SlashGear

Epson unveils new 4K compatible HTPS TFT panel for 3LCD projectors

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:04:28 +0000

Epson makes a wide variety of projectors that are aimed at home theater and computer users. Typically, the best resolution you can hope to get on a projector is 1920 x 1080. Projectors in theaters have much higher resolutions in the area of 4096 x 2160.

Epson has announced a new breakthrough that has allowed it to develop the world’s first 4K compatible HTPS TFT LCD for 3LCD projectors. The new panel is only 1.64-inches diagonally and supports 4096 x 2160 resolutions.

The breakthrough will allow for much smaller and less expensive protectors that support the super high resolutions. Projectors using the technology will also be able to throw four full 1080p HD resolution images at the same time. Who knows when we will see this tech hit the market and you can expect it to be very expensive when it does.

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Dulin eReaders available in the US including PocketBook 360 and PocketBook 301

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:53:08 +0000

We talked about the eReaders from Dulin back in March when they first tipped up. The books stirred some controversy when first announced when they claimed worldwide distribution deal was in place with ODM Netronix. Dulin has announced that its PocketBook 360 and PocketBook 301+ are now available for purchase in the US.

The new eReaders are selling for $275 for the 301 and $240 for the 360. The 360 is the newest model, has a 5-inch e-Ink Vizplex display, and runs a Samsung 400MHz processor and memory expandable up to 32GB. The 301+ has a larger 6-inch version of the same e-Ink display.

The 301+ also has memory upgradable to 32GB, can be had in four colors, and can play MP3’s. Both of the readers are set to ship in about two weeks and support multiple languages. The company is also taking pre-orders for the Onyx, its next eReader.

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Blue Line PowerCost Energy Monitor and Energy Meter II BLI-28000 are perfect for green geeks

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:39:46 +0000

Smarthome has what may be the perfect holiday gift for the green geek who likes gadgets. The device is called the Blue Line PowerCost Monitor and allows the user to keep an eye on how much power they are consuming and how much that power is costing them.

The device has a wireless sensor that clamps to the users home power meter and transmits valuable information to a portable wireless receiver that shows the energy usage information on a large LCD. The display allows users to monitor energy costs and according to research monitor costs, this way can lead to 6 to 18% reduction in energy consumption.

Sales of the gadget have increased for the holiday season already and the thing is still available for right at $100. The screen will show you how much it is costing to run your appliances and will work with 14.4 type meters. Installation doesn’t require an electrician.

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OPPO BDP-83 Special Edition Blu-ray player uses ESS Sabre32 audio DAC

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:27:59 +0000

We have talked about the high-end OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray player before back in April when it debuted. A new version of the player is coming soon called the BDP-83 special Edition Universal Blu-ray disc player that promises better audio performance.

The player uses the ESS Sabre32 audio DAC help the player to deliver high quality audio and a quality sound stage with up to 128dB dynamic range and 0.0003% total harmonic distortion. The circuits in the Sabre32 DAC are patented and include a 32-bit HyperStream modulator capable of 100% modulation and unconditional stability.

The DAC supports 8-channel or stereo conversion from digital audio input with up to a 500kHz sampling rate. OPPO claims that the use of the DAC delivers audiophile grade sound for the player. Pricing and availability for the BDP-83 Special Edition is unknown. The standard BDP-83 sells for $499.

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NXP Semiconductors unveils UJA107x SBC for in-vehicle networks

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:02:10 +0000

As more and more drivers become accustomed to automated features provided by in-vehicle networks the automated options in new vehicles are more important to buyers who are shopping. NXP announced a new family of chips aimed directly at the in-vehicle network market today called the UJA107x family of SBCs.

The products are optimized for performance, power consumption, and cost of electrical control units for a range of automotive applications including climate control, seat control, and other adaptive functions. The new family of products allows for high levels of integration and scalability.

The new family needs very low power levels with active and when in sleep mode and have high levels of ESD protection. The chips are available to order now and promise to reduce the amount of board space used and improve reliability while lowering the cost of the materials needed to in-vehicle networks.

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Blackberry Storm 2 available at Verizon now

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:30:47 +0000

In case you missed it last week, the Storm 2 from Blackberry hit the Verizon network officially on Friday. We also reviewed the Storm 2 at the end of October and found it to be a device worthy of being on your touchscreen shortlist.

