Over the last 3 months, we’ve been asking our blog readers, twitter followers and Facebook fans to vote for the mobile phone that they think has the X-Factor.

We’ve received thousands of votes and each week the handset with the fewest votes was booted out of the competition and we’re now left with our final three – the HTC Desire HD, Samsung Galaxy S and Apple’s iPhone 4.

Which Phone has the X-Factor? Cast your Vote now!

If you’ve not cast your vote in this poll you have another chance to win now, but you’ll need to be quick as voting closes on Monday morning at 10 am, when we’ll be announcing the winner of the vote and then drawing a name out of hat to find that phone a new home.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply head to the Love Your Mobile page on Facebook, ‘Like’ us and then head to the polls tab to cast your vote and don’t forget to tell all your friends so that they can be in with a chance too.

We’ve already had a number of winners with Love Your Mobile. Mike Grove won a Sim Free HTC Desire back in July and Nadine Gruber, Amy Suddens and Glenn Cameron all won tickets to the live X-Factor Auditions in Birmingham in June. Will you be our next winner?

The news comes after an failed roll-out of Android 2.1 in September, which caused glitches galore and left a lot of users unhappy.  Dell are hoping to endear themselves to customers again with a speedy update to Froyo, which they promise should be out by early December.  A Dell employee has posted on the Dell support forums, saying, “I can tell you that our target date is NOT December 31. In fact, the over-the-air update to 2.2 target date is much sooner than that”.

Many (including me) were initially sceptical about the Dell Streak, as it didn’t seem to fit neatly into any category: too big to be a smartphone, yet too small to really be classed as a tablet.  However, it’s been one of the unexpected triumphs of the year, and with Apple now developing a smaller version of the iPad (presumably at least in part inspired by the Streak), it seems that Dell managed to find themselves a gap in the market after all – a 5 inch sized gap, you might say!

In case any of you are planning on upgrading to the Streak now that Android 2.2 is on the way, here’s a run-through of what Dell Streak accessories are available to keep that massive screen safe and protected.

The first and most obvious thing to get your hands on is a Dell Streak screen protector.  The MFX version is great value, as well as being easy to apply.  It won’t leave any residue on your screen if you take it off, and it’ll protect your touchscreen from most scratches and scrapes.

OtterBox for Dell Streak Impact Series

Whilst a screen protector will protect the front of your phone, it won’t protect the back or sides, so it’s worth getting hold of a Dell Streak case too – not to mention that they can add texture, colour and personality to a device.  The Otterbox Dell Streak cover shown above is made out of a sleek silicone which will prevent scratches whilst still allowing you to access all the buttons and functions on the phone.  It’ll protect from some knocks and bumps, too, though if that’s something you’re really worried about (bit of a butterfingers, are we?) then you might be better with a more heavy duty case or pouch, such as the Norever Leather Case, which is available for preorder now.

The Noreve is padded to cushion the device as well as being made from top-quality, handcrafted leather.  It’s also a nice one to go for if you want that business-like, professional look.

]]> http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/blog/2010/10/dell-streak-to-get-android-2-2-before-the-end-of-the-year/feed/ 0 http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/blog/2010/05/more-new-handsets-on-the-way-calendar-updated/ http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/blog/2010/05/more-new-handsets-on-the-way-calendar-updated/#comments Tue, 11 May 2010 13:47:56 +0000 Andy Simpson http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/blog/?p=7447 After a quiet few months for handset releases, things are starting to get interesting again! The HTC Desire is already dominating the handset charts, leaving the old favourites (Nokia, Motorola & LG) way behind.

Over the next few months we’ve got some great new handsets due to make an appearance and not only will we have a full blown handset war on our hands, but also a battle for the number one operating system too.

Android

Android on the Desire

Android phones are all the rage at the moment, with most handset manufacturers now offering at least one smartphone running Google’s operating system. Over the next few months we’ll see Android phones from Motorola  & Samsung with the Backflip and Galaxy S both making an appearance.

