• apple,  exchange server,  ios,  iphone,  microsoft,  vodafone

    3G Battery Performance May Also Be Contributing to iOS 6.1.1 Being Fast Tracked [Updated]

    Following up on the Apple iOS 6.1.1 beta release to developers story from yesterday, Ars Technica has some more information about potential iOS 6.1 battery life issues.

    From Ars Technica:

    “Things heated up on Friday when Vodafone issued a warning to its UK subscribers saying not to download iOS 6.1 to their devices. The company sent a text message to subscribers and posted a notice on its forums (hat tip to MacRumors) saying iOS 6.1 “impacts performance on 3G” for Vodafone’s iPhone 4S users.” 

    “Some customers may occasionally experience difficulty in connecting to the network to make or receive calls or texts or to connect to the Internet. Apple is working on a solution to their software issue. These connection problems are intermittent,” the company wrote. “While Apple’s investigations continue, we would recommend that anyone who has not yet installed iOS 6.1 on their iPhone 4s should delay doing so until Apple has confirmed that their problem has been fixed.”

    Stay tuned. I would say that if we see the a release before the end of March and/or with four or less beta builds, iOS 6.1.1 was an emergency release to address a recurring meeting bug with Microsoft Exchange Server, something that will be a big problem for Apple customers who rely on Microsoft’s corporate email, calendaring, and messaging platform and 3G battery life issues the Vodafone mentioned.

    Update

    Apple has released iOS 6.1.1 specifically for the iPhone 4S to address “cellular performance”.

  • pixi,  review,  vodafone,  web os

    PUGcast: Palm Pixi Plus Review

    Clemens Schuchert has a new review posted on the European Palm Pixi Plus up on the PUGCast blog site.

    “The Palm Pixi Plus is Palm’s first low-cost device on the European market running webOS. As with the Palm Pre, it will be offered by O2 in Germany, the UK, Ireland, and Spain. It also will be marketed throughout Europe by Vodafone and in France by the carrier SFR. Pricing across Europe is a bit confusing because carriers are not selling at a similar price tag. Thus, SFR seems to have the lowest price followed by O2 and Vodafone. At least devices from O2 are SIM-lock free and can be used globally on any 3G carrier – a normally overlooked feature and a great advantage over the other carriers. O2 yesterday announced a retail price for the Palm Pixi Plus of about 389 EUR, and today corrected it to 361 EUR in order to be more competitive.”

    You can read the full hands on Palm Pixi Plus review on the PUGCast website.

  • att,  dell,  microsoft,  sprint,  t-mobile,  verizon,  vodafone,  windows mobile,  windows phone

    Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 7 Series

    Earlier today, Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer showed off the next generation of Microsoft’s mobile operating system: Windows Phone 7 Series.

    BARCELONA, Spain — Feb. 15, 2010 — Today at Mobile World Congress 2010, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the next generation of Windows® Phones, Windows Phone 7 Series. With this new platform, Microsoft offers a fresh approach to phone software, distinguished by smart design and truly integrated experiences that bring to the surface the content people care about from the Web and applications. For the first time ever, Microsoft will bring together Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience on a mobile phone, exclusively on Windows Phone 7 Series. Partners have already started building phones; customers will be able to purchase the first phones in stores by holiday 2010.

    “Today, I’m proud to introduce Windows Phone 7 Series, the next generation of Windows Phones,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. “In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience. Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences.”

    Designed for Life in Motion

    With Windows Phone 7 Series, Microsoft takes a fundamentally different approach to phone software. Smart design begins with a new, holistic design system that informs every aspect of the phone, from its visually appealing layout and motion to its function and hardware integration. On the Start screen, dynamically updated “live tiles” show users real-time content directly, breaking the mold of static icons that serve as an intermediate step on the way to an application. Create a tile of a friend, and the user gains a readable, up-to-date view of a friend’s latest pictures and posts, just by glancing at Start.

    Every Windows Phone 7 Series phone will come with a dedicated hardware button for Bing, providing one-click access to search from anywhere on the phone, while a special implementation of Bing search provides intent-specific results, delivering the most relevant Web or local results, depending on the type of query.

    Windows Phone 7 Series creates an unrivaled set of integrated experiences on a phone through Windows Phone hubs. Hubs bring together related content from the Web, applications and services into a single view to simplify common tasks. Windows Phone 7 Series includes six hubs built on specific themes reflecting activities that matter most to people:

    • People. This hub delivers an engaging social experience by bringing together relevant content based on the person, including his or her live feeds from social networks and photos. It also provides a central place from which to post updates to Facebook and Windows Live in one step.
    • Pictures. This hub makes it easy to share pictures and video to a social network in one step. Windows Phone 7 Series also brings together a user’s photos by integrating with the Web and PC, making the phone the ideal place to view a person’s entire picture and video collection.
    • Games. This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23 million active members around the world, Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows Phone 7 Series.
    • Music + Video. This hub creates an incredible media experience that brings the best of Zune, including content from a user’s PC, online music services and even a built-in FM radio into one simple place that is all about music and video. Users can turn their media experience into a social one with Zune Social on a PC and share their media recommendations with like-minded music lovers. The playback experience is rich and easy to navigate, and immerses the listener in the content.
    • Marketplace. This hub allows the user to easily discover and load the phone with certified applications and games.
    • Office. This hub brings the familiar experience of the world’s leading productivity software to the Windows Phone. With access to Office, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace all in one place, users can easily read, edit and share documents. With the additional power of Outlook Mobile, users stay productive and up to date while on the go.