Verizon customers can now get the Storm 2 for $179.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. In case you somehow missed the hoards of posts with the specifications for the device, I’ll run the main items down for you here.

The handset has a touchscreen measuring 3.25-inches with a 480 x 360 resolution using capacitive technology. The handset supports 3G and operates on the EVDO Rev A network. It runs the Blackberry OS 5.0 and has a 3.2MP camera with autofocus and image stabilization. The battery is a removable 1400mAhr unit good for 5.5 hours of talk and 11.2 hours of standby.

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IDC releases CPU shipment numbers for Q3 2009

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:14:52 +0000

With the global economy starting to recover, shipments of PCs are growing as well. That means when more PC ship more components used in the machines like CPUs are sold as well. The latest numbers for CPU shipments for Q3 2009 are in from IDC.

IDC reports that CPU shipments grew by 23% for Q3 compared to Q2. The biggest contributor to the growth of the CPU market was netbook PCs. CPUs for netbooks grew 35.7% over the quarter. This segment includes the Intel Atom line.

IDC reports that the overall CPU market growth of 23% is twice the normal growth for the same period. Revenue in the CPU market grew 14% compared to the previous quarter totaling $7.4 billion. Intel was the clear market leader for CPUs with 81.1% of the total market. AMD was a very distant second place with 18.7% of the market, a decline of 2% from the previous quarter. VIA was third place with 0.2% of the market.

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Ralink RT3090BC4 delivers Bluetooth 3.0 and 802.11n in one combo card for ultraportables

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:53:42 +0000

When it comes to getting the most battery life and performance out of ultraportable machines and netbooks the most energy efficient and best performing components are needed. Anytime those components can be converged, allowing one item to do the job of several it is a good thing. Ralink has announced that it has delivered the RT3090BC4 wireless solution for netbooks and ultramobile computers.

The device provides 802.11n WiFi connectivity along with Bluetooth 3.0+HS. Data rates for WiFi connectivity are up to 150Mbps. Ralink claims that the converged device saves space inside the small computers, uses less power than other offerings, and is lower cost for manufacturers.

The integrated solution can dynamically adjust WLAN and Bluetooth transmissions to reduce interference and responds automatically to the settings for nearby wireless access points. MSI is one of the first PC makers to use the combo solution inside its netbooks and more. There is no word on when the new solution will hit the market inside computer systems.

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Envive ships TheaterStation Multi-Zone digital media management system

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:37:11 +0000

I have talked about the cool Envive TheaterStation multi-zone content management system before. The system debuted at CEDIA back in September.

Envive has announced that it is now shipping the TheaterStation multi-zone system with central storage. The device is available with storage capacities ranging from 4TB to 14TB and doesn’t need a TheaterStation server. The device supports up to 20 independent zones of audio and video.

Envive offers the system in 1U and 2U rack mount solutions as well as a tower system. Only the 2U rack mount system can support 14TB of storage. The system is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux computers and supports most available media formats.

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Centon Electronics unveils licensed MLB flash drives

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:27:50 +0000

Flash drives have become the little devices that many users just can’t get along without. Having a flash drive on you at all times can be a big deal for many people. Major League Baseball fans looking for a new flash drive will like the new line from Centron Electronics sporting MLB team logos.

The new line of flash drives are available with any of the 30 MLB team logos on the drive case. The compact flash drives have a key ring loop to make carrying them easier. Capacities offered include 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB.

The drives are covered by a lifetime warranty and have a capless design. The USB connector slides in and out when needed. The drives will be offered at MLB.com, Tiger Direct, Best Buy, and Amazon.com. Pricing is unknown at this time, but the things should not be that expensive.

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Active Media unveils SaberTooth S4 SSD upgrades

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:15:01 +0000

Many of the most popular netbooks that Asus and other companies make use SSDs rather than traditional hard drives. The SSD helps the little systems get more run time out of their battery packs and helps them perform better. If you are looking for more performance from a netbook that came with an SSD from the factory, Active Media has a new line of upgrade SSDs called the SaberTooth S4 series.

The new line of upgrade SSDs are mini PCIe cards that use the 3Gbps SATA-II interface. The SSDs use MLC NAND technology for performance and reliability. The drives are guaranteed to be compatible with Eee PC models S101, 900, 900A, 901, and 1000.

