WORLD MOBILE PHONES NEWS

HTC Legend review. A Hero becomes a Legend (2010)

2010-03-30T02:21:00.000-07:00

HTC Legend review: A Hero becomes a Legend

HTC Legend specs
User opinions and reviews
Comments (27)

Tags: HTC, Android, Touch UI

Introduction

It took a little Magic and a Dream but Android eventually got a Hero to champion the OS. Now, the HTC Legend comes in an aluminum suit of armor to join the ranks of the Android army. So, is this knight in shining armor set to be the vanguard of the explosive growth of Android?

HTC Legend official photos

The predecessor of the HTC Legend, the Hero, pioneered Sense UI and this latest gadget follows suit, but brings some innovation of its own.

The HTC Legend borrows a page from high-end laptop design – the aluminum unibody. The unibody design was touted as a game-changing breakthrough when it hit the laptop market. A lot of that was marketing hype, but the fact is that unibody metal designs still have a distinct quality feel to them.

Before we jump into any details, we’ll go over the key aspects of the HTC Legend and what we found lacking.

Key features

Aluminum unibody design
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
3G with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA 2Mbps
Android OS v2.1 with latest Sense UI
3.2" capacitive AMOLED touchscreen of HVGA resolution
Qualcomm MSM 7227 600 MHz CPU, 384 MB RAM
5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and VGA@30fps video recording
Web browser comes with Flash support
Multi-touch zooming in gallery and web browser
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and GPS receiver
Digital compass for automatic navigation of maps
Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate and turn-to-mute
Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP); File transfer over Bluetooth
Standard microUSB port for charging and data
Standard 3.5mm audio jack
FM Radio with RDS
microSD card slot with support for up to 32GB cards (2GB one included)
Tethering support right out-of-the-box
Social networking integration with Facebook and Twitter
Direct access to the official Android application repository

Main disadvantages

No video-call camera (or videocalling whatsoever)
No dedicated shutter key or lens cover
No TV-out port
No voice dialing
No DivX or XviD video support out of the box
Dodgy flash video support

The aluminum body isn’t the only hardware upgrade the Legend got over the Hero, the TFT display technology has been switched in favor of AMOLED and that’s not all. Some of the other specs have alos received a refresh.

Despite trading plastic for metal, the Legend is actually slimmer around the waist than the Hero – it’s just 11.5mm thick and it’s a pinch lighter too. Something that will evoke either a positive or negative response depending on the person is the move to an optical trackpad instead of the tried and true trackball.

HTC Legend at ours

Android doesn’t have much use for a trackball or trackpad anyway, but this goes well with the more compact profile of the HTC Legend. Even the trade-mark chin has been all but flattened.

On the next page, we’ll tell you more about the feats (and features) of the HTC Legend, starting with the unboxing and the hardware.

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New Phone HP iPAQ K3 OLED touchscreen

2009-07-27T23:50:00.000-07:00

Tags: HP, Windows Mobile, Touch UI, AT&T

Have you ever wanted a BlackBerry with a touchscreen and a full QWERTY? Well, if you happen to like Windows Mobile 6.5 too, then you might as well put the HP iPAQ K3 Obsidian on your wishlist - it's just what you've been after.

We posted some leaked photos and a spec sheet of the iPAQ K3 Obsidian back in May and now we've got more to show you. One thing seems to have changed - the screen, which the spec sheet had at 2.8", is now reportedly a 2.46" one based on AMOLED technology. A quick measurement of the live shots in Photoshop seems to support the 2.80 theory, given the phone measurements in the spec sheet are correct.

HP iPAQ K3 Obsidian

The screen, as we already hinted, is a touchscreen - not all too common for bars with full QWERTYs. The resolution is only QVGA though. The rest of the specs are in line with what the competition offers - the HP iPAQ K3 runs on a 528MHz CPU with 256MB RAM and 512MB ROM.

Connectivity in the Obsidian also doesn't disappoint - there's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0, a microUSB and 3.5mm audio jack and finally - built-in GPS. A microSD card slot will help with expanding the internal storage.

HP iPAQ K3 Obsidian

The camera is the other thing that doesn't coincide with the initial data on the spec sheet. This new information puts the camera at 3.2 megapixels, but doesn't mention the LED flash. Either way, this is hardly a deal breaker.

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD GSM Cell Phone preview

2009-07-24T01:19:00.000-07:00

Tags: Samsung, Symbian S60, Touch UI, Preview

The world's first 720p HD video recording on a mobile phone was top of our list of trend-setting features revealed at this year's MWC in Barcelona. But even if you take HD from the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD you will still have enough skill and guts to go around. It's Symbian-powered, it's touch-controlled, it's a monster of a cameraphone. For all we know, a device like that is always worth another look.

So, here's the deal. We're not just taking another look at the Samsung Omnia HD, we hope it's a closer, and more revealing look. A second preview is a rare honor but then, the Samsung Omnia HD is a rare piece of technology.

The Omnia HD is getting closer to release and the new unit we have is much different than the real early bird we checked out back in February. It's been a while, so here's what Samsung have been up to with the Omnia HD.

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/1900/2100 MHz, GPRS/EDGE class 12, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen bar
Dimensions and weight: 123 x 58 x 12.9 mm, 144 g
Display: 3.7-inch 16M color capacitive AMOLED touchscreen, 640 x 360 pixels
Memory: 8/16GB integrated memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
CPU:ARM Cortex-A8 600 MHz processor; Graphics HW Accelerator
OS: Symbian S60 5th edition
Still camera: 8 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash, geo-tagging, face detection, smile shot, image stabilizer, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), ISO 1600
Video recording: HD 720p@24fps, 720x480@30fps, QVGA time-lapse and slow-mo video recording
Connectivity: Wi-Fi with DLNA support, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, TV-out (SD content)
Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate and turn-to-mute, proximity sensor for auto screen turn-off, magnetometer for digital compass, handwriting recognition, FM radio with RDS, DivX/XviD video support, subtitles support, virtual 5.1 channel Dolby surround (on headphones), web browser with Flash video support, office document viewer, motion-based 3D games
Battery: 1500 mAh battery

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD is getting closer and closer to its release

To get it straight, the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD (or just i8910 HD in select markets as of lately) hasn't lost a bit of its HD magic. The 720p video playback and recording are all intact and can be enjoyed in their full shine on the more mature device we're testing this time around.

The same goes for the 8-megapixel snapper that sports autofocus, digital image stabilization, geo-tagging, beside face, smile and blink detection. Along come the enormous 3.7" capacitive AMOLED touchscreen and the other goodies that complete the Omnia HD. Like the touch-optimized Symbian OS and TouchWiz 3D, WLAN support and built-in GPS.

Now, before you start wondering what the fuss is all about, we're focusing on the evolution of the Omnia HD. Other than the design and hardware changes, this preview is looking closer at the interface and the coexistence of Symbian and TouchWiz. Prepare for great video playing and plenty of video and still camera samples. We've tried to make it less talk, more action, so let's roll.

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Samsung S7220 Ultra b Phone review: More than meets the eye

2009-07-24T01:16:00.000-07:00

Tags: Samsung

Sharp looks and decent kit, Samsung S7220 Ultra b is one of those handsets that would rather do the job than do the talk. Not so long ago, the S7220 Ultra b could've been basking in the Soul kind of hype. Instead, today it quietly sits in the middle of Samsung's portfolio, ready to cash in without fanfare.

Samsung S7220 Ultra b knows to keep a low profile - and that's a compliment for a phone with a stunning screen and distinct styling. But it sure knows to keep up with the pace of the evolving midrange and takes a prominent face so you don't get lost in the crowd. In a busy corner of the market, it takes a few aces up the sleeve to keep the competition at a safe distance. The first impressions when we previewed the Samsung S7220 Ultra b back in February were very encouraging but let's see how it stands the test of a full review.

Samsung S7220 Ultra b

Key features

Quad-band GSM and dual-band (900/2100 MHz) UMTS with HSDPA (7.2 Mbps) support
2.2" 256K-color AMOLED display of QVGA resolution
11.8mm thickness
5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, Smile detection, Wide dynamic range and geotagging
Built-in GPS with A-GPS support
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
microUSB v2.0, charging through USB
Accelerometer sensor
Basic Java multitasking
Office document viewer
Smart dialing

Main disadvantages

Smallish display
Small and fiddly soft keys
No camera lens protection
No full-featured voice-guided navigation software
Inadequate flash performance
QVGA video recording only

The most prominent feature of the Samsung S7220 Ultra b is its AMOLED display that sets it apart from the majority of market rivals. The excellent screen quality is topped by a pretty capable 5-megapixel autofocus camera.

Samsung S7220 Ultra b is paying us another visit - this time for a full review

The nice metallic finish and the distinctive styling do give the Samsung S7220 Ultra b a bit of an edge against its competitors. The decent feature set and the solid looks make it a credible contender in the midrange.

Hit the jump to start exploring the Samsung S7220 Ultra b. Bear in mind that while in different parts of the world the handset is known under various names, such as UltraCLASSIC, Lucido and Eltz, we will keep to the original Ultra b.

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LG GD900 Crystal Phones review Crystal clear

2009-07-24T00:42:00.000-07:00

Tags: LG, S-class UI, Touch UI

When talking about good design it's usually all about placing the right elements in the right places. And in the rare cases when an R&D team actually comes up with something innovative, they usually reserve it for a 2000 buck handset like the Motorola Aura. The LG GD900 Crystal and its see-through keypad, however, prefers walking among the mortals to sitting on mount Olympus and drinking ambrosia.

LG GD900 Crystal official photos

And luckily the sleek handset is much more than a pretty face. The rich feature set of the GD900 Crystal places it only a short step away from LG's multimedia flagships. However the lack of GPS is easily made up for with cool features like gesture shortcuts and multi-touch input. Sure, these may seem like fancy additions rather than key features, but sometimes it's all about winning the hearts of the users rather than their minds. And the Crystal seems pretty well designed to do that.

Key features

Unique see-through alphanumeric touch-sensitive keypad
3" 16M color capacitive TFT touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
S-Class Touch UI
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
3G with HSDPA (7.2 Mbps)
Wi-Fi
8 megapixel autofocus camera, LED flash, manual focus, geotagging, image stabilization, multi face detection (up to 3), smile detection
D1 (720x480 pixels)@30fps, VGA@30fps, QVGA time-lapse and slow-mo video recording
1.5GB storage memory
Hot-swappable microSD card slot(up to 32GB)
microUSB v2.0, mass storage mode
TV-out port
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
Gesture shortcuts
Accelerometer for screen auto rotate
Multi-touch input
DivX and XviD support
FM radio with RDS
Dolby for Mobile audio enhancement
Office document viewer
Smart dialing

Main disadvantages:

Poor screen sunlight legibility
Below average camera image quality
No built-in GPS receiver
No standard 3.5mm audio jack
Records video in 3GP format
Email attachment size limit is 1MB (both ways)
Limited DivX/XviD video support
All-plastic build

So what we have on our hands here is a handset that's dressed to impress and with a mind bright enough to keep your attention. We really like it when there's something new thrown at us and a see-through touch-sensitive keypad is certainly a first in the mobile world.

LG GD900 Crystal live shots

The novelty factor is certainly there, we only need t to check if the delicate LG Crystal will pass our tests with flying colors. The ergonomics inspection is due right after the jump.

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Samsung B7610 OmniaPRO Phone Revie

2009-07-23T23:35:00.000-07:00

Samsung B7610 OmniaPRO specs

Tags: Samsung, Windows Mobile phone, Touch UI

Samsung are not quite the standard-setter in communicator devices but are obviously keen to have their say. Playing catch up seems well in order for a debut but we guess someone here is set to play for keeps. The Samsung B7610 OmniaPRO is a generously spec'd device that's poised to tackle the best in the class and even raise the bet. While sheer size and scope confine it to a niche, the Samsung communicator might be just the right option for those served by that niche.

Samsung B7610 Omnia Pro official photos

Having acquired a pre-release sample of the side-slider PocketPC we are squeezing in a short preview, introducing its most important features. The chunky bloke does give a decent first impression, but handling will be the ultimate test. For starters, let's look at the key items on the Samsung B7610 OmniaPRO's balance sheet.

Samsung B7610 OmniaPRO at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 3.6Mbps
Form factor: Full QWERTY side-slider
Dimensions: 112.6 x 57.8 x 16.2 mm, 159g
Display: 3.5" 65K-color resistive AMOLED touchscreen of WVGA resolution
OS: Windows Mobile 6.1 (upgradable to 6.5), TouchWiz 2.0 UI
Memory: 1GB built-in storage, 256 MB RAM, hot-swappable microSD (up to 16GB)
CPU: 800 MHz processor with dedicated graphics accelerator
Camera: 5 megapixel auto-focus, with dual LED flash and VGA video at 30 fps
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, TV out, 3.5mm standard audio jack
Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate and turn-to-mute, FM radio with RDS, DivX/XviD video support, work and leisure modes
Battery: 1500mAh Li-Ion battery

Samsung are obviously eyeing market penetration at all levels. The B7610 OmniaPRO is their scout in a long colonized territory. HTC.are clearly the key target, though the communicator game is competitive enough with XPERIA, Nseries and Eseries all keen to take the lead.

Samung B7610 OmniaPRO at ours

A heavyweight fight it sure is but let's focus on this one contender here. The OmniaPRO will hit the scales and warm up with a hardware inspection on the next page.

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Reviews - HTC Magic review: Practical magic

2009-07-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Tags: HTC, Android, Touch UI

A cool looking touchscreen carrying a new mobile OS was enough to get the attention of even the most hardened of them techies last time we checked. Fair enough, the HTC Magic isn't groundbreaking but the Cupcake-ful of changes it brings, promise a whole new experience.

