Monday, November 30, 2009

Acer Liquid

Acer has had several outings with Windows Mobile this year and they were at best average. The Liquid runs on Android 1.6, but does it change anything?

The Hardware

For the chassis, Acer went with glossy plastic and neutral colors of white, black (display and top/bottom edges) and gray (physical buttons on the sides). We like the look of the smartphone and, although we prefer a better quality finish, the Liquid still feels well-built and not like a toy.

The 3.5mm audio jack sits on the top edge and beside it are three hidden LED indicators. These light up when you have a missed call, an unread text message or when the device is low on battery. There is a lone mini-USB port at the bottom which is protected by a rubber cover. The control panel comprises touch-sensitive keys which brings you to the home screen, search box, back and settings. At the back, there's a 5-megapixel camera and speaker grill, but no built-in flash which is a letdown.

User Interface

If you're looking for something similar to the Sense UI on HTC Android smartphones, then the Liquid ain't it. The only customizations on our prototype unit are on the home screens, a modified dialer and camera. The "inserts" fan out on the left and right home screens on the 3.5-inch WVGA display. There's one set for pictures, music and videos and another for Web bookmarks. Acer also has a Settings application that lets you toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, network, screen brightness and timeout options.

A few programs are preinstalled and these include RoadSync for synchronizing Outlook calendar, email and contacts via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, Spinlets for streaming music and nemoPlayer for multimedia playback. Do note that these may not be available with the commercial unit as we are still looking at a non-final device. Aside from these, the software is simply a vanilla implementation of Android with the usual array of Google-related apps including Gmail, Marketplace, Google Talk and Maps.
Acer has said earlier it will integrate online services such as Facebook and Twitter to the default Android address book, but we haven't seen how this work on our prototype unit. According to the company, the 1GHz Snapdragon processor has been intentionally underclocked to 768MHz for a longer battery life. That said, we were still able to zip through menus and most programs during our hands-on. As to whether this will have a significant impact on the battery life, we'll have to find out in a full review.

Outlook

The Acer Liquid has the hardware going for it and, fortunately for the company, the design is a remarkable difference from the dull models it has released in the past. While we hope to see more custom UI on the Liquid, leaving the Android software as is also has its appeal for some people, too. Another big question is whether Acer will provide an update for the Liquid to Android 2.0. According to Acer, the Liquid (in white) will be available January in Singapore. The black and red versions will ship at a later date.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

HTC HD2

The HTC Touch HD was quite an impressive device at its time because of its huge 3.8-inch screen and wealth of other smartphone features. Now, the company has raised the bar even higher with its sequel, the HD2. This Windows Mobile (WM) 6.5 smartphone comes with a 4.3-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen display and 1GHz Snapdragon processor. The HD2 is costly at S$1,188, but it's the best WM smartphone out there, bar none.

Design

With a 4.3-inch screen, you'd expect the HD2 to be pretty large. This is true as it is 120.5mm long and 67mm wide. Suffice to say, it won't fit comfortably in tight jeans pockets and ladies with tiny handbags may have to go shopping for a larger tote bag. But those who have used and are fine with the previous Touch HD will find the HD2 very similar in size as it's merely 5mm longer and wider. The thickness has even been reduced a little, down to 11mm from the HD's 12mm. That doesn't include the camera module though, which sticks out quite a bit from the back--more on that later.
The reason the HD2 is only a few mm larger than the Touch HD and yet comes with a significantly bigger display is because there is hardly any bezel. The sides of the panel extend almost to the edge of the device and the top and bottom edges are less than one thumb width away from their respective edges. If it wasn't for the HTC logo, we won't be surprised should someone mistake this device for a portable media player (PMP) or personal navigation device (PND). Even then, they wouldn't be too far off the mark as the screen is excellent for displaying images, videos, text and maps, making the HD2 a great substitute for dedicated PMPs and PNDs in the visual capability department.
We really like the use of materials--a soft touch finish for the sides and most of the back with a metal battery cover. Unlike other WM devices which use a resistive touchscreen that depresses slightly upon pressure (necessary to close a pinpoint connection between two LCD layers), the capacitive touchscreen on the HD2 is solid to the touch, much like what you'll find on the iPhone or most Android devices. We'll discuss in detail how this affects the use of WM in the Features section.


Here's how much larger a 4.3-inch screen is compared with the iPhone's 3.5-inch LCD.
(Click for larger image)

Buttons on the front of the HD2 include the standard Call and End keys on either sides. The three other buttons between them include Home, Start (for calling up the main menu) and Back keys. Aside from these, there's a volume rocker on the left edge. First implemented on the HTC Touch2, the HD2's End key also doubles as a power button. Long-time WM users used to having a dedicated power button may experience pressing the wrong button initially, but it's not a big deal and most should be able to adjust their habits after a day or two.
The standard 3.5mm audio port is starting to become a regular feature on HTC phones, and the HD2 is no exception. This is found on the base beside the micro-USB connector. Yes, you heard right, the HD2 has dropped the mini-USB found on almost all previous HTC devices for the smaller micro-USB standard. This is not surprising as there has been an industry-wide push for the latter. Furthermore, the inclusion of a dedicated 3.5mm connecter means the audio capabilities of the enhanced mini-USB port (dubbed HTC ExtUSB) that the company typically uses is not necessary anymore.

Features

Given how large it is, you expect the HD2 to do a lot--and you'll be right. This smartphone is packed to the gills when it comes to connectivity features including HSDPA support with theoretical limits of 7.2Mbps download and 2Mbps upload speeds. There's also the usual fare of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS for satellite navigation.
There's even a feature that links your cellular data and Wi-Fi connections called Wi-Fi Router. This hooks you up to your HSDPA network before sending out a Wi-Fi signal so other devices will identify the HD2 as a wireless hotspot. We tried this out and it worked seamlessly. It may not seem like a big deal because WM devices have always been capable of acting as modems using Bluetooth or USB tethering, but that works for only one computer. The Wi-Fi Router application lets you share your data plan with multiple devices simultaneously, with the host devices needing just the ability to connect to Wi-Fi networks--no complicated setups or compatibility issues. Just make sure you have a good data plan to avoid bill shock.
That said, let's not pretend this is a new idea, because it isn't. Third-party applications have allowed such behavior on various smartphone platforms, though credit should be given to HTC for making it a default feature that's easy to use.
TouchFlo has been a mainstay on HTC's WM devices. This custom interface has evolved since its introduction in the HTC Touch and has made its devices more user-friendly compared with the outdated default WM interface. With the HD2, the company changed the name of its software to HTC Sense, just like what it's called on its Android devices. Don't be fooled by the name though, as it still works more like TouchFlo than the widget-focused interface on the Android-based HTC handsets.
So, like previous iterations, you get a Home screen with a large digital clock and a row of tabs that give you convenient access to items such as contacts, emails and calendar. A Twitter tab has also been thrown into the mix, so you can read updates without having to launch a separate app. As with the last version of TouchFlo 3D, you get an integrated contacts list that shows all interaction with each person, including their Facebook and Twitter updates, aside from essential ones like text messages and emails.
As mentioned earlier, the touch-sensitive technology used in the HD2 is capacitive, which responds to fingertips rather than a pointed stylus. This has the advantage of being more sensitive and adds support for multitouch. As we've seen in previous HTC WM devices, sub-menus have been tweaked so they are larger and more fingertip-friendly, making it possible to tap on most items without worrying about pinpoint precision. While we enjoyed this more than the resistive variety, it's important to remember that WM was not designed for capacitive screens and some third-party applications will have icons positioned closely together, making it hard for fleshy fingertips to make the correct selections. Even in HTC's preinstalled Peep for Twitter updates, we found the program unable to distinguish when we wanted to select an embedded link and instead kept bringing up the context menu for replying to the tweet. Cases like these made us think the HD2 has hardware that's ahead of its time, given the limitations of the operating system.
Multitouch is enabled on the HD2, so you can pinch to zoom in certain applications. This is most useful in the Opera browser when viewing Web pages. Comparison to the iPhone is inevitable in this case as the Safari browser on Apple's device is arguably the best when it comes to rendering accuracy and speed in smartphones. We cleared the cache in the HD2 and an iPhone 3GS and loaded a series of Web pages using the same Wi-Fi connection. In all instances, Apple's Safari was either as fast or up to 5 secs faster in rendering Web pages fully. Loading asia.cnet.com, for example, took 11 secs on the iPhone and 14 sec on HD2's Opera browser. While it's not faster, the larger and higher-resolution screen made reading text easier on the eyes. Furthermore, when you zoom in on chunks of text, the browser on the HD2 automatically reformats the paragraphs so no side scrolling is necessary, making reading of articles more convenient on the HTC.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Motorola DEXT

