If there was one thing that bothered us most about the Xperia Play, it was the dearth of original PlayStation games we could, you know, play on it. That's getting a shot in the arm tonight with the introduction of five PS One titles to the Android Market: Syphon Filter, MediEvil, Cool Boarders 2, Destruction Derby, and Jumping Flash. Each is priced at £3.99 in the UK, with the first two games on the list also being available in five languages. That pricing translates to $6.38 when the games are accessed from the US, but we imagine the final pricing may differ once the Xperia Play lands stateside. And yes, the Xperia Play will be your only way to access these for now (R800i is its codename), leaving the rest of us Android PS One lovers with a bunch of games to envy and one less emulator to enjoy. The Android giveth, and the Android taketh away.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Google working on a face recognition app that leads to your personal info, what could possibly go wrong?
Before we all get in a huff about this, Google has been very eager to point out that the facial recognition app it's developing will work on a strictly opt-in basis. That means if you don't want it to scan all of Facebook, Flickr and the rest of Google's vast hoards of internet knowledge to find you, identify you, and collate your name, phone number and email address into a handy data sheet, it won't. Okay? So relax now, everything's fine. Seriously though, Google's latest research venture sounds like a dashing stride into a minefield of privacy concerns as it aims to use people's faces to instantly identify them and provide any salient info about them. Project leader Hartmut Neven, whose company Neven Vision was gobbled up by Google in 2006, says the team is being very cautious in how it addresses people's rather apt apprehension, but he insists there's actually great value in having a face-recognizing and data-mining app. Great value for the app's user, perhaps, but we'd rather just stick to business cards, if you ask us.
HTC Thunderbolt Battles MyTouch 4G in Comparison Videos
Let’s face it the main kid on the block at the moment is the new HTC Thunderboltsmartphone on the Verizon network, so obviously other 4G enabled smartphones are going to be compared; so we have a two-part Android against Android comparison video for your viewing pleasure below.
This round Aaron Baker of Phone Dog pits the might of the HTC Thunderbolt against the T-Mobile myTouch 4G so again pitting two Android 2.2 Froyo 4G devices against each other in a face off that lasts in total just over 23 minutes.
With these two smartphone Aaron is pitting 4G against 4G, Froyo against Froyo, 1GHz Snapdragon against 1GHz Snapdragon, and LTE against HSPA+, but can the T-Mobile myTouch 4G take down the might of the Thunderbolt?
Well obviously I’m not going to tell you the outcome and spoilt your viewing pleasure, so I’ll leave you to head on down and hit those play buttons and check out this 4G smartphone confrontation and feel free to let us know if you agree or disagree with the outcome…enjoy.
iPad 2 Xray Hack: Jason Bradbury April Fools Joke?
Can you really use the new Apple iPad 2 camera as an Xray machine? Well, there is a new video of a new iPad 2 Xray hack by Jason Bradbury.
The Gadget Show presenter is in a YouTube video courtesy of Expansys TV where he has discovered that the Apple iPad 2 can be used as an Xray machine using some cling film and an infrared digital camera lens, oh and a person to take a photo of Jason Bradbury.
Jason wraps the iPad 2 camera in clingfilm just twice as that is enough, aligns the infrared camera and gives the iPad 2 to another man who takes the photo of Jason, when the present gets the iPad 2 back he strips of the clingfilm and shows us the photo of himself.
Yes the photo does show that you can see right through Jason Bradbury’s clothes, like the superman boxer shorts Mr Gadget Show man.
Personally we believe this to be a hoax, you know an April Fools Day joke, please watch the video and let us know what you think. Is it real or just a prank?
Source – Expansys Blog
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Daisy Group purchases Outsourcery’s Vodafone business
Purchase which cost 12 million is described as “strong strategic fit” by Daisy chief executive Matthew Riley
Daisy Group has purchased service provider Outsourcery’s Vodafone mobile services business for 12 million the companies announced today (March 31).
Outsourcery’s on-going cloud services and O2 mobile voice and data businesses have been “spun out” into a new company prior to the sale and will continue to operate under the Outsourcery brand.
Daisy Group chief executive Matthew Riley (pictured) said Outsourcery represented a strong strategic fit for his company and the acquisition would make Daisy Vodafone’s largest managed service provider in the UK.
Riley said: “ “Whilst enhancing the relationship that the Group has with Vodafone and significantly increasing the proportion of group revenues which are derived from mobile, this acquisition will also drive further cross selling opportunities and provide the acquired customers with access to the Group’s full portfolio of unified communications products.
Riley said the the transaction would also help Daisy position itself for the increase in smart phone adoption and the uptake in mobile data in the industry.
Outsourcery, meanwhile said it would continue to shape its product offering to “unlock fully integrated” unified communications solutions.
It said it would do this by integrating mobile voice and data solutions provided by O2 as part of the existing relationship it has with the operator.
Outsourcery channel business unit director Simon Howitt said: “We are extremely excited about the future of Outsourcery and the opportunities for Outsourcery’s channel partners.
“We have restructured the business to now be Partner-led, which establishes us as an extremely focused Cloud Services Provider, set to maximise the opportunity in a market that is predicted to experience exponential growth during 2011.”
Android Froyo HCL ME Tablets Launched In India
Over in India the Android faithful have just had three new Android tablets launched by HCL, the HCL ME Tablet AE7-A1 and HCL ME AM7-A1, both 7-inch tablets, and the HCL ME Tablet AP10, a 10-inch version.
According to an article over on PC World, the three HCL Android tablets run Android 2.2 Froyo rather than Google’s tablet specific Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system, and the CEO of NCL, Mr. Harsh Chitale says…
” We are excited to launch the much awaited HCL ME Tablet. The HCL ME Tablet will be available to both individual and enterprise users with our award winning service and support network. We have put in significant amount of research to understand the Indian user need and have also further strengthened our backend systems to support the product through its lifecycle.”
So onto the main tablet specs…the HCL ME Tablet AE7-A1features an 800 MHz processor, 0.3 megapixel front facing camera, GPS, WiFi, 256MB RAM, 2GB built-in flash memory, 800 x 480 pixel capacitive touch screen, Bluetooth 2.0, USB post, 3.5mm jack and microSD expansion up to 8GB.
The HCL ME AM7-A1 features an 800 MHz processor, 1024 x 600 resolution capacitive touch screen, 1.3 megapixel front facing camera with full HD 1080p video playback, AGPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, 3G, 512MB RAM, 8GB flash memory, twin 1-watt speakers, and microSD expansion up to 16GB.
The largest of the three, the HCL ME Tablet AP10 sports a 1024 x 600 resolution 10-inch touch screen, 1GHz processor, 1.3 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video, 3D accelerometer, 1GM RAM, 16GB flash memory, light sensor, USB and miniUSB ports, and microSD expansion up to 32GB.
Now for the all important prices…the HCL ME Tablet AE7-A1 commands a price tag of Rs. 14990, the HCL ME AM7-A1 costs Rs.25790, while the HCL ME Tablet AP10 has a price tag of Rs. 32990, and all three Android tablets should be available by the end of the month.
HTC Thunderbolt Accessories: Seidio Innocell 1600mAh Slim Battery
If you own the HTC Thunderbolt you may be one of those that is experiencing battery life problems, some of you are only getting around 3 to 4 hours life after a full charge. The obvious answer is to get a new Seidio Innocell 1600mAh slim extended battery, which also fits the myTouch 4G.
The Seidio Innocell 1600mAh slim extended battery is for those that wishes to have more battery life, the good thing about this HTC Thunderbolt battery is that it will still keep the smartphone in the slim category.
This extended battery does NOT need a replacement door and this is why it is perfect as a replacement, main features include: Fits in existing space so no replacement door is needed, More capacity in the same form factor, Perfect replacement for your original battery and works with both HTC Thunderbolt and myTouch 4G.
If you visit the Android Central Store you can buy the “Seidio Innocell 1600mAh Slim Extended Battery” for only $44.95, the list price is normally $49.95, which is a nice saving of $5.00. You may also want to check out the HTC Thunderbolt 2750mAh Extended Battery & Cover here.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
webOS 3.0 SDK Beta Now Available To Select Developers
Palm’s HP’s shiny new tablet, the TouchPad, still doesn’t have an official launch date — but whenever it does come, it’s going to be the first device runnin’ webOS 3.0.
