Mobile Phone News

March 15, 2010

Vodafone prepares Nexus One, HTC Legend and Desire

by Darren Allan

Vodafone is preparing to unleash a barrage of smartphone goodness in the near future, with three new models coming out. These are Google's troubled Nexus One, and the HTC Legend, along with the HTC Desire. Funnily enough, the Nexus One is being troubled by the likes of these other phones with a similar spec from HTC. The Desire has a ...

March 9, 2010

LG Cookie Fresh in the oven

by Darren Allan

Another biscuity LG phone has been unveiled, and this one is called the Cookie Fresh. The handset, which will be launched later this month, comes with a 3 inch touchscreen, a 2 megapixel camera, an FM radio, and built-in social networking support. It won't do 3G, and by all accounts is a budget pitched effort (hence the 2 megapixel ...

Vodafone to cut 500 UK jobs

by Darren Allan

Vodafone is set to cut 500 jobs at its headquarters in Newbury. This is according to a report in the Times, which states that the job losses will mainly be drawn from back office workers and middle management. The move is part of a £1 billion program of cuts planned to be implemented by the end of 2011, and ...

March 8, 2010

Mobile phones might learn to lip read

by Darren Allan

Is there anything more irritating than being sat next to someone in a train carriage, who is talking loudly into their mobile about their day at work, and how far away they are from the station? Well, yes, there is. Like being sat next to a man in a complete drunken stupor, who falls asleep on your shoulder ...

Could the iPhone 4G be around the corner?

by Darren Allan

The latest Apple related rumour concerns O2 and the company's recently updated iPhone tariffs. A number of sources on the net have picked up on the fact that O2 has added a small detail to its tariffs – namely that they now mention video calls. This has been seen by some as an indication that the iPhone 4G, complete with ...

March 5, 2010

Google Buzz gets an iPhone app

by Darren Allan

Remember Google Buzz? You can't have forgotten it already, surely? Although we must admit, we've already ousted it from our Gmail inbox, switching it off after only a week of experimentation. Anyway, Buzz is Google's attempt at integrating social networking with Gmail, bringing in a system of real-time updates that you can share with a network of followers. It was ...

March 4, 2010

Netflix may produce iPhone app

by Darren Allan

Movie streaming service Netflix has been asking its customers whether it should make the leap onto Apple's iPhone with an app. So says an article over at the Hacking Netflix website, which has got hold of a leaked survey about the viability of the service. The blurb regarding the potential app stresses that it would be a wi-fi streaming service, ...

Google introduces gesture search

by Darren Allan

A gesture search sounds a bit like something horrible that might happen to you at an airport if you're foolish enough to try and crack a joke about drug mules with the security guys. But it's actually a new feature for Google's Android OS which allows mobile users to let their fingers do the searching. It works simply by ...

HTC and Google respond to Apple lawsuit

by Darren Allan

Both HTC and Google have responded to Apple's lawsuit which was filed earlier this week. The Apple suit alleges that HTC infringed some twenty of its technology patents relating to the iPhone. Specifically, these referred to the hardware design and user interface of HTC's own smartphones. HTC has issued a statement saying that it has “focused on offering its ...

March 3, 2010

Skype app now available from Nokia store

by Darren Allan

Nokia phone users rejoice, for a free Skype app has been made available down at the Ovi store. Skype for Symbian will use your 3G or wi-fi connection to hook up for free Skype-to-Skype calls, and will allow you to send instant messages, or indeed pictures or video. The app will run on any Nokia smartphone which has Symbian^1, ...

Samsung Diva struts its UK stuff

by Darren Allan

A new Samsung phone has arrived in the UK, and it's known as the Diva S7070. With a name like Diva, as you'd expect it's a fashion themed handset, with a diamond shaped button on the front, and a quilted pattern on the rear cover which looks quite funky. Stick a massive feathery case surround on top of that ...

March 2, 2010

Apple gets legal with HTC

by Darren Allan

Apple has launched a lawsuit against HTC for alleged infringement of technology patents. And not just a couple of patents, either, but twenty the iPhone maker has named where it reckons HTC has trod on its toes. The infringements cover a number of bases, from the hardware design to the user interface, all relating to the iPhone, of course. HTC ...

Nokia Introduces Social Networking C-Series Handset

by Franz Bicar
Social Networking is one of the major selling points of today's mobile phones. The handset that support seamlessly the most popular social networking sites gets picked. That is the reason, handset manufacturers like Nokia spend considerable time, effort, and resources in bringing these features on to their handsets. Nokia's new C-Series handset comes with integrated support for Facebook in the address ...

