Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
Microsoft [MSFT] has hit quite a large milestone it seems by announcing that 150 million copies of Microsoft Windows 7 have been sold since launch.
Engadget did some calculations and figured out that on average Microsoft are selling 7 licenses per second for the software.
That’s quite some achievement and something MS should be quite happy with. [Read more…]
Reports of the iPhone 4 having signal problems are starting to arrive according to BGR. iPhone 4 users mention today that when picking up their iPhone 4 the signal drops, perhaps due to holding on to the antenna.
We just got back from the Apple [AAPL] store with our iPhone 4 (read the iPhone 4 review later today) and have to agree that when holding the phone it is common to see the no service or searching message. After putting the phone down the signal strength jumps back to 3 or 4 bars (for the area I am in).
Some users are suggesting that putting the iPhone 4 in a case might be one good way of solving the problem although we hope a firmware fix will arrive soon to some how fix the problem. [Read more…]
A while back Farmville was announced at the Apple [AAPL] WWDC event and allows users to use the Facebook game on their iPhone. Farmville has now arrived and can be downloaded from the iTunes store right now. It appears that a number of countries now have the application with the UK getting it early hours of this morning.
‘Plow, plant and harvest on the go 24/7! FarmVille, the most popular game on the web, is now available on your iPhone. Current FarmVille players can access their existing Facebook farm, and new users can create a farm.
Choose from a variety of seeds to grow beautiful fruits and vegetables. Earn coins and XP to decorate your farm or expand your acreage. Work faster with vehicles like tractors and seeders, and rear livestock including cows, sheep, and pigs. The more you help your neighbors, the faster you’ll level up. Exclusive iPhone/iPod items available!
Three in the UK has decided to finally launch details of the Apple iPhone 4 and the tariffs that they will be offering it on. Prices for the iPhone 4 on Three start with the 16GB iPhone 4 for £99 on a £30/month 24 month contract. The 32GB on the same contract will cost you £189. Included in the contract for both handsets is 500 minutes, 5000 texts and 1GB of data as well as another 5000 3 to 3 minutes.
SIM only tariffs have also been announced where you can pay £15/month on a month to month contract and get 300 minutes with 3000 texts and 1GB of data. Up that to £25/month and you can get a 12 month contract with 2000 minutes, 5000 texts and 1GB of data. [Read more…]
Vodafone has finally announced when the iPhone 4 in the UK is ready for order. Orders start tomorrow morning (June 24) at 7am where you can order online, in store or over the phone. It isn’t clear in the Vodafone message if you can actually get your hands on an iPhone 4 from Vodafone tomorrow (other than at the Apple store), but for those wanting to get one direct from Vodafone, 7am is the time you can start ordering.
It isn’t clear why Vodafone took so long to make this announcement right on the 11th hour so to speak, but alas, we now have the details. [Read more…]
Gizmodo made a very brief announcement today regarding Google Android 2.2 Froyo saying that it has been open sourced and is available today.
Many people are now wondering when it will hit their device. For those with devices such as the HTC EVO 4G, it could be a few months away while HTC make the necessary modifications. For the Nexus One from Google [GOOG] it should be a lot quicker. Update: Any moment now.
Details are a little scarce at the moment but we expect to start seeing a lot more information about it shortly. [Read more…]
Apple [AAPL] announced yesterday that it had shifted 3 million Apple iPad’s in just 80 days. That’s an impressive number considering a few criticisms saying that people wouldn’t be interested in it.
The news follows the 2 million mark that was reached on June 4 which means 1 million iPad units were sold in 18 days. That averages out at 55.5K per day or 2315 per hour.
Gadgets blog Geeky Gadgets points out that at this rate the sales figures could reach 10 Million units which isn’t bad at all. [Read more…]
The HTC EVO 4G has a wireless chip inside capable of 802.11n. However, for some reason a software change limits it to slower wireless speeds.
The guys at XDA developers have again been busy and managed to create an update that re-enables 802.11n on the HTC EVO.
To run the code change you need to download a HEX editor and make changes to a certain file. When editing the file, all it takes is a few character changes and a save and re-upload to the phone. [Read more…]
iFixit got an iPhone 4 early and tore it down. The company determined that the front of the iPhone 4 is made of Gorilla Glass although the back glass on the iPhone 4 is not Gorilla Glass and instead, some unidentified hardened glass.
Engadget managed to get hold of a review unit about a week ago and within that week with normal wear and tear, the back seems to have received a few scratches.
The scratches are difficult to see under normal light, but if you hold it against the light they are clear to see. [Read more…]
Google [GOOG] has updated Google Maps for Android. The latest version is 4.3 and it brings a few new features to the smartphone.
The first one is Train times which allows you to check what time trains leave the local train station. When browsing a map a list of stations is seen on the map and you can either select the closest one to you or pick one of the train stations manually to see when the next train leaves.
Another feature lets you see reviews of a local restaurant. When maps is loaded up you can see a number of places where you can eat and quickly tap to find reviews of the restaurant.
Instead of poring through full reviews, you can start by looking at what the most frequently mentioned aspects about a place are, such as food, service, atmosphere, or anything else people keep mentioning. Just like on Place Pages for your computer, the color-coded bar gives an overview of how positively people are talking about any individual aspect. Tap one to see more details like the actual review snippets. Whether you’re looking for top-notch service or a vibrant ambiance, you can now pick just the right place to go.
The HTC EVO 4G has a restriction that prevents it running 2D and 3D graphics at speeds greater than 30 frames per second.
The XDA developers community believed that this was a software cap although HTC said it was not software but hardware. Some speculation indicated that the restriction was due to the HDMI chip used. Also HTC claim that the restriction is to do with improving battery life.
The guys at XDA Developers have managed to bypass the restriction which now sees the smartphone running at speeds of up to 54 frames per second or so. [Read more…]
The HTC Wildfire is now available in the UK on the Vodafone network. Vodafone is the first network to offer the phone which is ready for ordering today.
Price wise you can pick one up for free on just a £20/month contract. This is a 24 month contract and you do get a decent amount of minutes, text and data as well. With this particular plan you get 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB of data.
The £25 and £30/month contracts also of course have the phone for free, but the more you pay for the plan, the more free minutes you get. Data however, stays restricted to 500MB. [Read more…]
