|
|
Reviews written by Administrator
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson W580i Offers Excellent Features, No
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
The Sony Ericsson W580i is definately aimed at a younger audience, and people looking for a media device without all the bells and whistles of more streamlined devices like the iPhone. The W580i is essentially a cellular phone that offers a nice host of media features, while remaining light on the pocket book. Basically the device is a medium range cellular MP3 device that remains true to the Sony Ericsson line of walkman devices. Unfortunately at time the device almost remains too true to the Walkman line, offering a few new features, but for the most part repackaging much of the same features into a cool new look
Design
The Sony Ericsson W580i is a nice looking device in a small package, measuring in at 99mm x 47 x 14mm the unit is easy to pocket, yet still offers enough hold to be comfortable for gripping purposes.
Looking at the front of the device the W580i spends much of its frontside realty on the devices 2" screen and several shortcut keys. Below the devices QVGA screen the first button to the left features a softkey and attached to the same key is a back arrow key for easy navigation. Directly below the back arrow is the always present media player launch button as found on the rest of the Sony Ericsson Walkman series devices, one push of the button and your music player is launched, unlike former offerings in the walkman devices however that is all the button does on this unit, pull up the player, playing your music is as easy as using the Dpad located to the right of the left side softkeys, the Dpad features the ability to go backwards and forward on your tracks and to play and stop your music. The Dpad also offers the ability to launch the devices Camera mode by pushing up on the Dpad controls. To the right of the Dpad you can find another softkey attached to a clear button, followed by an activity menu below that set of keys.
To access the phones numeric pad for dialing a user simply slides the device to the open position where they will find a standard numeric keypad, if you have big fingers however beware, the numeric pad is slightly bunched up into the unit, causing the keys to be smaller than normal and offering a cramped feel when sending text messages back and forth continuously. I also found it annoying that no thumb rest was available for sliding the device open, instead I found myself placing my fingers on the display quite regularly to open the slider, leading to many fingerprints.
The top of the device features a flap-covered memory expansion slot that supports a Memory Stick Micro card, and the devices power button. While the phones microphone and carrying strap are featured on the bottom of the device.
The left side of the device features the devices charger port, while the right side features the devices Volume rocker. Unlike other Sony Ericsson walkman devices, a sideloaded key for play and pause is not present which is a shame.
Display
The Sony Ericsson W580i offers an eye catching display, putting out 262k colors on a 2" TFT display at 240 x 320 pixels of resolution. As Sony Ericsson has done so well in the past, the display utilizes mirror layer technology perfectly, making use of the device in direct sunlight easy to read with a crisp and concise picture. The W580i offers users an average of 8 texts or 3 service lines per screen when in general mode with standard font sizes. The phone also transitioned with ease between applications with no delays to the screen display. Overall the screen is what i've come to expect from Sony Ericsson, excellent.
Features
Sony Ericsson has been heavily testing and using motion sensors to better their products, the results have been varied, and on the W580i theresult is a workout program that works in two modes, walking and running. Essentially the device has the capabilities to track how far a user has ran, how fast they are running, the amount of time they have been working out, the approx. calories they have burnt, average lap times, and a bevy of other information on a users activities. I tested the device by running a mile, and I realized that the device not only functioned well, but that I am alot slower than my High School and College Days. I did like that the unit would even count the steps I took throughout the day, if you need to work on your cardio, its a great feature, especially when you consider that you can save results in a text file and send the file to other devices or to the email account of your choosing, allowing you to track your progress overtime, and even use their personal trainer program to analyze your data and help you create goals for future workouts.
The device also features one application that is more fun than function, the device has side loaded LED lights that flicker when the device is flicked open or is in use. The device doesn't allow you to customize the sequence of lighting, but it does offer 22 different configurations, and it really is quite eye catching. Although you can sync the lighting effects with specific contacts in your phonebook.
The W580i also features an FM tuner with RDS capabilities, and is able to store up to 20 FM stations with auto-tuning. Stations come in clear, and offer a no thrills, to the point offering for an FM function.
Audio
The audio on the W580i is excellent, as is to be expected from the Sony Ericsson line of Walkman cellular devices. Tracks can be arranged on the devices media player in terms of Artists, Albums, Tracks, Genre, and user created playlists. The device also features a Fast playback mode which essentially allows users to listen to the first few seconds of a song and then skip forward.
In terms of headphones the device ships with a HPM-70 headset that connects into the devices Fast Port connection, allowing for some of the best playback on the cellular market. I didn't notice any background interference, and the sound was nice and crips with great tone.
The phone also supports DRM 2.0 which means most online music stores can be used, and supports most mainstay formats such as MP3, WMA, and AAC.
Camera
The camera on the Sony Ericsson W810 features a 2.0 mega pixel Cmos camera, but does not include an auto-focus feature. Users can choose to take pictures in three modes 1632x1224, 640x480, and 160x120 pixels. The phone features Normal and Fine modes for picture taking, the mode you
choose will dictate the quality of pictures you receive, in normal mode you will use about 300kbs per picture, while Fine mode will create stronger pictures at 500-650kbs. Pictures also save relativly fast, in about 2 seconds per picture.
The Camera also offers some nice settings, such as the ability to choose between shutter sounds, unfortunately the three choices for this feature do not include a shutter sound off choice. The device also offers a White Balance mode, being from a videography background I appreciated the ability to choose between Auto-Mode, Flourescent, Daylight, and Incadescent modes, especially when combined with the typical settings of choosing between Negative, Solarization, Sepia and Black and White Effects.
The Camera also offers access to a timer for self portraits, and the time limit can be set by the user, as well as night mode, and the ability to shoot in bursts, aptly named Burst Mode, which allows you to take pictures up to 4 at a time in quick shot fashion.
The actually quality of pictures was impressive, I didn't notice any blurring or tones that were out of the ordinary, it made me feel that the 2.0 megapixel camera was true to the Mega pixels and not a ripped off compressed version as some phones these days are. The Fine mode took pictures that were bright and vivid, while the normal mode took decent pictures, but many of my pics appears to seem overcast, even when the sun was out.
Overall the camera is acceptable compared to many 2.0 mega pixel offerings currently found on phones, and the set of features is easy to access, and fun to play with. I will warn that achieving pictures of good quality does take a little practice and tweaking, but when all
is said and done I thought the camera quality offering on the W580i was pretty good, but not the best.
Messaging
The W580i offers standard Sony Ericsson messaging features, and as always they are set up with easy to access menus and functions. The phone allows users to send standard SMS messages, which is nice, but as I stated before, the keypad is slightly crammed. While MMS messaging for
pictures and videos is increased in functionality by allowing users to create video clips and more, all with the use of Sony Ericssons complete set of Messaging software options.
