Saturday, April 9, 2011

Phones Review

Phones Review

Samsung Galaxy Tab: Great Low Price via Three

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 01:51 PM PDT

Have you been thinking of getting yourself a tablet PC? Well think no more, as the Samsung Galaxy Tab is being offered on Three's network for a low price.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab operates on a 1GHz processor, runs Android 2.2 software, has a 7-inch touch-screen and supports WiFi and full Adobe Flash.

As advised by Simon D Thomas of 3G, great deals are being offered by Three UK for the Samsung Galaxy Tab, you can get a £15.99 a month contract. However, with this contract you will need to make an initial payment of £479 up-front.

If you opt for a £25, a month contract and up-front payment of only £199, you get 15GB's of data a month. Nevertheless, that isn't all, because Three UK is currently offering an “Entertainment Package” worth £200 with the deal, so in truth you get the tablet for nothing. The Entertainment package consists of 7games from Gameloft, 15 movies from Samsung Movies, 50 MP3 downloads and £25 worth of books.

These deals are being offered for the Samsung Galaxy Tab by Three UK, due to the up and coming release of the Android tablets bigger cousins, the 8 and 10-inch versions. So don't delay, order your Galaxy Tab from the online Three store, whilst stocks last.

For those of you holding out for the 8 and 10-inch versions of the Galaxy Tab, check out the following articles: Galaxy Tab 8.9 Specs, Teaser Video and Galaxy Tab 10.1 Introduced on Video.

HTC Incredible 2 Photos – What Do You Think?

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 10:01 AM PDT

There is a heightened anticipation for the eagerly awaited new HTC Incredible 2, which is expected to release by Verzion on 28 April. However, do not be surprised if you have to wait a little longer for the phones availability.

Well, you were fortunate enough to be privy to some photographs provided by Android Central of the HTC Android smartphone in an article we did yesterday, see here.

The phone is very similar in looks to the HTC Incredible S and is believed to currently have Android Froyo, but let's hope that HTC decide to upgrade this to Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

So, now that you have had a bit of time to mull over the photographs, we would love to know what your views are on the phone. Please leave your comments below.

Other articles that may be interest to you: Verzion's Release Dates Roadmap and the Android 2.3 Gingerbread Update Schedule.

Android Gingerbread Smartphone Update Schedule

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 08:00 AM PDT

If you are one of the Android faithful and would like to know if or when your particular smartphone may get updated to Android 2.3 Gingerbread there is a way you can find out, so you know roughly how long you may have to wait.

The guys over at Gizmodo have discovered by way of Read Write Web, that there’s a spreadsheet available that gives the known schedule for Android smartphones expected to gain Android Gingerbread and when.

The list includes such devices as the Samsung Galaxy S, HTC EVO 4G, HTC Thunderbolt, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, HTC Desire, HTC Desire Z, HTC Droid Incredible, HTC Droid Incredible S, along with confirming which device isn't going to get the gingerbread update.

So if you are waiting on that update for your smartphone all you need do is hit up the Google document and check out if or when you can at least expect your handset to be updated with Gingerbread, no guarantees it will happen per this schedule though and, that is of course if the list holds true and no delays happen.

HTC Desire S Available from Orange UK

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 07:27 AM PDT

For those in the UK who have been patiently waiting for Orange UK to offer the Android 2.3 Gingerbread toting HTC Desire S, you wait is now over as Orange UK has now made the HTC Desire S available to purchase.

According to the guys over at Pocket-lint, the metal unibody HTC Desire S will be available from Orange in black on pay monthly with the Android smartphone being offered as a free handset when opting for a £35 a month plan.

According to Orange, the head of devices portfolio for Everything Everywhere, Nicola Shenton says… "Orange continues to offer the latest innovative devices on the market. The HTC Desire S will allow customers to enjoy the combined benefits of great functionality with a proven operating system for the best user experience."

Spec wise according to Phone Arena the smartphone offers a 3.7-inch capacitive touch screen, 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash, 0.3 megapixel VGA front facing camera, built-in Facebook and Twitter, GPS, 1.1GB memory and miceoSD expansion.

So any of our UK readers hoping to pick up the HTC Desire S from Ornage now that the device is finally available?

Motorola Xoom & Atrix 4G Telstra Release

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 07:08 AM PDT

Will the Motorola Xoom and Atrix 4G launch in Australia sometime soon through Telstra. Well at the moment both Motorola and Telstra are remaining tight-lipped on this and are refusing to comment.

A report recently made by Ausdroid (an Android blog) who have made a number of reports in the past about other Android enabled devices being launched in Australia, which have proven to be correct, indicates that in mid-May the Atrix 4G would be launched on Australia's shores. Whereby, the Xoom would launch late-May both via Telstra.

Ausdroid's report comes to us by way of Delimiter who indicate in their article that Telstra would not comment on the report, but confirmed several Android Honeycomb based tablets were being examined by telco. Also, that a Motorola spokesperson indicated that the Australian market was being explored for the two devices.

At present, the only Android Honeycomb based device launched in Australia is the Galaxy Tab 10.1v, which was launched by VHA and goes on sale this month for $729.

