Mobile Phone Review Corner

Nokia 5800 XPress Music

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:16:00 +0000

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, a mobile device for music that brings innovative new features to the mass market. Delivering on Nokia's vision to provide the best total music experience possible, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will be among the first devices to support Comes With Music, Nokia's groundbreaking service which offers one year of unlimited access to the entire Nokia Music Store catalogue.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is a S60 5th Edition device with a resistive touch screen and tactile feedback. The device has variety of input methods: stylus, plectrum and finger touch support for text input and UI control (alphanumeric keypad, full and mini qwerty keyboard, handwriting recognition). Use the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic to connect to mobile broadband using WLAN or HSDPA (3.5G). Supported WCDMA frequencies depend on the region where the device is available. Find directions and locations with the integrated A-GPS and included maps.

When it comes to music phones, people all over the world want a device that is a great music experience - with more memory, loud and powerful speakers, easy synchronization - and must still work well as a mobile phone with direct access to important contacts and content. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic delivers on all counts and allows consumers to access and share content.

Media Bar, Contacts Bar - putting people first
Taking advantage of touch screen technology, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic introduces the 'Media Bar', a handy drop down menu that provides direct access to music and entertainment, including favourite tracks, videos and photos. The Media Bar also offers a direct link to the web and to online sharing. Because the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic supports Flash content, individuals can surf the entire web, not just pieces of it. In addition, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic offers all the music essentials, including a graphic equalizer, 8GB memory for up to 6000 tracks and support for all main digital music formats, and a 3.5mm jack. Built-in surround sound stereo speakers offer the industry's most powerful sound.

Ensuring a seamless music experience, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic also provides easy access to browse and purchase tracks from the Nokia Music Store, where applicable, while the newly updated Nokia Music PC software allows for easy drag-and-drop transfer of songs and management of any music collection.

The innovative 'Contacts Bar' lets consumers highlight four favorite contacts on their home-screen and, through a single touch, track a digital history of recent text messages, emails, phone logs, photos and blog updates.

For the best screen resolution available on a mobile phone, the 3.2" widescreen display brings photos, video clips and web content to life in vibrant color and true clarity. With a 16 by 9 aspect ratio and 30 frames-per-second playback and recording, the device is ideal for VGA quality video recording and playback.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic also features a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and, with a single touch, images or videos can be shared via a favorite online community, such as Share on Ovi, Flickr, or Facebook. Music playlist song titles can also be shared through Bluetooth, MMS or online sharing.

Music for the masses
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic supports 60 languages worldwide, which covers nearly 90 percent of the world's population. As people around the world use their phones in different ways, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic offers a variety of input methods including a virtual alphanumeric keypad, a virtual computer-style QWERTY keyboard, a pen stylus and for true music enthusiasts, a plectrum are all available.

Additional features include Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR, and USB 2.0 High-Speed.

Nokia 7900 Prism

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:59:00 +0000

Key features:

2" 16M color OLED QVGA display, fantastic in low light
Large internal storage (1GB)
Nokia S40 user interface
3G and EDGE support
Rich preloaded content
Charging over USB
Configurable backlighting color and light effects
Living wallpaper
Nice music player

Main disadvantages:

Mediocre camera
Inadequate QCIF video recording resolution
No memory card slot
No dedicated camera key
Poor legibility under direct sunlight
No video calls
Fingerprint magnet
Insecure grip, easy to slip
No FM radio

Nokia 7900 is a true example of out-of-the-box thinking. It is clearly not the most feature-packed phone on the market but it brings an enviable number of innovations. The main highlight of course is the 16M color OLED display, which is the first in the whole company portfolio, hitting the shelves one month before the second one - 8800 Arte.

The Nokia 7900 Prism has been designed to be noticed. This beautiful handset is a style & fashion focused 3G phone which will gain attention on looks as well as its useable built in features. The looks of the phone will cause a stir with its stylish diamond patterns cut into the aluminum casing & the attractive diamond cut keypad. The overall size of the handset is good which makes the 7900 Prism easy to carry & use at all times. The casing is 112mm high by 45mm wide by 11mm deep which provides the user with a slim mobile handset. The 7900 Prism weighs a total of 101 grams which is a good weight for the user to carry. This style focus phone comes with an amazing light effect feature which allows the user customise their new phone with forty nine different colours. The light effects can be seen when the handset is either turned off, turned on or when the Nokia 7900 Prism is simply in idle mode. The screen provides a high quality viewing display for the user to enjoy highly effective living wallpapers & screensavers on their stylish phone. The screen provides up to sixteen million colours on an organic LED screen which has a screen resolution of 240 x 320 pixels on a two Inch display. The 7900 Prism is for the same Nokia range as the Nokia 7500 Prism & both phones are fashion focused mobile handsets which are beautifully designed.

The 3G phone comes with a battery which will provide approximately 300 hours of standby time or 3 hours of talk time from a fully charged battery. The phone is a quad band phone which allows the user to enjoy worldwide roaming which is fully dependant on the network operator. The phone covers GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 & WCDMA networks. The 3G capabilities provide the user with high speed Internet browsing & the phone comes with a XHTML/HTML multi browser. The 7900 Prism comes with 1 Gbyte of internal memory which allows the user to store all their contacts details, pictures, video & music with ease. The user can enjoy fast data downloads & transfers as the Nokia 7900 Prism is a 3G phone complete with EDGE technology for a high speed experience. The phone supports Bluetooth® connectivity which allows the user to transfer files & download data using a wireless connection between any two Bluetooth® compatible devices. The user can synchronise information or contacts details using a PC application by either using a wireless Bluetooth® connection or a USB cabled connection between devices.

Summarizing our experience with Nokia 7900 we have to say that this attractive handset offered quite pleasing performance. It was fun to use and provided very good user experience in most cases.

However, it is a complicated question whether and how worth it is to purchase. Having in mind the hefty price tag of the Prism, we cannot overlook the fact that Nokia 6500 slide would be a much more reasonable buy in terms of value for money. Though the Prism's exotic exterior and playful lights stand little comparison to the solid conservatism of the slide.

