The biggest of these devices are probably the HTC Desire and Legend handsets which are currently flying off the shelves and have been a big favourite of the Gadget Helpline since their initial release, so like most HTC lovers we have been eagerly awaiting the release of the FroYo software for our own HTC Desires and Legends.

Well good news may have  arrived today, as HTC’s European director Mark Moons has caused a bit of a stir by tweeting that the company will begin the FroYo rollout as soon as tomorrow!

Moons tweeted: “We beginnen vanaf morgen met de upgrades naar Android 2.2 voor Desire, later meer devices”, which roughly translated (using Googles own Google translate) is: “We start tomorrow with the upgrades to 2.2 for Android Desire, later devices “.

Now, if you do have the HTC desire this may still take a few days to come through as Moon also stated in a later tweet:

“That does not mean everyone gets [it] directly tomorrow…there is a bandwidth limit”.

The HTC Desire getting FroYo Tomorrow?

So if the update does go live then it will be a slow rollout to customers to save on any Apple like free for alls on the Android servers!

Last month it was reported that converting the HTC sense UI to FroYo was quite problematic and that the company did not want to release sub par software, so HTC had stated that the 2.2 would be in released some time in Q3 of the Year.

If the HTC desire is to get an update tomorrow then it would seem that HTC have fixed the Sense UI issues and can then start rolling out the update across the rest of the HTC range.

If you receive any updates or have any queries get in touch or leave a comment below and check back soon for more updates on the FroYo and all Android news, but in the meantime check out our Android 2.2 FroYo announcement article to see all of the updates (and a handy Video) you will be getting with the update.

“The act of breaking your iPod/iPhone/Android or any other device in the process of Jailbreaking it to allow third party software.”

Jailbreaking is pretty big business, the process of Jailbreaking however is not something many people would admit to doing… until now as the US copyright authority has come out and stated that unlocking smartphones like the iPhone of HTC Desire to install application taht have not been allowed by the manufacturer is “Fair Use”.

The recent revision of the US copyright law also allows users to unlock their iPhone to switch telecom service providers, However, those who distribute the means of jailbreaking your iPhone could still be at risk of legal action, meaning you’ll have to do it DIY-style to be on the safe side.

Legally unlocked iPhone?

The place that this is going to be most apparent is with Apple products, where Apples sometimes over the top restrictions can cause a large amount of issues and complaints within its user base, and thus has lead to a large amount of user jailbreaking their handsets.

Apple however are still not happy regarding the decision by quickly making a statement to news site Bloomberg, stating: “Apple’s goal has always been to ensure that our customers have a great experience with their iPhone and we know that jailbreaking can severely degrade the experience,” said Natalie Harrison, an Apple spokeswoman, “The vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones as this can violate the warranty and can cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably.”

Apples general stance is that Jailbreaking and iPhone handset will open the phone to security holes, computer viruses, and hardware damage, but many see the lost revenue from the App store and products being the real issue for Apple.

Reports are coming in from tech website Pocket-lint.com that T-Mobile customers may finally be able to get their hands on a brand new iPhone 4 as early as the 30^th of July.

A source close to Pocket-Lint and T-mobile has suggested that the handset will be going live this coming Friday but will only be available on contract as there is no Pay as you go options available.

The 30^th of July is also the day that the iPhone 4 handset goes live in a further 17 countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and Hong Kong.

Via: Pocket-Lint.com

Last April the UAE Interior Ministry made plans to check the identity of anyone using the internet in public places and after a separate row erupted between RIM and the state telecoms firm Etisalat, an “update” for the BlackBerry handset was released which RIM claimed was Spyware.

RIM who are yet to comment on the situation are in hot water due to their use of encrypted networks which make it difficult for governments to monitor communications. The UAE are considering restricting or monitoring BlackBerry smartphones, because they pose a “national security risk.” The telecoms regulator has claimed that BlackBerry operates beyond the jurisdiction of national legislation” because it stores its data offshore.

This follows recent legal troubles with other ‘media-giants’ such as Facebook and Google who have found themselves on the wrong side of governments with ‘privacy issues.’

