Latest Mobile Phones

Samsung Galaxy S5690 Xcover preview: First look

2011-09-25T19:43:00.000+05:30

The Samsung S5690 Galaxy Xcover brings a touch of class and authority to a lineup of durable dumb phones for the outdoor enthusiasts. It’s arguable whether it can take as much bashing as its less sophisticated siblings, but this rugged smartphone is trying to combine the best of both worlds.
The Galaxy Xcover is Samsung’s response to Motorola, who are building their own squad of tough droids, with a 1GHz Gingerbread-powered update of their Defy due for imminent release. The Defy+ could be too strong a rival, but the rugged credentials will certainly help the Galaxy Xcover stand out in the crowded smartphone midrange.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover official photos
It's an IP67 certified droid, meaning it can be immersed in one meter of water and last there for half an hour, on top of being dust-proof and shock-resistant. Ruggedness aside, it offers a 3.65" HVGA display with tempered Gorilla Glass for maximum protection and durability. It does well to meet, and exceed, the minimum smartphone requirements with solid connectivity, the latest flavor of Android and reasonably fast processing.

Samsung S5690 Galaxy Xcover at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
Dimensions: 122 x 66 x 12 mm, 116 g
Display: 3.65" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen, Gorilla Glass scratch-resistant display, 320 x 480 pixels resolution
CPU: Marvell MG2 800 MHz processor, 512MB RAM
Memory: 150MB storage, microSD card slot
OS: Android OS, v2.3.4 Gingerbread
Camera: 3.2 megapixel camera with geotagging; VGA video recording
Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, stereo Bluetooth 3.0, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack
Misc: TouchWiz 3.0 UI, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, Swype input, IP67 certified: dust and water resistant

The Samsung S5690 Galaxy Xcover runs Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, with the home-baked TouchWiz skin on top. It looks the part too with rugged, ribbed sides and a grippy rear panel with a massive lock screw to keep the battery cover in place.

The Samsung Galaxy S5690 Xcover at ours
It's the perfect fit if you want to buy a smartphone with a distinct outdoorsy feel. It's no Galaxy S II and it shows. The display isn't as crisp and the hardware just knows it should keep out of the fast lane with dual-cores in the rear-view mirror. At least it’s a phone that doesn’t mind a bumpy ride down the dirt road.

Nokia C2-03 review: Twice the phone

2011-09-25T19:38:00.003+05:30

Introduction

Touchscreen and a hardware numpad in a slider form factor, complete with dual-SIM support - the Nokia C2-03 will be stepping on many toes. It's a phone that knows its place though and has no problem living within its own means.

The Nokia C2-03 official photo
The C2-03 is a device that's simple to use, easy to afford and comfortable to carry around. You have two active phone lines in the same device so you can leave your other phone at home. Touchscreen and dual SIM support is a rare combination, but Nokia must think it's time they added more depth to their entry-level lineup.

Key features

Dual-SIM, dual-standby phone
Dual-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
2.6" 256K-color resistive TFT QVGA touchscreen
S40 6th edition
2 megapixel fixed-focus camera
QCIF video recording at 15fps
Stereo FM radio with RDS, Visual radio
Bluetooth v2.1 (with A2DP)
Standard microUSB port
microSD card slot (32 GB supported, 2GB included)
3.5mm audio jack
Extra smooth and precise haptic feedback
Attractive price

Main disadvantages

No Wi-Fi
Camera is poor
QCIF video recording would be better off missing
Doesn’t charge off USB
No screen brightness control
No document viewer
No smart dialing
No accelerometer sensor
No multitasking

So what does the C2-03 offer over the C2-02, which we recently reviewed? A second SIM slot, it's as simple as that. Enough though to make the C2-03 twice the phone the C2-02 is. The dual SIM solution is the same as on their other phones. The second SIM card is easily hot-swappable via a side-mounted slot and the SIM Manager app lets you decide how each card handles calling, texting and data.
We cannot overlook the fact that the list of cons is almost as long as that of the pros. Plain to see, this phone sacrifices a lot to keep its price competitive.
There's a lot missing but the basics are duly covered. Calling and texting come first in the low-end, touchscreen is a bonus feature. The C2-03 succeeds at putting them together in a single package. It gives you advanced calling on two SIM cards and a decent keypad for the messaging. And builds on that knowing that mindful of budget doesn't mean unwilling to try new things.

