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Brightkite has added Facebook support to their list of supported sites. You can use this support to update your status and/or your location, notes and photos. Brightkite is becoming a very useful hub for linking social networking sites together, although we would also recommend you look at sites like ping.fm and Fire Eagle as other solutions.
If you would like to view OSM (OpenStreetMap) maps on your iPhone, then this application may be for you. Called route-me, it allows you to view OpenStreetMap, Microsoft Virtual Earth and CloudMade maps. It’s still early days, but it looks promising.
Head over to their website for a little more information.
TomTom have joined in the Boxing Day Sales, and have offered a £50 saving on their top of the range TomTom GO940 LIVE
. This brings the price down to around £390, and also still offers £50 of fuel vouchers that we mentioned before. Head over to TomTom for more information and to purchase.
Well, UK Gadgeteer has been running for roughly 15 months, and in that time we have written nearly 750 articles, reviewed a nice selection of the latest gadgets, and had lots of fun in the process! Next year promises to be even bigger and better, with many more reviews (we’ve got a range of gadgets on test over the xmas period and will be releasing the reviews throughout January).
We’re taking a few days break, but will be back afresh in the New Year, and in the meantime I would like to personally thanks everyone who reads, comments and/or subscribes to the RSS feed, and also to all the contributors and helpers behind the scenes.
To handle the anticipated demand throughout 2009, we seamlessly upgraded to a new server last weekend, which should see us through for some while.
To the manufacturers who send us review samples; thanks to you too; we’ve already started discussions with a number of new companies, so 2009 should see even more reviews.
Brightkite have added Flickr integration into their range of functions. If you head to Account Settings -> Sharing, you’ll now find details of how to configure Flickr uploading. Now, when you upload a picture to Brightkite, it will automatically add them to Flickr too, and will even geotag the picture based on your current Brightkite location.
Brightkite have confirmed to us they will preserve any EXIF data, and will simply add Flickr tags based on your current location; so those who already geotag their photos when the picture is taken (or don’t update their Brightkite location sufficiently often) might need to think carefully before selecting the geotagging option.
Although many people use ShoZu to control their picture uploads, this offers another option, and ensures pictures uploaded to services like Brightkite can still end up in a single repository for long term storage.
In an interesting move, 3UK have added a new low cost tariff to their 3Store. The new tariff, 3 MM100 Plan is part of the Mix’n'Match range, which means it comes with free voicemail, 300 minutes of 3UK-3UK calls, “Free” Windows Live Messenger (limits apply), “Free” Skype (limits apply), and 100 minutes or texts (where 1 minute = 1 text). This tariff is being labelled as a £12 per month contract, but is on special offer at £9 per month from today.
The main downside of this contract is it only offers a small number of phone options (all free); 3 Skypephone, 3Skypephone S2, and the Sony Ericsson K660i (although this is available in an exclusive colour of Lime White as well as the more common Black).
This is a very good headline and attention grabing tariff from 3, but we suspect most people will still head for one of the higher tariffs (which currently offer unlimited 3000 3UK-3UK calls, instead of the 300 included in this new tariff).
Oh, and we’re sorry 3UK, but using the phrase “Free” instead of “Unlimited” is better, but still not giving the total picture; with both the “Free” items listed above still having limits. Go on, give us all a nice xmas present and remove those limits and make 2009 the year that the mobile operators use “unlimited” correctly…
Update: 3 have informed us this is a special offer over the Christmas period, so it may not last into the New Year…
mobbler, our preferred S60 last.fm client has been updated to v0.3.2. The new features include:
As always, mobbler can be downloaded from here, and if you have a recent version of the application, it may notify you of the update. It’s nice to see free applications like this being able to offer S60 5th Edition support so quickly, which bodes well for the future of the platform as the new touchscreen devices (Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia N97) become available.
Thanks to nokiAAdict for providing us the full Changelog (and also the screenshot).
Nokia have released a beta application called “Handwriting Calculator”. Although this will not appeal to everyone, the key and most interesting thing about this application is that they have released Windows, Maemo (used on the Nokia Internet Tablets) and Symbian S60 (5th Edition, ie touchscreen devices) versions at the same time. This shows a commitment to the various platforms, and should mean we will hopefully continue to see other applications, services and beta tools released across the platforms.