Lookin’ to give third-party app developers a chance to get their goods prepped in time (and, unofficially, to give the webOS crowd a chance to play with webOS 3.0 in an emulator), HP has just released a Beta build of the webOS 3.0 SDK. There’s one catch, though: if you want access, you’ll need to be a part of Palm’s Early Access Developer program. Getting into that private club isn’t exactly like breaking into Fort Knox, but you’ll need to shoot an e-mail to Palm’s dev marketing team and convince them you’re up to snuff. Once you’re in, you’ll have access to just about everything you need to get building.
Video: Kyocera Echo Unboxed Over 2 Weeks Early
Look, Wirefly: I’m going to be candid here. If your goal is to make friends with the blogging world so that everyone will share these videos you’ve taken to making lately, unboxing every handset that comes through your stock room weeks before release isn’t the way to do it.
When you start doing these videos, you’ve entered into a different realm — one where we battle to convince reps to send us handsets early, live as close to shipping hubs as possible, wake up at the crack of dawn to meet the UPS guy at his truck, then blast out videos at a breakneck pace in hopes of being the first to get one online. When you’re shooting videos with handsets you’ve got early because you’re supposed to sell them, you’re cheating.
With that said, here’s Wirefly’s unboxing of the Kyocera Echo. It’ll likely be the last of their unboxings we post.
Kin Studio To Be Reborn As Windows Phone Mobile Studio?
Back when the Kin kicked the bucket almost immediately after it launched, we were pretty bummed. Not because either of the Kin-branded phones were particularly good, mind you — but because there was just one feature that we really, really wanted to see succeed: Kin Studio.
For those who didn’t pay attention to the Kin (don’t worry, you’re not alone. Obviously.) Kin Studio was a constantly synced, browser-based cloud service that stored backups of all of your videos, pictures, and text messages. Need a photo off your handset, but can’t find the cable? Don’t feel like going all the way across the room to grab your phone to view that video you recorded last night? Just pop into Kin Studio, plug in your credentials, and it’ll all be their waiting.
Alas: when the Kin died, so did Kin Studio. But according to the ol’ Rumor Mill, Microsoft might just be bringin’ it back for Windows Phone 7.
There’s not a whole lot to go on right now, but Windows Phone blog WP7AP spotted this job listing over at the Microsoft Careers center talking up a previously unannounced “Mobile Studio” project. ZDNet’s Mary-Jo Foley — who generally has her ear pretty low to the ground on these things — took the detail and ran with it, theorizing that it may very well be Kin Studio reincarnated for Windows Phone 7.
Sure, we’re all grasping at straws here, but with good reason: Kin Studio was pretty great. If Microsoft isn’t working on bringin’ it to Windows Phone 7, that’s a mistake on their part.
Vimeo's gratis iOS video editing app punks iMovie in its own house, available now
Still waffling over that bank-shattering $4.99 iMovie purchase? We get it. Thankfully, you've held out long enough for the free market to come and rescue you (again) -- Vimeo has just launched a legitimate alternative into the App Store today with a far, far more luscious price tag: $0.00. The official iOS app checks in at 20.1MB, and offers the ability to upload, manage, edit and watch your videos (as well as those conjured up by others, naturally). It'll handle edits and uploads for both SD and HD footage, and there's even support for pausing / resuming uploads, sharing via your favorite social networking website, and a view to statistics -- if you're into that type of narcissistic thing. The app's up for grabs down in the source link below, and while we're hearing that some folks are hitting upload snags every so often, we're sure the v1.0 build will be refreshed in short order. Oh, and for the iPad and Android contingent? Your copy is en route, but a helping of patience is requested.
Mystery Caller: Mobile security
Mystery Caller’s N8 contains his entire life. So it’s little surprise he is anxious about virus threats. He rang the operators to see what advice and software they could give him
6: Virgin Mobile
“Antivirus software? On your phone? I’m not sure if we actually do that”
Manner – 3/5
Understanding – 1/5
Knowledge – 1/5
Helpfulness – 1/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 2/5
Total – 10/30
5: Orange
“I don’t know anything about such software,” he admitted, before directing me once more to the website or a store
Manner – 4/5
Understanding – 1/5
Knowledge – 0/5
Helpfulness – 2/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 2/5
Total – 11/30
4: Vodafone
It seemed that Vodafone’s Basingstoke data centre wasn’t the only part of the business that didn’t know much about security
Manner – 3/5
Understanding – 1/5
Knowledge – 1/5
Helpfulness – 2/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 3/5
Total – 12/30
3: T-Mobile
There was no sign of the Three (virus fighting) Musketeers
Manner –3/5
Understanding – 1/5
Knowledge – 1/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 3/5
Total – 14/30
2: O2
“It’s rare that you can get a virus on a mobile phone and to be honest because of that you will be struggling to find any antivirus software out there”
Manner – 4/5
Understanding –3/5
Knowledge – 1/5
Helpfulness – 2/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 3/5
Total – 15/30
1: Three
“Cabir, Skulls and the CommWarrior.” They sounded pretty deadly
Manner – 5/5
Understanding – 5/5
Knowledge – 3/5
Helpfulness – 5/5
Clarity – 5/5
Overall – 4/5
Total – 27/30
Summary
With smartphones so dominant and the threat of viruses increasing, it’s surprising the operators don’t sell protection against them, and more so that CSAs have no clue about the services in question.
Kelsey from Virgin didn’t lack enthusiasm, but could have done more to help, while the guys at Vodafone should have used their initiative instead of Google’s. Stanley was eager to please: it wasn’t his fault he didn’t succeed, although he should check Orange’s website to ensure it contained the information. Paddy provided little on the virus front but great tips on avoiding Nokia’s hefty call-rates. O2 needs to ensure CSAs pronounce their names more clearly. It was Shikrant from Three who stole the prize this week, with a display that highlighted his quick thinking – a great CSA.
Full review in Mobile News issue 485 (March 28, 2011).
iPhone and BlackBerry to Fall to Windows Phone Come 2015
Yes folks, it’s market share prediction time once again, and this time round it appears that the strongest other than Android is predicted to be Windows Phone, with IDC predicting Microsoft’s OS will overtake both the iPhone and BlackBerry by the year 2015.
According to an article over on the Boy Genius Report, IDC predict world smartphone shipments will grow to 450 million by 2011, which is a rise of 49.2 percent over the 2010 figure of 303.4 million.
However more importantly is IDC’s prediction from 2011 to 2015, which they predict with Nokia pushing Windows Phone 7 devices Windows Phone will overtake both the iPhone and BlackBerry to grab the number two slot behind Android by 2015.
Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst for IDC has said… “The new alliance brings together Nokia’s hardware capabilities and Windows Phone’s differentiated platform. We expect the first devices to launch in 2012. By 2015, IDC expects Windows Phone to be number 2 operating system worldwide behind Android.”
Now of course this is just a prediction, and a great deal can change in the course of four years, and no doubt Windows Phone 7 will grow, but you can’t discard iOS and BlackBerry just yet and like I’ve said on many a previous occasion, analysts can be wrong.
Having said that, Android will no doubt keep hold of the top slot due to the many devices sporting the operating system, whether Apple and BlackBerry can fend off WP7 in the coming years remains to be seen.
Today’s Mobile News in Brief (March 29, 2011)
As reported here on Cell Phones Etc. and across the Web, here’s your daily brief on what happened in the world of mobile phones this Tuesday, March 29th, 2011.
Amazon officially introduces ‘Cloud Drive’ music service
The Amazon MP3 store is no iTunes-killer, but it does give Android users an online digital music store to call their own. And with the help of the Amazon Cloud Player, users need not download their purchased tracks to enjoy it. They can simply stream it their Android phone, helping keep their phone’s memory free for other more important stuff such as apps.
BGR
Firefox 4 for Android launched, ready to Sync and speed up your browsing
Firefox 4 is no longer a release candidate. It’s now available at the Android Market ready to enhance your mobile browsing experience. Tabbed browsing, Firefox Sync, and the whole lot are all there though Flash playback isn’t supported. Yeah, that’s a bit of a bummer, but still, there’s no denying that Firefox 4 for Android is a pretty loaded mobile browser. And with more sites no longer Flash-dependent, I’m sure you won’t be missing Flash support so much.
Engadget
Infographic: All the current iPhone 5 rumours
There have been a number of rumors already concerning the newest iPhone. So as to give you guys a better idea as to what to expect if these all came true, here’s a helpful infographic rounding up everything we’ve heard so far about the upcoming iPhone 5.
Nowhere Else
IDC fails to learn from previous mistakes, issues 2015 smartphone predictions
Hot off the heels of yesterday’s news that Windows Phone will play second fiddle to Android by 2016, IDC has come out with a bold prediction of their own supporting Ovum’s forecast albeit different in figures and it’s a whole year ahead of the latter’s prediction. Of course, only time will tell if these are spot on or not, but one thing’s pretty clear at this point in time. A lot of people are optimistic about Microsoft’s new mobile OS and its future so much so that they see it overtaking most of the pack in the mobile OS wars.