Other features of the SSD line includes ECC error correction, bad bit management, and wear leveling algorithm to extend the SSD life. The drives will come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB and work with windows 7, Vista, XP, Linux, and Mac OS 10.x and up. Sequential read speed for the drives is up to 130MB/sec and sequential write is up to 50MB/sec.

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Nokia recalls 14M AC-3E, AC-4U, and AC-3U mobile phone chargers

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:02:08 +0000

The last time Nokia issued a massive recall on its mobile devices it was for faulty battery packs. Nokia today issued a recall that covers about 14 million mobile phone chargers that the company says were built by a third party.

The issue with the chargers is that there is a potential for a shock hazard. Nokia points out that there have been no reports of injuries at this time and it is issuing the recall as a precaution. The chargers in question are model numbers AC-3E, AC-3U, and the AC-4U chargers.

The chargers were built between June 15, 2009 and August 9, 2009 for the 3E and 3U models and between April 13, 2009 and October 25 2009 for the 4U model. Nokia reports that the maker of the chargers, BYE, will be footing the bill for the entire recall. The chargers have the potential to cause electric shock to users. Nokia will issue a free replacement.

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Motorola MILESTONE gets O2 Germany listing for €550

Chris Davies — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:16:10 +0000

While the US goes DROID crazy after Friday’s launch of the Android 2.0 smartphone, O2 Germany are not far behind when it comes to the GSM version. The Motorola MILESTONE – as the DROID will be known outside the US – was spotted on the carrier’s site last week and officially announced on Monday; it’s now being listed on the O2 Germany site, priced at €549.99 ($816).

Interestingly, the MILESTONE comes with an 8GB microSD card, whereas the DROID on Verizon comes with a 16GB card; however we found that the class 2 microSD supplied with the CDMA handset proved too slow for judder-free high-resolution video playback. In the MILESTONE’s case, that 8GB card is preloaded with Western Europe mapping data for use with Motorola’s own MOTONAV turn-by-turn directions app, since Google Maps Navigation is currently US-only.

From what we can tell from the German-language site, the MILESTONE is available to order now; we’re not sure when it will ship, but earlier rumors suggested it would be on sale imminently. As for whether the DROID is any good, check out our full review here.

[via Twitter]

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Earthrace super-trimaran gets stealth paint job

Chris Davies — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:47:12 +0000

Remember Earthrace, the awesome carbon-fibre and Kevlar trimaran that was designed to take on powerboat speed-trials for round-the-world sailing? In the few years since it debuted the $2.5m bio-diesel boat has been whipping around cracking world records; now it’s going into its next job, acting as a stealthed support vessel for the Sea Shepherd anti-whaling organisation.

Now, mentioning Sea Shepherd usually kicks up all manner of argument about whether the organisation – which you could precis as a more aggressive version of Greenpeace – does more harm than good, but we’re going to try to avoid that. Instead let’s all marvel at Earthrace’s new paint-job, the trimaran having switched from silver to some seriously Batman-esque matte black.

Matte black is already passé in cars, but we reckon kick-ass speedboats can still get away with it. Life have a few more pictures – including of the cabin, which has some new lime-green racing seats – but the really clever stuff is the paint, which apparently helps the Earthrace to not show up on radar.

[via BoingBoing]

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Litl Webbook gets video demo: is simplicity worth $699?

Chris Davies — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:34:39 +0000

The Litl Webbook met with confusion when it officially launched earlier this week. While the 12-inch notebook may resemble a netbook for kids, its $699 price tag slots it in among grown-up laptops, begging the questions of who exactly is the target audience and why should they bother? CrunchGear’s Doug Aamoth caught up with the Boston company to find out some more details plus get a hands-on play with the Webbook itself.

Video demo and interview after the cut

While we’ve grown used to the idea of netbooks as simply cheap computers – rather than “straightforward” notebooks for those who don’t want to learn to deal with an OS’ complexities – the Litl team seem determined to take pretty much every hump out of ownership. Data is primarily kept server-side and they even offer a remote control for TV-style access.

Meanwhile the company themselves are also responding to pricing criticism on their blog. Their stance is that by looking at the Webbook as solely a hardware proposition, you’re undervaluing the server-side complexity that goes into it as well as your own time in managing patches, virus-checks and other mundane housekeeping we pretty much do without thinking about it.

