Latest mobile phones reviews

Nokia X2 review

2010-10-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

Introduction

When you’re shopping on a budget, getting the most bang for your buck is what counts. And the Nokia X2 is keen to give you an exchange rate that’s hard to beat. This no-nonsense bar delivers a 5MP camera with flash, great audio with stereo speakers, dedicated music keys and a built-in antenna for the FM receiver.

Nokia X2 official photos

Features like that can run up quite a bill at checkout – but not with the Nokia X2. Its price hovers around the 100 euro mark – a bargain for that feature set.

Not that there weren’t compromises made – here’s the rundown of what made the cut and what was scrapped.

Key features

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
2.2" 262K-color QVGA display
5 megapixel enhanced fixed-focus camera with LED flash
QVGA video recording at 15fps
Series 40 UI, 6th edition
Dedicated Facebook app
Bluetooth (with A2DP)
Standard microUSB port (charging); USB On-The-Go
Hot-swappable microSD card slot (16 GB supported)
Stereo FM radio with RDS; built-in antenna
3.5mm audio jack
Dedicated music keys
Stereo speakers
Excellent loudspeaker performance
Great audio quality
Aluminum back cover

Main disadvantages

No 3G
No GPS receiver
No WLAN
S40 is outdated and lacks multitasking
No document viewer
No smart dialing
Below par still and video camera
Wobbly microUSB port

The Nokia X2 is a lower midrange S40 phone and it shows when you look at the disadvantages. But most of those are under the hood and you likely won’t notice them right away. The back cover is made of aluminum and has a brushed metal finish that looks great.

The stereo speakers are loud and you don’t need the headphones to blast out that new song on the radio. And if that feels too retro, the microSD card slot is easily accessible. The Nokia X2 is true Xseries stuff and makes no excuses when it comes to music.

The Nokia X2 paying us a visit

The Nokia X2 doesn’t overlook the biggest thing on the Internet since Google either. The dedicated Facebook app is pretty good (by non-touch phones’ standards).

And the 5MP camera with LED flash came as a bit of a surprise – that kind of camera usually goes on a mid-to-high end phones. Not all 5MP cameras are born equal though as we’ll see later on.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves – we need to open the box first. Jump to the next page to see what’s in and how the Nokia X2 feels on the outside.

Reference:

http://www.gsmarena.com

Samsung Galaxy Tablet

2010-10-02T04:48:00.000-07:00

Samsung Electronics’ first tablet computer, the Galaxy Tab, will go on sale in two weeks, it said, turning up the heat on Apple Inc’s iPad.

Global handset vendors and PC makers including Nokia, LG Electronics and Hewlett- Packard Co are moving into the new category of devices, between traditional PCs and smartphones, taking a cue from Apple.

Dell Inc said last month it was launching its new tablet device, the Dell Streak, to U. S. customers. « We see huge potential for this kind of product, » YH Lee, head of marketing at Samsung Mobile, told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the IFA consumer electronics fair. The Galaxy Tab, with a 7- inch screen, will go on sale in European markets in mid- September. The device, which uses Google’s Android software, offers access to books, films and music.

The first wave of tablets following in the iPad's footsteps are (almost) here. Powered by the Android 2.2 (Froyo) OS, the Samsung Galaxy Tab ($TBA) sports a 7-inch TFT-LCD display (1024 x 600), front (1.3 MP) and rear (3 MP) cameras, full HD video playback (DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, H.264), and comes in 16GB and 32GB models. It's also got built-in 3G HSPA connectivity, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 3.0. It will be launching in Europe later this month and in the U.S. in the "coming months."

Toshiba TG02 and K01 Preview

2010-02-17T05:45:00.000-08:00

Last year's Toshiba TG01 caused a stir when it was announced, featuring possibly the first 1GHz processor in any mobile phone and sporting a very large 4.1" display. Unfortunately, this didn't translate into any significant sales for Toshiba - the TG01 remained a niche product that was perhaps just a little bit too far ahead of its time.

Given that there really wasn't much wrong with the TG01, it's no surprise to see that the Toshiba TG02 doesn't mess around with the formula too much. The large 480 x 800 pixel panel remains, but this time it has been upgraded to a capacitive touchscreen. The TG02's operating system is now Windows Mobile 6.5 with Toshiba's own 3D interface on top. There's no indication as to whether or not the TG02 can run Windows Phone 7, but it does have the right sort of specification for Microsoft's new operating system.

Also announced is the Toshiba K01, which is really the TG02 with a slide out QWERTY keyboard. In this case, the K01 comes with a 4.1" OLED touchscreen display (Toshiba's first), and at only 12.9mm thick it will one of the slimmest devices of its type on the market.

The K01 and TG02 show that Toshiba are very committed to the Windows platform, although we can't help but feeling that they might have more market success with these type of handsets if they were running Android.

There's no word on pricing or availability for either of these two devices, although we would guess that they will sell for between €550 to €600 including taxes when they arrive at retailers sometime later this year.

Apple iPad

2010-02-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

The Apple iPad is one of the most anticipated product launches for a while. Sitting in the small gap between high-end smartphones and netbooks, it competes with devices like the Nokia Booklet 3G in trying to bring truly seamless and ultraportable data connectivity wherever users go.

It's not just a compact computer, the interface is derived in part from the iPhone and uses a completely different set of design concepts from a standard PC (or Mac) interface. The overall effect is that the iPad feels like something that has dropped out of a time-warp from the future, and it makes offerings like Nokia's look old-fashioned.. even if they are just as functional.

Apple are pricing the iPad in the US at just $499 for the basic 16GB WiFi model, up to $829 for a 64GB iPad with WiFi plus 3G support, with lots of price points in between including a 32GB variant. Apple say that the iPad should be available in 60 days for the WiFi only version (so the very end of March) and 90 days for the 3G + WiFi variant (end of April).

It looks like a stretched iPhone, with a large 1024 x 768 pixel 9.7" touchscreen display dominating the design plus an iPhone style button at the bottom. Inside is a 1GHz "Apple A4" processor (we guess this is ARM-derived), the iPad supports 802.11a, b, g and n WiFi, it comes with Bluetooth 2.1 support, GPS and a compass, plus a microphone and speaker.. we don't know if it's possible to make voice calls on it though, or even if you would want to try! The iPad is around 13mm thick and weighs very roughly 700 grams, which is impressively thin and lightweight for a fully-featured device such as this. The iPad also includes USB connectivity for local synchronisation.

Despite all the hype, the iPad is just a tablet computer, and these have been around for years.. but that's a little like saying that the iPhone is just a mobile phone. Apple will no doubt add their own magic to the concept, and will somehow persuade consumers that they actually want to go and buy a type of device that they have previously always avoided.

Apple's raison d'être for the iPad is that phones are often just too fiddly for web browsing, watching videos and carrying out everyday tasks like email, but a traditional laptop computer is often overkill. To this end, the iPad is designed to be simpler to use and comes with an interface similar to the iPhone's, including the famous "slide to unlock" gesture that users start with.

It's not just the interface that looks like the iPhone, the iPad can run iPhone applications unmodified either in a small window on a black background or by doing an on-the-fly pixel resize to run full screen. Presumably this also means that applications for the iPad will be tightly controlled, although we have yet to see. Applications will need to be rewritten to take full advantage of the iPad's hardware though.

From initial indications, it looks like there's a heavy emphasis on games and content from the likes of the New York Times and similar publications, and the iPad can also be used as an e-book reader.. although you probably would be very upset if you left your iPad on the bus or dropped it in the bath. Everything is available for purchase directly through the iPad itself.

Apple will also make available a version of their iWork productivity suite, although it has been re-engineered to fit in with the iPad's user interface and takes into account that the underlying hardware is somewhat more modest than on a Mac. The form factor of a tablet PC means that it is far from ideal when doing serious work though, although there is an optional keyboard dock available. Each component of the iWork suite is slated to cost just $9.99 to download in the US. As a comparison, the full version of Microsoft Office retails for around $400.

Annoyingly, there appears to be no multi-tasking support on the iPad, meaning that it is designed for running just one application at a time and this may well be a key weakness. This is bizarre, because the underlying operating system is a descendant of Unix which has had full multitasking since 1969.. although you can't fit a PDP-7 in your pocket.

There's no built-in keyboard on the iPad, but the large touchscreen leaves plenty of space to have a virtual one on-screen which should satisfy most casual users. Of course, the Apple iPad has WiFi built in, but it also has optional cellular connectivity which should be a lot easier than the traditional messing around with dongles, cards and Bluetooth connections.

