LG is the new Nokia, or at least keeping up with Nokia in terms of introducing new mobile phones in the market. After the release of its Prada II and KC780 welcomes the LG Arena KM900, another of those touch-screen handsets, but it features a 3D user interface which has never existed in other mobile phones. LG’s latest also plays DiVx and Xvid videos to be catered by the 8GB built-in memory that can be expanded through the SDHC-compatible microSD card slot.
Measuring at 105.9mm x 55.3mm x 11.95mm thick and weighing at 105 grams, the LG Arena is a good-sized phone although it is too light that some may suspect that it is a cheaper handset (which is actually in the contrary). There are almost no side buttons except for the camera button and a volume rocker and the on/off switch on top. A sliding cover protects the power connector, which is also keeps the phone from absorbing dust. There is also a 3.5mm headset connector on the top edge. The LG Arena gives a kick-off design with mercury grey titanium backplate and a silver outer frame and black inner frame. It also features a fingermark magnet glass covering, but adds extra durability to the phone.
Generally, the Arena almost has the same look and feel compared to most full-face touchscreens (read: iTouch). It features a 3-inch screen with 480 x 800 pixels. Call and End/back buttons and a button that calls up the 3D user interface are beneath it.
Talking of 3D, this is the biggest buzz on this LG gadget, which is a victim of high expectations. Press the center button and a cube pops up in the middle of the screen that represents four home screens: shortcuts screen for the nine most used apps, a multimedia screen, a contacts screen and a customizable widgets screen. Tap a screen and it animates up into a full screen. A word like “3D” is a little heavy sounding feature in that LG’s attempt to showcase through a meager flicking cube is a little disappointing and anti-climactic.
Type texts and dial numbers using either the QWERTY keypad (in landscape) the mobile phone layout in portrait mode. Using the QWERTY is a little struggle. It also included an accelerometer for automatically changing the view according the way you hold the phone.
Connectivity options are promising for the Arena. It has 3G with HSDPA to 7.2Mbps. It has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS as well. The camera in front is designed for two-way video calling. Browsing on the large screen is easy with full page rendering, finger panning and pinch zooming possible. It is also equipped with TV-out capability.
Other impressive features in the Arena are music playback from Dolby Mobile, 5MP camera and software like Google Maps, G-mail, YouTube and Blogger, LG’s M-Toy tool, Movie Maker, alarms, a calendar, memo pad, stopwatch, voice recorder, calculator, world clock and unit converter.
If you have nothing else to do but lust after the HTC Touch HD but doesn’t have enough bills in the wallet (or not brave enough to your credit card, or your dad’s) then HTC made something especially for dreamers, not in bad way – the HTC Touch Viva. Of course, when we say that a phone fell in a budget conscious paradise, it has to sacrifice something and this time it’s the GPS and 3G. Don’t frown and let’s step back through the years, I bet you’ve lived the life without these perks, right? So let’s move on.
Don’t expect that the screen in the HTC Touch Viva is as flush as the other more expensive members of its family tree, but it’s considerably topnotch. It has an ordinary touchscreen that is responsive to finger presses; no need to add extra pressure with those pinkies. Despite the screen is a little small, the text and graphics remain bright and sharp.
On the back of the handset is the 2MP camera slightly hidden in a small recess probably to avoid any scratches when the phone is inside the pocket. The camera lacks auto-focus and flash, making its camera not recommended for night shots. It also develops a good deal of digital noise in low light.
Another problem arises in the music section, with the standard 3.5mm headphone jack sacrificed for a mini USB port for audio output. The same port is also used for syncing and charging the device, so it means that you can’t listen to your favorite while it’s charging o syncing data with your PC. The biggest surprise (or shock!) is that headphones aren’t included in the package. You have to buy them separately from the HTC accessories.
A little redeeming value for the HTC Touch Viva’s succession of turn-offs is the TouchFlo interface which offers finger-friendly access to most of the phone’s key features. Moving between functions such as text messaging, music player and Internet browser can easily be done with a finger running across a row of icons at the bottom of the screen.
Applications in the HTC Touch Viva include a dedicated viewer for YouTube, a handy RSS news reader and the Opera web browser, which makes browsing to websites much easier. It also includes preinstalled Google Maps, but the weird thing is the lack of GPS, a big moniker actually. The lack of 3G also means giving all the downloading tasks to EDGE which is only good for receiving emails, but definitely not for surfing.
