First Symbian 3 device to be released in September
May 30th, 2010 by Samantha
Nokia have announced the N8, their first device to use the Symbian 3 operating system. Due to be released in September 2010, it signals Nokia’s desire to re-enter the smartphone market.
The phone features include HDMI output, a 12 megapixel camera, a multi-touch capable capacitive screen, GPS, WiFi and 16GB of memory. These specs put the phone squarely up against the iPhone and other mid-range models currently available, but by the time it is released it could well find it has slipped back relative to the competition.
Whatever happens, it is good to see Nokia aren’t abandoning the market for smartphones after many criticised its previous efforts for being too closed and too far behind the competition.
Tags: nokia n8, symbian
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HTC Incredible around the corner
May 28th, 2010 by Samantha
The HTC Incredible, follow-up to the highly rated HTC Desire, is apparently around the corner in Europe. The phone is already available in the USA as the DROID Incredible, but there has been no concrete date issued as of yet.
However, inside sources are claiming that the release of the top-end smartphone could be imminent as HTC seek to establish the technological edge over their competitors.
The phone, featuring a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 512mb of RAM along with expandable storage and an 8 megapixel camera, seems set to take the crown of most powerful phone out there. Coupled with the Android operating system platform, soon to be upgraded to v2.2, it could well be the best choice.
Tags: android, htc incredible
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Android 2.2 round the corner?
May 18th, 2010 by Samantha
Google’s Android platform has recently experienced a surge in interest and it looks like there is no sign of it stopping soon, as Google ready themselves to announce the newest version at their developer conference Google I/O tomorrow.
The event, held in San Francisco, is a chance for Google to show off their new toys, tools and developments to like-minded geeks. One of the toys they are expected to showcase is Android 2.2, an update which brings enhanced WiFi connectivity, Flash support and improved performance.
What does this mean for their competitors? Well, the lack of Flash is already a sticking point for some looking at an iPhone, but the new performance increase might just swing it for some people.
Tags: android, google
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The £10 phone – is it worth it?
May 12th, 2010 by Samantha
As you may have seen, recently the cheap economy phone has come back into vogue. Handsets costing as little as £10 are now available in most supermarkets, offering the basic functions you’d expect from a phone: voice calls, text messaging and some ability to store phone numbers. Are they actually worth it though?
I’d say a resounding “yes”. Having seen someone today using one as a replacement because their expensive phone had been damaged and was being repaired, it made me realise their value. They aren’t designed for those who must have a phone. They are designed for those who need a phone from time to time – whether they need it for emergencies or just for backup.
£10 is next to nothing to give yourself a backup phone – so next time your fancy smartphone dies, take a look!
Tags: economy
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Android outsells iPhone for the first time
May 10th, 2010 by Samantha
The Android smartphone platform has been going from strength to strength lately, with the range of devices supporting it ever expanding to cover every bit of the market from the entry-level user to the alpha geek who must have the top end of everything. But that doesn’t stop the news that it has outsold the iPhone platform for the first time, ever, in the first quarter of 2010.
It should come as no surprise because Android is backed by the behemoth that is Google, but it is still a great achievement. In a crowded marketplace, selling the virtues of an open platform against the whizz-bang effects and brand recognition of Apple is a tough job.
What this means for the market is not as clear though – with iPhone OS 4 around the corner along with a new iPhone handset, Apple are likely to set new sales records and outsell Android heavily whenever launch day comes around. But for now, Android is king.
Tags: android, iphone
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First Open Source Symbian phone to launch
April 30th, 2010 by Samantha
The Symbian OS is one which many people will have had experience with over the years. Once the mainstay of the higher-end phone market, its market share has been nibbled away with the advent of the smartphone. Last year we saw a host of mobile phone companies including Nokia and Motorola band together to release the previously proprietary Symbian platform as open source, something estimated to be worth in excess of a billion dollars.
Well, now Nokia are taking the next step. The Nokia N8 will be powered by the new Symbian 3 platform and will feature such features as high-def video output through HDMI, multi-tasking apps and a multi-touch interface. Whether this means it can challenge the high end of the market again remains to be seen though.
Tags: nokia, nokia n8, open source, symbian
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Prototype iPhone plot thickens
April 28th, 2010 by Samantha
The other day the internet was set ablaze by the leaking of the new iPhone prototype, apparently left in a bar by an Apple tech. It then went on to be picked up by someone who sold the item to tech news site Gizmodo for $5,000. Now it appears the police are involved.
The story is getting very complicated now, with Gizmodo trying to argue journalistic immunity as a reason the police search of the reporter’s house is illegal, while others on the internet are saying that it is a simple case of handling stolen goods and therefore a legal search. Apple have remained remarkably silent.
Whatever happens, this will probably set legal precedent in how journalists can get a hold of leaked materials and whether or not they can be held accountable for their actions in this arena.
Tags: apple, gizmodo, iphone, law
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New iPhone creates questions
April 22nd, 2010 by Samantha
Gizmodo seem to have got their hands on a prototype of the new iPhone due out later this year. However, the means by which they obtained the phone is causing a bit of a stir.
According to their own stories posted over the course of the last few days, they claim that an Apple employee who was having a drink with a friend in a bar accidentally left the phone behind when he left. The friend took it home and intended to phone the owner to return it to him – until he noticed the case was loose. Opening it up, he realised that what was held inside was the new iPhone.
Doing what friends do then, he decided not to return it but to sell it to Gizmodo for a rumoured $10,000 – something which could land both parties in hot water. Aside from the possession of what would be called a trade secret, the person who has allegedly sold the phone to the tech news site could be charged with theft, and Gizmodo with possession of stolen goods.
The plot is now thickening with the news that Apple have sent a strongly worded letter to Gizmodo asking for their phone back, leading some to ask whether or not this is all for real – could it be an elaborately staged publicity stunt concocted by Apple and Gizmodo?
Finally, the device itself – resembling something like the new Windows 7 Mobile phones, it has left the look of the original iPhone behind for sharper styling touches. Additions include a forward facing camera, plastic back plate for improved WiFi connectivity and a possible extra button for using with the camera funtionality. Watch this space…
Tags: apple, iphone
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iPhone OS 4 details released
April 20th, 2010 by Samantha
Apple have announced the latest version of their mobile phone OS, iPhone OS 4, adding features customers have wanted for quite a while such as multitasking, custom wallpapers, a new Game Center (a service similar to Microsoft’s Xbox Live) and new e-mail and enterprise features.
While Apple are up against ever-increasing competition, with Microsoft launching their Windows 7 Mobile range, the new range of Android phones out and various other mobile OSes on the horizon, they will hope that the addition of features their customers have been asking for will keep their strong market position intact over the next year.
Other features include iAd, a way for app developers to earn money through in-app advertising which belies Apple’s aim to dominate mobile marketing, support for iBooks like on the iPad, app folders to help organise apps and spell checking functionality.
Apple have said that all new functionality will be available to the iPhone 3GS, while older units will get a subset of the features. Perhaps the biggest addition, multitasking, will not be supported by anything older than the 3GS model.
Tags: apple, iphone, iphone os
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