Currently, Apple's iPad is dominating the tablet market in Australia, but with the introduction of Motorola's Xoom, Samsung's Galaxy Tab, Research in Motion's PlayBook device and HTC's Flyer tablet, Apple could soon have some stiff competition.

As for the Atrix 4G handset, currently it can be purchased online via a few local retailers like Mobicity, but is not yet on sale with a telco partner.

Why not also check out our article on Upgraded Mobile Networks by Vodafone and Telstra.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo UK Release Delayed

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 05:47 AM PDT

If you are a fan of Sony Ericsson smartphones and have been pondering on perhaps picking up the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo when it is released in the United Kingdom on the 19th of April it appears you’ll be waiting a tad longer for the Xperia device.

According to an article over on Pocket Now by way of the Clove, the UK release of the Android Gingerbread Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo has been delayed until sometime in July, and the delay could possibly affect other markets as well.

The reason for the delay is apparently down to the Japan disaster… “Disruption to the supply chain as a result of the disaster in Japan” however they are continuing to work on alternative supply solutions, apparently confirmed by Sony Ericsson Italy.

Apparently, although not delayed yet, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc are also affected by the supply chain shortages, but the company is trying to limit the impact but see stock of the smartphone becoming short over the forthcoming weeks.

So there you have it, if you have been waiting for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo to land in the UK then you still have a couple of months wait on your hands.

Angry Birds Rio Available to Play Nice with Symbian^3: Video

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 04:56 AM PDT

For all those that use a Symbian^3 smartphone you can now get some Android Birds Rio action on your Symbian^3 handset as the latest ngry Birds game has now become available from the Nokia Ovi Store although not free.

So what we have for you Symbian fans below is a little video footage of Angry Birds Rio playing on a Nokia N8, which comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Daily Mobile and by way of YouTube user theblogjack.

The Nokia N8 Angry Brids Rio video delivers three and a half minutes of gaming action on the Symbian^3 handset whereby you launch the differing coloured Angry Birds at cages of captured birds rather than the greedy green pigs.

The official launch date for Angry Birds Rio for Symbian is today but apparently several users spotted the mobile game on the Ovi Store and have already downloaded it, while others report it as unavailable, but whatever the case the game will cost you £1.50…enjoy the video.

ClubWorld iOS App: Design Your Own Nightclub

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 04:30 AM PDT

Every fancied the idea of running your own nightclub, would you like to find out what it’s like and have a go? Well if you own an iOS device you can do just that with the ClubWorld iOS app from Tapulous.

The ClubWorld app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple iPad enables the user to design and operate their very own nightclub in this real time simulation game whereby you can keep the music rolling in your nightclub with your iTunes playlist.

The ClubWorld iOS app features the ability to check out clubs by using special guest artists like David Guetta, and Tiësto at their clubs, visit friends clubs as you walk along the ClubWorld strip, experience Tap Tap is a special party round, and make friends via the music matchmaking system.

The ClubWorld app for the Apple iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone running iOS 3.0 or above can be downloaded to your iOS device from iTunes as a free download.

Apple iPhone Patent: Electronic Paper for Reading Books

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 04:21 AM PDT

With the ever-increasing changes to the mobile phone technology, it is great when a new patent comes to our viewing attention, as it give us an insight in to what ideas are being brought to the design table, from the absolute brilliant to the downright ridiculous.

Well we have an Apple iPhone patent for your viewing pleasure, which relates to a smart hybrid display that can effectively switch between an Electronic-Paper display and the standard Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) dependant on what the user is viewing at the time.

Now usually a device will only have the one display, if the device is a reading device for e-books it will normally come with the electronic paper display, whereby, traditional devices will come with an LCD to optimise dynamic colour content or high-resolution. Therefore, to have one device that can switch between the two types of screen could be a great addition.

This patent comes to us from Patently Apple, by way of iPhone Download Blog who go on to indicate that each display will be able to stack on top of the other and have the ability to go invisible, thus enabling you to view the screen below it. With the screen required for the task, being selected by an electronic device and becoming, the more prominent screen.

So what do you think? Is this dual display something you would like to see on the market, let us know you views.

I do have a little concern about whether this is an Apple patent or Nokia’s, see our recent article here, on Nokia's allegations that Apple infringed on their patents. Why not also check out our article on 'Patent Finder' an iOS app.

BlackBerry 9930 aka Bold Touch the Perfection

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 03:55 AM PDT

For some time now BlackBerry has been facing stiff competition from the likes of Android and of course the iPhone, but Research In Motion has remained steadfast and continually released business orientated handsets.

However according to an article over on Phone Dog, RIM changes things with the BlackBerry 9330 also known as the BlackBerry Bold Touch as the smartphone sports a touch screen and keyboard along with BlackBerry OS 6.6.1, which leads one to believe RIM is placing high end specs into the device.

Those high-end spec, although most are not know just yet could mean RIM is gearing up to make the Blackberry Bold 9930 a real contender in the mobile space.

