Mobile Galaxy

Mobile Top 10 July

2011-09-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

No 1 : HTC Wildfire S

The first Wildfire from HTC spread almost like its moniker, so popular did its blend of HTC Sense, durable form factor and affordable pricing prove. Now that it's burnt out, however, it needs a successor to carry the torch. Rising from the ashes is the Wildfire S.

The handset carries on the legacy well enough, with an impressively solid chassis, great social features and responsive touchscreen. The market's changed since the first Wildfire blazed its trail into history, though. With dual-core 'superphones' to contend with, it's hard to consider a 600Mhz processor hot stuff.

And while HTC's Sense interface proves as compelling as ever, the lack of grunt means missing out on Flash support for iPlayer and the like.

All that wouldn't matter if the Wildfire S only required liberating a token sum from your account, but you'll need a fair few sheets burning a hole in your pocket (around £220 SIM-free, or £15 a month) to lay claim to this little fella.

In the highly competitive market of 2011, that makes the Wildfire S a tricky proposition. Beginners will be well-served by the Wildfire S's rounded package, but you can certainly get a lot more for not much extra cash.

No 2 : LG Optimus Black

The LG Optimus Black has some great things going for it – a sleek, lightweight chassis and lush 4-inch NOVA display in all its colourful glory. It might not have much more than that but it's a slick, capable handset that does well in the core smartphone media categories.

If you like gimmicks, you'll probably love the Gesture UI, though we thought many of the options – such as tapping to skip music tracks – were a little pointless when you really got down to it.

Overall though, and despite running Android 2.2 (with an upgrade promised at some point), we'd say the LG Optimus Black's worth the money if you're looking for an efficient, easy to use device that's easy on the eye and light on the pocket coming in at a very palatable £20-£25 per month.

No 3 : Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

Could Sony Ericsson finally be about to deliver on the promise of, well, every smartphone it's ever made that wasn't quite good enough? Maybe it was stupid to hope, but we did anyway.

An attractive design with a curved back that's just 8.7mm thick in the middle? Check. Impressive new Exmor camera technology? Check. Good spec list, including HDMI output? Check. Superb video player? Check.

The hardware is extremely impressive, both in terms of looks and performance. Forget the fashionable dual-core phones – when done right, a single-core 1GHz processor can do it all, although busy, dynamic websites will cause the phone to chug a little.

As it is, we're prepared to overlook the Xperia Arc's few minor flaws (small buttons, odd text entry) thanks to its stunning good looks, superb screen and very decent photo performance. You can't help but love it once you've held its magically thin body and gazed adoringly into its dazzling Reality Display.

No 4 : INQ Cloud Touch

The Facebook phone. Well, no, it isn't. Nothing is really, but it is the new mobile phone to try to take the title.

It's an Android 2.2 phone with an overlay created in conjunction with the social network. We found that it certainly felt like a budget phone – but it's supposed to, and it wears the moniker with pride.

Those looking for one of those new and fandangled 'Facebook Phones' should definitely take a good, hard look at the Cloud Touch - while technically it's nowhere near as gifted as some of the competition, the overlay and thought process gone into INQ's customisation is something we're already big fans of, and it's only going to get better.

No 5 : HTC Incredible S

Incredible by name and only slightly less so by nature, this phone is HTC's entry into the underpopulated 4-inch touchscreen arena. In fact, it's among the first UK handsets to fill that niche, but more are on the horizon.

It's blessed with HTC's slick Sense UI and a high-quality screen, but is this latest mobile phone's foibles enough to warrant waiting for its incoming competitors, or the HTC Desire S?

No 6 : Samsung Galaxy Ace

With a middle-of-the-range spec, 800MHz processor and iPhone-aping looks, it may be hard to see why it's worth buying into the new Galaxy Ace. However, its Android 2.2 (Froyo) OS makes a considerable difference and is, in fact, this phone's ace (yes! We said it) in the hole.

It won't cost you the Earth either, so look deeper and you may find just what you were looking for.

No 7 : Motorola Atrix

Smartphones have long been encroaching on the computing market, but the Atrix is annexing new turf. How? By including a built-in desktop OS and the ability to turn your phone into a so-called webtop computer.

What's more, the dual-core 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM that come stuffed into the Atrix should mean a blisteringly fast smartphone experience too. Follow the link to find out more about the Atrix's brand of magic.

No 8 : Samsung Galaxy Mini

Samsung loves a budget phone, and more to the point, it loves spewing out loads of them on Android. Not content with the Galaxy Ace, it's also brought the Galaxy Mini, Fit and Gio to the party, complete with budget stylings.

The Galaxy Mini suffers slightly from a low-grade processor - it may be only a smidge over £100 on PAYG, but the juddering might irritiate a few, and the screen is a low-res affair to boot.

However it's small and pocketable and a great starting point for a first tome smartphone buyer that wants to learn the Android system before moving up to something with a little higher-spec - plus it's running the latest version of the Google OS too.

No 9 : HTC Sensation

The HTC Sensation is meant to be the new alpha smartphone from the Taiwanese firm, and it certainly lives up to expectations.

With a 1.2GHz dual core processor from Qualcomm and a whopping 4.3-inch high-res qHD screen, this is the phone with best specs yet from HTC, plus it's the first smartphone with the new HTC Watch movie download service.

Is it better than the Samsung Galaxy S2? We think it's just a shade behind thanks to a slightly larger chassis and less advanced screen technology, but that's going to be a debate that rumbles on and on.

No 10 : ????????????

Comment whats No 10....!

Top 10 Mobiles (May)

2011-05-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

1. Apple iphone 4 16GB Black

2. HTC Desire HD

3. Black Berry Torch

4. Samsung Galaxy S2

5.Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

6. Nokia E7

7.LG Optimus 2X

8. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

9. HTC Incredible S

10.Google Nexus S

Apple iphone 4 32gb

2011-05-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

This is a Factory Unlocked Unit and NOT A AT&T Version

Please note: This phone is unlocked and can be used with Micro SIM card. No activation required (check carrier frequency requirements)

Carrier: AT&T (GSM based), T-Mobile, and Other GSM carriers*
* Please check compatibility with your service provider

Technology: 3G EURO Standard, Quad Band 850/900/1800/1900

Feature: 5+ Megapixel Camera, Bluetooth, Calendar, Camera, Candy Bar Form, Edge, Email Client, FM Radio, GPS / Location, High-Speed Data GPRS, Megapixel Camera, MP3, Smartphone, Speaker Phone, Touch Screen, Video Capture, Video Clip, Wi-Fi

Click here for Similar Product

Weight: 4.8 oz

Product Includes
Apple iPhone 4 32GB Black Unlocked (Never Lock) Import
Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic
Dock Connector to USB Cable
USB Power Adapter
Documentation

Key Product Features
This Unit is factory unlocked not AT&T unlocked and is able to accept all software updates
5 Megapixel Camera
Assisted GPS
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Digital compass

Product Overview

While everyone else was busy trying to keep up with iPhone, we were busy creating amazing new features that make iPhone more powerful, easier to use, and more indispensable than ever. The result is iPhone 4. The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone

FaceTime: People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality. With just a tap, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe, or watch your best friend laugh at your stories — iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi. And it works right out of the box. No other phone makes staying in touch this much fun.

Retina Display: The Retina display on iPhone 4 is the sharpest, most vibrant, highest-resolution phone screen ever, with four times the pixel count of previous iPhone models. In fact, the pixel density is so high that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels. Which makes text amazingly crisp and images stunningly sharp.

Multitasking: iPhone 4 introduces a whole new way of multitasking. Now you can run your favorite third-party apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.¹ This smarter approach to multitasking is available only on iPhone.\]

HD Video Recording and Editing: Shoot your own movies in high definition. Capture impressive video even in low-light settings, thanks to the advanced backside illumination sensor and built-in LED light. Then edit and create your own mini-masterpiece right on iPhone 4 using the new iMovie app — with Apple-designed themes, titles, and transitions. It’s coming soon to the App Store for $4.99.

5- Megapixel Camera with LED Flash: Take beautiful, detailed photos with the new 5-megapixel camera with built-in LED flash. The advanced backside illumination sensor captures great pictures even in low light. And the new front-facing camera makes it easy to take self-portraits.

Two Cameras, 2 Views: iPhone 4 has two cameras: One on the front, which focuses on you. And one on the back, which focuses on everything else. FaceTime lets you switch back and forth between them at any time during a video call. All you have to do is tap a button.

Warranty Terms:
This product does not carry a US Warranty.

To report an error or provide feedback about this product information, please click here.

Apple iPhone 4 32GB Black Unlocked (Never Lock) Import Video

Apple iPhone 4 32GB Black Unlocked (Never Lock) Import Specification

Cellular and wireless

UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)

GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)

Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR wireless technology

Display
Retina display

3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display

960-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi

800:1 contrast ratio (typical)

Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front and back

Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Power and battery
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter

Talk time: Up to 7 hours on 3G

Up to 14 hours on 2G

Standby time: Up to 300 hours

Internet use: Up to 6 hours on 3G

Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi

Video playback: Up to 10 hours

Audio playback: Up to 40 hours

Audio playback
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz

Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

User-configurable maximum

TV and video
Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cables sold separately)

Camera, photos, and video
Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio

5-megapixel still camera

VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second with the front camera

Tap to focus video or still images

LED flash

Photo and video geotagging

Windows System Requirements
PC with USB 2.0 port

Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later

iTunes 9.2 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)

iTunes Store account

Internet access

Apple iPhone 4 32GB Black Unlocked (Never Lock) Import Review

Write Review

David 9/26/2010

Quite simply the best mobile phone (and Ive had a few –– all from MCO) there is and a true Apple product – works seamlessly right out of the box so that you are up and running within minutes.
And the screen! Oh, the screen – its what all screens should be and none but this one is.
Poor MCO, I wont be buying another phone for a while now!

