last100 » last100 weekly wrapup

Weekly wrapup: Review: HTC Magic (Google Ion, T-Mobile myTouch 3G), and more

Steve O'Hear — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:24:33 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Mobile

Review: HTC Magic (Google Ion, T-Mobile myTouch 3G)

It goes by many names. The HTC Magic on Vodafone here in the UK, Google Ion, when handed out as a freebie at the search giant’s developer conference, and the myTouch 3G on T-Mobile in the states. But, whichever way you slice it, the second Android-powered Google phone, manufactured by HTC, is an improvement over the original T-Mobile G1 in almost every way.

After pressure from EU, Apple dumping iPhone’s Universal Dock Connector? (microUSB)

The European Union (EU), after applying pressure to the industry, have announced that Apple had joined competitors, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, LG, Research in Motion, Samsung and others, in agreeing to switch to the micro-USB standard from next year.

Internet TV

The Pirate Bay sold, plans to go legit. Users urged to become capitalists.

The Pirate Bay has been acquired by Global Gaming Factory X (GGF), a publicly listed company in Sweden, for the grand sum of $7.8 million. Profit made from the sale will be used to fund a new political organization set up “to help with projects about freedom of speech, freedom of information and the openness of the nets”, according to a blog post published on The Pirate Bay.

Hulu really hates the TV, PlayStation 3 blocked

Based in the UK, I don’t have access to the US-only video site Hulu. But if I did I’d no longer be able to access the studio-backed Internet TV service on my PlayStation 3.

Joost admits ad-revenue defeat, trying white label biz model instead

After rumors of a third change in direction, Joost, the Internet TV startup that just won’t seem to die, has announced plans to focus less on its own online video portal and instead tout the company’s newly launched white label service to “media companies, including cable and satellite providers, broadcasters and video aggregators.”

That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading,

- Steve (follow me on Twitter: sohear)

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Weekly wrapup: HTC unveils Android-powered Hero, Flash 10 coming to smartphones, Intel and Nokia, Boxee and MLB, and more

Steve O'Hear — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:53:03 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Mobile

HTC unveils Android-powered Hero, apes Palm Pre’s Synergy

At a press conference in London this morning, HTC unveiled it latest Android-based phone – dubbed “Hero” – but unlike the G1 and HTC Magic before it, the new handset has been given a major UI overhaul that the company is calling HTC Sense.

How I plan to use my HTC Magic Android phone

As my obsession with mobile continues – the new frontier – I’ve made the decision to take out a second mobile phone contract. But with a twist. I don’t plan to make (or receive) a single call on handset number two. Instead, it will be used for data only (Web browsing, third-party Internet-connected apps and email).

Flash 10 coming to smartphones this October? Apple and RIM still missing in action

The real reason why Apple doesn’t want to embrace Adobe’s Flash is that it would offer third-party developers an alternative “runtime” on which to develop and, perhaps more importantly, distrubute apps for the iPhone, bypassing Apple’s control (and that of its partner carriers) and the iTunes App Store itself.

Intel and Nokia announce “long-term relationship” to develop Intel-based mobile devices

This one feels like a bit of a re-announcement but over time could well amount to more. Chip maker Intel and handset maker Nokia held a joint press call today to tell the world about a new “long term relationship” to share R&D and key technologies to develop a new mobile platform or range of devices that “go beyond today’s smartphones, notebooks and netbooks”.

Internet TV

Boxee grows up with official Major League Baseball streaming partnership

Forget the ongoing spat with Hulu, PC-to-TV media player Boxee has announced an official partnership with MLB.com.

Nokia testing “long form” video service

We’ve known for a long time that Nokia wants to be seen as much as a services company as a handset maker, so it shouldn’t be all that surprising to learn that the company is exploring different ways to deliver online video to mobile phones.

That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading,

- Steve (follow me on Twitter: sohear)

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Weekly wrapup: the full Nokia N97 review (and lots more)

Steve O'Hear — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:01:47 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Mobile

More hands-on impressions of the Nokia N97 [full review]

There is of course a world of difference between living with a phone for any meaningful length of time and having a quick play at a press event or trade show. And after 3 days of ‘real world’ use, I’ll offer up the first mea culpa: the keyboard isn’t nearly as good as I’d first reported. Read on for a more in-depth review of the Nokia N97…

My favorite smartphone just got superseded

Today, the Nokia E71 got superseded by a new handset from Nokia, the E72, which thankfully keeps the physical design relatively untouched, improves the keyboard layout, and ups the fairly feeble camera (my main complaint of the E71) to a more respectable 5 megapixels capable of shooting 30 fps VGA video.

