HTC Legend Review

Friday, March 12, 2010

Clare Hopping of KnowYourMobile.com has recently reviewed the HTC Legend, and suggests that it is a lot more than just an upgrade to the HTC Hero. Here is what she had to say;

It may be a bold statement, but it’s true: The HTC Legend is the best Android handset to date.

There are many reasons why this statement is true, and the design is just the first. HTC has been working with a design agency to build its newest devices and HTC Legendthis certainly shows with the Legend. The device is crafted from a single piece of aluminium, making it super light and perfectly formed to fit in your hand. It’s smooth and feels premium.

Breaking up the aluminium is the screen on the front and speaker/camera panel on the back, plus the battery door. The battery door is constructed from soft touch plastic, and also accommodates the antenna. HTC apparently made the decision to use plastic for this part because a full metal casing can interrupt signal getting to the antenna, and reduces signal strength. This is one of the factors that made the first generation iPhone fail so miserably. The quirky battery cover does have an issue though – it makes sliding the battery, microSD and SIM card in and out quite a task.

We were concerned that our SIM card would be stuck in the phone forevermore, although this could have been classed as an advantage: maybe then we’d be able to keep our review sample for longer than the four days HTC had allowed us. The microSD card slips completely into the insides of the Legend, so be warned – you may never see it again.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Aron

Android NetCounter App for counting data usage

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Android_NetCounter

This is a nice, simple app for Google Android. NetCounter simply keeps count of the amount of data you are using whilst browsing the web on your device.

This App is essential if your monthly contract does not include unlimited data or if you have a data limit. NetCounter displays the amount of data used as a total, in a month, in a week and in a day for both your WiFi and 3G connections. Although you are not charged for data used on a WiFi connection, it can still be useful to see how much data is used when browsing. 

Android_NetCounter_1  Android_NetCounter_2

Perhaps the most useful feature of the App is the data alert feature. You can set an alert so that the app notifies you when a certain amount of data has been used. For example, if your monthly data allowance is 500mb, set the alert for this figure and NetCounter will then notify you once the 500mb has been reached.

NetCounter is available for free from the Android Marketplace. Click here to view the next Android Device to be released, the HTC Legend.

Thanks to Kate Russel’s BBC Webscape from BBC Click.

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Posted by Wardy

Android Applications – Five Free

Friday, March 5, 2010

ITPRO put together a regular top business applications article each week (every Friday) and here are what they consider to be at the top this week.

imageTop Free 

Voice Recorder Does what it says on the tin, with data recorded to the handset’s SD card.

Battery Widget Keeps an eye on juice levels so they don’t let you down at a critical moment.

OI Notepad This simple notepad lets you create a list of editable and sendable notes.

Astrid Task/Todo List An open source task list to help you keep track of what needs to get done.

OI File Manager This file manager tool lets you he create directories, rename, move, and delete files – all while on the move.

Top paid

Power Manager (price TBC) An easy way to help manage the power of your Android-based handset, by changing settings to conserve energy for other tasks.

Open Home An app to help you make your home screen more individual with customisation for font, colours, icons and themes.

My Backup Pro ($4.99) An easy way to back-up applications, bookmarks, shortcuts, texts and more so you can easily port this data to a new device if your current one is lost of stolen.

Advanced Task Manager ($0.99) At a glance snapshot of all the tasks running on your Android phone quickly and easily.

Source: ITPRO

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Posted by Jon

Acer A1 Liquid Wins Smartphone Essentials Editor’s Choice Award

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

pda_essentials_editors_award The A1 Liquid, Acer’s first device to run the Android Operating System, has won the Smartphone Essentials Editor’s Choice Award. The Liquid has been a hugely popular device, acting as a direct competitor to the HTC Hero. With a slightly larger screen, faster processor and lower price tag, the Liquid offers a good alternative to the Hero, which also won several awards in 2009.

The main features of the Acer A1 Liquid are:

Qualcomm 8250 768MHz processor
  • Android 1.6 (Donut) Operating System
  • Slim design just over 12.5mm thick
  • 3.5″ WVGA Touchscreen Display
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900
  • Tri-band  HSDPA 900/1900/2100 MHz
  • 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM
  • 5 Megapixel Camera
  • Bluetooth 2 with EDR

AcerSmartphone

Here at Clove we’ve just dropped the price of the Liquid White to just £255 + VAT. The recently released Acer A1 Liquid Black is also in stock at £284 + VAT.

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Posted by Wardy

Google steps up its assault on Mobile Telecoms Market

Friday, February 19, 2010

It was reported in the Daily Mail on Wednesday that Google boss, Eric Schmidt served notice that they are stepping up their assault on the mobile telecoms market.

