Digital Content Editor
Alex Angove-Plumb is a Digital Content Editor at WhistleOut and an award-winning journalist. He's been in the tech publishing industry since 2010, putting him a few short years away from the title of Grizzled Ancient in his chosen profession. He was an original WhistleOut-er before running NBN Co's corporate blog for two years, then moving on to a lengthy stint at CHOICE. Now he's come home.
Over his career, Alex has learned more about phones, telcos, and the NBN than he'd like to admit, and is happy to put his expertise to good use by helping our readers navigate the often-confusing morass of buzzwords and gotchas that tech marketing can throw your way.
When not shaking his fist at kids these days, you might find Alex tinkering about the house doing arguably destructive DIY, messing with one or both of his cats, or trying just-one-more-run in whatever roguelite he's currently obsessed with.
The HTC Wildfire S is a small, budget smartphone available exclusively on the Telstra network in Australia. Unlike most network-exclusive handsets, the HTC Wildfire S will not actually function on any 3G network other than Telstra’s, but will still offer standard calling and texts on other carriers.
The HTC ChaCha (aka the HTC Status in the US) is one of the new breed of Facebook/Social Media centric phones we’re starting to see crop up around the place. Much like the INQ Cloud Touch, the HTC ChaCha has a user interface (UI) experience based heavily around efficient Facebook navigation. However, unlike during the INQ Cloud Touch review we did a couple of weeks back, we were pleased to discover that HTC managed to not only make an easily navigable interface, but a responsive one as well.
Telstra has announced the Enterprise and Business launch of its new Telstra 4G LTE Network. Come the 29th of August two thousand pioneer USB modems will be made available to Telstra Business customers. This new product is to be named the Telstra USB 4G and will run on both 4G LTE and 4G HSPA, utilising both the 1800MHz and 850MHz spectrum bands. This means that anywhere where customers do not have 4G support Telstra’s 3G HSPA network should still be available.
The Google Nexus S is the first Google-branded phone manufactured by device giant Samsung. Running on Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread out of the box and easily upgradeable to 2.3.4 in most countries, the 4 inch Nexus S has seen its fair share of popularity due to its unique outward design, solid specs and penchant for seeing Android updates ahead of the competition.
The INQ Cloud Touch was the first of the new class of Facebook-centric smartphones. Originally referred to in only whispered rumours under the moniker of Facebook Phone, the Cloud Touch is an affordable Android device aimed those who have busy social lifestyles but don’t wish to pay for a top-end device. So, how does it compare to the competition and does its Facebook-centric user interface (UI) hold up under the pressures of a heavy user?
Goodness knows the original Galaxy S had more versions of it than you could shake a stick at and, true to form, it looks like Samsung is taking the same path with the Galaxy S II. Introducing the Samsung Galaxy Z (I9103); the first semi-clone of the Galaxy S II. The Galaxy Z is a phone that sports a modern look and feel, but with a down-grading in both hardware and price when compared to Samsung’s new flagship phone of similar external design.
The N9 has spent enough time running through the tech world now for opinions to have finally settled and the almost unanimous verdict is that Nokia has done something right. Although the Meego operating system has been described as a dead platform by more than on tech industry guru, it appears that both Nokia and Meego have managed to come together to create a fluid, interesting and overall useful device.
The HTC Incredible S might not look like much when compared to its contemporary brethren, but appearances can be deceiving. At first glance the change in approach to case design taken by HTC is obvious. Instead of the usual heavy brushed stainless steel frame the Incredible S sports a monotone soft-touch case that gives the device a plastic feel. The shape of the case itself is basically just a sized-down Desire HD. The back of the device sports a “unique contoured design” that really isn’t anything special when compared to the intriguing rear plates of the Desire HD or HD7. All in all it isn’t an ugly device, but it isn’t an overly stylish one either.
The HTC Sensation is soon set to become HTC’s new flagship phone just about everywhere but the US. The Dual-core 1.2GHz handset boasts some impressive hardware specs, as well as the Android Gingerbread OS and new Sense 3.0 user interface (UI). It’s basically the very definition of the new generation of smartphones and should emerge as a solid competitor for Samsung’s much awaited Galaxy S II.
The HTC Salsa is set to be released soon and carry on the strong-chinned legacy of the HTC Hero and HTC Legend, although with somewhat less focus on the unique case design and more on social networking (the iconic chin has seen a definite decrease in size when compared previous models). Also noticeable is the lack of any trackball or touchpad at the base of the device, HTC opting to instead include a dedicated Facebook button that lights up at different times, but more on that later.