O2 rolls out new iPhone tariffs

by Darren Allan

O2 has taken action to try and retain its iPhone customer numbers from the grasping clutches of the other networks who now offer the smartphone. The company has rolled out a new range of budget-minded sim-only tariffs, to tempt those coming to the end of their contracts, and compete with Vodafone's own similar deals. The sim-only contracts start from £15 ...

Trendy Tories produce iPhone app

by Darren Allan

The Conservative party has launched its own iPhone app ahead of the upcoming general election. The app contains concise details of the party's policies, as a reaction to criticism that the Tories haven't made their intentions clear in certain departments. So if the conversation turns to politics at a dinner party, budding Conservatives can clarify health or defence policies using ...

Google Nexus One available in UK next month

by Darren Allan

Google's Nexus One smartphone will be on sale and available in the UK come April. So says one of the Telegraph's sources, in an article which also states that Vodafone will be Google's first partner of choice with the Nexus One. However, the “web meets phone” device will only be available to purchase online, direct from Google. As the Telegraph ...

February 25, 2010

T-Mobile Pulse Mini announced

by Darren Allan

Remember the T-Mobile Pulse, launched in October of last year, which was the UK's first ever PAYG Android phone? Well there's a new and more compact version of the handset on the way, with an even more budget friendly price tag. The Pulse Mini will retail at just £100 on PAYG, two-thirds of the price of its big brother ...

Install Android OS on Windows Mobile Phones

by Franz Bicar
win_mo

Fed up with Windows Mobile? Try Android. How to that, visit XDA-developers, a forum where developers post hacks, tips, and software. In there, a developer has released a beta ROM of Android 2.1 for four Windows Mobile phones, all by HTC: the Tilt for AT&T (AKA the HTC Kaiser), Vogue, Niki, ...

Google Nexus One AMOLED Screen Issues

by Franz Bicar
Google's Nexus One has its ups and downs. One of its advantages (compared with other smartphones) is its gorgeous 800X400 pixel AMOLED screen. When compared to its main competitor, the iPhone 3GS with its 480X320 pixel LCD screen, the Nexus One stands out. But don't be too quick to judge, DisplaMate, a video diagnostics testing company, has done an in-depth ...

Studies Show Android and iPhone OS, Fastest Growing Smartphone OS

by Franz Bicar
Android and Apple's iPhone OS are now officially the fastest growing smartphone OS in 2009. These two newcomers into the smartphone market is expected to outpace old-timers like RIM's Blackberry and Nokia's Symbian OS. However, Symbian and Research In Motion's BlackBerry still lead the market - but not for long. Worldwide sales of smartphones running Symbian totaled 80.9 million in 2009, ...

Apple Adds “Explicit” Category to the App Store

by Franz Bicar
Apple has come under fire from developers with the way they are screening apps posted on Apple's App Store. There is a guideline but developers are getting confused on how these guidelines and rules are being interpreted. One issue is, of course, adult-themed applications. While some might find these apps acceptable, others see it as too vulgar or to explicit. Apple's ...

February 24, 2010

We7 premium service live on iPhone next week

by Darren Allan

We7's premium music streaming service is set to launch on the iPhone next week, on March 1st. The app has been approved by Apple, and it means We7 will have subscription revenues coming in, alongside its already existing free ad-supported service. Two pricing structures are being implemented – if you pay up £4.99 per month, you'll get a service with ...

Global smartphone sales up, mobiles down slightly

by Darren Allan

Figures from IT research specialists Gartner have painted a picture of the state of the phone market at the close of 2009. The data shows that total sales of mobile phones are down a touch. 1.211 billion phones were shifted in 2009, which is down 0.9% on the previous year. Although the fourth quarter results were actually up, with ...

Sony Ericsson Vivaz on Vodafone pre-order

by Darren Allan

Vodafone has listed the Sony Ericsson Vivaz on pre-order in the UK. The Symbian smartphone has a pretty impressive spec, including an 8 megapixel camera which is capable of recording HD video. The Vivaz also has a 3.2 inch display, built-in GPS, bluetooth, wi-fi and 8GB of memory. It looks sleek, too, with a curved body design, and offers a ...

February 23, 2010

Apple clamps down on “adult” iPhone apps

by Darren Allan

Apple has been waving the ban stick at a number of iPhone apps which it has deemed overtly sexual by nature. We're not talking pornography here, but apps featuring pictures of women in lingerie or bikinis which had previously been approved. Some 5000 or more apps have been given the boot, according to The Daily Mail, and the reason cited ...