Apple iPhone 4 32GB Black Unlocked (Never Lock) Import Accessories

Batteries & Doors
(23 products)

Bluetooth Headphones
(11 products)

Bluetooth Headsets
(27 products)

Bluetooth Keyboards
(4 products)

Bluetooth Speakerphones
(14 products)

Car Kits and Holders
(10 products)

Cases
(161 products)

Headphones/Headsets
(12 products)

Power/Chargers
(32 products)

Screen Protectors
(6 products)

Sim Card
(3 products)

Speakers
(5 products)

Stylus
(10 products)

USB Charge/Sync Cable
(5 products)

Samsung Droid Charge

2011-05-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

The Samsung DROID Charge is the second 4G LTE capable phone for Verizon Wireless which immediately makes it a must-consider device. Although 4G network problems caused a delay in the April 28th launch date, Samsung’s first 4G phone for Verizon will be arriving sooner rather than later. The questions is – when it arrives – is it for you? Let’s find out.

Hardware Review

The DROID Charge has some striking angles and curves that give it an enjoyably original look: the front has a curved top and angled bottom while the rear also angles in and brings the phones bulk to a cusp at the bottom. This shape and style is duplicated with the design of the camera.

Call me crazy, but from a stylistic standpoint the curves and angles remind me of a DODGE Charger mixed with a little Transformers.

The most impressive feature of the screen isn’t the massive 4.3-inch size (which is great) but instead the Super AMOLED Plus technology. It’s amazingly bright and beautiful – even more so than the Super AMOLED predecessor – apparently that extra plus packs some power. Under sunlight, the DROID Charge performs better than most of the competition. Overall, one of the most vivid screens available on a mobile phone.

With an 8MP camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 3.5mm headset jack, HDMI-out, MicroUSB port, MicroSD slot and 1600 mAh battery, the DROID Charge is rounded out with strong smartphone features. But beyond the beautiful screen, the highlight here is the 4G LTE connectivity offered, requiring a 4G SIM card found underneath the battery cover.

The Charge is driven by a 1GHz single-core Hummingbird processor and has 2GB of internal memory, 512MB RAM and 512MB ROM. A couple years ago 1GHz was impressive, but with added features like Super AMOLED Plus and 4G LTE connectivity, the power required to run smoothly has been boosted too. I’d like to say this phone is amply powered but I noticed plenty of sluggishness over several days of use, mostly in screen animations and web browsing, so I can’t be sure if problem is mostly hardware or software based.

A few final gripes include the lack of an LED Notification light and an overall plasticky feel that is prevalent in Samsung’s other Android products including the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab. However, this also means you get an extremely light device for it’s size and it’s slim too, measuring less than 1/2 an inch thick. Much like the hardware buttons on the bottom (Menu/Home/Back/Search), the general feel and look of a device is usually composed of tradeoffs and preferences.

Software Review

Running TouchWiz atop Android 2.2, the Droid Charge operates much like Samsung’s previously popular line of Android Devices based on the Galaxy S Series. You’ve got 7 home screens, 4 software buttons (Phone/Contacts/Messages/Applications) fixed on the bottom of the screen, and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/GPS/Mobile Data/Auto-rotation toggles in the pull-down notification area.

Pressing on the application tray shows all applications and games installed, allowing you to scroll through them horizontally. A nice new feature is the ability to re-arrange applications within the app tray or delete them from your phone completely from the app tray; simply touch the gear in the upper left to initiate these options. Similarly, the gear on the homepage allows you to easily change which of the 7 screens acts as your Home Screen.

There are a lot of apps that come pre-installed on the phone, most of which you won’t ever use. However those who prefer Swype for their keyboard input will be happy to know it’s included. Some of the other apps that come pre-installed include Amazon Kindle, Backup Assistant, Bitbop, Blockbuster, Let’s Golf 2, Rhapsody, Rockband, Slacker Radio, TuneWiki, ThinkFree Office, Task Manager, and many more.

Keep in mind that Samsung and Verizon have both put their own proprietary portals on the device including AllShare, MediaHub, Verizon Apps, and Mobile Hotspot. That last feature will allow you to connect up to 5 devices to your phone and use your phone like a Wi-Fi router. With 4G connectivity this means a load of awesomeness. You could take your laptop and phone anywhere you’d like and get internet access on your computer through your good old DROID Charge (assuming it has connectivity).

While Touchwiz has improved, I’m still unimpressed overall when considering design and functionality. In many ways, Touchwiz looks like an Android and iPhone UI lovechild but it lacks the functionality of the first and beauty of the second. The square boxes surrounding app icons in the application tray distract my eyes and behind apps/games downloaded from Android Market, look flat-out ugly. Furthermore, most of the widgets are useless because they try too hard to look pretty. Case in point is the “Buddies now” widget that not only marginally improves quick communication, but greatly slows down the home screens (see video for example). Fortunately, we’re still running on Android 2.2 which means you’ll be getting most of the goodies you bargained for when going with a DROID.

One hidden gem of the DROID Charge is it’s out-of-the-box ability to take screen captures. Check out this little tutorial:

You can take screen captures pretty much anywhere, from home screens to in-app screen shots, all by holding down the back button and pressing the home key. Very nice little addition that will inevitably be loved, and to celebrate I’ve already started the Official “Share Your Homescreen” thread on AndroidForums.

Above are a few of mine stitched together. Cal Ripken, Andy Rubin, Zelda… I don’t keep bad company!

Multimedia Review

Videos and GamesThe 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen is nothing short of bright, beautiful, and brilliant. It’s an instant advantage for anyone who plans on using their device for watching videos and playing games. Combined with HDMI-out, DLNA connectivity, and a 3.5mm headset jack, the DROID Charge is a great device for entertainment seekers of all kinds.

Out of the gate you’ve got YouTube which will allow you to select from a HUGE number of videos to watch in HD. Both BitBop (labeled as TV on the go) and BlockBuster (labeled as that video place you always used to go to back in the day) are both pre-installed on the device, providing a couple alternative High Def video options. Regardless of what you use to stream video, we haven’t yet mentioned the component (beyond the amazing screen) that makes the DROID Charge a heavenly video watching phone: 4G.

If you’re in a 4G area, you’re in luck, because your phone will be able to download streaming videos at lightning speeds- you’ll rarely have to wait while the video “buffers”. And as we’ve explained, once it arrives on the screen it looks really, really good. Don’t forget you can also store your own videos on the MicroSD card (which holds up to 32GB) and the Charge is compatible with a number of different video formats. Just like video, gaming is impressive and enjoyable, but one downfall is some of today’s top games require a dual-core processor for downloading.

Web Browsing
If Video and Gaming are the high points, web browsing is definitely the low point. While the screen is still beautiful and 4G speeds still impressive, the Charge seems extremely clunky when loading and interacting on the web. Scrolling through pages with ads was like pulling teeth, pinching and zooming wasn’t too much better, and overall the web browsing experience just wasn’t there.

Fortunately, this can be partially fixed by:

pressing “Menu > More > Settings”
unchecking “Enable Javascript”
choosing “Enable plug-ins On demand”

While this essentially prevents ads from loading, it also prevents other type of content from loading such as videos and animated “feature” sections. Hopefully this is an issue Samsung can correct with a software update… I know ALL of you want to browse Phandroid with ads fully intact to support our hard work and efforts (/sarcasm).

Music & MoreAudiophiles won’t have a field day with the DROID Charge but they’ll get by enjoying the standard Android audio experience. You’ve got a decent media player, plenty of space to store songs, lots of streaming music apps to try, and a 3.5mm headset jack that’ll help your phone replace your iPod. The sound quality using headphones and speakerphones were both pretty good. Unfortunately, the DROID Charge doesn’t have FM Radio functionality.

Camera Review

The DROID Charge has both an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1.3MP front-facing camera for self-pics, video chat, and mirror functionality. Overall, I found the camera quality to be excellent. Unless you plan on printing life-size posters I think you’ll find the DROID Charge camera to be amazing… and I’ve got the pictures to prove it. It doesn’t come without flaws, and I’ve got a couple minor gripes (which I’ll share), but let’s take a look at the results.

First of all, I was stunned by the macro shots this camera took. By selecting Settings (the gear) Focus Mode > Auto Focus > Macro, you can take some fantastic up close pictures of flowers, insects, or whatever else may be super close. Take a peek at this flower I snapped in my parent’s garden (click to enlarge):

At only 550px wide that looks great, but click on the image above and you’ll see its full 3264 x 2448 pixel glory. Or take a look below at a cropped portion of the full-sized image:

In case you didn’t know, that’s an absurdly great picture for a mobile phone. That’s a better picture than I’ve gotten on most of my dedicated digital cameras and to be honest, seems like DSLR quality! When taking Macro pictures… maybe that whole poster-size image exception isn’t needed. I’m still wowed.

I was also impressed with the front-facing camera. At an Orioles vs. Red Sox game, I decided to test out the functionality. The look on my sister’s face is of genuine surprise: she was literally amazed with the self-pic feature and smiling/gasping at what she thought was really cool:

Wow. For a front-facing camera that’s only 1.3MP, that’s a solid picture (click to enlarge). To be honest, I’d argue that the front-facing camera on this phone is better than the 5MP+ main cameras on a lot of mobile phones on the market. Definitely goes to show that consumer obsession with megapixels derives from marketers marketing and consumers taking the bait – it’s not all about megapixles, other elements are equally important. I was really impressed with this quality and it makes the general purpose of a front camera so much more meaningful when it works this well.

“But wait a minute-” my sister said, “Your shirt is backwards.”

She was right. The front-facing camera functions like a mirror, inversing the values of the X axis. That’d be great if its primary feature was a mirror, but if you’re using the camera to take self-pics you’ll publish on Facebook, be warned. This was my backwards expression after realizing she was right:

Disbelief. And no, I’m not homeless, I was just too lazy to shave. It grows fast.

So it takes great Macro pictures and great backwards front-facing pictures, but what about regular old point-and-shoot pictures? How’s the flash? I found the typical scenery or portrait picture quality to be well above average and the flash wasn’t great, but definitely on par with the upper class of other Android offerings.

(Happy Birthday, Dad!)

