Daily Phone Review

LG Prime Prepaid GoPhone (AT&T)

2011-01-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

Sleek and solid, fun and functional, the LG Prime helps you stay connected whenever and wherever you roam thanks to the included AT&T Social Net application, which allows you to view and manage all your social networking connections and updates from Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. It also features a bright touchscreen display, and 2-megapixel camera/camcorder for snapping pics and recording video on the go.

With AT&T's GoPhone pay-as-you-go service, you get all the benefits of wireless without the surprises--no long-term contracts, credit checks, or deposits. And this phone even comes with $50 of airtime included. You can easily refill your minutes via prepaid cards or the Internet, or choose to prepay each month and roll over unused minutes.

You can choose from a variety of plans that suit your individual needs--including monthly and daily plans with unlimited talk and text messaging as well as a simple per-minute plan. And with the unlimited plans, a Rollover Balance lets you carry over your unused account balance when you refill before your balance expires, up to the account maximum (learn more below).

Other features of the LG Prime include a multi-format digital audio player, an integrated FM radio, Bluetooth for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, microSD memory expansion (to 16 GB), access to mobile e-mail and instant messaging services, and a rating of up to four hours of talk time.

CLICK TO READ MORE

Customer Reviews.

By Mike.

I've only had prepaid phones, since I am not able to go on my own contract yet. I've had Net10, Virgin Mobile, Verizon, and my family has U.S. Cellular. And I can tell you this: AT&T blows every single one of them out of the water. 4-5 bars everywhere within 30 miles(because that's the furthest I've gone with it yet), fast enough internet for my taste.

The LG Prime is a magnificent phone. It dies a way better job at being a camera and an iPod than, well, my camera and iPod. My camera is an 8.2 megapixel, this phone is 2. For being a 2mp camera, it looks very nice. And as far as iPod, I put 550 songs on my microSD card, and this thing loads faster and sounds better than my iPod. And the thing I really like is that I can just plug it into the AUX in my car, and the sound quality far surpasses that of an iPod. And I don't have to mess around with iTunes, nor do I have to convert the files. It plays them right off the microSD, in mp3 format.

I'm new to touch screens, but the touch screen on this thing is amazing. Every once in a while, I accidentally hit a wrong key when texting, but that's because I have a bit wider fingers than most. Not a big deal. Another thing I like is just the convenience of it. I'm used to flip phones, and the most I had before this was a Net10 texting phone, and this is so much better. The touch keypad is much, much better.

And I also like AT&T's plans way better as well. I don;t talk much on the phone almost strictly text, so if I really wanted to I could just do a $30 a month plan, with 20 each month to unlimited text and I'd have 100 minutes every month in case of emergencies or whatever. And if I want unlimited internet, then I'd just have to buy $50 a month. Still cheaper than really any contract.

It satisfied all of my needs and much more. I was just expecting it to be a touch screen cell phone, but I got a new camera and a way better iPod along with it.

See all customer reviews...

Apple iPhone 4 Black Smartphone 16GB

2011-01-01T05:24:00.000-08:00

Review By: Shoot Me "The Messenger".

This is the best mobile phone I have ever owned. I held off on buying the iPhone for the first three generations because it is locked to AT&T in the USA and you can only acquire apps through Apple's proprietary App Store. This sort of closed platform was a real put-off to me (and still is), but when it came time to buy a new mobile phone (my old one was dying) I knew there was only one choice. So I bit the bullet and got an iPhone 4.

It's damn near perfect. I can't speak for the small percentage of users having the infamous antenna problem because it has not affected me, and I strongly suspect the press is blowing that issue out of proportion to drive traffic to their websites or whatever. Don't pay too much attention to that though because even the best technology is still not perfect. The iPhone 4 is not perfect, but it IS the best technology in the mobile phone market today. Apple takes great care to ensure that its products will be intuitive and user-friendly. Compare the touch functionality of the Droid to that of the iPhone and you will know what I'm talking about. Apple also owns the patents on such unique technology, so don't expect the Droid to surpass the iPhone anytime soon.

With this 4th generation model we have seen more new features introduced than ever before. First of all, the Retina Display is a pleasure to use and once you use it you will come to view all lower resolution displays as sub-standard. The resolution bump in the outward-facing camera as well as the introduction of a user-facing camera is what really sold me on this product. The boost in battery life assures that you will no longer need to worry about your iPhone's battery dying half-way through the day - unless you do a LOT of gaming on it! It utilizes the A4 chip, same as the iPad, so it's plenty fast. It is thinner and lighter than previous models, the volume controls and vibrate switch have been made more durable, it has a built-in gyroscope, supports FaceTime video chat and on-the-go video editing via the iMovie app.

Click to read complete reviews

BlackBerry 9800 Torch Phone

2010-12-23T05:41:00.000-08:00

The first BlackBerry smartphone to feature the highly anticipated BlackBerry 6 OS, the BlackBerry Torch offers a unique design that features a hi-resolution touchscreen display, slide-down full QWERTY keyboard, and optical trackpad. Packed with business tools as well as socially connected apps, the Torch also provides a desktop-like browsing experience via its 3.2-inch touchscreen, which enables you to navigate quickly through full-page views, multitask with tabbed browsing, and see the details with Pinch to Zoom.

The intuitive new BlackBerry 6 OS includes a rich graphical interface and new touch menus for quick access to your next action or needed application. It includes a set of pre-loaded apps to get you started, including Bloomberg, ESPN, The Weather Channel, and Slacker Radio content in addition to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and more. It also includes Universal Search, group messaging for collaboration, and AT&T's Web Video Search--a unique new app that searches video content from over 70 major Internet video Web sites.

CLICK TO READ MORE

Customer Reviews:

By Amber Hinds.
I was excited to receive this new phone a few months ago! The phone is easy to use and the updates were quick. I have issues with dropped calls but that could be ATT's service in the area. The phone has a great easy to read screen, lots of memory for aps and photos! Over all, if you can get this on sale you are good to go!

Downfall of buying a new phone is the protective covers that work are hard to find. I have purchased a few and returned all.

See all 64 customer reviews...

Samsung Fascinate Android Phone

2010-12-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

The super-smart Samsung Fascinate for Verizon Wireless brings a fully integrated entertainment, messaging, and social networking experience to your mobile phone, thanks to its open and innovative Android 2.1 platform. You'll be able to zip through the Web and multitask between a bevy of apps with the Fascinate's 1 GHz processor and ultra-fast 7.2 Mbps 3G connectivity.

In addition to high-speed connectivity on the fast and reliable Verizon Wireless 3G network, you can also share the built-in 3G Mobile Hotspot via Wi-Fi among five devices--laptop, another phone, MP3 player, and more (additional service charge).

The Samsung Fascinate is also compatible with the V Cast Music with Rhapsody service, which enables you to purchase songs through your phone and download them via the fast Verizon Wireless 3G EV-DO data network, and the V CAST Video on Demand service that enables you to watch full-length TV shows plus news, sports, weather, and live entertainment video clips. You'll also stay on course thanks to the VZ Navigator GPS turn-by-turn direction service. And with the optional Visual Voice Mail service, you'll be able to quickly and easily scroll through your messages and pick the ones you want to listen to.

CLICK TO READ MORE

Customer Reviews:

By: Zachary Toliver.
First, I'll start off by saying this is the greatest phone I have ever used. The combination of features and customization allow for a great mobile experience. Friends of mine that own an IPhone say they wish they had my phone because the 3G and 3GS are becoming obsolete and slow.

This phone is blazing fast, especially when rooted and using a lag fix. With this phone, I have had no annoying slowdowns or CPU farts in the three months I've had it. The UI is great and allows for a lot of customization. You can even download apps like LauncherPro which allow for even more customization of the home screens and UI.

See all 40 customer reviews...

LG KP500 Cookie Unlocked Phone with 3.2 MP Camera

2010-12-19T03:38:00.000-08:00

Designed to allow more people to experience a taste of touch technology at an attractive price, the LG KP500 Cookie is packed full of advanced features usually found exclusively in premium full touchscreen handsets. Its easily accessible multimedia features--available through widgets as well as shortcut icons--provide a fun and easy mobile experience with a single touch of its 3-inch screen. It comes with a stylus that tucks away in the back of the phone and features easy-to-use handwriting recognition.

You'll be able to capture still photos and video clips on the go thanks to the 3.2-megapixel camera, as well as enjoy advanced gaming thanks to the touchscreen and the Cookie's motion sensor technology. Other features include Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, MicroSD memory expansion, digital audio player, stereo FM with RDS capabilities, access to personal email with a document viewer, and over three hours of talk time.

Unlocked Phone.
This unlocked cell phone can be used with a GSM network service provider and it provides quad-band connectivity (850/900/1800/1900 MHz). It does not come with a SIM card, and it requires that you provide a SIM card for usage with your selected service provider.

Phone Features:
The Cookie's large 3-inch touchscreen (240 x 400 pixels, 256K colors) provides an optimized interface for all forms of multimedia content, and its rotating display automatically shifts from narrow to wide mode and vice versa according to the contents and your position. The large screen size and excellent color depth make it ideal for watching movies, taking pictures, browsing the Internet, and creating and editing drawings and documents. The Home screen menu from LG's Flash user interface (UI) provides quick access to your calendar, alarm clock and digital audio player. The optimized QWERTY keyboard, which automatically comes out when the screen is in wide display mode, enables fast and easy input for email and text-messaging.

CLICK TO READ MORE

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:

By Stephen:
The phone came in on time and everything is great. As for the manual, I got a German one so I had to figure out how to set up all the things in the phone by myself. I was skeptical as to how hard punching in the keys were, but the other reviews online are right. THE KEYS ARE A LITTLE HARD TO PUNCH at times, but when you get used to it, it's not that bad. Overall, I love this phone!

See all 221 customer reviews...