In a potentially far reaching strategic shift, Google will make the bulk of its new services available for handsets before it puts them on desktop computers. “This is a first for us”, Schmidt told executives at the mobile World Congress in Barcelona. “The new rule is mobile first in everything.”

The move marks a change of tack for Google, which has built its impregnable position in the online advertising on the back of its raft of computer tools such as search engine and Gmail service.

Extracted from Daily Mail, Simon Duke in Barcelona

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Posted by Chris

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Mini and Mini Pro

Monday, February 15, 2010

front With interest constantly growing in the yet to be released Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, it was a big surprise for Sony to announce 2 scaled-down versions of the device. Still, a nice surprise nonetheless.

According to Sony, the ‘Xperia X10 mini and X10 mini pro define a new user experience – ultra-compact – whilst still offering best-in-class communication entertainment performance .Smaller than a credit card, smart and unique with Sony Ericsson TimescapeT application and an intuitive 4 corner touch screen user interface.’

The X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro are essentially the same device, only the X10 Mini has a slide-out QWERTY Keyboard.

Combining the Android platform with signature applications and a customisable UX platform, communication truly becomes entertainment with these new mobile phones. To enhance the experience, pick and choose from a multitude of applications at Android Market and co-create a mobile phone experience that is entirely unique. Users can go one step further and customise the home screen’s four corners and widgets to access the most needed applications for limitless possibilities.

Side

The two sister mobile phones incorporate the signature application Sony Ericsson Timescape which brings all communication together in one place so users can see at a glance text messages, missed calls, and Facebook and Twitter updates, without having to open lots of different applications.  The interactive music player also uses the "infinite button" to pull together all music content from the music store and YouTube – a smart way to search for new tracks from a favourite artist.

Here’s a glance at the features that have been released so far:

  • Sony Ericsson Timescape -  brings together all communication in one place
  • Four corner control – applications, calls, web, the consumer decides. Four customisable icons for ultimate control
  • 5 megapixel camera and video – share creations via the web
  • Music player links to music stores and YouTube – access the world of music
  • Android platform  – with Google services and Android Market
  • QWERTY keyboard – slide and text for quick and easy messaging (Xperia X10 mini pro only)

X10 mini and X10 mini pro support HSPA 900/2100 and EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA 850/1900/2100 and EDGE 850/900/1800/1900.

The X10 mini will be available in selected markets from Q2 in the colours Pearl White, Black, Pink, Lime, Red and Silver

The X10 mini pro will be available in selected markets from Q2 in the colours Black and Red.

BackSide_Keyboard

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Posted by Wardy

Symbian OS becomes Open Source

Monday, February 8, 2010

symbian Last week, four months ahead of schedule, the source code for the Symbian platform was made open source. This was the largest transition ever of proprietary software to open source.

The Symbian platform, which has now been in development for over ten years, has shipped in more than 330 million devices, making it the most-installed mobile phone operating system in the world.

With the growing development from Android and the iPhone, its no surprise that Symbian has gone OS, although owners Nokia claim that this was always the intention, even before Android existed. Android was the first ever mobile phone platform to be made open source, and this has contributed somewhat to its success.

Once software/code is released as open source, it means it is available for all programmers to develop. This leads to better opportunity for innovation and also gives a greater deal of flexibility to manufacturers, meaning they are more likely to use software on their devices if they can tweak it as they please. Symbian has also committed complete transparency in future plans, including the publication of the platform roadmap and planned features up to and including 2011. Anyone can now influence the roadmap and contribute new features.

The next release of Symbian should give us a good indication as to whether or not they can still be counted in the battle of the Operating Systems.

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Posted by Wardy

Samsung i5700 coming soon to Clove.co.uk: Pre-Order Yours Now!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The Samsung I5700 is the latest Google Android smartphone from Samsung.

This compact full touch enabled mobile, weighs just 120g and offers all the normal mobile phone features and functions, but benefits from the additional features of Google Android 2.0 operating system.

The latest edition of the Android platform, the hardware and software work well together to bring a convenient and user friendly package.

Make phone calls, send texts, check or reply to email, capture a picture with the on board 3 megapixel camera, browse the web or update your Samsung i5700 FrontFacebook and Twitter status, all from the i5700.

Bluetooth 2.1 and WiFi on board ensure that there are few limitations to the applications and situations in which you can use the Samsung i5700.

