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Xperia X1 on Voda - Better late than never
07 Oct 2008
 Addicted to the Johnny X videos ? Waiting for the new Xperia X1 to appear on Vodafone? Well, you might have to wait a little longer. Voda appear to have pushed back the release date to October 17th.
This Vodafone post forum a member of staff doesn't give a reason, but states that it will be available next Friday. We're also hearing that o2 are about to launch the handset, we'll give you more on this shortly.
Link - Vodafone UK Forum
Credit - Glyn
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| Hello world..
06 Oct 2008
 Keep everything crossed guys, because I think we're now back to full steam. For those of you who aren't aware, the webmaster, tech guy, coder, reporter and guy doing the server management is.. me. If anything goes wrong, like it did last week, I have to sort it out.
Last week something got squirted into our database. That "something" was an IFRAME with some nasty code inside. An IFRAME is basically a window which opens up another site. In this case it went off to another site, threw a cookie at you, then pushed down a random selection of bad software including adware, spyware and viruses. You guys notified me about this and I had a good look but couldn't find anything relating to the URL it was showing. It happened a day later with a different URL, then on Friday it got a whole lot worse as Google marked us as a "bad site". I can fully appreciate why they did this - we were distributing bad software, so I'm sort-of glad they blocked us. When this happened Firefox and Google Chrome used the Google information to comletely and utterly stop access to us. A banner appeared under Google searches telling everyone about our problem and, well... it was the start of a very bad weekend. Read on to read the whole sorry story..
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| XDA Zest shows up on o2 website
06 Oct 2008
 Sure, we've still got the odd server problem here at Coolsmartphone HQ but it'll never stop us bring you the latest news. Johnny De'Silva has spotted the o2 XDA Zest on the coming soon pages. The Zest is the Asus-built device we saw last month and packs a 5 megapixel camera, WiFi, aGPS and 3G.
Coming in November there's no pricing as yet but you can sign up to find out when it's available.
Link - o2 UK Coming Soon
Credit - Johnny De'Silva
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| HTC Touch HD Product Tour
03 Oct 2008
 HTC have just uploaded this Touch HD product tour. Although there's no true hands-on action, it gives you a taster of how you can watch movies, surf the web and communicate in high-definition widescreen quality.
Read on to watch the video or click the link below.
Link - YouTube Video
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| Steve Ballmer - His thoughts on that Google phone
02 Oct 2008
 Steve Ballmer, Chief Exec at Microsoft, has been making his feelings on Google and the Google Android platform known in this BBC news report. In the article Steve said that Microsoft would stay ahead of competitors like Blackberry, Google Android and the Apple iPhone.
Steve didn't sit on the fence when asked what he thought of the new T-Mobile G1, aka the Google Android phone built by HTC...
"You've got to remember Android is version one....and it looks like version one".
OOofff.. However, he then went on to criticise Google for relying on one manufacturer - HTC. This doesn't really seem fair to me, as Windows Mobile wouldn't be where it is today without the huge stream of handsets built by HTC.
"They've got one handset maker, we've got 55. They're available through one operator, we've got 175."
Your thoughts?
Link - BBC news
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| HP Silver - It's still alive
01 Oct 2008
 Today is October 1st, so it's surprising to see the HP Silver still alive and well in these sneak shots over at Engadget. We saw it at the very start of 2008 in a leaked Vodafone roadmap, but alas it never appeared in July as promised.
There's GPS and Wifi in the mix and a Blackberry-style keypad. This Windows Mobile Standard (non-touch screen) might just make it in time for Christmas if they hurry. Yep, looks good... but when will it appear? We'll keep you posted ? Huh?
Link - EngadgetMobile.com
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| Sync your Mac with Windows Mobile - SyncMate
01 Oct 2008
 Hey, Mac users. Come close. Have you heard about SyncMate ? Version 1.4 has just been released and the free edition will let you organise your contacts, texts, calendar entries and more. You can also sync too, with your contacts and calendar details linking up. You can also get detailed device information such as battery charge and memory usage.
There's also an Expert Edition available for $39.95 (around £22.44) which brings you time sync, Internet sharing and the ability to hook into iTunes and iPhoto. You can also manage all your text messages without touching your device - send, receive, create and delete SMS when working at your Mac.
Link - SyncMate
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| Win yourself a Sony Ericsson Xperia X1
29 Sep 2008
 We've been covering the new Xperia X1 from Sony Ericsson quite a bit recently. Following the photo special and the appearance on Vodafone we were certainly impressed with the rather massive advertising campaign and "Johnny X" films.
