Nokia N96 Review

June 28th, 2010 | Camera Phones, Mobile Phone Reviews, Nokia

If you are looking for contract mobile phones then the Nokia N96 could be an excellent choice for you. The N96 is one of the Nokia mobile phones that slide up to reveal a standard phone keypad. This is considered an entertainment and media phone as the size of the screen and the ability to add software to turn it into iPlayer, giving you the chance to watch you favourite BBC television programs and the clever people at Nokia have even added a little stand to the back of the N96 so it sits neatly on a table whilst you are viewing your programme, so you don’t have to sit and hold it.

If you compare mobile phones you will see that the internal memory on the N96 is outstanding, with 16GB built in plus the addition of that all important micro SD slot, which means you can add a further card of up to 16GB, creating an overall storage capacity of 32GB, which is pretty impressive.  Mobile phone reviews tend to rate this handset badly and unsurprisingly, is the next model on from the N95. The improvements are a little weak, but if you want a phone that you can access iPlayer on and that isn’t going to cost you the earth then you may well find what you seek in the Nokia 96. This probably isn’t the phone for those who need a mobile office, but for the teenager in your life you could do far worse.

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Be Broadband Review

June 25th, 2010 | Broadband, Mobile Broadband, Wireless Technology

Be Broadband is a broadband service that has a focus on providing baseline home broadband services to UK buyers.  While their focus remains on providing low cost plans at relatively low data rates, they still maintain a relatively inexpensive plan that remains with a very high cap on download rates.  With a wide coverage area and easy setup at no charge, there is some charm to the company, despite their lack of a low priced, high performance plan.

Be Broadband’s most notable service package is their “Be value” plan, offering services at eight megabits per second, with a 40 gigabyte per month download cap.  At £7.50, this plan is simply more expensive than competitors offering similar or even superior plans.  It’s entirely possible to purchase service that is not only at a higher data rate, but also with an unlimited download cap.  There are many shortcomings, however if there are few other options available in your area, Be does offer a decent price for a service with a high cap on downloads, even if the downloads themselves are relatively slow.

In addition, Be Broadband’s support services, among other amenities, are clearly lacking.  There is no direct line available for buyers to call with questions in regard to their plan, billing, or service status.  Instead, Be Broadband opts for a ticket system, where text based tickets are handled at the convenience of the company, rather than the customer.  There are many shortcomings with Be that need to be addressed before they can be strongly considered comparable to their competition.

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HTC Hero – Android at its best?

June 22nd, 2010 | HTC, iPhone, Mobile Phone Reviews, Touchscreen

HTC has learned a lot in recent years developing smart phones, and the HTC Hero is no exception.  Arguably their best work yet, the HTC hero boasts an excellent set of features, Google’s Android operating system, and the sort of touch screen display HTC is known for.  With so much to offer, some are already questioning the iPhone’s dominance in the market place, suggesting that Hero may just be what we are all waiting for.

While the HTC Hero supports all the functionality we have come to expect from any phone running the Android operating system, it’s clear that the Hero is a communications device first and a multimedia tool second.  While some smart phones boast about social networking functionality that fails to meet expectations, the hero integrates Twitter, Gmail, and Facebook contacts seamlessly into your address book.  It simply makes communication easier, which is what is really most important in a phone.

If the Hero were to be a true competitor for the iPhone 3GS, it would have been nice for the processor to be a bit more powerful.  When typing in certain applications the Hero has been known to lag, and stutter a bit.  These issues become more obvious in heavy multimedia applications, such as video.  All in all, while the HTC Hero is an excellent phone, and is by no means bad, it’s simply a shame that it couldn’t have exceeded all expectations, and been a true force in the smart phone market.

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The Need for Mobile Phone Recycling

June 19th, 2010 | Mobile Phone Recycling

The invention of the mobile phone has revolutionized the way people communicate and has changed the lifestyles of the 1.2 billion people who use them, with 14 million of those people in UK alone. Almost every person you see is holding a mobile phone in their hands or keeping one in their pockets. The phone has definitely become an integral part of one’s identity and most people cannot imagine their lives without their phones.

Not very long ago, having a mobile phone was considered a symbol of status. But nowadays, owing to the fact that mobile phone companies have reached a level of tough competition, the mobile phone has become very affordable to people from all walks of life regardless of their financial status. Mobile phone companies never stop upgrading their current models and no one wants to be left behind in this world of fast-paced technology. It is therefore natural for people to get rid of their old units and replace them with the latest models.

