HTC Legend Makes Its On-Camera Debut

Posted February 9th, 2010 by Andrew Boxall in HTC Mobile News

Previously appearing only in text form on the HTC’s 2010 roadmap and as a pretty render mid-December, the HTC Legend has now graduated to actual, real mobile phone with its first appearance on camera.  And for once, the photographer has used autofocus. It always had a good look to it, but seeing it here gives the impression the Legend will be a sturdy beast, and an attractive one too provided they keep that ‘hewn from a solid piece of metal’ look to it.

It’s looking very similar to the render, with a set of hardware keys below the screen and an optical trackpad where there would normally be a trackball.  Otherwise the Legend’s rumoured specification hasn’t changed, with a 3.2″ AMOLED touchscreen - capacitive rather than resistive too -  a 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS and a MicroSD card slot being the standout features.

The one thing the new pictures do show is the Hero-replacement running HTC Sense, which although highly likely, had not previously cropped up in conversation, but we’re still not sure which version of Android it will be topping.  The likelihood of the Legend showing up at Mobile World Congress is very high, although the March release date being talked of seems a little early.

LG Officially Announce the GD880, Known as the Mini

Posted February 9th, 2010 by Andrew Boxall in Mobile News LG

Adding ‘Mini’ to your latest mobile phone seems to be the thing to do these days and LG are continuing the trend with the GD880 Mini, which according to them, is the smallest phone available with a 3.2″ screen.  One of our current favourites, the LG Pop, is said to be the smallest phone with a 3″ screen, so this should perhaps be seen as the first step up from the Pop.

Here are the top features:

• The 3.2″ touchscreen.
• A 5 megapixel camera with video and face recognition software.
• Wi-Fi and GPS.
• 3G with HSDPA.

As with the majority of new phones, social networking features heavily.  In addition to standard applications for Twitter and Facebook, the LG Mini has two new social network features to boost integration.  The first is the Social Address Book, which works in a similar way to MOTOBLUR and Palm’s Synergy, where social networking updates appear with their relevant contact in your address book, then there is Social Network Feed, which automatically displays updates on your home screen too.

The LG Mini will be available in Europe from March and although no pricing has been given, Dr. Skott Ahn - LG Mobile CEO - says that the Mini gives ‘great looks at a reasonable price’, so we can expect a competitive one.   It’s likely to be more than the Pop, but we like the Mini’s comprehensive set of features and the very sleek, button-less casing, giving the phone considerable potential as a big seller.

Where Does the HTC Incredible Fit Into Their Range?

Posted February 9th, 2010 by Andrew Boxall in HTC Mobile News

HTC’s forthcoming range is looking very complicated, with a wide variety of leaked mobile phones still unofficial, and many sharing similar specifications under different names.  Here’s another to add to the list, the HTC Incredible, which bears a passing resemblance to the HTC Bravo/Passion’s potential features.

PocketNow, who first published the pictures of the Incredible, say that the phone will run on Android 2.1 with the HTC Sense UI and be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor along with 256MB of RAM, plus it will have either a 3.5″ or 3.7″ AMOLED touchscreen and an optical trackpad.

So, essentially the same as the Bravo/Passion as well as Google’s Nexus One, then!  The rear casing makes the Incredible standout, with its unusual tiered style, but seeing as we haven’t seen a snap of the Bravo’s rear to compare it too, we aren’t sure if this is unique here.  Do HTC really need four phones with such a similar spec, especially when these are clearly not budget models?

We’re not complaining, as we love high-spec smartphones, but we will be pleased when all these handsets are officially announced so we can clear all this up!

Google Android (will attempt) Translation

Posted February 8th, 2010 by Luke McKinney in Applications Mobile Phones and Society Gphone (Google Phone)

Brace yourself for shoals of Babel fish references and a galaxy of Universal Translator callouts, as Google announce that they’re only years away from equipping Android phones with voice-translation software.  Unfortunately the incredible optimism with which most services are reporting on this is unfounded, but it’ll still be a useful tool.

