Press Releases

New to the iPad – ‘London – A City Through Time’

Fancy buffing up on your knowledge about London? This new iPad app looks to be the perfect tool to do just that.

Oscar nominated and Emmy Award winning director, Richard Loncraine (of Band of Brothers fame) has developed an iPad app called ‘London – A City Through Time’ that offers the most advanced and complete digital portfolio of London ever produced.

In an effort to reinvent Pan McMillan’s London Encyclopedia and make learning about London fun and engaging, Loncraine developed the app in partnership with the Museum of London to create an indispensable 2,000-year reference to the world’s most complex city using modern technology for a progressive audience.

Some of the key features include:

• 6,000 full text articles on London’s cityscape
• 2,000 rare prints including works of art, portraits, watercolours and etchings
• HD zoomable images allowing users to view panoramas of London – both through time and today
• Dynamic timelines detailing history from the 17th century to the present day
• A plethora of interactive activities that both engage and educate users

You can see a demo video of the app in action below:

Samsung announce the EX2F Smart Camera

Samsung Electronics today announced the launch of the EX2F, the latest model in its growing range of Wi-Fi-enabled SMART cameras. Following the success of the EX1 with F1.8 lens, the new model is engineered to deliver even brighter photography thanks to its F1.4 lens, the brightest in any compact camera.

The EX2F comes with the advantage of being able to store and share images remotely using the Wi-Fi functionality. The Full Manual Control is ideal for DSLR-owners looking for more portable equipment to capture images spontaneously on the go and for photographers looking for a step-up from their point-and-shoot.

The camera combines a number of features which deliver incredible picture quality in all conditions. With the advanced F1.4 24mm Lens, the camera delivers clear images and video even in very low light conditions. These are easily controlled using the professional front wheel key and Dual Dials, which enable switching between parameters and modes quickly for greater manual control. The low-light capabilities of the EX2F are also added to by the 1/1.7″ 12 Megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, which delivers clear, blur-free images.

Providing quality and creativity, 1080/30p Full HD Movie Recording with stereo sound allows users to capture video in high enough quality to enjoy on a Full HD TV. The EX2F also allows still 12 Megapixel photos and video to be captured simultaneously using the Dual Capture feature, so that any scene can be shot as both photo and video. 

Everything Everywhere research how many of us use our smartphones for following sport

With more and more of the population using smartphones it would appear that a high percentage of us are taking advantage of the devices to monitor our favorite sports. That’s according to Everything Everywhere who have been doing a little research.

They have discovered that 46% of us are in fact using our smartphones to follow sports with nearly one in five admitting to watching sport under the radar at work. The study also reveals that only 10% of employees are allowed to view national sporting events during working hours.

With Euro 2012 just ending this past weekend Everything Everywhere state that 42% of men followed the coverage while on the move using their Smartphone.

You can check out the full press release below:

Samsung announce the WB100 camera

Today Samsung announced the WB100, the latest addition to the prestigious WB series, known for delivering superior image quality in compact form. The WB100 is perfect for shooting dynamic images and capturing the smallest detail in stunning 16MP clarity.

The WB100 is the perfect travel companion, ideally designed to capture everything from the up-close detail of inspiring architecture, to impressive landscapes and scenery. The 26x Optical High Zoom lens and 22.3mm ultra wide-angle lens ensure flawless detail, while shaky shots are instantly altered with the Dual Image Stabilisation (OIS + DIS) function. With 720/30pHD video recording, users can enjoy high-quality playback on the latest high-definition displays, whilst 3D photo capture and Live Panorama Mode bring 3D images and panoramic views to life.

Not only does the WB100 deliver superior quality images but it is also easy to use. Its easily-navigated menu screen makes it a versatile camera, designed to capture clear and beautiful photos with ease. Available in Black or Red, it is a stylish camera with a range of creative features including Smart Filter and Magic Frame, designed to enhance image quality along with the shooting experience. The soft hand grip combined with the metallic design gives it a sleek and seamless look. 

Combining high image performance, creative functionality and style, the WB100 is the ideal camera for those looking to capture their world in perfect detail.

Full spec below:

Parrot announce the MINIKIT Neo

Here’s something to look forward to. Parrot have today announced the MINIKIT Neo which will be available in September. The company are renowned for creating superb quality hands-free solutions and it looks like they have stepped things up again with the Neo as it comes with some new fantastic features.

For starters it will use voice commands to manage phone calls, e-mails and sms. In addition it comes with its own smartphone application bringing even more features to the table.

You can check out the full press release from parrot below:

Carphone Warehouse releases ‘Bill Angel’ app to tackle mobile wastage

Carphone Warehouse has stepped up its campaign against wasteful mobile tariffs by launching a free smart phone app, designed to tackle the £4.8bn excess wasted on unsuitable minutes, texts and data deals every year. The launch marks the first time a major retailer has developed a mobile usage app for customers and comes as new research by the UK’s largest mobile retailer has found consumers are now more concerned about mounting mobile phone bills than other household costs such as gas and water.