Email is also a breeze, in the email settings you can choose to setup various SMPT Accounts and associate passwords with each account. The device also lets you set up file size restrictions, I left my phone open to no restrictions and I was able to send and receive 3 and 4 mb files with no issues, I would have attempted higher file sizes, but I figured those amounts showed a high enough level of capacity. The device also supports Push email, a popular feature among many business users, so even if you just need a second phone that isn't as bulky as your business device, the W580i will still allow you to stay connected to you career at all times, without reminding you constantly that the brick in your pocket is keeping you forever connected to the office.
Internet
The Sony Ericsson W580i features Wap 2.0 support with secured connections, an important feature if you do any online banking from your mobile device, or use any other type of secure transaction. The device operates on the Edge/GPRS network and offers quick internet access for this type of device.
The phone also uses a program called NetFront for web browser, Netfront is considering one of the premiere browsers for Mobile use on the market with the ability to create Bookmarks and Folders, while also offering RSS feed support, which comes in handy for news updates and Blog posting information. Its not the best browser offered on the mobile market, with only 1 column browsing, but it works efficiently and loads pages at a decent rate.
Connectivity
The W580i offers Quad-Band connectivity (850/900/1800/1900), that means when unlocked the device will work on most GSM networks worldwide, including AT&T and Tmobile in the United States, and Rogers and Fido in Canada. I tested the device on Cingular and T-Mobile and found both to work well, including use of each providers cellular data network.
The Sony Ericsson W580i offers a USB connection that offers data rates at approx. 500kb/s, while this isn't typical speeds for the USB 2.0 specification, it still offers fast data transfers for a moderate amount of files. Upon accessing your USB connection the phone will ask you to choose between two options, access to your data card or whether you want to just keep managing your phone with active printer mode. If you choose the first option of managing your memory card the phone goes off and allows only access to your memory, both onboard the phone and through your devices memory stick duo card. The second USB mode on the device will allow you to use the device as a modem and when put into place there is a host of USB features you can play around with and configure towards your own needs.
The Device also features Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate, also known as EDR. Along with EDR users also have access to A2DP, a feature that will allow you to use your Bluetooth Stereo Headset for streaming music. Bluetooth on this device supports a ton of Bluetooth profiles and works flawlessly with A2DP.
Conclusion
The Sony Ericsson W580i is an ample device, it offers excellent audion options, as would be expected with a name like Walkman, and it offers an easy to view display, in an overall package that is easy to carry around thanks to its compact and sleek design. My favorite part of the device? It may sound vein, but its the light up display settings that can be set to certain contacts, I think I like it so much because the phone itself is very similar to many of the other Sony Ericsson walkman devices already on the market, and that offering really helps set it apart. I would suggest to Sony that they attempt to create a thumbprint area for their sliding function on future models, and I also wouldn't mind seeing a more impressive media player, rather than one that just gets by. Overall its another nice offering that really does offer more than I was expecting based on the look of the retail packaging, but none the less I would have liked to see more in terms of new offers, and hopefully if the line is continue new offerings will become more apparent.
|
| Overall rating: |
|
7.7 |
| Styling: |
|
8.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
|
8.0 |
| Display: |
|
8.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
8.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
8.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
6.0 |
Was this review helpful to you?
Reviewed by Administrator
November 07, 2007
Report this review
Last updated: November 08, 2007
|
Blackberry
Blackberry 8130 Delivers WiFi and More
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
The Blackberry offers a solid build with a few techical upgrades that make all the difference. If you have been a longtime Blackberry user you have probably craved the convenience and added luxury of WiFi, with the new Blackberry 8130 you still don't have that luxury, although a version 2 with WiFi is rumored. The Device features an ultra fast Assisted GPS for pinpoint accuracy, along with a nice slender design that feels much less bulky than other Qwerty keypad devices. Overall its an excellent device as far as features go. Lets us know what you think of the device
|
| Overall rating: |
|
7.3 |
| Styling: |
|
8.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
|
10.0 |
| Display: |
|
6.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
6.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
6.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
8.0 |
Was this review helpful to you?
Reviewed by Administrator
November 01, 2007
Report this review
Last updated: November 01, 2007
|
Danger (Sidekick)
Sharp Sidekick LX, an Improvement that needs Impro
|
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
The Sharp Sidekick LX is a slight improvement over the former Sidekick models, but hardly anything to write home about. I found the model to be lighter and offer slightly better Messaging with a much better User Interface, however it also showed signs of Quick battery wear, something users of Sidekicks may have come to expect, but that I would have expected to live up to its competition slightly better than it did.
This is a shorter review than I normal post, just the good and bad parts of the device
The Pros
The device is similar in size to the Sidekick 3 measuring in at 5.1 inches by 2.3 inches by 0.9 inches the device is slightly skinnier for easier holding, and it weighs in at 5.7 ounces, that's almost a whole ounce less than the Sidekick 3.
The device also takes advantage of Sharp's monitor know how, the device features a 400 x 200 display resolution using technology from the Sharp LCD line of Aquos monitors.
Easy to Use interface: The device couldn't be any easier to use, whether you are a veteran Sidekick user, or knew to the devices, its easy to learn the navigation system for the device.
IM'ing: its as easy as it has ever been to send Yahoo, AOL and MSN messages, and you can push email to the device as well, either directly, or by pushing your email to your Tmobile Account, and then pushing it from there to your device.
Myspace App: I started using Myspace for a short period of time just to test the Application that comes with this Device, I know run a myspace page, something I promised I would never do, that about explains how well the application worked.
THE CONS:
AUDIO: The device only supports MP3 and AAC, opposed to devices that support many more options in the market, the interface for the media player is rubbish too. The phone also lacks Bluetooth A2DP for Stereo Playback via Bluetooth and the T-Mobile music service is awful.
TOUCHSCREEN: Or rather the lack thereof, the phone scream low end pocket pc, and then disappoints by leaving out this intuitive feature. If it looks like a Pocket PC, and Acts like a Pocket PC, it should offer the features of a Pocket PC.
INTERNET BROWSER: Can you saw horrid! The screens look out of order, its hard to follow what you pull up on the device, and it is just a plain old lousy screen. Luckily if you have IM you can Instant Message your friends on their devices and ask them to tell you what your looking at on the web.
