Windows 7 in-depth review

Engadget has managed to get their grubby hands on a "reference hardware" Samsung Taylor - not for sale. What they have done is a really long and in-depth review of WP7. I'm a bit annoyed that most of the time, they compared it the iphone - but what can you expect? The iphone is apparently the best "smart phone" out there. In conclusion what they say is that WP7 is not complete yet at the moment, with official launch date looming, hopefully Microsoft will be able to fix/complete WP7 to the masses.

Read it here

SPB TV now free!

Received this great news from SPB in my inbox yesterday that the SPB TV will be available as a free download fow Windows Mobile. Check it out:

SPB TV has got a major update and now a new version SPB TV 2.0 is available for all Windows Mobile users. The app goes free-of-charge and subscription-free and offers live TV streams along with video-on-demand channels.

• Live TV and video-on-demand channels
• Channels from more than 17 countries
• Integrated TV guide
• Picture-in-picture mode

Get it here

Theme: GTX Sense Theme

This must be one of the most beautiful Sense themes I've seen! Just look at it. Very nice and simple. I guess it's the white/grey colour of this theme that just makes it stand out. I'm getting bored of the usual Sense black theme & will give this a try.

- Support for Co0kies Home Tab 1.8.5
- Fixed as much bugs as possible
- Some music widget enhancements
- Smoothened Graphics
- Some others that i cant remember ^.^

as always, found at xda-developers

iPhone 4 gets 'thumbs down' from Consumer Reports

WASHINGTON - Consumer Reports, the influential magazine for product reviews, gave the thumbs down to Apple's new iPhone because of reception problems it said were caused by a design flaw.


Consumer Reports engineers have just completed testing the iPhone 4, and have confirmed that there is a problem with its reception," the magazine said on its website, ConsumerReports.org.

"When your finger or hand touches a spot on the phone's lower left side - an easy thing, especially for lefties - the signal can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal," it said.

"Due to this problem, we can't recommend the iPhone 4."

Apple earlier this month said that it had used erroneous formulas to calculate signal strength for the iPhone 4 and promised to issue a free software patch to resolve the issue that has already triggered lawsuits.

The California gadget maker denied that reception problems were due to faults in its new antenna system, which is incorporated in the casing.


Consumer Reports rejected Apple's explanation.

"Our findings call into question the recent claim by Apple that the iPhone 4's signal-strength issues were largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software," it said.

Consumer Reports said it had tested three iPhone 4s and other devices, including a previous iPhone model, in the same conditions, but "none of those (other) phones had the signal-loss problems of the iPhone 4."

Consumer Reports said it had found "an affordable solution for suffering iPhone 4 users: Cover the antenna gap with a piece of duct tape or another thick, non-conductive material."

The magazine said the iPhone performed well in other areas.

"It sports the sharpest display and best video camera we've seen on any phone," it said, and "outshines its high-scoring predecessors with improved battery life and such new features as a front-facing camera for video chats."

- AFP

Apple sued over iPhone 4 antenna problems

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple is hiring antenna engineers to work on its iPhone, the latest generation of which has triggered lawsuits from buyers upset because certain grips choke signal strength.

A posting online at jobs.apple.com said the company is looking for experienced engineers "able to design antennas suitable for wireless handheld devices with excellent radiation performance."

Apple's iPhone 4 launched a week ago with blockbuster sales and complaints by some that cupping the smartphones in a way that covers the lower left corner strangles telecom service signal strength.

The iPhone 4 has silver edging designed as part of the antenna system to improve signal strength.

Apple responded to signal strength complaints by telling owners of its latest generation iPhone to be mindful of how they hold the handsets.

The problem could be fixed by moving one's hand or encasing iPhones in rubber "bumper" frames that Apple sells for US$30.

"Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas," Apple said in a statement.

"This is a fact of life for every wireless phone."

Apple advised users who experience the signal problem to "avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases."

By Thursday, reports surfaced of iPhone 4 buyers unsatisfied with Apple's response filing lawsuits in the United States against the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Macintosh computer maker.

A lawsuit filed in the state of Maryland wants Apple and exclusive US iPhone telecom service provider AT&T to pay for "unlawful and unconscionable conduct" including "fraud, negligence and deceptive trade practices."

California law firm Kershaw, Cutter and Ratinoff used a freshly redesigned website to recruit disenchanted iPhone 4 buyers for a lawsuit against Apple.

"Thousands of people are really unhappy with their new iPhones and Apple's response to the antenna issue," the law firm said in a blog post. "We told our audience we wanted to hear from them and boy did we."

The law firm said it got 1,400 emails in a single day and that 98 percent of the missives "overwhelmingly expressed discontent."

Antenna concerns did not deter the hordes that descended on Apple stores, with the firm reporting that it sold more than 1.7 million of the smartphones in the first three days on the market.

"I think these issues will sort themselves out," Gartner technology analyst Van Baker told AFP this week. "It is a very impressive phone."

Features luring people to the iPhone 4 include high-definition screens and 'FaceTime', which uses a forward facing camera to enable video chat.

The original iPhone launched in 2007 brought smartphones to the masses. Apple has sold more than 50 million of the handsets in the past three years.

But its latest version enters a crowded market full of rivals boasting bigger screens and running on Google's open-source Android operating system, which is more accessible to developers than Apple's tightly guarded system.

Sales of a white iPhone 4 model have been delayed to the second half of July because of unspecified manufacturing difficulties.

The new iPhone will be available in 18 other countries, including New Zealand, in July and 24 more in August.
- AFP

50% Off at Zagg.com

Another coupon for use on Zagg.com. This time it's 50% off site wide. Better hurry, expires 31.05.2010

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Head on over to Zagg.com

HTC tries to block iPhone, iPad from sale

Some C&P news that I just read today...

SEATTLE - Taiwanese cell phone maker HTC said it filed a legal complaint against Apple, saying its iPhone, iPod and iPad devices infringe on HTC patents.

The move escalates a patent dispute between the two electronics companies, as Apple tries to maintain the iPhone's supremacy against Android, the increasingly popular mobile software upstart from Google.

HTC, which makes several Android phones including the new Droid Incredible, said it filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission seeking to block US sales of the gadgets. In its statement, HTC did not say what patents it believes Apple has violated.

HTC's complaint is not likely to block sales of Apple products any time soon.

Patent disputes are common among technology companies and often take years to resolve. The cases often lead to licensing agreements rather than outright bans on imports, as HTC is seeking in its complaint.

Apple filed its own lawsuits against HTC in March, saying HTC's cell phones violate 20 of Apple's iPhone patents. Apple's complaints were made before the trade commission and in US District Court in Wilmington, Delaware.

Android phones, like the iPhone, support multitouch screens. Users sweep their fingers across the screens, and different "gestures" stand for different commands.

Among the patents singled out by Apple is one that lets a device's screen detect more than one finger touch at a time - for instance, allowing someone to zoom in or out by spreading their fingers apart or pinching them together.

Another patent refers to technology that helps a device react to information about its surroundings gathered by sensors.

Apple, which is based in Cupertino, California, had no comment on HTC's complaint, other than to point to its own legal actions against the cell phone maker.

HTC signed a patent-licensing agreement with Microsoft in April, presumably to avoid a legal tussle with another of the computer industry's biggest players.

Even though Google's software powers Android phones, hardware makers such as HTC will bear the brunt of the legal actions. Industry experts say that has historically been the case, and they note that HTC is an easier target than Google for US lawsuits.

Even if a legal decision is a long time coming, Apple's move against HTC could tamp down other mobile phone manufacturers' enthusiasm for Android if it seems hefty legal fees could erase the gains from using free software from Google.

- AP