Nokia C2-02 studio shots
It's high-end smartphones that get most of the hype but Nokia are keen to tighten their grip on the bread-winning lower end of the market. Being a viable update alternative in emerging markets, the C2-03 can be one of the weapons they need to fight and win their battles.

Nokia N9 hands-on: First look

2011-09-23T19:43:00.001+05:30

Introduction

Today's smartphone scene is one of fierce competition and breakneck growth. Rarely though do announcements get any bigger than this. The Nokia N9 seemed forever stuck in rumorland, but never lost its grip on users' minds. The handset is rightfully enjoying as warm a reception as it would have had if it had been announced a year ago.

Nokia N9 official photos
And you can easily see why: a spanking new OS based on some pretty impressive (and novel!) concepts, sleek unibody design, some decently powerful hardware (even if the N9 missed the dual-core train) and that magnificent 3.9" curved AMOLED of FWVGA resolution is a package that's hard to resist.
We got our hands on this baby today, and although our meeting was brief, it was enough for it to earn a special place in our geeky hearts. The Nokia N9 is an excellent device based on an exciting UI concept and boasting some sleek hardware. But what casts doubt on it is the claim that it represents a dead end in the smartphone tree of evolution.
But let’s not get all emotional now, the thing isn’t even on the market yet. And it looks like the right thing to help Nokia through the hard transition period in the second half of 2011. What we know for sure is we would love to have more whence this came from.
Here are the key specs of the Nokia N9 but remember these numbers tell only half the story:

Nokia N9 at a glance

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
Dimensions: 116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1 mm, 76 cc
Weight: 135 g
Display: 3.9" 16M-color FWVGA (480 x 854 pixels) AMOLED capacitive touchscreen; Gorilla Glass, anti-glare polarizer, curved display, multi-touch input
Chipset: 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU, PowerVR SGX530 GPU, TI OMAP 3630 chipset
RAM: 1GB
OS: MeeGo OS, v1.2 Harmattan
Memory: 16/64GB storage, no microSD slot
Camera: 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with face detection, touch focus and geotagging; HD (720p) video recording at 30fps, LED flash, front facing camera, video-calls
Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 2.1, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, TV-out, NFC
Misc: Polycarbonate unibody, built-in accelerometer, proximity sensor, uses microSIM cards

On paper, the Nokia N9 looks like solid, if not spectacular. As soon as you set eyes on the real thing though, there's no mistaking a smartphone that will reach for the top rather than settle for anything less.
The premium finish and the outward curved screen are nothing short of outstanding. And the great news is that the good impressions don't end with the exterior. We were pleasantly surprised by the MeeGo Harmattan platform and starting to doubt whether switching to Windows Phone 7 was the only option available to Nokia.

The Nokia N9 at ours
There's a time and place for that discussion, and they are not here and now. We know you are as eager as we are to see what the Nokia N9 is really made of. Join us after the break for the hardware checkup.

Nokia 700 preview: First look

2011-09-23T19:42:00.000+05:30

Introduction

Good stuff coming from Nokia lately but there’s always room for more. We like to be surprised and the Nokia 700 does just that. Instead of quietly falling in line behind the obvious leader, the 1GHz Symbian Belle powered Nokia 701, the Nokia 700 puts on its best suit and goes it alone. A cute little smartphone ready for big things.
Just don’t let the size fool you. The slim Nokia 700 is no lesser smartphone than the Nokia 701 that we recently enjoyed in a preview. With a 1GHz processor and Symbian Belle, it’s got both its media and communication bases covered.

Nokia 700
You need to hold the Nokia 700 in your hand to appreciate how small it really is. It looks like a toy compared to, say, the Galaxy S II all the while packing some of the best Nokia has to offer. The revamped Symbian Belle shows its friendlier side on a 3.2” ClearBlack AMOLED touchscreen. NFC pairing is the icing on the cake in the connectivity department featuring quad-band GSM and penta-band 3G support.

