Mobile Fun Blog

New iPod Touch on its way?

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

According to developers who have been dissecting the latest version (2.1) of the iPhone/iPod Touch software, we’re about to get a brand new iPod Touch. The current iPod Touch has previously been referred to in the source code as “iPod1,1″, but the latest software points to a device “iPod2,1″ – and as of yet no such device exists, so leading developers believe a new iPod is not that far away.

This may not mean a lot to most people, and you would be right for thinking that this might just mean a larger capacity iPod Touch coming, but a change in source code has not meant a change in capacity in previous models!

So what are we likely to see then? An all new iPod Nano Touch? A Shuffle Touch? I don’t think we’ll have that long to wait to find out as Apple normally update their iPod line up around September. So as the kids go back to school and you start thinking about Christmas , watch our for some big announcements.

Via MacRumours

(19 votes, average: 4.95 out of 5)

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HTC Touch Diamond Vs iPhone 3G

Friday, July 11th, 2008

This week we are comparing two of the most talked about touch screen phones around - the iPhone 3G and the HTC Touch Diamond.

By HTC Touch Diamond Fan – Mark Hadley

"The tiny size is the first thing that you notice when you first hold a HTC Touch Diamond in the palm of your hand.

But don’t think this constrains its use as the TouchFLO interface is a joy to use. Navigating through menus and websites is a very simple process. Flicking through photo albums has a nice touch when using your finger and the accelerometer mean that when you turn the phone on its side, the screen automatically rotates to landscape mode so your photos fill the whole screen.

It looks great – the back of the phone has many faceted edges, resembling the surface of a diamond. This gives the phone a special feel and makes it look classy! Also a cool little feature is that the slot that the stylus is stored in is magnetized, so the stylus is ‘sucked’ back into the slot when inserting the stylus.

Overall, internet browsing is a simple, enjoyable experience with the large 2.8" inch screen and full Internet Explorer functionality giving you a classy user experience."

For those of you who are interested in buying the HTC Touch Diamond, we have a SIM free version available. If you already have the HTC Touch Diamond, why not check out our great range of accessories.

By iPhone 3G Fan – Andrew Simpson

"When the original iPhone launched last year, I was all set to get one. That was until I saw the spec and realised how limited it was in regards to the choice of network operator (only available on 02), the lack of 3G and the price. Knowing Apple as I do, I knew it wouldn’t be long until they brought out an upgraded model and that it would be the one I’d get. I use my phone a lot for browsing the internet and for email, so having a phone only running on O2′s Edge would be painful. The Edge network was poor but I’ve noticed that over the last few months, coverage has increased and you can now get HSDPA signal pretty much everywhere you go – equating to speeds of around 3mbps.

Although there have been loads of "iPhone Killers" launched over the last 12 months, none of them have come close to the iPhone. Their touch screen interfaces tend to be sticky and uncomfortable to use, where as the iPhone is slick and easy. iPhone 3G also comes shipped with the latest version iPhone 2.0 software, which adds support for third party applications and games. This was something that was only possible on earlier versions if you unlocked you iPhone. The iPhone 2.0 software is also rumoured to act as a remote control for iTunes, so no more running around the house to change tracks – great if you use airport express at home to stream your music around the house.

Visually, there's not much difference between the new version and the old iPhone, other than the introduction of a white 16GB model. The best news for me now is that i'm not going to have to shell out £269 for it as I can get this iPhone for free!"

See the full range of iPhone 3G accessories.

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My weekend with the KF600

Monday, April 7th, 2008

This weekend I decided to take a break from my Nokia N82 and spend a little time with the LG KF600.

The KF600 is the latest handset from the Korean manufacturer and is trying to change the way that we use our phones with the introduction of its “InteractPad”.

The phone looks stylish, is a decent size and weight and feels well built. The one thing you notice immediately is the lack of keys on the front of the phone. The KF600 is a touch phone, but with a twist. Rather than having a large touch screen display that drains battery power, the screen has been split into two parts, the display and the InteractPad.

The InteractPad is a unique way of using your phone, from the standby screen you have 6 touch sensitive keys, and as you move through the different screens of the phone, these buttons move and adapt to suit the application you’re using. In some cases I found the InteractPad to be a bit awkward, but in other applications it works really well.

I tend to use my phone mainly for photo’s, music, email, internet and texting rather than making calls. The camera on the KF600 is a 3 megapixel and has an LED flash. Photo’s come out clear and pretty sharp, and if you print them out they will be of a decent quality at 6″ x 4″ size. The flash is ok for taking photo’s in low light close up, but if what you’re taking photo’s of is more than a metre away, it probably won’t be much use.

The KF600 works really well as an MP3 player. There’s a dedicated shortcut key on the side of the phone for quick access and I found it easy to transfer tracks to the phone using Bluetooth or the data cable and software that came with it. The music interface is probably the best use of the InteractPad, you have the usual play/pause, forward and rewind, as well as a track progress bar. Normally these just scroll along with no purpose, but with the interact pad you can simply drag the slider to get to the part of the track you want – great if you want to skip sections of podcasts.

Email and texting works well too. Predictive text meant writing messages is quick and easy, and setting up POP3 email was very straight forward. The only thing I found to be not so great here was the handwriting recognition. In theory it sounds great, but in reality, writing with the end of your finger just isn’t accurate enough, and for hardcore texters, you’ll be able to text using the keypad a lot faster.

Internet access on the KF600 is pretty standard, it runs off a GPRS connection, so a fairly slow connection, but if you just want to check the odd train time or find out what’s on at the cinema then it does the job with no problem at all.

