Hi Gaj-it Readers,

If things have been a little busy for you this week and you haven’t been able to catch up on the latest news and reviews from across the tech world, then don’t despair as we’ve compiled a weekly round up to satisfy your much needed tech cravings from Gaj-it as well as some of our neighbouring popular tech blogs.

HTC Desire, HTC Legend & HTC HD Mini Available at Amazon from April 1st Read more here

Playstation Move Announced (PS3 Motion Controller) Read more here

Facebook launches payments between friends service Read more here

Google Street View Cover the Whole UK (well, 96%) Read more here

Verizon Expects Release of First 4G Handsets for Mid-2011 and an End to Unlimited Data Plans Read more here

The USB Cassette MP3 Player II Works In Your Car’s Tape Deck And Pocket, No Special Hookups Needed Read more here

Preview: HTC Desire. Does it Make You Long for an Android? Read more here

Novothink Solar Surge – first Apple-certified solar-powered charging case for iPhone Read more here

Review: Sony Ericsson Aino. The PS3 Phone Read more here

Vodafone accused of supplying malware on HTC Magic Read more here

Android Phone, HTC Supersonic’s Leaked Video Read more here

Review of Verizon Wireless Motorola Devour Read more here

Street Fighter 4 iPhone/iPod Touch App Released & Available to Buy! Read more here

Mobile Designed to Track Your Movements at Work Read more here

Attention all Gadget and Technology Blogs!

Although, we would love to feature everyone within our list, it’s not always possible to mention everyone, however if you find an interesting tech story which you feel is worthy to be in our top weekly round up post then drop us an email and we’ll do our best to add it in.

Have a great weekend!

Ciao for now!
Gaj-it Team

Top Weekly Roundup of Gadget News and Reviews: 12.03.10 is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

A couple of days ago it was revealed that the iPad UK launch date would be pushed back to late next month, which was definitely not great news for all you UK Apple iPad fans who will have to wait an extra month compared to the folks across the Atlantic.  However, all is not lost as there might you just be a way of getting the iPad earlier than you think.

Bundle Box has announced that all you iPad fans can stop obsessing because they are offering a service whereby they let you import from the US by using a registered American address and in turn will allow you to get hold of the iPad earlier and also possibly cheaper.

So where’s the loop hole?  Well, because the iPad counts as an ‘automatic data processing machine’, under custom rules it is import free so you are only paying for shipping and VAT, which means for a WiFi only 16GB iPad it could cost you £465.20.  Now we’re not guaranteeing that it’s going to be the cheapest, however if you’re one of those people that is just itching to get your hands on one before the official UK release date then why not?

Has Bundle Box’s offer pushed you to buy the iPad a few weeks earlier or will you wait for the official launch date in the UK?  Leave us a comment and let us know what you think?

Via Electric Pig

iPad UK Launch Date: April 2010 – But How Can You Buy the iPad Earlier in the UK? is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

It would seem that everyone is trying get a piece of the action with the up and coming release of the most desired HTC phones on the market.

Last week, a video leaked revealing ‘blurry’ details on the HTC Supersonic, however this time more rumours are afloat about another HTC phone, the HTC Incredible which is expected to be released in the US around April or May time.

We already know that last month the tech world was raving about the leaked video on the HTC Incredible, in which it promised to include Android 2.1 and look similar to the HTC Legend, however conflicting information has appeared on the Android Forums which suggest otherwise about the specs.

Instead of a 1Ghz processor, the onboard Snapdragon appears to be only 768MHz however good news is that previously in the leaked video it stated that it would include 256MB, but in actual fact it has been reported that it could include half a gig in RAM.

Further to this it is expected to tout a 8 megapixel camera, which is great news for imaging fans who have been deterred to buy Android phones in the past due to their lack of image capabilities.

Via Engadget Via Android Forums

HTC Incredible: More Details Revealed on Specs and Features is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Yesterday we told you that PS3 had officially announced the release of its new PlayStation Move Controller.

As we were all getting geared for a future of multi-playing fun with the PlayStation Move Controller, news has come in from Gizmodo that only four PlayStation Move Controllers can connect to a PS3 at one time.

An official statement from Sony announced that:

Four PlayStation Move controllers can connect to a PS3 at one time (or two PlayStation Move Controllers and 2 PlayStation Move sub-controllers).

So, this would mean that you can only enjoy full PlayStation Move experience with just one friend or for less fun Move experience, share it out amongst the four friends.

Has this deterred you from buying the PlayStation Move controller when it is released or are you not bothered about this revelation? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think?

PlayStation Move Will Only Support 4 Players is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Sony has officially announced it new motion controller for their PS3 gaming console called PlayStation Move.

The new development by Sony PlayStation will compete with the likes of the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft’s Project Natal and will offer PS3 users something more than just a six-axis controller.

So what can we expect from the PlayStation Move controller?  Well, Sony claims it is expected to be ‘fast, precise and active’.  They have also said that it delivers unmatched accuracy through it advanced motion sensor, including a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor, as well as a colour-changing sphere that is tracked by PlayStation Eye camera.