Samsung Armani

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:23:00 +0000

Key features:

Stylish looks and high-quality build
2.6 Inch TFT 262k Colour Touch Screen (240 x 320 Pixels)
Bluetooth® Technology
Wi-Fi Technology
WAP 2.0 XHTML Browser
3 Megapixel Camera with Digital Zoom & Flash
Music Player (MP3, AAC & AAC+)
Small dimensions and compact "card" form factor
Vibrating haptic response
microSD memory card slot
Office documents viewer
Rich retail accessories

Main disadvantages:

Slow interface response
Slow memory card reading
Awkward web browser controls
No 3G support
No camera auto focus

The model designation that hides behind the Samsung Armani name is actually Samsung P520. That alone may be enough of a hint that the Armani phone is an offshoot of the Samsung P-series. The Samsung Armani has inherited the same form factor and has the same size and weight as the Samsung P310 for example.

The Samsung Armani phone comes in two retail packages - standard and extended . The difference between the two is the Bluetooth headset in the bigger one.

The standard contents of the retail box are a hard leather case, charger, data cable, memory card, a wired stereo headset, soft pouch as an alternative to the leather case and, finally, a cleaning cloth.

All the contents of the box look really classy and are all Giorgio Armani branded. The user guide has the most exquisite covers we've seen, for example.

The Armani touch screen mobile phone will suit all fashion conscious users who want to stand out with their new sleek phone. Samsung have been inspired by the Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani when designing this stunning handset. The phone comes in a beautiful silver & black coloured casing which comes with a large high colour 2.6 Inch touch screen. The touch screen has a high screen resolution & provides the user with high quality touch screen controls. The Samsung Armani has a similar design to the LG KE850 Prada, LG KU990 Viewty & Apple iPhone which are also touch screen mobile phone which are proving to be popular with users of all ages. The user can access the QWERTY keyboard which is situated under the touch screen & can be easily slid out when needed by the user. The Armani phone is lightweight without feeling flimsy as it weighs 85 grams. The handset feels good to hold when using the touch screen as it measures 10.5mm in depth, 54.5mm in width & 87.5mm in length. The phone comes with sixty Mbytes of built in memory & with an expandable memory slot which allows the user to add a MicroSD™ memory card to suit the user's storage requirements.

The user can listen to music on the move with the built in music player & radio feature. The music player supports popular music formats which include MP3, AAC & AAC+ formats. The user can download ringing tones which can be heard in polyphonic or MP3 sound. The user can enjoy listening to their music over a wireless connection as the phone supports Bluetooth® with A2DP which allows the user to connect their Samsung Armani wirelessly to a set of Bluetooth® headphones. The Armani phone comes with easy to use imaging features, which allows the user to capture a quick snap whenever the user feels the need. The built in camera is a three megapixel digital camera feature which comes with a digital zoom & flash option. The user can capture, store & share their photos with friends & family. The user can download their photos onto their home or office computer for printing or sharing. The user can use the large touch screen display as the camera features viewfinder. The camera can record moving video footage as the Samsung Armani phone supports video recording capabilities. The user can playback, store, delete & edit their video recordings on their handset.

The phone comes with a caller identification feature which allows the user to assign a photo or image to a contact in the user's phone book. The user will see the chosen image or photo each time the contact calls which brings a fun element to this stylish handset. The user can download games to suit their gaming taste & the Samsung Armani comes with preloaded games ready & waiting to be enjoyed. The handsfree speaker phone feature allows the user to rest their Armani phone on their desk or table whilst taking a call over the phones built in speaker system which gives the user a handsfree calling experience. The user will find all the common day to day features on their new mobile phone which include a built in calendar, calculator, currency convertor & world clock. Messaging others has never been so easy as this well equipped fashion phone comes with all the messaging services a user could desire. The user can create, send, delete, manage & receive a selection of messages on their phone. The phone supports a mobile email service, SMS text messaging & MMS multimedia messaging service. The messaging services come with a predictive text feature which will predict the word the user has started to type, which will save the user time & effort when typing a message. The multimedia message better known as MMS messaging allows the user to share photos with other compatible MMS users & it is a quick way for the user to share their fun photos with others.

So, if we are to sum it up, the Samsung Armani phone comes with a well balanced set of features, be they not all exactly high-end. It's got a really refined design, it's compact, and there's that hard to resist aura of exclusivity about it. However, being so heavily underpowered and seriously overpriced, it will have a hard time turning into a success

Holiday Present Guide 2007 (1)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:02:00 +0000

It's almost Christmas and everyone tries to get out of the box and find the best present for their loved ones, Here you can find a little guide about What mobile phone is the best for the present.

Cameraphones

Cameraphones continue to fascinate many people. This year they've crossed the 5 megapixel barrier en masse taking mobile phones closer to digital cameras than ever before. This also means that you don't have to break the bank to get yourself a decent cameraphone these days.

Our main offerings however are several top-of-the-line cameraphones that won't fit into everybody's budget, but they represent the latest and greatest on the cameraphone market.

The Nokia N95 has been around for quite some time now. Its 8GB sibling brought some changes only to the camera speed. Both handsets are versatile smartphones and the camera is not their only main feature. However in terms of camera quality, the Nokia N95 and the 8GB version are second to none.

The Nokia N82 was only recently announced but it's already available just in time for the holiday shopping. While we are still working on the N82 review, we can surely conclude that it's equal in camera quality to the N95. In fact the built-in xenon flash makes it even better. As we managed to verify, it's brighter even than the xenon flash used in Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot line-up.

The LG KU990 Viewty is another capable 5-megapixel cameraphone that has exciting features of its own. While being really good at taking pictures, its main focus is the 3-inch touchscreen TFT display and the whopping video recording capabilities. The LG Viewty is the only cameraphone to date capable of capturing video at 120 fps. That kind of framerate is great for making slow motion videos that show never before seen details.

The Samsung G800 is a healthy choice too if you really need camera-centric mobile phone. It's again an exceptional offering with its 3x optical zoom that allows you to get closer to the action. The sturdy built, the extensive camera settings and the great image quality make it a great product for any shutterbug on the go.

You probably saw that the Sony Ericsson K850 is not on the top places of our list. Although a Cyber-shot cameraphone snatched our recommendation last year, we feel that this time the Sony Ericsson K850 is not on par with the other major contenders. While it sports wonderful camera interface and a wonderful xenon flash, the Sony Ericsson K850 simply doesn't cut it with image quality this year. All of our recent shootouts confirmed that the Sony Ericsson K850 is inferior in camera quality.

The Samsung G600 is another 5 megapixel offering by the South Korean manufacturer. It's not their top cameraphone product but it's really popular since it's the most compact handsets of all 5-megapixels, and also it the least expensive one. It offers most of the advanced features that its brother has plus it has the most recent version of the Samsung handheld user interface.