Motorola hasn't had the easiest ride of late. While the classic design of the RAZR helped the company score some impressive sales a few years ago, successive handsets have failed to make the same impression and Motorola's market share has diminished considerably.
However, the manufacturer is now staging something of a fight back, throwing its weight behind Google's Android operating system. US mobile users have recently gained access to the Motorola Droid - the first phone to ship with Android 2.0 - while here in the UK the DEXT (known as the CLIQ in North America) is now available, sold exclusively via network operator Orange.
The DEXT represents Motorola's first attempt at creating an Android-based smartphone and comes pre-loaded with the company's unique MotoBlur interface.
This proprietary operating system sits atop Android's own code and allows users to integrate several different services under one account. All of the popular social networking bases are covered, including Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. Other popular sites - such as image-hosting behemoth PhotoBucket - are also supported.

Once you've linked your accounts the magic really starts. The Home screen of your DEXT becomes a hive of activity: various widgets show events from your myriad social networking accounts (known as 'Happenings' in MotoBlur parlance) as well as your current status on Twitter and other sites.
Compared to the relatively static Home screen boasted by the iPhone it really does feel like a step forward: the information is automatically updated so you're presented with a constantly evolving snapshot of your online life.

Another advancement brought on by MotoBlur is five separate Home screen pages - an increase on the typical Android arrangement of three. The additional real estate is welcome, especially when you consider that at least of one of those screens is going to be packed with the aforementioned MotoBlur-exclusive widgets.
After all of these innovations, it's mildly disappointing that the DEXT is packing Android 1.5 and not a more recent iteration of Google's mobile OS. While it's still perfectly usable, it's nevertheless a far cry from the 2.0 version on the Droid and is a step down from 1.6 - which is what most other Android handsets are running right now.
Putting software concerns to one side for a moment, the design of the DEXT is something of a halfway house between the plain T-Mobile G1 and the gorgeous Droid.
Tipping the scales at 163 grams, the DEXT is a heavy phone and isn't particularly slender, either. Still, the rounded edges ensure that it sits comfortably in the palm and the slide-out QWERTY keyboard is both firm and pleasing to the eye - certainly more so than the awkward mechanism sported by the G1.
Nestled alongside the keyboard is a dedicated D-pad, which makes the DEXT an absolute boon for pocket gamers. We tested the excellent Mega Drive emulator Gensoid and controlling the action was a breeze.

The buttons on the keyboard are a little too close together for comfort - it's too easy to press two of them by mistake - but on the whole the physical keyboard is a resounding success, and if gamers had their say all phones would come with a similar D-pad as standard.
Elsewhere, Motorola has attempted to raise the bar a little: there's a 5 megapixel camera that produces fair-to-middling results but is definitely an improvement over the one found on the G1. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack - something that dedicated audiophiles will no doubt be pleased about.
Ultimately, the DEXT is a bold opening salvo in the Android war and as we already know has set the scene neatly for the launch of the arguably superior Droid. However, with that handset not likely to hit UK shelves until next year, the DEXT is unquestionably the best option for anyone wishing to dip a toe into Android waters this side of Christmas

Sunday, November 22, 2009

SmartScreen iPhone App Now Available

Some of our readers will remember the SmartScreen iPhone App that we featured back in September, we just got an email from the developers, and the good news is that the app is now available from Cydia.

The SmartScreen iPhone App lets your program your own widgets and place them on the lock screen of your iPhone, it will only work on jailbroken iPhone, check out the video of it in action below.

SmartScreen iPhone App Now Available

SmartScreen iPhone App Now Available

SmartScreen iPhone App Now Available

SmartScreen is an application for the iPhone and iPod touch that will allow informational widgets to be placed and used on the lock screen. Widgets are similar to those offered by Apple’s “Dashboard” and they follow this familiar look and feel.

The SmartScreen iPhone App is now available in two versions from Cydia from http://apt.media-phone.ch/, SmartScreen Lite which is available as a free download, and a full version  which is available for $5.00.

In order to use the SmartScreen iPhone App you will need a Jailbroken iPhone running iPhone OS 3.0 or later.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Top IV Business-Oriented Mobile Phones for this Christmas

 

In between the hefty new launches happening in the market, with a huge lists of android phones and smartphones, the choice of a good business-oriented mobile phone is going to be really hard. If you are out to enhance your mobile phone to a better version this Christmas, especially to a business-oriented one, then keep reading. This is for you!

New Blackberry Bold 9700

With a 2.4” display of resolution of 480 X 360 pixels, QWERTY keyboard and trackpad navigation, new BlackBerry Bold 9700 provides you with an awesome messaging and e-mailing functionality that can definitely make your business much easier. Its reliability and responsiveness is remarkable, and this new launch could be a considerable choice.

Review

HTC Hero

This Android mobile phone comes with a 3.2 inch display, a quad band and a UMTS support. The Wi-Fi, 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, bluetooth and USB connectivity makes this mobile phone even more reliable, and fast for office use. No worry for entertainment freaks. HTC Hero scores well with a 5MP camera, a 3.5mm audio jack and a good memory.

Review

Nokia E75

Stylish Nokia E75 boasts of a 2.4” display, 3.2 MP camera, 3.5G HSDPA, bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Integrated AGPS function is another asset with this handset. Dual keypad and QWERTY keyboard with large buttons contributes to a dedicated e-mail and message functionality.

Review

Samsung Galaxy i7500 Android Phone

Samsung’s first android mobile phone that runs on android 1.5, comes with innumerable beneficial features that could make your professional life much easier. Thanks to its synchronization feature of contacts with Google account. Support for modern messaging services, internet browser, Wi-Fi and bluetooth enhances its performance even better. Hats-off to its multimedia functionality too. Overall, it is a good craftsmanship.

Review

Before concluding, we must tell you that these mobile phones not only stands superior in their features, but also in their price tags.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Nokia E72

The Nokia E71 was one of our favorite business smartphones thanks to its attractive design and full range of useful features. More than a year on, is its successor, the E72, just as compelling a smartphone? Let's look at the differences between the two to find out.

Design

Given how well-received the form factor of the E71 was, there wasn't a need to change things much in its successor. The E72 has a similar solid metallic feel and is almost the same size and weight at 114 x 59.5 x 10.1mm and 128g. On the front, you get the same landscape-oriented QVGA display, below which lie shortcut buttons and a QWERTY keypad. The shortcut keys surrounding the directional pad are laid out differently, but the ability to access your calendar, contacts and mail in one button press remains intact.


The physical design of the E72 (left) is similar to the original E71's (right).

