition thus improving your High Definition signal.

Sony BRAVIA X3500

The sleek X3500 Series features a brushed metal exterior, available in 70”, 52”, 46” and 40” models, all capable of HD1080 resolution – 1920 x 1080p. The High Definition X3000 is available in 46” and 40” models, all capable of HD1080 resolution – 1920 x 1080p. To suit every taste and décor the X3000-Series offers a range of optional colour bezels.

The series is ideal for film and sports fans with its 24p True Cinema mode and Motionflow +100Hz technology.

With its sleek, high-end, quality design the BRAVIA W3000-Series is encapsulated in a premium, brushed black metal bezel. The range features a 40-inch, 46-inch and 52-inch models, all showcasing an impressive array of new audio-visual technologies.

Sony BRAVIA W3000-Series

Complete with an integrated HD tuner, Theatre Mode and 24p True Cinema to enable the richest cinematic experience and HD1080 on all models.

Ideal for film buffs, the BRAVIA V3000-Series offers a powerful blend of HD1080, exceptional image quality and features designed to make movies and even digital photos look outstanding. Available in 40” and 46”, see films the way they should be seen with 24p True Cinema and Theatre Mode – view films as the producers intended. Advanced image technology is perfectly complemented by the new ‘Art Frame’ design, specifically created to focus attention on the picture itself.

Sony BRAVIA V3000-Series

Sony has extended the successful HD Ready BRAVIA S3000-Series LCD TV first launched earlier this year. The existing 40-inch and 32-inch sets are now joined by 26-inch and 20-inch models.

Sony BRAVIA S3000-Series

The range is ideal for the style conscious, with the 20-inch sets available in a total of seven different colours – enjoy amazing colour on and off the screen.

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): technology blog, LCD TV, Tracy & Matt, Sony, Bravia]

iPhone goes on sale in UK

Apple’s iPhone goes on sale in the UK and Germany on Friday with thousands expected to snap up the device.

Here in London, nutters loyal Apple customers have begun queuing outside the Apple Store in Regent Street.

At the moment, however, the iPhone has been locked to work Only on the O2 Network.

The phones can be unlocked for use on other networks but this voids the warranty and could break the device if software updates from Apple are loaded.

As many as 250,000 users in the US have unlocked the device using free and paid-for software to make the phone work on different networks, and to load third-party software not supported by Apple.

Posted by: Matt

Quote courtesy of the BBC news.

[Post tag(s): iPhone, Apple, OS X, Amazon, Tracy & Matt]

Google announce gPhone – a software platform

After months of rumour and speculation about Google’s possible entry in to the mobile phone market they have today finally announced the gPhone but it’s not a piece of hardware or phone in its own right but rather an open software platform or “Open Handset Alliance” (OHA).

So far there are 34 members of the Alliance, including NVIDIA, Intel, Texas Instruments, Synaptics (haptics!), Marvell, Qualcomm (chips), Motorola, Samsung, TMO, Sprint, LG, HTC, KDDI and DOCOMO from Japan and China Mobile Comm. Corp. You’ll notice a number of companies missing from the list above: Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Blackberry/RIM, Apple, Verizon, AT&T and, finally, Microsoft.

The first phones using the so-called Google “software stack” will be available in the second half of 2008.

“This is going to bring the internet into cell phones in a very cool way,” Andy Rubin, Google’s director of mobile platforms, told the Associated Press news agency.

Mr Rubin’s firm, called Android, was bought by Google in 2005 and the software it developed forms the basis of the new stack.

Google’s Android software will be provided to handset makers free of charge and could lead to a price war for operating system licenses and potentially cheaper handsets.

In the United States mobile networks such as Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile will carry the Google-powered phones.

Peter Chou, chief executive of HTC, said the agreement to join the OHA did not mean the firm would stop the use of other operating systems on its platforms.

“We do have commitments with some carriers and will continue with those lines,” he said.

We’ll bring you more gPhone news as we get it.

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Google, gPhone]

Orange announce new ad campaign

Today Orange announced the launch of its new advertising campaign ‘Good things should never end’ to highlight it’s unlimited offerings on pay as you go and pay monthly mobile plans.

The £6 million campaign will run for 12 weeks over TV, outdoor, online, press and in all 343 Orange retail stores across the country.

The TV campaign ‘Good things should never end’ shows people creating a never ending rainbow that goes on and on across an entire city, expressing the ‘unlimited’ product benefits across both pay monthly and pay as you go offers. The creative route of ‘never-ending rainbow’ will be integrated in all campaign executions. The TV execution was created by Fallon London.

The world’s first ‘unlimited’ web page www.goodthingsshouldneverend.co.uk has been created by digital agency Poke with never ending web content including weird interactive oddities, mini-games, downloads, giveaways, toys and mobile goodies. The website features a never ending strand of rainbow that guides the user down the page.

‘Good things should never end’ will also feature an innovative digital interactive TV ad that invites viewers into an Orange ‘world’ where they can find out about lots of exciting Orange offers and competitions including BAFTA & Mobile Act tickets, handset giveaways and a secret competition to win a paid for phone contract for 12 months.

Orange launched its successful unlimited offers earlier this year including Unlimited Talk & Text on pay monthly and unlimited text on pay as you go.

Justin Billinglsey, Director of Brand Marketing, Orange UK said: “The belief that ‘good things should never end’ is a simple but powerful one and our new campaign brings this to life in a creative and engaging way. Orange brings people closer together, and with our unlimited offers you get that little extra freedom to contact who you want, when you want.”

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Unlimited Data, Orange]

T-Mobile Shadow announced

T-Mobile have announced the T-Mobile Shadow officially and are offering a web page for consumers to pre-register their interest. The Shadow will feature a custom interface for T-Mobile which endeavours to achieve T-Mobile’s aim for the Shadow brand which is to make it the ultimate social mobile device.

T-Mobile Shadow

Phone Highlights

Additional Phone Features

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, T-Mobile, MDA Touch, Mobile Broadband, pay-per-day]