Engadget
Bell Nokia C6-01 upcoming pricing
For those of you excited for the Nokia C6-01, here are its possible price points once it launches on Bell tomorrow. Its free on a 3-year contract price, $299.95 on a 2-year contract, $254.95 on a single one, and $279.95 outright purchase. Apart from the standard package, the Bell Nokia C6-01 will come bundled with a voucher for 3 silicone covers.
Mobilesyrup
Doodle Jump Goes Multiplayer
Doodle Jump. Ever heard of it? If you’re an iPhone owner — or at least, someone who’s ever gone anywhere near the iOS App Store — you probably have. While it’s hovering somewhere around the 10th place slot these days, Doodle Jump’s addictive gameplay and near-constant updates had it locked into the #1 spot for months.
Today, the folks behind Doodle Jump are pushin’ out an update with a feature that might just help it win back the throne: multiplayer.
Like the original, forever-alone version of Doodle Jump, the goal of the multiplayer game is to get your lil’ ever-jumping dude (Doodle the Doodler) up a series of randomly placed platforms while avoiding a bevy of things that want you dead. Unlike the single player game, however, this one’s not about climbing as high as you can — it’s about climbing as fast as you can. Once you’ve connected to your buddy through Game Center, the goal is to get from point A to point B before they do, collecting power-ups along the way.
When it comes to livin’ the Indie Developer’s dream, Lima Sky (the two brother team behind Doodle Jump) is pretty much the perfect example. They’ve kept operations small, kept users happy with a seemingly endless series of updates, and have played the App Store game perfectly. Their best trick: properly pacing their releases to maximize the download spikes that come with. (Hell, I’d be willing to bet this multiplayer update has been done for some time, and they’re just releasing it now to counter a dip in downloads.)
In the off chance that Doodle Jump hasn’t already found its way onto your device, you can find it in the App Store right over here. Doodle Jump is also available for Android, though there’s no word yet when (or if) that port will be gettin’ the multiplayer treatment.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Go the distance with headphones by Sony: MDR-RF865RK wireless headphone and MDR-NC13 noise cancelling in-ear travel headphones
Sony MDR-RF865RK, Sony MDR-NC13, noise canceling, in ear travel headphone, wireless headphone, travel headphones, Sony travel headphones
Two new headphones from Sony let you enjoy your favourite sounds where and when you want to.
MDR-RF865RK wireless headphone system
With a transmission range of up to 100m, the MDR-RF865RK wireless headphone system lets you enjoy rich, immersive sound anywhere in the house. Light and comfortable to wear, it’s an ideal companion for watching TV, listening to the radio or playing video games without disturbing others – and with no clutter from extra wires.
40mm driver units ensure smooth, rich audio with a deep bass response, while wireless interference noise is reduced for a clear, transparent listening experience.
It’s easy to set sound levels with the headphone’s conveniently-mounted volume control. This saves you the trouble of getting up to adjust volume on your TV, radio or music player.
When it’s not being used, just rest the MDR-RF865RK on its elegant charging dock. The headphone recharges in just 3.5 hours, with no need to fiddle with power leads. With its rechargeable batteries fully charged, you’ll enjoy a generous 25 hours uninterrupted listening time. The headphone also turns off automatically to save power when it’s placed back in its charging dock.
MDR-NC13 noise cancelling headphones
Ideal for music-loving travellers, the new MDR-NC13 immerses you in a blissful world of unspoiled, crystal-clear sound.
The noise cancelling design reduces ambient noise by approximately 87.4%, cutting out background distractions if you’re on the bus or in the air. The closed-type vertical in-ear design combines superb sound quality with excellent wear comfort.
The headphone’s energy-efficient design provides plenty of battery stamina for the daily commute or longer trips away from home. While the MDR-NC13 comes supplied with a manganese battery, a single AAA alkaline battery (not supplied) boosts listening time to a full 100 hours.
The new MDR-RF865RK wireless headphone system and MDR-NC13 noise cancelling in-ear headphones from Sony are available from April 2011.
Nokia Battles Apple with New ITC Complaint
Nokia complained to the International Trade Commission alleging Apple infringed on their patents, a complaint that was rejected last Friday by the ITC saying Apple was clear of any wrong doing, but Nokia isn’t satisfied with losing it would seem.
According to an article over on 9to5 Mac, Nokia has filed a new complaint with the ITC saying Apple infringes on a further seven Nokia patents and includes practically all Nokia gear such as smartphones, tablets, computers and portable music players.
Apparently according to Thomson Reuters One, the VP of Intellectual property for Nokia, Paul Melin said… “Our latest ITC filing means we now have 46 Nokia patents in suit against Apple, many filed more than 10 years before Apple made its first iPhone. Nokia is a leading innovator in technologies needed to build great mobile products and Apple must stop building its products using Nokia’s proprietary innovation.”
It seems somewhat funny that Nokia only now are complaining that Apple infringes their patents, surely the ideal time to have filed the complaints was when Apple first delivered the iconic iPhone and not years after.
Could this just be a case of Nokia throwing their toys out of the pram because they can’t handle losing? Whatever, no doubt this Nokia battle with Apple will continue for some time yet. Isn’t it about time the big boys actually took an adult approach and come to a mutual agreement?
Newspaper Obituaries: America & Canada Obituary App
If you love newspapers and would love to read the nations daily obituaries in America and Canada then look no further than the “Obituary” app for iOS devices.
This app has a fantastic interface than runs smoothly and is very easy to browse where you can read or share stories of the ones that came before you, this app condenses stories to the names of the deceased and a few headlines and it is very easy to find stories that are most important to you, which makes it so much easier than searching through normal newspapers.
You have the option of sharing such obituaries with Twitter, email or Facebook so other family or friends can be kept updated on old friends or distant family members that have passed.
This app contains obituaries from many newspapers and so much so the list is very long indeed, it covers the largest newspapers in America and Canada with many papers being added all the time. This iOS app is well worth having and as more and more cities are being added quite often.
For more information please visit iTunes, if you already have this app installed on your iOS device please do send in your personal reviews. Thanks
HTC Thunderbolt 4G Full Review Videos
If you are still sting on the mobile fence pondering whether the new HTC Thunderbolt 4G smartphone on the Verizon 4G LTE network is worth picking up, you may like to check out this two-part video review we have for your viewing pleasure below.
The tow-part video review of the HTC Thunderbolt comes our way courtesy of Aaron Baker over at Phone Dog and delivers in total twenty-four and a half minutes of getting to know the Android 2.2 Froyo device.
Aaron asks the question should you pick up the HTC Thunderbolt or hang in there for something like the LG Revolution or perhaps the Samsung Droid Charge, is the HTC Thunderbolt worth the $149.99 on a 2-year agreement with Verizon or $599.99 off contract?
Well to find that out you are going to need to set aside a little of your busy time and check out Aaron’s full review of the HTC Thunderbolt 4G for yourself…enjoy.
Quick spec reminder for the HTC Thunderbolt…4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Android 2.2 Froyo, HTC Sense 2.0, 8 megapixel rear auto-focus camera with dual LED flash, 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, 8GB storage and microSD expansion up to 32GB, and built-in kickstand.
Daisy picked for partner initiative
Distributor says new Vodafone tiering programme will help educate mobile-centric dealers to sell unified communication products
Daisy Distribution hopes the launch of its Vodafone Partner Programme (VPP) will enable it to become a leading player in the unified communications market space.
The airtime distributor, a Vodafone ‘Platinum’ partner and the only distributor to supply Vodafone airtime directly, launched its Vodafone Partner Programme to its 520 dealer partners last week.
Daisy Distribution is the combination of Anglia Telecom and Fone Logistics, which were bought by acquisitive reseller Daisy Group for 17 million in August 2009 and 3.6 million in June 2010 respectively.
The programme, which replicates that launched by Vodafone in September, will see dealers placed in either ‘gold’ or ‘silver’ categories, based on the volume and quality of Vodafone business put through Daisy Distribution each month.
It is understood chosen gold dealers will receive improved commercials and volume bonuses than those in silver, as well as increased levels of support, similar to the structure used by Vodafone with its direct partners.
Daisy Distribution said it is currently reviewing its dealer base to determine which category each is placed into, although it said the “majority” would start in silver, but will have the opportunity to move up based on their performances.
