IntoMobile » Platforms

HTC Hero with AT&T 3G bands is at the FCC!

Dusan Belic — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:30:11 +0000

The super sexy HTC Hero is at the FCC’s labs. We’re talking about the version of the device that can sing along AT&T (NYSE: T)’s and Canada’s Rogers (NYSE: RCI) Wireless 3G networks. The question is will AT&T pick it up? They have a good relationship with Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), which might be pissed to see such a contender being offered by their carrier partner. On the other hand, AT&T shouldn’t want to miss the Android wave, hence we may see them start offering the Hero alongside the iPhone.

Anyway, that’s something we’re still speculating on. The good thing is that the paperwork needed for launching the Heroic launch in the States is getting close to an end, and you’ll always be able to grab the device unlocked, sans any strings attached.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

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Archos to unveil Android-powered Tablet on September 15th?

Dusan Belic — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:12:45 +0000

We’ve already heard Archos is moving forward to introduce the Android-powered device. Now we have a new tidbit of information to add to the pile.

According to RegisterHardware, the company’s Managing Director of Northern Europe operations — Tony Limrick — has confirmed such device will be unveiled this September. As a matter of fact, he said it’s September 15th when we’ll hear some hot news from Archos.

Limrick described the upcoming Tablet as “Android-based devices with phone, email, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) apps and Android Apps.”

Earlier we’ve heard the specs and are hoping they’ll stay intact: 5-inch screen, HSPA connectivity, 500MB of storage, 10mm thick, HD movie playback capability and 800MHz TI OMAP 3440 CPU. The price is unknown at this stage, but judging by the specs, I doubt we’re talking about a cheap device.

[Via: phandroid]

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Leaked AT&T Memo: iPhone 3GS launch = best sales day, ever; MJ death caused 65k texts/sec to be used

Stefan Constantinescu — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:03:48 +0000

A memo has just leaked from AT&T saying that the day the iPhone 3GS launched, it broke almost every record AT&T has ever had. Along with that, the day Micahel Jackson died, AT&T’s network was processing around 65,000 text messages a second. Crazy stuff:

1. Fact of the Week: On June 25, the day Michael Jackson died, text messages sent on our network spiked at 65,000 messages per second — the largest volume ever recorded — surpassing events like American Idol voting and New Year’s Eve, when millions of our customers wish their friends and family a happy new year via text.”

2. “iLaunch day 2009 was one for the record books, as AT&T customers scrambled to get their hands on the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet.

Here’s a look at some of the milestones we achieved:

* Best-ever sales day in our retail stores
* Second-largest traffic day in our retail stores
* Most transactions processed via our IT systems in a single day
* Most upgrade eligibility checks in a single day
* Largest order day in att.com history
* Largest features sales day in att.com history

On this year’s launch day, iPhone sales exceeded sales recorded on 2008’s iPhone launch day, Black Friday 2008 and Dec. 26, 2008 — all heavy-volume sales days. In fact, this year we surpassed 2008’s launch day sales at about noon Central time, and sustained our previous peak hour record, also set in 2008, for 11 straight hours.

[Image via Gizmodo]

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Microsoft Picks Ad Agency for Project Pink?

Simon Sage — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:04:10 +0000

Ad agency T.A.G (a unit of McCann) has apparently been chosen to work with Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) on what they openly referred to as the Pink project. It does exist! The rumours of Pink have floated around like vapourware for a long time now, but this certainly helps to cement its reality. The last we heard about Microsoft’s Pink was a list of preliminary specifications of the device, but it was still unclear if that encompassed the whole scope of the project. How it incorporates the Zune brand, if at all, and Windows Mobile 6.5 (or even 7) remains something of a mystery, but it would be no surprise to see all of these things come together somehow with Pink.

[via All About Microsoft]

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Motorola Q9h Running Windows Mobile 6.5 Caught on Video

Simon Sage — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:19:55 +0000

Two minutes of blurtastic video have bubbled up which give a basic tour of Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard running on a Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Q9h. One would easily expect that the newer Windows Mobile handsets are built with 6.5 in mind, but it’s great to see even older hardware can handle the new OS, too. There’s not much that especially catches the eye - in fact, the whole thing looks pretty samey, but we all know 6.5 is more of a facelift than anything else. The SDK for the “new” Windows Mobile has already been released, so you can expect the software soon - maybe late summer/early fall if the hardware rumours pan out.