EDGE ONLY: Where is the 3G? Oh Wait, Tmobile has not yet released their High Speed Internet so I can't really blame them for not having 3G access, Hopefully the next sidekick will include 3G as it stands even the devices Edge/GPRS connectivity is lousy at best
No WiFi: If you are not going to include Edge, at least give your users WiFi, I found it odd that Tmobile, which is one of the largest "HotSpot" providers for WiFi (Just walk into a Borders Bookstore to see what I mean) would actually leave off such an amazing feature on a phone that is meant to connect friends via an internet based application such as Instant Messaging
Conclusion
The Sidekick LX by Sharp is slightly better than the Sidekick III and the design is nice and easy to handle, the downfalls of the device would have made connecting in today's connected world so much easier, at around $300 dollars I would personally find a nice Windows Based Pocket PC and load Instant Messaging on my own, if you are a Sidekick user already however and you like the device, its probably a nice step up for you.
|
| Overall rating: |
|
6.8 |
| Styling: |
|
6.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
|
8.0 |
| Display: |
|
8.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
6.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
5.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
8.0 |
Was this review helpful to you?
|
Motorola
Motorola A1200 Offers Unique Design, Excellent Fea
|
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
The Motorola A1200 is a smartphone of enormous proportions. Not only does the device offer a design that is nice to look at, it offers alot of different types of functionality, An ultra fast Linux Operating system, and the ability to navigate in many different ways.
Design
The Front of the A1200 is sheltered by the devices flip panel, however unlike normal protective covers, the A1200 uses a see through design that can be accessed by turning the screen on using the devices side buttons.
Flipping the casing up reveals only three buttons, on the left side of the device is the Green send button, follow by a Dpad with a joystick type control that can also be pushed in to select the program the user would like to open. Finally on the right side of the Dpad there is an end button. Why the simple configuration? Simply put, the phone relies on a touch screen that measures 2.4 inchs and takes up a good amount of realty space on the front of the device.
The left side of the phone features Volume/Navigation Up and down keys, and between them a Select/Ok key. While the bottom left side features a 2.5mm headset jack for wired headset audio.
The right side of the Motorola A1200 on the other hand features a Camera Button at the top right, followed directly below by a Voice Recorder/Voice Activation key. While the bottom right features a Mini USB port for Data sync purposes and for charging the device.
The Bottom of the device is bare, with the sim card loading behind the battery, follow by an empty top side (The power is turned off by holding down the red end key on the front of the phone (That's something you don't really see alot anymore).
Finally the backside of the A1200 houses the devices 2.0 megapixel camera, no flash is present on this particular device. Behind the battery a MicroSD card slot can also be found, I just wish like most new devices however that this feature would have had a dedicated slot on the outside of the phone to make removing the card easier.
{mosgoogle}
Features
The main feature aside from the see through flip component is the Operating system, the Linux based system on the Motorola A1200 moves along extremely fast for a processor that is pushing out just over 300mhz. The menus are extremely easy to navigate on the OS, I personally preferred using the many shortcuts found on the main screen (11 shortcuts all together if you include the "Meetings" screen).
The phone also features a strong voice commander, making easy calls when choosing to voice dial rather than use the onboard dialpad, which I will admit was still easy to use, thanks in large part to the precise responsiveness of the devices touchscreen, it by far has one of the best touch functions I have used to date.
Messaging
The Motorola A1200 allows for MMS and SMS messaging, and send text and pictures with no problem whatsoever. If Email is more up your area, the phone also supports POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP, and offers support with those functions for PDF, Word, Excel and Powerpoint applications, almost as well as Windows Mobile 6.0 does.
Camera
The 2.0 Mega pixel camera on the device is nothing to write home about, the pictures were grainy, and the lack of a flash made nighttime picture look even worse. The one nice part of the camera on this device however is the ability to alter/edit pictures thanks to an onboard touch screen that allows users to change the picture resolution between 480 x 640 (Small), 320 x 240 (Medium), and 352 x 268 (Large), plus more touch buttons for Color selection (Black/White, Sepia, etc), and the ability to change over to Video mode from the camera mode, and the option to choose Direct Sun mode, Incandescent, and much more. You can also tweak your brightness before taking a picture and choose the mode you shoot in, such as Panoroma, I'm not an expert camera man with cell phones, and some shots did come out better than others, so tweaking those features may come in handy and produce stronger pictures than I was able to capture, but a flash still would have been nice
Audio
The phones audio supports the following formats: MP3, WAV, AMR, WMA, AAC+ which have become pretty standard on mobile devices, I found the audio to work well with no real background interference, and while video may not have the best playback on the device, the audio from videos was also easy to hear, I tested the device with the included headset and a Motorola S9 and both worked well. I didn't test the device with a non-Motorola A2DP headset, so that may be something you want to consider since a Motorola Device should be expected to work well with a Motorola accessory. Overall the Audio was crisp, easy to access, and worked in an excellent manner
Internet
The browser on the A1200 supports WAP 2.0, WML, xHTML, HTML, and to be honest it was a hassle to get working, but after going over my settings a few times I was able to connect, and I found the Edge/GPRS network on Cingular and T-Mobile to be well handled by the device, Internet pages opened fairly quickly and the phones display made viewing pages easy, other than that, there really isn't alot to say about my internet experience with the device.
Connectivity
The device offers Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) which allows for faster data sync capabilities, throw in A2DP and the device proves why it works well as a Music capable device. Users can also transfer information through the phones Data sync cable (Provided with the phone) and their PC for quick connection. With Bluetooth 2.0 users can connect up to 6 devices at one time.
The device offers Quad-Band connectivity (850/900/1800/1900) which means it will work in the United States on AT&T/Cingular and T-Mobile, and in Canada on Fido and Rogers.
Conclusion
The phone I currently use for personal use is the Motorola A1200, I think that speaks volumes for the device, in terms of Unlocked GSM devices its priced moderately, offers a nice alternative to a Windows Mobile device, and comes in a unique design that made many of my friends want one. If you are looking for a compact device that offers full functionability I would highly recommend the Motorola A1200, if you want to add to that package, use the Model I reviewed the Motorola A1200 with Red color, it just simply looks nicer than the Grey version of the same phone.
|
| Overall rating: |
|
9.0 |
| Styling: |
|
10.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
|
10.0 |
| Display: |
|
8.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
8.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
8.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
10.0 |
Was this review helpful to you?
Reviewed by Administrator
November 01, 2007
Report this review
Last updated: November 01, 2007
|
Ubiquio
Ubiquio 503G Offers Power, Lacks Rom Stability
|
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
The Ubiquio 503G is a unique device, in the sense that its a new brand, and offer out of the ordinary memory configurations. While the phones Intel Xscale processor is a step up from many on the market, the device has long been marred by connectivity issues on U.S. Networks, and constant Rom Updates.
Design
Looking at the front of the Ubiquio 503G users will first notice the devices 2.4" QVGA touch screen display. Below that screen the Ubiquio features a bevy of shortcut keys and more.
Directly below the screen is the the first dual shortcut key, a button that contains a Windows Start Key shortcut on its left side and an additional programmable shortcut key to its right. Below that key there are two more buttons, a call button and a contacts button.
