Tracy and Matt's Blog

The LG Secret (LG KF750) was released a few months ago and it's proven to be a popular phone. This will be the third LG device that we have reviewed recently so I am keen to see what this high-end non-Windows Smartphone is capable of.

The Secret is certainly a good looking phone and one that you'll probably want to show off to all of your friends. There's a touchscreen and built in touch panel with haptic feedback, it seems that more and more phones have some element of touch screen action these days.

Here's our unbox to have a look at while we're getting the review sorted:

LG Secret (LG KF570) Specification:

240 x 320 pixels, 2.4" touch screen

5 megapixel digital camera with flash

102.8 x 50.8 x 11.8 mm

116 grams

Touch-sensitive navigation panel with haptics

GPRS, EDGE, UMTS & HSDPA

MPEG4/DivX(up to 640x480) player

Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate

Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP

microSD card slot

5 MP, Camera with autofocus and face detection

built in email client and web browser

MP3/WMA/AAC/AAC+ player

FM radio with RDS

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone news, Pocket PC news, Tracy & Matt, LG, LG Secret, KF750, camera phone]

There has been a lot of talk about unlimited data tariffs recently especially those rumoured to be coming to Orange. I've been trying to get Orange to confirm their position on unlimited data for a few days and in the end found the information I needed in the July catalog.

As you can see in the scan above, unlimited mobile browsing seems to be available on all packages that are over £35 per month but it would appear that you have to sign up for a 18 month contract in order to qualify.

I'm still waiting to hear from Orange to establish what, if anything, they are going to do for business customers on talk share tariffs but I'll report back when I find out!

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone news, Pocket PC news, Tracy & Matt, orange]

I've just found out that tracyandmatt.co.uk has been nominated in ComputerWeekly.com's IT Blog Awards 2008.

I have to say that this really is a very nice surprise to even be nominated so whoever is responsible for putting our name forward Tracy and I sincerely thank you, it's things like this that make blogging worth while!

Looking at ComputerWeekly.com's award page I see that we are up against several other excellent blogs, even my friend Jason Langridge is there!

If you enjoy reading our blog please could I ask you to show your support and click on the link below to vote for us. We're in the 'Wireless and mobile blogs' category at the bottom of the vote form.

Thank you!

Posted By: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt]

When HTC unveiled the HTC Touch Diamond in May, they promised that it would be coming to North America later this year. Today Telus is announcing it will be the first carrier on thoe other side of the pond to carry the HTC Touch Diamond. With this announcement; "HTC continues our tradition of creating a family of devices, bringing the HTC Touch Diamond's unique style and exceptional features to a number of form factors and wireless protocols."

Telus will launch a CDMA version of the HTC Touch Diamond later this summer for $149.99 with a 3 year contract. To make the HTC Touch Diamond even more attractive, they offer subscribers very affordable unlimited data plans like $15 per month for unlimited email and IM, or $30 for unlimited email, IM and web browsing.

You can learn more about Telus and the HTC Touch Diamond at: http://promo.telusmobility.com/smartphones/index.html?landing=product&sku=DIAMOND

Note also the subtle design change of the HTC Touch Diamond on the Telus CDMA version.

Are three year contracts becoming common in Canada and the US? I honestly cant imagine ANY phone lasting three years!

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone news, Pocket PC news, Tracy & Matt, telus, HTC, HTC Touch Diamond]

If like me you are eagerly awaiting the HTC Touch Pro (aka Raphael) then you might want to head over to Devicewire.com as the have just revealed the RRP of the HTC Touch Pro, £468.07 ex VAT or £549.99 inc VAT. It's set to arrive on September 1st and, if you didn't know already, it'll add a QWERTY keyboard to the existing HTC Touch Diamond! You can now pre-order from Devicewire to ensure that you get yours on release day.

As I said above, the provisional release date of the Pro is September 1st but that's certainly subject to change. Full details can be found HERE.

HTC Touch Pro specification:

Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional

Qualcomm MSM 7201A @ 528MHz

512MB ROM / 256MB RAM

7.2MB HSDPA / HSUPA

2.8" VGA screen

WiFi

Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR

eGPS

3.1MP Camera with flash

Forward facing VGA camera

TV out

G-sensor (same as the Diamond)

FM Radio

microSD card slot (thank goodness!)

1350mAh battery

51x99x17mm

145 grams

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone news, Pocket PC news, Tracy & Matt, raphael, HTC, HTC Touch Pro]

A few months ago we were invited to a Polaroid press event where we were one of the first to see their new instant digital printer the Polaroid PoGo.

Polaroid today made an official announcement about the PoGo which you can see below. We're hoping to get our hands on one to review pretty soon too!

The magic of instant photos is going digital. Polaroid, the company that pioneered instant photography 60 years ago, is launching the first in a new line of digital instant photo products. Using a revolutionary, pocket-sized inkless printing process, the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer, unlocks photos trapped on mobile phones and digital cameras.

For fans of the original Polaroid instant camera, the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer, short for Polaroid-on-the-go, provides a new way to continue the magic of instant printed pictures, and is the biggest innovation for the brand since the commercial launch of the iconic instant film in 1948.

Weighing just eight ounces, the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer uses a Bluetooth or USB connection to receive pictures and creates full-colour digital photos without the need for ink cartridges or ribbons. The pictures print in 60 seconds – instantly dry to the touch, removing the need to ‘shake it like a Polaroid picture’. “For decades, the name Polaroid has been synonymous with white-bordered pictures, although change and innovation have always been, and will continue to be, a key part of this business,” explains Tom Petters, Chairman and owner of Polaroid.

