The World Of Mobile Phones

Mobile phones

2008-12-13T05:29:00.000-08:00

Mobile phones are now considered a necessity as opposed to an item of luxury ten years ago. They were big and heavy, expensive and not a pretty sight for the eyes. This of course has all changed in recent years and mobile phones are now relatively cheap, lightweight and are very modern and stylish.

There are thousands of mobile phones available on the market each with so many different features on them such as mp3, Bluetooth, infrared, video player, camera, games and the internet so choosing the right phone can be very tricky. It does not help that mobile phones are constantly being updated and new applications are available each week.

Of course it will depend on your preference and what you intend to use most that will easily help you choose the right mobile. If you travel on public transport a lot and want to be able to play games or listen to music then you should find a phone which has a big memory and battery life. If you use your phones as an organiser then you should look for a reliable mobile which has an excellent diary application.

After choosing your handset you then need to choose how you make phone calls and send texts whether it is by contract or pay as you go; both of which have their pros and cons.

Pay as you go (PAYG)

The cons of having a pay as you go mobile phone are that you firstly need to buy the handset outright which could be expensive. Secondly, you need to top up your phone every time you run out of credit; this means a trip to the nearest shop or ATM. Thirdly, the tariffs are higher than contract with regards to minutes and texts. PAYG phones are impractical to many as if you need to call someone in an emergency you will always need credit.

The pros of having a pay as you go mobile phone is that you only pay for what you use and you are also not tied down to a fixed contract, many people like the idea that they can stop using their mobile whenever they want.

Contract

The cons of having a contract phone are that you are tied to a contract for a fixed period; this is usually for twelve or eighteen months. If you find yourself going over your allowance every month then you can expect to pay hefty bills.

The pros of having a contract phones are that you can be sure that as long as you pay your bills you can always use your phone; this is vital in the event of an emergency. Also, you usually gain the handset free of charge as you are supplying your custom for a set period of months. Your minutes and texts premiums are normally cheaper due to you buying in bulk which will result in getting more for your money.

Touchscreen Nokia N97 is the next step ahead with full QWERTY

2008-12-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

The Nokia N97 is most definitely one of the most loaded N-series devices out there, but that’s not it’s all about. The N97 is the first high-end device powered by the latest touchscreen Symbian S60 OS. And if the 3.5-inch touchscreen display is not enough for you, you can always slide-and-tilt it up so the large full QWERTY keyboard gets revealed.

Nokia N97

Tri-band HSDPA and quad-band GSM ensure world wide roaming, but the new Nokia N97 also boasts 32GB of internal memory, a 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, touch-enabled Nokia Maps with a digital compass, an accelerometer for auto screen rotation and a proximity sensor for auto screen turn-off during calls.

The 16M color 3.5-inch touchscreen TFT display has a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels that should meet all your handheld widescreen multimedia needs. Of course all the basics are covered too - with stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio jack, TV-out and FM radio with RDS.

Nokia N97

As you can imagine the loaded Nokia N97 is quite hefty - it weighs 150 g, but size-wise it’s not bigger than say, the Apple iPhone 3G (except in thickness, that is).

Nokia N97 lifestyle shots

You may remember that we published the leaked Nokia smartphone roadmap and as it seems, the Nokia N97 is quite close in its description to the handset codenamed IP08 in this table. Have a look around. The good news is that obviously the roadmap is legit and there are some quite interesting handsets under way.

The Nokia N97 will be available in Q2 2009, at an estimated price of 550 euro before subsidies and taxes.

Source: mob9.info

LG KF900 Prada launches with a matching Bluetooth wrist watch

2008-11-22T03:27:00.000-08:00

LG launch the LG KF900 Prada or more commonly known as Prada II. They have also taken the opportunity to announce a Bluetooth wrist watch, which matches the fashionable handset and re-affirms its high-tech status.

There isn’t much new stuff about the LG KF900 Prada itself that you haven’t heard of already except maybe the fact that it’s equipped with a capacitive touchscreen display that will support multi-touch functionality.

As much as some of you despise the iPhone it still remains the sole mainstream mobile phone to-date that offers multi-touch functionality. So as it seems the LG KF900 Prada will be the first to follow.

The multi-touch functionality of the LG KF900 Prada will be available in the image viewer, web browser, or document viewer.

Beside the launch of the handset, LG and PRADA also revealed a cool fashionable accessory called ‘PRADA Link’ (LG-LBA-T950). It’s an elegant digital wristwatch, which actually is a Bluetooth device that can remotely monitor phone calls as well as allow you to read full SMS text messages. On top of that, the timepiece is water resistant, so you can keep track of your calls and messages while taking a bath or resting in the pool. Now how cool is that!

LG KF900 Prada and LG LBA T950 timepiece

If you want to have a closer look at the KF900 Prada you may visit the brand new cool teaser site found here.

The new Prada phone is set to hit the stores in Europe by late November this year. Its starting price - 600 euro… The new Prada Link wrist watch - 299 euro… Reading SMS on your watch - priceless.

Source: mob9.info

Nokia Wahoo spotted, GPS and half QWERTY on board

2008-11-14T22:52:00.000-08:00

After the promising leak of the Nokia smartphone roadmap, we have more hot news for you, this time with photos. Codenamed Wahoo, the new Nokia flip phone stands out with its half QWERTY keypad and built-in aGPS. The new Symbian smartphone looks similar to the BlackBerry Pearl Flip in terms of design and will be released exclusively for AT&T in US.

The quad-band Nokia Wahoo will support dual-band HSDPA, 2 MP camera with flash, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, 80 MB user memory and microSD card slot. Quite naturally for a flip phone, it will have two displays – an internal 16M QVGA 2.2″ TFT display and an external 256K TFT 1.36″ with a 128×160 resolution.

The Wahoo flip is not among the slimmest flip phones, as its dimensions are 100 x 52 x 17 mm and 115 grams weight. There is no information on the phone pricing or availability.

However judging on the full Nokia smartphone roadmap, that we reported recently, the Nokia Wahoo may just as well be already canceled.

We didn't include canceled phones in the table for conciseness and one of those that were left out is a handset described as "Version of 6650 with half-QWERTY keyboard added". This canceled handset is codenamed as Roxy in the table, so in the end of the day, we don't have a definitive answer to this rumor. But then again - unconfirmed information is what rumors are all about.

Source: GSM Arena

Google voice search coming to the iPhone really soon

2008-11-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

Google have taken searching to a next level and announced that they will be releasing an upgrade of their iPhone search application, which will feature voice recognition. So next time when you are out and about - don’t just type in your search term, say it.

The new version of the Google Search application is expected to become available next Friday. When a user asks the application a question, the voice will be recorded and sent to the Google servers, analyzed and then sent along to the Google search engine.

Both Yahoo and Microsoft have voice services for handhelds. The Microsoft Tellme service can get you directions, maps and movie times, while Yahoo’s oneSearch with Voice has a wider scope.

The Google system is not perfect, but it’s targeted at outdoing everything what the competition offers. According to specialists, Google’s advantage in this field is the ability to store and analyze vast amounts of data. This means that the service will be getting more accurate with time.

Another advantage over competitors should be the database of billions of queries that Google users have made - those can be used to produce a statistical model of the way various words match to one another.

The search application will also be using the accelerometer to activate its “Voice” mode - the user will only need to put the device next to an ear.

We are really looking forward to testing the software ourselves next week.

Source

Nokia 6220 classic review: Sharp-witted shooter

2008-09-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

We can call the Nokia 6220 classic an attempt to regain some 5 megapixel ground. The compact smartphone carries some serious imaging power. Xenon flash, active lens cover, VGA video @ 30 fps and TV-out do sound exciting, don't they? It would've been all too easy but that's not all Nokia 6220 classic is about. One of the most compact bodies in the Symbian realm squeezes in GPS, HSDPA and Feature Pack 2 for a truly ornate UI. The new classic sure has a range of skills, now let's see if it has the guts for the job.

Nokia 6220 classic official photos

Key features

2.2" 16M-color display of QVGA resolution
Symbian 9.3 OS, S60 3.2 UI
ARM 11 369 MHz CPU and 128 MB of RAM
5 megapixel camera with active lens cover and xenon flash
3G with HSDPA support
Quad-band GSM support
Built-in GPS with A-GPS support
Compact and lightweight body
120 MB user memory
microSD card slot, up to 8GB cards supported
FM radio with RDS
TV-out
Document viewer
USB and Bluetooth v2.0
More visual enhancements to the UI than any other S60 handset we've seen
Nokia Maps comes with three months free turn-by-turn navigation license

Main disadvantages

No Wi-Fi
Xenon flash placed under the lens
Uncomfortable shutter key
Cheap-looking keypad, and we mean dirty cheap
Display could have been bigger

Nokia 6220 classic is a Symbian all-rounder, which takes photography seriously. The xenon flash, the active lens cover and the best implementation of the S60 user interface are possibly its strongest selling points. The inexpensive price tag makes it really hard to compete with (around 260 euro or 380 US dollars at the time of writing).

Virtually no device with similar features is able to beat the 6220 classic offer. There is one weak spot though, so the competition isn't utterly disheartened: the lack of Wi-Fi can break a deal or two even if everything else seems perfect.

Nokia 6220 classic views

If not a rival, Nokia N82 is surely an alternative, though obviously a pricey one. For the extra bucks you get a larger display and of course the precious WLAN we just mentioned. N82 however lacks the FP2, so you're short of the nice menu animations and transition effects in the 6220 classic.

Nokia N82

If you are into UIQ, Sony Ericsson G900 might be the one to look at. It brings WLAN and a 2.4" display but lacks xenon flash. The display of the Sony Ericsson may not be a match for the Nokia 6220 classic but the touchscreen opens the door to the unique camera touch focusing in exchange.

Sony Ericsson G900

Finally, Samsung G810 comes to mind. The 2008 EISA award winner for photography phone has 3x optical zoom and a larger screen. It does however cost quite a lot more and is incomparably bigger. Besides, it's limited to Feature Pack 1.

Samsung G810

Mobile phones with a free laptop.

2008-09-19T06:19:00.001-07:00

The latest thing that mobile phone companies have started giving away with your contract are laptops. If you are looking for a mobile phone free laptop, then you should pay Best Mobile Contracts a visit. They offer a number of deals from the leading UK mobile phone retailers, meaning you can search many websites at the same time! Let's say that you want a Samsung tocco contract, all you need to do is select this phone and then select free laptop from the free gifts drop down menu. The site will then query all the leading retailers and find only the best deals that are suitable for you. It really couldn't be simpler. There are so many different mobile phone free gifts that are available, the choices are endless. So why not start searching today and save yourself a fortune!

Choosing the correct mobile package

2008-09-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

When it comes to choosing your mobile package, you want to ensure that you get the best possible value for money. One website that can help you find the best deals is Best Mobile Contracts. Whether it's the best mobile broadband deals that you want or simply a pay as you go mobile phone deal, then Best Mobile Contracts can help you find what you are looking for. They ensure that they have the most up to date data that is available, ensuring that you get the latest deals as and when they are released. Of course you need to remember that these deals will not be around for long, so you need to act fast if you want to get the best offers. A new service that this mobile phone comparison website is looking to launch is a mobile phone review section. This will provide mobile phone reviews for all the latest handsets that are available, you will even have an opportunity to comment yourself on what you think of these handsets in the customer review section. So if you are looking for a new mobile phone deal. Why not check out Best Mobile Contracts and see what a great deal you could get?

