HTC Touch HD Review

One of the most expected Windows Mobile-based smartphones of last year, the HTC Touch HD made its appearance on the market a little bit later than its main rivals Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 and Samsung i900 Omnia. Although many comparisons have been made among the three devices, it is clear that HTC Touch HD is the most attractive and the flagship of Microsoft's mobile operating system. Basically, it is only suitable to be compared with Apple's iPhone or Google's G1, which have different operating systems. The three devices look better than most smartphones on the market, which means that it's a matter of taste which one you prefer.

It's the OS that makes the difference and the three companies tried to make their devices as much as powerful and user-friendly as possible. PureMobile lent us one of these amazing devices, HTC Touch HD, so that our readers can benefit from an extensive review before actually buying it. My advice for all those that intend to buy one of the three smartphones is to try all of them, if they can and decide afterwards. As people have different needs and tastes, it is obvious that there cannot be one phone to rule them all. Announced in September 2008, HTC Touch HD was made available on the market one month later, in November 2008. The Pocket PC can be acquired for about US$800, but pricing can vary, and depends on location or plan. Only the Black color is available for this model at the moment.

Design

HTC Touch HD looks pretty amazing at first glance. Stylish and elegant, the smarpthone features the most exquisite finishes I have seen on an HTC-manufactured device. No more rough shaped edges, peeling, or scratches. It gets even better with the amazingly large screen, and yet remains so sleek. The entire front part of the smartphone is occupied by the 3.8-inch touchscreen. At the base of the screen, there are four touch keys with haptic feedback: Accept / Reject calls keys, Home key and Back key. On top of the screen, there are a secondary video-call camera and the in-call speaker. Finally, HTC decided to include a 3.5mm jack port, which you can find on top of the device. The power button is also on top, but I find it pretty hard to press. On the left side of the Touch HD, one can hardly notice a long and thin dual volume key. The miniUSB port has been placed, as usual, on the bottom.

HTC Touch HD features an Active magnetic stylus, which can be found on bottom right corner. Basically, that means that if you pull it out, the device will wake-up, or if you're in the middle of a call, it will open up the Notes application. The back cover of the phone has been made from a rubberized plastic, which assures great adherence, besides feeling great to the touch. You can only find the wondrous 5-megapixel camera and a small loudspeaker on the back. The camera is well protected by a metallic frame that looks very sturdy. Unfortunately, the camera lacks any flash or mirror for self-portraits. The microSD slot card has been placed under the back hood, but it's hot-swappable. The exact measures of the smartphone are 115x62.8mm at only12mm thickness.

This is one of the sleekest Windows Mobile-based devices, the iPhone being just 0.4mm slimmer than Touch HD. The phone weighs around 146g (including battery), which might seem a little bit too much, but I find it very well balanced and in accordance with its size. You won't have to worry about fingerprints, as the touchscreen, as well as the back cover do not attract any of these and won't get greased. The overall design is marvelous through its simplicity and I have to say that Touch HD is definitely the most appealing HTC smartphone available on the market at the moment.

Display and Camera

HTC Touch HD embeds an amazing 3.8-inch VGA touchscreen that supports 262k colors, but only displays 65k colors. The device supports a better resolution than most of the existing Pocket PCs on the market - 480x800 pixels. The resolution is better than iPhone's, G1's, but on par with Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1. Together with the new TouchFLO 3D interface, the screen offers marvelous quality viewing, which greatly improves Internet browsing and viewing of pictures. Bigger than any other HTC display, Touch HD offers an incredible level of touch and view interaction.

Thanks to the innovative TouchFLO 3D interface, HTC Touch HD is very much comparable with the iPhone in terms of the level of sophistication of the interface. The phone also features accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate, which is very useful when watching videos, playing games or slide-showing pictures. The only downside I found is the low eligibility in sunlight. Otherwise, it's the best that HTC can offer now, but who knows what the Taiwanese company plans for us.

Touch HD features the first 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and video capabilities. Two useful things have not been provided. The first is an LED flash, which makes night pictures possible, and then there's the dedicated camera button. So, in order to take pictures, you'll have to use the large touch button that is displayed when the camera function is opened. The picturing process can be done in two ways: either by simply touching the button ('Touch') or by using the "Touch and press" function, which means that you'll have about 1-2 seconds to decide whether you want to take the picture or not. The smartphone focuses pretty fast and saves picture amazingly quickly. One feature that I found to be very interesting is the fact that you can focus on any object in the picture by simply touching the screen.

In terms of quality, HTC Touch HD is another leap forward for HTC, which has improved considerably since HTC Touch Pro was launched with its very good 3.2-megapixel camera. The first HTC device with a 5-megapixel camera takes very good pictures in terms of quality, with very low levels of noise, but pretty high levels of sharpening. The interface of the camera is rich in settings, with functions such as Brightness, White Balance, and Effect. Macro mode can also be used with ease, without the need of actually selecting the macro mode available. You can even use the secondary camera placed on the front of the phone to take pictures of yourself. The 5-megapixel camera of Touch HD is definitely the best embedded in an HTC smartphone.

Movies can be recorded in MPEG4 formats, but you will only get CIF mode recording at 30fps (352x288 pixels). Overall, the camera is one of the pleasant surprises offered by HTC to its fans. Now, if only it had also featured the geotagging function, it would have been perfect.

Menu and Software

HTC Touch HD runs the same 'old' Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system, featuring the 3D version of the TouchFLO interface. The latter provides animated access to people, messaging, email, photos, music, weather and more. The same innovative touch-sensitive control for interacting with the device that was introduced with Touch Pro is also present with the Touch HD device. While the TouchFLO 3D enables finger swipe navigation through menus, the acclaimed accelerometer sensor automatically pivots the screen orientation from portrait to landscape when browsing the Internet, playing games, listening to music, or when watching a movie or looking at pictures.

These functions only work when the TouchFLO interface is active, and not when you're browsing the Programs or Settings areas. Taking advantage of the huge display, the interface is simply breathtaking, making it one of the best competitors for Apple's iPhone. HTC Touch HD has been equipped with only the latest applications that somewhat emulate its interface: YouTube client application, Google Maps (and GPS), Windows Media Player 10, Opera Mobile 9.5, Windows Live Messenger, Widget for weather forecast, Audio Booster, Album, Streaming Media Player, MP3 Trimmer, Adobe Reader 2.5, Esmertec Java emulator, and Games.

The tweaks and improvements that HTC introduced to the phone's interface greatly increase its functionality. One of these improvements is the Task Manager, which has been placed on the top right of the screen, near the signal and battery icons. With a simple click, you'll now be able to close all applications left opened. Basically, when you want to access one of the areas represented by the icons on the upper right part of the screen, you'll be able to visualize a small submenu (System Status), where you'll be presented with several choices, such as Communications panel, Ringtones profile, Battery status, Data connectivity, and more. The features of this device are pretty much the same as Touch Pro's. The Accept and Reject keys can be predefined to execute various actions when they're pressed for about 3-4 seconds. Users will have the choice to turn the device to Airplane Mode, lock the device, Terminate data connection, Set the Vibrate/Ringer profile, or they can simply opt for the function to display the Quick List. The list consists of the same options mentioned above, but also offers the possibility of going directly to the Settings area. The latter can also be accessed by swiping your finger on the Home page until you reach this area, and features another set of functions: Sync Data, Sound, Wallpaper, Communications, Data (Weather data download).

Navigation can be easily done without the need of a stylus, by swiping your finger to the right or to the left on the Home screen. This way, the 3D interface offers easy and quick access to areas to which you had a long way to go when using other Pocket PCs that did not support this feature. Besides the Programs bar that displays the applications that you like to use more frequently, and which can be viewed when pressing the Start icon, the device also features a panel where you can add or remove various programs, games and such as you wish. To facilitate the writing method and to come to the aid of those who are used with various inputting methods, HTC has introduced four types of keypad layouts: Phone keypad, Compact QWERTY, Full QWERTY and Keyboard. For business people, HTC has included the Office Mobile package, which now also comprises the OneNote Mobile application, besides the usual Excel, PowerPoint and Word Mobile programs. Handwriting recognition is also a nice addition.

