December 3rd, 2009 | Camera Phones, Mobile Phone Reviews, Nokia
Nokia has been among the pioneers with music mobile phones, and the Nokia 5310 is a good, if not outstanding, addition to the line. The candy bar style design is neatly slim, just made for the pocket, and it offers – as it should – a 3.5mm headphone jack so users can use their own headphones. The body of the phone has keys dedicated to music, so browsing and playing is a snap, although it could use more memory – even the card slot only supports an extra 16GB, limiting the amount of tracks the phone can hold, but users can subscribe to Nokia’s Comes with Music service. Although the audio quality is good, it’s certainly not the best on the market.
At a mere two megapixels, the camera seems like an afterthought, and the picture quality isn’t especially good.
The keypad is simple and straightforward, but hardly worth writing home about. Users can customise the screen and include information on music, which is what should be expected in a device like this.
It’s more problematic using the phone to browse the Web, however, since there’s no 3G or Wi-Fi included. After all, it’s a mobile phone, not a smartphone, and one that’s focussed on music more than anything else.
Within those limits, it does a good job. It’s priced right and, for any music fan on a budget, it offers what they’ll need. Call quality is fine, and so is the battery life, which is an important factor for anyone wanting to play a lot of music.
November 30th, 2009 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Touchscreen
The new kid on the smartphone block, the Palm Pre, has received plenty of hype, and for the most part lives up to it, thanks to the impressive record of Palm mobile phones. A lot of thought has gone into the Pre – for instance, it not only possesses the typical touch screen, but also a full pull-out QWERTY keyboard.
Several mobile phone reviews have commented that its styling might not be as sleek as some of its competitors, but it still looks good, and what’s really important is whether it can do the job; not to worry, the Palm Pre really delivers. It can multi-task easily, and its three megapixel camera with LED flash takes crisp pictures. Being new, there aren’t too many apps available in the Palm store, but that will undoubtedly change quickly. Search is a very strong point with the Palm Pre, and accessing both calendar and contacts is simple, and it puts all the information together easily and quickly, while access to Google. Twitter, and Wikipedia can all be managed from a single page – a real time-saver – and the pinch-to-zoom facility can be an eyesight saver.
On the downside, the keyboard is small, so anyone with larger fingers will find typing on a Palm Pre a bit of a task. The touch screen isn’t quite as intuitive as with other smartphones, but it still performs perfectly well for most tasks, and responds both quickly and smoothly. Taking time on the development of this new phone has paid off for Palm, and the new Pre is outstanding.
November 29th, 2009 | Broadband, Mobile Broadband
When comparing broadband providers, it is usually a good idea to look beyond price and consider other relevant factors. Will this service be reliable in terms of access and speed? What happens if I have a problem and need assistance? Fortunately, Virgin Media broadband services address these issues as well as provide a service at a competitive price.
When it comes to customer care, Virgin has an excellent reputation. In addition to the excellent online help found on the main website, there is also the option of emailing a query or request for help. The response time is considered one of the best among UK broadband providers and is an ideal way to clear up a question or deal with an issue that is not urgent in nature.
If you do need immediate assistance, help is always available by phone. Often, the customer support team can walk the customer through a matrix designed to check factors that may be contributing to the problem. At the same time, the team member can implement actions to check on potential issues in the network that may be creating problems for the client.
When it comes to speed, Virgin Media broadband is considered one of the best in the country. In August 2009, an OFCOM test aimed at identifying typical broadband speeds from the major providers, indicated that Virgin broadband speeds tended to be closer to that advertised by the company more often than some of its competitors. This means that broadband users that choose to go with Virgin do not have to compromise on performance or customer care in order to obtain a competitively priced service.
November 27th, 2009 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Sony Ericsson
In years gone by, Sony Ericsson worked with several Walkman phones, trying to make them as good as they could possibly be. Physically, these phones were great, since some came with a stylish slide design, like the W910i. According to critics, however, looks could be really deceiving. The Sony Ericsson W910i was only good when opening the package it came in. When it was time to turn on the phone, it was like opening Pandora’s Box, as bugs and glitches, short battery life and other problems jumped out at you. Fortunately, after a year’s worth of research, Sony Ericsson finally found the cure and launched W595.
The W595 looks exactly the same as the W910i, but is a little heavier. However, that’s a small price to pay, since all the bugs and glitches have been fixed and the firmware is superior.