Google Translate is already online, a service converting phrases and websites between languages - and whose results range from “missing the point” to “absolutely hilarious.”  It’s simply not possible for a machine to include all the nuances and slang in any translation, and won’t be until computers are so sophisticated we have to persuade them to work for us.  To say that (almost) real-time voice translation by 2015 is a little fanciful, is to say that saving the environment by taking the Unicorn to work is a little unlikely.

But it’ll still be a fantastic service.  While we won’t be discussing international philosophies on the phone, a crude but universal translation service will become essential for travellers.  As long as your target is patient or willing to work a little to understand (and most cashiers/ticket agents/police officers are paid to do those things) a handy pocket “MAKE WORDS LANGUAGE CLEAR HELP” will be useful.  But be warned it’ll sound almost exactly like that quote to the person listening.

See How the Google Nexus One Came About

Posted February 8th, 2010 by Andrew Boxall in Mobile News Google Android

We love learning more about the design and construction of our favourite mobile phones, and even though the Nexus One has yet to officially reach these shores via a UK network, it still holds a special place in our hearts.  So it was with great interest that we headed over to Google’s YouTube page, where a series of short films caught our eye.

The short films in question will make up The Story, a documentary on how the Google Nexus One came about and the tech found inside.  There are currently four videos available, starting with the concept and design and followed by one on the display and 3D, then one on testing and finally, the manufacturing of the phone.  One more entry is expected to finish the series.

Admittedly, the videos can slip into marketing puff, but there are enough interesting factoids in each segment to hold your attention.  Plus, we can’t complain too much, as Google is being far more transparent about what it takes to make a new phone than any other company out there!

More Rumours of Windows Phone 7 Appearing at MWC Circulate

Posted February 8th, 2010 by Andrew Boxall in Windows Mobile Mobile News Microsoft

We’ve been following the Windows Mobile 7 story with interest for a while, along with every other mobile phone fan we imagine, even going so far as to give the oft-delayed OS an award for its tardiness at then end of 2009.  The last we heard, there was a chance we would see Microsoft’s next incarnation of its mobile OS at MWC, a rumour which has not only gained momentum, but a few more interesting possibilities too.

What will be revealed at Mobile World Congress is likely to be the user interface of the next Windows Phone, apparently codenamed ‘Metro’.  It will be closely related to the Zune HD interface, to the point where the Zune music player will be integrated and used for PC syncing, and have support for Xbox gamer tags, friends and avatars - all of which brings the Microsoft family closer together in the same way as both Apple did with the iPod and Sony Ericsson have recently done with the Aino.

What Metro won’t have is Flash, multi-tasking, backwards compatibility for applications or the opportunity for manufacturers to insert their own UI over the top.  Again, this lock down seems awfully familiar.  While the lack of a Sense UI-style overlay will not matter if Windows Phone’s own UI has been improved in the way they’re saying - clean, soulful and alive are the quoted terms, whatever they mean in relation to a mobile phone - the removal of both Flash and multi-tasking essentially removes two of the previous selling points over its competitors!

We’ve got a week until Mobile World Congress kicks off and since the rumour says it will only be the UI we’ll see, we presume it’s going to be in video form, making any proper assessment of Windows Phone 7  almost as speculative as the above details.  Perhaps we’ll be surprised and they’ll load it onto an HD2 for us all to have a try, but we won’t hold our breath!

Top Ten Mobile Phone News Stories of the Week

Posted February 5th, 2010 by Andrew Boxall in Weekly Round-up

Enjoy our roundup of some of the best mobile phone stories that you may have missed this week:

1.  Nokia Cseries Phone Leaked.

The phone in question is rumoured to be the C5 - perhaps not to best name to have chosen, given its history -  and is possibly one of several phones in Nokia’s new Cseries, which were first discussed when they appeared alongside the Xseries leak back in July 2009.  It’s not very high-spec, with a 2.2″ screen and a 3.2 megapixel camera, but it will have 3G and Symbian S60, so not all is lost.  There is a chance we will learn more during the Nokia event running alongside Mobile World Congress later in the month.

2.  No Motorola Zeppelin for the UK?

It’s another Android phone from Motorola, this time with a 3.2″ touchscreen, a 5 megapixel camera and Android 1.5.  The design and spec make it appear to slot somewhere around the same mid-range spot as the DEXT, which is fine, but it looks like the Zeppelin won’t be coming to the UK anytime soon.  Of course, as the phone is still unannounced, this could change later on.

