Choosing a mobile phone is not an easy task, but neither is choosing a mobile network. In the end, getting a great handset is often a task that would require some careful planning and strategy in order to find the best phone that suits you. With all the newfangled models that are coming up, keeping up to date with all the new models is certain to wrack your brain out, so here’s our quick guide to the best the local networks have to offer.
The reason why Samsung’s Omnia 7 makes it to the top of our list, instead of the Galaxy S, is the fact that it is still an upcoming device, but is so exciting to wait for that we just have to mention it. The device runs on the Windows Phone 7 operating system and provides users with an all new mobile phone experience.
Not that other upcoming WP7 handset will be any less, but there is certainly something to be happy with considering that this phone packs a 4 inch super AMOLED touch screen display. Pick it up for 25 Pounds a month (two year contract) under T-Mobile.
RIM’s handsets are hardly the touch screen wonders that most of the newer handsets are, but that does not mean that BlackBerry devices have not evolved. Meet the BlackBerry Torch 9800. The phone not only is one of the latest offerings from RIM, but also packs the new BlackBerry OS 6 which provides users with touch functions and of course, plenty of media playback capabilities. Find this smart phone under Vodafone UK for only 40 Pounds a month at a 40 GBP tariff.
For those who want something a little more exciting, Google’s Android is used in plenty of good phones. The HTC Desire packs a 3.7 inch AMOLED screen, 1GHz CPU and 5 MP snapper for a budget friendly 35 GBP at 24 months.
Posts Tagged ‘HTC-Desire’
Deals All Around: the Best Currently Offered
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010Androids: Dell Skips Éclair, Froyo on Desire and Gingerbread SDK
Friday, October 15th, 2010
The Dell Streak is an interesting smart phone –in terms of overall specs, 1GHz CPU, 5 mega pixel camera; the device is basically your typical high end smart phone. The phone’s biggest feature however, is truly big, a 5 inch capacitive touch screen display. Dell’s Android was basically a mini tablet and people loved it.
However, if there was one catch about the handset –it was because of the Android 1.6 Donut operating system. Sure, Google’s Android OS is one of the most stable platforms around, but with the Android Éclair already out and most devices simply waiting for an update to version 2.2 Froyo, the delayed launch of the Éclair update for the Streak has been a disappointment.
Now, Dell has announced that the Éclair is no longer coming to the Dell Streak. Instead, the OS will skip version 2.1 and go straight for version 2.2. While going straight to Froyo sounds exciting, it also means that Streak owners will have to wait a little bit longer.
Google has also announced that the SDK for the Android 3.0 Gingerbread is due to be released by next week. This big new announcement means that the official OS update might not be too far away. The Gingerbread update is expected to bring plenty of new features such as support for HTML5 and the use of Google Talk Video (which would be a solid rival for Apple’s less than successful FaceTime).
Lastly, 3 UK has confirmed that they are now releasing the update to Android 2.2 for owners of the HTC Desire. The Desire has long been compatible with an update to 2.2 Froyo but due to issues with the update when it was released by other networks, 3 UK has decided to run their own tests and security measures to ensure that devices will not be affected negatively by the patch.
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.
Mobile News Bits: Updates and News from UK Networks
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
T-Mobile UK is promising something special for users of the Samsung i9000 Galaxy S at the end of this month: the Android 2.2 Froyo will be made available for the smart phone ahead of schedule. For users of the phone on other networks, the expected update launch is set for early next month. This means that T-Mobile subscribers get to enjoy Flash and improved OS and web browsing performance ahead of their peers by the end of September.
Speaking of the Froyo update, the much delayed Orange Mobile UK Froyo update for the HTC Desire has finally been rolled out. Originally, Orange was able to make the update available as scheduled but had to it pull down due to technical issues that the update brought.
While it certainly took them quite some time to come up with a solution, they have finally done it and are now making the update available to all HTC Desire users under their network. It is advisable for those planning to download the update to do so under a secure and stable connection as the patch is about 90MB in size.
On a much larger news scale, T-Mobile, Orange, O2 and Vodafone are all confirmed to be offering Windows Phone 7 handsets when the new mobile platform finally comes out this coming October. Microsoft seems to have made well laid out plans as they have been able to get devices into all networks –effectively expanding the market viability of the new OS.
With several other powerful platforms already established on the market, it is important for MS to be able to show that the new WP7 platform is as flexible and versatile as they had promised.
Lastly, 3 UK has confirmed that they will be offering the Nokia C7 nHD smart phone later this year. The new media centric Symbian device will be sporting a 3.5 inch nHD touch screen display and support for HD video.
Updates on OS Updates: Orange HTC Desire and Apple iOS 4.2
Friday, September 17th, 2010Does anyone remember the launch of Android 2.2 Froyo for Orange’s HTC Desire has been delayed? Well, today is a second round of that same news. Once again, Orange HTC Desire users are going to be subjected to another indefinitely long wait.
For those who may remember, the issue began on the very first day that Orange officially launched the update. Several excited handset owners had already gotten the patch and sadly, their handsets all crashed. While other Android devices have not faced a similar issue with the Froyo update, it seems that Orange has a very peculiar problem on their hands.
