“Glam. Set. Match” - at the Sony Ericsson Open!

March 16, 2010 at 2:58 pm by Dan | In Just For Fun

What do you get when you pair two global superstars from the music and entertainment industry with two of the worlds top professional tennis players? One hell of a good mixed doubles celebrity tennis match, that’s what.

That’s right, Tuesday the 23rd of March will see a celebrity/ pro face off of epic proportions over in Miami when Mel B of Spice Girls fame pairs up with World Number 2 Novak Djokovic to take on double platinum selling musician Jay Sean and former World Number 1 Maria Sharapova. The exhibition match will mark the opening of this years Sony Ericsson Open, one of the premier ATP World Tour events with the current holder of the men’s title none other than our very own Andy Murray.

Sony Ericsson caught up with the stars who will be kicking off this years tournament with an exciting exhibition match to reveal the pros they would be pairing up with for the match. Check out the video below for a sneak peak of what we can expect on court and be sure to check back on the blog after the 23rd for all the highlights.

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E4 sends up the iPad in TV advert!

March 4, 2010 at 10:05 am by Dan | In Just For Fun

Poor old Apple, despite being ubiquitous with cutting edge technology, it seems people are queuing up to have a dig at Job’s and Co. It’s not only their products that seem to be the butt of many a joke, but also their marketing and advertising that people seem to find perfect parody fodder. Cast your minds back to December and you’ll remember the Sun newspaper’s comical send up of the iPhone adverts. And now, it’s the turn of Channel 4’s comedy off-shoot E4, who have decided to playfully poke fun at the upcoming Apple iPad. We won’t spoil it for you, check out the video below to see for yourself (and check out the original iPad video to see just how well it has been parodied). Well, they say imitation is a form of flattery so i guess Apple should be flattered by the raft of send ups that have surfaced in recent months. I wouldn’t bet on it though…

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A Tale of Two Cities - With the Nokia N86 8MP!

March 4, 2010 at 9:40 am by Dan | In Just For Fun

A new exhibition has opened at London’s Heathrow airport this week, showcasing photographer Henry Reichhold’s latest work. Running in Terminal 5’s Expo area until May 2010, the exhibition features large panoramic photographs of two of the worlds most famous cities; Dubai and Mumbai. As interesting as all this is, at this point you may be wondering what exactly this is doing on the pages of a mobile phone blog. Well, rather than opting for a dedicated digital camera, Henry instead decided that a camera phone would be more than up to the job. The phone in question? Well, that’ll be Nokia’s 8.0 Megapixel N86.

That’s right, eschewing large cameras and lenses for a completely standard N86, the installation boasts over 90 images taken with Nokia’s flagship camera phone. Taken over the course of eight days in November 2009, the images were created by stitching several separate shots together contrasting the slums ob Mumbai with the fabulous wealth of Dubai.

Speaking about the exhibition, Henry commented “The Nokia N86 Explore exhibition visually maps the polar opposites of two of the world’s most extreme urban dwellings: Dubai is a showcase of extraordinary wealth, development and architecture, whilst Mumbai is an extraordinarily vibrant city driven by the resilience and incredible good nature of its people who live for the most part in poverty. It also goes to show the potential and range of new multimedia communication devices which are able to capture the world in a way never previously thought possible.”

Mark Murphy, operations director at Terminal 5 said, “We’re delighted to welcome Henry Reichhold back to Expo at Heathrow Terminal 5. His photographs not only add a dynamic visual presence to the airport but also challenge preconceptions of what can be achieved with a mobile. It’s very inspiring and certainly encourages us all to celebrate technology and create our very own mobile artworks.”

So, enough chit chat, i’m off to grab an 8.0 Megapixel camera phone and a one-way ticket to the far reaches of the globe. And if you can’t wait for my exhibition, be sure to check out Henry Reichhold’s at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 Expo Area before May 2010.

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Nokia announce bling-tastic Gold N97 Mini!

March 1, 2010 at 9:57 am by Dan | In Just For Fun

Who says Scandinavians are reserved? Nokia have dispensed with taste and modesty to bring us the Nokia N97 Mini Gold edition, a souped up version of their touchscreen QWERTY slider. Whilst on the inside the Gold Edition is a carbon copy of its more frugal counterpart, the outside is a very different affair that is definitely going to get you noticed (laughed at/ mugged) when you pull this thing out in public.

Replacing all metal detailing on the original N97 Mini with 18-carat gold and swapping the black frame for an off-white variant (because regular white is soooo last year), the new Gold Edition will retail for around £600, quite a premium over the sim free price of £389 quoted on Nokia’s web site. Still, exclusivity doesn’t come cheap. Personally, i’ll stick to the less garish N97 Mini and pocket the difference thank you very much, but if you feel like advertising the fact that you have a little more money than sense, the Gold Edition will be hitting Nokia’s flagship stores in the next couple of months.

