Qwerty Mobile Phone

Xperia X10 get reviewed!

2010-02-11T18:36:00.000-08:00

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 is one of the hottest names in the industry and it's not even released yet. Santa won't be able to get us one for Christmas but next year holds a serious promise for us geeks. The Sony Ericsson's first Snapdragon device and first Android smartphone is one seriously capable handset that promises great user experience.

We first met the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 a month ago at its official announcement event in London. The device that might end up deciding the company's fate left us feeling quite positive about its market prospects so we are really pleased to finally welcome it to our office.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 official photos

The software of the XPERIA X10 is far from settled but since Sony Ericsson dared to show it to the audience, you can bet that the hardware won't see any dramatic changes. The realistic expectations are for the bugs to be solved and maybe a couple of minor features added but what we are going to show is what you should expect to see when the device hits the shelves in Q1 of next year.

For starters let's take a look at the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 key characteristics.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 at a glance:

General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA, HSUPA
Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
Dimensions: 119 x 63 x 13 mm, 135 g
Display: 4" 65K-color TFT capacitive touchscreen, 854 x 480 pixels
Platform: Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon 1 GHz processor
OS: Android 1.6 (Donut)
Memory: 1GB storage, 384MB RAM, microSD card slot, 8GB card included in the retail box
Camera: 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash and face detection; touch focus, WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) video recording at 30fps
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack
Misc: Sony Ericsson Timescape and Mediascape UI, built-in accelerometer

That Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 certainly looks pretty powerful among its Android peers. It's only major sin is that it will be too late for the Christmas shopping spree and will have to achieve success in a much more challenging market conditions.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 views

An unspectacular handset can do wonders in the last moths of the year, given the right marketing, but things get much tougher once New Year's Eve passes. People have already spent most of their surplus cash and need more persuasion to shell out the serious amount that this baby calls for.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 next to the Apple iPhone 3GS and HTC HD2

But than again, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 looks well prepared to handle any challenge. The device is supposed to launch in the middle February - most probably around the MWC 2010.

New LG GT350 QWERTY Phone

2010-02-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

Seoul (Korea Newswire) February 09, 2010 03:49 PM -- LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications, has announced the launch of the LG GT350, a new QWERTY messaging phone with built-in applications for major social networks, all optimized for its 3-inch full touchscreen.

The LG GT350 improves upon the earlier LG KS360, a messaging phone that has sold over five million units worldwide since its launch in August 2008. Both phones have slide-out full QWERTY keypads designed specifically for the textually-minded.

More powerful than its predecessor, the LG GT350 includes upgrades to its messaging and social networking experience. Opening its slider reveals a large, comfortable four-line QWERTY keypad, versus a three-line keyboard on the earlier model, which makes typing messages almost as easy as on a computer. What’s more, the 3-inch WQVA screen on GT350 is now fully touch enabled, an upgrade from the partial touchscreen on the original KS360.

Social networking is a strong suit for the LG GT350. Its entire interface is optimized for social networks, providing full integration with sites like Facebook, Twitter. It aggregates information from multiple social networks onto one screen, making it easy to instantly check status updates, keep track of friends and respond to messages. For direct access to social networking sites, the LG GT350 has a dedicated shortcut key on the keypad. In addition to social networking, the keypad also includes dedicated buttons for accessing push e-mail, the web browser and instant messaging.

With real-time push e-mail, the LG GT350 immediately notifies users when they receive new e-mails. Registering multiple e-mail accounts is easy and messages are ready for viewing as soon as the GT350 intercepts them.

The LG GT350 will be available in Europe from this April and will then launch in other markets around the world. The phone will come in four color combinations including Aqua Blue, Purple, Light Silver, and Black, some of which will be exclusive to specific carriers.

[source]

Firefox on Maemo

2010-02-08T05:03:00.001-08:00

Posted by: Phat^Trance in Maemo, Nokia, Video

Take a quick tour of the first version of Firefox on the Nokia N900. The Nokia N900 is the successor to the company’s Internet Tablet family. The device features cellular connectivity and phone functionality, along with a Mozilla-based browser with full Adobe Flash 9.4 support. Specs wise, the N900 sports the ARM Cortex-A8 CPU, 3.5-inch WVGA touchscreen, 5MP camera, OpenGL ES 2.0, Wi-Fi and HSPA.

Nokia N900 Media on Maemo 5

2010-02-08T04:58:00.000-08:00

Posted by: Phat^Trance in Maemo, Nokia, Video

Here’s a short overview of Media on the Maemo 5 OS, on a Nokia N900. The Nokia N900 brings the power of computer to mobile devices. It’s a high performance mobile computer with advanced Maemo 5 software on Linux. Explore Nokia N900 features like multitasking on a live Dashboard, wide screen video capture, 3,5“ WVGA touch display (800 x 480 pixels), QWERTY keyboard and personalisable panorama desktop. The Nokia N900 also features 1 GB of application memory and up to 48GB of storage. Maemo browser is powered by Mozilla Technology and includes Adobe Flash 9.4 and full AJAX support. Wi-Fi and 3.5G connectivity provides fast access to Internet. Take high quality photos and wide screen videos using 5Mpix camera with Carl Zeiss optics. Tag photos and browse them using the tag cloud, and see where images were taken with the automatic geotagging. Merge your phone book, Skype contacts and other contacts into an all-in-one address book. And naturally, N900 has a phone application for voice calls.