[via WMPowerUser]

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Vodafone New Zealand Pulls HTC Magic From Shelves

James Falconer — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:56:07 +0000

Now this is an odd one. Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) New Zealand has reportedly pulled the HTC Magic from their website. Calls have been put in to Vodafone in the region, and the response was somewhat ominous: the Magic can be purchased for $1,099 NZD, but no more are in stock and it isn’t clear when more will be available. Very strange indeed. Blogger Ben Gracewood has also reported that not only is the device no longer available online, but all stock has been removed from stores. If you’re in the region and are hoping to pick up a Magic, looks like your best bet would be to either call Vodafone or pop down to a local store to see if you can nab the now elusive device. (Either that or catch a flight to Australia).

Something isn’t right here for sure. The Magic was launched only last week in New Zealand at a large party with many celebs in attendance. One thing is for certain, time will tell us what’s going on here.

Note: It’s interesting to note that the HTC Magic in New Zealand is a ‘Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Experience’ device. I suppose it’s possible Vodafone is having some issues with Google? Who knows. Let’s wait and see.

[Via: AndroidAuthority]

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Carrom3D Pro Brings Crokinole and Carrom to Android

James Falconer — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:29:20 +0000

Yes, finally a Crokinole game for mobile! Ha ha, not sure if anyone out there is familiar with this great little game, but around these parts my friends refer to me as ‘Old Croke’. I love the game.

New for Android is Carrom3D Pro. The game features not only the classic game of Crokinole, but 3 other ‘Carrom’ games for your enjoyment. The developers at Kinetic Bytes put a lot of effort into getting the physics just right, and they’ve done a pretty good job. In fact, you can even adjust the physics of the whole game via settings built right into the app. Adjust the sliding friction, rolling friction, coefficient of restitution and more. This makes for a totally custom gaming experience… Just tweak the settings until you get it how you like it!

If you’re a fan of Crokinole or Carrom, you’ll want to pick this one up right now. It’s available in the Android Market via a free trial, or you can throw $1.99 down for the full version.

[Via: AndroidTapp]

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Snapdragon-powered Toshiba TG01 UK unveiling on July 9

Will Park — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:54:58 +0000

When it comes to super-slim and sexy smartphones with enough computing power to take over the world, the Toshiba TG01 takes the cake. Thanks to a power-packed Snapdragon chipset, the TG01 speeds along at 1Ghz clock speeds while playing with a hefty 256MB of RAM and a 4.1-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen display. The kicker - the TG01 stuffs WiFi, GPS, 3.2-megapixel camera and 3G data connectivity into a package barely 10mm thick! And, it’s coming to the UK next week.

We’ve been keeping an eye on the Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) TG01 ever since we had a chance to put hands on the super-thin smartphone in Barcelona. Despite having pulled the plug on Japanese production, Toshiba looks to be going strong with their TG01 roll-out. Check out our in-depth Toshiba TG01 hands-on here.

While those of use in The States will have to wait for the Toshiba TG01 to get all official, it looks like the UK will be the next market to get the Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone. Come July 9th, Toshiba will be showing off something really cool in London. Given Toshiba’s Summer launch window for the TG01, it’s highly likely we’ll see Toshiba unleashing the Toshiba TG01 on British soil next week.

For the time being, enjoy our hands-on video.

Stay tuned!

[Via: SlashGear]

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National Geographic’s Top 20 iPhone Travel Apps

Will Park — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:30:19 +0000

Like to take trips to foreign locales, do you? Don’t forget your iPhone! Armed with the right iPhone apps, your iPhone can be an invaluable tool to help you organize your trip and find your way around not-so-familiar terrain. Who better to help you find those iPhone travel apps than the globe-trotters at National Geographic? The renowned travel/exploration publication has posted their Top 20 iPhone Travel Apps for your perusal, and it’s a good’n.

From free iPhone apps like “Room” to paid apps like “Packing,” Nat Geo has all the your travel needs covered. Common travel apps like FlightTrack and Google Earth are staples of any would-be traveler, but less popular apps like Babelingo (300 common phrases in 11 languages), Room (helps you pack for your trip) and Cheap Gas (um, self-explanatory) also deserve a quick mention.

