Mike Slocombe

Yahoo! Scoops Motorola Deal
Yahoo! and Motorola have cuddled up in their synergetic beds and fluffed up their co-branding pillows to announce a new deal that will see Yahoo! Go pre-installed on millions of Motorola handsets next year.
The deal sees the search engine further consolidate their market-leading position, with the company already having a deal with Nokia under their belts.
Thanks to an exchange of besuited handshakes earlier this year, Yahoo’s mobile services will also come pre-installed on many of Nokia’s new 60 series and “N” class multimedia phones.
With two of the mobile phone big boys onboard, we reckon there’s been a fair amount of backside-kicking going on at arch-rivals Google, who must be well miffed to see Yahoo grab such a huge chunk of the market.
With the two dominant mobile handset players now signed up to Yahoo, Google will have no choice but to seek out second tier manufacturers, or dream up a new take on the mobile market.
With more and more phones offering internet access, punters want to be able to easily access services, search the web and grab their mail on the move.
The Yahoo! Go software includes Yahoo! email, search and address book with a simplified interface designed for small screens.
With Yahoo! having their mobile software pre-installed on the two biggest handset manufacturers, the company are set to dominate the market, if only for the short term while the likes of Google and MSN work out a response.
Yahoo! Go
24 July, 2006
Informatica Wi-Fi Detector Pen
It wasn’t that long ago that you’d be sure to garner approving nods from your fellow executives if you pulled out a pen that lit up when your mobile phone had a call coming in (yes! we had one too!).
But things have moved on.
Now execs looking to make a splash amongst the gadget cognoscenti in the boardroom should consider splashing out for this latest whizz-bang WiFi Detector Pen.
While your fellow suited types are rummaging in their bags ready to pull out their laptops to see if there’s a signal around, you’ll be able to impress the boss with a quick sweep of your James Bond-esque pen.
Touted as a ‘business essential’ by gadgety folks Informatica, the thing looks simple enough to operate: simply push on the button on the barrel and a green, yellow or red LED will light up to tell you the strength of any Wi-Fi signal in range, with the makers claiming that the pen can detect signals within an area of 50 feet.
All this could be yours for just $18.95, with the pen also coming with a white LED flashlight so you can, err, point your light at any hotspots you find.
If this multi-function pen has excited your wavelengths, be advised that it’s only available in limited quantities for a limited time only, so get your order in quick!
Of course, if you’re serious about your Wi-Fi, we reckon you’d be better off forking out for something a little more rugged than a cheapo pen, with the $50 Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter being a popular choice.
Informatica
24 July, 2006
Europe Goes Nuts For Nokias, While The US Trumpets The Treo
According to figures compiled by mmetrics.com, a research firm who strut around in the exciting world of mobile market measurement, when it comes to mobile phones there’s a hefty transatlantic gulf in smartphone tastes.
In Europe, Nokias are the reigning kings and queens of the smartphone world, enjoying total top three domination in the big French, German and UK markets, while in the US the top two slots are held by the Palm Treo 650, with the Blackberry 7530 trailing in third.
The figures were based on a three month moving average up to the end of May 2006, with an impressively large number of subscribers surveyed (12,631 in France, 15,122 in Germany, 14,913 in UK and just under 34,000 in the States).
French say “Nous aimons Nokia”
Breaking the figures down per country, it seems that the French are keen to say ‘oui’ to the Nokia 6680, with an estimated 374,477 subscribers.
Coming in second was the Nokia 6630 with 287,723 subscribers and the Nokia 6600 bringing up the rear with 98,122 subscribers.
“Ja ist Nokia gut,” say Germans
It’s also a case of Nokia Über Alles in Deutschland, with the Nokia 6630 ratcheting up 278,818 subscribers, followed by the 6600 (250,682) and the 7650 (237,449).
Brits go waheey for the N70
In the UK, the smartphone of choice is the N70 with 471,874 subcribers, followed by the Nokia 6680 (433,405) and the Nokia 6630 (341,718).
Americans go ape for Palm
When it comes to the land of hotdogs, mad presidents and fevered flag waving, it’s an entirely different story with the trusty Palm Treo crushing all before it and ne’er a single Nokia making the top three.