HTC Magic official photos

Well, for starters the Android sure looks more human. The formidable and weapon-like G1/ HTC Dream needed every ounce of weight to stand its ground. With an honestly lighthearted and disarming approach, the HTC Magic is willing to play by the conventional touchscreen rules. And may as well be eyeing massive sales. Compact dimensions and distinct styling, decent all round functionality and system expandability, the HTC Magic seems to have what it takes to keep both smart and feature phone touchscreens on edge. The second edition of the OS should have dealt with the issues of the forerunner and given the Magic that extra bit of pace. So, what do you call a good platform getting better and a gadget looking more mainstream but still creative enough? We call it good sense but who knows, it may be Magic.

Key features

Android OS v1.5 Cupcake
3.2" capacitive touchscreen of HVGA resolution
Qualcomm MSM 7201A 528 MHz CPU, 192/288 MB RAM
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
3G with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA 2Mbps
3.15 megapixel autofocus camera
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
GPS
Trackball navigation
Accelerometer sensor
Digital compass
Compact and stylish body

Main disadvantages

No video-call camera
No flash support in the web browser
No file transfers over Bluetooth
No FM radio

In the beginning there was the unforgiving vastness of G1. Come to think of it, mobile phone evolution has always moved from huge to small. Android for one is quite aware and unafraid to press the fast-forward on evolution. Anyway, Google and their HTC counterparts feel confident enough to concentrate on style. Size mattered when they were about to take their first dip in the shark pond. Size matters even more when they're gearing up to beat a legion of seasoned touchscreens at their own game.

HTC Magic live shots

Full-touch handsets have been all the rage, and every manufacturer is putting their best effort to not merely stay in the game but influence it. Google DNA and HTC craftsmanship, the Magic almost has the impact guaranteed but how it translates into actual sales is perhaps the first thing on everyone's mind.

The HTC Magic is in for a real challenge and we are keen to see what it's got. We're back after the jump and ready to judge the game plan by the kit.

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Samsung S8000 Jet review: Airborne -new phone

2009-07-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI

Introduction

It's that time of the year and the living is easy: pool parties, blockbuster movies and new gadgets. The Samsung S8000 Jet sure knows good timing and gallantly promises a bit of everything - style, entertainment and impressively light and lively handling. It's a thing to show off to your friends and help you enjoy and capture the hot moments of the season.

The S8000 Jet is not exactly jet set stuff but claims a big piece of the touchscreen action. And it knows who it needs to kill to get it. The Jet is the direct and brave answer to the LG KM900 Arena and boy isn't it a tough call between these two. The S8000 Jet has the fancy 3D interface upgrade, 5MP camera with D1 recording, Wi-Fi, GPS and all the stuff to put this touchscreen phone in the desirable category. We have a thriller of a local derby and the high-end contenders need to do everything and do it well.

Samsung S8000 Jet offical photos

We were impressed in our preview with the new visual upgrades of the TouchWiz interface, which combine the best part of the 3D LG cube and page-organized iPhone menus. But now it's time for the

final and deciding round with the Samsung S800 Jet. Here is the full ammo of the S8000 Jet, along with what might be the deal breakers.

Key features

3.1" 16M-color resistive AMOLED touchscreen of 800 x 480 pixel resolution
800 MHz processor
5 megapixel auto focus camera with dual-LED
Geotagging, image stabilization, face detection, Smile Shot, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR)
Latest TouchWiz 2.0 UI with Motion UI, Media Gate 3D, Smart Unlock
Quad-band GSM support and 3G with HSDPA 3.6 Mbps and HSUPA support
Wi-Fi
GPS receiver
2 / 8 GB onboard storage
microSD card slot with microSDHC support
Built-in accelerometer for screen auto rotate and turn-to-mute
Proximity sensor for display auto turn-off
TV out
3.5 mm audio jack
Stereo FM Radio with RDS
microUSB port and stereo Bluetooth v2.0
Web browser has full Flash and Java support
DivX/XviD video support
DNSe and SRS sound effect
Smart dialing
Speaker Call

Main disadvantages

No smartphone capabilities
microSD slot is under the back cover
Smart dialing only works for numbers, not contact names
No preinstalled GPS navigation software

As the specs suggest, the Samsung S8000 Jet is nothing short of a multimedia monster. The picture is complete with full Flash support - still quite a rarity among today's handsets - DivX/XviD video codecs and great music package. The camera is a high-end snapper with premium features that the LG Arena doesn't have, while the Smart Unlock, Speaker Call and Motion UI just add to its uniqueness.

Samsung S8000 Jet in our office

But first things first - let's get the handset unboxed and ready to roll on the next page.

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LG GC900 Viewty Smart review: S-class Act - Cell Phones

2009-07-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Tags: LG, Touch UI

It's 12 and counting for cameraphones but the real thick of action is at the 8 megapixel notch. There goes the next of them exciting imaging gadgets waiting to be put in play. We've got a bit of catching up with the LG Viewty Smart to do since our first rendezvous. But let's quickly review the basics. Whether you call it an LG Arena with a beefier camera or a Viewty on S-Class, we guess we're happy either way. Oh, you can also call it Viewty2, while we go on and check if it's 2 good 2 miss.

Sweet waistline and slick packaging, the Viewty Smart carries quite an impressive feature set including a 3" capacitive touchscreen, 8 megapixel autofocus camera with loads of options and the high-flying S-Class Touch UI. The Viewty is not smartphone kind of smart but the inspired interface and the sharp gadgety looks do give its name some credence.

LG Viewty Smart official photos

LG GC900 Viewty Smart key features

3" 16M-color capacitive TFT touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
S-Class Touch UI
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
3G with HSDPA (7.2 Mbps)
Wi-Fi and GPS receiver with A-GPS
8 megapixel autofocus camera, Schneider-Kreuznach optics, LED flash, manual focus, geotagging, image stabilization, multi face detection (up to 3), smile detection
D1 (720x480 pixels)@30fps, VGA@30fps, QVGA time-lapse and slow-mo video recording
1.5GB flash storage, microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
Hot-swappable microSD card slot
USB Mass Storage, TV out
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
Accelerometer for screen auto rotate
Multi-touch input
DivX and XviD support
FM radio with RDS
Dolby for Mobile audio enhancement
Office document viewer
Smart dialing

Main disadvantages:

Poor screen sunlight legibility
Below average image quality
No voice-guided GPS navigation software available
No standard USB port and no inbuilt 3.5mm audio jack
Records video in 3GP format
Email attachment size limit is 1MB only (both ways)
Limited DivX/XviD video support
All-plastic build

LG GC900 is not just another cameraphone but one worthy of bearing the name of the original Viewty. For a bit of household drama, the Viewty Smart will be rightfully expected to outdo another strong performer like the Renoir. And to make the family tree even more intricate, comparison with the Arena will be inevitable. That said, the Viewty Smart sure has style and quality of its own. The feel and looks, the upgrades and the performance sound like a good enough reason for a proper in-depth review. And mind you, the LG GC900 Viewty Smart is not all about the imaging. With an inviting touchscreen platform, complete connectivity set (Wi-Fi and HSDPA), great music and DivX/XviD videos, the Viewty Smart promises a fun and exciting ride.

LG GC900 Viewty Smart live shots

The LG KU990 Viewty legacy doesn't come out so obvious on the comparative shots. You will hardly tell that the elegantly edgy Viewty Smart is the direct descendent of the boxy Viewty 1. Well then, we guess we're eager to see it in action and look for the imaging talent we sure hope the parent has passed on. In all fairness, looking back at the original, the weaknesses are well obvious but if the upgrade would match the splash the Viewty made two years ago, it can safely call it a day.

The evolution of Viewty

We're all set then for a closer look at the Viewty Smart exterior. Hit the jump for our scoop on design and ergonomics.

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Samsung S5230 Star review: Hot starlet - Reviews

2009-07-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI

Samsung are going to great lengths to pile pressure on the LG Cookie. While the Samsung S5600 Preston aims to outdo it, the 5230 Star is set for a head-on collision course. This starlet's middle name is Tocco Lite and that's plenty to live up to.

The name itself is no shortcut to stardom but the Tocco pedigree certainly brings with it certain expectations of quality. So will this little Star still be going strong a year from launch? The S5230 certainly has all the ingredients, now all we need to do is see if Samsung has got the mix right.

Add a dash of touchscreen and nifty unlock, a pinch of smart looks and document viewer, DNSe and smile shutter to taste. Samsung's widget-wielding TouchWiz makes reading the recipe a cinch.

It's a dish that's already proving popular - the Star is already shifting over a million units per month and Samsung expect to total 10 million sold by the end of the year. Certainly an ambitious plan, but they just might pull it off - the Star is set to become one of Samsung's bestsellers.

Samsung S5230 official photos

Samsung S5230 main features:

GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, GPRS/EDGE class 12
Dimensions: 104.0 x 53.0 x 11.9 mm, 93.5 g
3" resistive TFT touchscreen, WQVGA resolution (240 x 400 pixels)
50MB onboard storage, microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
3 megapixel fixed focus camera with smile detection
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB v.2.0
Document viewer
Smart unlock
Accelerometer sensor
FM radio with RDS
DNSe
Find Music recognition service
1000 mAh battery, up to 800 h of standby

Main disadvantages

No 3G
Proprietary connectivity port
Slightly more expensive than the LG KP500 Cookie
No way to directly switch between running apps
The camera is quite basic - uninspiring picture quality, no autofocus or flash
Non-hot-swappable microSD slot

Samsung S5230 live shots

The Star offers a basic touchscreen package with little to no access to top-of-the-line technology. It still knows a trick or two though and is keen to treat the masses to Smart Unlock. It was initially dubbed Gesture lock but in the end Samsung went for Smart instead. This feature lets users unlock the S5230 Star and even launch apps by drawing a letter on the screen. It can be any letter: U to unlock the device, B to launch the browser, J to run your favorite Java app. It's a nifty trick that adds a little speed and spice when working with the device.

Jump to the next page for a guided tour of the Star exterior. We'll look closer at the few things that have changed since our early-bird preview.

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Samsung S8000 Jet review: Airborne - Reviews

2009-07-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

Reviews

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI

Introduction

Samsung S8000 Jet offical photos

We were impressed in our preview with the new visual upgrades of the TouchWiz interface, which combine the best part of the 3D LG cube and page-organized iPhone menus. But now it's time for the final and deciding round with the Samsung S800 Jet.

Here is the full ammo of the S8000 Jet, along with what might be the deal breakers.

Key features

3.1" 16M-color resistive AMOLED touchscreen of 800 x 480 pixel resolution
800 MHz processor
5 megapixel auto focus camera with dual-LED
Geotagging, image stabilization, face detection, Smile Shot, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR)
Latest TouchWiz 2.0 UI with Motion UI, Media Gate 3D, Smart Unlock
Quad-band GSM support and 3G with HSDPA 3.6 Mbps and HSUPA support
Wi-Fi
GPS receiver
2 / 8 GB onboard storage
microSD card slot with microSDHC support
Built-in accelerometer for screen auto rotate and turn-to-mute
Proximity sensor for display auto turn-off
TV out
3.5 mm audio jack
Stereo FM Radio with RDS
microUSB port and stereo Bluetooth v2.0
Web browser has full Flash and Java support
DivX/XviD video support
DNSe and SRS sound effect
Smart dialing
Speaker Call

Main disadvantages

No smartphone capabilities
microSD slot is under the back cover
Smart dialing only works for numbers, not contact names
No preinstalled GPS navigation software

Samsung S8000 Jet in our office

But first things first - let's get the handset unboxed and ready to roll on the next page.

Note: Sponsored advertising links are in GSM MOBILE LANKA

Nokia 5630 Xpress Music review: A sharp note

2009-07-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

Reviews

Tags: Nokia, XpressMusic, Symbian S60

The XpressMusic family has walked a long way – and shed a great deal of weight – since the 5700. The music-centric Finns have always felt at home on Symbian ground though, and the Nokia 5630 is the next step for them and they’re getting smarter and faster. A sharp mind in a fit body, the latest XpressMusic smartphone packs the quickest processor Nokia have offered to date.

Nokia 5630 XpressMusic official photos

XpressMusic is not the Nokia 5630’s only virtue. The subdued exterior reveals little of the talent that lays beneath. Along with the music perks go Wi-Fi, a 3-megapixel snapper, N-Gage support, and S60 FP2 to open the door to a whole world of extra apps.

Of course, it’s not without its flaws but think again before casting the first stone. The 5630 XpressMusic is slim enough – both in girth and price – to dodge its critics.

Key features:

ARM 11 600 MHz processor
Quad-band GSM support
3G with HSDPA
12 mm slim
2.2" 16M-color QVGA display of excellent sunlight legibility
3 megapixel camera, enhanced fixed focus and dual LED flash
VGA video-call camera
Symbian OS with S60 3.2 UI
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with UPnP technology
Bluetooth (with A2DP) and microUSB port
microSD card slot (16 GB supported, 4GB included)
Standard 3.5mm audio jack
Dedicated music keys
N-Gage support
Ovi Contacts integration
Contacts bar on the homescreen
N-Series-like gallery
Carrying pouch supplied
Text-to-speech Message reader system application

Main disadvantages:

Cheap plastic build
microSD card very hard to eject
Screen is on the small side for comfortable web browsing or video watching and has inaccurate color reproduction
Camera has no autofocus and tends to oversharpen images
Video recording quality is poor and the framerate – low

We quite like the nice little twist the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic brings in terms of looks and substance. Behind its youthful and playful disguise, there is indeed a power smartphone (along the lines of Nokia E52) to meet all your media and connectivity needs.