“So, take your run of the mill netbook, add whatever expense/time you spend doing virus, updating, upgrades, patches, plug-ins, synching, back-up, tech support, and file transfers for the life of the machine. Add in a one year service plan then add some more because we give you an unconditional money back guarantee not an extended warranty. Add in a killer screen. Then add in the stuff I haven’t talked about such as plug-and-play HDMI, awesome channels, and sweet UI. What’s that worth? Depends on your situation. But for most home computer needs, $350 netbooks are probably too cheap and $1000 laptops are more than you need. litl, at $699, is just right.”

[via GottaBeMobile]

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Saygus VPhone V1 poses for better photos

Chris Davies — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:19:12 +0000

Remember the Saygus VPhone V1, the mysterious Android smartphone that was spotted clearing the FCC earlier this week? The company have followed up the less-than-perfect FCC shots with some glamour photos of their own, and while opinion on the V1’s looks is split – one Android Community comment suggested it “looks like a VCR” – we’re still interested to see the fruits of what looks likely to be the first Verizon Open Development device.

Saygus haven’t confirmed which exact version of Android the VPhone V1 is running, but interestingly in one of their photos the handset is shown with part of HTC’s Sense interface. The semi-circular pad at the bottom of the homescreen, with a Phone button flanked by menu and widget-shortcut keys, has only been seen on HTC devices before now, such as the HTC Hero.

Otherwise we’re left with the same specs we had earlier in the week, which basically means CDMA, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3.5-inch 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, 624MHz Marvell PXA310 processor and a 5-megapixel autofocus camera. If the rumors are true, expect the VPhone V1 to drop in early 2010.

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HTC HD2 review

Chris Davies — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:42:06 +0000

Twelve months ago HTC shook up the Windows Mobile world with the launch of the Touch HD, a smartphone that offered a vast touchscreen, lashings of connectivity and the latest version of their UI tweaking, TouchFLO 3D, to produce what was hitherto thought impossible: an alluring Windows Phone. Now, the company have attempted just such a revolution with Windows Mobile 6.5 in the shape of the HTC HD2. They’ve upped their game with a speedy Snapdragon processor, even vaster display and a fresh UI that’s been educated by their recent work on Android. Can the HTC HD2 again do the unthinkable, and give us a reason to love Windows Mobile?

As you’ll have seen from our unboxing and initial hands-on, the HD2 isn’t exactly a retiring, discrete device. Measuring in at 120.5 x 67 x 11 mm (4.74 x 2.64 x 0.42 inches) it’s long and broad but surprisingly thin; in comparison, the Touch HD is 115 x 62.8 x 12 mm and the iPhone 3GS is 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm, meaning they’re both a little shorter and narrower but actually minutely thicker than the HD2. In the hand it feels even thinner, thanks to the tapering curve of the backplate and the subtly bevelled edges, though it’s a reasonably hefty device at 157g (5.54 oz) compared to the Touch HD’s 147g (5.185oz) and the 3GS’ 135g (4.8oz). As for materials, HTC have used soft-touch plastic for the top and bottom rear panels, broken up by the metal battery cover; it feels an expensive, quality design, and there’s no creaking or flexing. It’s also surprisingly pocketable: we’ve been carrying it in our front jeans pocket with no issues, though it also slips neatly into a jacket pocket, predominantly because of the thinness.

HTC HD2 unboxing:

The expanse of fascia is put to good use with a huge touchscreen, the glass front of which explains some of the HD2’s weight. Considering there’s relatively little difference between the HD2 and the Touch HD face-on, the fact that HTC have squeezed in a 4.3-inch LCD versus the older phone’s 3.7-inches is amazing. As before, it runs at 800 x 480 WVGA, but this time around HTC have used a capacitive panel rather than a resistive one. That means there’s no stylus for pecking at the screen or using handwriting recognition, but HTC have more than made up for the latter’s omission with the addition of multitouch woven through Windows Mobile 6.5. Hardware controls are squeezed down to a single row running along the bottom of the display – talk/send, home, start, back and end/power – with a volume rocker on the left-hand side; unlike other HTC handsets there’s no lock/unlock button on the top edge, with the power key doubling up for that purpose.

