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Hardware news (Sept 09): Vodafone gets a piece of the iPhone pie

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29th Sep 2009
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Vodafone gets a piece of the iPhone pie

29 Sept – Apple’s iPhone will be heading to the Vodafone network from ‘early 2010’, the mobile operator has confirmed.  The news comes a day after Orange announced its own plans to launch the iPhone 3G and 3GS before the end of the year.

The deal with Vodafone means Apple’s device will be available across all of the major UK mobile networks within a matter of months (pending the Orange/T-Mobile UK merger). O2's exclusivity of the iPhone lasted two years, though the operator remains the sole network provider for Palm's Pre, which is due to launch in time for Christmas.

Like its rival, Vodafone isn’t releasing details of the iPhone tariffs just yet.

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Orange iPhone confirmed

28 Sept – O2’s exclusive iPhone deal is to end later in the year, with confirmation today that rival operator Orange is to offer both 3G and 3GS models. Apple’s device is currently in its third iteration, and has sold over 20m units worldwide.

Rumours the iPhone would spread onto additional mobile networks first appeared in May.

Exact tariff details are to be released later in the autumn, but here’s hoping the lack of exclusivity to a single network will cause something of a price war between the two mobile operators.

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HP Envy against Air and Adamo

15 Sept – Hewlett-Packard has unveiled Envy, the company’s ultra-thin notebook PC facing up to Apple’s MacBook Air and Dell’s Adamo.  Powered by Intel’s new Core i7 processor, customers will have the choice of either a 13 or 15 inch ‘Radiance’ screen, claimed to offer a display that’s twice as bright as its rivals.  Four memory slots mean users will be able to bump the machine’s RAM up to 16GB.

Despite both models enjoying a slim form factor (the Envy 13 is less than an inch thick, whilst the Envy 15 is barely an inch), one of the Envy’s key features is its removable battery.  Together with a ‘battery slice’ that boosts battery life on the 13 inch version to 18 hours, it does seem HP is delivering a solid entrant against offerings from Apple and Dell. 

The Envy launches in the United States on 18 October with a price starting at $1,699, placing it neatly between the two Adamo models, which are available at $1,499 and $2,299.  HP UK are yet to confirm when the Envy will be released on this side of the Atlantic.

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Palm unveils Pixi, the mini Pre

9 Sept – UK smartphones fans may still be waiting for Palm’s Pre to arrive here in Blighty (courtesy of O2), but that hasn’t stopped the company from unveiling its second WebOS-based model, the Pixi.

Essentially a mini Pre, the Pixi has a smaller form factor than its predecessor, though the size reduction does come at a significant cost to its feature list: namely, the omission of Wi-Fi support.

Besides the novelty of being able to change its cover design, Pixi seems squarely pointed towards social networking.  The device features ‘Palm Synergy’, allowing integration with LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, with instant messaging support and Microsoft Exchange support.  Palm can coin its own term for such functionality, but with iPhone and BlackBerry offering similar features through apps, ‘Palm Synergy’ sounds suspiciously like marketing speak.

There’s no word on whether Pixi will launch in the UK around the time of Pre’s late 2009 arrival in the UK.

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Intel takes Nehalem mainstream

8 Sept – Intel has launched its new Core i5 and Core i7 processors, based on the company’s Nehalem architecture that debuted on mid and high-range servers earlier in 2009.

Developed under the codename ‘Lynnfield’, the new processors are targeted to high-performance desktop usage and feature proprietary technology, including Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading.

The launch of the new processors coincides with the arrival of Intel’s new P55 Express chipset, the design of which represents most significant advancement in nearly 20 years – at least according to claims from Intel.

Entry level servers are also making the jump to Nehalem with the launch of new Xeon processors. In addition to the new micro-architecture, one of the new Xeon chips (the L3426) features increased power efficiency compared to others in the range.
 

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