View all Motorola release dates
View all Samsung release dates

Bada

Bada on the Samsung Wave

With touch screen fast becoming the new standard way to interact with your phone, Samsung decided to give their ageing TouchWiz interface an overhaul. TouchWiz lives on in their standard handsets, but future touchscreen phones are set to use Bada, Samsung’s new finger controlled touch based OS. The Samsung Wave will be the first phone to run the new OS as well as feature a gorgeous Super AMOLED screen.

View all Samsung Release Dates

iPhone OS4

iPhone OS 4 on the iPhone HD/4G

The Apple fan boys are getting excited already – the new version of iPhone software was previewed last month and looks set to add a number of long awaited features. As with previous years, a new OS means a new phone’s not far behind, and thanks to Gizmodo, we’ve all got a pretty good idea on how it’s going to look.

View all iPhone Release Dates.

Symbian^3

Symbian^3 on the N8

If there’s one company that’s struggling to get to grips with touch based phones, it’s Nokia. Their attempts so far haven’t really been anything special. The X6 took steps in the right direction by having a capacitive touch screen, (what’s this?) and since then have been working hard on making the operating system more finger friendly. The Nokia N8 is the first handset to run the new interface and will be due very soon.

View all Nokia Release Dates.

Windows Phone 7

Windows Phone 7

Microsoft caused quite a stir a few months back when they previewed the new Windows Phone 7 software. The menu system almost makes the iPhone and Android operating systems look dated. We’ve still not seen any handsets that will run Windows Phone 7, but rumours are that HTC and LG will be amongst the first to release Windows Phone 7 handsets later this year.

View all HTC Release Dates.
View all LG Release Dates.

WebOS

WebOS from Palm

Palm debuted the WebOS platform on the Palm Pre a couple of years ago, it was praised by many and was predicted to knock the iPhone off it’s perch. Unfortunately that didn’t happen and Palm found themselves in all sorts of trouble. HP have just agreed to buy them so it’s going to be interesting to see what’s in store for the troubled operating system. Nothing is on the roadmap yet for WebOS, but it could be just what HP need to finally get noticed in the mobile world.

Watch this space for releases from HP & Palm.

To see all the latest release dates, head over to the Mobile Fun Release Calendar

Google Navigation has been available for a while in the United States, but Google only flipped the switch for UK customers last night and while most of your were sleeping, your phone was hard at work updating itself.

HTC Desire Now includes Free Sat Nav

How to upgrade:

If there’s one thing that I think Android does better than the iPhone, it’s performing software updates – they happen automatically in the background when you’re phone has a data connection and is not in use.

This means that you should already have the update on your phone, without having to do anything – if you can’t see the changes you may need to re-boot your phone, or if you’ve turned OTA (over the air) updates off, then you just need to head to the Android market place and download the latest version of Google Maps.

Compatibility:

Google Navigation is available on all Android devices that are running Android 1.6 or higher – regardless of manufacturer.

Handsets that should have received the update include:

• HTC Desire
• Nexus One
• Sony Ericsson X10
• Motorola Milestone
• HTC Legend

The most popular Android handset to date – the HTC Hero won’t have received the update to Google Navigation as it’s only running Android 1.5. If you’ve got one, don’t worry – you’ll get your update soon enough, infact, you’ve got an even bigger update coming in the next 8 weeks – Android 2.1 should be with you by the end of the first week in June and will bring with it a range of new features and improvements, as well as Google Navigation.

Navigation Features:

I have to admit, when I saw Google’s launch video for the navigation app I was impressed. I’ve put the video for you below, it’s a little cheesy, but shows what the app can do.

There is one feature that isn’t shown in the video that I think is worth a mention. You can save a location to your home screen as an icon, when ever you want to get there, you don’t have to mess around searching for them in the maps app and planning the route, just hit the shortcut on your home screen and you’ll be taken straight to Google navigation with the end address already defined.

Using Sat Nav in the Car:

To really make the most of Google Navigation you’ll need a couple of extra bits to keep your phone secure and charged. To give you an idea on what’s available, here’s a few accessories that are well worth investing in if you’re planning on using your phone as your main Sat Nav device.

