HTC Bravo Review

With the Mobile World Congress just a few short weeks away, many people are already speculating about what little surprises mobile phone manufacturers will be unleashing on the showroom floor. For HTC, the most solid device they have that everyone is focusing on is the HTC Bravo.

The HTC Bravo first popped up when HTC’s 2010 roadmap got leaked. The roadmap contained 5 Android smart phones and 3 Windows Mobile devices, of these, only the Bravo has been confirmed to be in production. The roadmap was quickly forgotten when December rolled over and everyone got excited about the coming Google phone –especially when it was revealed that HTC would be working on the Nexus One.

It came to no surprise that many people thought that the Bravo is the Google phone itself -considering the fact that the hardware specs for both the Bravo and the Nexus One are so similar. It was not until January did news that the Bravo and the Nexus One were two separate devices and both were going to be launched this year. Google pushed through with the launch of their Android phone early this January and HTC has announced that the Bravo is expected to launch this March.

Should HTC decide to unveil this device on February at the MWC in Barcelona, Spain, it will be one of the first Android smart phones to be released after the Google phone. Considering that not many people opted to get the Google phone, the Bravo just might be the Android device people are waiting for.

Specs wise, the Bravo comes with similar specs to the Nexus One; both devices have Snapdragon Android processors, 3.7 inch AMOLED touch screens and 5 mega pixel cameras. The Bravo does have a little extra -720p HD video recording.

HTC Supersonic Review

Information about the HTC Supersonic has been coming out in a steady stream recently, even though it has yet to be officially announced.

The latest leak offers some new pictures of this upcoming Android OS smartphone, which will reportedly offer a range of cutting-edge features, including a very large, high-resolution screen and 4G cellular-wireless networking.

One of these images is clearly a rendering, but HTC frequently uses renderings to show off its products. And it matches the picture of this model that came to light earlier this week (shown here).

The second image shows the rear of the Supersonic, with the name clearly emblazoned on it (shown here). This picture also helps confirm reports of two of this device's features: a dual-LED flash and a kickstand.

A Preliminary Overview of the HTC Supersonic
A roadmap of 2010 products that leaked out of Sprint recently listed an HTC model with WiMAX, but gave no other specifications. Several more unconfirmed reports have revealed some additional details on it, though.

The HTC Supersonic will supposedly have much in common with the HTC HD2, but with Google's Android OS instead of Microsoft's Windows Mobile. Both models will supposedly have 4.3-inch touchscreens, slim tablet shapes, and 1 GHz Snapdragon processors.

On top of Android OS 2.1 (or possibly version 3.0), the Supersonic will run HTC Sense, this company's alternate user interface that expands on Google's standard one.

As mentioned earlier, this upcoming model will reportedly have a kickstand to hold it up while the user is watching movies on the comparatively large screen.

Despite all the leaks, many details on the Supersonic, such as the camera resolution or battery capacity, remain unknown.

Also unknown is when the release will be, but it's not likely to be for quite a few months.

LG Neon Review

The LG Xenon is clearly LG's premier announcement at CTIA this year, but the LG Neon deserves a closer look too. I had a brief hands-on with the device early yesterday, and it left a pretty good impression though I question some of the design choices.

Like the Xenon, the Neon has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and is meant to be a messaging device. It has a nice display and is slim and lightweight. The keyboard only has 3 rows instead of the 4 rows on the Xenon, so it's slightly more cramped. Still, the keys are well-spaced and have a bumpy texture for easier texting. On the front of the Neon is a navigation array complete with the two soft keys and four-way directional pad.

Here's where it gets a little interesting; the LG Neon's display is a touch screen, but only for the phone dialer. You hit a dedicated phone keypad button in the navigation array, and the virtual number keypad will show up. I was able to press the numbers like on an ordinary touch screen display, and there was vibration feedback as well. For the rest of the phone's interface, though, you're stuck with the regular navigation keys. Why LG decided not to make all of the functions of the Neon accessible via touch screen is a mystery to me.

Features of the LG Neon aren't as advanced as the Xenon's. It still has the 2.0-megapixel camera, music player, and stereo Bluetooth, but you won't get 3G and it only supports tri-band GSM. Pricing and availability of the LG Neon are still unknown, though we're sure we'll find out shortly.

LG GD910 Watch Phone

We first saw the LG Watch Phone last year at CES 2008, but it was behind glass and no one was allowed to really see how it all worked. This year, however, LG plans to break it out of the display case. At the LG press conference a few minutes ago, they demonstrated a real working prototype of the watch phone and it looks to be a real must-have for the spy wannabe in your life. It has a touch-screen user interface (!), three side-mounted buttons, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and even a full-blown music player. It's water resistant, and it'll feature 3G HSDPA, which leads us to think it may come to AT&T some time this year.