The 3.2inch display offers a convenient way to interact with your content on Samsung i5700 Backthe phone and the world wide web and offers a great way to view the latest video or photos you have downloaded or stored on a card in the phones memory card (microSD) slot.

The Samsung i5700 can be pre-ordered at Clove Technology today, with first stock expected mid-February!

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Posted by Aron

10 Google Nexus One Questions & Answers

Thursday, January 7, 2010

With a bit of inspiration from Androidguys.com, we’ve put together a set of Questions & Answers about the Google Nexus One to clear up any confusion.

What is the Nexus One?

As Google puts it, the Nexus One is the first “superphone”. That is to say it’s the next evolution in what (Android) handsets are capable of.

Who makes the Nexus One?

The handset is made by HTC with input from Google.

What is so special about the phone?

For starters, the Nexus One features a blazing fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.  Throw in a 3.7-inch (480×800 AMOLED screen), a 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash, wireless support for 802.11 a/b/g/n, a trackball with multicolor LED, and you see where we’re going.  There’s also a compass, GPS, accelerometer, stereo Bluetooth, a 3.5mm headphone jack, light and proximity sensors, and two microphones for “active noise suppression”.  All of this is powered by a 1400mAH battery.

What else?

The Nexus One comes loaded with Android 2.1, which features the same great software found in the Motorola DROID, plus more.  This latest version also offers great voice integration.  Every text field found within Android 2.1 is voice enabled, meaning you’ll not have to physically type out emails, texts messages and tweets.  There are also ‘live wallpapers’ with interactivity, a new weather/news widget, Google Earth, and an updated gallery.

Where can I buy a Nexus One?

You can immediately order an unlocked GSM Nexus One at $529.00 (approximately £330) at google.com/phone.

Will Clove be stocking the Nexus One?

No, unfortunately. The Nexus One is being sold and distributed exclusively by Google, no resellers will be stocking the device.

Will the Nexus One get a UK/Europe release?

Probably at some point (as a network exclusive), but it can be purchased for delivery outside the UK if you do want it now. However, an HTC device with similar spec to the Nexus One is expected for a UK release within Q3 of 2010.

Does the release of the Nexus One mean other manufacturers such as Samsung and Sony will stop producing Android devices?

Its unlikely that this will be the case. Although the Nexus One is currently the only device running Android 2.1, the new 2.1 OS will be available for other manufactures very soon (most likely within about a week), so it won’t be long before we start to see Android 2.1 and higher on other handsets.

What are the other Android devices currently available at Clove?

The HTC Hero, the HTC Tattoo, the Acer Liquid and the Motorola Milestone/Droid. All great devices!

Are there many Android devices on the way for 2010?

Yes, more than you can count on both hands and feet. At the moment we’re waiting for names/release dates/spec to be confirmed, but expect devices from all the big manufacturers, including HTC, Acer, Samsung, Sony, Palm, Motorola and more. The Sony XPERIA X10 has been confirmed already of course!

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Posted by Wardy

Swype, what is it and when will it be available?

Thursday, December 24, 2009

 

swype

Swype is a text input method that has been in development for the last 7 years, created by the inventor of the T9 predictive text dictionary. It recently debuted on the Samsung Omnia II, and is set to be available on forthcoming Nokia and Samsung devices in 2010.

Swype is designed to make typing on touchscreens more accurate by letting users drag their finger from letter to letter rather than having to tap each individual key. The software will then decide what word you are typing based on when your finger pauses or changes direction. As the software predicts what words you are going to type, users can input roughly 40 words per minute allowing for messages to be composed a lot quicker.

So far, Swype has received good reviews from sources such as CNET and Samsung Omnia II users, but it is not the first time that a company has tried to introduce an alternate keyboard, as mentioned in this post at Android And Me. However, after a significant amount of funding (just over $7 million to date), including a substantial amount from Nokia and Samsung, it seems that Swype could be a winner.

TechCrunch stated in November that Swype would be coming to Android in early 2010, which could give it some real firepower as it looks to take the edge over Apple next year. TechCrunch also published the video below of a text race between the iPhone and a Samsung Omnia II using Swype. The Omnia II easily wins, but it could be argued that a practised iPhone user could keep up fairly well.

It looks like Swype will be a welcomed form of text input, and could be a wise investment on the part of Nokia and Samsung. The Omnia II gives you the option to revert back to a normal touch input if you do not like the Swype keyboard, so your options are not limited. If Swype is successful on smaller handsets it is likely to be very popular indeed. We eagerly await 2010 devices to see how it fairs out.

If you’ve been using Swype on the Omnia II, please post a comment to let us know how you’ve been getting on with it!

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Posted by Wardy

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