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.
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.
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.
June 3rd, 2010 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Samsung Mobile Phones, Touchscreen
Amongst the newest offerings in the range of cheap mobile phones is the Samsung I9000 Galaxy S, a five megapixel camera mobile phone supporting 2G and 3G networks.
Physically, the phone doesn’t provide the best first impression – looking like the bog standard black slab phone we are seeing on a regular basis. But don’t let first impressions fool you; this phone has everything a smartphone should have, with a powerful 1 GHz processor to back it all up.
The mobile measures 122 by 64 by 10 mm and weighs 118 grams and sports a 4-inch AMOLED super-responsive capacitive touch screen display that supports 16 million colours and a 480 x 800 pixel resolution. The I9000 Galaxy S also features auto rotate and a proximity sensor for automatic turn-off capability.
The camera is 5 megapixels with auto focus and an LED flash. Features include smile detection and geo-tagging. Video recording at 720 pixels and 30 frames per second is also supported and a microSD card is included for memory expansion.
The operating system for the Samsung I9000 Galaxy S is Android 2 and the 1 GHz processor minimises lag. The phone supports Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps, Google Talk, YouTube, etc. The phone pleasantly also includes a document viewer for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files.
The media player supports several formats, including DivX, VC-1, MP3, and FLAC. Messaging options include push mail, IM, SMS, MMS, and email. The browser is HTML and the phone has A-GPS and Java support.
May 31st, 2010 | Google Android, Mobile Phone Reviews, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Touchscreen
The Motorola Dext is a mobile phone that runs on the Android operating system – currently the must have system. Motorola has been criticised in the past for its clunky operating system but they’ve taken the opportunity to not just settle for someone else’s system, but to improve it in the process.
The phone’s key feature in addition to the Android OS is MotoBlur, Motorola’s interface. It gathers together all your personal information from accounts such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter when you give it your passwords. It then displays updates on screen automatically ensuring you immediately know the latest gossip.
Android has as standard three home screens but MotoBlur adds another two, all good screens, although MotoBlur’s icons are better than Android’s. MotoBlur also has the ability to track a lost Dext via GPS and the phone can be remotely wiped if required.
The backlight on the QWERTY keyboard is not good and although letters and numbers are clearly displayed, characters such as @ are tiny and difficult to read in poor light.
The camera does not come with a built in flash, and the battery life is short. Smartphones tend not to have a good battery life but the Dext is shorter than most because it continually updates the social networking information.
The keyboard makes this a bigger phone, making it heavier at 163g, but it still fits nicely into your hand.
Other phones to look at are HTC Google Nexus One and the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini.
May 30th, 2010 | Broadband, Mobile Broadband, Mobile Technology
One of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to making a broadband comparison is whether or not a customer can get broadband access without having a physical landline present in their home. The simplest answer is yes, but there are factors that need to be taken into account in order to make a proper comparison between broadband providers. First and foremost is the simple fact that mobile broadband speeds can vary drastically depending on the coverage of the area you live in. Most areas are far below the advertised maximum speed – this is simple advertising at work. One of the best courses of action is to use a provider coverage checker to determine the actual coverage levels in your area prior to signing up with the company. But as far as options go, there are a number of packages available, depending on whether you want to pay as you go or have a fixed-rate plan.
For example, Orange Home Broadband offers a variety of packages with speeds ranging between two and eight MB connections. Usage is capped depending upon the monthly fee the customer feels comfortable paying. In addition, there is generally a lengthy contract to sign. Other companies, such as O2 Broadband, offer mobile broadband for free for the first few months. The cap on usage is generally limited by a certain amount of data, but monthly plans can also be purchased where you pay as you go for the time you use. This is useful for individuals who are constantly uploading and downloading data and cannot be restricted by a hard cap.
May 26th, 2010 | Mobile Phone Recycling
Recycling an unwanted mobile phone via Envirophone is very easy. The company works to cut down the number of old mobile phones that end up in landfill sites.
The first step is to locate the phone on the website and see how much it is worth. If your phone is damaged you can still sell it, but you will receive a reduced price for it. Simply fill in your details and you will receive a post-paid pack to send you phone in, so there is no postage charge.
Boxes, batteries and other mobile phone accessories can be returned along with the phone and this is actively encouraged, but sending these items with the phone will not increase the sale price.