UPDATE: We've just got more details about the watch phone. It has tempered glass, a high-quality metal casing, and is around 13.9mm thick. The touch screen itself is 1.43 inches diagonally, and features LG's Flash interface. Features include voice recognition, Text to Speech so it can read out text messages, and stereo Bluetooth. However, the huge disappointment is that the watch phone will be Europe-only (insert sad face here). We think it may still be compatible with local GSM networks, but only time will tell (apologies for the bad pun).

UPDATE 2: More updates on the Watch Phone. LG has just told us that the Watch Phone will have quad-band GSM, and that the 3G/HSDPA will be compatible with AT&T's frequency. So even if it is Europe-only, you could potentially get one unlocked and use it here. We'll see if we can get more news about pricing and availability.

LG enV Touch Review

If you encounter any of the following questions from any one like which is the best mobile on the market? What is the best model available on LG? Which mobile has all the latest features at an affordable cost? Then don’t even hesitate 1 minute to answer for these questions and your one word answer for all these questions must be LG enV touch. The following guide gives you more information about this mobile model. So why are you waiting still? Go ahead and get valuable information,

Heavy rumors prevailed that LG is going to launch “Voyager 2” in the 2009 year beginning but LG voyager 2 was retired and LG gave a new fascinating model named as LG enV touch. This mobile attracts many people and it increases the number of users day by day by its slim and enchanting design. What is the most notable change in this model? Might be your question and the notable change is this model includes two large 3” WVGA displays and a better call quality with a good user interface.

There is no big difference between voyager and this enV in terms of design and you can very well notice it on the first sight. The clamshell form-factor remains intact. Front part is mostly and even almost occupied by the display and it has pewter chrome surrounding it. This reduces the shiny reflective nature of the mobile as it was in the voyager. Back of the mobile is soft in nature. Height and depth of the mobile is slightly less when compared to its predecessor but there is a slight increase in the width as the display size is bit wider. The overall body quality is made good and it withstands any type of shocks and any external attacks.

This mobile has external 3” resistive touch screen display in it and this is impressive as well. Resolution of the screen is 800x480 pixel resolution and this mobile supports up to 1.6 million colors. You can see the color difference from the quality of the images. This mobile also has a light sensor in it which helps in detecting the brightness automatically based on the surrounding light levels. Touch screen of this mobile is resistive to pressures and you can use your finger or a stylus for input. Overall responsiveness of the screen is good and you get a vibration (haptic) when it is pressed.

You can find buttons for Send, Clear/Voice Command, and End/Power in the front side of the mobile. This buttons have a metallic look. You can find the camera button on the left side and a volume rocker and a lock button as well. You are provided with a 3.5mm headset jack with this mobile. You are provided with a MicroSD slot for extending the memory option and you can upgrade up to 4GB. It has a USB port at the bottom. USB is improved when compared to the voyager. This mobile also has BLUETOOTH option in it for connectivity purposes. Connectivity speed in both i.e. USB and BLUETOOTH is faster when compared to the other models available on the market.

You get a 3MP auto focus camera in this mobile. The clarity of the pictures taken by this mobile is excellent and it is of the highest quality possible. Auto focus option helps you to get sharp images. Messaging is made easy now with round edged buttons. This mobile has QWERTY keyboard below the small display. You can also send MMS in this mobile. This mobile supports various bands and it comes with a 950mAh battery.

With all these features undoubtedly this is the best model on the market and the best model on LG as well.

LG Arena Review

LG Arena is one of the better smart phones, equipped with the latest features, released this year. LG has always produced some great mobiles in the past and is continuing the race for the best touch screen mobile by releasing this mobile. LG Arena, clearly one of the better mobiles from LG, is jam packed with features and is designed to perfection. Going by the look and the feel of the mobile, it has a large touch screen display offering a resolution of 480x800 pixels. The glossiness and the rich display of this mobile is what can please your eyes a lot. The screen is highly responsive and full of vibrant colors. The size of this mobile is 106 x 55 x 12 mm and it weighs around 105 grams only.

One of the main features of this mobile is its camera. LG Arena has a great 5 mega pixel camera which never needs to compromise with the photo quality. It offers impeccable resolution and clarity while capturing images and runs absolutely fine in high resolution while watching videos. It also offers a host of other features related to the camera like 4 X digital zooming option, LED photo light, video recording etc. The multimedia features of LG Arena are also fabulous as the music player will give you perfect quality music. FM radio is also in built in this mobile.

The battery of LG Arena is quite good as compared to other smart phones in different categories across the globe. LG Arena offers a talk time of 230 minutes and a standby time of about 300 hours. Yes, improvement could have been made in this area but if the mobile gives you tons of features, you don’t expect it to run for weeks. For connectivity purpose, LG Arena is quite fast as it has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi connectivity and a GPS receiver as well. The connectivity is not blazing fast but can work fine if you are a bit patient. Among some of the other features, this mobile offers geo tagging of photos, speaker phone of good quality, voice recording option, has room for expandable memory up to 32 GB of space, 3G HSDPA technology, autofocus, video recording with DivX player and other features.