We must not be oddly get dismayed with this metallic fella, as it still remains a phone, perfect for making text messages and voice calls, and you can still boasts its design to everyone, anyway. Just make sure you aren’t showing this thing to phone critics.
HTC holds the title as the real Apple iPhone annihilator, or competitor, at least. In fact, HTC holds the record of being the first mobile phone to have a touch screen, although of course, iPhone received all the limelight. With the release of the HTC Touch HD, it’s safe to say that the iPhone did get a real tough call this time, with the HD’s sharp and crisp display among other factors that make it so fantastic.
Minimal is the best word to attach with the HTC Touch HD, sporting a front that is almost taken over by the screen. Four nicely tailored control buttons are beneath the display and a stylus is tucked at the bottom edge of the handset. Slide off the back of the HD and reveal a replaceable battery and a microSD card slot to add more to the 288MB onboard memory.0
It will always go back to the gorgeous 3.8-inch screen, which is larger than the iPhone’s. Its resolution is unbelievably crisp at 800 x 480 pixels and it also sports rich colors that are almost life-like. Some find the use of a standard touch panel, instead of a capacitive type, disappointing but if you’re more of a stylus-lover you will find this attractive. However, touch crazy people may really find the HD’s screen disappointing and non-reliable.
Let’s not give all the blame to HTC HD but maybe we can start pointing it to Microsoft, which failed to produce any OS with touch support. The Windows Mobile’s TouchFLO requires a lot of rehashing.
The Touch HD uses Opera Mobile 9.5, a web browser that promises a good mobile web experience. Pages are automatically reoriented to portrait or landscape view, thanks to the accelerometer. You can resize the photos or column of text by double tapping and you can scroll around the screen using a single finger. The best news: pages load very fast with the Wi-Fi or HSDPA. The HD is also equipped with built-in GPS that works with the Google Maps application.
Unlike the iPhone’s 2MP camera, the Touch HD has a 5MP camera that produces good enough images. It’s disappointing that it lacks LED flash, as if the camera is a useless feature in the dark. Is the HTC Touch HD the real iPhone killer? Probably not, but with its very promising features (including magnificent call quality and messaging options), the Touch HD is a good mobile choice.
The HTC Touch Dual joins the class of slider phones, with its own slide-out 20-key keypad tucked in its compact frame. It is taller and thicker than its predecessor, but retaining the minimalist look of just having the touch screen, 5-way navigation pad, camera and power buttons, call answer and end keys and volume control visible. The stylus is hidden on the top-right side and the microSD expansion slot at the bottom. The SIM card slot can be accessed by taking out the battery first.
It measures 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.6 in inches and weighs 3.9 ounces. The Touch Dual’s screen is smaller, however, at 2.6 inches. It has a resolution of 320 x 240 pixel and 65,536 colors. Like the original Touch, it has the HTC TouchFLO user interface which is paired with the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system. It utilizes Bluetooth 2.0, EDGE, GPRS, HSDPA and UMTS, but lacks Wi-Fi capabilities and GPS.
The interface now has bigger-sized menu icons and virtual keyboard keys, a new getting started menu, a sound mode tab, phonebook with alphabet-access to contacts and a task manager with memory information. These changes allow users to have a better “touch” experience with their fingers, minimizing the use of a stylus.
TouchFLO technology makes the screen sensitive to the commands of the user given with the tap and swipe of their finger. Users can also make use of the Block Recognizer and the Transcriber to speed up doing inputs. To get to the QWERTY keypad, users just need to slide up the front cover activating a new task page on the screen which is a short cut to making text and emails or noting in appointments. The QWERTY keypad has a Blackberry SureType feel to it.
The upgraded version of Windows Mobile gives the mobile Internet Explorer zooming capabilities which decrease the need to scroll. It is still bundled with Microsoft Office Mobile Suite for using Word and Excel and viewing PDF and PowerPoint files; Direct Push Technology for real-time email and Outlook synchronization via Exchange Server; and Windows Media Player 10 Mobile for music and video streaming.
Touch Dual’s 400 MHz Qualcomm MSM 7201 processor has 128MB of RAM and gives a snappier user-experience. It makes use of a 1, 350 mAh lithium ion battery with five hours of continuous GSM talk-time and 3.2 hours of continuous 3G talk-time.
