|
|
Archive for September, 2010
Friday, September 24th, 2010
 It has been official for quite some time now, but for every new bit of confirmed information regarding the HTC HD7, the more we are convinced that this could very well be the quintessential WP7 handset.
When Windows Phone 7 was first announced last February, it was hard to pinpoint which phone makers would be working on the device. Steve Ballmer already hinted that many devices would be released for the new OS, but since Microsoft has no constant industry partner, it was hard to guess which one would be taking the lead when it came to the new OS.
At this point in time, that it still up in the air, but if there was one phone maker than seems to be in a better position above all others –it would be Taiwan based HTC. The phone maker has already had strong ties with Microsoft since the pocket PC era.
Now, HTC is once again showing that they are a strong partner for Microsoft –despite the fact that HTC is also deeply involved in the development of the Android operating system (and is, in fact, an industry partner for Google). The latest videos of the HTC HD7 showcases excellent phone design, integrated elements of the Sense UI in the WP7 OS and of course, the new Microsoft mobile platform itself.
So far, the HTC HD7 is turning out to be a very promising device.
The handset packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz CPU, a 4.3 inch WVGA capacitive touch screen and a 5 mega pixel camera –which is pretty much the whole summary of Microsoft’s pre-requisite hardware specs for all WP7 devices. Of course, it will still be a pretty tough climb for HTC and all the phone makers this October when they all vie for the position of top Windows Phone 7 handset.
Tags: HTC, HTC-HD7, Windows-Phone-7
Posted in HTC Phones | No Comments »
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
 While there are some who voice out that Google’s Android operating system is being undermined by their very own partners, there is no doubt that the open source mobile platform is taking plenty of ground in the industry.
The whole speculation that Google’s Partners are not happy is due to the release of the Nexus One –which is the first Google branded handset. Of course, the general speculation was that the release of such as device would spell doom for Google as it would directly disrupt their partnership with phone makers that manufacture Android handsets.
What the public does not know is that the Nexus One is a benchmark device and while it was made commercially available, Google has deliberately limited the distribution of the handset in order to avoid competition with other phones. When it launched in the US, the device was strictly limited to being sold online through Google’s own online store.
The phone did eventually get released on a more regular scale locally in the UK –though only for a limited time. After a few weeks, Google announced that the handset would no longer be available for sale –though developers would be able to acquire the device through special channels.
So where does that leave the industry? With a new handset that has set a great standard. The Nexus One came with a 3.7 inch AMOLED touch screen, a 5 mega pixel camera and the first to sport a 1GHz CPU (a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor); a great choice of specs that has led to the new era of Android phones. Even long time industry partner HTC was keen to help Google manufacture the handset.
Of course, the Android has a lot of problems –mostly stemming from the various OS versions available and the time it takes to standardize the platform. But that is not a problem caused by manufacturers.
Tags: Google, Google-Android, Google-Nexus-One, HTC
Posted in Android Phones | No Comments »
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
 T-Mobile UK Galaxy S users have plenty to be happy about. In a recent announcement, the mobile network operator will be rolling out the official Android 2.2 Froyo operating system update for the Samsung i9000 Galaxy S.
Samsung’s much loved Android handset has been breaking plenty of new grounds for the open source mobile platform and it is about time that the device managed to score a confirmation as to when it will be getting the latest version of the Google OS. The Galaxy S is such a resounding success for Google’s Android that some might even say that it may be the icon for this generation of the OS, not the HTC Desire or even the Google Nexus One.
According previous announcements, the update for most of the Android 2.1 Éclair devices moving up to version 2.2 was expected this September. However, as the end of the month is slowly closing upon us, it seems that most of the updates will not be arriving until October.
For the Galaxy S, October seems to be the new target date for a system update. T-Mobile users, as mentioned above, will be a little luckier as the OS will be updated a little earlier than expected. The network operator is promising an end of the month release date for the patch.
Android 2.2 Froyo is going to be a major update to the Google OS as it brings with it plenty of new features such as better exchange, a modified camera user interface and support for Flash.
More importantly, the OS also brings a large performance boost to the phone in terms of speed and stability. Thanks to the improved kernel memory management and the new Java script API, both the user interface and the WebKit browser’s performances have been improved.
According to some Android users, the speed boost is significant and quite noticeable especially for those who have used the OS before.
Tags: Android-2.2-Froyo, Google-Android, Samsung-Galaxy-S, T-Mobile
Posted in Samsung Phones | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
 It seems that BlackBerry’s latest smart phone has not been able to evade our radar for much longer. The new BlackBerry Storm 3 (or a device that is rumored to be the BlackBerry Storm 3) has been spotted in several leaked images showcasing the handset’s mostly touch screen form factor.
Of course, we expect nothing less than the BlackBerry OS 6 to be running on this new smart phone and there is actually no surprise in RIM’s move to go from conventional portrait keyboards to full touch screen displays. The phone is going to have a 3.7 inch capacitive touch screen display.
Originally, Research in Motion was a key phone manufacturer when it came to keyboards and business solutions on mobile phones. But as the smart phone industry has continued to grow, the needs and the demands of the market has changed a lot. This is what has inspired the new BlackBerry OS 6 to take on new features focusing on media playback and social networking aside from just concentrating heavily on messaging functions.