In case you are on a shorter budget, you also might want to have a look at Samsung E590, which is a mid-end 3-megapixel cameraphone by Samsung. It's designed by Jasper Morrison and thus has some really controversial looks. If that doesn't bother you that little nifty player has all the camera powers to keep you posting on Flickr day after day.

Music Phone

Traditionally, Sony Ericsson Walkman phones are ruling the music-oriented mobile phones market. This year we saw the advent of the new generation of Walkman phones - we saw the Shake Control feature introduced for the first time and we saw an 8GB Walkman phone.

The Sony Ericsson W910 is a really neat mobile phone - slim, well designed, stylish and it comes bundled with some exciting technology - the Shake Control. It allows you to control your music player with only a shake of your hand. Besides, the top-of-the line music player, the Sony Ericsson W910 also offers lightning fast response in all scenarios plus a great display.

The Sony Ericsson W960 is the flagship of the Walkman series with a large touchscreen display, Symbian OS, and probably the most enhanced Walkman music player currently. Oh, and did we mention the 8GB of storage space available to the user? Anyways, while we did a relatively unfavorable review on the Sony Ericsson W960 mainly because of its disappointing looks, that bloke is still a viable option when choosing a mobile phone/music player this year.

The Nokia N81 is the next 8GB mobile phone that just might do the trick for you. While the previously mentioned cell phones are better at music reproduction quality, at least as far as our audio quality tests go, you won't find a recent Nokia mobile that sounds better than this baby. The Nokia N81 8GB offers a host of other multimedia features that would make listening to music and watching videos on the relatively big 2.4" 16M color display more enjoyable.

It's worth pointing out that all Samsung phones are great at music reproduction quality. It seems that the South Korean company is embedding the same high quality sound hardware in all of its mobiles - even the cheaper ones such as Samsung E200 or Samsung E250. So if you pick a Samsung offering for your next music mobile, you won't be making a mistake. Just make sure you listen to your music at the loudest volume level - it seems to be producing the best result with Samsung amplifiers.

Sony Ericsson also has a mid-tier offering that not only sound good, but also looks good, too. The Sony Ericsson W580 is a Walkman slider with a little something for the sports-minded user too. It features a slim profile, a nice display, and a pedometer, which will help you in your sports endeavors. It also has a calorie counter for storing all those calories burnt on the track.

In next review, I'll give review about fashionable and slim Phone

LG KU990 Viewty

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:17:00 +0000

With 5 Megapixel camera, 3G video calling, high quality video camera, MP3 player, FM radio, HSDPA for broadband internet speeds and bags of memory, this is probably LG's best phone so far.

If you liked the LG Prada or are considering an iPhone, then the LG Viewty should definitely be top of your list of phones to check out first. Touchscreen phones are the hot product of 2007/2008 and LG have a proven track record in this area with the LG Prada. The Viewty is basically a souped-up Prada without the designer logo, and it's a very accomplished product. I loved the Prada's touchscreen user interface, and the Viewty retains the best features of the Prada, but with the addition of 3G, a 5 megapixel camera, an uprated video camera, more memory and longer battery life.

Key Features

5.1 Megapixel Camera with Xenon Flash & Auto Focus
Video Record
3 Inch TFT LCD 262k Touch Screen (240 x 400 Pixels)
FM Radio RDS
100 Mbytes Memory plus MicroSD™ Memory Card Support
3G HSDPA Technology

The LG KU990 Viewty is a touchscreen 3G mobile phone which comes with a high quality camera & imaging features. The Viewty is a member of the LG family & pays significant resemblance to the popular LG Prada which is also a fashion conscious touchscreen mobile phone. The Viewty is a solid design with no fancy opening systems which weighs 112 gram & the overall measurements of the handset make it easy for the user to use & carry whether the handset is in the users pocket when carrying or in the users hand when in use. The height of the Viewty is 103.5mm by 54.4mm wide by 14.8mm deep which is a good size for a 3G touchscreen phone. The handset comes with a large 3 Inch TFT LCD touchscreen which has a 240 x 400 pixel screen resolution & can display up to two hundred & sixty two colours. The touchscreen comes with touch feedback which allows the user to actually feel the response from the touchscreen with a subtle buzz on their fingertips. The user can either use their finger to control their touchscreen or the LG KU990 Viewty comes with a stylus if the user prefers to use it. The user can view & use the keypad which is displayed clearly on the beautiful touchscreen.
The Viewty is an imaging focused 3G phone comes with a 5.1 megapixel digital camera feature. The user will be amazed at the imaging qualities as the camera comes with a Schneider kreuznach lens, auto focus, image stabiliser & a xenon flash. The LG KU990 Viewty comes with dedicated camera buttons which are situated on the side of the handset which also allows the user to select the camera or video settings. The phone comes with video capabilities which allow the user to record video at 120 frames per second, edit video & playback video footage. The Viewty has a voice recorder which allows the user to record voice clips which can be added to multimedia messages. The phone has a built in music player which allows the user to enjoy music playback on their phone whenever they feel the need for sound. It has a FM radio complete with RDS which allows the user to view information whilst listening to their preferred radio station.

The Viewty's music player is nice and easy to use and can handle virtually every music format: MP3/AAC/AAC+/AAC++/WMA. There's also an FM radio built in. Stereo headphones are supplied in the box, and you can use optional mono or stereo Bluetooth headphones if you prefer. The Viewty's memory is very generous, with 90 Mbytes of internal memory and up to 2 Gbytes of additional memory (microSD memory card).

I've already mentioned that the Viewty is a 3G phone. In fact it's 3.5G, i.e. it supports extra fast 3G connections using HSDPA which enables download speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps. Bluetooth and USB connectivity are available, and a USB cable is supplied in the box. The Viewty supports web browsing and email, and there's a useful document viewer that can handle all common file formats (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF).

It works on a tri band network which covers GSM 900, 1800 & 1900 which provides the user of the Viewty with coverage in Europe & the majority of the US, this is dependent on the network provider. The phone comes with 100 Mbytes of internal memory onboard & the phone comes with a MicroSD™ memory card option which allows the user to extend their memory capabilities up to 2 Gbytes. The LG KU990 Viewty comes with the latest high speed technology including 3G technology, HSDPA which is high speed download packet access, Bluetooth® wireless connectivity, EDGE technology & USB connection. The user can connect their phone to other compatible devices using either a Bluetooth® wireless connection or a USB cable connection. It comes with a TV output connection which allows the user to connect the Viewty to a TV to view their video creations. The phone comes with high speed Internet access with the help of the 3G HSDPA technology. The user can access a XHTML browser & enjoy a broadband speed connection on their mobile phone.

