Reviews related to : Mobile phones
In the space of a few short years mobile phones have evolved from luggable brick to slick, slim multi-function gadget. Nokia led the field for many years - but more recently have faced fierce competition from those that want their phone to be a fashion statement as well as make phone calls. Sony Ericsson are now very popular along with phones like the LG chocolate.
With Apple now jumping on the bandwagon with their own iPhone we can expect another leap in style (over substance?) We'll see!
Ideal first Mobile Phones - Alcatel OTS520 and OT-V212
Published in Phones
by carolinewilson
on Nov 16, 2008
Here we have two neat little phones for first timers. Easy to use and tiny enough to fit small pockets, Alcatel offers good value Pay as You Go phones which would make ideal first mobiles for your kids.
Two new little phones for little ones from Alcatel this Christmas. The Alcatel OT-V212 Zebra is a neat little starter phone with funky design for younger kids. This phone has the usual calling and messaging functions. It's additional features include alarm, calculator, clock, choice of language for messages and a personal dictionary. There are just two games - Russian and Bricks. There's a radio but no MP3 player.
While 3G handsets, such as the iPhone and Blackberry, tend to have high price tags, there is a company that believes it is possible to offer a range of internet-based features via 3G on a more economic basis.
As part of the Hutchison Whampoa Limited family, 3 (the company responsible for launching the UK’s first 3G network offering national coverage for calls and text) has a habit of selecting slightly unusual locations when launching its various products.
What’s in a number? It all depends on what the number is related to in the current circumstances.
According to popular legend, when the number belongs to a bus, you will have just missed it with several more only due to appear after a lengthy interval. If the number concerns your salary then it is never large enough to satisfy your hoped for standard of living. With phone models it can indicate a multitude of features such as those found on the Nokia N78. This particular handset is a 3G Smartphone that adopts the candy bar style.
Phone doesn't really cover what O2 have managed to shoe-horn into the
latest incarnation of their XDA smart phone manufactured by High Tec Computers (HTC).
Marketed by O2 as the Xda Ignito and manufactured by HTC as the 'Touch Diamond', this devices measures a mere 102 x 52 x 11 mm, weighing 110g. Into this very modest enclosure the Xda Ignito/Touch Diamond provides a wealth of functionality hosted on the Microsoft Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system. As is popular these days the primary interface is a touch sensitive screen, although the Ignito should really be considered a hybrid device.
Like most people I'm very aware of the existence of Research In Motion (RIM) and their BlackBerry products. This is the first time I've used one in anger, and I'm pleased to say it's not all hype!
In this case I've been provided with the Blackberry Bold 9000. This is one of the wider variants that has a small, but full qwerty keyboard and a landscape orientated screen. Total dimensions are 114 x 66mm with a 16mm depth and a weight of 136g. The device feels very solid and well built. The rear of the device has a leather-like textured cover that is removed to insert the SIM card or to access the battery. For once it's good to see a cover with a proper clip that makes removal simple.
Skype, originally bound securely to your PC has now flown the nest. With the Skypephone
3-Mobile have given Skype it's wings and let you take it out and about with you
In the highly protective telecoms arena new technology is almost invariably seen as a threat and viewed with a very wary eye by established companies. Thus it was with Skype and the whole "Voice over IP" (VoIP) concept. Mobile ISPs have felt especially threatened and this probably accounts for the usage limits in place for many mobile data tariffs - if you make the data bandwidth expensive people are less likely to squander it on phone calls.
Bringing together touch screen capable and Walkman music playing ability is the role of a new addition to the Sony Ericsson range of mobiles.
The W960i is, as you might guess from the familiar "W" prefix, yet another member of the Walkman family of mobile phones. With its GSM/GPRS functionality, this phone packs a 2.6-inch touch screen display and a 3.2 megapixel camera into its vinyl black body with a white 5mm band running around the sides of the phone. The unit measures 109 x 55 x 16mm and weighs 119g. Turning this phone on/off is carried out by pressing a recessed button on the top left of the handset.
Never before have I been presented with a working mobile phone and been invited to throw it against a wall and then drop it on a concrete floor. It was still working afterwards; this is a ruggedised mobile phone.
It is 11x5x2cm and weights only 125grams. It is matt black and as you might expect well padded. While you can store pictures etc it is only really a phone as a camera is always one of the most fragile parts it does not have one.
This is another in a growing band of phones with a 5mega pixel camera. While I doubt this will ever replace a digital camera for a photographer but, as everyone always seems to take their mobile phone with them it can be where a digital camera is not.
This phone certainly has a solid feel. It is 10x5x1.5 when closed and this increases by another 3.5cm when the screen is moved up to reveal the 12 key keypad. The phone weights 90grams. The screen on the KC550 is 4.9x3.8cm and is clear and easy to read. The first unusual thing is a slide on the rear that hides/exposes the 5 megapixel auto focus camera lens. When pulled down it exposes not only the lens but the flash and the self image mirror.
First impressions do not always work out as you might expect but I have to admit that the Sony Ericsson K660i did not flatter to deceive and was one of those products that lived up to its initial appeal.