Apple say that the data plans available with the iPad in the US will be $29.99 per month for "unlimited data" and $14.99 for a much more modest 250MB limit, available through AT&T. Contracts can be cancelled at any time without notice, which is not a bad idea considering that many iPads will never roam beyond a WiFi connection. International deals should be in place in June. On a side note, one unusual feature is that the iPad uses something called "GSM micro SIMs" which we have not come across before.

The Apple iPad won't appeal to everyone, and the price tag makes it more expensive than some low-end netbooks. The huge size means that it won't be replacing many people's mobile phones, and for serious computing power the iPad is never going to challenge desktops and laptops. But Apple are betting that there are enough people who are looking for a device just like this, and we have to say that it certainly looks compelling and slick enough to be a success.. and a potential game-changer in the industry.

Apple have more details of this device at at www.apple.com/ipad.

Apple iPad at a glance

Available:
March - April 2010

Network:
Cellular support optional:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS 850 / 1900 / 2100

Data:
802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi

Cellular support optional:
GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA

Screen:
9.7" 1024 x 768 pixels

Camera:
None

Size:
Tablet PC
243 x 190 x 13mm / 680g (WiFi only) or 730g (WiFi + 3G)

Bluetooth:
Yes

Memory card:
No

Infra-red:
No

Polyphonic:
Yes

Java:
No

GPS:
Yes

OS:
iPhone OS

Battery life:
10 hours continuous use

Samsung Shark Range (S3550, S5350, S5550)

2010-01-25T01:08:00.000-08:00

The Samsung Shark Range is this Korean manufacturer's attempt to make a big splash at the beginning of 2010 - unfortunately, it looks like these three phones might be more of a wet thud instead. We understand that all three handsets should be available this month.

Samsung Shark (Samsung S5350)

The Samsung Shark S5350 can best be described as a standard candy bar phone with social networking capabilities thrown in, with everything wrapped up in a pretty user interface. Other than that, we have to say that the Shark is a pretty dull mobile phone, sporting a basic 3.2 megapixel camera, a 2.2" 240 x 320 pixel display, Bluetooth, microSD expandable memory and an FM radio. This is a 3G device with unconfirmed reports that it supports HSDPA. The Samsung Shark S5350 does not support WiFi or GPS. Despite the impressive-sounding name, the Samsung Shark is only a run-of-the-mill midrange handset when you look at it closely.

Samsung Shark 2 (Samsung S5550)

Marginally more exciting than the S5350, the Samsung Shark 2 S5550 packs a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, 3.5G support plus the social networking features of its sibling.

Despite Samsung's boast that the "Shark 2's well-crafted mix of extrusion, Kevlar, and metallic surface creates a strong, chiseled look that dictates the form factor" it actually looks rather retro and not a million miles away from the D500 and many other Samsung phones.

Samsung say that the S5550 can record video at up to 320 x 240 pixels at 30 frames per second, which is hardly great but should be just about passable for YouTube.. and it's certainly better than the awful video recording on some other Samsungs.

Samsung Shark 3 (Samsung S3550)

Confusingly, the Samsung Shrek 3.. sorry, the Samsung Shark 3 (or the S3550) is the bottom of the range. A GSM-only device with a 2" 240 x 320 pixel display and a 2 megapixel camera, the Shark 3 apparently also supports "some" social networking sites. Unfortunately this is a handset of few interesting features, other than we assume it will be very cheap and at just 79 grams it is reasonably lightweight.

Sony Ericsson Vivaz

2010-01-25T01:02:00.000-08:00

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz is Sony Ericsson's first product announcement of 2010, and something that Sony Ericsson must hope will put a miserable 2009 behind them.

This is a touchscreen phone that manages to avoid the dreaded black slabby look by going with a curved design that Sony Ericsson says includes their "human curvature" design philosophy.. whatever that is. It looks attractive anyway, and overall the Vivaz is certainly very distinctive.

The Vivaz runs the Symbian operating system, a bit of a surprise as Sony Ericsson's recent commitment to Symbian has been patchy, but the latest versions of Symbian are well suited to this type of device.

There's a 3.2" 360 x 640 pixel touchscreen display dominating the front of the Vivaz, on the back is prominent 8.1 megapixel camera with autofocus, geotagging and a photo light. One interesting feature with the camera on the Vivaz is the video capture capabilities, Sony Ericsson say that it is capable of 720p HD recording, that is at least 1280 x 720 pixels at 25 frames per second. This is very impressive, although we have not yet seen any sample video captures from the Vivaz.

GPS is built in, and the Vivaz comes with a trial version of the Wisepilot navigation system. The large 3.2" touchscreen display should lend itself well to this type of application, but you will probably want a vehicle mount if using it in-car.

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz also has WiFi and 3.5G HSPA high-speed data support. Inside is some sort of processor clocked at 720 MHz coupled with 75MB of available RAM, which should mean that Symbian applications run quickly. Talktime on 3G is quoted as being over 5 hours with up to 18 days standby time.

The Vivaz supports microSD memory cards, and a useful 8GB card is included in the standard sales package. Of course the Vivaz also has Bluetooth, and there's a 3.5mm audio socket too and the Vivaz has a TV out capability to play back those HD videos you captured. At just 97 grams, the Vivaz is surprisingly lightweight for a device like this.

The OS is Symbian S60 5th Edition, and it comes with applications to integrate with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube plus a document viewer and a couple of games. Symbian isn't really that sexy as an OS, but it should work well on this type of smartphone.

Sony Ericsson say that the Vivaz should be available during Q1 2010 in "Moon Silver", "Cosmic Black", "Galaxy Blue" and "Venus Ruby" colour combinations. There's no guidance on pricing, but we think that this should be a bit cheaper than the XPERIA X2.

The Vivaz is certainly a fresh design with a compelling feature set, and if Sony Ericsson can convince customers that they have beaten the reliability issues that have dogged them recently, then this phone could go on to be a success.

Sony Ericsson Vivaz at a glance

Available:
Q1 2010

Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS 900 / 2100 or 850 / 1900 / 2100

Data:
GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSPA + WiFi

Screen:
3.2" 360 x 640 pixels, 16m colours

Camera:
8 megapixels

Size:
PDA-style device
107 x 52 x 13mm / 97 grams

Bluetooth:
Yes

Memory card:
MicroSD

Infra-red:
No

Polyphonic:
Yes

Java:
Yes

GPS:
Yes

OS:
Symbian S60 5th Edition

Battery life:
5 hours talk / 18 days standby (3G)
13 hours talk / 18 days standby (GSM)

BlackBerry Bold (9000) on a roll !!!

2010-01-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

The Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry 9000 (Bold) is the most feature packed and highly specified BlackBerry smartphone to date. The name BlackBerry Bold refers to the half-VGA 480x320 pixel resolution screen that boasts a highly respectable 65,000 colour display. This makes for one of the best looking displays of any smartphone and those who use this BlackBerry handset have reported that the colours 'pop off the screen'.

The BlackBerry 9000 / Bold platform features a double the usual BlackBerry speed - 624-Mhz Marvell Tavor PXA930 processor, along with HSDPA or EVDO networking, Wi-Fi, GPS, and support for up to 16GB MicroSD cards. There are significant improvements with both call quality and Bluetooth music quality.

Great news is the new OS 4.6 which includes DataViz' DocumentsToGo, allowing BlackBerry Bold users to read and edit Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents.

The BlackBerry 9000 Bold is a top quality BlackBerry smartphone with premium design features and outstanding performance. The BlackBerry Bold is targeted at business professionals and power users.

BlackBerry 9000 specifications

» Quad-band mobile phone - (GSM 850/900/1800/1900)

» Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g)

» HSDPA/UMTS - 3.5G technology - (850/1900/2100) support

» Bluetooth 2.0 - with full A2DP support

» 624MHz Intel PXA270 processor - blistering fast

» 128MB of flash memory + 1GB of onboard memory

» MicroSD/SDHC expansion slot - supports up to 16GB cards

» 2-megapixel camera + video-recording & 5x zoom

» Dataviz's Documents to Go suite - view / edit office documents

Plus...

» Email (support up to 10 email accounts)

» Instant Messaging - Communicate on the move via Yahoo & Google Talk

» Improved web browser - navigate the Internet from virtually anywhere

» Organiser / Diary - Address book,Calender, Memo pad & tasks

» Advanaced phone features - Polyphonic / MP3 ringtones, background noise reduction

» Voice activated - initiate calls by voice

» Multi-media - play / store music & video files

» Built in GPS (Global Positioning System) - Mapping, navigation & more

» BlackkBerry Maps - Turn by turn directions

» High capacity battery - uncompromising battery life

» Trackball navigation - easy use via thumb scroll & click

BlackBerry Storm2 9520 review: Back in Black... Berry

2010-01-10T23:22:00.000-08:00

RIM are a company with style and simply hopping on the touchscreen bandwagon with another iPhone wannabe just wouldn't suit them. They certainly realized the importance of having a full-touch device in their portfolio but wanted a clear and legible BlackBerry imprint on it.