I was a little bit less impressed with video, which I would call average. Nothing to write home about, but no glaring problems that reduce it to useless. The below video was taken with 1280 x 720 dimensions, saving as an MP4 of 51.1MB and uploaded directly to YouTube:

My main complaint with the Samsung DROID Charge camera is the User Interface – it’s a bit too complicated. On a mobile device you want QUICK access to all the features and while Samsung’s intentions are good – eager to provide a host of options – they’ve made tinkering too tedious for my liking.

You’ve got “shooting mode” options which are paginated (2 pages) which allow you to take a regular picture or select special modes like Smile Shot, Panorama, Beauty, Continuous, Add Me, Action and Cartoon. Try them all… they’re actually pretty cool “trick” shots. Then there is a settings option which has 2 tabs (camera / tools) and each of those are paginated (5 pages and 2 pages respectively). This is where it seems like a bit too much and I feel like they could have designed the options to be a bit more user friendly.

That being said, quick access to switching cameras, flash/no-flash, and white balance are helpful options and the volume up/down functioning as the zoom in/out is a nice touch since it’s in the perfect place. When it comes down to it, the most important feature of the camera is the result, and the DROID Charge is a real winner in this category.

Verizon 4G LTE

Verizon’s 4G speeds are pretty phenomenal and as of this review, can only be found on the HTC Thunderbolt and Samsung DROID Charge Android Phones. It makes activities like watching streaming videos, listening to streaming music, downloading apps/games/content, and browsing the web much more instantaneous and enjoyable. The days of “buffering” and waiting are almost over.

Wow. I’m not sure what else there is to say. Do the math – there’s a good chance my Droid CHARGE is consistently quicker in downloading/uploading data then your Wi-Fi modem. I did this test from my desk in the heart of Baltimore and obviously, your results will vary based on location/proximity to 4G towers.

It would be reckless of me not to include that the DROID Charge was delayed because Verizon’s 4G network had an outage that created huge problems for HTC Thunderbolt owners for a couple days. I experienced the tail end of this and found that the 4G outage prevented ALL my data services from working but I could still make voice calls.

Verizon’s 4G network is now back up and running and I’d bet on increased reliability in the future. Verizon is known for reliability and there are just certain unforeseen hiccups you come across when launching a new network on a national scale. Don’t let the 4G drama war prevent you from picking up the DROID Charge.

Wildcards: Battery Life, Call Quality, Quadrant

You’ll find a 1600 mAh battery in the the Charge which is larger than many of its compareable competitors. This is a good thing because while I got decent battery life, I didn’t experience any noticeable improvements over my current phone (Droid X) which has a 1540 mAh battery. However, considering the Charge needs to power a Super AMOLED Plus screen and channel a 4G network, I’d say battery life was adequate.

Call quality was good. Everything could be heard and transmitted loud and clear and the speaker phone provided plenty of volume – I get irritated when I can’t turn it “up” any higher and still can’t hear it well enough.

Lastly, the latest rage seems to be performing various benchmarks on phones to see which perform best. I agree, this is a great way to measure and compare various aspects of phones, but I also wonder about their accuracy. They’re essentially consumerizing a bunch of data that’s way over the average person’s head and putting it into a numbered score that oversimplifies reality. That being said, if you use it as a general indicator and not law of the land, it can be helpful: my Quadrant score for the Charge consistently lingered around the 1000 mark.

The Verdict

I was prepared for an average device when I started using the DROID Charge but what I experienced blew me away. In my opinion, the DROID Charge will launch as the phone with both the best camera and the best screen (Super AMOLED Plus), with 4G connectivity to boot. These facts alone mean I can confidently recommend the DROID Charge, especially if taking pics and big screens are your thing. To enjoy these features, you’ll have to endure Samsung’s Touchwiz interface, lack of LED notifications, plasticky and light build quality, and a processor that seems slightly underpowered considering the ship it’s steering.

If you want a great Android Phone now, the DROID Charge is a good pick. If you’re willing to wait, you may want to consider holding out for a dual-core device, but the camera and screen surely make this tempting. For help deciding, head on over to Android Forums and visit the DROID Charge Forum to hear what others have to say.

Motorola Atrix 4G (AT&T)

2011-05-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

A lot of excitement surrounded the Motorola Atrix at the Consumer Electronics show in January. It appeared to be not just another phone, but the cornerstone of a new concept that might deliver the mobility of a smartphone and the superior usability of a laptop in a single product.

After using the Atrix itself for a day or so, I came away impressed with the phone--especially the power of its processor, the clarity of its display, its no-hard-edges design, and its compact shape. Frankly, it's a phone I would buy.

But I'm giving low marks to the new smartphone/laptop combo device that Motorola proposes with the Atrix. I like the idea of a close bonding of the two devices, but the execution in this instance is poor.

Still, the Atrix itself is a strong addition to AT&T's growing line up of Android phones. The phone is one of the first AT&T phones to be branded "4G", and the connection speeds I saw from the phone, while not quite 4G-like, were much faster than the 3G speeds we've measured from the AT&T network in the past.

Design

The Atrix is surprisingly svelte at 0.4 inch thick. It is 2.5 inches wide and 4.6 inches tall, and weighs roughly 4.8 ounces. The front of the phone features a 4-inch qHD (Quarter High Definition) touchscreen display, with a set of physical buttons beneath the screen for menu (contextual), home, return, and search. At the top are the proximity sensor and the front-facing camera. On the right edge of the phone you'll find only the volume rocker; on the left bottom edge are the HDMI and USB ports. A standard 3.5mm headphone jack occupies the top edge.

The Atrix is the first phone I've seen that has a fingerprint recognition pad built into its back. As with many laptops, you can set up the phone to remain locked until it recognizes your unique fingerprint slide. The surface also serves as an on/off and sleep/wake button, if you choose not to use the fingerprint recognition feature. Also on the back are a 5-megapixel camera and flash, and a small speaker port at the bottom.

Docking and ‘Webtop' Functions

Many people love the mobility of a smartphone but dislike the difficulty of performing important tasks on such a small interface. Addressing this issue, Motorola designed the Atrix to slide into a Motorola "laptop dock," which is really just a shell containing a screen, a keyboard, speakers, and a touchpad. You cannot use the laptop unless the phone is docked in place. Part of the reason that the Atrix uses a powerful dual-core processor is so that it can run full-size apps on the enlarged user environment of the laptop screen.

When docked in its slot at the rear of the laptop, the Atrix automatically launches a Webtop app that offers a larger and more functional presentation of its content and features for the laptop's larger screen. For instance, it can run a full-size Mozilla Firefox browser or display rich content like Flash graphics on the larger screen. Meanwhile, conveniently, the phone's battery gets a charge from the powered laptop.

You can use the laptop to control various phone functions, as well. You can make calls that automatically use the speakerphone function, for example, and you can write and send text messages. The desktop app also provides an expansive user interface for managing tasks and reading and responding to e-mail.

Another accessory enables you to do all of these things with your desktop computer display and keyboard. The smaller "multimedia dock" connects with your monitor and keyboard via the USB ports on its back. You can plug the multimedia dock into your HDTV via an HDMI connection to play high-quality content from the phone on the big screen.

You can see a short video of the Atrix's docking functions here.

All of this versatility sounds good, but I was disappointed when I actually used the smartphone-powered laptop. The Webtop app loaded just as described after I placed the phone in the slot at the back of the device.Unfortunately, I found navigating (via the touchpad) through the various windows and views on the Webtop interface to be awkward and unwieldy. I had trouble locating and clicking icons and other controls quickly and accurately.

The keys on the keyboard, while easier to use than the software keyboard in the phone, felt plasticky and not very solidly built. I had trouble getting my fingers to conform to the shape of the keyboard; and when I did find the right keys, my often fingertips slid off the smooth plastic surface.

I also found the HSPA+ cellular connection to be too slow for the graphics rendering demands of the large screen. When I hit the Facebook icon at the bottom of the screen, a Firefox browser launched and took me to the Facebook page, but completely loading all of the graphics on the page took perhaps 10 seconds. It would have been faster to use the Facebook mobile app on the phone.

In short, I probably couldn't work with this Webtop environment on a daily basis.

OS and User Interface

The Atrix ships with Android 2.2 (Froyo), not with the more recent Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). So the phone does not support SIM calling, near-field communications (NFC) for mobile payments, or the enhanced front-facing camera technology that Gingerbread offers. Still, Android running on the dual-core processor is a very nice (and responsive) environment to work in.

You can read a full review of Android 2.2 here.

Along with the standard Android apps, you get Vlingo (which lets you use voice commands to control functions of your phone), Live TV via the AT&T U-verse mobile app (each channel is fee-based), and AT&T Navigator (NavTeq, $9.99 per month)

The Atrix, like other Motorola smartphones, has Motoblur social media overlay software running on top of Android. The software is meant to create an orderly presentation of your social media feeds (such as Facebook updates and new tweets), as well as your Gmail messages and contacts.This part of the interface was useful for keeping me connected to and up-to-date with my circle of friends, and it was nonobtrusive to the crucial functions in Android.

Voice Calling

I was impressed with the microphone, voice speaker, and voice software in the Atrix. I placed a call from a busy sidewalk at rush hour to a colleague using a land line inside the building, and she reported that my voice was loud, clear, and full-bodied, with only the slightest hint of background traffic noise. Motorola clearly put some money into using high-quality microphones for the Atrix. I suspect that some high-quality noise cancellation software is at work inside the phone, too.

On our 2-minute call, my colleague and I noticed none of the static, drop-outs, or fade normally associated with a weak cell-phone signal.

Camera

The Atrix sports a 5-megapixel camera with automatic focus and an LED flash. I was pleased with the quality of the photos I shot. The first thing I noticed was the accuracy of the auto-focus: The camera seemed to adjust quickly as I moved the lens farther away from or closer to my subject, accounting for and correcting my intentionally sloppy technique. I noticed no motion blur in the images, and the resulting photos seemed perfectly focused, with sharp colors.

The phone doesn't have a hardware button for snapping photos, but it does use the volume rocker button as a zoom in/out controller, which seemed perfectly natural (and rather ingenious) to me.