What happens in the process, however, is that one simply discards the old and used mobile handsets without thinking much about them. Nevertheless, the fact remains that discarded mobile phones create a huge bulk of metal waste that is harmful to the environment. The world is facing environmental problems in the form of a huge volume of non-recyclable waste. Mobile phones now belong to this long list of waste. Therefore, the need to recycle phones is definitely a global concern.

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LG Optimus

June 17th, 2010 | Google Android, LG, Mobile Phone Reviews, Touchscreen

The LG Optimus is a modern smart phone, arguably marking a major entry point for LG into the premium smart phone market. Finally doing away with LG’s proprietary operating system in favour of Android 2.1, the LG Optimus comes compatible with a wide variety of applications and software from day one, with new software being made available on a daily basis. 

The LG Optimus has many features to recommend it.  Most notably the phone not only boasts a high resolution 320 by 480 resolution display at 3 inches, but it also manages to keep a relatively high talking battery life of 5.5 hours at the same time.  In addition, the support of HSDPA broadband at 7.2 Megabits per second, Wi-Fi, and GPS guidance are all welcome additions to the product.  With such a dedication to raw performance and features, there’s little reason to assume that the LG Optimus is anything like their previous phones.

There are few negative points to the LG Optimus, beside the usual high cost of new technology.  While preferences differ, as a whole the touch screen is easy to use and quite responsive, and the unit simply works the way it is supposed to.  With the hardware running the same android software as most all other competitors, there is little reason to avoid this mobile, despite LG’s long history of average products. Avoid paying the full retail cost by upgrading or purchasing new contract mobile phones as most service providers will subsidise new technology costs under certain conditions.

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Nokia E72 Overview

June 14th, 2010 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Nokia

Marketed towards business users, the Nokia E72 looks a bit like a BlackBerry, with Windows-inspired functionality. As an upgrade to the Nokia E71, it is spot on – with plenty of new gadgets, gizmos, and features to make it a serious improvement over its predecessor.

The phone has a very business look about it, with a hard QWERTY keyboard featuring nicely-spaced, easy-to-use rounded buttons. Physically, while the phone resembles a BlackBerry, it is both thinner and lighter than most of their models – coming in at 10 mm thick and weighing 128 grams. The touch screen display is 2.4 inches. Available colours include White, Zodium Black, Metal Grey, Topaz Brown, Amethyst Purple, and ‘White Edition’.

Included in the new features are:

* A new optical navigational key for intuitive scrolling
* An easy-to-set-up and use email system with the ability to create separate in-boxes for personal and business email
* An upgraded 5 megapixel camera
* Top-loading 3.5 mm audio jack
* Personal and business profiles, with IM features
* A-GPS and compass with integrated maps
* Quick Office with Microsoft 2007 compatibility

The Nokia E72 is also a generally faster performer than its predecessor. It moves between applications easily, even with several open at once and provides quicker internet speeds for more-enjoyable web browsing.

If you’re interested in the Nokia E72 mobile phone on contract, Nokia deals can be found via O2, Orange, Vodafone, Virgin, T-Mobile, and 3 Mobile. The phone is also available on pay-as-you-go through O2, Virgin, and Orange and on SIM-free deals via various retailers.

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Fonebank – making mobile phone recycling easy!

June 11th, 2010 | Mobile Phone Recycling, Mobile Technology

Another leader in mobile phone recycling is Fone Bank. This company is popular for paying for their customers’ used devices within two days. One more special feature of this company is the offer of free courier service if a customer sells 15 or more handsets.

Fone Bank has an official website at www.fonebank.com where you can see various offers for your used mobile phone units. Your Blackberry 9000 Bold will fetch as much as £130 while your Nokia N95 8GB will be earn £121. Fone Bank also offers services for recycling and trading in phones for cash. 

Selling mobile phones at Fone Bank is a relatively easy process. The first step is to click the link in the middle of the homepage or the “Sell Now” tab on top of the page, and this will take you to a list of 16 logos of mobile phone manufacturers. After selecting the manufacturer, you will be taken to a new window where you can select the mobile phone of your choice. Afterwards you will be taken to your cart where you fill out the personal details form upon checkout. There will be instructions for delivery and you will get your payment cheque two days after Fone Bank has received your mobile phone unit.