Now, Orange is tactfully (well, not so much) saying that the cause for the issue is not their problem, but HTC’s. While it is hard to understand how that is specifically HTC’s problem (seeing that other HTC Desire handsets are doing well with the update), all the market really needs to know is that the update is still not available.
In any case, it seems that the network operator is confident that the issue will be resolved very shortly as they are promising that the delay will only be for a few days instead of another couple of long weeks.
On Apple’s side of the world, it seems that an update for the iOS is going to be made available. For now, version 4.2 of the iOS is still exclusive to the iPad touch screen tablet and from the looks of it; it seems that the update will be skipped by the iPod and the iPhone for a much later version.
The reason for this is due to the fact that the 4.2 iPad update actually places iPhone and iPod features on the tablet. It would be pretty redundant for the update to bring in features that are already present in the two other devices.
HTC Desire: Now in White
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
According to mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse, the white version of the HTC Desire Android handset is going to be available by today. While no specific time has been announced, it is believed that the handset is already in stock and ready for shipping.
Of course, there is a slight difference from this version of the HTC Desire with the original. In fact, aside from the color change, this is still the same handset; which brings us to our next pondering question: why so much fuss over white versions of smart phones?
Right now, there are currently three major devices that have “white” adaptations that are so in demand: the Apple iPhone 4 (which has a white version that is eternally delayed), the Samsung i9000 Galaxy S and the HTC Desire (both handsets are Android smart phones). In all cases, there is plenty of demand for white phones and it actually boggles the mind as to why there is a complete lack of demand for other, more vibrant colors and why there is so much fuss for white themed handsets.
In any case, the classic black, gray and metallic themes are often the first choice of manufacturers because it is a timeless color scheme. It also matches with any outfit and manages to work well in a large variety of situations. While the same might be said of white over other colors, white has a lesser range of versatility.
Aside from that, white gadgets have a tendency of discoloration and of course, are more vulnerable to physical problems. While a slight gash or scratch may not be noticeable on both black and white devices, the eventually build up of dirt and grime is far more noticeable on white surfaces.
Still, those who want that super clean look might want to check out Carphone Warehouse for the new white version of HTC’s Android Desire.
White Color Variants: People Love Them
Friday, September 10th, 2010
While it is pretty hard to determine the reason as to why the aesthetic appeal of white color variants are so predominant, seeing that fact in application is pretty easy.
Take into account the whole fuss over the very-delayed release of the white version of the iPhone 4. Sure, the device has an extremely bad antenna design that drops calls when the device is held in the wrong way and that many phone manufacturers are looking down on the mistake. But the real consumer focus has been on the fact that only the black version of the iPhone is available.
Samsung, a very close competitor of Apple, has followed suit and has announced a white variant for the Galaxy S Android smart phone.
Not to be outdone, another major mobile phone manufacturer, Taiwan based HTC, has confirmed that they are now working on a couple of color variants that will certainly appeal to a lot of people: white versions of the HTC Desire and the HTC Wildfire.
For those not familiar with the two devices, these are most successful Android devices from HTC and are considered to be the best choices for Google fans this year –despite the launch of the Nexus One handset last January.
The HTC Desire is currently the best handset that HTC is offering and it packs a powerful set of hardware loaded on the device. The processor is a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU clocked at 1GHz providing the handset with all the speed and power it needs while the 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen display is also perfect for viewing media and other content.
The HTC Wildfire on the other hand is a social networking smart phone. While it does not pack the same hardware prowess as the Desire, it has extra features for getting in touch with friends and family through Facebook.
Android Update for Vodafone Users Now Available
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010HTC 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.
Nokia’s 300k Sales, HTC Desire Update and More
Monday, August 9th, 2010
It was not surprising to hear that Nokia is not too happy with the previous announcement that the Google Android smart phone is one of the most widely used operating systems thanks to the sheer volume of smart phones using the Android OS being sold each day.
Nokia’s contest to that claim is the fact that they sell 300,000 units of handsets running on the Symbian OS each day. What is not mentioned here is how much of that volume are actual smart phone devices. Needless to say, almost all Nokia devices make use of the Symbian OS –including the super cheap candy bar handsets. This is because the Symbian OS also has low end variant designed for basic phones -unlike the Android which is focused entirely on actual smart phones.
For now, Google still reigns as the number one smart phone OS developer, though that number might change once new players such as the WP7 enter the field.
In other news, owners of the HTC Desire are seriously angry at Vodafone after a recent official announcement did not give the expected result that users wanted. Vodafone announced that a firmware update for the Desire was now available –what they did not mention was the fact that the update was not for Android 2.2 Froyo, but a Vodafone 360 software update.
What is even a worse turnout of the misleading news is the fact that the new features that the 360 service adds cannot be deleted once installed in the OS. This is a serious issue that Vodafone needs to work on unless they want to see people switching out to another network.
Lastly, it seems that the Asus Windows Phone 7 handset has been leaked in an image sourced from Pakistan. No details about the handset have been released with other than the impressive looking touch screen interface.