News

Microsoft releases Portrait 3.0 Beta

The latest Beta version of Microsoft Portrait has just been released.

Microsoft Portrait is a research prototype for mobile video communication. It supports .NET Messenger Service, Session Initiation Protocol and Internet Locator Service on PCs, Pocket PCs, Handheld PCs and Smartphone. It runs on local area networks, dialup networks and even wireless networks with bandwidths as low as 9.6 kilobits/second. Microsoft Portrait delivers portrait-like video if users are in low bandwidths and displays full-color video if users are in broadband. In low bandwidths, portrait video possesses clearer shape, smoother motion, shorter latency and much cheaper computational cost than do conventional video technologies. Microsoft Portrait pursues providing presence notification, chat/voice/video functions anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Find out more on the Microsoft Research site.

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Microsoft Research, Portrait, Crossbow]

HTC to release Athena as HTC X7500

It has been a good news day for HTC Athena fans with the news earlier about T-Mobile’s planned launch of the Ameo and now we discover that the HTC commercial arm are going to release the device as the HTC X7500.

I must say that I prefer the device in black as the silver design that we have already seen looks rather 90’s. A few other things (semi)confirmed about the HTC X7500 are that it will include a 8GB Hard Drive, TV-out and a VGA-out connector.

It really is looking like an interesting device but I can’t imagine using it as a phone what would you look like holding that lump to your ear!? 😛

HTC X7500 Specification

You can find lots more photos on HPC.ru

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, T-Mobile, Ameo, Dopod U1000, HTC Athena, HTC X7500, Tracy & Matt]

HTC Athena coming to T-Mobile as Ameo

A while ago everyone was talking about the HTC Athena, speculating about the specification and wondering if the device would ever come to market. Well today we seem to be a step closer as it looks like T-mobile are getting ready to launch the device as the T-mobile Ameo.

Details of the Ameo have started to emerge and PocketInfo have several images of the device as well as a more up to date specification. It now looks like the OS will in fact be WM5 and not WM6/Crossbow as we first thought however the images currently available are obviously Photoshopped so the final spec when it comes to release could be quite different.

I’m still not convinced by the concept of this device, it’s pretty big yet the screen is ‘only’ 640 x 480. There are UMPC devices out there (eg OQO 2) that are only a little bit larger yet offer higher screen resolution, full blown Windows XP and gigabytes of hard drive space. Also a device like the Ameo could really benefit from USB On-the-Go but there is no mention of this in the spec at the moment.

I’m just not sure where a device like the Ameo would sit in the market. I guess time will tell!

T-Mobile Ameo Specification

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, T-Mobile, Ameo, HTC Athena, Tracy & Matt]

Trojan.Peacomm raised to a category 3

Time to make sure your virus definitions are up to date!

Today Symantec Security Response raised the risk level of Trojan.Peacomm to a category 3 threat, due to the speed and volume in which it is being aggressively spammed across the Internet. The Trojan, which was first spotted January 17, 2007 has been raised to a higher category following a sustained increase in new versions of the attack which appeared over the weekend as the malware author responded to improvements in protection made by security companies by adjusting his tactics.

Check out the Symantec site for further info.

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): Symantec, spam, malware, Trojan.Peacomm, Tracy & Matt]

Any interest in the i-Mate JAQ3?

I know that some of my peers have got themselves i-Mate JAQ3’s to play with and review but I wondered what level of interest there was in this device?

The JAQ3, manufactured by TechFaith Wireless, is fairly similar to the Samsung Blackjack and not a million miles away from the HTC Excalibur (HTC S620).

Several people I know that have an HTC S620 like the device but have commented that they wish the S620 was PocketPC OS rather than Smartphone. The i-Mate JAQ3 may well suit those people wanting the form factor of the S620/Blackjack but the added advantage of PocketPC OS.

I am hoping to get myself a JAQ3 as I am one of the people that likes the form factor of the Excalibur but I’m not a fan of the Smartphone OS. One thing that worries me is the apparent size of the JAQ3, it looks like a large device. If you take a look at the image below (borrowed from The Unwired) you can see how the JAQ3 compares to the HTC Universal and the HTC Hermes. The other thing that bothers me is the lack of 3G.

i-Mate JAQ3 Specification:

EDIT: You can now buy a JAQ3 from Clove Technology and with our voucher code you can save £20! See this post for more details.

I’d be very interested to hear you comments about the JAQ3, especially if you already have one!

