Blog Archive - December 2010

Thursday, December 31st 2009

Phone manufacturers are finally getting the hint - resistive screens for touch input don't cut the mustard.

This is according to Trusted Reviews, which took a look at the Nokia X6 - the first in the company's range to employ a capacitive display.

"After holding out in the resistive camp for far too long, Nokia now seems to have come to its senses," the website said.

However, it went on to note that while the X6's "excellent" 3.2-inch screen is certainly fancy and "very responsive", there is more to the handset than that to attract buyers.

It comes equipped with 32 gigabytes of storage, a 12-month subscription to the Comes With Music service, FM radio, 3.

Tuesday, December 29th 2009

The HTC Hero has been named as one of the best mobile phones of 2009.

According to T3, which summed up what it believed to be the winning handsets of the year, the HTC brand was previously "uninspiring" - but transformed itself with the emergence of Google's Android operating system.

Indeed, the Hero clearly demonstrated just how good Android was.

The Palm Pre was also singled out for praised by T3. Another brand almost unknown in 2008, it caught up with market leaders after launching the Pre - described by the website as "a true iPhone alternative". All eyes will be on the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show to see what is next in Palm's pipeline.

Thursday, December 24th 2009

If you have ever wondered on December 24th how Father Christmas is getting on with his mammoth present delivery, then Google Maps for your mobile phone could be the answer.

The folks over at the search engine recently highlighted this gadget, which now comes on most web-enabled handsets.

Just as you'd type in "Italian restaurants in Manchester" or "cinemas in Wood Green" to find what you were looking for, you can pop "Santa" into the Google Map search box to find out where he is at that particular time.

Tuesday, December 22nd 2009

Google's Android operating system is the one to watch in the computing market, says one expert.

Rosemary Hattersley is PC Advisor's associate editor and thinks that the industry is going to see some even more impressive advances within the next year.

Google Android is already being used on mobile phones such as the HTC Magic, enabling owners to stay connected and informed on the go with a suite of services such as Gmail, YouTube, Outlook synchronisation and Google Maps.

The operating system is also present in the impressive T-Mobile G1, with all of the above plus the instant messaging tool Google Talk.

Tuesday, December 22nd 2009

One reviewer has recently said "woohoo!" to a new Simpsons app for the Apple iPhone.

Writing for CNET, Rick Broida said he was very excited about the Simpson's coin-op arcade game, which is reportedly heading to the handset.

The Simpsons Arcade sees players cast as the Springfield family's patriarch Homer, who must venture through the town conquering various mini-games and very probably eating lots of doughnuts on the way.

Apparently there will also be a "devious scheme" for him to uncover - probably set up by classic villain Monty Burns and his sidekick Waylon Smithers.

"Homer can punch, kick, dodge, belly-flop and - my favourite - butt-slam his enemies," Mr Broida said.

Thursday, December 17th 2009

Those on Monkey - the pay-as-you-go package offered by 4Music and Orange - might be benefiting from an early Christmas present this year.

Yesterday (December 16th), the network announced that this group of customers would be able to hear the newest musical effort from global chart-breaker Eminem, a full day before it goes on release.

As of 00:01 GMT today, Monkey users can take a sneak peek at Relapse: Refill - an updated version of the rapper's 2009 album featuring bonus tracks and never-before-heard tunes.

But if the Orange Monkey package isn't for you, there are many other deals on the market.

Tuesday, December 15th 2009

If you are the friend or relation of a mobile phones lover, then five ideas recently suggested by CNET could give you some fantastic gift ideas for the festive season.

According to the website, getting the right accessory for your handset can "take a mobile phone from awesome to epic", so snagging a good present in these last shopping days before Christmas may be a wise move.

First up is the MiFi wireless modem, launched by 3 a few weeks ago. All you have to do is put your 3 sim card in and then you are able to connect up to four devices, using the Wi-Fi provided by the gadget.

A Spotify premium subscription was also recommended - and at £10 per month, this won't break the bank.

Friday, December 11th 2009

More than 5,000 games, ringtones, wallpapers and apps are now available for consumers after the launch of Orange's Application Shop this week.

If you haven't tried it yet, maybe this weekend is a good time to give it a whirl. According to the network, it enables "one-click access" to all sorts of information and entertainment.

More work is planned for the scheme in 2010, but until then, more than one million customers in France and the UK can browse the myriad products available.

Yves Tyrode is European vice president of Orange Technocentre and said the mobile site is "tailor made" to enable faster and better content management and use.

Friday, December 11th 2009

Looking for a new phone? So are lots of people this time of year - and sometimes it can be hard to decide which out of the hundreds on the market are any good.

However, the Samsung Omnia Lite GT B7-300 has been given a thorough once-over by gadget website Trusted Reviews, which awarded it an overall score of six out of ten.

The good points of the handset included its size and shape, as it is taller and thinner than many other smartphones currently available. An "angular" design and extra applications give the Omnia Lite an edge over some competitors, the site added, citing the Opera Mini web browser as one of the positives.