TechRadar: All Mobile phones Feeds

Exclusive: 3 spurns the new LG Prada II handset

Gareth Beavis — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:29:00 +0000

The launch of LG's new Prada Phone is coming to Europe in the near future, but it won't be heading to 3, our sources have confirmed.

However, Orange will be bringing the handset to the masses, so no need to worry on that front there. Also, Phones4U has managed to bag the device before the New Year, but The Carphone Warehouse will be picking it up soon after.

Free as a bird (on contract)

It is expected Orange will offer the handset free on a £35 a month tariff, meaning that lovers of the fashion brand will be able to get their hands on the QWERTY-toting pimped-out touchscreen for not a lot of moolah.

The handset itself is a fairly standard model with some OK specs, as well as the Prada tag (you get the Fall/Winter catalogue as a wallpaper set too... swish).

3.5G connectivity, 5MP camera and DivX playback are among the best parts of the handset, and it also comes with a 'wrist accessory', made of metal and tempered glass, which can be paired with the Bluetooth to alert for incoming calls.

Which is just the touch the fashion-conscious among us have been waiting for, right?

BlackBerry Javelin coming to UK next month

Gareth Beavis — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:14:00 +0000

RIM's latest phone to roll off the new handset bandwagon, the BlackBerry Javelin, has finally been spotted in the wild and we've got our hands on a pic of the handset that's set to debut at the end of this year under the guise of the Curve 8900.

We can see that the new handset comes with your standard trackball, a full QWERTY keyboard and Wi-Fi connectivity, with GPS, a 3.2MP camera.

Where's the 3G gone?

However, there's no 3G connectivity, which is surprising given that a majority of recent releases (e.g. the Bold and Storm) have had the super-fast connection.

It also sports the natty 3D icons that we've seen from the likes of the Bold, and the screen will be "the sharpest screen, for brighter, crisper icons", according to our colleagues over on T3's inside source at BlackBerry.

The rest of the specs we have to source from the usually-pretty-accurate internet rumour mill, including a 2.4in HGVA+ display and a microSD slot. The handset has actually already launched in Germany, but only now do we UK-dwellers get a proper taste of the Javelin action.

The handset is apparently due to come to the UK in late December, although official prices and launch dates have yet to be confirmed. Apparently there will be an announcement from The Carphone Warehouse this afternoon, so watch this space to find out all about it.

Man blames iPhone for rude photos

Marc Chacksfield — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:03:00 +0000

An iPhone user is fighting to save his marriage after he was caught sending naughty pictures of himself to another woman.

Instead of coming clean about the extra-marital activity, the iPhone user tried to blame, well, his iPhone.

The bizarre incident was actually posted on Apple's official forum. A member of the forum, Susan042764, posted a query, asking how the images of her husband's member got on to the phone.

iPhone glitch

"Please help!," the comment said. "I took my husband's iPhone and found a raunchy picture of him attached to an email to a woman in his sent email file. When I approached him about this, he admitted that he took the picture, but says that he never sent it to anyone.

"He claims that he went to the Genius Bar at the local Apple store and they told him it is an iPhone glitch – that photos sometimes automatically attach themselves to an email address and appear in the sent folder, even though no email was ever sent.

"Has anyone ever heard of this happening?" The answer was a firm no.

So far, hundreds of people have commented on the post, with most explaining in no uncertain words why the woman should divorce her husband.

Surprisingly, nobody has picked up on the fact that, at just 2MP, if the receiver were to print out the raunchy image of the man's private parts, it would be very small indeed.

Mobile phones can remove fillings

Gareth Beavis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:53:00 +0000

A study from an Iranian university has found that the electromagnetic radiation emitted from mobile phones can cause the mercury in fillings to loosen and be released.

The study, conducted by the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences using 14 students, measured the amount of mercury present in their urine after use of a mobile phone.

Worryingly, the study states: "The microwave radiation emitted by mobile phones has a significant impact on the release of mercury."

Silver (mercury) lining

The reason for this appears to be that the sealing components used to shield the rays are the same used to shield the fillings in teeth, causing the mercury to become separated.

It's not just mobile phones that cause this effect, apparently those with fillings should stop watching TV, looking at computer screens and using microwaves if they want to keep all their mercury. Perhaps a trifle over the top there, Shiraz Uni?

But there is some good news. Given that mobiles use the same amalgams for protection as fillings, recycled mobile phones could soon be making their way into your mouth!

See, silver lining and all that.

Is full Flash coming to the Apple iPhone?

Marc Chacksfield — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:33:00 +0000

When it comes to the iPhone, the lack of Flash capabilities has been a bugbear for many an Apple user. Adobe knows this and that is why it is working hard to come up with a solution – and it looks like they have nearly cracked it.

Speaking at the Adobe Max conference in San Francisco this week, Adobe's chief technology officer Kevin Lynch has hinted that a full version of Flash Player 10 is to hit smartphones soon, including, most notably, the iPhone. Well, as long as they can please Apple's 'head chef'.

Full Flash

"We are midst of evolving Flash Player 10 for mobile," Lynch commented. "We're taking the full Flash Player and making that run on the higher end of the mobile market."

Teasingly, Lynch said about the iPhone: "It needs a little more baking. We need to pass the taste test of Apple's head chef."

One of the main reasons Flash hasn't found its way to the iPhone is because of Flash-based games. If the software ever does find itself on to the handset, it would mean the door is open for consumers to play games via the Safari browser, rather than go through Apple's App Store.

