You simply need to follow this step by step guide in getting your own Wikio RSS button.

• Get yourself over to http://www.wikio.co.uk/tools/universalsubscription

• Enter the URL of the page you want the RSS Button for in the area as shown below

• Choose your button type and grab the code presented to you in the box beneath (see screen shot) and get it to your site.

The general idea is that this button will allow you to put just one single RSS button on your blog. Clicking on this button will then enable your readers to subscribe to your blogg via the RSS feed using the RSS service of their choice, and it thus means you no longer have to display a long list of various RSS services and their corresponding buttons.

Clicking on the button once it's been installed on your site should open a new page containing a selection of the most popular RSS subscription buttons.

See, it's that simple....... enjoy!

Posted by: John

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, RSS, wikio, Treo 850, Tracy & Matt]

V900 & X610

Whilst we know that the X610's specs aren't screaming out "I'm fantastic", it's a pretty good looking device with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. The more "I'm Fantastic" of these two is the V900, a device that can handle DVB-H, DVB-T, T-DMB, and DAB broadcasts on a VGA display that certainly doesn't hurt its case.

So far, the launches on these two are noted simply as "soon," so best keep your eyes open for further release details (or subscribe to our blog via RSS)

We have been promised a trial of these units soon so again watch out for our usual un boxing video's and detailed reviews.

In the meantime lets have a look at the specs that come with these handsets.

Glowfiish V900

First of we will look at the V900:

• Windows Mobile^® 6.1 Professional (Crossbow)
• Samsung S3C 6400 533 MHz Processor
• 256 MB Flash ROM, 128 MB SDRAM
• 2.8", 640 x 480 (VGA), 65,536 colors, TFT-LCD
• 106 (L) x 60.5 (W) x 17(18.15) (H) mm
• 147g
• HSDPA / UMTS ( 2100 / 1900 / 850 MHz )
• Quad-Band GSM?850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
• GPRS class 10 / EDGE class 10
• Bluetooth® v2.0 class 2 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate),
• WiFi IEEE802.11b/g Certificated
• Digital TV
• DVB-T / T-DMB
• GPS
• Embedded SiRF Star III chipset, TMC function supported*,
• FM 76 ~ 108MHz, support Channel Search
• FM Transmitter
• 87.5 ~ 108MHz
• Built-in 3.0 mega pixels Auto-Focus CMOS camera, up to 2048 x 1536 resolution
• 0.3 mega pixels Fixed-Focus CMOS camera for conference call usage
• MicroSD card slot
• Built-in microphone and speaker, external stereo headset jack, hands-free mode supported
• USB Sync, Composite TV out support
• Touch screen for stylus or fingertip, navigation button, power button, send/end button, record button, volume control, left soft-key, right soft-key
• Lithium Polymer rechargeable with 1,530 mAh capacity
• Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional, Microsoft® Office Outlook® Mobile (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Inbox), Picture, Notes, Microsoft® Office Word Mobile, Microsoft® Office Excel® Mobile, Internet Explorer Mobile, ActiveSync, Calculator, Game (Solitaire, Bubble Breaker), Voice Recorder, Microsoft® Office PowerPoint® Mobile, MSN® Messenger, Microsoft® Transcriber*, Windows Media® Player 10, Direct Push Technology, Microsoft Reader* (* subject to change by region)

E-TEN Exclusive Applications

• Phone Tools: Phone Application*, Phone Setting, SIM Toolkit, Speed Dial, Call Filter, Wireless Modem, Wireless Manager, Dialer Skin, Add Ringtone, CSD Type, Voice Commander*, Connection Wizard, SMS Sender, SIM Manager, Video Telephony (*subject to change by region)
• Multimedia Tools: Image Wizard, Image Maker, Multimedia Manager, Camera, Camcorder, FM Tuner* (*subject to change by region)
• MMS Composer* (*subject to change by region)
• Utilities: Quick Link, Battery Meter, Zoom SMS, Bluetooth Manager, M-Desk, Scenario, Backup Utility, Namecard Manager
• GPS Tools: Location SMS

Packing List

• Glofiish V900, stylus
• USB sync cable
• AC adapter
• headset
• leather case
• getting started CD
• quick start guide
• standard battery
• TV-out cable