Archos’ 9 inch tablet looks promising

I’m not a big fan of tablet style PCs or at least those that come much bigger than Apple’s iPod touch, which is an Internet tablet disguised as a portable media player if there ever was one. However, others feel differently – just witness the excitement over the upcoming CrunchPad. Last week, Archos threw its latest hat in the ring, announcing a yet-to-be-released 9 inch tablet-style “Mini-PC”.

Internet TV

Does the world need another video sharing site? Pure Digital (Flip) thinks so

One of the biggest selling points of the Flip range of camcorders is the software that they come bundled with (installable from the camera itself), which enables basic editing and upload to YouTube and other third-party video sites. So why launch a competing site of their own? Two words: Privacy and convenience.

Pirate Bay offering file sharers their own encrypted private network

Notorious BitTorrent tracker Pirate Bay is launching a new service that will offer file swappers their own encrypted virtual private network that will keep any “ilegal” activities away from the prying eyes of the content industry and their trigger happy legal teams.

Digital Music

UK ISP Virgin Media and UMG announce “carrot and stick” music plans

This week, Virgin talked up the latest phase of its cozy relationship with the major record labels, announcing a new unlimited music plan backed by Universal Music Group, and a firm commitment to “educate” file sharers through a temporary suspension of service.

That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading,

- Steve (follow me on Twitter: sohear)

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Weekly wrapup: YouTube XL, XBox 360 and Facebook, WD HD Media Player review, Disney on Vudu, INQ’s Twitter phone, and more

Steve O'Hear — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:23:25 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Internet TV

YouTube relaunches TV-friendly version of the site, Android ‘remote control’ debuts too

It’s not the first time that YouTube has rolled out a version of the video sharing site designed specifically for viewing on a television but the application’s been given a polish and a new name to boot.

XBox 360 to support Twitter and Facebook. Whose the biggest social network on TV now?

Microsoft announced at E3 that the XBox 360 will soon be adding support for two competing social networks – Twitter and Facebook – making the XBox 360 undoubtedly the most socially networked set-top box, but not necessarily a Microsoft-owned social network the biggest one on the television.

Review: WD HD Media Player, a ‘kitchen sink an all’ media player that just works

Sometimes a seemingly complex problem requires the simplest of solutions. Case in point is Western Digital’s WD HD Media Player, which provides a near fool-proof way of watching almost any video downloaded from the Internet on the TV.

Vudu now offering Disney HD movies for purchase on same ‘day and date’ as Blu-ray

Vudu (U.S.-only) is to offer new Disney HD releases for purchase through its set-top box movie service on the same “day and date” as their competing DVD/Blu-ray release.

Mobile

INQ working on a mass market ‘Twitter phone’

Hutchison-owned INQ, makers of the Skype phone and INQ1 – dubbed the Facebook phone – is said to be targeting Twitter next, according to news report.

BBC iPlayer and the Creative Zen X-Fi

Yesterday, I was out tech shopping with a friend and a simple brief. Purchase a 4-8 GB flash-based MP3 player, and one that wasn’t an iPod. What we came away with was the Creative Zen X-Fi, which isn’t the newest of players but has its fair share of iPod-trumping features nonetheless.

Smartphone and Netbook, meet Smartbook (but haven’t we met before?)

On the day that Intel secured the right from Psion to legally use the trademarked term Netbook, rival chip designer Qualcomm is pushing a “new” category of mobile device, which the company is calling a Smartbook.

That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading,

- Steve (Twitter: sohear)

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Weekly wrapup: Hulu takes on Boxee, Sky and XBox 360, Spotify on Android, Nokia Ovi app store, Zune HD

Steve O'Hear — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:07:50 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Internet TV

Hulu takes on Boxee (sort of) with its own desktop app

Hulu have made available their own desktop application (Mac and Windows) that features a “ten foot” user interface designed specifically for operating with a remote control, providing a much better experience when viewing Hulu content via a PC connected to a TV.

Rupert Murdoch’s Sky bringing interactive TV to XBox 360

Satellite broadcaster BSkyB’s broadband TV service ‘Sky Player’ is coming to XBox 360 users in the UK and Ireland.