Beside the right side keys is the devices Directional Dpad featuring up,down,left and Right keys and a giant select button in the middle for easy access.
To the right of the Dpad is a mirrored setup of the right side keys. On the top right there is another programmable softkey followed by an Ok Key. Below that set of keys is a message button for accessing text messages and emails, followed by the phones call end key.
Below all of the above mentioned options is the phones Qwerty keyboard. The keys on the board are nicely places, well spaced, and raised just enough to make typing on the device easy for both text messaging and email components.
The Left side of device features a Toggle wheel which allows for easy one handed navigation, especially when combined with the okay button located directly below the wheel. The last component on the left side of the device is the bottom left camera key, used in conjunction with the devices 2.0mp camera.
The Right side of the Ubiquio 503G features one lonely component, the mobile devices dedicated MicroSD card slot.
The bottom of the device then features a 2.5mm audio jack, which works well with the devices included stereo wired headset. The bottom of the Ubiquio 503G also features the devices Mini USB port for charging the device, and for data sync capabilites.
Finally, the top of the device features a single button, the 503G ON/OFF button.
Features
The Ubiqiuo 503G isn't really all that feature heavy in terms of software, its main offering that I think is worth mentioning is the devices Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional, which allows users to connect to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, and to open and edit Microsoft word, excel, and powerpoint features.
Camera
The ubiquio 503G actually 2 camera, the main camera, a 2 mega pixel CMOS camera features excellent Macro features for extreme close ups, while there are hints of Yellow and Grey over and undertones, the picture quality over all isn't to bad, although I must say there are better options on the market in the 2.0 mega pixel range. The devices also features a .3 mega pixel conference camera that offers 3G videoconferencing features.
Display
The Ubiquio 503G features a 2.4" QVGA TFT screen with 262k colors and a display resolution of 320 x 240. The screen is backlit well, and the Windows Mobile 6 interface is nice to look at. I would have liked to see a sharper display on a device that packs such a processing punch, with the faster processor a VGA monitor would have been nice, but the screen none the less looks good and works well with the devices onboard programs.
Audio
The Ubiquio 503G features a dedicated 2.5mm jack for stereo wired headsets, and the device actually offered decent audio playback using the Windows Mobile Media Player. Personally, I preferred the use of a Stereo Bluetooth headset, which works and connects well to the phones A2DP function. The device offers support for all the standard playbacks such as MP3, WAV and WMA, I didn't have a chance however to test AAC files which has become a standard offering on cellular devices these days.
Messaging
The device shines the most when used for Email and Text messaging features. The devices Qwerty keyboard is well laid out and offers easy access for SMS and MMS messaging thanks to the devices messaging shortcut key and navigation features. Microsoft Exchange server support up to MS Exchange 2007 also makes Push email a breeze, setup of my Exchange server was flawless, and I was browsing emails from my POP and IMAP accounts just as fast. If you prefer you can also use the devices internet to connect to your Email from their respective websites as well.
Internet
The Ubiquio 503G offers internet bliss, if you can get it to connect, while most users will have no problem connecting to the GPRS/EDGE network or for that matter the ultra fast 3G networks, its important to note that Uqiquio has admitted that Cingular users in the United States may have issues that leave the phone inoperable. When connected however the 3G is ultra fast. The device relies on Internet Explorer, which honestly doesn't give the best browsing features, if you really want to get the most out of the device I would suggest downloading Opera Mini to the device, it will make your life much easier, and Opera Mini will download webpages at ultra fast speeds compared to most Mobile Browsers, especially when connected with 3G speed.
Connectivity
The 503G offers Bluetooth 1.2 which will allow up to 3 devices to be connected to the unit at one time. Bluetooth 2.0 is the standard these days, especially with its ability to use Enhanced Data Rates, it suprises me that a device with such a fast processor and high memory standards decided to rely on Bluetooth 1.2, however most people will never need to connect more than 3 devices to their unit, or for that matter figure out how to configure the com ports to do so.
WiFi is also another plus of the 503G, features 802.11 b/g certified WiFi this particular Ubiquio shines when connecting to secured and unsecured networks. Setup is accomplished by literally pressing only several keys and searching for the networks in your area. The WiFi was proficient and an added bonus thrown in to the mix of connectivity products already tied into the device.
Conclusion
The Ubiquio 503G is a solid messaging phone that offers alot of connectivity, the rating for this device would have been higher, however it has been a hassle to maintain, it seems like a new ROM is released every week, requiring users to update their devices, while Radio updates require the use of a completely seperate cable that comes included with the device thankfully. Cingular users should be aware of issues in their area regarding the device, Ubiquio is working on the issues, and hopefully they will be solved soon, T-Mobile customers can take advantage of the device, however T-Mobile does not support 3G access, which slighly cripples the use of the device.
All things considered the Ubiquio is a nice machine with nice features, hopefully future devices will be beta tested in more US markets to avoid issues, if the device works in your area however it is easy to use, and make a wonderful addition to any Mobile users arsenal
|
| Overall rating: |
|
6.3 |
| Styling: |
|
6.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
|
8.0 |
| Display: |
|
6.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
6.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
6.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
6.0 |
Was this review helpful to you?
|
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericssson W810i Offers Music Bliss
|
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Design
At first glance the Sony Ericsson W810i showcases its unique design, while the phone may carry a standard candybar design, the phones buttons, most notably its shortcut keys, are anything but typical. Below the devices 1.9 inch LCD screen users will find several buttons unique to the W810i. The design begins with three circular navigation buttons, the first key on the left of the device is used for direct access to the devices Music Player, obviously a prominent feature on the "Walkman device" the circular key also features a back key (An important item for navigation) and a soft key. The dedicated orange Walkwan key on this panel allows users to directly access their devices music menus, even if a user is engaged in another application.
In the middle of the device a D pad type navigation control can be found, this circular panel is used to move around the phones menus and doubles as the media players Play and Stop functions, and to move between tracks, both backwards and forwards, and to control volume keys.
Finally the right side circular panel features an Activity menu that can open a list that points to events, bookmarks, and shortcuts, while the right side also features a Clear Key and a second shortcut key.
Below the W810i shortcut panel is the front side of the phone is completed with the standard numeric pad of many cell phones.
The left side of the device features a Play / Pause key at the top, a nice dedicated feature that adds to the phones Music capabilities. Below the Dedicated Play / Pause button the phone also features a Memory Stick Pro Duo Slot for expandable memory up to 4gb.
The right side of the phone contains the devices Camera shortcut key, and a +/- Key that is used to adjust the devices volumes, and to zoom in and out with the devices camera functions, including Picture zoom functions.