Thus, to sum up, LG arena is surely a great mobile to own. It may seem a bit pricy though. However, with the features this mobile if offering and with the cool design of the mobile, it would be wise to call this mobile as a great smart phone at competitive price. LG Arena has been released just recently and ever since its release it has generated a lot of buzz and the users of this great mobile are very happy with this mobile. LG Arena is surely an all rounder when it comes to balancing features with looks and design. All you need to do id to grab an LG Arena today and enjoy the features.

Samsung Galaxy Portal Review

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has launched a new handset running under Google's Android operating system in the UK, namely the Galaxy Portal, which is now available for purchase in the country via wireless carrier T-Mobile. The handheld has already been launched on the market, and is available outside the UK as the Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700. The phone comes with Android 1.5 on board, but will soon receive updates to newer flavors of the OS.

Those of you who may not have encountered the device up until now might want to know that it comes with a body 13.2mm thick, that in boasts a 3.2-inch touchscreen display and that it also includes a great deal of connectivity options. Among these capabilities, we can count the presence of quad-band GSM, HSDPA options, as well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.

At the same time, the Galaxy Portal i5700 comes with a built-in GPS receiver, with 180MB of internal memory, and with a MicroSD memory card slot for additional storage space (a 1GB microSD card is included in the box). A 3.5mm headphone jack is present with the phone, as well as a media player with video support for MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV, and DivX.

The Samsung Galaxy Portal i5700 sports a 3.2-megapixel photo snapper, a battery that can provide up to five hours of talk time, and other great features, such as the built-in augmented-reality browser Layar. Those who are not familiar with this solution might want to learn that it offers user the possibility to point their device at the world around and receive information overlaid on the image on the handset.

"The launch of this stunning device clearly underlines our commitment to smartphone products and forms part of our strategy to deliver a wide range of handsets designed to suit a multitude of users. The Samsung Galaxy Portal gives consumers the benefit of the Android platform – including an extensive range of innovative apps to download, multi-tasking with apps running in parallel and pre-installed Google services - at an affordable price," said Samsung UK and Ireland vice president Mark Mitchinson.

T-Mobile UK will have the new Android-based mobile phone from Samsung available exclusively for the next month, and it seems that the black Galaxy Portal model will be a T-Mobile exclusive for three months. The handset is available for free with a £18 monthly plan, which also includes 200 minutes and texts, and can be purchased for £70 on a combi plan from the carrier as well.

Motorola Droid Review

Motorola Droid redefines the smart phone becoming the first device built with Android 2.0. On Droid you will experience a PC-like browsing experience on a mobile device that has a massive high-resolution display, the thinnest touch QWERTY slider available, and twice the speed of the leading competitor. Motorola Droid takes the search that Google is known for to the entire phone, going deep into your phone and all of your applications. The more you search, the better Droid gets to know you and the quicker you get the information you need.

Motorola Droid is the first mobile device developed in partnership with Google to feature its next-generation open Android platform. Together, the industry leaders are bringing to market a PC-like browsing experience on a mobile device that has a massive high-resolution display, the thinnest touch QWERTY slider available, and ttwice the speed of the leading competitor.

Droid shatters the standard mobile web experience with high-speed, high-resolution browsing expected from a PC, now in a sleek mobile device. Its industry-leading 3.7-inch display provides the best view of Websites and conveniently zooms with a double tap for faster navigating. Equipped with a powerful processor, Flash and full HTML browser, Droid delivers Web pages, 3D graphics, videos and more up to two-times faster than other devices, all in beautiful 16-million color high-definition. Google Chrome bookmarks can also be synched between the device and PC, making favorite sites easier to access when mobile.

Droid uses one-step Google tools to bring timely and relevant info to the homescreen without the need to dig through multiple Web pages, search boxes or menus. Searches can be typed or spoken, and results are brought from both the Web and phone content such as contacts, music, photos and applications. Contextual search is also used for offering location-based recommendations, so getting around is made even easier.

Google also makes navigation smarter on Droid, with spoken turn-by-turn directions and complimentary Google Maps. Consumers can keep up with and find local friends using Google Latitude, or get a bigger picture with a brilliant satellite viewpoints of Google Earth. Droid can also be used as an in-car navigation device with a special mount to help explore without getting lost.

With the world's thinnest QWERTY slider, Google Synch, text-to-speech, push email for multiple accounts and copy and paste functionality, Droid is designed to get the message out quickly so the flow never stops.