Car Chargers:

Using the GPS functionality on your phone severely drains the battery, so if you want to be able to use your phone when you get to your destination. Most phones now use the standard Micro USB charger and the HTC Car Charger will work with all the handsets that currently support Google Navigation.

HTC CC C200 Micro USB Car Charger

The HTC CC-C200 consists of a tangle proof Micro USB charging cable and a USB Car Charger adapter. This allows you to not only charge your phone, but by using a different USB cable you can also use it to charge MP3 players, Bluetooth Headsets and portable games consoles. Chances are that you had a USB Charging cable in the box with your phones, so if you wanted to, you could use that to charge your phone in the car – you’ll just need to get yourself a USB Car Charger adapter.

Car Mounts & Holders:

The safest way to use your phone in the car is to have it secured in a car holder. There are loads of different styles to choose from ranging from simple, universal holders, right through to phone specific holders that are securely fitted to your dashboard.

For the best possible hold, I’d recommend using a Brodit Active holder/ Brodit Passive holder. These are specific to your phone and  are sturdy, robust holders that are designed to be screwed into place. Now I’d never dream of drilling holes in my car just to keep my phone safe, and Brodit know that this is something people won’t want to do, so they have developed theBrodit ProClip. ProClips clip on to your dashboard and provide a solid, flat area that you can screw your HD2 Car Holder onto. They can be removed easily without causing any damage to your vehicle. Active holders have a built in car charger where as Passive holders will just hold your phone.

Brodit Passive Holder for HTC Desire & Nexus One

If you want something a little less permanent, then a Car Pack or windscreen holder is a good option. The HTC Desire Car Pack has a heavy duty rubber pad that stays stuck to your windscreen and won’t fall off when you park in sunlight or have the heater on. If you share a car with other drivers and all have different phones, then you may be better off with the Dash Genie Car Holder. It’s a universal holder that sticks firmly to almost any dashboard and will hold any phone – without and awkward spring loaded clamps. You can see the Dash Genie being put to the test when Mobile Fun’s very own Stig took it for a test drive. You can see the results on the Mobile Fun YouTube Channel.

Car Pack For The HTC Desire

Car Kits:

If you really want to get the best from your Android phone and want an in car set up that can be used with your phone for handling calls, listening to music and satellite navigation there are a number of Plug & Play Car Kits and Fully Installed Car Kits available.

Play music from your Desire through your Car Stereo with the Jabra Cruiser

There are a number of Plug & Play Car Kits that will work with the Desire, Milestone and Legend. The Jabra Cruiser is one of the best. The Jabra Cruiser is a self install Bluetooth Car Kit that simply clips to the sun visor of your car and pairs to your phone using Bluetooth. The Cruiser supports the A2DP profile, which means that you can stream your music to it over Bluetooth and listen to it either using the internal speaker or you can stream the music from the Cruiser to your car stereo speakers using its built in FM Transmitter.

When you use a Google Navigation, any voice commands will also be played through your car stereo speakers so you won’t miss any directions. The battery life of the Cruiser is up to 14 hours talk time and 250 hours stand by.

Streaming using Bluetooth can be a drain on the battery, especially if you are using Sat Nav at the same time so you’ll almost certainly need a car charger.

Fully Integrated to your Car

If you want a more permanent solution or one where you don’t need to recharge the handsfree unit, then a fully fitted Car Kit will be your best bet.

Parrot MKi Car Kits - Perfect for Android

Of all the car kits available, the best kit you can get for calling, music playback and sat nav is one of the Parrot MKi Car Kits. Parrot only make Bluetooth accessories and because of that they make sure that every phone works brilliantly with their car kits.

There are three kits in the MKi range, the main difference between them is the screen that comes with them.

• The MKi9000 doesn’t have a screen and relies on you using your phone for caller ID and music information.
• The MKi9100 has a 2 line OLED screen that shows you song information and names and numbers from your phonebook.
• The MKi9200 has a full colour screen and built in card reader

Given that most Android phones have a large screen and great media controls, I’m not convinced that the external screen is all that necessary, so I’d opt for the MKi9000. You can play music from your phone through the MKi9000 either by connecting the 3.5mm headphone jack or you can stream your music to it using Bluetooth. The Mki9000 will synchronise with your phone book automatically and supports voice dialling.