The top of the device features two important features, the phones On / Off Key, and an infrared port for added connectivity, although Infrared is quickly being pushed to the side by Bluetooth connectivity.
The bottom of the device also features two areas, the Charger connector (Propietary to Sony Ericsson), and the Stereo Headset Adapter.
Finally, turning the phone around reveals the devices Camera and Speaker Port.
{mosgoogle}
Features
I have to start with the obvious feature, the devices easily accessible Music player functions. One unique area of this phone is its ability to function as a standalone music player without ever access the phone directly. When first turning the device on a screen is displayed which requests the user to select between Phone Mode, or Media Player Only Modes, this feature is great if you are out at the gym or you don't want to be disturbed by phone calls but would still like to use your phone as an MP3 Player.
The Sony Ericsson W810i also features a very easy to navigate menu structure, the device features 4 columns with 3 Rows, making it easy to navigate between programs and features. The phone not only allows users to use the basic phone setup features such as choosing between different wallpapers and ringtones, but it also allows them to create personalized menus with user specified headings, a
feature that makes navigating your device even easier, at least after you figure out how to set up the headings, I suggest using the manual as it takes a little bit of effort.
Camera
The Sony Ericsson W810i features a nicely integrated 2.0 megapixel Cmos camera with a photo light for low light conditions. The camera takes impressive pictures and can capture those images up to 1632 x 1224 pixels while capturing up to 262K colors. The camera also allows users to capture images at 640 x 480 and 160 x 120px.
What makes the W810i's camera fun is the host of options it gives to users. The device features White Balancing, Picture Effects, Fine Tuning options (Normal and Fine), Auto Focus capabilities, a Self Timer, Night Mode (Which works well with the phones phone light), modes such as Panoroma and Frames, and upclose picture taking in Macro Mode. Users can also zoom in on taken pictures.
The Devices video function features an encoded .3GP coden (H.263 and AMR), this means users can record at QCIF quality of 176 x 144 pixels, or Sub-Qcif 128 x 96 pixels of resolution at 10 frames per second.
Add in Sony Ericssons ultra popular QuickShare program and users can easily share their pictures and videos with friends, and they can do so in just a few short steps.
I will say that the Video isn't the best quality, but its not bad for a 2.0 megapixel camera phone, though I think I'll stick to taking pictures with the device over video capture.
Display
The W810i features an impressive 1.9 inch LCD monitor with a resolution output of 176 x 220 pxiels, and a color output of 262k colors. The phone also pigbacks on TFT technology which helps speed the device along when playing games, and loading applications, not to mention the creation of a brighter, more vivid, and more appealing on the eyes screen overall.
Audio
The meat of the Sony Ericsson W810i Walkman phone is obviously its ability to play audio, and it definately met and exceeded my expectations. The W810i allows users to play a wide variety of formats including MP4, 3GP, AAC, AMR, Midi, IMY, EMY, WAV, and of course MP3 and AAC files. The device also ships with a 512 MB memory Stick Pro Duo which is set to hold up to 150 songs, and is upgradeable to 4gb for even more music storage.
As I've already mentioned dedicated Music Controls can be found all throughout the phones design, from the front loaded bright orange shortcut media player key to the left sides Play/Pause buttons, and the right sides volume adjustment keys.
The W810i also made me feel like I was using my home stereo system by offering a Bass and Treble Equalizer, allowing me to set my own levels, while the back of the phone offered Three distinct speaker ports that helped to show off the devices Mega Bass Audio settings.
Of course the speaker is not necessary is the user plugs in the Sony Ericsson HPM-70 portable headset that comes included with the W810i out of box, and which can be connected through the bottom loaded connection Port.
The W810i also features an included FM radio tuner that can program up to 20 channels and also support RDS (Radio Data Support) feeds, which is a type of format similar to an RSS feed, allowing users to tap into radio station feeds and listen to their music, this isn't as popular yet in North America as the rest of the world, but none the less its a nice feature.
Also as i'm mentioned, the phone can be left off and used as a media player stand alone device, this feature is great if you don't want to be disturbed, or if you are in an area that doesn't allow cellular devices to be turned on, most notably airplanes.
One downfall, the device doesn't feature A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) which allows users to play stereo music over a Stereo Bluetooth headphone set such as the Motorola S9 Stereo Bluetooth headphones.
Messaging
The W810i uses pretty standard messaging, users can access SMS messaging for text messages, then can also use EHS (Enhanced Messaging Service) messaging which will allow them to format areas such as Alignment, text size, the style they write messages in and how paragraphs will appear. Finally users can also access MMS (Multimedia Message Services) for sending photos, videos and voice clips to other users and email addresses.
If users purchase their device locked from Cingular they will also receive access to AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and ICQ Messenger. Its important to note that international versions will ship with different variants of messaging software.
Internet
The W810i connects using the Edge network which allows for average speeds from 70 to 135 kbps while downloading and is up to four times faster than traditional GPRS connections. The device supports HTML 4.01, WML 1.3 and xHTML 1.1 standards, and runs the Netfront 3.3 Software package.
Connectivity
The Sony Ericsson W810i runs on the Quad-Band (850/900/1800/1900) cellular network frequencies, meaning the phone will work in the United States on AT&T / Cingular and T-Mobile mainly, and in Canada on Rogers and Fido, while Worldwide connectivity is also an option (Most countries run on one of the above mentioned frequencies).
The device also features Bluetooth 2.0 which allows users to connect up to 6 other devices to the W810i with the use of Com Ports. The devices Bluetooth is able to connect up to 33 feet (10 meters) from the device. The Bluetooth profiles on the
device also support HID (Human Interface Devices) which basically turned the W810i into a controller for applications such as a computer keyboard that can be used from across the room, or a remote control if you don't want to get off the couch, or spend hours finding the remote you've lost for the 100th time.
Also, the device features a USB to FastPort connection for data syncing purposes.
The Phone will also stay connected for a nice duration of time, as the mobile device offers 8 hrs of talk time and 350 hrs of standby on a 900mah battery featuring Lithium Polymer technology.
CONCLUSION
Overall the Sony Ericsson W810i was a solid device that offered exactly what it promised, easy access to the media player, a sleek package, excellent battery life, and a crystal clear display with tons of user defined menu shortcuts. I was impressed with the continued improvement made from the W600i to the W810i and I can't wait to review the W580i this coming week.
Essentially, if you want a device that can differentiate between a media player and a phone, but you still want each device to work in tangent, I would recommend the W810i, however if you need Bluetooth Stereo capabilities, you may want to stear clear and check out the newer Sony Ericsson models with A2DP technologies.
|
| Overall rating: |
|
9.0 |
| Styling: |
|
8.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
|
10.0 |
| Display: |
|
8.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
8.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
10.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
10.0 |
Was this review helpful to you?
