Insider - the eXpansys staff blog

Even though we know we aren't supposed to, most of us still do it... it's so hard to resist... we TEXT while DRIVING!!  Motorola's answer to that is their H17txt Bluetooth Headset with MotoSpeak App! 

As easy as:

1) Pair your headset with your device;

2) Download and install the free App from the Marketplace and

3) Turn on your H17txt headset and as soon as a text or email comes in, it will be read to you. 

So simple, everyone should be doing it!

The Motorola H17txt recognizes the caller from your contact list and announces their name, reads their text/email, translates our favorite acronyms like LOL, BTW, etc. and then replies automatically to sender that you will get back to them L8R.

NOW THRU SUNDAY, 9/5, GET YOURS FOR JUST $74.99!!  IT EVEN QUALIFIES FOR STANDARD $3.00 SHIPPING!  AT THIS PRICE, THEY WON'T LAST LONG!!

eXpansys UK is continuing to offer free delivery on all UK orders on www.expansys.com.

The charges, ranging from £3 to £37, have been completely wiped in this one time deal.

In America, Android's market share has spiraled upwards since the start of the year, with a massive 886 per cent rise in sales according to a recent article on cnet.

It is now the most popular OS for any smartphone, dethroning reigning champ Apple as the king of the hill.

Is the UK about to follow suit?

Well, yes. Probably.

Google's smart-phone platform has not only surpassed the behemoth that is Apple it has also trumped BlackBerry-manufacturer RIM, the previous market leader in the USA.

Handsets running Android grew by nearly ten times in the second quarter of 2010 due largely to its successful partnerships with popular phone manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung.

Analysts have put Android's market share at 34 per cent.

Will Apple and RIM fight back?

I’d bet my house on it.

The recent launch of the iPhone 4, means it may be some time before Apple’s fightback is registered in sales and market share but BlackBerry has already come out fighting - the BlackBerry Torch 9800 and its new OS 6.0 is due any day.

Google is welcoming the battle, saying the competition can only be good for the industry and, ultimately, the consumer.

And they’re right to do just that. The smartphone market is now very much in the Premier League of consumer technology. It is bigger today than the computer industry ever was, and growing ridiculously fast.

So who will emerge the victor?

Well, the consumer wins all day, every day, clearly. As for the manufacturers – it’s maybe too early to call. Apple is probably the most recognisable brand of the 21st Century. It’s everywhere. BlackBerry is the old bear, stirred from its slumber by two new cubs who’ve suddenly realised their offering has claws. And Google’s Android is growing faster than anyone could have predicted.

They’re all smiling right now.

eXpansys UK has thrown out the rule book by offering free shipping on all UK orders before the end of the month on www.expansys.com.

 The major online retailer for consumer technology, has announced the offer already to its faithful twitter followers, but is now shouting loud and proud.

 The charges, ranging from £3 to £37, have been completely wiped in this one time deal.

 The offer ends at the end midnight 31st August so don’t miss out. Get clicking!

Want the latest version of the famous handset from Apple?

Choose your region and order now the 16GB or the 32GB. Both are in stock!

After a long wait, the Quadricopter designed by the French company Parrot, is now available.

Several online stores have been especially created to sell the Ar.Drone and its dedicated accessories.

Choose your region and enjoy!

Deutschland

France

United Kingdom

More countries will come soon.

IT DOESN’T have to be a straight choice between play or work when choosing a new smartphone, you know.

The BlackBerry has long been the preserve of pin-stripe wearing business-types, mostly because of their unequalled reputation for emailing stability and digital security.

Even the iPhone and its many Android-driven rivals, are not fully-optimised for office work. They may be the businessman’s favourite toy but they’re still not quite the mobile secretary that the BlackBerry has become.

That’s all about to change.

Take a bow the BlackBerry Torch. It’s as much fun as it is serious business contender. Like a briefcase with a sense of humour and the buttons to take you beyond the workplace.

The BlackBerry Torch is a new breed of BlackBerry. This is a businessman who takes his leisure time seriously. So the Torch covers all bases. Want to access Facebook, Twitter, download some fun applications but still rely heavily on instant email delivery, the stability of a seven-foot-doorman and the security of an isolation cell? It’s all built in.

The BlackBerry Torch boasts both a touch screen and the physical QWERTY keyboard that has come to characterise top-of-the-range RIM phones.

Could the BlackBerry Torch become the ultimate phone for the office and the home? Well, yes. Actually. It really could.

Possibly even the phone that puts BlackBerry back in the smartphone premiership alongside reigning champs Apple and new contenders HTC.

The BlackBerry Torch really does give BlackBerry owners more of everything they already love – and then gives them a bit more on top.

Want to stay on top of all your social networks in one place? Social Feeds brings all your social networks together into one single inbox, just like your email. Cool? Oh yes.

Stay up to speed with current affairs, or just check in on what’s going on around the globe with the new enhanced web browser that brings desktop-like internet to your hand. Improved? Oh yes.

There’s also a rather sexy 3.2" touch sensitive screen to make browsing the internet or watching a movie easy and intuitive. All this on top of the by now legendary BlackBerry services you’ve come to love and expect - BlackBerry Messenger and its legendary email.

So, what else?

Well, it has an oversized handset (not everyone’s cup of tea but certainly not out of place in today’s super-sized smartphone market) to include that gorgeous big screen.

It has the best operating system of any BlackBerry – the BlackBerry 6 OS is an absolute delight to use. It has been completely revamped with pinching and zooming, and includes tabs that let you swap between web pages.

It comes equipped with a 5 mega-pixel camera with flash, auto focus, video capability, image stabilisation and new scene modes. So you don’t need a separate digital camera.

It even has iPhone-like universal search which will scan all your folders, apps, Internet, email and more, all in one search.

