News

White Motorola RAZR i now in stock SIM free at Expansys

Been waiting to buy the Motorola RAZR i in white SIM free? You can now as Expansys have received stock and are waiting to ship you one. In addition you could also win a Virgin Day Experience which sounds pretty neat.

4.3 inches of gorgeous edge-to-edge, AMOLED HD screen means you can be absorbed into your media like never before on the Motorola Razr I. Constructed from high quality materials, it’s as amazing to hold as it is to look at. It has an air-craft grade aluminium frame, tough Corning Gorilla Glass to protect the display from knocks and a splash-proof layering. It’s very light (126g) and the 8.9mm thickness justifies the Razr name.

Intel power growls underneath the striking exterior. Despite it being a single core processor Intel has managed to defy possibilities by squeezing dual core power from its 2GHz chip. This breezes through the Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system – Jelly Bean available in due course. In terms of connectivity and memory, the Razr I has 8GB of memory built in, this can be expanded though thanks to the 32GB memory card slot. NFC is built in too.

ZTE Blade III arrives in the UK

ZTE has launched the ZTE Blade III 4-inch smartphone in the UK. The latest addition to the Blade family, the ZTE Blade III features a larger screen, memory capacity of 2.5GB which can be further expanded with a 32 GB memory card and Android 4.0.

The expanded storage memory of the Blade III offers extra space for music, apps, pictures and games while the 4-inch WVGA touch screen and upgraded operating system provide a sharp multimedia experience. The Blade III can be purchased in store or online from Virgin Media from today for £79.99 PAYG or from £13 a month.

Raspberry Pi ‘lite’ version hits the shelves

Here at Tracy & Matt towers we’ve been using Raspberry Pi’s for a while now, they are a good development platform for hardware controllers etc. Although I still prefer the MBED platform.

The Raspberry Pi has been hugely successful, mainly because its reasonably cheap while still packing a punch when it comes to hardware performance. It can be used for movie streaming and even runs several versions of Linux.

As if the current version was not cheap enough a new lightweight or ‘bare-bones’ version has just gone on sale.

The new Model A has the same CPU and footprint as the B model but has less memory (256MB), no Ethernet and just a single USB socket.

The Model A goes on sale today at a variety of outlets for just £16. If you are looking for something to tinker with for a DIY project they are definitely worth a look!

Posted by: Matt

Samsung’s new Smart TV Line-up

Today Samsung have announced its 2013 Smart TV and AV line-up with some gorgeous looking new models hitting the shelves later this year.

There are some awesome features to be seen, and heard, with the new range including UHD displays and valve amp based speaker systems.

The full press release can be seen below. I cant wait to physically see some of these UHD units!

Countdown to Valentine’s Day: Today only get £10 off the price of a Kindle

Wondering what to get your loved one for Valentines Day? Yes, I just had that panic too with Valentines Day just 10 days away it’s difficult to decide what to get!

Folks at Amazon have an idea for you with £10 off the price of a kindle to try to entice you, that means you can pick one up for just £59!

Full details below.

Countdown to Valentine’s Day: Today only get £10 off the price of a Kindle

10 days to go and still no any idea what to give your loved one for Valentine’s Day?

This Valentine’s Day, Amazon has thought about all the lovebirds that are looking for that special gift, with a great discount. For today only – 10 days before Valentine’s – Amazon.co.uk offers the Kindle for a fabulous price of only £59, leaving you plenty of change for chocolates and flowers.  This great offer starts today, February 4th at 7AM and ends at 10PM.

At only 170 grams, Kindle is Amazon’s lightest e-reader so it can fit easily in a pocket or small handbag. The 6-inch electronic ink display that reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight, with no glare – and lets you download books in 60 seconds with the built-in Wi-Fi. Wherever you are on Valentine’s Day, you and your sweetheart can take your whole library with you, including city guide books, romantic novels and weekend papers.

Find out more about Kindle on www.amazon.co.uk/kindle

Posted by: Matt

BlackBerry Z10 on superfast 4GEE – the UK’s first 4G BlackBerry

Available from EE, the UK’s only 4G network, the BlackBerry Z10 is the fastest and most advanced BlackBerry smartphone yet and offers a smarter experience that continuously adapts to a customer’s needs. When combined with EE’s superfast 4G network, BB10 becomes one of the most connected operating systems on the market – allowing customers to download content, email and share files in a way they haven’t been able to on a BlackBerry device before.

EE 4G pricing table

*Price includes discount for new customers joining before 28^th February

12 month plans are also available. Further pricing information can be found here: http://shop.ee.co.uk/blackberry-z10/pay-monthly/mobile-tariffs/

Stockist details

EE Pricing: £49.99 one off charge on a £41 per month, 24 month contract

Website: www.ee.co.uk/shop

BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 now available to download

Posted by: James

Phones 4U to launch mobile network

High street retailer Phones 4U is soon to offer its own mobile network to contract customer. LIFE Mobile is due to kick off in March and as the MVNO will run off the EE network they intend to provide 4G options by the end of the year.

Prices and plans are not yet known, but with marketing planned to start in March we haven’t got long to wait. A nice new option for consumers.

Phones 4u group chief executive Tim Whiting said: “The launch of LIFE Mobile is a very significant step for the Phones 4u business. Our strategic vision is based upon a focus on building ever-stronger relationships with our customers, which we believe is fundamental to our on-going business success.

“This focus delivered record revenue growth in 2012, a year in which we opened more than 100 stores across the UK. We are delighted to be extending our longstanding partnership with EE in order to add LIFE Mobile to the extensive range of products and services available at Phones 4u.

“We will sell both 3G, and later in 2013, 4G LIFE Mobile tariffs alongside our existing network propositions and are confident the new network will play a key role in driving further growth for our business.”

Source: mobilenewscwp

Posted by: James

8 Inch Samsung Galaxy Note to hit soon

Just last week a couple of stories broke detailing the possibility of a Samsung Galaxy Note 8-inch Android tablet arriving at MWC in February. As it turns out the possibility is now a reality. JK Shin himself reportedly confirmed the new 8-inch variant of the popular Galaxy Note tablet is real and will show up as soon as the MWC show next month. No other details were shared, but at least it’s far more concrete than what we had before.

An 8-inch tablet might be just the right ticket for some folks, walking that middle road between the 7-inch and a full 10-inch.

Posted by: Gareth

Sony Xperia Z confirmed

We received hints of the Sony Xperia Z 10.1-inch Android tablet just last week, but now Sony has officially unveiled it! Their new flagship tablet boasts a rather impressive array of features whilst being ultra-thin. Here’s a breakdown:

• Android 4.1
• Qualcomm 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 32GB storage
• 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 screen (with Mobile Bravia Engine 2)
• 8.1-megapixel Exmor R camera
• NFC
• LTE (MDM9215M radio)
• A microSD expansion
• Sony’s "S-Force" virtual surround sound technology
• 6.9mm-thin
• 495g
• Water & Dust-Resistant
• 6,000mAh battery

Sadly, Sony did not unveil price or availability details as yet. Of course, we will keep you informed.

Posted by: Gareth