Head on over to National Geographic for the full Top 20 iPhone Travel Apps list.

[Via: NatGeo]

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T-Mobile myTouch 3G Hitting Inboxes Around Town… Pre-Orders Arriving by August 3rd

James Falconer — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:30:11 +0000

Chances are if you were one of the eager beavers signing up on the T-Mobile myTouch 3G mini site, you have received an email to add fuel to the fire…. Pictured above, T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) has sent out this mailer to help build some much needed anticipation for device launch. Nothin’ too crazy here, but the mailer does point out that myTouch 3G pre-orders should arrive and be in-hand by August 3rd.

In case you missed it, a press event is scheduled for July 8th in New York City, where the myTouch 3G will be formally announced. From that point pre-orders for existing customers will be available. Latest rumors have the device available for general consumption on August 5th, but we’ll see. These dates have a way of changing.

[Via: TMoNews]

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Some thoughts on the next Nokia Internet tablet device

Dusan Belic — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:36:16 +0000

It’s fair to guess Nokia (NYSE: NOK) will launch a new Internet tablet device later this year. We’ve already posted an article with the rumored specs, but we haven’t said — cause we don’t know — whether the touchscreen used will be capacitive or resistive. The point of this article is to make the case for the use of capacitive touchscreen as well as a chance to add my 2 cents to the table.

First of all, I must say that I’m a big fan of the Maemo platform. Though I haven’t used the original Nokia 770, I relied on the N800 a lot. Coupled with a Bluetooth keyboard, it was my mobile office, and I wrote hundreds (yes hundreds) of articles for IntoMobile on it. Later on, I ordered the N810 from the U.S. — because it was significantly cheaper due to a weak dollar — but it got lost in the transport to Europe. Boy was I pissed…

Anyway, I continued using my N800 until I bought the Dell Mini 9, which is the cornerstone of my current mobile office. This is not to say I’m not using the N800 any more, it’s just that I’m not using it as often as I used to.

As a matter of fact, I brought the Nokia tablet with me to Barcelona. And there’s the part where my plead for the capacitive touchscreen comes in. It was very hard, almost impossible to see anything on the N800’s screen under the Sun in Spain. At the same time I had my iPhone with me, which touchscreen hasn’t bothered me at all. Now you could argue the capacitive touchscreen is no good for some markets in Asia where handwriting recognition is a must have feature, to which I say - fine, make two versions of the device, one with capacitive and the other one with resistive touchscreen. I’m sure, actually quite confident, the capacitive version will outsell the resistive one even if it ends up costing $50 more. And having a choice could prove beneficial to the platform, or at least me thinks so.

To summarize - capacitive touchscreen is a must. Otherwise I don’t see a reason why would someone (mainstream user, not a Linux fan) would go for Maemo rather than Windows Mobile. The rumored specs we’ve seen go in line some of the existing WinMo smartphones such as some HTC and Acer models, which rely on the “classic” resistive touchscreen technology. This is not to say this is the only reason for selecting one platform over another, it’s just something pretty visible/tangible to the end user.

You could argue an AMOLED screen could do the trick, but i don’t buy it.

As for the rest of my wishes, I hope Nokia will use the same or at least very similar keyboard as the one the N810 has. I like the D-pad on the left, but I don’t like the new-look keyboard of the N97. To be fair, the N810’s keyboard could slide a bit more down to leave little more space for the first row of the keys.

Moreover I’m looking forward to see a decent CPU running the show, and from what we’ve heard, that will be the case. Will Intel jump in as a supplier? I think that may happen, though Nokia could opt for some other chip maker for the first Maemo 5 device — some of their existing semiconductor suppliers.

Finally, to further spur the adoption of the Maemo platform, Nokia should offer the new Maemo device(s) to developers either for free or with a significant discount. The same should go for journalists and bloggers. Speaking of latter, have I mentioned I’m a big fan of Maemo?

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Wattpad adds support for Android phones, too

Dusan Belic — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:21:57 +0000

Wattpad keeps conquering new mobile platforms. After BlackBerry and iPhone, the popular “YouTube For Ebooks” is hitting the Android world, too.