Notes application can be accessed even when talking on the phone, allowing you to write down any information you need. The touchscreen offers you a couple of nice functions, like zooming in and out when browsing the Internet or when viewing pictures. Gamers will be happy to notice that the highly-addictive Teeter game has also been included in the device's OS. It takes advantage of the built-in accelerometer, inviting people to guide a ball through various mazes.

Communications

HTC Touch HD takes advantage of the HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA 2 Mbps technologies to deliver a complete mobile Internet experience. Besides HSDPA technology, as a much cheaper choice, one can opt for EDGE Class 10 connectivity, but data transfer speeds will be considerably lower.

Unfortunately, neither of the two technologies works at maximum capacity, offering only moderate results (157 Kbit/s download and 5 Kbit/s upload for EDGE; 323 Kbit/s download and 5 Kbit/s upload for HSDPA). That might be almost unbelievable, but the speed is lower than Touch Pro's, which was also below average.

The only different thing I found and I was pretty impressed about is the quality of the 3G signal reception, which was quite strong.

Furthermore, the device features Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g technology, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and miniUSB 2.0. I tested the speed of the Bluetooth data rate transfer, and I was a bit disappointed. While the receiving speed is above average (around 86 KB/s), the sending speed is below mediocre (only 38 KB/s). Either way, the device includes a wide range of connectivity options, most of these being wireless (Wi-Fi, HSDPA, aGPS).

The HTC Touch HD supports SMS, MMS and email. Thanks to the 3D interface, users will be able to thumb scroll longer messages in the Inbox. Dynamic font resizing (zooming in/out with the scroll wheel) is also available. HTC Touch HD offers Message delivery reports in its Settings menu.

Regarding the phone's capabilities, the HTC Touch HD is compatible with GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800 and GSM1900 networks, which will widen its usage around the world.

In terms of telephony, HTC Touch HD is definitely an improvement, as HTC smartphones generally have big issues when it comes to in-call sound quality. Even though the sound is nowhere near what Nokia devices can offer, I have found the quality pretty acceptable in terms of loudness and clarity.

Processor and Memory

HTC Touch HD is powered by a Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 MHz chipset, which includes a dual-core processor. The device also features a dedicated graphics chip (64MB RAM reserved for graphics), which can be noticed from the Graphic benchmark results. Still, I haven't been that impressed by the speed of the phone, on the contrary. I have found no improvements regarding browsing through menus, not to mention the lag of the device when more applications are running. Strangely, games or movies are handled pretty well, almost flawless, I could say.

The device comes with 288 MB DDR SDRAM, 512 MB ROM, much like its Touch Pro predecessor.

As I have mentioned at the beginning of the review, HTC Touch HD comes with an 8GB microSD card in the sales package. Basically, you have 8GB storage space included, thanks to the microSD card, which is more than enough for any heavy user. The memory slot has been placed under the back cover, but it's still hot-swappable.

Multimedia

HTC Touch HD follows in the Touch Pro's footsteps as a business tool, but comes with a little bit of improvement regarding sound quality. While HTC devices aren't renowned for their music capabilities, it seems that HTC makes improvements with every new device that it launches. That is the case with HTC Touch HD, which appears to be superior to its predecessors, but still has a long way to reach iPhone's performance or any other high-end multimedia oriented phone.

Moreover, its bulky construction and weight might scary some of the music lovers. Nevertheless, Touch HD includes a very nice music player with an eye-candy interface that strongly resembles Apple's iPod. It uses album art and visualization, and features a rich Library that can be used to sort files by artist, genre, or composer. I did not notice any hiccups when running various music files, but anything is possible. Unfortunately, the most important aspect related to music, the Equalizer, can only be accessed when the headphones are inserted. The device comes with some average quality headset, but thanks to the 3.5mm jack port included, you can now use professional headphones. The quality of music is surprisingly good, above average, I could say.

The device also features an FM radio that can sum up 20 base stations, but is only available with headphones inserted. RDS function is available and reception and sound are pretty good.

The dedicated video player only runs movies that feature Windows-compatible codecs. The latest ROM provides a really smooth video playback experience, with no skipped frames or lags. To be able to run any kind of movie, you should use a third-party movie player.

Battery

HTC Touch HD features a large 1350 mAh Li-ion Polymer battery, with an official stated autonomy of up to 440 hours in standby mode, and up to 8 hours of talking time.

Again, these numbers are overrated, with the Touch HD offering, in fact, a little above four hours (check out the screenshots), on par with Touch Pro.

Impressions

I was visually impressed with the new HTC toy, but after using it for a while, I didn't find serious improvements to its performance. I will say over and over again, as long as you don't have the right software behind a component, it will not work at its full capacity. Graphic drivers are a necessity for HTC devices that feature 3D interface. Still, Touch HD is better than any other HTC device and a leap forward for the Taiwanese company.

The Good 
The amazing touchscreen, the 5-megapixel camera, as well as the cool design are among the strong points of HTC Touch HD. I would also like to mention here the rich sales package that contains an 8GB microSD card. Music quality is also an improvement from the previous model, as well as the 3G signal reception and the in-call sound clarity.

The Bad

I would've expected some improvements in the performance department. I was pretty disappointed to find that HTC Touch HD seems to have almost the same benchmark results as Touch Pro. Not that the latter is not good enough, but smartphones that feature the TouchFLO 3D interface always seem to lag when browsing the menus. The situation changes when this is not active. I would also like to mention the fact that HSDPA connectivity, as well as the other connectivity tools (EDGE, Bluetooth) work below average, which is unacceptable for such an expensive high-end device.

source : softpedia.com

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LG KP501 Cookie Review

One of the cheapest touchscreen phones on the market, the new LG KP501, also known as Cookie, should not be considered a low-budget one. Slim and lightweight, the handheld uses the same proprietary LG flash UI, which has been improved lately. The affordable touchscreen phosne was introduced by Orange into its network distribution line thanks to the huge success that the previously black Cookie (LG KP500) had since its launch in November 2008. Simple and elegant, LG KP501 promises great value for money, but also more colors available for customers.

Following the overwhelming market success of LG KP500, dubbed Cookie, LG decided to launch a sequel in partnership with Orange. Announced in January 2009, the new LG 501 Cookie was made available the next month, in February, and can be acquired for around 150 USD, free of plan, but can also go as low as 20 USD with a 24-month contract with Orange. The phone is available in a wide range of colors: Anodizing Silver, Capri Green, Pink and Black.

Design

One of the simplest phones I have ever seen, LG KP501 is no different in design compared to its KP500 Cookie predecessor. In fact, I only noticed a minor difference between the two, regarding the two buttons on the front, which are bigger for the KP500 model. Sleeker and lighter than any other touchscreen phones on the market, KP501 Cookie seems to be the peek of ergonomic design coming from the Korean company. The candybar measures 106.5 x 55.4 x 11.9mm and weighs exactly 89g (including battery). It features a nice polished plastic that makes it look rich and attractive, especially if you own the silver or black version. The front part of the phone is almost entirely seized by the huge 3-inch touchscreen. Below the display, there are three buttons: Accept calls, Reject calls and Shortcut key (middle).

The first two are metallic, which should prevent the paint from wearing off. The in-call speaker is hard to be noticed just above the screen. The right side of the phone features a dedicated camera button, a lock/unlock key and a microSD card slot. The left side of the device includes a dual volume key and the proprietary LG port, where one can insert a charger, a Stereo headset or a USB cable. The stylus has been moved from its usual position, on the bottom right corner of the phone and can now be pulled out from horizontal. On the back of the phone, LG included a simple 3.2-megapixel camera, which lacks flash and is not protected by a lens cover. 

Stylish and pocket-friendly, this phone seems to have something for everyone. This handset also fits trendy people. The LG KP501 Cookie is not look like any other typical LG phone but it does have one LG quality - the superior finish. The form of the gadget is incredibly sleek. Furthermore, LG KP501 Cookie resembles the Prada fashion phone, but this time, the design has been greatly improved to make it look much smarter. This handheld can be best labeled as an "entertainment phone" but it can also be a great asset for business persons too, as the email facilities and the on-screen QWERTY keyboard are commendable.