I was similarly impressed with the 720P HD video I shot with the phone. The video looked clearer and smoother than video I've seen shot with some smartphones that have 8-megapixel cameras, leading me to believe that a powerful processor and a high-quality display (both present here) are more important to good video than is the resolution of the lens.

I also liked the way the software organized my photos. The phone displays images in a carousel; to scroll through them, you just drag them to the left or right. Each image carries a little "i" in the bottom right corner; tap it, and all the information about the picture--location taken, time, resolution, file size, tags, and so on--appears on the screen. You can click the 'tags' label to add more tags to the image.

Performance

Working in tandem, the two 1GHz processor cores can achieve processing speeds of up to 2GHz. That extra power was apparent as i used the phone. The Web browser was very responsive to my movements and moved through graphics-rich Web pages smoothly and speedily. And when I used the phone to stream video via a fast Wi-Fi connection, the video ran smoothly at all times. I also noticed that I could launch new apps quickly, even when several others were already running.

Data Speeds

The Atrix 4G runs on AT&T's 3G HSPA+ network. AT&T brands the network and related devices "4G" because, the company says, the network pumps out "4G-like" speeds, including download speeds of up to 6 mbps. With the FCC-approved Ookla tool installed on the Atrix, I tested the network connection of the phone from several locations around San Francisco, and found the download speeds were consistently in the neighborhood of 2.7 mbps. Only in my tests at our offices south of Market Street were the readings lower, averaging around 1.7 mbps.

Upload speeds across all five of my testing locations averaged 0.3 mbps (300 kbps), a very 3G-like result. Of even more concern were the latency times I saw. The Ookla tool consistently measured about 300 milliseconds of network latency--the time it takes for a packet to move from the device to an online server. That's roughly six times the latency seen in Verizon's LTE network and about a third higher than the latency in Sprint's WiMax network. The high latency number combined with the mediocre upload speed could hamper the smooth operation of apps like video chat and mobile gaming.

Battery Life

With all of the heavy lifting that the Atrix is designed to do (shooting and playing high-definition video, running a full-size browser on a large display, multitasking, and so on), it's a good thing that Motorola put in an extra large battery. The 1930-mAh battery, Motorola says, is good for 8.8 hours of talk time and 264 hours of standby time.

I didn't have the time to perform a full battery test, but I charged the phone to 50 percent of battery capacity when I began testing the phone 13.5 hours ago, and the battery is 30 percent charged now. Idle time accounted for 62 percent of that usage, with the remainder (rounded to the nearest percentage point) going to the cellular radio while in standby mode (24 percent), the display (10 percent), voice calls (4 percent), and the Wi-Fi radio (2 percent).

From this information, I estimate that the battery in the Atrix would last for between 1.5 and 2 days of my normal usage, which consists of about 20 minutes of talk time, 10 minutes of Web browsing, no video viewing, and perhaps 15 minutes of e-mail work.

You can preorder the Atrix 4G for $199 with a two-year AT&T service contract starting February 13. A bundle of the Atrix 4G and the laptop dock can be had for $500, again with a two-year service contract.

Carrier

Carrier	AT&T
Cellular Technology (Voice + Data)	HSDPA
Tethering Support	Yes

Display

Diagonal Display Size	4 inches
Display Resolution	960 by 540 pixels
Display Type	Multitouch

Form Factor

Form Factor	Candy bar
Keyboard	Software

Operating System

OS Supported	Android
OS Version	2.2
Multitasking Support	With native and third-party apps
Web Browser	WebKit
Adobe Flash Support	Full Flash

Processor

Processor Speed

2000 MHz

Camera

MegaPixels	5 MP
Flash	Yes
Front-Facing Camera	Yes
Video Calling	Yes
Video Capture Resolution	High Definition (720p)

GPS

Yes

Storage

Additional Storage	Micro SD
Internal Storage Memory	16000 MB

Memory

RAM

1000 MB

Battery

Battery Type	Lithium ion
Vendor Rated Talk Time	9 hours
Vendor Rated Standby Time	250 hours

Dimensions

Dimensions	63.5 by 117.75 by 10.95 inches
Weight	4.76 oz.

Media

Formats Supported	MP4 WMA
Video Out	HDMI

Mail

Exchange Support

Yes

T-Mobile G2x

2011-05-22T02:16:00.000-07:00

T-Mobile G2x

T-Mobile's latest entry in its G-series of Android phones and tablets, the G2X ($200 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile; price as of 4/15/11), is a multimedia beast with an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor, HDMI-out and 4G speeds. It sounds good on paper, but how does it compare to the other dual-core, 4G phones out there?

Thin, Minimalist Design

You might remember the LG Optimus 2X from CES 2011--LG's first foray into the land of dual-core Android smartphones. The Optimus 2X is currently available overseas: NVIDIA used the LG Optimus 2X to demo its Tegra 2 chip at its CES press conference, showing off HD video and an Angry Birds demo. NVIDIA also dubbed it a "super phone" for its strong multitasking capabilities and processing speed.

The G2X has essentially the same design, but comes with HSPA+ power and does not have LG's proprietary interface running atop Android. Besides those differences, and of course some branding from T-Mobile, the G2X is virtually identical to its international sibling.

The G2X is pretty basic looking with its black, dark gray and silver color scheme. But don't let its generic appearance fool you: This phone has an incredibly high-quality feel. The face of the phone is comprised almost entirely of the display with a thin piano-black bezel running around it. Four touch-sensitive buttons lie below the 4-inch display: Menu, Home, Back, and Search. The back of the phone is a matte dark gray soft-to-the-touch rubber with a silver stripe bearing the Google logo running down the middle. The battery cover is very easy to remove, but doesn't feel flimsy by any means. A metal frame between the face and the back cover around the phone gives it a sturdy, solid feel. The face of the phone is subtly curved, too, which feels comfortable when you're holding it up to your ear.

At the top of the phone, you'll find the power/lock key, HDMI port, and a 3.5-mm headphone jack. On the right spine you'll find the volume rocker, while the left spine is bare. The bottom houses speakers as well as the microSD port.

The 4-inch WVGA 800-by-480-pixel LCD display showcases videos, games, and the user interface quite nicely. Colors are bright and vivid, details look sharp, and movement and animations look smooth. It was a rare sunny day in San Francisco so I took the G2X outside to see how it fared in bright light. Unfortunately, the on-screen image completely vanishes once you step outside. I had a hard time even trying to dial a number. And to make matters worse, the screen is a fingerprint magnet, so it is extra hard to see with all those smudges.

Android 2.2: No Frills

As I mentioned earlier, like the other G-series phones, the G1 and G2, the G2X has no overlay running over Android. For Android purists like myself, this is good news. I actually do like certain aspects of the manufacturer overlays, like HTC Sense's Weather widget or Samsung TouchWiz's media player. In other areas, however, I feel like overlays can take away from the functionality of Android-whether by slowing it down or replacing some native apps. For example, Motorola's Motoblur software replaces the multi-featured camera app found in stock Android with its own, lesser app.

The bad news is that the G2x ships with the 2.2 (Froyo) version of the Android operating system, but T-Mobile confirmed with us last month at CTIA that it will get an update this summer.

We've covered Android 2.2 pretty extensively in the past. For a hands-on look of the hottest features in this update, go here. Despite being overlay-free, the G2X comes with quite a bit of T-Mobile pre-installed apps. You get T-Mobile's AppPack, which are bundles of apps picked out by T-Mobile, T-Mobile TV and T-Mobile Highlight for even more video content. It also comes with Tegra Zone, NVIDIA's gaming store, the Zinio e-reader, EA games and a few other random apps. Unsurprisingly, Need For Speed Shift is also tucked in there (is it just me or does every phone come loaded with NFS?).

Camera

The 8-megapixel camera sensor is impressive, especially when using it outdoors. Details are incredibly sharp and colors look bright, yet natural (see test shots to the right). Indoors looked good too though they had a bit of a dark cast to them. Unfortunately, the flash is so strong that it blows out details and washes out color. It probably should only be used in very dark environments

One thing I did not like was the lack of a physical camera shutter button. I firmly believe that physical shutter buttons make a world of difference for taking non-shaky cell phone pictures. And the G2X is so thin that I had a hard time getting a good hold on it while hitting the on-screen shutter button. I also did not like the "New" button you have to hit on the interface to start taking another picture. It is a bit small and is sometimes unresponsive.

The camcorder can also capture HD video in resolutions up to 1080p. My test video looked pretty good. There is no stuttering or artifacting, and I was quite pleased with how well it handled motion. There is also front-facing video camera, strictly for video chatting. I had no issues connecting with a T-Mobile Sidekick 4G using the Qik video chat app loaded on both devices. Video quality wasn't perfect, but it was okay for short conversations.

Performance

As I've already mentioned, the G2X is powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 2 system-on-chip, which is also found in the Motorola Atrix 4G. Yes, it is dual-core, but what exactly does this mean? The Tegra 2 has two 1GHz Cortex-A9 CPU cores and eight GeForce GPU cores. It also has native HDMI and dual-display support, so you can watch HD videos from your phone onto your TV.

When NVIDIA showed off the Optimus 2X/G2X back in January, they also touted its multitasking capabilities. I downloaded a few apps from the Market, streamed some music from Pandora, and ran a few games at once. I opened up Angry Birds and the app just ran smoothly. It takes a lot to choke a phone with a 1GHz processor, so I doubt that many consumers really need this extra multitasking power. But it is nice knowing it is there.

The Tegra 2's impressive performance is apparent in other areas of the phone. Scrolling through menus was smooth and apps launched quickly. I was impressed with how smoothly the phone handled video and 3D games. The browser was also quite snappy, loading pages in seconds-and even faster when I got a strong 4G signal.

The game Need For Speed Shift ran fluidly and the graphics looked sharp. We'll be testing more games on the G2X next week, so stay tuned for a full report on which games ran the best, how games look on an HDTV, and what we thought of the NVIDIA TegraZone game store.