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Need a cab? There’s an app for that…

February 26, 2010 at 3:19 pm by Dan | In Just For Fun, Mobile Phone Applications

Here’s the scenario: You’re out in London. You need to get a cab but also want to keep an eye on your pennies. What do you do? Simple, pull out your iPhone. New to the App Store, London Taxi is a new app that promises to calculate the cost of a cab ride, taking into account the distance of the journey, time of day and even what sort of traffic you’re likely to encounter. Created by former employees of Transport for London, the app uses the TFL Taxi Tariff to calculate estimates.

And while they are just that, estimates, for just 59p, the app is definitely a must for commuters and tourists alike. Just try not to show off the app to any nearby cabbies as they may not be so welcoming of the new arrival to the app store.

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Pocket TV: Sony Ericsson offering chance of a lifetime to 1 lucky viewer!

February 24, 2010 at 2:42 pm by Dan | In Just For Fun

You may recall last week that we posted an article about Sony Ericsson’s Pocket TV series returning to our (mobile) screens in April. BBC Radio 1’s Matt Edmondson will reprise his role as host/ jester as he gets up close and personal with the latest and greatest musicians with the results available to stream on your mobile phone and watch in full on YouTube. And now, you can get in on the act too as Sony Ericsson are offering a once in a lifetime job opportunity.

That’s right, Sony Ericsson will be giving you the chance to be a runner on the second series, helping on shoots, working closely with the Pocket TV team and documenting your experience via a video blog shot in HD with the upcoming Sony Ericsson Vivaz. The video blog will then be posted on YouTube to share your experiences with the world. The position is a paid full-time job in London and applicants need to be available between April 5th - July 9th 2010.

Sony Ericsson are looking for people 18 and over who are bright, media savvy, ambitious, creative, hard working, fun to work with and into pop culture who are looking for a foot in the door of the entertainment industry. If this sounds like you, here’s what you need to do to apply. Simply upload a 60 second clip to YouTube explaining why Sony Ericsson should choose you (remember those letters to Jim’ll Fix It for inspiration) and send a message to PocketTVshow on YouTube with “Runner Competition” in the subject and your video attached. Remember, be funny, be quirky, but most important of all, be original.

The closing date for entries is March 15th 2010 at 6pm. Three Finalists will be picked to compete for the job in a challenge hosted by none other than Matt Edmondson himself (pictured here with Florence Welch, lead singer of Florence and the Machine) and the winner will be announced on March 22nd. Want to be in with a shout? Well, you know what you’ve got to do. Now, where did i put that video camera…

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Sony Ericsson Pocket TV set to return to our screens in April!

February 18, 2010 at 4:07 pm by Dan | In Just For Fun, Mobile Content/Services

Sony Ericsson have today announced a triumphant return for their popular Pocket TV online entertainment show, with a second series debuting in April. For those who missed the shows first outing, Sony Ericsson’s Pocket TV is a music-based entertainment show, hosted by BBC Radio 1’s Matt Edmondson, featuring interviews with today’s movers and shakers in the music industry. The twist being that the artists are interviewed in a unique style, completely out of their comfort zone making for some thoroughly entertaining encounters (clay pigeon shooting with Lethal Bizzle anyone?).

Speaking about the second series, Edmondson commented “For years Scholars have predicted the second coming - they just didn’t know it was going to be this good. I can’t wait for series 2 of Sony Ericsson’s Pocket TV to start- last year I quizzed in my pants, invaded the faces of celebrities and gave psychiatric advice to Marilyn Manson. That was just the start. It’s going to be AMAZING.”

With the show set to be shot in HD, Pocket TV will also garner yet more attention for the upcoming Sony Ericsson Vivaz which is set to launch early next month. Sporting a vivid touchscreen display, 8.1 Megapixel camera and Wi-Fi, the Vivaz also captures video in glorious HD and offers the ability to upload to YouTube straight from the phone. Sony Ericsson are hoping that the launch of the Vivaz and the return of Pocket TV will spark an HD video sharing revolution. Richard Dormon, Senior marketing manager for Sony Ericsson UK and Ireland confirmed as much saying “Pocket TV, with its HD filmed content, will help bring to life the capabilities of the new Sony Ericsson Vivaz - the world’s smallest HD video phone.”

