Mobile Phone Reviews

Archive for the ‘Mobile Phone Reviews’ Category

Motorola originally started life as a manufacturer of car radios in 1930. In the early 1980s it began developing a range of Motorola mobile phones. Recently it has been struggling to make an impression in the marketplace. However, it has recently released some smartphones that have received favourable reviews.

The Motorola Atrix is one of the first dual-core smartphones to be released. It runs on Android 2.2 and has its own enhancements as well. Moto Blur keeps you up-to-date with Twitter and Facebook feeds. It weighs around 135g and feels solidly made. The screen is 4 inches with a resolution of 540 by 960 pixels. The camera has good specifications, with 5 megapixels and an LED flash. It can also shoot video in 720p HD. The GPS integrates well with Google Maps and other android sat nav apps. Its unusual feature is that it comes with a fingerprint scanner, and once set up you need to use this to unlock the phone.

The Motorola Defy is another Android smartphone. Its 3.7-inch screen has a high colour display. It weighs 118g and is 134mm in depth. It is also equipped with a GPS, which combined with Google Maps turns it into a reasonable sat nav device. The music player is capable of playing a variety of files such as MP3, WAV and AAC.

Motorola has also started producing some lower end phones with the Motorola Wilder about to come onto the market. This phone is designed to be tough and has a resistive touchscreen. It rounds out the current range of Motorola mobile phones. 

There seem to be mixed reviews on the HTC Wildfire.  On one extreme end of the spectrum users are disappointed, while at the other end, users consider it the best low-end phone they’ve ever owned.  Users who see it as a decent low priced handset occupy the middle ground.

How it adds up
Wildfire is a cheaper alternative to the Desire.  Both phones look the same but Wildfire carries a much smaller screen, less internal memory (512 MB) and a much slower processor (528).  It is small and surprisingly sturdy for a phone of its kind.

Call quality is good and silencing an incoming call is as easy as turning the phone over.  Features include WI-FI, USB, microSD card compatibility, Bluetooth, an audio player that supports eight types of files (including MP3, MA4 and WMA, a WMV, 3GP and MP4 video player, FM radio and 3.5mm headphone jack.  Additionally, the phone is sold with a decent 3.5mm headphone as part of the package.

Unfortunately poor battery life, constant freezing and bad screen resolution is a let down for some.  Also, although it comes with a 5mp camera, the picture quality can be poor.  Some users have a hard time using the apps downloaded, the friend stream widget can be slow and unresponsive, or offer outdated info.

In the end, the HTC Wildfire leaves a lot to be desired by tech lovers, however for those looking for a low end phone with some of the perks afforded by more advanced phones, it’s a good pick.  Overall, it’s worth the price.

The LG Optimus Black is an Android smartphone. It is slim and light but doesn’t feature a dual-core processor like the Optimus 2X. However, you will be able to find much better LG Optimus Black deals available.

It is a nice phone to hold and look at, with tapered sides on the back. It measures 9.2mm and weighs just 109g. It has a matt finish, which doesn’t mark so easily as other glossy phones. The screen is 4 inches and looks similar to an iPhone. The resolution of 480 by 800 compares favourably with similarly priced phones. The NOVA display technology provides for a crisp image, which is particularly bright.

Although it doesn’t have the dual-core processor, the phone seems capable of running apps and games well. It also comes with an FM radio tuner, which provides a good signal. The amount of apps for Android phones is a strong feature of this phone. 

It has some innovative interface enhancements. If you shake the phone while holding the ‘g-button’, it will answer incoming calls. Turning the phone over will mute it or stop the alarm as well. 

There are two cameras on the phone, a front-facing camera for video calls and a 5 megapixel camera which is rear-facing. This comes with an LED flash and an autofocus system. Battery life is good for this type of smartphone, probably lasting around 2 days before needing another charge. 

The Samsung Omnia 7 is the first Windows Phone 7 to be offered from Samsung mobile phones. Well designed with a slim casing and sensitive touch screen, this mobile phone from Samsung has an excellent four-inch Super AMOLED screen with superb pinch to zoom facility. The industrial chic design works brilliantly with its fabulous HyperReal screen with super-sharp graphics and picture quality. The Samsung Omnia 7 has a range of excellent features, including its Maps application, and the handset has a high quality feel.