T-Mobile's new HSPA 21 network technology means that the handset is capable of reaching the 21 mbps of (theoretical) throughput speed that the T-Mobile network is built to deliver. This does not mean that the G2X can actually hit 21-mbps download speeds, but rather that it contains a radio and chipset capable of faster speeds than earlier T-Mobile 4G phones achieved.

We tested T-Mobile's 4G network using the Samsung Galaxy S 4G in a few cities, including San Francisco, and were pleased with the solid 4G-like speeds. The Galaxy S 4G averaged 3.38 megabits per second for downloads and 1.13 mbps for uploads. It couldn't hold a candle to the blazing speeds we saw on Verizon's LTE network (18.30 mbps and 7.39 mbps), but it did outperform both AT&T's HSPA+ network and Sprint's WiMax network.

So I have to give T-Mobile the benefit of the doubt when I report the rather dismal speeds I achieved with the G2X. The South Park neighborhood in San Francisco (where PCWorld is located) has never been a strong area for T-Mobile. I tested closer to downtown, the G2X did much better, achieving download speeds of 4.23 mbps for downloads and 1.12 mbps for uploads.

Call quality was a bit on the disappointing side. While my friends generally had good feedback about the quality of my voice, I felt like sound on the earpiece was a bit blown out. It sounded like my friends were talking way too close to the mouthpiece (they swore they weren't!). I also heard a very faint hiss on a few calls. Volume was ample enough, however.

We have not done formal battery tests on the G2X yet, but I was impressed with how it held up over a day of heavy usage.

Bottom Line

The T-Mobile G2X has the chops to compete with other top-of-the-line phones, and until the HTC Sensation comes out, this is hands-down the best phone for T-Mobile. The Tegra 2 power is impressive and I appreciated the minimalist approach to both hardware and software. It is a no-frills phone that does just about everything well. My biggest complaint is that it is running now-outdated software, but that will hopefully be alleviated soon.

Full Technical Specifications Of T-Mobile G2X

Network
2G Network	GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
3G Network	UMTS/HSDPA 900, 1700, 2100 MHz
Form Factor	Candy Bar
Dimensions
L x B x H	123.9 x 63.2 x 10.9 mm
Weight	160 grams
Display
Type	TFT capacitive touchscreen
Size	4 inch
Resolution	16 Million colors, 480 x 800 pixels
Input/ User Interface
Input	Multi Touch Proximity Sensor Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate Gyro sensor Touch-sensitive controls
System Properties
Operating System	Android 2.2 OS Froyo (To be upgraded to Android 2.3 Gingerbread)
CPU	nVidia’s Dual-core Tegra 2 with 1GHz Speed 3D Graphics Hardware Accelerator
Storage Capacity
Memory	8GB inbuilt storage microSD card slot support up to 32GB
Browser & Messaging	HTML, Google Webkit Browser SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM, Thread Mesaging
Camera
Still	- 8 Megapixels - 3264×2448 pixels - Auto Focus - LED Flash
Secondary	1.3 Megapixels
Video Recording Capability	- HD @ 1080p - MPEG4, H.264 formats - (1920×1080) pixels resolution
Connectivity
DATA	EDGE, GPRS, HSPA
Bluetooth & USB	Bluetooth v2.1 EDR & v2.0 micro USB
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA
Headset	3.5mm stereo headset jack
GPS	A-GPS
3G	HSDPA 21 Mbps HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Music & Video
Music Format	MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WAV, MIDI
Video Format	H.263, H.264, MPEG4, WMV
Battery
Type	Li-Ion 1500 mAh Standard battery
Standby Time	Up to 400 hours
Talk Time	Up to 7 hours 50 min
Other Features	1080p MPEG-4/H.264 playback and recording HDMI mirroring Qik, Need for Speed Shift HD, T-Mobile TV DTS Ultra Mobile sound enhancer Google talk, Gmail, Google search Android market, Visual Voice mail YouTube player, Facebook, Twitter Digital Compass, Navigation
Colors	Black

Interesting fact of Cellphones

2011-05-21T01:01:00.001-07:00

Interesting

Mobile phones have now become one of the most essential appliances to have in your everyday’s life. You may not think passing a single day without a cell phone. Isn’t it?

Do you know some of the most interesting things about mobile phones? Well, here are the lists of few most interesting things about the mobile phones that you should know:

Can you imagine how much text messages through mobile phones do Koreans teens do? They are the No. 1; they send more than 200,000 text messages in a year.

Do you know that there are 3.3 billion of active mobiles in the world? The number is equal to the half of the entire world population.

People cast more than 125 million cell phones in each year. It becomes a general tendency of the people to shed their phones quite often. For example, it has been found that the Koreans generally change their mobile phones within a year. It is now becoming an environmental issue as well.

For the convenience of vote delivery, the Estonians are using their mobile phones. It also serves as a very convenient means to show their personal identification.

The first mobile phone device was invented by Motorola and the device was named as DynaTAC 8000X.

Do you know two-thirds of the mobile phones users are using the backlight of their phone as a flash light? It was confirmed after the survey taken by the sprint. Well, nice use of a mobile phone.

Mobile phone is becoming an excellent means to notify people about the upcoming disasters or emergencies. Phone companies in some countries like Finland and Japan, where earthquakes are very common have already worked out these features. Such features in the mobile phones will be absolutely of no charge.

If you have a Nokia mobile set and you are going out of battery and also you are expecting a very important call. Do not worry, simply by dialing the code *3370# , the battery of your Nokia set will upgrade up to 50% by using a built-in reserve battery. This is very helpful in the situation when mobile battery is about to finish and you do not have any other means to charge your set.

HTC Thunder Bolt

2011-05-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

Verizon ThunderBolt Review: Real 4G Speed Comes to the Smartphone

The HTC ThunderBolt, which went on sale March 17, is the first phone available in the United States that can connect to Verizon’s lightning-fast 4G LTE network. That fact alone makes the ThunderBolt ($250 with a new two-year contract) a considerable piece of hardware, especially for users who routinely run high-bandwidth apps such as video chat, online gaming, and high-definition video streaming. Network speed aside, I found the phone itself to be another solid addition to HTC’s mostly impressive family of smartphones, albeit one with a few shortcomings.

Handsome Design

The ThunderBolt definitely feels well built and sturdy in the hand. However, for someone coming from a smaller phone, the 5.78-ounce ThunderBolt, with its 4.8-by-2.6-by-0.52-inch frame, can feel like a monster in comparison.

But the phone makes good use of its size. The ThunderBolt’s 4.3-inch WVGA screen gives you ample room to maneuver your fingers while touch-typing and navigating Websites when you’re on the go. My one complaint about the screen is that it is difficult to see outside under direct sunlight.

The phone's design is quite simple, offering a power button and a headphone jack up top, a volume rocker on the right spine, and the standard Home, Menu, Back, and Search buttons on the face of the device. On the back are an 8-megapixel camera (with a dual-LED flash) and a kickstand, much as we saw on the HTC EVO 4G. You'll also find a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front of the device for video chatting (more on that farther down).

Lightning-Fast Broadband Speeds

The ThunderBolt’s main draw is its broadband speeds, which in my tests were simply stunning. Using the Ookla FCC Mobile Broadband Test, I saw consistent download speeds of between 8 megabits per second and 12 mbps. With full bars and in an area that supports Verizon’s 4G LTE network, I managed to load the PCWorld mobile site in about 4 seconds. Image-heavy sites such as Escapistmagazine.com loaded in under 10 seconds.

The ThunderBolt can share its 4G connection with eight devices via its mobile hotspot function (though the service can cost extra depending on your plan). To test the limits of the 4G connection, I set up such a hotspot and connected an iPod Touch and another smartphone with it. I was able to stream live TV to the iPod Touch, as well as to download apps and watch high-quality YouTube videos on the phone, while at the same time browsing the Web and downloading apps on the ThunderBolt. All of these tasks ran quickly and smoothly over Verizon’s LTE service, and I got the feeling that I could have connected a few more devices to the hotspot with little performance loss.

Call quality on the ThunderBolt was not crystal clear, but it was close. The people I called said they could hear minor wind noise from my end, but no other interference.

HTC Sense Gets a Face-Lift

The ThunderBolt comes preloaded with a new and improved version of Sense UI, HTC’s custom software that overlays the Android OS. Although most of the Sense UI improvements seem merely cosmetic, HTC has thrown in a few nifty new features as well.

For instance, dragging down the notification bar at the top of the screen now reveals a list of previously opened apps. This extremely useful function may have been inspired by a similar feature in Apple’s iOS.

Turning on the fast-boot option will allow you to start the phone almost immediately, though you will have to turn the function off to use certain Android Market apps.

The '+' icon on the right side of the dock (at the bottom of the home screen) has been replaced with a brush and palette. Tapping it brings you to the personalization menu, where you can set the wallpaper, add items to the home screen, and change the sound settings. You can also change the skin of the Sense UI to one of the five available options.

Android Add-Ons

Unfortunately the ThunderBolt also comes loaded with too much unwanted software. Along with the Blockbuster app we saw on the Motorola Droid X, Verizon has loaded the ThunderBolt with a demo of Let’s Golf 2 and videos advertising Bitbop, Rhapsody, and Rock Band for Android. The usual Verizon suite of apps (Navigator, Slacker, V Cast Media, and the V Cast App Store) also makes an appearance. And guess what? You can’t remove these apps. This is not a major negative, but the extra apps do clutter up your app drawer, making it hard to quickly locate the app you want.

Cameras Are a Mixed Bag

The ThunderBolt features two cameras: a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front and an 8-megapixel one on the rear. Pictures that I took with the 8-megapixel camera came out well (click the thumbnails at left to see full-size images). The photos were surprisingly sharp. Even when I zoomed in, the resolution was reasonably good. Colors looked robust and true to the subject of my photos. Pictures taken in extremely low light were clear and easy to see, thanks in part to the dual-LED flash. The HTC EVO 4G also has an 8-megapixel camera on the back, but the ThunderBolt’s camera is clearly superior.

