HTC Aria Officially Announced

The HTC Aria leaked recently. It was believed at the time of the leak a couple of weeks back that the smartphone would run Android 2.1. This information has been confirmed with a lot more, by AT&T [T] who today announced it.

The HTC Aria runs the Google [GOOG] Android 2.1 operating system as mentioned above, it is a 3G device that is capable of downloading at 7.2MBps HSPA speeds. A 5 megapixel camera can be found on the device. It has a 3.2 inch HVGA screen and runs the HTC Sense UI overlay.

Other features include the usual WiFi connectivity, GPS and all other general features you find in a modern smartphone.

‘HTC Aria is the first of several smartphones in our Android portfolio to run the 2.1 platform, said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. ‘When you combine the nation’s fastest 3G network, and access to the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network, HTC Aria will be one of the best Android smartphones available.

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Microsoft Develop new 3D Screen Technology

One problem with 3D TV (other than the current high price of the screen) is that you need to wear glasses to get the 3D effect. Glasses are expensive (over $50 a pair), and there is no standard yet for glasses which means the specs used on one suppliers screen wont work on a screen from another company in some cases. A demo of that can be seen here.

One way around this is to use a 3D TV that requires no glasses. The problem with this at the moment is the way it works. The glasses-less 3D screens require that you sit in a specific place to get the 3D effect. When you move your head the effect disappears. There are actually a few points in a room where people might sit to get the effect. Either way, it’s awkward having to sit still for so long and not a very friendly to watch the TV with friends. [Read more…]

HTC EVO 4G Inductive Charging Mod Built with Palm Touchstone

Someone has managed to modify a Palm Touchstone wireless charger and Palm Pre back plate and make the necessary parts inside function in the HTC EVO 4G. The system allows the EVO 4G to charge by just resting the phone on the Touchstone charger.

The system was made by purchasing the necessary parts from Amazon. This includes the Palm Touchstone kit and back cover for $46. With a bit of hacking done on the back cover for the Pre the necessary parts were removed and put inside the EVO 4G and connected up in a way that allows it to charge wirelessly. [Read more…]

iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS Screen Comparison

One of the biggest features of the iPhone 4 from Apple [AAPL] is the new screen used which they call the Retina Display. The retina display has four times the amount of pixels when compared to the older iPhone models. This, according to Apple, makes it impossible to see the individual pixels when using the device at a normal distance away from your eyes.

There’s been a few complaints about Apple’s claim, but I think the picture above (larger below and even larger when clicked on) really shows what the new resolution is all about. We’ll wait until we see the iPhone 4 screen for ourselves, but from samples we have seen and side-by-side comparison pictures on the internet, it certainly looks very impressive. [Read more…]

JooJoo Tablet Converted to run Windows 7

The JooJoo tablet launched a few months back. The launch didn’t appear to go down too well due to delays and a buggy UI it was running. One user has decided to customise his JooJoo and install Windows 7 on to the tablet.

No modifications were made to the hardware and it runs the standard 4GB SSD along with 1GB of RAM. The guy who managed to port Windows 7 on to the JooJoo reports that all is working fine other than the accelerometer at the moment. To get the screen to rotate you just need to click on a few menu options instead.

The tablet running Windows 7 actually works quite well too with 720p movie playback being possible. [Read more…]

Apple iPad gets a USB Typewriter

Most external keyboards for the iPad are designed to help you type faster. Also, they are designed to give you some tactile feedback which is handy for those who cannot, or do not like touchscreen keyboards.

The USB Typewriter for iPad certainly adds some tactile feedback. The USB Typewriter (as demonstrated below on video) actually works and allows you to tap out messages on the iPad. It connects over the 30 pin dock connector via a USB cable and lets you punch away on the keyboard. To get a line break you simple grab the metal lever and drag the top section to the right just like you do on old typewriters. [Read more…]

AT&T Apologise to Those Effected by Apple iPad Email Leak

Remember last week when a problem at AT&T caused 114,000 email addresses of iPad owners to be leaked? AT&T [T] have now published a formal apology to those 114,000 customers to make all things a little better.

No compensation was offered which is to be expected, but the company does go in to detail what happened and what is being done to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Lets just hope that they sent all the emails BCC rather than populating the To or CC field. The text of the apology is pasted below. [Read more…]

Samsung Galaxy Tab Now Called Galaxy Tape – Runs Android 2.2

More details of the Samsung Galaxy Tape have been revealed. The Galaxy Tape was formally called the Galaxy Tab and has a 7 inch screen. We now hear that the Galaxy Tape will run Google Android 2.2 and have an A8 processor that runs at 1.2GHz which should make the device rather snappy.

The battery in the Galaxy Tape has a 4000mAH capacity although run times have not been provided just yet. We think the 10 hour bar should be reached and made a standard by any tablet though.

The Samsung Galaxy Tape weighs 370 grams. Technical specs show that the Tape has 16GB of on board storage that can be increased by a further 32GB by using the microSD slot. [Read more…]

iPhone 4 iMovie Details Arrive

Details of iMovie for iPhone 4 have been revealed.

Last week when the iPhone 4 was announced by Apple [AAPL], a demonstration of iMovie was presented. The iMovie applications lets iPhone 4 users edit HD video and create themes, transitions, titles and other features beyond the usual editing that we normally see on a smartphone.

Although the demonstration showed some impressive features, there are still some unknowns to iMovie such as the compatibility with an older iPhone. TidBits managed to get some information from Apple regarding the new features and how it will work, what it will work on and so forth. [Read more…]

Nokia X5 Unveiled

Nokia [NOK] has announced the Nokia X5-01 over at the Nokia Connection event in Singapore. The new device from the X-Series range of phones is designed for those who enjoy music and movies on the go.

Design wise, the Nokia X5 looks like it’s almost a square in shape. It comes in 4 colours which are blue, pink, green and black and leans towards those who want to text, email and use social networks while on the go as well as those who enjoy music.

Just like the Nokia X6, the X5 is supplied with the Comes With Music service (depending on country) and the Surprise Me is basically a random track player that is accessed by spinning your phone. [Read more…]

HTC EVO 4G Screen Glass Problems

Some problems about the HTC EVO 4G screen are being reported online which reveal that the glass is coming away from the EVO 4G on the front of the device.

As pictured above, you see that the bottom right corner of the screen is starting to fall away from the body of the EVO 4G. This problem according to a post on Android Forums has effected 80% of HTC EVO 4G smartphones.

That information came from Radio Shack who also sell the EVO 4G. The employee did comment that Sprint are replacing the handsets although due to 80% seeing the problem it isn’t known how long it will take to replace the device. [Read more…]

Microsoft Kinect Revealed – Project Natal Official Name

Microsoft [MSFT] has made the Microsoft Kinect official. Kinect is the new and official name for Project Natal.

The Microsoft Kinect allows you to interact with games as well as make four-way video calls. At the E3 event there were no prices revealed unfortunately and no launch dates either. Some rumours indicate that the Microsoft Kinect could cost as high as $150 when launched though and some are expecting that we might have to wait till late this year to get our hands on the Kinect.

From what Engadget have noted it appears that many games are one person at a time with just a couple of games allowing for two people to play. Games can be played with two players online in some cases though. [Read more…]