If I have to find a fault with the Viewty it would be the battery life. The huge touchscreen eats battery juice and I frankly can't believe the official battery life figures from the manufacturer. Still, the Viewty is better than the Prada and no worse than the iPhone when it comes to battery life, and it shouldn't be a problem for most people.

I love the Viewty. It's received a tiny fraction of the hype of the iPhone, yet in so many ways this is the phone that the iPhone wants to be. The touchscreen user interface is much more than just a novelty, and unlike the iPhone the Viewty brings the very latest technology too. I love it!

Nokia N 82

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:59:00 +0000

A good alternative to the N95, the N81 offers very nearly the same features, but at a significantly lower price. It's a classic-style smartphone with GPS navigation, an outstanding 5 megapixel camera, media player, a 2 Gbyte memory card and HSDPA for accelerated 3G connectivity.

Key Features

Assisted Global Positioning System A-GPS
3G HSDPA Technology
2.4 Inch LCD QVGA 16.7 Million Colour Screen (240 x 320 pixels)
5 Megapixel Camera with Carl Zeiss Optics & Tessar™ Lens
FM Radio with Visual Radio
100 Mbytes Memory plus 2 Gbytes MicroSD™ Memory Card

The user can capture all their special moments with the built in camera feature & the photos or video clips can be shared with others, saved, edited or deleted. The integrated camera is a 5 megapixel camera which comes with the fantastic Carl Zeiss optics & Tessar™ lens which provides the user with a professional built in camera feature. The Carl Zeiss optics provides the user with a clear & precise photo & imaging experience in the user's hand. The camera feature comes with a xenon flash which allows the user to capture photos in the day light as well as at night. The camera comes with a 20 x digital zoom so the user can zoom in on their subject. There is a second camera which is a CIF camera which is situated on the front of the handset & can be used when the user wants to take part in a 3G video call with any compatible 3G video calling contact. The phone comes with video capabilities which include video recording, video playback & video streaming capabilities. The N82 3G Smartphone supports all popular formats of video playback. The built in music player provides the user with music entertainment when the user is on the move, along with a built in FM radio complete with visual radio provides the user with the perfect mobile music companion. The user can create playlists & even enjoy a wireless listening experience using a Bluetooth® stereo with A2DP connection between the Nokia N82 & compatible Bluetooth® headset.

The Nokia N82 is the first Nokia handset to feature a xenon flash. The N82 xenon flash is the first worthy adversary of the Sony Ericsson K850 xenon flash that has been dominating ever since its first introduction in Sony Ericsson K800

The battery provides the user with approximately 3 hours worth of WCDMA talk time or up to 4.3 hours of GSM talk time. A fully charged battery will provide the user with up to 210 hours of WDCMA standby time or 225 hours of GSM standby time. The user can enjoy just less than 2 hours of video recording or 2 hours of video calling time from a fully charged battery. The N82 comes with useful call features which include a missed call log, dialled call log & a received call log. The user can use the voice dialling feature to dial popular & regularly called numbers quickly. The phone comes with a conference call feature which allows the user to enjoy a call with up to six contacts per conference call, which is a perfect way to have a meeting on the move. The push to talk call feature allows the user to use their phone like a walkie talkie which allows the user to press a button when talking to others but on releasing the button the user will hear their contacts talking back to them. The handsfree speaker call features allows the user to rest their handset on a table or desk whilst speaking to their contact over the phones loud speaker system which means the user will hear their contact loud & clear whilst enjoying a handsfree experience.

This 3G HSDPA technology handset allows the user to enjoy a broadband speed Internet service, high speed data transfers & multitasking capabilities on their beautiful handset. The phone comes with a choice of connectivity options which allows the user to connect their Nokia N82 to a selection of compatible devices using either a Bluetooth® wireless connection or a USB cabled connection. The phone also supports other technologies including WLAN wireless local area network & EDGE enhanced data rates for evolution for high speed data or file transfers. The Smartphone comes with 100 Mbytes of internal memory & the start up kit includes a 2 Gbytes MicroSD™ memory card which allows the user to expand their phones memory by adding this MicroSD™ memory card. The user can use their Smartphone Worldwide as the phone cover GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 & WCDMA 2100. The N82 comes with an assisted global positioning (A-GPS) routing system & Nokia maps application which can assist the user on a whole new adventure. The user can enjoy a full Internet experience with the built in HTML Internet browser. It is easy for the user to communicate with others without even making a call as the user can simply send an email, text message or multimedia picture message to compatible messaging contacts. The user will find it hard not to enjoy this wonderful Smartphone.

The N81 may not have the looks of the N95, but is has 95% of the features for a lot less money, and we think that it deserves to be a hit!

Motorola RAZR2 V8

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:53:00 +0000

The RAZR 2 V8 is even slimmer than the original RAZR, and uses premium materials in its construction to update its look. Novel features such as an external touchscreen for playing music, and CrystalTalk technology for enhanced call clarity make it well worth a try. The camera is average, but the music player is good, the memory is good, battery life is acceptable and the phone offers a good all-round mix of style and functionality.

Key Features :

Large Dual Screens 262k Colour Display (320 x 240 Pixels)
2 Megapixel Camera with 8 x Digital Zoom
420 Mbytes or 2 Gbytes Memory Option
Size 103 x 53 x 11.9 mm
Music Player with Touch Sensitive External Music Controls
Bluetooth® with A2DP Technology

After 3 years, the original Motorola RAZR is still in the shops, and that's a rare achievement in the mobile industry. The RAZR spawned various follow-ups, including a range of 3G phones, but now a new milestone has been reached with the launch of the RAZR 2 V8. The V8 is even thinner than the original RAZR, at just 11.9mm thick, and when opened it's astonishingly thin. Yet it's heavier than the original, which gives it a really substantial feel. Part of the reason for the heaviness is the use of stainless steel in the casing. The phone also uses premium materials such as chrome and chemically hardened glass. Although it looks similar to the RAZR, it feels more upmarket, like Nokia's premium 8800 Sirocco. The keypad is larger than that of the original RAZR, and the keys are more tactile too.

But the RAZR2 is not simply an upgraded RAZR phone - it is a quite unique device, as we will explain. One of the most striking features of the RAZR2 is the size of its external screen. It's an ultra-high resolution 2 inch display, which makes it the best external display in its class - possibly in any phone. It's also a touchscreen, making this phone the first of its kind. The touchscreen controls appear on the external screen, like the LG Prada or the iPhone, and are context-sensitive. For example, if the music player is on the touchscreen can be used to select tracks, etc, meaning that the phone can be used as a media player even with the clamshell closed. Other functionality is available through the external screen, such as reading and replying to text messages. This is a really nice concept. When not in use as a touchscreen, the external display shows information such as the date and time, or incoming calls.

