Review Smartphones

You might have heard that Nokia, the former king of the mobile phone world, is struggling. Its future really depends on its latest release. The burden is quite heavy for the Nokia Lumia 800 but the company promises that its only beginning and more exciting products are set to follow.

The Lumia 800 was actually rushed into production taking only around half a year to build. Lumia looks like the the N9, plus the Mango, and some abrakadabra from Nokia.

Hardware

Nokia said that the Lumia 800 is an improved product or a refinement of the Nokia N9 but looking at its specs, it looks like the new phone is worse off. The Lumia 800 does not have the pentaband 3G configuration, no front facing camera, plus the notification LED has gone poof. The screen is also a bit smaller compared to the N9 because of the buttons below.

The Lumia 800 has a RAM of 512 MB only instead of getting a 1 GB. The storage is also not that appealing maxing out at 16GB instead of 64 GB like the N9. The phone also cannot be coupled with other Nokia accessories because it does not have the NFC.

Amid our complaints, we can see that the best features that you can find on the Nokia N9 were also implemented on the Lumia 800 starting with the nice industrial look. The brains of this phone is as the same setup as the Titan using the single-core MSM8255 processor clocking at 1.4 GHz. Those who have not see an AMOLED display before will also be very happy.

We compared notes with some reviews, and saw that there were some complaints that might be power related.

Software

The operating system of the Lumia 800 runs smoothly, runs fast, and looks good. The keyboard is very easy to use. You might not have the wide variety of apps yet but the core functions are handled well. For now you can tinker with Nokia Drive, Nokia Music, and App Highlights which points you to other apps like eBay, Kindle, or Accuweather.

Verdict

The Lumia 800 can be a good phone depending if you are the type who likes Windows Phone. It is a carefully crafted, simple, and efficient device but do not look for high resolutions, widgets, big storage, and other high end features.

The Torch 9850 went thru several nickname changes before getting to where it is today. From Storm 3 to its Touch tags, this keyboard-free cellphone may miss the definitive feature of a BlackBerry– a keyboard. But how does the Torch 9850 live up to being the BlackBerry without the QWERTY? Read on and see.

Hardware

A lot of people will agree that the BlackBerry Torch 9850 is not a good-looking phone. They say it follows the concept of a “waterfall” with its design lines but the glass curving down over the 3.7 inch WVA screen and the body is ruined by the four oddly shaped buttons and optical touchpad on the bottom. Flip over the phone and the gunmetal band over the matte section is a nice touch.

Open the phone and you have the battery and the slot for the microSD to beef up the 4GB built in one. This smart phone makes use of the 1.2GHz of processor, Liquid Graphics engine , and 78 MB RAM.

The Torch 9850 comes with a 5 MP camera that has an autofocus which actually subjects users to taking shots which are out of focus. Users can capture videos at720p.

Software

The Torch 9850 comes with the OS7 for BlackBerry similar to the 9330. The 9850 though lacks a useful home screen as it is only good for the wallpaper and not for any shortcut or widget. The system will also give you an on screen keyboard which is a squarish enough to be similar to the physical BlackBerry keyboard.

The phone also comes with Documents To Go and a new browser that goes well with HTML5.

The Samsung S5260 Star II is a follow up to the Samsung bestseller and it has some pretty big shoes to fill in.

The latest offering from the Korean smartphone manufacturer makes use of the TouchWiz interface to give the owners full control of the phone.

Features

The S5260 Star II is a bar phone with a 3”touch screen. It measures 107.4 x 54 x 12.5 mm and weighing only 93.9 grams. It makes use of the TouchWiz platform that also allows multitasking. The phone is equipped with a 3MP camera that has smile detection. You can connect via Bluetooth or WiFi. It also has an FM radio, sound enhancement, accelerometer sensor, and it is Twitter and Facebook integrated.

The interface of the phone is Andoid-ish but you might not be too happy with the limited options for Java apps compared to Bada or Android apps.

Consumers though might look for a 3G connection but the manufacturer had to let that go to keep the price of the unit down. Initial reviews point to the lack of multitouch as among the thumbs down of this product.  We are not sure yet though if it will be available for the final production.

Overall the S5260 Star II has a good feel to the hands with the impression of affordability that does not shout cheapness of materials used. The design of the product follows the lines of its predecessor.

The upgrades done for this second instalment of the Star series are not that big given that there is no multitouch, you only get a basic camera, and you don’t have 3G connection.  We still want to see how the market will react to the Samsung S5260 Star II.

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Following the success of their hugely popular Legend, HTC are back with their new phone the Desire. This phone is a significant improvement over the Legend which is saying something given how good that phone was. The biggest improvements have been with the screen and with the processor. At 1 GHz this phone has one of the fastest processors on the market, making it ideal for multi-tasking.

The Android operating system which appears on the HTC desire has quickly become the most popular one in the smart phone market place. This probably shouldn’t come as a huge surprise since it was created by Google you knew it was going to be good. Despite getting a late start compared to its competitors, Android is now the best selling smart phone operating system. The reason that Android is so popular is that it is very easy to use and very easy to navigate with. There are also a large number of apps available which is also a huge factor in its popularity.

The best thing about the new HTC Desire has to be the touch screen which is the largest of any smart phone on the market. It is also a very high resolution screen making it very easy to read, something you can’t say about a lot of phones. The bigger screen also makes it much easier to use the QWERTY keyboard so it is very simple to send messages.

The user interface is one of the best on the market and another big reason why Android smart phones are so popular. The search button is especially neat; it will search both Google and your phone at the same time. If it finds what you are looking for on your phone it will show you that, if not it will show you the results from Google. That is the kind of thing that makes the HTC Desire such a pleasure to use.