In my opinion, LG KP501 Cookie is one of the best good-looking touchscreen phones that are now available on the market. Add to that the excellent ergonomics and you might have another huge market success handset.

Display and Camera

One of the main drawbacks of the candybar is the 3-inch TFT resistive touchscreen display that supports 262K colors and QVGA 240 x 400 pixel resolution. It's very clear that LG doesn't have the technology needed to develop a touchscreen that could be eligible for use outdoors, in strong light. In fact, if you plan to use it in sunlight, don't expect to see anything on the screen. You can barely distinguish anything on the screen, and what you can see are not phone numbers, which are the hardest to notice.

This is pretty much the same problem that almost all LG handsets suffer from. The sales package contains a protective foil, which prevents the touchscreen from getting soft scratches. We still get some nice features for the screen, such as: accelerometer for auto-rotate, handwriting recognition and haptic feedback.

The 3.2-megapixel camera doesn't feature any flash capabilities, auto-focus or any other complex features like geotagging or ISO. I was surprised to find a good camera on such a low-priced phone, but LG preferred to include a 3.2-megapixel camera, without adding any advanced capabilities.

Thus, you won't find the Schneider-Kreuznach optics, flash or auto-focus capabilities. Still, if you check the samples below, you'll notice that pictures taken with Cookie have little to no noise. Even though pictures are a little bit low on details, this is barely visible unless you zoom in the images.

The intuitive user interface of the camera doesn't have any new option compared with its predecessors. Users can take pictures with a maximum resolution of 2048x1536 pixels. Clips can be recorded in QVGA resolution (320x240 pixels) at 12fps. Thanks to the dedicated camera button, taking pictures is a smooth experience. 

Menu and Software

LG KP501 Cookie features an improved version of the highly acclaimed Flash UI and can be controlled only with the finger. The first thing I noticed is the fact that it's not fully customizable anymore, like Prada. Moreover, the UI has been mixed with Orange's functions, so you will have specific menus that have been completely introduced only for this handset. The number of animations has been kept at a high level. While the layout of the menus has not changed at all, there are some tweaks that improve the usability. Besides the fact that you get more options for everything (like widgets), you have now two Home screens available that can be accessed by simply sweeping your finger to the left or right when in Home screen mode.

The phone also features a Document viewer application, which supports Word documents, Excel files and PDF files. There's still no YouTube client, but I did not expect that anyway. You will still be able to get to the mobile web version and watch clips.

The phonebook of the device looks standard and accepts 1000 contacts. You will be able to separately see contacts stored on the device's memory and the SIM ones, according to the choice you make. The Main menu has been organized into four parts accessible from the tabs placed on the right side of the screen. The first one on the top will give you access to the phone and messaging functions, while the second represents the multimedia and entertainment area included in the handset’s firmware. Productivity tools (Calendar, Calculator, Unit converter, Organizer, Drawing Panel) are available by tapping the third tab. For Settings, check the last tab.

I noticed a slight improvement in terms of speed when browsing the phone's menus. This is great news indeed and it's probably due to the improved ARM processor that has been included. The Java emulator 2.0 MIDP works with all Java-compatible software, but has a file size limit that cannot be exceeded.

Communications

LG KP501 supports the GPRS and EDGE connectivity, both class 10, but no UMTS/HSDPA technology or Wi-Fi. Data transfer speeds are average, but the integrated browser and the large screen definitely enhance the browsing experience. Tested on the EDGE, the phone definitely underperformed, as you can see from the screenshots.

Other connectivity tools include the Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support and the USB 2.0 for PC synchronization (with charging). When connecting the USB cable, you'll be able to choose from five modes: PC Internet, Mass storage, PC Suite, Music sync and iSync. All of them are intuitive and easy to use, so there's nothing more to add here. 

In terms of messaging, the candy-bar is compatible with a wide range of type messages: SMS (300), MMS, EMS, email (no SSL support), and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP. Moreover, thanks to the on-screen QWERTY keypad, you'll have no problems typing fast.

The quadband (GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900) network-compatible candy-bar has a good GSM signal reception. The in-call sound quality is very good, but it seems that this has become common for the latest LG mobile phones.

Processor and Memory

LG KP501 Cookie features a medium power ARM9 family processor, which runs at speeds of up to 201 Mhz. This could have been better, especially since LG has included an improved Flash UI that asks for a better CPU than those usually embedded in mid-budget handsets. Nevertheless, I haven't noticed important lags when browsing the menus. In fact, I was surprised by the fact that Cookie seems to be snappier than other high-end LG phones, such as LG Renoir or Prada 2.

The handheld comes with 48 MB of internal memory, which can be upgraded through the microSD slot card up to 16GB. We tested it with an 8GB microSD card and everything worked smoothly. The memory is hot-swappable.

Multimedia

LG KP501 Cookie features exactly the same music player that Prada 2 fashion phone has also embedded. Users will be able to filter their music by artist, album, and genre, or make their own playlists. The music player now features an Equalizer setting with five predefined modes, but no possibility for customization. The sound is good, but could be much better if a 3.5mm had been included in the handset, so users can attach better headphones.

The FM Radio features RDS, can only store up to 50 base stations and can be played through the loudspeaker. Both radio and music player can be run in the background and accessed on the Home screen through their correspondent widgets.

Battery

LG KP501 Cookie features a 950 mAh Li-Ion battery, which depletes very fast if you set your screen brightness to 100%. The official numbers stated by LG – 350 hours in standby mode and three hours and a half of talking – are low, as it stands to reason. Fortunately, with some tweaks, such as setting brightness screen to 40% and locking screen to 10 seconds, we managed to obtain around four days of use, with two hours of talking. It’s more than acceptable if we think that we're talking about an LG phone, which doesn't excel when it comes to battery.

Impressions

Officially one of the cheapest touchscreen phones on the market, LG KP501 Cookie is an amazing device for those trendsetters. Even though it hasn't been tagged as fashion phone and can successfully serve businessmen, the sleek device is meant to greatly appeal the masses with its look and price. Thanks to the Orange distribution, the phone will probably become a hit in sales for the Korean company.

The Good
The most attractive features of the phone are definitely the cheap price and the exceptional look and finishes. These seem to be the most important features that a buyer is looking for when acquiring a phone. I would like to enlist here the improvement regarding the Flash UI, which is much snappier than previous phones that included this kind of interface. Camera and battery are also nice additions to the great looking phone.

The Bad 

I guess the most important drawback of the phone is the fact that it cannot be used outdoors in sunlight. Also, browsing the Internet is a nightmare, as the EDGE data transfer performs poorly. I think that a more generous sales package would've been nice, as it doesn't even include a USB cable.

source : softpedia.com

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BlackBerry Storm 9500 Review

After reviewing the first clamshell manufactured by RIM, BlackBerry 8220 Pearl Flip, Pure Mobile has offered us the opportunity to test the first BlackBerry smartphone to feature a touch screen, BlackBerry Storm 9500. The device itself has been especially developed to be a direct competitor to Apple's iPhone 3G, T-Mobile's G1 by HTC, and to the lastest HTC Touch family device.

Whether it either succeeds or not, we will discover in the following review. Bear in mind that while the device is only sold branded, there are still unlocked versions of the smartphone, which allows owners to use it with any GSM service provider.

Announced in September 2008, the Blackberry Storm 9500 smartphone was made available on the market two months later, in November 2008. At the moment, the handset can be acquired for the amount of $520USD, unlocked with no plan. You can check it out here.

Design

Blackberry Storm 9500 is not only the first Blackberry device with a touch screen, but also the first to lack a physical keyboard. For businessmen, who are the main target of the smartphone, this might sound pretty awkward at first glance. To substitute this lack of keypad, RIM has introduced a new, innovative technology called SurePress. RIM's SurePress patented technology makes the touch screen physically react like a button when pressed. It also provides haptic feedback, which means that you won't feel the difference between a physical keyboard and this one. Nevertheless, the feeling that you get when clicking a flimsy touch screen that seems not to have been solidly attached has scared me.