Wagamama launches iPhone ordering app

by Darren Allan

Fans of Wagamama's noodle restaurants with an iPhone can now download a free app to send in their order. The app presents a simple menu ordering system, and allows you to locate your nearest Wagamama restaurant, then send an order through directly to the kitchen (apparently). Payment can be taken by credit card. You can specify what time you'll be ...

February 22, 2010

Sky Mobile TV app comes to Nokia phones

by Darren Allan

There's a new app in the Ovi store, and it will allow Nokia owners to view Sky TV on their phones. Sky Mobile TV is free, and lets Sky subscribers keep up with the news headlines, and sports action such as the Premier League highlights. It can also be used to set your Sky box to record shows when ...

Sky brings news app to Android

by Darren Allan

Sky has ported over its iPhone news app to the Android platform. The Sky news app brings the user all the latest headlines and breaking news in an easily digestible format. Seven categories of news are provided, from politics to showbiz (the same thing surely – well, both involve an equal amount of acting). The stories come illustrated with ...

HTC Desire out in the spring

by Darren Allan

HTC's Desire smartphone, which was unveiled last week at Mobile World Congress, will be out in the UK sooner than we thought. The Desire, which is very similar to Google's Nexus One (but with HTC's innovative Sense interface), has been confirmed on all five of the UK's mobile operators. And it will be available as soon as late March ...

O2 and Vodafone top broadband network speeds

by Darren Allan

A survey carried out by network specialists Siroda has put O2 and Vodafone at the top of the UK's mobile broadband speed ratings. All the tests, which measured music download and web surfing speeds, were conducted over a two month period in 150 locations across the country. They measured the speeds of all five UK operators at peak ...

Kindle e-reader now on BlackBerry

by Darren Allan

The good news for BlackBerry book fans is that Amazon is putting out a Kindle app for the fruity smartphone. At least in the US, anyway. The Kindle e-reader app will give users direct access to the Kindle store, where over 400,000 books line the virtual shelves. The app will be free, as indeed are some of the books ...

Eurosport launches Apple iPhone app

by Darren Allan

Fancy watching some of the Winter Olympics on your iPhone? Well you'll be able to with Eurosport's latest app for the Apple smartphone. Both Eurosport and Eurosport 2 will be available to stream to your iPhone via the app, although unlike the BBC's recently announced sports app, it won't be free. Viewers will have to stump up £2.39 per ...

February 19, 2010

Newspaper trade body unhappy with BBC app plans

by Darren Allan

Remember the story that broke the other day about the BBC producing news and sport apps, at first for the iPhone, and then Android and BlackBerry to follow? News of the free apps might have cheered you up, but it didn't impress the Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA). The NPA is the trade association for British national papers, and it ...

February 18, 2010

eLeader announces new testing and quality assurance tool

by Jan Harris
eLeader has unveiled its latest solution for testing and quality control of mobile software during the biggest mobile industry fair, the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona. eLeader Mobile Quality Studio is one of the few solutions in the world which automates the complex processes of testing mobile applications on various mobile operating systems. The market for mobile applications installed directly on ...

O2 and Telmap make navigation available to all

by Janet Harris
O2 and Telmap make navigation available to all

Telefónica O2 Germany and Telmap announced at MWC that from March, they will provide complete turn-by-turn navigation with ADAC live traffic information on mobile phones. The navigation solution powered by Telmap is a comprehensive search, mapping and navigation solution including real-time, turn-by-turn in-car navigation with 3D maps and clear voice ...

mxData announces MXI for easier mobile app development

by Janet Harris
77% of UK seniors have access to mobile phone

mxData, a leading provider of mobile application software and services, today unveiled its groundbreaking MXI platform. Built from the ground up to enable rapid cross-platform development of mobile applications MXI boasts many innovative features including code reuse that effectively reduces the development cycle across multiple handsets, a range of ...

Numo announces 1 million users

by Janet Harris
77% of UK seniors have access to mobile phone

One year after Numo’s win of the GSMA Global Award for Best Mobile Consumer Application or Service, the company announces that it has over one million active users. The figures are for the flagship winning product Numo Finder and the SMS Preview. “The GSMA Award gave us a real push. ...

Defeat climate change sceptics with iPhone app

by Darren Allan

The global warming juggernaut has been plastered across the news prominently ever since the “climategate” affair. This was when the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia was hacked, resulting in a load of embarrassing emails and documents being published online, bringing up questions about the climate change lobby's methods and agenda. Climate change sceptics have certainly been ...