Daisy Distribution managing director Dave McGinn (pictured right) said he was confident the new tiering programme will help educate mobile-centric dealers to sell unified communication products, including Vodafone One Net and One Net Express.
McGinn said: “We’re looking at expanding more into the PBX and fixed-line product sets with the majority of our partners that are currently focused on just mobile.
“People ask me if the fixed-line market is in decline. It depends on where you start and we’re beginning from scratch, so everything else for us is an increase.
Vodafone has around 10,000 customers on One Net Express and we’re looking to improve on that figure.”
Daisy Distribution head of marketing Julien Parven (pictured left) added: “This is part of a transitional journey that will migrate our partners from purely mobile-centric to recognising the drive towards converged communications and the complete interaction of wireless and wired environments.
“It’s about understanding the way the market is evolving, with products such as One Net Express becoming available to them.
It is challenging and inviting them to consider their business models and see how they can be adapted in reflection of the changing environment.”
Vodafone UK head of partner services Dale Parkinson said there are no immediate plans to open up the partner programme to any other distributors.
Parkinson stated: “This represents a significant investment for Daisy Distribution and Vodafone. Our commitment at present is to
developing this programme with Daisy Distribution and the benefits that can be provided to its partner base.”
Make It Or Break It iOS App: Fan Central Ultimate
If you are a fan of Make It Or Break It then what you need is a fan central iOS app to keep you on top of things, this app is for the ultimate fan.
The Make It Or Break It Fan Central app via iTunes is only 59p and it will get you even closer to stars such as Cassie Scerbo, Burr Abel, Johnny Pacar, Josie Loren, Chelsea Hobbs and many more, this application for your iOS device is a must.
If you would like instant access to Twitter with a click of a button then it is here, if you want YouTube videos then that is also included within this app, you can also check out Flickr photos too.
This app contains a personalized Twitter client for each cast member and also gives you the stars videos, photos and posted web pages. Check out exclusive videos including outtakes, personal memos, scene interviews, paparazzi footage, slideshow view of thousands of Make It photos and so much more.
Visit iTunes and download this cool Make It Or Break It Fan Central app for your iOS device, have fun and please enjoy.
Monday, March 28, 2011
AmEx Gets Into Mobile Payments And Takes On PayPal With Serve
Uh oh, Paypal; looks like you’ve got a new challenger in the person-to-person payments space.
American Express has just announced the launch of their new money spendin’ service, Serve. At its foundation, it’s just a fancied up PayPal, allowing users to send one another money via e-mail address (as long as both users have Serve accounts.) Past that point, however, it’s got a few cool twists; you can pull funds from your account into a refillable pre-paid card, or you can create “subaccounts” that let other users (say, your kids) spend monies from your account while you limit and monitor everything that goes down.
With today’s launch, they’re already offering up payment applications for both iPhone and Android.
Given PayPal’s almost exclusive dominance of this market, there is by all means room for competition — but it’s certainly not as if others haven’t tried. Remember Obopay? Yeah — bet you didn’t know that still exists.
The Engadget Show - 019: HP's Jon Rubinstein, Palm TouchPad demo, Nintendo 3DS, Samsung 9 Series
Get ready humans, because we have an all new episode of The Engadget Show that you absolutely don't want to miss. First, Josh sits down with HP's Jon Rubinstein for a long chat about the future of webOS, the latest Palm devices, and an exclusive demo of the TouchPad. Then, Josh and Joanna welcome Paul Miller and Nilay Patel to the roundtable for a raucous breakdown of the latest gadget news including demos of Samsung's new 9 Series laptop and the Nintendo 3DS. Rounding things out is some incredible music from Minusbaby with visuals from The C-Men. It's everything you love and more! What are you waiting for? Hit up the video stream after the break or download the full show in HD below!
Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Joanna Stern
Special guests: Jon Rubinstein, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel
Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm
Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger
Edited by: Chad Mumm
Music by: Minusbaby
Visuals by: The C-Men
Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec
Animation by: Nick Criscuolo
Taped live at The Times Center
Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 019 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 019 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) / The Engadget Show - 019 (Small)
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American Express challenges PayPal with 'Serve' digital payment platform
American Express may have been lagging a bit behind the likes of Visa and Mastercard with digital payments over the years, but it's making a pretty big play in the field today. It's just announced its new "Serve" digital payment platform, which is more or less a straight-on competitor to PayPal. That means you'll be able to transfer funds to your Serve account from your bank account or credit card, send money to other using either the website or mobile app (currently available for iOS and Android), and even link your account to a reloadable Serve card, which you can use at any retailer that accepts American Express credit cards. Nothing fancy like NFC payments just yet, but American Express is promising to "quickly evolve" the platform by adding new features and functionality, and it's hoping to kick start things by waiving most of the consumer fees for the first six months. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the source link below if you'd like to sign up.
Show full PR text
American Express Announces ServeSM, the Next Generation Digital Payment Platform
Serve Offers Person-to-Person, Online, Mobile, and Traditional Card Capabilities in a Single Account
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Express (NYSE: AXP) today unveiled ServeSM, a digital payment and commerce platform that gives consumers a new way to spend, send and receive money with services that go beyond the existing global payment networks.
With Serve, consumers can make purchases and person-to-person (P2P) payments online (serve.com), via mobile phones, and at millions of merchants who accept American Express cards. Serve unifies multiple payment options into a single account that can be funded from a bank account, debit, credit or charge card, or by receiving money from another Serve account.
Serve is an easy-to-use, digital alternative aimed at consumers who currently rely on cash, check and debit card. Serve accounts can be accessed via Serve Apple iOS and Android applications, at Serve.com and through Facebook. Through Serve, American Express aims to expand into new segments of the market that do not rely on traditional charge and credit cards to manage their day-to-day finances.
"Serve is a new type of payment platform that isn't tied to a single card or mobile operating system. It's a flexible, easy to use platform, which from day one brings tremendous assets to the alternative payments space and gives consumers an option to shop on-line and off-line at millions of merchants who accept American Express," said Dan Schulman, Group President, Enterprise Growth, American Express.
"We intend to quickly evolve the Serve platform by adding new features and functionality as we learn from consumer and merchant experiences. To encourage a broad cross-section of people to experience the benefits and convenience of Serve, we are working with a range of partners to integrate Serve as a payment method and deliver customized offers, and we will waive most consumer fees for the next six months," said Mr. Schulman.
How it works
Consumers set up an online account at Serve.com or through a smartphone app. Funds can be added from bank accounts, debit cards, credit and charge cards, or other Serve accounts. Customers can use those accounts to send and receive money to friends, pay bills and make purchases online. Serve bridges online and offline commerce – each customer will be issued a Serve reloadable prepaid card linked to their Serve account that can be used at any merchant or ATM that accepts American Express cards.
Unlike traditional debit card accounts, Serve offers users the ability to easily create, manage, and specify sub-accounts for their friends, family members or colleagues. Sub-accounts are linked to the master account and allow users to set spending profiles for everything from children's allowances to dog walker fees.
The Serve platform evolved from technology obtained through the acquisition of Revolution Money in early 2010.
Serve is available immediately to anyone in the U.S. and is expected to launch into other international markets over the coming year. American Express will continue to evolve the features and functionality of Serve based on market feedback. To gain consumer and merchant insights about Serve and to help shape upcoming releases, a marketing pilot will also be conducted in Eugene, Oregon.
Partnerships
While payments are the foundation of the Serve platform, American Express is also announcing a number of partners who will use the platform to deliver relevant offers that drive spend and build loyalty. Three of the first partners are Ticketmaster®, Concur® and Flipswap.
"A cornerstone of the long-term vision for Serve is developing partnerships with commerce, gaming, entertainment, and social networking organizations," said Mr. Schulman. Partnerships, with players such as Ticketmaster, Concur and Flipswap will introduce Serve to new customers and help build scale. These companies have loyal communities of customers, and we are thrilled to partner with them as we grow and expand Serve's reach."
Ticketmaster will offer Serve as a platform for customers to make and collect payments toward ticket purchases from other customers. Concur will utilize Serve as an expense management and reimbursement method for transactions processed via Concur's small business expense reporting service, Concur Breeze. Flipswap will utilize Serve to issue refunds more quickly to consumers who sell or trade in their old mobile and cell phones for reuse or recycling.
Details around these and a number of additional partnerships will be announced over the coming months.
Giving Back Widget
Serve is also partnering with five major charities – Autism Speaks, Best Friends Animal Society, Malaria No More, Save The Children and Stand Up For Kids – to enable each organization to raise funds via a donations widget. Widgets can be downloaded on Serve.com and at facebook.com/paywithserve, and shared on other Web sites, including Facebook, to encourage donations. Serve will match all contributions via the widget up to $100,000 for each charity.
