Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 coming 17 June?
A new invite from Sony Ericsson has fallen into the inboxes of the world’s media, prompting expectations of another launch.
The invite to an event at CommunicAsia in Singapore reads:
“Join Sony Ericsson as we take you on a journey where mystery, magic and entertainment fuse seamlessly with cutting-edge technology. Sony Ericsson gives a glimpse of what the future holds. This is not just entertainment. It’s entertainment unlimited.”
The new Xperia X1
The world has been treated to spy pictures of the Xperia X2 for a number of weeks now, and Sony Ericsson usually likes to launch a top handset when talking about its strategy.
The Xperia X2 is set to follow the same form factor as the X1 with a slide out QWERTY keyboard and improved processor and on board memory.
We’ll have to wait and see if the new phone turns up at the event, or whether it’s just Sony Ericsson posturing further with the Satio and friends, but it’s always nice to have a mystery mid-week, isn’t it?
Twitter earns Dell $3 million
$1 million of that in the last six months
Dell’s 600,000 followers on Twitter (@Delloutlet) have earnt it more than $3 million in sales over the past two years, the company claims. $1 million of that has been in the last six months.
That works out at about $2 per follower per year. Not bad cash, if Twitter was tapping into it, which it currently isn’t. The numbers are able to be tracked because Dell issues discount codes, which the company can add up the sales from.
Of course, there’s the question of how many of the people who used the codes would have bought a Dell even if Twitter didn’t exist, or whether the codes were spread more widely on deals sites, but even so, it’s a good source of revenue.
These are also US stats. A similar Twitter account is in place for Dell UK (@DelloutletUK) but the company hasn’t published any stats as to how well that’s doing
ISPs could get powers to disrupt file-sharing pirates
Government minister suggests internet service providers may be given the power to take action against web users who persistently break the rules when it comes to downloading and illegal file sharing.
Internet service providers could be given powers to disrupt the behaviour of illegal file sharers
The government has indicated that internet service providers may be given powers to take ‘technical measures’ to disrupt the behaviour of illegal file sharers, who download large amounts of unlicensed music and other content from the web.
Speaking at a music industry event, culture minister Andy Burnham revealed that the government had all but ruled out the ‘three strikes and out’ approach to illegal downloading – the method by which anyone caught file-sharing on three occasions could have their internet access suspended by their provider – but still suggested that internet providers could be given the power to throttle or slow the access speeds of persistent offenders.
We won’t get full sight of the government’s official plans until the upcoming Digital Britain report is released. But with the report expected on the 16th June, this is a serious indication that the Ofcom could play a big role in tackling Britain’s £1.4bn piracy problem.
The true extent of the UK’s piracy was highlighted by a report released by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), earlier this year and painted a pretty damning picture of your average Brit’s relaxed approach to software rights, with the revelation that 27 per cent of all software on UK computers is pirated.
ISPs could get powers to disrupt file-sharing pirates
Government minister suggests internet service providers may be given the power to take action against web users who persistently break the rules when it comes to downloading and illegal file sharing.
Internet service providers could be given powers to disrupt the behaviour of illegal file sharers
The government has indicated that internet service providers may be given powers to take ‘technical measures’ to disrupt the behaviour of illegal file sharers, who download large amounts of unlicensed music and other content from the web.
Speaking at a music industry event, culture minister Andy Burnham revealed that the government had all but ruled out the ‘three strikes and out’ approach to illegal downloading – the method by which anyone caught file-sharing on three occasions could have their internet access suspended by their provider – but still suggested that internet providers could be given the power to throttle or slow the access speeds of persistent offenders.
We won’t get full sight of the government’s official plans until the upcoming Digital Britain report is released. But with the report expected on the 16th June, this is a serious indication that the Ofcom could play a big role in tackling Britain’s £1.4bn piracy problem.
The true extent of the UK’s piracy was highlighted by a report released by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), earlier this year and painted a pretty damning picture of your average Brit’s relaxed approach to software rights, with the revelation that 27 per cent of all software on UK computers is pirated.
