News

Orange Launches the Orange Digital Media Index

Orange today announces the launch of the Orange Digital Media Index, a detailed report examining trends in Orange customers’ consumption of digital media. The Index looks at usage patterns across the full range of Orange’s entertainment and communications services, including home broadband, text and picture messaging, and mobile internet.

The first Digital Media Index reveals that mobile internet services are playing an increasingly important role in customers’ lives – mobile gaming, the Live World Cup Cricket channel and movie trailers for the year’s blockbusters have all proved extremely popular.

Key findings from the Digital Media Index include:

Matthew Kirk, Director of Portals for Orange, said: “The Orange Digital Media Index provides a fascinating insight into the role of technology in twenty-first century life. We now use technology and multimedia services to consume, buy, gain knowledge, stay in touch and generally make our lives richer and easier. We believe this is the just beginning and as we deliver smarter pricing and even better services, we expect to see growing numbers of people using the mobile and internet to do more things in more places than ever before.”

Posted By: Matt

[Technorati tag(s): GPRS, 3G, Orange Digital Media Index, Mobile Data, Orange, Tracy & Matt]

HTC releases Vista compatible Modem Drivers for Hermes and Breeze

HTC has recently released Windows Vista compatible drivers for its UMTS/HSDPA capable devices, namely the HTC Hermes (aka HTC TyTN) and HTC Breeze (aka HTC MTeoR). If you use your TyTN or MTeoR as you wireless broadband modem and connect it via USB to your PC, it can happen that Windows Vista doesn’t find the appropriate drivers. If so, you can download them now from HTC Europe’s support page to make Windows Vista working proper with your Windows Mobile Pocket PC.

More Information & Download HTC Hermes Driver

More Information & Download HTC Breeze Driver

Posted by: Matt

Source

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, HTC TyTN, HTC P3450, Tracy & Matt]

Microsoft and SanDisk – new offering for USB drives

Microsoft and SanDisk today announced they have signed an agreement to deliver a next-generation software and hardware solution to place application programs and personal customization on USB flash drives and flash memory cards, expanding on and replacing SanDisk’s existing U3™ Smart Technology.

Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will develop a new software experience and SanDisk will develop new hardware capabilities, including the addition of TrustedFlash™ security technology. SanDisk will incorporate the combined software and hardware solution on removable flash memory cards and Cruzer® USB flash drives. The new offering is expected to be commercially available starting in the second half of 2008.

Effective immediately, Microsoft will engage in discussions with third-party hardware vendors interested in licensing the new software offering. A new entity will be created to license compatible hardware designs, TrustedFlash and other intellectual property from both Microsoft and SanDisk, with revenues to be shared by the two companies.

“SanDisk and U3 forged the category of smart USB devices, elevating simple flash storage to a whole new level of customer benefit,” said Will Poole, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Market Expansion Group. “We are excited to work with SanDisk on this next-generation experience, which will allow hardware manufacturers to better differentiate their products and provide an even richer software and services experience for customers.”

“The U3 platform was established with the vision of giving customers a consistent and portable computing experience. The existing 20,000 U3 software developers that joined us show the potential for smart flash memory devices,” said Yoram Cedar, executive vice president of the mobile business unit and corporate engineering at SanDisk. “We expect this relationship with Microsoft will raise the overall experience for consumers given Microsoft’s unique software expertise, and grow the momentum given the large community of 3rd party companies capable of utilizing Microsoft’s technologies.”

The Microsoft and SanDisk effort will expand on the success of U3, which is surrounded by a large and vibrant ecosystem. Both companies stressed that developers will be offered a migration path to modify existing U3 applications to run on the new offering.

U3 smart drives are the size of a pack of chewing gum or smaller, and let users carry not only files but also popular Windows® software applications with their associated preferences and settings. Consumers simply plug a U3 smart drive into any Windows-based computer’s USB port to securely access personalized e-mail programs, Web browsers, productivity tools, multimedia applications and more. When they unplug their U3 smart drive, they take their personal information with them.

The new offering will be designed so that users can carry their personal computing environment – including a customized and familiar user interface, applications and data – on a flash storage device such as a USB flash drive or flash memory card. This computing environment will be accessible on Windows XP and Windows Vista™-based computers with a USB port or flash card reader. Users will be free to work on public or shared computers without fear of leaving personal information behind, and with confidence that their personal information will be encrypted, kept safer from malware, and otherwise protected through security provisions enabled by TrustedFlash technology.

U3 technology was developed by U3 LLC, a joint venture of SanDisk and m-systems, and became available in 2005. SanDisk acquired m-systems in November 2006, and U3 LLC today is a wholly owned subsidiary of SanDisk. SanDisk will continue to actively support the U3 organization and product until the new offering is released to the public next year.