The ThunderBolt’s front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera is another story; pictures that I took with it came out dark and a little murky. The front-facing camera is meant for video-chatting services, but I couldn’t find such an app that would work on the phone. Skype for Android does not yet support video chat, and Fring doesn’t recognize the camera at all.Qik could be another option, but it does not yet provide a video-calling app for the ThunderBolt. Although it’s nice to see more Android phones with front-facing cameras, without any software to use them they’re not much good.

The video I shot with the phone was reasonably clear, but certainly not as clear as the still images I captured. When I shot a moving image, the video seemed a bit fuzzy; only when I held the camera still in front of an object did the sharpness of the video improve. A more serious problem relates to the audio: In video mode the phone records sound at such a low level that you have to turn the volume all the way up to hear it on playback, and even then you can hear only the loudest sounds.

Plays Nice With Other Devices

A DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance)-certified device, the ThunderBolt can stream photos, music, and video to and from DLNA-supporting devices on your home wireless network. For instance, you can stream video to your DLNA-certified TV for playback. The music player can also stream from any media servers you have on your network.

If you like to listen to your music on the go (as most people do), you’ll be quite happy to learn that the ThunderBolt ships with a 32GB MicroSD card on board so you can carry several thousand songs or movies with you.

Bottom Line

The HTC ThunderBolt looks, feels, and handles like a solid piece of hardware. Although its specs aren’t anything we haven’t already seen in the Droid X or the Droid 2, the ThunderBolt’s ability to utilize the unprecedented speed of Verizon’s LTE network makes it a special phone indeed. Users who like to run high-bandwidth apps on the road--as in streaming high-def video or playing online games--will find no faster phone on the market right now.

LAS VEGAS — Verizon on Wednesday announced the HTC Thunderbolt, a 4G Google Android-based smartphone that’s exclusive to the carrier.

Its specs:

Networks: LTE 700, CDMA EvDO revA

Operating system: Android 2.2 + HTC Sense

Display: 4.3 in. WVGA TFT capacitive touch screen

Camera: 8MP with autofocus, LED Flash (2x LED), 1.3MP front facing camera

Memory: 8GB emmc + 768 RAM Memory card, preinstalled 32 GB microSD

WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n

Bluetooth: 2.1 with EDR (3.0 when available)

GPS: GPS/AGPS

Battery: 1400 mAh

Special features: Dual mics with noise cancellation, surround sound, compass sensor, g-sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB, FM radio, LTE SIM slot, TI audio DSP

Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8655, 1GHz, Qualcomm MDM9600

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Samsung Galaxy 5 i5503

2011-05-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

Not to be confused with the flagship Samsung Galaxy S, the Galaxy 5 smartphone is an entry-level prepaid smartphone. Excusive to Telstra and retailing for just $199, the Samsung Galaxy 5 is the cheapest Android phone on the market but despite this it doesn't skimp on too many features.

Read reviews of other top Samsung phones, and check out the best upcoming smartphones in 2011.

The Galaxy 5 looks similar to the Samsung GenoA and theSamsung S3653, which were also entry-level mobile phones. It has a distinctive, rounded design with a curved back; this makes it comfortable to hold, but it rocks slightly from side to side when placed on a flat surface. The Samsung Galaxy 5 has an attractive glossy black finish with chrome edging, but the handset quickly becomes grubby with fingerprints and is hard to keep clean.

Most of the Samsung Galaxy 5's front is taken up by a 2.8incapacitive touchscreen, while below this sit the standard Android shortcut keys (menu, home, back and search) as well as a five-way navigational pad and answer and end call keys. The navigational pad doesn't get much of a workout as the capacitive touchscreen is responsive and easy to use. A capacitive display at this price point is a real plus, though its low 240x320 resolution — the same as the HTC Wildfire's display — means viewing angles aren't the best, nor is legibility in sunlight. The small size of the display also means both the on-screen keyboard and the Web browser do feel a little cramped.

The Samsung Galaxy 5 runs the 2.1 version of Google's Android operating system and it includes all the regular features and functions of more expensive Android smartphones. Access to the Android Market for third-party apps, an excellent notifications taskbar and automatic and seamless synchronisation with Google services are all part of the experience. The Galaxy 5 can have up to seven home screens for live widgets and shortcuts, and Samsung has also opted to use its TouchWIZ interface which includes Feeds and Updates (Facebook, Twitter and MySpace aggregator), and Buddies Now (a rolodex of photo contacts). Though the Feeds and Updates widget is fairly useful and stops you having to log in to separate applications all the time, it lacks some advanced features, such support for multiple Twitter accounts and URL shortening when tweeting.

Samsung says the Galaxy 5 "may" be upgradeable to the latest 2.2 version of Android (called Froyo) but hasn't specified a timeframe. Froyo will add full Flash support, built-in wireless tethering, and the ability to store third-party apps on your SD card, as well as a range of other improvements.

One of the more impressive features of the Samsung Galaxy 5 is Swype text input, an option that allows you to slide your fingers over the letters you want to type in a single motion, letting the software work out the word you are trying to write. Swype is an excellent feature and considering the small screen of the Galaxy 5 compared to the larger Android phones like theHTC Desire, it is a smart inclusion.

An annoying aspect of the Samsung Galaxy 5 is the excessive amount of Telstra customisation built into the software. Although you can arrange your home screen shortcuts and widgets in any way you like, the main menu has exactly 25 shortcuts to Telstra applications and services and while some of these may be useful, most are simply Web links.

Samsung has cut corners when it comes to the phone's camera and the screen. The basic camera is just 2-megapixels and lacks a flash for night-time photography. The smaller display has a negative impact on Web browsing. The Galaxy 5 also lacks multitouch support, meaning you can't pinch the screen to zoom in and out of applications like maps, the browser or photo albums. Other features include a built-in accelerometer, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a digital compass and a GPS receiver. The Samsung Galaxy 5 has a microSD card slot for extra storage, located behind the rear battery cover. Samsung includes a 2GB microSD card in the sales package.

The Samsung Galaxy 5 is exclusive to Telstra and will be available in mid-October for $199 on a prepaid plan.

Samsung Galaxy 5 i5503 Mobile Phone Key Features:

Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
3.6 Mbps HSDPA support
Smart dialing
2.8 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen
Android OS v2.1 Eclair
TouchWiz 3.0 UI customization (on both, I5801 has Orange UI too)
2MP camera with geo-tagging

Samsung Galaxy 5 i5503 Mobile Phone Specifications :

Network:Quad band GSM,3G HSDPA
Dimensions:108 x 56 x 12.3 mm
Weight:102 g
Display:2.8 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors,240 x 320 pixels
Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate
Touch Wiz v3.0
3.5 mm audio jack
Memory Internal:170 MB
Expandable memroy:microSD up to 16GB, 1GB included
GPRS/EDGE
3G HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
Wireless LAN access Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
USB v2.0 microUSB
Camera:2 megapixel, 1600×1200 pixels,Geo-tagging
OS:Android OS, v2.1 (Eclair)
CPU:600 MHz processor
Messaging:SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
Stereo FM radio with RDS
GPS with A-GPS support
Social networking integration
Organizer
Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF)
Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube
Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh
Stand-by:Up to 521 h (2G) / Up to 375 h (3G)
Talk time:Up to 9 h 30 min (2G) / Up to 6 h 30 min (3G)

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

2011-05-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

Like all good things Sony Ericsson, the Xperia Arc didn't wait for an official announcement to make itself known. First appearing on a set of teasing posters at CES in January, it confounded us with a ridiculously thin (8.7mm / 0.3in) profile and an unorthodox concave rear, whose sighting was followed up with the revelation of a potent mix of internal components as well. The same 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255processor and Adreno 205 graphics that you'll find on brandmate Xperia Play are present within the Arc, and are backed by 512MB of RAM (320MB available to apps), 8GB of MicroSD storage, an 8 megapixelExmor R image sensor, an HDMI output, and a 1500mAh battery. That tightly packed interior is then topped off with a 4.2-inch Reality Display capable of accommodating 854 x 480 pixels. Throw the latest mobile build of Android, Gingerbread, into the mix and you've got yourself a compelling list of reasons for riding aboard this Arc. Nonetheless, spec sheets tell only half the story and we're here for the full disclosure -- what's the Arc like to use on a daily basis, how are its talents harnessed by Sony Ericsson's tweaked UI, and, most importantly, do people think better of us for carrying such a stylish phone? Keep reading to find out.

The Xperia Arc's physical design is very clearly targeted at fashion-conscious buyers. It's not ergonomically broken by it, but form has clearly led the way ahead of function (as illustrated by the camera lens being attached at the very top of the handset, its thickest point), but you know what, we don't really mind that. It's about time we admitted to ourselves that we buy phones as much for what they look like as for what they do, and we laud Sony Ericsson for having the audacity to pursue its target demographic with a highly distinctive design. Few things curb our enthusiasm as much as overly generic phones that try to be all things to all people and the Arc is commendably distant from that group.

Another important decision taken by Sony Ericsson is to equip this new Xperia with a 4.2-inch display, marking it out as the company's biggest Android handset to date and solidifying its credentials as an entertainment device. We generally enjoyed our time handling and using the Arc, which manages to fit within nearly the same dimensions as HTC's 4-inch Incredible S, but there is one significant flaw to its design we must point out: the back's curvature is going the wrong way. The Arc moniker wouldn't really make sense without the audacious concave shape, but there's good reason why the Xperia X10, Play, Pro, and Neo all have convex rear ends and it's that they simply fit better in the (human) hand. That's arguably the only concession Sony Ericsson has made in its pursuit of an aesthetically unique handset, but it does hold the Xperia Arc back from being one of the easiest-handling smartphones in the 4-inch-plus division. As it stands, it's merely very good, with neat curves wrapping around the sides and the aforementioned thinness and light weight (117g / 4.1oz) making it a pleasure to tote around.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc detailed hands-on

Contributing to the diversity of Android key configurations, Sony Ericsson has opted for a trifecta of physical buttons on the Xperia Arc (the Back and Menu keys have swapped positions from the X10 arrangement), which are thankfully wide, easily identifiable, and highly intuitive to use. Aside from the good clicky responsiveness of each button, that's in large part down to the omission of the Search key, which we can't say we missed at all. Its absence paves the way for SE to center the Home button (a good thing) and generally simplifies a user control scheme that hardly needed to be quite so complex to begin with. The only downside to the Arc's buttonry is one we spotted with the Xperia Play as well -- there's no illumination for the key labels in the dark. You get a pair of lights marking the division between each key, but their purpose is basically indecipherable when the phone's used in the dark. An easily forgivable little foible, we'd say, on what is a very satisfying keypad.
The rest of the Arc's exterior is mostly uneventful, consisting of flowing, pretty lines, broken up by a volume rocker and MicroUSB port on its top left shoulder, a 3.5mm headphone jack directly opposite on the right, and an HDMI output and a rather tiny power / lock key at the top. There is a physical shutter button here, but it's positioned at the extreme bottom right of the handset, almost at the corner, which leads to awkward operation at times. Overall build quality feels robust and durable, though we're again under the impression that Sony Ericsson wasn't spending too richly in obtaining the construction materials. Nothing wrong with that for the most part, we don't begrudge manufacturers making savings where they don't cost the end product, but we did manage to induce a little creaking from the frame, particularly around the volume rocker.

