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Moving Forward: the Missing Link Between WinMo and WinPho

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Windows Mobile 7 Okay, here is the deal; a lot of people own Windows Mobile smart phones.

It is a well used mobile operating system, and it is made by one of the largest developers in the world; Microsoft. These smart phones tend to be well made, powerful and of course, pretty expensive –which makes the fact that it is not “upgradeable” to the new Windows Phone 7 series extremely hard to swallow.

One thing many people realize that despite that fact that Windows Mobile is currently at version 6.X, the “7” in the 7 series has nothing to do with that number. Windows Phone 7 is simply the latest mobile platform that Microsoft has made, it is not, however, an upgraded Windows Mobile OS. WP7 is a completely new OS.

What this means for owners of the older WinMo OS is the grave concern that they are now holding what might be the end of the road for the older MS mobile platform. This worry is the reason why owners of the HTC HD2 smart phone are unable to come to terms with the announcement that their device will not be able to run WP7.

There is however, some good news for owners of Windows Mobile series 6. It has already been confirmed that MS will continue supporting the older OS and will be renaming it as Windows Phone Classic. Many are speculating that WP Classic will serve as Microsoft’s primary business model platform.

It has already been rumored early on that Microsoft would be presenting two new platforms –a media based OS for general users and a business-centric one for enterprise clients. With WP7 focusing on media integration and social networking, it will be up to WP Classic to fill in the need of the business market.

Get to read more about WinMo 6.5 and WP7 at Mobile Choice UK.

Tags: Windows-Phone-7
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Google Backs HTC, Apple Continues Lawsuit

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Steve Jobs There is no doubt that Apple’s motives for suing the pants out of HTC are based on the simple fact that the company is waging an indirect war with Google.

The lawsuit places into question 20 varying patents for hardware and software that Apple owns. According to reports, Apple believes that HTC has stolen or used their patented technology in their Android smart phones. While the actual word Android has not been brought up, it is obvious from the specific HTC phones in question that Apple is singling out devices that use the operating system of their biggest rival.

The move may seem harsh, but industry experts respect the value of a well placed tactical strike. Apple would find itself in a deep legal battle if they choose to take on Google –but HTC is a small company, despite the Taiwanese manufacturer’s success in the mobile industry. Apple has chosen an opponent that is not only easier to face, but also holds a crucial cog in the Google gear.

Google is primarily focused on software development and requires the backing of a good manufacturer –a field that HTC excels in without a doubt. HTC has also played a key role in the development of the Android operating system as a member of the Open Handset Alliance. HTC was also the manufacturer behind the Nexus One –the very first Google branded smart phone.

By suing HTC, Apple is now in a position to hamper the production of one of Google’s major partners. The Taiwanese company is confirmed to be releasing several new Android smart phones for this year and a lawsuit that could potentially pull their stocks off the shelves is the last thing Google needs right now.

Get to know more about the Apple lawsuit against HTC at Times Online UK.

Tags: Apple, Google, HTC
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UK Will Get The iPad After US

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Apple-iPad People in the US are to get their hands on the iPad nearly a month before it’ll reach the UK in late April.

Apple has said that the Wi-Fi versions of the iPad will be available in the US on 3 April and the Wi-Fi and 3G versions will be released later in the month. The UK will get both versions of the iPad in late April.

In the US, the iPad will cost $499 (£332) for the most basic version. However, no official pricing for the iPad in the UK has been announced.

However, it is not just the UK that has to wait for the iPad until late April – Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland all do too.

In case the iPad has somehow passed you by, you’ll know that it is Apple’s newest device, announced way back in January – a 9 inch tablet with a touchscreen and the ability to browse the internet, watch movies, read e-books and play games.

The iPad is being pitched as a hybrid of a smartphone and a laptop.

The delay to the launch date of the iPad is rumoured to be due to Apple’s Taiwanese partner, Foxconn, trying to manufacture enough iPads for the big launch.

But all the delay only adds to the excitement surrounding the new device. Businesses including newspapers and book publishers – together with software developers – are busily generating apps for the iPad.

So, can you wait for the launch of the iPad? Well, you’re going to have to wait. And if you’re based in the UK, you’re going to have to wait for a little while longer.