Since this is a Walkman phone, the W595 puts its main emphasis on its music capabilities. It comes with a whopping 2GB of internal memory, plus support Micro Memory Stick™ of up to 8GB, to give a total of 10GB worth of music files. In addition, its batteries last for over 350hours of standby time and you can listen to you favourite songs for about two days straight. Apart from these goodies, it has a “shake” feature, which enables the user to jump to tracks by just shaking the phone to the left or to the right, which is really something.
As well as being a Walkman phone, the Sony Ericsson W595 has a passable 3.2-megapixel camera, which is quite advanced compared to some of its competitors. You can also record videos with the camera and stream with it.
If you are looking for a Walkman phone, this could be the right one for you.
November 25th, 2009 | Camera Phones, Mobile Phone Reviews, Samsung Mobile Phones, Touchscreen, iPhone
Following the introduction of the revolutionary iPhone, cellular phone companies began developing touch-screen phones with large displays and totally eliminating keypads on the handsets. Samsung joined the touch-screen revolution with the introduction of the Armani, the F490 Nerva and now the Tocco (F480).
Derived from the Italian word ‘tocco’, which literally means ‘touch’, this latest model picks up where its predecessors left off. Firstly, it is worth mentioning that the company decided to make its screen a little smaller, 2.8inches, compared with the 3.2inch on the Nerva. The good thing about this phone is that it brought all the features of Nerva to the next level, with the addition of an FM radio, faster 3G and more memory. It also has a special feature for identifying unknown music files, using Shazam, an application similar to Sony Ericsson’s TrackID™. The platform has a Google-friendly interface, which is competitive with its rivals in terms of mobile Internet access.
According to the mobile phone reviews, however, the Samsung Tocco seems to be everything, but a phone. It has several features, such as an MP3 player, camera and touch-screen display, but users agree that it has weak communication features. Some claim that the phone is prone to drop calling and that the volume is a little poor. In addition, texting or typing on LCD screens is generally a problem for touch-screen phone users. To compensate for this, the company has come up with an optional vibration feedback whenever the user touches a button, to let him or her know that the command has been recognised.
November 23rd, 2009 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Touchscreen, iPhone
Apple mobile phones currently on the market include the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and iPhone.
The Apple iPhone is an outstanding smartphone that has a widescreen iPod with touch screen controls and an Internet communications device. The key features of the iPhone include a 3.5inch multi-touch colour screen, OS X Based Operating System, expandable memory, up to 8-gigabyte, Safari HTML web browser with zoom, 2-megapixel digital camera with various settings and music player with touch screen search. This mobile phone supports EDGE and Wi-Fi technology.
The iPhone 3G, also known as the Apple iPhone 2, is the second iPhone to be introduced after the original Apple iPhone. Its main features include a 3.5inch multi-touch 16 million-colour screen, 2-megapixel digital camera, 8-gigabyte and 16-gigabyte Flash Memory and iPod music player. The iPhone 3G supports 3G HSDPA technology, Wi-Fi technology and A-GPS Navigation with Google Maps.
The iPhone 3G S is a stunning touch screen 3G smartphone and its key features include a 3.5inch multi-touch 16 million colour screen, full QWERTY keyboard, 16 gigabyte and 32-gigabyte Flash Memory, 3-megapixel camera with tap control, Focus Smile Shutter™ & red-eye reduction features and iPod Music Player. It supports Wi-Fi, 3G HSDPA and Bluetooth technologies.
The Apple iPhone 16GB is a touch screen phone with an internal memory of 16-gigabyte that supports Bluetooth and WLAN Wi-Fi technologies and has USB cabled connectivity. This handset is supplied with a built-in 2.0-megapixel camera and music and video players.
November 21st, 2009 | Broadband, Mobile Broadband, Wireless Technology
Now that you’ve decided your business would benefit from installing a broadband connection the time has come to begin the process of comparing services. However, before you begin contacting providers and comparing the services on offer, take the time to evaluate your needs and current situation. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Understanding how you will use the service on a day to day basis is crucial. For example, do you intend using broadband mainly for conducting research online and perhaps forwarding documents via email? Perhaps you plan on using it as a way of conducting web based meetings with potential clients, including sharing presentations in a formal web conference environment. By making a list of how you plan to use this business tool, you will have a better idea of what type of bandwidth and speed you will need in order to operate at maximum efficiency.
Also, take into account the cost of the service. The idea is to get what you need without putting undue stress on your operating budget. Look beyond the monthly charge for the service and consider any ancillary fees that may be incurred, such as an account set-up fee. Taking the time to do this will lower the initial cost of obtaining a broadband connection, as well as help you control the regular monthly charges.
