Archive for October, 2009
October 31, 2009
Hands-on Nokia N900 review the best Nokia smartphone yet
As promised, here’s my hands-on Nokia N900 review. Is it as good as the specs suggest it should be? Is Nokia’s new Internet Tablet that thinks it’s a phone actually better than the N97, the smartphone that’s not all that smart? Yes to both is the exciting answer – but there is a twist in the [...]
Coin operated mobile phone for the credit crunch
Dial-a-Phone has the scoop today on a coin operated mobile phone designed to cut spending in the credit crunch. The phone is codenamed the 100-F from a Latvian manufacturer, new to the mobile phone market, called Lirpa. It seems bizarre, but the phone design has been inspired by the global credit crunch (which must have reached [...]We love mobile phonesCoin operated mobile phone for the credit crunch
October 27, 2009
Were Ready for the iPhone 3GS!
UK network O2’s sole exclusivity to sell the iPhone is about to end, two years after they sold their first one, with Apple reaching agreements with Orange, Vodafone and potentially T-Mobile and 3 too. First out of the gate to offer an alternative network solution is Orange, with a tentative release date of the 11th [...]
BlackBerry Bold 9700 Unveiled: Refinement Over Revolution
After shaping up their touchphone game with the BlackBerry Storm2 last week, Canadian manufacturer Research In Motion have turned their hand to rejuvenating their ‘hero’ handset with the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Taking many cues from the street-savvy ‘Curve’ range of BlackBerry phones, the Bold 9700 has eschewed the iconic trackball, instead going digital with an optical [...]
October 25, 2009
Nokia 7705 Twist
A radically different design from most other handsets, the Nokia 7705 Twist is a messaging phone designed exclusively for the Verizon network in the US.
October 18, 2009
Game co. Gazillion lays off staff at John Romeros Slipgate Ironworks studio
Gazillion, a high-flying online game publisher that has raised a ton of money, has laid off an unspecified number of game developers at its Slipgate Ironworks online games studio, VentureBeat has learned. The layoffs did not affect Gazillion’s other studios: the Amazing Society, NetDevil, and Gargantuan Games. Gazillion, based in SanMateo, Calif., confirmed the layoffs but declined to say how many jobs were affected. San Francisco-based Slipgate is working on a massively multiplayer online game, but it hasn’t said what it’s about. The studio is one of four major game studios that Gazillion has either created or acquired in the past couple of years. The unannounced brain behind Slipgate is John Romero, the designer of the seminal shooting game, Doom, which id Software launched in 1993. Romero is an executive vice president at Slipgate. Rob Hutter, former chief of Revolution Ventures, founded the company in 2005 to focus on making high-quality MMOs, or world simulations with thousands or even millions of players. The gold standard in the business is Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft. Up until March, Gazillion operated in stealth mode as NR2B Research. While Hutters background is in investment, he did make a game for the Commodore 64 when he was 12 years old. He also recruited talent from a bunch of entertainment companies: Blizzard Entertainment, Pixar Animation Studios, Microsoft, Apple, and others. Back in March, the company said it had 300 employees. Its big announced projects are MMOs around the Lego and Marvel properties. Gazillion managed to get the licenses because it has spared no expense and hired a huge team across its four studios. Among its investors are Oak Investments, Allen & Company, Founders Fund, Hearst Corp. Investment Group, Revolution Ventures and UV Partners. The company has not disclosed how much money its raised to date. The management team includes Paul Baldwin, marketing chief, and former top marketing man at Eidos Interative, the maker of the Tomb Raider games. In a statement, a spokesman for Gazillion confirmed the layoffs and said, ” As part of our focus on reaching the widest possible audiences with breakthrough MMO entertainment, we decided to change the format of our project at Slipgate Ironworks to better achieve this aim. The game well launch will build on the efforts to date with a smaller core team and the other Slipgate staff are already in discussions around the many open positions across our slate of projects. 2010 will be an exciting year for Gazillion as we bring several groundbreaking MMOs to markets worldwide. Were tremendously appreciative for the dedication and creativity of our employees who make this all possible.”