    Availability

    Partners from around the world have committed to include Windows Phone 7 Series in their portfolio plans. They include mobile operators AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, and manufacturers Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC Corp., HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm Inc. The first phones will be available by holiday 2010. Customers who would like to receive additional information about Windows Phone 7 Series and be notified when it is available can register at http://www.windowsphone7series.com.

    To watch the full replay of Steve Ballmer’s press conference at Mobile World Congress, and to experience Windows Phone 7 Series through an online product demo, readers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/news/windowsphone.

    Today’s Microsoft press release was posted on the Microsoft website.

  • android,  google,  t-mobile,  verizon,  vodafone

    Google’s Nexus One Goes Live

    Google’s Nexus One smartphone has gone live and the details of the new phone have been posted on the Google website. Some of the key features include:

    • 3.7-inch 800×400 pixel WVGA touchscreen
    • 5MP digital camera with auto-focus and LED flash
    • UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA/GSM/EDGE cellular radio
    • 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
    • 1400mAh removable battery
    • Android 2.1 Eclair mobile operating system
    • 512MB of RAM and Flash memory
    • 4GB microSD card included, support for upto 32GB microSD cards
    • Assisted GPS receiver and digital compass

    Pricing and Availability

    The new Google Nexus One is available now as an unlocked phone directly from Google for $529.00. You can also purchase the phone from T-Mobile for as low as $179.00 when you subscribe to a qualifying voice and data plan. Google is also reporting that the Nexus One will be coming to Verizon Wireless and Vodafone during the spring of 2010. No specific dates or pricing has been announced for Verizon or Vodafone at this time.

    For more pricing and availability, visit the Google online store.

  • android,  google,  vodafone

    MWC: HTC Magic Going Live on Vodafone

    Last week at Mobile World Congress (MWC), HTC and Vodafone took the wraps off of the first hardware keyboardless smartphone, the Magic. Magic is powered by Google’s Android operating system and is running the “Cupcake” software build which comes complete with an on screen soft keyboard.

    According to the HTC website, the Magic has the following specifications:

    • Processor: Qualcomm® MSM7201a™, 528 MHz
    • Memory: 512MB ROM, 192MB RAM
    • Dimensions: 4.45 x 2.17 x 0.54 inches
    • Weight: 4.18 ounces
    • Display: 3.2-inch 320×480 HVGA touch-sensitive TFT screen
    • Network: HSDPA/WCDMA/GSM/GPRS/EDGE
    • Device Control: Trackball with Enter button
    • Expansion Slot: microSD
    • Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, 802.11g Wi-Fi, and HTC’s ExtUSB
    • Camera: 3.2MP

    More details about the Magic can be found on the HTC website.

    The Vodafone press release reads:

    “The stylish new handset is exclusive to Vodafone in the UK, Spain, Germany and France (SFR) and available on a non-exclusive basis in Italy. Customers can ensure that they are the first to receive information about the HTC Magic’s availability, pricing and pre-ordering by registering their interest via their local Vodafone website from today.

    A tablet-style device, with a sleek design and unprecedented compactness for a smartphone featuring the Android platform, the HTC Magic enables a superior mobile internet experience, providing broad flexibility for personalisation via the application-rich Android Market. Available in white in the UK, Spain and France, black in Germany and in both colours in Italy, the HTC Magic will be for sale in several other Vodafone markets over the next few months.

    “Delivering an unbeatable mobile internet experience for our customers is a priority for Vodafone, so we are very excited to be introducing our first Android-powered smartphone in the spring,” says Patrick Chomet, Global Director of Terminals, Vodafone Group. “Following our joining of the Open Handset Alliance, we have worked very closely with HTC to bring this cool new phone to the market. Our customers want to access a wide range of the most attractive mobile devices to help them make the most of their time – the HTC Magic helps meet that need.”

    The HTC Magic will be available later this spring to Vodafone customers in Europe. The press release did not mention specific pricing based on contract commitments. For more details, visit the Vodafone website.

  • pre,  vodafone

    GSM Palm Pre on Vodafone Spotted

    Reports are coming in from Mobile World Congress (MWC) currently going on in Barcelona that a GSM Palm Pre has been spotted with a Vodafone SIM card. PreCentral.net writes:

    “As Dieter mentioned earlier this morning straight from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, there are some GSM flavored Pre’s floating around that are live on Vodafone’s network.

    Palm hasn’t announced the GSM version of the Pre at MWC, but those GSM versions sure have been spotted. Seems that the folks over at Pre Community got a shot (above) of an actual Vodafone Spain SIM card in one of the Pre’s being used for demonstrations at MWC.”

    Check out the full article on PreCentral.net

    [Via PreCentral.net…]