Reviewed by Administrator
October 30, 2007
Report this review
Last updated: October 30, 2007
|
HTC
HTC TOUCH REVIEW
|
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Design
Examining the front of the HTC touch users will first realize that the device is limited to a single d-pad control with a one single push button for menu selection and two small buttons for access to the calendar and contacts and that are also used for Talk and End functionality. The reason for this is the phones newly created "Touch Flo" technology which allows its users to swipe their finger across the screen or use a stylus for phone functionality. Because of the phones lack of buttons the devices measures in at a very small 3.9 inches long by 2.8 inches wide by 0.5 inch tall and weighs just 3.98 ounces.
The right side of the HTC Touch features three distinct areas, a camera key located at the bottom of the phone and the SIM card and microSD slots, which are both protected by a covered plate.
The left side of the phone is again simplistic in design, feature a single Volume control rocker.
While the bottom of the phone features a USB outlet and lanyard loop.
Finally the top of the phone featurs HTC's typical multifunction Power/Profile.
All together the phone is simplistic in its design, mainly because it lends itself so well to its new touch technology which I'll discuss in the features section. The phones rounded edges and small size is pleasing on the eye and offers a new look with simplicity at its core.
Features
The most important feature of the new HTC touch is the phones Touch Flo technology, the screen itself feel almost like a glass component rather than the normal TFT Reflective screens that feel like you can push your finger through them. The screen is also smart enough that it can decipher between a screen tap with a stylus and a finger swipe motion. To access the screens Graphical User Interface the user needs just swipe their finger from the bottom of the screen to the top. Doing so will access the TouchFlo shortcut screens. (This can be seen on our posted Video review for the HTC Touch
{mosgoogle}
From the GUI users can access some of the more popular features of their phone, including music, photos, videos, contacts, calendars and a wide variety of other applications.
The phone features a Texas Instruments OMAP 850 201 Mhz processor that is sometimes sluggish if the user happens to be using third party applications, but works smoothly when paired with the phones readily available and already installed applications.
The phone also features Windows Mobile 6.0, an application that not only helps the look of the interface, but also offers users the ability to view Emails in HTML format, and easier access to Microsoft Exchange 2007 servers, and a wide variety of other applications.
If you want to learn more about the HTC Touch’s interface be sure to check out my review of the HTC S710, which showcases some of the audio manager and other HTC device applications available on both devices.
Camera
The phones camera is located on the back of the device and features a 2.0 mega-pixel output. The camera offered medium grade pictures with a slight yellowish undertone on some pictures that were taken indoors. Some pictures also had a hazy blurred image in the center of the frame. However, many pictures when taken in better lighting and outdoors seems to function as a 2.0 mega-pixel camera should, offering medium grade pictures with overall good tone and clarity. Depending on the lighting conditions the phone is able to produce some suitable results.
Display
The HTC Touch features a 2.4” display that offers a QVGA resolution of 240x320 with an output of 65,000 colors. While those numbers are not all the impressive by themselves, its important to note that the HTC Touch features an excellent backlit display with the sleek design of the Windows Mobile 6.0 interface. Combine HTC’s display know-how with the backlighting and you get a display that is surprisingly easy of the eyes based on its specifications. Video playback was also fairly stable, although a faster processor would be nice to utilize stronger video functions.
Audio
The HTC Touch features an ExtUSB multi-function stereo headphone jack that works will with Windows Pocket Media Player 10. The phone support a variety of music format including MP3, AAC, WMA, WMV, and ASF overall the music playback was good, the volume was easily to control using the phones volume rocker, and there was little to know background interference depending on the volume. Overall the HTC Touch offers solid music playback in a tiny package.
Messaging
The phone offers a frustrating text messaging template, because of the phones size the keyboard that can be pulled up is useless without the use of a stylus, personally I would prefer not having to pull out the stylus every time I want to type a text message. Especially on the phones small digital keyboard. The phone is good however if you want to view emails in HTML format, or if you are running Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.
Internet
The phone offers Edge service which appears to run at typical edge speeds on the Tmobile network. The phone features Internet Explorer which still fails to offer multiple windows, but runs at a decent speed. The phones real wireless prowess comes in HTC’s tried and true 802.11 b/g wireless connectivity abilities. The phone connects flawlessly with open wireless networks and worked well on a Belkin Wireless N router that was encrypted with WPA access only rights behind a password. The pages loaded quickly both on Wifi and on Edge access, they loaded at decent speeds and really offered little in terms of thrills, I am still a big believer that Operamini.com offers the best devices for internet functioning.
Connectivity
HTC claims that the phone is a Tri-band (900/1800/1900mhz) device, but I’m no so sure, placing a Cingular Sim card seemed to reveal the phones ability to pick up 850mhz ATT towers in my area. Several other websites have also listed the device as a Quad-band mobile unit. The phone also features Bluetooth 2.0 for accessing up to 6 devices at a time on different Com Ports.
Conclusion
Overall the HTC Touch is a sleek and fun device, what it lacks in text messaging it makes up with in ease of use, the phone takes decent pictures and streams video well enough for a mobile device. The skin placed over Mobile 6.0 for use specifically with the HTC Touch’s TouchFlo technology is pleasing on the eyes and the phone works well not only for multimedia applications, but also as a business device packing the full punch of Windows Mobile 6.0 The popularity of the device is proving that users are willing to accept Iphone substitutes, more importantly the phone doesn’t attempt to trump the Iphone, but rather to offer a new solution to the legions of HTC faithful.
|
| Overall rating: |
|
8.7 |
| Styling: |
|
10.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
|
10.0 |
| Display: |
|
8.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
8.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
6.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
10.0 |
Was this review helpful to you?
|
Eten
Eten M700 Cell Phone Review
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Design
First look at the phone reveals a relatively simplistic sliding keyboard design. The model I tested came in a grey on grey color scheme, not the most pleasing on the eyes but this phone isn't about the form factor, consequently, I wouldn't expect it to be the most exhilirating phone to look at. The phone measures in at 4.64 x 2.32 x .78 inches. On the top left of the front side there is a GPS key that automatically accesses the phones Sirf III GPS receiver. While the right side of the M700 houses the new Mkey, a new function on the E-Ten that takes users to the phones main functions screen. Below the phones sizeable screen users can find two softkeys, on the left side the key is programmed out of the box to access the speed dial function, while the rightside softkey is used for contacts. Below those keys are the Green Send key on the left side, and on the right side is the Red End Key. Between the softkeys and call function keys is a D-Pad and selection button, again I found the D-Pad to be akward and hard to operate.