“Dr. Edwin Land, the founder of Polaroid, reinvented this company many times through its 70-year history – from polarized lenses to eyewear to the iconic instant camera,” said Petters. “With the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer, we’re reinventing the magic of instant printed pictures for the 21st century.”

The Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer was exclusively unveiled by popular Hollyoaks actress, Leah Hackett, at PC World on London’s Tottenham Court Road today and will go on sale nationally tomorrow at retail outlets for £99 including PC World, selected Curry’s and John Lewis stores, Play.com and Amazon.com.

Polaroid PoGo™ products employ Zink™ Zero Ink™ Printing Technology from Zink Imaging, using a unique composite paper which houses cyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals in a protective coat. The millions of crystals embedded within the special Polaroid paper are colourless before printing, so the paper appears white. The secret to the process is the heat activation which brings the photos to life through colourising the crystals, printing high quality images in less time than a traditional Polaroid photo.

More than a decade in the making, the ZINK™ Zero Ink™ Printing Technology originally hatched within the research and development department of Polaroid, before spinning out as a separate company. As the company’s namesake innovation reaches the digital age, it’s only fitting that Polaroid will pioneer this inkless printing technology through its new digital instant printer.

Facts about Polaroid:

Polaroid reinvents instant photography with the launch of the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer, the world’s first such product.

In 1936 Edwin Land and George Wheelwright demonstrated the world’s first polarised, anti-glare car headlights

Polaroid the company was founded in 1937 by Edwin Land and a group of small investors and unveiled the first commercial instant camera, the Land Camera, in 1947

When Polaroid first started trading, its main product was polarised sheet glass to be used for sunglasses and windows of railway observation cars in the USA

Edwin Land was so innovative, that he stands second only to Thomas Edison with the number of US patents granted to him (over 500)

During World War II, Polaroid technology was used to help pilots with anti-glare goggles, with the same Polaroid technology used by fighter pilots in their visors today

In 1952, the first instant x-ray print was created – taking just 60 seconds to produce While the initial application for Polaroid was for sunglasses and scientific work, it has been key to many other products including LCD flat screen TVs

Hip Hop band Outkast bought Polaroid to a whole new generation in 2003 with their hit song ‘Hey Ya’, which included the immortal line ‘Shake it like a Polaroid picture’

The Polaroid instant picture has long played an important role for many professions and trades including the police and forensic crime teams, insurance companies, artists, film & TV directors for continuity purposes and of course photographers – to name but a few.

While the Polaroid photo has a plethora of fans and admirers world wide, artist Andy Warhol was one of the most significant users of Polaroid instant film, which was instrumental to the creation of some of his most famous pieces

Polaroid enters new segments of consumer electronics business with the launch of portable DVD players and LCD TVs in 2003

By the end of 2004, Polaroid is the number one selling brand of portable DVD players Just a few years after launching its portable DVD player, Polaroid achieves top ten rankings among global brands in other CE categories such as LCD TVs and digital cameras

Posted By: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Polaroid, Zink]

I just picked up a copy or Orange's July catalog and discovered the HTC Touch Diamond now appears in the main section of phones available on contract. What's more, the catalog says that the Diamond will be free on all contract worth £40+ per month. However, what it doesn't say is whether this requires a 12, 18 or even a 24 month (do people sign up for 24 months?) contract in order to get it free. Assuming it's 12 months then that really is an excellent deal when you consider the SIM-free price of the Diamond.

The other thing you'll notice on the page scan above is that it states that the Diamond is 'Mobile Instant Messenger Compatible' - this clearly means that Orange have hobbled Windows Mobile again and removed Windows Live Messenger from the ROM.

You may recall, we discovered that Orange are planning to charge to use 'Orange Messenger'. Costing we've hear will be: Unlimited use for £4 a month or £1 a day with Unlimited bundles. Or, if you're not a regular user you can sign up to use it for 5p per message. At 5p per message that will soon become expensive!!

You may also notice in the scan below of the Diamond spec as listed in the catalog there is an error on the listed internal/external memory. Just in case you are buying from Orange - the Diamond doesn't have a MicroSD card slot but has 4GB rather than the listed 256MB of internal storage. I also think that the listed 16.5 days of standby time is rather optimistic - I get about 2 days from my Diamond!

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone news, Pocket PC news, Tracy & Matt, orange, HTC, HTC Touch Diamond]

Here's a fun, free title from Astraware to help you celebrate 4th July!

Astraware is pleased to announce their fun application Astraware Fireworks is available again for a limited time.

Astraware Fireworks is a simple FREE application, showing sequences of fireworks flying and exploding into the air. As 4th July is traditionally a time for fireworks and celebrations in the USA, the features have been created to help our American friends highlight one of their major holidays - Independence Day! Astraware Fireworks features a selection of patriotic backgrounds including the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore and the Stars and Stripes, and offers a choice of stirring tunes including the Star Spangled Banner and Stars and Stripes Forever!

Astraware Fireworks is available for devices running Palm OS(R) 5 and later and Windows Mobile(R) 2003 and later, and this year a new BlackBerry(R) version is available which includes the backgrounds and firework effects but doesn't include music, so sorry BlackBerry-owners - this time round you'll have to hum your own marches!

What better way to celebrate 4th July than with some Fireworks? Download your copy today at http://www.astraware.com/fireworks - it's available for a limited time only! Oh, and did we mention, it's FREE?!

Posted by: Iain

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Astraware, fireworks, Windows Mobile Blog]