It’s hard not to be blown away by the quality of the HD2’s LCD. Colors are incredibly vibrant, edges crisp and pictures incredibly contrast-rich. While we’ll come to HTC Sense’s UI enhancements later, the default weather display – which has migrated from being locked in its tab and now sends clouds, thunder, lightning and rain roaming across the full home pane – is mesmerizing, and the menus have a welcome splash of color compared to TouchFLO 3D’s more monochrome scheme. As for the touch responsiveness, we found the HD2 requires a little more pressure than the iPhone 3GS, but it’s a very minor difference and casual sweeping gestures feel natural and intuitive. Going back to a resistive touchscreen after the HD2, even the decent one on the Touch HD, is a recipe for disappointment.

While the excellent capacitive panel is half of the story, the HD2 owes the rest of its hardware magic to its chipset. Unlike the somewhat tired 528MHz Qualcomm processors we’ve seen in recent HTC models (both in its Windows Mobile and Android ranges) the HD2 gets a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor paired with 512MB of ROM and 448MB of RAM. This isn’t, of course, the first time we’ve seen Snapdragon on a Windows Mobile device – the Toshiba TG01 was first to market with it, though it proved less of a draw than we expected – but it’s the first time we’ve really seen the chipset shine. There’s practically no lag in moving between applications, pages and menus render instantly, and even with a dozen applications running in the background – WinMo6.5 seems as reluctant to automatically close them as its predecessors were – there’s no slow-down.

Connectivity comes as no disappointment either. The HD2 supports quadband GSM (850/950/1800/1900) and dualband HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 in its Europe/Asia-Pacific form, though HTC promise the latter will be tweaked for US bands when it arrives in North America early in 2010. There’s also WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (with pretty much all the profiles you might want, including A2DP stereo audio) and – for the first time on an HTC Windows Phone – a microUSB port rather than the company’s own, proprietary ExtUSB connector. On the base, next to the USB port, is a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

There are also plenty of other sensors stuffed inside, with GPS, a digital compass and an accelerometer. Meanwhile an ambient light sensor and proximity sensor both cluster up by the earpiece, used to automatically adjust the screen backlight and turn the panel on or off when you’re holding it to your face during a conversation. Finally, on the back there’s a 5-megapixel autofocus camera and a dual-LED flashlight, though you don’t get a dedicated camera shortcut key.

Even with all that connectivity, even with the excellent touchscreen and decent build-quality, with Windows Mobile 6.5 alone the HD2 wouldn’t succeed. What makes the key difference is HTC’s work on augmenting, tweaking and – in various places – completely replacing Microsoft’s native UI with their own. On the HD2 it’s called HTC Sense, and it borrows much of the UI work that the company did to such good effect on the HTC Hero Android smartphone. Sense, HTC have previously explained to us, is the culmination of three or more years’ work fettling mobile interfaces, and it’s what differentiates the company as probably the key Windows Mobile licensee right now.

The Hero’s menu structure hasn’t been wholly dragged over to the HD2. Instead, much of what’s familiar from various iterations of TouchFLO 3D is still in place, only brought neatly up to date. The homescreen still consists of various tabs, navigated either by dragging the control bar along the bottom of the screen or, more simply, swiping with a finger or thumb to the left or the right. This latest version has Home, People, Messages, Mail, Internet, Calendar, Stocks, Photos & Videos, Music, Weather, Footprints, Twitter and Settings panes, most of which have been modified in some way from their previous formats. With the exception of Home you can rearrange or hide any tab.

With all the extra screen real-estate to play with, we’re glad to see HTC have reworked the panes to offer more information. The home tab gets the usual large clock with a small weather preview integrated, with a small calendar preview box for imminent events and the next scheduled alarm directly underneath. Finally, there’s a row of three user-assignable shortcut buttons, and you can drag the screen up to reveal several more. These can be linked to apps, webpages or individuals for instant speed-dial. Tapping on the main clock takes you to the world clock, while tapping the calendar or alarm boxes takes you through to either the calendar tab or the alarm control respectively.

The People, Messages, Mail, Calendar, Stocks and Internet tabs have all gained more shortcuts or bigger previews, to suit the larger display, as has the Photos & Videos tab. The Weather tab shows a full five-day forecast – today’s weather up-top, the next four days in a row underneath – and offers the same shortcut access to a weather site as previously. The Music pane is little changed but the controls are larger and more finger-friendly.

Footprints is HTC’s geotagging app, and as we’ve seen on other devices it’s a reasonably useful tool if you like to maintain a record of where you’ve been. It allows you to snap a photo – embedded with your GPS position – and then add voice notes, text and a star rating to remind you about that location at a later date. We still wish HTC would add some sort of comprehensive sharing feature, which would allow you to swap points-of-interest with other Footprints users, or even have them flagged up whenever the phone spots you’re near a Footprint memory that someone else has “left behind”.