Nokia, having purchased TrollTech earlier this year, have talked about releasing cross platforms applications using Qt during 2009, and have stated they are expecting to achieve this on both the Maemo and the S60 platforms; this bodes well for Nokia to allow them to show a united front across their platforms.
Here’s a short video on the new Handwriting Calculator:
More information here at Nokia Beta Labs.
The BBC have announced this week that their iPlayer service now supports Mac and Linux, such that viewers can now download programmes. The BBC have achieved this by working with Adobe to produce a solution in AIR, which is cross platform. However, this is only available to BBC iPlayer Labs users in the short term, with it being rolled out to everyone during 2009. Right now, there are also only a handful of shows that are supported by the new platform, although more will be coming in time, so although the BBC are happy for people to apply to the new beta service, they recommend you don’t uninstall the old version for a while.
Brightkite have updated their iPhone client to v1.1; the new featutes include:
This new version is already live in the iTunes App Store.
As part of bringing you all the technology news, we are sometimes able to offer deals not generally available on the high street. Earlier this month, we announced an offer on the Pocket Surfer 2, and this week we are able to offer 4 deals over and above just heading off to the Vodafone website and ordering. All these deals need you to sign up to contracts, but if you were already planning on doing so, then the little extra each offer includes may just help…
Samsung Tocco with Free Sports Bag
Get a Samsung Tocco on a 18 month contract with 600 mins and Unlimited texts for just £30 a month and get a FREE red sports bag. To sign up, click here.
Samsung Soul with FREE Bose headphones
Get a Samsung Soul on a 18 month contract with 600 minutes and Unlimited texts for just £25 a month, and get a FREE set of Bose headphones. To sign up, click here.
Dell netbook with FREE 2GB memory Stick
Get a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook on a 24 month, 3GB plan for the fantastic price of just £15 for the first three months and £30 thereafter, and get a FREE 2GB USB memory stick. To sign up, click here.
BlackBerry Storm with FREE Sandisk 8GB Micro SD memory card
Get a BlackBerry Storm on a 24 month contract with 600 min and Unlimited Texts for just £35 a month and get a FREE compatible Sandisk 8GB Micro SD memory card. To sign up, click here.
Full details and any specific terms and conditions are listed on the Vodafone website.
After the initial announcement that Nokia will be offering Home Automation solutions, they have now published more information their plans…
Nokia have also released a document with more details of their plans, which can be read in the rest of the article, including support for more Home Automation protocols than we first expected.
last.fm is a popular UK based social networking and music site, offering you the ability to provide details of both your music library and your listening habits (the term scrobbling means to upload the details of the tracks you have listened to), and the site will provide you details of what you and your friends have been listening to, charts based on overall listening figures, recommendations for other music you might like, but also it offers a number of streaming music feeds based on these. The only downside some people have with last.fm is that you can’t pick particular tracks to play, but as it’s based around on extending your current music library, that’s not a big problem to many.
Now, we’ve already covered the INQ1 announcement which has a built in last.fm scrobbler (but no streaming), and now T-Mobile and Vodafone have both announced their plans for last.fm support…
T-Mobile have announced that they are enhancing their current mobile jukebox service by offering last.fm recommendations for other things to listen to. T-Mobile have stated “Last.fm brings easy-to-use music discovery to T-Mobile by allowing its users to enter names of their favourite artists to receive a list of similar artist recommendations from Last.fm. After clicking on one of the recommended links, an artist page will appear along with a list of all tracks available directly from T-Mobile. Clicking on one of these tracks prompts a list of T-Mobile’s content options such as full track, ringtone or Ringback Tone/Caller Tune. When a full track is selected, users can stream a 30 second preview of the track from T-Mobile and can then purchase and download the track directly to their mobile.”
So, this isn’t scrobbling, and it isn’t providing access to the full streaming services, nor the social networking side of last.fm, but it’s more about using the same recommendations engine. However, T-Mobile will also provide the user with more information about the artist from wikipedia, and have also integrated Shazam as part of the service.
Vodafone have, however, are providing more traditional last.fm support for their users. Limited to a selection of phones such as the Nokia N95, Nokia N96, Nokia N78, and the Nokia 6210, Vodafone are bringing the last.fm scrobbling and social networking facilities to these phones. As well as creating a Vodafone group on the last.fm website, they will be providing the client, which although offers a lot of access to information, some users may find that mobbler is a better client.