Samsung showcases dozen of phones at IFA 2008, wins by sheer numbers

2008-09-04T01:30:00.000-07:00

Samsung took the opportunity to showcase some of its latest phones at the IFA 2008 consumer electronics show that’s held annually in Berlin. Some of the devices are not yet officially announced, others have their official announcements, while still others are already available.

The huge list covers a dozen of handsets so be prepared as there is a lot of reading. The new Samsung handsets are the Samsung M3510 Beat, M200, B2700, P180 and B210. The devices that have already been announced but are showcased for the first time are the dual SIM Samsung D980, S7330, M150 and the B130. And finally, the showcased cellphones that are already available on the market are the Samsung E215, B510 and B300.

Let’s start off with the new additions to the company portfolio. Although images and specs are yet scarce, we think we can shed some light on them.

Samsung M3510 Beat

The Samsung M3510 Beat is a slim music centric bar, that’s already been rumored quite a lot. It’s got a Bang&Olufsen ICEpower audio chip as well as dedicated music keys and a 3.5mm audio jack. A really novel feature in the Samsung portfolio is the Shake control that we’ve already seen in Sony Ericsson Walkman phones. The built-in accelerometer can also be used in other applications such as the image gallery.

Samsung M3510 Beat

The Samsung M3510 Beat also has quad-band GSM support, a 2-inch QVGA display and a 2 megapixel camera - all that’s packed in a body that’s only 9.9mm thick. A microSD memory card slot, stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) and FM radio with RDS are also on board.

Samsung B2700

The Samsung B2700 is the next new and interesting bar by Samsung that was showcased at the IFA 2008 even before an official announcement. It’s a heavy duty phone with IP54 certification for dust and water splashes resistance - it’s the same level of resistance as the one of Sonim XP1 that we reviewed recently. Currently, we don’t know if the B2700 is also shock resistant.

Samsung B2700

The Samsung B2700 is a tri-band GSM device with UMTS support with video calls (thanks to the front-facing secondary camera). The B2700 also has a 1.8-inch TFT display with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels and a 2 megapixel fixed focus camera. Overall it’s a really nice package that has some nice looks despite its ruggedized exterior.

Beside that toughened look, the Samsung B2700 also offers a digital compass, a digital altimeter and a dedicated flashlight.

It so happens that we have a B2700 unit at our office and we are more than happy to give you several live shots of the device.

Samsung B2700

Samsung P180

Interestingly enough, the Samsung P180 is an entry-level clamshell with VGA camera and 14MB of internal memory, and yet it’s UMA-enabled, meaning it sports Wi-Fi to allow making calls via the Internet as well. Our guess is that the Wi-Fi functionality won’t be available for web browsing, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Samsung P180

Besides that the tri-band P180 supports EDGE for data transfers and has an external display with a resolution of 64 x 64 pixels.

Samsung M200

The Samsung M200 is a lower-end quad-band bar-shaped device with a 1.3 megapixel camera and a TFT display with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels. Data transfers are secured by GPRS, EDGE and stereo Bluetooth. A microSD card and a FM radio with RDS are also on board.

Samsung M200

Samsung B210

Samsung B210 is the next lower-end candybar that was first presented at IFA 2008. The dual band B210 doesn’t have a built-in camera and its 65K color display has a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels. FM radio is also present on board.

Samsung B210

Next up follow the Samsung handsets that have already been announced but the IFA 2008 is their first official public appearance. This group is led by the dual SIM Samsung D980, closely followed by S7330, M150 and the B130.

Samsung D980

The Samsung D980 reminds much of the Samsung F480 Tocco - it has the same form factor, full touchscreen display and intuitive TouchWiz (not to mention the 5 megapixel camera on the back). But the biggest selling point of the D980 will be its dual SIM functionality, which is so hard to find these days in the portfolios of renowned manufacturers such as Samsung.

Samsung D980

Unlike the F480, the Samsung D980 has a smaller 2.6-inch QVGA display (as compared to 2.8 inches) and it doesn’t have UMTS functionality at all. The D980 supports microSD cards with up to 2GB of capacity only, which sounds rather lame. And finally, the D980 is good 5mm thicker than the F480. Still the dual SIM functionality may appeal to many people.

Speaking of the dualSIM functionality, it’s got to be noted that the Samsung D980 sports tri-band support for both the SIM cards - unlike the Samsung D880, which had tri-band support for the first SIM and dual-band support for the second one.

Samsung S7330

The Samsung S7330 is a somewhat budget-minded U900 Soul twin. It’s got a 2.2-inch 16M color TFT display and uses a touchpad for directional navigation throughout the interface. The S7330 slider has a 3 megapixel auto focus camera and UMTS support with HSDPA.

Samsung S7330

A microSD memory card slot, stereo Bluetooth and a FM radio add to the feature list. Luckily, we can show you several live shots pf the S7330 taken straight from our upcoming review.

Samsung S7330

Samsung M150

The Samsung M150 is another handset that has already been announced. It sports a 12.7mm thick bar-shaped design and has a 256K color 1.77-inch display with a 128 x 160 pixel resolution.

Samsung M150

The low end device doesn’t have a memory card slot, but it has Bluetooth and a VGA camera.

Samsung B130

The Samsung B130 is a mate of the low-end B100, which is already available. It has the same dimensions and design but is some 10 g lighter. It also has smaller internal memory of 400KB, and a smaller battery of 750 mAh.

Samsung B130

The Samsung B130 should also be available in several new colors such as white, red and grey but there is still no Bluetooth or FM radio.

And now finally, we move to the group of handset that not only have been showcased at the IFA 2008, but they are also already available on the market.

Samsung E215

First off it’s the Samsung E215, which is already available in some regions - it’s a low-end clamshell that uses the attractive design of the Samsung E215. It’s got quad-band GSM support and has a VGA camera.

Samsung E215

The main display of the E215 is a 65K TFT one with a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels. The external display is a lot smaller with a resolution of 64 x 64 pixels. The E215 also has a microSD memory card slot and a FM radio.

Samsung B510

The Samsung B510 is an unassuming slider that comes in several colors. Otherwise it’s pretty much low end as most of the presented cellphones. It’s got a 1.77-inch CSTN display with a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels.

Samsung B510

The Samsung B510 doesn’t have a camera or a memory card slot and there are 4MB of internal memory. Still, Bluetooth and FM radio are available.

Samsung B300

The Samsung B300 is a low-end clamshell without an external display. It’s already available in several colors and it has a 1.52-inch 65K color CSTN display with a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels. The B300 has only has 2MB of internal memory but a microSD memory card slot would allow to expand it. The FM radio and the MP3 music player complete the feature list.

Samsung B300

Well, that’s about all teh handset presented by Samsung at the IFA 2008 expo in Berlin. We enjoyed this article as some of the handset are new to us too and we hope to see more of them in the close future.

Source: Mob9

Nokia N85 and N79 official, no surprises

2008-08-27T03:39:00.000-07:00

Nokia introduced officially two new members of the Nseries family - Nokia N79 and Nokia N85. The two devices come with rather different designs but both have quite extensive specs sheets to brag about.

Nokia N85

Nokia N85 is a quad-band GSM and tri-band UMTS dual slider, inspired by the controversial design of the Nokia N81. It’s also got HSDPA support to improve network data transfer speed even further. Undoubtedly, the most exiting feature about the N85 is the display - a 2.6″ 16M color AMOLED unit of QVGA resolution. There is a built-in accelerometer for automatic rotation of the UI and dedicated gaming keys for improving the N-gage gaming expirience.

Nokia N85

Some of the other features of the Nokia N85 include microUSB slot, 3.5mm standard audio jack and GPS. The handset running of the Symbian OS with S60 UI and Feature Pack 2 preinstalled will also have WLAN and Bluetooth among its connectivity options. A 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, dual-LED flash and autofocus assist light is mounted at the back of the device. It can manage the sweet VGA video recording at up to 30 fps. A secondary CIF camera is at the front to take care of the video calls.

The built-in memory of the Nokia N85 is 74MB and there is a microSD card slot to extend that. An 8GB card (the largest currently available on the market) will be included in the retail package. The final multimedia touches to the Nokia N85 are the FM radio and FM transmitter.

Nokia N85 will be available in Copper color in October for an estimated retail price of 450 euro (660 US dollars) before taxes or subsides.

Nokia N79

The bar-shaped Nokia N79 has a bit more modest feature list but has better (or so it seems to us) looks and a more compact boy. It still supports all the four GSM bands but the 3G works only on the 900 and 2100 MHz bands. The display on the N79 is a 2.4″ QVGA one, capable of showing up to 16M colors. Wi-Fi, GPS and a 5 megapixel camera are some of its other more important features.

Nokia N79 also sports FM radio and FM transmitter, allowing you to broadcast your favorite tracks within a short range over radio waves. Quite as expected, it too runs on the Symbian OS with S60 v3.2 UI. Nokia N79, much like the N85, features the interesting Navi wheel navigation solution which we first came to know in the Nokia N81. The 3.5mm standard audio jack, the Bluetooth connectivity and the microUSB slot are hardly a surprise to anyone. The internal memory of the N79 is 50MB and it will be expandable through the microSD card slot (a 4GB memory card will be included in the retail package).

Nokia N79

The other upgrade of the Nokia N79 over the N78 (in addition to the improved camera and video recording) is its easily customizable exterior. The handset will come with two extra Xpress-on covers in the retail package and additional ones can also be purchased.

Nokia N79 color version

Nokia N79 will hit the shelves in Canvas White and Seal Grey color versions in October and will cost 350 euro (515 US dollars) before taxes or subsides.

Source: Mob9

Palm Treo Pro officially announced, has GPS and all

2008-08-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Palm Treo Pro is official as of today, as Palm debut their latest Windows Mobile Phone Professional device. Online leaks of the device caused mixed feelings last week.

Palm Treo Pro will sport the company trademark square touchscreen display with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels. All four GSM and three UMTS bands are covered, which makes the phone good for worldwide roaming. HSDPA is also on board to boost data transfer speed over 3G networks.

The Palm Treo Pro runs on Windows Mobile Professional 6.1 and is be powered by a 400 MHZ Qualcomm CPU. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB connectivity are all on board, and so is a microSD card slot handling cards up to 32 GB (when those are one day available, of course). Some of the other features of the new Treo include built-in GPS, a 2 megapixel camera and a 3.5mm standard audio jack.

Palm Treo Pro

The amount of user memory on the Palm Treo Pro is up to 100 MB, while the RAM is 128MB. The whole thing will feed on a huge 1500 mAh Li-Ion battery.

Palm Treo Pro is expected to hit the shelves in Europe in September at about 375 euro (549 US dollars) before taxes or subsides. The Treo Pro availability will then expand to other markets worldwide.

Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte revealed, looks the price

2008-08-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

Nokia introduced today a new addition to its premium Arte-series. The new Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte stays faithful to the family tradition, and the exquisite finish is yet again tinged with a touch of distinctive personality.

Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte is cast in the same mold as the Arte and the Sapphire Arte. The materials used are different this time, carbon fiber with etched 3D patterns dominating the exterior. And yes, it does remind us of the LG KF750 Secret's battery cover too.

Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte

The new Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte will feature the turn-to-mute and tap-for time features that we got to know in the original Arte. Those use the built-in accelerometer to show the time by simply taping twice on the case or mute calls by turning it over. In fact, the only difference in functionality is the internal memory, which has grown to 4GB now.

Some of the other features of the Carbon Arte include a 3 megapixel auto focus camera, 2" OLED screen with scratch resistant coating. There is also 3G support, as well as Bluetooth and microUSB on-board.

Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte

Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte will become available in the 3rd quarter of the year (meaning it's got a month or so) at an estimated retail price of 1100 euro before subsidies or taxes. A wide range of exquisite accessories will ship with the handset. Well, with a price-tag like that they'd better do.

Nokia E66 review: Clean-cut business tool

2008-08-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since mobile phones became an essential business tool and a huge number of devices are being specially designed for the purpose (not even mentioning the camera-free versions of some handsets). Nokia Eseries is almost a default name that comes to mind. Following a comprehensive review of Nokia E71, we are set to explore the other hot Eseries gadget. It's Nokia E66 with a priority appointment in our office. Refreshments served upon conclusion.

Nokia E66 official photos

Key features:

Quad-band GSM support
3G with HSDPA 3.6Mbps
2.4" 16M-color display of QVGA resolution
Shortcut keys mean business
Symbian 9.2 OS, S60 UI with FP1 (topped with some FP2 goodies)
Accelerometer sensor for screen auto-rotation
369 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 128 MB of SDRAM
Wi-Fi
Built-in GPS receiver, A-GPS
3 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash
110 MB of internal memory, microSD expansion, ships with a 2GB card
Comfortable keypad
Compact body (62.6cc only)
Stainless steel casing
Standard 2.5mm audio jack
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
microUSB v2.0
FM radio
Infrared port
Great battery life
Good retail package
Nokia Maps comes with three months free turn-by-turn navigation license

Main disadvantages:

Average camera performance
Video recording maxes out at QVGA@15fps
No camera geotagging
Cheap-looking power key
Office document editing not available
No RDS in radio

We're obviously on a streak here, dealing with phones that are, above all, tools. All right, after a bit of blue collar comic relief with the Sonim XP1, we're back to the corporate floor with Eseries.

Nokia E66 lacks the full QWERTY keypad of its sibling- the E71 but still packs some serious business power. The great looks and the more than decent multimedia capabilities are also a welcome bonus. Those working in camera-restricted areas are probably the only ones to frown at the business slider but who knows - a camera-free version might be lurking out there.

Nokia E66 in our office

Screening the market for a worthy alternative of Nokia E66, we almost instantly stumble upon Samsung i550w. It has almost the same specs as the Nokia, comes with a larger screen and costs less. Now, all that doesn't make your choice any easier. Nokia E66 has much better build quality and looks so much hotter.

That said, Samsung seem to have a sub warming up to run against Nokia E66. The Symbian-based Samsung L870 is no lesser looker with that brushed steel hull, though quite trimmed down on specs.

The software goodies are also noteworthy: E66 has some extras that are normally only available to Feature pack 2 (and even some that are Eseries exclusive like the dual homescreen modes).

BlackBerry and their Pearl series are also trying to pressure Nokia E66 but at this stage they don't seem to have the ultimate challenger. It's either 3G or GPS, or some other important feature missing, to relegate RIM's devices to a lower league.

Finally, without the full QWERTY keypad of E71, Nokia E66 is exposed to quite some pressure within the Nokia's very own Nseries too. With the same OS and Feature Pack 2, the Nseries devices can cover almost all the business applications of E66 and be powerful business tools in their own right.

Motorola introduces the lower end ZN200, W396 and W388

2008-08-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

Motorola is throwing three new phones today in the low-to-mid-range skirmish. Coming in three different form factors, Motorola ZN200, W396 and W388 all have shortish spec sheets to most likely be matched by a modest price tag.

Motorola ZN200 comes with quad-band GSM support with GPRS and EDGE connectivity options. Stereo Bluetooth and USB are also on board. There is also a 2 megapixel fixed-focus camera and a 1.9" 262K-color display with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels.

Morotola ZN200

The built-in memory of Motorola ZN200 is 30MB, topped with the microSD card slot, which supports cards with capacity of up to 2GB. Finally, the Motorola ZN200 comes complete with an FM radio and the CrystalTalk technology.

Motorola W396 is a clamshell and has two dual-band GSM versions. A 1.8" 65K-color TFT display with a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels is fitted on the device. USB, FM radio and Motorola's proprietary CrystalTalk technology are some of its other features. Data transfers are entrusted to GPRS only, as there is no support for EDGE. A microSD card slot allows expanding the internal memory by up to 2GB.

Motorola W396

The best parts about Motorola W396 are its compact dimensions of 95 x 45 x 17 mm and its weight of 88-94g. Yeah, you got that right - Motorola are still of two minds about weight.

Finally, the bar-shaped Motorola W388 has been around the web for quite a while, so its official announcement isn't much of a novelty. The most affordable of the lot comes with FM radio with RDS, USB port and a microSD card slot. Much like the W396, it will feature a 1.8" 128 x 160 pixel 65k-color display and will have two dual-band GSM versions with only GPRS support.

Motorola W388

The handsets will become available until the end of Q3 at an yet unknown price.

Nokia 3610 fold announced, sleek and affordable

2008-08-14T22:38:00.000-07:00

Today Nokia introduced a new compact and affordable clamshell – the Nokia 3610 fold. A moderate price tag and decent looks might be just right to make it click.

Nokia 3610 fold has all four GSM bands supported, which makes it usable worldwide. The internal display is a 2” unit handling up to 262K colors. There’s also a 1.36” 262K-color secondary screen, to be used for indicating incoming calls, messages or showing an analogue timepiece.

Nokia 3610 fold

The built-in camera offers 1.3 megapixel imaging. Nokia 3610 fold will also feature 30MB of built-in storage and a microSD card slot with support for up to 4GB cards.

The Nokia 3610 Fold is expected to start shipping in the Q3 of 2008 (almost as we speak) at an estimated retail price of 125 euro before taxes and subsidies.

Sonim XP1 review

2008-08-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

Introduction

In the world of mobile phones it's all about diversity, and just about everyone has their favorite. We've seen enough of brand loyalty taken to extremes but it's for the first time we come across a phone that might deal with anything you can throw at it (or better yet - anything that you throw it at). Sonim XP1 is said to survive just about anything.

This ultra-durable bloke can take some impressive abuse and the worst weather extremities. The XP1 may be somewhat under the weather featurewise but hardly any other phone can put up with what this soldier can endure. If you are just as curious as we are, join us as we take the Sonim XP on a really rough ride.

Official photos of Sonim XP1

XP1 model designation has nothing to do with either Micro, or Soft. It stands for Xtreme Performance, simple as that. Sonim XP1 is officially proof against a stream of water, near 1.7-meter-high drop to concrete, and has an operational range from -20C to 60C. We've seen it tossed and kicked around, run over by cars, treaded on by elephants, dropped in a cement mixer. Meet the survivor form factor.

The Sonim XP1 (also known as JCB Toughphone in some markets and the Chuck Norris phone in our office) was created for the most challenging of environments and activities. Hardened rubber is molded to the durable non-porous casing, keypad buttons are tested to 500,000 pushes, the screen has a scratch-resistant coating. Finally, the USB port, ear jack and external antenna port are sealed with plastic caps so moist and dirt are kept away from those vulnerable points.

Key features:

Shock, water and dust resistant (after all, we're talking the closest a phone has ever got to a weapon)
Scratch resistant display
Philips Nexperia 6120 platform
Push-to-Talk
Bluetooth v1.2 (Object Push and Headset profiles only)
Tri-band GSM/GPRS phone
1000 SMS storage
MP3 and WAV ringtones
Very loud speakerphone
10 MB flash memory
2.5 mm audio jack
Nice battery performance thanks to the Li-Ion 1100 mAh battery
No-questions-asked 3 year warranty

Main disadvantages

Featurewise on-par with the cheapest phones out there
No EDGE, UMTS or HSDPA
Chubby and unsightly, though that may as well be a benefit
Poor screen resolution, basic user interface
Compatible with only a slim number Bluetooth headsets
Quite expensive at nearly 300 EUR
FM radio could have been a nice add-on
No extra features such as a compass or a flashlight

Sonim XP1 live photos

Technically, Sonim XP1 is not alone in its class, but the competition is barely up to par when it comes to the most important point: durability. The XP1 redefines ruggedized and scoffs in the face of Sony Ericsson C702, Nokia 5500 Sport and Samsung M110. That's well reflected in the price too: the XP1 is the most expensive of the lot. Don't bother guessing the cost of GPS, built-in camera, MP3 player, quad-band GSM and 3.5G. Indestructible costs and you'll just have to have Sonim's word on that.

Now, here's one for you. You're reviewing cars and you're well on top of things. You get them sedans, estates and coupes inside out, you peek under the hood, you rev them up, you push them hard, you love'm, you hate'm, and you're so in control. Then suddenly, a monster truck falls in your lap. What do you do? We, for one, would put a helmet and go car smashing. No, seriously, we didn't do any nasty experiments to the Sonim XP1, but we've prepared a nice video compilation of such tricks so that you can see that the Sonim XP1 is built to last.

Enough of that babbling, let's get to some real tough work - reviewing the Sonim XP1 ultra durable GSM phone.

Samsung i900 Omnia back in white, looks well different

2008-08-12T04:48:00.000-07:00

Samsung officially confirmed today the new color version of their top-of-the-line PocketPC – the i900 Omnia. The iPhonesque rear must be just what some of the WinMo fans out there have been waiting for.

Luckily, to us at least, Omnia’s white backend gets rid of the wavy pattern that reminded us of N-series, that surfaced out a little while ago. It will feature the same brushed back as the black version, only this time in snow-white color.

Here is the first official photo of the Samsung i900 Omnia new outfit. Truth be told, it’s a breather from the classy-but-too-conservative black version.

Sony Ericsson T700 unveiled at last - 3 MP camera, sleek and slim

2008-08-12T04:46:00.000-07:00

It seems that Sony Ericsson aren't wasting their time recently. Their latest Sony Ericsson T700 sports only 10mm of thickness but disappoints with a fixed focus camera and an overly used design concept. While it will probably appeal to only Sony Ericsson hard-liners with nostalgic memories of Sony Ericsson T650, it's still worth the news scoop.

Sony Ericsson finally unveiled their latest handset - the Sony Ericsson T700. Photos of the device leaked several times in the past month so we can't say that we are greatly surprised.

Coming with a moderate amount of on-board features, but with an affordable price tag, the new bar-shaped T700 is expected to impress with looks and price point rather than with functionality.

Sony Ericsson T700 comes with quad-band GSM support and single-band 3G support with HSDPA. A 3.2 megapixel snapper is also onboard but no autofocus (sorry!). The handset also packs a 2-inch 262K color display with QVGA resolution.

Sony Ericsson T700

Measuring 104 x 48 x 10 mm and weighing only 78 g the Sony Ericsson T700 is even more compact than its predecessor - the Sony Ericsson T650. Some of its other features are Bluetooth with A2DP, USB connectivity and up to 25MB of user memory. There is also a M2 card slot for expanding that amount and a 512MB memory card included in the retail package. An FM radio with RDS completes the list of features.

Sony Ericsson T700 is going to hit the shelves in Q4 of the year at an estimated retail price of less than 200 euro. The color version available will be Black on Silve, Black on Red and Shining Silver.

iPhone 3G review: Twice the hype, half the novelty

2008-08-12T04:45:00.000-07:00

Introduction

It's finally here - the iPhone 3G. No, we mean that literally. It's finally at our office and boy, are we excited! GPS, HSDPA purring under the new iPhone hood with a hefty number of software enhancements.