Nokia 5630 XpressMusic live shots

The Nokia 5630 is quite reminiscent of the super slim 5310 XpressMusic. It doesn’t have the flashy aluminum accents but the added power and S60 make it a real workhorse. And having in mind it’s a smartphone – and a powerful one too – it makes the slim waistline even more impressive.

A couple of slim XpressMusic candybars

So, now that we’ve got you tuned in to the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic, we guess you might be eager to see it in action. Let’s roll.

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Apple iPhone 3GS review: Same clothes, new feel

2009-07-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

Tags: Apple, iPhone 3GS

Introduction

The Apple iPhone 3GS is probably not the next revolutionary iPhone as you might have expected it. But the performance boost, the sharper camera with video and the purportedly improved battery life certainly make of the current iPhone (3GS or whatever it is called this year) a much more balanced smartphone, one that you could probably wave in front your geeky friends more proudly. Well, you'd still get the chilling disapproving look, but at least you won't feel as embarrassed as you used to.

The truth about the iPhone is this - perhaps about 20 million people around the globe are quoted as having given in to the iPhone temptation ever since the frenzy started. Now, 2 years later, the rest of the modern world is already sick to death of hearing all about it.

Once ground-breaking, but still as controversial and inspiring as ever, the iPhone lineup has just received its latest offspring. Meet the iPhone 3GS, where "S" can mean a lot of things, but without a doubt covers all that's needed for "Speed".

Apple iPhone 3GS official photos

Using last year's design but boasting some extra powerful hardware, the iPhone 3GS is supposed to, and indeed is, running up to 2 times better than what Apple have offered us so far. This speed boost doesn't bring substantial new capabilities to the table. Instead it's more like the hardware catching up with what we can still call one of the most advanced and user-friendly touch user interfaces to-date (in the realm of GSM mobile phones, of course).

While the iPhone 3GS and the 3G are most obviously cut from the same cloth, you'd be glad to know that there are some differentiating factors that can perhaps be worth your cash:

iPhone 3GS advantages over iPhone 3G:

A faster 600MHz CPU and double the RAM at 256MB
Noticeably faster performance
Faster network speeds of HSDPA 7.2Mbps
3.2 megapixel auto focus camera with VGA@30fps video recording, touch focus with subject tracking, macro mode from as close as 10 cm

Double the storage space - 3GS is selling in 16GB and 32GB versions
Digital compass with automatic map orientation in Maps app
Better audio quality (as recorded and analyzed in our office)
Louder loudspeaker results (with performance gains primarily in music playback)
Purportedly better battery life
Oleophobic display coating supposed to make fingerprints easier to clean
Voice Control, speaker independent. Can be use to call a phone number, play music by song/album/artist name, shuffle music
Built-in support for Nike+ jogging system
Text-to-speech feature called VoiceOver is included in the new Accessibility menu
System-wide Screen Zoom is also included in the Accessibility menu

Main disadvantages of iPhone 3GS (OS disadvantages not counted here)

The new iPhone 3GS lacks the same novelty factor as its predecessors - the lack of design changes is a turn-down
3 megapixel camera with limited feature set hardly cuts it for a high-end device
There's still no flash or hardware shutter key for the camera
Despite the upgrade, battery life is still generally poor (2-year old iPhone 2G are still doing way better)
No stereo speakers (or are we pushing it too far already?)

Since the iPhone 3GS is the first iPhone to come with the iPhone OS 3.0 factory preinstalled, we'll most definitely have a detailed look in this review at the changes it brings about - no matter that iPhone 2G and 3G have both received the update for free.

The Apple iPhone 3GS

Where it stands today, the iPhone OS 3.0 is much more mature version of itself back in the day. Honestly, when we look at where it's at now, we can only be amazed how limited in features it was when it all started a couple of years ago.

Apple iPhone 3GS held in hand

But there's a lot to cover today, so let's not waste any more time. Join us as we go through the well known hardware and design and bear with us as we cover the iPhone OS 3.0, because it will get interesting, we promise.

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Samsung M8910 Pixon12 gets an upcoming price tag of 639 euro

2009-06-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI

The dozen-megapixel cameraphone Samsung M8910 Pixon12 is getting closer to its release date and sources in Spain have already gotten hold of the unlocked no-commitment price tag there. One of the hottest mobile phones this summer can be yours for "only" 639 euro.

The price tag of 639 euro makes the Samsung M8910 Pixon12 more expensive than the 16GB version of the new iPhone 3GS, which comes with a no-commitment price of 619 euro in Italy.

On the other hand, the Pixon12 sports a 28mm wide-angle 12-megapixel sharp-shooter with autofocus, Xenon flash and additional power LED flashlight. The handset is also capable of taking D1-resolution videos at 30 fps.

The Samsung Pixon12 specs sheet goes on with the 3.1-inch 16M colors AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, built-in GPS receiver, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support and finishes with the microSD card slot able to accommodate cards with a capacity of up to 16GB.

According to our source Samsung M8910 Pixon12 should start selling in Spain by the end of August, although at the Pixon12 announcement Samsung said it will be available across Europe in the end of this very June, with the rest of the world following up in August. Perhaps plans have changed. That should give the Sony Ericsson Satio some room for breathing, right?

Source

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Nokia N97 review: Lock, stock and touch

2009-06-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Tags: Nokia, Touch UI, Symbian S60

They don't get any bigger than that. A launch of this caliber can aptly be called inauguration day. The release of Nokia N97 is the Nseries counter-move that geeks have been waiting for since November. Easily one of the most complete smartphones ever created, the N97 has been haunting Symbian buffs' dreams for quite a while.

Nokia N97

We're about to see if this feature-loaded son of a gun is the stuff dreams are made of and if it has the gut to stand up to the best on the market. The 5800 XpressMusic was cheap enough to easily be forgiven a couple of shortcomings but the N97 is not the begging type. Nokia-faithfuls are used to only getting the best treatment, so they won't settle for less with the Nseries skipper.

Key features

Slide-n-tilt 3.5" 16M-color resistive touchscreen of 640 x 360 pixel resolution
5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash and lens cover (VGA@30fps video recording)
Symbian OS 9.4 with S60 5th edition UI
Slide-out three-row full QWERTY keyboard
ARM 11 434MHz CPU and 128 MB of RAM
Quad-band GSM support and 3G with HSDPA support
Wi-Fi and GPS with A-GPS (plus 3 months of free voice-guided navigation via Ovi Maps)
Digital compass
Class-leading 32GB onboard storage
microSD card slot with microSDHC support
Built-in accelerometer
3.5 mm audio jack
TV out
Stereo FM Radio with RDS, FM transmitter
microUSB port and stereo Bluetooth v2.0
Web browser has full Flash and Java support
Nice audio reproduction quality

Main disadvantages

The S60 5th edition UI still has poor ergonomics and is not as thumbable as expected
Camera features are so two-thousand-and-late
No DivX or XviD support out-of-the-box
No smart dialing
Somewhat limited 3rd party software availability
No office document editing (without a paid upgrade)

Obvious from the list above, the Nokia N97 hardly puts anything new on the table. It is however a bold try to fit all of today's top features under one hood and offer a nice ride at that. This certainly is an ambitious task by itself but the ever-expectant Nseries fans, who always want something new on their next handset, make it even harder. The Nokia N97 will need to be near flawless to get a warm welcome.

Nokia N97 at ours

Nokia N97 will also be a major test for the still quite young (or immature if you want) S60 5th edition UI. The growing pains were expected and acceptable in the 5800 XpressMusic, but it's been 8 months since. The time is long enough in mobile phone terms and the market leader is simply expected to have had everything figured by now.

Looks pretty good, doesn't it

The disappointing N96 does owe Nokia some and the N97 will - among other things - probably have to cover its debts too. Join us on the next page as we take a peek inside the retail box of the new Nseries sovereign and complete our ergonomics rundown.

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Nokia 6303 classsic review: Euro hatch territory

2009-06-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

Tags: Nokia, S40

Introduction

If we're allowed an automotive metaphor, the Nokia 6303 classic is one of those handsets that will get you from A to B without burning rubber at the traffic lights. It's just how most phones are used: voice call cruising with an occasional red light jump to keep things interesting. If you're not a street racer that eats 8 megapixel and breathes 7.2Mbps, the 6303 classic will be just fine for snapping a photo on the go or browsing the web.

You probably already know where this is going and what the Nokia 6303 is all about - it will bail you out of a tough spot when you need more than calling and texting, but power users won't be pleased. But hey, at this price point, were you really expecting the Bugatti Veyron of mobile phones?

Nokia 6303 classic official photos

Key features:

Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
2.2" 16M-color QVGA display with excellent sunlight legibility
3 megapixel camera, autofocus and LED flash
VGA video recording at 15fps
S40 user interface, 6th edition
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Bluetooth (with A2DP) and microUSB port
microSD card slot (4 GB supported, 1GB included)
Standard 3.5mm audio jack
Rich preinstalled application package
Ovi Maps and Ovi Share
Solid metal casing, sweet oval shapes
Respectable BL-5CT battery (Li-Ion 1050 mAh)

Main disadvantages:

No 3G
Memory card slot under the back cover
No dedicated shutter key
Below par image quality
No smart dialing
No multi-tasking
No office document viewer

Nokia 6303 classic in our office

The looks of the Nokia 6303 classic are quite reminiscent of the 6600 slide and fold duo. Nonetheless, it stands on its own two feet as a phone and the metallic body is a joy to hold.

Before you go on reading, just remember who this phone is aimed at and learn to live with the fact that it doesn't even have 3G.

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Samsung I8000 Omnia II preview: First look

2009-06-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI, Windows Mobile

Gather 'round ye gadget lovers, for the tale of Samsung I8000 Omnia II. It's a tale of PocketPC wisdom and touch wizardry, of big screen and pixel aplenty, of ancestry and identity. Lend an ear to this preview as we try to figure out where this creature came from and where it's heading.

Samsung announced the Omnia HD a few months ago and despite sharing a name with the i900 Omnia, it was more a descendant of the Samsung i8510 INNOV8 with its Symbian OS and strong emphasis on imaging.

Coming a year later, the Samsung I8000 Omnia II is the real proper sequel instead.

Samsung I8000 Omnia II official photo

The number of high-end, touchscreen PocketPC bars is getting ever greater. Off the top of our heads, we could name at least five with WVGA screens over 3 inches and a camera of 3.15 MP or higher. If you include phones with a slide-out QWERTY then the market gets even more crowded. All of these have HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, and sleek UI plug-ins, so this isn't a differentiating factor.

The Samsung I8000 Omnia II roars into action with a 5 megapixel camera, 800 MHz CPU, and a huge 3.7 AMOLED screen and 8/16 gigabytes of internal storage. Here's a quick summary of the main I8000 Omnia II specs.

Samsung I8000 Omnia II at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen bar
Dimensions: 107 x 59 x 12.9 mm
Display: 3.7-inch 64K-color WVGA AMOLED touchscreen, 480 x 800 pixels, Advanced R touch (Resistive Touch)
Memory: 8/16GB storage memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
OS: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional with custom TouchWiz 2.0 UI with 3D effects
CPU: 800 MHz
Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus camera with dual LED flash, geo-tagging, face and smile detection, image stabilization, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) and D1 video recording at 15 fps
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP, standard microUSB port, standard 3.5mm audio jack, GPS receiver with A-GPS
Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate, DivX/XviD video support, FM radio with RDS, DNSe
Battery: 1500 mAh battery

The thumbable cube launcher engaged on the wide screen

Bear in mind that the device we're using for this preview is in the early stages of development so the software will go even further changes before mass production. That said, let's not waste any more time and check out the contender in the Samsung corner - the I8000 Omnia II. The hardware part awaits you on the next page.

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HTC Touch Pro2 review: Out with a pro

2009-06-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

Tags: HTC, Windows Mobile, Touch UI

Amid talk of Android and would-be heroes we're about to revisit HTC on their hallowed PocketPC ground. Good things seem to come in pairs for the company while out-and-out upgrades are always good news for the user. With two jewels in the crown and two pros on the squad, HTC march towards PocketPC dominance and the Touch Pro2 looks like it has what it takes to lead the campaign.

HTC Touch Pro2 official photos

More powerful gear and more impressive shell than the original Pro, HTC Touch Pro2 is in charge of the armored unit, while the Diamond2 tackles the infantry.

PocketPC is definitely the HTC game but it sure isn't a one horse race. The list of prominent number 2's is perhaps about to be continued with an XPERIA. On the other hand, the launch of the Touch Pro2 is perhaps timed just right to beat another major headliner from the Symbian camp - the Nokia N97.

Anyway, that's just the background. The real thing is how the Touch Pro2 handles and performs. A number two can't be much of prophet we guess but a well-done upgrade can bring in enough profit.

Key features

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support and HSDPA 7.2Mbps
3.6" 65K-color touchscreen WVGA display
Five row full QWERTY side-sliding keyboard of brilliant ergonomics
Revamped TouchFLO 3D Home screen and gesture controls
Wi-Fi and built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS
Qualcomm MSM7200A 528 Mhz CPU and 288 MB DDR SDRAM
Dedicated graphics chip (64MB RAM reserved for graphics)
3.15 MP auto focus camera
Active stylus
Touch-sensitive zoom bar
Standard miniUSB port and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
microSD memory expansion
TV out
Teeter game aboard
Cool YouTube client
Excellent video playback
MS Office Mobile document editor
Opera 9.5 web browser

Main disadvantages

Considerable size and weight
Average sunlight legibility
No standard 3.5mm audio jack
Poor camera performance
No camera flash
No FM radio by default (can be enabled with unofficial third-party software)

Talking upgrade, the HTC Touch Pro2 takes a leap forward in screen terms pumping up both resolution and size. It inherits the original Touch Pro but stands on the shoulders of a TytN too. The return of the tilting screen will sure be cheered. Now, add the revamped and improved exterior and you've got upgraders by the balls.

