Android 1.6 Update

The Android 1.6 “Donut” update was released yesterday to developers and the details are flowing out. In this update, Google isn’t focusing on the user-interface as much as security and performance. A few features have been added with the Donut update such as a quick search box for easy application access, a new multimedia gallery which allows for seamless camera and camcorder integration with performance tweaks here and there. All that plus an updated battery usage indicator which lets you know which applications are using the most power and how much. For a detailed report of all Android 1.6 updates click here.

Overall this update will make your phone harder, better, faster, stronger (cue the daft punk music). We love Android performance updates because that means our Privus Mobile Caller ID application will only perform better. While we’re on the subject, Handango loves Privus Mobile so much they’ve nominated the application for another award but we need your help to win. Follow this link to cast your vote (ehem, you can vote as many times as you like so get clicking).

iPhone competition heats up in Europe

Looks like the iPhone’s exclusivity contract with European carrier O2 has ended after two years. Yesterday Orange UK announced the iPhone 3G and 3GS will be available to its customers and today Vodafone UK and Vodafone Ireland followed suit. Rumor has it the device will arrive on the Orange network sometime during the fourth quarter of this year and on Vodafone’s networks in early 2010. No word yet on pricing, however it should be interesting to watch the iPhone’s Euro-presence change as competitors are introduced. Price drops? More incentives? Stay tuned my fellow Americans, as of now we can only watch with the hope that someday Apple’s golden child will be released from its lucrative, iron-clad contract with AT&T.

[photo credit: iPhone Freak]

Handango Award Nominations Open

Around this time of the year some people start getting excited about Halloween while others start prepping for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but here at Mobile Caller we get excited because that means end-of-year gadget awards!

Handango just put up their 2009 candidates and there are quite a few good contenders on the list! Privus Mobile got another nod, this time for Best Phone Tool for Android! You might remember last year when the application was named Best BlackBerry Evolution by the online app retailer. Well, this year they're up for Privus Mobile on Android.

The awards are being handled a little differently this year. Rather than Handango using a panel of experts to decide the winner, they are leaving it up to the global experts aka the consumers. All you have to do is go to www.handango.com and start voting away! To make it easy on you, we'll go ahead and give you the link to where you can vote for Privus http://mobilecallerid.blogspot.com/2008/10/privus-mobile-named-best-blackberry.html. The voting is open until Sunday, October 4 and you can vote as many times as you like so vote quickly and vote often!

BlackBerry 9700 Review - "It’s the finest BlackBerry ever crafted"

The crew over at BGR got to play around with a BlackBerry 9700 a bit early and their review is positively glowing. Not only do they remark that it's a worthy successor to the BlackBerry Bold in every way, but they even go as far to say "it's the finest BlackBerry every crafted" and they are including the Tour in that assessment.

Picture the beloved, but large BlackBerry Bold. Now picture that but smaller, with a new trackpad, better buttons, free of the cheesy plastic chrome edge, new BlackBerry software and overall improved hardware and you've got the BlackBerry 9700. The faux leather backing is back, which I kind of liked because I thought it gave off a more professional appeal, as is the gorgeous screen, although they put int he black border that we saw on the Tour which some can put up with and some just hate. I personally would have preferred an edge-to-edge screen, but you can't always get what you want.

Overall, the review is absolutely glowing. They continue on to tout the keyboard as the "best BlackBerry keyboard yet" and the call quality and battery life all had amazing remarks as well. The only thing that wasn't discussed was the browser, although it's a BlackBerry so you shouldn't expect it to be great. What most impressed BGR and impresses us is the fact that BlackBerry has managed to not only pack in and improve upon every feature they can (3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.2 megapixel camera, GPS, trackpad (rather than ball), amazing QWERTY keyboard and faster CPU) while actually reducing the overall size of the phone!

Make sure to check out the full review of the BlackBerry 9700 through the link below. One thing to keep in mind, that's the unlocked version right now so it doesn't have the AT&T bloatware installed on it yet and no one's still quite certain what OS version AT&T intends to load on the phones before they put them in your happy hands.

Full Review

New Features for BlackBerry phones from Privus Mobile

The devs at Privus Mobile are working hard to keep Privus Mobile users happy and the latest update for BlackBerry devices seems to do just that. They've incorporated the same caller name lookup functionality made famous by the iPhone app, iPrivus, into their BlackBerry app.

What does it mean for us end users? More functionality and a shiny new interface of course! Similar to the recent Android update, Privus Mobile's free BlackBerry update enables users to not only know who's calling every time their phone rings, but allows them to seek out the name associated with virtually any phone number they come across. Landline caller ID show up as "unknown?" Friend get a call and doesn't know who it's from and doesn't have Privus Mobile? Simply input the number in the new, easy-to-use Privus Mobile interface on your phone and it'll pop up almost instantly.

No more guessing. And don't forget the best part: The update is completely free so head over to www.privusmobile.com, the BlackBerry App World on your phone or one of the many online retailers with the app and grab it.