Accessories (Optional)

• USB Sync Cable
• AC adapter
• car-charger
• car-mount
• battery pack
• Bluetooth® Headset
• leather case
• headset
• TV-out cable

Glowfiish X610

So now lets look across to the X610:

• Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
• Samsung SC3 2442 400 MHz Processor
• 128 MB Flash ROM, 64 MB SDRAM
• 2.8", 320 x 240 (QVGA), 65,536 colors, TFT-LCD
• 107 x 58 x 14.7 mm
• 134g (with battery)
• GSM/EDGE Quad-band: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• GPRS/EGPRS Class B, Multi-slot Class 10
• Bluetooth® v2.0 class 2 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
• WiFi IEEE802.11b/g Certificated
• GPS
• Embedded SiRF Star III chipset, TMC function supported*, (*subject to change by regions)
• Built-in 2.0 mega pixels, Fixed Focus CMOS, up to 1600 x 1200 resolution
• MicroSD card slot
• Built-in microphone and speaker, external stereo headset jack, hands-free mode supported
• Mini USB Sync, headset jack
• Touch screen for stylus or fingertip, navigation button, power button, 2 quick application buttons, send/end button, record button, volume control
• Lithium Polymer rechargeable with 1,530 mAh capacity
• Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional, Microsoft® Office Outlook® Mobile (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Inbox), Picture, Notes, Microsoft® Office Word Mobile, Microsoft® Office Excel® Mobile, Microsoft® Office PowerPoint® Mobile, Microsoft® Office OneNote® Mobile, Internet Explorer Mobile, ActiveSync, Calculator, Game (Solitaire, Bubble Breaker), Voice Recorder, MSN® Messenger, Windows Live ^TM, Microsoft® Transcriber*, Windows Media® Player 10, Direct Push Technology, Getting Started, Microsoft Reader* (* subject to change by regions)

Glofiish Exclusive Applications

• Phone Tools: Phone Application*, Phone Setting, SIM Toolkit, Speed Dial, Wireless Modem, Wireless Manager, Dialer Skin, CSD Type, Voice Commander*, Connection Wizard, SMS Sender, SIM Manager (*subject to change by regions)
• Multimedia Tools: Album, Camera, Camcorder, FM Tuner, MMS Composer
• Utilities: Spb Mobile Shell, Quick Link, Battery Meter, Zoom SMS, Scenario, Backup Utility, Quick Bar, Task Manager, Memory Optimization, Backup Utility, Default Setting, Application Recovery, System Information
• GPS Tools: Satellite Data Update (Not supported in USA), Location SMS, GPS Viewer
• Free Download Programs: Image Wizard, Image Maker, Birthday Reminder

(The programs are posted on the website: http://www.glofiish.com for downloading)

Packing List

• glofiish X610
• stylus
• USB sync cable
• AC adaptor
• headset
• leather case
• getting started CD
• quick start guide
• standard battery

Accessories (Optional)

• USB sync cable
• AC adaptor
• car-charger
• battery pack
• leather case
• headset

I'll let you make your own mind up as to which device is best of these two but for me I'm gonna go with the "I Don't look too great but I am fantastic" one.

Posted by: John

The Gigabyte M912 (click to enlarge)

Introduction

People are beginning to wake up to the fact that for general all-round everyday computing tasks a hugely powerful, thirsty and expensive computer just isn’t required and, what use is a computer if it’s tethered to a desk back at home or in the office? 17” laptops are all very well, but if you have to carry one for any distance then the attraction soon pales and by default they almost become irrelevant. In steps the sub-notebook with its small form factor, adequate power for mail/web/media etc and a decent battery life. The Asus Eee PC started the current trend off, but in fact Psion were probably the first back in 2000 with their lovely little Netbook running their own superb O/S.

The M912 is one of the latest of the breed and at first glance would appear to be almost the ideal portable computer.

What’s in the box?

1. The Gigabyte M912.
2. Plug in wall charger.
3. Drivers/utilities CD.
4. Stylus
5. Carry case.
6. Quick-start guide

General

Gigabyte are perhaps better known for their motherboards, but they have actually been manufacturing laptops for quite some time now – they just aren’t one of the more well-known brands.