Welcome the HTC Touch Pro2

Oh, and that TouchFLO UI facelift we got a glimpse of on the new Diamond2 is just begging for another shot. So, the upgrade kit is all there but justifying the extra dime is the real deal and that's exactly what we are about to check.

We hailed the new Diamond and as long as the new Pro follows suit it sure has nothing to fear. But it'd better be keen on action and fit to play along, cause we're not letting it go unchallenged. Unboxing starts right after the jump.

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Sony Ericsson Aino preview: First look

2009-06-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

Tags: Sony Ericsson, Preview

Sony Ericsson Aino is without a doubt one entertaining slider. It does pretty much all the stuff the other Sony Ericsson feature phones do, but does it better. It brings in some heavy multimedia firepower such as a PS3-inspired touch menu, a large 3-inch touchscreen, VGA@30fps video recording.

Of course, Wi-Fi and GPS are also in the mix to make the device that much more tempting. The Remote Play feature, initially developed for PSP, enables users to control and access media content on Playstation 3 from their phone.

Sony Ericsson Aino

Unfortunately, we don't really find the Sony Ericsson Aino exterior breathtaking. It rather takes a somewhat conservative approach and an unassuming touch-only look, when it's not opened.

Sony Ericsson Aino at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/2100, GPRS/EDGE class 10, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA, 2 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen slider
Dimensions: 104 x 50 x 15.5 mm, 134 g
Display: 3-inch 16M color TFT display, 240 x 432 pixel resolution
Memory: 55MB integrated memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
UI: Proprietary Flash-based UI
Still camera: 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection, smile detection, image stabilizer, smart contrast
Video recording: VGA video recording at 30 fps
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, GPS receiver with A-GPS support
Misc:Partial touchscreen functionality, accelerometer for screen auto rotate, FM radio with RDS, Remote play for Playstation 3
Battery: 1000 mAh battery

The Sony Ericsson Aino is the first phone by Sony Ericsson to sport a widescreen and touchscreen display. Yes, the 3-inch screen is actually touch-enabled but only in the multimedia part of the menu and the camera interface.

The 8 megapixel camera is all there as well, so you can bet you get all the goodies that Sony Ericsson can offer in one single device.

The Sony Ericsson Aino

Well, the Sony Ericsson Aino is in our lab right now and it's ready for some pre-release action. There are limitations of course - for instance, the camera is nowhere near proper working condition, but there's plenty of time ahead of market release. We really hope to get a better working unit.

But let's not keep you waiting any longer. Head on to the next page for our hands-on scoop of the Sony Ericsson Aino hardware and ergonomics.

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Samsung M7600 Beat DJ review: Scratching the beat

2009-06-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI

The Samsung M7600 Beat is a DJ. What's on its mind is on its face, a brave stab at not only putting music in your pocket but in your hands as well. The M7600 Beat is quick to claim a territory of its own, where playback simply won't do unless you mix your own music.

The inspired and unmistakable styling, vibrant OLED capacitive touchscreen, sweet clicking TouchWiz and a whole new music experience will make you have a crush or wish you were younger. Meet the first DJ phone.

Samsung M7600 Beat DJ official photos

Key features:

Stand-out design
Quad-band GSM and 3G with HSDPA support
2.8" 16M-color AMOLED touchscreen display of WQVGA resolution
3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and VGA video at 15 fps
Accelerometer for screen auto rotate
Proximity sensor for auto screen turn-off
MicroSD card slot (up to 16 GB), 8 GB card included
Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support, Google Maps
Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)
DivX/XviD video support
Stereo FM radio with RDS, FM recording
Standard 3.5mm audio jack
Office document viewer
Smart dialing
BeatDJ app for scratching and sampling

Main disadvantages

User interface is quite laggy
BeatDJ app could've been better and more responsive
No virtual on-screen QWERTY keyboard
Limited Flash support in browser
Poor music reproduction quality

The Samsung Beat lineup has a few pawns on the chessboard already, but the M7600 Beat DJ is different stuff. A touchscreen media gadget with high-speed data, GPS, enhanced video playback and good enough imaging, it's fit to stand its ground even against smartphones with an ear for music.

Samsung M7600 Beat DJ live shots

Walkmans to the left of it, XpressMusic to the right, the Samsung M7600 Beat DJ makes a stand with a truly unique feature and throws a DJ deck at the young. The party is on at the Arena, Samsung spinning.

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Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou) preview: First look

2009-06-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou) preview: First look

Sony Ericsson Satio (a.k.a. Idou) is perched at the top of the touchscreen food chain with an ominous grin. Currently rivaled only by the Samsung Omnia HD and in a way by the non-smart Samsung Pixon12, the 12 megapixel predator readily bares its teeth of incredible multimedia, powerful processing and of course perfect connectivity. There isn't much more to look for in a smartphone except how its potential translates to real-life performance.

Sony Ericsson Satio official photos

The Satio sure is an exciting package but at this point it still needs to live up to its very own spec sheet. This quick preview tries to give you an idea about how the Satio behaves under pressure and warn of glitches (if any) that remain hidden on paper.

Now we are pretty certain you all know them by heart but before we continue let's have a look at the main features of the Sony Ericsson Satio.

Sony Ericsson Satio at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, GPRS/EDGE class 10, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 3.6 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen bar
Dimensions: 112 x 55 x 13.3 mm
Display: 3.5" 16M-color TFT resistive touchscreen, 640 x 360 pixels
Memory: 100MB integrated memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB), 256 MB RAM
OS: Symbian OS
Camera: 12 megapixel autofocus camera with xenon flash and video LED flash, geotagging, face and smile detection, Smile Shot, Smart contrast and VGA video recording at 30 fps
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, USB v2.0, GPS receiver with A-GPS
Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate, FM radio with RDS
Battery: 1000 mAh battery

Sony Ericsson Satio at ours

Now, as we mentioned, the Sony Ericsson Satio currently has a single strong rival. The Samsung i8910 Omnia HD is a few megapixels short in the still camera department but makes up with stunning HD video recoding.

The Omnia HD is supposed to hit the market as early as this month and the Sony Ericsson Satio release date is still to be confirmed. The autumn sounds like a good guess for the Satio availability, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Sony Ericsson Satio views

Whatever that date may be, one thing's for sure - there's still plenty of time left until the Satio actually makes it to the shelves so new contenders are likely to emerge.

In the meantime Sony Ericsson gave the Sony Ericsson Satio its name (we preferred Idou, really) and announced that they have dropped the Symbian foundation future OS plans and will be offering the Satio with the regular touch-enabled Symbian S60 5th edition that's already used on Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and Nokia N97.

Sony Ericsson have done a lot customizing of the OS giving it a distinct SE feel - and we definitely like every ounce of character they put in it. But we are getting ahead of ourselves, join us on the next page where we embark on exploring Sony Ericsson design and ergonomics.

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Sony Ericsson Aino preview: First look

2009-06-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

Tags: Sony Ericsson, Preview

Sony Ericsson Aino

Unfortunately, we don't really find the Sony Ericsson Aino exterior breathtaking. It rather takes a somewhat conservative approach and an unassuming touch-only look, when it's not opened.

Sony Ericsson Aino at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/2100, GPRS/EDGE class 10, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA, 2 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen slider
Dimensions: 104 x 50 x 15.5 mm, 134 g
Display: 3-inch 16M color TFT display, 240 x 432 pixel resolution
Memory: 55MB integrated memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
UI: Proprietary Flash-based UI
Still camera: 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection, smile detection, image stabilizer, smart contrast
Video recording: VGA video recording at 30 fps
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, GPS receiver with A-GPS support
Misc:Partial touchscreen functionality, accelerometer for screen auto rotate, FM radio with RDS, Remote play for Playstation 3
Battery: 1000 mAh battery

The 8 megapixel camera is all there as well, so you can bet you get all the goodies that Sony Ericsson can offer in one single device.

The Sony Ericsson Aino

But let's not keep you waiting any longer. Head on to the next page for our hands-on scoop of the Sony Ericsson Aino hardware and ergonomics.

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T-Mobile Dash 3G now official, set to launch in July

2009-06-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

News

18 June, 2009

Tags: T-Mobile, Windows Mobile, Touch UI

The T-Mobile Dash 3G was officially announced and as expected is headed for a July release. It's a first for T-Mobile - their first Windows Mobile-powered 3G-capable phone. T-Mobile's 3G network is still expanding and is expected to cover 200 million people in the US by the end of the year.

T-Mobile is expecting about 40 percent of the people looking for new phones to go for smartphones and the T-Mobile Dash 3G is targeted at those people. The phone is an update of the old Dash and it's designed remains pretty similar - full QWERTY Windows Mobile-powered phone, manufactured by HTC.

T-Mobile Dash 3G • keypads of Dash 3G (left) and HTC Snap (right) side-by-side

In fact, the Dash 3G is T-Mobile's version of the HTC Snap (also known as Maple or S522). It offers 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, GPS, plus Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, a 2 megapixel camera and a microSD card slot for cards up to 16GB. The display has QVGA resolution and can display up to 65K colors.

The Dash 3G runs on a 528MHz CPU with 192MB of RAM, the OS is Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard. At this point, there is no information whether it will be upgradable to WinMo 6.5 or not. Anyway, Office Mobile and seamless synchronization with Outlook is as always one of WinMo's biggest strengths. T-Mobile hope this and the GPS will attract customers by helping them "stay connected, organized and traveling in the right direction".

The phones are not exactly the same however - the keys of the Dash 3G's keyboard have been rearranged, some were replaced and on of the signature features of the HTC Snap - the "inner circle" button - is missing.

The T-Mobile Dash 3G will be available in black with red accents starting July at T-Mobile retail stores as well as the online store and select authorized dealers.

Source

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Samsung E1107 Solar Guru is the first solar powered phone on sale

2009-06-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

11 June, 2009

Tags: Samsung

Samsung launched a solar powered phone but not the one you're thinking of. While we're waiting for the Blue Earth phone, the solar pioneer will be a low-end handset - the Samsung E1107 Solar Guru.

The Samsung E1107, known as Solar Guru or Crest Solar depending on region, is the first solar-powered phone to make its way to the market. The Blue Earth, which was announced back in February is admittedly more exciting but we'll have to wait some more (here's to hoping it's not just vapor ware).

Now before you throw your conventional charger in the bin we should clarify what "solar powered" actually means. 1 hour of solar charging gives you 5 to 10 minutes of talk time (depending on lighting conditions). That alone won't eradicate the need for charging from time to time but if you're in a area where electricity is not guaranteed (say, while camping) this could be a very valuable feature.

Samsung E1107 Solar Guru (aka Crest Solar)

Aside from that, the Solar Guru seems to be based on the Samsung E1100 but with added FM Radio. The other specs are dual-band GSM, 1.52" 65K CSTN display, MP3 ringtones, flashlight, Mobile Tracker and a 800 mAh battery.

The phone will cost $59 and is already available in India. It will also be launched in Europe, southeast and southwest Asia and Latin America latter this month.

Source

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iPhone 3G S gets taken apart, CPU and RAM revealed

2009-06-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

11 June, 2009

Tags: Apple, Touch UI

Apple were quite keen on emphasizing that the new iPhone 3G S was twice as quick as the original iPhone 3G the other day, but they never mentioned the actual specs of the chipset. Luckily details are starting to appear now and it gets clear that the iPhone 3G S packs a powerful 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU and a PowerVR SGX graphics accelerator.

Providing a worthy hardware upgrade over the 412 MHz CPU of the iPhone 3G, the 3G S also packs double the RAM of its predecessor (256MB compared to 128MB on iPhone 3G). Also the CPU of the iPhone has received upgrades in more than just speed. The new core manufacturing process is now 65nm instead of 90nm and has put on more L1 cache, bringing along some L2 cache as well.

The iPhone 3G S comes with double the L1 cache of its predecessor and also introduces 256KB of L2 cache, which isn't supported by the ARM11 CPU of the previous gen iPhones. The GPU has been upgraded too and now the iPhone 3G S comes with PowerVR SGX instead of the much toned down PowerVR MBX-Lite. This accelerator can theoretically give some 600% increase in geometry performance and a 150% increased fill rate.

Unfortunately, the lower specs make the original iPhone 3G unable to support the OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics API, which will come with the iPhone 3G S. That will give the developers a headache as they have to make their apps support OpenGL ES 1.1 and OpenGL ES 2.0 if they want to get better performance on the iPhone 3G S and backwards compatibility with the original iPhone 3G.

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Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 makes a first public appearance

2009-06-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

News

04 June, 2009

Tags: Sony Ericsson, Windows Mobile, Touch UI, Rumors

The first photo of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 surfaced and brought joy to all Windows Mobile faithful. The known specs don’t get much further than what the low-res shot reveals but admit it - it’s that much sweeter at this stage with all the guessing and wishing involved.

The successor of the extremely popular XPERIA X1 is codenamed Vulcan and makes its first public appearance. Judging by the spy shot, Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 will again run on the Windows Mobile OS (most probably 6.5) and will come with the company’s home-backed X-panels interface.

As usual with leaked shots, there is still a chance that this image is photoshopped (or a Chinese fake) as it does seem as poor piece of industrial design attempt. It’s now Sony Ericsson’s turn to clear this out by eventually officially announcing the actual XPERIA X2. And the sooner the better - we should add.

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LG GD910 watch phone to hit Orange networks in July

2009-06-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

04 June, 2009

Tags: LG, Touch UI

Here are some good news to those of you that are looking for some unorthodox way to carry around their handset. The smallish, nice looking wristwatch phone LG GD910 will start shipping in Europe this July. In the beginning it will be an Orange exclusive deal, but some months later it will also spawn across Asia, Australia and Latin America.