Friday’s Internet TV news links: Flip, Sony Ericsson, HDMI, Android, and more

Here are few links for some Friday/weekend reading. All Internet TV-related.

Digital Music

Music streaming service Spotify demos Android app, off-line syncing included!

An iPhone version was already known to be in development, with Nokia’s S60 thought to be next. Now it looks likely that Spotify will in fact make its mobile debut on Google’s Android OS after the company published a video previewing a native Spotify client running on Android, off-line playback included.

Mobile

Nokia’s Ovi app store launches [iPhone envy]

Announced at Mobile World Congress back in February, the Ovi Store is the handset maker’s direct response to Apple’s phenomenally successful App Store for the company’s iPhone and iPod touch devices.

Nokia’s Ovi Store day one: why aren’t the best S60 apps being promoted?

While on the one hand I don’t want to see Nokia favor one developer over another, from a consumer point of view, the Ovi Store will live or die by its “killer” applications. Apple’s fond of saying in its ad campaign that on iPhone there’s an app for almost everything, but there are far fewer and very specific apps and supported services that the majority of users crave. These should also be an app store’s flagship wares – the Ovi Store included.

Microsoft takes on iPod touch with Zune HD

Microsoft announced its latest Zune portable media player designed to go head to head with Apple’s iPod touch. Dubbed the Zune HD, the device features a 3.3″ 16:9 widescreen capacitive OLED with multitouch, WiFi, and a built-in web browser, along with existing Zune media playback features.

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Weekly wrapup: Zattoo sued, Microsoft and Netflix, Napster tries again, Palm Pre release date, Sony PSP music downloads, and more

Steve O'Hear — Sun, 24 May 2009 16:48:59 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Internet TV

Universal and Warner sue Internet TV startup Zattoo

Zattoo’s legal status is, arguably, a bit of a grey area. While the Internet TV service, which features live streaming of existing over-the-air and cable channels, claims it only does so within the law – either through government legislation or direct licensing agreements – its business model remains a controversial one. And it seems that Hollywood has finally taken notice.

Microsoft and Netflix bring streaming to Windows Media Center sans Extender support

It’s not the first time that Netflix functionality has been added to Microsoft’s Media Center software, but this week the two companies released an official plug-in for the PC to TV platform.

Digital Music

Napster tries again, unlimited streaming and five downloads for $5 per-month

Now under the stewardship of Best Buy, Napster is taking yet-another-stab at offering a compelling music service since its glorious P2P days of yesteryear. This time round the company is touting the combination of unlimited streaming of its 7 million strong music library in combination with 5 DRM-free downloads per month, all for a monthly subscription of just five dollars.

Sony considering PSP game rental and music download services

It’s looks like Sony may finally be getting serious about its download service for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), with the company considering a subscription-based game rental offering and a la carte music downloads akin to the iTunes Store.

Mobile

Official: Palm Pre to go on sale June 6th, just two days before Apple’s WWDC – $200 with 2 year contract

After weeks and weeks of speculation, the cat is finally — and I mean finally — out of the bag. The Palm Pre will go on sale in the US on June the 6th, with the Sprint exclusive, for now at least, costing $200 after a $100 mail in rebate with a 2 year contract.

Linux on a Netbook? Intel thinks its all about the User Interface

While I remain skeptical of Linux’s chances to overtake Windows as the Netbook OS of choice, that isn’t stopping Intel who continue to invest in a Microsoft alternative.

Archos’ Android powered MID set to debut on June 11th?

Archos isn’t actually using the MID moniker and instead refers to said device as an Internet Media Tablet, emphasizing its support for a range of audio and video codecs, including High Definition video playback, along with the ability to surf the web and access other Internet-based content.

That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading!

- Steve (twitter: @sohear)

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Weekly wrapup: iPhone and Kindle, Nokia Facebook app, Android Netbooks, Flip MinoHD and PS3

Steve O'Hear — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:08:14 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Amazon to Apple: keep your hands off our iPhone Kindle eBook revenue

At first glance it seems innocuous enough: Amazon has launched a version of its Kindle eBook store optimized for the iPhone’s web browser to make it easier for users of Apple’s device to purchase new eBooks for the iPhone’s Kindle application.

Apple bans iPhone apps related to BitTorrent

It’s not a fully fledged BitTorrent client, but Apple has rejected Drivetrain from the iPhone App Store nonetheless.