3.  T-Orange Investigation Still Expected.

They won’t let it lie, will they!  The formation of the largest UK mobile operator is still in doubt, as the Office of Fair Trading have made a request to the EC to investigate the merger, spurred on by support from consumer groups including Which?.  The 3 network has also joined in, asking for a release of at least a third of the 1800MHz spectrum the pair would control should the merge happen. … continue reading "Top Ten Mobile Phone News Stories of the Week"

Mobile Phones Become Mobile Wallets

Posted February 5th, 2010 by Luke McKinney in Mobile Phones and Society

For many, the mobile phone is the core of communication - why not add the bank and shops to your contacts?  New technology can convert your phone into a credit card for cashless payment, at least if you live in Singapore.  The Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS) has just launched iNets - the third phone-cash service in the city after DBS’s AXS and Singpost’s SAMs.

The critical aspect for any cashless service launch is convincing companies to accept it right from the start - if people find they can’t spend with your system, they won’t.  Ever. iNets has secured an intelligent line-up of starting services, including Singapore Power utilities, Cathay Cineplex’s for entertainment, the United Overseas Bank, cable TV Starhub, and of course a phone service - SingTel.  The service courts new users by following the internet account model, with users able to personalise their logins instead of memorizing cryptic bank-issued codes - which might sound like a security risk, which it is, but no worse than with a credit card.

Meanwhile the West is slowly maybe thinking about perhaps doing it while missing the point entirely.  Services like San Diego’s “Fandango” are offering limited rollouts of a couple of cinemas, and you can only buy tickets or gift cards, and there’s a $1 “convenience fee” for daring to actually use a new system which saves the company from doing any work.  Or would, if they weren’t charging people extra for it.  Silicon Valley analysts agree that there are immense obstacles to cashless payments, apparently unaware that other parts of the world have already gotten on with it.

For mobile phone fans it’s the same old story: things we’re maybe hoping to get someday, Asia already has in three different colours.

Symbian Goes Open Source…Finally!

Posted February 4th, 2010 by Andrew Boxall in Symbian Mobile News

Following Nokia’s purchase of Symbian and the creation of the Symbian Foundation, it was always the intention to make the Symbian smartphone OS truly open source.  However, those best laid plans never quite work out the way they’re set out, and Symbian has been open-ish source for a while, available only to members of the Foundation.

But as of today this is going to change, as presumably all the legal wrangles holding up the transition have now been sorted out, so the Symbian platform’s source code will be available for download from 2pm today.  The open source nature of the OS means that developers can change the code as much as they want and implement it on anything they like.  In turn, this should increase innovation and speed up development of the platform, in a way which hasn’t been possible before.

Could this move kickstart a growth in Symbian which will see a truly modern OS developed to take on the likes of Apple and Android?  Or, as is noted by the BBC, that the open source status could be used simply for marketing purposes, in a similar way to Google’s successful stance?  We certainly want it to be the former!

Sony Ericsson Vivaz: Cue The Film

Posted February 3rd, 2010 by Harriet Rhodes in Mobile Phone News

Ever since rumours and pictures of the Sony Ericsson Vivaz emerged, albeit under the Kurara nametag, everyone was hooked. Thankfully, Sony Ericsson only left us waiting a couple of months before the official announcement came. On January 21^st the Sony Ericsson Vivaz was revealed to the world. By this time there was little in the press release that hadn’t already been discussed, realistically all that was left to do was to get some hands on action!

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz represents a few firsts for the company, not only is it Sony Ericsson’s first multimedia handset release of 2010, but it is also the first to sport the ‘human curvature’ design that will be adopted across the new range. If this design concept passed you by, what Sony Ericsson has done is curve the outer casing of the phone so that it fits perfectly and comfortably into the human hand, making it far easier to get more one-handed action out of the touchscreen. Despite being plastic the casing doesn’t look or feel cheap, perhaps that has something to do with the sleek edging, curved design and smudge free surface, whatever it is the Sony Ericsson Vivaz will undoubtedly captivate its audience. … continue reading "Sony Ericsson Vivaz: Cue The Film"