Not only does this comprehensive Samsung Monte Slider E2550 manual run you through the phone specs and step by step guide to all its features but more interestingly it allows you to capture a 360 degree view of the phone and an get you involved in an interactive button tour.

Click the image below to launch the interactive guide:

Interactive user manual

Overview of the interactive guide contents:

• Phone Tour
  Who needs a thick hardback manual when the interactive user guide tells you all you need to know about how your Samsung Monte Slider E2550 works. Whether you’re wanting to find out how to use the Music  features or more simply how to make a call, the interactive phone tour is there to run you through all these options.
• Phone Specification
  Mobile phone specifications are usually a technical minefield, however the Samsung Monte Slider E2550  specification helps you answer some of the common questions posing many Samsung  owners, such as does the Samsung  have bluetooth so I can use it to connect with my in-car media center; or how do I download a full music track from Vodafone Live?
• Phone Views
  Take a look at the phone in all its glory by using the interactive 360 degree viewer. Have fun with your PC mouse by clicking and dragging the interactive image viewer to give you a taste of the Samsung Monte Slider E2550 from various angles.
• Phone Features
  Get to grips with the phone’s features and follow the step by step guide on how to access and browse the internet; or how to play music on the Monte Slider.
• Phone FAQ’s
  Although the comprehensive interactive guide should have provided you with the knowhow of all the phones specs, features and usability, there may be some questions still left unanswered. View the Monte Slider ‘s Frequently Asked Questions section to assist you more.

For more interactive user manuals for all your mobile and smartphone needs click here>>

Apple have since took the developers apps off the store, but the main concern is that aswell as manipulating the store itself, individual users iTunes accounts have been targeted by Thuat Nguyen developers too. Mass purchases have been made with peoples debit cards, subsequently leaving them with bills for up to $600 for apps which they have never bought.

Numerous reports suggest that this specific developer is only one of many new sophisticated hackers, determined to steal your money through your iTunes account. This is worrying stuff for consumers and Apple seem to be taking the problem lightly by simply suggesting users to ‘change their password.’

Obviously a change of password is a smart move with the current Apple security issues, but there is more that can be done.

Here’s what to look out for and what you can do to prevent yourself becoming a victim of ifraud.

• The trend is to buy a couple of low cost apps and then one app at an extortionate price
• Victims are not just US but across the globe
• A free (malicious) app called World War has the ability to send money over to the developer
• Little information is known about these developers other than that they a primarily based in Asia

So what can you do?

• Change your password
• Also, check your bank statement for suspicious activity
• Contact Apple
• Remove you debit card details from itunes (think about using gift cards instead)
• If you don’t trust an app, don’t download it

Have you been a victim of this latest scam? Let us know, leave a comment.

Source: The Next Web

The Gadget Helpline are proud to announce that they are working in partnership with the newly unveiled Times Online website to offer its readers free help and advice live from Gadget Helpline’s team of experts on Friday afternoons at 4pm.

Customers can log on and sign up to take part in the Live chat with the Gadget Helpline team via the Times website and will be able to ask all those nagging technical questions putting them directly to a team of dedicated tech heads.

The Times Online is one of the UK’s premier newspapers and along with its sister publication the Sunday Times is one of the longest standing publications in Britain.

Last week the Times and the Sunday Times launched a new paywall subscription service to the Times Online websites, which will charge readers to access the new websites for a small fee of £1 per day or £2 for a full week’s subscription.

For now, customers can sign up for a free trial period to test out the Times Online service and can use this to take part in the Times and Gadget Helpline’s Gadget clinic tomorrow completely free of charge. The trial period will allow user’s full access to the Times and the Sunday Times for the coming weeks so users can check out the some of the exciting new features for themselves.

Click the image to register for the Gadget Clinic

The Gadget Helpline is seeing a constant growth in its customer base and is really proving that users want jargon free and comprehensive technical support for all their household gadgets. The Gadget Helpline’s CEO, Crispin Thomas, stated: “I am delighted to be working with a brand such as the Times and am looking forward to assisting it’s readers with their Gadget related queries” and he added: “we are excited about new media initiatives such as the Gadget Clinic and are looking forward to introducing the Times customers to our growing gadget club of satisfied customers”

So if your mobile’s had a meltdown, PC is paralysed, or you just want basic advice, join us on the Times online website on Friday at 4pm for the Live Gadget Clinic.

To visit the Times Technology section and to register for the Gadget Helpline’s Gadget Clinic sign up click here or to watch last weeks Gadget Clinic click here.

The Gadget Helpline are proud to announce that they are working in partnership with the newly unveiled Times Online website to offer its readers free help and advice live from Gadget Helpline’s team of experts on Friday afternoons at 4pm.