The BlackBerry Storm 9500 was a truly intriguing device but never really managed to find its place in the new market it was built for. Too bold and unusual for the BlackBerry-loyals and yet too conservative for the rest of the world, it didn't quite get the results it was hoping for. But the successor might use the publicity the first Storm generated for its own good.

Key features

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 2100 MHz 3G with HSPA support
3.25" 65K-color capacitive touchscreen of 360 x 480 pixel resolution
Improved touchscreen experience with piezo-electric touch feedback system
3.15 MP autofocus camera, LED flash
BlackBerry OS 5
Wi-Fi and built-in GPS with BlackBerry maps preloaded
2 GB internal storage and a hot-swappable microSD card slot
Landscape on-screen keyboard is as close to hardware keys as we have seen on a touch phone
Nice looks and great build quality
3.5mm standard audio jack
Accelerometer sensor for screen auto-rotate
Bluetooth v2.1 and USB v2.0
Document editor
Good audio quality

Main disadvantages:

No email support without BlackBerry Internet Service account
Interface not as quick as competitors'
Chubbier than most touchscreen phones with similarly-sized displays
Mediocre camera
No FM radio
No web browser Flash support
No dedicated video-call camera

The good news is RIM decided to honor the Storm2 with a few upgrades over the original. However, none of them seems to be absolutely crucial so the greatest responsibility falls on the brand new piezo-electric touchscreen. The missing link between touchscreen and a hardware keypad is what many keen texters must have been waiting for. Or at least that's what RIM believe.

The BlackBerry Storm2 9520 views

Now, the SurePress screen didn't work out particularly well on the first Storm and a second failure might herald the demise of the entire series. So the BlackBerry Storm2 knows it needs to impress the audience or it might take a spot in history for all the wrong reasons.

Exclusive: first Google Phone "Nexus One"

2010-01-05T23:00:00.000-08:00

The Nexus One. In the modern climate of hyped (and over-hyped) smartphone launches, Google's official entry into the phone-sales game has excelled in a department where many find difficulty: generating legitimate excitement.

Of course, long before the name Nexus One or the recent bounty of pictures and details existed, the very concept of a "Google Phone" had been ingrained in the public conscience, predating even the Open Handset Alliance and Android itself; the company dabbled in the concept of direct sales through its offering of the Android Dev Phones 1 and 2 (alias Ion), but this time, it's a public retail ordeal, not a couple of one-off developer specials. The genuine-article Google Phone is finally here -- for better or worse.

The device, a Snapdragon-powered, HTC-built phone looks -- on paper, at least -- like the ultimate Android handset, combining a newly tweaked and tightened user interface with killer industrial design. A sleek, streamlined phone that can easily go toe-to-toe with the iPhone 3GSs, Pres, and Droids of the world, powered by the latest version of Android (2.1 "Flan," if you're counting), and hand-retooled by Google. But is it all it's cracked up to be? Can the Nexus One possibly live up to the hype ascribed to it? And more importantly, is the appearance of the phone the death knell for the OHA and a sign of the coming Android autocracy? In our exclusive review of the Nexus One, we'll answer all those pressing questions and more... so read on for the full scoop!

Google Nexus One unboxing and hands-on

Note: The unit we have in hand is -- by all appearances -- a production model, save for the QR code imprint on the back, which is likely an employee-only Easter egg. However, Google is making its official announcement tomorrow, and there could always be differences. If anything changes with the device, or there are revelations about the marketing or sale of the phone, we'll be sure to update the review with new info.

Hardware

As we said in the intro -- and our previous hands-on write up -- the Nexus One is nothing if not handsome. From its ultra-thin body to sleek, curved edges, the phone is absolutely lustworthy. While it's unmistakably HTC, there are plenty of design cues that feel authentically Google as well -- and it's that balance which makes the phone such an intriguing piece of hardware.

Industrial design

When you first lay eyes on the Nexus One, you can almost hear someone at Google say something like, "Make us something as sexy as the iPhone, but let's not forget what got us here" -- "what got us here" being the G1, which Google worked tightly with HTC to create. Whether you love or hate the iPhone, it's hard to deny its obvious physical attractiveness, and it's clear that Google and HTC made strides to bring an Android handset into the same realm of base desirability that Apple's halo device occupies. For the most part, they've succeeded. The phone shape finds itself somewhere between the iPhone and Palm Pre -- taking the Pre's curved, stone-like shape and stretching it into something resembling a more standard touchscreen device (a la the Hero or Instinct). The body of the handset is comprised of what appears to the eye as two interlocking pieces, a main, dark gray housing (coated in a soft-touch treatment) which is intersected and wrapped by a lighter gray, smooth, almost metallic band. The overall effect is fluid, though we're not crazy about the choice of coloring -- we would have liked to see something a little more consistent as opposed to the two-tone, particularly when the choice of hues is this drab and familiar. Still, the shape and size of the phone is absolutely fantastic; even though the surface of the device houses a 3.7-inch display, the handset generally feels trimmer and more svelte than an iPhone, Hero, and certainly the Droid.

HTC has managed to get the thickness of the phone down to just 11.5mm, and it measures just 59.8mm and 119mm across and up and down -- kind of a feat when you consider the guts of this thing. In the hand it's a bit lighter than you expect -- though it's not straight-up light -- and the curved edges and slightly tapered top and bottom make for a truly comfortable phone to hold. On the glass-covered front of the device there are four "hardware" buttons (just touch-sensitive spots on the display) laid out exactly as the Droid's four hard keys: back, menu, home, and search. Clearly this is going to be something of a trend with Google-approved devices.

Unlike the Droid, the Nexus One has a trackball just below those buttons that should feel very familiar to Hero users -- the placement feels a bit awkward here, and there's literally nothing in the OS that requires it. Along the left side you've got a volume rocker, up top there's a sleep / wake / power button on one end, and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the other, and along the bottom there's a micro-USB port, a mic hole, and three gold dots that look destined for some kind of dock (which would jibe with what we've seen and heard). Around back you'll find the strangely pronounced 5 megapixel camera and accompanying LED flash, along with Google's Android mascot holding up a QR code -- a decidedly geeky Google touch that we expect won't make it to the final retail version. The layout of the phone is solid, though we would have liked a physical camera key (no biggie), and we actually had some real trouble with those four dedicated buttons. Hopefully it was just our review unit, but the target areas seemed to be too high on the row, and we found ourselves consistently accidentally tapping them while composing an email or text message, or missing them when we tapped a little too low. It wasn't a deal breaker, but it was definitely maddening -- especially considering that we don't have similar issues on the Droid.

Despite the minor niggles, HTC and Google have put together pretty damn good looking and feeling phone; it's not without faults, but they're pretty few and far between.

Internals

As you've heard, the Nexus One runs atop the much-hyped, rarely seen 1GHz Snapdragon CPU from Qualcomm (the same processor powering the HD2) -- really the highlight of this show. The phone also has 512MB of both RAM and ROM, but those hoping for new application storage options will find themselves out of luck yet again -- you're still limited to that small partition for app use. The display is an AMOLED, 480 x 800 capacitive touchscreen, and the handset also contains a light sensor, proximity sensor, and accelerometer, along with an HSPA-capable GSM radio (AWS and euro 2100MHz bands only for 3G -- sorry AT&T users), WiFi, the prerequisite AGPS chip, and a microSD slot (which comes loaded with a 4GB card, but is expandable to 32GB). By late-2009 / early-2010 standards, there's really nothing notable about the guts of this phone beyond the presence of a Snapdragon processor, and even that left something to be desired. The phone is fast, assuredly, but not so much of a leap up from the Droid that we felt it kept pace with the boost we were expecting. Scrolling lists and opening apps seemed speedy, but put simply, it's not a whole new Android experience (we'll talk more about this in the software section).

Display

The 3.7-inch display should be stunning -- and is for the most part -- but we did have some issues with it (at least on the unit we have). In terms of touch sensitivity, the display is as good or better than any Android phone we've used. While the resolution is high (480 x 800), it's missing 48 pixels that we expected given the size of the Droid's screen. It didn't bother us that much, but it's noticeable in certain apps -- Gmail for instance, where you have to scroll further in some menus than you do on the Droid. The big issue with the screen, though, is actually the color balance. We found colors on the Nexus One, particularly in the reds and oranges, to be severely blown-out and oversaturated -- a common effect with AMOLED displays like the Nexus One's. At first we thought Google had tweaked some of the Market settings because the highlight orange was so bright, but comparing images on the web across different displays, the Nexus One consistently looked brighter then it should have. Oh, and using this thing in daylight? Forget about it. Like most screens of this type, the Nexus One is a nightmare to see with any kind of bright light around, and snapping photos with it on a sunny day was like taking shots with your eyes closed.