There is also a small remote that you can attach to your dash or steering wheel to control your music (Play/Pause, track skip & volume). When you use Google Navigation on your phone, voice instructions come through your car stereo clearly, and if music is playing at the same time, it briefly mutes out the music so that you don’t miss any directions.

If you’ve got stereo controls built into the steering wheel of your car you can use the optional Parrot Unika for a fully integrated solution. This then allows you to control the MKi9000 car kit using your existing steering wheel controls instead of the remote. Regular software updates that improve compatibility with Android phones are available free of charge from the Parrot website.

If you’ve not seen a holder or car kit here that’s right for you, head over to the main site to our full range of accessories.

• View all HTC Desire Accessories
• View all Nexus One Accessories
• View all Sony Ericsson X10 Accessories
• View all Motorola Milestone Accessories
• View all HTC Legend Accessories

For more information on Google Navigation visit the Google Navigation Website where you’ll find a number of videos that will walk you through most parts of the application.

If you’ve got a Windows Phone and are looking to upgrade to the latest version, this post should tell you what you need to do to upgrade the software on your phone.

Can You Upgrade?

For most people, the answer unfortunately will be no as the number of handsets that can support Windows Mobile 6.5 is very limited. There are a couple of things that you’ll need to check to see if your handset is one of the lucky ones.

Firstly, you’ll need to know what version of Windows your phone is currently running. To find out you’ll need to access the settings window on your phone.

• Press ‘Start’
• Press ‘Settings’
• Click on the ‘System’ Tab
• Click on the ‘Information’ or ‘About’ icon

The window that appears will then give you information about your phone and the software that it’s running. Compare your software version to the ones listed in the chart below to see if the upgrade is available.

Windows Mobile 6.5 - Can you upgrade?

One thing that is worth mentioning here, is that if you’ve previously upgraded from 6.0 to 6.1 then you won’t be able to upgrade again to 6.5 as your phone will lack the hardware that’s needed for Windows Mobile 6.5.

So how do you upgrade?

To upgrade your phone you’ll need to download the software from either your network or handset manufacturers website. Unfortunately though, not all manufacturers and networks are that fast at releasing the software, so you may have to wait a while for the software you need to be released.

Currently, updates have been released for the following handsets:

• HTC Touch Pro 2 (Download Windows Mobile 6.5 for the Touch Pro2 from htc.com)
• HTC Snap (Download Windows Mobile 6.5 for the Snap from htc.com)
• HTC Touch Diamond2 (Download Windows Mobile 6.5 for the Diamond2 from htc.com)

Updates are due shortly for the following handsets:

• Samsung Omnia II
• T-Mobile MDA V & Vario V  - Check the T-Mobile site for updates
• Vodafone Touch Pro2 – Check the Vodafone site for updates

I’ll add to this list as and when updates become available. If you have a network variation of one of the phones listed above you will need to wait for your network to release their version of the software before you update as the generic HTC Touch Pro2 version, for example, won’t work on the T-Mobile MDA V or Vodafone Touch Pro2 – even though they are the same handset.

Before you begin the update process we strongly recommend that you back up all data stored on your phone and remove the memory card. Once you’ve downloaded the software, plug your phone into your PC and launch active sync/mobile device manager. The phone should then begin the update process and can take up to an hour to complete.

If you’ve found an update for a UK handset that isn’t listed here, let me know using the comments form below and I’ll get the post updated.

BlackBerry 8520 - Is yours up to date?

Most of the major handset manufacturers have now made this a thing of the past by allowing you to update the software on their phones yourself, when and where you want.

Why should I update my phone?

You may not be experiencing any problems or software issues with your phone, so you may not think you need to update it, but some of the updates released can improve features such as battery life, photo quality and improve support for other devices such as Bluetooth Headsets. BlackBerry have recently released several completely new features onto some of their handsets through the Software Device Update. To see what’s been added recently, take a look at the features chart on the BlackBerry Website.

How do I update my BlackBerry?