Nokia X3 Slider GSM Quad-Band Unlocked

2010-12-10T04:31:00.000-08:00

Cool and confident: A pristine and high-tech design that can be recognized fitting in with friends and trends, this slim music slider fits easily in the pocket. The symmetrical speaker design makes it clear to all that the stereo speakers deliver big sound. The subtly recessed screen and smooth sliding movement provide delicate refinements in a fresh design. The diamond cut metal music keys, beautiful brushed metal slide, metal camera details, and comfortable sized keypad for easy text input express the high quality construction. Available in a range of five bold, expressive colors. Loud and rich stereo speakers offer an incredible music playback and FM radio experience. With XpressRadio you can listen to radio with others like a normal radio—no headsets needed. Use the dedicated music keys, illuminated on the Navi ring, for easy access to music player and radio operations, and the 3.5mm AV connector for your own headset and external portable speakers.

Click Here To Read More

Customer Reviews

This phone is amazing. I have had this phone for about a month and it is all that I hoped it would be. I go to the gym daily and it was cumbersome taking my mp3 player and my cell phone to work out. Now, with his Nokia, I just grab it and go. I have my phone and an MP3 player all in one. I love it.

See all 31 customer reviews...

Nokia X6 Unlocked GSM Phone

2010-12-04T18:08:00.000-08:00

A powerful entertainment and on-the-go social networking device, the Nokia X6 mobile phone features a lush 3.2-inch widescreen capacitive touch display, 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash, integrated GPS with free Ovi Maps Navigation, and 16 GB of internal memory. You'll have tons of space to save your pictures, music, video clips, and data, and you can always grab more games and applications downloaded from the Ovi Store.

The home screen features a dedicated Media Bar touch key for quick access to your stored music and video, online sharing sites, and Web browser. It also includes a customizable Contacts Bar where you can easily make calls and manage messages as well as follow up to 20 web feeds from online friends through their social networks, personal blogs, Twitter feeds, and more. You'll be able to quickly send text messages and email as well as update your own status thanks to the onscreen QWERTY keyboard, which automatically changes orientation depending on how the phone is rotated.

Running the latest version of the Symbian operating system, the Nokia X6 includes pre-loaded games (including Spore by EA and DJ Mix Tour by Gameloft). Other features include Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, a full HTML web browser, access to personal and corporate email (with ability to view attachments), stereo FM radio, and up to six hours of talk time on 3G networks (up to 11.5 hours on standard non-3G GSM networks).

click here to read more

Customer Reviews:
This is the best phone I have owned so far. very much satisfied with the perfomance of the phone. Touch screen works great so far..Hope it remains the same for a couple of years...camera is so so..but serves the purpose..GPS feature is really cool..websites open really fast on WIfi...youtube videos are clear..what more can u ask...iWould say worth the money spent..
› See all 48 customer reviews...

HTC EVO 4G Android Phone

2010-12-02T05:36:00.000-08:00

Exclusively from Sprint, the HTC EVO 4G mobile phone is the world's first 3G/4G Android handset, offering simultaneous voice and data connectivity and download speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G. Additionally, the HTC EVO 4G can still connect to 3G data services in areas not currently served by Sprint's 4G network.

Packed full of powerful mobile communication and multimedia features, the HTC EVO 4G has a large, vibrant 4.3 inch display and a built-in kickstand for easy viewing of videos--from Sprint TV programming to HD movies captured on the 8-megapixel auto-focus camera. It's powered by a screaming fast 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and Google's Android 2.1 operating system. With integrated Google technology, the HTC EVO 4G brings one-touch access to the popular Google mobile services millions use every day, including Google Search by Voice, YouTube and Picasa. The HTC EVO 4G also provides easy access to both personal and corporate email, calendars, and contacts supported by Exchange Server and Gmail.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Customer Reviews

By Jheezy:
I work for a local Sprint store and I've sold many of these phones, and finally I got one for myself.. I wish I would have gotten one so much sooner. This phone does EVERYTHING I want it to do, and more. The amount different applications are absurd. This phone has replaced my Garmin GPS, the Google Maps GPS Navigation is superior. The screen is AMAZING. I use the mobile hotspot for my home computer. Of course the battery could be better.. but this phone is really more a handheld computer that makes phone calls. I carry a spare charger in my car and if I know I'm going to be away from a power source for an amount of time, I pop in the 3500 mah extended battery from Seidio.

Coming from someone inside the industry, this is the best phone I've ever had.

See all 124 customer reviews...

Motorola RAZR V3i Dolce & Gabbana Unlocked

2010-11-28T16:13:00.003-08:00

You've probably seen the wildly popular Motorola RAZR V3 in someone's hand before. With the quad-band GSM RAZR V3i, Motorola has made it even better. The sexy design is still here, as is the all-metal construction. This time, though, the phone boasts an updated and streamlined design, enhanced video capture and playback capabilities, a 1.23 megapixel camera, and a hot-swappable MicroSD memory card slot.

Put a little luxury in your pocket with the RAZR V3i Dolce & Gabbana.
And now when you thought it couldn't get any better, Dolce & Gabbana and Motorola have partnered up to release the latest version of the v3i: The RAZR V3i D & G. The phone unites the elegance and unique design of Motorola V3i with the individual style and attitude of D & G. The V3i DG features the famous RAZR slim shape, includes an anodized aluminum gold finish that reflects your impeccable taste, and its music player runs on Apple's popular iTunes software.

Design

At .55 inches thick, the RAZR V3i is virtually the same thickness as the original RAZR. And like the original RAZR, the phone's design takes the standard clamshell form factor to the next level with an impressive, fully-anodized aluminum construction. A large 176 x 220 color display with 262,000 colors dominates the inside of the top cover. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary 96 x 80 full-color display that can display caller ID pictures, time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The 1.23 megapixel camera lens is housed above this display. Up/down buttons are placed on the left side for volume control.

Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's backlit control pad, which is precision cut from a single sheet of nickel-plated copper alloy. A mini-USB port is provided, which, while useful for fast data transfer, can also be used with compatible USB stereo headsets. Note that the phone does not have a standard 2.5mm headset jack...Read More

Samsung Captivate Android Phone

2010-11-27T05:23:00.000-08:00

The super-smart Samsung Captivate for AT&T brings a fully integrated entertainment, messaging and social networking experience to your mobile phone, thanks to its open and innovative Android 2.1 platform. You'll be able to zip through the Web and multitask between a bevy of apps with the Captivate's 1 GHz processor and ultra-fast 7.2 Mbps 3G connectivity.

With integrated Google technology, the Samsung Captivate brings one-touch access to the popular Google mobile services millions use every day, including Google Search by voice, Google Maps with Street View, GTalk instant messaging (with presence capabilities), YouTube, and Picasa. The Captivate also provides easy access to both personal and corporate e-mail, calendars, and contacts supported by Exchange Server and Gmail. And through Android Market, you'll get access to thousands of useful applications, widgets and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day.

The Captivate has a large 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display that provides brighter, thinner, and higher-resolution than traditional screens. Samsung's innovative display technology makes watching movies, viewing videos and playing games come to life like never before, even in bright light and outdoor environments. And messaging is simple and easy with the Captivate's virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype technology, which allows you to input text faster and in a more intuitive way with one continuous finger motion across the screen keyboard.

At 0.39 inches (9.9mm) thin, the Captivate is the thinnest Android smartphone on the market, and it packs in a 16 GB internal memory plus 5-megapixel camera/camcorder with auto-focus and HD video recording (720p resolution). Other features include fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 3.0 technology for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, microSD memory expansion (for optional cards up to 16 GB in size), and just under 6 hours of talk time.

Key Features

* Fast 3G connectivity via AT&T's HSDPA/UMTS network (850/1900 MHz bands; 3.6/7.2 Mbps speeds with network availability).
* Ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n) for accessing home and corporate networks as well as hotspots while on the go. Connect for free using one of the over 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide.
* Powered by the Android operating system (version 2.1) with deep integration of Google services and access to thousands of apps to customize your phone via the Android Market.
* 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor speeds up everything--from playing games to watching shows to opening files from work.
* Swype input system allows you to input text faster and easier by gliding your finger around the keyboard, moving from letter to letter in one continuous motion. The Swype technology then calculates what word you're intending to type (learn more below).
* Samsung Social Hub provides one stop for all your updates integrates all your social networking services, messages, personal and business e-mail, calendars and contacts.
* 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display (480 x 800 pixels, 16 million color depth) is one of the thinnest, most responsive full-featured smartphones in the industry.
* 5.0-megapixel camera/camcorder with auto-focus and HD video recording (720p)
* Intelligent voice processor helps enhance voice and suppress noise for clear communications nearly anywhere. Like the human ear, the chip isolates your voice, and filters out all the unwanted background noise, for unsurpassed mobile call clarity without the noise from a busy street, loud public places, nearby conversations or even sirens going by.
* Multi-format digital audio player
* Next-generation Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity provides faster throughput while minimizing on power requirements. It's compatible with new Bluetooth 3.0-enabled devices as well as backward compatible with older Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as headsets and printers. It includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and the A2DP Bluetooth profile--enabling you to wirelessly stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones or speaker dock.
* 16 GB internal memory
* Memory expansion via microSD card slot with support for optional cards up to 16 GB.
* YouTube app for streaming video over 3G and Wi-Fi connections.
* Rich HTML e-mail application seamlessly syncs your e-mail, calendar and contacts from Gmail as well as most other POP3 or IMAP e-mail services. The Gmail application provides features such as conversation view, spam filtering, search, and labels that Gmail users enjoy on their computer while offering new features such as integration with the phone's contact list. And it multitasks, so you can read a Web page while also downloading your e-mail in the background.
* Full HTML Web browser enables you to view more pages and enjoy better Web content delivered efficiently to your phone.
* Instant messaging support for Google Talk, as well as AOL, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. It also supports advanced text messaging features, enabling you to easily flag, delete or move groups of messages and keep track of group conversations through threaded text messaging.
* Text (SMS) and picture/video (MMS) messaging
* Google Calendar app syncs with the Web-based version, so any event that you add to your phone will show up on the Web-based Google Calendar (and vice versa).
* Free AT&T Address Book service allows you to sync your contacts to an online address book, enabling you to access and manage your mobile contacts from your handset--or your PC. From the online interface, you can import contacts from other Web-based address books, such as personal e-mail accounts, as well as send text messages to your contacts' mobile numbers.