Droid offers premium multimedia features and a unique docking station for transforming into a bedside clock, movie player or digital picture fram. Its 16:9 high-resolution, widescreen frame is ideal for watching Web clips or downloaded videos, and a DVD quality video recorder features one-touch playback and YouTube upload over 3G WiFi. A built-in 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash has the capabilities of a dedicated digital camera thanks for extras like Auto Focus and zoom. Users can store up to 16GB of content on-board or insert a memory card for up to 32GB.

Droid intelligent plug ins enable the phone to remember what you downloaded and is smart enough to access what you like best even when the app isn't open. You can also discover thousands of apps and widgets from Android Market and even those that have been optimized for your phone at the Motorola Applications Store.

Droid is targeted at users who seek to communicate success and connect to their world. Living at a fast pace, taking risks and embracing change, Droid users are more likely to have and be excited by the latest technology, and are willing to try advanced handsets and new mobile applications, particularly those that help them manage their fast-paced lives. Droid is for consumers looking for an ultimate web browsing experience.

Droid is one of the first devices built with Android 2.0 and is packed with premium specs, and allows you to enjoy the web the way you've always wanted to with its large screen coupled with the power of the new Google 2.0. Droid is the thinnest Qwerty-slider on the market (13.7mm) with full-touch, wide-screen, high-res, brilliant 3.7" display and dedicated browsing keys on the Qwerty keypad.

Motorola Droid sets a new standard for the smart phone. The power of Web search takes on a whole new meaning, going deep into your phone and all of your applications. Motorola Droid takes the search that Google is known for to the entire phone. Type or speak your search with voice command, and not only will you get results from the web, but also anything you have on your phone contacts, music, photos, applications and more. Not more digging into menus and contacts to find what you need, it's all available from the home screen. Let work and life co-exist in harmony with work and personal email pushed diretly to you.

Motorola Droid will be available 12/1/2009 in North America, exclusively on Verizon Wireless.

Motorola Karma Review

The Motorola Karma QA1 keeps the conversation going with multiple ways to stay connected on your terms. IM-style texting with an all-in-one view of messages and easy scroll navigation helps you keep track of conversations and stay organized. Take your social status to the next level by sending instant messages to multiple friends at once using popular services like Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. Social networking addicts can add Facebook and MySpace quick launch icons to the home screen for one-click access, and updating your status, sharing a comment or posting pictures and video from the Karma's built-in camera is a breeze.

The 2-megapixel camera on the back includes an LED flash and offers video capture capabilities. The phone has a 2.5-inch LCD screen with a 320 x 240-pixel resolution and excellent 262K color depth--great for reviewing photos before uploading. The face has a 4-way navigation pad with center select key that's surrounded by send/end keys, soft navigation keys, a back button and a dedicated messaging button. The face then smoothly slides up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. The phone has a 100 MB user accessible memory, which can be expanded via optional MicroSD memory cards (up to 16 GB in size). The internal phonebook supports multiple phone numbers per contact and supports caller groups as well as picture/ringer ID.

This Motorola phone includes the innovative CrystalTalk technology, which automatically accounts for background noise during a call and adjusts the audio quality based on ambient noise conditions to provide the optimal conversational experience. CrystalTalk also reduces the volume of the background noise picked up by the microphone during a call, making it possible to be more easily heard over the phone while in a noisy environment.

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server (additional charges or subscription applicable).

The 2-megapixel camera includes an LED flash and up to 8x digital zoom (depending on resolution selection), and it also captures video clips. In addition to a digital audio player (compatible with MP3, WMA, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+), the phone also offers a video player that's compatible with MPEG4 and H.263 video formats. You'll enjoy the 3.5mm headphone jack for use with a wide range of headphones.

Motorola Sholes

Motorola Sholes is the latest Android phone that has been designed for Verizon Wireless. There have been many speculations made about the specifications of the Motorola Sholes but not much information is available as of now. There are very few facts that we actually know about this phone and we are going to enumerate on those in this review. Regarding the design and outlook of the phone, there are a few images available on the internet, which throw some light the external features of the Motorola Sholes. The exterior is black and most probably there are no more color variants as the design is basically very professional and generally meant for business users. The phone slides up horizontally to reveal the QWERTY keyboard. The keys are distantly spaced and are raised which makes typing easy. The Motorola Sholes also has a huge touch screen which not only looks impressive but feels and works efficiently as well.

This phone forms the second generation of Android phones and will be the most sophisticated and the most efficient Android phone to come out in the market since the first generation of Android devices that were launched before this. The phone is meant for users who are technically aware and require all the extensive features that the Motorola Sholes has to offer. This phone is not essentially meant for personal entertainment as the phone has been designed keeping in mind all the need of technical and business users. However, this does not mean that the phone is not user friendly and cannot be used by people who may not need all that this Android phone has to offer. This phone works like any other normal phone if you want to use it like one. It can however, double up as your sophisticated technological partner as well in case you need the phone for that purpose.