The free Bill Angel app, available on Android, iOS*(due 27 June) and Blackberry (due 7 July) monitors call time, text messages and internet data usage; automatically sending alerts to users when they approach and go over their contract limits.

‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy becomes best selling book on Kindle

Amazon.co.uk today announced that E L James, a former Kindle Direct Publishing author, has become the first author to sell over one million books in the Amazon.co.uk Kindle Store with her internationally best-selling ‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy.

Despite the trilogy only being published in March 2012, E L James has become the #1 best-selling author on Kindle and her debut novel, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, is now the #1 best-selling Kindle book of all time at Amazon.co.uk. The Kindle edition of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ is currently outselling the print book at a rate of more than 2 to 1.

“E L James’ books have become both the fastest-selling and the best-selling series ever on Kindle. That’s an exceptional achievement for a debut novelist and we’re excited to see her pass the one million sales milestone,” said Gordon Willoughby, Director, EU Kindle. “Following a stint of self-publishing, first online and then via KDP, E L James found a fan base and her success has rocketed from there. Her books have become a worldwide phenomenon demonstrating what a powerful launch pad KDP can be.”

In addition to the sales success seen on Kindle, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ and ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ are the #1,2 and 3 best-selling print books at Amazon.co.uk and their combined sales have also made her the best-selling print author of the year so far.

I myself downloaded the Kindle version. For research purposes of course.

Posted by: James

Samsung provides Easy Phone Sync for free to Galaxy customers

Samsung Mobile UK today announced it will be making Easy Phone Sync available for free to anyone purchasing a Samsung Galaxy device. Easy Phone Sync is a simple new way for people to transfer their iPhone and iTunes media – including music, videos, podcasts, pictures, contacts and text messages – to a Samsung Galaxy device including the new Galaxy S III.

As part of an exclusive licensing agreement with Media Mushroom Applications, Samsung is making Easy Phone Sync available for free for UK customers to transfer content from their iOS device to their Samsung Galaxy device in a few simple clicks. As well as being able to access DRM free content they have purchased from iTunes music, customers can continue to use iTunes software on their PC to manage their music, videos and podcasts and keep their Android device in sync with it.

Simon Stanford, Vice President, Telecommunications and Networks, Samsung UK and Ireland said: “We’re really proud to announce the launch of this new application and can’t wait to hear what our new and existing customers think of it. We know that traditionally iPhone users have been reluctant to switch to an Android device because they couldn’t use iTunes to manage their content. Easy Phone Sync means people can now enjoy their iTunes content on a Samsung Galaxy phone. What’s more is that it’s really easy for them to do, and literally takes five minutes to set up.”

Easy Phone Sync is available to download now for both PCs and Macs in conjunction with an app for Samsung Android devices.

For more detailed information, please visit www.easyphonesync.com/mobile.

Posted by: James

One for the kids: Magic Town for iPad now available

Magic Town, the first virtual world based on picture books, is now available on the App Store. Like the MagicTown.com website, the Magic Town app for iPad® is an immersive game where children read and play with popular picture books licensed from top publishers. The app has more than fifty stories at launch, with roughly fifteen new titles added each month. Just in time for the summer holiday, the Magic Town app gives children a mobile option to enjoy story time at home or on the go.

With hundreds of interactive touch points, the Magic Town app for iPad is especially easy for young children to navigate. They can tap on the big tree in the Magic Town landscape to meet Louis, an animated lion who presents a new, free story every day. They can also tap on any of the houses in town to discover picture book characters and related stories and games. There are houses devoted to fairy tales, fables, original titles and well-known series such as Aliens Love Underpants, Elmer, Little Princess and World of Happy.

Interactive touch points are also key to Magic Town’s stories, or Livebooks. Each Livebook has four reading modes. In “Play” mode, a child listens to a narrator and taps a flashing illustration to progress the story. With “Explore,” a child touches the screen to answer story related questions that stimulate development. In “Read Together” mode, a child or adult reads the text and taps the illustrations to move forward. Finally, in “Watch” mode, a child listens to a narrator and watches the lightly animated pictures.

HTC announces support for Windows Phone 8

HTC today pledged its ongoing support of Microsoft by backing the new Windows Phone 8 platform. Building on the two companies’ long mobile partnership dating back to 2000 and including more than 40 million phones sold, HTC will be bringing new Windows Phone 8 smartphones to market later this year.

“HTC is committed to Windows Phone more than ever and we are excited to be bringing new Windows Phone 8-enabled smartphones to customers later this year,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation.  “With the introduction of Windows Phone in 2010, Microsoft initiated a new powerful mobile ecosystem with a consumer experience that was both unique and user friendly.”

“We have seen great momentum for Windows Phone since its launch in 2010, with 100,000 apps now in the Marketplace”, said Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President of Windows Phone at Microsoft. “HTC is one of our closest partners and we share a common goal in driving people-centric innovation, which makes it easy to work together. We can’t wait to see how HTC brings Windows Phone 8 to its product portfolio”.

Posted by: James