Nokia 700 at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen bar
Dimensions: 110 x 50.7 x 9.7 mm, 50 cc; 96 g
Display: 3.2-inch 16M-color nHD (360 x 640 pixels; ~229 ppi pixel density) AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, Nokia ClearBlack technology
Memory: 2 GB storage memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
OS: Symbian Belle OS
CPU: 1GHz processor
Camera: 5 megapixel fixed focus camera with 720p@30fps video recording, geotagging
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, stereo Bluetooth v3.0, microUSB port, 3.5mm audio jack, GPS receiver with A-GPS, NFC
Misc: Accelerometer, proximity sensor, Stereo FM radio with RDS, Flash lite 4.0
Battery: 1080 mAh Li-Ion battery.

In terms of continuity, the Nokia 700 will be replacing the C6-01. There is one important thing to note here though. While the Nokia 701 copies the design of its predecessor, the C7, the Nokia 700 is a complete makeover. It’s not an entirely new and original design: the Nokia 700 has a dash of X3-02 in it.

Nokia 700 held in hand
We’ll go ahead and say it: the Nokia 700 is a looker of a phone. Super slim and sexy, it's got what it takes to be a crowd pleaser. There’s a lot for it to prove and this preview is but a glimpse of what the Nokia 700 has to offer. Let’s not keep it waiting.

HTC Sensation XE hands-on: First look

2011-09-23T19:41:00.000+05:30

Out of one party and into the other - HTC is showing off yet more hot gadgetry and we’re going hands-on with it. After yesterday’s Rhyme launch, today we’ll be playing with an even hotter piece of smartphone technology. The Sensation XE is not only the new HTC flagship, but its also the company's first dip into the audiophile pool.

HTC Sensation XE official photos
The Sensation XE was officially announced a week ago and now we get a chance to play with it for the first time. Needless to say that we were pretty excited as it represents quite an improvement even over the already impressively specced Sensation. We are talking an even faster dual-core CPU (1.5GHz vs. 1.2GHz), an updated Sense UI (v3.5) and the addition of the highly regarded Beats audio to the mix here.
For starters, here's a quick overview of the HTC Sensation XE key specs:

HTC Sensation XE at a glance:

General: GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
Dimensions: 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm, 151 g
Display: 4.3" 16M-color qHD (540 x 960 pixels) S-LCD capacitive touchscreen; Gorilla glass
Platform: Dual-core 1.5 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm MSM 8260 Snapdragon chipset
RAM: 768MB
OS: Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread)
Memory: 1 GB storage, microSD card slot (16GB in the box)
Camera: 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with face detection, touch focus and image stabilization; Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps, dual LED flash, VGA front facing camera
Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 3.0+HS, standard microUSB port,
Misc: Sense 3.5 UI, DivX/XviD codec support, Beats audio enhancements and headphones in the package, 1730mAh battery, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor, ultra-fast boot times

Beats Audio is the result of HTC and Beats by Dr. Dre teaming up and will come in the form of special sound processing on the inside and a special Beats headset in the box.

HTC Sensation XE
The headset will be called YourBeats and they are a variation of iBeats (iBeats, YourBeats… yeah). They sport a full set of controls for the media player and the Beats functionality becomes active only when using the headset (sorry, loudspeaker).
And when we say the headset, we mean the headset - regular headsets will get some improvement over, say, using them on a non-Beats phone, but not as much as the YourBeats headset gets.
Once you plug in a YourBeats headset, a special icon pops up in the notification area with a button to disable Beats.

Beats has its reserved spot in the notification area
The Sensation XE being a music-oriented phone comes with a 16GB microSD card right out of the box - plenty of room for a respectable music collection.
But enough about the headset. Now head over to the next page for our hands-on impressions of the HTC Sensation XE itself.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 review: Business reimagined

2011-09-23T19:40:00.000+05:30

Introduction

A brand new OS, more speed, a facelift and a high-res touchscreen, the latest of the Bold messengers is listening for the roar of the crowd. There's no going back to the old rational and composed self - give it danger, thrills and excitement. The BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 is stronger, faster, better. No ordinary messenger, it's the bearer of good news.

BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 official pictures
Although on a second thought, a snappy 1.2GHz processor, the new BlackBerry OS 7.0 with Liquid graphics and a super crisp VGA touchscreen are no good news for the competition. Nor is HD video, dual-band Wi-Fi and NFC support. And all that comes on top of the standard BlackBerry package. The solid build quality and corporate grade email and data security go without saying. The sharp precision of the trackpad and a responsive capacitive touchscreen balance each other in a device that's convincingly comfortable to handle. Add a standard-setting QWERTY keyboard, and you have a phone which puts you in charge.

Key features:

Enhanced email and data security
2.8" 16M-color TFT touchscreen of VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels)
QWERTY keyboard
Quad-band GSM support and quad-band 3G with HSDPA
Dual-band Wi-Fi b/g/n connectivity
NFC capabilities
GPS receiver and BlackBerry maps preloaded, digital compass
5 megapixel fixed-focus camera, LED flash
HD video, 720p@30fps
1.2GHz QC8655 processor
768MB RAM
8GB of inbuilt storage
BlackBerry OS v7
Trackpad
microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
DivX and XviD video support
Office document editor
3.5 mm audio jack
Smart dialing
Compact body and solid build quality

Main disadvantages:

BlackBerry Internet Service account is a must to enjoy all phone features
Fixed focus camera of outdated and unintuitive interface
No video-call camera
No Flash support
Non-hot-swappable memory card
No FM radio
No haptic feedback

To begin with, the Bold Touch 9900 is bigger than the preceding 9700 Bold series. It's actually more of a return to the BlackBerry 9900 styling, with a larger screen and body. And since this is a touch phone we're talking about, the increased display real estate is welcome. Especially considering that the main competition recently had a major boost in resolution. With BlackBerry and Eseries now on par at VGA, the Bold Touch 9900 gets ahead of the Nokia E6 with 2.8" against 2.44" of screen diagonal.

BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 live photos
So much for size. We're eager to see about speed and performance too. RIM did get creative with the finish too this time, but did they cross any kind of line? Our traditional hardware checkup is coming up. Has the Bold Touch 9900 got what it takes to do well? Follow us on the next page as we unbox and inspect the design, display and controls.

Nokia 701 preview: First look

2011-09-23T19:39:00.000+05:30

Introduction

The Nokia 701 is the torch bearer in a generation shift for Symbian. Belle is a bold stylistic step forward and the Nokia 701 is the first in a trio of phones that will introduce it to the world. The Nokia R&D team left nothing to chance with this one - proven design, a brilliant screen and a 1GHz processor.

Nokia 701 official photos
The 701 is based on the C7. The styling must be a Nokia favorite as they reused it in the gold-plated Oro too. As long as it's the same solid and fairly slim, alloy body we're not complaining.
The Nokia 701 enjoys solid hardware upgrade too. A 1GHz CPU coupled with 512MB RAM is much more than what the lightweight Symbian OS is used to and the 1,000 nit display outshines competing screens.
Not everything has changed though, here's the overview.

Nokia 701 at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen bar
Dimensions: 115.5 x 59 x 10.5 mm, 87 cc; 133 g
Display: 3.5" 16M-color nHD ClearBlack TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen; 1,000 nits of brightness
Memory: 8GB of storage, 1GB ROM, microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
OS: Symbian Belle OS
CPU: 1GHz processor; 512 MB RAM
Camera: 8 megapixel fixed-focus camera with dual-LED flash, geotagging
Video recording: 720p video recording @ 30fps (stereo sound)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, microUSB port with USB on-the-go, 3.5mm audio jack, GPS receiver with A-GPS
Misc: NFC support, accelerometer, Stereo FM radio with RDS, FM radio transmitter, proximity sensor, TV-Out (SD)
Battery: 1300 mAh Li-Ion battery; up to 17 hours talk time (!!) and up to 3 days of music playback

The next generation ClearBlack display is based on the IPS LCD technology and promises amazing brightness and 160-degree viewing angles. It's also protected by the popular Gorilla Glass, so you don't have to worry about scratches ruining your viewing experience.
NFC will be a major part of the Nokia experience (they have plans to start enabling it on all their devices) and that, of course, includes the 701. It's a great addition to the connectivity set, which is brimming with features already.