Customer Reviews

By Bargainbaby:

After breaking two iphones, I knew it was to delicate of a phone for me. So, I switched to the Samsung Captivate, as the battery is easily removable (to dry out in case of water spillage). Now I can't remember what I miss about the iphone. The apps are great, I love speech to text. My hotmail account was able to be set up as an emaiil app(had problems with the iphone and windows phone) Driod is user friendly and you can arrange applications on different home screens. I did learn that you cannot set specific text notifications tones to specific contacts. Tip* you can change the text notification tone from messaging screen under settings, instead of going through the settings application function.* I am sure most people could figure that out, but I had the chicken dance song stuck as my text alert and couldn't figure out how to remove it. I did install samsung kies, and when you work around it, you can store your contacts and import music. I am not a techy so I hope the I used the right terminology. The phone just needs a flash. Good Luck !

See all customer reviews...

Sony Ericsson C510a Cyber-Shot Unlocked

2010-11-25T05:01:00.000-08:00

Product Description

Entry-level 3G Cybershot Phone (Unlocked) 12.5mm thick 3G Cybershot phone with 3.2MP imager, SmileShutter, Face Detection, photo and video blogging. 2.2? QVGA 262K color TFT display, Media Player, FM radio, Bluetooth A2DP, M2 slot (no M2 stick included in box). GSM 850/900/1800/1900; UMTS HSPA 850/1900/2100

Product Features

* Face detection (up to 3 faces)
* Smile Shutter - automatically snaps the shot when a smile is detected
* Photo light illuminates for a better picture when lighting is poor
* Built-in stereo FM radio
* Rotating the phone in portrait or landscape mode and the picture follows due to the built-in accelerometer

Dimensions

* Size (LWH): 3.5 inches, 5.1 inches, 5.1 inches
* Weight: 11.2 ounces.

Product Features

* Minimum Rated Talk Time: 600 minutes
* Minimum Rated Standby Time: 400 hours
* Vibrating Alert

Customer Reviews

By Thang Nguyen (Denver, CO)
This is a great low-cost Sony Ericsson phone. I've owned a lot of different phones in the past from the Samsung SGH-D900 (Black Carbon), Sony Ericsson W800i, Apple iPhone 2G, and Apple iPhone 3G. Compared to those phones, I would have to rate this phone just as good as those.

Physically the phone is built quite well. There is a slider which protects the camera lens and allows you to take photos when open. The phone has good reception (especially compared to my Samsung SGH-D900), the voices come through clear during phone calls, and the built in speaker has great sound (especially with MP3's and other music.

Also the built in web-browser does a great job but I really must recommend that you download Opera Mini. Pages load in around 2 seconds in 3G or HSDPA (in Denver) it seems as opposed to the Sony Browser which takes around 5 seconds +. What I also like is that the text messages can be displayed in a conversational text which looks like instant messaging. Those familiar with the iPhone texting will be right at home with this.

The only few negatives I could think of is that the camera is only 3.2 megapixel, there's no zoom on the camera unless you're in VGA mode, there's only an LED flash (no Xenon), and my IM (instant messaging) program was missing (I downloaded a new one).

Overall I'm going to have to rate this phone a 4 out of a 5. Mostly for it's features and it's price point.

See all costumer reviews....

BlackBerry Gemini 8520 Unlocked Phone

2010-11-23T22:08:00.000-08:00

Product Description

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone fits neatly in your hand, and comes with a full QWERTY keyboard that makes typing and sending messages easy, and comfortable. The bright screen displays over 65,000 colors, providing a great viewing experience. Access what's important with trackpad navigation. Like a laptop, the trackpad lets you scroll through menus, icons, and information by gliding your finger over it. Press and click to select an item and navigate to where you want to go. Control music and multimedia with dedicated media keys found atop the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone. Skip over songs, pause music to talk, or repeat your favorites over and over. You can even mute phone calls with the easy-access mute button.

Product Features and Technical Details

* This unlocked cell phone is compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Not all carrier features may be supported. It will not work with CDMA carriers like Verizon Wireless, Alltel and Sprint.
* Unlocked Quad Band: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 and GPRS capabilities
* 2.0MP Digital Camera, High-resolution display with 320 x 240 65.000 colors TFT and 2.46 inches, 35 key backlit QWERTY keyboard, Trackpad, Intuitive icons and menus, Bluetooth® enabled with Stereo Profile (A2DP), Wi-Fi® 802.11b/g enabled
* Video format support: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV3, Audio format support: AAC-LC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, WMA9 (.wma/.asf), WMA9 PRO/WMA 10, AAC-LC with 3.5mm Headset Support
* Talk time up to 5 hours - Standby up to 17 days

Dimensions

* Size (LWH): 0.54 inches, 2.36 inches, 4.29 inches
* Weight: 3.68 ounces

Product Features

* Minimum Rated Talk Time: 270 minutes
* Minimum Rated Standby Time: 408 hours
* Battery Type: Lithium Ion
* Vibrating Alert

Most Helpful Customer Reviews By pinknblu "jenn"

I gave it a four because when I first got it, it took me time to see and get used to the keys because they are kind-of small. If you want bigger buttons get 8330, my sister has one, wish I could switch with hers, but mine is newer and no tracking ball, which I really like to.. about this phone. Its sleek and easy to navigate..Before I had this one I had the 8120, ah--big difference the charge on 8520 last longer and takes a little time to charge up, but its worth it. Also, the keys I wished lighted up a bit brighter, BUT like I said once you have it after a few days you get used to it. My one problem with as I am thinking off the top of my head ..is there are not enough apps to go with or themes made for this model. I am a geek for that, but as of now I have been able to download a few off my blackberry 8120 to my 8520.

Also, checking around i was able to get a few more themes, that are just awesome. The 2gb memory card that comes with it I took out and put in my 4gb from my 8120 in it. I read somewhere it can go to 16gb and pretty soon it will go 34gb...its in the works now.

I will say the quality in web browsing is GREAT and I have had no problems with dropped calls, lost signal, or getting frustrated with where are the keys for texting; all the numbers are on the left side..feels weird but after a day or so, it works better than my other blkberry which was the 8120.

Also there's a dictionary to while your texting, a firewall..it is just way better than I expected. If I go all over, I apologize, I am giving you want I can tell you about this product as I'm writing I'm having a flashback...lol. Now if your a geek like me with apps, there aren't that many games for this Rim..I am waiting for new apps to become more available for my phone for some reason, 8320 has the most..kind-of peeves me at times, wen I am looking around as to adding to my phone but..this phone is pretty easy compared to my 8120. If you want to know anything else, ask..I will answer.

BlackBerry Storm 9500 Unlocked Phone

2010-11-22T16:38:00.000-08:00

Product Description

Blackberry storm 9500; Quad band; 3.15 Mega pixel Camera; Bluetooth; Full Touch screen; SurePress Screen; 528mhz processor; 1 gig internal storage; 3.5mm stard audio jack; Document editor; Mp4 Player; MP3 player; GPS; Voice Dial; No US Warranty; Hot Swap; 3.25" 65k color display

Product Features and Technical Details

* 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G Network HSDPA 2100
* TFT capacitive touchscreen, 65K colors Size 360 x 480 pixels, 3.25 inches - Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
* 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video, LED flash
* - Built-in GPS - A-GPS function - BlackBerry maps - Document editor - Java - Media player MP3/WMA/AAC+ - 3.5 mm audio output jack -
* Video player MPEG4/3gp/H.264/WMV - Organizer - Calculator - Voice dial - Built-in handsfree - Voice memo

Dimensions

* Size (LWH): 0.55 inches, 2.45 inches, 4.43 inches
* Weight: 1.7 pounds

Product Features

* Minimum Rated Talk Time: 360 minutes
* Minimum Rated Standby Time: 360 hours
* Vibrating Alert

Nokia N900 Unlocked Phone

2010-09-20T04:11:00.000-07:00

Physical Layout:
* The N900 is a pretty beefy phone, and rightfully so. While having some heft to it, the N900 is solid and well-built. The black metal rim is a nice touch without being too gaudy. The slide is not spring-assisted but gives a nice click upon opening and closing. I have not noticed any creaks or wobbles from the screen. Few have complained about the back being hard to open. Although true, I rather have that with the peace of mind that the battery won't pop out if I dropped it.

* I don't really understand all the fuss about resistive and capacitive screens. The N900's screen is gorgeous and is incredibly brilliant. There is a little 'give' to the screen, but I've yet to have problems with it. The screen is quite responsive and supports kinetic scrolling. I did have some difficulty clicking on small links in the browser, but that's because your index finger isn't exactly the most accurate pointing device. This was easily solved by zooming in.

* The keyboard is pretty good. The keys have a grippy rubberized texture feel to them, and although the buttons are smooshed next to each other, (like a real keyboard) they have good response. However, one plus for the n900 is that my thumbs don't have to travel as far to type.

* I love that the placement of the speakers are on the sides of the phone. I do a lot of talking on speakerphone, and so I'm not forced to flip it upside down during a call. Sound quality is good and the speakers are decent.

Maemo 5/ Software

* This is the ultimate customization OS. When they meant open source, they really meant it. The 4 desktops make things a lot easier to navigate. For example, one page is devoted to my common phone contacts, another utility apps, the third has bookmarks to frequent sites (the homepages of those links are previewed on the desktop, fyi), and so forth.

* The way Maemo multitasks is ingenious. The "overview" page where you see all your actively running programs makes navigating between windows and programs very easy and efficient. One thing to note is that you have the ability to close out any of those windows upon your choosing, neither allowed to you open more nor shut them down, making it very sluggish, especially during critical times (ie texting someone directions while running gps).

* SMS (called conversations in Maemo).
Conversations either in text or IM by the same person are displayed in the same window. The ability to have the other person's contact image in the text box (that is if you set one up for that person) is a nice touch. I personally don't care about MMS, so no gripes there.