The Treo 650 CDMA smart phone is by far the most popular smartphone with over half a million subscribers (573,660), with the GSM version coming in second with 269,053 users. In third place is the trusty Blackberry 7520 with 267, 912 users.
Mmetrics
21 July, 2006
Why I Still Love The Palm (Pt 4): Wi-Fi And Skype
One of the reasons I found myself being wooed over to the Windows Mobile dark side last year was after Palm unforgivably failed to deliver on their promise of Wi-Fi drivers for the Treo 650.
Despite being at the UK launch – and distinctly remembering the words, “Wi-Fi drivers will be made available on our website” coming directly from the mouth of one of their fibbing representatives – after a long six months of waiting with no explanation, I reluctantly jumped ship.
With Windows Mobile, Wi-Fi is either built in or a mere Wi-Fi enabled SD card away, so lured by the promise of wireless connectivity, I invested in an i-mate JAM Windows smartphone and a Sandisk Wi-Fi 256MB SD card.
Although I was now fully Wi-Fi’d up, in reality I rarely used the phone for wireless browsing as the display was too small to be practical for a lot of web surfing, and I invariably ended up switching to text-only browsing for most sites (after all, it’s generally information I want when I’m out and about, not pretty pictures).
Although the lack of Wi-Fi remains a major disappointment on the Treo (it’s also noticeably absent from the latest Treo 700p, much to the consternation of their loyal user base), T-Mobile’s superb unlimited data Web’n’Walk deal more than makes up for it, offering unlimited GPRS data for just £7 a month.
Wi-Fi versus GPRS
Although I love the speed of Wi-Fi on the move, it’s not a great deal of use when you’re out in the wilds and miles from a hotspot.
If you do manage to locate a connection, more often than not someone will be demanding a connection fee – and is there really that much benefit to be had from broadband speeds when you’re looking at a squinty little phone screen?
The Treo does come with the faster EDGE technology, which offers an impressively nippy maximum data transfer rate of 384 kbp, but it’s a bit of a non starter for UK users as the last time we looked only Orange were offering the service.
Although onboard Wi-Fi appears to remains a distant dream for the Treo there is at least the option to use the Enfora Wi-Fi sled (review coming shortly).
It’s not the most elegant solution by any means, but good enough if you’re desperate for Wi-Fi, and the standalone form factor at least means your batteries won’t drain as quickly as phones with built in Wi-Fi.
Skypeless in Seattle, Settle and, err, Splott
Another factor that helped nudge us into the world of Windows Mobile was the lack of Skype support for the Palm.
Despite endless pleas from the sizeable Palm community, Skype haven’t shown the slightest interest in developing a Palm version yet, and continue to remain tight lipped about any possible future plans.
To be honest, we found the Pocket PC version something of a disappointment and only used it very occassionally with very mixed results, but we can see the lack of Skype support continuing to lose some customers for Palm.
There is, however, a way to access Skype on a Palm via a service called EQC, but it’s a convoluted process which involves running a Java app on your phone and then installing a plug-in on your desktop PC.
Although we haven’t tested it yet, Treo owners can try a new alternative VoIP service called mobiVoIP, although this needs “a stable internet connection with good QoS (Quality of Service). Wifi, Bluetooth and EvDO (Rev A) provide that quality” – so, in other words, you can forget all about using it on your standard phone connection.
There is a third option available for ultra keen dabblers who like to tinker about, and this involves using the iSkoot mobile software and a not-inconsiderable amount of fiddling about, as detailed here.
The final frothdown
In my final installment, I’ll explain how the Treo has replaced my laptop for short trips and look to the future of the smartphone.
21 July, 2006
USB Web Cam With Telescope
If you enjoyed Hitchcock’s Rear Window movie, you can now play a James Stewart character in your very own home thanks to Brando’s new USB Web Cam With Telescope.
The sneaky, spying Webcam comes with a built in 7×18 optical telescope letting you closely examine the goings-on of neighbours far and wide and – best of all – share their dodgy activities with the rest of the Web!
The example photos on Brando’s Website show that it’s a pretty powerful telescope, although with Image quality a mere VGA 800 x 600, you won’t have to worry about Patrick Moore smashing down your front door with his glockenspiel mallets and demanding a go.