Google Nexus One outdoor shots

Camera

One place where the Nexus One seems to be improving things is in the camera department. Not only has Google bumped up the speed of the camera app (which we're still not that stoked about in general), but the 5 megapixel lens and flash took sharp, detailed images with none of the HTC-related issues we've seen on other models. The focus of the lens was super speedy, and images came out looking more or less as we'd hoped. The flash felt a bit stark at times, but given its size, we didn't lose too much sleep over it. One place where Google has really made some smart decisions is within the Gallery application. Instead of the drab, flat iterations of Android past, the new version is extremely attractive and user friendly, giving you far more options than before (like a nice pan and scan slideshow) and making browsing photos a much more enjoyable experience.

Nexus One camera shots

Telephony / data / earpiece and speaker

As a phone, the Nexus One isn't dramatically different than most GSM devices you've probably used. In terms of earpiece quality and volume, it's certainly on par with its contemporaries, providing a loud, reasonably clean talking experience, though it doesn't touch the Droid in terms of call clarity and evenness. The loudspeaker, on the other hand, seemed extremely tinny to our ears, making for a pretty unpleasant companion for conference calls, with the midrange cutting through in a way that could be painful at times. We'd be inclined to blame that issue on the extremely thin housing here, but it's hard to say what the real culprit is. As far as connections and 3G pickup, the Nexus fared as well as our iPhone did when traveling, but -- surprise, surprise -- neither of these could touch Verizon. For instance, at JFK airport, we had no trouble placing calls on the Droid, but both the Nexus One and iPhone were completely incommunicado. When we hit the ground in Las Vegas however (you know, for a little event called CES 2010), 3G seemed to function as we might have hoped. In a few cases, T-Mobile did seem to be hanging onto a signal a bit better than AT&T was, and in a browser test between the two, even though the iPhone ended up with a slightly faster load time, the Nexus One pulled down initial content considerably quicker. In all, we averaged download speeds of around 559Kbps on the phone -- about where we expected things to be.

Software

Now, the big story with the Nexus One (besides how it's being sold -- we'll get to that in a minute) has been the rumored alterations or updates Google has made with Android 2.1. There's been talk that this is somehow the "real Android," a suggestion that other, earlier versions weren't true to Google's mold. There's been talk that the Nexus One is worth the hype, and will blow people away when they see what this version of Android can do. Mostly, there's been a lot of talk. So, what's really the story here?

Well the real story is that Android 2.1 is in no way dramatically different than the iteration of the OS which is currently running on the Motorola Droid (2.0.1). In fact, there is so little that's different in the software here, we were actually surprised. Of the notable changes, many are cosmetic -- if there are major underlying differences between this OS and the one on the Droid, we can't see what they are. Still, there ARE changes, so here's a peek at just what Google has cooked up for the new phone.

Firstly, the place where Google really seems to have put a lot of its energies has been in the look and feel of homescreen navigation. Obviously the feedback the company has gotten is shaping the next steps on Android's path, and as anyone who has used Android will tell you, the homescreen situation was kind of a mess. In 2.1, Google has jettisoned key chunks of the established Android paradigm for how to get around its device. Most noticeably, the company has killed the sliding drawer which used to house all of your application icons -- the tab is replaced with a handy "home" icon which zooms in your icons over top of whatever homescreen you're on. You can scroll up and down through those icons, which is now accompanied by a cute 3D animation where the items slide over the top and bottom edge, like wrapping a piece of paper around the side of a table. It's nice, but not necessarily functional in any way. Google has also added a little bounce to the menu, in keeping with its contemporaries' love of physics.

Additionally Google has expanded the number of homescreens accessible from three to five (following a precedent set by skins like Sense and BLUR), adding a combo of webOS and iPhone style dots to help you keep track of where you're situated. If you long press on those dots, you get a kind of "card" view of all your homescreens which you can use for quick jumps. All of the homescreen improvements are just that -- improvements -- and it's nice to see Google thinking about a user's first impression of this device. Not only do these additions bolster the look and feel of the UI, but they're actually sensible and helpful solutions to problems which Google had heretofore approached in an obtuse way.

Elsewhere, there are nips and tucks that are welcome, such as the improved Gallery application we mentioned previously, which seems to be one of the few areas actually tapping into the Snapdragon's horsepower. But Google stumbles as well; the dated and always-underwhelming music player has undergone almost zero change, and the soft keyboard -- while better than previous models -- can still be inaccurate. Of course, Google wants to provide another option for text input that we haven't seen before the Nexus One. Now included when the keyboard pops up is an option to use the company's speech-to-text engine, which will (attempt) to translate your words into onscreen text. Our experiments with the technology were marginally successful, but we don't see this being a big part of our communications game until the audio recognition gets a little more robust. It might work for an occasional SMS where use of the Queen's English isn't a priority.

One other thing. As we mentioned in our impressions post, there's no multitouch on the Nexus One. Now, we can live with a browser or Google Maps with no pinch-to-zoom, but not having a hardware keyboard hamstrings this device in other ways. For instance, gaming on the phone is pretty much abysmal save for a few accelerometer-based titles. And some of our favorite software, such as Nesoid (an NES emulator) is a total dead. For a phone which uses touch input as its main vehicle for navigation, relegating that experience to a single digit is really kind of bogus. There were plenty of times when using the Nexus One (and this does happen with other Android devices as well, but it's pronounced here) where we felt not just bummed that you could only use one point of contact, but actually a little angry. Why won't Google open this up? Why have they kept what has become a normal and quite useful manner of interaction away from their devices? Only Eric Schmidt knows for sure. What it made us realize, however, is that an Android phone is really better off with a keyboard, and we were longing to get back to the Droid a number of times while using this device.

Battery life

We haven't had a lot of time to spend with the phone just yet (you may have heard, it's been a bit hard to get ahold of), but from what we've seen, the battery performs admirably. Thus far we haven't had any major shockers when it came to power drain, and that AMOLED screen seems to go easy on things even when cranked up to a pretty stark setting. That said, we did see a dip when taking long calls, which indicates that this might not be a charge-free device day to day if you've got some serious gossip to dish. We're going to be running some more tests this week to see how the phone performs over a lengthier stretch of time, and we'll let you guys know how it fares.

Pricing and availability

As of this writing, all we have on the Nexus One in terms of pricing and sales plans comes to us in the form of leaked documents and tipster screenshots. That said, if everything falls into line the way we think it should, the sale of the phone won't be the kind of barnstorming industry shakeup that many predicted -- rather, it's business as usual, with one small difference. While the phone is manufactured by HTC and destined for use on T-Mobile's network, Google will be the one doing the selling of the device. By all appearances, the company will have a new phone portal where buyers can pick between an unsubsidized, unlocked Nexus One for $529.99, or sign up for a two-year agreement with T-Mobile and purchase the phone for $179.99. This shouldn't seem strange or exciting to anyone who's recently bought a smartphone -- it's pretty much the lay of the land right now. Previous to the documents we'd seen, the hope was that Google had found some ingenious ad-supported way to get this phone into consumer's hands for a low, seemingly subsidized price but without the shackles of a contract or specific carrier -- but those plans seem have been either invented, or somehow dashed.

Wrap-up

Never mind the Nexus One itself for a moment -- there's a bigger picture here, and it might spell a fundamental change for the direction of Android as a platform. Whereas Google had originally positioned itself as a sort of patron saint for Android -- sending it off into the cold world to be nourished and advanced in a totally transparent way by the widely-supported Open Handset Alliance -- it has instead taken a deeply active role and has elected to maintain some semblance of secrecy as it moves from pastry-themed version to version. In general, that approach isn't necessarily a bad thing for device variety, functionality, and availability, but the way Android's evolution in particular has gone down certainly seems like a bait-and-switch from an outsider's view. Take Motorola and Verizon, for example: what had seemed like a deep, tight partnership literally just weeks ago with the announcement of Eclair and the selection of the Droid / Milestone as 2.0's launch platform has taken a distant back seat just as quickly as it rose to the top. In a word, Google is plunging head-first into the dangerous game Microsoft has adamantly sought to avoid all these years on WinMo: competing head-to-head with its valued (well, supposedly valued) partners. Whether Android risks losing support over manufacturers and carriers being treated like pieces of meat remains to be seen, but realistically, Motorola (which has very publicly gone all-in with Mountain View over the past year) and others are likely to grin and bear it as long as the platform pays the bills -- no matter how awkward competing with the company that writes your kernel and huge swaths of your shell might be.