LG's first wristwatch phone called GD910 will be available through Orange stores next month whenever they can be found in Europe.

In case you need a refresh – the LG GD910 was first introduced and demonstrated on this year CES and the Barcelona MWC as well. It's capable of making voice and video calls and comes with nice Bluetooth handsfree. The specs sheet includes all you may ever need from such a gadget – 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 1.4-inch touch display, a CIF video call camera, text-to-speech capabilities for easy messaging, MP3 player and only 13.9mm of thickness.

There is no official word on pricing yet and we really hope that the rumored price of 600 euro with a 2-year contract will turn out to be just that - only a rumor.

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Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 makes a first public appearance

2009-06-04T10:11:00.000-07:00

News
04 June, 2009 |

Tags: Sony Ericsson, Windows Mobile, Touch UI, Rumors

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Nokia updates Ovi maps, intros embeddable Maps Player

2009-05-23T00:42:00.000-07:00

News 21 May, 2009

Tags: Nokia,Mobile Applications

Today Nokia announced the new version of their Ovi Maps service and introduced the Ovi Maps Player API. The new version offers some exciting extended functionality, while the Player API provides a simple way to embed video presentations of the service into any website using basic JavaScript.

The latest version of Ovi Maps offers additional features and services including high resolution satellite and terrain maps - both in 2D and 3D views. There are also 3D landmarks for over 200 cities, rotation, tilting, night view, and fly-over's and fly-through's.

The rich POI information of Ovi Maps is credited to Lonely Planet, Michelin and Wcities Destination Guide and comes to compliment the already available pedestrian and drive navigation services. Some of the other features of Ovi Maps like weather forecasts, safety and real-time traffic information, are now updated to cover more countries than the previous version.

Ovi Maps in action

An Ovi account allows you to search for addresses and POIs, find places, save them into Favorites, and organize them into Collections. You can then synchronize them over-the-air with your compatible mobile device.

You can get the new Ovi Maps Beta here for your desktop computer and here for your mobile phone.

The overall result is a service that can quite successfully compete to the omnipresent Google Maps. However competing with the best ain't easy and Nokia know that. So they are still struggling for improvement by starting an Ovi Maps developers contest, called "Apps on Maps". The finalists will earn cash prizes up to 30 000 US dollars while their software will get premium placement in the Ovi Store.

More information about the contest is available here. GSM MOBILE LANKA

Sony Ericsson confirm Android v2.0 handset in the works

2009-05-23T00:36:00.000-07:00

22 May, 2009

Tags: Sony Ericsson, Android, Touch UI

It's hardly going to surprise too many people but when Sony Ericsson officially confirm that their handsets, running on the v2.0 of the Android OS are in the works it is enough to make it in the news.

On a Sony Ericsson event in Taiwan, the company's vice president of marketing, Peter Ang has stated that the company is now investing more in the development of an Android smartphone than in the other mobile operational systems that the company uses (Symbian and Android that is).

The good news is that the Sony Ericsson Android handset will come spiced with the company's proprietary UI which we really dig. It does look pretty nicely over Symbian on the Idou, so we are now eager to see how it combines with the Android OS.

While a release date would have been sweet to know, Peter Ang has refrained from commenting on that. Considering that Android v2.0 codenamed Donut is the Android OS of choice for Sony Ericsson (along with Acer and Motorola) we can't really see any devices coming out before the last quarter of the year.

Source

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Samsung i8910 Omnia HD preview: Getting closer

2009-05-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

Reviews
GSMMOBILE LANKA team, 11 May 2009.

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD specs

Tags: Samsung, Symbian S60, Touch UI

Multimedia: Now we're talking!

Much of the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD strengths lie in multimedia and this part of our preview brings out the beast with a load of sample videos and images.

Music player

Along with the standard 3.5 mm audio jack, the Omnia HD music features are well complemented by the generous 8 to 16 GB of onboard memory and support for microSDHC cards to at least double this amount.

As expected, the music player is based on the one we've seen in Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. The novelty here is the virtual 5.1 channel Dolby Surround, which should dramatically improve the headphones listening experience. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait for a retail Samsung i8910 unit to share our impressions of the feature.

DNSe 2.0 audio enhancement is also on board but does not work simultaneously with the Dolby Surround.

The music player is impressive • Dolby Surround and DNSe 2.0 can't work simultaneously

Continuing our trip down the road, the 3D visualizations are a nice touch to the music player and the album browser seems to take after Apple's Cover Flow.

The 3D visualizations and the Cover Flow like view are a fancy touch

Samsung announced that Omnia HD should have also had a built-in FM transmitter. Unfortunately, this feature was missing from our test unit and when we went to research that, it turned out that any mentioning of an FM transmitter have also gone missing from Samsung web sites as well.

Video player

The Omnia HD features two video players - the well known Symbian-embedded Real player is pretty much rendered useless by the proprietary Video player that supports DivX/XviD video. The Samsung Video player has a plain but intuitive interface and does a grand job. It even supports subtitles which are automatically detected and loaded.

When you tilt the phone the video player automatically switches to/from landscape view.

The great 3.7" display and the widely spaced apart stereo speakers make the Samsung Omnia HD a serious competitor to the dedicated portable multimedia player. Plus we got 5h and 30min of constant SD XviD playback time out of the battery with the brightness set to maximum. That should tell you something.

The Video player supports DivX/XviD files and subtitles

Unfortunately, we couldn't get any HD videos to play on the Omnia HD except for the ones taken by its own camera. Plus most of the HD videos come in the MKV file container, which is not recognized by the Omnia HD. Another known restriction, is that it cannot play video files larger than 2GB.

Knowing you can make your own HD movies with the i8910 now, seems to make a lot of people wonder how they would watch those on their HD TV sets.

Unfortunately, the Samsung Omnia HD doesn’t have a HDMI port of any kind and the only way you can stream your HD videos to a bigger screen (be it TV or a PC) is via the DLNA wireless setup that uses Wi-Fi to share multimedia files wirelessly.

To use that with your TV however, you have to get yourself a Wi-Fi-enabled TV set with DLNA support or a set-top box that has the same properties an that can channel your wirelessly streamed videos over a cable HDMI connection.

Samsung reps also mentioned they might actually sell an external DLNA-enabler for TVs that don’t have the feature, but that’s still to be confirmed.

If however you are ready to consort to lower resolution videos, you can always use the TV-out port on the device itself that’s intended for transferring SD (non-HD) content via a cable.

The 3.5 mm jack doubles for a TV-out • Only SD video content can be tranfered that way though

Gallery

Like the video players, the there are two galleries as well. The one is identical to Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. It is is yet another part of the interface that hasn't been drastically changed. Touch friendly and functional it definitely is but we somehow feel more eye-candy could have been offered.

You can scroll pictures by sweeping your finger across the screen when looking at a single photo. Opting between portrait and landscape mode is automatic, thanks to the built-in accelerometer. Unless you have that feature disabled, all you need to do to switch modes is to flip the phone sideways.The gallery screams Samsung - you've seen it. You know it well. It's easy to use and works fine.

Gallery number one • Identical to the one of Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

The second gallery, dubbed as Media browser, screams Samsung - chances are you've already seen it on other Samsung touch handsets. It's easy to use and works fine. Scrolling images and videos happens by sweeping your finger across the screen or by tilting the handset to the left or to the right.

Tilt scrolling is fun, at start. But then, in a while it gets annoying: you have to be careful and not to tilt the handset too much since the angle corresponds to scrolling speed and you might miss an image or two. Still, we choose this gallery over the Symbian one.

The well known Samsung gallery

Web browser: Flash video and all

Another favorite part of the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD is its web browser. It's the same as the one found in Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and shares the same turn ons and offs with it. The only thing the browser omits, given the big capacitive touchscreen, is multi-touch support, which would have made things even better.

The web browser is OK, but there is no multi-touch support

The Samsung i8910 web browser has flash support including flash video.

The Omnia HD web browser supports Flash video

GPS navigation and digital compass are on board as well

There is still no navigation software preloaded on the Samsung Omnia HD. Back when we first heard of the device, Samsung suggested they would offer the Samsung Mobile Navigator software (based on Route66) as an option for a premium price.

Since then we haven’t heard more about it, but even if Samsung don’t come up with their own solution, there are enough third-party developers waiting to earn some cash by offering navigation software for Symbian S60 5th edition.

Another seemingly cool feature that the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD has is the digital compass, otherwise known as a magnetometer. After a relatively quick initialization, it displays a virtual compass on screen. Our disappointment is that at the time being it doesn’t offer any further functionality. But perhaps it would really come into its own when it’s coupled with a fully-featured GPS navigation software.

The compass would be much more useful if used together with the GPS recever for GPS navigation

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Garmin-Asus Nuvifone G60 delayed until Q3 this year

2009-05-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

News
11 May, 2009

Tags: Garmin, Asus, Touch UI

The first GPS-oriented smartphone promised by Garmin is delayed again. After Q3 2008 and Q1 2009, we are now promised to see the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone G60 in the third quarter this year.

The Nuvifone G60 packs a huge 3.55-inch touchscreen, a 3.2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, but on top of all that - Garmin promise full-pack navigation suite with optimized touch-based interface. Unfortunately, the G60 doesn't run a popular smartphone OS, but a proprietary Linux-based one.

You may as well remember that not that long ago, Garmin and Asus announced a strategic partnership for making GPS-oriented mobile phones and they even announced their next device - the Nivifone M20 - this time based on Windows Mobile.

The announcement of the Nuvifone G60 was way back in February 2008 and we were promised a delivery in Q3 the same year. But here we are with the same promise but a year later.

Garmin claim the difficulties around this device come with the reason the G60 is started to build from scratch - hardware and software, and the process is long and tough. However this February we saw a working G60 prototype at the MWC 2009 and it looked quite fine to us. Perhaps the delay has something to do with the global financial downturn.

Anyway let's hope this time Asus and Garmin will succeed to build and release the Nuvifone on schedule, otherwise it might just turn out obsolete before it has even made an appearance.

Source

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Nokia pulls the plug of Ovi Share development, leaving it as it is

2009-05-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

News
13 May, 2009

Tags: Nokia

Nokia decided to stop developing the first Ovi service - Ovi Share. The service will continue to operate in its current state but won't see any further investment. Recession is not the only cause for this turn of events.

The competition of well-established media sharing sites like Facebook and Flickr proved too much for the new service. It began its life when Nokia acquired Twango and opened its doors to users only recently during MWC 2008.

That was just before the economic downturn started creeping on the world economic scene. Nokia however continued their strategy of developing internet services along with their devices. They merged the Download!, MOSH and WidSets services into the Ovi Store. Other services are being merged into the Ovi portal as well with more still being developed.

It seems Nokia is still trying to find the right balance between Internet services they provide for their phones and integrating them with preexisting popular services. They still have interesting projects cooking in the Beta Labs including things like Point & Find.

For now, none of the other Ovi services seems threatened and current users can continue using Ovi Share, which saw a significant redesign only a month ago. As of now, all development work on the service however is put on hold for an indefinite amount of time.

Source

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Nokia 5800 XpressMusic now Comes with Music in the UK

2009-05-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

News
14 May, 2009 uuuuu

Tags: Nokia, XpressMusic, Touch UI, Orange

Today Nokia announced that their first full touchphone - the 5800 XpressMusic will be available with Comes with Music exclusively to Orange UK customers. The really sweet part is that the 5800 in question has the exclusive black and silver color combo if you choose the deal.

It seems like the right thing to do for Nokia bundling one of their most popular handsets recently with a service that went off to a pretty miserable start. While Comes with Music has enjoyed better times in some of the other countries where it's available, it hasn't received what one would call a warm welcome in the UK.

On the other hand the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has been selling like hot cakes, totaling 2.6 million for the first three months of its existence. Now both Nokia and Orange are hoping that the addition of the Comes with Music service, which offers free access to over 6 million tracks, to the customers will make it even more popular.

Users will be able to download as much music as they like over the course of the two year contract. With price plans starting from 25 pounds (28 euro) per month and including the handset for free, Orange will offer the Nokia 5800 and Comes with Music package, starting from May 29. Sounds like a bargain to music lovers, right?

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Four Samsung phones leaked: QWERTY, touchscreen and more

2009-05-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

News

7 May, 2009

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI, Rumors

Today on the Blurry Photo channel: four new Samsung phones. Two of them come with full QWERTY keyboards, one with a QW-ER-TY, while the last one is a stylish full touchscreen phone.

Now, the photos aren't that bad but the details and their names remain pretty blurry at this stage. Most of the features are unknown as well, except that they all support 3G. Here are the phones with whatever additional specs we have for them.

The Samsung Gravity 2 is the successor of the Gravity (not quite surprising, is it?). It has the same slide-out QWERTY keyboard and the camera has been upgraded to 2 megapixels. Beyond that, we just know there will be Red/Pink and Graphite/Orange color versions.

In the first photo, you can see the Samsung Blast replacement in the lower right. The name is unknown but taking a wild guess we'd say it's Blast 2. What's interesting is that it's not a slider like the original but a monoblock instead. Still, Samsung have retained the half-QWERTY keyboard.

Samsung Gravity 2 and Samsung Blast replacement in the lower right • the back of Gravity 2

Next comes a full touchscreen phone, running on Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz UI. Coming with a 3 megapixel camera it will reportedly have a really sweet price point, costing almost nothing on a contract.

Unnamed Samsung full touchscreen phone

The last phone is a Communicator-ish device with two screens. On the outside, it looks like a regular phone but opens up to reveal the bigger second screen and a full QWERTY. It should be out this the summer in two colors.

Nameless Samsung phone with full QWERTY and two screens

The release dates for these phones range from soon to November but nothing more specific than that.

