The prospect of mobile TV in the UK had a major breakthrough this week, as it emerged that the European Commission could release a new band of spectrum, earmarked for satellite companies, next month.
The move, which will be voted on in May, may see mobile operators forming MVNO-style partnerships with satellite companies to use the spectrum for new services, as well as expanding their 3G networks.
The European Commission has decided to pool the ‘S-band’ licence, rather than allocate it on a country-by-country basis, and is expected to give it to two satellite companies for use in 27 countries across Europe. It has said it would like the spectrum to be used to develop services such as mobile television.
It is expected that the 18 year licences will be awarded to the UK satellite operator, Inmarsat, as well as to Solaris – a joint venture between Luxembourg-based SES Astra and French company Eutelsat – who could then partner with mobile operators to make TV services available in countries including the UK.
An updated ROM is now available for HTC Touch HD users to download. [The update is available for the following languages: English (Pan Europe and UK), Italian, Dutch, French, Finnish, Portuguese, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish.]
1. Updated the Connection Setup Database.
2. Improved emergency call connections while using Airplane Mode.
3. The GPS position updating speed has been enhanced.
4. A Title bar display flicker in TouchFLO 3D has been corrected.
5. Fixed multiple browsing issues.
Available from HTC right here
As soon as you hear the mention of SanDisk’s name I’m sure that memory cards will spring to mind. SanDisk are arguably the top memory card manufacturer and certainly the choice of many a professional photographer.
Here we are looking at the SanDisk Extreme IV Compact Flash card. So what’s the Extreme IV part all about? Extreme IV refers to the fact that this Compact Flash is UDMA so should be capable of up to 45MB/s transfers.
One of the ways you’ll know that you are looking at a quality product is that it comes neatly boxed and well presented rather than in a plastic blister pack that you’d find cheaper memory cards in.
You may be wondering why speed is so important and why not simply focus on capacity? As DSLR manufacturers continue to push the boundaries with their sensors we’re starting to see even the entry level cameras with 15 megapixel sensors with the higher end going to 25+. If you add the RAW shooting capability in to the mix then you’ll find that each photo can be upwards of 17MB. That’s a fair amount of data to write to a memory card every time the shutter it released and if you add in high speed burst shooting you can start to see why memory card speed might be important. The faster the memory card the more photos can be recorded in a burst. So taking the Extreme IV for example and recording JPG images to the memory card on the Canon EOS-50D you can record in bursts continuously! Pretty important if you are photographing a lot of action.
So in order to see how much difference the UDMA technology makes to the Extreme IV I’ve compared it to another unbranded 8GB compact flash card.
In the test I wrote a series of RAW photo files to the memory card and timed the overall write speed. I performed the test several times with each card and took the average of each. I’m writing 6 RAW files to each memory card and the images are 17.1MB each.
SanDisk Extreme IV 8GB CF 6.03 seconds
Generic non-branded 8GB CF 14.94 seconds
So just simply looking at the results above you can see that the Extreme IV is more than twice as fast as the generic compact flash, this will certainly make a noticeable difference.
However, it’s not just about write speed, we should also consider read speed.
Having used the generic no-name memory card in my Canon 50D for such a long time and reading a few hundred images in from the card at a time this can take a few minutes. I’ve been using the Extreme IV for the past few weeks and it’s obvious that it’s a much faster card when it comes to downloading images, in fact I’m pretty sure that the memory card is faster than the USB connection on the camera and the card reader, so we’ll be looking at a Firewire reader soon.
Conclusion
Is the SanDisk Extreme IV compact flash card worth the extra money? That al depends on how much you use your camera. If you are a casual photographer then I’d say the Extreme IV isn’t going to be worth the additional cost (more than twice as expensive as a generic brand). If however you are a very keen amateur or a pro then you might want to invest in one of these. I’m sure that the time you’ll save at the end of the shoot will mean that the SanDisk Extreme IV will pay for itself in no time!
Review by: Matt
eXpansys just dropped me an email with details of two great deals on Toshiba Portege Smartphones, you can now pick up the Toshiba Portege G810 or Toshiba Portege G910 for under £200.
Toshiba Portege G810 order now for £159.99
http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=163552&partner=tracyandmatt
If you have a requirement for a touchscreen-only Pocket PC Phone, the Toshiba Portege G810 will fit the bill. With an excellent list of specifications including wireless high-speed HSDPA data connectivity, a built-in GPS receiver and Windows Mobile 6.1 professional, it is a fantastic bargain at the new price of only £159.99.
Stock is limited, so place your order today!
Toshiba Portege G910 order now for £199.99
http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=162650&partner=tracyandmatt
The Toshiba Portege G910 has a stylish clamshell design, giving the look, feel and functionality of a mini-laptop. With a full QWERTY keyboard, a 3-inch Wide-VGA touchscreen, fingerprint security, wireless HSDPA data connectivity and an in-built GPS receiver, it also has a new price of only £199.99.
Stock is limited, so place your order today!
Posted by: Matt
Our latest podcast is now available to download, in episode 31 we discuss the Windows Mobile 6.5 designer wallpapers, HTC Snap details, new hidden features in iPhone 3.0 beta, Palm Pre Classic application, reader email plus loads more. You can subscribe via iTunes, RSS or download the mp3 file here. Full show notes after the break.
The Acer DX900 is the world’s first Dual-SIM Smartphone to support both 3.5G (HSDPA) and 2.75G (EDGE) SIM cards allowing you to keep track of both personal and business communications.
The Acer DX900 was publicly unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, in February. Clove Technology are pleased to announce that it is NOW IN STOCK.