Nokia 701 in our office
Now, get your old maps ready. Our usual hardware tour begins and we've got the feeling we'll be playing "spot the differences" all the way through.

Nokia 500 preview: First look

2011-09-21T17:42:00.000+05:30

Introduction

The Nokia 500 is not a phone Nokia desperately needs to succeed. They've got bigger things on their mind and we don't mean Windows Phone 7. With Symbian Belle just launched on two brand new handsets, the Anna-running Nokia 500 is beyond hope of getting in the spotlight.
It's exactly phones like the Nokia 500 though that do well, giving good return of the minimum investment. They thrive in anonymity and get the job done without fanfare. Think Nokia C5-03 but duly upgraded: a 1 GHz processor and double the RAM, a capacitive touchscreen and Symbian Anna - and it will only get better with Belle.

The Nokia 500
The Nokia 500 is an entry-level smartphone and that's what Nokia are good at. It won't deliver super multimedia but it will open those internet pages for you and do it the way a true modern smartphone should - with multi-touch support. It's the complete smartphone experience with the speed of a 1GHz CPU, solid connectivity, free SatNav and multi-tasking, all in a much friendlier Symbian Anna fashion.

Nokia 500 at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen bar
Dimensions: 111.3 x 53.8 x 14.1 mm, 73 cc; 93 g
Display: 3.2-inch 16M-color nHD (360 x 640 pixels) TFT capacitive touchscreen
Memory: 2 GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
OS: Symbian Anna OS
CPU: ARM 11 1GHz processor, 256 MB RAM
Camera: 5 megapixel fixed-focus camera with geotagging, VGA video recording @15fps
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, stereo Bluetooth v2.1, microUSB port, 3.5mm audio jack, GPS receiver with A-GPS
Misc: Accelerometer, Stereo FM radio with RDS, Flash lite 4.0, changeable colored back-panels, proximity sensor
Battery: 1110 mAh Li-Ion battery, quoted for up to 7h/5h talk time in GSM/HSDPA mode and 500h/455h standby.

With an upgraded processor, penta-band worldwide coverage and improved data speeds, the Nokia 500 means business. But it knows its target audience and tries to stays relevant with the feature set and customization options including exchangeable back covers.

The Nokia 500 in hand
It keeps an eye on budget too. The all-plastic finish, garden variety TFT display, fixed-focus camera with no flash and VGA-only video are compromises that had to be made. It still looks like a viable option - a young, affordable smartphone with a good speed boost and colorful personality.
Looks like an easy one to get along with. We guess we can cut the courtesies and move on. We only have time for a short preview anyway.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 review: Droid at large

2011-09-21T17:41:00.000+05:30

Introduction

Tablets are basking in well-deserved attention and manufacturers know they need to try hard and make their devices distinct and memorable. Truly unique gadgets are hard to come by these days - especially in Honeycomb land. Which is perhaps part of the reason why iPad is still the one to beat. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 3G is in for a challenge, and up for it.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 official photos
Shortly after launch the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was blessed with a custom user experience, called Touch Wiz UX, which literally puts more color into Honeycomb, offers a good selection of customizable widgets and most importantly tries to ease your way into Android for tablets.
Yet this tablet’s main advantage remains that it’s the most portable 10” slate to hit the market. It's thinner even than iPad 2 and good 42 grams lighter than Apple's frontrunner, while still promising to match its battery performance. And that's no mean feat since tablets are going hard after netbooks, so they need to back their portability with battery longevity.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, a bright 10.1" PLS TFT display of WXGA resolution, a premium set of connectivity options and plenty of storage space. Check out the full list of things going for (and against) the Galaxy Tab 10.1 3G below.