A dedicated application is available in the Android Market, using which users can discover new ebooks, share their collection with the world, and download ebooks other people have shared.

According to Wattpad, each month over 10,000 stories are published by thousands of passionate writers, including many well-known writers such as John Gregory Betancourt, whose story Alien Still Life was first published online on Wattpad…

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SPB Geo Game helps users memorize world’s capitals, countries and flags

Dusan Belic — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:02:25 +0000

SPB Software is out with another educational game called SPB Geo Game — it’s about time they remove the “SPB” part from their titles, don’t you think?

Anyway, the game is designed to educate players on world’s capitals and national flags. On that note, SPB’s press release says that today’s global diversity is represented by 235 countries (including small islands and independent territories), 235 flags, and 234 capitals. SPB Geo Game helps users memorize all this information and “widens one’s horizons in a fun way,” as a result.

The finger-friendly app also features 3G globe view, as well as educational animations. It is readily available for touchscreen smartphones running either Windows Mobile or Android, and you can grab it for $4.95.

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PlayStation Emulator Caught Running on the Palm Pre

James Falconer — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:58:51 +0000

If you had any reservations about 3D gaming on the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre, the above video might change your mind. ZodTTD, the genius that developed many emulators for the iPhone has rooted his Pre, and loaded up his PlayStation emulator onto the device. Many bats are still in need of being flushed out of the cave, but as you can see in the video, the basics are there. Can’t wait for more news from ZodTTD on a final version of the emulator for the Pre.

A few notes on development from ZodTTD:

There is no sound output (but it’s emulated), as Pulse Audio is required for the Palm Pre, and I have yet to support it. It will come soon.

I have not figured out hardware rotation or scaling, or whether it is possible. Until then I am using the raw framebuffer device and blitting 320×240 software scaled.

I figured out how to read the keypad device on the Palm Pre, though there are times it fails to give a keyup event, making keys “stick”. This is annoying and I’m looking for a workaround.

As things progress I will have fullscreen landscape working as well.

I’m particularly excited about this for one reason alone: The Pre has physical buttons! Don’t get me wrong, I love playing games on my iPhone… But heck, sometimes a guy just needs a few buttons, y’know?

[Via: PreThinking]

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T-Mobile myTouch 3G Event Slated for July 8th in NYC

James Falconer — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:38:49 +0000

T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) has announced a July 8th myTouch 3G media event in New York City. It’s no surprise that this event comes on the same day that pre-orders are to become available. What a co-inky-dink, right?

At any rate, one thing is for sure… after this event we’re going to see many more leaks and spy shots of the myTouch 3G. Get ready for all of the black, white and ‘merlot’ myTouch 3G goodness you can handle. Again, the myTouch 3G media event will take place Wednesday July 8, at 11:00 AM EST.

[Via: SlashGear]

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GSM Palm Pre spotted in the wild

Will Park — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:15:11 +0000

The Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre’s biggest downfall is the network technology that it uses - the US-only CDMA standard. That fact alone limits the Palm Pre to the US. American GSM users and just about everyone else on Planet Earth will have to wait for Palm to launch the GSM variant that we spied in Barcelona.

The good news is that the GSM Pre may not be too far off. A newly leaked set of pics shows the Palm Pre clearly rocking a SIM card under the battery cover. The removable SIM bodes well for a near-term release of the GSM Palm Pre. Sooner is better than later.

[Via: Ubergizmo]

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Apple looses iPhone OS 3.1 beta on devs

Will Park — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:03:28 +0000

The iPhone OS 3.0 is a bit buggy. With stories of bugs and general instability floating around, the inevitable iPhone OS 3.1 update is looking pretty nice. Thankfully, we may not have to wait too long for Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) to go public with the iPhone OS 3.0 update. Apple has today seeded an iPhone OS 3.1 beta and accompanying SDK to the iPhone dev community!

iPhone developers can get their hands on the first update to the all-new iPhone 3.0 OS, but mere mortals like ourselves will just have to wait for Apple to push the update through iTunes. Bug fixes, here we come!

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Skype 3.0 goes final on Windows Mobile

Will Park — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:12:57 +0000

Skype users rejoice! The Skype 3.0 application for Windows Mobile has officially matured past “beta” status, and is now available for download. If you haven’t yet tried Skype 3.0 for Windows Mobile, we’d suggest taking a quick look-see. The 3.0 version features an SMS messaging feature that is supposed to cut down on international texting fees as well as a file-sharing feature that basically does what it you’d expect.