The manual focus Webcam also offers video with a frame rate of 30fps at 320×240 and 15fps at 640×480.
The package arrives with its own mini tripod, driver, manual and – bless – a little cloth to keep your telescope glass nice and shiny.
Being a Brando product, it’s as cheap as chips – just $26 – and only available via mail order from Hong Kong.
We’ve been tempted by some of their daft products in the past and can report that we’ve always found them a prompt and reliable supplier.
Brando
20 July, 2006
Lumix DMC-LX2: Panasonic Announces LX1 Successor
There was a lot to like when we reviewed the Panasonic Lumix LX1 digicam last year, but the fine optics and high-end feature set were badly compromised by snowstorms of image noise, even at relatively low ISO ratings.
Well, here’s the new LX2, which sticks with its predecessor’s f/2.8 28mm wide angle LEICA DC lens, 4x optical zoom (28mm to 112mm equiv) and MEGA O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabilizer) system and adds a beefier 10.2 megapixel sensor, using the same unique 16:9 widescreen format.
Mindful of the noise issues, the press announcement claims that the Lumix Venus Engine III will “dramatically” reduce the noise that “challenged” the LX1. Well, that’s one way of putting it, I suppose.
Bigscreen
New on the LX2 is a larger, 2.8″ 207k widescreen TFT LCD (with High Angle mode), with sensitivity going all the way up to ISO 1600 at full resolution, with a reduced resolution ISO 3200 mode for those super-dark moments.
A new “Intelligent ISO Control” automatically boosts the ISO setting and shutter speed if the camera detects subject motion, and the camera offers an improved range of scene modes.
The LX1 ships with the same intuitive interface and superb joystick control, making it easy to set focus and exposure manually.
Tapping the joystick on the LX1 brought up shortcuts to white balance adjustment, ISO setting, image size setting and compression format, and the LX2 conveniently adds light metering and AF mode settings to the menu.
As before, there’s a switch on the lens barrel to quickly jump from MF, AF or Macro AF focus modes and to set the image aspect (4:3, 3:2 and 16:9).
Aimed at serious photographers, we hope to have a review copy of the LX2 shortly to put it through its paces.
Let’s see if it can topple our current fave high-end digicam, the Ricoh GR Digital.
Pricing and availability is still to be announced.
Specifications:
Sensor: 1/1.65 ” Type CCD, 10.2 million effective pixels
Image sizes
4:3 Aspect Ratio 3168 x 2376, 2880 x 2160, 2304 x 1728, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480
3:2 Aspect Ratio 3568 x 2376, 3248 x 2160, 2560 x 1712, 2048 x 1360
16:9 Aspect Ratio 4224 x 2376, 3840 x 2160, 3072 x 1728, 1920 x 1080
Movie clips
4:3 Aspect Ratio 640 x 480 @ 30fps / 10fps
16:9 Aspect Ratio 848 x 480 @ 30fps / 10fps, 1280 x720 pixels @ 15fps
File formats Still: JPEG (Exif 2.2), RAW
Movie: QuickTime Motion JPEG
Lens LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT 28-112mm (35mm equiv) in 16:9 aspect mode, F2.8 – F8.0 (w) F4.9 – F8.0 (t), 4x optical zoom
Image stabilization MEGA O.I.S. (Mode1 / Mode2)
Focus Autofocus, AF area modes 1-point, 1-point high speed, 3 point high speed, 9 point, Spot
Focus distance Normal: Wide 50cm/ Tele 100cm – infinity, Macro/ MF/ Auto: Wide 5cm/ Tele 30cm – infinity
Metering Intelligent Multiple, Center Weighted, Spot
ISO sensitivityAuto, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, High Sensitivity Mode: 3200
Exposure compensation +/- 2EV, 1/3 EV steps
Exposure bracketing +/- 1/3 EV -1EV step, 3 frames
Shuttter speed 1/4 – 1/2000sec., Program AE : 1 – 1/2000sec.
Aperture Priority AE / Shutter Priority AE : 8 – 1/2000sec.