* The email client is pretty decent, I set up my gmail account with a few simple steps. However, I haven't found a way to delete an incoming email when it first comes in. I have to leave the letter, go into the inbox, back into the email, then delete it.

* Browsing experience is comparable to the pc, and is nothing short of awesome. Full flash means I can access full youtube pages, and among others. I think the "swirling zoom" gesture is pretty neat, and helps me to click on the smaller links. I figured out that using your index to swirl zoom produces the best results. Alternatively, you can double click the screen or use the volume rocker. Going to previous pages not only allows you to go to the last page, but scroll through the entire history of that window. Neat.

* Applications-wise, there are not many out there, but I'm certain many will be out soon. You can also access the Maemo repositories for more (google it) but be careful as many of them are still in development and are potentially dangerous to your phone. Noteworthy apps include Hermes (connects your social sites, like facebook to your contacts so you get contact phones, birthdates, etc) and Qik (live streaming recording).

Hardware:
* Fast, fast, fast. Need I say more?
* No hang ups yet, since I can close apps at my own will.
* The camera is good, that is for a 5mp phone camera. It will never compare to a dedicated camera, but is more than effective for quick shots to upload on facebook.
* The FM transmitter is a great add-on. Now I can share songs without having to look for an aux cable.
* Battery life seems to last a little over a day with some text and internet. Wifi is on all the time when I'm at home.

Of course, no phone/mobile device is perfect. Here are some things that came to my attention:

* The volume rocker is on the right side (in portrait), meaning it is nearly impossible to use as a zoom when the screen is up. Same goes for the lock switch, which is on the bottom (in landscape). Would have been much better on the sides, as it would be easier to lock after a phone call, for example.

* Copy and paste is kinda sporadic. While you can copy all you want on webpages, I couldn't copy a phone number from one contact to another in the phonebook.

* The stand is nice, but it swings out way too deep and feels a bit too weak. I'm afraid I'll break it someday.

* Little portrait support as of now, but I think it'll be fixed soon.

So there you have it. My impressions of the N900. There is still a lot of exploration to be done, but I can honestly say this is the best phone/mobile device I've ever owned. In spite of a few shortcomings, its an amazing piece of technology. A lot of things I didn't mention probably will be fixed within a firmware or two so that isn't a problem. I hope this helps anyone who is on a fence on buying one, good luck!

Technical Specifications

* Up to 32 GB internal storage
* Total available application memory up to 1 GB (256 MB RAM, 768 MB virtual memory)
* Supported protocols: Mail for Exchange, IMAP, POP3, SMTP
* SMS and instant messages organized as conversations
* Support for Nokia Messaging service
* Instant messaging and Presence-enhanced contacts
* Multiple number, email, and Instant Messaging details per contact, and contacts with images
* Integrated hands-free stereo speakers
* Logging of dialed, received, and missed calls
* Speed dialing via contact widget
* Ring tones: .wav, .mp3, .AAC, .eAAC, .wma
* Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g) with WEP, WPA, WPA2 security; designed for continuous TCP/IP connectivity
* Capability to serve as data modem via USB connection
* Music playback file formats: .mp3, .wma, .aac, .m4a, .wav
* Video playback file formats: .mp4, .avi, .wmv, .3gp; codecs: H.264, MPEG-4, Xvid, WMV, H.263
* Video streaming: H.264, MPEG-4, Xvid, WMV, H.263 in .avi, .mp4, .wmv, .asf, and .3gp containers
* TV out (NTSC/PAL) with Nokia Video Connectivity Cable (CA-75U, included)
* FM radio (requires headset to be attached) and FM transmitter

LG Chocolate Touch

2010-01-26T02:58:00.000-08:00

While the revolutionary LG Chocolate BL40 Black Series is still touring the fashion circuit, Verizon did its annual LG Chocolate update with the LG Chocolate Touch (LG-VX8575). LG Chocolate 3 users seeking an update will find a slim and affordable touch screen music phone, a camera upgrade and stronger audio with built-in Dolby Mobile technology in the LG Chocolate Touch. The LG Chocolate Touch is a digital CDMA phone with EVDO Rev. 0 support.

Design
The LG Chocolate Touch is a very slim phone at 4.30 x 2.20 x 0.47 inches. We don't dig the plastic cover plate that frames the display as it doesn't match the shiny chrome edges and the stylish modern abstract chrome and black or purple soft touch back cover. The 3" resistive touch screen isn't terribly bright either and the phone doesn't offer brightness settings. The touch screen has both haptic feedback and audio feedback for screen touches, and it feels reasonably responsive for touch controls. There are plenty of side buttons including volume controls, camera launcher, music button, speakerphone button and thank goodness a screen lock button.

Phone, Web and Messaging
The touch screen has an easy to use on-screen dialer that includes the number keys and touch buttons for voice dialing, recent calls and contacts. Voice command works well for voice dialing and the speakerphone is loud during calls. The contacts database can store 1000 entries and additional tools include Calculator, EZ Tip Calculator, Calendar, Alarm Clock, Stopwatch, World Clock, Notepad and Drawing Pad. Verizon offers ringtones, games and other media downloads for the LG Chocolate Touch. The LG Chocolate Touch has a touch interface that includes five shortcut buttons on the bottom of the screen and side bookmark touch buttons to launch music and customizable home screens. Mobile email and mobile messaging are onboard, and the social networks like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are integrated into the messaging application.

Music and Video
Like the previous LG Chocolate phones, the LG Chocolate Touch is a good music phone, though it doesn't stand out as the best music phone in Verizon's feature phone line up. The phone has a music player that can play MP3, WMA and unprotected AAC and AAC+ music files. If you have ripped music in iTunes or in Windows Media Player, you can play those tunes on the LG Chocolate Touch.
The LG Chocolate Touch has Dolby Mobile technology with an EQ tool for music playback. Audio via the 3.5mm stereo out jack sounds more powerful compared to the phone's speaker. We tested several wired headsets with the LG Chocolate Touch, and found the bass powerful and volume loud, but the sound lacked clarity. The LG Chocolate Touch also works with V CAST Video, Verizon's on-demand video streaming service. The LG Chocolate Touch can play videos in either portrait or landscape mode, though in portrait mode the video window is very small.

GPS
The phone gets GPS fixes quickly and locations are mostly accurate. The phone displays maps in landscape mode and the audio guidance for turn-by-turn directions is loud via phone's speaker.

Camera
The LG Chocolate Touch has a 3.2 megapixel camera with fixed focus lens that takes good pictures. The camera phone can take still images in 5 resolutions and offers white balance, color effects and an image editor. The phone lets you record short videos for MMS or long videos for saving to memory, and has balance and light settings as well as zoom.

Battery

The LG Chocolate Touch has a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery that's 1000 mAh in capacity. Battery life is very good on the LG, reaching over 4 hours of mixed usage including talking, navigations with GPS, downloading and listening to music as well as surfing the web and checking messages. Standby time is also good, and can last 1.5 to 2 weeks with little or light use.

Conclusion
Though not cool and innovative like the LG Chocolate BL40, the LG Chocolate Touch offers some updates to the Chocolate music phone line nonetheless. The LG also has an FM tuner for radio addicts and supports most of Verizon's services including V CAST music and video, VZ Navigator, mobile email, mobile IM, social networking, visual voice and application and ringtone downloads.

Specs:

Display: 3.0" resistive touch screen, 262K Color TFT. Resolution: 400 x 240 Pixels. Has an accelerometer and proximity sensor.

Battery: Lithium Ion rechargeable battery, 1000 mAh, user replaceable.

Size: 4.30 x 2.20 x 0.47 inches. Weight: 4.23 ounces.

Phone: Dual band digital 800/1900MHz. CDMA 1X and EV-DO Rev. 0.

Camera: 3.2 megapixel camera with fixed focus lens, no flash. Image resolutions: 2048x1536 (default), 1600x1200, 1280x960, 800x480, 640x480 Pixels.

Audio: Music player that works with V Cast Music, Rhapsody, MP3 and AAC file formats. 3.5mm headset jack. Vibrating Alerts and Silent Mode. Voice recorder included. Has an FM radio and Dolby Mobile.

Networking: Bluetooth v2.0. Bluetooth Profiles Supported: Headset, Hands-free, Dial-Up Networking, Stereo, Phonebook Access, Basic Printing, Object Push for vCard and vCalendar, File Transfer, Basic Imaging and Human Interface Device.

Software: Touch screen icon interface with customizable home screens and on-screen music launcher. Polaris HTML web browser, media player and FM Radio onboard. Tools: Contacts, Calculator, EZ Tip Calculator, Calendar, Alarm Clock, Stopwatch, World Clock, Notepad and Drawing Pad.

Expansion: 1 microSD card slot. Supports up to 16GB cards.

In the box: The LG Chocolate Touch with standard battery, wall AC adapter and a USB charging/syncing cable, an extra back cover and printed guides.

HTC Nexus One by Google (unlocked)

2010-01-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

Don't let the standard candy bar design fool you: the Nexus One brings welcome new offerings to the Android table. Of course, the Nexus One wasn't without its problems: the music player continues to underwhelm, app storage remains limited to the internal memory, the handset lacks full multitouch and hands-free Bluetooth dialing, and we would have appreciated dual-mode (GSM/CDMA) support. The operating system can already go to head-to-head with the iPhone, and the Nexus One only gives Android more ammunition. Perhaps its greatest benefit is that the Nexus One is sold exclusively by Google in two versions.

Design.
Though sleek and attractive, the Nexus One's candy bar, touch-screen-only design doesn't break new design ground. The display also offers an accelerometer, an ambient light sensor, and a proximity sensor. A square touch control with a grid design replaces the menu tab found on other Android phones. The four touch controls below the display--a back button, home and search keys, and a control for the notifications menu--are standard Android. A long press to the home screen will bring up your recent features, and a long press to the search control will activate voice search.