The display quality of the Samsung Omnia 7 really elevates it to one of the best smartphones on the market. It also comes with all the standard Windows 7 features, such as GPS, 5-megapixel flash camera with many adjustable settings, an HD camcorder, and Wi-fi. The Samsung Omnia 7 also offers a user-friendly QWERTY style keyboard and a music player feature that enables the user to instantly transfer their favourite tunes onto their phone.

The touch sensitive buttons on the front of the Samsung Omnia 7 handset are extremely responsive, and integrated online messaging and social networking are easily accessible. It may not have the largest memory capacity on the market but the Samsung Omnia 7 makes up for this with its truly excellent display and fantastic high definition colour and picture quality. This is a highly recommended offering from Samsung mobile phones.

There is no denying the Sony Ericsson Arc is a beautiful phone.  Measuring an amazingly thin 8.7mm at points, it is by far the skinniest phone on the market.  Visually, this phone is superb, but does it measure up to the leading smartphones technologically?

The first thing to notice about the Arc is the screen size.  Measuring a massive 4.2 inches, it fills most of the front of the phone. The Arc runs a 1GHz Scorpion processor, which is standard for higher-specification smartphones, although the 512MB RAM definitely is not.  With most high-end smartphones harbouring at least 756MB, the Arc feels somewhat inferior.  Furthermore, with a tiny 320MB of internal storage, users could fill the memory very quickly indeed. Sony Ericsson has fitted the Arc with a MicroSD™ slot, which can support up to 32GB, although many apps do not support SD movement – a big problem for the Arc.

There is no doubt the camera of the Arc is superb.  At 8.1 megapixels, 720p HD video recording is also supported and the HDMI connectivity of the device means recordings can be played through any HD-ready TV.  Keen to exploit its BRAVIA TV technology, Sony has fitted this feature to the Arc in what is becoming more common across the Sony Ericsson range.

For a consumer, the Sony Ericsson Arc should definitely be on any wish list.  While it does not possess a dual-core processor, or the storage capabilities of some rivals, it is a fantastic-looking device that has been widely described as one of the best smartphones yet.

When making the Optimus 2X, LG decided to introduce a dual-core processor.  For a home computer this is standard, but for a mobile phone this is anything but.  Only a couple of phones are powered by dual-core processors and this ensures that such models are most definitely regarded as ‘premium’.  The introduction of such a processor means that smartphones can now perform tasks that were only dreamt of 12 months ago.  Take HD video recording as an example.  Most smartphones of today are capable of such recording, although at 720p resolution, you can’t help but notice the difference in quality between ‘real’ HD recordings and mobile HD.  The LG Optimus 2X is different.  Due to the powerful processing capabilities, LG is now able to offer full 1080p HD video recording and, coupled with the HDMI connectivity of the device, recordings can be streamed to any HD-ready TV with superb results.

The LG Optimus 2X comes installed with Android 2.2, although by following on-screen prompts the 2.3 version is easily installable.  Bizarrely, LG has decided to fit the LG Optimus 2X with a TFT screen instead of an AMOLED display.  This is especially surprising given the processing capabilities of the device, and the TFT resolution unfortunately takes away some of the sharpness and clarity of the display.

This phone is surely a sign of things to come.  With new smartphones being released almost daily, it will not be long before a dual-core processor is the norm, along with full 1080p HD video recording.

The Google Nexus S is like Marmite; some love it, while others hate it.  One example of this is the slightly curved screen that Google has employed for the Nexus S, its newest venture into the smartphone world.  Critics of the phone would say that the curvature of the screen is annoying and unnecessary, while fans would argue that it brings a touch of individuality to the sometimes monotonous aestheticism of the smartphone world.

In a time where Apple and HTC dominate the smartphone business it is only natural that any competitors will be compared to these giants.  Google has decided to team up with Samsung to try and break the dominance of these two and the Nexus S actually stands up well upon closer inspection.  The 4-inch super AMOLED display can be most obviously compared to the HTC Desire S and the 5-megapixel rear-facing camera is undeniably similar to the iPhone 4.

The 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor and the massive 16GB inbuilt memory mean the Nexus S is superior to many of its rivals with regards to memory, although by not including a MicroSD™ expansion slot the Nexus S seems rather inferior to the big smartphone powerhouses.