In the coming months, Serve will offer selling widgets that give customers the ability to sell items through their own social networks.
Highly Competitive Fees Waived for Launch
Serve consumer fees will be highly competitive. There are only two fees for consumers and we are waiving the fee to put money into the Serve account for the next six (6) months. The two fees are:
* Putting money into a Serve account: 2.9% + 30c/per load, discounted to 0% for cash, debit and ACH.
* ATM cash withdrawal (after first one each month free): $2.00
Unlike some other products in the market, Serve has no fees to open an account, no monthly fees, no fees for P2P transactions, no fees to set up sub-accounts (up to four accounts) and no fees to use the widgets.
Merchants who accept American Express cards will pay a prepaid discount rate for transactions made both in stores and online with a Serve prepaid card.
Investor Conference Call – Live Audio Webcast
A conference call with members of the investment community will be held today March 28, 2011, at 11:00 am EDT. The call will be hosted by Dan Schulman, Group President, Enterprise Growth, American Express.
Live audio of the conference call will be accessible to the general public at http://ir.americanexpress.com. A replay of the conference call will also be available at the same Web site address.
About Serve
Serve, by American Express, is a next generation payment platform designed to deliver emerging payments and services to address the changing ways consumers interact and exchange money -- with one another -- as well as merchants. Learn more at www.serve.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/paywithserve and www.twitter.com/serve.
About American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at www.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contain words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "optimistic," "intend," "plan," "aim," "will," "may," "should," "could," "would," "likely," and similar expressions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, the following:
* the willingness of consumers to use the Serve product, and in particular consumers that do not traditionally rely on charge and credit cards to manage their day-to-day finances, which will depend in part on their willingness to try the Serve product instead of competing payment products and their satisfaction with the operability, fee structure and other features of the Serve product;
* the ability of the Company to add new features and functionality and ease of use to the Serve platform on an accelerated basis that reflect the needs and desires of consumers, merchants and other participants in the payments space, which will depend in part on the Company's ability to retrieve and effectively assess information from users and other parties on a real-time basis and then make the right judgments in how to build-out the existing Serve platform;
* the success of the Company in developing relationships with partners, both in and outside the U.S., who will effectively integrate Serve as a payment method for their customers, which will be critical in facilitating the Company's ability to expand the scope and number of Serve users; and
* technology trends that will impact the environment within which Serve operates and influence how the Serve product will have to evolve to remain compatible and competitive.
A further description of these uncertainties and other risks can be found in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, under Item 1A. Risk Factors and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements, and the Company's other reports filed with the SEC.
SolDesign Lab Showcases thei Solar Pump Charging Station
At the recent annual South by Southwest conference and festival in Austin Texas, SolDesign Lab showcased how their Solar Pump Charging Station worked by using solar-powered energy, allowing people to get their phones charged while raising awareness about energy usage. In the video above check out the 18-foot human hamster-wheel that lets you you charge your mobile by running.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play review
The PlayStation Phone. We've had quite the intimate history with this gamepad-equipped slider, learning of its secretive existence way back in August and then handling a prototype unit in January, so you'll forgive us for feeling sentimental and still entertaining our pet name for it. The Sony Ericsson marketing gurus renamed it the Xperia Play when it finally went official at MWC this year, but the PlayStation connection remains as strong as ever. Aside from the D-pad, iconic game keys, and two touchpads, this device comes with a little app named PlayStation Pocket, which will be serving up dollops of classic PlayStation One gaming to all those with a taste for it. Yes, the Sony influence is strong with this one, and the Android Market will be joining the fun with Xperia Play-optimized titles from third-party developers. So all we really need to know now is whether the Android smartphone underpinning this smash-bang fusion of old and new school entertainment happens to be any good. Shall we get Started?
Xperia Play review
Hardware
The gamepad
There's likely little point in us trying to discuss any of the Xperia Play's external hardware before addressing its literal and figurative centerpiece, the slide-out gamepad. A DualShock attached to your smartphone it is not, but you already knew that. The real question is how close it comes to replicating the console experience rather than how well it competes with it. Judged on such terms, the Play acquits itself very well. The digital directional keys are firm with a satisfying amount of travel and the same goes for the face buttons. Squeezed in between them, Sony Ericsson also throws in a pair of analog pads, which react to your input in much the same fashion as the capacitive touchscreen does -- with the big difference being that while you use the pads you're not obscuring any of the action on screen. Each pad has a handy indented dot at its center, helping to orient your thumb without the need to look down.
An Android Menu button on the bottom left is accompanied by Select and Start keys on the right (at least one of these three buttons feels perfunctory as they serve overlapping functions) and there are two shoulder buttons on the outside, where you would usually find the L1 and R1 controls on the proper console gamepad. Some among our staff have taken to calling them flippers, because they're closer to flaps or paddles in their operation than fully fledged buttons. In actual gameplay, we found them a little too sensitive, which caused us to activate them unintentionally a few times and fail almost completely when prompted by one game to press them simultaneously. We succeeded once out of every six or seven tries, such was the capriciousness of their design.
The sliding mechanism responsible for serving up the gaming controls is pretty much flawless. It's spring-loaded, meaning you only need to slide it halfway up or down to achieve the required opening or closing action and it does the rest by itself. Movement is smooth and consistent, and one-handed operation is no problem either. What impressed us most about it, though, was its sturdiness. There's no tilt to the handset, the screen just slides straight up, and that's the way it stays -- perfectly parallel, no matter the violence of our attempts to find any structural flaws. It's clear to see that Sony Ericsson spent a lot of time refining this slider and we're happy to say it lives up to a very high standard of durability -- an absolute necessity when making a button masher's device such as this.
Moving to the top half of the slider, we find a volume rocker, nestled craftily in between the aforementioned shoulder buttons, a power key, and the usual four Android buttons, arranged in yet another innovative formation. For whatever reason, Sony Ericsson opted to swap the Home and Menu buttons' positions up front, leaving our prototype unit looking desperately out of date and us wondering why it had to be done at all. While we've no complaints to proffer about the power and volume keys, we must express our deep discontentment with the Android set. They're quite spongy, meaning they can absorb a lot of pressure before registering a click, which tends to lead to an inconsistent and frustrating user experience. Even more troublesome is the difficulty to differentiate between them by touch alone, forcing you to look down, which is then amplified by the fact they're not backlit. So yeah, the Xperia Play will give you a whole new reason to be afraid of the dark.
Construction
Squeaks and creaks were sadly too readily apparent with the Play, mostly owing to the poor quality of plastics used in its construction. It's a rigid device and, as already pointed out, there's little questioning its internal structure, but there's no getting around the fact that SE didn't blow the budget on procuring the most high-end of shell materials. The rear cover feels brittle, in spite of its flexibility, and the overall glossy aesthetic lends itself to picking up scuffs and scratches easily. The metallic accents aren't to our tastes, either, mostly because they're not made out of actual metal. And if you're not going to at least insert a little bit of premium material or functional utility in your design, why complicate it? Build quality is, therefore, a mixed bag. We get the feeling that after a while the Xperia Play will end up looking rather like The Terminator -- losing its soft and and pathetic outer shell, but revealing some hardcore engineering within. Maybe that'll be a good look for it.
A final note is merited about the Play's dimensions. At 16mm (0.63 inches) in thickness and 175g (6.2 ounces) in weight, this may easily be the chubbiest flagship Android device you're going to see coming out this year. That said, provided you're not too bothered by its heft (and you shouldn't be), it's actually shaped to sit very neatly in the hand. Its curved rear is reminiscent of the Palm Pre, though to the Play's credit it also manages to lie perfectly flat when rested on horizontal surfaces. When opened up into action mode, the whole device again feels nicely thought out and we doubt there'll be a hand size that won't be suited by its shape.
Internals
Allow your curiosity to drag you past the Play's rear cover and you'll be rewarded with a happy surprise -- both the SIM and MicroSD card slots are accessible without removing the battery. Not many phones make it that convenient and another rarely seen asset the Play can tout is a set of stereo speakers. They're not just two mono outputs, there's actually a tiny little sound stage created by them working in tandem. The quality of the audio they pump out isn't going to threaten a set of dedicated speakers, but it's certainly a lot more tolerable than the general mediocrity we're used to from smartphones. Considering the device's entertainment-centric reason for existence, we believe this to be a big strong point in its favor.