And its battery life is hugely impressive – easily matching the iPhone 4 and HTC Desire spec.

Want more?

Of course you do. How about GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G and 4 GB straight out of the box? You can add more memory - up to 32 GB – if you want all memory bases covered.

I loved it. It is the first BlackBerry I’ve tested that hasn’t had a ‘it is great but if it only had…….’ afterthought attached.

I didn’t put it down all weekend. If it was a woman I’d be rightly accused of having an affair.

--

Have you any questions about the BlackBerry Torch? We are running a Twitter Q & A session on Thursday. Start following us and start your message with the word '#exptorch' - expansysuk

Click here to pre-order the BlackBerry Torch today.

eXpansys UK has thrown out the rule book by offering free shipping on all UK orders for a whole seven days on www.expansys.com.

The major online retailer for consumer technology, has announced the offer already to its faithful twitter followers, but is now shouting loud and proud.

The charges, ranging from £3 to £37, have been completely wiped in this one time deal. 

The offer ends at the end of Wednesday 18 August, so don’t miss out. Get clicking!

BlackBerry has long been the businessman’s favourite toy, mainly for its easy-to-use email and legendary stability.

Now it is clearly looking to get a foot in the door of the new obsession with truly social phones.

So the gorgeous-looking BlackBerry Curve 3G comes equipped with not only its flawless email service but also a camera, wi-fi, 3G, 256MB RAM and a 320x240 resolution display.

It is also wholeheartedly embracing social media. With the BlackBerry Curve 3G you can stay connected to everyone and everything that matters. Check what your friends are up to on FaceBook, update your Twitter account or just send message to your friends via BlackBerry Messenger. 

The BlackBerry Curve 3G, as you’d expect from any BlackBerry, makes everything so very easy. When you want to relax, dedicated media keys let you chill-out to music or get involved in a movie. It’s all backed up by the world-renowned and unrivalled BlackBerry email service too.

You could almost mistake the BlackBerry Curve 3G for its older brother the 9700 Bold. It has all the same features, with manufacturers RIM even managing to add a few more ("n" WiFi to name but one).

Excited? Any self-respecting BlackBerry disciple should be. And, we’re guessing there’ll be more than a few converts from the ranks of smartphone fans across the globe when this is released in the UK shortly.

Coming in at just £299.99 for the sim-free version (free of charge with a contract) it’s a great introduction to the world of BlackBerry for new users or a no-brainer upgrade for those who have older BlackBerry handsets and want to keep up to date with all their social media contacts. Click here for pre-order the BlackBerry Curve 3G.

WITH SO MUCH CHOICE AND SO MANY NEW FUNCTIONS, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU?

CHOOSING the right mobile phone can be like traversing a technological minefield unless you know exactly what it is you need and what is available.

A new national survey by global consumer technology retailer eXpansys has just revealed that we spend more than two hours every day using our mobile phones.

We now spend far more time using our phones to text, surf the net and access social networking sites like Facebook than we do actually talking too.

So what, exactly do we use our mobile phones and smartphones for?

Do we require something that takes great photographs? A piece of phone-tech that doubles as a movie-making kit? Access to great business applications or social networking? A 21st century Filofax?

There’s a veritable maze to navigate to get the best option. And every phone is as different as the myriad of must-have functions users list whenlooking for their ideal handset.

Here’s a handy breakdown of the Top 5 Best Multi-taskers on the market right now to help you step through the phone tech minefield unscathed.

Acer Stream

The gorgeous Acer Stream is exclusive to eXpansys and does everything in HD. It’s 3.7" display, using the latest AMOLED technology for better colour, the 5 mega-pixel camera that captures stunning HD video at a moments notice. And when your done recording, the built in HDMI port lets you connect your Acer Stream directly to your HD TV to share your movies on the big screen. Perfect for would-be Steven Speilbergs.

£399.99 on sim-free deal from eXpansys.  Click here for more info/buy.

Motorola MILESTONE XT720

The Motorola MILESTONE XT720 is a thoroughbred a media phone. Android based, it has an 8 mega-pixel camera paired with a Xenon flash (like proper digital camera's), which means it can take amazing photo's in poor light conditions. Add in HD video recording and top if off with a HDMI port, which lets you connect the XT720 directly to your HD TV. Great for photos and video.  £359.99 on a sim-free deal from eXpansys. Click here for more info/buy. 

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini pro

One of the smallest smartphones ever. No bigger then a small box of matches but features a QWERTY keyboard, Google's Android OS and full access to all of Google's services, from search and navigation to the Android Market that lets you download thousands of apps. Great for people who want pocket-sized major functionality and are not fans of touchscreen keyboards.

£254.99 on sim-free deal at eXpansys.  Click here for more info/buy

Samsung Galaxy S (8GB)

A social networking addict? Checking and updating your Facebook account several times a day, sharing your every move with your extended online family. With HD video recording you can film your every move and the latest version of Google's Android OS enhanced by Samsung which outputs everything to a Super AMOLED screen means you are your friends can watch it back and look gorgeous in any light.  The perfect match for social butterflies.  

£439.99 on a sim-free deal at eXpansys. Click here for more info/buy

HTC Desire

Most new smartphones claim to be the real alternative to Apple’s iPhone. But the HTC Desire truly is the obvious first-choice iPhone rival on the market right now. It has a 1GHz processor to let you play movies and run multiple apps. The AMOLED screen is also enhanced by HTC's Sense interface so it is simple to use but with access to loads of great Marketplace apps. If you want an all-rounder with the functionality of an iPhone but none of the restrictions of Apple’s closed software, then this is your ideal choice.

£429.99 on sim-free deal from eXpansys.   Click here for more info/buy