But all them software goodies are available for the first-gen iPhone too - so is it worth the fuss? It may as well be, but we never know before we take it out for a spin.

Apple iPhone 3G official images

Key features:

3.5" 16M-color TFT display with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels
Quad-band GSM support
Tri-band UMTS support with HSDPA
Built-in GPS receiver
Wi-Fi
8 to 16GB of onboard storage
Accelerometer, proximity sensor and ambient light sensor
2 megapixel camera
Silky smooth user interface with multi-touch user support
Unsurpassed web surfing experience
Push email with MS Exchange support
AppStore access for direct application download and installation
Redone rear
TV-out port

Main disadvantages:

No video calls over the 3G network
The handset wobbles on even hard surfaces
There are a number of messaging downers
Camera has no auto focus, nor video recording… nor any settings at all
Safari browser doesn't support Flash and Java, doesn't have a download manager
Bluetooth support limited to headset use only (no A2DP or file transfers)
No office document editor
No copy/paste functionality
You cannot sync Notes and TO-DOs
No memory card slot (but knowing Apple there will never be one)

Now, since we'll be heavily comparing the old and new iPhone, how about the following arrangement - the first one we'll call Number One and the newbie will be Number Two. Sorted. Wait a minute, no good? Crap, we knew it. OK then, the first one will be the iPhone 1G (as in "generation" of the device), while the new one will still be iPhone 3G (as in "generation" of the wireless network). That might sound inconsistent, but it's short and we like it this way, so before you go ballistic in the comments section, remember Number One and Number Two.

The iPhone 3G 16GB (White) in hand

So, back to the drill - the 3G-enabled iPhone was rumored ever since the iPhone 1G surfaced last year. Now that we have the real thing in our hands, it doesn't seem that groundbreaking anymore. Nevertheless, there are quite a few things to cover so we think reviewing it in detail is worth it. There's the updated design, the new white color (which we happen to have), the new iPhone 2.0 firmware/software/OS (call it what you will) with AppStore on board, the push email functionality and, finally, the GPS and HSDPA topping.

The Apple iPhone 3G

We will also be on the lookout for improvements in terms of audio quality, loudspeaker volume and camera image quality against the iPhone 1G.

Seems like quite a workload, so let's waste no more time and get to it. Join us after this short break for more on the iPhone 3G.

Motorola expands their music ROKR series with EM25, EM28 and EM30

2008-08-07T01:07:00.000-07:00

Motorola announced a new set of music-oriented devices, which add affordability to the ROKR series. The ROKR series is currently led by the Motorola E8, and all three devices seem to borrow something from its design. The new devices are Motorola EM25 ROKR, EM28 ROKR, and EM30 ROKR. Each of the handsets has a different form factor - a slider, a clamshell and a bar.

Motorola EM30 ROKR

The Motorola EM30 ROKR is the bar-shaped handset and it comes with a morphing keypad (called ModeShift by Motorola). The morphing keypad illumination and key designation changes in accordance to the context - one moment it's a phone, and the next it's music player with only the music controls visible.

Motorola EM30

Other music-oriented features include FM radio with RDS, compatibility with Windows Media Player 11, stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The MotoROKR EM30 is further equipped with a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks support, the proprietary Motorola CrystalTalk technology (which does improve calls quality) and a 2 megapixel snapper without auto focus. A microSD memory card slot is also on board capable of supporting cards with capacities of up to 8GB. Unfortunately there's no UMTS support, but that's expected having in mind the suggested low price point.

MOTOROKR EM30 is expected to be available worldwide in Q3 2008 starting with Taiwan.

Motorola EM28 ROKR

The Motorola EM28 ROKR is the clamshell of the pack. Again it has the same music-centered features such as stereo Bluetooth and standard 3.5mm audio jack. It also has dedicated music controls and touch sensitive keys on the front panel.

Motorola EM28

The FM with RDS completes the music set and it comes with broadcast recording and an innovative FMShare feature. FMShare allows you share your favorite FM stations with a simple text message.

The Motorola EM28 ROKR also packs quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support with CrystalTalk, a 1.3 megapixel camera and a 1.8-inch 65K color TFT display with a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels.

MOTOROKR EM28 will be available in Q3 2008.

Motorola EM25 ROKR

And finally, the Motorola EM25 ROKR is the slider music handset announced today. It has dual-band GSM/GPRS support with CrystalTalk, one-touch access to the music player, stereo Bluetooth, a standard 3.5mm audio jack, a microSD memory card slot (up to 2GB), and 1.3 megapixel camera.

Motorola EM25

The Motorola EM25 also has FM radio with RDS, broadcast recording and FMShare. The Motorola EM25 has the same 1.8-inch TFT display as the EM28.

The MOTOROKR EM28 will be available in Q3 2008.

Samsung i7110 pops up – Symbian S60 plus 5 megapixel camera on-board

2008-08-07T01:03:00.000-07:00

A new Samsung handset appeared online before its official announcement. As it seems, we will be seeing a new Symbian OS-based smartphone with a 5 megapixel camera - the Samsung i7110.

Samsung are obviously embracing the power and popularity of the Symbian S60 OS. Their latest four-digit model utilizes it to its full potential. Unfortunately, we don't have any spec details on the handset and we can only judge by the photos.

Samsung i7110 is a Symbian smartphone

The Samsung i7110 is obviously UMTS-enabled (a video call camera on the front) and it packs a 5 megapixel auto focus camera lens on the back. A flash is also present - but we can't really tell whether it's a xenon one or a regular LED one.

Samsung i7110 sports an all-metal design

The battery cover seems to be all-metal following the design of the Samsung Soul b. There's a microSD memory card slot on left side. A bit of a letdown is they will be using the proprietary Samsung connectivity port instead of the universal microUSB variety found on the Samsung i8510 INNOV8.

We are really looking forward to getting some official info on the Samsung i7110 in the near future. And we also hope that GPS or at least Wi-Fi is on board.

Source: KingMobile

Nokia 6210 Navigator review: On the road again

2008-08-07T00:57:00.000-07:00

In-phone GPS is no longer the next big thing in the industry. All right, it may not be run-of-the-mill just yet but it's where it's heading. The point now is how many extras will top the GPS and give users a bigger and better treat. Well, the new Nokia 6210 Navigator even tries not to make it a Dutch treat with a 6-month navigation license prebundled. On top of that, there's A-GPS, Nokia Maps 2.0 and a digital compass for pedestrian guidance.

GPS aside, Nokia 6210 Navigator is running on the latest Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3rd and FP2, and packs a good 3.2 MP autofocus camera, accelerometer, stereo FM radio and a 2.4" QVGA display. Smartphone expertise and GPS go hand in hand with superb communication skills: quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and HSDPA support.

The next generation Nokia Navigator sounds as a nice upgrade, but it's still a few trial laps away from becoming a recommended upgrade. Hop on and buckle up.

Nokia 6210 Navigator official photos

Key features:

Built-in GPS with A-GPS, compass, 6-month navigation license and Nokia Maps 2.0
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
Dual-band HSDPA 3.6 Mbps, localized versions
2.4" 16M-color QVGA display (larger than the one of Nokia 6110 Navigator)
Symbian OS 9.3, Series 60 3rd UI with FP2
3 MP autofocus camera with flash, secondary videocall camera
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB v2.0
Accelerometer for screen auto rotation, call silencing and alarm snoozing
Stereo FM radio with RDS
microSD card slot, up to 8GB, hotswap (1GB card included)
120 MB user memory, 64 MB SDRAM, ARM 11 369 MHz processor
Fast and responsive user interface

Main disadvantages:

Display still not big enough for comfortable in-car navigation
Digital compass plays up and works only when not navigating
Top row of alphanumeric keys crammed under the slider
No Wi-Fi
Camera has no lens cover
Very awkward battery cover latch
No geo-tagging for camera images

Nokia 6210 Navigator at our office

Nokia 6210 Navigator is a direct successor of Nokia 6110 Navigator, which got us pretty impressed back in the day. The new 6210 doesn't appear to be a great step forward. For one, navigation is entrusted to Nokia Maps 2.0 instead of the superb Route 66 we had the pleasure of in the original Navigator. Nokia Maps 2.0 is quite alright, but is definitely not our first choice here, mostly in terms of interface. The cheapo plastic under the display is another thing, but don't get us started on that.

More photos of Nokia 6210

On a positive note, the accelerometer for auto rotation and the compass are a boost to usability in Nokia 6210 Navigator. Plus, the full-fledged smartphone boasts the latest user interface version: Symbian S60 3rd with Feature Pack 2.

Yes, we know that the Nokia 6210 Navigator is not a high-end all-in-one multimedia device but it still puts up a good fight, so you are welcome to join us as we explore it right after this small jump.

HTC Touch Diamond & TouchFLO 3D

2008-07-31T11:30:00.000-07:00

Experience a whole new dimension in mobile phone. The HTC Touch Diamond raises the bar in mobile communication, whilst retaining simplicity and beauty at its core

LG KC550 review

2008-07-31T11:28:00.001-07:00

A line of multimedia-oriented handsets has secured LG a strong foothold in the cameraphone kingdom. LG KC550 is probably the first to join the club with only imaging in mind. A mid-range handset with top-of-the-shelf photo and video capabilities is probably what describes best the compact slider.

The LG KC550 sure lacks the Viewty power and Secret's Black Label charisma. OK, it's unassuming, but not without a talent of its own. The 5 megapixel slider strives to be the most affordable cameraphone out there with a VGA@30fps video recording topping.

Those qualities have set many shutterbugs a foot with excitement as they are finally promised uncompromising cameraphone capabilities at a moderate price tag that's fit for the masses. But please, don't go throwing your digital camera just yet - let's first see what LG have for us this time.

Official photos of KC550

The back panel of KC550

Key features:

2.4" 262K-color display of QVGA resolution
Auto screen rotation in image gallery and video player (built-in accelerometer)
5 megapixel autofocus camera with active lens cover and Power LED flash
WVGA video recording at 30 fps (VGA@30fps is also an option)
USB and stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) connectivity
Hot-swappable microSD card slot (capacities up to 4GB)
Office document viewer
FM radio
TV-out port
Six games, which make use of the accelerometer and vibration feedback
Google Search and Mail come pre-installed

Main disadvantages:

Video recording is a great disappointment
Only 12MB of internal memory
Poor sunlight legibility
Really awkward file manager
No UMTS support
Only tri-band GSM support
Glossy front panel is a fingerprint magnet
No SSL support in the native email client
FM radio lacks RDS and cannot run in the background

Photos of LG KC550

More photos of the KC550

LG KC550 builds on a good track record of 5 megapixel mobile phone imaging. While the exotic KG920 is mostly noted for being the forerunner, the Secret and the Viewty do demonstrate true imaging prowess.

5 megapixel cameraphones by LG: KF750 Secret • KU990 Viewty • KG920

Still in the 200-250 euro (320-400 US dollars) price range, LG KC550 will be obviously taking quite some competition heat from the Samsung G600 and Sony Ericsson K850.

The slide-and-snap Samsung G600 advantages include quad-band GSM support, a 16M color TFT display and a range of attractive color versions. The KC550 however sports an accelerometer for auto screen rotation and interactive gaming plus a slightly larger screen estate.

Samsung G600

Sony Ericsson K850 is also a must-consider alternative, topping the LG KC550 capabilities with a strong connectivity package (quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and tri-band HSDPA) and xenon flash for basically the same asking price. The K850 also doesn't have a screen as big as the one of the KC550 but manages to compensate with sound multimedia capabilities.

