Mobile Phone Reviews

Android now controls slightly over 50% of the Smartphone market because any company can legally manufacture Android smart phones. Unfortunately, this means many different devices are seen running the same firmware, which negatively affects the sense of individuality for each particular phone.

What exactly is HTC Sense? High Tech Computer Corporation, one of the leading manufacturers of Android smart phones including the inaugural HTC Dream, developed their very own overlay for Android to set them apart from this huge pack. This overlay is HTC Sense.  It is essentially set of modifications to the stock Android operating system, adding  a different look to the menus, two extra home screens as well as a multitude of built in widgets and apps to play around with. These include a bookmarks widget, HTC’s very own Twitter client called Peep, Facebook chat as well as weather widgets and many more. HTC Sense debuted on the HTC Hero in October 2009.

Android isn’t the only platform that HTC modified. Before Windows Mobile was discontinued, HTC was one of the leading manufacturers of handsets with that interface as well. The Windows Mobile version of HTC Sense is essentially an update from TouchFLO 3D and made a few visual modifications to Windows Mobile’s Today screen, including a widget that showed how many text messages or emails are unread, as well as HTC’s own media app replacing Windows Media Player. The first Windows Mobile phone to feature HTC Sense was the HTC HD2.

While the Windows Mobile version of HTC Sense has been discontinued along with the platform itself, the latest version of HTC Sense for Android is 3.0, featured on some of the later HTC smart phones, such as the HTC Desire Z, HTC Incredible S and the HTC Sensation.

Mobile phones have embedded themselves into the fabric of modern society and affected the way we conduct our daily lives. We use them to keep in touch with those we love, to do business and to access emergency services whenever there’s a problem.

Other technologies have come and gone, but mobile phones have hit a nerve and gone from strength to strength, perhaps hooking up with the universal human need to communicate.

An increasing number of people have more than one mobile phone, for taking best advantage of multiple chips that can be used to access cheap international call rates and the like. Basic handsets have become so cheap that it is often easier to carry two of them rather than take the time and effort of replacing the chip in one handset.

Equally, it is common to have one mobile phone for business purposes and another private one, with different functionality and services such as separate phone books and tariffs.

Mobile phones look set to stay in one form or another, and most of us would be lost without one.

Check the Samsung Galaxy Nexus review for the lowdown on a top model.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S is an exceptionally good media phone and one of the best Sony Ericsson mobile phones ever made. It has some features that are rarely found on smartphones, including an HDMI port and Sony BRAVIA display technology.

The phone features a 1GHz Qualcomm processor with 512MB of RAM. Even though the lack of a dual core processor may seem like a bit of a letdown to some, the Xperia Arc proves that anything can be done with a single core processor if done right. The interface is very snappy and the phone manages to run virtually all the resource hungry 3D games without any noticeable slowdown. The speed will only be affected if you have too many background processing running.

The media capabilities on this phone are exceptional. The pictures taken by the 8.1 megapixel camera with an Exmor R sensor always look clean and sharp. The video camera may only be capable of 720p HD, but the videos looks better than some 1080p HD ones. The only downside to the camera is some camera shake, which is caused by a stiff button. The screen is very high resolution and looks every bit as good as the fabled Retina display on the iPhone 4. The presence of an HDMI port can never be a bad thing.  After all, who could say no to a session of Angry Birds on the big screen using the phone as a controller?  Anything you do on the phone can be mirrored on an HDTV through an HDMI cable.

Overall, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is a great addition to the Android family. If you want a phone that does a great job as a camera or a camcorder, it is definitely worth considering.

In the past, mobile phones had become smaller, yet in today’s world of technology smartphones are boasting a bigger and improved display screen designed for browsing the web and using apps for gaming, productivity and online reading.  Handsets such as the iPhone, Palm Pre, Blackberry and Android are leading the way for ‘bigger on the inside’ functionality, allowing more space for the ever expanding array of apps, music and videos, enabling browsing and email to become a much more significant feature than ever before.  Photos are bigger and clearer with the ability to tag photos with a location.

For the majority of smartphones, including iPhone and HTC, the traditional keypad is replaced by an on-screen version, conveniently hiding in the background, popping up when the user needs to insert text.  Other handsets such as the Android and Blackberry have swapped the keypad for a QWERTY alternative.  Texting and emailing is made easier with precision and speed, and the ability to edit documents from the handset makes the smartphone an ideal handset for both personal and business usage. 

Many handsets offer an app store in which many business and recreational tasks can be undertaken direct from the handset, such as paying bills, sending invoices and chatting online. Users can find local amenities and facilities such as cash machines, taxi firms and supermarkets with details of directions. 

There are many Android sat nav apps in the Android App Market, with impartial reviews available online.  GPS is also available on major smartphones and information can be found on many trusted review websites. HTC Radar reviews can be found amongst other major handsets.

The compact but mighty HTC Desire S smartphone has a 3.7” screen, 400 x 800 pixels and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, which enhances the energy efficiency of the device and is assisted by 768MB of RAM.  The Desire S also comes to you with a full Gingerbread package and the streamlined Android 2.3.

The body of the Desire S is ingeniously manufactured using the unibody method (industrial strength, no joins, less weakness) and the Desire S weighs only 130g and is slimmer than its ancestor, the original HTC Desire.  The only plastic to be seen is the slide cover, under which are housed SIM and memory cards.

The display screen is improved too, being inlaid closer to the glass for sharper, clearer visuals, excellent viewing angles and guarded by Gorilla Glass for extra durability.  The navigation keys are touch sensitive which allow for both accuracy and quick response thereby minimising the chance of accidental key presses.

All in all the HTC Desire S comes with the most contemporary features on the market and does everything the user would expect.  A speedy load-up with Flash support, performance boosters, smooth operations, voice activation, front facing camera and video capability are only a little of what the new Desire S offers.

The elegance and unfussy style combined with the user friendly nature of the Desire S makes it a popular addition to the HTC range.

Operating from the Finnish town of Espoo, near capital Helsinki, Nokia is a hugely successful company that has been manufacturing mobile phones since the early 1980’s, although the company was developed a century before that as a paper manufacturer and electricity generator.  Having sold more than a billion phones worldwide, Nokia remain the largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world today despite some stiff competition.

In 1987 the Nokia mobile phones produced an iconic phone called the Mobira Cityman, which became an instant classic.  With their distinctive Nokia ringtone and ever refined good looks, Nokia mobile phones are famously easy to use and the company went on to dominate the market throughout the end of the 20th century and beyond.  The Nokia 1100 model, which first launched in 2003, went on to become the biggest selling handset in the world. 

By the early 2000s, Nokia had entered the smartphone market.  Competitors such as Apple, Blackberry and Android manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC and LG were gaining larger and larger shares of the emerging smartphone boom.  The Nokia 7710 was launched as Nokia’s first touch screen phone in 2007 and was a big seller.

Nokia’s loyal customers have helped the company to retain its place as market leader but their new smartphones, which are powered by Symbian^3, are so far not as successful as their smartphone rivals.  However recent models such as the Nokia E6, and the Nokia X7 and Nokia N9, featuring super AMOLED screens, have garnered positive feedback.

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.