Twitter, meanwhile, is the same HTC Peep client from Android, and it works fairly well. As well as showing your Twitter stream in the homescreen pane, you can also tap into the app and then swipe across to see @ replies, direct messages and any starred tweets that you’ve marked as a favorite. It’s possible to respond directly from Peep, as well as send direct messages or tweet your location, though you can only have one account logged in at any one time. You can also see other users’ profiles, browse their recent messages and follow/unfollow them from the Peep UI. Updates can be set to manual or at regular intervals, though the most frequent is every five minutes, and you can choose between several settings for the number of tweets to download. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Peep is trying to navigate a long list of messages; the kinetic scrolling is relatively slow, and while other apps – such as SMS or email lists – have a handy little drag-tab that you can “pull out” from the right-hand side of the screen with a quick thumb-swipe, then speedily drag up or down, there’s no such thing in Peep. If there’s a way to double-tap to speed to the top of the list, we haven’t found the right place to tap.

HTC have been steadily adding more options to the Settings tab, and on the HD2 it’s now the central place to modify most of the phone’s core functionality rather than merely a shortcut to Windows Mobile’s own menu. The settings button in the regular WinMo Start honeycomb links to this tab too, and you can then go in and play with the wireless settings, change wallpapers and how the screen behaves, and make other tweaks. Like just about all the pop-up and contextual menus we could find, HTC have reskinned the settings pages with large, finger-friendly buttons and kinetic scrolling lists, and there are plenty of easily-controlled toggle switches rather than old-fashioned check-boxes.

There are a few unusual decisions – or, dare we say, remnants of Microsoft’s handiwork – left over, however. For instance, while the Data section of settings allows you to choose how often ActiveSync updates during peak and off-peak times (from instantly, through to every four hours or manually), to actually change what are considered peak/off-peak times you have to go into ActiveSync itself, through the Start menu. Other times it’s unclear where exactly a setting is lurking; the event – new SMS, email, etc – alert dialog has toggle switches for the various sounds, but unless you tap the text itself you might never find that this particular sub-menu leads to a sub-sub-menu where you can change the sound itself.

There’s also none of the widgets we so enjoyed in HTC Sense on the Hero, since the homescreen concept is different between Android and Windows Mobile. While you can have numerous shortcuts to applications – such as the preloaded Facebook app – you can’t add a new pane to the roster and see, say, friends’ status updates direction from the homescreen.

That’s a shame, because Facebook is the other social networking service with which HTC have done the most work to integrate. Like on the Hero, if you choose to log in to Facebook the HD2 will pull in contacts from there and intermingle them with your regular address book. Duplicates are merged (and you can manually connect any the system omits, usually only the case if people have used different names) and from each contact entry you can see their profile pictures and their recent status updates. One missing feature is Flickr integration: the Hero allows you to link a Flickr account with each contact entry, and see those galleries too, but that’s not present on the HD2.

HTC HD2 first-boot:

It’s slick, but even reskinned it’s hard to escape the fact that Windows Mobile lags behind webOS and Android for natively integrating various social networks into the core system. Still, it’s a very usable setup, and coupled with some of the contact linking systems HTC have already used on devices like the Touch Pro2 and Diamond2, which show you recent SMS, email and calls with each contact in different tabs, plus the ability to trigger new conversations by tapping on the contact’s name wherever you see it, and it makes the HD2 far easier to navigate. There’s none of that app-hopping feeling you used to get with Windows Phones.

While there’s no hardware QWERTY keyboard on the HD2, the smartphone’s vast touchscreen means that’s all but negligible. HTC’s reworked on-screen keyboard systems have been carried over from their recent Android devices, and the combination of (individually switchable) auto-correction and word prediction are fantastic. In portrait orientation the keys are ideally sized to hold the HD2 with one hand and peck with one or two fingers on the other; flip into landscape orientation – which is an almost instantaneous rotate – and it’s the perfect layout for two-handed use. Gripping the HD2 with your fingers and reaching over with both thumbs, we’ve found typing on the HTC is quicker than using many hardware keyboards.