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, i-mate, JAQ3, Tracy & Matt]

SanDisk announce sponsorship of Ducati

Great news for motor sports fans; Today SanDisk announced a two-year sponsorship of Ducati Corse’s MotoGP race team, a performance leader in the high-speed world of motorcycle racing.

SanDisk’s name and logo will appear on Ducati Corse MotoGP motorcycles, team clothing and riders’ leathers, the two companies said during the unveiling of Ducati’s Desmosedici GP7 racing motorcycle at the Wrooom MotoGP Event in Madonna di Campiglio.

“SanDisk and Ducati share a passion for excellence in engineering and performance,” said Wes Brewer, vice president for consumer products marketing at SanDisk. “Our SanDisk Extreme® III and IV digital film cards have a global reputation for cutting-edge speed and innovation, much as Ducati has a global reputation for motorcycles that regularly beat the competition.”

Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Corse, said, “We are extremely pleased to welcome SanDisk as a new partner in our MotoGP Project. Ducati and SanDisk are both dedicated to maximum performance, making the partnership a perfect fit.”

MotoGP is among the world’s most popular motor sports, drawing annual season attendance exceeding two million and a worldwide television audience of more than five billion. The 2007 season features 18 races in 15 nations around the globe.

“Photographers face almost as many challenges at the track as MotoGP riders. Having the fastest CompactFlash card in the market at 40MB per second* makes high-performance photography, especially in fast-action sports, much easier,” said Tanya Chuang, worldwide senior retail product marketing manager for digital imaging at SanDisk. “The fast read speed also reduces time away from the viewfinder, because images can be quickly offloaded through an Extreme FireWire Reader.”

SanDisk plans to work closely with the wider photographic MotoGP community. Gigi Soldano, a highly respected MotoGP photographer said, “Capturing the many exciting moments of MotoGP racing, where riders can reach 200 miles per hour and can be millimeters above the track on tight turns, requires cameras and memory cards that are the fastest and most reliable in the world. SanDisk Extreme III and IV memory cards make my job easier, because I know I can shoot as rapidly as possible without worrying about losing that once-in-a lifetime image.”

SanDisk and Ducati expect to announce more elements of their agreement in the months ahead.

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): MP3 Player, SanDisk, MotoGP, Ducati, Tracy & Matt]

‘3’ confirms scrapping of roaming fees

Mobile company 3 has confirmed that they are scrapping their international roaming fees in seven countries including Australia and Italy.

When 3 customers travel to another country in which 3 also operates, customers will be able to make and receive calls using the visited 3 network and be charged as if they were still using their home network. The same principle will apply to SMS, MMS, video calling and data services. The visited 3 network can be considered a virtual extension of their home network and can therefore be used as if the customer were not roaming at all.

3 said there would be no one-off fees, and that its users would automatically gain the service.

The other places in which it has abolished the fees are Austria, Hong Kong, Sweden and Denmark

This also covers data usage.

Now if they were to offer the same deal for the USA I would definitely move to 3!

[Technorati tag(s): cingular, smartphone, Tracy & Matt, Three, Roaming, mobile carrier]

O2 XDA Zinc delayed until March

I think this news item will disappoint some of you, but O2 have delayed the UK launch of the XDA Zinc. Now the Zinc will not be available until March at the earliest.

The March release date is evident on the O2 UK website where you can see the XDA Zinc listed in the coming soon section this is despite the fact that it’s already shipping via the Asia-Pacific website.

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, XDA Zinc, O2, ASUSTek, Mars 2, SPV]

ActiveSync 4.5 Beta 2 now available

Microsoft have just made the latest beta version of ActiveSync available for download.

“Changes in ActiveSync 4.5 Beta 2 help improve issues related to setup, partnerships, and connectivity with the PC and Microsoft Exchange. In addition, it includes a troubleshooter utility that scans your computer and device to identify problems and offers information and corrective actions to solve them.”

New version is available to download HERE.

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, ActiveSync, Microsoft, Tracy & Matt]

Apple iPhone preorder on Amazon Germany

I think Amazon may have jumped the gun a little here but the Apple iPhone 4gb and 8gb are available for preorder on Amazon Germany.

The price is quite worrying though, according to the early preorder pricing, the 4GB model will cost around £600 while the 8GB could cost as much as £660!! If this is correct I cant imagine that many people will fork out that much cash for it.

Interestingly the page says that the product has been “In the offer of Amazon.de since: 17. August 2004”!

Take a look at the product page on Amazon.de.

Posted by: Matt

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