However, before we bore you with all the techie jargon, check out the video below as it shows the PlayStation Move in action:

Sony will be looking to sell the PlayStation Move in three separate packages, which will include:

1. PlayStation Move Controller on its own
2. PlayStation Move Controller and a PlayStation Eye plus a Game
3. PS3 Console with everything you need to operate the PlayStation Move Controller

Expect to pay $100 for the PlayStation Move controller with PlayStation Eye and game, which is proposed to be released sometime later this year.

It would appear that various games producers are already getting ready for the move. Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment released ian official statement today that The Lord of the Rings: Aragon’s Quest Videogame will be launched on the PlayStation 3 and will support of PlayStation’s up and coming Move controller technology at the controller’s launch.  I expect that this is just the start of a long acolade of the games producer following suit so it will be interesting see what more games will be released for the PlayStation Move.

PlayStation 3 Motion Contoller, ‘PlayStation Move’ Announced is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

So I haven’t posted anything totally pointless and incredibly cute in a while.

Here’s one for you Android fans out there. Got nobody to cuddle up with on an evening? (Or got somebody but they’re just not that appealing?). Voila- a pillow featuring the cutest little robot mascot in fetching green felt.

12″ x 12″ and stuffed with Polyfill (to make it nice and fluffy) each one is personally handcrafted by Craftsquatch and can be yours for just $19.99. Don’t fancy Android? How about an RSS Feed icon, a Facebook logo or even Hype Machine (I have no idea what Hype Machine is, but it’s a cute little speech bubble with a heart in it!).

I wants.

Check out the range at Craftsquatch.

Daily Dose of Android Cuteness is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Remember last month we talked about whether we would expect the iPhone 4G release date to change, in response to Beceem advising that 4G chips wouldn’t be ready? Well, although the release dates, specs etc… are still unclear about the next generation iPhone, US carrier, Verizon’s CTO Anthony Melone has identified that next summer will be the carrier’s release window for its first LTE handset, which is expected to include the faster than 3G, 4G network.

Malone also backed up Verizon’s view that 4G is likely to bring an end to the emphasis on unlimited data plans and metered and tiered plans are more likely. Although no details were shown of how this would work the CTO did discuss that an accurate gauge of how much data was being used had to be put into place.

So what will this mean for us? Well although we are likely to get quicker speeds and better frequencies with the 4G service, it would mean monitoring how much data we would be using. I know it is the way forward but personally I am reluctant to be positive with the idea as we have got so used to a culture where the mobile phone web browsing is unlimited and putting restrictions on data usage would just spoil the experience.

What do you think? Are you happy for mobile phone carriers in the future to offer metered or tiered plans for mobile web browsing? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think?

Verizon Expects Release of First 4G Handsets for Mid-2011 and an End to Unlimited Data Plans is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

A couple of days ago we talked about the up and coming release of the Street Fighter 4 app. Well, just to update you, Capcom’s Street Fighter IV game is now available to buy from the iTunes Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch for £5.99.

If you’re a long time Street Fighter fan then you can jump straight into action and instantly familiarise yourself with the controls. For the more casual players, Street Fighter 4 features a number of settings and tutorials that put you on the path to world warrior. As well as this, the Street Fighter IV app supports ‘Multiplayer’, which means head-to-head arcade play over Bluetooth.

If you’re still unsure then check out this video (with images to follow) showing off what the new Street Fighter iPhone app can do, before you buy from the iTune Apps store.

Buy Now from iTunes Apps Store for £5.99

Have you already bought the Street Fighter IV App? What did you think of it? Leave a comment and let us know what you think?

Street Fighter 4 iPhone/iPod Touch App Released & Available to Buy! is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Overview:

It looks as ice-cool as a Finnish swimming pool, and under the surface Nokia’s new X6 aims to please as well with a slew of features and free access to Nokia’s Come With Music service. But just because the phone comes pre-loaded with a few Gavin and Stacey episodes, will it keep you entertained in the long run? Let’s take a look.

Review:

Nokia has decided it was onto a good thing when it went from being a mobile phone manufacturer to a company producing entertainment devices. Well ok, that’s not entirely true- its handsets do still call people and send texts. However the Finnish company is breaking the mould with its music and video offerings, and I for one am entertained.

The X6 is currently out in the UK for free on a plan around the £30 a month mark, which doesn’t sound all that competitive until you realize that you get a year’s worth of free music included.

We will focus on the 32GB phone in this review, though Nokia has also just released a 16GB version without the Comes With Music service and at a lower price.

Entertainment

The X6 includes Nokia’s unlimited music download service Comes With Music as standard. The service allows albums and singles to be purchased, but with the X6 you get free range on the service for a year.

However, if you’re on a 24 month plan as is pretty much standard, you will need to confirm with your network that your Comes With Music contract will be extended. You do get to keep the files you have already downloaded though.