Source

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Samsung I7500 - the first Korean Android phone, now official

2009-05-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

News
27 April, 2009 |

Tags: Samsung, Android, Touch UI

It’s now official folks – the first Android handset by Samsung got confirmed only several hours after it leaked. Named Samsung I7500, the handset features rich connectivity, a slim 11.9mm waistline and the latest reincarnation of the Android OS.

Samsung I7500 is equipped with a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen of HVGA resolution. The device runs on the latest 1.5 version of the Andorid OS and is equipped with a 5 megapixel autofocus camera.

Samsung I7500

The Samsung I7500 also features all the connectivity features one might expect in a 2009 flagship phone. Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G with HSDPA and HSUPA, Bluetooth – it’s all onboard. The wired connectivity is also taken care of with a 3.5mm standard audio jack and a microUSB port. The internal memory of the I7500 is as large as 8GB and is further expandable through the built-in microSD card slot.

The Samsung i7500 will become available in the major European countries from June but price isn't yet officially announced. Rumor has it that it will be in the region of 300 euro before taxes and subsides.

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Four Samsung phones leaked: QWERTY, touchscreen and more

2009-05-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

News
7 May, 2009

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI, Rumors

Today on the Blurry Photo channel: four new Samsung phones. Two of them come with full QWERTY keyboards, one with a QW-ER-TY, while the last one is a stylish full touchscreen phone.

Samsung Gravity 2 and Samsung Blast replacement in the lower right • the back of Gravity 2

Unnamed Samsung full touchscreen phone

Nameless Samsung phone with full QWERTY and two screens

The release dates for these phones range from soon to November but nothing more specific than that.

Source

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Meet the Belleperre Nero Gold - another luxury mobile phone

2009-05-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

News
24 April, 2009 |

Tags: Misc

The company Belleperre offers luxury mobile phones designed in Italy and handmade in Holland. The path started by names like Vertu and Mobiado is getting wider and wider and now there is enough room for other smaller companies like this which hope to catch the attention of rich people who choose their gadgets by the price. The higher, the better!

Meet the Belleperre family

A new member of the Belleperre family was recently presented - the Nero Gold. Like the other handsets of the Belleperre collection the Nero Gold is handmade of high quality materials only and it can be customized to meet all criteria of its future owners.

The Belleperre mobile phones measure 100 x 44 15.5 mm and weigh no more than 120 g. They are made of aluminum, steel or titanium and can be plated with silver or gold. The handsets' bodies are covered in leather (genuine alligator, shark, lizard and buffalo leather in more than 100 colors) and the screen is protected from scratches by a sapphire crystal.

The Belleperre Nero Gold Edition

The newbie, the Nero Gold, shares the distinguishing features of its bros - not a single piece of plastic can be found in its black brushed steel body. Its surface has a special scratch resistant coating and the buttons are made of high polished solid silver or gold. Another remarkable feature is the shiny black crocodile leather.

There is no word on availability and we don't even dare asking about the price of the new Belleperre Nero Gold luxury phone. And how about you, do you?

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LG KC910i Renoir in tender pink, ladies on focus

2009-05-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

News

23 April, 2009

Tags: LG, Touch UI

LG has announced a pink color variation of their highly successful LG Renoir cameraphone. The pink Renoir is obviously targeted for the ladies, but the best part is that it's actually the updated KC910i model, which was presented at the MWC 2009 this February.

LG KC910i Renoir is not too functionally different from the original Renoir, which we reviewed not too long ago. The only major difference is that the KC910i comes with Push Email through Wi-Fi support, which the original Renoir lacked.

Initially, the LG KC910i Renoir was announced in black color only. The major design change is the redesigned lens cover, which is now automatic instead of manual.

For the time being, the LG KC910i Renoir in pink appears to be only available in the UK, but a safe bet is it will hit the rest of the European markets too.

Source

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HTC Magic launched by Vodafone, Android Dev Phone gets Cupcake

2009-04-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

News
28 April, 2009

Tags: HTC, Android, Vodafone, Touch UI

Perhaps you’ve already heard that the HTC Magic has just launched with no other but Vodafone Spain. But you may not have heard that the coveted Cupcake update (also known as Android OS 1.5) is now available to Android Dev phone users via the HTC website. We really hope it will be ported to other G1 users with root access soon.

The HTC Magic is the second Android phone by HTC after the HTC Dream (a.k.a. T-Mobile G1). We already reviewed the G1 and we were quite happy with the perspectives for the new mobile OS. There certainly is some missing stuff, but a lot of those misses are taken care for in the latest version of Android called Cupcake. If you happen to own an Android Dev phone, you can get yourselves all dressed up with a new OS by following this link.

However if you don’t own a Dev phone, but you live in Spain, you might as well get yourself the updated OS along with the latest hardware. Not only does the HTC Magic come with all the latest Androidish goodies, but it’s also got a slimmed down waistline by shedding its bulky hardware QWERTY thumboard and it’s now available with Vodafone Spain.

The HTC Magic can now be had only on a 18-month contract from 19 to 199 euro depending on the choice of monthly plan. Whatever your tariff however, there’s an obligatory 12 euro monthly for unlimited browsing as according to Vodafone the handset uses internet connection automatically even without user intervention and having a data plan is a must.

Anyways, we wouldn’t even imagine enjoying the full potential of the Google cloud services without a monthly data plan. But hey, it may be just us.

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Samsung I7500 - the first Korean Android phone, now official

2009-04-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

27 April, 2009

Tags: Samsung, Android, Touch UI

Samsung I7500 is equipped with a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen of HVGA resolution. The device runs on the latest 1.5 version of the Andorid OS and is equipped with a 5 megapixel autofocus camera.

Samsung I7500

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Orange Vegas - the cheapest full touchscreen handset to date

2009-04-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

24 April, 2009

Tags: Orange, Touch UI

Orange UK have just announced the cheapest full touchscreen handset, dubbed as the Orange Vegas, which is already available for purchase at the carrier points of sale across UK or online.

The price of only 48.50 GBP for pay-as-you-go customers is a hit below the belt for handsets like the highly popular LG KP501 Cookie, which costs at least twice as much.

Well, to be honest, Vegas ain't that cute as the Cookie but its price is low enough to make you say "Deal!". The Orange Vegas reminds of the HTC Touch Viva but it doesn't nearly have the same brains or goodies under the hood.

Orange Vegas in pink and black

Orange Vegas comes in pink or black and offers a 2.4" TFT touchscreen and UI that is designed exclusively for Orange. Along comes the 1.3 megapixel snapper capable of taking images and videos and the music player followed by the microSD card slot ready to host cards with up to 4 GB of memory. Also aboard is a built-in FM radio and Bluetooth.

Another nice touch is the free access to services like Bebo, Facebook and MySpace.

Now available only in the UK, the Orange Vega is expected to hit other Orange markets as well.

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Toshiba TG02 and TG03 featured on larger pics, look like TG01

2009-04-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

News 21 April, 2009

Tags: Toshiba, Touch UI

Rumors of Toshiba's TG series are like rumors of Big Foot - first we get an urban legend about it and then some low-quality photos emerge. What seems like leaked promo materials doesn't give us much - just that both the TG02 and TG03 will look almost exactly like the original Toshiba TG01.

Looks are not everything, of course, and there's not much room for fancy design solutions - the 4.1" screens dominates the entire front. The photos don't reveal anything about the inner workings of the phones, either. We've covered what we know so far in our previous article.

Important questions are still left unanswered. For now, the TG02 seems like TG01 with some waterproofing and Windows Mobile 6.5 preinstalled out of the box.

First photos of Toshiba TG02

As for the TG03, it's still unclear if it will have GPS and what's with the 5.1 channels support. It's understandable if they needed more room for the camera and scraped the GPS - by the time the TG03 is out however, 3 megapixels will hardly be used on expensive smartphones any more.

Our source suggests that both the following photos feature TG03, but the device held in hand on that second shot looks nothing like the metallic phone on the first photo. However, we'll let you be the judge on that.

First photos of Toshiba TG03

Nothing new about VideoBox either, but we'd certainly like to see something more than a transcoding software - some movie renting service, a la Samsung Movies, would be highly appreciated.

Source: TG02, TG03

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LG exceed expectations for Q1, seemingly unaware of recession

2009-04-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

News
21 April, 2009

Tags: LG

LG brought home their Q1 report card today and it's all A's. They've managed a good 2.8 billion USD out of handset sales, which exceeded even their own expectations, and are doing 22.6% better than last year.

As far as units shipped LG indeed had a lower score of 22.6 million phones, which is a 7% decline as compared to the previous quarter.

The strongest sellers were midrange phones like the LG Cookie and LG KS360. The KS360 is a surprise - apparently teen's buying power shouldn't be underestimated even in harsh economic times.

Having a firm footing in the midrange, LG plans to push into the high-end segment and achieve a 10% growth during the next quarter. Leading the push will be the likes of the S-Class UI touting Arena, the updated Viewty - the Viewty Smart, as well as the stylish GD900 Crystal.

LG is also trying to widen its market share in North America with the Xenon and Neon, which are available for AT&T (the Neon is available for Rogers as well). Both are messaging oriented and while the Neon is the KS360's twin brother, the Xenon has grown-up looks.

These plans seem optimistic as LG predict the market will shrink 10% this year, coinciding with Sony Ericsson's prediction. On the plus side, LG employees can breathe a sigh of relieve - there's no talk of cutting jobs here.

For more numbers and info on the LG Q1 2009 report check out their website.

T-Mobile Sidekick LX gets a new upgraded 2009 version

2009-04-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

17 April, 2009

Tags: T-Mobile

T-Mobile announced an upgrade of their Sidekick LX from 2007 - it's called... well, Sidekick LX. The 2009 edition has a beefier display, 3G connectivity, GPS chip, 3.2 megapixel camera and updated OS.

The renewed T-Mobile Sidekick LX sports a 3.2-inch WVGA display, a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash, microSD expansion slot (1GB card in the box), 3G support and built-in GPS receiver. The handset will also be noticeably thinner than its hefty predecessor, but follows the same design - though now it's also got a bigger battery.

The Sidekick LX has an updated Danger OS, which is now tightly integrated with all popular social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Photobucket.

The Sidekick LX 2009 is expected to hit the shelves on 13 May in T-Mobile USA network as far as we know. The new handset will be priced at 200 US dollars (150 euro) on a contract basis.

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Toshiba counts up from TG01 - TG02 and TG03 leaked

2009-04-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

News 14 April, 2009

Tags: Toshiba, Windows Mobile, Touch UI

The Toshiba TG01 is not out yet and already there's talk of two new entries in the TG line - TG02 and TG03. A leaked Toshiba roadmap shows the new Snapdragon-based devices for the first time. Unfortunately, the Toshiba TG02 and TG03 are hardly major upgrades to the original TG01.

Toshiba TG02 and TG03

The physical characteristics of Toshiba TG01, TG02 and TG03 are all identical - 129 x 70 x 9.9 mm, 4.1-inch 480 x 800 pixel screen, and they come with the same jaw-dropping 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. Both devices will have Windows Mobile 6.5 pre-installed right out of the box. Both the TG02 and TG03 will be available by Q3 2009.

There are some interesting differences though - and we wouldn't be posting this news article if it wasn't for those.

The Toshiba 2009-2010 roadmap and a couple of info slides on the TG02 and TG03

The Toshiba TG02 will be splash-resistant and it can be used with wet hands or outside in the rain. The camera is left unchanged at 3.15 megapixels, as is the GPS and HSDPA support.

The Toshiba TG03 ups the ante with a 5 megapixel camera and 5.1 audio channels support - we'd surely like to see that one implemented on a device that's 9.9mm slim.

What's interesting is that there's no mention of a GPS, could it have been traded for the beefier camera module?

The leaked slides also mention that Toshiba TG03 comes with VideoBox support, but there are quite a few things and services called VideoBox so it's not entirely clear which is it. It's obviously something that needs desktop computer transcoding software and has something to do with transferring and recording videos.

Toshiba K01, K02 and L01

The leaked Toshiba 2009-2010 roadmap also reveals three other devices that are quite interesting as well. The Toshiba K01 and K02 both run Windows Mobile 6.5 on the same Snapdragon 1 GHz CPU as their TG siblings. The K01 is a QWERTY slider with a 4.1-inch capacitive touchscreen display, while the K02 is a clamshell with a 3.5" resistive display.

The Toshiba K02 has a secondary display and ten additional keys on its front - it's hard to tell but it may become Toshiba's Communicator. Both devices sport a 3.15 megapixel camera and HSPA.

And finally, the third device due for release in Q4 2009 is the the Toshiba L01 - it's again a Windows Mobile 6.5 device with a 1GHz CPU but it also features a 7-inch display and an optional detachable QWERTY keyboard, which somehow puts it in the MID group than something suitable for GSMArena database. The L01 also seems to have a kickstand but we can't really tell for sure.

Meet the Toshiba K01, K02 and L01

It's important to note that Windows Mobile is no guarantee for these things being phones; the L01 certainly isn't, although it sports HSPA as well.

We had a hands-on with the Toshiba TG01 at the MWC '09 and it should give you a good idea of what the two new versions will be like. Whether Toshiba will stick with their Stripes UI remains to be seen/leaked.

If the leaked roadmap is to be trusted, we should see the TG02 and TG03 in the Q4 2009 with a month or so between the two. The other three should be out and about at the end of 2009 or in the early 2010.

Source

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LG GC900 Viewty 2 turns official the Smart way, no xenon though

2009-04-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

News 15 April, 2009 |

Tags: LG, Touch UI

LG Viewty Smart (known as Viewty 2) is now official and very similar to the current LG flagman - the Arena. S-Class UI, 8 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS awaits you in the 12mm only thin body.

The popular LG Viewty has finally jumped into the next generation with its successor. Previously known as simply LG Viewty 2, the device is now cunningly called LG Viewty Smart.

