Looks like Samsung are going on tour. If you are in Central London this weekend why not pop down to Covent Garden and check out the Samsung Cube where as well as being able to have a go of the new Samsung Galaxy S II you may also win a prize.
Samsung is inviting members of the public to head to London’s Covent Garden this weekend to visit the ‘Samsung Cube’ where they will have a chance to play with Samsung’s brand new premium smartphone, the Galaxy S II and win prizes, including tickets to Take That’s upcoming Progress Live tour.
Visitors to the Samsung Cube, which will be located in the Piazza, will be invited to send a Twitter message using a Galaxy S II and get an exclusive code to unlock the prize safe. Thousands of codes will be released on both days but only a select few will unlock the prizes, with winners receiving either their own Samsung Galaxy S II, a pair of tickets to see Take That, or Samsung mobile phone speakers. For anyone whose code is unsuccessful at unlocking the prizes at the box, there will be a second chance to win a Galaxy S II by entering their code in an online competition.
The Samsung Cube will also be heading to Manchester on 28th and 29th May, and Cardiff on the 4th and 5th June. The Samsung Galaxy S II is available in the UK now across all major networks, key high street and out of town electrical retailers and online.
Seems like these tour things are all the rage at the moment. Maybe Matt and I will do one. A pub tour I think!
Posted by: James
More market analysis showing the growth and dominance of the Android platform. Gartner’s Q1 2011 analysis shows Android with over 36 Million Units sold roughly equating to a 36% global market share. This is compared to Symbian in second place with 27 Million and 27.4%, iOS with 16.8 Million and 16.8%. RIM, Microsoft and HP round out the bottom.
Symbian is essentially taking blow after blow from all angles here and whilst there isn’t a massive reduction in units solid they have not benefited in the Smartphone explosion at all. The uptake of Microsoft platform is also of particular interest as Windows Phone 7 really isn’t making too much noise.
Posted by Gareth.
Orange and Barclaycard today launch ‘Quick Tap’, the UK’s first contactless mobile payment service which allows consumers to make purchases on the high street using their mobile phone for the very first time. The landmark launch means that from today, in addition to using contactless cards or chip and PIN, consumers can simply tap their mobile phone on a contactless reader at tills in over 50,000 stores to make purchases £15 and under.
This entirely new, secure and convenient way to make payments is an evolution of how people pay and follows previous payment milestones such as the move from cheques to cards. Mobile payments will be accepted at stores nationwide including Pret a Manger, EAT., Little Chef, Wembley Arena, Subway, Wilkinson and McDonalds where contactless payments are currently accepted.
The service will be available to Orange customers who use a ‘Quick Tap’ enabled handset. Launching with a Quick Tap enabled version of one of Orange’s best-selling devices, the Samsung Tocco Lite, the Samsung Tocco Quick Tap will be available on pay as you go and pay monthly price plans, with more handsets expected to follow from a selection of leading manufacturers. Barclaycard, Barclays debit or Orange Credit Card users can transfer funds of up to £100 simply and securely onto the handset’s Quick Tap app, after which the phone is ready to make payments of £15 and under in a single transaction.
The user friendly payment app, which sits on the home screen of all Quick Tap compatible handsets, contains information such as electronic statements detailing Quick Tap purchases so customers can keep an eye on their spending and manage finances easily on the go. To support the launch, Barclaycard is providing Orange customers with £10 cash added to their account upon activation, and 10% cash back on all Quick Tap purchases made in the first three months. Continue Reading »
Some details regarding the Dell Streak Pro 10-Inch Android Tablet have been recently leaked. Rumour has it that the tab will come to the American network AT&T with it’s 4G LTE Radio they are about to roll out, a similar rumour to the HTC Puccini we heard earlier in the month. Regardless of the rumour, some other details have materialized regarding the device, and here they are:
- 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip
- 1GB of RAM
- Dual-microphones
- 5-megapixel camera and 2-megapixel camera for video chat
- Maybe three different models = 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB version
- 12.9mm thick (quite a bit fatter than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1)
No price yet and whilst the specs look adequate there is little to set this apart from the competition.