Features.
The contacts menu is limited by the available memory, but each entry can store multiple fields for phone numbers, street addresses, work information, e-mails, URLs, instant-messaging handles, nicknames, and notes. Contacts are automatically synced from your Gmail account, and you can also sync Facebook and Microsoft Exchange contacts. As with previous Android phones, you must store applications from the Android Market on the 512MB of internal memory. MicroSD cards (the Nexus One comes with a 4GB card, but it can accommodate cards up to 32GB) are only for other data files. "It's unfortunate that Google launched a mobile device without properly integrating e-mail from Yahoo--the number one mobile mail service in the United States. The Nexus One's primary feature selling point is its voice command features. Photo quality is satisfying. Check out our Nexus One camera slideshow for a full assessment of the image quality.

Video quality is about average. On the downside, the troubling Android shutter lag remains. The Gallery application offers a few improvements. Other features include a calculator, a full duplex speakerphone, a compass, a text-to-speech feature, A2DP stereo Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, text and multimedia messaging, and the full slate of Google applications like YouTube, Picasa, Google Voice, Google Talk, and Google Maps. Please see the Performance section for more on the Nexus One's Bluetooth feature and Web browser. Thanks to Android 2.1, the Nexus One also has the Car Home application, which offers local search and real-time, turn-by-turn directions with voice.

Performance.
We tested the Nexus One in Las Vegas with T-Mobile service. As a quad-band world phone (GSM 850/900/1800/1900), you'll be able to use the Nexus One with any GSM carrier, but its 3G bands (2100/AWS/900) are compatible only with T-Mobile's network in the United States. We'd also love to see a dual-mode phone that supports both CDMA and GSM networks. With thousands of cell phone-happy people in one place, CES can be a notorious dead zone. Speakerphone calls were satisfactory as well. We tested the Nexus One with the Sound ID 200 Bluetooth headset. Bluetooth calls were admirable, though it's worth noting that like the Droid you cannot initiate voice dialing without touching the phone. The Nexus One's greatest triumph is its 1Ghz Snapdragon processor. Applications loaded instantly and there was no lag when switching between features. We tried to time the average loading time for opening memory-heavy intensive applications, but it was so fast we had trouble recording it on a stopwatch. It's not an understatement to say that the Nexus One is the fastest Android phone we've seen.

Specifications:
* Manufacturer: HTC
* Part Number: CNETNEXUSONE
* Product Type Smartphone With digital camera / digital player
* Service Provider Unlocked
* Width 59.8 mm
* Depth 11.5 mm
* Height 119 mm
* Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
* Band WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900
* Phone Design Candy bar
* Antenna Internal
* Phone Navigation Buttons Trackball
* Call Timer Yes
* Wireless Interface Bluetooth (A2DP) , Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
* GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Yes
* Messaging / Data Features Text messages
* Sensor Resolution 5 megapixels
* Digital Zoom 2
* Camera Light Source LED light
* Video Recorder Resolutions 720 x 480
* Type OLED display
* Technology AMOLED
* Display Resolution 800 x 480 pixels
* Display Languages French , German , Korean , English , Italian , Russian , Spanish , Japanese , Portuguese , Chinese (simplified) , Chinese (traditional)
* Features Ambient light sensor
* Supported Digital Audio Standards AAC , AMR , MP3 , WAV , AAC + , Ogg Vorbis
* Flash Memory 4 GB - microSDHC
* Connector Type 1 x Micro-USB , 1 x Headset jack - Mini-phone 3.5 mm

Verizon Ready For Palm Pixi and Palm Pre

2010-01-05T16:43:00.000-08:00

Yes here we have some great news for Palm fans as we hear that Verizon are all geared up and ready for the Palm Pre and the Palm Pixi, not surprising really if you have been following recent rumors and developments.

The Palm Pre and the Palm Pixi both have apparently started to appear in Verizon inventory and if we are to believe the rumors then they have placed orders for approximately 200,000 Palm Pre‘s and 200,000 Palm Pixi’s.

Okay so let’s think about it that isn’t really a huge number is it, maybe just a sign of the times. If your left scratching your head thinking this over consider this.

The Droid is out, the iPhone continues to sell and Google is about to release the Nexus One possibly tomorrow in fact. Does that mean that there wont be very much breathing space for the Pre and the little Pixi? I suppose only time will tell and if you are a Verizon customer probably worth taking a look at.
Source: Examiner.com

Nokia N900 Review

2009-12-30T17:20:00.000-08:00

It's crystal clear by now that the Nokia N900 has almost nothing to do with the traditional Nseries values. The full QWERTY side-slider may look similar to its double-digit mates but the Maemo experience is completely different. However, the N900 is not there for the mere sake of difference - a tablet and a phone, it tries to get the best of both worlds. The large high-res display and great typing skills are the right kind of backup but we've seen plenty of similar packages already. It's a Maemo-powered phone with Mozilla browsing and all-you-can-eat connectivity. Call it good news, call it a good start or just call it good. Let's see if it calls back.

Design and Ergonomics.
The N900 has a side-slider design with a full QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard has fairly low key travel but the keys are clicky and you can turn on sound effects for key presses which helps. The combined camera launcher and shutter button are on the right side for natural placement when held like a camera. The power button, midway down the right side turns off the phone when pressed and held and with a short press brings up a set of menus to switch to offline mode, lock the screen and keys (the phone automatically locks when the slider is closed and you unlock it with an on-screen slider or the hardware slider), switch to silent mode and when in an application there's a menu item to bring up the phone dialer. The volume keys are on the upper right and the hardware screen/key lock is on the bottom along with the micro USB port and 3.5mm stereo headset jack. A front-facing VGA camera lives above the display, but the phone currently doesn't support 3G video calling and there are no VoIP apps that currently support video calling (we'd love to see video calling via Skype!). Open the door and the camera application automatically launches.

Multimedia.
Older Maemo Internet tablets were picky about video file formats but the N900 is the swiss army knife of mobile video playback. It can handle MPEG4, Flash Video, AVI, 3GPP, H.264 and WMV formats. The N900's multimedia player reminds us of the clean and simple Sony/Sony Ericsson UI with a large icon-based launcher for songs, video, Internet radio and song shuffle playback. The main UI tells you how many songs, video tracks and Internet radio stations are available/stored on the 32 gig flash drive and microSD card. The music player starts with a large album cover view that's attractive and modern. Internet radio worked well for us over T-Mobile's 3G HSDPA connection and WiFi. The phone has an FM transmitter so you can stream audio to your car or home stereo but there's no FM radio application. Happily, there's a basic FM radio app available for free download and it gets good reception.

Camera.
The 5 megapixel camera has a Carl Zeiss Tessar autofocus lens and a dual LED flash. We like the active lens cover that protects and launches the camera application when you slide it open (and exits the camera when you close the lens cover). The camera button functions as the shutter button, which is more stable than tapping on the display like the HTC HD2. When shooting video, the lens does an initial focus on the center of the frame rather than using a fixed focus on infinity. The N900's images are comparable to the N95 and N96's, and are far superior to the HTC HD2's.

Phone and Internet.
As per usual with Nokia phones, the N900 has excellent reception and call quality. It does have speed dialing, reliable voicemail notifications (though the number 1 isn't automatically assigned to voicemail, but should be in a future firmware), call history and an impressive selection of well-integrated Internet calling services. From the standard phone dialer you can make calls using Google Talk, Skype, Ovi, Jabber and SIP. Simply enter your login credentials in the phone account setup screen and select a contact to call. You'll see options for cellular calling and any VoIP internet calling services you've set up. Select a contact, and assuming you've got email, mobile, land line and etc. entered for that contact, you can tap buttons to call the person, Internet call that person, SMS them, email them and so on. Contact fields generally mirror Outlook with multiple email addresses, phone numbers, note, job title, nickname, web page and physical addresses. Bluetooth headsets were a mixed bag. We found that the Plantronics Discovery 925 and the Plantronics Discovery 655 both had good voice quality for incoming and outgoing calls. The Samsung WEP870 sounded overly digitized and hard to understand on the outgoing end and the Jabra Stone sounded just OK. The Jawbone 2 sounded tinny on the incoming end and distorted for outgoing voice. If you're totally into the web, this is your phone. The Mozilla-based browser handles AJAX, Javascript, frames, CSS and most everything a desktop browser does. The browser works with the desktop version of youtube.com and with youtube videos embedded in web pages (such as the page you're reading now). While Nokia S60 phones have offered Flash support, their low resolution and slow performance hampered the experience. Nice! Web pages look like their desktop counterparts and you get the desktop version of the New York Times, CNN and BBC rather than mobile versions.

Email.
The email client supports POP, IMAP, gmail and Exchange email (via Mail for Exchange). The phone supports HTML email, checking email on a schedule and checking email only when a certain connection is available (i.e.: WiFi). Google sync of contacts and calendar items over Mail for Exchange is sadly not supported. PC Suite syncing (not the newer Ovi desktop sync) works well with Outlook in Windows, but there's no iSync plugin for Mac OS X.

GPS and Ovi Maps.
No, there's no Google Maps, at least not yet. But Ovi Maps has attractive and clear maps, good US POIs and passable turn-by-turn on-screen directions. Will spoken directions come in a later Ovi Maps release, will 3rd parties release navigation applications for Maemo 5? In the meanwhile, Ovi Maps' price is hard to beat: free.