In terms of the hardware that makes the wheels go round, the Xperia Play relies on a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chip, which comes with an Adreno 205 GPU. Neither is a slouch, but it's obvious that more could, and perhaps should, have been included in this bargain. Looking around at the spring / summertime smartphone landscape, a potential Play buyer will be confronted by Motorola's Atrix and Droid Bionic, LG's Optimus 2X and Optimus 3D, Samsung's Galaxy S II, and HTC's EVO 3D -- all of whom tout dual-core SOCs and generous apportionments of RAM. Oh yes, about the RAM. There's only 400MB of it on the Xperia Play, don't ask us why. It may seem overly demanding to expect every new smartphone to match up to those benchmark destroyers, but we must remember the Xperia Play is about gaming and games will make use of every last ounce of performance you can give them. As it stands, it's a healthy and sprightly device today, but do be aware of the gathering storm clouds above its future. It's simply not powerful enough for us to give you any assurances about its long-term viability.
We found battery life a little lacking. There's a robust 1500mAh cell inside this handset, but we could only stretch it to about 22 hours under our light use test. It was a day's worth of sporadic use, where checking up on things like Gmail, Twitter and Facebook updates was the phone's most regular exercise. For a comparison, the similarly outfitted -- MSM8255 with Adreno 205 -- Incredible S from HTC managed to squeak past the 50-hour mark in spite of having a battery with 50mAh less juice. Again, both were subjected to light workloads that are unlikely to be representative of everyone's daily routine, but the delta in endurance between the two phones was striking. Not to put too fine a point on it, but something tells us all those software bells and whistles on the Play (hello, Timescape!) are working against Sony Ericsson here. On the bright side, throwing some actual gaming action its way didn't obliterate the battery quite as badly as we feared it might. Our overall impression (from admittedly limited testing) is that this will clearly not be an endurance smartphone because of its software overhead, but Sony Ericsson's promises of five and a half hours of continuous gameplay seem well within reach.
Display
Another thing that's taxing the Play's battery unduly is its screen. The default brightness setting for it is at the very maximum and once you use it for a while, you realize why. It's very dim. We're not talking about it being mediocre or some way short of the best, it's so lacking in brightness that it's borderline dysfunctional. Taking the phone out for an afternoon outside, we couldn't play Crash Bandicoot even on the bus, never mind out in the direct glare of the sun. It's not an unqualified disaster, as viewing angles are pretty wide, the 854 x 480 resolution is decent, and under the right circumstances you can obtain some pleasantly vibrant images from it, but it's still one the worst screens we've seen on a review phone -- hell, review hardware of any kind. This was most apparent to us outdoors when we used it side by side with Sony Ericsson's own Xperia Arc, the latter handset giving us better contrast, saturation, and of course, brightness. Both phones lack an auto-brightness option in their settings, which is a weird omission on Sony Ericsson's part, even if in the case of the Play it'd just be kept at max anyway.
Camera
Speaking of omissions, has anyone at SE HQ heard about the little trend of making 720p video recording a de facto standard feature in high-end Android smartphones? Because, well, the Xperia Play doesn't have it. We know full well that the hardware's capable of it -- a 5 megapixel imager sits round the back, so more than enough pixels can be pulled together to saturate a 1280 x 720 frame, and the 1GHz Snapdragon under the hood pretty much snorts with indignation at the routine task of processing such workloads at 30fps. What gives, we don't know, but the video you do get, recorded at a maximum of 800 x 480, isn't all that great anyhow. The recordings produced during our testing tended to be very soft, with noise suppression algorithms seemingly working overtime to ensure the smudgy appearance. That issue was compounded by poor microphone performance, which muffled and straight up distorted some of the sounds it picked up during recording.
Xperia Play camera samples
Things look much brighter on the still imaging front, however, where we churned out some highly satisfactory results without requiring an excess of effort. Options on Sony Ericsson's custom software are a little limited, but you can adjust exposure, white balance, and focusing mode, which should still be sufficient for most users. Especially praiseworthy among those controls is the Macro mode on the Play, which allowed us to get seriously up close and personal with some of our subjects. On the downside, the Play's camera struggles to focus in low light and noise is no less an issue here than on most other smartphone sensors. One fanciful idea we had, in the absence of a dedicated physical shutter button, was that Sony Ericsson could have used the right shoulder key to double up as one. It's in just about the perfect location for the task and we can't see anything preventing SE (or some enterprising hackers, perchance?) from hooking it up to the picture-taking software. Overall, it's a decent to good camera with some disappointing video recording tacked on.
Software
PlayStation Pocket
As with the hardware section, we'll get straight to the PlayStation meat of the Xperia Play software matter. Two apps will be of foremost interest here: the not at all confusingly named Xperia Play, which serves as a showcase for Android Market games compatible with the Play's controls, and the PlayStation Pocket, which houses the hallowed PS One games that this new smartphone is so primed to enjoy. For the moment at least, we should probably narrow that down to the singular game, since the Play ships with just the one preloaded classic title, Crash Bandicoot, and the rest of the PS One library is still en route. That puts the Play's launch, coming up on April 1st across Europe, into a rather precarious position. It's supposed to be the bringer of great new entertainments to the thumb-equipped masses and yet we're staring at just one original piece of content upon its release. Bruce Lee, FIFA 10, Star Battalion HD, and The Sims 3 do come preloaded to soften the blow, but they're not exclusive to the Play, and in the particular case of The Sims, don't even benefit very much from the physical controls. Still, they're there and the means to accessing them is actually pretty swish. Opening up the slider kicks you straight into the Xperia Play app, where the games you already have on the device are split out from the list of purchasable compatible titles, meaning you're never more than a slide and a tap away from leaping into action.
Loading times for the games aboard the Play were quite tolerable indeed -- nothing was instant, but only the most impatient of gamer would find them a nuisance. In-game performance also gave us no cause for complaint, with smooth frame rates throughout. The basics look to have been well taken care of. One drawback we should highlight, however, is the fact that most, if not all, PS One games were coded for displays with a 4:3 ratio. That means either zooming or stretching the game in order to fill the widescreen panel on the Xperia Play. Both options are available to you in the settings, but Crash was already looking pretty aliased without us zooming in for a closer inspection. Not an ideal situation, but that's where we find ourselves. At least until Sony decides it's a good idea to drop its vast catalog of PSP games atop this device, then we'll have no such worries.
The gamepad is not abandoned completely once you stray outside the gaming arena, as you're able to navigate through lists with the D-pad and select and cancel things with the X and O keys. It's a somewhat inconsistent affair, as this integration doesn't permeate everything on the Play, but we found it useful in the browser and messaging apps.
Android à la Sony Ericsson
The OS underlying SE's new hero device is of course Android. Version 2.3.2 (aka Gingerbread) is shipping out on retail devices, marking this as one of the first non-Google handsets to come preloaded with Mountain View's latest and greatest. That means much-improved text manipulation thanks to the addition of new selection anchors, a general sprucing up of visuals, and a set of extra APIs with a gaming bent. Wonder why Sony Ericsson wanted to run its gaming device atop this platform, eh? Nonetheless, the company's UI designers haven't been sitting around exercising their thumbs and there's a vast amount of aesthetic tweaking done on top of Android. Almost all of it is for the better, in our opinion, as the whole UI benefits from a look of sophistication and maturity that Android has generally lacked. The phone interface is spacious and welcoming, while the contacts and messaging interfaces are extremely attractive, sensibly laid out, and utterly delicious to scroll through. Talk about optimization! The contacts section can also be navigated more rapidly just by initials and, if you have Twitter accounts associated with your buds' numbers, it shows you a snippet of their latest update, very handy. Moreover, entering individual contacts' pages shows their profile pictures nicely blended with the background, reinforcing the overarching theme of refined design. Thankfully, Sony Ericsson's alterations all look to be skin-deep, giving us some cause to believe the company's pledge that it'll be quick in responding to new Android rollouts from the Google mothership. Time will only tell.
There are some downsides to the skinning efforts on the Play, however, as might be expected. One is the aforementioned issue of the battery seemingly running down quicker than it ought to, which you can always offset by making your own adjustments, but obviously that's no great consolation for those hoping the device would just work like it should straight out of the box. Another thing we noticed was that Timescape, albeit a mere removable widget now instead of the overwhelming leviathan it was on the Xperia X10, was still susceptible to slow performance and even the occasional freeze-up. It remains an extremely graphically demanding tool, what with all its overlays and three-dimensional animations, so that's no surprise, but we still enjoy our user experience more without it than with it. It wasn't entirely alone in showing slowdowns, we experienced a few, very minor, hangups and delays while using the Play, but couldn't find any repeatable bugs to report. It feels a mostly solid build, though it's a little disappointing that the aforementioned smoothness of operation in the customized messaging and contacts apps doesn't carry over to the rest of the UX.
