Thursday 25 November 2010

Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!


US Update: Windows Phone 7, PSP phone, iPhone 4

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 07:00 PM PST

US Update: Windows Phone 7, PSP phone, iPhone 4Just moments before we clock out and start our Thanksgiving evening celebration, we've wrapped up the latest and greatest tech news breaking cover on our side of the pond. Here's your daily morning dose of what we like to call, the US Update.

Fresh off a successful launch, Windows Phone 7 is back in the headlines again and this time its all about developers. A reported 3000 apps and 15000 developers are currently calling the new mobile OS home. Over on the DLNA certification website, we've uncovered what looks to be the next Galaxy S phone, the Samsung SHW-M190S.

The Playstation phone (PSP phone) rumors never seem to stop and it doesn't look like they will now that Sony Ericsson has sent out private invites for a December 9th event. T-mobile and Orange UK have decided to intermingle their businesses at the retail level by introducing six dual-branded stores. It's pretty confusing, but we suggest you read our entire coverage to get a fix on what the plan entails.

Last up this fine morning is a clever iPhone 4 accessory that adds a backlit keyboard with a hinge mechanism. For all intensive purposes this little gadget transforms your iPhone 4 into a Touch Pro2.

That wraps up things this fine morning from the states. Thanks for spending your morning with us as we break the headlines fresh off the press from our side of the world. Until tomorrow, this is Nick saying over and out.

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iPhone 4 adds tilting hardware keyboard

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 06:00 PM PST

iPhone 4 adds tilting hardware keyboardA slide-out hardware keyboard accessory is nothing new for the iPhone 4, but adding a tilting mechanism raises the bar. Mobile accessory powerhouse, Mobile Fun, has just released such a creation and they've got just the ticket if you're eying a new iPhone 4 case.

Let's cut to the chase, the Mobile Fun iPhone 4 tilting slide-out keyboard is sexy. This pricey little accessory not only adds a physical QWERTY keyboard with backlight, it also does a good job protecting your prized gadget. With a hinge design reminiscent of the Touch Pro2, the Nuu Mini-Key Keyboard Case for iPhone 4 allows you to tilt the screen to a comfortable angle while you sit back and relax while watching a movie or TV show.

For the iPhone 4 owners in your family this might be the perfect stocking stuffer. I know it just made the top of my list.

Out Now | Mobile Fun | £69.95

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T-mobile and Orange UK dual-branding select stores?

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 05:00 PM PST

merger of tmobile and orange ukT-mobile and Orange UK have announced a plan to test six new retail stores that will be dual branded with both company identities. Surely a first for the mobile industry, but is this the right move for the carriers or did they miss the mark?

It's confusing enough when two carriers such as T-mobile and Orange UK decide to intermingle their businesses. Back in early March when the EU Commission cleared the merger of the two providers we weren't exactly sure what the future held for their collective 29.5 million customers.

Rather than kill off a brand, the new plan is to test these six new retail stores with dual branding. For the trial, three T-mobile stores will have an Orange concession inside to showcase the best offers, plans and devices from Orange. Likewise, three Orange stores will do the same for T-mobile plans, products and services. Within the window of each store both brands will be "firmly displayed", but the host brand will take the overall lead.

In other related news the networks parent company, Everything Everywhere is also opening up three Orange franchises in time for Christmas trading following the successful Orange franchise pilot in Bridlington ran by Shebang. These new Orange franchises will be run by local entrepreneurs who has successfully ran franchises in the past.

So now that we have these six test stores intermingling T-mobile UK and Orange UK branding and services what does this say about the future of the two carriers? Is anyone else confused by the whole fiasco or is it just us? Drop us a line below and let us know what you think about the move and if you have a better solution we're all ears!

via Cellular News

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Playstation Phone coming December 9th?

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST

the playstation psp phone will be released on december 9The mythical creature we in the mobile phone industry like to call the Playstation phone or PSP phone, has been outed for a December 9th release date. With a release or at the very least an announcement just a couple short weeks away, is the Playstation phone really going to happen this time around?

