December 23rd, 2009 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Sony Ericsson
The newest Sony Ericsson mobile phone, the Sony Ericsson C903, does two things really well – takes pictures and has a superb GPS. The question is, are those important enough for a user to adopt it as their new handset?
Closed, and from the back, the C903 actually looks like a compact digital camera rather than a phone. Whilst that might seem good, it will be a little too small for large hands. But once a user starts, it’s a pleasure to handle, taking very clear pictures, and having some photo editing capability right on board, as well as Best Pic, which is already hard at work saving images before you even click the button. Using video – and even being able to zoom while shooting – is just as easy.
One of the joys of mobile phone pictures is uploading them to the web, and the Sony Ericsson C903 handles that well via 3.5G. Sadly, however, there’s no Wi-Fi
The other joy is the GPS, which is powered by the ever-excellent Google Maps, but also features Near Me, letting users see nearby businesses – handy if you’re somewhere unfamiliar and in need of food, shelter or entertainment. That function will eat into the data allowance though, so beware of overuse.
The keypad looks good, but isn’t all it seems, as it’s all too easy to misdial and type out bad texts due to the positioning and response of the keys themselves – an area in need of great improvement.
What it does, it does very well. But the big question is how many people will be convinced?
December 21st, 2009 | Camera Phones, LG, Mobile Phone Reviews, Touchscreen
LG did well with the Viewty smartphone, and it aims to do even better with its successor, the Viewty Smart GC900. It’s a tough act to follow, but the company has made changes for this latest mobile phone. So how does this new handset fare?
In theory, at least, the Viewty Smart GC900 sounds very tasty. It boasts an eight megapixel camera, a good size three-inch touchscreen, 3.5G and Wi-Fi. Mobile phone reviews have been generous in their praise of the capacitive screen, which is sensitive to the lightest touch.
The features of the camera are among the mobile phone’s strongest points, able to take rapid-fire shots, with adjustments for lighting conditions, and straightforward between the macro and normal modes. Like its predecessor, it’s also good with video, even slow motion.
The Wi-Fi and 3.5G mean very fast connections for browsing, uploading and downloading. The screen is very efficient, and navigation is exceptionally easy. So what’s the downside?
Perhaps surprisingly, the camera is one of the worst offenders. It promises a lot, but the picture quality just doesn’t deliver. The onscreen QWERTY keyboard is remarkably slow (the same is true for the onscreen phone keypad), making for an annoying experience when typing.
Remarkably, although this is a failure that’s all too common even in the newest mobile phones, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack for listening to music.
So it’s a bit of a curate’s egg – good in parts. The touchscreen is a dream, but elsewhere LG needs to do more work on this model to make it really deliver for consumers. As it stands, the experience falls far short of what it could be.
December 18th, 2009 | Broadband, Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is becoming incredibly popular, mainly due to the flexibility of where it can be used. In addition, there are currently a great number of deals to be had. However, is it better to go for a deal that includes only a dongle or is it better to include a laptop in your plan?
The first issue to consider when comparing dongle and laptop deals is the price. Whilst you may appear be getting a ‘free’ laptop, you will inevitably find yourself paying more, in the long run, in order to cover its cost. Therefore, it may be worth considering saving up the money first and buying a laptop outright before purchasing a mobile broadband contract.
Remember, dongle alone deals can cost anything from £10 to £20 less each month than a laptop inclusive deal.
However, it is inevitable that a laptop and its software will not last forever and many mobile broadband providers will offer an upgrade at the end of each set contract. This allows users to keep up to date with their systems and covers any potential repairs in the future.
Nevertheless, many stores that sell laptops also offer competitive insurance deals that will cover all maintenance and repairs for your laptop. Therefore, it would definitely be worth looking around and comparing deals.
Consider whether you even need a laptop or if the PC or laptop that you already own will be sufficient for your needs. At the end of the day, it is primarily a personal choice, so never let providers push anything on you.
December 17th, 2009 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Nokia
Available in both metallic black and shiny purple, the Nokia 6600 Fold is a Nokia mobile phone that looks good, indeed, but isn’t going to be a choice for anyone seeking a lot of features on a mobile phone. It does some things well, but is very limited in its offerings – in other words, it’s most definitely a mobile phone and nothing more.