The HTC Mozart is certainly going to be coming out this coming October, but aside from an honorable mention at the HTC Event in London and a leaked video, there is really little to go on when it comes to this handset.
For the most part, it was originally believed that the Mozart would be packing a new high speed processor, though most of the more recent reports state that the phone is likely to have a 1 GHz CPU. The phone will also pack a nice 8 mega pixel camera and possibly, Xenon flash technology as well.
The leaked video showcases the new OS’ features with messaging, Exchange connectivity and of course the new integrated social networking features with the People page of the WP7 UI.
Tags: BlackBerry, Blackberry-OS-6, BlackBerry-Storm-3, HTC-Mozart, Windows-Phone-7
Posted in Blackberry Phones, HTC Phones | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
 Someone has to give Nokia an award, or a plaque, or a commemorative mug –simply for having the most delay in announcements connected to a single device.
Seriously speaking, it seems that the Nokia N8 is going to disappoint what few remaining fans of the Symbian platform there are. According to the Finnish mobile phone maker, the new N-series handset will not be coming out this week as last announced. Instead, they will be opening up pre-orders by the 30th of September and will be shipping out the phones on October.
For those who missed out on the news, the Nokia N8 comes packed with a 12 mega pixel camera and plenty of media playback options including a mini-HDMI output port. The phone was originally meant to come out last April. Sadly, instead of being released on time, the handset was continuously announced for release than delayed (for unknown reasons) over the span of several months.
With the Nokia N9 due to come out by the end of the year, the Nokia needs to be able to bring out the N8 early enough to gather enough sales for the handset.
In other phone news, the HTC Sense UI update that was announced during the HTC event in London has finally been spotted on a video of the HTC Desire HD. This new version of the user interface adds in new visual treats, a cleaner layout and a much more organized view of content.
But what really stands out is the security feature that makes the device compatible with remote access. This will mean that phone users will be able to ring, alert, back up, lock or even wipe the handset from an online account on the newly launched HTC Sense website. Other features included in the new UI are the HTC Hub and the HTC Likes applications.
Tags: HTC Sense, HTC-Desire-HD, Nokia, Nokia-N8, Symbian-3
Posted in HTC Phones, Nokia Phones | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
 Android Motorola fans are going to be happy with the news that the XT720 Milestone is getting a quick update to bring the phone’s processor up to speed –literally. The phone is mean to be running at 720 MHz, however, it has been reported that the out of the box setting of the handset places it at a much slower 550 MHz clock speed. The new update now brings the ARM Cortex A8 CPU all the way up to 720 MHz as it should be.
T-Mobile HTC Desire users will be happy to know that an update for the Android 2.2 Froyo is now available for their handset –surpassing Orange Mobile UK’s release date (which has been delayed for technical reasons). So far, only Vodafone UK and the T-Mobile have released 2.2 updates for the Desire.
HTC’s HD7 price details have been leaked in a document from Germany. According to reports, the information came from O2 and shows that the device is going to cost a very expensive 559 Pounds of a buyer decides to get it SIM free. On a monthly tariff, the costs are much easier to handle. The phone is only 70 Pounds at a 20 Pound monthly tariff for two years. Similar plans for the HD7 are expected to be available in the UK when the device comes out later this October (presumably, alongside the Windows Phone 7 OS launch).
Lastly, it seems that rumors about Facebook creating their own mobile phone have been circulating a lot these days. The social networking website has finally decided to remove the wrong impressions by directly stating that they are not working on a new smart phone. In reality, the social networking site’s developers are tweaking out new apps and functions for existing mobile phones that would enable users to access Facebook better and faster. Many are hoping that improved media upload features will be part of the new apps.
Tags: HTC, HTC-Desire, HTC-HD7, Motorola, Motorola-Milestone-XT720
Posted in HTC Phones, Motorola Phones | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
 If there is one thing that many people are very convinced about, it is about the Android mobile platform dominating the industry in a span of a few years. Industry analysts at Inforna are pretty certain that by 2015, a majority of the phone we will be using are Android devices.
This is a pretty major prediction, but one that many find hard to argue against. As today’s current trends show, the Android mobile platform is heading up and there is little to nothing that is standing in its’ way.
Unlike the Apple iPhone brand which is linked directly to the iOS platform, a single major hardware issue is not enough to knock out the phone series. The iPhone 4 suffered from a major antenna issue shortly after it was released –pushing public interests in other devices. On the other hand, the same issue on an Android device would not be a problem as there would be a large number of Android options to choose from.
The fact that not a single Android smart phone is suffering from such a major issue also helps. While there are plenty of devices with the open source platform available (more than one for each month since January), all of these Android devices has proven to be great mobile phones.
Even with the general dominance of the OS being predicted, there is no single handset that is being pegged as the best one available. After all, with many major manufacturers creating their own Android smart phones, it would be nearly impossible to determine which one will come out on top.
At the moment, some of the best Android devices include Google’s very own Nexus One, the HTC made Desire, Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X10, the Samsung i9000 Galaxy S, Dell Streak, the LG Optimus One, and Motorola’s Milestone XT720.