For the record, Fone Bank is one of the largest mobile phone recycling companies in the United Kingdom with over £10 million in cash paid out to users. Fone Bank also boasts of 90,000 recycled and purchased mobile phones every month with more than 700 different models currently accepted.

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Sony Ericsson Satio Smartphone Review

June 10th, 2010 | Camera Phones, Mobile Phone Reviews, Sony Ericsson, Touchscreen

One of the latest mobile phones from Sony Ericsson feature strong performance in camera function and media playback, and the Satio smartphone is no exception.  The touch-screen leaves something to be desired, but the feature-rich Satio still passes many mobile phone reviews with flying colours.

Pros

Sony Ericsson mobile phones have partnered with the brand’s other electronic divisions – namely Cyber-Shot and Walkman – to produce smartphones that take excellent photos and play music files brilliantly.  The multimedia interface on the Satio is user friendly, while the 12 megapixel camera is simply outstanding.  The camera function loads in a snap, and the shutter lag common to some cheap mobile phones is virtually nonexistent here.  The Xenon flash ensures great pictures even in low light.

Some of the most notable apps include TrackID, Wi-Fi Wizard, and Google Maps.  On the internet page users will find instant links to YouTube, Facebook, BBC News, and more.  The sliding screen lock switch effectively shuts down the touch-screen, preventing unwanted activation.

Cons

The Sony Ericsson Satio features a resistive touch screen, which functions at a significantly lower level than similar phones like the HTC Hero or iPhone.  The pressure sensitive screen is more difficult to work, particularly while texting.  There is a stylus included, but this is not always a practical alternative for many users.  Furthermore, some features from the interface require single-touch activation and others need a double tap.  This is an annoying inconsistency.

Conclusion

The stylish Satio is an excellent smartphone with a few irritating anomalies that keep it from earning top marks.

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How mobile broadband works

June 7th, 2010 | Broadband, Mobile Broadband

Mobile broadband is any type of wireless high-speed Internet offered through a portable modem or other device such as a telephone. It is usually transmitted over the standard networks in use around the world, such as GPRS, 3G, LTE, EV-DO, although it can also be used with a few portable satellite-based systems. It is a useful service for individuals who are constantly on the go, and works with PC data cards, USB modems, as well as phones that have data modems inside of them, together with portable devices that are hard-wired with mobile support, such as laptops and tablets. These days, it is fairly difficult to come across a country or city that does not offer mobile broadband in some form or another. As cellular networks around the world move to third-generation networks, they can support faster data transfers, which means that more and more countries are gaining the ability to go wireless.

There are a number of broadband providers in the United Kingdom, most of whom offer some type of mobile broadband package for individuals who need access to the Internet no matter where they travel. It is important to remember that while many regular broadband connections have a fixed monthly fee with no regard to the upload or download of data, in the case of mobile broadband the fees are generally related to usage or a monthly cap on how much time a person can be on the Internet. In addition, mobile connections are more expensive than land-based.

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LG Lollipop GD580 Review

June 4th, 2010 | LG, Mobile Phone Reviews

The LG Lollipop GD580 is a clamshell mobile phone with a shiny design exterior. It was launched in the Taiwanese market in December 2009. It was launched elsewhere at the start of 2010. The design features bright colours – currently pink and blue, as well as dark grey. It has an LED decorative design on the front showing the status (on/off/standby) of the mobile phone.

The LG Lollipop GD580 measures 4.26 by 2.03 by 0.53 inches. It weighs 3.65 ounces. Its battery life is limited, with just 3 hours talk time, and 10 days standby time.

The main display screen has a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels. It is a small screen, measuring just 2.8 inches. Multimedia features are a video player supporting MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV and 3GP files and a music player supporting MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV and MIDI files.

The memory space is also limited, at 60 MB. Internet access is through WAP 2.0. 2.1 stereo Bluetooth is inbuilt. Its email service is basic.

The main LG Lollipop GD580 review point is that, although it looks bright and shiny, it essentially is a standard texting and phoning mobile phone. The multimedia services, although functional, are hampered on the one hand by a small screen and on the other by a frequently tinny sound quality.

It is a relatively cheap mobile phone, however, costing around £180 in a SIM free/unlocked mode. Potential buyers will likely most be attracted by the design.

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