What must be most significantly different is the directional pad itself. While it shares the same square design with a large selector in the middle, this center button now doubles as an optical navigational pad. So, aside from pressing one of the four direction buttons, it is possible to move cursors by stroking your finger over the selector. This can be annoying as we found ourselves moving the cursor accidentally at times. The application in which it is useful is the browser as it gives better mouse cursor control--clicking on small links can sometimes be a very precise affair. Those who don't like the optical pad can turn it off completely, rendering the directional pad identical to the E71's.
The E72's QWERTY keypad layout doesn't differ much from the E71's. It has a shorter spacebar, making way for two extra keys on the bottom row--a shortcut to select symbols and a dedicated exclamation mark key. As indicated by a diagram on the spacebar, it now doubles as a shortcut to turn the camera light on for use as a flashlight. Pressing and holding the key will activate that useful feature. Though the shape of the keys remains the same, we found the tactile feedback different. Less force is required to depress a button, and consequently, the "springiness" of the keys is reduced. This takes some getting used to if you are switching from an E71 and we can't conclude if it's better or worse--just different.
One of the best changes is the inclusion of a 3.5mm audio port on the top of the device. The E71 had a 2.5mm version which required an adapter if you were using your own pair of headphones. Other connectors remain the same with a dedicated connector for charging and a micro-USB port on the left. One thing it lacks which is present on the E71 is infrared, not too big a loss to most users we reckon.

Features

When it comes to connectivity features, the E72 doesn't differ much from the original. You get the full works including HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and A-GPS for navigation. There are some slight improvements such as a faster 10.2Mbps HSDPA maximum speed and HSUPA for high-speed uploads. Do note that these are highly dependent on the operators' 3.5G network quality, so users may not really feel the impact.
Since the launch of the E71, Nokia has been making improvements in the Symbian S60 3rd edition software. The E72 has convenient features such as transition animations, Ovi Store for downloading third-party applications and built-in support for Microsoft Exchange synchronization. It's important to point out that these features can be activated on the E71, too, by downloading the appropriate updates from Nokia. What makes the experience different is that the E72 is much more responsive thanks to a faster processor. More on that in the Performance section later.


The test shot from the E72 shows decent image quality. (Click for original)

Another improved feature is the inclusion of a 5-megapixel camera, up from the 3.2 megapixels in the E71. In our tests, we found the photo quality much improved with excellent macro shots as one of its highlights, perfect for archiving namecards. Also, you don't have to press the "2" key to activate autofocus, a cumbersome and unintuitive implementation on the E71. Now, simply touching the optical pad will let you focus on your subject, while depressing it will snap the shot.

Performance

The performance of the E72 is where it really shines compared with the E71. Now, the E71 is no slouch and, in fact, was one of the most responsive S60 devices when it was launched. But this Nokia comes with a 600MHz processor that blows the E71 out of the water when it comes to speed. There was no lag felt throughout the menu system and even long contacts and message lists loaded very quickly. This was felt most in the Web browser as you can now scroll around full Web pages before they are fully loaded. There may be software improvements in play here, but we're pretty sure the faster chip has a part in that, too.
The improved speed didn't affect the battery life much. With the same 1,500mAh battery, we got about 2.5 days of use on a single charge. This included phone calls, messaging and occasional use of HSDPA for emails and Twitter updates. We reckon most users will be able to get by on more than a day without recharging.
We had no issues with reception and call quality, and the speakerphone was sufficiently loud for use in quiet situations.
One thing we've brought up time and again over the past year is how the S60 platform feels dated compared with the competition such as the iPhone OS and Google Android. This reduces the value proposition of the E72 slightly, especially when you consider the availability and quality of third-party apps.

Conclusion

As you would have probably gathered by now, the E72 is a very competent business smartphone. Nokia stuck with what worked in the E71 and made a few improvements in the process.
The big question is whether current E71 users should upgrade to the E72. There's no quick answer to that, but if the camera quality and responsiveness of your current smartphone irk you, the E72 would be a good replacement. Otherwise, stick with your E71 because the major features such as a good keypad, push email and decent battery life remain the same.
The E72 is available from operators and stores in Asia at S$750 (US$540). As usual, check with your provider for subsidized prices as these will be significantly lower than retail.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Nokia E72 Goes On Sale In The UK

The much anticipated Nokia E72 has gone on sale in the UK today, and it is the sucessor to the popular Nokia E71.

The Nokia E72 features a 2.36 inch WVGA display with a resolution of 320 x 240, it comes with a full QWERTY keyboard, and it measures 114mm by 58.3mm by 10.2mm and weighs in at 128g.

Nokia E72

On top of that, the Nokia E72 features a 5 megapixel camera, an optical navigation key, Ovi Maps with A-GPS, a Compass, IM, and Nokia’s push email service, Google Talk.

It comes with a 4GB microSD card and can take up to a 16GB of storage, it is available now in the UK for £359 from Nokia.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Nokia N900

The Nokia Internet Tablet series which debuted in 2005 has always been sidelined as a companion and an accessory for accessing the Internet on a large touchscreen handheld. It had a niche target audience and the devices never really hit big time. Things have evolved dramatically in the recent year with smartphones rapidly outfitted with large touch-sensitive displays, putting them in a head-on collision with the Tablets. The upcoming N900 addresses that issue with built-in cellular capabilities as well as pure processing power and a desktop-like experience in a pocket-friendly size, putting it back into the running.
Unlike the earlier Internet Tablets, the N900 packs 3G and HSPA (10Mbps downlink, 2Mbps uplink) wireless radios, so obviously you can make and receive cellular calls with it. Under the hood is an ARM Cortex-A8 600MHz processor, up to 1GB of application memory and an OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics accelerator. The combined benefit delivers an ideal multitasking environment where several applications can run in the background at the same time without slowing down the device's performance. You can see that in a quick demo of the N900 below.

But what's really different this time is the updated Linux-based Maemo 5 software that is supposed to bring a PC-like experience on a mobile device. You can access multiple "desktops" panels by swiping your finger across the 3.5-inch 800 x 480-pixel screen, while the accompanying dashboard lets you switch effortlessly between tasks and applications in the background. The Maemo browser, built with Mozilla technology, has full Adobe Flash 9.4 support and you can use the onscreen mouse pointer to copy-and-paste text, or apply a swirling motion gesture to zoom in and out of a Web page. The latter doesn't seem to work as well compared with double tapping to achieve the same effect, as it seems to "jiggle" the page rather than to accurately zoom in.

Messaging on the N900 is also a deeply integrated function. SMSes are displayed in a threaded format so you can always follow up on past messages. The Messaging window also lets you view your IM chat history and check whether your contacts are available for chats. You can also view their status via the phonebook, and from there select a preferred mode such as Gtalk or Skype to contact someone. The buttons on the slide-out QWERTY appear fairly raised, so hopefully this will provide a good tactile experience even though the layout seems rather crammed.
The N900 captures WVGA 16:9 videos and 5-megapixel images and you can tag (using the new tag cloud) and share content with your friends via Ovi Share, Facebook, Flickr, etc. According to the specifications, the Maemo 5 software currently doesn't support MMS or the underlying WAP technology. For business users, Microsoft Exchange is also supported, so this means you get push-email and synchronization capabilities with Outlook calendars and contacts from the server to the N900. Maemo software as well as application updates can be done over-the-air, so you will not need to be connected to the PC to get software upgrades.
At a glance, it's clear the Maemo user interface is radically different from S60 which we have all become familiar with over the past few years. So how does the enhanced system fit into Nokia's portfolio of devices? We suspect S60 will continue to form the backbone of the mobile operating system for Nokia smartphones for at least the next year. But moving forward, Maemo, which provides the flexibility of an open system, will gradually be pushed into the limelight. That's not to say that S60 will wither away as it will still continue to be developed by members of the Symbian Foundation. What we may see is S60 being used in midrange handsets, with Maemo used to power higher-end devices.
As to how the N900 and the recently launched Booklet 3G Netbook fit into Nokia's portfolio of devices, a Nokia spokesperson said that the latter is an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective into the PC world. More on this topic here.
The N900 is available for preorder in Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK. According to Nokia, the device will hit the markets from October at 500 euros before tax and subsidies

Sunday, November 15, 2009

LG Watch Phone (GD910)

Excuse me, my watch is ringing. As far as phones go, the watch form factor has to be one of the weirdest that we've come across. Highly featured by comics and TV cartoon series such as Dick Tracy and Power Rangers, these shows made the concept of wearing a communication device cool. Still, that hasn't stopped LG and Samsung from trading blows with the GD910 and S9110 watch phones, respectively. So, will this quirky form factor take off, or will it be consigned to the darkest depths of phone history?