Key features

10.1" 16M-color PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen of WXGA (1280 x 800 pixels) resolution
Very lightweight at just 565 g
Thinnest slate to date at just 8.6 mm
Gorilla Glass display
Tegra 2 chipset: Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor; 1GB of RAM; ULP GeForce GPU
Android 3.1 Honeycomb with TouchWiz UX UI
Optional quad-band GPRS/EDGE and tri-band 3G with HSDPA 21 Mbps connectivity
16/32/64 GBGB of built-in memory
3.2 MP autofocus camera, 2048x1536 pixels, LED flash, geotagging
2.0 MP front-facing camera; video calls
720p HD video recording @ 30 fps
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
Proprietary 30-pin connector port for charging
Stereo Bluetooth v3.0
HDMI TV-out (adapter required), USB host (adapter required)
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
Flash 10.3 support
GPS with A-GPS support; digital compass
DivX/XviD support (fullHD), MP4 support up to HD
Accelerometer and proximity sensor; three-axis Gyroscope sensor
Polaris office document editor comes preinstalled
7000 mAh Li-Po rechargeable battery

Main disadvantages

Non-replaceable battery
No microSD card support
No standard USB port
No Android Honeycomb 3.2 yet
No GSM voice capabilities despite the available SIM slot

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 at ours
Samsung are bringing their A game in the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Not that it should be judged by sheer size but the company's biggest tablet is fit to be in charge and meet the competition head on. Whether it's watching films, browsing the web, gaming, video-calls, or imaging, this is one of the best-equipped tablets out there.
The screen quality, the added TouchWiz UX functionality, the good battery and excellent media make it a must-see. The whole package looks like the right mix of style and substance, but we just won't rush to a verdict. The Galaxy Tab had a promising start in our preview. With all the finishing touches in place, it's ready to give its best. Head on past the break to see what the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is made of.

HTC Titan and HTC Radar hands-on: HTC media event

2011-09-21T17:40:00.000+05:30

ntroduction

HTC's pre-IFA event was (as suspected) all about Windows Phone 7 Mango. HTC had a lot to say about the new version of the OS and what they've added to it, but also showcased two new phones - the 4.7" monster called HTC Titan and the smaller HTC Radar.

We'll get to retelling what HTC told us about Mango, but first we'll focus on the two stars of tonight's event - the first two WP7 phones with Mango to go official.
Update, September 2nd: We added hands-on videos with the Titan and Radar, plus some more photos from the event.
The HTC Titan (formerly Eternity) is an informal successor to the HD7. It packs a 4.7" S-LCD screen with WVGA resolution. That's the biggest screen HTC have put on a phone yet and the Titan is the fastest WP7 phone (for now) with a 1.5GHz CPU.

HTC Titan official photos
It's a unibody design and it's only 9.9mm thick making it one of the thinnest Windows Phone 7 devices yet (title is shared with Samsung Focus). The phone has some heft to it though, at 160g.
The second half of the duo is the HTC Radar (used to go by Omega). It's here to take over for the Mozart and the Trophy.

The HTC Radar will be available in Metal Grey and Active White
The Radar has a 3.8" S-LCD screen with WVGA resolution and goes back to the WP7 standard 1GHz processor. It has a unibody design too, but it's slightly thicker than the Titan, measuring 10.9mm.
The Titan boasts an 8MP camera, while the Radar has a 5MP one. Both shoot 720p video and are accompanied by front-facing cameras. The Titan and Radar cameras are interesting because they have exclusive features, you wouldn’t find on other WP7 phones.

HTC Titan and Radar side by side • HTC Titan, Sensation and Radar
Anyway, we'll go over HTC's improvements of Windows Phone 7 Mango and we'll follow that with hands-on impressions from the two phones.

HTC EVO 3D review: An extra dimension

2011-09-21T17:38:00.000+05:30

Introduction

As 3D is taking over theaters and living rooms around the world, the craze is hitting handheld too. The next thing to shake up the business or on the way to irrelevance: geeks will geek about it either way. Now that the HTC EVO 3D has grown a GSM radio, they get ready to enjoy a real 3D clash of the flagships. It doesn’t get any better than two heavyweight fighters battling it out, and someone’s got the 3D video to prove it.

HTC EVO 3D official photos
The best part is the HTC EVO 3D, like the LG Optimus 3D, is not placing all its chips on the stereoscopic screen and pair of cameras. No sir, each of those smartphones claims to have the best there is for power and speed. We are talking mighty dual-core CPUs, loads of RAM and superb connectivity. The EVO 3D can be your kind of smartphone even if you don’t care about 3D stills and videos.