{mosgoogle}
Looking to the left side of the device, the E-Ten M700 features volume keys near the top of the left side with a voice recorder/voice command button located below the volume keys.
The right side of the M700 has several buttons, the first at the top is the devices Power Button which also serves to bring the device out of hibernation mode (A helpful tool for energy conservation). While the bottom right side of the E-Ten device features an instant launch camera button, press the button once to launch the phones camera.
The top of the phone is actually blank, while the bottom of the phone features a MicroSD slot for easy memory card loading up to 2gb's. and a Mini EXTusb port for charging and syncing the device.
The back of the phone features the devices camera, as well as an LED flash for added use when taking pictures. The back of the E-Ten M700 also features a sizeable speaker slot for speakerphone use.
Finally pushing on the side of the phone reveals the devices sliding qwerty keyboard which houses a strong blue backlit feature. The keys on the keyboard are not spaced out, however I found them to be big enough for typing and texting purposes and easy to see in low light areas.
Features
The most notable feature on the E-Ten M700 is the devices Sirf III GPS receiver with its low power chipset for greater satellite capture. The device picked up the GPS in less than 30 seconds, way above average for a mobile device. Its also important that I mention that it picked up the signal while I was indoors, compare that to the Nokia N95 which takes up to 10 minutes in some cases to find satellite signals. The GPS on the M700 it should be mentioned does not include GPS software, I would suggest the TomTom Navigator 6 package or Pharos Ostia for use with the system. The M700 also features a location SMS application that will send your coordinates to another phone.
The phone also comes loaded with Windows Mobile 5.0. While 5.0 is not obsolete for most intensive purposes E-ten is allowing users to upgrade for free to Mobile 6.0 via their website.
The Glofiish M700 is also equiped with the Cyberon's Voice Commander 2.0, a voice recognition system. Voice Commander can be utilized with voice dialing, or for sending out voice commands such as "start calendar", "today's appointments", and many more.
The phone also features an FM Tuner that supports the US, Europe, and Japan. I found the overall product pleasing with fairly good sound quality, but no where near perfect. If you decide to use this feature I wouldn't suggest the auto find feature as it hardly worked, instead try manually finding your local stations. While this function wasn't perfect it did work and it did find my local stations without any real hiccups.
When all was said and done the E-ten M700's 400 mhz Samsung processor proved to hold its own when running even several applications at a time, while the GPS proves once again E-Tens lead in the Global Positioning market, at least on cellular devices.
Camera
In terms of the the M700's camera functionability the 2.0 mega pixel camera operated with some noticeable color tones that appeared to be off, looking through my reviews I realized gray and yellow undertones often occur, the M700 however did not have a problem so much with graytones and yellow tones but rather it appeared to took sharp pictures that blended their coloring together in the middle of many of my pictures, while some colors were completely different than they were in realtime, also several of my pictures were undersaturated. One big qualm I have with the M700 is the phones inability to capture motion, if the object is moving it become so blurred that the image was destroyed as it left behind a streak of coloring. The camera can take still images with a resolution settings of 1600x1200, 1280x960, 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120. While also utilizing a video resolutios of 320x240, 176x144 and 128x96. The devices camera also offers the standard settings found in many of todays cameras such as white balancing, led flash, and indoor and outdoor settings based on your environment.
Display
The screen on teh E-Ten M700 was crisp and bright, I used the orange coloring scheme and found it easy on the eyes. The Display features a 2.8" inch screen with a pixel resolution of 240x320 while outputting 65,000 colors. The backlighting on the devices appeared to help make the screen appear as more than it is. You can also set the screen brightness using an on screen slider while also auto-adjusting brightness relative to battery level and idle time
Audio
The audio on the E-Ten M700 came through with average quality sound when output was made through the devices 2.5 millimeter headset jack. Their was low noise output from the background and the volume transitioned smoothly between soft and high. One unfortunate aspect was the phones inability to create a louder playback, when the volume was adjusted using the side loaded volume rocker the highest level seemed to be quite soft in comparison to other devices, the N95 in comparison could get quite loud, think MP3 player levels. I also attempted to record using the included headset and I must admit that the recording came out better than I expected. In terms of the phones ability to record using the loudspeaker, I would say stay away from that function, however playing music and recordings over the loud speaker did prove to be of higher quality and volume levels than when the same audio was played through the headset. The phone supports all the major audio file types and works well enough for casual use, but by no means is it good enough to replace your MP3, although the phones A2DP did allow for suitable MP3 Bluetooth Stereo playback.
Messaging
There really isn't alot to report on the messaging end, the phone works well with Microsoft outlook through Microsoft Exchange servers, and emails and MMS messages were sent in a smooth manner. I do suggest upgrading to Windows Mobile 6.0 so your email messages can be viewed in HTML formats, besides the upgrade is free. Other than that the POP and IMAP functions worked well and email and text messages were easy to type on the phones sliding qwerty keyboard.
Internet
The E-Ten M700 features the GPRS/EDGE network which worked well on both Cingular and Tmobile. I found internet explorer to be a little cumbersome, then again I have always chose to upload Operamini when possible. Overall the internet moved smoothly with little delay, while offering a no thrills browser experience. I tested the download speed and found an average of 154kb/s, not bad on the Edge network.
Connectivity
The M700 is a Quadband GSM(850/900/1800/1900) device that features Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR and 802.11 b/g WiFi. The phone connected easily with Tmobile and Cingular, and offered excellent reception on both network, although I did notice a low hissing noise on several calls, I wasn't able to determine if the noise came from phone usage or network issues, however it only happened on several occassions and hardly seemed to be of any real concern. The Bluetooth application uses a Bluetooth manager which features a wizard for syncing devices to your device. The wireless manager also allows you to control your phone, WiFi, and Bluetooth connections all from the same application. One plus appears to be that a passcode was not needed to enter new devices, I assume the M700 uses the standard 0000 when attempting to connect, and since devices are automatically sent to this code it appears to auto sync the connections.
The phone also features a WLAN Utility which gives users a more complex look at their signals, the application allows for power saving functions, and offers the ability to examine your settings Tx rate settings. Overall I would say signal strength through the WiFi connect was on par with HTC devices which I have always found to be top notch in terms of WiFi settings.