Design

Forget everything you expect from the GD910 at first sight. The LG watch phone will pass off as a watch at first glance. But a peek at the right side of the watch gives its identity away: Here reside the Send, End and Back buttons.

The front of the watch is covered with glass and a stainless steel border. The rear is fully decked out in "solid stainless steel", according to LG. This is also where you find the round SIM cover, which will require the included special tool to remove. The charging pins as well as the mic are located on the back as well, though we find that to be the oddest side of the phone for a mic to reside on.

The leather strap is slightly stiff but easy enough to adjust to fit our wrist, although it took some trial and error with the clasp mechanism to get the fit right. The build quality overall is very solid.
The rest of the phone's body is decked out in matte-black plastic which, as we found out, was good for shrugging off the daily scruffs and bumps without scratching. The amount of stainless steel present weighs down the LG to 92g, which is a tad heavy for a watch but still lighter than most smartphones in the market today. With the main body of the watch measuring 49 x 39 x 13.8mm, it is not exactly svelte, but nor is it too big.

Features

The biggest feature of the G910 would be its 1.43-inch capacitive touchscreen. From the main screen itself, you can switch between eight clock displays by flicking your finger up or down. Flicking left or right will call up four different screens-- the status display, main menu, calendar and quick dial.


These are the three main screens on the GD910.

If you're used to smartphones with built-in internet browsers and more-than-1-megapixel cameras, don't hold your breath. The GD910 doesn't have any of those features. Still, it packs a built-in 80MB memory, Bluetooth connectivity, MP3 playback, voice commands and a VGA camera.
Scrolling on the menus is fluid, although we noticed occasional jerkiness. Don't expect multitouch capabilities or an onscreen keyboard. That said the watch phone relies heavily on the T9 predictive text input on the onscreen keypad (we have a video of it here). Punching the correct buttons on the panel would be a challenge for those with large digits, and typing out a SMS can prove to be quite frustrating. Smart dialing is available, too, so you can get to your most-dialed contacts quickly to make a call. There's also a history log which shows the calls you've received or sent.

The MP3 player is very basic and the camera is just limited to VGA resolutions and can take only stills. The phonebook is equally barren, offering simple contact grouping over the standard set of features. The organizer, although a good feature to have on a phone, is quite a hassle to update given the tiny size of the device and onscreen keyboard. A nice accessory included to take advantage of the Bluetooth capabilities of this watch phone is the LG HBM-900 headset. The Bluetooth headset comes with two ear loops and four differently-sized eargels. However, this phone is compatible only with the HSP profile and not A2DP stereo.

The phone's 105mAh battery is built-in, and to charge it, you will have to clamp the phone in the included cradle which then plugs into the included AC charger. The user has the option of using the included dual charging cable which will charge the phone and the headset simultaneously. You can also hook the phone up with the included USB cable to enable PC connectivity, where the LG PC Suite software will enable syncing of contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists and memo data. With the USB cable, however, dual charging the phone and headset is not possible. Charging time was kept to under 2 hours on average, with the USB method taking 15-20 minutes more than on AC power.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Nokia N97 mini

In June, Nokia started shipping the N97, its flagship model which featured a touchscreen display and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. In September, the company announced the N97 mini, a similar handset with a smaller screen and less built-in memory. It may appear to be a scaled down variant, but there are things about the mini which we liked better than the original.

Design

At 113 x 52.5 x 14.2mm, the N97 mini is quite a compact smartphone considering it hides a QWERTY keyboard. It's smaller in all dimensions compared with the N97 and weighs 12g lighter. The reduction in size and weight didn't lead to a drop in quality though, and in fact, the mini felt more solidly built. This is, in part, thanks to the metal battery cover on the back, an improvement from the black plastic cover found on the N97.
Build quality aside, most of the design elements remain the same. The front sports a single physical Menu button under the screen, beside the touch-sensitive Call and End keys. The left side is where you find a micro-USB port and lock switch. A dedicated 3.5mm audio connector can be found on top together with the power button while on the left, there is a volume rocker and camera shutter.
The 3.2-inch screen on the front has a resolution of 640 x 360 pixels, standard fare for Nokia's touchscreen-enabled S60 devices. Put side-by-side with the N97's 3.5-inch panel, it is noticeably smaller. Nonetheless, aside from smaller text when reading Web pages and documents, the mini's screen worked just as well as the N97's, especially since there's no difference in the number of pixels. It was sufficiently bright for most situations and text and images were displayed clearly without issues.
In its opened position, the mini's screen sits at a gentler angle than the N97's. It isn't a huge difference, but the change is significant. We mentioned in our N97 review that the angle of the screen made it a tad hard to view when the device is held in the hands. This is no longer the case with the mini and we felt the slight reduction of the angle has improved its usability.

The N97 mini (above) loses the directional pad but comes with arrow keys. Its spacebar is closer to the center compared with the N97 (below).

Adjustments have also been made to the keyboard to accommodate its smaller chassis. Most prominently, the N97 mini does not have a directional pad on the left side, but instead comes with four arrow keys on the right. Unless you play games using the directional pad, this is not an issue. In fact, it made more space for the keyboard so even though the phone is shorter, the keys weren't made smaller. While the layout remains largely the same, the spacebar has been slightly lengthened and moved closer to the center. This is a marked improvement as it makes getting to it with the right thumb much easier. Keys are also not as flush, so you get better tactile feedback when moving your thumbs across the keyboard. Overall, the implementation of this QWERTY keypad is better than the original.

Features

The N97 mini is a high-end product in the company's portfolio, which means you get no less than an exhaustive suite of connectivity options. This includes HSDPA for high-speed data over the cellular network, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and A-GPS for navigation.
On the software end of things, it uses the Symbian S60 5th edition operating system, a version specifically designed for touchscreen devices. This is very similar to the standard S60 user interface (UI) and at times, it feels like the touchscreen capabilities are simply foisted in, an afterthought of sorts. For example, in some menus, tapping on items merely highlights it and you have to tap again to select. That's the procedure in a non-touchscreen device as you move the cursor over the item and press select using a directional pad. But this is unnecessary with a touch-sensitive panel as you can see the items in one glance, and touching means you want to select it.
But it's not all negative as there are signs of improvement. Swipe scrolling used to be available only in certain applications such as the browser. But now, using your finger to push screens up and down without relying on the side scrollbar is consistently implemented throughout the interface.
Many of the features like the live widgets and Ovi Store remain the same, so read our N97 review for details.


Test shot from the N97 mini.
(Click for original image)

The N97 mini has 8GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for expansion. This is quite a bit less than the 32GB available in the N97 but it's not a big deal if you insert a high-capacity microSD card.
On the back is where you will find the 5-megapixel camera with an LED for lighting up dark subjects. Unlike the N97, there's no cover to protect the lens. The upside to that is a reduction in size as the sliding mechanism does add to the thickness significantly. Picture quality is good, not too much different from the N97's.

Performance

Though marred slightly by the UI inconsistencies, the software performance of the N97 mini felt responsive. Aside from a few third-party apps that were more resource intensive, we didn't experience many slowdowns throughout our period of testing.
The 1,200mAh battery gave about two days of use on a single charge with live widgets turned off. If you leave push email and widget real-time updates on, expect to plug it in at the end of every day.

