TV broadcasts planned by mobile network providers

The ability to watch live television via your mobile phone could soon be a universally available feature as various UK network providers announce that they are testing out new technology.

In the UK, the relationship between live TV and the mobile phone has been rocky, with previous attempts to capture the public’s attention failing to make an impact. This is in opposition to various other nations, including South Korea, where mobile TV is far more widespread.

Reports now suggest that O2, Vodafone and Orange are all going to trial mobile TV technology in the Autumn of 2010. Rather than integrating digital tuners into existing handsets, the firms are going to make use of previously untapped regions of the 3G network spectrum.

Although all smartphones use 3G for mobile internet access, the providers are hoping that by harnessing a new part of the spectrum, they will not be impacting upon the standard mobile use of the majority of users whilst being able to offer high quality TV streams to some.

None of the networks has actually explained how the mobile TV service will operate and whether it will be compatible with current smartphones via a software update. There is also no news as to whether subscribers will need to pick inclusive mobile TV time in addition to minutes and texts when they sign up for a new deal, or whether it will be simply integrated into existing data usage tariffs without the need for change.

Violight kills gadget-infesting germs

Violight is a firm that produces products to kill germs using nothing but ultraviolet light. It has now produced its first contact-free cleansing product that is designed to give mobile phones and similarly shaped gadgets a good UV scrub down.

The Cell Phone Sanitizer will destroy 99 per cent of the bugs that lurk on the surface of your mobile phone, according to Violight. The whole process takes about five minutes and the device itself is a pleasingly shaped cylinder, which in marketing shots is shown holding onto an iPhone.

You might assume that this was an occasional use device, but Violight suggests that you might consider using it to store and display your mobile even when you are not cleaning it with UV light.

It also claims that some might be convinced that shelling out over £30 for the Cell Phone Sanitizer is a good idea if you’re looking for something meaningful in which to wrap your latest gadget-based gift in before you give it to friends or family.

Violight will be getting the Cell Phone Sanitizer to the market in the run up to Christmas, but it has already posted some videos on YouTube to explain the functionality.

The cleaning device has even been deemed newsworthy by certain networks, although for many, its arrival might herald the unpleasant realisation that a mobile phone or gadget is actually crawling with germs.

Violight says that in addition to slotting in your smartphone, you might consider giving your Bluetooth headset a clean.

Toshiba creates first dual screen, touch sensitive laptop

The Toshiba Libretto W100 is a unique arrival on the laptop market because it is the first device to feature two screens that are both fully touch sensitive.

The popularity of tablet computers, as manifest in Apple’s iPad, has doubtless fuelled the production of the W100, whilst Toshiba has retained several key laptop features, such as a clamshell design, thus making it something of a hybrid.

The W100 has Windows 7 preinstalled and it takes advantage of the native touchscreen support offered by Microsoft’s latest operating system in order to make menu navigation and general inputs feel intuitive and relatively natural compared to laptops with physical keypads.

The identical touchscreens measure seven inches across the diagonaland the whole thing is just three centimetres thick when you close it. Despite its small size you still get 2GB of RAM and a 62GB hard drive that is quiet, cool and energy efficient because it uses solid state technology.

The W100 has a one megapixel camera built into the frame and it can even shoot video clips in high definition. The battery life of 3.5 hours is adequate if a little underwhelming, although powering two independent displays is going to require quite a bit of juice.

As you might expect, the Libretto W100 has Wi-Fi connectivity built in, but it is also available with 3G network connectivity for mobile broadband access. This might be a good choice for those who do not want to sacrifice its single USB port to a mobile broadband USB modem.

Microsoft confirms cheaper Xbox 360 Slim planned

The announcement of the slimmed-down reboot of the Xbox 360 console went down well at the E3 conference last week and Microsoft has now said that a cheaper edition of this new device will be arriving later in the year.

The cheaper, slimmer Xbox 360 will be replacing the Arcade version of the current model, which sits on shelves at about £130. Microsoft says that its replacement will cost somewhere between the £150-170 mark and although it will not have the huge 250GB hard drive of its big brother, it will still get the sleek, black finish and the cooler, quieter operation which will be a boon to current Xbox 360 owners.

Both the full and half fat versions of the Xbox 360 Slim will be ready to operate with the new motion gaming accessory from Microsoft called Kinect. This set top device will also be bundled with the consoles for a price increment of somewhere in the region of £100 for those who are keen to start moving their feet and getting into the game in a weird, mirrored virtual reality kind of way.

Keen observers recently noted that the revamped Xbox 360 is missing one key component that almost defined its predecessor; the red LED that accompanies the green power light. This LED would light up when an internal error was detected and it became known as the red ring of death. Its removal either suggests a greater confidence in the new hardware, or Microsoft’s attempt to disassociate its latest offering from former woes.

Apple iPhone 4 Pre Orders Shipping Now

We talked yesterday about the possible low availability of the new Apple iPhone 4 when it launches in a few weeks time in the UK. However it seems that people who have pre-ordered their iPhone direct from Apple have the upper hand as there handsets are already being shipped in time for delivery on the 23rd June, a day before general release in the USA. People have been posting their invoices online to prove that they will be one of the lucky ones to receive the iPhone 4 early.

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We were fortunate enough to get our iPad a day before the UK release so know that it is possible to score a coveted Apple product earlier than the day of launch. There are no posts or updates from the UK yet though, so if you are lucky enough to get an email from Apple about your iPhone 4 delivery please let us know.

o2 iPhone Only For Existing Customers

Talk of the availability of the new iPhone 4 when it launches in a few weeks has been rife across the internet and tabloids. Many sources have suggested that the fourth incarnation of the Apple iPhone will very difficult to get when it becomes available, O2 have even admitted that handsets will be limited.