Sony Ericsson K850

Both the Samsung G600 and Sony Ericsson K850 are a bit underpowered when it comes to video recording, while LG is promising not only top-notch photo performance but also high resolution video at 30 fps. That alone should get you interested so jump aboard as we explore the LG KC550. See you back in a flash!

Sony Ericsson G705 surfaces, GPS and a 3 megapixel snapper on board

2008-07-30T01:20:00.001-07:00

With just days from the official announcement of the three latest Walkmans, Sony Ericsson are making headlines again - this time with a relatively slim slider, called the Sony Ericsson G705. It's not an official announcement though, but those images look real enough.

The new Sony Ericsson G705, which is said to be announced within two weeks (another Sony Ericsson announcement so soon?), is a slider, which features a 3 megapixel camera and a built-in GPS receiver.

Update: We've just found credible info that the upcoming Sony Ericsson G705 sports Wi-Fi as well, much like the Sony Ericsson C905. Well, that makes the package that much sweeter.

Sony Ericsson G705

Unfortunately, the 3 megapixel camera doesn't feature auto focus (what a bummer!) and it has a LED flash only. Obviously, Sony Ericsson are turning their backs on xenon flashes, which they pioneered in the first place. The camera will also obviously support geo-tagging thanks to the built-in GPS receiver.

Sony Ericsson G705

The Sony Ericsson G705 also has 128MB of internal memory and a M2 memory card slot to expand it further.

Sony Ericsson G705

So far we don't have any info on availability but we'll keep you posted as new information surfaces.

Nokia 5800 Tube leaked again, gets XpressMusic branding

2008-07-30T01:19:00.001-07:00

It seems that Nokia 5800 Tube is really close to an official announcement, as more quality images and detailed information has leaked online. An important discovery is the Nokia 5800 will not spawn a new series of its own called XpressMedia, but will use the already existing XpressMusic.

According to the leaked information, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has a 3.2-inch 16M touchscreen TFT display with 640x360 pixels resolution (16:9 display ratio) and some vibrating touch feedback. The device will run on the latest S60 5th edition with accelerometer for auto screen rotation.

Nokia 5800 Tube live photos

As a mid-range phone, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will feature only a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, but it will have a Carl Zeiss lens, dual LED flash and geo-tagging support, thanks to the built-in GPS with A-GPS function.

Nokia 5800 Tube live photos

Despite its mid-range status, the Nokia 5800 is an expert in communications, sporting quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support plus UMTS/HSDPA on top of it. The other connectivity options include Wi-Fi b/g, stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) and USB 2.0. Finally, this department is completed by a 3.5mm AV jack and TV output.

Nokia 5800 Tube live photos

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will also have 140 MB of built-in memory and a microSD card slot (up to 8GB supported). Another obvious fact from the images is the new Nokia BL-5J battery with a capacity of 1320 mAh that will power the Nokia 5800.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic measures 115 x 52 x 14.5mm and weighs 104 g. It's rumored to be officially announced within the next month.

8 megapixel Samsung i8510 Primera turns out as Samsung INNOV8

2008-07-28T00:55:00.000-07:00

Samsung officially announced the Samsung i8510 INNOV8 today - a multimedia monster, which packs top-of-the-range cameraphone capabilities along with Symbian S60 smartphone functionality. And probably the best thing about it is that it will be available in Europe in a few weeks (read August 2008).

The Samsung i8510 INNOV8 (previously rumored as Samsung Primera) has a name that seems really hard to pronounce, but in fact it's the word INNOVATE with some untraditional spelling. We've already reported of a live preview of the device, you can check it out here, but here's the official scoop.

Probably the biggest asset of the i8510 INNOV8 is its 8 megapixel auto focus camera, which has some advanced features such as face recognition, smile and blink recognition, auto panorama mode and geotagging. Unfortunately, there is no xenon flash, but only a dual power LED setup. The camera will be able to record video in VGA resolution at 30fps along with slow-mo QVGA video, which will be captured at 120fps.

The Samsung i8510 INNOV8 is a smartphone based on Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3rd edition Feature Pack 2 and features quad-band GSM and dual-band HSDPA 7.2Mbps (900/2100 MHz) support. It also has a large 2.8-inch 16M color QVGA display - it serves the Nokia N95 8GB excellently, so we don't think it would have benefitted by a higher resolution. Screen auto rotation is also available thanks to the built-in accelerometer.

The amount of RAM is 128 MB and there will be a dedicated 3D graphics accelerator. Unfortunately there is no information regarding the CPU used in this multimedia monster.

The Samsung i8510 also packs with some massive storage memory - a 8GB and a 16GB version will be available - much like the Samsung Omnia (you didn't hear us say Apple iPhone, did you?). That storage is further expandable via a microSD card slot.

Samsung i8510 INNOV8

GPS receiver with A-GPS support and Wi-Fi with DLNA certification are also on board. DLNA is basically a wireless media sharing protocol that runs on top of Wi-Fi. Sony Ericsson C905 and Nokia N96 have it too by the way.

For music playback, the i8510 packs stereo speakers, 3D surround sound effect and DNSe 2.0, which is Samsung's DSP technology. There's no word however of the rumored 5.1 surround support. A standard 3.5mm audio jack will be present on board.

Users will also enjoy playback of DivX videos, which is a nice add-on. USB 2.0, stereo Bluetooth, FM radio with RDS complete the feature list.

Samsung i8510 INNOV8 lifestyle shots

Samsung i8510 is powered by a 1200 mAh battery and measures 106.5 x 53.9 x 16.9mm, which is close to Samsung's previous Symbian-powered flagship - the G810, meaning it's a bulky fella.

The Samsung i8510 INNOV8 will be first available in Europe next month and its rumored price is 780 euro.

Here is a bunch of live photos, curtesy of MobileBurn.

Samsung i8510 INNOV8 live

Samsung i900 Omnia review

2008-07-28T00:53:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Now that the dust of the Diamond vs. Omnia PocketPC battle settles down, our up close and personal look at the rivals continues with Samsung i900 Omnia. Slick looks, great feature-pack and ingenious software solutions are things that hold true for the i900 Omnia in the same extent as for the Diamond.

And since the Samsung i900 Omnia boasts loads of character and personality it's no wonder it holds the crowd hooked ever since it was announced. The first five megapixel Windows Mobile cameraphone has inspired quite a following and now that it's already market available in Europe we are more than happy to welcome the Omnia back after a well deserved breather. Well then, we've seen it race, let's watch it cruise.

Samsung i900 Omnia official photos

Key features:

Quad-band GSM support
3G with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS
624MHz Marvell PXA312 CPU and 128 MB RAM
3.2" 65K-color touchscreen with resolution of 240 x 400 pixels
5 megapixel autofocus camera with wide dynamic range mode, face tracking, smile detection, geotagging
8 to 16 GB of storage memory, microSD expansion
Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS
Wi-Fi
Stereo Bluetooth and USB connectivity
FM radio with RDS
Optical joystick with virtual mouse functionality
Built-in accelerometer for auto screen rotation and call muting
TV-out
Solid build and great finish
Slick design and slim body
Nice battery life
Fast response and performance
Excellent thumb-optimized software package
Thumbable virtual QWERTY keyboard with optional landscape mode
TouchWiz UI
DivX video support right out of the box
Above average audio quality
Headset comes with a 3.5mm audio jack

Main disadvantages:

No stylus slot
Poor sunlight legibility
Memory card not hot-swappable
Non-standard display resolution
No dedicated 3D accelerator
Non-standard USB port
Web browser lacks real Flash support

The PocketPC mid-season may as well be a hush before the storm with the HTC Touch Pro and Xperia waiting to be unleashed. But for now we have two other bitter rivals to keep us busy: Samsung i900 Omnia and HTC Touch Diamond. It truly is a great achievement for Samsung to have a gadget fit to stand up to the top PocketPC manufacturer HTC.

Samsung i900 Omnia all over

The two devices are doing a great job standing their ground to the Apple iPhone 3G and it's no wonder since each of them is technically more advanced than Apple's creation. In fact, they have a lot of things in common with the iPhone - the full Touch UI, the nice multimedia capabilities and the superior web browsing experience. But we digress.

We already saw the Diamond and Omnia in action and you're free to replay the game here. The Diamond surely has a few things to offer over the Omnia (VGA screen, smaller size, 3D acceleration, and magnetic stylus) but it also has its issues here and there to make it a tough call indeed. We do hope however that this review will bring you a little closer to deciding your allegiance.

Some of you that have already gone through the Diamond vs Omnia article might be probably wondering if this review is worth your time. Well, truthfully, we have put our every effort to make it worth it.

First of all, since we finished the grand battle between these two high-end handsets, we received a final retail unit of the Samsung Omnia, which proved much better both in performance and software equipment. We've taken care to reflect all those changes in this review. And there's even more:

we've added more than 70 new interface screenshots (and there are new studio shots too)
we've added a whole bunch of camera samples from the retail unit
we've covered new topics such as the FM radio, the organizer, the mobile office and the full range of pre-installed applications
we've covered the Opera 9.5 web browser in greater detail

Sony Ericsson W902, W595 and W302 finally go official

2008-07-28T00:51:00.000-07:00

Celebrating the Walkman-seriеs third birthday, Sony Ericsson revealed three new Walkman phones today, along with a new set of music accessories. The Sony Ericsson W902, W595 and W302 weren't really the best kept secret, as their live photos leaked a week ago but still we enjoy finally meeting them officially. Along with these new Walkmans Sony Ericsson introduced three sets of headphones, three new wireless stereo speakers and a phone case.

Sony Ericsson W902

Sony Ericsson W902 is the most feature-packed among the new devices, coming with a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with a LED flash and hardware music keys. It has a 262K color 2.2" QVGA TFT display and 25MB of built-in memory. Quite as expected, Sony Ericsson W902 will also feature an 8GB M2 memory card in its retail package to extend the available storage.

Sony Ericsson W902

The 3G and HSDPA-enabled W902 measures 110 x 49 x 11.7mm and weighs 99.8 grams. The FM radio with RDS and stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) come to compliment the music capabilities of the quad-band W902.

The Sony Ericsson W902 will also offer auto screen rotation thanks to the built-in accelerometer and image geotagging. Since it doesn't have a GPS receiver, the geotagging feature will rely on cell towers to approximate your location.

The Sony Ericsson W902 will be available in Volcanic Black, Wine Red and Earth Green versions from Q4 of 2008.

Sony Ericsson W595

Sony Ericsson W595 comes next in line sporting quad-band GSM support and 3G with HSDPA. The slider also boasts a 3 megapixel camera that unfortunately has no autofocus. The display will be a 2.2" one of QVGA resolution, capable of showing up to 262K colors.

Sony Ericsson W595

The usual suspects - Bluetooth (with A2DP), USB (through Sony Ericsson's proprietary port) and FM radio with RDS are all on board Sony Ericsson W595. A 2GB M2 memory card will come in the retail package to extend the 40MB of built-in memory.

The color versions of the Sony Ericsson W595 are Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White, Jungle Grey and Lava Black. The handset will be released in Q4 of 2008.

Sony Ericsson W302

The Sony Ericsson W302 is the final phone of the announcement. Coming in the bar form factor the W302 will be the most affordable among the new Walkmans and will sport the most modest feature pack. Itsports a 176 x 220 pixel 262K color TFT display and a 2 megapixel snapper.