If you expect your business to grow, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure you sign up with a provider who will allow you to upgrade your service without incurring any additional fees, such as new set-up charges. Today, many providers offer this amenity as a matter of course, but don’t take it for granted, ask before you sign anything.
Making sure you know what you need and how much you can afford will make it much easier to quickly weed out providers and plans that do not fit your business model. You will then be left with more time to thoroughly compare the broadband packages that are within your budget and find the solution that best suits your specific requirements.
November 16th, 2009 | Mobile Phone Reviews, Sony Ericsson
Most mobile phone reviews had nothing but positive things to say about this phone, at least in the early days, until the truth about it was finally unveiled.
The Sony Ericsson W705 seemed to be the embodiment of the best Walkman phone and a whole lot more. Like the W595, it has the very clever “shake control”, which changes track whenever you shake it to the left or the right. It is also stylish, in the sense that it comes with a slide design and a metallic casing, the type of phone commonly called “executive class” and yes, it has a very “executive” feel, thanks to its Wi-Fi capability. Now, your Walkman phone is also your ideal mobile access to the Internet.
Apart from being a Walkman phone, the Sony Ericsson W705 is 3G capable and has a long talk time, of over 10hours. Again, as your reliable mobile Internet access, it also features NetFront™ web browser, which is quite good for streaming over YouTube.
However, most mobile reviews say that despite all its undoubted features, this phone has some downsides.
Realistically, you can never tell when and where accidents will happen and quite frankly, the Sony Ericsson W705 seems to be unreliable, according to mobile phone reviews. Critics say it is so fragile that even a drop from a height equivalent to a normal dining table would cause the phone to break. If it does not break, expect that it will have glitches, like drop calling, sudden power off and other unacceptable technical bugs.
November 13th, 2009 | LG, Mobile Phone Reviews, Touchscreen
The LG KP500 Cookie, which is a touch-screen phone, appeals to anyone who is on a tight budget, without compromising the functionality and appearance of the product. With is price slashed down to a more affordable rate than many similar products, users will be sure to enjoy the 3inch TFT 262k colour touch-screen.
What makes the Cookie even more exciting is its new colour scheme, which is pink. The LG Cookie Pink is very stylish and perfect for chic and fashionable women.
The phone is compact, weighing just 89grams and its large screen, which measures 3inches across, makes it very user-friendly as a touch-screen. It has multimedia functions, a media player that supports popular formats and a built-in FM radio.
The LG Cookie has a virtual QWERTY keyboard that can be slid into view when you turn the phone to landscape. While a really fun feature of the phone is that you can use it Wii-style, shaking and flipping it while playing games. There is also a handwriting recognition device.
The phone has a 3.2-megapixel camera, which does not have an autofocus, but does have video-recording capability. The phone’s memory is limited to only 48MB, but for added storage, you can install a MicroSD memory card and expand it to a maximum of 8GB. Connectivity is by way of USB and Bluetooth, while its talk time is around 3.5hours.
The main disappointment with this phone is that it is not Wi-Fi enabled, despite its big screen. Also, there have been reviews noting that some users have experienced software glitches. Overall, however, with the other features mentioned and the affordability of this stylish phone, the market has, once again, been taken by storm.
November 11th, 2009 | Camera Phones, Mobile Phone Reviews, Nokia, Touchscreen
The Nokia N97 is a very popular phone, which comes with fully packed features nobody can afford to miss. You could even say that it is closer to being a computer than a cell phone, because it has a convenient QWERTY keyboard, that slides out from the left hand side, allowing for the use of a widescreen and just like a real PC, it comes with a user-friendly touch-screen with an amazing 16 million colours on a thin film transistor (TFT) display.
The N97 has a Symbian Operating System, which means that it is fast and reliable, but what are the other features that you will find attractive and interesting?
For starters, it has a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss Tessar lens and dual LED flash for use night or day. You can store all your photos on its 32GB memory, so you will never have to delete a picture to make room for more.
You can download, upload and stream videos you have taken in order to save or share them with your friends and with the N97’s second camera, you can make video calls while on the move.
You can watch Internet videos, using WLAN and HSDPA connections and of course, Bluetooth and EDGE technology are also included for other kinds of connectivity.
When you are going away from home, you can load your favourite music to bring along with you or even download music tracks from your PC.
With the Nokia N97, you will never be more than a touch away from your friends.