Conclusion

There are improvements in the software on the N97 mini, but those are applicable to the N97, too, through an update. So where it really stands out is in the form factor. When it comes to mobile devices, every gram and millimeter counts. So even though it isn't smaller and lighter by much, the N97 mini feels a lot more comfortable in the hands. This is most probably due to the use of materials and reduced width. We also liked the keyboard better, a major consideration for any smartphone with physical keypads.
Unfortunately, the same reservations we have about the N97 also apply to the N97 mini. Compared with Apple's iPhone OS and Google's Android, S60 5th edition just doesn't feel like a compelling proposition. This is not just with the touch interface, but also because of the dearth of affordable applications. For example, the best Twitter application for S60 is Gravity, which costs S$15 (US$10.80). While that's a fair price to pay for a good application, the fact that there are so many free versions for other platforms which are just as good makes it hard to swallow.
The N97 mini is available now in Asia at S$1,020 (US$734). That's quite pricey, so look out for deals from your operator before diving in.

Friday, November 13, 2009

What to expect for BlackBerry smartphones

SAN FRANCISO--A seamless integration between the Adobe Creative Suite and application development software and services platforms were the key highlights at the second annual BlackBerry Developer Conference this week. Now, while the availability of richer developer tools may not directly affect end-users, it does give consumers a glimpse into some upcoming features.
We managed to speak to several RIM executives about the BlackBerry operating system, App World, BlackBerry Web browser and gaming at the event. We've rounded up some of the key questions and answers below. Do note that the responses come from a few people, but for the sake of simplicity, we've attributed the answers to the company in general.
Questions were answered by three RIM spokespersons, namely Paxton Cooper (Senior Director, Platform Product Management) Alan T. Panezic (VP, Platform Product Management Group) and Tyler Lessard (VP, ISV Alliances and Developer Relations).

BlackBerry OS 5.0 | App World | Browser | Games

BlackBerry OS 5.0

CNET Asia: What does the BlackBerry OS 5.0 entail for application developers and end-users who are looking to upgrade their software?
Research In Motion: The 5.0 version of the BlackBerry operating system is our latest and greatest OS and it includes some great usability enhancements and a new improved browser that renders more quickly and faithfully compared with any prior version of the BlackBerry browser. It does not yet include WebKit, but we have publicly announced that we will be adding WebKit to the platform next year. We have also acquired Torch Mobile which is one of the four key contributors to WebKit. So we're very excited about having the talent and knowledge base onboard. OS 5.0 will be made available for a number of devices including the Storm 2 and Bold 9700.
One of the features which BlackBerry users have been asking for is the ability to install applications on the memory card instead of the device memory. Are there plans to introduce this feature and when?
It certainly is something which we're very actively looking at as we see more and more applications and users wanting to do more. We can already archive applications onto the SD card, so this is something which we're looking toward for next year as we continue to introduce additional capabilities for greater memory management.
We haven't yet committed to any specific model. As to how we will be doing that, it could be storing applications on the SD card or providing other options, but this is definitely something we are very actively working on. It's a good problem to have because it means users want to have more applications. But there are many other things that we've started to do in App World. We backup the application list so if you remove an application, you can download it again at a later time. We may introduce the ability to install from an SD card, but there are different ways to solve that same problem."
The GUI builder which has been integrated into the Java plugin for Eclipse is meant to simplify user interface design. But for the average consumers, the number of settings on a BlackBerry smartphone can be a little overwhelming especially for first-time users. So would it be possible to hide certain settings which are not critical and have custom setup themes for different types of users?
That's exactly one of the capabilities you get with the Theme Builder. An application developer or hobbyist can download the Theme Builder and create custom themes and menu experience for the BlackBerry device. We actually see a lot of people doing that. Themes are incredibly popular on BlackBerry and we have a number of partners that have developed hundreds of themes that they currently monetize for the BlackBerry device.

BlackBerry App World

What has RIM learnt so far since the launch of the App World on April 1 this year and how do you expect things to develop moving forward? App World 1.1 or 2.0, perhaps?
We've certainly learnt something which we expected. That is, BlackBerry users very much want applications. We've seen a lot of great usage of the App World and it's been very successful for many applications. We also see many passionate users. A lot of people are posting reviews and recommending apps to their friends.
I think the biggest thing which we talked about on Monday is simplifying the billing process as well as the ability for developers to integrate commerce into their applications which is beneficial to both the users and developers. We initially launched App World with PayPal as a billing engine. But we're also excited about introducing carrier billing integration next year to really make it easy for a customer to purchase an application, subscribe to a monthly service and have it added to their monthly cell phone bill rather than having to use a personal PayPal or credit card account.
When can we expect paid applications to be available in Asia?
That's the plan for next year and a big part of the work we're doing with carrier billing integration. We know it's difficult to offer different payment methods in different countries around the world, not to mention the different taxation challenges. But the one common thing around the world is the carrier billing integration. As we work toward that next year, that would make it much easier for us to offer paid content and application in those markets without introducing many other personal billing models. At this point, we don't have any specific timeline, but we're going to bring it there.
Are there any compatibility issues for BlackBerry devices running on different operating system versions when using App World? Are there features that are enabled on the OS 5.0, but not on the earlier versions?
When a user is using BlackBerry App World, we only present them with a list of applications that are specific to their devices or OS version. So if you're using a Curve running 4.5, you'll only see applications that developers have selected to make available for that hardware and OS version. So you may see a different set of applications on a Storm. We do initial filtering to make sure you are only seeing the relevant applications, but the core features of the App World are consistent.
There are already a number of location-aware applications, but one of the main concerns users have raised is the issue of privacy. What is RIM doing to address that?
The important thing to note with BlackBerry devices is that users have complete control over the location capability of their device. It's something they can always choose to switch off. In some cases, you can use the device to locate cell tower and through that process create a database of cell tower location. All of that is completely anonymous. So there is absolutely no way to trace back to a specific user using the geo-location database information that was created around the cell towers.
What's the next game-changing application?
Location has an incredibly important capability, but I think it is going to be mashed up with other basic services. If you take location along with the knowledge of the user's appointment book (calendar) and where the next appointment is, the device can become smart enough to propose nearby restaurants depending on where you are and assist you in making a reservation.

BlackBerry Web browser

Can you elaborate on the developments of the WebKit browser? When exactly will this be available?
I think we've made some marked improvements. The browser that I have on this device is substantially and noticeably faster. Rendering quality is vastly improved and so what we anticipate with WebKit is really just to take that to the next level and to have 100 percent accurate rendering and continual improvement in rendering speed.
It's something which we have taken very seriously and we can't get much more serious than acquiring a company that's a core contributor to it. It is something that we have our best engineers engaged in and we will be bringing it out as fast as humanly can, but I'm not able to give a more specific date.

Games

Now that support for OpenGL ES is available, does that mean we'll see more games and perhaps also other multimedia such as music on the BlackBerry App World?
Absolutely. I think gaming is very important for us. Today, we see a very healthy and large number of games and many more being added frequently. The challenge in countries which offer only free applications is that there's a much smaller set of games whereas we have hundreds and hundreds of games in the catalog for countries which offer paid apps.
What we are looking forward to is more advanced games using OpenGL ES for much richer 3D graphics. And we have a number of partners such as Electronic Arts and Sega whom we will be working with to deliver the next-generation games.
Which devices will be able to take advantage of OpenGL ES? Are there any minimal technical requirements and what about current BlackBerry models that are in the market?
OpenGL ES is specific to both the software and hardware because it requires certain graphics processing. Initially, it'll be on the Storm 2 and Curve 8530 which are our CDMA models offered by Verizon and Sprint in the US. So it'll be on those handsets with OS 5.0. For in-market devices, unfortunately, it's just an OS 5.0 software upgrade as they won't meet the hardware requirements for the graphics processing. We'll be introducing OpenGL ES in future handsets.
What kind of games can users expect now that the Storm 2 and future devices will support OpenGL ES?
I think you're going to see a lot of rich, action games you typically see on gaming consoles. The benefit of supporting OpenGL ES platform is that the console game developers will now be able to easily port and reuse the same codes when bringing games to a BlackBerry device. Typically for OpenGL ES, you get higher energy games, rich graphics and visuals.
Do you see BlackBerry smartphones eventually becoming portable gaming consoles?
That's already the case today. We have a number of games that are currently being distributed on App World. Games are an incredibly popular category in App World and I think that's just going to grow even more so with support for OpenGL ES.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