O2 have come up with a solution that seems to reward all current customers. They have announced that the new iPhone 4 will be exclusively available to all exsiting customers, they won’t even need to own an iPhone as the deal includes customers with other handsets, o2 broadband and home phone services. Only customers who have been with O2 since before the 24th May 2010 will be eligigable. It is unclear how long this rule will be in place but it may be a while until stocks are high enough in the UK.

Garmin launches pooch tracking dog collar

Satellite navigation firm Garmin has come up with a suitably high-tech dog collar that will allow owners to keep tabs on their hounds if they ever go astray.

Garmin’s Astro DC 40 is available in a garish orange, which is a fairly useful visual aid for dog seeking in itself and the black GPS receiver is attached in a durable manner to one side. Garmin assures potential purchasers that the collar is comfortable for the dog as well as being convenient for the owner.

The main application of the tracking collar is for keeping tabs on hunting dogs, according to Garmin. For this reason the compatible Astra 220 receiver module which you will need to find your animal is capable of maintaining contract with ten different collared dogs simultaneously.

You can set the GPS beacons on the collars to emit location information in incremental steps between five and 120 seconds, which might make the sport of hunting a little more interesting, with modern technology on hand to help out when required.

The Astro DC tracking dog collar is powered by a battery which you can recharge using an included adapter and it should last for several hours, depending on how frequently you choose to refresh the transmission of data.

Although the collars will obviously be useful for hunters, it is easy to imagine that owners of household pets who do not want to chase after a particularly adventurous dog will end up buying this gadget in order to avoid irritation or, at worst, heartbreak.

Nintendo debuts 3DS

The brand new hand-held console from Nintendo has appeared at the E3 gaming event, bringing with it 3D effects that don’t require the wearing of polarised glasses.

Nintendo has implemented the rather novel idea of having the 3D display properties controllable in real time thanks to a slider on the side of the console. This means the user can choose in real time just how much depth is perceived on-screen, perhaps allowing Nintendo to sidestep criticism that the 3D display could result in eye damage after extended use.

Nintendo has secured some very important partnerships to allow it to showcase 3D films on the 3DS. These partners include Disney and Dreamworks, which means titles such as “Up” and “Shrek Forever After” could be coming to the 3DS in precisely the manner that was intended by their creators.

A host of 3D games will be made available for the 3DS, including adaptations of previous Metal Gear Solid titles. Expect to see Street Fighter IV also making an appearance, alongside a Final Fantasy game, in a line up that appears to be encroaching upon traditional Sony territory.

In addition to displaying 3D games and movies, the Nintendo 3DS will be able to take pictures in 3D and then make them viewable on-screen. This is a fairly impressive feature that would not necessarily have popped up on the wish lists of many, but is certainly a welcome addition.

The Nintendo 3DS has the dual screen set-up of the current DS consoles, with a touchscreen supplementing the primary display with 2D-only capabilities.

Samsung announces two new Bada-based smartphones

After championing its in-house Bada smartphone operating system with the Samsung Wave, the South Korean firm has announced that two more handsets will be arriving with Bada on-board.

The Wave 2 and the Wave 2 Pro are the suitably named smartphones in question and they have made their world debut at the CommunicAsia conference this week.

The difference between the Wave 2 and the Wave 2 Pro seems to be the inclusion of a QWERTY keypad on the pro handset, marking it out as suitable for the business market.

Reports suggest that neither of the smartphones will have 3G network connectivity, which would seem to be an oversight if Samsung is aiming for international availability. However, Wireless N and Bluetooth 2.1 are included, which may take the sting out of the omission of 3G.

The displays will be 3.2 inch LCD units, which is another minor letdown after Samsung’s recent spate of AMOLED displays impressed most industry observers. The three megapixel camera on the rear is also slightly underpowered and it makes these smartphones feel less like sequels than entry level prequels to the high end original Wave.

Samsung’s Bada platform has several useful features, including the social hub that pulls together all of your social networking and messaging services into a single interface. The Touch Wiz software is sitting on top of Bada, so it should be fairly finger friendly, although the inclusion of the full QWERTY on the Wave 2 Pro will definitely appeal to messaging fanatics who do not trust the accuracy of touchscreen technology.

Slim line Xbox 360 ad spotted

An Italian advert purporting to showcase an upcoming slimmed-down version of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console has appeared, fuelling rumours about the planned system relaunch in the run up to E3.

Microsoft has never fiddled with its console line in the past, with the original Xbox sticking to its bulky black body throughout its life cycle. Meanwhile Sony has historically revamped all three of its PlayStation models, with the most recent PS3 Slim cutting down on the bulk of the original launch by almost a third.

The supposed advert for the slim version of the Xbox 360 appeared on Italian fan site Console Tribe and in it a smaller, darker, less curvaceous imagining of the console is visible, complete with the well known font colours and style that Microsoft has typically associated with the 360.

By launching a smaller version of the 360, Microsoft will hopefully have made the hardware look and feel a little more premium whilst making sure that the components are more efficient than the five year old technology housed in the current models.

Rumours suggest that this console will be compatible with the new Xbox 360 motion control system which Microsoft is set to launch at the E3 conference. This was originally codenamed Project Natal, but it has recently been given its official release name of Kinect and will prove to be an interesting addition to the motion sensitive market alongside the PlayStation Move and the Wii’s remote.

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