The volume of rumors and subsequent confirmations surround the Playstation phone, or PSP phone as some call it, is simply astounding. What started mostly as water-cooler chatter has quickly blossomed into the following invite only media event (flyer seen below).

psp phone release date

On December 9th, Sony Ericsson France will hold an invite-only event just a little over a month before CES 2011. Typically an announcement of this magnitude would be reserved for CES, but the sluggish sales and Q3 earnings reports from Sony Ericsson should be more than enough incentive to build some media buzz before the holiday season is in full swing.

At this point in time we've seen the Playstation phone photographed a handful of times with all signs pointing to XPERIA branding rather than Playstation. An off-contract price is still expected to be floating somewhere around $500 US, but that includes five free games. Both the gaming platform and the distribution system for the games is still thought to be the "Z-System".

There's likely to be hoards more information on the Playstation phone as we jump into December, but for now this is where the cards lie. We are certain that the phone does exist and we've got the photos to prove it. The demand for mobile gaming and a convergance device is stronger than ever, just ask Apple about their iOS sales if you need confirmation.

We want to know your thoughts on the Playstation phones (PSP Phone). Is this the mobile to have in 2011 or possibly this holiday season or has Sony Ericsson missed their window? Personally I think Android gaming needs the addition of the Z-System platform and not having to carry a Nexus One and PSP is enticing. Let us know!

via Nowhereelse

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Samsung SHW-M190S: the latest Galaxy S smartphone?

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 03:00 PM PST

SHW-M190SA mysterious new Galaxy S smartphone has just received DLNA cetification, the Samsung SHW-M190S. With DLNA certification the SHW-M190S will pack the technology required to wirelessly play media from our mobile to other devices. Here's everything we know so far.

In the world of rumored, denied and unannounced mobile phones — certifications are key. We spend hours diving through FCC filings, Bluetooth certifications, WiFi Alliance certifications and most recently DLNA certifications. It was in those DLNA certifications this morning that Samsung Hub discovered the SHW-M190S.

The Samsung SHW-M190S is an Android smartphone, possibly the latest in the Galaxy S lineup, which run Android 2.2 Froyo. The mobile phone is registered as a portable media device with a 4-inch WVGA AMOLED display (capacitive of course) and WiFi b/g/n along with Bluetooth 3.0.

the latest galaxy s smartphone the smw-m190s

Inside the mobile is an unknown processor, but judging by the device ID we'd suspects we'll be seeing the Galaxy S typical Snapdragon chipset. Other noteworthy features of the SHW-M190S include a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and aGPS for all that handy phone navigation wizardry.

As far as release date and carrier information we don't know much at this point. What we can confirm is that the SHW-M190S will arrived on South Korea's SKT network at some point in time. Until we see a FCC filing which includes the spectrum analysis we can't be certain which carriers will land this bad boy.

In the meantime, let us do some more digging and we'll get back to your very shortly with our findings. How does another Galaxy S smartphone sound this holiday season, any takers?

via PocketNow

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Last chance to win a Nokia N8 with Prime Cuts

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 02:15 PM PST

Tomorrow morning we’ll be sending the fifth edition of the Electricpig Prime Cuts weekly newsletter. Have you signed up yet? If not, you’d better fill this form in quick – after we send Prime Cuts tomorrow we’ll be picking one lucky subscriber to win a Nokia N8, courtesy of Vodafone.

Everyone who signs up for Prime Cuts qualifies for the draw to win a free Nokia N8, and also gets the week’s best tech news, reviews and recommendations in their inbox every Friday. If you’ve already subscribed, there’s no need to sign up again, you’re still in with a chance of winning.

Check out previous issues of Prime Cuts with the links below, and sign up in the form right here!

Sign up for Electricpig Prime Cuts
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Windows Phone 7 lands 3000 apps and 15000 developers

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 02:00 PM PST

windows phone 7 developers numbersWindows Phone 7 is quickly becoming the underdog story of late 2010. With a reported 3000 apps and 15000 developers, the newly refreshed mobile OS is set to shake up the smartphone market this holiday season, will you be joining in?

