Communication Breakdown
Communications from the world of, er, communications. And other stuff.
Thursday 29 October 2009, 5:09 PM
HTC Hero to get Android Eclair, skip Donut
HTC's Hero handset will be upgraded to Android 2.0 at some point, the manufacturer has confirmed.
A tweet from the company's official account late on Wednesday read: "The rumors are true! Hero will be getting an Eclair update. We ask for your patience as we update Sense for the fancy new Android OS."
Android 2.0, the so-called 'Eclair' revision of Google's open source mobile operating system, introduces a refreshed user interface, Bluetooth-based peer-to-peer connectivity and native Exchange support.
European Hero users will not, however, get the 'Donut' revision of Android, also known as version 1.6. In an email sent to a customer by HTC, the company said: "The Hero will not be receiving the Android 1.6 upgrade, it will however get the 2.0 one".
When a new version of Android is released, manufacturers such as HTC then integrate the new version into their own customised implementations of the OS. The result then often goes to the operator so branding and operator-specific functionality can be added.
Donut is currently being rolled out over-the-air to users of 'Google experience' phones such as the T-Mobile G1 and HTC Magic. However, these handsets do not have the HTC Sense user interface skin, so it is likely that HTC has simply decided to skip Donut because Eclair — which has already appeared on Motorola's Droid handset — is itself almost ready for a wide rollout.
The HTC Hero, not being a Google experience handset, has to receive firmware upgrades through being connected to a PC via USB cable. This requires a wipe of the old OS version and reinstallation of all user settings and applications, so skipping Donut might make life easier for Hero users after all.
A tweet from the company's official account late on Wednesday read: "The rumors are true! Hero will be getting an Eclair update. We ask for your patience as we update Sense for the fancy new Android OS."
Android 2.0, the so-called 'Eclair' revision of Google's open source mobile operating system, introduces a refreshed user interface, Bluetooth-based peer-to-peer connectivity and native Exchange support.
European Hero users will not, however, get the 'Donut' revision of Android, also known as version 1.6. In an email sent to a customer by HTC, the company said: "The Hero will not be receiving the Android 1.6 upgrade, it will however get the 2.0 one".
When a new version of Android is released, manufacturers such as HTC then integrate the new version into their own customised implementations of the OS. The result then often goes to the operator so branding and operator-specific functionality can be added.
Donut is currently being rolled out over-the-air to users of 'Google experience' phones such as the T-Mobile G1 and HTC Magic. However, these handsets do not have the HTC Sense user interface skin, so it is likely that HTC has simply decided to skip Donut because Eclair — which has already appeared on Motorola's Droid handset — is itself almost ready for a wide rollout.
The HTC Hero, not being a Google experience handset, has to receive firmware upgrades through being connected to a PC via USB cable. This requires a wipe of the old OS version and reinstallation of all user settings and applications, so skipping Donut might make life easier for Hero users after all.
Wednesday 28 October 2009, 5:30 PM
Free Android sat-nav hits TomTom, Garmin shares
Shares in sat-nav firms TomTom and Garmin plummeted on Wednesday, after Google announced free turn-by-turn navigation software for Android 2.0 handsets.
Google unveiled the beta version of Google Maps Navigation as Verizon and Motorola launched the Droid phone, the first handset to use the 'Eclair' version of the Android mobile operating system, in the United States.
The software — currently only of use to US drivers — provides 3D views, search by voice, turn-by-turn voice guidance and automatic rerouting.
By late afternoon, UK time, TomTom's shares had fallen by 21.9 percent. Garmin's shares were down 17.6 percent.
On Tuesday, Google updated the Android software development kit to take advantage of new features in the Eclair revision. These enhancements include native multitouch, Exchange support and HTML 5 support.
Google unveiled the beta version of Google Maps Navigation as Verizon and Motorola launched the Droid phone, the first handset to use the 'Eclair' version of the Android mobile operating system, in the United States.
The software — currently only of use to US drivers — provides 3D views, search by voice, turn-by-turn voice guidance and automatic rerouting.
By late afternoon, UK time, TomTom's shares had fallen by 21.9 percent. Garmin's shares were down 17.6 percent.
On Tuesday, Google updated the Android software development kit to take advantage of new features in the Eclair revision. These enhancements include native multitouch, Exchange support and HTML 5 support.
Monday 26 October 2009, 4:47 PM
Release date reported for Orange iPhone
Orange will start selling the iPhone in the UK a day after O2's exclusivity on Apple's popular handset ends, according to reports.
The Guardian reported on Sunday that Orange would start selling the iPhone on 10 November. O2 launched the iPhone in the UK on 9 November 2007, through an exclusivity deal with Apple that the operator would only describe as "multi-year" — now known to mean 'two-year'.
Orange was the first UK operator other than O2 to announce it would carry the iPhone. It was quickly followed by Vodafone, who say they will carry the handset next year.
Rumours have circulated that 3 intends to do the same, but the operator refused to confirm or deny this speculation on Monday. T-Mobile says it has no intention of carrying the iPhone on an official basis (it resells imported units to some business customers).
Orange would not confirm The Guardian's story on Monday, but instead reiterated its already-stated line that it would launch the iPhone before Christmas.