Sony Ericsson W302

There is also no 3G on the W302 but luckily the sweet quad-band GSM with EDGE support is left intact. FM radio with RDS, USB and stereo Bluetooth are some of the other features included. The built-in memory will be 20MB and there will be a M2 slot for expanding it.

Sony Ericsson W302 will be as compact as 100 x 46 x 10.5 mm and will weigh merely 78g. It will be available in n Midnight Black and Sparkling White and will hit the shelves in Q4 2008.

Accessories

Along with the phones a couple of nice accessories were also unveiled today. MBS-400 and MPS-100 are portable wireless stereo speakers which look rather nice. The MBS-200 sports the same design as the MBS-400 but is only a single speaker.

The newly announced MBS-200, MBS-400 and MPS-100 wireless speakers

The three pairs of headphones announced include the wireless HBH-IS800, the noise-cancelling HPM-88 and the designed for a more active lifestyle HPM-66.

The HBH-IS800, HPM-66 and HPM-88 handsfree sets introduced today

The final bit of Sony Ericsson craftsmanship revealed today is the IPC-40 phone case.

The new Sony Ericsson phone case

Nokia N95 gets a step counter

2007-12-12T20:31:00.000-08:00

It seems that Nokia N95's built-in accelerometer is the hottest news around these days. Ever since the plug-in allowing 3rd party applications access to its data went public applications have been popping up constantly.

The latest of them is the Activity Monitor and is developed by Nokia guys themselves as an alternative for the Sports tracker application. It basically acts as an electronic diary, storing summaries of your activity loads.

Thanks to the accelerometer the Activity monitor is able to count the number of steps, the distance covered and the energy expended during each training session. Well actually the distance and energy are estimates based on your age and height but on most cases these should be pretty accurate.

Mentioning accuracy, the developers suggest that you should attach the phone to your belt or upper arm to achieve best results. You can also place it in your pocket and it is still said to work well, but if you put it in a bag that you hold in hand underestimation of your steps is quite probable. Inevitably sometimes false step are detected and as the authors say this is mostly when cycling or driving.

The Activity Monitor is currently available for Nokia N95 and N95 8GB. The Nokia N95 classic needs a memory card in order to run the application. Also be aware that the Activity Monitor drains quite a large amount of battery power thanks to the constant use of the accelerometer so you might want to switch it off when you are not doing laps on the stadium.

On a different note we want to remind you that today another cool application, using the accelerometer is expected to be released. The RotateMe, which will allow the screen of Nokia N95 and N95 8GB to automatically rotate is developed by Oueldi Samir and at least on the demo videos it seems to perform great. We are yet to test to the application and see if it is actually that good.

Nokia E51 review

2007-12-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

Nokia offers a wide range of Eseries business handsets, including Communicators and enhanced messaging devices of different form factors. Each E series phone is optimized for different types of business users, but all feature the familiar and friendly S60 user interface over Symbian OS. The new Nokia E51 combines compact dimensions, rich communication skills, a comfortable keyboard and stylish design, aiming to be a classic and conservative all-round performer.

Key features

Quad-band GSM/3G (with HSDPA 3.6 Mbps), EDGE and GPRS support
Wi-Fi, VoIP over WLAN
Symbian 9.2 OS Series 60 3rd edition UI with Feature Pack 1
12 mm slim, elegant design
130 MB onboard memory, expandable via microSD cards (up to 4 GB), hot swap
Very comfortable keyboard and D-pad
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and IrDA (115 kbps)
New Symbian key icons
Fast user interface

Main disadvantages

2 megapixel camera with no autofocus, nor flash
Extremely hard-to-press volume rocker, power button and voice recorder key
Stale multimedia interface
Cannot edit office documents
Doesn't charge when connected via USB
Voice dial works well only with English names

GSM phone in wrist watch disguise

2007-12-07T05:38:00.000-08:00

Ever wanted to know how it feels for a secret agent to blow their cover by talking on their wrist watch? Well, if you did, the guys over at thinkgeek.com seem to have the right little something for you. The GSM wrist watch is a fool-around cool GSM phone/gadget that comes loaded with features.

The 1.3" 65K color TFT touchscreen display is probably the first thing to fascinate you (the tiny stylus is tucked inside the body). The GSM wrist watch also has a music and video player (MP3 and MP4) - unfortunately all you have is 60MB of integrated memory that's not expandable in any way.

The GSM wrist watch has a tri-band GSM/GPRS support, a WAP browser, it supports MP3 and MIDI ringtones, and also has a sound recorder, calendar and a notes application with basic handwriting recognition. There is also e-book support, calculator, currency and unit converter, plus the little fellow can tell the time out loud.

Sound like a yummy offer - it does all the regular low end GSM mobile stuff right off your hand, plus you get that cloak-and-dagger form factor. The watch has USB interface for transferring data to and from a computer, charges via USB or using a wall socket.

The retail package includes a wireless Bluetooth headset (a wired one is also supplied) and two batteries. The best thing is this nifty gadget costs only USD 199.99.

Samsung F250 is music-styled slider

2007-12-07T05:32:00.000-08:00

Yeah, we know what you're thinking - yet another slider by Samsung. But think about it this way - it's the form factor Samsung are best at and improvement is apparent with every next model. The Samsung F250 is a music-oriented handset, which is positioned somewhere in the lower midrange.

The Samsung mobiles are traditionally good at music; they just have the right hardware. Even the cheapest ones have great sound reproduction qualities as our audio quality tests revealed.

The Samsung F250 may not be a flagship of any kind, but it's really classy and we find the design great. The F250 has a 1.3 megapixel camera, a 2" 65K color TFT display with a resolution of 128x160 pixels.

Additional specs go as far as tri-band GSM/EDGE support, stereo Bluetooth, microSD memory card and FM radio.

The Samsung F250 is expected in the beginning of 2008 at around 180 EUR.

New firmware benefits Nokia N95

2007-12-04T20:22:00.000-08:00

An exciting firmware update for the original Nokia N95-1 saw light recently. After few days of testing it out, we can now confirm that it has really improved the performance of one of the top multimedia devices on the market. Here is a short summary of what we've found to be the most important upgrades that are introduced with it.

The actual firmware updating of the device is really simple. All you have to do is download the Nokia Software Updater from the Finnish company's website, install it, and then run with the phone connected to your PC via the USB cable. For the purpose of software updating, you should use the "USB PC Suite profile" for connecting to the PC. After that all you need to do is follow the really simple instructions of the software updater application and you will end up having a Nokia N95 with brand new 20.0.015 software.

After the update is done, the first change you will see is the added line for the search application on the active stand-by screen. The next thing you'll see is the rearranged menu plus the added N-Gage icon for accessing the games for the platform. Finally, the music shop kicks in, allowing quick and convenient purchasing of your favorite tracks. But this is just a small part of all the niceties the new firmware brings.

The On Demand Paging is also included meaning that now only the most essential parts of the programs are loaded in the RAM memory with the rest of them remaining on the phone's memory. This leads to more free RAM and better battery life at the same time.

The final significant improvement over the previous 12.0.013 firmware is the updated Maps application that also comes with a three-day free voice navigation trial version. But it's freely downloadable from Nokia's website, of course. We also need to mention that the startup time has greatly improved and it is now about three seconds faster than the Nokia N95 8GB's. The camera start up speed and shot-to-shot time has also seen some changes and now they are about the same as the faster N95 8GB as well as Sony Ericsson K850.

The new firmware version also brings a whole bunch of other stability improvements and features, but not all of them are readily noticeable and most pose no interest to the regular user.

Nokia comes with free music now

2007-12-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

Nokia managed to surprise everybody with their latest service called "Comes with music". Nokia users will be receiving a 1 year free subscription to the service which allows unlimited music downloads to your mobile phone and PC. When the year expires, you get to keep the music.

It's first of a kind service and has no competition. We are yet wondering where the trick is as it sounds too good to be true. It's not yet clear which Nokia handsets will receive the service for free.

Universal Music is the first partner of the Nokia service, more will follow later on. The music downloading fiesta will obviously begin somewhere in mid-2008.

The free access to music will undoubtedly create some pressure on Apple's iTunes Music Store. Universal Music pulled out of iTunes earlier this year.

Editorial comment: We wish we could have been able to report to you with more details live from Amsterdam where the Nokia World event is held but unfortunately it seems that Nokia staff either doesn't find our website major enough to spare an invitation, or they simply give priority to Nokia- and Symbian-oriented fan sites. We went into a great deal of effort in order to obtain an invitation, but we were turned down by everyone we've contacted.

Nokia 3110 Evolve is not that evolved

2007-12-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

At the Nokia World 2007 event held in Amsterdam Nokia announced today the Nokia 3110 Evolve handset. It's a rather strange ofering as it doesn't really offer any evolution as compared to the Nokia 3110 classic, which was announced back in February and is already available. It looks a lot like the Nokia 3500 classic and it offers the same hardware characteristics as the Nokia 3110 classic. The body panels of the new Nokia 3110 Evolve however are said to be produced from bio-sourced materials, which is a heads up to ecology-minded users.

The Nokia 3110 Evolve will be available in Q1 2008. No info on the expected price is yet available.

Editorial comment: We wish we could have been able to report to you with more details live from Amsterdam where the Nokia World event is held but unfortunately it seems that Nokia staff either doesn't find our website major enough to spare an invitation, or they simply give priority to Nokia- and Symbian-oriented fan sites. We went into a great deal of effort in order to obtain an invitation, but we were turned down by everyone we've contacted.

GPS navigation overview: Maps go digital

2007-12-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

What else can my mobile phone do for me? It almost makes you wonder if there still are people out there using their phones for calling and texting only. We've seen oblique, farfetched and elite options gradually become make-or-break for mobile phone buyers. Handsets with GPS support are enjoying a growing interest lately. More and more people are considering switching to a device with built-in GPS or buying an external receiver to use with their current phone. We are getting tons of requests for a detailed look at the issue, so we decided it's about time we did something about it. In this article we try to shed light on the capabilities a Bluetooth GPS receiver gives you.

The chosen two

Now, this is not the focus of our review but it's important to make a few points about different GPS receivers. We tested two devices produced by one of the world's most popular manufacturers HOLUX. Holux M1000 and Holux GPSlim 240 are the lucky participants in our test. We decided to go for them mainly because a comparison like this makes a clear point about the differences between the most popular GPS chipsets: the SiRF Star III and the quickly catching up MTK MT3318. The latter is pitched for its one of kind power saving properties providing unbeaten battery lifetime. As it turned out, it lives up to its reputation but we'll come back to that a little later in our article.

First impressions

One thing you can't help noticing when comparing the two Bluetooth GPS receivers. The M1000 is more than twice the size of GPSlim 240 and of course it weighs a good 50% more than its competitor. Don't get us wrong, it is still compact enough at 65 x 43 x 17.6 mm and 53 grams of weight. Still, the GPSlim is well worth its name. After all, 64 x 22 x 15 mm is about the size of a car key and 35 grams is an insignificant weight.

The two devices are very similar designwise - they have oblong shape with three LED indicators at the top and a miniUSB port on the side. The LEDs are easy to use status indicators. There is a dedicated LED for the battery status, Bluetooth connection and, of course, GPS data. The latter blinks when the receiver has locked to enough satellites to provide a (more or less) exact location. If the signal is not strong enough though, the LED will produce continuous orange light.

