yesterday officially lifted the lid on their third and what a phone this thing is shaping up to be. Following in the footsteps of the Galaxy and , the latest addition to Samsung’s Android portfolio continues the solar system theme going under the name of the . But what makes this latest Android handset worthy of your attention with the likes of the and about to launch? Read on to find out what makes the Galaxy S tick…
The Galaxy S is a phone with a design that’s undoubtedly Samsung, mirroring recent addition’s to the Omnia range. However, dismiss this as a bog standard touchscreen at your peril. The i9000 Galaxy S sports a Super AMOLED touchscreen display (as debuted in the upcoming ) but ups the dimensions to a whopping 4.0 inches. For those unfamiliar with the new Super AMOLED technology Samsung have pioneered, it’s basically an advancement that is thinner than traditional AMOLED units allowing for the display to be closer to the surface which aids in the visual quality and responsiveness of the touchscreen. In short, it looks and feels fantastic.
Not content with adding a best in class display, Samsung have also thrown in the very latest version of Android, version 2.1 (or Eclair), and a speedy 1GHz processor to ensure everything runs smoothly. In keeping with the , the Galaxy S boasts 7 customisable home screens that can be populated with all sorts of widgets, shortcuts and web feeds whilst four ever present icons sit at the bottom of the screen providing easy access to the most frequently used areas of the phone. With Android really coming of age in the last few updates pushed out, Samsung couldn’t have chosen a better time to unveil their flagship Android device.
In addition to a stunning display and superb operating system, the Galaxy S also boasts a slew of multimedia options and a top notch camera. The Galaxy S includes 8GB of internal storage plus a memory card slot supporting up to a 32GB memory card, a 3.5mm audio jack, MP3 music player and DivX support. Additionally, the i9000 Galaxy S includes a 5.0 Megapixel camera with a whole host of extras such as face and smile detection plus the feature of the moment; 720p HD video capture! Throw in GPS, HSDPA and Wi-Fi and it’s clear that Samsung are gunning for the HTC Desire with the Galaxy S.
The Samsung Galaxy S is penciled in for launch in quarter 2 of this year. to register for updates and keep an eye on the for all the latest info.
With less than 24 hours to go before the finally launches and arrives in stock at , we thought we’d take this opportunity to whet your appetite just that little bit more with a juicy promo video of the potential -killer in action.
The phone, which is already an early contender for phone of the year, is brimming with top of the range features, from the latest and HTC’s excellent Sense UI, to the powerful 1GHz processor and gorgeous 3.7 inch AMOLED with multi-touch. But enough talk, check out the video below and start drooling. And if you haven’t done so already, it’s not too late to pre-order your own HTC Desire. to check out some of our fantastic offers.
With stock due on Friday, those of you who have already pre-ordered the are nearing the end of what has no doubt felt like an age waiting for what is arguably the most eagerly anticipated handset release of 2010, ahead of even the yet-to-be announced iPhone 4G from Apple. But what is it that has put the Desire on so many people’s wish list?
Well, for the uninitiated, the Desire is the branded version of the (which actually produces anyway) but with a few minor improvments thrown in for good measure, namely an optical trackpad in place of the trackball offering superior accuracy and comfort for scrolling and navigating. The biggest difference between the two, comes in software form however, with the Desire running HTC’s own Sense UI over the top of Andriod 2.1; the same Operating System as the Nexus One.
Aside from the changes listed above, there isn’t much else different; both the Desire and the Nexus One sport the same 3.7 Inch WVGA AMOLED capacitive , 5.0 megapixel camera with an LED flash and the latest version of ; Android 2.1. The Desire is the first handset released this year that is truly a contender for best smartphone currently on the market; raising the bar for all other manufacturers, even Apple.
So, fancy getting your hands on the Desire? We don’t blame you. It can be yours absolutely Free on a ?25 a month contract which will get you 600 minutes and Unlimited texts, and you’ll even get 5 months Half Price Line Rental by redemption, plus you’ll be one of the first to get your hands on this awesome phone. for more details. Hurry, with limited stock arriving on Friday, you’ll need to act fast to reserve yours now!