Manual : 60 – 1/2000sec., Aperture F2.8 – F8.0 (w) F4.9 – F8.0 (t)
Modes
Exposure Auto, Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Scene modes
Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Self-portrait, Food etc etc
Continuous shooting 2fps or 1fps, max 5 images (standard) max 3 images (fine)
Flash Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced On/Off
Range: 0.6 – 4.9m (Wide/ISO Auto), 0.3 – 2.2m (Tele/ISO Auto), Flash output Adjustment (1/3EV step, -2 – +2 EV)
Viewfinder No
LCD monitor 2.8-inch wide Polycrystalline TFT, 207,000 pixels
Weight (no batt) 187 g (0.41 lb)
Dimensions 105.7 x 55.8 x 26.3 mm (4.16 x 2.20 x 1.04 in)
Lumix cameras
19 July, 2006
Samsung P200 Releases:First Unlicensed Mobile Access Handset
Yeah, we know: it’s another ruddy phone from Samsung who seem to have a new mobile on the market every tea break, but this one is actually a bit different – honest!
In fact, their shiny new SGH-P200 handset has the honour of being the world’s first commercially available UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) mobile phone.
This new fangled UMA technology lets roaming types enjoy seamless handovers between cellular networks and fixed IP networks (that’s Wi-Fi hotspots to you and me) while the user is on the move.
This means the Samsung P200 can freely switch between GSM, GPRS, EDGE and wireless LAN networks (Wi-Fi), letting users take advantage of high-speed (and often free) voice and data communication where available.
Compare this to the current breed of Wi-Fi-only phones where users have to stay lurking within wireless zones or risk losing their connection.
The phone itself looks much like the usual fare from the overactive designers at Samsung, featuring a familiar slide-out design and mean, all-black finish.
It’s a fully featured handset too, with a 1.3 mega pixel camera, 1.9 inch 176 x 220px 262K colour TFT screen, picture messaging (MMS), a camcorder and 80MB of embedded memory.
The P200 also comes with a music player for MP3 / AAC / ACC+ files, a MPEG4 / H.263 video player and file viewer functions, but, curiously enough, no Bluetooth (or IR for that matter).
The phone is first being released in Italy with the rest of Europe to follow soon.
Specifications
Connectivity: GSM / GRPS / EDGE; UMA, WiFi (802.11 b/g)
Camera: 1.3-Megapixel Camera with Flash
Display: 1.9-inch 176 x 220 px 262K-Color TFT
Features:
– Video Playing (MPEG4 / H.263)
– Music Player (MP3 / AAC / ACC+)
– Pictbridge, USB
– Document Viewer
Memory: 80 MB embedded
Size: 95 x 44 x 22.5 mm
Weight: 95g
Samsung
19 July, 2006
Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision Webcam Announced
Logitech has dished out some details on their new QuickCam Ultra Vision Webcam, which they claim offers, “a true-to-life video calling experience by delivering twice the image clarity as that offered by typical Webcams.”
While most Webcams turn into grainy blobs at low light settings, Logitech reckon that their combination of high quality materials and a bright f-stop setting of 1.6 will be a massive improvement on current models.
The software that powers the QuickCam Ultra Vision goes under the snappy name of ‘RightLight 2 Technology’, and it’s claimed to be able to “intelligently adapt” the camera’s video settings based on the ambient lighting.
The Webcam also features a premium 1.3 megapixel sensor with a high performance lens made up of a mix of glass and plastic optics, with the camera supporting the High-Definition (HD) video format.
Unfortunately, Logitech haven’t released any proper photos of the Webcam or posted up any examples of the image quality, so I guess we’ll have to wait to see if the it’s as good as they say.
Sound and video effects
Also bundled with the Webcam is Logitech RightSound Technology, which combines a microphone with acoustic echo-cancellation software, making it easier to host video calls without having to wear a chumpster, ‘call centre’-style headset
We’re sure children under 10 years old (and some cray-zee tie wearing office pranksters) will get more pleasure than we did out of using the included ‘Video Effects’ software.
This lets you personalise your on-screen appearance using ‘hilarious’ avatars and ‘thigh-slapping’ face accessories, so you can have, for example, an alien head that mimics your expressions, or stick on glasses, a moustache, a hat or a crown to your image.
The QuickCam Ultra Vision Webcam should be available in the U.S and Europe from August, and comes with suggested retail price of $130 in the US (~£71, ~€104).