The media player installed in the RAZR2 is Windows Media Player® 11, which is an excellent music player, with wide support for virtually all music formats. You can create and manage playlists from the phone, and synchronisation with a PC is simple. It's a shame that there's no radio though, and also the bundled headphones aren't the best on offer. The memory available is either 512 Mbytes or 2 Gbytes, depending on which version of the V8 you choose. It isn't expandable, so we'd recommend that you choose the 2 Gbyte version, as you won't be able to change your mind later!

Another new feature in the V8 is Motorola's new CrystalTalk technology. This is a mix of hardware and software improvements that are designed to enhance voice clarity and reduce background noise. Does it work? In a word, yes. The V8 offers call clarity that beats previous generations of Motorolas and puts it up there with the best from Nokia, Samsung or Sony Ericsson.

The RAZR2 V8 comes with a voice features which includes a voice reminder feature which allows the user to record & store a voice reminder on their handset. The phone comes with a speaker independent name & digit dialing feature & a vibration alert feature which allows the user to select these features if required on their mobile phone. The user can take their calls over the phones speaker system which allows the user to place their handset on a table or desk which provides the user with a handsfree call feature. The user can hear their contact talking to them over the phones loud speakers & the users voice is recorded by the phones discrete built in microphone. The phone comes with a variety of messaging services which include text messaging (SMS), multimedia messaging (MMS) & email service. The text message service comes complete with a predictive text input method. The user can read & reply to their text messages on the 2 Inch external screen which is a useful feature when the user does not want to keep opening their handset for a quick & simple reply. The MMS service allows the user to send a message complete with a photo or video which is a quick & easy way for the user to share their experiences with others. The Motorola RAZR2 V8 comes with a MotoSync™ feature which allows the user to synchronise their email, phonebook & calendar over the air. The RAZR2 V8 is a fun & user friendly mobile phone which comes with many useful features to suit today's mobile phone user.

The RAZR2 also has a camera and video recorder, but at just 2.0 megapixels and no flash the camera is at best average.

The V8 supports Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2) with support for Bluetooth headsets, and also microUSB 2.0 connectivity, giving fast data connections with a PC.

Battery life is acceptable, although the big LCD displays do tend to eat power. Depending on how much you use the phone, you'll probably get between 1 and 3 days' use between charges.

Summing up, the RAZR2 V8 is a really interesting phone - far more than just a slimmed-down V3. The external touchscreen is a really nice concept, the CrystalTalk feature works well, and the media player is excellent. Connectivity is good and so is memory (provided that you choose the 2 Gbyte version). Battery life is fine. We like it!

Nokai N95

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:48:00 +0000

The Nokia N95 is a 3G Smartphone which comes is a clever two way slider opening mechanism. The phone can be opened either way which provides the user with a keypad when the screen is moved in the up position, a set of multimedia controls when the screen is moved in the down position & when in the closed position the user can use the navigation & shortcut keys. The user can use their Nokia N95 in landscape mode which is when the screen is moved to the down position which is ideal for all multimedia purposes & accessing the Internet. The screen is 2.6 Inches in size & provides a 240 x 320 pixel screen resolution on a 16 million colour TFT display. The mobile handset weighs only 120 gram which is unbelievable considering all the built in technology & capabilities. The Nokia N95 measures 99 x 53 x 21 mm which provides the user with a useable handset which has a solid feel to it.

Key Features :

2.8" 16M color QVGA display
5 Megapixel Camera with Autofocus & Carl Zeiss™ Lens
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
Music Player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+ & WMA)
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

Disadvantage

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
Doesn't charge when connected to USB

The N95 comes in two versions the Nokia N95 & the Nokia N95 8GB which is an 8 Gbyte version of the popular Smartphone. The N95 comes with 160 Mbytes of internal memory & the user can expand the phones memory capabilities by adding a MicroSD™ memory card up to 2 Gbytes. The N95 comes with a 128 Mbytes MicroSD™ memory card included with the start up kit. The Nokia N95 8GB comes with 100 Mbytes of internal dynamic memory which allows the user to store their messages, images, applications & ringtones. The N95 8GB comes with 8 Gbytes of internal flash memory which allows the user to store a high volume of multimedia content including photos, music & video. The phone comes with an integrated GPS navigation feature which supports maps for more than one hundred countries. The GPS navigation system displays the maps in clear detail on the 2.6 inch colour screen & will assist the user to find their desired location. The user can enjoy their phone world wide as the N95 works over a quad band network which includes GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900 & the Nokia N95 supports HSDPA which provides high speed data. The user can enjoy an advanced Internet experience on their mobile phone as the phone supports XHTML & HTML Internet browsing. The Nokia N95 is a highly capable mobile handset that offers the user high quality connectivity to compatible devices & fast speed data transfer rate thanks to EDGE technology, WLAN Wi-Fi, USB cable connection, infra red Pop Port™ connection & Bluetooth™ wireless technology. The Nokia N95 comes with a fitted battery which will provide the user with up to 220 hours of standby battery time & approximately six & a half hours talk time.

Symbian

Nokia N95 runs on Symbian 9.2 OS with the Series60 3rd Edition user interface. The added feature pack 1 is no news for Nokia smartphones any more but still deserves mentioning. Demand paging is also included in this handset, although it is normally not to be expected in phones with OS prior to Symbian 9.3. This means that only the most essential parts of the program are loaded in the RAM memory with the rest of it remaining on the phone or mass memory. Then they are only loaded if their use is required. The 128MB of RAM is also an important factor to OS performance. In reality, 128MB is virtually impossible to deplete no matter how hard you try. Unless you do it intentionally, Memory Full warnings are not something you can expect on the Nokia N95 screen.

5 megapixel wonder

There is not much to say about the camera of Nokia N95. No, nobody said common-or-garden. We have talked a lot about the quality of this particular camera and if you have been keeping track, you would know that it's the best camera in a phone to date. Period. Yeah, we know that Samsung released a 10 megapixel phone in Korea a long time ago, but good luck calling your mates on it.