The DX900 is a truly revolutionary device which offers a more efficient method for communication, for those who carry both a personal and business mobiles. Priced at just under £399 including VAT the DX900 is a steal and has much to offer in comparison to some competition.
A few of the DX900 features include:
- Dual SIM Capability – One for work and one for personal
- Windows Mobile 6.1
- UMTS/HSDPA
- Bluetooth
- WiFi
- MicroSD Slot
- 2.8" VGA Display
- 3.0 Megapixel Camera
- Front facing VGA Camera
- In Built GPS Receiver
- TV Out Functionality
For more information and to place your order CLICK HERE
Posted by: Matt
A new finding should put to rest any doubts about whether or not Apple is planning to include video recording in future iPhones. The screenshot above, which was discovered in the latest iPhone 3.0 beta by macrumors, shows the interface Apple will provide for video recording.
The interface shows the normal iPhone camera interface but with a switch on the bottom right which toggles between still camera photography and video recording. The video recording is not presently functional in iPhone 3.0 beta, and the interface is not accessible by default. Only when configuration files were modified telling the firmware that a Video Camera was present will this interface appear.
Other interesting capabilities found in the configuration files include "auto-focus camera", "magnetometer" (digital compass), and "Voice Control".
Now the big question is will all this be backward compatible with the current iPhone 3G and original iPhone or will these new features be for a new model. My guess is a new model as to be honest to take advantage of any decent video quality a new camera is a must but we shall see.
via iPhonedocked and macrumors
iPhone users with a Sky+ box sitting at home need never miss a show now, thanks to the new Sky+ Remote Record app, which has just debuted at the Apple iTunes App Store. This smart piece of software lets you set recordings on your Sky+ box from anywhere in the world.
Once you’ve registered your details with Sky.com, you can open up the Sky+ Remote Record app on your iPhone and can browse an entire 7-day electronic programme guide (EPG). Pick the shows and movies you want to record and the app remotely notifies your Sky+ or Sky+HD box – very handy if you’re on holiday or have just forgotten to set the recording before you step out of the door in the morning.
Available now from the App Store here
via Electric Pig
We’ve looked at several Lumix models in the past and have always been pretty impressed with their performance and value for money.
This time we are looking at the FX500 which is a higher-end Lumix model than the ones we’ve looked at before.
The Panasonic Lumix FX500
The FX500 has some really cool features such as a huge 3" LCD screen to preview/review your images but it’s also a touchscreen that makes menu navigation really very simple. The FX500 also features a 10 megapixel sensor and a decent 25mm wide angle lens with 5x optical zoom while remaining in a fairly compact package.
You’ll also find face and smile detection settings and steady-shot to help improve your images. In fact the list of features goes on and on so we’ll cover more of them when it comes to the review.
For now have a look at the unboxing video to see a little more of the Panasonic Lumix FX500:
Panasonic Lumix FX500 specification:
Sensor:
• 1/2.33" Type CCD
• 10.7 million pixels total
• 10.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes:
• 3648 x 2736
• 3648 x 3432
• 3648 x 2056
• 3072 x 2304
• 3072 x 2048
• 3072 x 1728
• 2560 x 1920
• 2560 x 1712
• 2560 x 1440
• 2048 x 1536
• 2048 x 1360
• 1920 x 1080
• 1600 x 1200
• 640 x 480
Movie clips:
• 640 x 480 (30 fps/10 fps)
• 320 x 240 (30 fps/10 fps)
• 848 x 480 (30 fps/10 fps) 16:9
• 1280 x 720 (30 fps/15 fps) HD
File formats:
• JPEG (Exif 2.21)
• QuickTime (Motion JPEG)
Lens:
• 4.4 – 22.0 mm
• 25 – 125 mm (35mm equivalent)
Image stabilization:
Yes, lens-shift
Digital zoom :
Yes, 4x (Up to 7.12x with ‘Extra Optical Zoom’ cropping)
Focus:
TTL 9-point with Face detection
AF area modes :
• Face detection
• Touch AF
• 9-point
• 3-point high speed
• 1-point high speed
• 1-point
• Spot
Focus distance:
• Normal 50cm – ∞ (W), 100cm – ∞ (T)
• Macro 5cm – ∞ (W), 100cm – ∞ (T)
Metering:
• Intelligent multiple
• Center-weighted
• Spot
ISO sensitivity:
• Auto
• High ISO Auto (1600 – 6400)
• 100
• 200
• 400
• 800
• 16005
Shutter speed:
• 60 – 1/2000 sec
Aperture:
• F2.8 – F5.9
Self timer:
2 sec, 10 sec
Continuous shooting:
• Full-res 2.5 fps for 3 images (fine), 5 images (standard)
• Approx. 2MP, 6 fps in High speed burst mode
Flash:
• Auto / On / Off / Slow Sync / Red-eye reduction
• 60 cm – 6.0 m (W, Auto ISO)
• 1.0 m – 2.8 m (T, Auto ISO)
LCD monitor:
• 3.0 " PureColor LCD II
• 230,000 dots
• 100% coverage
Storage:
• SD/SDHC/MMC card
• 50 MB internal
Weight (with battery)
175 g (6.2 oz)
Dimensions
94.9 x 57.1 x 22.9 mm (3.7 x 2.2 x 0.9 in)
Posted by: Matt
One of the latest pieces of info to appear on these 2 handsets is that they are both being lined up for a July release on T-Mobile.
HTC Snap
From what we can gather it seems that the HTC Touch Pro 2 will be renamed Wing II and be released on July 22nd whilst the Snap will remain Snap and be released on July 1st.
HTC Touch Pro 2
Obviously this is all subject to change but we thought it was interesting enough to share with the masses.
Posted by: John
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.