Industry politics aside, though, the Nexus One is at its core just another Android smartphone. It's a particularly good one, don't get us wrong -- certainly up there with the best of its breed -- but it's not in any way the Earth-shattering, paradigm-skewing device the media and community cheerleaders have built it up to be. It's a good Android phone, but not the last word -- in fact, if we had to choose between this phone or the Droid right now, we would lean towards the latter. Of course, if Google's goal is to spread Android more wide than deep, maybe this is precisely the right phone at the right time: class-leading processor, vibrant display, sexy shell, and just a sprinkling of geekiness that only Google could pull off this effortlessly.

Then again, we suspect Motorola, Samsung, Verizon, and countless other partners might disagree.

Reference:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/04/nexus-one-review/

Samsung Lindy (Samsung M5650)

2010-01-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

The Samsung Corby (sold in the UK as the "Genio") has been quite a sales success this year, even spawning a couple of spin-offs in the Corby Pro and Corby TXT devices.

Taking things a little but more up-market than the Corby is the Samsung Lindy or Samsung M5650, which takes the same basic approach of being a fun and stylish touchscreen phone, but it adds a lot more features.

The Lindy M5650 is very lightweight for a touchscreen device, coming in at just 98 grams and measuring 106 x 57 x 12mm. Central to the phone is the 2.8" QVGA display, plus a navigation key, call and end key and multimedia controls. Flip the Lindy M5650 over and there's a 3 megapixel camera with video capture capabilities. There's an FM radio in addition to the built-in media player, and all the usual features are here such as Bluetooth, USB connectivity and microSD expandable memory.

The Corby was a GSM-only device, but the Samsung Lindy M5650 is a fully-connected 3.5G handset that supports downloads of up to 7.2 Mbps, and on top of that it is also WiFi capable, which is ideal for households with wireless networking.

There's a pretty comprehensive range of software including a web browser, email client and support for social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and more. The user interface has a "cartoony" look and feel about it, and when combined with the blue or black external styling, then it is very clearly a mobile phone aimed at younger customers.

Samsung have decided to go for a very soft launch with this phone, and it turns out that they have already been selling it in Portugal for a little while at for €159 through a few retailers. Samsung say that it should be available in most markets outside the Americas very soon.

Samsung Lindy M5650 at a glance

Available:
Now / Q1 2010

Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS/WCDMA (bands not specified)

Data:
GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA + WiFi

Screen:
2.8" 320 x 240 pixels, 262k colours

Camera:
3 megapixels

Size:
Compact touchscreen
98 grams / 106 x 57 x 12mm

Bluetooth:
Yes

Memory card:
MicroSD

Infra-red:
No

Polyphonic:
Yes

Java:
Yes

GPS:
No

OS:
Proprietary

Battery life:
3 hours talk / 12 days standby

Nokia 5235 Comes With Music

2009-12-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Nokia 5235 Comes With Music is a low cost touchscreen smartphone with a large display, and 12 or 18 months of free music downloads from Nokia's Comes With Music service.

The handset might look familiar, and that's because the hardware

on the 5235 is identical to the 5230, and it is also closely related to the 5800, 5530 and X6 touchscreen phones.

As with the 5230, the Nokia 5235 comes with a 3.2" 640 x 360 pixel touchscreen display, microSD expandable memory, Bluetooth

, 3.5G support, a 2 megapixel camera, FM radio, multimedia player and a 3.5mm audio connector. There's a big 1320 mAh battery too which can give up to 5 hours talktime on 3G.

There's no WiFi support on the 5235, but it does support HSDPA downloads of up to 3.6 Mbps. If you want WiFi, then our recommendation is to go for the 5800 instead.

We mentioned the 2 megapixel camera, which is the same unit as found on the 5230. Really, it's pretty poor when it comes to stills photographs, but it can capture video at up to 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second which is rather good, and certainly good enough for uploading to YouTube.

The Nokia 5235 works with Facebook, MySpace, Ovi and YouTube, and because this is an S60 smartphone then there are a load of applications

available for it. The large screen is ideal for web browsing, and it's remarkable to find a display of this quality in a handset that's so cheap.

We keep talking about price - so how much is the Nokia 5235? Nokia say that the handset should retail for around €145 before tax and subsidy, around the same as the current 5230. The 5235 offers very good value for money even before you take into account the music downloads, so if you take advantage of Comes With Music then this looks like a real bargain.

It is perhaps worth noting that the 5235 doesn't come with a memory card in the standard sales package, but it does include a wired headset. Some of Nokia's data sheets say that it includes a USB cable, whereas others say that it doesn't.. so if you need a USB cable, check before ordering.

Nokia say that the 5235 Comes With Music should be available during Q1 2010 in White or Black colour schemes, each with an ice-blue tinted chrome rim.

Nokia 5235 Comes With Music at a glance

Available:
Q1 2010

Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS 900 / 2100 or
UMTS 850 / 1900 or
UMTS 850 / 2100

Data:
GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA

Screen:
3.2" 640 x 360 pixels, 16m colours

Camera:
2 megapixels

Size:
PDA-style device
111 x 52 x 15mm / 113 grams

Bluetooth:
Yes

Memory card:
MicroSD

Infra-red:
No

Polyphonic:
Yes

Java:
Yes

GPS:
Yes

OS:
Symbian S60 5th Edition

Battery life:
5 hours talk / 19 days standby (3G)
7 hours talk / 18 days standby (GSM)

Sony Ericsson Elm & Sony Ericsson Hazel

2009-12-19T06:57:00.000-08:00

A pair of new "GreenHeart" handsets, the Sony Ericsson Hazel and Sony Ericsson Elm are two fairly conventional phones that slot into the upper midrange market.

What sets these two handsets apart from most other phones is their environmental credentials. Although all mobile phones

are quite environmentally unfriendly, mostly due to the exotic materials that they are made from, the Elm and Hazel do go some way to reducing the impact that they make.

To this end, the Sony Ericsson Hazel and Elm are made with a high proportion of recycled plastics, are free from hazardous chemicals and come with a low-power consumption charger. There is an electronic manual in the phone itself, plus a "Walk Mate eco application" and "Green calculator". The handsets are shipped in minimal packaging in order to reduce waste.

We have always said that one of the best ways to minimise the impact that your mobile phone habit has on the environment is to pick a really good phone and keep it for longer, and then recycle it when you are done. Some "environmentally friendly" phones in the past have been of such a low specification that they have been almost obsolete before they ship. With the Hazel and Elm phones, Sony Ericsson have made sure that the devices have a decent enough specification so that they should still be useful in two to three years time.

The Sony Ericsson Hazel is a slider phone with a 2.6" QVGA display, the Elm is a lightweight monoblock device with a smaller 2.2" QVGA screen. Almost all the other technical specifications are identical between the two phones - both the Elm and Hazel have a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, flash and geo-tagging, they include a GPS receiver with Google Maps and a trial version of the Wisepilot turn-by-turn navigation application, they have 3.5G support plus WiFi, microSD expandable memory, a multimedia player and an FM radio.

From the front, both the Elm and Hazel have a very standard layout, but one novel and elegant feature is the way that the back of the phone is curved to fit into the palm of the user's hand, something that is particularly noticeable on the Elm. This is a very simple piece of industrial design, but it certainly makes these two handsets more noticeable and we suspect that we will see it on other phones in the future too.

Sony Ericsson handsets tend to come with a slew of multimedia and personal information management tools, and the Elm and Hazel are no exception. Of course, there's a web browser, email client and RSS reader and these two phones with synchronize with Microsoft Exchange too.

At just 90 grams in weight and 110 x 45 x 14mm in size, the Elm is pretty lightweight for a 3.5G phone like this, the Hazel is a fair bit chunkier at 120 grams and 102 x 50 x 60mm.. but then it does have a much bigger screen. For both handsets, talktime on 3G is quoted as about 4 hours with a maximum of around 18 days standby time.

The Elm will be available from Q1 2010 in Metal Black and Pearly Rose colours, but for some reason you will have to wait for the nearly identical Hazel until Q2 2010, and that will come in Superior Black and Passionate Red schemes. There's no guidance on price, but our best guess is that these will come in the €250-€300 price range SIM free when they hit retail outlets.

Critics of Sony Ericsson (and there are many) might argue that the best thing that the company can do to help the environment is to make phones that work properly in the first place, so that they don't have to be replaced under warranty when they go wrong. If Sony Ericsson can't get its quality control up to scratch, then the whole GreenHeart project is really rather pointless.