The most obvious and important difference between the original N95 and N95 8GB is the camera lens protector. It is removed from the 8GB model, and therefore the camera is activated by pressing and holding the shutter key. The obvious drawback of having your camera lens exposed to scratches needs no further comment. The camera set up time has improved a lot over the previous model, and now the camera can be started in a little less than three seconds. This beats the Nokia N95-1 time by about a second. With Nokia N95 8GB the shot-to-shot time can also be reduced to under three seconds, if the automatic preview is turned off. However the 5-megapixel Sony Ericsson K850 is just a tad snappier than the N95 when it comes to shot-to-shot time.

The picture quality is great. It's the best you can find on the market, which is kind of surprising. After all Nokia N95 and Nokia N95 8GB are supposed to be all-in-one devices and it's strange that they outperform even dedicated cameraphones. The only thing to blame N95 about is the inadequate LED flash. It is only usable at a very short distance and pictures produced with it are surely no compliment to N95 8GB. However we will be looking forward to reviewing the Nokia N82 which takes care of that flaw, too. Here are some sample pictures made with the camera of our Nokia N95 8GB.

The secondary camera can also be used for taking pictures. It is quickly accessed through the camera interface and can be used as a quick and convenient way to make self-portraits or contact images. It is also capable of recording video but it is hard to imagine that the clips it will produce will be usable in any way.

Samsung G600

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:31:00 +0000

What can I say about this phone ? Stylish design, combines fab looks with a superb 5 megapixel camera, the choice of colors and the metallic touch add up to some really exquisite looks. G600 Key Features :

Stylish design
5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and VGA video recording
2.2 Inch 16M color TFT display of QVGA (320x240 pixels) resolution
Ambient light sensor for automatic brightness control
Bluetooth® A2DP Technology
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
Quad Band (GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900)
EDGE Technology

Disadvantage

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

The G600's camera is a 5 megapixel beast with autofocus, LED flash and 4x digital zoom. The only previous phone with a 5 megapixel camera is the enormous Nokia N95, so there's really no comparison between the two. The closest competition in camera terms is probably Sony Ericsson's K810i with its 3.2 megapixel camera. Even though the Samsung beats the Sony in megapixel terms, the K810i can still (just) keep its crown as camera king for two reasons: better optics make for a (slightly) better quality image and the K810i's xenon flash beats the LED flash on the G600 for brightness. But still the G600 is an impressive camera phone and Samsung are now very close at Sony's heels when it comes to mobile photography. The G600 features two useful camera modes - panorama mode lets you take pictures of wide views such as landscapes, and macro mode lets you take close-up shots. There's a built-in picture editor, and direct printing to a Pictbridge-compatible printer is supported. High quality video recording at 640 x 480 pixels is also available.

After a camera, the next most important gadget in a mobile is a music player, and the G600 doesn't disappoint. It's Samsung's best music player so far. Every major format is supported (MP3, AAC, AAC+, 3-AAC+ and WMA). There's support for wireless Bluetooth stereo headsets - in fact there's support for dual headsets, which means that a friend can listen to your music at the same time if you wish. The G600 has a new music player interface with a dedicated music library. You can create playlists and organise your music by artist, album or genre. It's as easy to use as an iPod. An FM radio is also built in. Memory isn't a problem either as the G600 has built-in user memory of 40 Mbytes plus a 1 Gbyte memory card supplied in the sales package.

The phones battery provides approximately 3.5 hours of talk time or approximately 300 hours of standby battery time from a fully charged battery. The battery time is dependent on the built in features used on the mobile phone. The Samsung G600 supports Bluetooth® A2DP wireless connectivity which allows the user to transfer files between two compatible Bluetooth® devices with being tangled in wires. The phone has a USB port which allows the USB cable provided to connect their mobile phone to any USB compatible devices to download data or transfer files. The built in EDGE technology provides high speed data transfers which are approximately three times faster than GPRS. The G600 comes with a built in Web browser which allows the user to gain access to the Web & surf for their desired information or online stores.

The user can stay in contact with others with help from the built in messaging services which include an email service, text message service & a multimedia message service. The user can create, send, receive & store their messages on their Samsung G600. The multimedia message service can contain either a photo or video complete with sound & text which can be shared between any multimedia messaging compatible users. The phone comes with a phone book feature which allows the user to have a photo caller identification which allows the user to assign a photo or image to a contact in the phone book & each time the contact call the assigned photo or image will be displayed for the user to see on their screen. The phone comes with call management features which allow the user to access recent call lists. The G600 is a super stylish camera phone which will be adored by afar, unless you are the user of course.

Samsung User Interface

The Samsung G600 features dynamic animated wallpaper as usual. Of course you can change that with a wallpaper of your choice. If you stick with the animated one, known in the past as Samsung uGo, it will automatically update the home screen background to display landmarks of the city or country you're in. The scenery even changes when night falls.

In standby, the up direction of the navigation key activates the proprietary Samsung My Menu. It features several user-configurable shortcuts for your convenience. As it has always been with Samsung handsets, pressing the confirm key on the pad in standby launches the web browser - a truly inconvenient solution but one gets used to that eventually.

Samsung G600 features the interface styling we first saw in Samsung E950. The G600 menu interface has an advantage over Samsung E950, as it offers lovely animation effects. There are four animation styles (slide, door, zoom, fade) to choose from and the handset deals well with all of them. We are under the impression that the G600 is equipped with a rather capable processor.

The interface supports skinning through themes. There are several presets but you can create ones of your own too. The number of the main menu icons displayed is a total of twelve. You can choose whether list menus should be available as pop-ups (Samsung old-school) that come up when you highlight a menu item, or not.

The Samsung G600 is also the first Samsung handset to actually have full-featured ringing profiles. All we used to get with previous models was the Silent and Normal ringing modes. Now there's a choice of 5 profiles, including the Offline mode.

Another new thing about the menu system is that all settings are put together in one place - phone, light, display, messages, calls, phonebook settings, etc. are all easily accessible from one place. A centralized setting for choosing the default memory for different applications is also available - you can set that for the camera, voice recorder, FM radio (with the G600 you can record FM broadcasts), Bluetooth, WAP downloads, etc - all in the same place. It's really convenient.

Overall, Samsung G600 is a great mobile phone with 5Megapixel camera but I Fear the Samsung G600 won't be able to snatch the best 5 megapixel slider recommendation off the heavyweight contenders in that form factor.

No offence, I still find the G600 pleasant to the eye and great to hold in hand. It's a genuine multimedia gadget from head to toe. Adding to the fact that it's the most compact and most affordable 5 megapixel camera phone to date, the Samsung G600 looks like a great pick for this year's holiday shopping.