You can read more details on the soon-to-launch iPad if you head to Times Online.

Tags: iPad
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Noisy Phone Calls To Be Silenced By Technology?

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Phone call The latest technology developed by researchers could herald the end of having to listen to other people’s noisy mobile phone conversations as you go about your day – a prototype has been developed which enables people to have a silent phone conversation.

As incredible as it sounds, it’s true.

The technology behind this new mobile phone development works by measuring the tiny electrical pulses our muscles create when we chat. The device then records these electrical signals even when the person does not speak these words out loud, and uses them to create synthesised talking in the other phone.

The name for all this clever science is the electromyography technique, which can pick up on electrical pulses from people’s muscles.

The prototype device is on show at the Cebit electronics fair in Germany, and uses 9 electrodes that are placed on a user’s face to pick up on the pulses. These pulses are then transferred to a device which amplifies them and then sends the signal to a laptop using Bluetooth connection. The laptop converts the signals into text, which is then vocalised by a synthesiser.

The professor behind this software, Professor Tanja Shultz of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, believes the technology could be placed in mobile phones.

Speaking to BBC News, Professor Shultz said: “I was taking the train and the person sitting next to me was constantly chatting and I thought ‘I need to change this’. We call it silent communication.”

She admitted that using the technology in mobile phones may not be popular – but it could have plenty of other uses. For example, to help people communicate in different languages, translating and then speaking using the synthesised voice in the other language.

Could we soon be chatting on our mobile phones, in silence?

To find out more, head to the BBC News website.

Tags: Mobile Phone
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Phones 4U Fight Cancer

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Phones4U While the whole debate about radio waves and electronic mobile devices causing cancer has yet to be resolved, phone retailer Phones 4U has been focusing on the things that are more concrete –such as actually helping out the people who already have cancer.

Considering that it does not really matter where cancer actually comes from, the real focus here is on gaining the necessary funds for researching the cure for the big C. This is the main concern of Phones 4U as they teamed up with the folks from Research in Motion’s BlackBerry department and the Ellis Harriet Clark Foundation to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Bone Cancer Trust.

While their goal is quite noble, the task that was laid before them was a gruesome one. The team would be climbing up the dangerous slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. The thirty eight man team braved severe weather conditions and of course, extreme heights. The course was quite tough, of the 38 who begun the trip, only 28 managed to reach the summit.

The other ten had to stop earlier due to altitude sickness and other varying reasons –a testament to the challenge that the team took in order to support their cause. Despite having been battered to defeat by the mountain, the ten were quite happy with their efforts.

There is something truly amazing about not only the challenge of the hike, but also in the fact that these people –busy each day of their lives with work and other matters, would go out of their way to climb a mountain in an effort to raise money for the benefit of others. In total, the team was able to raise £65k for the charities.

Get to know more about the fundraiser at Mobile Today UK.

Tags: Phones4U
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Microsoft Launches Its First Android App

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Google Nexus One 4 The app called Tag has just been released by Microsoft and is compatible with the Android OS – the first app the company has made for the rival Android platform.

Until now, the Tag was available on many of the other smartphone platforms including BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows and Symbian handsets, but not the Google Android OS.

Tag is a device that uses the phone’s camera to reveal hidden information in barcodes. This means that simple barcodes can soon become vouchers which can be linked to websites or to claim discounts from website stores. The software is free and can be used for a number of purposes from adverts to redeeming coupons, and it requires no other technology apart from the inbuilt camera on a mobile.

Microsoft has a history of launching apps for rival mobile phone companies. For example, at the end of 2008, Seadragon – an app for Apple’s iPhone – was released and a couple of months later, the Tag for the iPhone came into existence.

Although Apple is way ahead when it comes to the number of apps in a particular mobile phone’s store, with an estimated 3 billion+ apps downloaded, there is a feeling of more co-operation among the various operators. The Wholesale Applications Community was created in February this year, formed by 24 of the biggest mobile phone networks operators globally to develop apps.

The Tag app is free and now available for Android-based phones including the Google Nexus One, and you can read more about this story on BBC News.