The HTC Desire is one of the best smart phones on the market today. The phone looks good, is small and light weight but at the same time has the largest screen available. The operating system is widely regarded as the best one available and the interface is very easy to use. There are a lot of things to like about this phone and it is unlikely that you will be disappointed with your choice.

If you're looking for a new smart phone, make sure to check out LG's selection, as they're too often overlooked considering their great quality and design!

Steve Jobs recently unveiled the iPhone 4. Although some images and features were already leaked over the internet a few months back, the crowd was pretty much amaze with the new gadget.

The design of the iPhone 4 makes use of stainless rim and black glass which makes fits it next to its siblings. This version is smaller than the older gen iPhone. It is about 34% slimmer compared with the iPhone 3GS but it shows 3 more grams on the scale. Apple boasts that the iPhone 4 is the thinnest of its line at, 4.5X2.31×0.37 inches and 137 grams in weight, with split buttons unlike the 3GS. The use of stainless still for its rim also assures better reception as it also serves as part of its antenna.

Apple installs an A4 chip for the brain of the iPhone 4. This is the same chip as in the iPad. The phone’s main brain is a link of the Cortex-A8 and PowerVR SGX 535 processor with 128MB of DDR SDRAM which makes sure the new iPhone can handle all the demanding graphics. Since all the brain power is integrated into a single chip, Apple says the iPhone can do a lot of stuff but will be kind to the battery life of the phone. Talk time is 40% better according the maker.

The display comes at 960×640 pixels manipulated on a multi-touch screen that is 3.5 inches Retina Display. The new version is 4x clearer than the iPhone 3GS. With all the finger sliding, doodling, and poking, the screen can be easily cleaned clear because it comes with oleophobic layer.

The iPhone 4 comes with a bigger main camera that retains its 5 MP resolution with a VGA camera partner on the other side of the phone which can be used for video conference and other applications.

The heart of the system is the iOS 4 which makes life easier for multi-tasking without being heavy on the resources and power of the battery.

The iPhone 4 will be coming in black or in white before the end of June in the US and will have a sticker price of $199 and $299 for the 16GB and 32GB. Early upgrade will cost $399 through $4999. Add around $200 if you want to get it without contract.

When you think about HTC what is the first thing that comes to mind?  For me – it is all about the HTC Hero.  This is a phone that I have been waiting for, for quite some time and it is a phone that I want … really, really, badly.  Well, I actually have an update for you that involve the HTC Hero.

On April 16th, the HTC Hero is going to be upgraded with the brand new Android 2 OS!  That is super exciting and I have to say that now …this is a phone that I am going to buy.  The specs?  Well, that is, a 3.2-inch touchscreen display with 320 x 480 resolution, a 5MP autofocus camera, HTC’s latest Sense UI, an accelerometer sensor, GPS, WiFi and supports HSDPA connectivity.

Sprint has this particular phone available for about $179.00 with a two year contract and a $100.00 mail-in rebate – all of which is awesome!

The hot thing that seems to be leaping off of the charts for cell phones is the Android and recently, Samsung actually came out with the brand new Android 2.1 powered smartphone that is subbed Samsung Galaxy S.  The Samsung Galaxy S is a phone for the technology guy – or girl as it is packed with everything you need!

For example, the Samsung Galaxy S features a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen and a 1GHz application processor that enables vibrant 720p HD video playback, rich augmented reality content through Layar Reality Browser, and advanced LBS (Location Based Services). The Samsung GT-I9000 also has the “Social Hub” feature that provides always-on social networks connectivity.

The phone itself looks completely different too, as it certainly looks chic and different and I have to say that I love it!

When it comes to women, we all know that we are picky.  This is especially true when it comes to our phones and that is why Samsung actually developed a cell phone specifically for women.  The brand new Samsung Diva S7070 is only in the UK right now but it is definitely a phone that I am going to invest in.

Not only does the Samsung Diva S7070 come in a beautiful color but there are a ton of different features that are awesome for women.  For example: a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen display, TouchWiz UI, Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, social networking integration, a 3.5mm headset jack, and a 3.2MP Auto Focus camera with a “beauty shot” feature. The phone also features a diamond-shaped navigation key and a fashionable back cover.

You want a phone for a woman?  Samsung really thought about it when they designed the Samsung Diva!

Oh Amazon, you have almost ruined the future generation from being able to enjoy the smell, the feel and the overall experience that books give you with your Kindle.  If you are a guy or gal that loves Kindle though, you are probably going to go bananas over this – they now have Kindle for BlackBerry.

The real kicked about this app is that it is absolutely, one hundred percent free!  One thing that you might want to take into consideration though is that this particular app does require you to purchase books, each book being $9.95.

Basically, you would just download that right onto your phone and then you will be able to read it!  Pretty cool … but I like real books better.

All right, now that we have talked about a rugged cell phone, let’s go ahead and move onto something that is a little more luxurious.  This particular phone is not just luxury but it is also one phone that is the smallest – in the world.  The Golden Bumblebee slider phone from KIRF S.T. Dupont is by far one of the coolest looking phones.

Not only is it small as heck but it is also one of those phones that is jam-packed with all sorts of technology right inside.  For example – a 2-megapixel camera, a stereo speaker, an FM radio, a mini-USB port, Bluetooth and a huge 8GB memory. You can purchase this slider phone for $179.99.

Great price, fantastic and beautiful display and all around incredible phone … what are you waiting for again?