Network
Technology / Frequency Bands	GSM : 850/900/1800/1900 MHz HSDPA : 900/1900/2100 MHz
	Battery
Type	Li - Ion
Capacity	1500 mAh
Standby	430 hours
Talktime	420 mins
	Built
Dimensions	125x63x8.7 mm
Weight	117 g
Form Factor	bar
Colors	Midnight Blue and Misty Silver
	Display
Size	pixels
Type	color : TFT
Colors	16000000 colors
Secondary Display	no
	Camera / Imaging / Video
Camera	Yes 8.1 MP
Resolution	3264x2448 pixels
Zoom	yes
Flash	yes
Video Out	yes
Secondary Camera	yes
	Secondary Camera
Flash	no
	Connectivity
Bluetooth	Yes
Irda	No
Wlan/Wi-fi	Yes
USB	yes
GPS	yes
	Data
GPRS	Yes
EDGE	Yes
3G	Yes
Internet Browsing	Yes , HTML
	Media
Audio Playback	Yes
Video Playback	Yes
Ringtones	MP3
FM Radio	Yes
3.5mm Headphone Jack	yes
	Memory
Inbuilt	512 MB
Memory Slot	Yes microSD/TransFlash
	Messaging
SMS	Yes
MMS	Yes
Email	Yes
	Software
Operating System	Android

BlackBerry Torch

2011-05-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

Mobile phone fans will be delighted with the latest offering from Blackberry. The Torch 9800 maintains the much loved features of previous models, namely the full Qwerty keypad, but has also been brought upto date with a brand new 3.2" touchscreen and new operating system.

In order to accommodate the excellent full keypad and a touch sensitive screen, this new model is a slider style design. When not in use the keypad tucks away neatly behind the screen. This means for accepting a call or quickly browsing the web users may take advantage of the very responsive display. To compose a lengthy e mail or message however, you can simply slide down the keypad to benefit from the more precise text input that it offers. In terms of design, the fact that numerous keys are now hidden away means the look is much sleeker than previous models. Measuring 111 x 62 x 14.6mm the handset is certainly not small, but considering what it fits within its frame this is no surprise. The phone does feel well built, and the weight of 161 grammes adds to this sturdy feel. The 3.2" screen boasts an HVGA quality at a resolution of 480 x 360 pixels and also includes light and proximity sensors. When the screen is slid upwards the keypad is revealed, adding a further 37mm to the overall height, but considering the convenience that this offers in the composition of e mails and messages, the extra size seems like a fair trade.

The Blackberry Torch comes with the latest version 6.0 operating system software pre installed. This is the first handset to offer this newest version, and although man details have not been released yet, we know the phone will feature a series of sliding homescreens similar to the iPhone. These are fully customisable, meaning you can put your own favourite shortcuts and links there, as well add links to your favourite media stored with the handsets 4GB of memory. This amount of memory is ample for general pone use, but for anybody wishing to use the phone as an audio player or to store video footage may want to take advantage of the handy micoSD card slot, which will allow for further memory to be added upto to 32GB. Blackberry's superb unified inbox is once again present on this model, meaning users can link multiple e mail accounts as well as social networking messages and SMS all in the one place. This is really a much easier way of handling incoming messages rather than using multiple applications.

The Blackberry Torch 9800 looks a very appealing handset, bringing together the great functionality of previous models with new features such as a touch screen and a very promising new operating system.

BlackBerry Torch 9800 Specs:

3.2 inch HVGA+ touch screen
480×360 pixels resolution
Optical trackpad
Slide-out QWERTY keyboard with backlighting
Light and proximity sensor
3.5mm stereo headset jack
Hands-free headset capable
Bluetooth headset capable
Integrated hands-free speaker phone
Bluetooth v2.1 with EDR
3G Connectivity
Wi-Fi
5 megapixel camera with continuous auto-focus
Image stabilization
2X digital zoom
VGA (640×480) video recording
Geotagging
512 MB flash memory
512 MB SDRAM
MicroSD card slot
4 GB internal memory
32GB expandable memory
4 GB media card included
Built-in GPS with BlackBerry Maps
Up to 30 hours music playback
Up to 6 hours video playback
Up to 18 days Standby Time
Up to 5.5 hours talk-time
1300 mAHr lithium-ion battery

This device is exclusively available for AT&T customers and it comes with a price tag of $200 with a 2 years contract.

Nokia 5233

2011-05-18T00:53:00.000-07:00

Unlike the other major brands, Nokia puts down his own event near the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. And with full attention, Nokia claims its own audience. One of the anticipated new mobile phones will be introduced is probably the Nokia 5233.
Nokia 5233 is the new touchphone by the Finnish company that appears now in a single depiction and a hint of technical data. This is a medium or low range mobile phone that is likely to have an affordable price. Aesthetically it is linear with the front fully dedicated to the touchscreen.

Its looks are quite similar to Nokia 5230 in its features and looks. See videos below for a full review of Nokia 5233:

Nokia 5233 is part of a series of presentations of new phones with photo and description of the flash.
Let’s look at the technical details of this brother of the Nokia 5230 and Nokia 5235 Comes With Music.

The Nokia 5233 is a full touchscreen smartphone with a 3.2-inch display, and
operating platform based on Symbian S60 5th edition.
We also know that has a 2-megapixel rear camera,
The Nokia 5233 should come out in the first six months of 2010according to rumors. We probably have more info on this after the MWC in Barcelona.

None of this info might be 100% true for now. The information i am giving has been circulating on the web
disseminated by the Russian site Mobile-review. We must only wait to find out more.
In conclusion, Nokia 5233 is a variant of the parent who already had accepted Nokia 5230 Comes With Music and 5235. The sheet should be quite remote from a 3.2-inch touch screen with a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels, the 2 megapixel camera, plus GPS and also there should be a 3.5 mm audio jack. If you have little bit more money to spend then I would still recommend you to buy Nokia 5800 if you can.

Specifications
Expand all Collapse all
Physical features, power and memory
Size
Form: Classic with touchscreen

Dimensions: 111 x 51.7 x 14.5/15.5 mm

Weight: 113 g (without stylus)

Weight: 115 g (with stylus)

Volume: 78 cc (without stylus) / 83 cc (with stylus)

Responsive touchscreen with tactile feedback

Accelerometer for auto-rotate

Proximity sensor to save power and prevent inadvertent touches

Handwriting recognition

Display and 3D
Size: 3.2"

Resolution: 640 x 360 pixels (nHD) with 16:9 picture

Up to 16.7 million colours

Full touchscreen display

Keys and input method
Touchscreen

Dedicated keys for camera, volume, power, send & end, and application launch (Menu), plus the media bar touch key for accessing music, gallery, share online, video centre and web browser

Homescreen music plug-in for pause/play, forward, back

Voice commands

Colours and covers
Available in-box colours:
- White/Red
- White/Silver
- Black/Dark silver

Changeable colour battery covers

Connectors
Micro-USB connector, USB 2.0 high speed

3.5 mm Nokia AV connector

Memory
microSD memory card slot, with hot swap max. 16 GB

70 MB internal dynamic memory

Power
BL-5J 1320 mAh Li-Ion standard battery

Standby time (maximum)
- Up to 455 h (2G)

Talk time (maximum)
- Up to 10.7 h (2G)

Video playback time (maximum): Mpeg-4 4.6hours, nHD 3 hours

Music playback time (maximum): 33 h

Environmental Features
Energy efficiency: Power Save mode, unplug charger reminder, Nokia High Efficiency Charger (AC-3N)

Eco content and services: Eco zone via Download!/Ovi store, eco bookmarks, content and personalization

Materials: free of PVC

Device is up to 80 % recyclable

Packaging: up to 60 % recycled material, 100 % recyclable

User manual: black&white printing

Communication and navigation
Operating frequency
GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900

Automatic switching between GSM bands

Flight mode

Data network
CSD

HSCSD

GPRS/EGPRS Class B, multislot class 32, maximum speed 177/296kbps (DL/UL)

EDGE class B, multislot class 32, maximum speed 177/296 kbps (DL/UL)

TCP/IP support

Local connectivity and synchronisation
Bluetooth version 2.0
- Bluetooth profiles: A2DP, AVRCP

MTP (Mobile Transfer Protocol) support

Direct printing to compatible picture printers

Support for PC synchronisation with Nokia Ovi Suite

Service
Speaker-independent name dialling (SIND)

Call features
Integrated hands-free speakerphone

Automatic answer with headset or car kit

Any key answer

Call waiting, call hold, call divert

Call timer

Logging of dialled, received and missed calls

Automatic redial

Speed dialling

Voice dialling: speaker independent dialling and voice commands (SIND)

Fixed dialling number support

Vibrating alert (internal), also with tactile feedback

Side volume keys

Mute/unmute

Contacts bar for 20 contacts with images and communication history (SMS, email, web feeds)