The new LG Viewty Smart packs a 3-inch capacitive touch-display with WVGA resolution, an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash and D1 video recording, accelerometer, 3G support, Wi-Fi and GPS. It runs on the new S-Class 3D user interface and most probably will have the multi-touch functions. Dolby Mobile technology along with the DivX/XviD support is also on board.

LG Viewty Smart

It's business as usual for LG, which showcased the LG Viewty Smart behind glass at the MWC 2009, but didn't really bother to reveal any more details about it. Instead they focused on the LG

As you can see the similarity to the LG Arena is quite obvious except for the better camera with Schneider-Kreuznach optics and the lack of huge storage. Unfortunately the rumored xenon flash is not present, instead the Viewty Smart has a LED one.

The 8 megapixel camera lacks a xenon flash

Just like the KM900 Arena, the GC900 Viewty Smart is only 12mm thin but its weight is even less - 90 grams.

The LG Viewty Smart practically leaked on the German LG blog but the information about it was quickly removed with a promise of publishing it officially soon. We guess it's going to be soon, as according to the leaked Orange UK release schedule it's due for market availability in June.

Source

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Samsung B5702 Dual SIM phone is now as official as it gets

2009-04-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

8 April, 2009

Tags: Samsung, Dual SIM

Today Samsung announced the upcoming launch of Samsung B5702 - their latest dual-standby mobile phone, which allows users to use two SIM cards in one mobile phone simultaneously.

Coming with enhanced dual SIM interface and new visual indicators, the Samsung B5702 is also one of the only two dual SIM phones ever made that have quad-band GSM/GPRS support.

Let's remind you that Samsung B5702 saw daylight for the first time at the MWC 2009 in Barcelona. It was briefly introduced and somehow it didn't attract much attention amidst the crowd of high-end devices.

Samsung B5702 Duos offers a large 2.4" 256K TFT QVGA display and provides two external LED lights that indicate which SIM card is being defaulted for calls and messages. Another specific dual SIM feature is dedicated side key that's used for choosing which SIM card to use for communication without rebooting the phone.

Samsung B5702

The dual quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support allows users to use data traffic on either one of the SIM cards, depending on the users preference. The only other quad-band dual SIM phone is the WinMo-based Acer DX900, which was already released on the market a few days ago.

Samsung B5702 also boasts various multimedia functions including an MP3 and MPEG4 players, an FM radio with RDS and a 3 megapixel autofocus camera. Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and a document viewer complete the rest of the specifications.

Using two SIM cards in one phone is increasingly an option many are willing to consider as it allows users to combine two calling plans from different carriers for the benefit benefit of choosing the most optimal call pricing (or simply for combining your business and personal calls on one device). No wonder then, one of the top cell phone makers are reaffirming their commitment to address this kind of demand.

Samsung were first among the majors to announce a dual SIM handset in October 2007 - the Samsung D880 Duos, which we've already reviewed.

Samsung B5702 will be launched in several markets, starting with Russia (which explains the lack of 3G support) in May 2009 at the price of about 420 US dollars (roughly 310 EUR).

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Samsung S5200 shows its face for the very first time

2009-04-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

7 April, 2009

Tags: Samsung, Rumors

It seems Samsung can not easily outdone by Sony Ericsson and LG, as they also have a new midrange handset to brag about. Samsung S5200 is their next planned product - it's got compact design and a 3 megapixel snapper.

Samsung have obviously presented the S5200 in the Netherlands the S5200 side by side with the already leaked M2710 and M2310.

The S5200 is a stylish slider sporting a 3 mega pixel camera and 2.1-inch TFT screen, USB and Bluetooth connectivity.

There is no official word about the other specs, pricing or availability, but most probably it will pack a microSD card slot, otherwise the MP3 player will be really useless.

Source

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Nokia E75 hits stores, ready for heavy-duty corporate emailing

2009-04-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

6 April, 2009

Tags: Nokia, Symbian S60

Nokia E75 - one of two business minded handsets presented at the MWC '09 - is now available in stores. The side-sliding S60 smartphone with QWERTY keypad caught our attention in Barcelona with its excellent built quality, worldwide HSDPA coverage, Wi-Fi and GPS.

But Nokia E75 has even more tricks up its sleeve. Not only does it have two keyboards but it has two homescreens - one for your work day and one leisure time. It's really not all work and no play with the Nokia E75 - it comes with a 3.5 mm audio jack, stereo Bluetooth, a 3.15 MP autofocus camera with VGA video recording and even N-Gage gaming support.

Nokia E75

That said, Nokia E75 best selling point is messaging. The handset is the first to ship with the updated Nokia Messaging push email service, which recently added Hotmail to the already extensive email support including Mail for Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes Traveler.

Nokia says that the E75 supports 90% of the world's corporate-used email setups. The email client can also handle subfolders and HTML, all to be displayed on the 2.4" QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) screen.

Other Nokia perks are not overlooked either - E75 ships with Nokia Maps and Ovi Files. Ovi Files is a service for storing files online, which is a nice addition to the 4 GB microSD card that comes with the device.

The asking price for Nokia E75 is 385 euro, quite close to the initial estimates. Here are some live shots of the E75 that we snapped in Barcelona.

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The first document viewer for Android devices is finally here

2009-04-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

3 April, 2009

Tags: Android, Mobile Applications

Well, well, what do we have here? Meet the first (working) document viewer/editor for all Android devices. An app like that was bound to pop up and the first one is up on the Android market – "Documents-To-Go".

Not that long ago we reviewed the T-Mobile G1 and we somehow disliked the fact that this smartphone doesn't offer any a office document viewer (let alone editor). It was just a matter of time of course before the first apps to fill the gap start popping up.

We don't normally write about new apps unless they enhance the basic functionality of the mobile platforms. With "Documents To Go" and Android OS it just seems to be the case.

Documents-To-Go by DataViz fills both the document viewer AND editor gap in Android OS by allowing viewing and creating of MS Word and Excel files. MS Office 2007 file formats are also supported.

Among the other goodies is the support for rich formatting (including italics, bold, font color, underline, tables, etc.) and the displaying of footnotes, endnotes and changes tracking.

Or if you prefer to use Excel, you’ll be able to use 111 functions along with cell formatting, auto-fit options, cut, copy, paste and many more.

The only downside is that you have to spare some good 30 US dollars for it. Or if you're quicker, you may get it for the promotional price of 20 US dollars.

Now while 30 bucks sound as a perfectly reasonable price for an application like that, we still can't get over the lack of a free document viewer in Android OS by default.

Source

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CTIA Wireless 2009 welcomes the slim HTC Snap smarthpone

2009-04-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

1 April, 2009

Tags: HTC, Windows Mobile, CTIA Wireless 2009

Today HTC announced a spanking new Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard handset - the HTC Snap. The slim QWERTY-equipped bar is the first of its kind for the company since the S630, back in 2006. A plain no-nonsense handset, the HTC Snap offers upper mid-range functionality in a 12mm slim body.

HTC Snap

The HTC Snap runs on a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM 7225 CPU and has 192 MB of RAM. It sports a 2.4" landscape display of QVGA resolution and a 2 megapixel camera. Network connectivity is well covered with quad-band GSM support and dual-band UMTS (with HSDPA).

There will be two versions of the HTC Snap as far as 3G bands are concerned. The EMEA variation will operate on the 900/2100 MHz frequencies, while the US one will support 850/1900 MHz and will be called HTC S721.

Some of the other notable features of the HTC Snap include GPS with A-GPS support, Wi-Fi and a microSD card slot. The list of extras is completed by Bluetooth v2.0 and a trackball for the menu navigation.

The HTC Snap will start shipping in UK and US (where it will be known as HTC S721) this summer but its price is yet unknown.

Update: Here are some live photos of the HTC Snap courtesy of Engadget.

HTC Snap

We also spotted a video of the interface shot at the CTIA 2009 by the guys over at WMExperts.com. In case you've forgotten how outdated Windows Mobile Standard is in smartphone terms, don't miss this opportunity for a refresher:

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LG GD900 S-Class UI and multi-touch support confirmed

2009-04-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

30 March, 2009

Tags: LG, Touch UI

Today LG unveiled some more details about the LG GD900 a.k.a. Crystal. The unique transparent keypad doubles as a touchpad and the handset will also support multi-touch. It also become clear that the keypad is made of glass, rather than plastic.

Update: It has now been officially confirmed by LG that Crystal will be dropped from the handset's name and it will be referenced as LG GD900 from now on.

The LG GD900 will run the LG's S-Class UI with a lot of touch-related goodies. The handset will feature multi-touch input as well as gesture support. This means that features like the two-finger zoom we saw on the Arena will be available for the GD900 users too.

There will also be some new staff on the LG GD900. For example writing an 'M' would launch the MP3 player and drawing a circle controls the volume.

LG GD900: see-through keypad

We are also more than pleased to know that the GD900 will have haptic feedback. The LG GD900 also has handwriting recognition, which isn't too frequent on phones with capacitive screens.

Some improvement is done in the web browsing department too. The GD900 will offer 'mouse mode' for a more convenient browsing experience. This means that you will be able to control a virtual mouse with your touch keypad, much like you would do on a laptop.

The LG GD900 will hit the European and Asian shelves in May but its pricing is yet unknown.

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LG Arena expected with a European price tag of 399 euro

2009-03-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

LG Arena expected with a European price tag of 399 euro

26 March, 2009

Tags: LG, Touch UI, Rumors

The LG flagman KM900 Arena should become available any moment now, but up until the price was still unknown. Reputable online stores are already displaying the Arena - it's obviously going to cost you 399 euro to get one of the most innovative products expected in the first half of this year.

As we already informed you, the LG Arena will start selling first in Europe in the end of March. The LG Arena will introduce the LG's new S-Class touch interface to the market.

As some reputable online stores confirm (among which Amazon.de), the LG Arena will have a starting price of 399 euro (around 540 US dollars).

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Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin presents the Chairman phone

2009-03-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

News

26 March, 2009

Tags: Touch UI

It's fancy, fashionable, pretentious and extra expensive. It's both a mechanical watch and a smartphone. It takes 5 megapixel pictures and has Wi-Fi module. It's touch-enabled and it's called the Chairman phone.

The Swiss watch manufacturer called Ulysse Nardin have decided to hop on the mobile phone express and created their own luxury smartphone called the Chairman. What's most surprising about it is not the exterior, but rather its specs list.

Ulysse Nardin Chairman

The Chairman packs a 2.8-inch capacitive multi-touch screen, a 5 megapixel camera, has Wi-Fi connectivity and a fingerprint scanner used for unlocking the thing.

Being the world's first hybrid-powered smartphone, featuring a regular rechargeable battery plus a watch-like kinetic rotor system. It allows passive recharging on the battery while you are on the move - just like a wrist watch. Unfortunately, there is no word how much power will this kinetic system produce.

Ulysse Nardin Chairman

The Ulysse Nardin will offer the extraordinary Chairman in Stealth Black, Rose Gold, Rose Gold & Blue, Rose Gold & Steel and Steel & Blue.

We guess, by now you're already itching to know the price - unfortunately, it's not revealed yet. But we are sure that those of you who would want to buy the Chairman won't really care about the number of zeros on the price tag.

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Say hello to the sleek and shiny Sony Ericsson T707

2009-03-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

News 26 March, 2009

Tags: Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson T707 is now officially out. It may not be an extra exciting device, but it's sleek, it's got the looks, and it sports some quite nice light effects.

It's not the first time you're seeing the Sony Ericsson T707 on our site since this little baby was spotted in the wild only a few weeks ago during a Sony Ericsson event in China. Well, now it's as official as it gets since the handset has just been announced by the company with the help of the tennis star Maria Sharapova.

Maria Sharapova

The smart T707 flip will come with a 2.2" QVGA main display and a smaller scratch-resistant monochromatic one - on the outside.

Sony Ericsson T707 official photos

Also aboard the T707 is a 3.2-megapixel fixed-focus snapper with cell-id geotagging, HSDPA and Bluetooth support and a music player with gesture control.

The Sony Ericsson T707 sports an M2 card slot and as Sony Ericsson say it is supposed to get along well even with microSD cards. Say what? Is this the beginning of the end of M2?

More Sony Ericsson T707 photos

The Sony Ericsson T707 is expected to start shipping in Q2 2009 in three color versions - Mysterious Black, Spring Rose and Lucid Blue. As usual with Sony Ericsson handsets, there's no word on pricing yet.

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T-Mobile will exclusively offer the LG in Titan Black color

2009-03-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

News

T-Mobile will exclusively offer the LG mobile lanka in Titan Black color

27 March, 2009

Tags: LG, T-Mobile, Touch UI

As the actual market release of the LG Arena gets closer, it seems to be making the headlines all over. This time it's about an extra sexy color scheme that we would die to get our hands on - the Titan Black version of the LG KM900 Arena looks that much classier.

T-Mobile seem to be targeting the LG KM900 Arena to the music-savvy customers and they make a big point out of the Dolby for Mobile music enhancement, the 3.5mm audio jack and the FM transmitter.

Thus it's no surprise that their mobile music download service called Mobile Jukebox will be available straight on the Arena's 3-inch high-res display.

As far as we are concerned, the wow-factor of the LG Arena is mostly about its spanking new interface called the S-class. It offers fluid response, excellent visuals and it has the potential to be the next best thing in feature touch phones.

Of course, the LG Arena is also a great all-rounder, which doesn't make compromises in any aspect - connectivity, location services, multimedia entertainment and imaging are all duly covered in a package smaller than the iPhone 3G.

The LG KM900 Arena will hit T-Mobile UK stores before the end of March, which sounds as any moment now.

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BlackBerry Storm 9500 review: Berry-go-round

2009-03-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

BlackBerry Storm 9500 review: Berry-go-round

GSMLANKA team, 13 March 2009.