The Skype 3.0 Windows Mobile app also rocks an updated UI and presumably does away with some of beta-bugs.

Download Skype 3.0 for Windows Mobile here.

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Capacitance touchscreens for Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphones?

Will Park — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:55:08 +0000

The resistive touchscreen goes "SQUISH"

We can only hope.

The iPhone helped popularize the smartphone. The iPhone’s user-focused UI and more natural capacitance-based touchscreen has changed the mass-market’s expectation of what a smartphone should be. It’s just too bad Windows Mobile has yet to catch on - it’s still fully backing resistive touchscreens (you might know them as “squishy” touchscreens). Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has been making excuses for not overtly supporting capacitive touchscreens by spouting higher hardware costs and lesser hand-writing recognition accuracy. Given Windows Mobile’s ancient UI and fairly disappointing user experience, a squishy touchscreen is the least of Redmond’s problems.

That doesn’t mean a capacitance touchscreen wouldn’t go a long way to making Windows Mobile work and feel more like a modern day touchscreen smartphone. In fact, Microsoft seems to be aware of “some device manufacturers” that are “considering options to ship capacitive screens” on their Windows Mobile smartphone.

A recently-posted developer article first makes a case for using capacitive touchscreens:

Capacitive technology has several advantages: zero pressure is required to make an input because nothing needs to be deformed and this leads to a much more natural interface experience; although additional material is laid onto the screen, there is no air gap so optical clarity is much improved reducing the need for backlighting making power draw lower; multiple touch points can be supported; things like touch size and pressure can be extrapolated from the capacitive data.

Microsoft then makes excuses for Windows Mobile smarpthones using resistive touchscreens:

However they do suffer in other areas: in general the cost is currently higher than the equivalent resistive screen; supporting a stylus is hard because it must be made of conducting material and must make sufficient contact to change the capacitive property of the screen; in several areas the accuracy tends to be lower than resistive e.g. around the edges of the screen, combined with the lack of a stylus and lower sample rates makes things like handwriting input very hard.

But, there’s hope yet. The article clearly states that a Windows Mobile 6.5-powered handset featuring a capacitance-based touchscreen is at least an option that’s being considered by hardware manufacturers:

Windows Mobile 6.5 has primarily been designed for resistive screens because some input areas still rely on small controls and require a high level of input accuracy that can’t be easily achieved with a finger and require a stylus; however some device manufacturers are considering options to ship capacitive screens.

HTC showed the world that Windows Mobile smartphones don’t have to suffer from small-buttons-and-awkward-UI Syndrome. HTC’s TouchFLO 3D II UI not only replaces the traditional WinMo homescreen, it also replaces many of the awkward UI elements that makes resistive touchscreens necessary. With enough customization to the WM6.5 UI, it’s possible that HTC will roll out Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphones equipped with capacitive touchscreens running HTC TouchFLO 3D II!

[Via: MSMobiles]

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Bluetooth SIG hints at Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade for HTC Snap!

Will Park — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:18:53 +0000

The HTC Snap has already proven itself a top choice for cost-conscious smartphone fans looking for a Windows Mobile smartphone with a good QWERTY keyboard. But, with Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard running the show, the HTC Snap is going to feel a little dated when Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) launches Windows Mobile 6.5 later this year. Unless, that is, HTC decides to bless the Snap with a Windows Mobile 6.5 update - as hinted at by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).

For those of you that don’t yet know, the Bluetooth SIG is a Bluetooth certification body that, well, certifies, uh, Bluetooth. Anyway, the Bluetooth SIG website can be a goldmine for leaked tid-bits on upcoming mobile phones. The latest leak makes reference to the HTC Cedar (HTC Snap’s codename) running “WM6.5.” It’s not clear if HTC intends to release a WM6.5 update for both HTC Snap/Cedar variants, or if the update will only be available for the recently spotted HTC Cedar100. Still, the mention of an OS upgrade for the Snap is intriguing.

With a little luck, HTC Snap owners might be treated to a Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade in the near future.

[Via: WMPowerUser]

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