Mobile Phone Reviews

Archive for the ‘Mobile Phones’ Category

In a nutshell HTC Sense is a user-friendly interface developed by HTC and is compatible with Android, Brew and Windows Mobile phones.  All new smartphones on the market now feature HTC Sense.  Or, to say the same thing in a more human way, HTC Sense are those little ingenious extras which we smartphone users would invent themselves if they only knew how. 

For example, when a phone is stuck deep down in the corner of a bag it is almost guaranteed the call will be missed by the time the phone ringing has been registered, the user will probably fumble around, retract phone, and try to answer the call.  The clever HTC Sense, which, recognising the phone is, tucked away, rings more loudly until answered.  Or, at the opposite end of the volume spectrum, what about those times when the phone blares out at an inappropriate moment?  Again the HTC Sense automatically lowers the volume as soon as the phone is touched and if you are unable to take the call at that time just turn the phone over in your hand and it will stop.  Everyone hates saying things more than once and with the HTC Sense ‘Friend Stream’ repetition is a thing of the past.  ‘Friend Stream’ co-ordinates social networking sites and allows the user to post the same thing many times.  Smartphone internet users will discover that HTC Sense remembers the text frame and size and cleverly ensures that your preferences are always met. 

These features and more are available with HTC Sense technology giving the user an ultimate smartphone experience.

Manufactured by Samsung, the Google Nexus S features a super AMOLED display screen offering supersonic brightness and colour definition, a 1GHz processor,  5 mega pixel camera, rear facing camera and front facing VGA camera.  The Nexus S also boasts a gyroscope and accelerometer, compass, proximity and light sensors and has 16GB of internal memory.

The attractive Nexus S’s contoured and curvy design fits both hand and ear comfortably and, the Nexus is not just a pretty face, it is also practical and can match all other contemporary models.  The Nexus is slim, lightweight (127.5g) with dims of 63 x 123.9 x 10.88mm and although not the smallest smartphone on the market the ergonomic design of the Good Nexus S’s reinforces its contemporary appeal.

The Nexus S employs the QWERTY keyboard with additional fast features (cut, copy, paste et al) and, size notwithstanding; one could be forgiven for thinking that using the Google Nexus S is pretty similar to some laptops.

Fast and professional navigation and with apps launching at the speed of sound (well almost!), the Nexus S has many integrated features that are to be expected with a Google product; wi-fi, GPS, bluetooth – and some others that might surprise the user.  Social networking sites integrate with contacts and the super efficient sharing and transferring contacts, mail and calendar information, and Nexus S users are also first in line to receive Android updates and Flash video.

Another advantage with the Nexus S is that it comes open as standard, giving the user the opportunity to select the best provider so be sure to check out current deals when purchasing the Nexus S.

The LG Optimus One is an affordable, mid-range Android powered smartphone. With a touch screen handset and fast connectivity, the LG Optimus One comes highly rated for its ease of use. All basic functions are easily accessed from any of the home screens on this simple to use handset. What makes the LG Optimus One such a desirable phone is its price; it beats most other Android smartphones hands down for affordability.

Compact, stylish and highly user-friendly, the LG Optimus One offers all the basics you would expect from a modern smartphone. It includes a variety of apps, such as the Android sat nav. Featuring full web functionality, terrific battery life, FM radio, camera and music player, the Android sat nav app is an excellent feature of the LG Optimus One handset. The Android sat nav app is extremely effective and is a fantastic bonus of this affordable phone. Other useful inbuilt features include USB tethering and Wi-fi. 

Extremely lightweight with a decently sized screen, the LG Optimus One is a fantastic entry-level phone for new smartphone users. In addition to all the usual Android apps and easy access to Facebook and Twitter, it is crammed with useful features, such as Wi-fi hotspot. The touch screen is very user friendly, and communication and messaging are simple using the integrated communication networks of the LG Optimus One. Overall, it is a convenient, simple and easy to use handset with exceptional Android sat nav included.

The Sony Ericsson Arc, also known as the Experia Arc, is an Android smartphone. After a disappointing model in the X10, Sony Ericsson has gone back to the drawing board and returned with this new handset.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the Arc is its thinness, measuring just 8.7mm with a curved back. The touchscreen is larger than many other smartphones around, with a size of 4.2 inches. It has small white bulbs between the bottom keys, which light up whenever a key is pressed.

Unlike many other Android phones around at the moment, it does not come with a dual-core processor. However, running Android 2.3 and coming with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor it copes easily with all the demands made by modern smartphones. It incorporates Sony’s Mobile Bravia engine to produce sharp images with vibrant colours. 

It has an 8.1 megapixel camera, which comes with a CMOS sensor as well as Sony Exmor R technology. This all combines to give some great images and HD video. The 4.2 inch screen has a resolution of 480 by 854 pixels, with 16 million colours as well. The interface is based on Android but with Sony Ericsson’s own Timescape technology to enhance it. It is responsive and very intuitive to use. There is a GPS with Google Maps and Google Latitude, which shares where you are with your friends. If you want a stylish smartphone with lots of functionality, then look around for some Sony Ericcson Arc deals. 

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.

In 2001, Japanese electronics giant Sony joined forced with Sweden’s telecommunications experts Ericsson to become Sony Ericsson. By 2009, the company had become the fourth largest mobile phone producer on the planet, and Sony Ericsson mobile phones remain one of the world’s market leaders. 

Famous for their Walkmans and megapixel camera technology, which they introduced to the mobile phone market from 2005, Sony Ericsson mobile phones are now trying to compete with the best smartphones the world has to offer. They offer cutting edge technology and all the apps, such as Android sat nav, that the world has come to expect from increasingly sophisticated mobile phones.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia range of phones, which includes the Sony Ericsson Arc and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X8, are among the newest batch of excellent and highly rated smartphones.  Featuring excellent design and smooth browsing alongside a range of top quality android apps, these Sony Ericsson mobile phones are helping to put Sony Ericsson back at the top of their game. Recent Sony Ericsson mobile phones include such technological advances as BRAVIA, renowned for excellent visual properties, and UIQ mobile phones, notable for their interfaces and touch screen capacities.

Other ventures undertaken by Sony Ericsson mobile phones towards the end of the noughties include the Greenheart branded models, which are noteworthy for their use of eco-friendly materials, products and apps. This was a new direction for the Sony Ericsson mobile phone market.

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.

BlackBerry is a name that everybody in the world will recognise as a brand leader in the mobile phone market, but what is a BlackBerry phone? BlackBerry first made its name in the late 1990s as the business user’s mobile handset of choice. Designed and produced by a company called Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry is a smartphone known for its internet and messaging capacities, including the highly popular BlackBerry Messenger service, more commonly known as BBM.

With a wealth of Wi-fi and communicative devices at the push of a button, the smart-looking BlackBerry original handsets came with an integral QWERTY keyboard that the company remains famous for. BlackBerry has become such an iconic brand that US President Barack Obama was even seen to use a BlackBerry for communicating during his famous 2008 presidential campaign. This celebrity endorsement could potentially have added millions of dollars to the company income due to its powerful advertising value. 

BlackBerry is known as a pioneer for its capacity to send and receive emails and instant messages, but new generation BlackBerry handsets have made more and more advances. The original smartphone BlackBerry was released in 2003. While retaining, in many cases, the traditional QWERTY keyboard, newer models have also adopted many of the characteristics and features associated with more modern smartphones, such as those pioneered by Apple, LG, Nokia and Samsung.