Nokia N81

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:17:00 +0000

Remember with N-Gaged and IPhone ?? I think Nokia N81 is combination of the them. N81 Key Features :

Massive storage space (8GB version)
N81 with Expandable Memory
N81 8GB with 8 Gbytes of Internal flash Memory
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 with 20 x Digital Zoom & Flash
3.5 mm audio jack
Touch sensitive Navi wheel
Dedicated music keys and hardware keypad lock switch
3G with video calls
Nice multimedia menu

Disadvantage

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

There are two versions of the handset - standard and 8GB. The standard version features a memory card slot, the other has none but offers the exciting 8GB of onboard memory. We are looking at the Nokia N81 8GB but all of it holds true for the standard Nokia N81 as well. Therefore, from now on we are going to simply call it Nokia N81.

When we speak about phones, a 2.4" inch display is well worth a praise. With N81 and the N-Gage gaming experience it offers, the 2.4" display with 16M colors and QVGA resolution seems the spot-on choice. The display on Nokia N81 has great sunlight legibility, incredible picture quality and is large enough for everyone to see. You can hardly want any more even in this price range.

The N81's other focus is gaming. Games can be played in portrait or landscape mode, making full use of the fantastic 16.7 million colour display. The N81's secret is that it includes support for Nokia's NGage series of games. The choice of games is excellent and the quality of the 3D graphics is exceptional. If you're serious about games, then this is seriously highly recommended.

Symbian

Nokia N81 is running on Symbian 9.2 OS and uses the well known S60 3rd edition graphic user interface. The improved Feature Pack 1 is no news anymore, as all recent Nokia smartphones are equipped with it. Among the strong points of the FP1 is the availability of multiple alarms, as well as the voice memo limit increase to a whole hour. Furthermore, it displays blue circles on running applications' icons to remind you to turn them off when you don't need them any more. No one wants used up RAM to slow down their smartphone. All that said, we need to mention that Nokia N81 is armed with the fastest Nokia processor to date (ARM 11, 369 MHz). The same CPU powers the Nokia 6120 Classic and Nokia 5700. Navigating the menus is very fast. All the commands are executed in an instant, which greatly contributes to the impression N81 leaves.

Camera

It's astonishing that Nokia has decided to integrate a 2 megapixel fixed focus camera into the Nokia N81, instead of trying to close the gap in the three megapixel race. But let's leave our frustration aside and continue the camera test.

The camera interface looks identical to the one found in the Finnish multimedia flagship Nokia N95. The camera options are shown with small icons near the lower end of the screen. These can be hidden to make full use of the display as a viewfinder. The main camera only shoots in landscape mode which is easily explainable by the position of the dedicated camera key. Besides, it feels far more natural to take pictures this way. Camera settings are identical to the one on Nokia N95 with one nice addition - grid lines can now be added to the viewfinder. You can use them to help compose your snapshots like a pro - the photography rule-of-thirds is that you should place your main subject either along these lines or at the points where they intersect. The rule-of-thirds also applies to landscape shots. There you should have the sky occupying either one third or two thirds of the frame. The other change made goes without saying - macro mode is not present due to the lack of autofocus on Nokia N81. Luckily the customizable ISO settings, white balance and scene modes are still present. Finally we need to mention that the dedicated camera button could be a bit bigger and easier to press. As it is with this phone, you either need to look at it or spend a few seconds finding it with your fingertips.

The image quality of Nokia N81 is just what you would expect from a 2 megapixel Nokia camera - slightly below average for that pixel count. We were full of high expectations at first, as the display showed great previews of the pictures taken. However, when they were downloaded a whole bunch of flaws became visible. The noise levels are acceptable, but the photos in general look somewhat as watercolor paitings. You can also seen some strange color blotches in the shadow areas.

The N81 has an offline mode, switching off all transceivers but allowing the use of the other features of the device. It is the default profile if you start the handset without a SIM card. The offline mode allows full access to the functions of the phone that do not require cellular network coverage.

Much to our disappointment, the touch sensitive Navi wheel functionality cannot be used for browsing the menu. We do find the Navi wheel a brilliant navigation solution. Pity, Nokia developers decided to limit its functionality to the gallery, music player and multimedia menu only. The Navi wheel is really fast and fun way of finding your way around menus. The only flaw it has is that it probably makes the D-pad confirmation center even tougher to press without changing your selection.

The Nokia N81 & Nokia N81 8GB work over quad band technology with WCDMA which allows the user to enjoy worldwide network coverage on their new handset. The phones are 3G mobile phones which provide the user with multi tasking capabilities & the phones support WLAN technology. The user can enjoy wireless connection to compatible devices using a Bluetooth® connection between devices. The user can transfer files or data including photos, videos 7 music files using Bluetooth® Wireless technology or a USB cabled connection. The user will find their new handset provides high speed transfers with the help of the built in Edge technology. The user can enjoy a mobile Internet experience on their handset as both phones come with a Nokia browser complete with mini map. The phones come with a variety of messaging services which allow the user to stay in contact with others quickly & easily. The user can send & receive text messages, multimedia messages containing photos or video & emails complete with attachments. The messaging services are all easily accessible from the phones main menu & the user can enjoy sharing messages between all compatible messaging contacts. These phones have been designed with the user in mind & the user will fully enjoy their new mobile experience with one of these beautiful handsets as their companion.

If you are gamers and camera isn't an important thing then go ahead, N81 Is the best for you.

Sony Ericsson W960i

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:40:00 +0000

Gorgeous, Powerful, and Ipod Killer....
That's How I thought about this phone at first. W960i Key features :

Walkman® Touch Music Player
Symbian OS 9.1 with UIQ 3.0
8 Gbytes Memory
2.6" 262k Touch Screen with Handwriting Recognition
3.2 Megapixel Camera with 3 x Digital Zoom
Wi-Fi support
3G Technology
Bluetooth® Technology
FM radio
Dedicated touch-sensitive player keys

Disadvantage

Not as impressive in life as in the promotional photos
Slow interface response as storage gets nearly used up
Back key location changed
Music player cannot sort tracks by filename
No EDGE support

The Sony Ericsson W960i is the successor of Sony Ericsson W950, which came with 4GB of integrated memory, but failed to gain popularity for the lack of camera and Wi-Fi capabilities. In fact, featurewise the W960 resembles more the Sony Ericsson P1 - they are almost identical in terms of hardware (although the P1 has an Infrared port, which lacks in W960i). The W960i features the same 208MHz processor and the same amount of RAM - 128MB. However, the W960 boasts a dedicated Walkman key, three touch-sensitive keys for controlling the music player and, finally, that all-important Walkman home screen application with fullscreen visualizations