Posted by Gareth
They might have annoyed the seven people who bought the X10 with their terrible support when it came to updates, but it seems that are going to make amends with some nice updates to their more recent generation of phones. Sony Ericsson revealed today that their Xperia Arc and Xperia Play will soon rank among the short list of devices running Android 2.3.4, the fresh-out-of-the-oven update that brings along GTalk video calling among other things.
The update will also include a little feature Sony Ericsson has been cooking up called Facebook Inside. It creates a deep integration between the phone and the social network, allowing users to “like” currently playing music, share all sorts of content, and contact and calendar sync.
The update is slated to hit UK networks next week, carrier willing. We can only hope Sony Ericsson extends the privilege to the soon-to-be release US version of the Xperia Play.
Posted by Gareth
Looking to get the HTC Sensation? Well you can order it right now as the new HTC flagship device is available on Vodafone.
The device can be picked free for £35 per month on a 24 month contract although there are other options available, 26 to be precise.
Sporting a 4.3 inch screen, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and running Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread the HTC Sensation is sure to be a big seller.
It is a real beauty. I had some time with the device when it was first announced and I am certainly looking forward to getting hands on again.
You can order the HTC Sensation by clicking here and the full specs are listed below if you need a reminder. Continue Reading »
Many have heavily criticized RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook since its launch but according to Mike Abramsky, General Manager at RBC Capital Markets RIM have sold 250,000 PlayBooks since launch and as the tablet is currently only on sale in North America this isn’t a bad start if you ask me.
If these figures are correct this means that the PlayBook has had a better start than Motorola XOOM tablet which we reviewed recently.
This is also encouraging for the whole 7 inch market. Sure RIM has a long way to go and they wont be catching up with the Apples iPad anytime soon but with the PlayBook rolling out to other countries next month it is looking like the device could have a pretty good first year. The better the sales, the more developers will support the PlayBook so we should see a much broader range of great apps in time.
Our own BlackBerry PlayBook review is very near completion so keep an eye out for what we think of it in the near future.
Posted by: James
If you fancy picking up the HTC Flyer you can now order one from Three. As far as I can see there is only one plan available right now but you do get a whopping 15GB of data for your money.
The plan is a 24 month contract and will cost £30 a month with a fee of £169 up front for the device. Now if you do the maths this is going to cost you £889 in total over the next two years. If you don’t mind that commitment then go for it. Personally, I would wait a while. That is a lot of money.
If you did not see our unboxing video you can do so here.
Posted by: James
One of the advantages to having any kind of tablet is the ability to view photos, video and listen to music while out and about. The BlackBerry PlayBook seems to handle media pretty well so I thought i would give you a brief demonstration on video.
Since getting the PlayBook for review I have found myself taking it more places than I would do my iPad and this has to be due to size. For me, carrying around a 7 inch tablet just feels more natural than with a 10 inch. Of course all Smartphone’s these days are capable of playing music and video but you cant beat watching video on a larger screen.
With the Battery on the PlayBook being capable of playing a few films on one charge I can see me using the device whenever it comes to a plane or train journey.
See what you think in the video below and if you have any questions please feel free to ask them in out Tablet forum.
For an Android 2.3 tablet and a pretty heavy price tag it seems that HTC’s little 7 incher is being pocketed by a brave few customers. I would be bold to say that many a blogger, tech journalist and enthusiast speculated the device would not only be a hard sell but have a limited uptake. However, if HTC’s sales outline is honest then they are quite pleased with the Flyer’s debut.
Recently, Android tablets have been outlined as a bit of a flop for many reasons, but perhaps people have been holding back, waiting for the device that suits them. The Flyer is in a limited market with only the aging Galaxy Tab as a competitor. The 10″ market seems to be the target of most retailers but the 7″ seems to be were the action is taking place when it comes to Android Tablets.
Posted by Gareth
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