Mobile Phone News

HTC Legend: Camera Test

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
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The Vodafone-exclusive HTC Legend certainly looks the part and enjoys some of the sexiest Android implementation this side of the Nexus One, but what of the 5-megapixel camera?

Well, we took a few choice photos to size up the handset’s paparazzi potential, and were (a bit) impressed!

With 2 x digital zoom, an LED flash and autofocus, the Legend comes slightly better equipped than many smartphones at this price point…

Images are rich with colour and lacking in crawl on the highest settings, if a little light…

…but the 2x digital zoom reveals a lot of the fuzziness endemic to mobile phone cameras. Still, a better than surprising clarity and level of detail in the goomba’s fur.

Outdoor shots are clear and crisp, but don’t stand up too well under scrutiny in terms of middle and long distance clarity.

However, the swift shutter speed results in a good photo, whilst the exposure control gives a surprising amount of customisation.

A bit of fiddling enabled a decent long-range shot of Wembley Stadium, whilst pressing a physical key (the trackpad in the case of the Legend) and gripping onto the ‘chin’ afforded some stability to the device.

The touch autofocus has accompanied by a reassuring whirr, letting you know that the right object is being brought to the fore, although it doesn’t really show in the resultant images…

Check out the detail on that cow! Too bad it was focussing on something else entirely…

Low light situations were in fact a friend to the Legend, with night photos coming out a treat thanks to the LED flash and ISO sensitivity adjustment.

The HTC Legend in fact has the entire suite of features you would expect to find in a dedicated snapper – white balance, geotagging and a range of effects (sepia, grayscale, negative) – the Android phone giving good reason to leave your digital camera at home.

Video was another story, recording at 30fps in MPEG4 but not giving a smooth reel of film once played back. Vids were fairly choppy, with quite a lot of ‘screen tearing‘ when making movies featuring plenty of movement.

So, all in all, the HTC Legend is a great photo grabbing device when it comes to still life, but trying to capture the world in motion is somewhat more challenging…

The lens is quick when it comes to taking pictures by minimising shake and blurring, whilst the flash truly illuminates otherwise dark situations.

The Legend is not as legendary at being a camera as it is, but it is still way above average and is more than capable when it comes to photo opportunities.

Samsung Revealed As Second Windows Mobile 7 Partner

By Jon RustcloseAuthor: Jon Rust Name: Jon Rust
Email: jonathan.rust@trafficbroker.co.uk
Site: http://www.omio.com
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Eagles eyes over at IntoMobile have picked up on a previously unheard of Samsung manufactured Windows Phone 7 Series handset.

The revelation came during Microsoft VP Joe Belfiore’s demonstration of the Window’s Phone 7 User Interface at this week’s MIX 10 conference in Las Vegas.

MIX 10 is a 3 day conference for web designers and developers looking for innovation in web sites.

No mention was made of the handsets name or specs but, after LG, Samsung will be the second manufacturer to partner with Microsoft over their new operating system.

We were impressed by what we saw of Windows Phone 7 at last month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with it’s data-centric approach to mobile communication, so it’s nice to see other manufacturers picking up on the new OS.

Monday Musing – Where Are The SuperTelly Bundles?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
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You may have seen a lot of billboards around recently talking about Supertelly, the new HD package deal from Sky – we have, and we thought about how much better this could be if it included a mobile service as well.

Not a lot of companies can offer their customers a mobile deal and tie it in with home phone, fixed line broadband and digital TV in one package, in fact there’s only one and that’s Virgin Media. There are various bundles available but one example is 60 channels of TV, 10Mb broadband, home phone with unlimited weekend landline calls and a choice of either SIM only or free handset mobile deal for £39.99 a month, which takes some beating for all 4 services in one.