First time I kept it in my hand, I thought the device had a big flaw, as the display was 2mm shorter than the frame and you could easily see through these spaces left up and below the screen. The screen is protected by a thin foil, so it won't get too many fingerprints. Except for it, the device seems to have been constructed solidly. It feels good in your hand, but might be a little heavier than expected (155g, including battery). The metallic back cover seems to be taking its toll on the weight of the device. Still, Storm 9500 is not such a big handset as compared with the HTC Touch HD or even the iPhone 3G, measuring only 112.5 x 62.2 x 14mm.

The smartphone surprisingly features a 3.5mm jack port on the upper right side. Below the port, there are also a dual-volume key and a dedicated camera one. On the left side of the device, there's a dedicated Voice dial button and a microUSB port. Below the 3.25-inch display, there are 4 buttons: the Accept calls and Reject calls keys, the Menu one and the Back button. Above the touch screen, there's a large in-call speaker and an LED that is mostly used for alerts. The 3.2-Megapixel camera on the back of the phone features flash and autofocus.

It is covered by a plastic glass that protects it against scratches. Another innovative feature of the smartphone consists of the 2 buttons on the top of the device. While they are not really defined as keys, you can press on their icons to use them. The left one locks the phone, while the right one mutes a phone talk in progress. The microSD slot card has been placed under the back cover, so you'll need to remove it before inserting a new storage card. At the bottom of the metallic cover on the back, you can also notice a small loudspeaker. Overall, I have been pleased with how BlackBerry Storm 9500 looks like, and pretty content with the way RIM has handled the layout of all the external controls. 

Display and Camera

As I have also mentioned above, Storm 9500 is the first Blackberry device to feature a capacitive touch screen. It measures 3.25 inches and supports 65k colors and a 360x480-pixel resolution. The capacitive touch screen eliminates the need to employ a stylus, and is also scratch-resistant. It embeds the innovative SurePress technology, a Research-In-Motion patented technology that provides haptic feedback. This screen allows the user to navigate through the phone using their fingertips, similar to a computer's mouse, and "click" the screen by pushing down select, which provides the user with a haptic feedback. They have the ability to adjust the screen's settings so that double tapping can be employed as an alternate method to select and navigate the phone, but the sensitivity of scrolling can also be set.

Eligibility under strong light is pretty good, yet you'll have to set the brightness to a maximum level. As the main tool for text input, the TFT LCD touch screen also embeds an accelerometer, which gives users the possibility to turn to the QWERTY keyboard automatically when the screen is in landscape mode. Unfortunately, while the responsiveness of the touch screen is very good, the fact that you need to press it slows a little bit the texting speed down.

The 3.2-Megapixel camera of the Blackberry Storm 9500 features the autofocus and the LED flash. Unfortunately, the camera interface misses entirely. The only way to adjust the few settings that the camera has is to click on the Menu key after the camera function has been opened. Instead of this annoying thing, you get some nice features: geotagging and image stabilization. The maximum resolution for pictures is of 2048x1536 pixels, but that can be lowered for storage purposes. The only other settings of the camera are White balance and Colors effect, as well as Picture quality. Taking pictures with Storm's 3.2-Megapixel camera seems pretty difficult, as the preview screen is covered at the base with a bar that features some settings.

This makes focusing and framing a picture very difficult. Otherwise, I have found the quality of the photographs pretty good. It's not the best on the market, but it is definitely above average. As you can see in the sample pictures below, colors and contrast are pretty good, while noise is kept at a decent level. Movies can also be recorded in QVGA resolution at 30fps only, but the quality is way lower than expected, so I don't really recommend using the smartphone to record clips. Overall, I think Blackberry Storm 9500 features a good camera for a business phone, above average in quality, which will satisfy most users. 

Menu and Software

Blackberry Storm 9500 runs the Blackberry 4.7.0 operating system, platform 4.0.0.98. It seems to be the 4.6.0 OS, which has been converted for the touch screen. As of now, this is the latest OS from Blackberry available for touch screen devices. 

Anyway, in case you already have or have had a Blackberry device, the 9500's interface won't surprise you at all, as RIM hasn't come up with anything new in terms of productivity tools. Instead, the unchanged BlackBerry interface is now looking much better than the older ones. The colors of the icons you'll find in the main menu are softly lighted in contrast with the dark background, and make a very good overall impression. The usual Office package, called Documents To Go, developed by DataViz, is also included in 9500's operating system. 

Unfortunately, as you can see from the screenshots, you can only read or edit Word docs, Excel docs, and PowerPoint presentations, but need to pay if you want to make new documents. Instead of getting more new features that might not come in handy at all, RIM has preferred to keep all the old stuff and give everything a shiny look. Not too bad, as all Blackberry's productivity tools are pretty solid. The problem comes when you dig deeper and see that menus are pretty boring, looking like a white-board.

The phonebook can store an unlimited number of contacts, as long as your available memory allows it to. Each contact can be filled with multiple numbers, e-mail addresses, birthday and anniversary information, a picture and a slot for both work and home addresses. 

There are also two games that you can play when you're bored: BrickBreaker and Word Mole. Of course, there's always the possibility to add more software, Blackberry- or Java- compatible.

Communications

One of the main drawbacks of the touch screen smartphone is the fact that it lacks Wi-Fi connectivity. Still, this is balanced by the fact that it features an HSDPA one.

The Blackberry that I received has been branded by Vodafone, and it features the Opera Mini browser, which is working great. Web surfing is good and pages are loading pretty fast, especially when using the HSDPA connection.

You can choose to see the page in Mobile view, or simply the whole of it. Anyway, the main reason people are buying RIM devices is messaging. Blackberry Storm 9500 is no stranger to that, and features the whole Blackberry package. Should you either want multiple emails or instant messaging, this smartphone has them all. You can use any of the following instant messaging applications: Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live, AIM, ICQ, or Google Talk. All are easy to access and work within the parameters. Unfortunately, you will be limited to BlackBerry Internet Service email accounts on the Storm.

So as to fully integrate the BlackBerry into a company's systems, the installation of BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) is required. Synchronizing the smartphone with the PC can be made very easy with the Blackberry Desktop Manager. The transfer is very fast, should you either be syncing emails and messages or simply filling your smartphone with music files.

Blackberry Storm 9500 is a quad band GSM (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900) smartphone, which features GPRS, EDGE, and HSDPA. Other connectivity tools include the Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP and the microUSB for PC synchronization (including charging). The call quality is exceptionally good, almost impressive. You'll thus be able to talk on the phone even in more crowded areas. The GSM signal is also very good, on the EDGE network, as well as on WCDMA.

Processor and Memory

The Blackberry Storm 9500 is powered by a Qualcomm processor running at speeds of up to 624 MHz. This seems to be a powerful CPU, still I have experienced annoying lags and lock-downs, occasional hiccups, and I'm not really sure what's really causing them. This is definitely a major drawback, and I believe the fault stands in the software part and is not hardware-related.

The smartphone embeds a 1GB user-free, internal storage memory and a 128 MB Flash memory. The storage space can be expanded up to 16GB through the hot-swappable microSD slot card. The sales package also contains an 8GB microSD card.

Multimedia

As a business device, I wasn't expecting too many high-quality multimedia features. Even if these are only basic, I have been surprised to find out that the quality of the sound is pretty high. The music player looks very appealing and features options like Shuffle, Repeat, Playlists, and Equalizers. Users can listen to songs stored in MP3, AAC, and WMA files. The music player can also display the album cover art when a song is playing.

The phone features a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you'll be able to change the earphones that are coming with the smartphone, or you can choose to listen to the music through the stereo Bluetooth feature. The music player can be run in the background, however, be careful how many applications you are using at a time. The external speaker is very loud and pretty clear.

Overall, multimedia features are surprisingly good for a business phone, and especially for a Blackberry device.

Battery

The 1400 mAh Li-Ion battery has an officially stated life expectancy of 360 hours in standby, and of about 5 hours and 30 minutes in talk time mode. Our test unit has made it for about 4 days at a medium use. Heavy users will need to charge the smartphone twice every week. The autonomy is pretty acceptable for a Blackberry owner that only employs the specific Blackberry services, namely the messaging capabilities.