The Guardian reported on Sunday that Orange would start selling the iPhone on 10 November. O2 launched the iPhone in the UK on 9 November 2007, through an exclusivity deal with Apple that the operator would only describe as "multi-year" — now known to mean 'two-year'.
Orange was the first UK operator other than O2 to announce it would carry the iPhone. It was quickly followed by Vodafone, who say they will carry the handset next year.
Rumours have circulated that 3 intends to do the same, but the operator refused to confirm or deny this speculation on Monday. T-Mobile says it has no intention of carrying the iPhone on an official basis (it resells imported units to some business customers).
Orange would not confirm The Guardian's story on Monday, but instead reiterated its already-stated line that it would launch the iPhone before Christmas.
Thursday 22 October 2009, 5:33 PM
Nokia specifies its 10 Apple suit patents
Nokia has revealed which 10 patents it is accusing Apple of infringing upon with its iPhone handsets.
The Finnish handset maker will not say how much money it is demanding from Apple in the case, filed in the Delaware federal district court on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Nokia did however tell ZDNet UK on Thursday afternoon which patents were involved. The 10 patents all relate to UMTS (3G), GSM (2G) and/or wireless LANs (WLANs). All the patent numbers listed below are United States Patent numbers.
Five of the patents relate to wireless data:
5802465 - Data transmission in a radio telephone network
6359904 - Data transfer in a mobile telephone network
6694135 - Measurement report transmission in a telecommunications system
6775548 - Access channel for reduced access delay in a telecommunications system
7092672 - Reporting cell measurement results in a cellular communication system
Two of the patents relate to speech coding:
5862178 - Method and apparatus for speech transmission in a mobile communications system
5946651 - Speech synthesizer employing post-processing for enhancing the quality of the synthesized speech
Three of the patents relate to security and encryption. The first two relate to UMTS, while the last relates to UMTS and GSM:
6882727 - Method of ciphering data transmission in a radio system
7009940 - Integrity check in a communication system
7403621 - System for ensuring encrypted communication after handover
UPDATE: According to Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, Nokia is looking for a 1-2 percent royalty on each iPhone sold, totalling somewhere between $200m and $400m.
The Finnish handset maker will not say how much money it is demanding from Apple in the case, filed in the Delaware federal district court on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Nokia did however tell ZDNet UK on Thursday afternoon which patents were involved. The 10 patents all relate to UMTS (3G), GSM (2G) and/or wireless LANs (WLANs). All the patent numbers listed below are United States Patent numbers.
Five of the patents relate to wireless data:
5802465 - Data transmission in a radio telephone network
6359904 - Data transfer in a mobile telephone network
6694135 - Measurement report transmission in a telecommunications system
6775548 - Access channel for reduced access delay in a telecommunications system
7092672 - Reporting cell measurement results in a cellular communication system
Two of the patents relate to speech coding:
5862178 - Method and apparatus for speech transmission in a mobile communications system
5946651 - Speech synthesizer employing post-processing for enhancing the quality of the synthesized speech
Three of the patents relate to security and encryption. The first two relate to UMTS, while the last relates to UMTS and GSM:
6882727 - Method of ciphering data transmission in a radio system
7009940 - Integrity check in a communication system
7403621 - System for ensuring encrypted communication after handover
UPDATE: According to Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, Nokia is looking for a 1-2 percent royalty on each iPhone sold, totalling somewhere between $200m and $400m.
Wednesday 21 October 2009, 10:28 AM
RIM takes ZDNet UK on a magical pixie ride
Well, I'm here in Bochum, Germany, on a press trip with Research In Motion. I can't tell you yet why we're here (hint: it's BlackBerry-related, but nothing that I couldn't write up from ZDNet UK towers) because the embargo hasn't lifted yet.
I can however tell you that we've just been shown around a section of RIM's Bochum R&D facility. We saw various screens and machines that you would no doubt like to see. But you can't. They wouldn't let us take any photos.
So I'll describe the picture using words instead. We were guided into RIM's secret lair by a Canadian wizard. Elves danced around us, holding aloft BlackBerries and singing their jolly Rhinelandish songs. Laughing engineers sprinkled pixie dust on each smartphone, bringing the heavenly devices to life, one by one. The head wizard, chuckling Mike Lazaridis, benevolently ushered us into the most secret of grottos, where gumdrops flew around the air, as if by magic.
But you can't see that, because of the photo ban. Aren't you disappointed now? I certainly am.
I can however tell you that we've just been shown around a section of RIM's Bochum R&D facility. We saw various screens and machines that you would no doubt like to see. But you can't. They wouldn't let us take any photos.
So I'll describe the picture using words instead. We were guided into RIM's secret lair by a Canadian wizard. Elves danced around us, holding aloft BlackBerries and singing their jolly Rhinelandish songs. Laughing engineers sprinkled pixie dust on each smartphone, bringing the heavenly devices to life, one by one. The head wizard, chuckling Mike Lazaridis, benevolently ushered us into the most secret of grottos, where gumdrops flew around the air, as if by magic.
But you can't see that, because of the photo ban. Aren't you disappointed now? I certainly am.
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