So basically, although the phone is directed towards business users it is suitable for almost all users falling in any category. Though a lot of facts are not clearly known about the Motorola Sholes, it is believed that the phone will use the TI OMAP3430 processor which has been around for quite a while and is therefore trustworthy. Also, since the processor is not absolutely new, it can easily be mass produced. This means that it is not only easily available but also quite affordable which means that the phone price will also not shoot up too much. This means that the Sholes will have a 600 MHz CPU and a PowerVR SGX 530 GPU. This provides the phone with enough capacity to work fast and quick and very efficiently as well. Since the phone will be packed with Éclair 2.0, it will have great gaming capabilities and provide brilliant gaming experiences to avid gamers. In spite of all these features, the price may remain as low as 199 dollars which is a great advantage for the Motorola Sholes as that will widen its market at times when the competition is fierce.

Apple Tablet Review

Apple Tablet

Multiple independent reports have described the tablet's appearance as a 10- to 11-inch iPhone or iPod Touch. (AppleInsider's sources describe the tablet as "a first-generation iPhone that's met its match with a rolling pin.")

The tablet, many have reported, will serve as a slate-like substitute for magazines, newspapers and books, while also offering the general-purpose functions seen in the iPhone, such as gaming, viewing photos, web surfing and using apps.

A recent report from The Wall Street Journal adds that Apple will market the tablet as a product that can be shared among multiple people at home or in classrooms, thanks to its bigger screen.

A few reports have claimed the tablet will sport a 10-inch OLED touchscreen, which would be great for reading books. But there aren't many of these displays on the market, and they would also cost Apple about $400 apiece.

A 10-inch LCD touchscreen, on the other hand, would cost Apple $60 much more in line with the expected $1,000 price tag.

The true mystery about the tablet lies in its software and user interface. Simply expanding the iPhone OS to fit a larger screen can't be the whole story.

We expect a tablet interface that strives to appeal to everyone, like the iPhone OS does with its 3.5-inch screen, SpringBoard user interface and fingertip-sized icons.

The ergonomics of text entry will especially be challenging on a device that size.

People briefed on the product say it will incorporate a virtual keyboard. But if the tablet is going to serve as an alternative to a notebook or netbook, an ordinary virtual QWERTY isn't going to cut it.

We're predicting Apple will incorporate new multitouch gestures, and maybe even the accelerometer, to trigger functions of the traditional QWERTY keyboard.

Imagine if pressing two fingers down anywhere triggered the Shift key, for example. And to add a wild guess, we think Apple will expand on the voice-recognition feature seen in the iPhone 3GS, to augment text entry.

Still, no one outside Apple's tablet team has a solid idea of what the tablet's interface will be like. The only minuscule clue is a quote from a recently departed Apple employee who told New York Times' Nick Bilton, "You will be very surprised how you interact with the new tablet."

If it's taken Apple this long to figure it out, I'm sure we will be. But we do expect the tablet's operating system to share some of the same DNA as the iPhone OS.

Indeed, the iPhone reportedly contains some elements of an older, shelved Apple tablet project.

Price tag?

All we've heard are guesses from analysts, some who claim the tablet will cost as much as $1,000 including carrier subsidy.

We estimate the tablet should cost between $700 and $1,000, placing it somewhere in between an iPhone and a MacBook.

There are a few scant rumors claiming the tablet will be carried by Verizon, but none seems substantive enough to bet money on. There's too little information out there about the carrier to make any reasonable predictions.

In summary:

- A 10- to 11-inch tablet,

- somewhat resembling the iPhone hardware,

- running a substantially expanded version of the iPhone OS,

- probably called iSlate,

- with a new, non-QWERTY interface,

- possibly available in two versions, LCD and OLED,

- with Wi-Fi and 3G data connections.

Motorola Milestone Review

Motorola Milestone is the latest Android 2.0 powered powered phone which is the world’s thinnest, QWERTY slider with 3.7” multi-touch & pinch display.

Designed to deliver Android without compromise, Motorola MILESTONE is a blend of form and function that offers the thinnest QWERTY slider on the market (13.7mm) and a hi-resolution, multi-touch and pinch display with twice the pixels of the leading competitor.

For users who want the ultimate smart phone experience, MILESTONE offers the ability to use multiple applications at the same time, effortless multi-touch pinch and zoom browsing, and cinematic navigation through music, videos and maps of the world.

Features include an enriched Web experience, enhanced navigation features and access to thousands of apps and widgets from Android Market™. A suite of Google™ applications including Google Maps™ with Latitude™, Google Mail™ and YouTube™ are also integrated onto the device.

“MILESTONE is a smart phone without compromise, delivering a wiser, richer web and messaging experience. This is possible through the combination of Motorola’s expertise in design and a truly differentiated Android experience,” said Ralf Gerbershagen, vice president and general manager of Motorola Western Europe.

