Gadget Venue

The HTC Touch Diamond2 is a Windows based phone that runs the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system (can be upgraded to the new Windows Phone – WM 6.5 OS). It was launched earlier this year although we still thought we would take a look considering it can run the latest Windows Phone operating system.

The new Diamond2 is a little larger than the original HTC Touch Diamond smartphone although we are only talking a few mm on each of the dimensions that make it 108 x 53 x 13.7mm in size. The phone it’s self looks sleek with the smooth front face surrounded by a by a thin bezel around the edges. On the front of the device you’ll find 4 buttons below the screen allowing you to send/end calls along with a dedicated Windows key and a back key. Just above those keys there is a touch sensitive scroll strip to be found. A forward facing camera can also be found allowing you to make video calls where the network permits. [Read more…]

Check out this cool little hack that see’s Motorola’s MotoBlur ported over to a HTC G1 android phone. The hacker managed to achieve this by using a leaked copy of the Motorola Cliq ROM which was then converted, some how, and ported on to the G1.

As of yet, there are no instructions on how this was done, but hopefully in the next few weeks somewhere like XDA forums will have a user who provides the details.

Some cool applications that you don’t see on the regular G1 include Happening which is a service that mixes together updates from your Facebook profile along with Twitter and MySpace and presents them all on a single thread. Also Happening has a widget that displays similar information on the home screen of the G1. [Read more…]

Just a few weeks back we reported that the TomTom iPhone car kit was ready for pre-order at what seemed to be a good price of £100 including the TomTom software. Shortly after various websites mentioned it Apple pulled the product off line stating that the £100 was just for the car kit and the software had to be purchased separately.

Today we hear that Apple have re added the iPhone car kit to the UK site, but this time they have priced it up correctly at £100 for the car kit alone. A disclaimer has also been added to the store which says… “The TomTom app for iPhone is not included with this TomTom Car Kit. The Car Kit dock is compatible with all iPhone models, but the TomTom app only works with iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.” [Read more…]

TXTBlocker is a system that prevents a mobile phone from sending a text while the phone is detected as moving. It is designed for parents and employers to ensure the safety of others while they are driving. The service is subscription based and allows the subscriber to set certain situations where text messaging and phone calls cannot be made.

The system works by using cell and GPS data to locate the location and travel speed of a phone. If the phone is determined to be in a car then service is limited.

Although it might prevent accidents from happening I can see it being a bit of a pain to deal with as you might be travelling by train or bus and suddenly be unable to use your phone. The system does allow for passenger functions which allow the phone to be used if a passenger is using it, but this is only permitted through the admin control panel. [Read more…]

The Samsung Moment is an Android based mobile phone that features a full QWERTY slideout keyboard along with a 3.2 inch AMOLED touch-screen. The Moment will be made available on 1st November costing $179.99 along with a 2 year contract (and a mail in rebate of $100).

For connectivity the Samsung Moment works on Sprints EV-DO Rev A network and also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in. GPS is also another feature allowing the phone to utilise location based services as well as use Android based satnav systems such as AndNav. [Read more…]