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): Tracy & Matt, SanDisk, U3, SanDisk, Microsoft]

Orange Call Abroad SIM

Orange announces the availability of the Orange Call Abroad SIM which provides customers with an easier and more convenient way to call abroad. The new SIM offers the cheapest rates currently available for international calls and competitive Pay As You Go rates apply when calling numbers in the UK, so there is no need to swap the original card in and out of the phone.

Orange research shows that people currently find making international calls confusing due to misleading price structures and the lack of transparency around calling cards. In response to consumer needs, the new Orange SIM offers customers a secure and reliable way of calling long distance with the ease and flexibility of their mobile phone.

With the Orange Call Abroad SIM, there are no hidden costs, users only pay the advertised rate for the call and are not subject to third party carrier costs or the national call charge of 25p usually incurred with calling cards.

The new SIM also provides peace of mind to customers calling abroad as they are able to calculate the exact price of their call in advance and are assured of a clear and quality connection.

Following a six month trial in a limited number of Orange Shops and through selected distributors, the SIM is now available to buy individually without a handset from Orange shops, other Orange stockists and newsagents nationwide, priced at just £5.

Customers can top up their phones in the same way they add credit to standard Pay As You Go accounts, by credit or debit card, in Orange shops, via cash machines and other retailers.

Pippa Dunn, PAYG Director, Orange says, “We developed the Orange Call Abroad SIM to help people stay connected with friends and family overseas. There are approximately 5.5 Million ethnic British nationals living in the UK and 18.7 million foreign visitors to the UK every year who are looking for an affordable and convenient way to phone home. The low cost calls offered by our new SIM, provide customers with the perfect solution.”

Posted By: Matt

[Technorati tag(s): GPRS, 3G, wireless, roaming, Orange, Tracy & Matt]

HTC’s Elf (P3450) spotted in white

Back in March we told you about one of HTC’s new devices, the Elf. Since then the trail went cold, that is until today when a few new photos of the device surafaced on newsmobile.

The HTC P3450 (codenamed Elf) looks like being an intersting little device. Not a very well specified unit but the size it what is likely to set it apart – it’s just 14mm thick thin.

The P3450 now looks a little differnt to the original pictures (below) that we saw a few months ago. According to the source, the device should be released in a few months but no news regarding carrier uptake.

HTC P3450 Specification:

Note the lack of 3G/HSDPA and WiFi.

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, HTC Elf, HTC P3450, Tracy & Matt]

HTC acquires Dopod

HTC announced today that it has signed an acquisition agreement with Dopod International, one of the leading PDA Phone and smartphone distributors in Asia, to purchase the assets of nine Dopod subsidiaries, including Dopod Taiwan, Dopod Hong Kong, Dopod Singapore, Dopod Malaysia, Dopod Indonesia, Dopod Australia, Dopod Thailand, Dopod India and Dopod Philippines.

The acquisition agreement, still subject to shareholder approval, was approved by HTC’s Board of Directors on May 8, 2007, values the assets of Dopod International’s subsidiaries at the sum of Dopod International’s adjusted net worth at the end of second quarter of 2007, certified by CPA as of June 30, 2007.

The transfer of all assets will become effective on July 1, 2007. HTC estimates that the sum will not exceed US$ 14.5 million. The combined marketing, sales and service capabilities of both companies will strengthen HTC’s position within the Asian market, providing consumers in the region with a comprehensive range of mobile devices and services. To maximize the synergies of the acquisition and to implement new joint business initiatives, Dopod International’s entire workforce will be expected to join HTC. Dopod’s vast, accumulated experience in the retail market will benefit HTC as HTC expands its brand presence in the future.

After the acquisition, HTC will unify the products under a single global brand. In the future, all of HTC’s new products will be marketed under the HTC brand. However, Dopod International’s current on-the-market products will still be sold under the Dopod brand name. Furthermore, to provide first-class service to existing Dopod customers, HTC will offer after-sales support to consumers who purchased products before the acquisition.

Posted by: Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, HTC, Dopod]

Dopod C730 now official

After months of delays Dopod has today announced the release of the Dopod C730, their version of the long awaited HTC Cavalier.

The HTC Cavalier can be thought of as a much improved version of the HTC Excalibur packing a 400 MHz processor and 3.5G HSDPA. Measuring only 13.5 mm, this slim device has a built-in high speed 802.11 b/g WiFi connection, while supporting quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE and WCDMA UMTS/HSDPA.

Jack Tong, CEO of Dopod International Corp says, “Once again, Dopod International has bested itself by pushing out another device that caters to the needs of its consumers. Seeing the rapid growth of mobile enterprise E-Mail subscribers throughout Southeast Asia, we’ve decided to market the 3.5G messaging phone that will not only ensure you of total connectivity, but also enhance your efficiency while meeting the rigorous demands of a professional lifestyle. In the business world, power and connectivity are essential tools and the C730 has them all.”

