Friday, March 27, 2009

BlackBerry Curve 8900 review: Curved right

The sharp and compact BlackBerry Curve 8900 spells business and oozes with class. Easily the hottest looker in the Curve lineup - and possibly portfolio-wide - earns much respect as a massive functionality upgrade over its predecessors.

The distinct insider kind of charm of the BlackBerry handsets phases out into history as RIM are trying to take on the world and competitors with a new design language. OK, baptizing new converts was the Storm's job while the Curve 8900 seems the right stuff to inspire upgraders. Either way, we're happy to extend our BlackBerry streak and put the latest Curve through its paces.

BlackBerry Curve 8900 official photos BlackBerry Curve 8900 official photos BlackBerry Curve 8900 official photos BlackBerry Curve 8900 official photos
BlackBerry Curve 8900 official photos

Key features:

  • 2.4" 65K-color TFT landscape display with a resolution of 480 x 360 pixels
  • Comfortable four-row full QWERTY keyboard
  • Quad-band GSM support
  • Wi-Fi
  • BlackBerry OS v4.6
  • Trackball navigation
  • Built-in GPS and BlackBerry maps preloaded
  • 3.15 MP autofocus camera, LED flash
  • 512 MHz CPU, 256 MB RAM
  • Hot-swappable microSD card slot
  • Good build quality
  • DivX and XviD video support
  • Compact body
  • Good web browser
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
  • Nice audio quality
  • Smart dialing

Main disadvantages:

  • No 3G
  • No email support without BlackBerry Internet Service account
  • Mediocre camera
  • No FM radio

T-Mobile G1 review: The whole cagoogleT-Mobile G1 review: The whole cagoogle

The T-Mobile G1 is the Googlephone. Did we really need to say that? Well, there's more Google in this story than there is phone, so we guess we did. We've got a new contender on the race track but we're talking no rookie here. If you thought Apple made the phone game breathtaking, think of where it's all heading with Google keen to play along. Unlike the iPhone Mac OS X, the Android is the joint effort of the whole Open Handset Alliance, which brings together makers that sure know the drill. So much for the rookie, as long as Google is siding with Asus, HTC, LG, Garmin, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba.

But well, that's the bigger story. We have the first chapter right here, and it's called the T-Mobile G1 or HTC Dream if you prefer. The first impression sure is important. So, there we go.

T-Mobile G1 by HTC T-Mobile G1 by HTC T-Mobile G1 by HTC T-Mobile G1 by HTC
T-Mobile G1 official photos

T-Mobile G1 or to be also released as HTC Dream might not have the specs to make a geek's heart melt but we guess the Android OS was still gonna draw drool even if it came tossed in a plastic bag or wrapped in newspaper. So, forget about the peculiar form factor, the full QWERTY keyboard, the large and crisp touchscreen and the anti-utopian design. Android's inside and google is the limit.

Key features:

  • Android OS
  • 3.2" capacitive touchscreen display of HVGA resolution
  • Slide-out five-row full QWERTY keyboard
  • Qualcomm MSM 7201A 528 MHz CPU, 192 MB RAM
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
  • 3G with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA 2Mbps
  • 3.15 megapixel autofocus camera
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
  • GPS
  • Trackball
  • Accelerometer sensor
  • Digital compass

Main disadvantages:

  • Quite unassuming looks
  • Pretty bulky and heavy
  • The slider mechanism rattles
  • No secondary videocall camera
  • No video recording
  • No flash support in the web browser
  • No file transfers or A2DP over Bluetooth
  • No FM radio
  • No screen auto rotation

Sunday, March 1, 2009

NOKIA E71



Smartphone comes in a stylish solid casing which is available in either a white steel coloured casing or a grey steel coloured casing. The style of the handset is solid & slim with a full QWERTY keyboard situated below the high resolution screen. 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. 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 Navi™ 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 Nokia E71 works on a Symbian operating system version 9.2 complete with series 60 software version 3.1. The Smartphone comes with a built in A GPS navigation system which supports Nokia maps for easy to following navigation maps. The user 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. The 3G Smartphone comes with easy to use call features which allows the user to enjoy a conference call with up to six contacts at a time, a hands free call over the handsets loud speaker system or a voice over IP call over the Internet. A built in phone book allows the user to store contacts details complete with an image. The user can store all their contacts numbers & information in one place which allows the user to manage their contacts easily. The handset comes with everyday call features such as call divert, call hold, call timer & a call waiting feature. A built in calendar feature on the Nokia E71 allows the user to plan events & meeting easily to stay on top of arrangements & commitments. The E71 comes with an alarm clock function & a clock which can be displayed in either analogue or digital format.

Nokia E71 3G SmartPhone Front View
Nokia E71 3G SmartPhone Back View
Nokia E71 3G SmartPhone Angle View
The standby times vary on the handset depending on the user's network selection but the user can enjoy up to 408 hours of GSM standby time from a fully charged battery. The Nokia E71 is a 3G HSDPA technology handset which allows the user to experience high speed Internet & connectivity on this highly capable 3G Smartphone. The handset supports popular connectivity options which include a USB cabled connection, Bluetooth® wireless connectivity & an infra red connection. The user can connect their 3G Smartphone to other compatible devices using a connectivity method to suit the user's needs. The Nokia E71 supports WLAN Wi-Fi technology which allows the use to connect to either a local WLAN or hotspot to enjoy a wireless connection to the Internet. The handset comes with 110 megabytes of built in memory & has a memory card expansion slot which supports up to 8 gigabytes of external memory. The user can enjoy roaming Worldwide with their new 3G Smartphone as the phone covers four GSM networks & WCDMA but the coverage is dependent on the users chosen network provider.

A built in 3.2 megapixel digital camera function allows the user to enjoy capturing still images with the help of many high quality camera & imaging features. The camera comes with a built in auto focus feature, LED flash, CMOS sensor & a digital zoom. The user can change many settings to suit their imaging needs allowing the user to gain the best possible finish when taking a picture. The Smartphone comes with a flash mode features with automatic, on, off & red eye settings, capture modes which include a still, sequence, self timer & video settings. The camera also works as a video recorder which allows the user to capture moving video footage on their handset. The video recorder comes with a digital video zoom which allows the user to get up closer to their subject & comes with many settings & features to ensure a quality video recording is captured every time. The user can also enjoy playing videos & streaming videos on the Nokia E71 on the high resolution screen for a DVD quality viewing experience.

An integrated music player allows the user to enjoy downloading, transferring & playing music in many popular music formats. The E71 supports MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+ & eAAC+ music playback formats & the handset provides a high quality sound experience for the user to enjoy from their mobile Smartphone. The user can record music & sound using the built in sound recorder. The user can enjoy tuning into their favourite radio station on the built in radio feature to enjoy a new listening experience. The Nokia E71 supports video ringing tones & MP3 type ringtones which the user can change to suit their taste & style. The 3G Smartphone comes with easy to use messaging services which allow the user to communicate with others via email, text message, multimedia message as well as making a call. The email service on the E71 supports email attachments & provides the user with a mobile service similar to the emails service on the user's home or office PC. The user can use the built in text to speech message reader to hear their messages out loud over the handsets speakers. The Nokia E71 is a slim & stylish 3G Smartphone packed full of easy to use communication & entertainment features & will keep the user on the move organised.