Impressions

At first glance, the Blackberry Storm 9500 looks very appealing. Even more when you start using it, but there are some functionality flaws that make the device not as good as expected. Being the first in a line could prove to be fatal for some devices, but the Storm 9500 makes a good overall impression, even if it has some drawbacks. 

The Good
As a business tool, the Blackberry Storm 9500 should be considered an exceptionally good smartphone. The wide range of messaging capabilities, as well as the HSDPA connectivity, make the device very appealing. I would also like to mention the surprisingly good multimedia features, the 3.2-Megapixel camera, but also the good battery of the handset.

The Bad
The thing I have found unbearable with the product regards the lags that I have experienced when browsing or operating with various functions of the smartphone. Furthermore, the lack of a Wi-Fi connectivity might hurt those who want to stay connected even in areas that don't have a GSM network coverage. Some small improvements to the user interface would've been more than welcome.

source : softpedia.com

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Samsung M7600 Beat DJ Review

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.

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.

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.

source : gsmarena.com

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Nokia N86 8MP Review

You may've thought Nokia lost their touch, you may be out of love with the Nseries but the Nseries are always keeping an eye on you. Their wide-angle, variable aperture eye. On you. Whether the Nokia Nseries are making up the ground lost in the megapixel race or claiming back what they believe is rightfully theirs, they seem to have the right leadership to put them back on the megapixel map.

Armed with one of the most advanced cameras in terms of hardware and features you don't just find on every other handset out there, the N86 8MP is keen to take cue from the N85 and shake the Nseries out of their slumber. Now, in case you forgot, it's still the market leader we're talking about here, and that should probably tell why everybody is so worked up.

So, the question as always is whether strong performance will deliver on that awesome promise. And you've got us to help you make a more informed decision about buying Nokia N86 8MP. Given all the comments above, the N86 8MP is more the kind to encourage impulsive spending but you'll choose wisely not to miss our write-up.

Key features

• 2.6" 16M-color OLED display of QVGA resolution (scratch-resistant surface)
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash and AF assist light
• 28mm wide camera lens, variable aperture, mechanical shutter, geotagging, time-lapse, camera lens cover, VGA video recording at 30fps
• Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3.2 UI
• ARM 11 434 MHz CPU, 128MB RAM
• Quad-band GSM support and 3G with HSDPA 3.6Mbps support
• Wi-Fi with UPnP technology
• Built-in GPS with A-GPS functionality and 3 months of free voice-guided navigation (Ovi Maps)
• Dual slide design with dedicated gaming/audio/gallery keys
• microSD card slot with microSDHC support
• Beefy 8GB internal storage
• Built-in accelerometer for UI auto-rotation
• 3.5mm audio jack doubling as TV out port
• Stereo FM Radio with RDS, FM transmitter
• Standard microUSB port and stereo Bluetooth v2.0
• N-gage support plus you get an N-gage game for free
• Digital compass
• Web browser has full Flash and Java support
• Active kickstand
• Nice audio reproduction quality 

Main disadvantages

• Camera feature set is last year's stuff (and even older)
• Image processing isn't very well tuned at this moment
• VGA@30fps video is no longer top of the line
• No xenon flash
• HSDPA only 3.6Mbps, no HSUPA
• Poor display sunlight legibility
• No DivX or XviD support (can be installed, possibly requiring a purchase)
• No smart dialing (can be installed as well, but will probably set you back some cash too)
• No office document editing (you upgrade for a fee, while some Eseries phones get that for free) 

The Nokia N86 8MP offers advanced camera technologies, combined with the power and maturity of the Symbian OS and the intuitive S60 3rd edition interface. It doesn't get any better than that on paper, and if you aren't all caught up in touchscreen, you're most likely about to check it out.

But no matter if the glass is half full or half empty to you, we guess you wouldn't want to miss Nokia's first move in the 8 megapixel game. The Nseries proven all-round skill and the innovative camera features have us eager to explore this promising cameraphone. We're most curious of course to find out if they got the image quality right. But first things first - the handset gets unboxed and ready to roll on the next page.

source : gsmarena.com

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HTC MAX 4G Review

Guns at the ready fellas, we have a big game in our sights here. The HTC MAX 4G is paying us a visit in an attempt to prove that its relatively low popularity is only due to its very limited availability. With WiMAX connectivity and one of the most complete feature sets in the WinMo realm, it's a claim that might have some credibility.

The HTC MAX 4G was never bound to stardom, just heading to the right place. Making sense on the right market is what matters here and some handsets can only envy the MAX 4G focus. Having already previewed its Touch HD sibling we are pretty confident HTC know the touchscreen drill. But you shouldn't take anything for granted in this business so a thorough review is certainly in order.

The HTC MAX 4G is a Touch HD - add or take - and that's not a bad place to start. The WiMAX enabled handset skimps on 3G and that might just reduce it to a niche device with limited appeal. Or is there anything else to spoil the package? We are just about to find that out so sit down, take the weight off your feet and get ready to be treated to the MAX.

Key features

• Massive 3.8" 65K-color WVGA display
• Tri-band GSM support
• WiMAX connectivity
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS (by default comes in Russian)
• TouchFLO 3D UI plug-in and gesture controls
• Wi-Fi and GPS
• Qualcomm ESM7206A 528 Mhz CPU and 288 MB DDR SDRAM
• Dedicated GPU (64MB RAM reserved for graphics)
• 3 megapixel auto focus camera
• microSD card slot
• Accelerometer sensor for auto screen rotation and turn-to-mute
• Proximity sensor to automatically turn the screen off during calls
• Touch sensitive keys with vibration feedback
• miniUSB slot and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP on board
• miniUSB to standard 3.5mm audio jack adapter included in the retail box
• Active magnetic stylus
• MS Office Mobile document editor
• Excellent Opera 9.5 web browser
• Free WiMAX plan (Yota Russia subscribers only for a limited duration)
• Main disadvantages:
• No 3G
• No Back key
• No dedicated camera key, no flash
• Poor camera performance
• Average display sunlight legibility
• No TV out port
• Video recording flops at CIF@30fps
• Battery life not up to scratch
• Fingerprint magnet front (the back is way better though)
• Too big for comfy single-handed use, on the heavy side
• No FM radio

Clearly designed for one market only, the HTC MAX 4G knows it's never going to have the reach or popularity of the Diamond and Touch Pro, or its 3G twin, the Touch HD. Some might even argue that the MAX 4G is barely first team material, just a sub that comes on in that one game. Well, the fact is quite a lot of handsets refuse it stay where they are supposed to (the handset is exclusive to Yota in Russia) and there may be good reasons why people are sneaking them across the border.

So, the MAX 4G units that manage to escape the bear hug tend to get a warm - though not always WiMAX - reception. It's not so hard to believe given HTC's track record and the fact that the MAX 4G is actually a 3G-less Touch HD. There's no doubt the MAX 4G is absolutely on target for its intended market but let's see what it's up against elsewhere. As usual, we start with the retail package and the hardware specs of the device. Join us after the jump for the unboxing of HTC MAX 4G.

source : gsmarena.com

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Nokia N85 Review

One of the most acclaimed handset lineups, the Nseries from Nokia, got a new high-end device that strongly resembles the older Nokia N81. The fresh N85 kept the same slider form and keypad layout as its N81 predecessor, but this time, Nokia made an effort to get some stylish look into the handset. Also, the new Nseries device will be available on the market at a much lower price, even though it is stuffed with all the "goodies" of a usual high-end mobile phone. One of the best choices for those that are looking for a Nokia slider, the N85 is a much better pick than N81 as it lacks most of the latter's negative points.

Announced in August 2008, Nokia N85 was made available on the market in October 2008. The slider can be bought for around USD 500, but you can get it for less in case you opt for a certain plan. There are two colors available for users to choose from: Copper and Black.

Design

The Nokia N85 smartphone features a stylish slider form, but misses the 'wow' factor so needed for the latest phone to be able to have some success on the market. While most Nokia slider phones are not that appealing in terms of design, compared with other brands, users’ interest for quality is still more powerful. I think that Nokia N81 can be considered a failure in terms of design and functionality, thus I didn't expect to see another Nokia handheld with almost the same design. I was pretty reluctant at first, but after spending a few minutes with N85, I could notice the improvements Nokia did compared with previous sliders.