Logitech
18 July, 2006
Sky Broadband – From Free!
As expected, Sky has released details of their new “free” broadband promotion, which offers their 2Mb Base package for nowt.
[Read our analysis of Sky Broadband news]
But skinflints looking for a free feast of broadband take note: you only get the service if you’re already an existing SkyDigital network customer, and it comes with the additional sting of a £40 activation fee.
I’d rather jack
Punters who don’t know their phone jack from their Monterey Jack can also expected to be thwacked around the head with the extra optional £50 fee to get their home install sorted by Sky.
Users of the free broadband deal will find their downloading pleasure limited to a 2GB monthly usage cap, although they can upgrade to the ‘MID’ package, offering up to 8Mbps on a 40GB data cap for a fiver a month, with a lower £20 activation fee.
There’s also a ‘MAX’ option, which gives ‘unlimited’ downloading at a speedy 16Mbps with no activation or home install costs, all for a tenner a month.
For users out of a Sky network area, there’s the pricey ‘Connect’ option which offers up to 8Mbs connectivity, 40GB usage cap, £40 activation fee and £50 home install for a distinctly upmarket £17 per month.
All the offers include a free wireless Sky broadband box.
Growing the network
Easynet (owned by Sky) now owns a LLU network covering roughly 28% of UK homes, based primarily inside urban/city areas, with the company expecting to reach 70% coverage by the start of 2008.
Sky reckons that its broadband service – currently swallowing up £400m of operating profits and costing £250m in capital expenditure – will start to hit the break-even point sometime between 2009 and 2010.
30 per cent of Sky customers on broadband
The company also said that it expects 30 percent of its approximately 8 million customers to be signed up to its new broadband service by 2010.
Sky’s chief executive James Murdoch claimed that many of his rivals had been overcharging their customers, “A lot of incumbent players have been charging a lot of money for a long time for not a lot. It could be uncomfortable for them.”
“We can see huge growth in this market from a revenue perspective and for customer loyalty. We can also grow market share,” he added.
Jon Florsheim, managing director of Sky’s customer division, was ready to go even further, insisting that research showed that Sky would pick up new business from competitors.
“The bloodbath is not going to be on our front lawn,” he added, in his best Clint Eastwood voice.
It wasn’t all joy and happiness in the City after their announcement though, with Sky’s shares slumping 3.9% after the announcement of the new broadband service.
Sky Broadband
18 July, 2006
BETonSPORTS In US Gambling Probe
The gambling industry is today reeling from the news that the chief executive of one of the UK’s largest betting websites, BetonSports, has been arrested in the States on an US indictment “alleging various criminal acts against multiple defendants.”
David Carruthers, the British CEO of BetonSports, was arrested at Dallas, Fort Worth as he tried to change planes and was held overnight in the airport clink.
The company’s shares were suspended in London today, with Carruthers charged under racketeering laws in connection with a US probe of online gambling.
In addition to the criminal charges, the US has filed a civil case in St. Louis federal court, asking that Betonsports be ordered to stop taking sports bets in the US and to return any money held by US customers in their gaming accounts.
US District Judge Catherine Perry responded by issuing a temporary restraining order granting the request, with a hearing scheduled within 10 days.
Other gambling sites responded by going into freefall, with PartyGaming dropping 7.5 pence (7.3 percent), to 95.5 pence early this morning.
It was the same story with Sportingbet, owners of Paradise Poker, who saw their stock slide 54 pence (19 percent) to 228 pence, while 888 Holdings, the biggest of the online casino companies, crashed 17.5 pence ( 9.1 percent) to 175.5 pence.
Early this morning, BetOnSports PLC issued a statement which included the following:
“The Board have in the meantime been reviewing with their lawyers the impact of the indictment and are considering the serious business impact of the temporary restraining order on its business and that review is continuing. Given the issues and uncertainties involved, until the review is complete and a fuller announcement can be made resolving the uncertainties concerning the future of the Company, the Board has requested the London Stock Exchange to suspend trading in the company’s shares.”
Today’s actions are part of a continuing campaign by US lawmakers to crack down on online gambling, a business which rakes in a mighty $12 billion-a-year.
BetOnSports
18 July, 2006