Samsung S5560 preview: First look

2009-12-19T06:49:00.000-08:00

Ah, the futuristic appeal of touchscreens - consumers can't get enough of them. Enter the Samsung S5560. With a 5MP camera and Wi-Fi, it's two widgets ahead of the competition. The rest mostly follows the recipe for success from the S5230 Star cookbook, with a few tweaks to bring it up to speed.

Samsung S5560 official photos

The Samsung S5560 lacks 3G connectivity but comes with Wi-Fi connectivity. It's hardly the solution that most carriers opt for (and carriers ARE the biggest cellphone contractors), but we guess Samsung have gone for pleasing the end client this time. In an effort to keep the price down, trading 3G for Wi-Fi is a compromise many users would make.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, check out the rundown of the Samsung S5560 features:

Samsung S5560 (a.k.a Marvel) at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Form factor: Touchscreen bar
Dimensions: 107.5 x 52 x 13.2 mm, 95g
Display: 3.0 inch WQVGA TFT resistive touchscreen, 240 x 400 pixels
Platform: Latest TouchWiz 2.0 UI, Smart Unlock
Memory: 78MB integrated memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash, image stabilization, WDR, face detection, Smile Shot, blink detection and QVGA video recording at 15 fps
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, 3.5mm audio jack
Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate and turn-to-mute, FM radio with RDS
Battery: 960 mAh battery

Samsung S5560 in our office

This phone is clearly a Samsung Jet wannabe - the styling, the camera, the Wi-Fi connectivity all make it a cheaper alternative to the Jet. Sure, tradeoffs have been made for the sake of a lower price, but if you've never owned a touch phone before, the S5560 makes a great introduction.

The timer on non-touch operated phones seems to be running down - touch phones seem to get the best features and the most hype. This makes it harder and harder to say no, especially now that their price is no longer prohibitive.

New Motorola MILESTONE

2009-12-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

The Motorola MILESTONE is the GSM version of the Motorola DROID, and is tipped to be the first Android 2.0 smartphone to be released in Europe.

There are a handful of differences between the DROID and MILESTONE, the most obvious one being that this is a GSM / UMTS device.

Just in case you missed the fuss over the DROID last week, we'll recap briefly: the Motorola MILESTONE has a large 3.7" 480 x 854 pixel touchscreen display, a five megapixel camera, 3.5G support, WiFi, and GPS. Inside is a 550 MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor which is reportedly as powerful as the CPU in the Apple iPhone 3GS. There's a fairly conventional slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and Motorola say that this is the slimmest device like this coming in at 13.7mm.

Although the camera seems a little basic, it does have autofocus, dual LED flash and can capture widescreen 720 x 480 pixel video at 24 frames per second. The new version of Android also has significantly improved camera software.

Android 2.0 is a big improvement over previous versions, but one major difference between the software on the DROID and MILESTONE is that the MILESTONE doesn't have the new version of Google maps with turn-by-turn navigation, and instead it comes with a trial version of Motorola's MOTONAV application. Presumably, Google Maps will be upgradeable when it becomes available in Europe.

There's a little confusion over the MILESTONE's touchscreen features, Motorola's product data sheet shows that it might have multi-touch capabilities that are apparently lacking from the DROID. The rest of the software suite is comprehensive and appears to be the same overall features as the DROID.

Most major video and audio formats are supported on the MILESTONE, and there's a 3.5mm audio socket and stereo Bluetooth as well. As standard, the Motorola MILESTONE comes with an 8GB card in the box (the US DROID has a 16GB card), and this is expandable up to 32GB using a compatible microSD card

This is a quad-band GSM phone with 900 / 2100MHz UMTS support, HSPA (3.5G) high-speed downloads and uploads, plus 802.11b and g WiFi. The large 1400 mAh battery gives up to 6.5 hours talktime and 14 days standby time, although it is not clear if these are GSM or 3G figures. Measuring 116 x 60 x 13.7mm and weighing 165 grams, the MILESTONE is quite a large device, but then it does come with a large screen and QWERTY keyboard.

There's no exact word on availability, except that we know Germany and Italy will see it first. O2 Germany's page indicates a SIM-free price of €481 which seems to be good value for such a high-end handset. With a bit of luck, the MILESTONE will be available in some regions before Christmas, although when it will turn up in the UK is a mystery.

One optional extra is the MILESTONE Multimedia Station which is a combined docking station and charger, and there's also a Phone Holder so that the MILESTONE can be used as an in-car satellite navigation system.

This is an impressive looking device, and crucially it seems cheaper than the Nokia N900 and the new version of Android closes the gap somewhat between this type of phone and the iPhone. If Motorola can get the MILESTONE to market quickly enough, and if they can make sure that everything works properly.. then this handset could well be a winner.

The Motorola MILESTONE is currently available in the UK from eXpansys.

Motorola MILESTONE at a glance

Available:
Now

Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS 900 / 2100

Data:
GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSPA + WiFi

Screen:
3.7" 480 x 352 pixels

Camera:
5 megapixels

Size:
PDA style device
116 x 60 x 14mm / 165 grams

Bluetooth:
Yes

Memory card:
MicroSD

Infra-red:
No

Polyphonic:
Yes

Java:
Yes

GPS:
Yes

OS:
Android 2.0 (Eclair)

Battery life:
6.5 hours talk / 14 days standby

Nokia 6700 Classic Gold Edition

2009-12-10T07:02:00.000-08:00

The original Nokia 6700 Classic is a versatile device with very smart but discrete looks, and it is an ideal handset for people who want something just a little bit showy while remaining tasteful.

But just in case the original 6700 was a bit too understated for your tastes, you can now treat yourself to the Nokia 6700 Classic Gold Edition which rather predictably covers the handset in 18 carat gold.. which makes the whole thing rather less understated.

Nokia's press photographs seem to show two versions of the 6700 Classic Gold Edition, one with white inlays and one in all gold. It's not clear if these are two different versions of the phone, or if the inlays are somehow changeable. In our view, the version with the white inlay looks much classier.

It isn't just a matter of some gold plating, the 6700 Gold Edition also has special themes to match the design, comes with a matching carry case and strap as standard, and Nokia have also thrown in an 8GB microSD memory card and a stereo wired headset into the standard sales package.

The other features are pretty much identical to the original 6700 - this is a Series 40 phone with a 2.2" QVGA display, 5 megapixel camera, 3.5G support and GPS. There's a web browser, multimedia player and FM radio too, plus the usual array of personal information management tools you'd expect. It isn't a smartphone, but it should certainly meet the needs of most customers.

The extra bling makes the handset more costly, coming in at about €370 before tax and subsidy. This makes the Gold Edition about twice the current street price of the standard 6700. It's not stupidly expensive though, and you will get a pretty decent mobile phone for your money too.

Nokia say that the 6700 Classic Gold Edition should be available during Q1 2010.

Nokia 6700 Classic Gold Edition at a glance

Available:
Q1 2010

Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS 900 / 1900 / 2100

Data:
GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA + HSUPA

Screen:
2.2" 240 x 320 pixels, 16m colours

Camera:
5 megapixels

Size:
Medium monoblock
110 x 45 x 11mm / 116 grams

Bluetooth:
Yes

Memory card:
MicroSD

Infra-red:
No

Polyphonic:
Yes

Java:
Yes

GPS:
Yes

OS:
Series 40

Battery life:
4 hours talk / 16 days standby (3G)

Nokia 7230

2009-12-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

Priced at just €100 before tax and carrier discount, the Nokia 7230 is a fashion phone that does seem to offer a lot of features for the money.

While it isn't exactly state of the art when it comes to specification, the 7230 does come with 3G support, a 3.2 megapixel camera, a 2.4" QVGA resolution display, FM radio, Bluetooth, microSD expandable memory (with 2GB in the standard sales package) and a 3.5mm audio socket.

There are a few drawbacks - the main one is that the 7230 doesn't support 3.5G data, there's no camera light and the video recording capabilities are pretty average.. but then we wouldn't really expect features like that on a phone of this price. It's worth noting that Nokia say that the 7230 is capable of a maximum download speed of up to 2Mbps using UMTS, where carriers can support it.

The Nokia 7230 runs the familiar Series 40 operating system, it can also integrate with Facebook, Flickr and Ovi and it comes with all the usual features such as a web browser and email client and it also support Nokia Maps (although obviously it doesn't have GPS).

Maximum talktime is 3.7 hours on 3G with up to 16 days standby time, and the phone package comes in at a pocket-friendly 100 grams weight and 98 x 48 x 15mm in size. There are two colour variations available of graphite and hot pink.

This is a straightforward phone that should be good enough for most people when it comes to mobile Internet, music playback and basic photography.. as well as making phone calls. It's a good looking handset too, and given all of these features we think that it should appeal to both prepay and budget contract customers.

