It’s not like we have known almost every detail about the upcoming Xperia Play, the device that has been dubbed for ages as the PSP phone. And it’s not like we have not gotten demo after demo not showing us what the hardware looks like, but the function of the software and gaming capabilities of the phone as well.
However, Sony Ericcson decided to use Superbowl XLV to officially announce the phone / gaming device. Of course, most of us never watched it thanks to the fact that it’s American Football. However, you will be glad to know that not only is the Xperia Play officially official at the moment, it will be coming to Vodofone in the UK as well as O2.
The news came via O2’s Twitter page where the company announced the following: “Awesome news – the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is coming to O2.” As usual, the company was prodded for explanations and clarifications as well as more launch information to which the following tweet was sent: “We don’t have much details at the moment but we’ll let you know more before it launches. Watch the space!”
As for Vodofone, we’re hearing from Pocket Link, TechRadar and others that that said company will indeed be getting the Xperia Play although Vodofone has not confirmed such rumors yet.
All is left now is for Sony and Ericcson to convince the world that this device will not end up like another N-Gage (from Nokia), and that it will have the marketing capital to get games out for this system, not to mention the fact that the NGP is set to be released this year and it could potentially pose a problem to potential buyers if the price is similar.
Source: Pocket-lint and Twitter
Archive for the ‘Vodafone Phones’ Category
Xperia Play coming to Vodafone and O2
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011Today’s Top Mobile News Stories
Monday, November 29th, 2010
The Olympic season is about to arrive and London is all getting glammed up and ready for the major international affair. With wireless communications now becoming a major necessity, the capital is all about making things ready for the deluge of international visitors that are expected to arrive. Part of the preparations is to bring the much needed mobile network service in the Tubes.
France based Thales and Taiwan’s Huawei are both eagerly competing to take the project lead. The demand of the long tube network will certainly require plenty of communications hardware –also to keep up with the large volume of users. Expect to see this project pushing through in the next few weeks.
Motorola’s Milestone 2 is confirmed to be heading to K store shelves. No exact date has been given, but the price has finally been revealed. At 379.99 Pounds, this Android smart phone is definite contender even for the likes of the HTC Desire or the Samsung Galaxy S. Thanks to the slide out QWERTY keyboard and ever impressive design aesthetics of Motorola, this Milestone sequel is one phone that an Android fan cannot afford to pass up.
Mobile network operator Vodafone UK has announced that they will be adding two new smart phones to their plans and tariffs. The Nokia C7 is an obvious choice for those looking for a decent budget smart phone thanks to its well rounded features. The HTC Desire Z brings plenty of functionality thanks to its slide out QWERTY keyboard.
In the meanwhile, things are not looking good for HP and more importantly, for Palm. The WebOS 2.0 powered Pre 2 has been ignored by network operators limiting the distribution of the device. However, things have turned for the worse as security issues in the WebOS 2.0 platform have also been revealed.
New Androids and Nokia’s N8 to Hit Stores Soon
Monday, October 25th, 2010
The Samsung Galaxy Tab is coming out for both T-Mobile and O2 UK. The big announcement from O2 has just been confirmed and they have stated that the device will be coming out in November 1. Those interested in the touch screen tablet might want to know that it packs a 7 inch capacitive touch screen display, a 1GHz CPU, dual facing cameras, and of course, Google’s Android 2.2 Froyo.
The tablet also supports Flash 10.1 so users can browse any website without any worries about the compatibility of the browser.
Vodafone has confirmed that they will also be launching an Android smart phone, the HTC Desire HD. This handset is basically a remake of the original HTC Desire that came out alongside the Nexus One (in the UK) and the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10. The updated version brings in a 4 inch capacitive touch screen display and a powerful 8 mega pixel snapper as well. Expect to see plenty of use of the handset’s HD video recording and playback features.
The Nokia N8 is also coming to Vodafone, O2 and Virgin Media as well. O2 has officially listed the launched date to be on the first of November, making the launch date just a few short days away. The phone has been delayed from launch since it was announced earlier this year.
Thanks to the N8’s 12 mega pixel camera and HD video features, users can expect to have plenty of fun experimenting on the phone. The Symbian^3 operating system will also be making its high end debut with the N8 as well.
Speaking of the Nokia N8, a specialized Virgin Media player app has been launched exclusively for the N8. Subscribers under VM getting the handset will find the app pre-loaded while those on different networks may choose to download the app separately.
HD S-LCD HTC Handset Coming to Vodafone UK
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
Mobile network operator Vodafone UK has confirmed that they will be launching the new HTC Desire HD smart phone pretty soon and for those who simply cannot afford to wait any longer without being able to secure a handset, the pre-order web page of the network operator is already up and running. This means that Android smart phones fans simply need to log into the Vodafone website in order to be able to reserve the device.