A glimpse into the Nokia N97’s Facebook app (screen shots)

With just a few weeks before the N97 is set to debut, Nokia have published an interactive demo of the phone’s User Interface, including a walk-through of some of the features of the included Facebook application.

Google, Android and the future of Netbooks

Recent comments made by the search giant’s CEO Eric Schmidt, suggest that Google isn’t particularly interested in seeing Android running on a Netbook – at least not yet, anyway – but is excited by the opportunities that these low-cost sub notebooks present.

Are Netbooks running out of steam? sales down 26% in Q1

Netbooks were undoubtedly one of the hit products of 08, seemingly bucking the trend as the economy took a turn for the worse and with it a fall in PC sales. However, moving into 09, Netbook sales aren’t fairing quite as well, dropping 26% according to figures published by market watcher DisplaySearch.

One more thing: Flip Mino HD playback on the PlayStation 3

Since publishing my hands-on review of the Flip Mino HD ‘point and shoot’ camcorder, I’ve discovered a really neat feature: the ability to play High Definition video shot on the Mino on a PlayStation 3, directly from the camera itself.

That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading!

- Steve (twitter: @sohear)

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Weekly wrapup: Palm Pre and Facebook, LG Arena review, Vudu IPTV, Boxee app challenge, and more

Steve O'Hear — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:17:17 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Mobile

Palm Pre aiming to be THE Facebook phone – social networking still mobile’s killer app

I’ve written many times before that social networking, and Facebook in particular, is the killer application for mobile phones. It’s what’s driving take up of mobile data and the adoption of higher end so-called smartphones. On that note, a leaked photo taken of the set for an upcoming Facebook television ad campaign puts Facebook at center stage.

Hands-on: LG Arena KM900 touch screen phone

I’ve had just over a week to test out LG’s latest flagship phone – the LG Arena KM900 – a device that I first set eyes on at last month’s The Gadget Show Live. The touch screen phone has a lot going for it, but like many post-iPhone offerings, doesn’t quite live up to the promise based on technical specs alone and at times has the potential to frustrate.

Internet TV

Vudu to power telcos’ pay-per-view IPTV offerings

Rather than punting the online video store via its own hardware alone, Vudu recently announced plans to “piggyback” third-party devices, including Internet-connected TVs, DVD players and other kinds of set-top boxes. And this week, the first of those partnerships was unveiled.

Boxee announces ‘app dev challenge’ (get coding, people)

Boxee have announced the ‘Boxee app challenge‘ in an attempt to provide a little extra incentive for developers. Not only are a bunch of prizes up for grabs for the best apps created up, but the Internet TV startup also promises to shine a little light on entrants along the way.

Survey: Consumers warm to Internet widgets on the TV

Take this for what it’s worth considering who paid for the research, but according to a recent survey 76 percent of US consumers who are in the market for a new HDTV would value having access to Internet widgets on their television.

BBC iPlayer stats: 12.5 GBs per second, 14 different versions, iPhone usage peaks at midnight, and more

Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m a huge fan of the BBC’s iPlayer; that’s why I named it as one of the top ten Digital Lifestyle products of 08. And I’m not alone.

That’s a wrap! Thanks for reading,

- Steve

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Weekly wrapup: Flip Mino HD review, Samsung Gphone, Palm Pre vs iPhone, new PSP, and more

Steve O'Hear — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:45:25 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Featured post

Hands-on review: Flip Mino HD “point and shoot” camcorder

Flip’s (Pure Digital in the US) Mino HD is the follow up to the popular Mino “point and shoot” camcorder – a product category that the company practically invented – this time upgrading the video quality to High Definition or 720p MP4 to be precise. From the industrial design alone, however, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference.

Mobile news

Samsung’s first Google phone: Android 1.5, OLED screen, thinner than iPhone

At last there’s some real competition among phones running Google’s Android OS, with Samsung announcing its first “Gphone”, the unimaginatively named i7500, which should see a European release in June (no word yet on U.S. availability).

PR wars: Palm Pre could go on sale 24 hours before next gen iPhone unveiled

The latest rumored release date for Palm’s comeback device, the Palm Pre, is June 7th, one day before Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC). If true, this would be an audacious move from the handset maker, and one that, at first glance, carries a lot of risk.

Rumor: New PlayStation Portable betting on Sony PSP App Store

If reports are to be believed, a new version of Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP) will ditch the handheld games console’s UMD disc drive in favor of 8GB or 16GB of internal storage.