Nokia say that the 7230 should be available during Q1 2010. Just try not to confuse it with the Nokia 2370!

Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition

2009-11-23T23:50:00.000-08:00

The Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition (or just "MTVE" for short) is a DVB-H enabled handset aimed at those markets where a mobile digital TV rollout is taking place.

Regular readers may remember the original Nokia 5330 XpressMusic which was announced back in March, but this handset failed to materialise and was presumably cancelled. That version of the 5330 was notable for being an exceptionally ugly device to look at, but the MVTE version has been redone in glossy black with silver highlights and looks much better - Nokia say that there is a glossy white version available too.

It's perhaps a strange phone for mobile TV - the 5330's display is a standard 2.4" 240 x 320 pixel panel which isn't exactly huge. The DVB-H picture displays in landscape (wide) mode, so it does make the best use of the limited display. The rest of the phone is pretty straightforward - it's a 3G device (but doesn't support 3.5G data), comes with GPS and Nokia maps, a media player, an FM radio, a 3.2 megapixel camera and all the other usual features that you would expect from a midrange Nokia such as Bluetooth and microSD expandable memory.

The relatively large 1000 mAh battery gives over 7 hours talktime and 14 days standby time. Nokia say that the 5330 MTVE can play DVB-H for up to 6 hours, using the bundled wired headset as an antenna.

Nokia are planning to roll out the 5330 MTVE in markets where DVB-H broadcasting already exists or is being implemented. This is actually a pretty limited market, in Europe only Italy, Finland, Austria, Albania, the Netherlands and Poland have a nationwide rollout complete, with France and Spain hoping to follow soon. Outside of Europe, Vietnam, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, Namibia and parts of India have coverage too.

If you live in the UK and Germany, then it's worth noting that although there have been some DVB-H trials, there seems to be no move to roll it out. Russia is looking quite likely to have a DVB-H service in major urban areas from next year.

To give Nokia credit, they have been committed to DVB-H for some years and have made several handsets that support it, including the popular Nokia N96. Nokia do have an ulterior motive though, their partner Nokia Siemens Networks is a major manufacturer of DVB-H network equipment, so there are more than just handsets at stake.

Nokia plan to roll the 5330 Mobile TV Edition during Q1 2010 priced at around €155 before tax and subsidy, which seems to be a pretty low cost way of getting a DVB-H receiver.

Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition at a glance

Available: Q1 2010

Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and
UMTS 850 / 1900 / 2100 or
UMTS 900 / 1700 / 2100

Data: GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G)

Screen: 2.4" 240 x 320 pixels, 16m colours

Camera: 3.2 megapixels

Size: Medium slider
101 x 48 x 14mm /113 grams

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: MicroSD

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Yes

GPS: Yes

OS: Series 40

Battery life: 7 hours talk / 14 days standby

Nokia 2220 Slide

2009-11-11T05:36:00.000-08:00

Aiming to be in the shops before Christmas, the Nokia 2220 Slide is a very low cost slider phone. The attractive appearance of the 2220, combined with the very low price tag of €45 makes this handset an appealing proposition, especially as a gift.

This is a conventional Series 40 device with a 1.8" 128 x 160 pixel TFT display, a VGA resolution (0.3 megapixel) camera, GPRS and EDGE, web browser and an email client. There's no MP3 player, but the 2220 slide does comes with an FM radio (with radio recording), and the standard sales package includes a WH102 stereo wired headset that plugs into the 3.5mm audio socket.

Some additional features include Nokia Xpress Audio messaging, Ovil Mail, MP3 ringtones and Nokia Life Tools in selected markets.

It's a good looking device, available in Hot Pink, Graphite, Turquoise, Warm Silver, Purple and Blue colour schemes. The Nokia 2220 Slide certainly looks more expensive than you would expect from a phone with such a low price.

The Nokia 2220 Slide may seem a little old-fashioned when it comes to specifications, but then this phone primarily sells on excellent value for money rather than technical features.

Nokia 2220 Slide at a glance

Available: Q4 2009

Network: GSM 900 / 1800 or 850 / 1900

Data: GPRS + EDGE

Screen: 1.8" 128 x 160 pixels, 65k colours

Camera: 0.3 megapixels

Size: Medium slider
97 x 47 x 16mm / 94 grams

Bluetooth: No

Memory card: No

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Yes

GPS: No

OS: Series 40

Battery life: 5 hours talk / 20 days standby

Nokia 1280

2009-11-11T05:33:00.000-08:00

Billed as the cheapest Nokia phone ever, the Nokia 1280 is designed to sell for just €20. Aimed primarily at emerging markets, the 1280 should have wide appeal to anyone who is looking for a really inexpensive but practical phone.

As you would expect, this is a fairly basic phone.. but it does come with a surprising number of useful features. There's a monochrome 1.36" 96 x 68 pixel display, an FM radio (requires the purchase of a headset), a built in flashlight, MP3 grade ringtones and a built-in speakerphone. It's a Series 30 handset with a very simple user interface that should be familiar to most longtime Nokia customers. The 1280 also supports Nokia Life Tools in certain markets.

The 1280 is designed to be shared, so it has multiple phonebooks and very loud ringtones so that it can be left in one place. Part of the idea here is that if four people share the purchase price of the 1280, then it works out at just €5 each which is an attractive proposition for emerging markets.

There's no getting away from the slightly retro looks that the small screen brings, but it's quite a smart looking device and very obviously a Nokia. Good spacing between the keys means that the 1280 should be easy to use, even if wearing gloves.

The cover is dust and scratch resistant, which gives the 1280 a certain amount of durability. The standard covers are available in red, blue, grey and black colours, and these can be interchanged.

The handset comes with a standard BL-5C battery and very common AC-3 charger, giving up to 8.5 hours talktime and 22 days standby time. It's a lightweight phone, coming in at just 82 grams and measuring 107 x 45 x 15mm.

A cheap Nokia like this is certain to have wide appeal in a number of markets, in some places it may well be shared between different customers, in others it might appeal as a second phone, especially one for outdoors use. With a pricetag like this, many customers will see it almost as a disposable item.

Nokia say that the 1280 should be available during Q1 2010.

LG GM750

2009-10-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

The LG GM750 is a Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone, very closely related to the existing GM730 handset.

Featuring a 3" 240 x 400 pixel display, a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, 3.5G support, WiFi and GPS, the new GM750 shares almost every hardware feature with its predecessor. The main difference is that the GM750 comes with Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional preloaded, where the GM730 is a Windows Mobile 6.1 device.. although it can be upgraded.

Looking closely at the scant available information on the GM750, it looks like is also has a larger 1500 mAh battery and possibly a slightly improved screen. Inside is the same Qualcomm 528 MHz processor that powers the vast majority of Windows Mobile smartphones.

So what's all the fuss about? To be honest, it's hard to say. Windows Mobile 6.5 is definitely an improvement over the earlier version, but we understand that GM730 users can upgrade the operating system if they want. As with most recent LG Windows devices, this comes with the S-Class user interface which makes it nicer to use. There are certainly rival phones that are just as good as this though.

Just in case you're not familiar with the current version of Windows Mobile, then we should say that it is a significant improvement in terms of usability over older versions, and it comes with "pocket" versions of Microsoft Office applications, plus support for Microsoft Exchange push email, a capable multimedia player (plus an FM radio), and a wide variety of other applications can be bought and downloaded.

The LG GM750 can also talk directly to social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Picasa and it also supports YouTube and other video sites.

The GM750 comes with HSDPA data with a maximum download speed of up to 7.2 Mbps, or alternatively you could use the GM750's WiFi capabilities. LG say that the phone measures 109.8 x 53.5 x 12.9mm which is a bit more compact than the iPhone, but it does come with a smaller display.

The LG GM750 is exclusive to the Vodafone network until the end of the year. Prices range from about €380 for a SIM-free version to free when taken with a contract. It does seem to offer pretty good value for money when you consider the specifications, and it is a useful addition to Vodafone's somewhat moribund lineup of phones.

LG GM750 at a glance

Available: Now

Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 + UMTS

Data: GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA + WiFi

Screen: 3" 240 x 400 pixels

Camera: 5 megapixels

Size: Medium touchscreen 110 x 54 x 13mm

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: MicroSD

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Limited

GPS: Yes

OS: Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional

Battery life: Not specified

Samsung Omnia Pro B7330

2009-10-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Samsung Omnia Pro B7330 might look familiar to regular readers, because it very closely related to the existing B7320 launched a few months ago.

The main differences between the B7330 and the B7320 is that the newer handset now comes with Windows Mobile 6.5 preloaded, and it has a slightly larger display.