The mobile contract on offer is a choice between SIM only with 100 minutes, 200 texts and 200 extra minutes to other Virgin Mobile numbers, or a straight 100 mins and 100 texts with a free LG Cookie, LG KS360 or Nokia 6303. However, the point here is not so much the deal on offer, it’s the fact that the Virgin TV packages offer mobile in the mix.

Sky would be the obvious alternative to this and it’s very surprising that Sky Mobile has never been set up as an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) in conjunction with one of the major networks. Virgin Mobile uses T-Mobile’s airwaves, Tesco Mobile is run through O2, Orange are very active in the home broadband market themselves so that just leaves Vodafone to step in and get things going – just a thought.

Until then, Sky will just have to be content with supplying Supertelly…

Cash Machine Finder App Now Available For Blackberry

By Jon RustcloseAuthor: Jon Rust Name: Jon Rust
Email: jonathan.rust@trafficbroker.co.uk
Site: http://www.omio.com
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“Use BlackBerry to Find Cash Machines with ATM Hunter from MasterCard”

We all know the situation – desperately in need of a cash machine, but with no idea where to go…

Good news then as MasterCard announce their ATM Hunter application for BlackBerry which allows you to quickly detect the nearest cash machine.

Search using either your GPS location, or within the area of a designated address. Cash points can then be filtered based on what services you’re looking for: 24-hour access, wheelchair access, drive-through, or free-of-charge services.

We’ve been having a little trouble hooking ours up, but feel free to try for yourself and let us know your thoughts!

Download ATM Hunter for BlackBerry (Free)

[ Via Market Watch ]

Google Nexus One European Launch Delayed?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
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Reports are rife that Google’s European entry to the mobile phone market has been hampered by technical issues, resulting in the Nexus One launch being pushed back to mid-April.

The first handset that the search giant has had full creative control over, the Nexus One also had a problematic launch in Google’s native America.

Customers faced connectivity issues as their unique web-only sales tactic backfired slightly, with numerous consumers only able to report their technical issues and receive support via e-mails and forums.

The handset was put up on the Vodafone web site late last week, allowing customers in the UK to register initial interest in the Google Nexus One.

However, with the network also making both the flagship HTC Desire and HTC Legend (the latter a Vodafone exclusive) available to purchase early next month, this Android-powered duo will easily take advantage of — and sales away from — Google’s delayed device.

The Nexus One on pay monthly will be at a similar price point to HTC Desire deals (a very similar device, check our comparison), around £35 per month with a free handset.

Source: Silicon Republic

HTC Tattoo To Get Android 2.1 Eclair Update!

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
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Great news to those who thought that the more affordable Android phones might become casualties in the Google phone revolution, the HTC Tattoo has been confirmed to be receiving an update to the latest 2.1 build of the search giant’s mobile platform.

The ‘gateway’ Android smartphone, HTC’s Tattoo is a bargain blower with a nice line in customisation both inside and out, but we feared that the internal gubbins might not be up to the task of running the newest build of Android, a fate that has since befallen the pioneering T-Mobile G1…

A refinement of the big ‘2.0′ update that saw sweeping changes for the operating system from browser fixes to camera improvements, Android 2.1 really makes new Google-powered smartphones such as the HTC Legend and their own Nexus One sing with support for the latest applications like Gesture Search and Google Earth, and will be a great weapon for cheaper web-aware devices to keep up with the mobile elite.

A date for the Tattoo to get the update is unconfirmed, but we assume ’soon’ means…soon.

Check out what we thought of the Little Android Phone That Could in our HTC Tattoo review.

Source: Frandroid via GSMArena

Google Nexus One on Vodafone: Registration Starts Today

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://www.omio.com
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Good news for those wanting their official UK Google phone fix, Vodafone has finally opened up their site for consumers to register interest in the Nexus One.

Previously only available as a SIM-free device from Google themselves, Vodafone’s registration for the Nexus One on their ‘coming soon’ page marks a move into pay monthly for the search giant’s debut in the mobile market.