Browser performance is mostly decent, but we've definitely seen faster, whether you're talking other Android devices, Windows Phone 7 or iOS. Pinch-to-zoom and scrolling commands are executed, but in a slightly labored fashion. Aliasing is also apparent when zooming out from pages, not unlike what we saw on the Incredible S recently. Finally, SE's onscreen portrait keyboard is a little too cramped for our liking, with the letters being tall but not altogether wide enough to make for comfortable typing. Sony Ericsson might have done well to just stick with the default Gingerbread provision here.
Wrap-up
We've reached out to Sony Ericsson asking for a roadmap of when we can expect the PlayStation Suite and more PlayStation One titles to roll up on the Xperia Play bandwagon and make it worth joining. As it stands today, on the day of review and the precipice of its launch, the Play is looking out on a pretty barren gaming landscape. The Android titles up for grabs are not exclusive to the device and don't necessarily benefit all that greatly from its unique control scheme, whereas the catalog of classic PlayStation content stops after just one entry.
So with almost no differentiating software of its own, the Play is really relying on the strength of its gamepad to round up willing participants in its gaming revolution. We concur that that's indeed the phone's main strength, with good ergonomics and an extremely durable sliding mechanism. Nonetheless, the poor quality of the screen and good, but not great, hardware spec force us to be reluctant about recommending it as a sage purchase at present. Perhaps it picks up a loyal following, from both developers and fans alike, and within a few short weeks, we're all looking at a device with a rich ecosystem of compelling tailor-made content and a ton of reasons to own it. But as for today? We'd rather spend our cash elsewhere in the Android cosmos and hold out hope for the PlayStation Phone 2.0.
Carphone Warehouse to exit laptop market
Retailer will move away from laptops and focus on tablets, in order to take advantage of the latter’s “growth potential”
Carphone Warehouse is to pull out of selling laptops and netbooks. It will now focus on tablet computers.
Carphone Warehouse was the first high-street retailer to enter the laptop market, in 2008.
It made a 3 million training investment and quickly gained around 10 per cent market share from traditional PC sellers such as DSG and Comet.
This was done offering subsidised and free computers connected to a broadband contract.
CEO Charles Dunstone then stated Carphone would repeat the revolution it kicked off in the early 1990s, when it made mobile phones accessible to people walking in off the street.
Carphone will now focus on selling ‘pad’ and tablet computers. Carphone’s Best Buy locations will continue to stock conventional laptops.
Carphone currently sells the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab. It will soon stock iPad 2, Galaxy Tab 10.1 and is taking pre-orders for the Motorola XOOM.
Deals are planned with LG (Optimus Tab), HTC (Flyer), RIM (PlayBook), HP (TouchPad).
“The tablet market has huge growth potential. Our ambition is to make The Carphone Warehouse the home of tablets,” said a Carphone spokesperson.
“Our ‘small box’ Carphone stores will sell connectivity devices, including tablets. Our ‘big box’ Best Buy stores will continue to sell a complete range of laptops, notebooks and
tablet devices.”
Analyst Gartner has recently reduced its initial forecast for PC sales in 2011 from 417 million to 387 million as a result of tablets.
The tablet market could be worth more than 43 billion globally in the next three years, according to some analysts.
About 18 million tablets were sold in 2010, and 10 million were sold in Q4, mainly because of the iPad.
Apple sold about 15 million iPads in this period. Sales were also buoyed by two million sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Gartner reckons tablet sales will reach 55 million this year. Ovum and CCS Insight predict tablet sales to double to 40 million in 2011.
Ovum said tablet sales will reach 150 million by 2015.
Everything Everywhere sells laptops through Orange and T-Mobile and the network says it will review its laptop strategy.
Three said sales of laptops remain an important part of its business. O2 exited the laptop market at the end of last year. It says it has seen a trend away from netbooks to tablet computers.
Android adapter concepts promise to accessorize any headset
Well, here's a bit of a twist -- a concept device designed to actually a fund a Kickstarter-like service for concept devices. While that may not exactly inspire the most confidence, these concepts from the folks behind upstart Makible are certainly unique enough to get us interested. They included the standard headphone adapter pictured above, which promises to turn any set of headphones into a proper (and eye-catching) headset, as well as an iPhone headset adapter that will let you use any iPhone headset with your Android phone (check it out after the break). Both will apparently be limited to 10,000 units apiece assuming they get the necessary funding, with the headphone adapter setting you back $20, while the iPhone version runs just $10. Want to see them become a reality? Then you can hit up the link below to get your order in.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
FCC proposing data roaming rules, not interested in commonizing carriers
FCC chairman Julius Genachowski briefly mentioned data roaming at CTIA last week, but now he's telling Congress that action is inbound, to ensure rural carriers don't get left behind the rest of the cellular industry. You see, in 2007 the Commission mandated cheap roaming agreements for voice and messaging services to let regional carriers compete, but cellular data is the bee's knees now (as those of you reading this on a smartphone can attest) and those agreements won't protect the Tiny Tims of telecom in a world of VoLTE anyhow. So, as he explains in a letter sent to members of the Senate and House, the chairman has come up with a set of rules, which will "incent potential roaming partners to come to the bargaining table to negotiate private commercial deals."
"The draft order under consideration eschews a common carriage approach and leaves mobile service providers free to negotiate and determine, on a customer-by-customer basis, the commercially reasonable terms of data roaming agreements," reads another letter. Needless to say, we're looking forward to hearing how the FCC will encourage competition while still letting the big boys negotiate from their multi-billion-dollar spectrum holding positions.
Senator Harry Reid calls for DUI checkpoint app removal: RIM's game, Google isn't, Apple's undecided
There's a lot of folks out there drinking and driving, and Congress sees DUI checkpoint location apps as enablers of all that cruising and boozing. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and his fellow Democrats have decided to use their powers of political persuasion to address the issue and ask Google, Apple, and RIM to pull such apps from their respective stores. The letter didn't name names, but Reid and co. want offending software yanked or "altered to remove the DUI checkpoint functionality" to prevent checkpoint circumvention. Of course, the creators of one such app, PhantomAlert, claim it provides such information to deter drunk driving by letting users know the risk of getting caught (yeah, right). RIM agreed to comply with the congressional request while Google said no thanks, but mum's the word out of Cupertino -- time will tell if Apple gets on the banning bandwagon too.
New iPhone 4 Element Vapor Cases: Where To Buy
Say hello to the new iPhone 4 Element Vapor Cases, these are stunning high-grade CNC aluminium framed cases that look fantastic, we will let you know of a few online stores where you can buy them from.
These aircraft grade aluminium cases have been CNC machined from a single block and only weigh 19 grams, they are sleek and very good looking indeed and have been anodized to give you that hard protective coating.
The cases come in an array of colours and have been laser engraved to give them that extra bit of class, the inside of the Element Vapor case has been lined with high tech shock absorbing to withstand great G-Force. They look stunning and even though we do not know a lot about these iPhone 4 cases we will still let you know where you can buy them.
We are not responsible for any purchases you make; we do NOT know the sites that are selling these cases so please buy at your own risk. Below are a few online stores you can buy them from.
First up is Element Case where the Vapor cases sell from $79.95, next up is WithGlobal who has them on sale for $39.99, WithGlobal also do bulk buy where if you buy 10 cases they are $36.69 and 20 cases at $35.98 each. If you are in the UK you can visit iOffer for these iPhone 4 cases where the asking price is 30.65.
If you know of any other store that is selling the iPhone 4 Element Vapor Cases please do let us know. If you already have one of these cases then send in your personal reviews. Thanks
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Apple looking to 'radically improve' iOS Maps experience, may look to you for help
It's tough to read too much into this, but when Apple publishes a couple of job applications hoping to bring on folks who can "radically improve how people interact with maps and location-based services," we can't help but take note. The outfit's currently seeking a pair of full-timers to be labeled as iOS Maps Application Developers, and it's honing in on applicants with "excellent skills in object-oriented software design and programming." We've felt for awhile that Apple's built-in Maps application wasn't even comparable to Google Maps Navigation, but it could be time for that to change. Even now, iOS users need to fork out cash on a legitimate turn-by-turn app if they're hoping to navigate with the iPod touch or iPhone, but we can only hope that these applications are hinting at a more full-fledged internal program for the software's next major iteration.'Course, we're sure TomTom would beg to disagree...