Key features.
* 3.5" 16M-color resistive touchscreen of WVGA (800 x 480 pixel) resolution
* Maemo 5 OS
* State-of-the-art Mozilla-based web browser with Adobe Flash 9.4 support
* Slide-out three-row full QWERTY keyboard
* ARM Cortex A8 600MHz CPU, PowerVR SGX graphics accelerator; 256 MB of RAM
* Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G support
* 5 MP autofocus camera with dual-LED flash and active camera lens cover
* WVGA (848 x 480 pixels) video recording @ 24fps
* 10 Mbps HSDPA and 2 Mbps HSUPA support
* Wi-Fi and GPS with A-GPS
* 32GB onboard storage
* DivX and XviD video playback
* Foldable kickstand
* microSD card slot with microSDHC support
* Built-in accelerometer
* Proximity sensor
* 3.5 mm audio jack and TV-out
* FM Radio receiver, FM transmitter
* microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
* Solid audio quality
* Kinetic scrolling
* Contacts integration of Skype, Google Talk and other VoIP services
* Great build quality

Main disadvantages.
* Large and heavy
* UI only works in landscape mode (for now)
* No smart and voice dialing
* Outdated camera interface and features
* No preinstalled voice-guided SatNav application
* No voice recorder, no MMS, and no handwriting recognition
* No FM radio application (despite that the hardware's there)
* Limited third-party software availabilty
* Limited 3G support in the US (no AT&T)

BlackBerry Curve 8520 review

2009-12-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

The new Curve has a price tag that's easier on the wallet and - coming from a BlackBerry - that's a welcome change of game plan already. But what makes this here Berry a shocker is… wait for it… music keys. Last time we checked features like that were teen geek stuff and we don't know many teens are walking around with a BlackBerry in their pocket. Well, it's certainly going to be interesting to see how BlackBerry's attempt to woo this new demographic will turn out.

The BlackBerry 8520 Curve is all you need to arrange your daily communication. There is a full keyboard that lets you quickly messages and emails to send, but of course will also push email so you can present real-time are aware of any new e-mail you receive. The WiFi support office and home will always have a fast connection, you go do with the GPRS support the BlackBerry 8520 Curve.

Show the world your fun side, use the built-in 2 megapixel camera, good print quality photos taken with the BlackBerry 8520 Curve. Built in the media keys let you start your music in an instant. A built-in speaker your music with others, or our built-in 3.5 mm headphone jack .

Internet
Connect online with Wi-Fi, so you can access the Internet in an instant. Shop on-line, watch a video, you want the BlackBerry Curve 8520 is ready.

Key features

* 2.46" 65K-color TFT landscape display of QVGA resolution.
* Comfortable four-row full QWERTY keyboard.
* Quad-band GSM support, Wi-Fi connectivity.
* 2 megapixel camera with fixed focus.
* 512MHz CPU.
* BlackBerry OS v4.6 with responsive trackpad navigation.
* Hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB).
* 3.5 mm audio jack.
* Decent audio quality.
* Nice web browser.
* Office document editor.
* Smart dialing.
* Dedicated music keys.
* DivX and XviD video support.

Main disadvantages

* Many features are unusable without a BlackBerry Internet Service account (plan).
* BlackBerry OS offers basic text-only submenus.
* Mediocre camera performance and features.
* No FM radio.
* No 3G support.
* No TV-out functionality.
* Music keys are stiff and unresponsive.
* No built-in GPS receiver.
* Back panel is a fingerprint magnet.

Samsung i890 Omnia HD

2009-09-04T04:17:00.000-07:00

First debuting at GSMA 2009, the Samsung i890 Omnia HD turned heads with its gorgeous touch screen and high-end multimedia features. Though it has yet to be released in the United States, Samsung kindly provided us with an unlocked version of the device to try out, and it's certainly impressive. The Omnia HD offers an 8-megapixel camera with HD video recording and playback, smartphone capabilities, heaps of storage, and a much improved TouchWiz interface. Is it worth the $600 to $700 to buy an unlocked version? Well, if you have the money to burn (lucky you) and crave the advanced multimedia features, sure.

1. Design.
Given the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD's extra-large display, it's no surprise that the smartphone is on the bulkier side. The handset measures 4.8 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick and weighs 5.2 ounces, and it's the longer length that makes it a bit of an uncomfortable fit in a pants pocket. That said, it's a very solidly built phone and not bad looking either with its black lacquered finish and silver accents.

AMOLED stands for Active-Matrix OLED; we won't get into the technical explanation here, but the advantage of an AMOLED display is that colors appear brighter, images and videos look sharper, and it consumes less power than standard LCDs. Everything from menu icons to photos to Web pages looked smooth and vibrant.Not only does the display look beautiful, but it's also functional. There's a built-in accelerometer so the screen orientation will automatically switch from portrait to landscape mode when you rotate the phone. Meanwhile, a proximity sensor locks the touch screen when you're on a phone call in order to prevent any accidental presses as you hold the handset up to your ear. Both are responsive and unlike some handsets, the accelerometer works in all apps.

As with the first Omnia, the i890 Omnia HD uses Samsung's TouchWiz user interface, which lets you customize your Home screen with different widgets. There is a tray located on the left side with various applications, such as your calendar, music player, Facebook, and clock, where you can then drag and drop these widgets to the main screen so they're easily accessible to you from the home page. Once you've customized the phone to your liking, you can collapse and hide the tray by tapping the arrow button.

For one, the company has expanded the widget list considerably and added two more panels on which you can add widgets. There's also a permanent toolbar that appears along the bottom of the display that gives you access to the phone app, your contacts, messages, and main menu. As far as text entry, you get a soft QWERTY keyboard in landscape mode, while you only get an alphanumeric keypad in portrait mode. Below the display, there are Talk and End/power keys as well as a menu button. On the left side, there's a volume rocker and a microSD expansion slot, while the right side features a lock button, a camera activation/capture key, and much to our delight, a Micro-USB port rather than Samsung's proprietary connector. Our Samsung Omnia HD came packaged with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a wired stereo headset, video out cables, a software CD, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.

2. Features.
The Samsung i890 Omnia HD's headliner is its multimedia capabilities, so we only feel it proper to start with those first. Imaging is a strong point as the smartphone is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera that can record HD video. The camera offers a plethora of options, including six shooting modes, 14 scene settings, and eight resolutions as well as more advanced settings, such as ISO and blink detection. Picture quality was indeed impressive. Most camera phones have had problems with our standard indoor shot (below), but the Omnia HD produced a very clear image with rich colors without any weird bluish or amber overtones. We also shot several videos at 1,280x720-pixel resolution and for a camera phone, the video quality was definitely good. The picture was sharp and action scenes weren't blurry or pixelated. Once you're done shooting, the Omnia HD offers various ways to review and share your images with family and friends. If you're up for a public screening, you can do so via the included video-out cables or through a DLNA-compliant TV since the i890 Omnia HD supports this standard.

Supported video files include MPEG-4, WMV, H.263, H.264, DviX, and Xvid, and of course, you can watch content in HD resolution. The music player supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, Enhanced AAC+, MIDI, XMF, among other formats, and it includes advanced functions, such as 5.1 channel sound, an equalizer, sound effects, and visualization. The player's interface is quite nice with album art support and in landscape mode, you can scroll through with a feature similar to iTunes' Cover Flow. With all these multimedia capabilities, one has to wonder about memory and we think you'll be pretty relieved as the i890 Omnia HD comes in 16GB or 8GB model and both offer microSD expansion slots that can accept up to 32GB cards.

On top of the multimedia capabilities, the Samung i890 Omnia HD is also a smartphone running Symbian's S60 platform, similar to the Nokia N97, though a departure from the Omnia, which ran on Windows Mobile. Phone features include quad-band world roaming, a speakerphone, conference calling, voice dialing, and text and multimedia messaging. Bluetooth 2.0 is also onboard for use with mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets, hands-free kits, object push, file transfer, serial port, basic printing, and dial-up networking. It offers Flash support, keyword search, a page overview mode, and multiple windows, among other things.

3. Performance.
The Omnia HD proved to be a very responsive device throughout our testing period. Eventually, we were able to get onto the site and stream a couple of videos, which played back smoothly. Video playback on the Omnia HD's AMOLED screen is brilliant and given the generous size of the display, there wasn't as much eye strain as with some other touch-screen devices. The smartphone's speakers also pump out plenty of volume as we accidentally discovered when we launched the music player without checking the audio levels first. We enjoyed rich-sounding tunes by plugging our Bose On-Ear Headphones into the device's 3.5mm jack.

Using T-Mobile's EDGE network, CNN's and ESPN's mobile sites came up in 17 seconds and 7 seconds, respectively. Meanwhile, CNET's full site loaded in 57 seconds. The Samsung i890 Omnia HD features a 1,440mAh lithium ion battery with a rated talk time of 10 hours and up to 10 days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Omnia HD has a digital SAR rating of 0.67 watt per kilogram.

Sony Ericsson C905a

2009-08-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

AT&T has surprised us with a little piece of former import goodness, the Sony Ericsson C905a with an 8.1 megapixel camera and autofocus lens. Sweet. The C905a is a slider phone, and beyond the impressive imaging capabilities it has a GPS that works with AT&T Navigator, an FM radio, 3G HSDPA on AT&T's bands and Europe's 2100MHz band, the same media player found on many Sony Ericsson Walkman phones and the PSP, Bluetooth with stereo support and AT&T Video Share. At introduction, this high-end imaging phone is very attractively priced at $179 with a contract and $329 without. The import version has a YouTube player with upload capabilities and that's gone from the AT&T version. Some Sony Ericsson import and unlocked (no contract, no carrier phones) ship with Wayfinder navigation, which is stronger in Europe than in the US-- we'll take AT&T Navigator. In the US, this Cyber-shot phone competes with the 8 megapixel Samsung Memoir (obliquely since the Memoir is a touch screen phone with a very different design philosophy), the 8 MP Nokia N86 (not yet released in the US but it will be priced considerably higher at $558), the 5 megapixel Moto Zine ZN5 on T-Mobile, and the Nokia N85 among a variety of Nokia Nseries 5 megapixel smartphone shooters. The C905a and the Memoir are currently the only 8 megapixel camera phones offered by US carriers.