Measuring 104 x 47 x 15mm and weighing 95g, the Sony Ericsson K660i candy bar style phone is predominately black in colour with silver trims around the edges and a wine coloured bar highlighting the non-keypad controls. If this colour scheme does not appeal then the phone is also available with a lime bar on white. Situated above this bar is the handset's 2.0-inch TFT QVGA screen capable of displaying 260K colours. For general use this screen will default to portrait mode.
This is MP3/phone as the face when closed has controls designed especially for working with music files. A recent survey said those under the mid twenties never tend to listen to more than thirty seconds of any track; this phone would be idea for them.
It is 10.5x4x1cm, flip it open and add 4cm to the length, it weights 72grams. It should fit in the palm of all but the smallest hand. The screen is 3x3.8cm, the whole colour scheme is matt black with and orange band, orange W for Walkman at the base and three interlinking circles on the area below the screen with the centre on in orange. The top of the phone has a hold slider, the left side the Walkman button and the proprietary connector for charging, transfer and earbuds.
A somewhat different offering from LG, run your finger across the bottom part of the face and you can make your own music. This is a slim slider phone with a 3mega pixel camera with flash.
click image to enlarge the KF510 phone from LG is 10x5x1cm and weights a tad over 100grams. Push the slider up and the 10cm length is increased by 3cm and this reveals the 12 keys of the keypad. The right side has a metallic plug covering the input point charging, and proprietary earbuds and transfer cables. Also on this side is the on/off slider and combined camera/MP3 button.
Answering the call and donning my secret agent guise (actually it was no different from my normal appearance as that is the best way not to attract attention), I made my way to Sony’s secret bunker to discover about the company’s latest gadgets.
As I descended the numerous flights of stairs to this underground location, I couldn't help but hope that maybe one of the new gadgets would be available to help me climb the stairs on my return journey. Unfortunately it was not to be but there were several other goodies that will tempt you to part with your cash in the forthcoming months.
Lets return to the subject of nomophobia (after all my spell checker has been taught this word so I might as well make use of it).
Skypephone S2
Nokia E71 click image to enlarge Obviously believing that this fear of having no mobile connectivity should be
consigned to yesterday's dustbin, the mobile media company 3 has promised a
number of new products and initiatives that will be relieve this complaint.
A small pebble like clamshell, the U9 is available in pink, purple or graphite (black) with a glossy smooth finish and curved edges this
phone feels great to hold.
The pink and purple varieties are most definitely aimed squarely at the female market, and in case you're not convinced Motorola provide a Pink or Purple test to help you choose your colour - question two asks whether you'd rather date Prince William or Prince Harry ( ). you can take the quiz here! The Motorola U9 is a quad-band phone that comes with a raft of features for those that prefer the clamshell format. Measuring 90 x 48.
The boss of LG in the UK made a great joke of telling journalists prior to the announcement that the name of their new phone was Secret. He was of course correct it is called ‘Secret’.
click to enlarge It is 10x4.5x1cm when closed, when the screen moves upwards to reveal the twelve key keypad this increases the first figure by 3.5cm. The phones weight is 110grams. It is matt black with a silver band and controls and the back is a fine checkerboard pattern of grey and black weaved to look like tweed. The viewable screen area is 5x3.7cm. The left side has the dual headset and charger port.
Surprisingly, as the chosen location was known as The Music Room, Sony Ericsson did not include any new models in its Walkman range.
It doesn't seem all that long ago since I last reported on the latest announcements from Sony Ericsson. Actually it was just over four months ago - doesn't time seem to fly by or maybe it is as a result of the onward drive to pump out new handsets and accessories by mobile phone companies. This time Sony Ericsson's product announcements cover new handsets, modems, headsets, gaming and a photographic competition.
With camera phone resolution improving it will soon be a phone camera. This unit has a three mega pixel offering and a good quality image would just about be printable at A4 without pixelization.
This phone is small enough to sit in the palm of an adult, in it's closed state it is 10x5x1.5cm push the screen upwards and reveal another 4cm that hides the keypad. It is matt black (it also comes in a rather smart black box) with a silver/grey stripe round the edge and the only immediately obvious control is a silvered wheel on the back left edge. Look closely in good light and several other buttons become visible on the edges. The top has entry point for a micro SD card.
Some mobile phones cry out to be picked up and used. While the Nokia N82 does not fall into this category, it is not too unpleasant on the eye.
click to enlarge Adopting a chunky candy-bar style, this Nokia N82 3G Smartphone dimensions are 112 x 502 x 17.3mm. It has a silver fascia with a large screen that gives a 38 x 50mm viewing area. The screen can display 16.7 million colours producing a clear display in various lighting conditions and had the capabiloity to smoothly change between portrait and landscape mode depending upon which way round you hold the handset.
This is a rather different phone with a camera in fact although it will do everything a modern mobile phone does I think a more accurate description with be camera phone as it is a 5MP camera with both auto and manual focus as well as flash.
click to enlarge This phone has a huge TFT and as soon as you use it you think why don't other phones work this way. The controls are minimal and that means the screen icons often have more than one level of action. However most actions are intuitive so you should - even without a manual - manage to find you way about. The dimensions are 10x5.5x1.5cm and it weights just under 100grams. As stated there are few buttons. The face has three answer, cancel and end.
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