$500 million advertising budget aside, the launch of Windows Phone 7 has brought forth a much stronger demand and robust feature set than we expected. For the core Windows Phone 7 applications pre-installed on the phone, the mobile OS has received nothing short of industry acclaim. The catalyst behind every great mobile operating system has and will always be developers.

Deep ties to Xbox 360 and some very nice cash incentives have pushed Windows Phone 7 up and over the 15000 developer mark with more joining each and every day. That number of developers is quite impressive considering the SDK was only available on September 16. If this level of developers is any indication, Windows Phone 7 looks poised for a comeback.

It's clear that when you package "tough, but fair" hardware requirements with deep pockets, the end result is a well received mobile OS. Microsoft might not be out of the woods with Windows Phone 7, but standard hardware across devices from a variety of manufacturers gives developers the type of stability necessary to want to stand behind a platform. There's 3000 apps that confirm that testament.

So, now that there's plenty of Windows Phone 7 devices on carriers all around the world, what's it going to be? Is it time to jump on the Xbox live endorsed mobiles from Microsoft or are you going to sit back and let this first set of waves crash the shoreline? We'd love to know your thoughts.

via Winrumors

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Teatime Tech: Google Nexus S leaks, BBC iPlayer augmented reality and the iPad paper wars

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 10:20 AM PST

Want to start that Friday feeling a little early? Read our roundup of all the latest gadget news here, and we’ll put you in that mood hours ahead of schedule! Read on for everything in our teatime tech roundup.

First up, some tasty phone news for you: the Google Nexus S phone leaked out again, sporting Android 2.3. When can we get this Galaxy S-esque Gingerbread phone?

In the world of apps meanwhile, we saw a quickie augmented reality update to BBC iPlayer, and SlingPlayer hit the iPad.

Finally, on the subject of Apple’s iPad, it appears Murdoch isn’t alone in prepping an iPad only publication. Billionaire Branson is getting involved too. Are they arch rivals? We’d like to think so!

Hungry for more headlines still? Head on over to the homepage and help yourself to them all as they break!

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MySpace: artist exodus imminent?

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 08:59 AM PST

MySpace unveiled the latest of its new looks today but is that simply too late? Akira The Don, friend of Electricpig and self-made musical phenomenon (alright, that was a bit of sucking up – we want our own theme song) has quit MySpace with a biting blog post and even harsher video which you can see if you click through. If a man with 7000 friends and at least one song on 500,000 plays has bugged out, what hope has MySpace got?

Visit myspace.com/akiratheon and you'll get…nothing. The Don doesn't have good news for Rupert Murdoch: "Just thinking about MySpace makes me twitch. I hate that place. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it." In case you haven't realised – he hates it and it took him over a week to get his MySpace page killed.

Such is The Don's hatred for MySpace, he dubs it "a gateway to the world of wrong". Perhaps that could be the new MySpace catchphrase. While we have no definite figures to go on, we suspect a good number of musicians are hopping ship from MySpace to new vessels of self-promotion.

With the newly rebuilt Facebook groups and Facebook fan pages plus Soundcloud and a growing selection of other services, MySpace is starting to look decidedly dull. Enjoy Akira The Don's kiss off to MySpace above and let us know: do you think even more musicians are set to ditch it?

Out now | £free | Akira The Don

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Wi-Fi NotSpots: have you been charged for a hotspot that failed?

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 08:18 AM PST

From our tests and our polls, it seems that lots of you have first hand experience of Wi-Fi NotSpots. We’ve focused on Wi-Fi hotspots that require a subscription or payment, and now we want to know, if you’ve used a Wi-Fi NotSpot, have you ever tried to get a refund? If so, how easy was it? Click and tell, and click through to tell us more in the comments. Don’t forget to join the Facebook Group, and if you’re in a Wi-Fi NotSpot, tweet us @electricpig with your location and provider, hashtag #notspots.



As part of The Cloud’s response to our tests, it set up an email address for Electricpig readers, where users who have had trouble with The Cloud Wi-Fi hotspots, or have found a NotSpot, can email The Cloud directly, notspots@thecloud.net.

Have you complained or tried to get a refund? Tell us your story in the comments, or click through to the Facebook campaign page.

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