It is obviously paramount that our data is protected and that developing technology is monitored but where do we draw the line? Are politicians being too harsh? What do you think? Leave us a comment below…

Source: BBC news (tech)

In a hectic day for Apple news, Apples third big time announcement to its home computer range is that brand new update to its iMac home pc line-up including an overhaul of is processors and its graphics accelerators.

Basically there are four newiMacs in total but as with most computer systems each one is customisable to your own requirements/budgets so its a bit of a mixed bag for all of the setups, the main point of excitement comes with the is new fastest ever with dual-core processor speeds up to 3.6 GHz.

These speeds are courtesy of the new Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 chips that are now onboard the new iMacs and the addition of a ATI Radeon HD 5750 graphics card, and Apple are keen to team up the new iMacs with its brand new 27 inch screens but you can see more on them here>>

The 21inch and the 27 inch Screens

So to sum things up a little Apple’s new line of computers come in the following packages with customisations available all over the place:

The new 21.5-inch 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3 iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:

• 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
• 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics with 256MB GDDR3 SDRAM;
• 500GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• slot-load 8x SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for audio and video output (adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• iSight® video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one SDXC SD card slot;
• one FireWire® 800 port;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

Configure-to-order options include up to 8GB of RAM.

The new 21.5-inch 3.2 GHz Intel Core i3 iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

• 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
• 3.20 GHz Intel Core i3 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 5670 discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3;
• 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for audio and video output (adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• one SDXC SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

Configure-to-order options include a faster 3.6 GHz Core i5 processor, 2TB hard drive and up to 8GB of RAM.

The New iMac

The new 27-inch 3.2 GHz Intel Core i3 iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,699 (US), includes:

• 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
• 3.20 GHz Intel Core i3 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 5670 discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3;
• 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for audio and video input and output (adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• one SDXC SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

Configure-to-order options include a 3.6 GHz Core i5 processor, 2TB hard drive, 256GB solid state drive (SSD) and up to 16GB of RAM.

The new 27-inch 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

• 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
• 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 5750 discrete graphics with 1GB GDDR5;
• 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for audio and video input and output (adapters sold separately);
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• one SDXC SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

Configure-to-order options include a 2.93 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor, a 2TB hard drive, 256GB solid state drive (SSD) and up to 16GB of RAM.

Additional accessories include: Magic Trackpad, Apple Battery Charger, wired Apple Mouse, wired Apple Keyboard, wired Apple Keyboard with numeric keypad, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, the AppleCare® Protection Plan; and pre-installed copies of iWork®, Logic® Express 9, Final Cut® Express 4 and Aperture® 3.

The new 27″ LED Display is certainly an awesome display for both the pro and consumers alike, It incorporates a magsafe power adapter to enable you to charge your Macbook Pro without the need for a power adapter, with an iSight camera, and microphone to boot it’s a great new update to any self respecting Mac owner.

The 27inch LED Apple Cinema Display screen

And to top it all off the screen is also energy efficient by earning itself a EPEAT Gold status with its ambient light sensors, which automatically adjusts the display brightness based on external lighting conditions and mercury-free LED technology, arsenic-free glass and highly recyclable materials, make the new screen a very green update.

There’s also three rear-facing USB ports and a Mini Display Port connector, plus a nice set of stereo speakers to bang out all of your recent iTunes purchases and all of this for only an extra $100 more than it’s baby brother the 24 inch, but that’s still not cheap as this brings the total price to $999 (or £650 roughly) and users will have to wait until September until they receive one!

So if you have a few hundred pounds to spend then get on over to the Mac store and update your resolution!

First out of the blocks is Apple’s new Trackpad accessory, with Apple stating: “Why should notebooks have all the fun?”…

The Apple Magic Trackpad is a new Mac accessory that offers Mac users a full Multi Touch Trackpad, similar to a Mac Book Pro or other laptops, the Trackpad is designed to support gesture controls and other features of a normal Trackpad.

