Now every X10 can multitouch

Japanese X10 users are glad that they are getting an update which will finally enable multitouch or pinch zoom on their X10s. The update was released on the 19th of January 2011 via OTA (Over The Air) or USB connection.[source]

There’s no word when the Malaysian models or other countries will be receiving this update but someone in the XDA Developer forums has made a patch which will let you apply the update yourself. The best thing is, this patch just adds a feature and will not format your phone contents. Check the forum post here. Do note that this mostly works on the x10 only, most X10 mini uers are reporting that it does not work.

Need more convincing? Watch the video below:

Motorola still locking bootloader

For quite some time now, Motorola has been locking bootloaders of their Android phones. What this means is that there is no possible way (at the moment) to put any custom ROMs onto your Moto phone. The newer phones such as the Motorola Atrix 4G is also locked. This is confirmed through a reply posted by Motorola on one of their Youtube video about the Atrix docks here. The reply was a very feisty and rude one too (which was actually then removed by video moderator due to its inappropriateness but on the internet, once something is seen, it cannot be unseen).

@tdcrooks  if you want to do custom roms, then buy elsewhere, we’ll continue with our strategy that is working thanks.

Motorola

To put it in the words of a favourite Malaysian meme, Motorola said:

Motorola ini lock bootloader, you tak suka, you keluar dari Motorola.

So, what Motorola is trying to tell you is, if you don’t like what they are doing with their bootloader,  you can take your money and go elsewhere. The Atrix 4G is actually quite a cool piece of hardware, able to run a custom version of Linux when placed into its dock. If only those who bought the phone were given more freedom to do whatever they liked with the phone they purchased.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc preview

Sony Ericsson is trying very hard to win back the heart of their Android users, especially since SE stood up all their users which owned the predecessor, X10 (and its variants) by denying their phones are updates to future updates of Android OS from Google. But like the saying that goes  “Once bitten, twice shy”, i’m a bit skeptical that the phone is as good as it claims to be. Phonearena’s recent preview of the phone helped shed some light on the situation:

Q: Battery size of 1500mah on a phone so thin?

A: Back in CES 2011 when the specifications were released, we discovered that the battery in the Arc rated 1500mah, which isn’t small at all. It’s as big as the one found on the 4″ Samsung Galaxy S and even bigger than the one found on the 4.3″ HTC Desire HD (1230mah). The rather big battery means that you can expect similar battery life to other big screened phones but can SE really fit a battery that big inside the thin body? Well, the answer is yes. Check the picture below:

Q: I prefer stock Android to SE’s heavy customization, has anything changed?

A: Well, the answer is Yes and No. On this preview, it is shown that SE has done away with Mediascape, leaving only shortcuts to the gallery and music on the dock. These shortcuts will bring you to the default 3D Android gallery and also a skinned Android music player. Timescape, however is still around, integrating all your messaging and social networking information into a tile/flip card interface as a widget on the homescreen as shown below. Other than that, most parts of the interface are still skinned, for example the phone dialer.

Q: How’s the camera?

A: Firstly, the camera interface on the Arc has also been skinned by SE, bringing a black and white only theme. See below:

The photos qualities, especially photo taken in low light conditions are considered good for a smartphone since it uses a new sensor from Sony. The camera sensor is also back illuminated, like the iPhone 4, which also produces rather good pictures. Click here to see some sample photos.

Those are some of my queries on the SE Arc answered. We’ll be seeing more full reviews once the phone is out around April 2011 (if  SE can deliver without delay). If you wish to read the full SE Arc preview by Phonearena, click here.

HTC HD2 is a multi-OS phone

The HTC HD2 is one of the very first smartphones to have a huge 4.3″ screen. Codenamed Leo, this phone was released around the world in Q4 of 2009 running the now obsolete Windows Mobile 6.5. The excellent hardware brought forth rumours that this phone will be upgraded to the latest Wndows Phone 7 OS, but unfortunately around March of 2010, it has been confirmed that HD2 will never be upgraded. This left quite a number of consumers stuck with a smartphone running on a dying OS, discontented that the superb hardware will never be able to achieve anything greater than a mere Windows 6.5. More than a year later, thanks to the open community of programmers, the HTC HD2 proudly runs numerous phone OS and even desktop OS, such as:

• original Windows 6.5
• Android
• Ubuntu
• Windows 95
• Windows Phone 7 (WP7)

I’ll briefly run through all the OS which runs on this phone and how to get them running with suitable references and links.