The contract plans are pretty nice, and we highly recommend the 35 Pound monthly tariff which will provide users with the handset free of charge. This plan provides about 600 minutes of talk time, 500 MB of data and unlimited texting. Subscribers are encouraged to take up this very same offer through the Vodafone web site as it will provide online users with an additional 300 minutes of talk time and 250 MB of mobile data –making this a very sweet deal for a two year contract.
The HTC Desire HD lives up to its name with an impressive screen display and built in camera. The phone comes packed with an 8 mega pixel snapper that allows users to shoot videos in 720p HD quality. The camera can also take images at 3264 x 2448 pixels and is equipped with both auto focus and dual LED flash. With this hardware, media lovers will certainly find this Android handset pretty tempting.
The screen makes use of the new super LCD technology. Despite the fame that has been associated with the AMOLED display, it is the S-LCD that is quickly becoming the favored screen technology by many manufacturers. It is said that the super LCD is cheaper and easier to manufacture compared to other touch screen displays.
As expected, the Desire HD runs on the latest version of the Android OS, 2.2 Froyo.
New Devices for Vodafone, Dell and HTC
Thursday, September 30th, 2010
Well, HTC is not exactly getting new devices per se. According to reports, the white versions of the Android toting HTC Desire and the HTC Wildfire are already available on pre-order though there is no confirmation as to when the devices will be ready for shipping. At the very least, interested buyers could probably expect to see the devices in the next few weeks.
Dell is coming up with entirely new devices to follow up on the success of the Dell Streak. While it may have seemed awkward to have a really huge 5 inch touch screen display, the Streak managed to charm and win the hearts of many Android fans –proving that big screens really do have a following.
The only question now is whether the new devices are going to take voice calls like the Streak. For all practical reasons, the new devices are basically touch screen tablets with screens at 7 and 10 inches large.
Vodafone is coming out with three new devices just for this holiday season, one Android and a couple of rather interesting 2G phones.
First up is the Miss Sixty edition of the Vodafone 543. While not remarkable in terms of specs, the Miss Sixty version is certainly very edgy and the design has been made to appeal to a much younger crowd.
The Vodafone 553 on the other hand, has been designed for those who love to text and type on their mobile phones. The slide out QWERTY keyboard is accented by the 2.8 inch resistive touch screen display. It even has a 2 mega pixel snapper for taking images too.
Lastly, the network operator will be launching a follow up to the Vodafone 85 with the new Vodafone 945 handset. This new device brings a 5 mega pixel camera, a 3.2 inch touch screen display and supports Android 2.1 Éclair.
The Quick List: All the News in a few Moments
Monday, September 27th, 2010
If you are having a busy day but would still want to stay on top of the latest updates, here’s the quickest wrap up of everything you would need to know about this week’s events.
First off, delays! There are plenty of announcements regarding delays. First off, the Nokia N8 is due to pop out sometime in the first week of October. Sony Ericsson XPERIA users are all lamenting the lack of an Android OS update to version 2.1 Éclair –it is expected to arrive next month.
But with delays, there are also some interesting releases. Like Vodafone’s announcement regarding the availability of the BlackBerry Torch 9800. The device is already being offered for free on a 40 Pound monthly tariff for two years or an 18 month plan cost 55 Pounds monthly.
Moving back to Android devices, the HTC Desire HD has shown that the new Sense user interface is indeed a lot better and more stable than the old one. It even boots faster too. Users of the HTC Desire will be happy to know that the UI updates will also be available on their devices as well.
As with any week in tech news, there are always leaks. This time around, we all got treated to a sneak preview of what the BlackBerry Storm 3 might look like. Though there are still no confirmations as to the specifics of the device that was shown. Its close resemblance to the Storm 2 is pretty convincing however.
LG has also confirmed the LG E900 Windows Phone 7 handset. While some are already calling the device as the “Optimus 7” as a tip off to the WP7 platform, it is still too early to determine that decision.
In new technology, it appears that Marvell might have the fastest CPU for mobile phones. The new Armada 628 CPU is clocked at 1.5GHz.
Android Update for Vodafone Users Now Available
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
HTC Desire owners under the Vodafone network have something new to be excited about. According to reports, the official 2.2 Android Froyo update is now ready for downloads and the update will not only bring the latest new features to the open source mobile platform, it will also uninstall those annoying Vodafone 360 features that came with a previous update from the network operator.
For those hoping for an automatic connection, you will have to wait. Right now, the only way to avail of the Froyo update is to manually connect through the HTC Desire. Once up and running the update will require users to have at least 25 megabytes of storage space on the device (so be sure to free up even a little space if you have managed to cram plenty of content into your handset).
The Google Android 2.2 update is considered by many to be an important upgrade to the Android OS. This will bring support for the new Flash player from Adobe which makes the handset fully compatible with almost all of the media found on the web today. There is also a better Exchange sync connection, a revamped used interface for the camera (which allows for easily adding effects to shots) and plenty of other added features.
