Author: Paul Lamkin
Nokia also presents…the E72
Not content with their upgrade of their XpressMusic range, Nokia has also announced the successor to its best ever selling full QWERTY smartphone – the E71. The E72 includes everything that was loved about the E71, albeit in a superior fashion.
Internet is faster, with support for up to 10.2Mbps over HSDPA. The desktop-like email system that proved popular in the E75 is also included as is instant messaging direct from the home-screen. All of these features should be easy to navigate with the new optical navigation key.
Business men will also enjoy (well maybe not enjoy, but at least use) a new version of QuickOffice and calls should be made in much better clarity thanks to the active noise cancellation feature – handy when in busy business based locations such as the Wetherspoons next door to the office.
The camera has been upgraded to 5-megapixels and a 3.5mm audio-jack is also now included which, along with the randomly included torch function, should add a bit of fun to this model.
This is a top-end business based smartphone and that is reflected in the recommended price of €350. It’s going to be out this Autumn.
Nokia presents…the 5530XpressMusic
Nokia has announced the latest phone in its XpressMusic range – the 5530. It looks like an upgraded version of the 5800. Drat and double drat – I only just bought myself a 5800.
Where the 5800 has got a very plasticy feel to it, the 5530 has a stainless steel finish and comes in five different colours. Basically, it looks a lot more compact and, sigh, better than the 5800.
The screen is a tiny bit smaller, but not by much. Down from 3.2-inch to 2.9 inch, it still manages to keep its impressive 640×360 resolution.
Many of the 5800’s popular features have been included and, in some cases, enhanced. The contacts bar is now capable of scrolling and can handle up to 20 contacts and the home-screen can also now handle hot links, such as Facebook and MySpace.
It is, as you could probably have guessed by the name, a music-based phone and Nokia are promising 27 hours of music playback. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can use your personal buds of choice.
There’s a 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash – so no change there. The phone should ship with a 4GB MicroSD card. Connectivity is the same as the 5800 – 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GSM.
The 5530XpressMusic should be available in the Autumn and Nokia’s suggested price is €199.
(via Nokia Conversations)
Blinkbox offers blockbuster movie streaming
Blinkbox has launched the UK’s first paid-for streaming movie site and signed a bumper deal with Warner Bros to boot.
The deal gives Blinkbox the rights to stream over 1,100 full-length feature movies and TV programmes. Big name launch titles include The Dark Knight and Body of Lies as well as TV shows like Friends.
Blinkbox also has deals with E1 Entertainment, Cinetic Rights Management, Revolver Entertainment, Eagle Vision, Black Diamond, Raindance and X-Treme Video. In total they now have over 1,400 titles – comprising more than 1,500 hours.
Of course, there are plenty on non-paid-for streaming movie sites, although the legality of these is questionable and the quality of their streams is usually pretty shoddy.
There are, also, services available such as those by Apple and LoveFilm that allow you to download films at a cost, although the service for Blinkbox will allow instant streaming, so no waiting around for your chosen film to finish downloading.
Rental prices are pretty much on par with services like LoveFilm – £2.49 for oldies and £3.49 for new releases. You can also buy titles for £7.99 – £11.99 – although why anyone would buy a digital version of a movie when they could buy a hard copy (and create their own digital version if they wish to) for about the same price, baffles me.
Three streaming options are offered – high at 1088kbps, medium at 544kpbs and low at 272kbps. If you’re not sure what sort of speeds your internet connection can handle run a speed test to find out.
The movie deals add to what was already a pretty cool service from Blinkbox. We first told you about them back in February last year. As well as paid-for content, users also have access to free TV shows, such as Peep Show, without even having to sign up.
Users can also create ‘blinks’ from a library of clips that numbers more than 20,000. These clips can be further edited by the users and messages can also be attached. These blinks can then be emailed to friends or embedded into blogs or other web pages.
Twitter generates $3million revenue for Dell
Back in March, this very blog suggested five ways in which Twitter might be able to make money.
Suggestion one was entitled “Companies must pay!” and highlighted how businesses were benefiting from free advertising via the microblogging site.
Today, it has emerged that computer giant Dell has made $3m from advertising its products via Twitter, with a third of this coming in the last six months – the period in which Twitter’s popularity has exploded.
This may seem small peanuts compared to the $12.3 billion of revenue Dell earned during the first quarter of this year, but $3million is still a whole lot of moolah. And it doesn’t really seem fair that Twitter won’t see a single penny of this.
The good news for Twitter is that Dell, who had previously dismissed the idea of ever paying Twitter for its service, may be coming round to the idea that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. They’ve admitted that Twitter offers a unique service that is incredibly useful in terms of marketing.
The web is full of affiliate links whereby commission is paid to sites linking to products – it’s what makes the free-content based system viable. It seems a bit silly that one of the web’s most popular systems isn’t involved in this system.
(via PC Pro)
RUMOUR: Samsung Louvre B7610 leak?
On Tuesday we brought you news of the leak of the Omnia 2. This time the leak concerns Samsung’s possible N97 botherer, the Louvre B7610. Samsung just can’t seem to keep their developments secret – anyone would think that they were leaking them on purpose…
On first glance the Louvre has a similar demeanour as the N97 or the G1, with the flip down keyboard – although I actually think the Louvre’s keyboard looks better. It’s got a slight ZX Spectrum look to it, with the red bits on the keys, and I’m all for that.