Design
The Sony Ericsson C905a is a relatively thick phone but not terribly heavy at 4.8 ounces. It's easy to dial and text and the keys are backlit in white. We particularly like Sony Ericsson's on-screen preview that shows the next number or character in line for multi-press-- this makes it much easier to select the proper symbol when pressing the "1" key. The "*" key doubles as the case changing key and if you press and hold it you can toggle between the multipress and T9 input methods. The dedicated Activity Manger key also has a series of shortcuts which you can edit, along with web browser bookmarks and an application switcher-- yes the phone multitasks. Front controls include two soft keys, call send and end buttons (the end button doubles as the power button), app manager (quick launcher/switcher) and the clear key. Most hardware controls are devoted to camera control, which makes perfect sense given the phone's Cybershot heritage. When in the camera, the d-pad lights in blue to reveal four camera control shortcuts: flash, focus mode, timer and exposure compensation. Keys on the top (when the phone is held in the camera position) include playback, switch between photo and video mode and the large (also blue backlit) shutter button. The volume keys handle digital zoom. You can also turn on automatic key locking.

Phone and Reception.
AT&T's version of the Sony Ericsson C905a is a quad band GSM world phone that works anywhere in the world GSM service is available. The C905a supports smart-dialing, speed dial and voice dialing via recorded voice tags. Voice dialing works well with the phone and via Bluetooth headsets . Voice quality on AT&T's 3G network in the Dallas area is excellent. Reception is middle of the road: a bit stronger than the Samsung Eternity but weaker than the Bold and several Nokia phones (to be fair, high end Nokia phones have excellent reception). The phone's address book can hold up to 1,000 records with a large selection of fields including email addresses, website, physical address, a variety of phone numbers, birthday, photo caller ID, ringtone, message tone, voice tag and notes. The Sony Ericsson works well with Bluetooth headsets. The phone also works with A2DP Bluetooth stereo headsets for music playback and voice. If you hate scrolling, there's a smart fit mode that reflows web pages to avoid side-to-side scrolling.

Camera.
The centerpiece of the Cyber-shot C905a is clearly its camera. At 8.1 megapixels resolution with a good autofocus f2.8 lens and a Xenon flash plus a low light LED focusing light, the camera looks yummy on paper. The 5.9mm focal length is roughly equivalent to a 38mm modest wide angle in 35mm (or full frame digital SLR) terms-- close to the super-shooter Nokia N82 of old with its 5.6mm focal length. The camera does have 16x digital zoom, but digital zoom degrades image quality. The Xenon flash makes indoor, low light photography possible, and we got remarkably good shots even in very dimly lit rooms. In this respect, it blows away Nokia's LED-flash equipped N series phones which take poor low light photos. We found it edged out the Samsung Memoir for indoor shots as well, even though the Memoir also sports a Xenon flash. The Cyber-shot's flash images had less noise and better exposure than the Memoir's. Outdoors in mid-level natural lighting, from cloudy to early evening shots, the camera also did very well with proper exposure, pleasing color saturation and natural colors. The only thing that baffles the camera's metering are extremely bright, contrasty shots. There' s no manual ISO setting, but the camera does select good values: bright outdoor shots are taken at ISO 64, indoor shots with flash are taken at ISO 200 and indoor shots with the flash turned off are taken at ISO 400.

The camera has a variety of scene modes: auto, twilight landscape, twilight portrait, landscape, portrait, snow/beach, document and sports. Focusing modes are auto, macro, infinity (for landscapes) and face detection (the camera detects up to 3 faces and focuses on them). True landscape nature shots of wide open spaces, be it a large backyard or golf course with no mid-points of focus, could sometimes be sharper. Images at max resolution average 1.4 to 1.9 megs. Just as we moan about Nokia and their fear of Xenon flashes, we wonder why Sony Ericsson just can't cough up a Cyber-shot that takes VGA resolution video at 30fps. The C905a is capped at 320 x 240 QVGA @ 30fps, and video quality is better than most camera phones on the US market but can't compete with recent Nokia 5 MP camera phones like the N85, N96 and N97.

If you've got a Sony Ericsson K850i and are thinking of upgrading: yes the Cyber-shot C905a takes noticeably better shots and better video (though video clearly isn't a strong point for either camera phone). Images are sharper with more detail and there's less noise indoors. Likewise, the C905a beats the venerable Nokia N95 in terms of sharpness and noise, especially for low light shots. For outdoor well lit photos, it's a closer call with the Nokia N97. That phone takes excellent shots, albeit with few pixels for large prints, but the N97 can't come close for low light shots.

Software.
Sony Ericsson jumped on the syncing bandwagon early on with their version of PC Suite and they also produce iSync plugins for several of their phones. You can sync PIM data via PC Suite to Windows machines and Mac OS X via iSync and Sony Ericsson's plugins. There's a large helping of AT&T's usual subscription applications including 6 demo games, MusicID, My-Cast Weather, Wiki Mobile, Mobile Banking, XM Radio and AT&T's Mall for application/ringtones/music shopping.

Multimedia
The video player can play in full screen, landscape mode and we threw a variety of MPEG4 videos in iPhone-friendly format at the player and it did an excellent job with good sound and no apparent frame drops. Sound via A2DP Bluetooth headset was excellent as was wired stereo via a Sony Ericsson Fast port headset (not included).
The phone plays CV, AT&T's streaming video service, and it can do so in full screen, landscape mode.

GPS.
The C905a has an integrated GPS that works with AT&T Navigator (aka TeleNav). The GPS gets a fix quickly outdoors, but couldn't manage a fix indoors. Navigator gives excellent spoken turn-by-turn directions along with current POIs and maps. AT&T discounts the monthly charge from $10 to $5 with their unlimited data plan (unlimited data + Navigator cost $20/month, unlimited data alone is $15).

Battery.
The Sony Ericsson ships with a 930mAh Lithium Ion battery that's replaceable. It lives under the back cover panel below the camera lens and the cover wraps around the bottom of the phone. Battery life varies greatly depending on what you do with the phone. Taking photos, especially with the Xenon flash on, consumes power fairly quickly-- after 100 shots, we had 25% charge remaining. The GPS also consumes quite a bit of power and the phone used 33% of its charge in a 45 minute navigation session. Using the phone for conversations and web browser over 3G had a relatively low impact on battery life and music playback with the screen off used extremely little power. If you take lots of photos and/or use the GPS frequently, charge the C905a every 1 to 1.5 days. If you talk 30 minutes/day and take just a few photos and don't use the GPS, the phone should last 2 to 3 days on a charge.

Conclusion.
If you're into photography and prefer traditionally designed phones, the Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905a should be on your short (very short) list of high megapixel camera phones available in the US. The phone has strong multimedia and did a surprisingly good job of playing fairly high bitrate videos. As a phone, the Sony Ericsson offers excellent voice quality but just average reception. It has all the creature comforts you'd expect including voice dialing, smart dial, a 1,000 record address book with a wealth of fields, custom ringtones, photo caller ID and speakerphone. The GPS works decently and NetFront is an excellent mobile browser that's as good as some smartphone web browsers.

Specs:
*. Display: 262,000 color color LCD. Screen size diagonally: 2.4". Resolution: QVGA 240 x 320, supports both portrait and landscape modes. Scratch-resistant glass display.
*. Battery: Lithium Ion rechargeable, model BST-38. Battery is user replaceable. 930 mA. Claimed talk time: up to 3.5 hours. Claimed standby: up to 14.6 days.
*. Performance: Undisclosed CPU. 93 megs storage.
*. Size: 4.1 x 1.9 x 0.7 inches. Weight: 4.8 ounces.
*. Phone: GSM quad band world phone with EDGE 850/900/1800/1900MHz and 3G HSDPA 3.6Mbps on AT&T's US bands 850/1900MHz plus 2100MHz for Europe.
*. Camera: 8.1 megapixel camera with autofocus lens and Xenon flash. Has LED focusing flash and self portrait mirror. Up to 16x digital zoom. Can record video up to QVGA 320 x 240 resolution at 30fps. Supports AT&T's Video Share one-way video conferencing service.
*. GPS: Yes, has aGPS that works with AT&T Navigator ($10/month service, $5/month with AT&T unlimited data plan).
*. Audio: Built in speaker, mic and Sony Ericsson Fast Port stereo headphone jack (headset not included). Has FM radio (requires wired headset to be used as antenna, unfortunately not included). Voice Recorder and Sony XrossMediaBar (XMB) style music/video/podcast player included. Music player supports MP3, WMA, AAC, eAAC and AAC+ formats. Video player handles YouTube mobile, MPEG4, 3GP and more.
*. Networking: Integrated Bluetooth 2.0 with handsfree, FTP, OBEX, A2DP and PAN/DUN profiles.
*. Software: Sony Ericsson OS, Java VM, Netfront full HTML web browser, AT&T Navigator, AT&T Mobile Email client, FM radio with RDS, Sony XMB media player (music, video, podcasts), voice dialing (via voice tags), speed dial, contacts (up to 1,000 contacts), calendar, notes, tasks, alarm clock, IM client (AIM, Yahoo and Windows Live), camera, photo album, Slideshow Wallpaper, Photo Mate, and a variety of AT&T software: MusicID, AT&T Music downloads (Napster), Yellow Pages, MobiTV, Mobile Banking, My-Cast Weather, WikiMobile, World Clock 3D, MobiVJ, XM Radio and Where. Note that most AT&T applications require a monthly fee (email does not).
*. Expansion: Memory Stick Micro M2 card slot (a card isn't included).

HTC Ozone (Verizon Wireless)

2009-08-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

The HTC Ozone is Verizon Wireless' answer to Sprint's HTC Snap. In a great move, Verizon added Wi-Fi and dual-mode CDMA/GSM support, but we missed support for HTC's inner circle feature.

Design.
The HTC Ozone largely resembles the Snap, though it's slightly more angular and a tad lighter (3.7 ounces vs. 4.2 ounces). It retains the same dimensions (4.5 inches by 2.5 inches by 0.5 inch), however, and it sports a plain black color scheme across its front face. Customization options are similar to those on other Windows Mobile devices. HTC tweaked the design of the Ozone's navigation controls. You get the same buttons, a toggle with a central OK button, two soft keys, a home shortcut, and a back button, but they have a more rectangular design. While the talk and end/power buttons remain on either side of the array, the talk button now doubles as a voice recorder control. While the Snap's keyboard was curved, the rows on the Ozone run straight across. Fortunately, HTC did correct one of the Snap's flaws by moving the Shift key down to the bottom row. As expected, letter keys share space with numbers and symbols and the back and return keys are off to the left side. The space bar is slightly off-center, and in a unique move it doubles as a shortcut to a communication manager app for controlling such features as the airplane mode, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. You also get useful shortcuts to the messaging app and mute mode. Remaining features are few. The Ozone ships with a wall charger with international plug adapters, a USB cable, a wired headset adapter, a software CD and reference material.