Nokia admits mistakes over UK launch of “Comes With Music”

Nokia and I are in agreement over at least one thing: the company made mistakes when launching its all-you-can-eat music subscription offering “Comes With Music” in the UK. The service whereby you purchase a qualifying Nokia handset and then get access to the entire library of the Nokia Music Store for 12 – 18 months and get to keep any downloaded tracks once the subscription ends, was launched in the UK on two aging phones and with the backing of only one carrier and one retail chain.

That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading!

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Weekly wrapup: The Gadget Show Live, and more

Steve O'Hear — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:08:36 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Last week’s coverage on last100 was dominated by a back log of reports and video from the UK’s The Gadget Show Live expo.

Steve at The Gadget Show Live

The Gadget Show Live: Flip Mino HD ‘point and shoot’ camcorder [video]

One of the first products that I got to check out at The Gadget Show Live last week was the Mino HD from Flip. The updated version of their popular ‘point and shoot’ camcorder – a product category that the company practically invented – supports 720p HD video (H.264) and has 4GB of on-board memory (non-expandable), which provides enough storage to shoot about an hour’s worth of footage.

The Gadget Show Live: mobile phone watches [video]

This is a product category that has me far from convinced but it’s intriguing nonetheless. I’m talking about mobile phone watches, which are about as Star Trek or Knight Rider as they come. I got to see two such devices up close (to varying degrees) at The Gadget Show Live.

The Gadget Show Live: Sony Vaio P series – don’t call it a Netbook [video]

One of the coolest products I got to check out at The Gadget Show Live was Sony’s latest ultra portable notebook, the Vaio P series. The device features an 8 inch widescreen and compact full QWERTY keyboard, and is powered by Intel’s Atom chip. It’s main purpose is accessing the web on-the-go, and other mobile computing, such as email, Skype, IM etc.

The Gadget Show Live: BeBook eBook reader [video]

With Amazon’s Kindle winning the most mind share (thanks to Oprah) and Sony publishing healthy numbers for sales of its Sony Reader, it’s easy to forget that the eBook market isn’t purely a two horse race. Enter the BeBook from Dutch company Endless Ideas who were touting the device at last week’s The Gadget Show Live.

The Gadget Show Live: LG Arena – not just another iPhone wannabe [video]

I’ve got to hand it to the guy from LG’s stand at The Gadget Show Live, if it wasn’t for his genuinely enthusiastic pitch for the company’s new ‘Arena’ KM900 touch screen phone, I might too easily have dismissed it as just the latest iPhone wannabe.

Other news

Forget iPhone, Adobe wants to put Flash on the telly

Just like everybody else these days, Adobe has its sights set on the living room. This week the company announced a version of its Adobe Flash Platform designed to run on Internet-connected televisions, set-top boxes, and Blu-ray players, with the aim of making it easier to deliver online video and other web-based content – think widgets – to the TV.

BlackBerry address book integrates Facebook, apes Palm Pre’s “Synergy” and INQ1

A new version of the Facebook for BlackBerry application has been released that offers better integration with the social networking site. Two standout features: a user’s friends list is kept in sync with the handset’s built-in address book – Facebook avatars show up as called ID, for example – and notifications from the social networking site are “pushed” to the phone’s home screen.

Why has Nokia’s ‘Comes With Music’ been a flop in the UK?

Nokia’s all-you-can-eat music offering “Comes With Music” (CWM) hasn’t exactly caught on in the UK, according to Music Ally, with the service attracting just over 23,000 active users. “Given the high-profile marketing campaign around its launch with retailer Carphone Warehouse, that’s a sluggish start”, notes the site. So why has CWM been a flop here in the UK?

Joost up for sale? Old media to the rescue

We already knew that sometime in 2009 Joost would run low on cash – CEO Mike Volpi said as much last December – and now five months on the Internet TV service is shopping around for a buyer, reports CNet.

That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading.

- Steve

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Weekly wrapup: iTunes pricing, Yahoo TV widgets, Android Netbook, Skype on iPhone, Palm Pre’s Mojo, and more

Steve O'Hear — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:36:45 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last two week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Internet TV

Yahoo’s Widget Channel debuts on new Samsung Internet-connected TVs

Unveiled at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Yahoo’s “Widget Channel” for Internet-connected televisions has debuted on high end sets from Samsung.

Watch live BBC television on latest Nokia phones

Live BBC TV and radio streaming (UK-only) is now available on Nokia’s flagship N96 and the all touch screen XpressMusic 5800 aka The Tube.