First of all, the feeling of cheap merchandise is gone now, as the new material used for manufacturing it is very shiny and well polished. This also has a bad side as it still catches fingerprints, like his predecessor did. Slimmer than N81, the new N85 smartphone measures 103 x 50 x 16 mm and weighs 128g (including battery). The big 2.6-inch display makes a good impression at first glance and is well protected against scratches. Above the screen, there's a secondary videocall camera, the earphone speaker, and a very small light ambient sensor. Below the display, Nokia kept almost the same layout of the keys as N81. Unfortunately, this doesn't go well in terms of ergonomics. The Accept and Reject calls key have been placed on the edge of both sides of the phone and are somewhat tricky to use.

The Navi-wheel has been improved and can now be used to browse the menu much easier. Still, this cannot be compared with the Android's or BlackBerry's roller-ball that turns the browsing experience into a real pleasure. The Shortcut key has been placed to the right of the Navi-wheel, while the Symbian menu key can be found to the left. The latter is only visible when backlighting is on, together with the two softkeys and the C (Backspace). The numeric keypad is revealed when you slide up the device. The keypad is not that impressive and can only be used with the tip of your fingers. Nokia N85 is a dual slider introduced by Nokia when launching Nokia N95 on the market. When it's slid down, it reveals four music dedicated keys that can also be used for playing various N-Gage games.

The right side of the phone features two stereo speakers, a dedicated camera key, a dual volume key and a Lock/Unlock key. The left side of the smartphone only includes a small microSD memory slot for storage space expansion. On top of the phone, there's a Power on/off button, a 3.5mm jack port and a small microUSB port that is used for charging or synchronizing the phone. The 5-megapixel camera on the back of the phone features dual led flash and Carl Zeiss optics. I have noticed that the phone lacks the usual charging port, so you'll have to use the microUSB port to charge the phone, either through the PC or you can use the charger that comes in the sales package. Overall, Nokia N85 will probably not attract people that are interested in design, but visual improvement compared with N81 is clearly one step forward for Nokia.

Display and Camera

Nokia N85 features an AMOLED screen that measures 2.6", supports 16 million colors and a 240x320 pixel resolution. The AMOLED screen features an accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate, but as with all AMOLED screens, it doesn't have eligibility under sunlight. Even if it can barely be used outdoors, the large display performs very well when the phone is used for Web browsing, movie watching, or gaming.

The screen seems to be somewhat protected against scratches by a thin plastic; still, you should be careful where you keep it. In terms of image quality displayed, it is excellent. Overall, the performance during various tests has been more than satisfactory.

The 5-megapixel camera embedded in this Nseries device seems to be much better than N96's, but also much lower in quality than N82's. Featuring Carl Zeiss lenses, auto-focus and dual LED flash, the module camera appears to be a little bit smaller than that of N95 (5.45, compared with 5.6). While not the best 5-megapixel camera on the market, compared with N96 camera, you can actually take decent pictures with N85.

The camera features geotagging and protection for the lenses. The user interface boasts extensive settings, much like Nokia's N95 8GB camera interface, but you can now choose what settings you want to be displayed on the toolbar. Camera activates pretty fast when you slide down the lid covering the lenses. The maximum resolution supported is of 2582x1944 pixels, while users can choose to shoot in five modes, as seen in the pictures.

There are no specially created functions for this camera, but, as you can see from the screenshots, all of them remain very easy to use. The same goes for the video camera, which can capture VGA (30fps) clips in MP4 format or 3GPP, depending on the quality you choose.

Menu and Software

Nokia N85 runs the Symbian 9.3 operating system, with an S60 3rd Edition and Feature Pack 2 interface. Feature Pack 2 brings both visual and performance improvements, which otherwise wouldn't be available for devices that only run Feature Pack 1, unless they're updated. This does not mean that you can get all the features of the FP2 on FP1 devices, as there are still exclusive ones that you can only take advantage of on an FP2 handset, such as Nokia N85 or N96. Besides the amazing Gallery with the geotagging feature, you'll get a new kind of Active standby layout. The latter enables users to bring up on the Home screen a lot more shortcuts than usual, such as game, application and link shortcuts. The new Task manager is also a specific FP2 improvement, and gives quick access to any applications running in the background. The Task manager now appears on top of every menu option that the user opens. Moreover, some cosmetic changes have been included, such as better menu transition effects and stylish icons.

The main menu can be accessed by pressing the left key, right next to the Navi-wheel controller. In addition to the usual options and applications that we find in almost all Symbian-powered handsets, Nokia N85 features Search and Maps utilities. Maps is used together with the GPS receiver and enables owners to use Nokia maps, localization and directions when they're on the go. Lots of maps can be downloaded from Nokia's website and then used to pick the shortest route from one point to another. Under the Office category, we find QuickOffice applications, used for reading Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. Users won't be able to edit any files without upgrading the application, which, of course, costs money. There's also a PDF reader, a notepad, a Zip archivator, and a currency converter.

You can now find the Calculator under the Applications submenu, while the voice recorder has been moved to the Media one. The Video center connects the phone to a bigger screen (projector, monitor, or TV) through the TV-out cable, in order to get a better view of the videos. The phone features a wide range of 3D games (trial versions) when the N-Gage menu is accessed.

The most thrilling feature of the device is the Motion sensor that grants it the Automatic rotation ability. This means that, every time you want to use your phone's screen in landscape mode, you'll only need to turn its upper left side down, and the interface will automatically reshape in landscape mode. Compared with N95, the accelerometer now works with all menus and applications compatible with this feature, which is a great asset.

The phone includes everything a user may need on the road or in the office, pre-installed on the handset: email, web, calendar, organizer, IM, office tools, messaging, applications manager, connectivity wizard, synchronization tools, GPS navigator, themes, profiles, and even more. Nokia N85 seems to be what its predecessor N81 should have been.

Communication

Nokia N85 is a quad band GSM (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900) handset, HSDPA compatible, which features GPRS class 32 (107 kbps), EDGE 32 class (296 kbps), High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (57.6 kbps) and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g. Tested on the EDGE and 3G networks, the phone has performed pretty good, as you can see from the screenshots.

The WLAN wizard helps you search and define your WLAN network connection settings. Should you want to connect to the Internet, you must first define an Access point (EDGE, WLAN or 3G). You can do that by going to the Main menu / Tools / Settings / Connection / Access points, and define which access point to be used whenever a network connection is required (Main menu / Home network / Settings).

Other connectivity tools include Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support, and microUSB for PC synchronization (charging included). The Bluetooth connection has reached speeds of up to 122 KB/s when sending, and 154 KB/s when receiving. When connecting the USB cable, you'll be able to choose from four modes: PC Suite, Mass storage, Image transfer and Media transfer. All of them are intuitive and easy to use, so there's nothing more to add here.

In terms of messaging, the phone accepts all available message types, but, given the not-so-friendly keypad, it will be hard to enjoy texting. Anyway, the handset includes no less than four message editors, one for each type: SMS, MMS, audio message and e-mail. The message client works with POP3, SMTP, and IMAP4 protocols, and supports more than one email account. Also, it can download headers and allows for attachments.

The quad-band (GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900) network compatible slider has a very good GSM signal reception. UMTS signal reception is likewise excellent. The sound is outstanding at both ends, and loud enough. The vibration alert is also above average in intensity.

Processor and Memory

Nokia N85 is powered by a dual ARM11 family processor running at speeds of up to 369 Mhz. It's the usual CPU mainly used for Nseries handsets. I have noticed some lags and hiccups during games. This is definitely not a snappy device, but if you have had a Symbian phone before, it won't be noticed. 

The handset embeds an 85 MB user free internal memory and 128 MB SDRAM memory. The storage space can be expanded up to another 8GB through the hot-swappable microSD slot card.

Furthermore, the device comes with an 8GB microSD card in the sales package, so there's no need for supplementary expenses.

Multimedia

Nokia N85 is a multimedia device, thus the 3.5mm jack port doesn't come as a surprise. The jack port enables users to attach any compatible headphone, which will improve their experience. The integrated music player looks very cool, and supports almost any type of music file you can think of: MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, WMA, M4A, as well as playlists. Files are automatically sorted by artist, genre, and albums, or by using the PC Suite.