Overall the KF600 is a good all round handset. It will take a little getting used to with the InteractPad, and for the first few days I can guarantee you’ll be touching the top half of the screen and wondering why nothing is happening, but give it a week and you’ll be flying through the menus, but once you’ve got used to the interact pad, you may struggle to go back to a conventional phone.

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Mobile World Congress: Sony Ericsson Announcements

Monday, February 18th, 2008

Sony Ericsson has announced a range of new handsets at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. Seven handsets were announced in total, each unique in their own way. Sony Ericsson has introduced a more rugged and durable handset, a sleek new Walkman handset and a premium touch screen device running Windows Mobile.

Xperia X1:
The handset getting the most attention on the Sony Ericsson stand is without doubt the Xperia X1. A Windows Mobile device, with a slide out QWERTY keyboard and a 3″ WVGA (800×480) screen in landscape mode. Using the device could not be simpler with its full touch screen interface and a 4 way joystick to help with navigation.

The X1 has an FM radio, 3.5mm audio jack, built in GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 also has a 3.2 megapixel camera and has 400MB of internal storage. You can increase the storage using the micro SD card slot. The X1 supports HSDPA and HSUPA giving data speeds of up to 7.2Mbps (network dependant).

G700 and G900

The G700 and G900 are two new touch screen devices running Symbian UIQ software normally found on higher tier devices such as the P1. Both handsets are aimed at business users that need more handset functionality and give one touch access to calendars, notes and web pages.

They have 160MB internal memory that can be expanded using a Micro M2 Memory Stick. The G700 features a 3.2 megapixel camera, with image and video stabiliser. The G900 supports Wi-Fi and has a 5 mega pixel camera with the ability to select the focus point just by touching the screen.

C702
The C702 is a new phone to the Cyber-Shot family, designed for those with a more active lifestyle. It is dust and splash proof and comes with GPS built in for navigation and guidance.

The 3.2 Mega pixel camera has face detection and red eye reduction as well as the option to “geo tag” your photos using the GPS receiver. Once uploaded to an online photo album such as flickr, you can see exactly where your photographs were taken. The phone will support fast internet over HSDPA and stereo Bluetooth with A2DP profile.

C902
The slim C902 also belongs to the Cyber-Shot family. It has a 5 megapixel camera concealed in a unique sliding design. It also has an advanced flash that can be used when taking photos using Sony Ericsson’s “BestPic” feature. This allows you to take up to 9 photos with flash in quick succession and select the ones you want to save.

The camera controls have been improved and are now operated through the phones touch screen. The C902 has 160 MB of internal memory, a Memory Stick Micro memory card slot and has full Walkman like media playback.

W980
The W980 is another in Sony Ericsson’s range of Walkman Music phones. It has a 3.2 megapixel camera and 8 gigabytes of internal memory. The W980 also has an in-built FM transmitter, so you can now listen to your music on any radio with in 2-3 metres.

When closed the phone looks like a portable MP3 Player, and its touch sensitive buttons give you full control over your music.The W980 provides clear stereo and bass and lets you control your music with shake control, SensMe and TrackID. The music can be listened to through a Bluetooth Stereo headset as it supports the A2DP profile. You can also download music direct to the phone using Sony Ericsson’s “Play Now” service over a HSDPA connection.

Z770
The Z770 is a clamshell design, aimed at professionals and business users that need email and high speed data – without the desire for a smartphone or PDA. The Z770 has a 2.2″ display and a 2 megapixel camera. Internet connection is fast over HSDPA and it has Bluetooth with A2DP support. The internal memory is 32MB, which can be expanded using a Memory Stick Micro memory card.

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Mobile World Congress: Nokia Announcements

Thursday, February 14th, 2008

Nokia have started the Mobile World Congress with the announcement of 4 new handsets. Two more handsets will join their N-Series range: the N96, successor to their flagship N95 and the N78, replacement for the N73. Nokia have also announced the Nokia 6120 as the replacement for the 6110 Navigator and a new 6220 Classic, a high spec non N-Series Multimedia device.

	Nokia N96 The N96 carries over all the features from the current N95 8GB, but has more of a look and feel of the Nokia N81. Additions to the already impressive list of specifications on the N95 8GB are, more memory – up from 8GB to 16GB of internal storage, as well as the capability to take up to 16GB Micro SDHC memory cards – Giving it potentially 32GB of storage. Nokia are also adding a digital TV tuner, so now not only can you watch video files, but live television too, but not in the UK as you need a DVB-H signal. DVB-H isn’t due to start broadcasting in the UK for a few years.
	Nokia N78 The N78 is similar in spec to that of the current Nokia N82. Having 3.2 Megapixel camera with xenon flash, built in GPS with the capability to Geo-tag your photo’s and Wi-Fi. New features introduced to the N78 are a touch sensitive D-pad, meaning you can scroll through photos and menu’s by sliding your thumb along one edge of the square silver D-pad. Nokia have also built in an FM transmitter, normally available as an add on accessory, this enables the N78 to play music from your phone on any FM radio.
	Nokia 6120 Navigator The 6120 is an update to the current 6110 navigator. Offering built in GPS, this is designed to be a personal navigation system, with more focus on pedestrian use. The built in compass and accelerometer work together to keep the map facing in the correct direction. The camera has been increased from 2 mp to 3.2 and it now supports mobile broadband data speeds (HSDPA) for faster searches and map downloads.
	Nokia 6220 Classic The 6220 classic is essentially a non N-Series version of the Nokia N82 having the same 5 Megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and xenon flash. Support for Micro SDHC Memory cards up to 8GB is also included.

All of these handsets will ship with Nokia Maps pre-installed. Nokia Maps 2.0 is an upgrade over the current Maps application, offering improved usability, as well as faster satellite locks and enhanced local searching. For more information on Nokia Maps, check out our Nokia Maps 2.0 review.

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