Tags: Android, Microsoft, Tag
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Skype For Symbian App Arrives In Ovi Store

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

The Skype for Symbian app is now available for Nokia smartphones and can be downloaded for free from the Ovi Store from today onwards.

The Skype app can be downloaded onto any Nokia handset which uses the latest version of the Symbian platform. This is great news if you own a compatible Nokia mobile such as the Nokia N97 or Nokia N97 Mini, the X6, the 5530, the 5320 or the 6220 Classic – and others (there is a link at the bottom to the full list of compatible handsets).

You can import names and details from your phone’s address book onto the Skype app and start communicating with your world straight away.

Skype-to-Skype calls are free wherever you are and whatever device you are using to call – be it your mobile or your PC. So once you have Skype on your handset, you can make VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls to friends and family who also have the software, for free – or use it for instant messaging. Skype works by using 3G and Wi-Fi connections so as long as you have good reception, you’ll be able to make a call or send a message.

You can see who is online and available on Skype so you know when is a good time to call or message. And Skype is good for sharing too as you can send pictures, documents and videos via the app.

If your friends don’t have compatible Nokias or an iPhone, you can still call them using Skype and usually for less than the cost of a normal call.

The new Skype for Symbian app will soon be available for Sony Ericsson handsets too.

To find out if your Nokia smartphone is compatible, head to Skype.

Tags: Nokia, Skype, Symbian
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Microsoft to Lose Browser Wars

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Microsoft has been king of the web browser hill by packaging the Internet Explorer web browser in its Windows operating system. For the first time, users of Windows will now have a choice of web browsers to choose from instead of the default IE browser.

Until now, Internet Explorer has been the most used web browser for computers. This comes as a result of having been the default browser for the Windows operating system. This will now all change with the European Commission latest ruling for Microsoft. The Antitrust probe that was initiated by Opera is reaching new depths with the EC now focusing its sights on Google’s control of many web services.

The ruling forces Microsoft to give users a choice in the web browser that they intend to have bundled in the OS.

While this is “fair” in terms of giving people a choice, it severely cripples Microsoft’s control with its own product. They are the developers of the Windows OS. Naturally, it is Microsoft’s choice as to what browser they would be including in the software that they are selling. Users of Windows are always free to change the default browser settings and even to download and install their own browser of choice.

Internet Explorer now faces losing its ground as most used browser as users will now be able to choose their own. Google’s Chrome has been getting lots of marketing thanks to Google’s own efforts, though support for other software is also running strong. Mozilla’s Firefox has always been one of IE’s top contenders and will certainly be seeing more users with this new EC ruling. IE still holds over 60% of the market, though many expect this figure to drop over the next few weeks.

Read more about the Internet Explorer browser and the EU Antitrust case at Times Online UK.

Tags: Internet-Explorer
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New Payment App Launched On Facebook

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

You can now make payments to your friends while you interact on Facebook.

A new app called Buxter has been launched on Facebook which lets you send small amounts of money to your friends directly from the social networking site.

Buxter is managed by ClickandBuy – which already runs an online payment service and has over 13 million users globally. To use Buxter on Facebook, you need to have a ClickandBuy account.

At the moment, Buxter handles payments made in Euros or US dollars, and a Sterling version should be launched in the next month. If you want to make payments in other currencies, these transactions are subject to a 5% exchange fee when uploaded to a Buxter account.

To make and receive a payment on Facebook between Buxter accounts is free. However, if you want to send money to a friend’s bank account from Buxter or to receive money from your friend’s Buxter account to your own bank account, a 1.9% commission is charged – a minimum of €2 or $3/£2.

You can only make payments to your friends on Facebook and only small amounts. There is a maximum amount of €50/£45 which you can have in your Buxter account at any one time. The idea behind this new social networking app is to make sharing costs much easier – for example, paying for bowling, a meal or the theatre.

Senior vice president at ClickandBuy, Christian von Hammel-Bonten told BBC News: “People share their statuses, their information and their pictures on Facebook so the question is why not share money there too?”

So the next time you’re updating your status or messaging a friend on Facebook, you can also easily plan your next social outing – simply ask your friends to pay for the cinema tickets or comedy store tickets or whatever event it may be using your Buxter accounts.

You can read more about the new Facebook app, here.

Tags: Facebook
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