The X6 will happily take on board around 7,000 songs, which can be easily downloaded from the intuitive music service.

The phone also has a built-in DJ which will choose your tunes for you based on the mood you select.

If that’s not enough to get you started, the phone also comes pre-loaded with the entire third series of Gavin and Stacey, exclusively for Vodafone UK customers.

Style

The X6 is sleek.

I almost feel like I can leave this section at that sentence, but probably should elaborate a touch.

Nokia has gone minimalist with buttons on this phone as it has included a capacitive 3.2 inch touchscreen which we’ll look at in the next section of this review.

The handset itself is tall and skinny like a cappuccino, measuring in at 111 x 51 x 13.8 mm.

The X6 feels a touch on the chunky side, which invites you to hunt around for a physical keyboard to slide out, but there is none to be had with all typing and navigation done on the touchscreen.

Keeping it sleek, the receive and end call buttons are the only ones on the front of the phone under the elongated screen, which brings us to the next section.

Screen

We’ve already mentioned that the touchscreen is capacitive, but what exactly does that mean?

Up until now, all of Nokia’s touchscreen phones have had resistive screens, which requires a stylus for accurate selections. Not wanting to get too boffin on you, but resistive screens use two metallic layers which connect when you touch down on it.

Capacitive screens are glass coated with a transparent conductor. As your fingertips are also conductors, touching the surface will distort the electrostatic field and choose the next song you want to listen to.

This means you have more accuracy and speed with finger typing and can perform intuitive moves such as pinching the screen with two fingers to reduce the image.

While these options are made available on a capacitive touchscreen, Nokia still hasn’t taken the plunge into pinch-to-zoom which is a shame really. Instead, the zoom function can be activated by double-tapping the screen.

Science lesson aside, the 3.2 inch screen displays at 360 x 640 pixels which makes for some bright viewing.

Camera

The 5 megapixel camera on the X6 takes sharp clear pictures, thanks to its autofocus.

It also boasts a nifty Carl Zeiss lens, dual LED flash and 4X digital zoom.

In low light however, the camera did struggle a bit, churning out some fuzzy images, which is a shame as the specs are impressive enough to combat this.

The video mode worked a treat though, producing 640 x 480 movies at 30 frames per second, and the TV-out connection allows you to instantly share your Spielberg masterpiece with the family.

Features

Being an entertainment device, the X6 comes with Nokia’s Ovi store which allows you to download apps and games for when you get through Gavin and Stacey.

To compensate for making you sit on the couch watching sit coms, the X6 is also Ovi Map compatible, providing you with free walk and drive navigation, as well as Lonely Planet and Michelin trip guides.

The handset comes with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack as well, so thankfully, no proprietary headphones are needed.

It also features an FM radio, podcast client and can read Microsoft Office documents that may get sent through on your email.

Under the Bonnet

Connectivity-wise, the X6 comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G and a microUSB port.

It uses an ARM 11 434 MHz processor, which does the job of quickly handling all of the phone’s apps and entertainment features.

The battery will last for 17 days on standby time which is great, but with the slew of features on this phone, it probably won’t be left lying on your bedside table for that long.

One downside is that the 32GB of memory is it, with no external memory slot. Still, it’s not a bad amount to be given and as previously mentioned, does hold 7,000 songs still.

The Gaj-It Verdict:

Design: 9/10
Usability: 7/10
Features: 8/10
Value: 8/10

We Say:

There’s a lot to like with the X6 and this phone will keep you interested when other phones won’t. Nokia still have a bit of a way to go though in fully utilising the capacitive touchscreen, but as a first attempt in this area, it has produced some sharp images and, let’s face it, this phone is all about the music anyway.

Review: The Nokia X6. Let It Entertain You is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Google has rolled-out mobile advertising for YouTube in a bit to raise funds from the popular, but financially-floundering site.

The move follows YouTube’s recent launch of pre-roll ads at the start of its videos. The pre-roll ads are skippable, but that doesn’t mean they’re not annoying.

The new mobile ads seem unobtrusive enough as a screenshot, but on the small screen they do actually take up a fair chunk of your screen.

“This is a great way for advertisers to reach YouTube viewers across multiple platforms,” Taylor Cascino, Strategic Partner Development Manager at YouTube said in a blog post.

“In fact, at launch YouTube will immediately provide one of the largest audiences for a mobile ad campaign anywhere on the mobile web.”

In terms of monetisation, YouTube is targeting a platform that is becoming more popular than ever, with YouTube’s mobile site traffic expanding by 160% last year.

The Google-owned site has been in desperate need of extra funds for awhile now, and still remains in the red.

We’re lucky enough to be spared mobile ads here in the UK, with YouTube’s initial roll-out only hitting the US and Japan markets.

With Google desperate to turn the fortunes of YouTube around though, it will only be a matter of time before we have to scroll just that little bit more to see a Simpsons clip.

Do you stream online video to your mobile? Leave us a comment and let us know.

YouTube Switches On Mobile Advertising is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com