The Vodafone site wants you to be pretty forthcoming with your details however, requiring a mobile number, current mobile provider, whether you are currently on contract or prepay and even the date your contract runs out! Looking to snap up some new customers at any opportunity, eh Voda?

It is also important to note that these are not pre-orders for the device – pricing and a release more concrete than April has yet to be revealed – but it shows that the march of the Android phones is continuing unabated.

The Nexus One is the next stage in the evolution of Android, an imposing device sporting the new 2.1 build of the operating system, a 5 megapixel camera, 3.7″ capacitive touchscreen and touch-sensitive controls.

The actual method of purchasing the Nexus One from Vodafone stores is still unclear however, we got word earlier that they won’t be stocking the device in stores, but rather giving you a SIM and then showing you where to go and buy one. Which is from Google.

Can’t be bothered to wait? Then the cosmetically (and karmically) close HTC Desire is also due to our shores very soon…check out our comparison of the latest HTC Desire deals ahead of its April 1st release!

New Samsung Shark 2 – S5550 Slider – Deals Now In!

By Jon RustcloseAuthor: Jon Rust Name: Jon Rust
Email: jonathan.rust@trafficbroker.co.uk
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Samsung first mentioned their new Shark range of sleek, yet affordable handsets way back in January. Now, we are pleased to announce the first Samsung Shark deals at Omio.com.

Well, not for all the Shark phones just yet, but you can pick up the better of the two slider phones in the series, the Samsung Shark 2 5550, for just £25 per month with Unlimited internet, 600 Anytime Cross Network minutes, 500 texts.

If that isn’t enough to tempt you, BuyMobilePhones.net is also throwing in a wheelbarrow of free gifts to sweeten the deal.

The Samsung Shark range is designed to bring advanced social networking functions to the entry-level market, without compromising on the stlye or durability of the handset.

Each Shark handset has widgets that let you access Facebook, Myspace, Bebo and other social networks via your homescreen.

The Samsung Communities app then makes a doddle of both uploading to and viewing from Flickr, Photobucket and YouTube.

Like the sound of that? Then check out Samsung S5550 Shark deals at Omio.com!

UPDATE: HTC Desire Pay Monthly Pricing Revealed

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
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Palm Pre To Get iPhone Apps, Ports Possible ‘In A Matter Of Days’?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://www.omio.com
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The Palm Pre may not have set the world alight quite as we had expected, but it has gone from strength to strength both as a versatile smartphone and an enterainment device, thanks in large part to the refreshing touch interface and the myriad titles available on the App Catalog.

Palm are hoping to take this to the next level, presenting a new software kit at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference that makes it even easier for programmers to make graphically intensive games and applications, as well as porting content from the iPhone and getting it to work on the Pre with minimal effort.

The Palm Development Kit is said to be so friendly with Apple’s applications that they “can be ported over in a matter of days…and they don’t really suffer any degradation in performance,” according to John Paczkowski of All Things Digital.

This goes some way to explaining why the virtual shelves of Palm’s App Catalog are filled with wares from big names like Glu, Gameloft and EA Mobile (the lattermost currently giving away their biggest games to demonstrate the Pre’s new-found gaming prowess), whilst Android phones are coming up short when it comes to digital distractions.

The ease of porting these titles means extra money for publishers with minimal added development time and resource spend, and a profusion of third party applications coming to the Pre would hardly be a bad thing.

Following from this logic, why stop at games? If Palm’s software is as snazzy as they claim, then we may see all manner of applications make the O2-exclusive handset even more appealing to those not willing to opt for Apple’s iconic device.

Considering that an App Store equivalent was found wanting in both quality and quantity upon the Palm Pre’s release, this concerted ramp up in the offerings to be found on the device is certainly an appealing development, as is Palm’s pro active nature in giving developers the tools to make it happen.

Let’s just hope Palm don’t stray too far into lawyer-baiting territory once again, you know how Apple gets…