Well, no one expected to take lightly and accordingly the Taiwanese manufacturer has offered a press release to that effect. For those of you who missed this one, filed suit against HTC at the beginning of March for what Apple CEO Steve Jobs referred to as “stealing patented inventions”.
In the , HTC CEO Peter Chou is quoted as saying “HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible.”
HTC also took the opportunity to remind us of the companies own innovations, including the illustrious achievement of being the first manufacturer to release a Windows PDA (1998), Windows Phone (2002) and (in late 2008). Clearly HTC aren’t taking Apple’s accusations lightly.
We’re still some way off a court date so it’s unlikely this one’s gonna be resolved any time soon. Stay tuned on the for any updates to this story as and when we get them.
You may recall last week the news that had launched for phones running version 2.0 or later of the Google Android operating system. Great news for and owners, not so great for those of you running an , or similar. Well, today we can announce the good news that Google gesture search has now landed in the Android Market and is available for all devices running version 1.6 and above of the Android OS.
The app basically acts as a universal search tool, searching through apps on your phone, contacts, bookmarks and music. Before you lose interest and dismiss this as nothing new, it’s worth pointing out that rather than requiring you to type on an on-screen or physical keyboard, Gesture Search instead relies on, yep you guessed it, gestures! Using a simple handwriting recognition tool, simply write on screen and the app will begin to search through your phone and start pulling up results. You can either draw the first letter of what you’re looking for or carry on writing as the phone narrows down the results.
Gesture search is available now in the Android Market, be sure to check it out on your Android phone today. Not got an Android phone and want to know what all the fuss is about? Then check out our fantastic range of Android mobile phones .
If you’re after an powered , you really are spoilt for choice these days, with great offerings from and as well as exciting new launches from and on the horizon. And now, we can add one more name to that list with the arrival of the which is in stock now at . Want to learn more about the latest member of the Android army? Read on…
The Liquid boasts a sumptuous 3.5 inch display, capacitive so you can rest assured it will be ultra responsive to your various pokes and prods. Not only is it good to use, it’s also some what of a looker with bright vivid colours and sharp, clean lines. In addition to the gorgeous touchscreen display, the Liquid has an ace up its sleeve in the form of an LED notification panel on the top of the device. Aimed at keeping you up to date when the phone is in your pocket, small LED indicators instantly notify you of any incoming or missed calls, messages and battery levels without having to look at the main display. Not exactly revolutionary, just a nice touch that improves the overall usability of the Liquid.
Inside, the phone is running Google’s Android operating system (in its version 1.6 guise) meaning you get a host of customisation options including multiple home screens, access to over 15,000 apps in the Android Market, social networking integration with support for photo uploads and even the ability to add friends’ social networking sites to contacts in your phone book. Behind the scenes, the Android toting Liquid is powered by an impressive Snapdragon processor with a clock speed of 768 MHz so web pages, apps, maps and more are all smooth and fluid.
On the hardware front, the Liquid sports an impressive complete with autofocus, video capture and geo-tagging. GPS enables the aforementioned geo-tagging as well as mapping and satellite navigation apps (with Google maps ready out of the box and more available in the Android Market) and HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity keeps everything ticking along nicely when you take the Liquid online. On the multimedia side of things, the Liquid’s 3.5 inch display is perfect for watching videos and movies on the move whilst the addition of a 3.5mm audio jack and expandable memory up to 32GB also boost the phones music player credentials.
The Acer Liquid is also given a generous helping of style with the cool LED notification panel on the top, classy touch sensitive shortcut keys and smooth clean lines meeting curved rounded edges making for a device that feels great in the hands and is incredibly light weight at just 135 g. In stock now and available on T-Mobile, the Acer Liquid is an exciting addition to the Android family. to check out our range of fantastic offers on the Acer Liquid.
Opera are synonymous with web browsers. The Norwegian outfit are the major player when it comes to third party web browsers, currently powering millions of phones across the globe. The reason? Opera brings with it several enhancements over a standard web browser, the main advantage being speed. The ability to load pages super quick is achieved by compressing web pages by up to 90% for even faster load times whilst this compression occurs on a remote server saving your phone from any unecessary processing.
