HTC have introduced their latest smartphone which is heading to the European market. It is the P3470 and measures 108 x 58.3 x 15.7mm. The screen is 2.8 inches and touch screen and the device, as to be expected, runs the Windows Mobile OS.

Features

* Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
* Quadband GSM/EDGE/GPRS networks
* 2 Megapixel Camera
* 200MHz TI OMAP 850 Processor
* QVGA Screen (Touchscreen)
* 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM, microSD card slot for memory expansion
* USB 2.0 connectivity (more then likely used to charge also)
* GPS

On the downside there is no 3G or wireless networking which is a shame. Both of those really do need to be standard for this type of device. If you can get over that then HTC have created a great looking device with a nice amount of features.

Via: lifeatmost

Just as you thought your phone had every feature crammed inside it’s little case, a company has to come along and say “hold on, there’s no Blu-Ray in that phone yet”. Vmedia have created an amazing 32mm diameter optical disc that can fit a full feature length movie on to it in 576p resolution. The tiny optical disc is to be found inside a small cartridge in a similar way to Sony’s Mini Disc (but smaller) and it uses blue laser technology. The capacity of the first single layer discs will be 1GB and this will be doubled to 2GB when the dual layer version becomes available which is expected to be in 2009.

Vmedia have made the whole system be available as a package to mobile phone manufacturers. The component is easy to integrate and is designed to be used in mobile phone, hence, it can be beaten up, dropped and should still function. Power for the device shouldn’t be a concern as it has been designed with low power consumption in mind. Later in 2008 a newer 2nd gen player will be launched which will be just 9.5mm thick.

Normally I would recommend waiting for such a device to mature and iron out all the kinks. However, in the UK we generally change our contracts every 12 months which mean if we buy the first gen as soon as they are available, then by the time the 2nd gen or 3rd gen dual layer are out, we could easily pick up a new phone with that technology in.

Although this is exciting news I am still wondering how they will compete with microSD cards which are increasing in capacity and are well over the 2Gb capacity at affordable prices. The good news is that the quality stored on the disc means it can also be inserted in to a player and put on to the big screen, but will it do well? I am not too sure. For some reason the whole idea sounds cool though of having Blu-ray discs on your phone.

Press Release

The XPERIA X1 is made by Sony Ericsson and is built in response to Apple’s iPhone. Will it be an iPhone killer though? From initial thoughts it certainly does look the part. Apple’s iPhone was criticised by some for not having a real keyboard. Rather, they opted for an on-screen keyboard which actually works quite well. The XPERIA X1 has a full QWERTY keyboard which slides out to the side in a similar way to what a HTC Tytn does. This allows it to integrate well with Windows Mobile 6 which is the OS that powers this device.

The screen is 3 inches wide and supports VGA resolution which is 800 x 480 pixels. As can be expected, the display is touchscreen. Connectivity on the device includes A2DP Bluetooth, aGPS, WiFi and it connects on quad-band (GSM/EDGE) and UMTS, HSDPA and HSUPA. The camera on the device is 3.2 megapixels and includes a flash. Memory can be expanded from it’s standard on-board 400Meg via a microSD card.

Overall a seriously nice looking phone which seems to have all the main desired features packed in to it. With it running WM6 it allows for a large variety of software to run on it which is an advantage over the iPhone. Definitely a phone to look out for.

Via: Fosfor

Currently the good people over at XDA developers are offering $5199.51 to anyone who can create some drivers to fix a problem with the HTC TYTN II (Or Tilt, Vario etc..). The reason they are offering this amount is due to HTC confirming they will not be fixing the slow speeds on the Tytn II.

Our Kaisers currently lack drivers for hardware accelerated display functionality. A full set of these drivers would significantly speed up ALL drawing operations, including the user interfaces of normal applications, video playback, games and 3D rendering.

There are different parts to these drivers, namely for 2D (user interfaces, video, images) and 3D graphics (games). It is not yet sure even IF these drivers will be available soon, and if they are, which parts will be accelerated.

The plan, of course, is to provide a full set. Though this will most likely not include a speed up for the camera.

If you are an owner of a HTC Tytn II then go take a read of what’s happening over at XDA Developers.

This SIM card according to Brando, can unlock an iPhone with a firmware no greater then 1.1.2. I am not sure if I believe it like a number of others, but I guess it could be possible. Anyone with a 1.1.2 or less firmware want to fork out $30 and test it?

Via: Slashgear

The iPhone since coming out has been a great looking phone. However, like most mobile phones, the camera isn’t too good. This new attachment from Conice can take the standard 2 mega pixel camera and add 6x optical zoom on to it. This will allow for some better close up shots from greater distances.

The lens attaches on to an acrylic case which then fastens on to the iPhone. The lens is 2.87 inches long and weighs almost as much as the phone. The next bit of good news is that it costs $14.77.

Via: SlipperyBrick

Sometimes it is nice to have some space as we are constantly bombarded with communication in the form of emails and the mobile phone. Switching off your phone might not be a way you want to keep calls away, so this little signal blocking bag could be ideal. When you do not want to be disturbed, just put your phone in the bag and all signals will not reach the mobile. It’s dimensions are 104 * 93 * 4mm and any modern mobile phone should squeeze in quite nicely.

The bag costs just under $14 and is available from ChinaVasion.

Product Page Via: Gadgets-Reviews

The LG Prada is a great looking phone which will be made available in silver. It is due out later this month across a number of countries in Europe and will now feature a full QWERTY keyboard on screen rather then just the T9 key pad input.

Via: Engadget

The TC2 is a new charging device which uses 2 AA batteries to provide emergency charging for your mobile phone. Adapters for various mobile phones are optional when purchasing the device with about 9 or so available to choose from. Tests done over at Geek show that the TC2 connected to a completely dead phone for 5 minutes can give it enough juice to be switched on and make a brief call. On the TC2 unit are 3 LEDs which act as a power gauge. Also two high powered LEDs are found on the TC2 allowing it to be used as a light in emergency’s. Over on the product page (linked below) it indicates that 2 AA batteries can charge a phone up to 3 times which is quite impressive considering you can get a couple of 2000mAh rechargeable batteries for a reasonable price.

Prices range from $24.95 upwards depending on how many adapters you choose.

Product Page Via: Geek

A recent auction on eBay shows a Nokia E90 communicator which had a small accident with a 12 gauge shotgun. The phone fetched just $20.50 in the auction which ended 27 Dec (yesterday). The right side of the phone was blasted through and had both of it’s screens damaged as well as the keyboard and circuit boards. More pictures below.

Auction

The AQUOS 822SH is Sharp’s latest phone to hit the market. Unfortunately it’s just in Japan as it features 1-Seg allowing you to watch digital TV on the small screen. The body is made of aluminium and the phone weighs 120g. A common problem with phones is that the screens are often in portrait mode. This phone’s screen can rotate 90 degrees to allow the screen to be used in landscape (wide screen) mode and still be able to sit with out falling over. Five colours are available which are light blue, white silver, black, gold or pink.

Via: Funponsel