The music player can be easily controlled with the Navi-wheel, but you can also take advantage of the four music keys, which are revealed when the phone is slid down. The included HS-45 Stereo Headsets do not make for a good addition to the sales package, that's why I encourage you to use different headphones. There's also the option to take advantage of the Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support, which will enable users to listen music wirelessly.

The music player features all kinds of options and settings: Equalizer, Visualisation, Balance, Loudness, Stereo Widening, or Shuffle. Some of these are also available for the included FM Radio, which can memorize up to 50 base stations and features RDS and Visual radio capabilities.

The reception is excellent, and the quality of the sound likewise. Nokia N85 delivers one of the best music quality sounds, much better than its N81 and N96 predecessors, especially if you change the mediocre headset provided in the sales package.

Furthermore, videos can be played with the help of the integrated Real Player application. The video player is fully compatible with both orientations, namely landscape and portrait, and can run movies in full screen.

Battery

The 1200 mAh Li-Ion (BL-5K) battery has an officially stated life expectancy of 363 hours in standby (360 hours for 3G) and of about 6 hours and 50 minutes in talk-time mode (4 hours and 30 minutes for 3G). What we have got has been 4 days of use: approx. 2 hours of calls and 10MB of overall data transfer. While this might seem low at first glance, there are other Nokia devices that are doing much worse than this.

Impressions

Nokia N85 seems to be a good choice for slider fans, especially as it includes so many features at a decent price. While the offer on the market is quite rich, N85 will probably go unnoticed, as it doesn't have such an astonishing design. I would recommend the N85 as one of the best value for money options for a high-end device, in case you're not getting the new touchscreen smartphones from Nokia.


The Good
Everything stuffed into this smartphone works pretty much above average, except maybe the screen, which is low consuming (AMOLED), but can barely be readable outdoors. Nokia N85 is solid built and offered at a decent price, which should attract more people than the actual design. I should enlist almost all the technical features that the phone includes, but also the quality of music sound.

The Bad
I think the layout of the external keys, the Navi-wheel, which is still hard to control, as well as the AMOLED screen are the only letdowns of the device. Also, I was surprised to find that Nokia dropped the usual charging port and chose the microUSB port as the only method of charging. I don't understand this choice, as you will still need to carry two cables with you in case you cannot attach it to a PC.

source : softpedia.com

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Sony Ericsson W508 Review

One of the few clamshell devices adding to the Walkman series, Sony Ericsson W508 makes a good impression at first glance. As a mid-range handset, the phone's data sheet is feathered with standard features that are mostly used in this kind of handsets.

The TrackID, SenseMe, Walkman 3.0 and MegaBass equalizer are only a few of the features that have already become standard for Sony Ericsson's music phones. The slimness of the phone is also one of the attractions, but that trait ends when you actually unfold de phone and see how big it is. This may be the only negative point that I could find at first glance and regards the impact the clamshell has on users that are handling it for the first time.

Announced in January 2009, Sony Ericsson W508 hit the shelves in May 2009 and can be bought for approximately 260USD, depending on the location and plan. The clamshell is available in two colors: Metal Grey and Poetic White. I would also like to mention here that the sales package contains one piece of colorful front case, which can be changed if users are bored with the default one.

Design

Sony Ericsson W508 looks like a classic clamshell, only it's a little bit slimmer than usual handsets with a clamshell form factor. This might be great if you could actually use it without unfolding it. That's because W508 is literally huge when you put it to your ear. Anyway, the phone does feature a secondary, small monochrome display (36x128 pixels) on the front part, as well as dedicated music controls, right underneath the small screen. Above it, there's a 3.2-Megapixel camera and a small ambient light sensor. On the right side of the phone, there's a dual volume key and a small lock key, which enables users to pull the back cover of the phone. The left side features the proprietary Sony Ericsson port for charging, headset or cable. The back part of the clamshell includes a think loudspeaker at its base and a SE together with the Walkman series logos.

When the phone is unfolded, users will immediately notice the big keypad with rounded keys and the medium-sized screen. There is plenty of space between the keys and the layout is pretty standard, which will smooth one’s texting experience. The rounded D-pad controller in the middle is very responsive, but one should be careful, as the only way to browse through the menus is to click on the edge of the controller. The only annoying thing I found regards the two soft keys, which have been placed a little bit too far and will be somewhat awkward to use.

Above the 2.2-inch display besides the in-call speaker, there's a secondary video-call camera, but also two plastic pins, one on each side, that will protect your display from making contact with the keypad. That will ensure that your screen won't get scratched by the keys. The clamshell measures 93.5 x 50 x 14mm and weighs 98g (including battery). You will be able to open it with ease even with one hand, but, as I have already mentioned above, the phone is really big when unfolded. The closing mechanism is pretty solid, as well as the whole handset.

The plastic used for manufacturing the device is very stylish, with nice finishes. The front part can be pulled out and replaced with another one of a different color that can be found in the sales package. Users won't have problems with fingerprints on either side of the clamshell. Overall, Sony Ericsson W508 has a pretty solid construction and is one of the slimmest SE clamshells.

Display and Camera

Sony Ericsson's W508 clamshell features a TFT screen measuring 2.2 inch, displays 262k colors and supports a 240x320-pixel resolution. The secondary, monochrome screen on the front part of the phone measures 1.1 inch and supports a 36x128-pixel resolution. Both displays are scratch-resistant, and the main screen's contrast and brightness are very good, so that you won't have problems when you're outdoors in the sunlight. For more in-depth info regarding performance, check out the benchmarks below.

While the 3-megapixel camera is not one of the strong points of the clamshell, pictures taken with the clamshell are medium in quality, so you don't have to worry about it. Still, the camera lacks some features that would've improved the quality of the snapshots, such as the autofocus and flash. If you're looking for a camera phone, W508 is not the phone you're looking for.

Besides the lack of auto-focus and flash, the clamshell also misses some advanced features, like image stabilization and macro mode. Still, users will be able to use the geo-tagging (CellID) and video-recording capabilities. The camera can record movies in the QVGA resolution at 15fps. The quality of the clips is very low, which means that one will be limited to getting pictures mostly.

The interface of the camera looks standard and user-friendly, nothing new if you have previously owned an SE device. The maximum resolution of the pictures is of 2048 x 1536 pixels, while the size varies between 0.8-1.3 MB. Thanks to the accelerometer, you can easily take pictures in portrait or landscape mode. As I have already stated above, the quality of the photos is mediocre and doesn't stand out from the rest of the Walkman series handsets.

Overall, it shows that Sony Ericsson W508 hasn't been targeted at those looking for a camera phone and that it keeps in the same Walkman music phone line.

Menu and Software

Sony Ericsson W508 features the company's proprietary GUI, which has become known over the course of time. There are some updates in terms of device personalization and looks, but basically there's nothing really new. The only thing I found weird was the fact that the auto-rotate feature didn't function with all applications and had to be changed manually. There's also support for Flash Lite 2.0, so users can now take advantage of various animated themes, but also of some other Flash-based entertainment utilities. They get to choose from four different themes, each with its own specific abilities.

The main menu layout can be changed in accordance to the theme, or by choosing one of these options: grid, rotating and single icon. The wallpaper, startup screen and screen saver can also be personalized according to the user’s needs. Also, there are seven profiles to choose from, more specifically Normal, Meeting, In car, Outdoors, Handsfree, Home and Office. Besides these, W508 also includes a Flight mode, in case users don't want to use the GSM function of the handset.

There are a few productivity tools that can be employed, such as Alarms (limited to five), Tasks, Notes, Calendar, Timer, Stopwatch, Calculator, Code Memo, AccuWeather, Music Mate 5, Music Quiz, WalkMate and a basic File manager. Besides these, the clamshell features a dedicated Java YouTube client, which enables users to watch and upload clips. The Internet icon, as the name suggests, gives access to basic Web browsing. Sony Ericsson W508 features the latest Access NetFront HTML browser 3.4, which seems to open any webpage, no matter how elaborated. Webpages open pretty fast, even on an EDGE connection, but for more speed, I suggest using the 3G network when browsing the Internet, as speeds are much better. The auto-rotate feature doesn't function and the screen must be rotated manually.