New Qwerty Phone : Sony Ericsson Aspen Review

2010-02-08T04:52:00.000-08:00

Posted by: Phat^Trance in Sony Ericsson, Video, Windows Mobile

Here a first look at the Sony Ericsson Aspen. The Sony Ericsson Aspen is the first smartphone, officially said to run Windows Mobile 6.5.3. It belongs to the GeenHeart family, which houses other eco-friendly handsets by the manufacturer. In addition, it adds a personalized homescreen that you can use on the 2.4-inch touch-sensitive display. A front-facing QWERTY keyboard will be on board to assist your messaging needs, along with many other features.

Xperia X1 Running Android!!

2010-02-08T04:51:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this video where Android is running in Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

QWERTY-slider Motorola Shadow will be sold as Google Nexus Twom

2010-02-08T04:35:00.000-08:00

Resource Mobile01 has published images smartphone Motorola Shadow in good quality. This model has not yet been announced and is now preparing to release, rumors about it had already appeared in the global network. The device is made in the slider form factor with a large 4.3-inch touch screen (resolution - 850x484 or 854x480 pixels) and sliding QWERTY-keyboard, it is equipped with 8-megapixel camera capable of recording high-definition video and supports interface HDMI. However, reports on the slider to the minimum thickness of 9 mm.

It is interesting that this model is the second smartphone for internet shop on Google, as it will be sold as a Nexus Two. It is not known on what operating system Motorola Shadow / Nexus Two will be built - Android 2.1 or new, called Froyo ( "frozen yogurt"). Recall, while Google offers on its online store only one smartphone - Nexus One production company High Tech Computer (HTC).

Samsung Corby B3210

2010-02-03T04:32:00.000-08:00

Samsung B3210 CorbyTXT Specification

Samsung B3210 CorbyTXT is one of two new phones from Samsung beside Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO. Samsung B3210 CorbyTXT that plans to launch at the end of September 2009 is QWERTY phone which is designed like BlackBerry.The disadvantage of the B3210 CorbyTXT is no tocuhscreen support but the phone which equipped with camera 2 megapixel, designed slim (12.9mm).
Here is the specification of Samsung B3210 CorbyTXT at glance:
-Quad-band GSM (GPRS&Edge)
-Full QWERTY keyboard
-Display Screen 2.2 inch QCIF
-Bluetooth
-USB on board
-Camera 2 Megapixel
-FM Radio
-Class 10, 236.8 kbps
-Cartoon UI
-Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
-microSD (TransFlash) up to 8GB
-Internal memory 40MB

Samsung C6225

2010-02-03T04:23:00.000-08:00

The website of British online store Expansys has information on the smartphone Samsung C6625.

The device is likely a version of the model C6220, which is exclusively sold in the past year, the Italian operator TIM. Samsung C6625 is made in monoblock form factor and works under OS Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard.

Specifications Samsung C6625:

Network: GSM / GPRS (900/1800/1900 MHz), UMTS / HSDPA (2100 MHz)
Display: 2.6-inch with a resolution of 320x240 pixels
Camera: 2 MP
Radio: FM with RDS
Communications: Bluetooth
Navigation: A-GPS
Memory: 100 MB built, slot for memory cards format microSDHC
Opening times: in 420 minutes of talk time, standby 300 hours
Dimensions: 113,3 x63x11, 6 mm
Weight: 107,7 g

Nokia E72 review

2010-02-03T04:22:00.000-08:00

by Ibrahim Jogee | Handset, Hardware, Reviews, Software

Late last year WOMWorld kindly provided me with the Nokia E72 for trial, which I have been using as my main device for around a month. The Nokia E72 is Nokia’s latest Eseries flagship device, that has all the business orientated features you need, packed nicely into a slim and compact design. The E72 is also the first in the Eseries range to sport a 5 megapixel camera, finally bringing Eseries up to par with the Nokia Nseries. The Nokia E72 does have a lot to live up to, bearing in mind the success of its predecessor the Nokia E71. The latter was by far the greatest Nokia handset of 2008, winning multiple awards in Best Smartphone and Phone of the Year categories. I personally still have the Nokia E71 as my companion, and so its time to see whether the E72 has what it takes to carry the torch forward.

Hardware

On first impressions I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Naturally I wanted the E72 to build on the E71, and be more or less the same but improve where the E71 failed. Looking head on at the device I feel as though it’s completely lost the sex appeal of the Nokia E71. For starters, the area around the screen is now black (depending on variant) instead of displaying a mirrored finish, the space below the keyboard is now half plastic instead of all metal, and the curves around the corners feel less comfortable in the hand.