October 17, 2009
Methods of Parental Control to Monitor Kids Mobile Use
Kids are getting their first mobile phones at younger ages than ever before. As cell phones become increasingly common among children, a number of problems have cropped up. Using phones to cheat on tests in school, running up excessive text message charges and participating in sexting are all things that kids are doing which worry [...]
Sony Ericsson Aino Deals Now Available, But What IS Remote Play?
With Sony Ericsson’s Aino now on shelves and Team Omio being gaming junkies, we wanted to know exactly what we can and can’t do using the phone’s ‘Remote Play’ hook up to the Playstation 3. Thankfully a very comprehensive post up on Sony’s European Playstation blog tells us that an Aino can: - turn a PS3 on [...]
October 14, 2009
Nokia 7705 Twist a super-social phone for social people
Finally tonight, a last post featuring…yet another Nokia phone! Honestly, I think these guys are trying to make sleep deprived. I’m sure they’re releasing phones faster than I can write about them! The phone in question is the Nokia 7705 Twist,…
Toshiba Demos Liquid Fuel Cell-powered Mobile Phones
Toshiba is taking mobile batteries one step further by showcasing their direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) battery. This new battery was fitted inside a cell phone and is said to have the ability to power the phone for approximately six hours of talk time and about 13 days on standby and then be recharged in [...]
Funambol Launches Version 8
California-based Funambol has launched version 8 of its open source software, which syncs mobile data and content with social networks, email systems and PCs. The company has redesigned the user interface of its AJAX web portal, making it easier for users to access mobile data and rich media in the cloud. The updated portal gives [...]
October 14, 2009
Watch Television On Your iPhone With TVCatchUp!
Simple as the headline suggests, really. Internet TV streaming site TVCatchUp are celebrating their first birthday with a beta for their impressive new service, which allows iPhone and iPod Touch owners to get FreeView channels over 3G or Wi-Fi. Point your Safari browser toward http://iphone.tvcatchup.com and enjoy 12 channels (at present) of clear and crisp UK telly, [...]
More Samsung I5700 Spica pics and details leaked today
More details about Samsung I5700 Spica, previously known as Galaxy Lite, leaked online today. The Android-powered smartphone should be announced next month with a price of 350 euro, which is quite…
Sony Ericsson Satio vs. Samsung Omnia 2 Comparison : Mobile Phone Face Off!
This week has seen a raft of new handsets flood the market, from Windows phones to budget blowers and everything in between. However, Samsung’s Omnia 2 handset seems to fly the flag for Windows Mobile 6.5, equipped with a touchscreen interface and sleek form factor to lure smart phone converts. How does it weigh up against [...]
October 8, 2009
Microsoft Introduces Windows Phones To Market
Time was once that Microsoft was known solely as the mobile software provider for pack horse handsets, business phones the size of breeze blocks but ones to bring desktop functionality out of the office and into the pocket. Now mobile convergence is commonplace, and the ability to access the web, mail and social networking sites is [...]
Motorola DEXT Reviewed, A Promising Start
The Motorola DEXT, an Android-packing handset that marks a return for the troubled American manufacturer, has been favourably received in a review on CNET UK. Flora Graham is positive about the socially geared smartphone in their Motorola DEXT review, marking out the merged contact lists and access to the Android Market as being impressive, as well [...]
October 8, 2009
Pantech Reveal Phone (AT&T)
Released for AT&T, the Pantech Reveal is a slim handset with an open-faced numeric keypad that slides up to reveal a keyboard. Both sets of keys stay active, giving users fast access to numbers and letters at the same time.
HTC Tilt 2 Phone (AT&T)
Released for AT&T, the HTC Tilt 2 comes with advanced speakerphone technology, turning any room into a conference room. Flipping the handset over activates a speakerphone similar to those found in corporate boardrooms.
October 6, 2009
Samsung Mythic Phone (AT&T)
Released for AT&T, the Samsung Mythic features a 3.3-inch touch screen display and AT&T’s Mobile TV service. The handset features AT&T’s new modified Opera Web browser, giving users three windows to surf the Internet.
Samsung Behold 2 (SGH-T939) Phone (T-Mobile)
Released for T-Mobile, the Samsung Behold 2 is powered by Google’s Android software. It has a sleek AMOLED touch screen display equipped with Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface for easy customization with widgets and one-touch access to favorite applications.