The exterior screen is purely informational, letting a user know the time, signal strength and battery life of this quad band phone. Open it up and you reach the main screen, which is fair, but really nothing special, with reasonable clarity, and the easy navigation you’d expect from Nokia.
What does impress on this phone is the keypad, which is very large and set up for texting, right down to a different colour for the middle keys, making identification easy on the eyes.
But that, and the fact the phone is equipped with 3G for fast browsing, is as far as it goes. The camera is a miserly two megapixels, nothing to set the world on fire, with only average picture clarity, and there’s no Wi-Fi, no GPS, and, of course, no 3.5mm headphone jack. In other words, this is a pretty basic phone.
As flip phones go, this is wonderful to look at, and if all you want is a mobile phone that does the basics, but does them well, then this is a model to seriously consider. Anyone wanting more than that will be searching elsewhere.
December 16th, 2009 | Broadband, Mobile Broadband, Wireless Devices
As some broadband packages offer unlimited access they come with a fair usage policy. This basically means that those who download excessive amounts of content may be capped, so as to not adversely affect other users. The user who downloads what is considered to be an above average amount of data will receive an e-mail suggesting that their usage be curbed. One of the biggest drains on broadband usage is the BBCi player, which is becoming ever more popular.
If you have a broadband package that only offers limited access then you should keep yourself aware of how much is used. There shouldn’t be a problem if you keep track of usage before each payment goes out, details of which can usually be found on the broadband provider’s website.
Connecting to the Internet can also be achieved wirelessly, with the use of a dongle, which is simply a USB device that connects to a computer and provides the user with mobile Internet access. The actual amount of access depends on the size of the dongle. Problems could arise when using a dongle with a wireless router, which is designed to enable more than one computer to connect to the Internet at any one time. This is fine if the dongle has a decent storage capacity, for instance one with a storage space of 15Gb. However, you will still have to make fairly regular checks on usage, for your own peace of mind.
December 12th, 2009 | Blackberry, Mobile Phone Reviews, Touchscreen
The Blackberry Storm 2 9520 is the phone a lot of people have been waiting to buy. After all, Blackberry is one of the leading smartphone names, and this promises a lot with its new operating system and touch screen. Ultimately, though, does it deliver a very different experience from its predecessors?
The answer is yes, it does, and in a very big way. What users will primarily notice is the new touch screen, where touching – even typing – is just like pressing a button, even down to the response the finger feels. That’s different, but feels very natural. It makes typing on the onscreen keyboard a satisfying experience, while an auto correct feature makes everything smooth.
So what else is new on the Blackberry Storm 2 9520? With Wi-Fi and GPS, there are more features, and the styling is simpler and sleeker, leaving it feeling much better and more natural in the hand. There’s 256MB of flash memory (twice as much as the previous model), and users can add up to 2GB more. That’s not a great deal, but it is fine for business professionals, Blackberry’s main market.
Although it’s packed with improvements, there is still more that could have been achieved, primarily on the touchscreen, which still requires a double tap to zoom; borrowing Apple’s pinch-to-zoom technique would have been much better.
That said, RIM has taken some massive strides with this handset. Although most users won’t give much thought to the new version of the Blackberry operating system that powers it all, it makes a huge difference. This handset is a real contender.
December 10th, 2009 | Google Android, Mobile Phone Reviews, Motorola Mobile Phones, Touchscreen
It’s been a long time, far too long in fact, since Motorola released a handset that really had people excited. But there’s plenty of anticipation for this handset that’s powered by Google’s Android operating system, and the company is obviously hoping it will be one of the big new mobile phones, and one that put them back among the big boys.
Can it do that, though? The answer, sadly, is probably not. It has a great screen, but on initial view, that’s the best that can be said. The QWERTY keyboard is flat and cramped, making typing on it a chore rather than a joy and bringing plenty of typos, and meaning the onscreen keyboard is a far better choice for typing, while the design of the phone itself is boxy and old fashioned, but not in a comfortably fashionable retro kind of way.
On the plus side, the handset offers very good battery life – it will last a full work day – and the brightness of the screen far outshines its competition. Since it uses Google, all the basics work flawlessly, even if the design of the menu screen leaves a lot to be desired.