RIM reinforces partnership with Adobe

SAN FRANCISCO--It has been a field day for developers as Research In Motion (RIM) made a string of announcements at the second BlackBerry Developer Conference (see our photo gallery here) in San Francisco.
Kicking off the event on Monday was co-CEO Jim Balsillie who spoke about the "deep, rich integration" in BlackBerry smartphones and creating a transformative experience for users. He identified application developers and carriers as key factors in achieving them.
The first BlackBerry Developer Conference was held in Santa Clara last year with approximately 700 developers. This time round, over 1,000 participants including both developers and media are present at the four-day event in San Francisco.
Balsillie said: "The rate of change of transformation is accelerating, but at the end of the day, strategies at the root are simple and fundamental. So what I want to do is share with you our fundamental strategic thinking and how this is manifested in the new services platform and the new tools and extensions."


Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen and RIM co-CEO Jim Basillie took the stage together in the closing segment of the keynote address.

Collaboration with Adobe

If there was one focus point at the keynote session that lasted nearly 4 hours, it was RIM's alliance with Adobe.
For starters, developers will be able to use familiar Adobe software including Flash 10, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Flex to enhance the user experience on BlackBerry smartphones. Building on this is the Creative Suite 4 Device Central which will bridge the gap between designer and developer roles. Designers will be able to preview their work on an emulator in Device Central which is linked with the Eclipse developing environment. They can also preview scripts and upload changes directly to a BlackBerry smartphone connected to the laptop via USB.
In early October, RIM joined the Open Screen Project and said it will bring the Flash player to its mobile Web browsers. In the same month, the Waterloo-based company bought Torch Mobile which makes the Webkit-based Iris browser. Most critics saw that as a step forward in improving its smartphones' browser which seemed stuck in the last decade compared with the ones on competing devices such as Safari on the iPhone.
RIM confirmed without elaborating further that it will offer the Webkit browser in 2010. That would be one thing to look out for next year.

New services platforms

The company is also making it easier for developers to generate profits from applications with the new application programming interfaces (API) that integrate advertising, payment, geo-location and push notification for widgets and content.
A new advertising service, which will be available in the first half of 2010, will reduce the time needed for coding applications as there will be only one software development kit (SDK). With the SDK, developers can now integrate advertisements in contacts, applications and rich media such as videos which could drive down prices of the applications. On the other hand, end users can, for example, call a contact or add a calendar entry directly from the advertisement. Ad units comprise Jumptap, Lat49, Millennial Media, Navteq, 1020 Placecast, Quattro Wireless and Sympatico.ca, which are compliant with guidelines set by the Mobile Marketing Association.
Also unveiled at the event was a new payment service. In a Bloomberg Mobile demonstration, users will be able to purchase premium content within the application. Games that run on the iPhone commonly make use of such a payment process. The current payment service for RIM's App World is Paypal, but the company is looking to introduce subscription models and other payment modes next year. The new service is expected to be available in mid-2010.
Location-specific solutions have been getting a lot of attention with the recently announced Google Maps Navigation and Tele Atlas' Speed Profiles launch in Taiwan. Likewise, RIM's sitting up and taking notice with three location-based services that use cell phone tower data to triangulate a location. Not only can this be used indoors, it will be able to associate seemingly indecipherable coordinates to specific addresses and estimate travel time in navigation apps.
Third-party applications are also getting a new set of wings with the enabling of push service. This was traditionally available only on core BlackBerry apps. Due out in the first half of 2010, the push service will support both Java apps and BlackBerry widgets. The service will be provided free to all developers, letting them send up to 8KB of data to applications or insert a notification into your inbox. In a demo, Curtis Sasaki, vice president of Product Management for RIM, showed a CNN Money app which updates itself with an icon on the top of the screen as well as in the ribbon of application shortcuts along the bottom. Another example mentioned was WeatherBug for live weather data.
In addition, new Java development tools were made available. The JDE plug-in for Eclipse 1.1 beta features improved project and source code management as well as a deeper integration with Eclipse. The GUI Builder design studio, which got developers cheering, will be ready for use in mid-2010. With its release, this will let developers design applications within a drag-and-drop framework and a WYSIWYG user interface.


The BlackBerry Developer Program currently has over 200,000 registered developers. The company will also be participating in the Mobile World Congress App Planet developer event February 16, 2010 in Barcelona.

Games, user themes and widgets

OpenGL ES, currently available with the BlackBerry Java SDK 5.0, may not be a term that's familiar to most people, but the graphics API plays a key role in the rich gaming experience. At the conference, EA Mobile demoed Need for Speed Shift on the BlackBerry Storm which features touch controls that let the gamer tap the screen to brake the car and swipe to fire the booster. As far as the demo went, the graphics ran smoothly on the projector screen.
End-users can expect to download widgets and user themes via App World from December. The new BlackBerry Theme Studio 5.0 will let developers embed ringtones in themes to replace the default ones, as well as customize home screen icons, backgrounds, transitions and include dynamic animations.
According to RIM's manager for Development Tools, Tim Neil, BlackBerry widgets are coded entirely in HTML or CSS and the mini applications will have access to the memory card on the device, PIM (including calendar, email, tasks, notepad and contacts) and native apps. They also have the ability to invoke native as well as third-party applications, but require OS 5.0 to run.

What's next

While we were still reeling from the flurry of announcements which are set to deliver tools to developers for writing more interactive BlackBerry applications, the company also took the chance to introduce an Academic Program. This will provide college students and university undergraduates with know-how on developing for the BlackBerry platform. According to RIM, over 500 students have already participated in the pilot trial and several universities in the US and Canada are looking to offer this program in their courses.
No doubt, the biggest beneficiaries of today's BlackBerry Developer Conference are the developers. While it does seem exciting, it's also worth noting that RIM is playing catch-up with the iPhone in its push to offer more consumer-centric offerings. Ultimately, the end winners are the consumers.
To sum up the focus of the conference, Balsille had this to say on the promise of mobility: "You have this highly personalized user experience, where the UI is personal, the ads served are personal… this is not about thousands of islands of applications. This is about a very personal, rich, contextualized experience."

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Orange’s iPhone: Sets New Sales Record

Orange’s iPhone: Sets New Sales Record

 

According to reports it seems that today has seen a new record set for a British mobile phone launch, the record was set by Orange with their release of the iPhone

Guardian.co.uk are reporting that Orange have managed to sell over 30,000 handsets within its first day, Orange originally were beaten to the exclusivity to the handset in the UK by O2, therefore these sales figures will be all the more welcome.

Many wondered if Orange’s excessive data limitations may affect the popularity of the handset on the carrier, however these figures seems to suggest that this did not impact sales too greatly.

For more details on the launch check out Guardian.co.uk, if you would like to purchase the handset check out Orange’s website.

Did you buy the handset on Orange today? Are you happy with your purchase?

 

 

Orange’s iPhone: Sets New Sales Record

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

HTC Tattoo

The HTC Tattoo is the fourth Android device from the Taiwanese company. That's quite a feat considering many phone-makers committed to the platform have not even released a single product. The Tattoo has one feature that sets it apart as an entry-level smartphone--a resistive 2.8-inch QVGA display. Let's see how this smaller, lower-resolution screen (compared with the 3-inch and larger HVGA panels) performs coupled with Google's mobile operating system.