The highly capable W960i Walkman® music phone comes in a super stylish vinyl black coloured casing which measures 109mm high by 55mm wide by 16mm deep. The music phone is a 3G capable handset which provides the user with high speed technology & the highest quality music features. The Sony Ericsson W range is a popular range which is adored by all music loving phone users & includes other 3G Walkman® music focused handsets including the Sony Ericsson W910i & the Sony Ericsson W950i. The Walkman® music phone comes with a massive 8 Gbytes of memory which allows the user to store up to eight thousand songs on their handset. The slender 3G music phone comes with a highly useable touch screen which allows the user to control their music & messaging features on the screen. The screen is large measuring 2.6 Inches & provides a screen resolution of 240 x 320 pixels which displays up to 262k colours for the user to enjoy a colourful viewing experience. The Walkman® touch player comes with a Symbian™ operating system which supports document readers & editors. The user can input text using the stylus provided on the touch screen which will be automatically transform handwritten characters into a letter from the keypad as the phone supports handwriting recognition.

The Sony Ericsson W960i offers its user the perfect music companion which comes with easy to use features. The phone comes with a built in Walkman® music player which comes with music playlists & supports album art which can be displayed on the phones large touch screen. The user can enjoy a truly portable & fun music experience on the W960i. The built in FM radio supports RDS which allows the user to enjoy listening to their favourite radio station whilst viewing information which is sent from the radio station & displayed on the large screen. The user can listen to their radio whilst reading information sent from the radio station. The music phone comes with some useful music features which include a music recognition feature known as TrackID™ which is powered by Gracenote mobile music. The TrackID™ feature is quick & easy to use which allows the user to record a few seconds worth of a song they like the sound of, which is then sent to TrackID™ which will provide the user with the name of the song , the artist or band name & the album name within a few seconds. The W960i comes with a music PlayNow™ feature which allows the user to buy or audition ringtones in three simple clicks of a key which is the fastest way for the user to download the latest ringtones onto their phone. The phone supports MP3, polyphonic & AAC ringtones which provides the user with a wide choice of sound on their handset. The user can enjoy a wireless music experience by using the Bluetooth® stereo A2DP connectivity which is available on this stylish music phone. The user can use the Mega Bass™ feature allows the user to enjoy high quality bass frequencies through the phones speakers or when using the headphones. The Sony Ericsson W960i comes complete with Disc2Phone software which allows the user to enjoy a drag & drop music transfer from their CD's to their handset.

Usability

Using the Sony Ericsson W960 in everyday scenarios like making calls, managing contacts and listening to music was a pleasant task. We do miss the side Back button, which enabled single-handed operation of the interface. There is of course a software Back key, but it's hardly usable in combination with the Jog wheel, especially for left-handed users.

The keypad is comfortable to use and keys provide nice tactile feedback. That of course does not hold true for the touch-sensitive keys. All keys have a rather uneven white backlighting (it does seem bluish on the photos, though).

Symbian UIQ

The Sony Ericsson W960i interface is UIQ 3.0 - a customizable stylus-based user interface for mobile phones, based on the Symbian 9.1 OS. The interface is the same one used in previous Sony Ericsson smartphones such as the W950, the P990, and the P1. With W960i however, the Walkman functionality is on focus.

Probably the biggest update is the ability to change the well-known Today screen with a Walkman one. When the player is inactive, you have a big Walkman shortcut right in the middle of the screen. Once you get your music playlist rolling, the home screen will visualize every detail about the currently running track plus its album art. The most definite eye-catcher of all is the fullscreen visualizations.

The best thing about the new home screen is that the old one is still an option when you use your smartphone to run everyday jobs. In case you opt for it, the Today screen will display the current Calendar events, messages and emails, missed calls, general notes, etc. With the Today screen on, the four top shortcuts of the bar we mentioned earlier appear at the bottom.

A nice thing is that the smartphone has a dedicated Flight mode, which can be turned seamlessly on without restarting the phone. Starting the handset directly into Flight mode is another option, which you get prompted about every time you power it on.

The main menu of the Sony Ericsson W960i allows two different views: icon grid and list view. The font throughout the user interface is rather small, except for the file manager, messaging and phonebook, where you can choose between there different font sizes. The smartphone interface is customizable through various graphic themes - unfortunately, ours had only the default Walkman one preinstalled.

Camera

The Sony Ericsson W960i is equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and a dual-LED flash - again, much like the P1 and unlike the previous Walkman-enabled smartphone W950. The maximum resolution is 2048 x 1536 pixels. Pictures are taken by holding the handset in landscape mode. The camera interface is intuitive - all settings are arranged in a toolbar at the bottom of the screen.

In fact, the snappy camera interface reminds a lot of the interface of the latest Sony Ericsson phones, with its similar graphics and functions. There are three quality levels and the camera has a full automatic exposure control, while offering nice manual overexposure control accessible from the main viewfinder interface.

The autofocus settings of the camera feature a dedicated macro mode. You can even turn the autofocus off and use a fixed focal length for even faster snapshots. The camera offers automatic white balance but there are four custom white balance presets to choose from, depending on the environment. You can apply several color effects to the pictures and video, such as Black & white, Sepia, Solarization and Negative.

We will refrain from much comment on the picture quality, as we're convinced that the final, retail version of the smartphone will have the camera quality improved. Our unit (being a pre-release one) produced images with very high contrast and sharpness. So we don't find our samples satisfactory, so we'll not publish full-size shots. Instead, we post some of the better images downsampled to 1024 x 768 pixels. We expect that when launched, Sony Ericsson W960i will produce images as good as the Sony Ericsson P1.

Much like previous smartphones, the Sony Ericsson W960i can capture video with a maximum resolution of 320 x 240 pixels at 15 fps. There are S60 mobile phones on the market capable of recording video in VGA resolution at 30 fps while providing full smartphone capabilities. Obviously, QVGA and the low frame rate are somewhat of a downer. Lower resolutions (such as QCIF - 176 x 144) though, allow recording at 30 fps but the picture details are far than adequate. All videos are recorded in 3GP format. The video recording times (no matter what the resolution), are limited by the available memory only.

Using the front VGA video-call camera was easy since it offers a rather intuitive interface. A nice thing is that you can use the rear main camera in video calls too, meaning you can easily show the other party your surroundings. The video-call camera also has a dedicated Night mode. Generally, when it comes to video calls, the W960 Video phone application manages well enough.

Finally, Sony Ericsson W960i a great choice for all you music fans that don't mind using both hands for operating their handset.