The Radio only works when the wired earphones are inserted. The Entertainment sub-folder contains a few functions more or less specific to the Walkman-series devices, namely TrackID, MusicDJ, PhotoDJ, VideoDJ, Record sound, Remote control and Games (Bowling, FMX III, Bubble Town, Guitar Rock).

The Gallery can be found through the File manager in the folder called Camera Album, or in the Media center, and can also be accessed through the camera interface menu. The Java emulator works with just about any compatible application, like games or productivity software. Let's not forget the new service available from Sony Ericsson, Play Now, which offers maximum entertainment. Overall, SE W508's user-interface puts at one’s disposal quite a number of features and high functionality, but doesn't change anything.

Communication

The Sony Ericsson W508 Walkman clamshell features the basic connectivity tools, but has also been gifted with the HSDPA 3.6Mbps technology, which greatly improves data transfers. When benchmarked, the phone attained outstanding speeds: 1233 Kbit/s download and 211 Kbit/s upload in 3.5G network. EDGE data transfers were a little bit lower than expected, but still reached speeds of 156 Kbit/s for download and 81 Kbit/s for upload services.

The handset is also compatible with Bluetooth 2.0 with an A2DP technology and features a USB 2.0 connectivity. Applications like Google Maps have no real use until you get an external GPS receiver, but you will also need something like Wayfinder Navigator 7, so your device will really come in handy with localizations.

Messaging capabilities have been improved and now offer a wider range of options. All messages share the same Inbox, except for emails, which have a separate one. You can now manage and categorize them the way you want, or you can simply use the pre-installed categories: Business, Favorites, Follow Up, Fun, Holiday and Important. The email service is fully compatible with the POP3 and SMTP clients.

The quad-band (GSM 850 / 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900) network-compatible handset has a good GSM signal reception. The sound during phone calls is pretty good, while the vibration is somewhat low in intensity.

Processor and Memory

The W508 clamshell features a medium-power ARM9 family processor that runs at speeds of up to 201 Mhz. The actual menu browsing is annoyingly slow. W508 is a hard one when it comes to speed. I wouldn't recommend the phone to heavy users.

The handset comes with a 100MB internal memory, but features a micro M2 memory slot card to expand the storage space up to 16 GB. It has been placed under the back cover of the phone, but it can be inserted without the need of powering off the device (hot-swappable). Moreover, it comes with a 1GB M2 memory card in the sales package.

Multimedia

As it has been expected, Sony Ericsson W508 is a complete music phone and features excellent music sound quality. The clamshell offers very good music quality, as it features the Walkman 3.0 music player and the famous MegaBass equalizer mode, thus making the sound pretty impressive. Besides the earlier mentioned MegaBass mode, users can take advantage of a few more equalizer modes. It supports almost all possible music file formats available on the market: MP3, AAC, AAC+, E-AAC+, WAV, WMA, M4A and MIDI.

Furthermore, the music player is compatible with the Album art function and, thanks to the integrated accelerometer, it takes advantage of the Shake control feature. The latter enables users to go one track forward or backwards by shaking the phone forward or backwards. It is also possible to shuffle the playlist by simply shaking the phone both ways twice. Another new feature introduced by Sony Ericsson is called SensMe, which enables users to make their playlists according to their mood by simply selecting "Happy" or "Sad." The only drawback of the service is the fact that only the songs that are tagged by Sony Ericsson's Media Manager will be taken into consideration. If one wants to use this feature a lot, one will need to transfer all their files through the Sony Ericsson Media Manager application, which could take a while.

The stereo earphones (HPM-77) that are coming in the sales package are more than decent and include a 3.5mm adapter, which means that you can even attach your own headphones in case you're not satisfied with these ones.

The clamshell also includes an FM radio function with RDS, which can memorize up to 20 base stations. The reception and sound are also very good. Both music player and radio can be run in the background.

The integrated video player can run movies in full screen, in landscape or portrait mode, thanks to the accelerometer. Overall, Sony Ericsson W508 features excellent sound quality levels and above-average multimedia features at a convenient price.

Battery

Sony Ericsson W508 features a 900 mAh Li-Polymer battery that has an official lifetime of approximately 400 hours (400 hours for 3G) in standby mode and ten hours (four hours for 3G) in talk-time mode. After using the phone for about a month, I can say that the battery's life was excellent, as I managed to attain an average of five-six hours of talk time and around seven days in standby mode. That is really impressive and unexpected from such a medium-capacity battery. If you are a heavy user, you'll most likely need to charge it twice per week, but a soft user will have no trouble keeping it going for at least a week. The music playback time is of nearly 20 hours with the display in standby mode.

Impressions

Even if Sony Ericsson W508 has a standard clamshell form, it can attract fans of the Walkman series through its slimness and price. The only thing I found annoying was the big size of the phone when you actually unfolded it and put it to your ear. Otherwise, I think W508 is a pretty decent clamshell, with nice multimedia features and a medium price.

The Good
Some of the best features of the phone are multimedia-related, but also regard the connectivity ones (such as HSDPA) and battery, which has a very high lifetime. The design of the phone is also nice, but the size should be much more reduced. The sound and keypad are also some of the good points of the device.

The Bad
Contrary to what I thought, the size of the phone does matter, but only when the phone is folded. That is one of the negative sides of the phone, the huge size of the device. Also, the low quality of the module camera, as well as the low speed of the phone are found among the not-so-good points of the clamshell.

source : softpedia.com

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BlackBerry Bold 9000 review

There we go folks, it's a BlackBerry grand slam at the arena and we're set for another ride with RIM's finest. We guess this here Berry is neither Curve-hot nor Storm-inventive but it's Bold enough to say little and do much. Even without being the latest or greatest of RIM devices, the Bold 9000 is clearly the pinnacle of what BlackBerry stands for.

Moreover, the Bold 9000 is hardly a groundbreaking device outside the BlackBerry world but to Berry buffs it may be about as good as a mobile phone gets. Sporting flawless connectivity, a magnificent screen and one of the most comfortable QWERTY keyboards we have seen, the Bold 9000 is at the very least a great business gadget. Well then, it's business as usual on our end too so the BlackBerry Bold better get ready for one of our out-and-out reviews.

Key features:

• 2.6" 65K-color TFT landscape display with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels
• Comfortable four-row full QWERTY keyboard
• Quad-band GSM support and tri-band 3G with HSDPA
• Wi-Fi and built-in GPS and BlackBerry maps preloaded
• 2 megapixel camera, LED flash
• 624 MHz CPU, 128 MB RAM
• BlackBerry OS v4.6
• Responsive trackball navigation
• Hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 8GB)
• Excellent build quality
• DivX and XviD video support
• Good web browser
• Office document editor
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Nice audio quality
• Smart dialing

Main disadvantages:

• No email support without BlackBerry Internet Service account
• Mediocre camera
• No FM radio
• The web browser is unstable when browsing through Wi-Fi
• No video-call camera 

As we mentioned, the BlackBerry Bold 9000 doesn't pack ridiculously high-end multimedia or other fancy gimmicks to make a big splash outside the BlackBerry realm. Yet it does combine all the features that the brand loyals were dreaming to see on a RIM handset for quite a while.

GPS and Wi-Fi rarely coexist on BlackBerry handsets but the Bold is not the first ever anyway. The screen is not the greatest feat in terms of resolution either but it sure is a sight to savor. That Berries have always been among the standard-setters in QWERTY keyboards goes without saying. So, is it all about having both 3G and WLAN on a single BlackBerry phone?

Could be, but there must be more to it. So, starting on the next page we'll unbox and spin the BlackBerry Bold 9000 for you. We'll press them buttons and flip that trackball and hope the handset lives up to its name.

source : gsmarena.com

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Nokia N97 review

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.

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 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.

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.

source : gsmarena.com

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Apple iPhone 3GS review

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".

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
• TV-out outputs 480p instead 480i resolution
• 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.

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.

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.

source : gsmarena.com

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