The is a BlackBerry-style messaging smartphone with a compact QWERTY keyboard, a 2.6" 320 x 320 pixel display, a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus, integrated GPS, 3.5G data, WiFi, microSD expandable memory, a multimedia player and FM radio. Maximum download speeds on HSDPA are 7.2 Mbps, plus a maximum upload speed of 2 Mbps on HSUPA.

A large 1500 mAh battery powers the B7330, although Samsung haven't given any guidance on talktime or standby time. Despite the impressive feature set, the B7330 isn't particularly big, weighing only 107 grams and measuring 115 x 60 x 11mm.

It's perhaps not the sexiest phone in Samsung's range, but it does seem to be a very practical messaging smartphone. The B7330 should be available this month for a SIM-free price of about €400 plus tax.

Samsung Omnia Pro B7330 at a glance

Available: October 2009

Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 + UMTS

Data: GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA + HSUPA + WiFi

Screen: 2.6" 320 x 320 pixels, 65k colours

Camera: 3 megapixels

Size: Messaging device
115 x 60 x 11mm / 107 grams

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: MicroSD

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Limited

GPS: Yes

OS: Windows Mobile 6.54 Standard

Battery life: Not specified

HTC HD2

2009-10-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

The HTC HD2 follows on from last year's HTC Touch HD by using the tried-and-tested formula of stuffing in more features than ever before.

Perhaps the most obvious feature is the massive 4.3" display. This capacitive touchscreen panel has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, which we think is the largest screen on any production mobile phone.

The screen isn't the only thing going for the HTC HD2 - inside is a 1GHz Snapdragon processor coupled with 448 MB of RAM, ideal for running the new Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional operating system. On the back is a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and dual LED flash, which is one of the best to be found on a Windows Mobile device.

This is a dual-band 3G device with HSPA high-speed data support, giving a maximum download speed of 7.2 Mbps and a maximum upload speed of 2 Mbps. The HTC HD2 also supports quad-band GSM with GPRS and EDGE data, and it also has built-in WiFi. Unlike some other smartphones, the HTC HD2 can be used as a tethered modem and even as a WiFi Router.

The HTC HD2 has built-in GPS with a digital compass plus HTC's Footprints application. Because this is a Windows Mobile device, then there are a variety of personal navigation applications available.

The multimedia player can cope with most major formats, and the large display is particularly well suited to video playback. There is also a built-in FM radio, and the HTC HD2 comes with a standard 3.5mm audio socket. Media files can be stored on microSD expansion cards, and the HD2 also supports stereo Bluetooth.

As we said before, this is a Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional smartphone, but as ever HTC cannot resist tinkering with it. The HD2 comes with the "HTC Sense" interface, which is the latest evolution of the popular HTC TouchFLO add-on that we have seen before. The HD2 comes with Opera Mobile for web browsing, plus it can interact with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. This is all in addition to the usual Windows Mobile features. The software also has some nice touches such as automatically updating for your local time zone when you travel, and the weather tool has some cool animations to give you a feeling for the weather outside.

The relatively large 1230 mAh battery is quoted as giving over 5 hours talktime and 16 days standby time on 3G. It's no surprise to find that this is quite a big, heavy device at 157 grams in weight and 121 x 67 x 11mm when it comes to size. That's quite a bit bigger than the iPhone, for example, but then the display is much bigger too.

HTC say that the HD2 should be available in select European markets later this month, with other markets (including Asia) following suit later. There's no word on pricing, but we should imagine that the HTC HD2 will cost around €700 SIM-free at launch.

HTC HD2 at a glance

Available: Q4 2009

Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS 900 / 2100

Data: GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSPA + WiFi

Screen: 4.3" 480 x 800 pixels

Camera: 5 megapixels

Size:
PDA-style device
121 x 67 x 11mm / 157 grams

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: MicroSD

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Yes

GPS: Yes

OS: Windows Mobile 6.5

Battery life:
5 hours talk / 16 days standby (3G)
6 hours talk / 20 days standby (GSM)

Samsung AMOLED 12M (SCH-W880)

2009-10-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

The Korean market is often a good place to look for upcoming technologies, and the Samsung AMOLED 12M (or the SCH-W880) is a good example of this. It's a 12 megapixel touchscreen device, following on from the likes of the Pixon 12 - but the AMOLED 12M adds some new and interesting features.

The main innovation here is the camera - the 12 megapixel unit has a 3X optical zoom and the camera lens pops out of the back of the AMOLED 12M when in use. Optical zoom is very rare in mobile phones, but it makes a huge difference to the phone's capabilities. Although most phones have digital zoom, this is only really a pixel resize which produces grainy results.

Added to this are a set of dedicated camera controls, again almost the same as you would find on a standalone digital camera. In fact, the AMOLED 12M looks so much like a digital camera that it is hard to recognise it as a phone at all.

In addition, the camera comes with a Xenon and LED flash (why just have the one?), plus the same intelligent autofocus system as the Pixon 12 plus all the usual clever features that Samsung put into their cameraphones. The AMOLED 12M can move from shot to shot in just two seconds, which is a lot faster than most similar handsets.

The video capture looks good too, with a whopping 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second capture rate. This is equivalent to the display on a 720p HD television set, so it is much better than almost everything else on the market.

The large 3.3" 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen panel uses Samsung's AMOLED technology, which gives a bright and clear display. Samsung are proud of this technology.. proud enough to name this particular phone after it.

There's no mention of GPS on the AMOLED 12M which is odd, but the phone does pack a T-DMB terrestrial digital TV receiver. The AMOLED 12M can also play back a wide variety of multimedia including DivX and XviD movies plus all the usual formats. Internal memory is a massive 4GB, and this can be expanded using microSD cards up to 32GB.

The Samsung AMOLED 12M is a tri-band GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 phone with WCDMA 2100 support. Although this theoretically means that the SCH-W880 will work in Europe, the handset is going to the Korean market only. However, it is likely that we will see this camera unit in other handsets soon.

Samsung say that the AMOLED 12M should be available in Korea from early October.

Nokia 6350

2009-10-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

The Nokia 6350 is a fairly simple 3G clamshell phone with the interesting addition of a GPS receiver. Announced exclusively on the US AT&T network, the 6350 should start to ship this month for just under $30 when taken with a two-year contract.

This is a tri-band 3G phone, supporting 850, 1900 and 2100 MHz WCDMA. This means that the Nokia 6350 can be used by AT&T customers when they travel worldwide, and as you might expect this is backed up with quad-band GSM as well.

The built-in GPS is paired with AT&T's Navigator application, although the small 2" QVGA screen isn't ideal for this sort of task. The 6350 does give audible turn-by-turn directions, so it is possible to use it in a car using audio prompts alone.

This is a Series 40 device, using Nokia's popular and simple non-smartphone operating system. All the usual Nokia features are here including a music player, web browser and email client. In this case, the standard Nokia software has been enhanced by some AT&T specific applications for sharing videos and accessing multimedia.

The Nokia 6350 has stereo Bluetooth, microSD expandable memory, a small 2.5mm audio socket, and integrated handsfree speakerphone. Charging and data transfer is done through a microUSB connector, and there is also a small 128 x 160 pixel external display with dedicated media keys underneath.

It's pretty lightweight for a 3G clamshell, weighing 3.61 ounces (or 103 grams). Talktime from the 1050 mAh battery quoted as 4 hours on 3G with 14 days standby time.

It's not a million miles away from the Nokia 3710 in terms of specification, and it shows that Nokia can add useful GPS features to relatively low-end devices.

Available colours are red and graphite, and Nokia say that the 6350 should be available from 4th October onwards from AT&T retail stores and online.

LG GD510 Pop Preview

2009-10-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

LG have gone a bit touch screen mad recently, but the new LG GD510 Pop is certainly a little different from most.

The GD510 has a large 3" 400 x 240 pixel display and a 3 megapixel camera on the back. LG have been a little vague about the rest of the specifications, but it does appear to be an HSDPA-capable device with a multimedia player and FM radio. We're not sure if the GD510 Pop is WiFi capable though.

LG have given the GD510 Pop a very narrow bezel around the screen, just 4.8mm along the left and right hand sides. In other words, the Pop is a very compact phone despite the large screen size. There id a single multifunction button on the front and a few ancillary keys around the edge, but otherwise the LG GD510 has a very minimalist design.

One neat feature is the optional solar panel that fits over the rear cover. Presumably this will cost extra, although the price of small panels like this is coming down all the time.

LG say that the GD510 Pop should be available exclusively through Carphone Warehouse stores in the UK from November onwards, and presumably it will also be available in other "Phone House" shops throughout Europe. LG didn't give any guidance on price, but the Pop is pitching to the same market as the LG Cookie, so we would guess that it would be about €160 SIM-free at launch.