“In MILESTONE, form and function align to offer a clearer, more brilliant widescreen for enjoyable pinch and zoom Web browsing, the thinnest slider keyboard for messaging and push email that syncs both work and personal accounts, and a range of entertainment features including DVD quality video playback.”

Key features include:
• World’s thinnest QWERTY slider at just 13.7mm
• 3.7” widescreen display with 854 pixel width and more than 400,000 total pixels (more than twice the leading competitor)
• Pinch & zoom and double tap features
• 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash
• Motorola Media Link and Motorola Phone Portal to manage and share media content across desktop, phone and the Web
• Stereo Bluetooth®
• 3.5mm headset jack
• CrystalTalk™ Plus for superior talk quality

Additional features and apps include:
• Full suite of the Google applications: Google Maps with Latitude, Google Talk™, Google Mail, YouTube
• Unified Google and Microsoft Office Contacts
• Navigation: GPS, MOTONAV * turn-by-turn navigation, Google Maps, E-Compass Latitude
• Email Support: IMAP and POP, Google Mail
• IM Support: Google Talk
• Calendar: Exchange, Calendar

Motorola Shadow Review

Whether you call it the Motorola Shadow, Phantom or the Mirage, rumours abound that Motorola’s upcoming high-end handset will actually be the Google Nexus Two; so let’s take a closer look at the specs and pics that have surfaced so far.

According to new information over at Mobile01.com the handset will come packing some impressive features that includes serious screen-acreage with a 4.3-inch 854×480 pixel WVGA capacitive touchscreen display.

From the look of the leaked images the Shadow/Nexus Two will come in a super-svelte frame, reportedly only 9mm thick, however, this seems unlikely given that there’s clearly a sliding Qwerty keyboard tucked away under that expansive screen.

Other suggested specs include a fully-featured 8-megapixel snapper with 1080p video capture capability.

It’s suggested that the handset will arrive in the first half of this year running Android 2.0/2.1, though if its in the latter part of this time frame we’d expect it to run Android 2.1, at least.

Current internet chattering pits the Shadow as the Nexus Two, but we can’t really see why at the moment. Sure, the Nexus Two is said to come packing a sliding-Qwerty, and so is the Shadow; but that’s about as far as it goes.

With few certainties to the situation all we can do is wait to see what Motorola and Google have to say about the “mysterious” Shadow/Phantom/Nexus Two handset.

LG GW990 Review

LG recently introduced a huge new smartphone—the GW990, the first phone built on Intel's Moorestown platform, using Intel's Moblin Linux operating system.

First thing that comes into mind, the GW990 is huge. It's a thick brick with a 4.8-inch, 1024-by-480 display that's positively gorgeous. The phone strains the concept of "pocketable." Intel's chips have been criticized for not lending themselves to lightweight or slim devices, and the GW990 doesn't do much to dispel that idea.

The GW990 gets about 4 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby on its 1850 mAh battery. It has a 5-megapixel camera on the back; so far, so normal.

But it runs a unique operating system: Intel's Moblin, a Linux variant whose interface is a bit similar to Android. There's very little in the way of a developer community so far for Moblin, which has been Intel's showcase OS for mobile internet devices. LG execs at the show said they're working on getting third-party applications written for the GW990, but they know it might be tough until more Moblin devices hit the market.

LG has enhanced Moblin with its S-Class user interface, which has big, colorful lines of icons and some 3D effects. For instance, you can flip through contacts or photos like on a Rolodex. Parts of S-Class have also appeared on the 1 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered LG Expo for AT&T, a Windows Mobile smartphone. So it's clear that LG is trying to give their various smartphones a consistent interface, no matter what OS they're running.

Moblin multitasks beautifully on the Intel Atom CPU. Yes, it's basically using a laptop-class CPU, in some ways similar to the one in the laptop I've been writing my CES coverage on. I watched a movie playing at the same time as the demonstrator edited a text message and checked his calendar.

Google Nexus One Review

According to John Paczkowski over on Digital Daily, Google has summoned the masses to it's world headquarters on Jan 5th for an "Android Press Gathering." This is presumably for an official unveiling of their highly regarded mobile handset, dubbed "Nexus One."

Paczkowski believes by scheduling the release right before CES (which starts on Jan 7th), Google is taking a page out of Apple's playbook. They announced the original iPhone right before the 2007 show, and stole the thunder from the rest of the electronics industry.

Ever since pictures of the phone leaked right before Christmas, the Nexus One has captured the imagination of gadget geeks everywhere, with hopes that the folks over at Mountain View would change the smartphone game for the better. Many are openly voicing their desire for Google to release the phone "unlocked", which means that it wouldn't be tied to a particular carrier. They are also clamoring for a low price, (possibly at cost-around $200) something Google could consider in order to promote the Android operating system. The combination of carrier freedom plus low price would then foster healthy competition in the smartphone business, breaking Apple's and ATT's hold on the top spot in the market.