If you already have BlackBerry Desktop Manager installed, you’ll need to use the Application Loader to upload the new firmware to your handset. If you haven’t installed it already you can download it free of charge from the BlackBerry Website. You’ll also need to check for the latest version of available firmware and download it from BlackBerry. You can find the latest version on the BlackBerry Device Software site.

Before you start though I’d recommend that you check the following:

• The battery in your BlackBerry handset is fully charged
• You have downloaded and installed the latest version of BlackBerry Desktop Manager
• You have downloaded the latest version of the BlackBerry firmware - Download now from the BlackBerry Website*
• If you’re working off a laptop, make sure you’re connected to a power supply
• You have the correct data cable for your phone

*Internet Explorer is needed to download latest version of BlackBerry Firmware. BlackBerry Desktop Manager isn’t an essential part of the process, but it will make managing your device a lot easier.

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the latest versions, it’s time to start updating your phone. You’ll need to be patient though as this isn’t the fastest process in the world and it will take some time to erase everything and then reinstall the software. When I ran through it for this post it took around 45 minutes on a BlackBerry Curve 8310 upgrading to 4.5.0.163 on a PC running Windows XP SP3.

To be on the safe side, I’d close any other applications on your computer and go make yourself a coffee while you wait for the update to finish.

It’s extremely important that once you start this process you don’t disconnect your BlackBerry from your computer or switch your computer off until the update has completed and you’re told it is safe to do so by the update application.

1. Connect your BlackBerry handset to your computer.
2. Launch BlackBerry Desktop Manager.
3. Double-click Application Loader. The Application Loader Wizard appears. You might need to unplug and re-attach the USB cable to your BlackBerry in order for it to be recognised.
4. Click Next.
5. Choose the software that you want to install and click Next.

   

   Update BlackBerry Firmware – Select Software Version to Install

6. If you’re asked for a password, type in your BlackBerry password and click Next.
7. The Device Application Selection screen appears. Select the applications to be loaded onto your BlackBerry smartphone.

   

   Update BlackBerry Firmware – Select Applications to Install

8. If the Device Backup screen appears, choose whether or not to automatically back up the BlackBerry smartphone. Click Next.
9. Click Next. The ‘Completing the Application Wizard’ screen will appear and display all the software that will be loaded to your BlackBerry smartphone.
10. Click the Advanced button and make sure that Erase all application data and Erase all currently installed applications are both selected. Note: If the Application Loader is not able to access all of the BlackBerry smartphone data, then both Erase all application data and Erase all currently installed applications will be grayed out.

    

    Update BlackBerry Firmware – Check ‘Erase all’ boxes

11. Click Next, You’ll be asked if you want to be notified of future updates, enter your email address and then clickNext again.
12. Click Finish. The BlackBerry firmware will now be updated on your BlackBerry. You’ll need to be patient though as this will take around 45 minutes to complete – maybe longer.

    

    Update BlackBerry Firmware – Software will take around 45 minutes to udpate

13. That’s it – All done. Once you see the update successful screen it is safe to disconnect your phone from your computer.

    

    Update BlackBerry Firmware – Update Complete

If you get any error messages at any point, you may need to start the process again. If you try 3 times and it still won’t work, you’ll need to take your handset to your nearest repair centre or contact BlackBerry for help.

Problems with your BlackBerry?

The error is caused by an installed application failing and damaging the BlackBerry Operating system in the process. The fix is to simply erase and reinstall the operating system to your phone.  This sounds difficult but isn’t too hard in practice. It’s something you can do yourself on your home PC using BlackBerry Desktop Manager. If you don’t feel confident in doing this yourself then you can take it to a BlackBerry repair centre and they’ll carry the repair out for you, but you might have to wait a couple of weeks for them to do it and if you’re out of warranty you’ll probably have to pay for it.

In most cases, the 12 steps listed below should get your handset working again & the process is exactly the same if you want to upgrade your firmware to a newer version.