Conclusion
The E-Ten M700 may not appear to be the sturdiest of designs, but it does offer a nicely packaged set of addons. The GPS unit is ahead of the competition, allowing for quick satellite pickup and the ability to track a bevy of satellite info at a fingers touch. While the shortcut keys are a nice addition their design is flawed and made for akward use. Aside from the phones build I actually found the processor to be quite fast, and the internet to work as well as one could expect on the GPRS/EDGE networks. The slider may have stuck slightly but that could also be attribute to the phones tight gapless build factor. Overall I would recommend the M700 if a keyboard is absolutely necessary, otherwise I would try the E-Ten X500+ which houses a stronger build factor without the keyboard function.
|
| Overall rating: |
|
7.0 |
| Styling: |
|
6.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
|
10.0 |
| Display: |
|
8.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
6.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
6.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
6.0 |
Was this review helpful to you?
|
Blackberry
Blackberry Curve 8300 Review
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Design
The Blackberry 8820 features the smallest compact size of any Blackberry to date, measuring in at a surprisingly small 4.2 x 2.4 x .06 Inches, while weighining in at a respectable 3.9 ounces.
The front of the phone at first look reveals the phones compact Qwerty keyboard in a sleek design that features a black on silver design, the color scheme was not the most appealing choice, however the form factor well makes up for that fact. Specifically, the design features a much spacier qwerty keyboard as the phone has reverted back to past qwerty designs that helped to make Blackberry devices so appealing to heavy users. Below the phones screen are the phones main function keys for easy navigation, these keys include the talk and end buttons, while the end button also functions as the power key. The phone also features a menu shortcut key, an escape key and a trackball navigation scroller.
The right side of the phone features a volume rocker, and a soft launch key that can be used to launch a variety of options on the phone, however I should note that it is set in default to launch the phones newly installed, and higher mega pixel camera than past Blackberries.
{mosgoogle}
The left side of the phone holds the devices mini usb port, along with a second programmable softkey, and finally a 3.5mm headset jack for use with your standard set of mp3 headphones, which means no more looking for headset adaptors which can cause quite an annoyance.
The back of the device hold a 2.0 mega pixel camera, a nice addition to RIM's arsenal. What I did find annoying however was the location of the devices MicroSD card slot which is inconveniently located behind the battery. I would have preferred to see something along the lines of the HTC S710 which features an easy to load MicroSD card slot along the side of the phone.
Holding the phone was made easy by the addition of a soft touch side panel that gave the device the feel of a rubbery finish.
Features
Usually I name off all of the phones cool new features, but I feel it necessary to bring up what the Blackberry 8820 is lacking. The device does not feature a WiFi or 3G access, a feature as I stated before that will be included in the new Blackberry 8820. It seems odd to me that a company focused on business users has yet to add some of the standard business functions that are flooding the cellular market already.
On the positive side, the Curve is the first RIM device to feature spell checking for emails and memos. The spell check offers a bevy of neat features, such as the ability to ignore numbers, acronyms, and numbers.
The device also features support for Microsoft Exchange Servers, IBM Lotus Domino servers, and Novell GroupWise, while POP Mail support can feature up to 10 accounts at one time, or a combination of POP and IMAP4. With the phones ability to feature such connectivity, it was also important for Blackberry to include software for attachment viewing which they have done in abundance, users have the option to view, PDF, GIF, and JPEG files, along with other popular formats.
Camera
The Blackberry Cruve does finally include a 2-megapixel camera, and is the first to go beyond 1.3 megapixels in the companies arsenal of phones. The device also features a 5x zoom with a standard built-in flash. Users can choose between three picture sizes 1,600x1,200, 1,024x768, and 640x480. Images with the device tended to have a gray overtone, while they may have appeared sharp it is no surprise that a video recording function was not included on the device as it would have produced horribly taken video captures.
Display
The phones screen sizes in at a respectable 2.5 inch diagonal, 65,000 color screen with a screen resolution of 320 x 240. The screens resolution may be standard in
many of todays devices, what made its easy to read however was the screens light sensing technology which changed the screen settings to make for easier reading
in a variety of environments including indoors, outdoors, dark settings, and more. I was actually quite impressed with the phones images as they appears bright and in
full context, while lettering and numerical displays showed no signs of blurring or fading.
Audio
The isn't much to the Blackberry Curve's audio, the phone features full support for MP3, AAC, WMA, WMV, and ASF files, while using the devices mini EXTusb port and 3.5mm headphone jack for playback. There was actually very little background noise when playing files through the phones supplied headset, and the phones audio was easy to control while using its side loaded volume rocker control. Another good feature was the phones ability to pause music when a new call was received and resume playing after the call was ended. Overall the Audio was on par with most non music featured phones on the market, and in playback mode it featured even more playable formats than those listed above. Unfortunately my A2DP supported Motorola S9 Headset was loaned out and I wasn't able to try out the phones A2DP for Stereo Bluetooth playback.
Messaging
Whether send a text, formatting an email, or using Blackberries messaging program, it couldn't have been any easy to get my messages across (No pun intended). The phone functioned with ease, and with spell checking for emails (But not for text messages) I found that the device sent and received well. One feature that I would have liked to see would be instant messaging for platforms other than Blackberries own messaging software, but other than that the keyboard may typing fast, and fairly accurate, and the phone offered a nicely packaged messaging platform.
Internet
The phone doesn't feature 3G, or for that matter WiFi, however when tested on the Tmobile and Cingular Edge networks the phone functioned at decent speeds, loaded pages as would be expected on those two networks, and offered very little thrills. I would put the phones speed on par with other Blackberry devices, but there didn't seem to be any improvement over browsing capabilities or other internet based applications.
Connectivity
The phone features the Quad Band (850/900/1800/900) frequencies for worldwide use with Edge network capabilities. Using the phone in Central, IL and Chicago, IL produced average calls overall, I didn't have a problem hearing anyone, however I did feel that their voices felt a little echoed out. One neat feature was the phones ability to increase volume intensity as background noice increased or decreased. I didn't feel however that background noise was cancelled out as Research in Motion claimed the device would do. I even tried my old Motorolo 300 headset on the device and found that it connected well with both that bluetooth and several newer Jabra headsets, it also connected well with a Parrot CK3200 Bluetooth car kit.
Conclusion
Overall the Blackberry Curve is a sleek, compact device, that offers some new functionability. It may lack 3G and WiFi, but it appears to be a step in the right direction for Research in Motion, if the Blackberry 8820 supports the features of the Curve with the addition of WiFi, then it appears RIM is finally beginning to put together a winning package. Messaging, Internet, and Display functions were concise, and while not breathtaking, they did manage to do what they claimed, something that doesn't always happen in the cellular arena. Overall I would recommend the Blackberry to currently users of Research in Motion products if they like their past models, otherwise there are still products by companies such as HTC and E-Ten that offer more usability on a large scale with more functions for users to enjoy.
|
| Overall rating: |
|
7.3 |
| Styling: |
|
6.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
|
8.0 |
| Display: |
|
8.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
6.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
8.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
8.0 |
Was this review helpful to you?
Reviewed by Administrator
October 30, 2007
Report this review
Last updated: October 30, 2007
|
|
|