So, it will be interesting to see what restrictions are put in place by Adobe and Apple to stop this from happening.

While Apple may not be 100 per cent on-board with Flash just yet, Google is. Google Android leader Andy Rubin also spoke at the conference and was very excited about full Flash for smartphones, commenting: "Today, seeing Flash 10 makes me feel really warm. It was exactly what Android was built for."

Virgin Mobile USA sacks 10% of its staff

Gareth Beavis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:30:00 +0000

Virgin Mobile USA has announced it will be trimming its staff by around 10 per cent over the next year.

The recent acquisition of Helio, the handset manufacturer, has led to the inevitable cull, with 45 of the 400 strong workforce being let go.

Virgin Mobile has confirmed that the buying of Helio, as well as the move to an IBM-contracted IT infrastructure is the reason for the cull.

The losses will come mostly in the New Jersey and California offices, and this gives another indication that the company is preparing for the worst worldwide in the fiscal year 2009, with the UK among Virgin Mobile's key market areas.

Decent results

However, the company has posted some decent global financial results recently, including an eight per cent subscriber increase in year on year terms in the US.

Virgin Mobile USA Chief Executive Officer Dan Schulman said: "We have assessed the status of the Company post-integration and have identified some remaining duplication of assignments.

"Our intent is to expand our investment in both our prepaid and new postpaid business and, in order to do so profitably, we must continue to identify opportunities to reduce operating costs across all areas."

Kodak to sue LG and Samsung

Mark Harris — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:58:00 +0000

Americans! Grab that Samsung Blast or LG Shine while you can - Kodak is trying to prevent the importation of Samsung and LG cameraphones on the grounds of patent infringement.

Eastman Kodak, the company that missed the transition from 35mm to digital in a big way, is filing complaints in a New York court and the US International Trade Commission - a tactic that, if successful, enables it to block the import of offending products.

Kodak is alleging that some Samsung and LG mobiles infringe Kodak digital camera patents related to image capture, compression and data storage, as well a method for previewing motion images.

History lesson

"Kodak has a long history of innovation and we have invested many millions of dollars developing our digital camera technology," said Laura G. Quatela, Vice President of Eastman Kodak.

You can see the results of that multi-million dollar high-tech investment in the M1033 camera, which we reviewed in September and summed up as, er, "incredibly cheap".

Apparently, Kodak has licensed its imaging patents to many other leading mobile phone makers, including Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson. Could more lawsuits be on the way?

Half of Americans can't set up their mobiles

Mark Harris — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:10:00 +0000

Today's techiest gadgets are too complicated, too confusing and too prone to breakdowns, according to a new survey by The Pew Internet & American Life Project.

It surveyed over 2000 American adults using consumer electronics and found that 48 per cent couldn't set up a new mobile phone or internet connection without help.

Breakdowns were also an issue, with web connections proving the most troublesome: 44 per cent of people suffered some serious downtime over the previous 12 months.

Unsurprisingly, computers were the next most common culprits, with 39 per cent of laptops and desktops going haywire over the course of a year.

Calling for help

More reliable were mobile phones (29 per cent), BlackBerrys and other smartphones (26 per cent), and the positively rock-solid MP3 players (15 per cent).

Older users took more care of their phones, with the over 50s experiencing 5 per cent less failures than the under 30s.

When it came to fixing their gadgets, Americans still rely on human rather than technological help. A third fixed the problem themselves, slightly more used tech support and 15 per cent asked a friend. Just 2 per cent used the web to search for solutions.

Shockingly, nearly in 7 were unable to get their device fixed at all - a massive 15 per cent fatality rate.

Sany Ericssan A8000i: no, not a spelling mistake

Gareth Beavis — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:34:00 +0000

Sony Ericsson's lawyers must be in overdrive tonight after another top-quality knock off has emerged in the guise of the Sany Ericssan A8000i.

It packs 3G (we mean 2G), a touchscreen (well, not touchscreen) 2.8in display, Windows Mobile OS (actually, some obscure two-bit program) as well as an FM radio. That bit's true.

Dual SIM

It's actually got something the similar-but-not-quite-the-same Xperia X1 has got: a dual SIM function. In your face, Sony Ericsson.

And it's a TV phone, though we don't understand the VAIO branding on the back. Still, at least it's all-weather, something sadly lacking from today's phones (OK, that's a joke, we're just trying to pretend this isn't the strangest handset we've seen in a while.)

We see an 8MP stamp on the back as well, which is weird seeing as it only as a 1MP camera... hang on, do copyright forgers LIE?

Apple is sued over defective iPhones

Gareth Beavis — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:15:00 +0000

Apple might have conquered the globe with the item everyone is clamouring to get their hands on, but a New Yorker has decided that he's had enough of the build quality on his handset and is taking Jobs' lot to court.

Avi Koschitzki is apparently fed up with the poor 3G coverage that means the phone isn't consistently twice as fast as its predecessor, meaning Apple's claims are bogus.

He, like many other people on internet forums and the like, has also complained of cracks appearing on the housing of the phone.

Water un-tight

While cosmetically ugly, this could also mean the phone will allow moisture in, wreaking havoc with the delicate inner workings. Best not use it to do the washing up then.

"Although Apple was and is aware that the handsets were and are defective, and that consumers have experienced repeated instances of cracked housings, Apple has nevertheless allowed the defectively designed iPhones to be sold to the public," the complaint from Koschitzki says.

And there were we thinking the world loved Apple and all its products...