The reported specs are as follows:
Quadband (850/900/1800/1900 Mhz), GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA (3G+) to 7.2 Mbps
GPS receiver (A-GPS)
AMOLED Touch Screen size 3.5 inches with 800 x 480 pixels (WVGA) and 16 million colours
5-megapixel digital camera
FM radio
1 GB built in memory – expendable to 32GB using MicroSD.
Bluetooth 2.0
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
MiniUSB 2.0
Accelerometer
500 mAh Lithium-Ion 1 battery
Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional – Possibly upgradable to 6.5
Dimensions: 11.2 x 5.8 x 1.6 cm
The phone should retail in Europe from between €250 and €500.
Until we’ve got the phone in our hands, however, it’s difficult to really judge whether or not this phone is really a threat to the N97. What is clear is that if it wants to compete, it has got its work cut out.
(via GPSAndCo)
Vita Audio announces R2i compact audio player
For a company that only launched in 2006, Vita Audio is making quite a name in the world of compact music systems.
We previewed the R2 back in 2007, and it went on to win a What Hi-Fi award later that year. The R2i is basically an upgrade to that system – this time complete with an iPod dock. That’s what the ‘i’ stands for, but you knew that already, right?
There’s no arguing that the system looks quite sexy, although the visual appearance is somewhat over-hyped by Vita Audio’s official description of the three versions available – “Rich Walnut Veneer”, “Dream White” and “Midnight Black” – wooden, white and black to you and me.
The specs are fairly standard for a music system such as this. 20-watts output and, as you’d expect, the unit is capable of DAB and FM radio as well as the, useless in the UK, DAB+ format. It also contains a line-in for an iPod that is pre-2004 or, heaven forbid, a portable music player that isn’t of the Apple variety.
There’s also two more, gold plated, phono sockets at the back which could be used to utilise the system in a recording setup, or could even be used as a line-in for a TV/DVD system.
One cool feature is that it will remember the volume settings when you are using the headphone socket. This is not only useful and a time-saver, it also has the potential for a hilarious practical joke – and subsequent visit to the ENT department at the hospital.
It’s available only at selected retailers. These retailers all happen to be what my mum calls, “the posh shops” – John Lewis, Selfridges, Harrods and so forth. This demonstrates that the R2i is not only a nice bit of kit, it may also enhance your suave reputation.
The R2i should retail at £279.99 for the walnut version and £20 more for the white and black versions.
No bundled Internet Explorer with Euro Windows 7
Microsoft has confirmed that the European release of their much anticipated OS, Windows 7, will be shipped without their Internet Explorer web browser.
The reason for this, somewhat strange, exclusion is the ongoing legal wrangle between Microsoft and the European Commission. The basic argument from the EC is that, by including IE bundled with Windows, Microsoft is creating unfair competition in the market.
So, Microsoft has pulled a major strop and have announced that Windows 7 E versions (the E stands for European, see what they did there?) will be devoid of any trace of IE. Although, of course, customers will still be able to install IE if they want to – Bill and the gang aren’t that magnanimous.
The EC is being equally as callow in the argument, however. They’ve reacted to the news by complaining that “rather than more choice, Microsoft seems to have chosen to provide less”.
Come on guys, kiss and make up, life’s too short.
I actually think the news is a good thing – there are plenty of good browsers out there, many of which are far superior to IE. This statement is backed up by the fact that IE’s market share is tumbling, whilst alternatives such as Firefox are gaining ground rapidly. Check out this brilliant Wiki which shows how, in the last five years or so, IE’s market share has fallen by over 25%, whereas Firefox’s has risen by nearly 20%.
I’m a real advocate for Firefox, as you may have noticed, but don’t dismiss Google’s Chrome, Apple’s Safari or, err…Norway’s Opera. Or take our unique test to see what browser you are.
Anti-virus giants fined over charging customers
It seems that the two biggest anti-virus companies Symantec and McAfee have been naughty boys. They’ve been hit with fines for £230k for automatically charging customers to renew their subscriptions. Oh dear. Customers complained because they hadn’t been given fair warning that this would happen.
This couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Californian based companies – Microsoft are currently prepping a beta release of their free anti-virus software, Morro.
Consumers should also be aware that there are plenty of other free options available to them for their computer security. AVG and Avast are big names in terms of free anti-virus protection and there are plenty of others out there. Spend a little while researching – you’re sure to find a perfect option to suit your own circumstances.
Also, before you splash out for a commercial option check with your bank to see if you can get free protection through them. Many online banking sites will provide their customers with a link to get free protection with a service that they’d usually have to pay for. For example, Barclays has a deal with Kaspersky and HSBC offers McAfee for free.
It pays to be safe but why pay for something when you don’t have to?
SHINY VIDEO REVIEW: Dell Inspiron Mini 10
Here Zara takes a look at the latest netbook offering from Dell, the Inspiron Mini 10:
Here’s a quick spec check for anything you may have missed:
- Intel Atom Processor Z520 (1.33GHz, 533MHz) 1GB RAM
- 10.1-inch WSVGA Truelife LCD display
- 1024MB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM
- 160GB (5,400rpm) SATA hard drive
You can pick one of these up direct from Dell for £299. They also do a version with a slightly faster processor (1.60GHz, 533MHz) which is usually £329, but is available for £309 until 24th June.