Features.
Like the Snap, the Ozone is a messaging-centric device. As a Windows Mobile 6.1 device, it offers Microsoft Direct Push Technology for real-time e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization with your Outlook calendar, tasks, and contacts via Exchange Server. Luckily, the Ozone joins the Snap in supporting threaded text messaging, but we're disappointed that it lacks its cousin's Inner Circle features. Bad move, Verizon. Beyond e-mail, the rest of the HTC Ozone's offerings are pretty much standard fare for a Windows Mobile 6.1. The CDMA/GSM support is perfect for world travelers. You'll be able to access voice and data services like Internet and e-mail in 220 countries thanks to a preinstalled SIM card. Just be aware that even though it's a quad-band GSM world phone, the Ozone's SIM card can't connect to domestic GSM networks. The Ozone supports Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A network. Currently, Verizon's 3G network covers 242 major metropolitan areas and reaches 210 million people. It promises average download speeds of 600Kbps to 1.4Mbps and average upload speeds of 500 to 800 Kbps, peaking at 1.8 Mbps. The Ozone also comes with Internet Explorer Mobile, an RSS Hub and Adobe Reader. Voice features of the HTC Ozone include a speakerphone, speed dial, conference calling and voice commands and dialing. Bluetooth is also onboard with support for mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets, hands-free kits, personal are networking, object push, file transfer, and more. As for other features you'll find Remote Desktop Mobile, ActiveSync, and a voice recorder. Verizon-specific offerings include VZ Navigator, Visual Voice Mail, Mobile Broadband Connect and Wireless Sync.

Multimedia features aren't extensive. Other editing options include four quality modes, three color effects, spot metering, a digital zoom, a self-timer, adjustable brightness four white balance settings and a time stamp. The camera also records video. Windows Media Player is also onboard though the Ozone doesn't support Verizon's streaming video or music download services.

Performance
We tested the dualmode (CDMA 800/1900; GSM 850/900/1800/1900) HTC Ozone in San Francisco using Verizon Wireless service. We did not test GSM voice quality because, as previously mentioned, the Ozone will only connect with Verizon's CDMA network domestically. Callers said we sounded great. We successfully paired the Ozone with the Plantronics Voyager Pro and enjoyed respectable call quality. The Ozone is compatible with M3 and T3 hearing aids. Besides support for Verizon's 3G EV-DO Rev. A network, the Ozone also supports the carrier's slower 2.5G 1xRTT data network. Like the Snap the Ozone is powered by a 528MHz Qualcomm processor. Browsing on Verizon's 3G network was comparable to our Snap experience on Sprint. CNN's and People Magazine's mobile sites loaded in six and five seconds, respectively. The HTC Ozone has a rated battery life of 4.83 hours talk time and 13.5 days standby time.

How to use GPS on the Nokia's cellphone

2009-04-02T01:01:00.000-07:00

GPS uses satellite signals to determine three-dimensional position in land, sea and air. To get the location accuracy in the form of 3D or XYZ coordinates required signals from at least 4 satellites. Actually, this navigation instrument has been existing since 1960. At that time, it is used only for the military purposes. Afterwards in the year of 2000 officially the GPS can be used by public.

Using GPS on the Nokia's cellphone.
For the first step, keep your position in Favorite, for example, when you were in the home or office. Here's how to save:
- Log in to the GPS menu, select GPS Data >> Position.
- Wait for several time until the GPS signal can be well received.
- Go to Option, and then Save. Give it the name in accordance with the location, for example the Office, My House or etc.
- Back to the main menu, activating the Maps. Here you can view the location on the map.

To maximize the GPS as a navigation tool is very easy. You can specify the destination based on the places that have been saved in Favorites.
- From the map, go to Option menu, then select Favorite. There are all locations that you have saved previously.
- Determine where you are heading, mark it and select "Drive To" in options menu.
- Next you will be guided to reach the destination.

Using the search facility.
The Nokia Maps menu has provided a search facility. It is useful for you to track unknown location easily. This search facility will be connected with the Nokia's database via the Internet. Here's the methods:
- Go to Option and select Search and then type in your destination.
- If the search result has found too much detail destination, find the appropriate and more specific.
- To display the location on the map, select Show on Map.
- Enjoy the results.
You can also save the map image in digital format (JPEG). The map view can be adjusted to make visible contrast in the afternoon or evening. Now your turn to try, that is easy.

Nokia 2608

2009-03-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

The N2608 is the latest Nokia's CDMA phone. Nokia tried to serve the fashion side in which this is rarely shown by other handset in the same class. But there is one thing, the phone technology and features is still not able to support the phone design performance.

Design.
Tiny, slim and stylish this may be the right word to say the physical form of N2608. However, if you check in more detail, this clamshell phone is too small in the hand grip especially when the phone position is closed. The stylish aura will be reduced slightly because the phone body material fullfilled with plastic elements. The presence of this phone seems to be a substitute for the Nokia 2505. As overall, the Nokia 2608 has a plain appearance in gray metallic coloration. In the middle of the body, there is a green frame lengthwise from top to bottom. When body shell is opened, you can find 4-way unique navigation key and comfortable to use exploring the phone menu. You will be a little difficult during typing short messages because the flat keypad was made of hard plastic. Fortunately, the distantly between the key is enough so that your fingers will be free to move from one to one another keys. There are only two slots located in the left side of the body that is microUSB slots for the data cable connection and the phone charger also 2.5mm slots for the headset.

Display and interface.
This cellphone using TFT 262.000 colors in resolution of 1.8 inches (128 x 160px). That is one of the Nokia 2608 benefits if they were compared with Nokia 2505 that only offers the TFT screen 65.000 color. Performance of the menu icons and wallpaper action on Nokia 2608 it's not too disappointing. The phone display is quite attractive typical like other Nokia UI. The 2608 main menu offers two option that is in the matrix and the list form. There you can find 11 main menu completed with the icons that represent their functions. There are messages, phone logs, contact list, gallery, media, agenda, Brew, settings, minibrowser, extra, and the SIM toolkit. There are some shortcut menu available when the standby mode is actived.

Network.
The version of this phone software is SH_1321B_IDG and only supported CDMA2000 1x network and single radio frequency only (800 MHz). This means the phone can not be used in 1900 MHz frequency channels.

Messaging.
Like other CDMA handset, the ability to send messages only by SMS. Luckily, vendors have added services the Minibrowser Messages to complete messaging features.

Excellent features.
- Radio.
For a CDMA mobile phone that are usually minimal in features, the FM radio function on the Nokia 2608 is quite a bit to assist you to enjoy the entertainment. The sound quality through the headset is not too disappointing. But if the loudspeaker used to listening the radio, you will feel that the phone sound is still less than optimal. Too much noise and so the sound quality is still not giving satisfaction.
- BREW.
Nokia decision to use the BREW platform in the 2608 has become one of its advantage compared to preceding phone (2505). This support make the user can enjoy the extra service such as download and run the BREW-based applications or content offered via the CDMA operator.

Connectivity.
Nokia 2608 using microUSB data cable connection to make contact with the PC device. Unfortunately, the vendor does not provide the data cable even the CD installer also unavailable in the buying package.

Browser.
Nokia already installed WAP 2.0 browser, so convenient to explore the internet can be achieved by you. Browser menu is completed and attractive look. This sector can be additional points of the Nokia 2608 to compete with others CDMA phone. Moreover, they have already set the service profile depending upon where is your country and your cellphone operator.

Additional features.
Like other general CDMA mobile phone, the game is often chosen for entertainment function. Nokia 2608 have three games that could played in your spare time. There are Bowling, Square Color, HT, and also some applications.

Battery.
The N2608 CDMA using a Lithium Ion 870 mAh battery for power supply. Based on factory specifications, this battery able to provide power supply up to 10 days. The battery capacity is greater than the Nokia 2505 (700 mAh).

Other details:
*. Image support: Yes. JPG.
*. Memory: 1.5MB (Internal).
*. Browser: WAP 2.0 (support BREW 3.1.5, support OMA download).
*. Audio: 64-polyphonic, MP3, MIDI, AAC+, QCELP.
*. Record sound: Yes, 90 second.
*. Standby: 240 hour.
*. Talktime: 3.5 hour.
*. Dimension: 8.2 x 4.2 x 1.66 cm.
*. Weight: 65 gram.

Push Email using Nokia Messaging

2009-03-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

For you who are frequently use email as a means of communication. This service is very easy for us to send and receive email automatically, anytime and anywhere. So it's like send and receive sms. For you who use the Nokia S60 v3, you can enjoy the push email service through the Nokia Messaging for free.

*. Registration Nokia Messaging.
To try this service you should be sign up first at http://email.nokia.com/ list, select the sign-up menu, select the type of phone you use, then input your email address and password. The next step is enter your name and your phone number, then click "create account".

*. Install Nokia Messaging.
After the registration process is complete, you will receive an sms containing a link to download Nokia Messaging application. Open the download link using phone browser and the application will automatically install on your phone.
*. Run the application.
Once the application is installed, enter your email password, and the Push Email service will be free to use. Nokia Messaging Services can accommodate up to 10 email accounts including Yahoo! Mail and Gmail.

Note:
*. At this time (and hopefully forever) Nokia Messaging service is provided free of charge.
*. Only for Nokia S60 v3.x phone (Nokia 5320, 6210, 6220, E51, E61, E61i, E63, E66, E71, E90, N73, N78, N79, N82, N85, N95 & N96).
*. This application requires continually GPRS connection, so it will lead the battery quick to out of power and (of course) wasteful of phone credit.