First look: Sony Walkman X-series

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Sony has taken the wrapping off its most obvious iPod Touch competitor yet – the OLED-equipped X-series Walkman.

We’ve been hands-on with Sony’s latest addition to the Walkman family at the London launch and, while it’ll have to go some way to beat the all-conquering iPod Touch and iPhone duopoly, we’ve come away impressed.

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Farewell you crazy Diamond

Friday, February 27th, 2009

I’ve been desperately trying to like the HTC Touch Diamond, forcing myself to use it for the past six months, but fate has intervened. Or, more specifically, the Diamond getting soaked in water intervened – though I did my best to let all its parts dry out, it developed a nasty habit of switching on and off randomly. Not great behaviour for a mobile phone.

Digging through my drawers, what did I unearth? None other than my old HTC Touch, and I have to admit to falling in love with it all over again. Because, unlike the Diamond, it’s not incredibly annoying! (more…)

Tesco touches up shopping software

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

If you had to put money on which software developer would have been among the first to take advantage of Windows 7’s new touch technology, few would have placed a tenner on Tesco.

Yet, the supermaket goliath joined Microsoft on the stage here at PDC in LA this week, to unveil a prototype shopping application that the company hopes will be launched by the second half of next year.

Although not a solely Windows 7 touch application – it works with a mouse/keyboard and XP/Vista too – the software gives a glimpse into how touchscreen PCs could be used in places like the kitchen, where there’s not always space for a mouse and keyboard.

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Can Microsoft convince us to take touch?

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

Gone – probably for ever – are the days when Microsoft could force the computer industry to adopt a technology through sheer force.  Nowadays it has to convince and cajole PC makers, dev elopers and customers to adopt its wares.  And it certainly has a fight on its hands convincing all of us to enthusiastically embrace the multitouch technology that has become a cornerstone of Windows 7.

If this week’s PDC is anything to go by, Microsoft is certainly winning over the dev elopers. The Surface tables that are dotted around the convention centre are attracting attendees like bees round a honeypot. So, to a lesser extent, are the demonstrations of Windows 7 running on HP Touchsmart PCs. 

I’ve just come from a session devoted to helping developers adapt their applications for multitouch, and whilst the sizeable hall wasn’t full, there must have been 300-400 people listening and tapping out notes on the demonstrations.

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Just in: HTC Touch Diamond

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

I’ve been using the HTC Touch as my regular phone for over a year, so I won’t deny it. I jumped up and down a bit, such was my excitement to hear about the new “improved” version – the HTC Touch Diamond. And I was almost buzzing with anticipation when it arrived in the office yesterday.

But I’ll be honest. My first few experiences with the phone have dampened my ardour. It looks quite nice, with its diamondesque back and glass-dominated front, but it’s so slow it makes a British tennis player look nippy around the court.

For example, the 3D animated menus don’t keep up with your commands – there’s a full half-second lag on occasion. When you try and use Windows Mobile rather than HTC’s TouchFLO interface it’s also slow. In fact, everything’s slow.

There are lots of nice touches that may yet win me round. The built-in gyroscopic accelerometer, which detects whether the screen should be in portrait or landscape mode (and the clever marbles-down-the-hole game that HTC has bundled to show it off).

The web browser, based on Opera Mobile, which makes viewing websites a pleasure. The already-mentioned TouchFLO interface, which means you hardly need to use Windows Mobile at all anymore (an improvement we desperately called for when originally reviewing the Touch). The rather nice on-screen keyboard.

Look out for the in-depth review later this week.