Design

The Tattoo's 106 x 55.2 x 14mm dimensions and 113g weight make it a compact and light device. The device is solidly built and we like how the rounded edges give it a nice feel in the hands.
Like most full-touchscreen devices, the front of the Tattoo is taken up mainly by the screen. This is a 2.8-inch QVGA LCD, similar to what you find in many older Windows Mobile smartphones. During our use, we found it sufficiently bright and sharp for reading text. Images also displayed nicely. Unfortunately, those who have used devices like the iPhone or HTC Magic, which come with HVGA (480 x 320) screens, may find the halved resolution on the Tattoo lacking. This can be felt mainly when browsing the Internet and trying to type with your fingertips. More on that later when we discuss this smartphone's features.
You get the standard set of buttons for an Android phone. Aside from the Call and End keys, there are dedicated Home, Menu, Back and Search buttons under the display. A round directional pad is also found there which we felt worked well, thanks to its large circumference and prominent select button. The sides of the Tattoo are bare aside from a volume rocker on the left.


One of the designs available on the Garskin Web site.

Connectors on this smartphone include a mini-USB for charging and syncing on the base and a 3.5mm audio port on the top. This means you can use your favorite pair of headphones for music playback, a feature that will please those particular about earphone audio fidelity. Memory expansion is possible through a microSD card slot found on the left side under the back battery cover.
With the Tattoo, HTC has provided a way for users to personalize the chassis of the phone. Every single part of the external plastic shell is replaceable. You do that first by removing the battery cover, and from there, the front face plate and back base plate can be pried off completely. The company has partnered with gadget accessory company Garskin to sell replacement shells. The patterns are quite varied and you can even design your own from the Garskin Web site. HTC is giving users a redemption card in the standard sales package which entitles you to one free phone cover. If you want to buy more, they cost US$24.90 each.

Features

Though the Tattoo is supposed to be a budget Android handset, HTC has put a lot of features in this upcoming mobile phone. It comes with HSDPA and Wi-Fi for high-speed data, Bluetooth and GPS for navigation. Powering the phone is a Qualcomm 528MHz processor found in many other high-end HTC phones, too, so that's good news for this entry-level handset.
One thing we really liked about the Hero, HTC's last Android device, was the Sense UI interface. This custom software comes with many useful widgets and integration of social-networking services into the contacts. The Tattoo will also sport Sense UI so many of those features will appear on this handset. One widget we did find missing was the Stock app--HTC probably assumed that those using the Tattoo aren't interested in the stock market.
Back to the matter of the 2.8-inch QVGA screen, it wasn't perfect, but it was better than we expected. For starters, HTC did a good job scaling down all its widgets to fit this screen, so the seven scrollable displays on the Home page can be well-utilized. For example, the People widget (which shows your favorite contacts so you can access them quickly) has contacts' photos that are noticeably lower in resolution compared with the Hero's implementation, but we could still make out the faces.
We did run into some problems with the browser. The small screen meant reading text required zooming into the page. This led to more scrolling just to read a news article or wiki. There was also some frustration when trying to tap on small links. In these cases, we ended up using our fingernails to do the job. This was possible because the LCD is resistive, not capacitive (which requires a fingertip skin contact) like other Android phones.
Somewhat frustrating as well was the onscreen QWERTY keyboard. Keys were really narrow, so typing with the tips of our thumbs became near impossible unless one held the device in landscape mode or had pointy fingernails.


Image quality was decent from the 3.2-megapixel camera. (Click for original)

Another consequence of the QVGA screen on the Tattoo is that fewer apps appear on the Android Market. Only programs which developers have tweaked to support multiple resolutions (introduced in Android 1.6) will be available for download. Though we didn't count exactly how many there are, some of our favorite games were not available. The excellent Twitter app Twidroid had not been ported over as well, last we checked.
A 3.2-megapixel camera is found on the back of the Tattoo. Remember, this is an entry-level handset so there's no autofocus or LED flash. It produced decent pictures though--just don't expect too much of it.

Performance

We were impressed with the battery performance of the Tattoo. With background data and Gmail syncing turned on, we got 2.5 days of use on a single charge. This included Web surfing on HSDPA and some phone usage and texting. GPS navigation worked well with Google Maps but we don't recommend trying to use it for in-car navigation because of the small screen.
Voice quality was good and we didn't experience any dropped calls during our period of use. One thing that did poorly was the volume of the speakerphone. It was way too soft to be useful unless you were in a quiet room.

Conclusion

For an entry-level smartphone, the Tattoo met our expectations. It does everything you expect an Android device to do, and has great battery life to boot. The screen is a little small, but usable for the most part. Those with large fingers should really try it out at a store before deciding if they can live with the text input.
If you are someone who wants maximum mileage with your Android device, we advise spending a bit more for either the HTC Magic or Hero. This is mainly because developers have designed their apps mostly for HVGA screens for the Android Market.
But for those looking for a capable smartphone on a budget, the Tattoo is a great choice. In fact, we liked it more than the Touch2 (recently reviewed here) which goes for a similar price. The compromises made in the Tattoo are acceptable considering the cost. We don't recommend paying the full S$598 (US$431) retail price, but anything under S$200 (US$144) with a basic operator plan would be a fair deal for this Android smartphone.

Monday, November 9, 2009

LG Chocolate (BL40)

LG's Black Label series has come full circle with the latest Chocolate BL40 following the Secret (2008), Shine (2007) and original Chocolate (2006). Aside from its unusual form factor and uncanny resemblance to a TV remote, the BL40 also packs a gorgeous 21:9 panoramic display.

Design

Our biggest misgivings about the tall and thin profile of the LG Chocolate BL40 turned out to be moot when we got our mitts on the handset. The new Chocolate is a headturner and if there's one phone that would score you curious (and envious) looks, this Chocolate fits the bill. It even sits nicely in our jeans pocket (fortunately) and didn't jab us when we sat down. Although the Chocolate is evidently longer than most handsets, it's still comfortable for regular use with little or no negative impact on the user experience.

The piano-black chassis and seamless tempered glass front are a fingerprint nightmare. Aside from the earpiece, video call camera and ambient light sensor which are inconspicuous until you look closely, the only physical buttons are on the sides. Even then, these are minimal, keeping the profile of the phone simple, which we are totally fine with since this Chocolate is more of a showpiece anyway. There's only a music player key, volume controls and camera shutter, and a latch for the micro-USB port.
Overall, we find the build quality very solid and will say that the production of the Chocolate is flawless. It feels and looks every part the well-made and stylish handset.

Features

The wide 4-inch 800 x 345-pixel capacitive touchscreen is simply stunning. Playing games and watching videos on the panel were top-notch experiences. The display offered vivid colors and there was sufficient contrast for legibility under the sun. Web pages also fitted nicely across the wide panel and there's a split screen for calendar and messaging applications.
While we were mostly convinced of the potential of the 21:9 widescreen, it's not without its misses. In order to make full use of the generous screen, videos have to be formatted in the correct aspect ratio. The landscape QWERTY keypad had ample spacing for each key, which was great, but the entire keyboard area took up two-thirds of the screen estate. So you get only two lines of letters that span across the text box. Web browsing was generally OK and the widescreen didn't make it any more difficult or easy to surf the Internet. Our beef with it was that rendered text was too small to read easily. Clicking on Web links was also wildly inaccurate.

The S-Class user interface was generally responsive, though not uniformly so. There were some areas where the software was noticeably more sluggish, although it didn't kill the experience entirely. Menu icons now have a 3D look and there's a new colorful unlock screen which looks like a curtain you swipe up in order to access the phone functions. Like the few LG devices that run on the same user interface, the Chocolate BL40 also supports widgets. The choice, however, was limited to very basic functions and there's no option to download more mini apps. Compared with Samsung's TouchWiz software, LG's solution was less robust in this aspect.
Scrolling on the menus was fluid, although we noticed occasional jerkiness. Multitouch is supported, so you can pinch and stretch to zoom in/out of pictures and Web pages. The Gallery application also received some updates in this iteration and resembled even more closely Apple's Cover Flow. Thumbnails loaded quickly when we were "swiping" through our snaps and we thought LG did an awesome implementation for browsing photos here.