Bing live, Microsoft warns over sex searches
As promised, Bing is now live in the UK, and you can go and try it by typing bing.com into your browser. However, before you spend too much time on the site, you might want to be sure that safe search is on.
Microsoft has issued instructions via Twitter on how to turn on content filtering functionality for the search engine. Although it’s on by default, anyone can turn it off with two clicks and no age verification.
Once you’ve done that, a simple search for “sex” will get you watching bonking in no time at all on Bing’s auto-play function, without even leaving the site. The ‘feature’ was pointed out by blogger Loic Le Meur, who tweeted about it on 1 June, and Microsoft responded fast – just one hour later.
Porn aside, what do you think of Bing? Have you switched from Google? How do the results and usability features compare? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below
Vodafone issues major BlackBerry Storm update
Is it an upgrade or a big batch of fixes?
A BlackBerry Storm 2 might be here in September, but that hasn’t stopped Vodafone from introducing a major upgrade for the original BlackBerry Storm, known officially as version 4.7.0.141.
The tactile touchscreen handset, famously savaged after release by Stephen Fry, is now on the receiving end of a myriad of improvements, covering everything from multimedia performance and messaging through to enhancements to that touchscreen and the web browser. Much like getting a new phone, but without the new contract to deal with. Shame there’s still no Wi-Fi, you’ll have to wait for version two for that.
So what do you get? Well, media is certainly improved, with the option to preview music online, sign up to Vodafone’s £5 monthly music download service (for unlimited tunes) and watch video footage with ‘improved reliability’ (whatever that means). Photography is improved too – it’s now faster to take and display a picture, the resolution of images is enhanced and you should find it easier to record video and play it back.
On a more practical level, call sound quality has been improved, mute is more reliable, error messages when sending MMS/SMS messages have been dealt with, incoming call alerts are clearer, face detection is now live (meaning it doesn’t trigger the touchscreen when in call mode) and Bluetooth is more reliable.
That touchscreen also gets an upgrade and is said to be more responsive and less likely to reset, while web browsing should be better, thanks to a more responsive ‘zoom’, a new ‘Go’ button for quicker searching and a faster accelerometer for a quick change from landscape to portrait view.
Amazon Launches Large Screen Kindle DX
We knew a large screen Kindle was coming this week and bang on cue, here it is…
Dubbed the ‘Kindle DX’ it does exactly what we expected fitting a 9.7in display (up from 6in) for easier reading of newspaper context or textbook-style pages. It features the same 16 shades of gray e-ink as the Kindle 2.
Other changes are minimal with the admittedly handy inclusion of an accelerometer to auto rotate the screen, an increased 3.3GB of storage and native PDF support which should win it favour from the business sector. As I speculated the DX also offers subscriptions to automatically deliver daily content from the New York Times, while the WSJ, Time, New Yorker and various blogs have signed up as well.
Elsewhere little is different from the Kindle 2 with integrated WiFi, text-to-speech functionality and an ultra thin and fairly light design (264 x 183 x 10mm and 536g). Interestingly, Amazon talks in vague terms of “Long Battery Life” but doesn’t divulge how the larger screen specifically impacts the number of page turns.
One final point – and this is a major disappointment – is the price with Amazon quoting a whopping $489 (£324) compared to the still-high $359 (£238) for the Kindle 2. I suspect this will be a deal breaker for many.
The Kindle DX is on pre-order in the US now though an official delivery date has yet to be revealed. Whether we see either it or the Kindle 2 hit the UK any time soon also seems doubtful but given the exchange rate that may prove a blessing in disguise.
HTC Touch Diamond2 review
HTC Touch Diamond2 Spec
How well we remember HTC’s first full touchscreen handset, 2007’s “iPhone-killing” Touch. And oh, how we quaked with mirth at its attempts to hide a Windows Mobile interface ’neath the gossamer thin façade of a touchscreen, which reacted with a disinterested shrug to all but the most vigorous prodding, and a “3D” interface. It was a bit like putting lipstick and a nice hat on the Elephant Man.