The form factor of the M912 is what we’ve come to expect: a sub notebook of Eee PC size with an 8.9” TFT screen. It’s conventional in all senses in terms of appearance, but literally with a slight twist on things - it has a swivel screen that allows it to transform into a tablet PC using a touch-screen interface (more of this later).

Control and ports:

On the front face: two speakers and the LCD touch screen.

Gigabyte M912 screen

On the left: Ethernet port, USB2.0 port, memory car slot, PC Express card slot.

Gigabyte M912 left side

On the right: power jack, VGA out, headphone socket, microphone socket, 2x USB2.0 ports, On/Off switch.

Gigabyte M912 right side

On the back: access to the battery

Gigabyte M912 Specification:

• CPU Intel ® Atom 1.6GHz
• Operating System : Genuine Microsoft Windows VISTA®Home Basic
• Chipset Intel ® 945GSE
• System Configuration Memory : 1GB, HDD 160GB
• LCD 8.9”LCD panel/WXGA 1280x768, w/Touch screen, LED Backlight, as 180° rotation angle
• HDD 2.5", 9.5mm S-ATA HDD
• Keyboard 80 key keyboard/Touch Pad
• I/O Port USB X 3,Mic in, Earphone out, D-SUB RJ45, Express card, SD/MMC/MS
• Audio Speaker 1.5 watt x 2
• Bluetooth 2.0 built-in
• Web Camera 1.3M pixel web camera
• Wireless LAN 802.11b/g by mini-card
• Protection Kensington lock
• Battery Li-ion 4500mAh, Battery life 3.5 hrs (claimed)
• Dimensions: 235 x 180 x 28~42mm
• Weight 1.3kg (include 2.5"HDD)

Highlights:

• Speedy performance.
• Lightweight.
• Ample connectivity.
• Good hardware specification.
• Fully featured powerful operating system.

Lowlights:

• Feels a little bit delicate.
• Screen is not one of the brightest and has a gritty appearance.
• On/Off button is small and placed in an unconventional position.
• Battery life is on the low side.

Review

The 912 uses Microsoft Vista Home Basic. Obviously it is a fully-featured operating system and once all of Vista’s eye candy was turned off, in use it felt responsive enough with applications launching quickly. Occasionally there was some lag with menus appearing, but I think this is probably more of a Vista quirk than anything thing else. The 1 gig of RAM in theory is to close to the minimum requirement for Vista, however, in practice coupled with the 1.6Ghz Intel Atom cpu the 912 proved to be more than ample for most general computing tasks. The machine never felt like it was short of horsepower and, as a result, it felt like a proper computer capable of handling most normal tasks thrown at it – only smaller. Perhaps the only limitations to this machine’s ability would be video editing.

The 160GB 2.5” SATA hdd was speedy enough and it’s inconceivable to me that this would be insufficient for all but the most hungry of power users. No doubt this could probably be upgraded to something larger again if you felt the need.

With built-in 802.11/g wi-fi, Bluetooth and an Ethernet port there is ample connectivity. Bluetooth is a real boon from my point of view as it allowed easy tethering of my mobile phone and PDA. Well done Gigabyte.

The power supply did not come with a UK plug and lead – I suspect that this would be because I was using a review unit. The battery is a 4500mAh item that proved sufficient for about 2hrs of use – somewhat less than claimed. This lower than claimed life was probably due to me using the screen almost always on maximum brightness and no doubt more could be eeked from it with careful adjustment of the power-savings functions. This sort of life a little bit on the low side when compared to the latest sub-notebooks, particularly the Asus EEPC 901 which has a battery life in excess of 5 hours. However, it is unlikely anyone would want to use one of these machines for such extended periods due to their small form factor.

There is a webcam placed centrally above the screen so, video conferencing is entirely possible using something like Skype or MSN Messenger. Personally, I am happy for my contacts not to see my ugly face, but if you’re a teenager then it will certainly appeal!

The mouse glidepad was adequate and featured a scroll area that allowed pages to be scrolled up and down. The left-right buttons mouse buttons had a slightly stiff action, but at least they were positive and caused no problems.