Jason Lim, Regional Director, Asia Pacific & Japan, Mobile Communications Business, Microsoft Corp. said: “As one of the first Smartphones powered by the new Windows Mobile 6 operating system, the C730 allows users to fully embrace the benefits of mobile computing. We have already seen significant traction for Windows Mobile in Southeast Asia, and by integrating our software with Dopod International’s innovative devices, we will continue to redefine user experiences for mobile office workers and consumers alike.”

Dopod C730 Specification

Posted by: Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, HTC Cavalier, Dopod S730, HTC Excalibur]

Office Mobile on Windows Mobile 5?

One of the limitations of owning and using a Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone device is that opening and editing Word or Excel documents was impossible and you had to opt for third-party tools simply to view them. This all changes with Windows Mobile 6 Standard (WM6 Smartphone) in that the OS natively supports Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and PowerPoint Mobile.

So where does that leave you if you are one of the 90% of people with a WM5 device? Fear not as now so clever folks have managed to extract the required files from a release version of WM6 and bundle them all up into a cab file that will provide you with the ability to open and edit office documents on your WM5 Smartphone.

So what’s the catch? Well the bottom line is that this is a crack and it’s breaking the copyright Microsoft has on Office Mobile and is therefore illegal.

You can read more over at Tech[dot]Blog.

Posted by: Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Pocket Office, E650, HTC Vox, HTC S710, SPV, Orange SPV E650]

Orange SPV E650 review delay

EDIT: Our review is now live and can be found HERE.

I’m sure many of you will have seen our Orange E650 vs HTC S710 unboxing video, we certainly had a lot of positive feedback since we started recording videos.

One question that we have been asked a lot this week is “Where’s your Orange SPV E650 review?”. Unfortunately we do not have an E650 of our own at the moment. The devices in the unboxing video were kindly on loan from Clove Technology. There is, once again, a shortage of the new devices and as a consequence, Orange have been unable to provide us with one that we can use long enough to review.

We are hoping to get our hands on an E650 this coming week so we’ll get a review online just as soon as we can!

If anyone has a spare E650 then please get in touch!

Posted by: Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Orange, E650, HTC Vox, HTC S710, SPV, Orange SPV E650]

O2 annouce the Blackberry Curve

O2 and Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the launch of the new BlackBerry® Curve™ smartphone in the UK. The smallest and lightest full QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone, the BlackBerry Curve from O2 delivers the proven and popular BlackBerry smartphone experience – with a 2 megapixel camera, enhanced media player and microSD memory expansion slot – in one easy to use handset.

O2 offers a wide range of compelling data tariffs for users to take full advantage of the BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry service. O2’s Unlimited tariffs* on both the BlackBerry® Internet Service and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server enable customers to access email, web browsing and instant messaging for a fixed monthly price. Alternatively users can select O2’s unique Pay as You Use option for the BlackBerry Internet Service, which is ideal for lighter data usage.

O2 customers can take advantage of these flexible data prices when using the enhanced multimedia functions of the BlackBerry Curve. Featuring a 2 mega pixel camera with built-in flash and 5X digital zoom, the BlackBerry Curve includes enhancements such as a full screen viewfinder and a nightmode indicator enabling the camera to automatically adjust to dark environments. Users can choose to send their pictures using MMS, BlackBerry email or BlackBerry® Messenger or simply transfer them to a desktop computer over USB or Bluetooth® 2.0 technology. The BlackBerry Curve also provides enhanced multimedia features with a new BlackBerry desktop media manager that makes it simple to transfer, convert and manage media files.

In addition to its exciting new multimedia capabilities and a new integrated spell checker, the BlackBerry Curve also features renowned BlackBerry smartphone functionality such as push-based wireless email with attachment viewing, Internet browsing, organiser and instant messaging. With trackball navigation and a large ultra-bright display with built in light sensing technology, the BlackBerry Curve offers an unrivalled mobile experience.

For international users, the BlackBerry Curve offers quad-band functionality, supported by a battery life of up to 17 days standby and 4 hours talk time, plus voice activated dialling for quickly making important calls.

“The BlackBerry Curve is a great addition to the range of popular BlackBerry smartphones already available through O2,” said Phil Ledward, Head of Data Marketing at O2. “The enhanced multimedia features, and small and lightweight design of this all-in-one handset will appeal to both the business and individual user.”

“The BlackBerry Curve is the ideal tool for anyone that wants to stay connected to their work and play, but will not compromise on performance and ease of use. It combines a proven and popular user experience and iconic QWERTY keyboard with a stylish design and impressive multimedia features,” said Charmaine Eggberry, Vice President and Managing Director, EMEA at RIM.”

Posted By:Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, O2, Blackberry, Blackberry Curve]