The Milestone, Europe’s first Android 2.0 smartphone, sold out in a matter of hours when it was released SIM-free through online retailer Expansys, and Carphone Warehouse must be hoping the success will continue now that is available on the high street.

The phone is still available from Expansys.com for £379.99 SIM-free, or £49.99 on a T-Mobile £35 18-month contract.

The Milestone has recently received an update to Android 2.0.1, with an update to 2.1 expected in Q2. In addition, the Milestone is also Flash 10 ready – with an upgrade of the web browser expected at around the same time.

VISIT THE CARPHONE WAREHOUSE NOW

“We are looking forward to working with Verizon Wireless to deliver our fans the most extensive experience on mobile phones,” said NFL senior vice president of media strategy Brian Rolapp in a statement.

“Our fans have an insatiable appetite for football and we will be able to keep them connected wherever they are on game day but also throughout the year.”

The NFL and Verizon declined to comment on the financial terms but the Wall Street Journal said the deal, which includes a rights fee as well as advertising spending, was worth $720 million.

The deal makes the communications company the official wireless provider for the league and boosts the number of games that can be viewed on mobile devices.

Under the agreement, which replaces the NFL’s previous deal with Sprint Nextel Corp, Thursday and Sunday night games from NBC and coverage from the league-owned NFL Network channel and the Red Zone channel will be broadcast.

The content will be available primarily on 3G but Verizon plans to have the faster 4G available in 25 to 30 markets in 2010 and in virtually all its 3G-covered areas in the U.S. by the end of 2013, the company said.

Verizon’s live coverage will begin with the NFL draft next month.

via Miami Reuters

Such was the hype around the search giant’s own phone that some analysts predicted that the Nexus One would sell 3.5m units in its first year.

But the lack of marketing around the phone (coupled with the fact the HTC Desire is essentially the same device with greater functionality) means that investment bank Goldman Sachs has dramatically reduced its estimates.

“We previously estimated that Google might sell 3.5 million Nexus One units in 2010,” said the firm, according to ZDNet.

Disappointing data

“Initial data-points were disappointing, possibly due to limited marketing and customer service challenges. Flurry estimated (based on mobile traffic) that Google sold 20,000 in the first week, and 80,000 in the first month, both annualizing to 1.0 million.

“We forecast that Google sells 1.0 million Nexus One units in FY2010, benefiting from US carriers other than T-Mobile, and non-US carriers such as Vodafone, promoting the device too, but suffering from limited marketing activity.”

Google is predicted to add to the Nexus range with companies like Motorola coming on board to create the devices – but even then the estimates only go up to two million phones per year.

The decision by Google to only offer the Nexus One online is an odd one – we’re all waiting to see what tricks the company has up its sleeve to make this online portal into a real money spinner.

via Tech Radar

A blogger from the Swedish tech site sent the following innocent message to the CEO: “I’m Jezper from Sweden, a long time Apple fan, currently about to replace the very last computer at home with a brand spanking new iMac i7. I’m also awaiting the release of the iPad. However, I have one question: Will the Wi-Fi only version somehow support tethering through my iPhone?”

Jobs didn’t mince with words with the blunt, but very matter of fact reply: “No – Sent from my iPhone”.

According to the source the header indicated the reply came from the boss himself. However, it also showed up the CEO was still running a 3.1.2 iPhone and hadn’t opted to upgrade to the latest 3.1.3 version of the OS released early last month. Oops.

In response to this email news site, The Register pointed out despite Job’s terse reply the decision for tethering could end up being a decision made my the carriers rather than Apple’s CEO.

UK iPhone tetherers currently signed up to a plan from the likes of O2, Orange and Vodafone should think themselves lucky. As of yet AT&T, the official US iPhone carrier still isn’t offering support for basic iPhone tethering, despite promising it for some time.

via Broadband Genie

Google’s Nexus One, the company’s first own-brand mobile phone, will launch in the UK in April. It will be on sale through Google.com/phone only, as the company has previously announced. Tariffs have not been announced, but the Nexus One is likely to be priced very similarly to comparable smartphones such as the iPhone.

Built by HTC, the Nexus One is Google’s attempt to assert the superiority of its mobile operating system Android, in the face of market dominance from Apple’s iPhone and Microsoft’s reinvigorated mobile software, Windows Phone.