BlackBerry Storm 9500 specs
User opinions and reviews
Comments (25)

Tags: BlackBerry, Touch UI

It's not everyday that you see a BlackBerry review on our homepage but it's not like RIM routinely churn out devices like the Storm either. Messaging is still the legendary name but… well… touchscreen is the game. Keeping the business appeal of its siblings, the 9500 Storm sure stands out in the Berry crowd. But it also tries to set itself apart from the other touchscreens by promising a whole new touch experience.

BlackBerry Storm official photos

The Canadian manufacturer RIM is walking an unbeaten path by adding unique clickability to the fluid precision of the capacitive touchscreen technology. The award-winning SurePress screen may not be everyone's cup of coffee but we're not talking teacup either, just yet.

Key features:

3.25" 65K-color capacitive touchscreen of 360 x 480 pixel resolution
A new touchscreen experience thanks to SurePress screen
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 2100 MHz 3G with HSDPA support
3.15 MP autofocus camera, LED flash
BlackBerry OS 4.7
624 MHz CPU, 128 MB RAM
Built-in GPS and BlackBerry maps preloaded
1 GB internal storage
Hot-swappable microSD card slot, ships with an 8GB card
Landscape virtual QWERTY keyboard goes as close to hardware keys as we have seen
Great build quality
Solid looks
3.5mm standard audio jack
Bluetooth and USB v2.0
Really nice web browser
Document editor
Excellent audio quality

Main disadvantages:

No Wi-fi
No email support without BlackBerry Internet Service account
Interface not as quick as competitors
Chubbier than most touchscreen phones
Mediocre camera
No FM radio
No Flash support
Fingerprint-prone front panel

Now, this isn't one of those all-about-email BlackBerry reviews where the 9500 Storm gets only compared to its own kind, for the lack of meaningful competition. We are more than confident that the Storm does its BlackBerry thing just fine, so instead of focusing on it we'll try to give a different view of the device. Our objective is to see how it fares against all those other "regular" touchscreens that have the crowd's attention: Apples, Renoirs, Omnias, Diamonds and the likes.

BlackBerry Storm 9500 views

Well, our approach may seem like comparing apples to oranges but only at first sight. The first thing about the Storm 9500 is the attempt to reach beyond the core group of diehard BlackBerry users. We're talking stealing some market here, so if Blackberry are playing to win, they should well be ready to take some hard beating too. First-rate email is nice and all, but the Storm will only be as good as its user interface and multimedia. For the rest (which means WLAN too) there's Curve and Bold.

The BlackBerry Storm 9500 next to the Samsung i900 Omnia and Apple iPhone 3G

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BlackBerry Storm 9500 review: Berry-go-round

2009-03-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

GSM MOBILE LANKA team, 13 March 2009.

BlackBerry Storm 9500 specs
User opinions and reviews
Comments (25)

Tags: BlackBerry, Touch UI

BlackBerry Storm official photos

Key features:

3.25" 65K-color capacitive touchscreen of 360 x 480 pixel resolution
A new touchscreen experience thanks to SurePress screen
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 2100 MHz 3G with HSDPA support
3.15 MP autofocus camera, LED flash
BlackBerry OS 4.7
624 MHz CPU, 128 MB RAM
Built-in GPS and BlackBerry maps preloaded
1 GB internal storage
Hot-swappable microSD card slot, ships with an 8GB card
Landscape virtual QWERTY keyboard goes as close to hardware keys as we have seen
Great build quality
Solid looks
3.5mm standard audio jack
Bluetooth and USB v2.0
Really nice web browser
Document editor
Excellent audio quality

Main disadvantages:

No Wi-fi
No email support without BlackBerry Internet Service account
Interface not as quick as competitors
Chubbier than most touchscreen phones
Mediocre camera
No FM radio
No Flash support
Fingerprint-prone front panel

BlackBerry Storm 9500 views

The BlackBerry Storm 9500 next to the Samsung i900 Omnia and Apple iPhone 3G

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MWC 2009: The top 7 things we wish we took home

2009-03-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

GSM MOBILE LANKA team, 26 February 2009.

Tags: MWC 2009

Big round of applause, fade-out to happy ending: the MWC 2009 is now history. We were there and lived to tell the story. And well, there was a lot to tell. Now, we're not cutting the long story short here. We just sat down and went over the things that had us holding our geeky breath. And well, here's what it all boils down to.

We are happy to offer you our Magnificent Seven (no, none of us is that old) or otherwise the Top 7 of mobile phone features and novelties presented at the MWC 2009.

Now, it's not as simple as saying these are the seven best phones of this year's MWC. It's more like the things to remember and look out to, the innovation that moves the industry forward.

This article reflects our personal view as seasoned practitioners in the field. As you may guess, in a fast-paced industry like this one, the wow-factor is as important as it is hard to get right. We like to be wowed and here come the devices that did that.

And before we start, a word of warning is due. Those of you who have been following our MWC 2009 coverage are likely to already know the stuff we are going to focus on in this article.

Samsung Omnia HD video recording

First of, it's the Samsung Omnia HD. The Symbian-powered smartphone walks and talks multimedia and the 720p HD video recording is one of the most impressive features we saw at the MWC 2009.

The Samsung Omnia HD runs on a customized Symbian S60 Touch UI

If you happened to miss it, we even took the baby out for a spin and snapped a handful of sample photos and videos with it. While the video is still jerky at times, the bitrate and the detail is impressive. We hope everything will be fixed by the time the Samsung Omnia HD heads for the stores.

The Samsung Omnia HD camera samples

Here are two video samples for you to check out.

Video 1
Video 2

But you've got to remember that the Omnia HD is not all about imaging and video. This monster of a handset comes with a 3.7" OLED capacitive touchscreen with 16 million colors and resolution of 640 x 360 pixels.

On the connectivity side, the device is just as well equipped, offering Wi-Fi with DLNA, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, a standard microUSB port, 3.5mm audio jack and TV-out. A GPS receiver with A-GPS is aboard, along with the optional Samsung Mobile Navigator by Route66.

The Omnia HD comes in two flavors: with 8 or 16GB of integrated memory, each with a hot-swappable microSD card slot providing up to 16GB of extra storage. The other notable features include DivX/XviD support, accelerometer for screen auto rotate, proximity sensor for auto screen turn-off and FM radio.

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD

Related stuff:

Samsung Omnia HD preview at our office
Samsung Omnia hands-on at MWC 2009

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Samsung T929 Memoir appears again, almost official

2009-03-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Samsung T929 Memoir appears again, almost official

04 Feb, 2009 | Comments (39) | Post your comment

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI, Rumors, T-Mobile

An official ad photo of the upcoming Samsung T929 Memoir touchscreen cameraphone appeared online today. The American cousin of the Samsung M8800 Pixon has quite similar functionality to its European peer but sports a xenon flash and has somewhat different design.

After series of rumors and blurry pictures, the full specs list of the T-Mobile-exclusive Samsung T929 Memoir is finally revealed. The Memoir, as you probably have heard, is the first 8 megapixel cameraphone to hit USA and it also adds a xenon flash, a 3” touchscreen WQVGA display and 3G support to make for an attractive deal.

Some of its other features include quad-band GSM support, WVGA (720x480 pixels) video recording at 30 fps, Bluetooth and USB. There is no mention of a built-in GPS receiver but it might just be there with the same limited functionality as the Pixon (geo-tagging and 3rd party Java apps only).

Samsung T929 Memoir will start shipping by the end of February through T-Mobile USA, costing about 299 US dollars (230 euro) on a 2-year contract.

Source

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Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH

2009-03-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

Touchscreen marathon continues with Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH

09 Feb, 2009 | Comments (53) | Post your comment

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI, MWC 2009

Today Samsung has officially announced their latest high-end phone, the Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH. The fully touch-operated slider has decided to avoid the crowd at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and appear a week earlier. With the LG KM900 Arena also appearing today we are not quite sure how much of a good decision that is.

The key features naturally include the 2.8" OLED scratch-resistant touchscreen display with WQVGA resolution (240 x 400 pixels). Unlike most other touchscreen devices the Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH a.k.a. Samsung Tocco Ultra uses the capacitive technology, as with the Apple iPhone 3G and LG KF900 Prada.

Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH

Dressed to impress with a slim 12.7 mm body and a finely brushed metal frame, the S8300 UltraTOUCH also has the features to do so. The handset comes with an 8MP autofocus camera with dual-LED flash that can capture videos up to VGA resolution at 30fps. Next are the built-in GPS with A-GPS support, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, microUSB and the microSD memory card slot. FM radio with RDS is also on board, making Wi-Fi the only major abscence here.

However the Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH partially compensates for that with quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE as well as 3G with HSDPA (7.2Mbps) support. The handset also comes with the sweet DviX and XviD support, meaning that you don’t have to convert your favorite videos to mp4 for watching them on it.

Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH will run on the latest reincarnation of the company’s proprietary TouchWiz user interface. It brings quite a number of improvements over the previous edition including new widgets, three homescreens and an improved image gallery.

The enhanced TouchWiz user interface on S8300

You will be able to get a better idea of the Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH in the coming day with our preview. While we are still doing some i-dotting and t-crossing here are several live photos of the device for a teaser.

Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH at our office

The Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH is expected to hit the market in March 2009 with an estimated price of 329 euro.

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Samsung touch midrange phones

2009-03-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

Samsung announce S5600 and S5230 full touch midrange phones

10 March, 2009 | Comments (24) | Post your comment

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI

Today Samsung announced two new additions in their full touch lineup - Samsung S5600 and S5230 phones. They are both running on the latest TouchWiz UI and have large touch screen displays but only midrange feature sets.

Samsung S5600 has already leaked some fifteen days ago with several photos and basic information. It is aimed at the style but budget conscious users with its relatively slim and compact design.

S5600 boasts a 2.8" 16M TFT display with 240 x 320 pixels resolution, which takes advantage of the built-in accelerometer sensor. On its back it features 3.2 MP camera with LED flash that comes with smile detection.

Samsung S5600

The midrange S5600 is quad-band GSM/EDGE that also offers fast data transfers via dual-band HSDPA 7.2 Mbps. Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP and USB v2.0 are on board; sadly there is no Wi-Fi here. Samsung S5600 has only 80MB of built-in memory, but it's expandable via microSD card slot.

Samsung S5600 is expected to hit the European market in May 2009, but there is no word on its price.

Samsung are pioneering the Gesture Lock feature on both the S5600 and S5230. It enables users to simultaneously unlock the phone and open a menu item just by drawing an alphabet letter on the unlock screen. Users can assign various actions to any of the alphabet letters from A to Z.

Samsung S5230 is even more impressive from the S5600, because it is only 11.9mm thin but sports a larger 3" 256K TFT display with WQVGA (240 x 400 pixels) resolution.

Samsung S5230

Unfortunately, the added features come at the expense of 3G networking. The Samsung S5230 is GPRS/EDGE-only. That makes it a direct competitor to the popular LG Cookie.

Samsung S5320 is expected to hit the shelves in Europe in April, 2009. Its price is still unknown.

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Samsung

2009-03-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

News

Samsung Tocco Ultra Edition to slide in the UK by 19 March

12 March, 2009 | Comments (24) | Post your comment

Tags: Samsung, Vodafone, Touch UI

The Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH or otherwise Tocco Ultra Edition is now up for pre-order over at Vodafone UK. Vodafone promise to start shipping it by 19 March and you can get the phone for free with a 30GBP monthly plan and an 18-month contract.

Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH

The Samsung Tocco Ultra Edition, as the S8300 would be marketed in the UK, is the style-conscious tech-geek's dream - high built quality and black metallic frame give it a really sophisticated look to go with the long list of features. The 2.8 inch OLED capacitive touchscreen with WQVGA resolution and few apparent buttons do a good job at concealing that it is in fact a slider with a 3x9 keyboard.

Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH live shots

It borrows the imaging module from the Pixon but improved image processing holds promise of better photos. Video recording has also been upgraded to WVGA resolution.

Other items on the spec sheet that stand out are the 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, GPS and DivX support. You can find more details in our early preview or our live hands-on at the MWC 2009.

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Submersible heavy-duty Samsung B2100 officially announced

2009-03-22T11:39:00.001-07:00

Submersible heavy-duty Samsung B2100 officially announced

Turning their backs on the bunch of leaked touch handsets, Samsung today announced a low-end phone, which however comes as rugged as they get. Reminding of the Sonim XP3 Enduro, but prettier, the Samsung B2100 has got a whole wall covered with endurance certificates, plus it's easily submersible under water to up to a meter depth (but only up to 30 minutes - just enough for a bath).

The Samsung B2100 Xplorer follows the styling of the Samsung B2700, which we already reviewed and tortured properly (read all about it here).

The new Xplorer bloke however lacks the 3G capabilities of its elder brother plus there is no altimeter and digital compass either. What you get however is a cheap rugged little fella, which comes with shock, water, salt, fog and dust resistance compliant with both the European IP57 certification and the US Military Standard 810F (MIL-STD-810F) much like the Sonim XP3 Enduro.

The Samsung B2100 Xplorer body is made out of urethane, which is the same material they use to make roller blades. It's got noise cancellation with a dedicated microphone and a new vibration setting that makes it vibrate longer. The new lock mechanism of the battery cover has made it more secure as we personally had some issues with the locking mechanism of the Samsung B2700.

Samsung B2100 Xplorer has a flashlight on top with a dedicated button to start it, and there is also a memory card slot, which you can use to load up music or download photos from the 1.3 megapixel camera. Stereo Bluetooth A2DP support is also on board.

The Samsung B2100 Xplorer will be released in Germany and other European countries in variety of colors in April 2009. There's no word on its pricing yet, but it should be cheaper than Samsung B2700.

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