Well, if the reports that hit the net yesterday can be believed, then at least part of that dream will come true. According to many sources, the Nexus One will be sold directly by Google, both unlocked and with a plan offered by T-Mobile. But like the iPhone plans at AT&T, the T-Mobile plan seems to be quite inflexible, with users looking to purchase the phone through them being forced to give up their current plans for an $80 Nexus One plan. But unlike the AT&T iPhone plans, there would no family plan option provided.

As far as Google flooding the market with cheap, unlocked, iPhone killers, that turns out to be something of a dream. Reports place the price of the non-subsidized version around $550. Of course all of this could be speculation, or the plan could be tweaked by the time the announcement is made on January 5th. I guess we'll all just have to wait and see.

Nokia 5730 XpressMusic, Review, Features And Other Stuff

Manufacturers::
Nokia
Model::
5730

Weight::
135 G
Dimensions::
112 x 51 x 15.4 mm
Talk-Time::
5 hrs
Standby Time::
300 hrs
Features:

- Nokia Say and Play (voice control to music player)
- MP3/MP4/eAAC+/WMA player
- Voice memo
- T9






Everyone who touched Nokia's last XpressMusic phone, the 5800, said the same thing: does this thing slide out? It seems to exude a slidey-ness, but it doesn't back it up by actually having a slide-out keyboard.

Now that yearning will be satisfied, thanks to the launch of the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic, Nokia's first music phone with a full Qwerty keyboard. If you've ever fancied the emailing talents of the E75 but couldn't stand its pinstripe-suited looks, the 5730 might be right up your boho street.

Thankfully for a music phone, the 5730 will have a standard 3.5mm headphone jack for your phat cans, and an advertised 25 hours of music-playing battery life.

It will also be pre-loaded with N-Gage games, and has dedicated gaming keys for playing in landscape mode.

An 8GB microSD card is included, which you can pack full of photos from the 3.2-megapixel camera and subscription-free music from Nokia's Comes With Music service.

But despite all this shiny goodness, all anyone could talk about at today's press launch was the upcoming N97.

"It's like s*x in your hand," said a Nokia product manager. Which sounds kind of sad and lonely to us, but maybe it's good if you're spending the winter in Espoo, where apparently sex is a swear word.

The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic should drop in the third quarter of 2009 for around €280 (£260).

Nokia 6600i Slide

Manufacturers::
Nokia
Model::
E71
Weight::
127 g
Dimensions::
114 x 57 x 10 mm

Talk-Time::
10.5 hrs
Standby Time:: 480 hrs

Features:

3G HSDPA Technology

WLAN Wi-Fi Technology

Voice Over IP Internet Call

Full QWERTY Keyboard & NaviTM Key

FM Radio RDS

The style of the Nokia E71 3G Smartphone is solid & slim with a full QWERTY keyboard situated below the high resolution screen. The handset comes in a stylish solid casing which is available in either a white steel coloured casing or a grey steel coloured casing. The screen is large which measures 2.3 Inches when measures diagonally & provides up to 16 million colours on a QVGA type display. Below the screen the user will find a NaviTM key for smoothly navigating through menus & the full QWERTY keyboard for an easy to use text input method. The E71 comes with a handset lock feature & a remote lock to prevent the user activating any buttons when the handset is not in use. The overall size of the casing is very slim for a 3G Smartphone which measures 10mm in depth, 57mm in width by 114mm in height & its overall weight is 127 grams. You can enjoy high speed Internet connectivity & Internet features on this Internet focused Smartphone which allows the user to browse the Web like they would do on their home or office PC. The E71 supports XHTML & HTML Web browsing complete with a Nokia mini maps feature.

Motorola Motosurf MC55, Reviews, Description, Features

Manufacturers:: Motorola
Model:: MC 55
Weight:: 336 g
Announced:: 2009, March
Dimensions:: 152 x 77 x 27 mm
Talk-Time:: 9 min
Standby Time:: 150 h
Features:::
- Shock resistant
- Drop-to-concrete resistance up to 1.2m
- Operating temperature -10C to 50C
- Push-to-talk service
- Snap-on magnetic stripe reader





Motorola introduced the MC55 EDA. EDA stands for "Enterprise Digital Assistant" and describes Motorola's intent to provide a small, yet tough and durable device that serves different workers in different environments in a variety of functions. In essence, the MC55 combines a cell phone, a bar code scanner, a camera, a walkie talkie and a mobile computer all into one small and handy device.

