CellPhoneBurn

How many times have we heard people say that modern mobile phones compete on their interfaces? Hell, I’ve said it myself a few times, since it is, y’know, true. There’s the Android UI, there’s HTC’s Sense, there’s SPB Mobile Shell, there’s WebOS on the Palm Pre… People nowadays just won’t settle for rubbish interfaces.

And so, the latest contender in this UI battle is a company called Intuitive (and if that name doesn’t set out their stall for what they’re all about, nothing will).

Even though the Nokia N900 is breaking new ground with its Maemo OS, Nokia aren’t giving up on Symbian just yet. So, it seems fair to say we’ll be seeing Symbian-powered Nseries phones for some time to come. There’s life in the ol’ dog yet, as the saying goes.

Well, according to BeGeek (Google-translated link, expect humorous grammar), we now know what the next Nseries phone will be.

Us folks here in Great Britain, we love our texting, we do. I mean, that’s patently obvious to anyone who’s ever seen someone with a mobile phone. Or been in the pub when people there have mobile phones. Or someone who has a mobile phone. There’s no getting away from it, we Brits love to text. However, new statistics (as reported by IntoMobile) have shown us just how much we love to text. Yep, that’s right. As in the title of this blog post, us Brits sent, last year, an average of 11 million text messages.

Every. Single. Hour…

Consider Google. For a company who started out just doing internet searches, they’ve come on in the world, ain’t they? The search business is still going strong, with Google pretty much dominating everyone else out there, and they’ve segued nicely into the world of mobile phones. Now, though, it seems that they might be taking us beyond that, into the realms of every sci-fi TV show and film, ever.

That’s because, according to The Times, they’re working on what amounts to a universal translator…

Here we go, a completely stupid idea to round out the week in style. Whatever your thoughts on smoking, I reckon most people would agree that a mobile phone combined with a ciggie lighter would be possibly one of the silliest ideas mankind ever came up with. Well, blow me down, boffins (and when I say boffins, I mean factory owners who drank some dodgy green tea) in China have only gone and done just that, according to CrunchGear. That’s not the stupidest bit, though, no sirree bobby. The stupidest bit is the name.

We’ve been hearing a bit about the Sony Ericsson X10 ever since it was launched, but one thing we’ve not officially been told is the release date. Until now, that is, because according to IntoMobile, we do, now, have a release date for it. And we know which network’s getting it (or, at least, getting it first).

The date? Some time in April. The network? Vodafone.

Right, I’ve not done a bit about fan-made concepts on here for a while, so it’s high time I rectified that. Today’s concept comes courtesy of NAK Design, and it could either be genius or pointless, depending on your viewpoint. One thing’s for sure, though, it’s got a name you won’t forget, since it’s called the WOOGA. Whilst that sounds like the name of an Australian town (or possibly a Star Wars character George Lucas created on an off-day, much like Jar Jar Binks), what it actually stands for is WOrk Or GAmes. And while it may have a silly name (and oh blimey, it really, really does), this is actually a pretty cool bit of kit.

My feelings on HTC are well documented on the pages of this blog, specifically the fact that I love ‘em to bits. They’ve gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years, with phones like the Touch Pro2, or the Hero. And then, of course, there’s the HTC HD2, which I’ve gone on about at great length, and which I will continue to go on about until I actually get one (June… not long now). The HD2 is their big consumer-oriented, bells-and-whistles phone, as we all know.

But what about the business arena? Well, currently, there’s the HTC Snap for that, but this year, it’s getting a replacement.

We’ve seen Android ported over to a shedload of different devices since it first got released, but its latest appearance is a bit closer to my heart, ‘cos it’s, y’know, on the same phone as I own. Yup, some enterprising fella’s put Android (and it appears to be the version from the Nexus One, I might add) on the Sony Ericsson X1.

Only, as you can see in the following video, it’s upside down.

Not long back, the second phone capable of HD video recording was officially unveiled. It’s the Sony Ericsson Vivaz, it’s powered by Symbian, and it takes its place alongside the Sony Ericsson Satio at the very top of Sony Ericsson’s portfolio. Oh, and it looks rather funky, as well, with the curved top and bottom providing a nice counterpoint to the more rectangular Satio. Oh, and because it’s powered by Symbian, you get a whole bag of proper smartphone power, to back up its killer feature. That killer feature, though, is the camera, but not because of its still image capabilities.

Ooh, exciting! I’ve been hearing rumours for weeks (well, alright, months) about Windows Mobile 7, and wondering when we’d all get a chance to see it in the flesh. And then, recently, there’ve been many, many rumours about it first showing its face at this year’s Mobile World Congress. And then, basically, I got myself all worked up into a lather, going, “Ooh, ooh, ooh, wanna see!”

Well, now, it’s finally been confirmed Windows Mobile 7, Windows Phone Seven, Seven, Microsoft’s last best hope (bonus rockpoints if you spot where that reference comes from), or whatever you want to call it, WILL be appearing at the Mobile World Congress!

I’ve talked before, a bit, about a device that used to be known as the Dell Streak. You know the one, it’s an Android-powered internet tablet that’s actually a phone with a 5 inch screen. You may remember that I’ve said it looks pretty but massive. Well, now, Michael Dell himself has appeared on video, showing off his new baby.

It still looks nice. But now, it has a proper name: the Dell Mini 5.

Today is a slow news day. No, actually, scratch that, it’s not. Today is a good-luck-finding-anything-that’s-not-about-the-iPad-you-Apple-hating-tard-you news day. Naturally, this makes finding interesting things to blog about a bit more difficult, as the world’s media, weirdly, decide it is the Second Coming. So, naturally, I’ve chosen to do a blog post that’s about one of Apple’s arch rivals.

Windows Mobile. Or Windows Phone, as we’re all supposed to call it now.

Right, then, here we go. Many of you may be wondering why I’m running a blog post that isn’t, in any way, about mobile phones. Y’see, the big news today is that Apple have finally got their bottoms in gear, and announced the tablet computer that’s been rumoured for roughly 8 years. Only now it has an official name: the iPad. It’s being called ‘revolutionary’ (but then, can you think of one device that Apple made that they didn’t call revolutionary) and ‘magical’ by Steve Jobs, as you’d expect.

Well, I’m blogging about it for a simple reason. Three simple reasons, in fact.

Ah, the HTC HD2. A true beast of a phone, and one that I am proud to say I have fallen completely, utterly, head over heels in love with. It will be my next phone, and I will love it and cherish it, and cuddle it, and snuggle it, and hold it, and call it George.

Sorry, I got a bit carried away there…