A nice feature of the larger M1000 is that its battery can be replaced, which means that you can have as many batteries as you like to go endless hours without needing to charge. As our experience with the M1000 showed however, you are very unlikely to ever need that. The advertised 23 hours of battery life is not too far from what you get in real-life usage. The by far smaller GPSlim 240 receiver, on the other hand, is supposed to only last 8 hours and so it does. OK, "only" does sound highly ironic. 8 hours is in fact a lot of time, more than enough for almost any situation. We have to mention here that both receivers come with a car charger adapter, in addition to the USB charger cables they have.

Performance

Enough small talk about design, we now focus on what really matters - the performance of the two GPS receivers. The differences we came across are conditioned by the completely different chipsets used. The initial start time (the time elapsing from powering the receiver and achieving satellite lock) of the M1000 is quoted to be shorter than that of GPSlim 240, but we'll have to disagree. In fact, the GPSlim 240 found enough satellites for a GPS downlink in much shorter time on almost every occasion leaving the M1000 biting the dust. On the other hand, M1000 managed to lock on more satellites than the GPSlim 240, and was able to provide coordinates (although not as exact as usual) in more complicated conditions than its rival. It had no problem when positioned under solid roof at about 4 meters from the nearest window, whereas GPSlim 240 lost contact at about half that distance. This however is not that important, as it is not very likely to use your GPS receiver indoors.

In terms of data refreshing, the tinier GPSlim 240 communicates with the connected phone far more often refreshing the coordinates on the screen. The power-saving architecture on M1000 only does that once in a second. In real life usage you are highly unlikely to feel any significant difference. Besides, the accuracy of both devices is very good and that's what really matters. An interesting bug we noticed in the GPSlim 240: it loses signal upon a rapid change of speed - mostly when breaking suddenly at high speed. This of course happens for less than a second, so you are unlikely to even notice that when using it for in-car navigation.

Anyway, if we have to choose we will probably go for the Holux M1000 Bluetooth GPS receiver, despite the fact that it is quite larger, mostly for its stunning battery life and slightly lower price, though we have to admit the GPSlim 240 is just as good for the job.

HTC Touch review

2007-11-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

Introduced several months ago, the innovative HTC Touch is the device, after which the world of Windows Mobile will probably never be the same. Chic, smart and versatile, the HTC Touch brings together an array of communication, entertainment and business capabilities enabling mobile consumers to balance work and fun. HTC Touch initiates an intriguing line of smartphone devices to feature the innovative TouchFLO technology with finger sweep control, making full use of the HTC Home application add-on. One of the smallest Windows Mobile devices is up to every standard with the package including Wi-Fi, 2.8" touchscreen TFT display, 2 megapixel camera and rich business applications. Since Apple managed to move a cool one million iPhones in some two and a half months, HTC Touch strikes back with officially reported 800,000 units sold in Europe/Asia since the launch of the device on July 5th. The HTC management admits this result beats even their most positive forecasts

Key features

HTC TouchFLO technology allows smooth finger scrolling and panning
HTC Home application
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
2.8" 65K color touchscreen TFT display of QVGA resolution
2 megapixel camera
Sturdy build, quality casing and compact dimensions
Bluetooth v2.0
Large and comfortable D-pad
SIM card accessible without removing the battery

Main disadvantages

No 3G support
Inadequate 201 MHz processor and insufficient 128 MB ROM
No FM radio
Hard to clean casing

Leveraging the good functionality of Windows Mobile 6 Professional, the HTC Touch includes the Outlook Mobile and Office Mobile applications and extended compatibility with third-party applications. HTC Touch, a.k.a. HTC P3450, is based on the HTC Elf 100 platform. HTC Touch also goes by the MDA Touch alias for T-Mobile customers, as well as Vogue for Sprint customers.

HTC Touch all around

At this stage, there are three color versions of the device officially available - the elegant soft black, the alluring wasabi green, and the white version, which is due for Christmas

Sony Ericsson P3, M610 and Motorola E9 spotted

2007-11-27T20:48:00.000-08:00

The Chinese MSN website has a rather extensive Sony Ericsson models list in their Downloads section for the Windows Live Messenger plus some that are not yet released. It seems the Chinese are ahead of everyone else when it comes to the latest upcoming models Sony Ericsson P3, Sony Ericsson M610 and also Motorola E9.

The Sony Ericsson handsets seem a long way from official announcement however we've already seen similar prototype photos of P3 six months ago. And it still looks fake enough with that fullscreen Walkman logo. No specs are known yet, however if there's even a slight truth in those pictures, the next Sony Ericsson smartphones will again have the bar form factor plus the dreadful QWERTY keyboard first used in Sony Ericsson M600.

The Motorola E9 is also among the handsets spotted at the same website - it's again a rumored handset that still hasn't been officially announced

Ranking

2007-11-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

Current rankings

Top 10 Phones By Rate

1. Nokia N95
2. Sony Ericsson W610
3. Nokia N82
4. HTC TyTN II
5. Sony Ericsson T650
6. Sony Ericsson P1
7. Nokia 6120 classic
8. Nokia E90
9. Sony Ericsson K850
10. Motorola RAZR2 V8

Top 5 Brands By Rate

1. HTC
2. Sony Ericsson
3. Nokia
4. Samsung
5. Eten

Top 10 Phone By interest

1. Nokia N95
2. Nokia N73
3. Nokia N70
4. Sony Ericsson K800
5. Sony Ericsson K750
6. Nokia N80
7. Motorola V3x8
8. Sony Ericsson W810
9. Samsung D600
10. Sony Ericsson W800

Top 5 Brands By interest

1. Nokia
2. Sony Ericsson
3. Samsung
4. Motorola
5. LG

Sony Ericsson W380 spesifications

2007-11-25T22:44:00.000-08:00

Sony Ericsson W380 spesifications

Size: 92 x 49 x 16 mm
Weight: 100 grams
Colours: Electric Purple, Magnetic Grey
Screen: 262,144 colour TFT
Resolution: 176 x 220 pixels
Size: 1.9 inches
External screen: OLED
Resolution: 36 x 128
Phone memory: Up to 14 MB
Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) support
Talk time: Up to 7 hrs
Standby time: Up to 300 hrs

Networks: W380a: GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/1800/1900
W380c/i: GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800/190

Music and Entertainment
512 MB M2 memory stick
Walkman player
FM radio with RDS
PlayNow
TrackID
Media Manager Software
Bluetooth stereo (A2DP)
Stereo headset
Windows Media DRM
eAAC+/WMA/WMApro
3D games
Mega Bass
Music tones (MP3/AAC)
Polyphonic ringtones
Java
Video streaming
Video viewing

Camera
1.3 megapixel camera
4x digital zoom

Communication & Messaging
RSS feeds
WAP 2.0 XHTML
Speakerphone
Vibrating alert
Email
Picture messaging (MMS)
Predictive text input
Sound recorder
Text messaging (SMS)

Connectivity
Bluetooth™ technology
Modem
Synchronization
USB mass storage
USB support

Organizer
Flight mode
Alarm clock
Calculator
Calendar
Notes
Phone book
Stopwatch
Tasks
Timer

W380 will be available in selected markets from Q1 2008

Sony Ericsson K660 Facts and Figures

2007-11-25T22:36:00.000-08:00

Sony Ericsson K660 Facts and Figures

Size: 104 x 47 x 15 mm
Weight: 95 grams
Colour: Lime on white and wine on black
Talk time GSM: Up to 9 hrs
Standby time GSM: Up to 330 hrs
Talk time UMTS: Up to 4 hrs 30 min
Standby time UMTS: Up to 330 hrs

Networks:
UMTS/HSDPA 2100
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900

Internet
RSS feeds
Access NetFront™ Web browser
Email client
Instant Messaging client enabled
Google search
Google map mobile
2.0" QVGA display with landscape Web browsing
RSS desktop
Web shortcut keys

Camera
2 megapixel camera
4x digital zoom
Picture blogging
Video recording

Music and Entertainment
Bluetooth stereo (A2DP)
Media player
Mega Bass
Music tones
PlayNow
TrackID
Polyphonic ringtones
3D games
Java
FM radio
Video streaming
Video viewing

Communication
Speakerphone
Vibrating alert
Video calling

Messaging
Email
Picture messaging (MMS)
Predictive text input
Sound recorder
Text messaging (SMS)

Organizer
Alarm clock
Calculator
Calendar
Flight mode
Notes
Phone book
Stopwatch
Tasks
Timer

Connectivity
Bluetooth technology
Modem
Synchronization
USB mass storage
USB support

K660 will be available in selected markets from Q1 2008

Nokia N81 8GB review: N-series N-gaged

2007-11-25T07:28:00.000-08:00

The Nokia N81 8GB is a truly exciting smartphone combining the power of Symbian 9.2 OS spiced up with the new N-Gage platform. What we have in N81 8GB is entertainment and multimedia unleashed. Not only does its specs sheet impress, but it promises tons of fun. With that said you cannot blame us for being too eager to test it out, can you? So please make yourselves comfortable and join us for this review.

Key features:

Massive storage space (8GB version)
Symbian OS 9.2 S60 3.1 UI
Wi-Fi support
Unique gaming experience with the new N-Gage platform and dedicated gaming keys above the display
Brilliant 2.4" 16M-color QVGA display
2 megapixel camera
3.5 mm audio jack
Touch sensitive Navi wheel
Dedicated music keys and hardware keypad lock switch
3G with video calls
Nice multimedia menu

Main disadvantages:

Mediocre camera
Awkward D-pad
Hefty weight
Uncomfortable keypad
No HSDPA

Motorola Q 9h review: Moto messenger

2007-11-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

The Motorola Q 9h seems an interesting offer if you're after a smartphone. There's no stylus, nor touchscreen, and neither is likely to be missed. In return you get a full QWERTY keypad, almost complete data equipment and Windows Mobile 6 Standard. If you want a Windows Mobile gadget but are trying to steer clear of touchscreen displays, the Q 9h might just do the job for you.

Key features
UMTS including HSDPA
512MB microSD card in the package
quality construction
perfect keyboard

Main disadvantages
no WiFi
system connector
middling camera

Nokia N95 8GB review

2007-11-23T20:33:00.000-08:00

About a year ago Nokia released a tech-freak's dream of a handset offering a mouthwatering horde of features in a fairly compact size. The omnipresent N95 spawned a successor and now the question is how much better can it get. Nokia N95 8GB sure has good genes but there still seems to be enough room for improvement. At first glance, Nokia has heeded user complaints with the original and addressed them properly. However, we are yet to see if the enhancements are enough to make the N95 8GB the definitive upgrade from the previous model or is it about laurel-resting mostly.

Key features
2.8" 16M color QVGA display
5 megapixel camera with auto focus and Carl Zeiss optics
Massive storage capacity and increased RAM
Wi-Fi with UPnP technology
Built-in GPS receiver and A-GPS functionality
Nokia maps application covering over 100 countries worldwide
Dual-slide design with dedicated multimedia keys
Standard 3.5mm audio jack
3G (with HSDPA), EDGE and GPRS support
Symbian OS 9.2 Series 60 3rd edition Feature Pack 1 user interface
TV-out functionality
1200 mAh battery

Main disadvantages
No camera lens protector
No RDS system for the FM radio
Below average GPS performance, no 3rd party apps support
Extra charges for voice assisted navigation
Cannot edit office documents
No card slot
Doesn't charge when connected to USB

Nokia N95 vs Nokia N95 8GB

BenQ S7 snatched an iF Design award

2007-11-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

The BenQ S7 mobile phone won a place in the Entertainment and Communication category of the iF Design Award China. The iF Design Award China is sponsored by International Forum Design Hanover of Germany. This award is deemed as one of the most significant design competitions in the Asia-Pacific region. The jury is comprised of top international designers that examine and pick the award-winning entries and guarantee iF's special status and the high reputation of the iF label

The International Forum Design has often been a place where new models have leaked before they've been announced by the manufacturer. The same goes for the BenQ S7, a fashionable GPS-equipped bar-shaped handset. No detailed specs are known for BenQ S7 yet and the integrated GPS receiver, the slim body and the metallic finish are all that can be concluded for now. But knowing how things work, we can probably expect an official press release by BenQ really soon.

