Gadget Venue

CultofMac have looked in to what new is coming with the iOS 4.1 update that launched in beta to developers just last night. We already know that the signal bar is being redone with the lower 3 bars being raised slightly and a whole new and accurate formula to represent what signal users have.

Also included in the iOS 4.1 update are changed and a revamp of the Games Center application as well as FaceTime favourites and a camera app update that sees auto-rotate being added to the application. Currently the layout stays the same with the icons rotating.

As expected, there isn’t really much added to the new iOS 4.1 and that’s to be expected on an update that arrives so soon after the initial launch of iOS 4.0. [Read more…]

Last week we heard rumours that T-Mobile could be launching the Samsung Vibrant Galaxy S class smartphone on July 15. It turns out the rumour was correct and for those in the US, you can now go ahead and buy the T-Mobile Samsung Vibrant.

The Vibrant costs $199.99 (same as the DROID X that also launches today) and also comes with a two year agreement that needs to be signed. Off contract the Samsung Vibrant costs $499.99.

The Samsung Vibrant is a branded Galaxy S class phone that has a 4 inch Super AMOLED screen that is very Vibrant, hence the name. It comes with Android pre-installed. [Read more…]

Today is July 15 which means that the Motorola DROID X is now available to purchase.

You can log on now to the Verizon Wireless site and order it now. The DROID X costs $199.99 which includes a two year service agreement.

If you prefer to get a DROID X on a 1 year contract then the price goes up to $269.99 which isn’t bad at all. If you prefer to get the smartphone off contract then the full price of the smartphone is $569.99. [Read more…]

Apple [AAPL] has pushed out iOS 4.1 to developers. The new update includes the fix for the signal reporting problems that the iPhone 4 has. Something to note here is that it doesn’t fix the antenna problems, but instead just fixes the signal bars so that they represent the actual signal better.

We are not part of the developer program, so do not have the download yet to install, but Mobile Crunch does and has made a video showing that the signal still drops when touching the bottom left of the iPhone 4’s antennae as seen below.

Gizmodo has put together a quick image showing the old vs new bar size as Apple has increased the size of the smaller of the 5 signal bars to make them easier to see. Image also below. Again, this is just a cosmetic type fix to help you see how good or bad your signal is and doesn’t actually fix the signal issues (that is assuming you get problems with the antenna which not all people do). [Read more…]

Apple [AAPL] has invited press to a press conference tomorrow to discuss the iPhone 4. The reason for the press conference isn’t known officially but our best guess is that they want to talk about antenna problems.

Other things that could crop up at the iPhone 4 press conference tomorrow have been speculated to include a price drop for the iPhone 4 although we doubt it would be a good move for Apple to announce that in light of all the antenna issues they have been getting recently… that of course is unless they plan to give all iPhone 4 buyers some cash back for example. [Read more…]

Samsung Galaxy S a Smart Move

True iPhone Competitor

Samsung have a great phone here, and an even greater opportunity to take a bigger chunk of the prosperous smartphone market, especially with current issues the iPhone 4 users are experiencing.

Straight out of the box the first thing we notice is the phone is lightweight and slim with more than decent build quality, I have read others compare it to the iPhone 3GS in feel and look but I’d have to disagree and say that’s like comparing the design of a wood encased Atari to the all black plastic design of an Atari 2600, they’re not as close in looks as they are in function, and while the original Atari was new, sleek, and modern at its release, the 2600 was clearly a better design and very up to date.

Turning on the Galaxy S is easy, there are really only two options, a small control button on the right side of the phone which would have been better placed on top beside the sliding USB port door, or what appeared and eventually turned out to be, the rocker type volume control on the left. Once the initial wallpaper appears there’s a moment similar to the recent Staples commercials advertising low prices, ‘Whoa! That’s a crisp image!, while the iPhone 4 may cram in the most pixels per square inch of screen realty it does not match the vivid quality of the Samsung AMOLED equipped Galaxy S. [Read more…]

SwiftKey is a new app for Android based smartphones that allows users to type faster on a virtual keyboard.

The application improves on the standard Google [GOOG] keyboard that you see on Android based smartphones. It comes with a predictive text feature that is described as being impressively accurate (we’ll need to test to confirm that).

The application is available now to download direct from the Android Market. [Read more…]

Motorola might be making it harder to root the DROID 2 and DROID X devices thanks to a locked bootloader. When Motorola launched the DROID the bootloader was unlocked which allows users to install new firmware on to the device from places other than Motorola.

Not only will the Motorola DROID 2 and X have a locked bootloader, so will most of the new handsets being launched.

Reasons for the bootloader being locked on the DROID 2 and X are related to “a specific business reason for doing so” from what Motorola have said. [Read more…]

ColorWare are well known for modifying the look of gadgets. We saw recently that they could provide a coloured XBox 360 Slim model. We now see that the iPhone 4 is being tackled by the company.

ColorWare allow you to customise the colours of the iPhone 4 which includes the main button, metal band, microSIM card tray and the back as well as the earbuds.

The ColorWare website lets you click on the part you want to change colour and select from a variety of colours. [Read more…]