The BlackBerry Bold Touch 9930 could be seen as the perfection of the BlackBerry range as it offers the best of both worlds with that keyboard and touch screen, but if RIM fails to deliver on the spec front the device could tumble from being a contender in today’s aggressive mobile market.

With that said, what do our reader’s think, can the BlackBerry Bold Touch 9930 stand up to the likes of the iPhone, and the many high end Android handsets out there, or will it simply fall by the wayside? Do you agree that the Bold 9930 could be the prefect BlackBerry device?

T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700 gets BB6 OS

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 03:29 AM PDT

For the BlackBerry faithful on T-Mobile who owns the BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone, you just might be pleased to hear that your BlackBerry handset can now at last update to the latest version of BlackBerry OS 6.

According to the Engadget guys, T-Mobile has now released the BlackBerry 6 operating system update for download to the BlackBerry Bold 9700, which you can now go and grab from the T-Mobile upgrade page.

Upgrading your BlackBerry Bold 9700 to BlackBerry OS 6 will bring such goodness as the Webkit browser, keeping up with social feeds, add and remove apps, transfer video and music between your computer and BlackBerry smartphone and such.

So there it is BlackBerry Bold 9700 fans, the OS update is available right now so go grab it and get some BlackBerry OS 6 action, and if you experience any problems with the update feel free to share with us in our comments area below.

iOS 4.3.2 Possibly Releasing in a Couple of Weeks

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 03:08 AM PDT

For all you iOS users out there in Apple land, you just might be seeing a new version of iOS coming your way in the not too distant future if the latest rumour turns out to be spot on, in the form of iOS 4.3.2.

According to an article over on iPhone Download Blog the Boy Genius Report has apparently been told by one of their Apple connections that the company is planning to release iOS 4.3.2 to the iOS masses in a couple of weeks time.

Apparently iOS 4.3.2 will deliver enhancements such as…well here’s what the BGR say… "It's said to include a few enhancements, address security issues, and it will also fix several bugs that have affected users. We're told to expect the software update for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad in about two weeks."

That “address security issues” could well mean if you own a jailbroken iPhone you may have to keep well away from iOS 4.3.2 if you want to maintain your jailbreak.

Anyway for those that want the latest update for iOS, keep your eyes open over the coming weeks and if it does hit, then feel free to let us know how it goes or if you experience and problems.

Google Prank Askews Android and iPhone Search term Tilt

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 02:52 AM PDT

The Google guys are known to enjoy a good prank or two now and then, and apparently the guys played a little prank the other day that took 5 days for anyone to notice apparently, seems people are kind of slow these days.

According to an article over on iPhone Download Blog, and by way of the Google Support Forums, those joking Gogle guys id something to search whereby if an iPhone user typed in the search term “askew” or “Tilt” the search results show a ever so slightly tilted view.

Apparently Google didn't confine this tilting prank to just the iOS platform either and apparently the same tilt effect works on Android smartphones, I checked it out on my Samsung Galaxy S, and they’re right it is tiled.

Having said that, I’m not too sure just how many iOS and Android users would actually search the terms tilt or askew as I’m sure they don't become a search requirement for most that often, so was probably the reason discovering the prank took so long.

Just goes to show though that the Google guys do like to play the joker now and again, and for anyone thinking that Android is their biggest joke…think again.

Microsoft Bing for iPad: The Search Engine

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 02:33 AM PDT

Apparently if you are in the market for a new search engine for your Apple iPad, Apple rival Microsoft has now released the Bing for iPad iOS app, which they say has been truly designed for the iPad and will “work beautifully with your iPad.”

The Bing for iPad app features enable the user to stay current with such things as weather, news, traffic, movies, stock quotes and popular searches, and features Bing local map integration that delivers real time tracking for roads, aerial, birds eye view, and traffic.

Bing for iPad also enables the user to follow the latest trending topic and latest news with the ability to tell Bing what you are looking for via voice search. Bing for iPad also frames a search for easy return of a search, and has a touch friendly interface with grid view, full-page view, and site details.

So if you would like to try out the Bing for iPad app it can be downloaded to your Apple iPad running iOS 4.2 or above for free by hitting up iTunes.

Samsung Galaxy S ii will release in April, really?

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 02:29 AM PDT

We now know that the Samsung Galaxy S II will be running at a faster speed with the introduction of a bigger dual core processor, but could this addition to the phone mean delays to its release.

As previously reported by us the Galaxy S II's dual core processor was to be enhanced from the 1GHz previously announced to a 1.2 GHz dual core processor.

Nevertheless, now there are concerns that the release of the Samsung Galaxy S II could be delayed until after April. However, in the first of a two part tweet yesterday from Samsung, coming to us by way of Engadget the company stated that the "Samsung Galaxy S II will be first released in April, as planned.", which should have ease our fears a bit.

However, the second part of the tweet stated "It (Samsung Galaxy S II) will be gradually rolled out in each market according to the local launch timetable." Thus, indicating that some places may see the Android device sometime in April, whereby others may just have to wait that little bit longer.

Well, as there is still no definite date of when the Samsung Galaxy S II will be in your area, why not pre-order yours via Play – see our article here.

What are your views, do you think we will see the Galaxy S II in April?
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