Unfortunately, the few issues we’ve had with software on the HD2 have also related to the keyboard. On a couple of occasions we’ve seen strange lag in keys recognising they’ve been pressed: either the tap is missed altogether, or there’s a pause before the HD2 vibrates and the letter appears on-screen. Despite our testing, it’s proved difficult to find replicable situations when this happens, but it mars an otherwise incredible text-entry system. There’s also a bizarre omission of landscape keyboard support in HTC Peep, which undermines a little the HD2’s Twitter-heavyweight status.

If Footprints is to remind you where you’ve been, then Google Maps is to tell you where to go. We wish HTC had access to Google’s latest Maps Navigation beta, as debuted on the Android 2.0 Motorola DROID, but we doubt we’ll see that app – which delivers turn-by-turn directions, voice-prompts, text-to-speech and other niceties – on Windows Mobile any time soon. Instead you’re looking at the same Google Maps install that’s familiar from previous Windows Phones, though don’t underestimate how much easier it is to navigate when you’re working with a 4.3-inch display. Given that some standalone PNDs have smaller panels, that’s quite an advantage. We found the GPS itself to be reasonably accurate, while panning through the maps was only limited by the speed of our connection – the HD2 kept up with all the scrolling, pinch-zooming and screen-rotating we tried, with no delay at all.

Those gestures – and that decent lick of speed – is shared by the browser, aided by the fact that HTC have continued to shun Microsoft’s own Internet Explorer Mobile (which we found struggled to render pages correctly) and instead make Opera Mobile the default. It’s a capable browser on even compact smartphones, so give Opera 4.3-inches to play with and the HD2 web experience really shines. Zooming is impressive whether you double-tap to bring up a block of text or an image – the screen reflowing accordingly – or whether you pinch with multitouch, and pages are quick to load. We ran some comparison tests against the Nokia N900, another device with an excellent browser, and were blown away by the HD2’s rendering speed. As you can see from the table below, with two exceptions the HD2 consistently outperformed the N900 on the same WiFi connection accessing a range of common sites. It’s worth noting that our timings ran from the moment we hit ‘Go’ to the moment the phone browser stopped loading; you could actually be reading through each page sooner than the total time taken (adverts, in particular, loaded slower than core site content).

Media playback on Windows Phones still lacks the finesse that the iPhone offers, and while HTC Sense does improve the GUI of the HD2’s PMP functionality, it’s still not as intuitive as Apple’s devices. Similarly, loading content either onto the HD2’s internal storage or, more likely, a microSD card isn’t as straightforward as iTunes makes it. This isn’t unique to the HD2 – or even to Windows Mobile – but it’s a frustration all the same. Thankfully once you’ve got your content on the handset, audio and video performance are both excellent. The HD2 manages to squeeze in a reasonable speaker, and the standard 3.5mm headphone jack outputs excellent, hiss-free audio. Video playback is as judder-free and crisp as you’d expect from the Snapdragon processor and 4.3-inch display, respectively.

Photos from the 5-megapixel camera unfortunately look better on the HD2’s display than they do when you get them off-device. We’ve criticised recent handsets from the company for failing to live up to their megapixel count, and sadly the HD2 seems to be continuing the family tradition. Daylight shots show unusual coloring, while night shots suffer by virtue of the LED flash having a relatively narrow breadth of effectiveness. On the other hand, close-up pictures are surprisingly crisp and clear, and those hoping to use the HD2 to send text off to transcription apps such as Evernote and OneNote will be impressed with the results. Touch focus works well, and the camera is quicker to lock focus than any HTC we’ve used in recent memory. There are some sample shots – full-sized and unedited – in the gallery. As for video recording, maximum resolution is 640x 480 and the results are fair, if a little short on crisp focus. We’d still recommend a Flip camcorder or similar over the HD2, but for spontaneous uploads to YouTube the video function should suffice. On that note, such uploads are made very straightforward thanks to HTC Sense’s YouTube integration.

Recent HTC phones have been strong performers when it comes to basic phone tasks, and the HD2 is no different. While it lacks the excellent speakerphone system of the Pro2 – likely because they couldn’t fit in the required microphone array and larger-than-average speaker – it’s nonetheless loud and clear. The proximity sensor, which controls the display while you’re on a call, is quick to act and very useful, and helps avoid those accidental-hang-ups when you inadvertently cut off a call while trying to flick the screen back on. HTC have also added in a few neat uses of the other sensors they have to play with; you can have the HD2 automatically increase ring volume if it thinks it’s in a pocket or bag, and you can also set it to quieten the ring if you pick up the phone, for example while checking caller ID. If you then decide not to answer, flipping the HD2 screen-down onto the desk will silence it. None of it is rocket science, of course, but it adds up to a more intuitive way of interacting with the phone.