Customers can log on and sign up to take part in the Live chat with the Gadget Helpline team via the Times website and will be able to ask all those nagging technical questions putting them directly to a team of dedicated tech heads.

The Times Online is one of the UK’s premier newspapers and along with its sister publication the Sunday Times is one of the longest standing publications in Britain.

Last week the Times and the Sunday Times launched a new paywall subscription service to the Times Online websites, which will charge readers to access the new websites for a small fee of £1 per day or £2 for a full week’s subscription.

For now, customers can sign up for a free trial period to test out the Times Online service and can use this to take part in the Times and Gadget Helpline’s Gadget clinic tomorrow completely free of charge. The trial period will allow user’s full access to the Times and the Sunday Times for the coming weeks so users can check out the some of the exciting new features for themselves.

Click the image to register for the Gadget Clinic

The Gadget Helpline is seeing a constant growth in its customer base and is really proving that users want jargon free and comprehensive technical support for all their household gadgets. The Gadget Helpline’s CEO, Crispin Thomas, stated: “I am delighted to be working with a brand such as the Times and am looking forward to assisting it’s readers with their Gadget related queries” and he added: “we are excited about new media initiatives such as the Gadget Clinic and are looking forward to introducing the Times customers to our growing gadget club of satisfied customers”

So if your mobile’s had a meltdown, PC is paralysed, or you just want basic advice, join us on the Times online website on Friday at 4pm for the Live Gadget Clinic.

To visit the Times Technology section and to register for the Gadget Helpline’s Gadget Clinic sign up click Here.

With an ever expanding market of new phones it’s becoming harder and harder to distinguish what the best mobile phone is, but 3 years ago Apple parachuted into the scene and introduced the iPhone.

Since the iPhone’s initial release, the mobile market has changed, Apple’s first product was huge… bigger than most could have expected and completely changed the way the mobile market worked. Since the initial release Apple have steadily released updates to the Original iPhone on an annual basis and have kept their stamp on the market, but since the release of the iPhone there has been another prodigal son on the horizon….. Android.

Google’s Android software has been slowly building up momentum since its initial release in the G1 Handset, and in the past 6 month nearly every big name brand has been stepping up to the Android plate to try and create the next iPhone Killer!

Well, we at the Gadget Helpline like both handsets… but there are differences, so we thought we would do a little comparison of our own and share with you our 5 Things Android do better than Apple.

Apps

Wow… this is a bit awkward as Apple will happily tell you they “…..have an App for that”, which is true, but sorry Apple… you also have a charge for that.

The reason Android has better apps is simple, the majority of them are free, and who doesn’t prefer things free? The other massive selling point the Android Marketplace apps have is variety, it’s not so much “There’s an App for that”, but more “someone will make an App for that”.

As Google’s Android system is Open Source this means that people (by people we mean developers and super techie people) can make pretty much anything they can code and then put it on the Android Marketplace, this alone is one of the major factors in the rise of the Marketplace with 50,000 apps having been made available in just 6 months between Nov 2009 to May 2010.

And to top it off Installing and updating Apps on your Android phone is much, much easier than installing and App on an iPhone, it’s a simple click of a button and the App is installed/updated via the handset. Simple.

Web Browsing

Flash….. that’s the one word we need to say. As Apple and Adobe continue their ongoing name calling war it’s hard to see the real benefits that Apple are gaining from not incorporating the Flash software, but until you have tried to navigate freely over the web without a decent flash player… you can’t  fully grasp the importance of the software.

Add into this the fact that you are very limited to using Safari (and as of recently Opera) on Apple devices it’s pretty limiting if you like to personalise or get variety on your web browser.

Android however has one of the best inbuilt mobile browsers and in addition this it allows the option of downloading an additional web browser of your choosing (like Dolphin), so you can use additional features like Tabs and Gestures, it really does give you access to a full browser experience in the palm of your hand.

Personalisation

One of our favourite features of the Android phones it that we can truly make it OUR phone. If I want to change the background I can, if I don’t like the shape of a clock then just download another, so I want to see my contact on my main screen, fine, and if I just want a blank main page… well that’s not a problem.

Android allows users to completely customise their device and with an ever growing Android Marketplace you can continually update and look for new styles/widget/features for your handset.

And with the Android phone manufacturers also getting in on the personalization aspect of Android (for example HTC), you can now also store themes and layouts so you can quickly swap between a business setup (contacts, stocks, news feed and connectivity) to a social friendly setup (Twitter feed, Facebook, friends updates, messages and personal email).