Tags: Android-2.2-Froyo, Apple-iOS, Google, Google-Android
Posted in Android Phones | No Comments »
Monday, September 20th, 2010
 There is no doubt that Nokia came first with the offering of free satellite navigation services –an announcement that must have shaken down companies such as TomTom, with all their Ovi Maps capable handsets. At that time, it was one of the biggest news headlines and even today when GPS services are a lot more common to have around, Nokia’s handsets still provide some of the cheapest alternatives to getting free sat-nav easily. This offer however, was matched not soon after by Google.
Thus begun the sat nav power struggle between the two major players; Nokia had the advantage of having more Ovi capable smart phones already out on the market, Google has more map data to offer, and consumers are definitely the winner in the competition.
Of course, for those who have yet to make a decision, figuring out which service is better takes a little footwork to do.
On Google Maps, there is a vast array of data to choose from. There are driving, walking and even biking routes available (biking is still experimental). The number of landmarks is higher thanks to all the user generated content and for those who seriously need a visual guide to move around, Street View can be used in conjunction to the map service.
The Ovi Maps offers connectivity of the GPS device to social networking tools for live updates to your account on your current location (though this is actually creepy in certain instances), and better map gestures that allows users to easily use the phone even when driving.
Of course, those who are planning to go with a Nokia handset might want to wait it out for the upcoming Nokia N8 Symbian^3 smart phone. Google Android fans on the other hand would do well with the Samsung Galaxy S or the HTC Desire.
Tags: Google, Google-Android, GPS, Nokia, sat-nav
Posted in Android Phones, Google Phones, Nokia Phones | No Comments »
Monday, September 20th, 2010
 HTC has got a pretty impressive combination of smart phones on their lineup. On one hand, the company is pretty much well known as Google’s industry partner and a strong influence in the development of the Android operating system. At the same time, HTC has very strong roots with Microsoft, as the two companies worked hand in hand in the early days of pocket computers.
Now, it seems that the Taiwan based electronics manufacturer will be able to make the most of its’ rich background with the two companies as they will be launching new Android and Windows Phone 7 handsets this coming October.
Microsoft has been pretty specific about announcing that the upcoming launch of the Windows Phone 7 will see several handsets for the OS –among the manufacturers mentioned was HTC. Two of the devices, the HTC Mondrian and the HTC Mozart are being tagged to be available by October. A recent video has shown one of the two devices running Windows Phone 7 and it was shown that an integrated HTC Sense UI functionality is found running on the new OS.
 HTC also confirmed that they have two new devices for the Android operating system. Following on the success of the HTC Desire, they have come up with two new phones to follow up the first handset. The first is the HTC Desire HD, which is basically a second version of the Desire tweaked for media playback. It features a larger 4.3 inch touch screen display and a better built in camera. T-Mobile UK has confirmed that they will be offering the handset for free on a 40 Pound monthly contract good for twenty four months.
Amazon UK has also confirmed the Desire Z, which is basically a second version of the HTC Desire but comes with a physical slide out QWERTY keyboard. Amazon will have the device at the initial price of 429 Pounds and the phone is expected to come out within the second week of October.
Tags: Google-Android, HTC, HTC-Desire-HD, HTC-Desire-Z, Windows-Phone-7
Posted in HTC Phones, Microsoft Phones | No Comments »
Friday, September 17th, 2010
 Between the events of two major phone manufacturers to the upcoming launch of the Windows Phone 7 operating system, there has been a great influx of new devices being confirmed for the months of September and October. To give everyone a nice quick recap, here is a quick list of everything so far.
Nokia’s N8 Symbian^3 is definitely launching by the end of September or on the first week of October. The N-series title bearer is expected to lose to the upcoming Nokia N9 which is slated for a December release –despite the fact that he N9 was a no show at the Nokia World Event.
Three new Symbian^3 devices has also been announced by the Finnish mobile phone maker. The C7, E7 and C6-01 handsets all make use of the Symbian^3 operating system. Another C-series handset has also been released in the form of the Nokia C3 Touch and Type edition.
Alcatel has popped out of nowhere to announce the upcoming OT-980 Android smart phone. The device will be bringing mid range specs and the Android 2.1 Éclair. Carphone Warehouse has confirmed that they would have this handset available sometime in October.
In the meanwhile T-Mobile has confirmed that it will be offering pre-orders for the HTC Desire HD and the LG Optimus One handset. The two Android smart phones are expected to arrive next month.
Speaking of the Desire HD, HTC has shown off that device along with the Desire Z at an event held in London. The new phones were supported by the latest version of the HTC Sense UI which featured new security options for users.
On the Windows Phone 7 home front, several devices have already been confirmed for the OS. Phone makers HTC, Motorola, Asus, LG and Samsung are among the lineup of phone makers that are expected to have devices ready on day one of the new platform’s launch.
Tags: HTC-Desire-HD, HTC-Desire-Z, nokia-c6-01, Nokia-C7, Nokia-E7, Nokia-N8, Nokia-N9
Posted in Industry News | No Comments »
|