When the padded envelope arrives, remove your SIM card, delete any personal information such as pictures, music and games, put the phone inside the envelope and attach the pre paid label. It might be a good idea to have a more expensive phone sent special delivery so that you are protected if it is lost or damaged.
Once Envirophone receive the phone it will be tested to make sure that it meets their requirements. If the phone is damaged the price offered will be reduced accordingly, but you will be notified of this first. Payments are made direct to a bank account.
Envirophone supports a system called CheckMEND, which is a database that can track stolen mobile phones. If such phones are received they are automatically destroyed unless their ownership can be proved.
May 23rd, 2010 | Google Android, HTC, Mobile Phone Reviews, Touchscreen
HTC has an outstanding history of delivering excellent android phones at high performance levels and with excellent displays. The HTC Tattoo however, is a budget smart phone and is a cut down version of the HTC Desire. The phone may deliver the same sort of applications and design that comparable Android phones offer, and the exterior case can even be customised to fit whatever the user’s taste may be, but does the low price warrant the rather sluggish performance?
While the price point is excellent, and a stand out “feature” of the phone, there are still many grievances a modern mobile user may have with the Tattoo. The device is small, managed to pack in GPS and Wi-Fi capability, yet it still lacks the raw performance to avoid stuttering and lagging during use of certain applications. This can be frustrating while typing, even with HTC’s error correcting technology.
In addition to raw performance concerns, the Tattoo’s camera does not have a flash. For some this is not a concern, however it’s simply a feature many have come to expect from any phone, especially a phone described as a “smart” phone. In addition, the 2.8 inch display, while small and conducive to compact size, is simply not large enough to support proper multimedia viewing.
All in all, the HTC Tattoo is a cheap phone and little more. It does what it’s supposed to, and for the most part works well. There are simply better phones on the market that should be considered if your budget allows it.
May 19th, 2010 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Sony Ericsson
The W595 is a very nice addition to the extensive line of Sony Ericsson mobile phones thanks to its 3.2 megapixel camera, 3G connectivity, stereo speakers, and a unique share jack that lets users plug in two sets of headphones at once.
Pros
The QVGA displace screen is a bit small, but colours are sharp and vibrant. The user interface has simple menus and clear icons. A dedicated Walkman button takes users straight to the media player that allows for easy browsing through music, games, and more.
Users can get even more from the W595’s multi-media features thanks to Sony Ericsson’s music software, great audio quality, video playback, and web browsing. The HSDPA connection is extremely fast, making video viewing and uploading quick and convenient.
Cons
A common complaint with Sony Ericsson mobile phones is that most do not come with a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and the W595 is no exception. This is particularly troubling considering the W595 is marketed as a music phone. Users are forced to rely on the low quality bundled headphones or invest in an inconvenient adapter.
The 2 GB memory card is sufficient, but for serious music lovers there’s nowhere near enough storage. The 3.2 megapixel camera is rather bare bones, as well; there’s no flash or autofocus feature.
Conclusion
As new mobile phones go, the W595 is not as high-tech as some of its competitors. For the price, however, it does all the basics as well as some of the latest mobile phones.
May 17th, 2010 | Blackberry, Mobile Phone Reviews
RIM is known for producing BlackBerry mobile phones that follow a similar design theme, so it’s not often that a totally innovative BlackBerry device hits shelves. Enter the Pearl Flip 8220, a clamshell handset with familiar BlackBerry capabilities.
Pros
The Pearl Flip 8220 has a solid body, a super bright screen, and a pleasant keypad. There are also the added benefits of instant call answering and the security of having the keypad protected when the phone is closed.
The Flip uses an interface similar to that of the BlackBerry Bold and is fairly easy to use. The phone supports a good number of apps for things like social networking and BlackBerry Maps.
Internet connection is achieved through Wi-Fi, EDGE, or GPRS. Users can browse full web pages with Opera Mini, and the Flip supports up to ten different email accounts from all the major webmail providers and most corporate servers.
Cons
There’s no 3G connection, which is a shame, and the lack of GPS seems a curious omission for a smartphone.
The music player is decent and features a 3.5mm headphone jack, but the player can only be controlled when the phone is open.
The Flip’s 2 megapixel camera is something of a disappointment, as well. It takes good pictures for MMS messages and small formats, but its limited options and the absence of a flash make taking high quality shots nearly impossible.
Conclusion
The Flip is light on some of the more advanced features found on the latest mobile phones, but it is largely forgiven thanks to its email capabilities and easy to use keypad.