In regards to the look of the phone, one cannot help noticing the similarities between the Nexus S and the Samsung Galaxy S.  Furthermore, the plastic chassis of the phone means it lacks a certain classy feel that its metallic counterparts possess.

While the Nexus S may not be the world’s best smartphone, Google’s foray into the market is still young and it surely won’t be long until the Google smartphone is perfected.

Ten years ago if you asked anybody to name a mobile phone manufacturer, you can bet Nokia would have been mentioned.  The manufacturer was the world’s biggest at the start of the last decade and its 3210 model revolutionised mobile technology.  Ten years on and the competition have caught up.  Companies such as HTC and Sony Ericsson have been born, while Apple and Samsung have produced hit after hit; leaving the Finnish giant playing catch-up.

In order to reverse the trend, Nokia has recently announced plans for the N9, the first MeeGo-powered smartphone, and it certainly packs a punch.  The phone comes with up to a massive 64GB internal memory as well as PowerVR SGX530 graphics, a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 OMAP 3630 processor and 1GB of RAM to ensure an instantaneous response to any user request.  While Nokia mobile phones have sold poorly over the past couple of years, the N9, which is to be launched later in 2011, could certainly spark the reversal of fortunes that the company so desperately needs.

Furthermore, Nokia has recently announced plans to launch an £80-million advertising campaign to promote its partnership with the Windows OS.  As of yet, Nokia has not revealed which handsets will be running Windows, although the massive advertising push will certainly ensure tat the handsets will be known.  After running the, now arcane, Symbian operating system on its phones, which triggered massive losses, Nokia hopes that the increasingly popular Windows OS will once again propel the manufacturer to the forefront of mobile technology.

The Motorola Atrix comes with a dual core processor and runs on Android 2.2.  The 4 inch qHD touchscreen gives sharp displays and responds easily.  Everything is easy to view or read and the zoom feature works wonderfully.  Things like browsing, gaming and using apps are all noticeably fast.

Additional Features
The device carries a 5mp led flash camera, video camera, video and audio players, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB, Bluetooth, 16GB internal memory, memory card (microSD) and video calling.  There is a multi-touch keypad with Swype as an added perk for avid texters.

The multiple pages (four to eight) can be open at any given time without freezing.  People who love spy gadgets may love that the fingerprint scanner along with the traditional four character pin as unlocking options.  Activate this feature by scanning both index fingers during the first setup, after three proper print readings the feature will start working.

Battery life is remarkable in comparison to other phones with android.  Some users found no need to recharge it at the end of the day even with excessive use.  There is also a Standard dock that turns the phone into a bedside alarm clock while charging.

Shortcomings
Motoblur may make setting up shortcuts a headache because it may bring up the main homescreen shortcut a few seconds between screens (scrolling left to right), so users may accidentally select the wrong option.  The camera lacks some basic settings and its quality is average. Also, the print unlocking can be painful if a user swipes their fingers too quickly.  These aside, the Motorola Atrix is a good phone.

The HTC Wildfire is a nice phone for customers who simply want a low-end phone that packs some of the fun of higher end smart phones.  By comparison to others it is simple, but it packs a lot for a phone within its price range.  Take a look at a few 24-month tariffs from T-Mobile, O2, Vodafone, Orange, Three and Virgin Mobiles.

Packages Deals:

Unless otherwise stated, the phone is offered for free for the networks mentioned.

The Three network offers 500 minutes, 5000 text messages and 1 GB of internet data for only £25 monthly.  There is a £160 auto cash back give being offered with the packaged.  For £25.54 T-Mobile customers can receive 300 minutes, a Nintendo WII black console plus £26 cash through redemption, with a free phone.  The deal also comes with unlimited texting.

O2 is offering 100 minutes, 500 texts, their 100 internet all rounder, free gifts (which include a 19-inch HD ready TV and a cash back redemption of £105.  Virgin Mobile is currently charging £10.21 for 50 minutes, 250 text messages and 500 MB of data.  There are no free gifts with this offer.

People who acquire their phone via Vodafone can get 300 minutes, unlimited text and a Nintendo WII plus four months free line rental all for £40.  Orange customers can pay as little as £25 for 500 minutes, unlimited texting, 500 MB of data and, as a free gift, half price on line rental for 15 months (redemption necessary).