Made for mobile in bite sized chunks and hosted on YouTube in full, Pocket TV returns to our screens on the 13th of April and will be shown via four weekly segments. We’ll be posting the videos right here on the Mobiles Blog so, if you’re interested in music, entertainment, or just want to see Matt ask the questions no one else dares, be sure to keep your eyes on the blog come April.

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NTT Docomo working on eye controlled headphones!

February 17, 2010 at 1:18 pm by Dan | In Just For Fun, MWC

Trust NTT Docomo to come up with the most futuristic (and more than a little bit wacky) piece of tech at this year’s Mobile World Congress. Yes, the company that brought lucky Japanese consumers the chocolate phone (not the LG Chocolate but a phone actually styled as a bar of chocolate, complete with wrapper!) are at it again. So what are they up to this time? Bluetooth headsets styled as a chicken nugget? Perhaps they’ve gone the whole hog and made a phone out of real chocolate? Well, no, the Japanese manufacturer have developed hands-free ear phones that are controlled with your eyes.

Before you wince, there’s no physical contraption connected to your eyes, the tech is all based on the movement of your eyes. Once plugged into your ears, actions such as moving your eyes to the right then left to play, twice right to skip forward and left to stop are all picked up by the headphones and in turn the device they’re plugged into. So, despite looking rather shifty on the tube, you can enjoy true hands free music on the move.

The ear phones use electrodes to pick up on movement of the eyeball. The eyes have electric potential which changes from positive to negative depending on the movement of the eyes. So, the earphones pick up on these changes in signal and attribute specific actions based on the movement. So put simply, looking to the right then left generates a simple electric impulse which is picked up by the headphones and converted into a specific action, in this case playing a music track.

No word on pricing or availability but it would be optimistic to expect this kind of technology to find its way to these shores any time soon. Still, it shows what’s possible and hints at what kind of tech we can expect in the not too distant future. Now, if only someone could develop some ear free headphones, we can listen to music completely inconspicuously.

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Quantum Physics in your Mobile?

February 11, 2010 at 4:38 pm by Mark | In Just For Fun, Mobile Gadgets, Mobile News

Now, i don’t pretend for a minute to understand the first thing about quantum physics, i’ll leave that to the boffins like those in the Yorkshire based company which has just found a way to enhance a mobile phones touchscreens experience using Quantam Physics, which sounds seriously interesting, if not a little scary at the same time.

What, i hear you ask, is Quantam Physics going to allow my phone to do? Run on nuclear power? Transport me to another dimension? Shrink the family pet to a mere fraction of it’s original size? Well, in a word no, it isn’t anything quite as cool as those, but, it is something we feel could become an integral part of everyday Smartphone use. What the Yorkshire based company have come up with, is a technology that will not only allow a touchscreen to register the touch from your digit, but also how much pressure you are applying at any given time.

What this will allow a phone to do is to interpret how much pressure is being applied into varying responses, i.e. for instance if you were scrolling a page and wanted to scroll faster, you could apply more pressure on the screen. There are many applications for this that spring to mind although probably the most obvious of which will be the inclusion of this technology into gaming.

The Yorkshire company has since sold the rights to this technology to manufacturing giants, Samsung and Japanese Touchscreen manufacturer Nissha; so expect to see this technology making it’s debut in mobile touchscreen application in the not so distant future.

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HTC HD2 extended battery with kickstand!

January 25, 2010 at 11:57 am by Dan | In Just For Fun, Mobile News, Mobile Phone Accessories

Ok, so normally we wouldn’t really get that excited about a new battery for the HTC HD2. Don’t get me wrong, for todays power hungry smartphones, an extended battery is the perfect accessory to ensure your phone goes the distance but it’s hardly the kind of thing that makes headlines in the mobile world. So why, you are inclined to ask, are we covering such a story on the blog? Well, in a move so ingenious it makes us wonder why nobody has thought of it before, an accessory manufacturer has not only bumped up the battery life but also thrown in a kickstand for good measure!

Set to become available through UK retailer Clove Technology in the next few weeks, the extended battery promises to offer twice the juice of the standard version. In our hands on review of the HD2 we found the battery life was more than capable of lasting a full 24 hours with heavy use but for those who like to air on the side of caution, this new accessory could be just the ticket. But more exciting than the improvements to battery life must be the addition of the kickstand. Folding out from the new battery cover, the kickstand puts the amazing 4.3 inch display in the perfect viewing position for video playback and web browsing. Admittedly it does add some extra bulk to the phone itself but when the device we start with is a mere 11mm thick, the added dimensions are hardly earth shattering. Easily a front runner for most innovative accessory of 2010 (OK so we’re only in January) keep an eye on the blog for more info on new and exciting peripherals.

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