In the US the unit will be using Google Navigation, much lauded in many mobile phone reviews. Sadly, Europe won’t have that option, relegated instead to Motorola’s inferior Motonav – which is an opportunity missed.
So, can the Motorola Milestone put Motorola back on track and prove a significant entry in the smartphone market? The answer, unfortunately, seems to be no.
December 9th, 2009 | Broadband, Mobile Broadband, Wireless Devices, mobile technology
Mobile broadband allows users to surf the net using a high-speed connection through a portable device. This could be a mobile phone, but these days, it is more likely to take the form of a dongle, which is a device that attaches either to the users PC or into a wireless, WiFi, router.
Mobile broadband is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways of getting onto the Internet in the United Kingdom. There are a number of reasons as to why this could be; first of all, because mobile broadband is powered by a portable device, it means that it can be used pretty much anywhere, whether that’s in the users home, at school, at work, in the library or even on holiday. Simply put, it means that no matter where they you are, you will always be able to get online, as long as you have access to a computer.
Another reason why mobile broadband is so popular is because as mobile phones have so many “free texts and calls,” far fewer people are relying on landline phones; in fact many people do not have them at all. However, to purchase a typical broadband connection, usually through wires into your home, most companies require the user to already have a landline. As a result, mobile broadband is potentially the only option available for those who really do not want a landline.
Mobile broadband is also ideal for individuals who live in more remote areas that are not suitably equipped for cable-based broadband.
December 6th, 2009 | HTC, Mobile Phone Reviews, Mobile Phones, Touchscreen
The HTC HD2 is HTC’s newest entry in the smartphone market, and it definitely stands out among the latest mobile phones using the Windows 6.5 operating system, in large part because HTC has put its own Sense UI over the top, so users will rarely get a glimpse of what’s under the bonnet.
The screen is an exceedingly generous 4.3 inches, with a 480 x 800 display, bringing plenty of sharp colours and excellent resolution. However, in spite of that it’s very thin at just 11mm, so fits quite easily in the pocket or bag, with clean lines; it is also rubberised at both the top and bottom.
But the real interest is in what it can do, and it builds on other HTC mobile phones to offer an excellent experience. There are three front buttons (home, Windows, and back), with a volume control on the side and a 3.5mm jack and microUSB connector on the bottom; all the actions happens on the screen, and it’s set up so there’s immediate Wi-Fi and social networking access. The best innovation is the shortcut bar at the bottom of the screen, which lets the user navigate rapidly and easily, although the home screen also contains three shortcut icons. Finding contacts is a snap, and users can integrate Outlook contacts with Facebook friends.
All in all, with the HTC HD2, the company has made Windows 6.5 into something joyous to use, not the difficult experience so many have encountered. Three onscreen keyboard options (full QWERTY, compact QWERTY, and typical mobile phone) make typing easy, as does good predictive text and spell check.
December 3rd, 2009 | Camera Phones, Mobile Phones, Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson has established an enviable reputation as a company that blends music and mobile phones well, and their new mobile phone, the Sony Ericsson W910i, carries on that tradition, but also upends it a little.
That’s due to the new browsing system on Sony Ericsson mobile phones, called SensMe, which offers a completely different type of music browsing experience. Forget going by artist, album, or genre; instead SensMe sorts music by tempo and mood. Whether that’s good or bad depends on the user, of course, but it’s unusual and the company obviously believes in it; it’s now standard on all Sony Ericsson Walkman mobile phones.
The sound is every bit as good as on previous models (virtually all music file formats are supported), possibly even better, with a loudspeaker built in, and the trademark Megbass equaliser on board, letting listeners customise the sound a little. Those are both good things, but the company does fall down on a couple of essentials. There’s an adapter, but no 3.5mm headphone jack, which seems a grave omission on such a serious music phone. Perhaps even worse is the fact that there’s just not enough memory to store a great deal of music, certainly not enough to satisfy anyone who’d be a likely purchaser.
The camera is very much of an afterthought of the Sony Ericsson W910i, weighing in at a very scant two megapixels, and lacking even autofocus. Although there are plenty of positives about this handset, it’s far from being everything it could have been, and that’s a shame. Better next time, perhaps?