The X1, as you may already know, has an 800 x 480 pixel screen, WiFi, 3G + HSDPA, microSD expansion, 3 megapixel camera, GPS, FM radio with RDS and that cool slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
The guys from Sony Ericsson wanted to show off their latest Johnny X videos along with the ones you may have missed with the help of this little widget below. "Sure", you might say, "but that's just an advert for their product isn't it?", Well yes, but the great bit about it is the chance to WIN a brand new Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 handset just by identifying bits from the Johnny X videos.
Read on and then, at the end of the first video, enter the competition and good luck!
Links - Photo Special - Xperia X1 @ Vodafone.co.uk
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| B Grade Kit available at discounted prices
29 Sep 2008
 Our friends over at Devicewire currently have some "B-Grade" stuff on sale. Y'know the sort of thing, they've possibly been opened or returned but they're still in excellent condition and you can save some dosh.
They've got a few HTC Touch Diamond handsets going for £359.97, which is over £40 cheaper than normal, plus you can pick up the HTC TyTN II for £437.97 instead of the usual £452.99. Get the full list of stuff on the link below, and remember that this is all unlocked kit with no contract or ties.
Link - B Grade Stock @ Devicewire
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| Touchdown - Free helicopter game to try
29 Sep 2008
 This is a new game called Touchdown. It's been designed to make the most of the VGA screen on the HTC Touch Pro but should also work on the Diamond and possibly other VGA devices too.
It's still in early development, so you'll need to download the demo, unzip it and copy the resulting files directly to your phone and run the "Touchdown.exe" file with your File Explorer to play. You may also need to get .NET Compact Framework 3.5, but other than that it's completely free and you can give your feedback on the game on xda-developers.com
Link - touchdown.waterplanner.nl
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| Klaxon - Cool alarm with motion and light sensors
29 Sep 2008
 I don't know about you, but I use my phone as an alarm every day. If you've got a Diamond or a Touch Pro then this is the business. A new app, by Koushik Dutta, will not only sound an alarm but it'll also turn off again when you turn your phone over, shake it or turn a light on.
Klaxon version 2 also uses the light and motion sensor in newer HTC kit to enable snooze mode or turn off your alarm. It also looks rather beautiful.
Currently this is free to download as a CAB file here. Copy it to your phone and run the CAB to install, then feel free to send Koushik a donation for this rather splendid program.
Link - Klaxon
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| HTC Touch Pro and S740 Coming to Orange ?
26 Sep 2008
 We've had a couple of interesting bits of news regarding upcoming handsets on Orange. First we're hearing that the HTC S740 should be turning up on the network towards the end of October. There's nothing on the coming soon pages just yet, but we'll keep an eye on this.
There's also rumours about the HTC Touch Pro. This is apparently in for testing on the network and some people are hearing that it'll be out next week! Again, we'll keep our ears to the ground just in case. If you know anything more, do let us know.
Credit - Lee Sainsbury / Andy Lamb
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| HTC S740 - The review
26 Sep 2008
 Here it is at last - the HTC S740 review. We got a chance to video, photograph and fully test this handset last week. The resulting review is now online complete with example photos from the phone and screenshots of the interface.
This is the first true HTC Smartphone we've reviewed for a while - there's no touch screen and no stylus to worry about. It's a "normal looking" phone with several hidden talents. GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, FM Radio (with RDS), 3 megapixel camera, 3G / HSDPA network connectivity and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for those who enjoy messaging and typing notes on the move. Heck, it's even managed to squeeze a microSD card slot in too, which is more than the Diamond did :)
Check out the full review along with the two videos we filmed on the link below.
Link - HTC S740 Review - Sign up for one
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| 0870 and 0800 numbers on your mobile
24 Sep 2008
 Check this out. It's part of my Orange phone bill for last month. I've changed my package and this particular phone doesn't get used a great deal. I pay around £30 per month, but this bill totalled over £55 so I looked deeper into it.
Last month I had my car crash, so all these calls are to various breakdown companies, insurance numbers and the like. There's a couple of 0870 numbers, which I expected to cost a bit, but the 0800 numbers shocked me. 0800 numbers in the UK are free, but if you call them on a mobile they'll charge you. There's various boring reasons for this and they'll warn you before putting you through, but I figured it wouldn't cost too much because, after all, it's free from a BT landline. As you can see I was slightly wrong. A call lasting nearly 10 minutes cost me £1.18 whilst a 5 minute call cost me another 70p. Bear in mind that for the majority of the call I was stood at the roadside waiting for my turn in the queue or I was stuck on hold. It's incredibly annoying, but £2 for 15 minutes?
The 0870 numbers are perhaps the worse. £3.15 for less than 19 minutes on a call. In that one day following the accident I spent nearly £13 just calling my insurance company and the breakdown people!
Lesson of the day - don't call 0800 or 0870 numbers from your mobile.