Another example of that is the HTC WiFi connection sharing app, which turns the HD2 into a sort of MiFi. While there have been other apps on Windows Mobile and other smartphones which do the same thing – allow you to tether a WiFi client to them, and share the handset’s 3G connection – this new app is particularly more straightforward, automatically securing the connection and prompting you with a passcode. Our only reservation about it is its limit to one WiFi client connected at any time, unlike the Novatel MiFi which supports up to five simultaneously. Still, if you’re short of a WiFi hotspot and have an unlimited data plan, it’s a great way to get online in a pinch.

When we met with HTC at the HD2’s launch, one of our key concerns was the handset’s battery life. CEO Peter Chou assured us that they’d been working to ensure at least a full-day of use from a single charge, but with a relatively compact 1,230mAh battery we had our doubts. In practice, though, the HD2 has proved surprisingly capable, getting us through a day with Exchange push email turned on, frequent web browsing, some media playback, messaging and the occasional call. Nightly charges are par for the course in smartphones right now, and while we’d like a nightstand-friendly docking cradle like some rival handsets are offering, we can’t fault the HD2 for its runtimes.

Speaking of cradles, HTC may not offer a desktop dock but they are planning an in-car holder. That will grip to the dashboard or windshield and, using a replacement battery cover with a special port, hold the HD2 in portrait or landscape orientation. It’ll also trigger a special navigation-themed menu, which has proved otherwise inaccessible despite our exploration of the smartphone. The car cradle for the HD2 won’t be available until December, we’ve heard.

Similarly unclear is the availability of the HD2 itself. HTC announced earlier this week that it was already shipping in Europe, would arrive in Asia come November, and on a “major carrier” in the US in early 2010. Nonetheless, it’s still proving difficult to find, as is a price. Preorder prices in the UK are hovering around the £439 point ($730) SIM-free and unlocked, though obviously contract prices will be lower. In the US, we’d expect this to be at the top end for smartphones, which could be anything from $200 to $400 depending on carrier and wireless plan. HTC are promising more details closer to US launch.

There’s certainly a lot for the HTC HD2 to live up to. Not only does it have the legacy of the game-changing Touch HD hanging over it, it arguably represents the best chance of ongoing success for the Windows Mobile platform, at least among mainstream consumers. The good news is that it’s a tremendously capable device, though the irony is that HTC have had to throw our or rework much of what Microsoft have done in order to get the HD2 to that stage. Windows Mobile 6.5 still lurks underneath, but HTC Sense all but smothers it in a UI that’s intuitive and flexible.

It’s not a perfect smartphone – the camera, for instance falls short of what we’d expect from a flagship handset – but its strengths certainly outweigh its failings. We’d have difficulty overstating how well internet access is handled, and the HD2 could legitimately be called a MID-smartphone crossover; the combination of speed and screen size comfortably place it ahead of phone rivals. Underscoring all that is decent phone performance and the sort of build quality you’d expect for what will be a premium price. Microsoft can breathe a huge sigh of relief, because HTC have just given them the handset that bridges the gap between now and Windows Mobile 7.

HTC HD2 highlights:

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Samsung DualView TL225 camera reviewed: good idea, poor implementation

Chris Davies — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:54:01 +0000

The best laid plans can so easily go awry, and while Samsung’s DualView TL225 digital camera – which has a second, front-mounted display – seemed like such a great idea, the end result is actually tipped as more than a little disappointing. Wired have been putting the TL225 through its paces, and they’ve concluded that not only does the second screen cause its own share of problems rather than solve them, the underlying camera itself is a let-down.

The front display does make lining up shots straightforward, Wired found, but unfortunately it then encourages those in the picture to look to the side of the lens. The end result is a well-framed photo with nobody looking at the camera.

As for the TL225’s image abilities themselves, photos are reportedly less than impressive in anything other than bright light, and there’s plenty of shutter lag in-between pressing the button and the shot being captured. For $300 it seems like a gimmick that’s gone wrong.

[via CrunchGear]

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