The Magic Trackpad will allow users to take advantage of Apple’s patented multi-touch technology through a smooth glass and aluminium design, enabling users to scroll smoothly up and down a page with inertial scrolling, pinch to zoom in and out, rotate an image with fingertips and swipe three fingers to flip through a collection of Web pages or photos.

Aesthetically the Magic Trackpad is designed to fit in smoothly with your current Mac setup by sharing the same sculpted aluminium design as the Apple Wireless Keyboard so all those design conscious Mac lovers need not worry.

The Apple Magic Touchpad

The Magic Trackpad is made entirely of wear-resistant glass and is the largest Trackpad on offer, offering a new way to navigate and use a Mac computer, and to top it all off the Trackpad is also one giant button… so it can also eradicate the mouse entirely.

The Magic Trackpad supports full gesture control

The Magic Trackpad is works using Bluetooth technology so there is no need for messy wires and reportedly can be used up to 33 feet away (although we have no idea why you would want to do this!) and to help with the wireless nature of the Trackpad, Apple have also released an Apple battery charger for the device.

System Requirements wise the Magic Trackpad requires a Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.4 running machine with Bluetooth Mac and will come with 2 AA batteries included in the pack. The Magic Trackpad is on sale via the US Apple store for $69.99 (roughly £45) and is currently listed on the UK store but there are no official details for the UK release.

They'll be back!

Well moments after we post about rumours to the Apple store having a vast new lineup and update does the US Apple store go live with its latest Computer offerings!

Yes Apple have quietly launched a huge amount of updates to its computing range with updates to both the iMac and Mac Book Pro range plus the releases of a whopping 27-inch LED Cinema Display and the brand new Apple Touchpad.

Now there is allot of information going on here so we are doing our best to get full updates on all of the products as soon as possible but in the meantime check out the following press releases from Apple regarding its bumper pack of updates and new products.

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/07/27display.html

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/07/27macpro.html

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/07/27imac.html

Check back in a while for our full breakdowns and thought son the updates.

Keen eyed Apple customers have noticed the now synonymous “We’ll be back soon” post it note up on the Apple online stores and a recent stock shortage in Apple retails stores suggests that Apple are readying their shelves for some new stock and some big updates.

Non Apple stores have also reported recent issues with getting hold of stock so Apple may be holding back to encourage people to buy the newer souped up Macs, new no official statement has been made but word is that a new iMac unit would have USB 3.0 as well as the forever rumoured a touchscreen iMac version of the computer.

They'll be back!

Rumours for an update to the Macs have als0 been filtering through with suggestions that the new Macs will sport a dual-core Intel Core i5 processor.

Word is that Apple are also holding a special meeting for press and industry insiders tomorrow so we may see the announcement tomorrow afternoon!

Stay tuned to find out if any of the rumours are true.

This is great for nifty apps and games which take advantage of touch technology and video-streaming, photography, etc so touchscreen smartphones have never looked better.

But as with all technology, touchscreens are not fool proof and they do come with some aggravating niggles. Here’s a blog we found at Red Ferret anticipating ‘ten serious problems with touchscreens’ which may have affected the iPhone 4. Although it transpired that the screen was not as disastrous as the blog suggested (and in fact it was the antenna which caused the most fuss) it still gives you an idea of some of the problems touchscreen phones face, such as scratched screens (caused by keys in pockets), dirt and dust causing the screen to malfunction and poor contrast in sunny weather.

Samsung haven’t found a solution to every issue and they haven’t created a super-screen but they have endeavoured to provide a smartphone which has a high-quality screen and they have combated some of the complaints about poor visibility in bright environments and slow, poor quality displays some manufacturers have had.

The Samsung Galaxy S comes with a 4” Hyper Definition Super AMOLED screen and 1GHz processor which provides ‘unmatched brilliance and vivid eye-catching colour’ regardless of what you are watching on it. Plus it comes with double tap zoom capability. Check out the video by Samsung (below) and see if you are impressed.

What phone do you have at the moment? Is the screen up to the standard you expect? Leave us a comment below.

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