The big bonus that Froyo brings is the performance boost. While the Android has never been known for having serious issues, it is hard to deny that running the 2.2 version of the OS will set a new benchmark for speed.
The user interface has been confirmed to have been boosted up to three times faster while browsing many web pages will be running about five times faster (connection speeds willing). The OS speed boost is thanks to better kernel management while the browser benefits from having an updated Java handler.
Apple Could Learn a Thing or Two from Vodafone UK
Monday, August 16th, 2010
Companies and manufacturers are not perfect, the institutions and corporations are run by the same flawed humans just like everyone else, and like everyone else, they make mistakes. The big issue about mistakes it that when someone makes it, fixing the problem becomes a whole lot harder when there are more people involved. With mobile phone manufacturers, every single person owning a specific handset can become victims.
Apple has shown that it is unable to take care of its consumers; if anything, they have proven that the real focus of Apple is expansion and not the well being of their users. This is what happened with the recent antenna issue and how Apple kept denying that there was any real problem at all. Despite the announcement that they would be giving away free iPhone 4 bumper cases, the fact remains that the antenna on the handset does not function properly.
Vodafone could have taken a similar route; in fact, they had more of a right to do so. A couple of weeks ago, a misleading interpretation of a Vodafone announcement led many HTC Desire owners to believe that an update for their handset’s OS would be available. However, upon downloading the update, users realized that this was not an Android 2.2 OS that they received, but an implementation of Vodafone 360 features.
The operator never said that the update was for the Android OS specifically, but they still took responsibility for the issue. Vodafone has announced that the real 2.2 Froyo update is going to be available shortly and that the update will not just bring in the new OS, but will also remove the 360 software installed from the previous patch.
Apple ought to realize that companies need to make sacrifices too, and even if they stand to lose by offering a repair program or a recall of all iPhone 4 stocks, it is pretty much an ethical principle that they need to uphold.
Vodafone’s Froyo Update for Nexus One Now Available
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
The very first handset to ever get the Android 2.2 Froyo update is the Google Nexus One. However, not all Nexus owners were able to update their devices to the latest Android OS. Those who got their Android smart phones under Vodafone had to wait for a while before a special version of the update has been made available.
According to Vodafone the wait is finally over. The Nexus One’s Android 2.2 update is now up and fully running. This new version of the Android operating system provides massive performance boost to the system and its browsing capabilities. It also supports the new Flash Player 10.1 from Adobe –giving the device access and full support for all Flash content on the internet.
The kernel management has been optimized, making the user interface run smoother and faster. Google states that overall performance has been increased three fold. Browsing online has also been fixed; Java now loads much faster and surfing the internet can be around two to five times faster than before (of course, not considering the connection speed that is).
Froyo also brings a few additional features such as tethering and using the handset as a wireless hotspot (which users are warned to always disable when not needed, as it could compromise data and of course, drain battery power). Exchange support has also been streamlined and several other features have been added in as well.
The Nexus One is currently only available through Vodafone UK. The old Google online store for the handset has been taken down just recently. App developers will still be able to order the handset directly from Google.
This high end Android smart phone comes with a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, a 5 mega pixel camera (with autofocus, LED flash and geotagging) and a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen display.
Three New Smart Phones Now On Vodafone
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Mobile network operator Vodafone UK has announced that it has three devices that are now offered on various plans.
At a two year, £25 monthly tariff, the BlackBerry Pearl 3G is being offered for free. The plan includes 300 minutes of talk time, unlimited messaging and 500MB of data. LG’s Android Optimus smart phone and the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro handset will be free at £20 per month, also on a two year contract. The plan gives 100 minutes of talk time, 500 MB of data and 500 text messages.
With two new Androids and a BlackBerry handset, anyone looking for a good budget deal on a decent smart phone will certainly enjoy the choices being offered by Vodafone UK.
The SE Android, X10 Mini Pro is undoubtedly the best looking handset of the bunch. It still retains most of the design features of the original XPERIA X10, but on a smaller scale. The slide out QWERTY keyboard also adds and extra notch to the device’s form factor, making it a great choice for heavy texters and email users. In terms of specs, the X10 Mini Pro is virtually identical to the X10 Mini. Both phones come with a 2.55 inch TFT touch screens, 600 MHz CPUs and 5 mega pixel cameras.
Among the three handsets, the Optimus from LG is the least impressive in terms of specs, so unless you are not really fond of having a physical keyboard, then the X10 Mini Pro is a better choice –since they are available on similar contracts.
The BlackBerry Pearl 3G definitely has that unique look that only RIM can deliver –and the BB brand by itself is already impressive which makes it worth the slightly higher price tag (though in terms of monthly consumables, the Pearl offer has great value). Users might take a bit to get used to the unique button layout configuration (it curves down towards the center of the handset).