Here’s a video from Vodafone on their application:
That’s 3 of the main UK networks now offering a last.fm solution on a selection of phones, we wonder whether the others will follow suit…
Now, this is an interesting idea. Mercedes Benz and developing this technology whereby a single screen is capable of presenting different images to each of the front seat passengers, allowing the drive to see, for example, the SatNav display, whilst allowing the passenger to watch a DVD (in most European countries it’s not allowed for the driver to watch moving images, such as DVD or TV programs whilst driving). This should become available on the S-Class around Summer 2009.
The screen is an 8″ Active Matrix TFT screen with special filters built into the screen that control at what angle each picture can be viewed.
More detail at eMercedesBenz [via Engadget].
GyPSii, one of a growing number of Geolocation based Social Networking sites, have announced that they are the first to support the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, and other S60 5th Edition phones, such as the forthcoming Nokia N97.
“GyPSii is ideally placed as the leading innovative application that incorporates social networking and communities with location-aware features – in particular, the ability to provide a location and social graph context to any media captured on the device. GyPSii’s ability to deliver a touch screen experience in one integrated application is key to the Nokia Touch device customer,” said Jure Sustersic, Business Development Manager at Forum Nokia EMEA.
Even better, the GyPSii client for the 5800 will be available direct from Nokia via their Download service, although no 5800 apps are available yet. In the meantime, you can download their existing client direct from GyPSii here (with options for Symbian S60 3rd Edition, BlackBerry, iPhone and Windows Mobile).
If you use your Symbian mobile phone for syncing via SyncML, for example, using GooSync, to sync your calendar with Google Calendar, then one thing that may bother you is the fact you have to manually select the sync application each time. Well, Swim may well be the application for you. It allows you to specify how often to automatically sync multiple sync options, and best of all it’s free.
Story courtesy of The N82 Blog (although since that article was written the author has fixed the bug mentioned).
After the debarcle of the 3 D100 Router which didn’t, doesn’t and probably never will come with a battery (despite the initial 3 technical specs saying it did), this broadband router does feature a battery, although just to upset us further, it isn’t yet available, let alone in the UK…
Novatel Wireless have announced the Mobile WiFi Hotspot (also named MiFi), which features either an HSPA or EV-DO modem (the latter mainly used the States, and the version that’s received a lot of publicity in the last week), along with that battery, which should provide up to 4 hours of broadband access. Interestingly, it looks like the device itself runs a version of Linux, and Novatel has hinted that applications or additional facilities may be possible.
The device should be available next year for US$300, but Novatel are assuming it will be sold by their carrier partners (ie the mobile networks themselves), so we should well see lower subsidised prices. More news as and when it becomes available in the UK.
More information available from Linux Devices.
Further to the original device we featured here, Pronav have now launched the successor, the Pronav PNN-200, which will be available from Maplin from Monday at £199.99. The key features are:
This is said to be useful for not just HGV drivers, but also drivers of any vehicle with any height, width or weight restrictions, including, for example, caravan and motorhome drivers, or drivers towing horse boxes.
Providing map updates is an interesting idea, it will include web access to quarterly updates up to and including the Q2 2009 Navteq release (which we suspect is likely to actually be released much later in the year than it’s name implies); alternatively CD-ROM versions will be available with a small extra cost. However, the unit must be registered within 14 days of purchase to qualify for these updates.
This unit doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a TomTom or Garmin, but does do one thing very well, and that’s ensure the route selected is relevant to the vehicle. As we said when we first covered the first unit, we hope other Navteq map-based SatNav manufacturers take advantage of this data and release similar units; after all, if every unit included this functionality by default, we should have less stories about lorries being stuck in narrow lanes.
Also, it looks like Maplin are running another Free Delivery weekend, so if you are looking for that last minute xmas present, then head over and see what they have to offer.
Initial story courtesy of Pocket GPS World.
Although it won’t affect many people in the UK, Opera have released an minor update to Opera Mini that adds improved support for Symbian S60 5th Edition, as used on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and the forthcoming Nokia N97. However, for those that like to keep their software up to date, you may want to pick up this update anyway.