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| A Weekend with the HTC S740 - Day 2
23 Sep 2008
 Well, the HTC S740 has sadly had to go back home, but we do have a review coming very soon and day 2 of our "Weekend With" is now online. This one is over at Google Video due to the length. I've crammed in as much as possible here, including a look at how the SIM and microSD card slot operates, the QWERTY keyboard, FM radio, streaming radio, RSS reader and other programs. You can also see the GPS in action.
Read on to watch.
Link - A Weekend with the HTC S740 (Day 2)
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| Windows Mobile 7 delay?
23 Sep 2008
 With HTC starting to make non-Windows Mobile phones, the iPhone dominating headlines and Google Android appearing today, the very last thing Microsoft need is a delay with Windows Mobile 7. Alas, this seems to be the case according to this CNET article. Partners have reportedly been told that the final release won't be available in the early part of 2009, and they'll have to wait until the second half of the year.
This could mean that Windows Mobile 7 handsets sporting the new version may not appear until Christmas 2009. The timing couldn't be worse, especially on a day when Google show off their new handset. There is, of course, the possibility that this is just rumour generated by those wishing to compete with Windows Mobile, however we'll definitely be keeping a close eye on this story as it unfolds.
EDIT - Anyone remember this leaked Windows Mobile 7 image? Has anyone noticed just how similar it is to the HTC S740 interface we saw the other day? Read on to see !
Link - cnet.com
Credit - Rob Elliott
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| A Dream come true
23 Sep 2008
OK, you know the deal. Today the T-Mobile G1 will be announced. It's the Google phone, the Dream, the Android thing. Built by HTC it's already slipped onto the net in these T-Mobile product shots. We've already seen it several times, but this time it's the fully branded darker model ahead of the launch event in NYC. By my reckoning this should start at 15:30 BST.
Specs have leaked too, with TmoNews reporting a 480x320 HVGA screen, GPS, 3G, 3.1 megapixel memory and 8Gb internal storage. More details will no doubt be confirmed shortly.
The Dream will be available on T-Mobile as the G1 shortly. Get more pictures on the links below..
Links - connect-utb.com - Live launch
Credit - Edvard Heiberg Holst
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| A Weekend with the HTC S740 - Day 1
21 Sep 2008
 We're spending the weekend with the HTC S740. Here's day 1 of the video blog - a tour around the handset showing the two keyboards and the HTC Sliding Panels interface.
We also have a look at the screen switching speed and the overall design of the device. More to come on this, including further photos and answers to your other questions.
Read on to view the video or click here.
Links - A Weekend with the HTC S740 (Day 1) - Get one
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| HTC Touch HD - Yet more shots, go on, you want to
19 Sep 2008
While I'm busy on eBay selling anything that isn't nailed down to afford one, the HTC Touch HD is appearing in yet more photo specials. Following the photos and video yesterday, there's now even more shots over on cnet.com.
Close-ups? Check. Comparison shots? Check. Just look at the size and quality of that screen. Oooff.. soak it up..
Right.. how much can I sell our TV for? :)
Link - cnet.com
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| Palm Treo Pro now available on Vodafone
19 Sep 2008
 The Palm Treo Pro has just popped up on the Vodafone Business site. Prices range from nothing to £340.43 depending on contract.
Running on a Qualcomm 400Mhz processor with 3G / HSDPA and WiFI it also packs GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, a 2 megaixel camera, microSDHC card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. If you want a closer look check out this video from palminfocenter.
Link - Palm Treo Pro @ VodafoneBusinessShop.co.uk
Credit - Johnny De'Silva
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| More HTC Dream shots, plus no Viva for the UK
19 Sep 2008
 A couple of quick HTC-related news bits for your Friday afternoon. Firstly, yet more pictures of the upcoming HTC Dream G1 from rizzn.com show the device, quite literally, out and about. It should be announced on T-Mobile US this coming Tuesday.
Also, we're hearing that the HTC Touch Viva, which has similar specs to the original HTC Touch, will not be available in the UK. Though I doubt there's going to be any tears shed over this news.
Link - rizzn.com
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| Pool Rebel wins top award
19 Sep 2008
 Back in early 2007 we ran a story about a free beta game called "Pocket Pool". Later in the year it went commerical and Is now know as Pool Rebel. Since then it's gone on to win the AT&T Game Development Contest for Windows Mobile at the CTIA.
To celebrate the event you can now download a free version for your PC. Simply click this link or head to poolrebel.com and click on the top-right corner of the page. If you like it, go mobile with the phone version. Grab the trial or buy it for £7.95 (€9.95 / $14.95)
We've like this game since the first time we saw it, so congratulations to Nikos for the award!
Links - Press Release - poolrebel.com
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