Digital Music

iTunes variable pricing has nothing to do with “supply and demand”, just record label greed and stupidity

Hoping to turn ’supply and demand’ economics on its head, at the request of the major record labels Apple has introduced ‘variable pricing’ to the iTunes Store.

7digtal powers MP3 downloads on AOL’s Winamp, following similar Spotify and Songbird partnerships

7digital has announced a partnership with AOL to integrate its music download store with AOL’s popular Windows-based music player Winamp, following similar deals with Spotify and Songbird.

Mobile

Android’s biggest Netbook challenge (Hint: Windows)

I’ve written before about Android’s potential to power a range of consumer electronics, such as set-top boxes, media players and Mobile Internet Devices (see Google’s big bet: Android beyond the cellphone). However, one product category where I think the mobile OS will have a tough time competing is the ‘traditional’ Netbook.

It’s alive! TechCrunch’s Internet tablet still has a pulse

TechCrunch founder Mike Arrington’s Internet tablet project is alive and well it seems, after photographs of the latest “CrunchPad” prototype were “leaked” online.

iPhone app is no big deal but Skype’s ubiquity is

The tech blogosphere is buzzing with the news that an official Skype application for Apple’s iPhone will be made available. But is it such a big deal?

BlackBerry App World launches as RIM’s consumer push continues

The launch of ‘BlackBerry App World‘, the company’s answer to the iPhone’s App Store, provides even greater evidence of a consumer push, with apps for Facebook, MySpace and Instant Messaging, currently dominating the “featured apps” list.

Fandango and Pandora apps show off Palm Pre’s Mojo [video]

In Las Vegas at CTIA 2009, Palm was busy demoing a number of third-party apps from developers who’ve been given extra early access to the webOS Software Development Kit. The Fandango and Pandora apps are particularly impressive and are a good example of how Palm hopes to compete with the likes of iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia and Android.

Nokia’s DLNA goodness – N85 to PS3 streaming

A much overlooked feature of Nokia’s Nseries smartphones is their ability to share media with other DLNA-certified devices. This afternoon I decided to put the N85’s DLNA support to the test by attempting to stream music, photos and videos stored on the phone to a PlayStation 3. And, perhaps surprisingly, it was all pretty straight forward.

Gravity, a really nice Twitter app lands on Symbian S60 phones

At last, smartphones running the Nokia-led Symbian S60 OS have a native Twitter application. And a very slick one at that.

That’s a wrap! Thanks for reading,

- Steve

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Weekly wrapup: INQ1 review (the Facebook phone), Nokia E75 hands-on, Internet TV news round-up, and more

Steve O'Hear — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:02:58 +0000

Here’s a summary of the last week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

Mobile

Hands-on review: INQ1 a.k.a. the ‘Facebook phone’

Over the last week I’ve been playing with the INQ1, the so-called ‘Facebook phone’. Designed by the same team behind mobile carrier 3’s original “Skype Phone” (see last100’s coverage), like its predecessor, this fairly nondescript 3G candy bar slider masks plenty of innovation on the software side.

Hands-on: Nokia E75 (hardware preview and pics)

Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m a huge fan of Nokia’s QWERTY-touting E71 and currently use the device as my primary smartphone, along with testing a whole bunch of new handsets. That said, I’m as fickle as the next geek, and ever since Nokia announced the upcoming E75, I’ve been eying it up as a potential replacement.

Internet TV

ZeeVee’s consumer set-top box too expensive and too complicated, says company CEO

It was an interesting take on a familiar problem: how to bridge the gap between the PC (Internet video) and the TV. And yet ZeeVee’s consumer-focused set-top box never took off, selling “just a few thousand units” and has since been canned. The reason, says ZeeVee’s CEO Vic Odryna, is that the product was too expensive and too complicated.

Internet TV news: BlackBerry, Blockbuster and TiVo, Netflix on PS3?

A few Internet TV-related stories have been doing the rounds over the last few days that I’ve not yet had a chance to comment on. Here’s a quick catch-up.

Digital Music

Last.fm starts charging international users, kills third-party mobile apps

After news last week that SpiralFrog has shut its doors, another reality check for ad-supported music services. CBS-owned Last.fm has started charging users outside of the US, UK and Germany, €3 per month (approx. $4.40), to make up for the short fall in advertising revenue.

That’s a wrap, thanks for reading.

- Steve

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