Sony Ericsson S500 review

2007-11-22T22:27:00.000-08:00

The slider form factor debuts in the company's S line and in fact, this is the first Sony Ericsson slider that's not a Walkman. Speaking of which, Sony Ericsson S500 is a W580 in disguise. And some disguise it is: with this slim slider almost everything is staked on design. Nature-inspired patterns, audacious paintjobs and light effects all make sure the S500 won't go unnoticed.

Key features
Size: 99 x 47 x 14 mm, 94 g
Slim slider body
Appealing design and color options
Dynamic themes and wallpaper animation
Light effects
Good keypad
Good 256K-color QVGA display
M2 memory card support, up to 2GB
2-megapixel camera
Email client and RSS-feed reader
A2DP enabled Bluetooth
Quad band support, GPRS and EDGE Class 10

Main disadvantages
Only 12MB of integrated memory
No indicator of missed events
Not operable without SIM
No autofocus and flash
No FM radio
Awkward handling of SIM card and rear cover

Toshiba Portege G900 review: PC in your pocket

2007-11-22T22:19:00.000-08:00

The Toshiba Portege G900 begs to be called cutting edge. With its massive set of features it does manage to deliver on almost all fronts - HSDPA, 3" WVGA touch screen display, spacious QWERTY keyboard, 2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, fingerprint scanner, Wi-Fi and USB host mode. It does take a heavyweight bloke to handle that much of a feature load, but more than ever PocketPC comes really close to a PC in your pocket.

Key features
3" 65K color TFT touchscreen display with a 800 x 480 pixels WVGA resolution
Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
HSDPA 3.6 Mbps with video calls
Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional
Intel XScale 520 MHz processor
128MB RAM
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
miniSD memory card slot with hot-swap capabilities
USB host function via miniUSB port
2.5 mm standard audio jack
2 megapixel camera
Stereo Bluetooth audio (A2DP)
Fingerprint scan feature for security and menu navigation
Large QWERTY keyboard

Main disadvantages
Hefty size and weight
Slow interface response
Poor display legibility under sunlight
No FM radio
Only 40MB of internal memory available to the user
Mediocre camera performance
No external reset switch
No dedicated graphics chip (at least not officially confirmed)
USB host function works only with devices with power consumption under 100mA
Poor battery life

Sony Ericsson W910 review: Walkman in style

2007-11-22T22:05:00.000-08:00

The Sony Ericsson W910 reinforced the Walkman ranks with a suave, yet strong performer. The thin and elegant slider does look the part, while HSDPA (3.6 Mbps) and Walkman 3.0 are the right features to expect in a high-end device. At first glance, the W910 brings a few brand new software and hardware solutions to the scene. Stay with us as we go beyond the disarming looks and try to determine whether Sony Ericsson W910 has what it takes to win the hearts of the customers.

Key features
HSDPA (3.6 Mbps), EDGE, Bluetooth (with A2DP)
SensMe™ and Shake control features
Slim sliding construction
Media Center, Walkman 3.0
Dedicated Call and End keys
Fast photo browser
Ample 2.4" display
Powerful loudspeaker
FM radio with RDS
1GB or 2GB M2 card included, M2 USB card reader

Main disadvantages
Comes at an overpriced price tag
Wobbly slider
2 MP camera with neither autofocus, nor flash
Only 40 MB internal memory
Video recording in QVGA resolution at 15fps
Irrelevant gaming/photo keys
No skins for the Walkman player

Samsung G600 review

2007-11-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

Samsung sets two contenders running for glory, with two 5 megapixel newcomers on the cameraphone market. The Samsung G600 was first to be announced, and had the mobile community astir. Featuring quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support, a glamorous 2.2" 16M color TFT display and stereo Bluetooth, the Samsung G600 is easily a tempting all-around multimedia device. The stylish design, the choice of colors and the metallic touch add up to some really exquisite looks. You may as well have a soft spot for this baby already but we are here to make sure its appeal is more than skin-deep.

Key features
Stylish design
5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and VGA video recording
16M color TFT display of QVGA (320x240 pixels) resolution
Ambient light sensor for automatic brightness control
Bluetooth with A2DP
microSD memory card slot
FM radio with recording capabilities
TV out
MS Office documents viewer
Nice web browser
Quick menu response and new menu structure
The enclosed headset finally has a 3.5 mm audio jack
Dynamic home screen
Mobile Tracker application

Main disadvantages
No 3G support
Upper row of alphanumeric keys might be hard to reach
New headset/charger jack incompatible with older accessories
Xenon flash would've suited it better
Shot-to-shot time on the slow side
Samsung G600 was the first GSM cameraphone by the Korean manufacturer to feature a 5 megapixel camera module. The checkered flag is nowhere in sight in the megapixel race, but obviously 2007 will be marked for the successful conquering of the 5 megapixel barrier. We really don't think the megapixel count is all that important when it comes to image quality - there's so much more to it, like color rendering, digital noise and dynamic range. But let's not get into the photographic mumbo jumbo; we're reviewing a mobile phone after all.

How about a brief look back though, before we go? You know, a little bit of context won't hurt. Samsung D900 proved quite a gifted contender in the 3 megapixel shootouts we did in the past. In fact, it even got our recommendation as the best cameraphone in the slider form factor last year. The G600 is in for quite a challenge meeting this kind of expectations. Samsung D900 is already well in the past though, so let's get on with it. More after the jump.

Nokia N82 is finally out

2007-11-22T21:44:00.000-08:00

It's official. No, really, it is! The Nokia N82 is finally out and rolling with the official Nokia specifications. There's nothing new to it, rumors have already got it right. There is some exciting news about it though - the Nokia N82 will be shipping as of now - effective immediately. In case you wonder how much it will cost, read on.

The Nokia N82 specs include HSDPA with video calls and quad-band GSM support. The 100MB of integrated memory is complemented by the microSD memory slot. The 2.4" 16M color QVGA TFT display is not as large as the one of Nokia N95 however we feel that the N82 will be a strong contender to the N95 flagship.

The Nokia N82 is pretty much identical in hardware to the N95. It has 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics, it can capture 30fps MPEG4 videos at VGA resolution, and has a TV-out port to watch those on your TV set. You also have A-GPS that works with Nokia Maps. Compatibility with third-party software is not confirmed yet. The N82 however flaunts a xenon flash which is a first for Nokia but a really popular feature among users and again, there's the screen auto-rotation.

Samsung U600 Limited Black Gold Edition

2007-11-22T21:37:00.000-08:00

Another alluring Samsung Limited Edition phone is about to become a fact, as today a sleek and exclusive Samsung U600 Limited Black Gold Edition is to start selling.

As usually, there is no official information about the phone on the Samsung site. There is also no word on the special materials used in the phone but currently the Samsung U600 Limited Black Gold Edition can be found for around 320 EUR.
Samsung U600, a phone we reviewed recently, had become a common favorite and till now it has been introduced in seven color variations. Samsung U600 is a 10.9 mm thin slider with a 262K QVGA display and is packed with multimedia extras such as a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, MP3 player, FM radio and even TV out. The business applications of the quad-band phone are on par, including business card recognition, document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF), organizer and Yahoo search. The integrated 60 MB of memory is expandable via the microSD card slot and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP support completes the worthy set of phone functions.

T-Mobile sells unlocked Apple iPhone

2007-11-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

It's finally a fact - Apple iPhone unlocked will be selling officially. We know it's hard to believe but T-Mobile has formally announced it today. And if you are just starting to think it's too good to be true here goes the sobering fact. The handset is going to cost 999 Euro. Yeah, you heard it just right - about $1500 a piece is what T-Mobile is going to charge for the precious unlocked iPhone.

Furthermore, the handset won't be available for online or telephone orders and will only be sold in the telecom's official shops. In case you wondered how come T-Mobile is selling unlocked iPhones just 11 days after the official start of sales in Germany, a court ruling has outlawed the exclusive sales of phones on contract only. With the unlocked handsets costing an arm and a leg, we really wonder if the court decision is of much point really.

The good news is mostly for the customers who bought the iPhone between the 19th of November and the day the first unlocked handsets are released. Their iPhones can be unlocked for free.

O2 will offer XDA Orbit II and XDA Stellar

2007-11-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

It seems that O2 has prepared two new mobile phones for December and hopefully they will become available just in time for Christmas. Unfortunately, those handsets are not listed in the global O2 portfolio yet. The O2 XDA Stellar and O2 XDA Orbit II will be offered at a subsidized prize with a fixed-term contract.

The HSDPA-enabled tri-band O2 XDA Stellar is a twin of the HTC TyTN II, a phone we've reviewed recently. It's a feature loaded QWERTY keyboard PocketPC, which comes with a 2.8" 65K TFT touchscreen display with QVGA resolution, built-in GPS receiver, a 400 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM and 256 MB ROM, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth v2.0, and a 3 megapixel autofocus camera.

The HSDPA-enabled quad-band O2 XDA Orbit II is another twin of an already announced HTC handset - this time it's HTC Touch Cruise. However, the XDA Orbit II has undergone several cosmetic design changes to meet the O2 requirements. The PocketPC flaunts a 2.8" 65K TFT touchscreen with QVGA resolution, built-in GPS receiver, 400 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM and 256 MB ROM, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth v2.0, and a 3 megapixel autofocus camera. The full TouchFLO technology is also present here. The original HTC Touch Cruise is not available yet, however HTC representatives promised that it would hit the stores before Christmas.

O2 has some more smarties in store for the Christmas shoppers. The other ones however are already available. Those are O2 XDA Comet, O2 XDA Terra, O2 XDA Nova and O2 XDA Argon.

The HSDPA enabled quad-band O2 XDA Comet is the same device as the O2 XDA Atom Life, but it is intended for the German market, while the XDA Atom Life is for the Asian market but doesn't has a close HTC relative. O2 XDA Comet comes with the latest Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional OS. The Comet is eqiuped with heavy arsenal onboard. It has a 2.7" 65K TFT touchscreen with QVGA resolution, 620 MHz processor, 64 MB RAM and a breath-taking 1GB ROM, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth v1.2, and a 2 megapixel camera.

The quad-band O2 XDA Terra, a remake of the HTC P4350, sports a 2.7" 65K TFT touchscreen display with QVGA resolution, full QWERTY hardware sliding keyboard, 200 MHz processor, 64 MB RAM and 128 MB ROM, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth v2.0, as well as a 2 megapixel camera.

The tri-band O2 XDA Nova, known elsewhere as HTC Touch, has too undergone several cosmetic design changes with the navigation panel to do with the one of Qtek S100. O2 XDA Nova is the first phone to include full TouchFLO technology, a 2.8" 65K TFT touchscreen with QVGA resolution, 201 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM and 256 MB ROM, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth v2.0, and a 2 megapixel camera.

The tri-band O2 XDA Argon, otherwise known as HTC P6300, houses a 3.5" 65K TFT touchscreen display with QVGA resolution, 400 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM and 256 MB ROM, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth v2.0, and a 2 megapixel camera.