Mobile Phone Reviews

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.

About Virgin Media

After BT, Virgin Media ranks as the second largest broadband provider in the UK, and offers high speed, fibre optic broadband.  Virgin is one of the most reliable when it comes to providing broadband speed, and can bundle home telephone, mobile telephone and digital TV in the package.  Virgin also offers mobile broadband.

Packages

Apart from the mobile broadband, Virgin Media allows unlimited downloads with a fair usage policy. The cost of Virgin’s packages is very reasonable with the entry-level Virgin Media Cable Broadband L with phone package is around £6.25 a month for the first six months, increasing to £12.75.  This has download speeds of up to 10Mb, and the minimum contract is 18 months.

The mid-range Virgin Media Cable Broadband XL and phone package costs around £10.00 a month for the first six months, and increases to £20.00 a month.  This package has download speeds of up to 20Mb.

The swish Virgin Media Cable Broadband, which has free internet security and free super-fast router, download speeds of up to 100Mb, costs £35.00 a month.

Mobile Broadband

Virgin mobile broadband allows a limit of either 1GB per month or up to 3GB per month, depending on the package you choose.  There are two options with the lower limit – pay for your dongle (£24.99) and be tied-in to a contract with a minimum of only one month, or opt for the free dongle and the contract, for a minimum of 18 months.  The monthly cost is the same.
Similarly, the choices for the higher download limit are to pay for the dongle up-front or be tied-in for 18 months.

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.

Most providers and resellers are offering a lot of deals on LG mobile phones.  The LG Optimus Black is one of the devices offered in a number of deals from T-Mobile, O2, Vodafone, and Orange, both directly and through resellers.

Network Offerings:

The majority of plans offered are on 24 months tariffs and the phone for free (with some exceptions).   Also, not all offer data as a part of the basic package.

Vodafone:  this network is currently giving £25 auto cash back as free gift, along with unlimited text, 300 minutes and 500 MB of data.

T-Mobile: an equal amount of minutes and text (300 each), 500 MB and a gift of free line rental for a period of 7 months is being offered at a cost of £15.32 monthly.

O2: at £21.50 monthly, customers can enjoy 100 minutes, 500 text messages, 500 MB and, as an added perk, £50 auto cash back.

Orange: individuals can pay as little as £15 per month to get 300 minutes, unlimited texts and only pay half price for six months.  No data is given with this offer.

Most packages being offered by each network have striking similarities both to each other and to those by other networks. Some packages may be lower, but caution should be taken when choosing any offer. In some cases what seems like a steal is really just an “ok” price because the phone is not new. In fact, refurbished LG Optimus Black offerings from the networks are popular.

One of the most commonly asked questions from users new to smart phones is ‘What is a Blackberry Sat Nav’? The answer to this question is simple; a Blackberry Sat Nav is a satellite navigation system which runs on a Blackberry mobile phone.

Like all modern smart phones, Blackberry’s come complete with GPS technology. This allows them to also act as Sat Navs, where the phone’s position is tracked via satellites in order to give directions to a set destination. This is a common feature on modern smart phones, and thanks to their high build quality Blackberrys are able to execute this function very well.

One of the main reasons why using a Blackberry as a Sat Nav is popular is because Sat Nav software for a Blackberry handset is often much cheaper than the price of buying a stand-alone Sat Nav. Thanks to the huge amount of data and technology needed to run a Sat Nav system, stand-alone Sat Navs can be very expensive, often costing several hundred pounds for top of the line models. However, leading Sat Nav software for a Blackberry can be purchased for between £30 and £60, making it a much cheaper alternative.

Using a Blackberry as a Sat Nav also makes it easier to add maps if you are planning to travel outside of Europe and update the maps you have with new roads, speed cameras and long term road works.

When it comes to getting good mobile phone deals, there are several factors to consider; your budget, how and how often you use your mobile, whether you can afford to be in a long term contract, etc. While, at first glance, it may seem that best choice is the cheapest one, this is not always the case.

Selecting Your Phone

There are two ways to approach getting the best mobile phone deals. You can determine which plan works best and then see what phones fall within your budget or you can select your mobile and see what plans are available to make it work in the most affordable way.

Contract

Contracts generally provide the lowest up-front expense; however, depending on how you use your mobile, a contract can eventually end up costing more. So, before you sign on the dotted line, just to get that expensive new mobile, make sure you are not putting yourself in a situation that will cost more than its worth.

Pay as You Go

Pay as you go allows you to only pay for minutes and texts you use, but at a premium price. The range of mobile phones available with a pay as you go plan is also limited. Still, depending on your lifestyle, pay as you go may be the way to go.

SIM-Free

For those who do not want to be roped into a long-term contract, tied to a particular service provider and have the cash up-front, SIM-Free is always the best way to go.

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).

The Samsung Omnia 7 is a Samsung take on Windows Phone 7, featuring a high quality screen and responsive interface in an industrial-type design.

The best feature of this unit is the 4inch Super AMOLED screen. While the same type of screen as found on other Samsung handsets, there is something about its combination with Windows Phone 7 that makes the images really pop, providing deeper contrasts and more vivid colours than similar Android versions.

The physical layout of the Samsung Omnia 7 is a lot like the Galaxy S, while the interface provides nice-sized, easy to select icons. Hitting the Windows button activates the main screen and tiles can be customised and moved around. Favourite applications, contacts and bookmarks can be pinned to the Start Menu for easy access.

The downfall of the contact interface, at least in our eyes, is its auto link to Windows Live, which is hardwired into the programming. Unlike with Facebook and other social applications, you cannot opt to not see Windows Live contacts. They are there, whether you want them to be or not.

The email system is fantastic; you can interact with several accounts on multiple platforms. If you use Outlook, then set up is ridiculously easy. Default browsing is, of course, via Internet Explorer, but it does provide reactive pinch and zoom, double tap zoom and easy to read screens, so it is not all bad news.

Overall, the Samsung Omnia 7 is pretty decent, if not brilliant. It is the ease of Windows Phone 7 and that amazing screen that really make this phone.

While the mobile phone market is being flooded with cheap mobile phones coming out of companies like ZTE Corp and small Chinese manufacturers, Nokia has gone to work to provide a branded alternative to these unbranded cheap mobile phones.

One such model is the Nokia C2-03, a dual SIM phone using Symbian, which targets lower end and emerging markets by allowing users to share a single handset, but with different mobile numbers.

The C2-03 is a touch and type handset, which combines touchscreen technology with a keypad. Features include maps and location based services, both provided by Nokia without having to sign up for an expensive contract with a service provider.

Touch and type phones are rare in the cheap mobile phone end of the market, so through the C2-03, Nokia is offering emerging consumer markets something they have not been privy to before. This includes countries like China, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, Vietnam and India.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Nokia is also introducing the N9, a phone that features a completely touch-oriented interface, with virtually no physical buttons. Through touch, the user can take a photograph, activate headphones and other activities normally requiring buttons, all through near field communications technology. The Nokia N9 uses Nokia’s MeeGo operating system, which is the company’s alternative to its Symbian OS. In the near future, Nokia will also start offering phones using the Windows Phone 7 OS.