The keyboard was easy to use once I had got used to the physically smaller layout. I wouldn’t want to spend hours writing a lengthy dissertation on it, but it is fine for most uses. It was firm and tactile with good feedback – I’ve used worse on many much larger laptops. Those of you with big hands might struggle, but I was happy with it. There’s number of function keys on it to allow quick access to wi-fi, speaker mute, screen brightness and lock controls – pretty much as one would expect of any other laptop.

Gigabyte M912 keyboard & Touch pad

The screen is a 1280x768 affair capable of displaying more than enough information. However, it’s somewhat disappointing in that it’s not very bright and it has a gritty appearance. I found I had to keep the backlighting on maximum at all times and it’s nowhere near as good as many pdas, mobile phones or other sub-notebooks. Clearly some compromises have had to be made to keep the cost down and it does spoil the experience somewhat because in all other ways the 912 a fine portable computer.

Gigabyte M912 hinge detail

The screen is swivel-screen that allows the 912 to function as a tablet computer and in this mode it is fine is all respects. The hinge doesn’t feel like it’s particularly robust and if I owned one of these I would be taking great care of it as it’s easy to try to twist and rotate the screen in the wrong direction – this is potential for disaster as this would most likely render the machine uneconomic to repair. Most curiously, there was no receptacle for the stylus. I am not convinced that Vista is a good o/s for this sort of use, but that’s a different discussion altogether and not really any fault of the machine’s design. Personally, I can see no use for tablet pcs and I much prefer to use the 912 as a conventional highly portable computer.

MP3 playback through headphones was good enough and I noticed no skips or pauses. The speakers were lightweight of course. Video performance was good with some of my own Windows Media Video files filmed from my motorcycle, the only limitation being the screen. Watching a DivX movie is a realistic proposition.

Software

As already mentioned this machine comes with Windows Vista. You either like it or you don’t. There is nothing extra in terms of software it’s very basic – there’s no office suite for example. Again this is probably a cost-cutting measure, but installing something like Open Office is easy enough and the machine will run it without effort.

Conclusion

So how does the M912 fare? As a portable pc it succeeds very well. It’s small, light, reasonably powerful and well-connected. It’s a proper computer in a small box and it coped with everything I threw at it without breaking into a sweat. For someone who travels a lot like myself it’s almost perfect. The price of £440 inclusive of VAT puts it very much at the higher end of the market and well into the budget “full-size” laptop zone where it compares unfavourably against dual-core machines in terms of performance. However, portability always has come with a higher price tag.

I think I would have preferred it to have been equipped with a lightweight flavour of Linux that would allow all sorts of software expansion at no extra cost and which would have probably boosted performance to very pleasing levels. This would also have had the advantage of reducing the cost of the device which, I feel is on for the high side of acceptable. However, if you’re in the market for an accomplished portable computer then the 912 is a good choice and I would be happy to own one.

Review by: Nigel

The initial set up was very pain free. Install took under 3 minutes and it allowed the import of favourites from my other browsers.

One of the first things I noticed about this new browser was that it differed very much from the other stand alone browsers on the market at the moment. There is no header bar which means that the page tabs sit right at the top of the screen.

Before getting into browsing I took a look around to see what it had to offer. To my amazement I found a whole load of goodies which I will describe below.

Google Chrome Options

This has to be, in my opinion, the easiest to manage options page I have seen yet on a browser. It has only 3 tabs named Basics, Minor Tweaks & Under the Hood. As you can see from the screen shots below, this options page has been set up with ease of use in the forefront of the mind

Incognito Mode

Described by Google Chrome as:

You've gone incognito. Pages that you view in this window won't appear in your browser history or search history, and they won't leave other traces, like cookies, on your computer after you close the incognito window. Any files that you download or bookmarks that you create will be preserved, however.
Going incognito doesn't affect the behaviour of other people, servers or software. Be wary of:

• Websites that collect or share information about you
• Internet service providers or employers that track the pages that you visit
• Malicious software that tracks your keystrokes in exchange for free smileys
• Surveillance by secret agents
• People standing behind you

Learn more about incognito browsing.

This could be described in two ways, first being a dream for those who want to hide their tracks and second being a nightmare for the parents / wife / husband / other who are now be unable to see what their loved ones have been up to. Personally my own feelings are pointing towards the second option.

Obviously anyone can partially hide their tracks by clearing cookies, history etc... but this is just screaming out for abuse.