Although the search giant’s first official UK partner, Vodafone, had been keen for a launch in March, sources close to both companies have confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that April is when the company will have a realistic chance of being ready for the launch.

The Nexus One is unusual because it is available online only direct from Google, and so relies heavily on word of moth marketing. Although sales had initially been reported as slow in comparison to the iPhone, the Nexus One has not benefited from the significant promotion that Apple has bought for its flagship product.

Google issued an update to the phone, shortly after its American launch in January, which added the multitouch web browsing that has been so successful on Apple’s iPhone.

Both Google and Vodafone would only say that they were committed to delivering the phone to the UK “in the spring”.

via Telegraph

But lo the Finnish mobile maker has rocked up today with the sleek new Nokia 7230. Not one for the smartphone brigade, this basic blower is aimed directly at those who want a standard cell that can handle calls and texts best.

According for Nokia fan site Noknok, you’ll find Symbian S40, microSD support, Bluetooth, a 3.5mm jack and, best of all, direct access to Facebook and Flickr inside.

Nokia is asking for a mere £129 for the 7230, not half bad when you consider that’s without a SIM and you get social networking skills baked into the device.

via Tech Radar

The advertising campaign – which will run across major television stations – will use the slogan ‘Bing and decide’ and is aiming, in Microsoft’s words, to help searchers make more informed decisions.

Microsoft’s UK MD Ashley Highfield spoke to TechRadar last month about the need to up public awareness and get people to give Bing a try rather than sticking with search’s 500 pound gorilla Google.

PR story to tell

“I think that we do need to have a marketing campaign and I think that the promotion we can give to it from some of our assets like MSN is very important,” Highfield told TechRadar.

“We’ve got a PR story to tell. When people have used a product for the best part of a decade they don’t realise that – particularly as ‘to Google’ has become a verb – their Hoover is looking a bit old fashioned next to the Dyson.

“We’re Dyson – we’ve got the better product. Now Dyson came from nowhere and has become the UK’s number one hoover.

“I want people to Google in Bing.”

Tough task

Of course, actually persuading people to move away from a search engine that, for many, has become synonymous with the internet is going to be a tough ask.

“Bing is new, fresh and not another ‘here today and gone tomorrow’ project, concluded Highfield.

“This is trench warfare and it won’t be over in days and months but years.”

via Tech Radar

The video cropped up on YouTube and shows Eric Rudder on stage at TechEd Middle East playing a simple adventure game on a Windows Phone Series device, Xbox 360 and a Windows PC.

This is possible because the game is built in Visual Studio and shares 90 percent of the code across all the platforms.

Windows PC controls make use of the keyboard, whilst the mobile version utilises the accelerometer and touchscreen that come as a prerequisite for Windows Phone 7 Series devices.

Whilst it doesn’t amount to a whole lot right now, the potential for a unified Microsoft gaming trinity might be just enough to tempt some people away from the lure of iPhone and Android mobile gaming.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the demo is that no matter which platform you were last using, you can carry on playing from where you left off, be it on the bus, at your desk, or in the comfort of your living room.

Check out the video below for yourself for a more complete overview of the action:

via Know Your Mobile

The HTC Supersonic features:

4.3-inch AMOLED screen
Android 2.1
Sense social networking
3.5mm earphone jack
WiMAX super-speed data
The fact that the Supersonic uses WiMAX for fast data speeds means it may never be available in the UK, as tgere’s currently no WiMAX network set up on our shores.

A release date the the HTC Supersonic has not yet been revealed, nor has UK availability.

via Know Your Mobile

HP has released a new video demonstrating how its forthcoming slate PC device is set to run ‘hardware-accelerated’ Adobe Flash.

HP’s video demos that the Slate will feature a 10-inch display, a full capacitive touchscreen and will run Windows 7 and fully support Flash, taking a sideswipe at Apple’s iPad.

Full web browsing experience

“With this slate product, you’re getting a full web browsing experience in the palm of your hand,” posted Phil McKinney, vice president and chief technology officer for HP’s personal system group on the company’s blog.

“No watered-down internet, no sacrifices.”

HP’s Slate is set for release later this year, which gives Apple a head-start in the tablet PC market.

“Chip and screen advancements have given us the ability to create a product that can hit a size, weight, battery life and price point that will make this product a mainstream offering,” wrote the HP rep.

via Tech Radar