Widgets

Widgets; it’s a funny word, but the reason widgets are funny is because… well they are fun. Widgets have slowly come to the forefront in recent years of quick access areas that will keep us updated at any point, and man, have people done some cool stuff with widgets!.

From automatic friend feeds from Facebook, Twitter and other social media devices to a simple weather overview on your home screen, it’s all right there at the forefront of your Android phone for you to see, play with and update. No menus, no loading time and no problems.

And if you don’t like one of the pre installed widgets, then just download another one, as the variety of apps and widgets on the Marketplace grows daily there is always a choice, this alone adds a whole new experience to owning a mobile phone and will ensure that you cannot get bored/tire of your Android device for many years.

Google Products

Ah now this is a bit unfair, as Android was built by Google with the intention of Google product integration, but as much as it’s not fair, it’s one of the best features of the Android setup. Especially if you regularly use Google products, such as Google mail or Google maps functions.

With most Android phones coming with inbuilt Google search bars, Google mail apps, Google Maps, and Google account connectivity, it’s hard to stay away from the big G giant’s software, but with the added fact that they all work just so damn well, you be foolish to not use the products.

So there are 5 things to get your teeth around, but fear not as next week we will be doing a “5 Things Apple do better than Android” article.

Bungie and Activision up a tree....

Bungie and Activision Love-In

I guess it had to happen… we all knew it would one day. Bungie studios has finally found a decent publisher. The company recently announced a ten-year development plan for their next franchise after the uber-prolific Halo series.

The deal will give Activision exclusive publishing rights to all Bungie’s releases in the next decade, a real business step for the company, as their Halo franchise is drawing to a close, with Reach coming very soon. But expect another entry in Halo from Microsoft, as they still have certain rights to the franchise remaining from their last business outing with Bungie.

Hopefully with Activision on board we’ll see some amazing new games, as both companies are industry veterans with an ample background of releases. With Activision, Bungie can finally send out their releases to all major consoles and the PC, and it’s been reported that the company is quite focused on the multiplayer competitive gaming side of the industry;

“We’ve done a lot in the Halo space online, so I think ultimately we’re going to be able to bridge the consoles and community no matter what platform we’re on,” said Bungie president Harold Ryan. “And with competitive gaming, I think we’re going to be very successful in having Activision as a partner.”

However, Bungie says that they won’t be touching Activision fan favourite Call of Duty, with “It’s not something that Bungie is interested in.” Continued Ryan.

On a brighter note, what the company is interested in, is “making a new entertainment property” and “creating a brand-new universe and IP.” We’ll keep you posted.

Nintendo Falters?

What Happened to Nintendo?

Following the shocking announcement that Nintendo sales have dropped by a hefty amount, what can we hope to see from the company in the near future?

In fact, Nintendo’s sales have been dropping on all fronts, from software to the DS console, with the DS dropping 12%, Wii software dropping 6% and DS software going a lot further south, falling 23%.

It gets worse, with projections from the company claiming that the Wii will drop down to 18 million units sold down from 25.95 million representing a 21% fall, with DS figures dropping from 31 million to 27 million producing the 12% drop mentioned above.

Maybe some new releases such as the GODLY Monster Hunter Tri/3 and the awesomeness that is Mario Galaxy 2 will bring attention to the Wii, and since the 3DS is coming too, maybe this is only a temporary setback for the Japanese firm.

Picture Break

Here’s another epic Mario pic from the internet.

Decisions, Decisions....

It’s too quiet… New Releases

Well… nothing really…. but you all have the Halo Reach beta, right?

Not the Game the BETA.... test it and complain at your will

In other news… OMGWTFLOL THE TF2 ENGINEER UPDATE IS… coming soon. They released an evil little video though… and you can see it here.

Flash game of the week

This week we are going to a bit of a flash game classic with “N Game”, the N is for Ninja and the rest is simple, you guide a gold hungry ninja through hundreds of Puzzle/platform levels to inevitably escape. Play it if you dare but be warned, you will not stop until your fingers bleed or the Z key breaks.

N Game also available on XBLA as N+

It can be found here: http://www.addictinggames.com/ngame.html

Final Thought – METAL GEEEEEEEEEEEEAR?!

With the release of Peace Walker, the latest entry in the Metal Gear franchise, hitting shelves soon, let’s just take some time to address the issue… where is Metal Gear going next?

Solid Snake’s story has been and gone, and so has the one of his daddy Big Boss, leaving us only with the pathetic sideshow of MGS: Rising, which is coming soon… so, what’s going to happen to our favourite stealth action franchise?

With their rivals in the form of the Splinter Cell franchise still going strong, Konami had better give us something… or are they just going to let it die?

Snaaaaaaaaake!