Smart dialing is available, too, so you can get to your contacts quickly to make a call. There's also an option to view your history log which shows the calls and messages you've made or sent to a contact from the address book. To be honest, we found the S-Class user interface gimmicky and weren't entirely enthusiastic about it, but at least it didn't fail us. It may not be as robust as a smartphone that lets users download third-party applications, but it supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync so business users are not left out if they want to access their corporate emails, contacts and calendars.

Ten games/fun apps are preinstalled, so that should keep users entertained for some time. As for GPS navigation, there's Google Maps, or the more feature-packed Wisepilot. The Chocolate BL40 has Assisted-GPS and we were able to get a lock on our position fairly quickly. The software also provides weather updates, trip reports and layers that show you where speed cameras or road works are located on the roads. What left us baffled was the Social Networking application which didn't manage to start on our review unit. All we could see were Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, which we reckoned could be mini Java apps.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

HTC HD2 review

The HTC HD2 is the world's first Windows Mobile-toting phone with a capacitive screen, and also packs the world's largest mobile phone display too.

It's also the first WinMo phone to use HTC's Sense UI, previously used on the company's Android handsets, bringing with it Facebook integration and direct Twitter access, as well as masking well the operating system beneath it.

Running Windows Mobile 6.5, it certainly makes use of the all the good bits of the upgrade, but HTC decides to do its own thing on around 95 per cent of the HD2.

The first thing that most people will notice when picking up the HTC HD2 is the sheer size of the screen, which is justified when you realise it's a whopping 4.3-incher.

The screen dominates the whole front of the phone, reaching very close to the edges on either side and only leaving room for a speaker at the top and buttons at the bottom, meaning it's a very nice tablet-style look.

HTC hd2

The buttons on the front of the HD2 look like brushed metal, and are nicely rounded and raised, making them easy to hit. There's the usual suspects on offer, with the call and terminate keys flanking the home, back and Windows buttons.

Other than that, there's very little else on the HD2 button-wise. On the left-hand side, around half way up, there's a volume up/down key, which is flush to the chassis. This is actually a little hard to hit at times, as it's difficult to find it when not looking.

HTC hd2

The bottom of the phone houses the microUSB slot for charging and PC connection, along with the 3.5mm headphone jack. It's an odd place to put this pair, with the common option being at the top or in the top corners, and it means a headphone jack can sometimes get caught up in the pocket.

It's also hard to text in portrait mode when listening to music – we know that sounds like a pretty niche situation, but as the multimedia aspects of the HD2 have also been upgraded, this is important.

HTC hd2

The rear of the phone is also pretty minimal as well – apart from the camera (with dual LED flash) there's very little else to look at. It takes a while to work out how to get the battery cover off as well, with a slight groove on the right-hand side needing to be pulled pretty hard to remove it.

The battery looks pretty small, although that's probably just to do with the scale of the HD2. It basically holds in the SIM card and nothing much else, with the microSD card slot sitting away from it, making hot swapping possible.

HTC hd2

The other noteworthy aspect when picking it up for the first time is the weight of the phone - it's just 157g with battery, which is pretty darn light for a phone this size.

The camera protrudes slightly at the back, which can get in the way of holding it, but this is a minimal problem as you swiftly learn to shift it to a more comfortable position.

HTC hd2

The phone is curved nicely on the back, meaning it sits well in the palm. And despite the huge screen size, it's actually not that hard for the average (admittedly male) palm to navigate to all the important areas of the screen, with the thumb easily called into action to hit the upper levels.

In the box

Keeping with HTC tradition, the box is a slim design featuring just the basic components. This means a microUSB lead, an adaptor to let you plug said lead into the wall, a pair of headphones that double as a (pretty cool with remote control for the music player) hands-free kit, and of course the phone itself.

HTC hd2

We're not too sure we like the fact we only get one USB lead that doubles as both the charger and the computer connector, but with the polar bears in trouble the way they are, it's only fair we all do our bit.

However, we do like the lack of CD in the box for software, with that being either available on the phone or downloadable from the HTC website.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Samsung Blue Earth S7550 Review

Introduction and design:
Brace yourselves! This is not just an ordinary review! You are in for an extensive essay on the power of Mother Nature, the poisonous influence of the human race, the ozone depletion and its impact on the shrinking population of white hamsters! Hey, where do you think you´re going? Come back! We promise we won´t go off the deep end and talk too much about the Earth´s ailing ecology… much. It´s just that the Samsung Blue Earth S7550 has made us think about issues that tend to escape our notice. We all go about our business and preoccupied with our busy daily routine we hardly ever consider things like “can we do more to save energy?”, “Are we doing enough about recycling?”, “What can we do to help nature?” and stuff like that. The Samsung Blue Earth S7550 is an environmentally-friendly handset in every single respect – its body and retail box are made from recycled materials entirely and there are solar panels on its back that help to extend the phone battery life in an ecologically consistent way.
It goes to show that using recycled materials (plastic water bottles in this case) doesn’t equate to worse overall appeal or build quality. The device feels a bit heftier (4.20 oz.) than normal for its size and the increase is mainly due to the extra weight of the integrated solar panels. It feels nice and pleasing in your hand, creating pretty much the same overall feeling that high-end devices like the Samsung Jet S8000 and Pixon12 do, while the mystical blue color of its face makes it stand out from the crowd.

Samsung Blue Earth
Samsung Blue Earth

The mystical blue color of the Samsung Blue Earth S7550 face
makes it stand out from the crowd

Samsung Blue Earth

You can compare the Samsung Blue Earth S7550 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The Samsung Blue Earth S7550 sports a 3-inch capacitive screen with WQVGA resolution and overall sensitivity similar to the iPhone, which speaks volumes really. The image quality is quite good and the screen remains usable in direct sunlight.

Samsung Blue Earth

The Blue Earth sports a very sensitive
3-inch capacitive touchscreen display

This looks somewhat counter-intuitive, but we suppose you would often find yourself holding the phone with its back rather than screen facing the Sun, especially on a clear day. The solar panels also give you something to brag about, telling you friends “Hey dude, look at that gizmo I got” and of course, help you to charge the phone battery. According to the manufacturer, an hour basking in the Sun equates to 10 minutes of talk on 3G networks or two extra hours in standby. We tested the solar panels on a cloudy day and we have to say they charge the battery relatively fast. If you point them towards a source of bright light (yes, you can charge the phone even in the light of a reading lamp), the small LED sensor on the back will glow in blue, while the battery indicator turns red showing you the device is being charged. Just keep in mind that charging is slower in overcast weather or when using domestic sources of light.

Samsung Blue Earth
Samsung Blue Earth
Samsung Blue Earth

The solar panels charge the battery relatively fast

As a whole, all hardware buttons are easy to press and have well pronounced travel. The send and end keys are on the front side, along with the button that takes you a step back in the phone menus. The camera shutter and screen lock/unlock are on the right hand side of the handset, with the microUSB and charger ports directly above them, while the volume rocker is on the opposite side. This is somewhat irritating, but getting to the microSD and SIM card slots means you will have to remove the back panel.

Samsung Blue Earth
Samsung Blue Earth
Samsung Blue Earth

The hardware buttons and the sides of the Samsung Blue Earth S7550

As a whole, the Samsung Blue Earth S7550 is a likeable, eco-friendly handset with high build quality. Its compact size makes it quite comfortable to carry around in your pocket, while its offbeat face is memorable. The interesting thing is the eco-conscious workmanship and materials it´s made from do not squeeze the topic of its environmentally-friendly features dry, because the phone comes with relevant software functions as well. Keep reading to find out more.