Developer

Not being a developer this didn't mean a great deal to me but one thing I did like was that the browser had it's own task manager which allows you to see what windows are running high on CPU etc....

Another interesting feature inside the task manager was a link to a page which Google calls "Stats for nerds". I guess I must now officially be a nerd because I loved this feature.

Browsing

Once I started on the browsing I noticed that the page seemed to render itself a lot quicker than on most other browsers but like all Beta versions it did hang on occasion. Clicking on Ctrl T brought up a really cool section that showed most viewed pages and recent bookmark pages.

Overall the browser is easy to use and likeable. I would say that if your into handling the odd bug here and there then start using it now but if your one of those people who just cant handle that sort of thing then wait for the release version which should be a lot more robust.

Posted by: John

I think the S740 will be a popular device but to me it looks a little chunky, reminds me more of the old DECT cordless home phones! Have a look at the video below and make up your own mind!

HTC S740 specification:

• Qualcomm® MSM7225™, 528MHz CPU
• Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard
• ROM: 256MB / RAM: 256MB SDRAM
• 116.3 mm (L) X 43.4 mm (W) X 16.3 mm (T)
• 140g with battery
• 2.4 inch TFT-LCD with backlight LEDs and QVGA resolution
• HSDPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz for Europe
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE: Quad-band 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Standalone GPS / AGPS
• Bluetooth® 2.0
• Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
• 3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus
• Standby time:
  - Up to 400 hours for WCDMA
  - Up to 280 hours for GSM
• Talk time:
  - Up to 320 minutes for WCDMA
  - Up to 380 minutes for GSM

Posted by: Matt

Initial impressions of the Treo Pro is that it's a nice looking device that seem to have everything built in! We should have a review unit in a few days too so that's another thing to keep your eyes open for!

Here are a couple of images of the Treo Pro for you to look at. The video is taking a while to process but that too will be here soon!

A Selection of Treo's!

Palm Treo Pro side view

Palm Treo Pro bottom view (showing the micro USB and 3.5mm headphone socket)

I'll have better pictures for you over the next few days. The lighting at the venue wasn't great!

Posted By: Matt

I'm not going to depress everyone with thousands of text about this browser but simply say "go have a look", I think you will be simply impressed with what Google have to offer.

Google Chrome Logo

"On the surface, we designed a browser window that is streamlined and simple. To most people, it isn't the browser that matters. It's only a tool to run the important stuff -- the pages, sites and applications that make up the web. Like the classic Google homepage, Google Chrome is clean and fast. It gets out of your way and gets you where you want to go."

"Under the hood, we were able to build the foundation of a browser that runs today's complex web applications much better. By keeping each tab in an isolated "sandbox", we were able to prevent one tab from crashing another and provide improved protection from rogue sites. We improved speed and responsiveness across the board. We also built a more powerful JavaScript engine, V8, to power the next generation of web applications that aren't even possible in today's browsers."

A full review of this as a stand alone browser will be posted tomorrow at some point.

Posted by: John

Nokia Comes With Music

Expect the service to launch at, or shortly after, a Nokia Comes With Music press event scheduled for October 2nd.

Posted by: John

eXpansys have reduced the price of the ASUS Eee 701 to an amazing £158.99 inc VAT. Ideal for students going back to college or university this is one of the smallest and lightest ultra-portables ever made. Not that this mini laptop is just for students, it’s hardwearing and a real work horse making it ideal for business. Available in two colours, you can choose between the stylish white and the sophisticated black.

They aren’t going to last for long at this price so snap one up before it’s too late.

ASUS Eee PC 701 Surf (White)

ASUS Eee PC 701 Surf (Black)

Posted by: Matt

This announcement could only be considered as fantastic news for the end customer as each of the major device manufacturers now go out on a limb to better each other, desperate to provide the best content and hardware to rival the massive iPhone market.

With the Apple store already launched and the HTC Dream coming soon (which should signal the Android App Store launch), the question on everyone's lips though should be, "is this too little to late?" as the expected launch of this new app store is sometime in 2009 with the launch of WM7.

It should be an interesting few months ahead as the battle heats up and the consumers are really given a chance to see what their hard earned cash is going towards.

Posted by: John