Probably not, as ever since Peace Walker and Rising were announced, Konami has been rather quiet on the Metal Gear front. Maybe we could be seeing some more of the adventures of Big Boss next year, or even a total remake of the earlier 2D entries into the original Metal gear franchise. Only time will tell.

Well fear not good people, as those lovely chaps (and chapesses) over at Virgin media have gone and allowed their remotes to be programmed so that you can control your TV’s volume using the Virgin and V+ box remotes.

Now, unlike Sky’s remote setups, with a Virgin remote all you can control is the volume but hey, beggars cant be choosers. We at the Gadget Helpline have compiled a guide on just how to setup your Virgin remote with your TV.

Before we start you must first find the 4-digit code which will need to be programmed into the remote to connect it with your TV, to find your code click Here. Alternatively you may find additional codes using the HELP and INFO pages on your Virgin Set-Top Box (Option 9) and selecting HELP WITH YOUR REMOTE CONTROL (Option 7).

Note: the guide is for the following remote controls only:

Instructions:

1. Press and hold down the VOL+ and MUTE keys on your remote at the same time for at least three seconds, until the red light at the top right-hand corner of your remote control flashes twice. You can ignore any messages that appear on screen whilst you do this.
2. Release the buttons.
3. Enter the first four digits from the list of remote control codes (you must do this within 10 seconds of the red light flashing).
4. As you enter the first three digits the red light on your remote control will give a short blink.
5. Once the forth digit is entered the red light will flash twice to confirm that the volume remote control function is set.

Test:

Test the volume keys. If the setting of the volume is not successful, please repeat the above steps with the next code that was provided on the code table.

If the volume control is still not working after trying the codes for your TV model, or your TV is not listed, then your TV isn’t currently compatible with your remote control.

The study showed that Panasonic had a failure rate of just 5.3 per cent for cameras under US $300 (£195).

SquareTrade’s findings are based on results of a study of 60,000 digital cameras purchased since 2006, and looks at failures as covered by its warranty plans.

The next best camera to own is one form Fujifilm which had a failure rate of 6.1 per cent.

Olympus and Sony also fared equally well in the study with a fractionally higher failure rate of 6.2 per cent.

The two lower-end camera brands with the highest failure rates were Polaroid (11.9 per cent) and Casio (13 per cent).

SquareTrade did find that a camera’s failure rate decreases as its price increases.

A camera costing up to US $150 (£97) has a 7.4 per cent chance of failing, compared to a failure rate of just 4 per cent for cameras priced at over US $500 (£325).

Panasonic still topped the reliability ranks of higher-end models, with a failure rate of 1.9 per cent among models priced at over £325.

Of these premium models, Canon cameras were found to have the greatest risk of failure at 6.2 per cent.

By projecting the data over three years, 15.6 per cent of all digital cameras will experience some sort of failure, whether it be accidental or by malfunction.

Overall, SquareTrade estimates that 5.9 per cent of cameras will fail within the first year, with 2.4 per cent of those failures down to accidental damage.

Considering the number of digital cameras in circulation, we’re actually quite impressed by the longevity of today’s cameras, but then again these are devices that we tend to hold onto for a few years instead of upgrading every 24 months, as is the trend with mobile phones.

Which brand of digital camera do you own? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Cue Sky+, Sky’s brilliant home PVR (Personal Video Recorder) box that allows you to do all the above at the click of a button and even throws in the ability to watch another channel whilst recording.

We at the GadgetHelpline love our Sky+ boxes but what we don’t love is when the box’s freeze, slow down or are just a source of general frustration. So as with all things tech it’s a good idea to do a quick reset and give your Sky+ box a fresh start from time to time.

We at the GadgetHelpline are here to help with our guide on how to perform a full system reset on your Sky+ box.

But before we go on with the guide we need to remind you that the Full System Reset will remove all content stored on your Sky+ box including recordings and program reminders…. so if you don’t want to lose those episodes of Lost from last week then you will need to watch them before performing the reset, but if your fine with it then proceed as follows:

1. Turn on your Sky+ box
2. On your Sky+ remote, press the Services button.
3. Scroll to “System Setup” and press the Select button.
4. Press the 01 and press the Select button to access the hidden engineer’s menu.
   

   The hidden engineers menu

5. Scroll to “Full System Reset ” and press the Select button.
6. “This option will delete all existing and planned recording” will be displayed, press the Select button.
7. The Sky+ will now display “Housekeeping – Please Wait” whilst it resets. The Sky+ Will then Switch itself off.
8. Turn the Sky box back on.

And that’s it. The Sky box has been reset!

For more help with your Sky+ box or any other home entertainment help then give us a call at the GadgetHelpline.