Gadget Venue

Microsoft [MSFT] didn’t get to show off all of Windows Phone 7 Series for obvious reasons in that there’s only so much time allotted to present things and it could get a bit tedious showing every single variation of screen that might be used on a 7 Series smartphone. Also the operating system is in very early stages of development which could be the reason this dial pad looks so simple.

The dial-pad pictured shows the usual 12 buttons along with alpha characters above each number and a space above that to show what number is being dialled. It does look simple and might not be the final product although with Windows Phone 7’s being based around simple it might actually be the real deal. [Read more…]

Users on various forums are reporting that their Droid Eris Android phones are starting to receive OTA (over the air) updates bringing the Android version up to the long awaited 2.1. The update also includes the Sense UI from what users are saying.

However, there are problems in some cases with the updates with a few users saying that the update has completely wiped their phone while others are reporting that they are unable to log in to Google once the phone has been updated.

What we recommend you do is sit tight for a day or so to hear for other users thoughts on the updates. If you find that you can’t wait then I recommend making a quick backup of your phone data so you can restore everything when needed if all goes wrong. [Read more…]

When Microsoft [MSFT] announced the new Windows Phone 7 Series on Monday we learned that the company had completely re-written the OS from the ground up rather than using older code. 7 Series will be launched later this year, while phones currently run Windows Mobile 6.5.X.

What we hear now is that the previous version (version 6.5) will now be known as Windows Phone Classic. The Windows Phone Classic will continue to be supported and Microsoft will continue to ship that version of the OS along side Windows Phone 7 Series. Obviously there will be two types of phones which will be the premium sort that have the necessary minimum spec to run WM7S and those cheaper phones that do not.

The name change isn’t happening yet from what we have heard and the older OS will receive it’s new name when Windows Phone 7 Series is launched. [Read more…]

Amazon have announced that Kindle for Blackberry is now available. The software allows you to access all your Kindle eBooks while on the move on your Blackberry and syncronises all data including annotations created on your Kindle or computer with your Blackberry smartphone.

The software is compatible with several Blackberry devices which includes the Bold 9000, Bold 9700, Curve 8520, Curve 8900, Storm 9530, Storm 9550 and Tour 9630 smartphones.

The application can be downloaded over at Amazon and once installed gives you access to browse over 400,000 books including 101 of the NYT best sellers. [Read more…]

The HTC Desire has the exact same hardware as the Google [GOOG] Nexus One phone although the Desire runs Sense on top of Android to give it an excellent user interface.

As with all things HTC, it wasn’t long before someone got to work on porting the ROM to somewhere else. A user has managed to get the Desire ROM to function on the Nexus One. One problem at the moment is that the ROM doesn’t quite fit for some reason, possibly due to Google slightly modifying the Nexus One code and perhaps not starting from a completely blank start, but with some re-arranging and moving some apps off the system partition the code can now run. The list of what actually works is included over on Modaco.

Some of the features that work include the trackball, hardware keys under the screen, the proximity sensor, light sensor, compass and G sensor. [Read more…]

Meebo have launched a new iPhone application that allows those who use IM to communicate with a number of IM services all in one place. The new application runs in competition against two other applications for the iPhone called Beejive and IM+ that cost $6.99 and $4.99 respectively. However, the Meebo application has two benefits with the first being that it’s free, and the second in that it also runs quicker than the paid competition apps.

The application has broad compatibility, keeps chat logs and utilises push notifications. One thing to note here is that the speed claims are based on early reviews, so it’s unclear what the application will run like on a range of iPhones in different signal strength areas etc… [Read more…]

The HTC Smart is a budget phone that’s heading exclusively to the O2 network. The Smart runs the Brew operating system designed by Qualcomm and has the Sense UI as an overlay to that operating system.

The HTC Smart has a 300MHz processor along with 256MB of RAM. For storage a Micro SD card slot can be found. The screen measures 2.8 inches and can display 240 x 320 pixels. On the back of the phone a 3 megapixel camera can be found.

For connectivity the HTC Smart has HSDPA along with GSM/GPRS and Edge connectivity. Wireless networking is not included on the phone with it being a budget device, but you do get Bluetooth 2.0 along with A2DP stereo audio. [Read more…]

Verizon [VZ] have announced that they are now to allow smartphones connected to their network to use Skype. The network will now allow unlimited Skype-to-Skype voice calls within the US and also allow you to utilise cheaper SkypeOut calling rates both in and out of the US.

Phones that are compatible include the Blackberry Storm, Storm2, 8330, 8530, 8830 and Tour 9630. Also a number of Android based phones are also capable of utilising the service. [Read more…]