Charge Anywhere update turns Nexus S into full-on mobile payment terminal
Processing mobile payments via an external dongle? That's so early 2011. Charge Anywhere has a less troublesome idea, and if you're the lucky owner of a Google Nexus S, you could soon be accepting cold, hard virtual cash via NFC. For those already familiar with the space, you'll know that this very company already has applications out for the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices, but all of those obviously require a credit card swiping mechanism to be connected. According to CNET, the latest version will include support for the NFC module embedded within the Nexus S, enabling it to be a full-on mobile payment terminal with no additional hardware required. Both MasterCard PayPass and Visa Blink payments could be ingested, but don't go searching for the update in the Android Market; the company's done with the new build, but it won't be let loose to the public until it's ran past larger customers first. We don't get the impression that the NFC-compatible version will run any more than the $9.99 per month, but it's obviously a wait-and-see affair for now.
Hackers Give Bada The Boot, Finagle Android 2.2 Onto The Samsung Wave
You know, it really doesn’t matter how many dozens of devices there are built to run Android — bored hackers are still going to see if they can get it up and running on other devices. It’s pretty much a hacker pastime at this point, along the lines of forcing a microwave to run DOOM.
The latest non-Android device to succumb to the bot? The Samsung Wave, originally powered by Samsung’s own Bada platform. It’s not perfect yet by any means (as with any hand-hobbled Android build, there are driver issues to workaround) — but for any Wave owners itchin’ for some Android, it shows a ton of promise.
[XDA-Devs via EngadgetMobile]
Android Gingerbread Coming to Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Summertime
Well now here’s a bit of good new for all you owners of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, although Sony Ericsson some time ago made it quite clear that the Xperia X10 would not gain OS updates beyond Android clair, it appears Sony Ericsson has had a sudden change of heart.
According to the guys over at Android Central, the Sony Ericsson Product Blog has announced they will deliver Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread to the Xperia X10 at the end of Q2 early Q3.
Apparently Rikard Skogberg of Sony Ericsson has said that the company has listened to its customers and thus as a result of developing the Android Gingerbread update for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo it has been able to include the Xperia X10 with a “special development project.”
However, apparently the Android Gingerbread update will not be pushed out over the air but will be downloaded by way of a PC update utility, and once upgraded there is no option for going back.
So there it is Xperia X10 owners, you can at least now look forward to some Gingerbread goodness hitting your device later in the year.
Paltalk Launches Free Texting and Calling Worldwide iPhone to iPhone for Their Vumber Full-Featured Mobile VoIP App
Vumber Mobile application
Paltalk, the leading real-time, video-based community with over 70 million downloads, announced today the addition of free calling worldwide, free SMS functionality and free push notifications for calls to its Vumber Mobile application. Vumber, which allows iOS device users to place calls through Wi-Fi or an existing cellular data connection and add multiple lines to their cell phone, will now also allow for free unlimited calling and texting worldwide enabling crossover from different carriers (ie. AT&T to Verizon), Vumber-to-Vumber calling and so on.
Vumber App users can now place free worldwide calls and texts from their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, to anywhere in the world. Customers are still required to maintain a carrier plan, but they can limit the amount of minutes and texts on their plan to save money. The app is available for free from the iTunes store (http://bit.ly/f54Lpf) and will be available for Android phones and tablets beginning Spring 2011.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer users the revolutionary ability to call or text iPhone to iPhone anywhere in the world for free. Users are becoming increasingly more dependent on text and IM chat to stay in touch versus the traditional phone call. At Paltalk, we want to continuously develop innovative ways for consumers to share information quickly and efficiently while simultaneously keeping the cost as low as possible,” said Jason Katz, CEO, Paltalk. “We were able to allow users the freedom to make phone calls anywhere and anytime in the world with the launch of the Vumber app earlier this year and the addition of the free text function only furthers their ability to stay in touch with business associates, friends, and family.”
Major features of the Vumber Mobile app include:
Turn your iPod or iPad into a phone – Use your iPod / iPad / iPhone as a phone from any Wi-Fi connection, from any location in the world.
Free unlimited calling worldwide, across any carrier – Users can call iPhone to iPhone, Vumber to Vumber, AT&T to Verizon etc. anywhere in the world for free.
SMS Functionality – Text one person or groups of people at a time for free from any of the virtual numbers stored.
Multiple Lines – With Vumber you can add as many numbers as you would like to your account. Once you’ve done this — it’s as simple as pressing the phone icon to choose which number people see when you call them.
Push Notification Feature – This feature now allows for the notification of a call to be pushed through to users who have their Vumber app closed.
Wi-Fi & 3G calling – Stop worrying about bad reception and don’t waste your cell plan minutes. Instead, dial with your Vumber in hotspots.
Easy access to voicemail – Simply dial 1 from the app for instant access to your voice messages.
Visual Speed Dial – View speed dial contacts in an easy-to-use grid. Add a picture to each one for a quick and intuitive interface.
Social Networks – Easily update social network channels like Twitter through the app via SMS.
Vumber is a virtual, disposable phone number service that lets subscribers choose an additional phone number that can be linked to any existing phone. This allows customers to make calls and texts while maintaining the privacy of their phone numbers. Vumber is often used by small businesses that need to have separate lines for business and personal calls, but rather than having two cell phones can now have multiple numbers on a single device. Paltalk acquired the company in November 2009.
HTC EVO 3D First Commercial: Your Mobile Life In 3D
For those that are of a mind to check out some 3D goodness when the new HTC EVO 3D hits the streets on Sprint, you can now view what the Android packing HTC EVO 3D offers as HTC has now pushed out its first commercial for the smartphone.
The HTC EVO 3D commercial video comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Android Community and by way of the HTC YouTube page and lasts the usual time for touting on TV and shows off the handsets video record and playback along with 3D objects bursting from the display…obviously the handset doesn’t actually do this.
The Android 2.3 Gingerbread packing HTC EVO 3D has the tag line…”Your mobile life in 3D” and touts the fact that a user doesn’t require the use of 3D glasses with the HTC EVO 3D handset due to its 4.3-inch qHD display.
With the HTC EVO 3D handset, users not only have the ability to view 3D content without glasses, but can also create their own 3D content using the two 5 megapixel rear cameras that shoot in 720p HD 3D. So all you need do now is head on down, hit that play button and check out the first commercial for the HTC EVO 3D…enjoy.
Are you hoping to snap up the HTC EVO 3D once it becomes available?
ST-Ericsson's PM2300 will charge smartphones and tablets twice as fast, speeding to market this fall
We can't say the methods for charging mobile devices have been top of our agenda lately, but when you're talking about speeding anything up by 100 percent, our interest is inevitably piqued. ST-Ericsson has come up with a new charger, tailored specifically for servicing tablets and mobile phones, that can juice them up at the brisk rate of 3 Amps. Efficiency is touted all over the place with this accessory, from the 60 percent improvement in PCB utilization to the 92 percent maximum power throughput rating, bringing the drably titled PM2300 dangerously close to a state of desirability. Best of all, tablets featuring its promised double-speed refilling capabilities are expected in the fall of this year, so the wait won't be long, however you look at it.
[Thanks, Ola]
Harry Houdini Facts & Life: Top Two iPhone / iPad Apps
The Google Doodle today is to celebrate Erik Weisz well known for being Harry Houdini who was born in 1874 and died in 1926, this man was a legend in his own right and was and would probably say still is considering his feats are still with us today.
Magician Harry Houdini was an amazing stunt performer, escapologist, film producer an actor, well to celebrate the legend we decided to bring you two apps, one for the Apple iPhone and one for the Apple iPad.
The first app is for the iPhone and is titled “Houdini at The Jewish Museum, New York – Acoustiguide Smartour” This is all about art and magic and this app will tell you all there is to know about the escape artist and showman extraordinaire. The Houdini: Art and Magic exhibition shows of stunning posters, dramatic historic photographs, and the application also features archival footage of Harry Houdini performing, audio tour and much more. For more information please visit iTunes.
The nest app is simply titled “Harry Houdini”, if you are a fan of this legend then this app will be loved very much, this is the best animated version of the first volume of the brand new series ‘Harry Houdini’. Another great digital comic, animated by Ave!Comics. The apps main features include animated digital version of the complete comic book, Easy and intuitive navigation between pages and panels and Full support for multi-touch, swipe, landscape mode.
The app also features a revolutionary reading experience using kinematics that create an animated path through the stories, page mode to display the original layout of the comic book and exploration mode to dive into each panel, zoom and pan. To get this app on iPhone please visit iTunes – for the iPad click here.