This smart phone is a quad-band with call features that include an address book, speakerphone, text and multimedia messaging and voice dialing and command. Touch Dual has two cameras, a 2-megapixel one with an 8x zoom for taking photos and videos and another one for video calls. Like the Touch, it has no flash thus taking photos or videos at night are not recommended. A purchase of the Touch Dual comes with an AC adapter, carrying case, extra stylus, manual, mini USB cable, pair of earbuds and software CD.
This 2008 HTC flagship phone’s most important feature is its TouchFlo 3D user interface, with a mobile browser built from ground up. Its touch actions are carried out fast and smoothly with one’s fingers. Grabbing, flipping and scrolling are mainly done by swiping gestures, while zooming is done with circular motions. However, users are still given a choice of using a stylus and a d-pad. The stylus is held in place on the screen by a magnetic force, which easily unlocks once the stylus is removed.
It’s light and finely-angled case has an orientation sensor that automatically changes the screen’s orientation to either wide or tall, and a silencing feature for incoming calls that is activated by putting the Touch Diamond on its face. The Touch Diamond uses a Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system equipping it with the ability to run a lot of programs like Microsoft Office, Windows Media Player as well as Internet Explorer.
But, it has an HTC interface that is easier to use and contains stylish, moving graphics. It has its own main programs menu that can be customized according to how the owner uses the smartphone most. However, the interface is not HTC all throughout. It still makes use of Windows Mobile, like in sending messages, and the switch from the TouchFlo 3D to Windows is not that visually smooth.
The Touch Diamond’s music player has an album art interface, sliding toggle switches, volume slider and You-Tube app similar to the iPhone. Though communication carriers can still link up with services for music, photos and ring tones, it is HTC that will do the interface to ensure faithfulness to the look and easy-use that characterize TouchFlo 3D.
The HTC Touch Diamond’s flat, thin and black appearance belies its powerful capabilities starting with its HSDFA 7.2 and HSUPA 3G communication protocol, which the iPhone when first introduced did not even possess. Like most smartphones, Touch Diamond has Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0.
The Touch Diamond only weighs 110 grams and measures 102 x 51 x 11.5 mm. Due to its very sleek appearance, it offers no room for a headset jack or memory card slot and only has a 900mAh battery to power its VGA touch display. Its 2.8” screen has very fine resolution that brings sharpness and detail to pictures and web pages.
More advantages to owning a Touch Diamond are the inclusion of an assisted GPS that can be used with other satellite navigation tools, and a 3.5G data that enables speeds to reach 7.2 MBps in some areas. It even has a weather forecasting feature.
It has been dubbed that this is the best BlackBerry Pearl in the market to date, and RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 or Pearl 2 has caused a number of mobile phone aficionados waiting and it was proven that the extra wait is worth it. The BlackBerry Pearl’s CDMA version has able to retain its compact design while adding up some features, like the built-in GPS, video recorder and support for high-speed data networks.
The Blackberry Pearl 2 retains its slim, sleek look, with a dimension of 4.2 x 1.9 x 0.5 inches and a weight of 3.4 ounces, making it a very comfortable device to hold during phone calls and text messaging and to keep in pockets. Its silver casing makes it a very elegant gadget to possess. The 2.25 inch screen displays 65K colors at a 260 x 240 pixel resolution causing text and images look bright and vibrant.
The upper-right portion of Pearl 2 includes a small LED that indicates different status alerts for new messages, low battery and others. Below the display is where the navigation keys are located: the Talk and End, main menu short cut, back button, and the pearl-like trackball navigator.
Below the navigation keys are the SureType keyboard is the QWERTY like keyboard, only that two letters are assigned in one key. The left spine of the phone is where the 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD expansion slot, mini USB port and a customizable quick-launch button are located. The right spine is where the volume control is located. The top portion is where the Mute button is located. Located on the back side of the phone is the camera lens, the flash, and mirror.
Aside from being the first CDMA Pearl, Pearl 2 is also the first device from RIM BlackBerry with video-recording capabilities, built-in GPS and EV-DO support. Pearl 2′s voice features include speakerphone, voice dialing, conference calling and text and multimedia messaging. There is also an option to enhance the audio of calls. Although Pearl 2 doesn’t include 3G,its work with Verizon’s EV-DO network helped in bringing up data speed to 300Kbps to 600Kbps for faster web surfing. Other connectivity options with Pearl 2 are Bluetooth 2.0 for connecting to Bluetooth headsets, hands-free kits and dial-up networking. Pearl 2 can also be used as modem for laptops, only if purchased with a Broadband Access Plan. It also retained the original Pearl’s WiFi.