Talking ring tones

Conference calling with up to 6 participants

Messaging
SMS

Multiple SMS deletion

MMS version 1.3, message size up to 600 kb

Automatic resizing of images for MMS

Nokia Xpress audio messaging

Common inbox for SMS and MMS messages

Number screening for messaging

Distribution lists for messaging

Cell broadcast

E-mail
Supported protocols: IMAP, POP, SMTP

Support for e-mail attachments

OMA e-mail notification support

Web browsing
Supported markup languages: HTML, XHTML, WML

Supported protocols: HTTP, WAP, JavaScript

TCP/IP support

OSS browser

Nokia Mobile Search

Image and sound
Photography
2 megapixel camera

Image formats: JPEG

CMOS sensor

3x digital zoom

White balance modes: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent

Center weighted auto exposure; exposure compensation: +2 ~ -2EV at 0.5 step

Colour tone modes: normal, sepia, black & white, vivid, negative

Dedicated camera key

Landscape (horizontal) orientation

Photo editor on device

Video
Main camera
- Video recording at up to 640 x 480 pixels and up to 30 fps (TV high quality), up to 640 x 352 pixels and up to 30 fps (widescreen quality), up to 320 x 240 pixels and up to 30 fps/15 fps (email high/normal quality), up to 176 x 144 and up to 15 fps (sharing quality)
- Up to 4x digital zoom

Video recording file formats: .mp4, .3gp

Audio recording formats: WAV (normal), AMR (MMS), AAC/MP4 (high quality)

Video white balance modes: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent

Scene modes: automatic, night

Colour tone modes: normal, sepia, black & white, vivid, negative

Clip length (maximum): 1 h 30 min (high or normal quality). Dependable on available memory

RealPlayer

Video playback file formats: MPEG4-SP playback 30fps VGA, MPEG4-AVC playback 30fps QVGA, WMV9 playback 30fps QVGA, MPEG4-SP playback 30 fps nHD

Video streaming: 3GPP and CIF

Landscape mode video playback

Video ring tones

Video editor on device

Video Centre service supported: download and stream video content, WMV support, video feeds

Music and audio playback
Music playback file formats: MP3, MP4, AAC, eAAC+, WMA

Dedicated music keys

FM radio with RDS

3.5 mm stereo headphone plug

2.5 mm Nokia AV connector

Nokia Ovi Player

Ovi Music store support

Nokia Podcasting support

Ring tones: mp3, aac, 64-tone polyphonic (64 built-in tones)

Integrated speaker

Voice and audio recording
Voice commands

Voice dialling

Personalisation: profiles, themes, ring tones
Ring tones: 3D, 64-tone polyphonic, mp3 and video ring tones

Video ring tone

Software
Sales package contents
Accessories

Apple iphone 4

2011-05-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

Size and weight¹

Height:: 4.5 inches (115.2 mm)
Width:: 2.31 inches (58.6 mm)
Depth:: 0.37 inch (9.3 mm)
Weight:: 4.8 ounces (137 grams)

Cellular and wireless

GSM model: UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
CDMA model: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz)
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR wireless technology

Location

Assisted GPS
Digital compass
Wi-Fi
Cellular

Power and battery²

Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
Talk time:

Up to 7 hours on 3G
Up to 14 hours on 2G (GSM model only)

Standby time: Up to 300 hours

Internet use:

Up to 6 hours on 3G
Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi

Video playback: Up to 10 hours

Audio playback: Up to 40 hours

Mac system requirements

Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
iTunes 10.1 or later (free download fromwww.itunes.com/download)
iTunes Store account
Internet access

Windows system requirements

PC with USB 2.0 port
Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
iTunes 10.1 or later (free download fromwww.itunes.com/download)
iTunes Store account
Internet access

Environmental requirements

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F
(0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F
(-20° to 45° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Capacity³

16GB or 32GB flash drive

Color

White or black

Display

Retina display
3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
960-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi
800:1 contrast ratio (typical)
500 cd/m2 max brightness (typical)
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front and back
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Audio playback

Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
User-configurable maximum volume limit

TV and video

Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Apple VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cables sold separately)

Languages

Language support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malay, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, and Vietnamese
Keyboard support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), French (Canadian), French (Switzerland), German, Traditional Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin, Zhuyin, Cangjie, Wubihua), Simplified Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin, Wubihua), Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese (Romaji, Ten Key), Japanese (Kana), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Estonian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Lithuanian, Latvian, Flemish, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malay, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Bulgarian, Serbian (Cyrillic/Latin), Catalan, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Macedonian, and Cherokee
Dictionary support (enables predictive text and autocorrect) for English (U.S.), English (UK), French, German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese (Romaji), Japanese (Kana), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Flemish, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malaysian, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, Vietnamese, and Cherokee

Camera, photos, and video
Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio

5-megapixel still camera

VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second with the front camera

Tap to focus video or still images

LED flash

Photo and video geotagging

External buttons and controls

Sensors
Three-axis gyro

Accelerometer

Proximity sensor

Ambient light sensor

Connectors and input/output

Headphones
Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic

Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz

Impedance: 32 ohms

Rating for hearing aids⁴
iPhone 4 (GSM model)
3G network - 850/1900MHz: M4, T4

2G network - 850MHz: M3, T3

2G network - 1900MHz: M2, T3

iPhone 4 (CDMA model)
M4, T4

In the box
iPhone 4

Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic

Dock Connector to USB Cable

USB Power Adapter

Mail attachment support
Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Samsung Corby S3650

2011-05-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Like every maker out there, Samsung are keen to keep users coming back for more. But serving, inspiring and entertaining today's crowd is not enough it seems. So the next step is raising future Samsung users. The S3650 Corby is tech-savvy and fresh - just like its target audience. And this entry level touchscreen seems to quite nicely suit both the user's liking and bill-payer's budget.

The S3650 Corby is for youngsters that are keen on technology, for active social networkers, for those who like to personalize and customize. The budget price implies no fancy stuff but the wide range of features is absolutely relevant to the target audience.

Samsung S3650 Corby is a very fresh looking handset too - distinct shape and bold paintjobs. It won't really make much sense in adult hands but the Fashion Jackets - bright-colored interchangeable rear covers - are perhaps as strong a selling point as the capacitive touchscreen. There're two extra Jackets in the retail box to make the time spent with the S3650 Corby even more personal experience.

On the social side, the Samsung S3650 Corby offers Facebook, MySpace and Twitter integration, while photo and video sharing are taken care of with direct uploads to YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and Photobucket. You can update your status on the various social networking sites and receive updates from your friends via a neat pop-up notification feature. All that is a tap away on the 2.8" capacitive touchscreen.

Key features

Quad-band GSM/EDGE
2.8" capacitive TFT touchscreen of QVGA resolution
90 MB onboard storage, microSD card slot (up to 8GB)
2 megapixel fixed-focus camera with smile detection, QVGA@15fps video recording
FM radio with RDS
Find Music recognition service
TouchWiz and Cartoon UI
Social networking integration with direct file uploads
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB v.2.0
Office document viewer
Smart unlock
Interchangeable rear covers (Fashion Jackets), ships with two extra panels
Relatively low price for a full touch phone (around 150 euro)

Main disadvantages

No 3G
The camera has no autofocus or flash
No accelerometer for screen auto rotation
No on-screen QWERTY keyboard
Proprietary connectivity port
No smart dialing
microSD slot under the battery cover

Budget and low end can be easily mixed up with the Corby. But along with the features mentioned above, the basic handset has a lot of the technology used in the more expensive Samsung Jet. The S3650 Corby supports the same finger zoom feature, it has smart unlock and runs the widget-based TouchWiz user interface - not to mention the nice Samsung's home-brew web browser.

The S3650 Corby is by no means different than the latest crop of low and midrange Samsung touchscreens but its distinct styling and targeting sure make it worth a peek. Hit the jump for more cool photos and a 3D spin. We then proceed with handling and ergonomics.

Also known as Samsung S3650 Genio Touch

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	Announced	2009, August
	Status	Available. Released 2009, September

SIZE	Dimensions	103 x 56.5 x 12 mm
SIZE	Weight	90 g

DISPLAY	Type	TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors
	Size	240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inches
		- Gorilla Glass display - Smart unlock - Cartoon UI

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; Downloadable polyphonic, MP3 ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	No
		- DNSe (Digital Natural Sound Engine)

MEMORY	Phonebook	1000 contacts, Photocall
	Call records	Yes
	Internal	50 MB
	Card slot	microSD, up to 8 GB, buy memory

DATA	GPRS	Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
	EDGE	Class 10, 236.8 kbps
	3G	No
	WLAN	No
	Bluetooth	Yes, v2.1 with A2DP
	Infrared port	No
	USB	Yes, v2.0

CAMERA	Primary	2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels
	Features	Smile detection
	Video	Yes, QVGA@15fps
	Secondary	No

FEATURES	Messaging	SMS, MMS, Email
	Browser	WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
	Radio	Stereo FM radio with RDS
	Games	Yes + downloadable
	Colors	Jamaican Yellow, Cupid Pink, Minimal White, and Festival Orange; 2 Fashion Jackets
	GPS	No
	Java	Yes, MIDP 2.0
		- Social networking integration with live updates - MP3/WMA/eAAC+ player - Find Music recognition service - H.263/H.264/MP4/WMV player - Organizer - Voice memo - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Standard battery, Li-Ion 960 mAh
	Stand-by	Up to 730 h
	Talk time	Up to 9 h

Mobile Galaxy

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The Verdict

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Carrier

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Form Factor

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Processor

Camera

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Storage

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Battery

Dimensions

Media

Mail

T-Mobile G2x

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Samsung Galaxy 5 i5503

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Built

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Connectivity

Data

Media

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Messaging

Software

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Apple iphone 4

Size and weight1

Cellular and wireless

Location

Power and battery2

Mac system requirements

Windows system requirements

Environmental requirements

Capacity3

Color

Display

Audio playback

TV and video

Languages

Camera, photos, and video

External buttons and controls

Sensors

Connectors and input/output

Headphones

Rating for hearing aids4

In the box

Mail attachment support

Size and weight¹

Power and battery²

Capacity³

Rating for hearing aids⁴