All very well and good, but what if you’ve got an Android ? Well, don’t fret, Opera Mini 5 is now available in Beta for . Available to download from Opera’s site and found in the Android Market app store, Opera Mini 5 comes with all the usual goodies - the aforementioned speed, tabbed browsing, password managers, bookmarks and speed dial. It’s easy to see why Opera is the browser of choice for so many mobile users.
Opera Mini 5 Beta for Android follows hot on the heels of its variation which was rolled out last week. And, with Opera also beavering away on an for the and nearly ready to be submitted to Apple for approval (though it’s anyone’s guess if Apple will give it the go ahead), it might not be too long before we see an Opera browser on every smartphone operating system. If you’ve got an Android phone and want to check out the Opera Mini 5 Beta in the Android Market. Not got an Android phone but want one? Then check out our range of Android powered mobile phones .
Got yourself a shiny new ? Jealous of the updated versions of found on the likes of the and ? Well, don’t be, because have confirmed that v2.1 is coming to to a Tattoo near you in the not too distant future.
The HTC Tattoo is the perfect device for those who want to get on the Android ladder. Boasting a cute and compact form factor, 2.8 inch and smooth curved edges, the Tattoo is loaded with high end features, from HSDPA and Wi-Fi, to GPS and social networking integration.
Best of all, despite these high end features, the Tattoo doesn’t have a matching price tag. This budget Android is designed to bring Google’s OS to the masses and can be picked up on a ?20 per month tariff with 200 minutes, unlimited texts and 10 months half price.
The catch? Well, the Tattoo has been left by the way side to an extent, stuck on version 1.6 of Google’s Android OS which is currently up to version 2.1 in other phones. But, have confirmed that a planned software update will bring the Tattoo up to speed and bring with it the likes of Google Earth for Android and Gesture Search for Android.
HTC have confirmed that they are currently working on the upgrade for the Tattoo to combine Android v2.1 with HTC’s own Sense UI and whilst they wouldn’t give away any concrete dates, they have simply stated that they “expect to have the upgrade finished and ready to go soon“. Keep an eye on the for more information as and when we get it.
For legal team, it seems three is the magic number. Not content with counter suing and being , Apple have launched yet another law suit this time against Taiwanese manufacturers HTC. The reason? Patent infringement. Or so Apple has alleged.
Yes, following ongoing legal wranglings with and Kodak, the Cupertino outfit have now filed suit against claiming the smartphone manufacturer has violated patents relating to the iPhone’s “user interface, underlying architecture and hardware”. Speaking about the legal action, Apple CEO Steve Jobs commented “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
Some of the 20 patents Apple claim have been infringed include Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image, something that could quite easily cover any touchscreen phone without a hardware unlocking button, List Scrolling And Document Translation, Scaling, And Rotation On A Touch-Screen Display which relates to how scrolling menus bounce when you reach the end (among other things) and Automated Response To And Sensing Of User Activity In Portable Devices which refers to the proximity sensor turning off the screen when the is held to your ear on a call.
At this point, it’s very early days with HTC yet to answer to the claims and a court date potentially months (or even years away). We won’t see the end to this one just yet. At this point, you may be asking yourself why HTC? All 3 of the above features have all been seen in notable handsets from the likes of Nokia, Samsung and the so why are Apple only going after HTC? Well, that’s anyone’s guess, but the cynical amongst you may see this as a thinly veiled dig at Google. Whilst HTC manufacture both Windows Mobile and Android handsets, the Taiwanese outfit has been a major supporter of Google’s OS from day one.
With Apple and Google originally co-existing quite amicably (the iPhone uses Google Search and Maps after all), the relationship started to turn sour after the arrival and subsequent success of Google’s which has clearly moved into iPhone territory. Now, with the release of the HTC manufactured , Google have moved from software to hardware and it comes as no coincidence that Apple have decided that now is the time to act. Looking closely at the patents, we can see that it is Android that is mainly being implicated.
Google have even gone as far as to issue a statement following the law suit, commenting “We are not a party to this lawsuit. However, we stand behind our Android operating system and the partners who have helped us to develop it.” Whether this means standing behind their partners with moral support or some financial clout remains to be seen but this one’s definitely set to run for some time. Keep an eye on the for more information on this as and when we get it.