Key features

Quad-band GSM and dual/tri-band 3G support
14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
4.3" 16M-color stereoscopic capacitive LCD touchscreen of qHD resolution (540 x 960); Gorilla glass
Android OS v2.3 Gingerbread with HTC Sense 3.0
1.2 GHz dual Scorpion CPUs, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 chipset
1 GB of RAM and 1 GB of storage for apps
Dual 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash, massively comfortable shutter key; face detection and geotagging
720p video recording @ 30fps in both 2D and 3D mode
Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
GPS with A-GPS
Stereo FM radio with RDS
microSD slot up to 32GB (8GB card included)
Accelerometer, proximity sensor and auto-brightness sensor
Front facing camera with video calls
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0
MHL TV-out (requires MHL-to-HDMI adapter)
Smart dialing, voice dialing
DivX/XviD video support
HTC Locations app
HTCSense.com integration
HTC Portable Hotspot
Ultra-fast boot times (if you don’t remove battery)
Office document editor

Main disadvantages

Less than impressive screen performance outdoors
Speed and productivity not on par with other dual-cores
Rather heavy
Low resolution 3D stills
The two cameras are too far apart for good stereoscopic close-ups

Things are certainly looking promising here, but smartphones are past the my-spec-sheet-is-longer-than-yours stage as of a few years. It’s all about the user experience now and, while powerful hardware is the first step towards providing it, you need equally good software if you are to challenge the best on the market.

The HTC EVO 3D in the comfort of our office
A massive high-res screen certainly looks good on paper, but it takes inspiration and clever design to beat those Super AMOLEDs and those Retinas. A new Adreno GPU with a major speed boost might seem more than anyone will ever need, but competitors have not been sitting around either so it’s always going to be close. And you cannot say whether the EVO 3D has the spark by just looking at the specs.
We hope a full review would bring you a whole lot closer to finding the answers you need, so let’s get started. The EVO 3D gets unboxed right after the break.

Nokia C2-02 review: A simple touch

2011-09-21T17:31:00.000+05:30

Introduction

As Nokia smartphones struggle to hold the line against the storming droids, more and more pressure falls on their feature-phone squad. It will be up to those foot soldiers to buy enough time for the heavily armed Windows Phone 7 reinforcements to arrive.

Nokia C2-02 official photos
The Nokia C2-02 is the first of a trio of handsets to try and make the most of what's probably Nokia's last remaining stronghold - simple to use phones with good looks and an attractive price tag. The Touch and Type series has been doing well for Nokia and even though they scrapped the name, the spirit will live on.
To get us started, here's what the C2-02 is all about:

Key features

Dual-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
2.6" 65K-color resistive TFT QVGA touchscreen
S40 6th edition
2 megapixel fixed-focus camera
QCIF video recording at 15fps
Stereo FM radio with RDS, Visual radio
Bluetooth v2.1 (with A2DP)
Standard microUSB port
microSD card slot (32 GB supported, 2GB included)
3.5mm audio jack
Extra smooth and precise haptic feedback
Attractive price

Main disadvantages

No Wi-Fi
Doesn’t charge off USB
No screen brightness control
No document viewer
No smart dialing
No video-call camera
No accelerometer sensor means no cool features like tap-for-time and turn-to mute
No multitasking

If you’ve been keeping track, you’d surely find the flaw list familiar. S40 made the leap to touchscreen but Nokia still didn't bother packing it with smart dialing and multitasking – features already available on competing feature phones for years. The screen itself is nothing to shout about: a small, low-res, resistive display. But the slider form factor makes quite a bit of sense - especially if you had doubts about the first Touch and Type candybars. Sliders make better use of space: the C2-02 gives you a reasonably comfortable dial pad and a bigger screen.

Nokia C2-02 studio shots
The C2-02 is supposed to make traditional Nokia users less anxious about giving touchscreen a try. It should be a small and tentative first step - a proper keypad is still a must. What’s more, texting is a relevant feature to both the budget range and the demographic profile.
Ultimately, it's the familiarity and ease of use that will help the likes of Nokia C2-02 reach their intended audience. It's a huge pool to draw from given Nokia's strong grip on the low end of the market. Not a bad place to start at all. We, on our part, are ready to start exploring this S40 touchscreen slider. We've got a full review to do before we can say we like it as much as, say, the X3-02. The hardware inspection begins right after the break.