Windows 6.5

Level: Easy

Just switch your stock HD2 on and this is the OS you get. There’s even an update to 6.5.3 if you ever desire it. Development from software companies has come to a complete stop the moment Microsoft announced their plans for the WP7. The only development comes from the open community such as XDA. At the point Windows 6.5 stopped, the amount of apps available are enough for daily use and you’ll only be stuck mostly on Microsoft online services. With Google growing greatly,  it’s being left out of most Google online services.

 

Android

There are two different ways to run Android on your HTC HD2:

From SD Card, Level: Medium

First of all, you need to check the version of Radio ROM on your HD2. It appears on the white screen with the HTC logo when you’ve just switched on the phone. The minimum should be 2.08. Then download a few Android OS files onto a folder in your SDCARD. Boot into Windows 6.5, look inside the folder and click on the two launcher, called CLRCAD.EXE and HARET.EXE. Just wait patiently as the Android OS loads. For the full steps (including if you do not have a minimum radio ROM of 2.08), refer this post. Everytime you reboot your phone, you will return to Windows 6.5.

From phone internal memory (NAND), Level: Hard

This step will complete copy all the Android OS files into your phone’s internal flash memory or also referred to as NAND, where the original OS files for Windows 6.5 are located. This step requires connecting your phone to the computer and formatting (or the official term: flashing) your phone. Extra caution is required not to disrupt the process (such as PC not responding, power outage, disconnecting the phone USB before fully flashed), else your phone might not work. Once this is done, your phone will automatically boot into Android without going through Windows Mobile. Read the written tutorial here first to understand the steps and prepare what you need and watch the video tutorial here to see a demo of how it is done.

 

Ubuntu

Level: Medium

Android is essentially a version of Linux and so is Ubuntu. Similar to Android, Linux is able to run on the HD2 with the correct drivers. Installation of Ubuntu is also similar to Android running from a SD card, which requires file to be executed on the phone via Windows Mobile. Refer the thread here for more info. Noone can really expect Ubuntu to run as a smartphone OS, but this is fun to try since the steps are not so much different from Android.

 

Windows 95

Level: Easy

You know you are extremely geeky,  and you wish to impress you friends with endless possibilities of what can be done on smartphone. Therefore, you should see Windows 95 running on the HD2. This is possible with a emulator called QEMU. Just copy QEMU onto the SDcard and execute it from within Windows Mobile 6.5 and it will load an image file of WIndows 95 from the specific folder. Click here for a video demonstration. If you really want this OS as well, go to this page for more info.

Windows Phone 7

Level: Hard

The HD2’s hardware will not allow it to be denied to chance to run WP7, no matter what Microsoft says. The HD2 hardware is still on par with many late 2010 high end smartphones and are even better than most middle range smartphones. The step is rather similar to running Android from the phone internal memory (NAND). Instead of Android OS files, WP7 OS files are flashed onto the internal memory. Watch HD2 running WP7 here, and check this page for download info.

There you have it, five different OS running on your once abandoned HD2. If you are tired of Windows 6.5, my recommendation is to try Android on HD2 because

• Android runs of many different phones with different hardware, some having slower CPU speed and less ram than the HD2. The HD2 definitely has the right hardware to run Android.
• Developers have been running Android on HD2 much longer than WP7, therefore it is more stable and has less bugs.
• Android currently has more apps on the Android Market compared to WP7 so you would not be bored trying new games and apps. Have fun.

new Blackberry Torch2

Have you ever thought that Blackberry’s flagship phone, the 9800 Torch as kind of disappointing? Well, we did. The CPU was underpowered and the Blackberry OS 6 feels like patched together and wasn’t really optimized to be working on the touchscreen plus hardware keyboard combination. Looks like RIM is going to right that wrong by releasing a new Torch 2 with faster CPU and other additions like a NFC chip. We’re guessing it will be numbered as 9830 after the 9800 Torch. Anyway. full specs below:

• 1.2GHz processor (624mhz on 9800 Torch)
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Tri-band HSPA 14.4Mbps
• 3.2-inch VGA 640 x 480 capacitive display
• 8GB built-in memory (4GB on 9800 Torch)
• 512MB RAM
• Bluetooth 2.1
• GPS
• NFC
• 5-megapixel camera with flash
• Magnetometer
• Accelerometer
• Proximity sensor
• 1300 mAh battery
• BlackBerry OS 6.1 (9800 Torch on BB OS 6.0)
• OpenGL ES
• 14.6mm thin

Most of the changes is on the hardware inside. As you may have noticed with most Blackberry phones, the outside appearance changes ever so slightly with each iteration of a model. Compared to the older 9800 Torch, this one is rumoured to have a matte silvery finish. It will make it’s first appearance in Q3 of 2011 in America. We’re guessing it will come to Malaysia shortly after that. More news when we get the info. [source]