Before you start though I’d recommend that you check the following:

• The battery in your BlackBerry handset is fully charged.
• You have downloaded and installed the latest version of BlackBerry Desktop Manager – Download now from the BlackBerry Website.
• You have downloaded the latest version of the BlackBerry firmware – Download now from the BlackBerry Website*.
• If you’re working off a laptop, make sure your laptop is connected to a power supply.
• You have the correct data cable for your phone.

*Internet Explorer is needed to download latest version of BlackBerry Firmware. BlackBerry Desktop Manager isn’t an essential part of the process, but it will make managing your device a lot easier.

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the latest versions, it’s time to start updating your phone. You’ll need to be patient though, as this isn’t the fastest process in the world and it will take some time to erase everything and then reinstall the software. When I ran through it for this post it took around 45 minutes on a BlackBerry Curve 8310 upgrading to 4.5.0.163 on a PC running Windows XP SP3.

To be on the safe side, I’d close any other applications on your computer and go make yourself a coffee while you wait for the update to finish.

It’s extremely important that once you start this process you don’t disconnect your BlackBerry from your computer or switch your computer off until the update has completed and you’re told it is safe to do so by the update application.

1. Connect your BlackBerry handset to your computer.
2. Launch BlackBerry Desktop Manager.
3. Double-click Application Loader. The Application Loader Wizard appears. You might need to unplug and re-attach the USB cable to your BlackBerry in order for it to be recognised.
4. Click Next.
5. Choose the software that you want to install and click Next.
   

   Update BlackBerry Firmware - Select Software Version to Install

6. If you’re asked for a password, type in your BlackBerry password and click Next.
7. The Device Application Selection screen appears. Select the applications to be loaded onto your BlackBerry smartphone.
   

   Update BlackBerry Firmware - Select Applications to Install

8. If the Device Backup screen appears, choose whether or not to automatically back up the BlackBerry smartphone. Click Next.
9. Click Next. The ‘Completing the Application Wizard’ screen will appear and display all the software that will be loaded to your BlackBerry smartphone.
10. Click the Advanced button and make sure that Erase all application data and Erase all currently installed applications are both selected. Note: If the Application Loader is not able to access all of the BlackBerry smartphone data, then both Erase all application data and Erase all currently installed applications will be grayed out.
    

    Update BlackBerry Firmware - Check 'Erase all' boxes

11. Click Next, You’ll be asked if you want to be notified of future updates, enter your email address and then click Next again.
12. Click Finish. The BlackBerry firmware will now be updated on your BlackBerry. You’ll need to be patient though as this will take around 45 minutes to complete – maybe longer.
    

    Update BlackBerry Firmware - Software will take around 45 minutes to udpate

13. That’s it – All done. Once you see the update successful screen it is safe to disconnect your phone from your computer.
    

    Update BlackBerry Firmware - Update Complete

If you get any error messages at any point, you may need to start the process again. If you try 3 times and it still won’t work, you’ll need to take your handset to your nearest repair centre or contact BlackBerry for help.

The update is free foriPhone 3G users, and there is a small charge of £5.99 for iPod Touch users.

To update your device, you need launch iTunes and connect your iPhone or iPod Touch.  Once it is recognised by iTunes, you need to select it from the list of devices and click on the summary tab.  Here you will see the option to ‘Check for Update’.

iTunes will connect to Apple’s servers, and after a few seconds you should see this message:

To start the update, click on ‘Download and Install’ and you will then be shown a screen that shows you more information about what is included in the software update.

When you click on Next, the download will start.  It’s around 230MB so might take a while to download, so go make yourself a drink while you wait for it to finish.  Once the download is complete, it will back up your existing device and begin the update process.

Depending on your download speed, the update process will take around 20-30 minutes to complete.

iPhone software 3.0 Beta 1 is now available to developers, and as we couldn’t wait to get our hands on it, we asked our guest reviewer Darryl Mitchell to have a play with the new software and let us know what’s new and if it’s any good. This is his review:

Nokia have just released a software update for the 5800 XpressMusic.

As well as fixing a few bugs, the software will add new features to your 5800 and is available to download now from the Nokia software update website.

Improvements in the new software version include faster data downloads from the Internet, an improved e-mail interface, and improvements to the built in search.