The MC55 is an addition to a line of ruggedized PDAs that started when Symbol Technologies (now part of Motorola) first offered an industrial, scanner-equipped version of the then enormously popular Palm III (see Symbol SPT 1550) in 1998 or so. Symbol then began offering industrial and enterprise-class Microsoft Windows CE-based Pocket PCs like the PPT 2700. From that emerged a class of small enterprise handheld computers geared towards communications and data capture requirements of mobile workers that had its start in the Symbol MC50 that received Pen Computing Magazine's Editor's Choice award in 2005. Today's lineup of Motorola Enterprise Digital Assistances includes the small MC35, the newly introduced MC55, and the top-of-the-line MC75:

Above: Motorola's Enterprise Digital Assistants MC35, MC55, and MC75

Where does the MC55 fit in? It is for workers who need something more rugged than the smallish MC35 with its 2.8-inch display but somewhat less costly than the no-holds-barred MC75 with its 3G/3.5G communications options and full VGA display.

Like Symbol's original MC50, the new MC55 comes in two versions that are quite different. The 5590 model is designed for workers "inside the four walls" whereas the 5574 model is designed for "outside four wall" use and therefore includes GSM/GPRS/EDGE voice/data communication capabilities. The "outdoor" 5574 also has a 44-key full QWERTY thumb-type keyboard whereas the "indoor" 5590 makes do with a 26-key phone-style keypad.

Both models run Windows Mobile 6.1 on the 520MHz version of the Marvell PXA270 processor, both have 128MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM, and both offer the same connectivity and expansion (microSD slot, USB, docking). Both have integrated 802.11a/b/g WiFi and Class II Bluetooth and both have a 2-megapixel camera. In terms of size and weight, the 5574s antenna adds a little bit of length, but both measure about 6 x 3 inches and are just over an inch thick. They weigh about 12 ounces. This makes the MC55 significantly larger and heavier than a modern smartphone, but it's still handy and able to fit into most pockets. The touchscreen display measures 3.5 inches diagonally and has an LED backlight. Both EDAs are VoIP-enabled, offering Push-To-Talk as well as soft phone client support and integration with already installed IP PBXs.

The MC55 is well equipped for data capture. Depending on the intended application, there are four possible data capture configurations: 1D laser scanner, 2D imager, 1D laser plus camera, and 2D imager plus camera. The 1D laser is Symbol's popular SE950, the 2D imager uses the SE4400 engine. An optional snap-on magnetic card reader is also available.

For communication, the "outdoor" MC5574 includes 2.5G quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and can therefore function as a standard cellphone as well as a wide area data communication device. The MC5574 also includes an integrated SiRFstarIII-based GPS.

In terms of ruggedness, the MC55 is far tougher than any commercial market PDA. It can handle 4-foot drops, is sealed to IP54 specifications where the "5" means it's protected against dust intrusion, and the "4" that it is protected against water spray from all directions. The operating temperature range is a a wide 14 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Motorola also quotes a "tumble spec" where the devices survive 250 1.6 foot tumbles.

One interesting detail about the MC55 is that it uses a glass-on-glass resistive touchscreen. This means that the top surface of the touchscreen is flexible "microglass" (typically 0.1 mm thick) rather than PET plastic, which makes it much more durable. The main market for glass-on-glass touchscreens today is in cars.

The MC55 comes standard with a 3.7V/2,400mAH Li-Ion battery. An extended 3,600mAH version is also available. Motorola lists a talk time of six hours and 100 hours standby for the standard battery.

In our conversation with representatives of Motorola's Enterprise Mobility business, Steve Schmid, Senior Director of Product Marketing, stated that Enterprise Digital Asistants such as the MC55 are meant to fill the gap between consumer PDAs and industrial devices. They also answer enterprise customers' need for longer product lifecycles. The specific goal with the new MC55 was to fill in a gap in Motorola's mobility platform architecture where the new machine serves as the mid-range, size-optimized offering. The MC55 is a cross-over product that's both sleek and rugged, serves as an advanced data capture device, and also offers robust voice and data communication.

Overall, the MC55 packs a lot of functionality (PDA, phone, walkie-talkie, data communication, GPS, scanning) into a single and fairly compact Windows Mobile handheld. At a price that's significantly less than the top-of-the-line MC75, the MC55 is suitable for a very wide range of vertical and enterprise applications. Make sure you're clear on the difference between the 5574 and 5590 models. The 5574 has GPS and phone/wide area data capability and a QWERTY keyboard whereas the 5590 does not have GPS or any wireless WAN voice and data and uses a phone-style keypad. It can get a bit confusing there

Big Push By LG

2010 is the goal year that Korean handset maker LG has set for itself to gain an edge over the competition and to land in the “Top 3” of all global handset makers. Right now Motorola is in that number three spot but LG believes it will only take a couple of years to move ahead of Motorola. LG has seen significant growth due to recent high sales of touchscreen phones, something that should get an added boost with the upcoming release of the LG Renoir, the company’s first 8-megapixel touchscreen camera phone.