Now though, times have changed. The Touch Diamond2 is smaller than you’d expect, with the 3.2-inch TFT LCD screen taking up most of the front. Slim and light, it makes an agreeable change from the cumbersome handsets currently clogging the market like so many obese children.
Many will buy HTC’s mobile for its Exchange push email, Office Mobile and GPS applications and these are all solid. However, it’s the greatly improved, five-meg camera that stands out here. Photos are of high quality and it’s also fast – a huge advantage over many phone cameras. You can even manually adjust the autofocus, just by tapping on the screen. The only thing missing is a flash.
While it’s still running Windows Mobile 6.1, HTC’s TouchFlo 3D skin now does a better job of masking the flaws of that troublesome OS. One thing it can’t hide is WinMo’s tendency to be sluggish. Again, it’s not as bad as previous models, but still leaves it lagging behind other phones on the market.
The occasionally unresponsive touchscreen is unhelpful, too. Whether it’s down to a slow processor or poor coding, frustration results when the phone pauses to load, say, the photo album. It’s doubly annoying on the Diamond2 because you can swirl through its 3D icons at breakneck speed, only to grind to a halt when you want to open an app. Hopefully a fi rmware update, frequently the saviour of initially slow HTC handsets, will come to the rescue again.
Connectivity? The Wi-Fi worked perfectly, but although it boasts 7.2Mbps HSDPA mobile internet speeds on the tin, we found it hard to actually get a true 3G connection, even in spots where we normally browse. In fact, reception in general proved to be a challenge. Despite that, the Touch Diamond2 is a very good Windows Mobile phone. It pales in comparison to the iPhone, BlackBerry Bold or Nokia N97 for the overall user experience, but what the Diamond2 lacks in processing power and touchscreen response, it makes up in efficiency, reliability and push email power.
The hardcore army of Windows Mobile fans will take this over any of the phones mentioned above any day, of course – they’d sooner be seen cross-dressing than with an iPhone. If HTC sorts out the 3G it’ll be a very high-power business tool. Us? We’re not sure we’ll be ditching our Android G1s, iPhones and Sony Ericssons for it just yet. Certainly not until Windows Mobile 6.5 launches later this year…
Windows 7 to get Windows XP mode
Microsoft has said that Windows 7 users will still be able to use programmes designed for Windows XP through a new virtual mode.
Posting the information on the company’s Windows Blog, Scott Woodgate, a member of the Windows 7 team has confirmed that users keen to take advantage of the new offering will be able to:
“Install suitable applications directly in Windows XP Mode which is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC.”
The news is likely to be welcomed by businesses worried that some programmes won’t work if they move to the new operating system.
The applications, according to Microsoft will then be published to the Windows 7 desktop and then you can run them directly from Windows 7.
The company says the feature has been specifically designed to help small businesses move to Windows 7 although some people are already questioning why you would need to upgrade to Windows 7 if you’re already running the software you need.
Woodgate says in the post that the company will soon be releasing the beta of Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate.
Dell updates Studio 15 laptop range with HD screen
Dell has given its Studio 15 range of notebooks a makeover, offering up small screen HD for a fairly modest outlay.
The latest laptops now pack an energy efficient 15.6-inch LED display that offers true HD resolution (720p/1080p), along with optional 256 or 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics. Opt for that Blu-ray drive too and you can enjoy your cinematic favourites in glorious high-def, although that glory will be tempered somewhat by the lack of a cinema-like screen, even if it is 16:9 widescreen. Not to worry, there’s HDMI too, so you can always hook up to the big screen telly for the full effect.
Outside of HD, the Studio comes equipped with a 2.0-megapixel camera and dual digital array microphones, all the connectivity you are likely to need (including the option of mobile broadband), plus 5.1 channel audio and a 3-watt subwoofer, along with a wide colour and design choice for the casing.
Prices will inevitably vary depending on those options and your choice of processor, memory and storage, but they start at £449 including delivery.