The other new feature – the camera can be upgraded from the 1.3 megapixel to 2.0 megapixels. Features include 5x zoom and flash plus white balance settings and several color affects that can be added to the photo. Video recording options are only limited to two video formats and three color effects. The video quality can still improve, probably in later models.
Among the features that were retained from the original BlackBerry Pearl are e-mail, an attachment viewer for opening popular file formats like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, JPEG and more and media player for playing music and video of different formats.
The BlackBerry Curve definitely served as an evolution to the handset, merging in business functionalities with the latest multimedia aspects like the camera. The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8310, is among the offerings of the Curve series, retaining the usability of the BlackBerry with an additional twist: the inclusion of a built-in GPS.
The 8310 sports a dimension of 4.2 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches and a weight of 3.9 ounces, reminiscent the same dimensions and design of the Curve 8300. It is available in red, titanium and grey and black colors. Below the 2.5 inch screen is clickable trackball and four navigation buttons. At the backside of the phone is where the microSD card is buried beneath the battery. The 3.5mm headphone jack and the Push-To-Talk button are on the left side. The mute button is on the top brim. The volume controls and 2-Megapixel camera launcher are on the right side. The signature QWERTY-keypad remains the same and has been boasted to more thumb-friendly this time. The fact that the camera is included in the BlackBerry Curve series is a sign of BlackBerry’s taking over the ordinary users’ delight. The 2-Megapxel camera of Curve 8310 has built-in flash and 5X digital zoom.
Pictures taken by the camera look decently and indoor shots taken even with a flash still looked flesh-toned and outdoor shots remained clear. Provided the camera can also record video, then this phone is definitely a multimedia treat. Watching videos with 8310 is possible with the presence of a 2GB miscroSD card, although the video files must be converted first to MP4 format. Listening to music doesn’t have qualms with 8310 as it can play MP3, WAV, MIDI, AAC, and WMA files and has enjoyable sound quality. It is also the first RIM phone that supports AT&T Mobile Music that offers services such as XM Radio Mobile and eMusic Mobile and Napster Mobile.
The addition of GPS is what separates 810 from other BlackBerrys. This feature enables the phone to act as a handheld navigation device. Navigation software like Google Maps for Mobile and TeleNav are software that includes color maps and guides, driving directions and local search.
Connectivity features in 8310 includes Bluetooth and EDGE. The former allows its users to connect to wireless headsets, Bluetooth stereo headsets, and hands-free kits. There’s also a support for object exchange and dial-up networking, transforming the smartphone into a wireless modem for laptop. A probable disappoint with this version is that Wi-Fi is not included. Surfing the Web is greatly on AT&T’s EDGE network’s hand. E-mail capabilities of 8310 basically remained the same, and it’s still one of the best and leading features of BlackBerry phones. The 8310 is also a quad-band world phone and it also includes a speakerphone, voice-activated dialing and speed dialing on its features.
BlackBerry 8820 held a record in BlackBerry history for being the first unit of its kind to have an integrated Wi-Fi. 8820 retained a number of features that were present already in previous BlackBerry units and what emerged was a smartphone targeted to corporate users who valued performance more than entertainment values. 8820 is released under AT&T.
BlackBerry 8820 is reminiscent to the design of its predecessor, the BlackBerry 8800. With the following measurement: 4.5 x 2.6 x 0.5 inches, the black and sleek 8820 weighs 4.7 ounces. The phone being somewhat wide as compared to a majority of smartphones makes phone calls and texting a bit uncomfortable for users. Its 2.5 inch screen features 65K colors at a resolution of 320 x 20 pixels. Texts and images look vibrant and automatic backlighting adjustments are also included in the unit.
Below the screen is a full QWERTY keyboard that is identical with the BlackBerry 8800. It also includes the Talk and End Keys, Menu and Escape buttons and the trackball navigator. The right portion of the phone is where the volume controls are located, while in the left are the mini USB port, 2.5 millimeter headset jack and a pre-defined key that launches the PTT or Push-to-talk services of AT&T. A microSD expansion slot is located behind the battery.
