A new ROM update for the HTC Hero has gone live on the company’s UK support site, but right now it’s not entirely clear what the new firmware addresses. Version 2.73.771.73 (H3G) was released today and is apparently a “generic software update” free of any carrier modifications; however we’ve tried to download the package using the serial number from a regular, unlocked GSM Hero only to be told that it’s unsuitable for our device.
If you want a femtocell in the US there are a few to choose from, from each of the major carriers. If you want one which will extend coverage for multiple different networks, however, you're out of luck; or at least you were until magicJack stepped into the ring. Both times we've written about the company - who began by offering a low-cost USB VoIP adapter - we've been inundated with less than complementary comments about them. Hopefully their unnamed femtocell - which promises to work with any GSM phone, even one without an active service contract - will fare better.
Good news for European would-be Nexus One buyers who aren’t keen on importing a handset from the US and who would prefer a subsidized model. Carrier Vodafone has confirmed that it will be offering the Nexus One in the UK “in a few short weeks”, with availability in France, Germany and other countries likely to follow after.
Update: Vodafone UK have an FAQ about the Nexus One; nothing particularly striking as yet, but it confirms buyers will have access to plans “similar to those Vodafone offers for its wide range of smartphones”.
Encryption protects much of our data around the world. Our credit card transactions are encrypted, online medical records are encrypted, online banking transaction are encrypted along with all sorts of other data. When that encryption fails, our information can be accessed by nefarious users.
Palm have announced the next carrier for the Palm Pre, and if you’re in Mexico you’ll be pleased to hear it’s headed to Telcel stores on November 27th. In this case, the Pre will be the GSM model for North American frequencies, in this case quadband GSM/GPRS?EDGE and 850/1900 UMTS 3G.
While the US goes DROID crazy after Friday's launch of the Android 2.0 smartphone, O2 Germany are not far behind when it comes to the GSM version. The Motorola MILESTONE - as the DROID will be known outside the US - was spotted on the carrier's site last week and officially announced on Monday; it's now being listed on the O2 Germany site, priced at €549.99 ($816).
All eyes are on Verizon, Motorola and Google this morning, with the official launch of the Verizon DROID by Motorola, but as soon as the dust has settled you know people will be asking where the GSM version of the smartphone is. The existence of a GSM DROID is already known; however one of our readers has pointed us in the direction of a Tinhte.com video showing the handset in action.
Video demo after the cut
The surest way for someone to generate attention is by making an Apple prediction. Apple has a cult following, and its product development and launch strategy is famously secretive, so the fact that your source is the lunch counter guy across the block from the Hon Hai factory in Taiwan won’t be discovered (or may even be considered authoritative!). Financial analysts are often the worst offenders – we have been promised an Apple tablet more times than I can count, assured that an iPhone nano was on the way, and where’s that iPod touch with a camera?
However, market analysts like me (and fellow SlashGear columnist Michael Gartenberg) rarely talk about specific products before they’re launched. Often, that’s because I can’t: vendors frequently tell me what they are working on ahead of time under non-disclosure agreements. Another reason that I don’t make specific predictions is that I simply hate being wrong: my job depends on my being both trustworthy and generally accurate, and I’m not about to jeopardize that for a bit of extra attention in the press.
For European consumers, the Palm Pre has been a long time coming. Announced - in CDMA form - back in January 2009, with Palm coyly dancing around the matter of a GSM version until its Sprint launch took place in June, the smartphone has even gained a sibling (in the shape of the Palm Pixi) before those across the Atlantic have had a chance to play with the original. That's all finally changing this month, with carrier O2 exclusively offering the Pre in the UK and Ireland from October 16th and Germany from October 13th. Has time dulled the Pre's appeal? SlashGear have been testing out the GSM Palm Pre; check out our full review after the cut.
Palm have not been shy about their intent to release a GSM version of the Palm Pixi, but up until now the Euro-friendly version of the candybar device has been missing in action. One such pre-production handset has shown up in Vietnam, however, with a SIM slot and a mysteriously low 4GB of onboard memory.
As expected, IREX have just announced their latest ebook reader, the IREX DR800SG, an 8.1-inch e-ink device within integrated Qualcomm Gobi wireless. The DR800SG will use Verizon's network in the US (and switch to GSM 3G when roaming) to allow access to Barnes & Noble's eBookstore, Newspaper Direct and LibreDigital. Priced at $399.99, the IREX DR800SG will arrive at "select" Best Buy stores come October, followed by a European launch in the first half of 2010.
Palm has been apparently been busy warning UK retailers that it is less than happy with pre-order pages for SIM-free versions of the Palm Pre, informing them that the webOS smartphone will only be available in locked form (presumably to O2, the company’s UK carrier partner). Our sibling site MyPre.com has been informed by one affected retailer that Palm’s legal team “requested” in no uncertain terms that they take down their listing, where the Pre had been tentatively offered for £450-500 ($737-819).