February 17, 2010

Vodafone is the UK’s most valuable brand

by Darren Allan

Mobile operator Vodafone can feel pretty smug with itself, having been crowned the most valuable brand in the country by a recent survey. Vodafone dislodged HSBC, last year's top UK firm, to become the premier British company in the rankings, which are compiled by Brand Finance (as reported by the Press Association). However, the rankings are worked out on ...

Tektronix announces LTE monitoring solution for EPC networks

by Jan Harris
Tektronix Communications today announced at Mobile World Congress (booth 1B56) its LTE monitoring solution for Evolved Packet Core (EPC) networks based upon the Iris suite of products, which includes the GeoProbe G10, a new high-speed 10GE probe, three new analyzer applications and a common platform that provides a single, integrated framework for current and future applications. Tektronix Communications' LTE EPC solution ...

BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5 wins Global Mobile Award 2010

by Jan Harris
At Mobile World Congress 2010, Research In Motion (RIM) was awarded the Global Mobile Award for Best Mobile Enterprise Product or Service for BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5. Judged by an independent industry panel, BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5 was recognised as the most innovative mobile tool to help organizations “work smarter and do business better on the move.” BlackBerry Enterprise Server is RIM’s ...

Synchronica announces Mobile Gateway 5 messaging suite

by Janet Harris
Synchronic announces Mobile Gateway 5

Synchronica plc, the international provider of next-generation mobile messaging services, today announced Mobile Gateway 5, a complete mobile messaging suite that enables operators to offer Push Email and Synchronization, Instant Messaging (IM), Social Networking Services (SNS) and Web-Feeds to consumers and business users, regardless of the handset they use. Mobile Gateway 5 enables ...

SnapBack App From Movius Re-connects Dropped Calls

by Janet Harris
Blackberry App From Movius Re-connects Dropped Calls

The frustration of dropped calls – still a common problem for millions of mobile users around the world – has been ended for Blackberry users thanks to an innovative application from mobile messaging giant Movius. SnapBack from Movius, demonstrated this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is a unique ...

Telegent and Brightstar launch “Football TV” phone

by Janet Harris
Telefónica and ZTE launch movistar handsets in Latin America

Today at Mobile World Congress, Telegent Systems and Brightstar Corp announced a partnership to bring a low-cost handset that delivers live, free-to-air broadcast TV to Latin American and African consumers prior to this summer’s 2010 football World Cup in South Africa. Brightstar’s Avvio 505 device, which incorporates Telegent’s free-to-air ...

O2 bags HTC Smart phone as exclusive

by Darren Allan

O2 has managed to rustle up another exclusive on a phone, this time a handset from HTC. The HTC Smart is a budget smartphone which should pick up some interest from tech-fans without deep pockets. It uses Qualcomm's Brew operating system, with the HTC Sense interface, and social networking support built-in. Specs include a 2.8 inch touchscreen, 3 megapixel camera, ...

BBC announces sport and news iPhone apps

by Darren Allan

The BBC is set to launch two apps on the iPhone, the organisation announced at Mobile World Congress. The first will be a news app, which displays breaking news with the headline, a picture and text, plus video for some stories. And the second will be a sports app, focusing on results and updated in real-time. It's expected to ...

Dolby 5.1 surround sound for mobiles

by Rapid TV News
Website: Rapid TV News

Dolby Labs and LG used the 2010 Mobile World Congress to demo an LG Android mobile phone with embedded 5.1 surround sound. As one commentator said: ‘think of this as a cinema in the palm of your hand’. "As a leader in the mobile industry, LG is devoted to delivering the best new features ...

NHK World now available for iPhone

by Rapid TV News
Website: Rapid TV News

There are not that many TV channels that are available globally – and for free. NHK World, the Japanese public broadcaster’s English-language international channel, is now available as an easy download on the Apple iPhone or iTouch devices. NHK World TV comes in loud and clear from Tokyo with a mix of news and ...

Solaris Mobile slams Ofcom fees

by Rapid TV News
Website: Rapid TV News

Solaris Mobile is demonstrating two sexy new products at Barcelona’s giant Mobile World Congress. Both have high interest for video and pay-radio enthusiasts. However, Solaris Mobile must first get clients to use its new satellite-delivered services. And it seems at least one European market will not be amongst the early adopters. The tiny devices ...

Orange to offer mobile HD voice

by Rapid TV News
Website: Rapid TV News

French telco Orange has announced it will accelerate the roll-out of mobile high definition voice across Europe following first commercial launch of a service in Moldova last September 2009. Mobile HD voice services will be launched in France, Luxembourg and Spain in addition to the UK and Belgium in 2010. The service will deliver customers ...

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