The top portion is where the power and mute buttons are located. As mentioned earlier, the BlackBerry 8820 doesn’t include a camera. What will always remain as the best feature of the BlackBerry 8820, or any BlackBerry phones for that matter, is its excellent e-mail features. The e-mail application is very easy to set up and users can load up to ten e-mails accounts.
Synching the phone to users of IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange or Novell GroupWise is possible with a BlackBerry Enterprise Server subscription. A preloaded BlackBerry Messenger is also included and users can easily download versions of AIM, Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger for every user’s instant messaging needs.
The 8820 supports Wi-Fi connectivity and T-Mobile HotSpot. Thanks to EDGE connection, loading with sites such as ESPN and CNN using the 8820 is faster. Viewing web sites with 8820 is possible with Page View or Desktop View options, although its always recommendable to use the Desktop. A built-in GPS support is also included that is very helpful for drivers.
Even without the camera, the 8820 still walks up a notch in mobile technology by featuring multimedia features. It includes a media player that can play MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, and eAAC+ music formats and MPEG-4 P2, H.263, and WMV video formats. It also offers music streaming via XM Radio although BlackBerry asks for extra charge for such features.
Research In Motion Ltd, or RIM, has attempted to bridge the gap between the casual buyer and the corporate world with the new Blackberry 8800. The new smartphone is still aimed at business moguls but RIM gave it a little twist for the tech savvy yuppies who are also always on the go. Blackberry 8800 is more like a combination of the strictly business 8700 and the consumer-oriented Pearl.
The Blackberry 8800 is stylishly designed with its thin and sleek built, measuring 114 x 66 x 14 mm and weighing 134 g including its battery. Sure, it’s a little longer than the 8700c, but it’s unquestionably thinner. It is easier to slip into your purse or pocket. However, the phone is considerably wide, making it awkward to hold it to your ear during a call. Its smooth and glossy appearance matched with a bright color screen would surely catch your eye. It is coated in a deep midnight blue and chrome accents, giving it a sexy allure.
This blackberry unit sports a stunning 2.5 in. screen with a 320 x 240 pixels and 65,000-color primary display resolution, which has a light-sensing technology feature that adjusts the backlighting of the screen automatically depending on your location—indoors or outdoors.
With the said technology, texts and images are remarkably clear and vibrant even under harsh lighting. The light-sensing feature also adjusts the backlighting of the keyboard and trackball as well.
The 8800 is just the right size for comfortably typing with both thumbs on its full QWERTY keyboard and the same time, small enough for single hand typing whenever necessary. This is remarkable as most QWERTY type phones cannot pull this off. However, people with large hands may find it a little cramped and too small for their thumbs.
As a rip off from the Blackberry Pearl, this unit also sports a glowing pearly white trackball instead of the jog dial that most businessmen have gotten used to. Yes, it make some time getting used to but we must admit, a glowing orb is definitely more attractive than a primitive jog wheel on the side. Don’t you just love having a pearl to slide your thumb onto? This elegant trackball offers five-way navigation, making paragraph and specific letter navigation a lot easier.
Blackberries have been famous for its superb email capability and the 8800 is of course adequately equipped with the famed push technology. It can also sync with the Blackberry Enterprise server of your company supported by IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange or Novell GroupWise for real-time delivery of corporate email. What’s more, the unit can support up to 10 email accounts, which can include POP3 and IMAP4. However, its wireless option is limited to Bluetooth 2.0 and there is no A2DP support for stereo headphones. The device also has no Wi-Fi capability and 3G connectivity. It operates on EDGE for net surfing, which supports HTML Web browsing.
The quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) smartphone also has built-in GPS and Push-to-Talk (PTT) feature—added functionalities that can be extremely useful to people who rely heavily on electronic gadgets.
As it this smartphone is a crossbreed of business and leisure, the 8800 included built-in media player which supports MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, and MIDI formats for music and MPEG4, WMV, and H.263 files for videos. However, as it still more business-focused, it excluded camera in its list of features.
The Blackberry 8800 comes with a 64MB of flash memory but a separate microSD card would come in handy if you plan to use it for your daily commute playlist of songs. RIM promises a 5-hour talk time and up to 22 days standby time on this device.
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