Flipping the handset over you will again notice more matte plastic, which in my opinion degrades the quality and feel of the handset. The camera module looks as though its just been hammered into the device on a last ditch effort to boost up its specs, as it hasn’t been finished with the same care and detail taken to mould the unit like on the E71; as a result the bulge is a lot more noticeable. The pattern on the battery cover also looks better on the E71, which by the way, comes off really easily due to the mechanism used. Also relocated to the back of the handset is the speaker. This wasn’t a good idea at all because the volume is dreadfully low as it is, and having the speaker on the back further reduces the volume when left on a desk or sofa.

Okay, so first impressions aside the Nokia E72 does bring many welcomed improvements. The home area keys have seen a drastic makeover and are now similar to that of the E55 (see the E55 review here) with the addition of the optical track pad. This is a pretty cool feature as it gives this non-touch device the cheeky pleasure of swiping around the UI. However, there are many things not so cool too, like the fact that you cannot scroll fast easily and when pressing the track pad to select, the selection on the device can move to the next item before the press has been made. This actually happened to me when I was sending my fiancé a text message. Just before I pressed the track pad to send the message, the selection moved from mobile number to home number and I ended up waking her parents up at 12 am. Not classy at all, especially considering the content of the message.

The keyboard gets two huge thumbs up, I’d give it three if I had any more to give. The key press, physical travel and shape of each individual key can only be described as utter perfection, and I truly hope this is one aspect that is kept the same in every way, shape and form on future QWERTY-candybar handsets. The keys have also been re-mapped with careful consideration, and now with a smaller space bar, there is more room to implement custom characters and features, such as brackets, Bluetooth, Torch, etc. The ctrl key has also been re-mapped with accessibility in mind, making it the first function on the key, handy when using functions such as ‘ctrl + c’ to copy or ‘ctrl + a’ to select all.

Software

The Nokia E72 runs S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, which is a very mature platform and has developed a lot over the years. When you initially start up the device you’ll notice the newer icon set (not the dull ones used on the Nokia E71). Transitions have also been implemented, and the 600 MHz processor allows the UI to remain responsive throughout. The E72 has 250MB of internal memory, almost double that of the E71, and you can expand the memory using a MicroSD card. The battery life should be a benchmark for every mobile phone, as it serves almost two full days of very heavy usage, and can last over a week when used for short calls and texts. It also features an accelerometer, which can be used to silence calls and snooze alarms. But personally I feel the best feature of the E72 is one that is not so apparent to start with. The Active Noise Cancellation is simply superb, and the difference is very noticable on the other end of the phone.

In terms of preloaded applications, the Nokia E72 comes with a fully licensed Quickoffice suite, Adobe PDF reader, a dictionary, multiscanner and a zip file manager. The new additions include WiPresenter and Font Magnifier, the latter allowing you to change the size of the default font throughout the UI and WiPresenter allows you to manage a Power Point presentation from a distance via Bluetooth or Wifi. The Nokia E72 is also the first of its kind to come with a Home Media Server, generally familiar to Nokia Nseries handsets. The Home Media Server lets you share media via WiFi and display content from your device onto your TV or PC display. I am personally a big fan of this service and use my PlayStation 3 as my home media server, which works great with this device. On the other hand you can always use TV-Out to display your content, however although the 3.5 mm jack is now present, the TV-Out functionality is still not supported, a key feature that Nokia has overlooked.

As mentioned earlier the Nokia E72 sports a 5 megapixel camera with a single LED flash. The quality of the images are fantastic as I’m sure you’ve already seen on various other sites. The optical track pad comes in very handy here as it serves as a two step camera key, without the two presses. As you hover your thumb over the trackpad the autofocus instantly kicks in and then pressing the track pad will then capture the image. I did experience a few blurs to begin with, but the key here is to make sure you continue to hold the camera still until the captured image is displayed on the screen, not ideal but hey. The E72 also comes packed with a decent set of multimedia features, including a voice controlled Music Search functionality. This application lets you say either the song title or the name of the artist to find the track on your device. But to accommodate something new, something old must be removed, or so it seams, and the Nokia Internet Radio and Podcasting applications haven’t quite made the cut.

Over the Christmas holidays I was traveling quite a lot up and down the country and used Ovi Maps on the Nokia E72 as my main navigational aid. Previously I’ve avoided Ovi Maps like the plague, and installed other solutions on my E71 to do the task for me. On the E72 however, Ovi Maps works flawlessly, and the roads are constantly being calculated in order to make sure you get to your destination fast. If you miss a turning, Ovi Maps will now quickly redirect you without telling you to turn around over and over again like the previous version did. The bundled English Surfer Dude voice guidance was a great touch, and helped keep the instructions entertaining rather than using the same old boring prison officer voice. The instructions were clear and given at the correct times, to ensure I didn’t miss a turning. On the last day however, I did begin to experience a few issues. I’m not too sure how, or if I was accidentally pressing keys, but the maps application kept randomly closing during navigation. Restarting Ovi Maps and using the History feature allowed me to easily configure my destination and continue on my way, but it wasn’t ideal to say the least. It could have been because the device was automatically switching into power saver mode, I’m not too sure, but if you experienced anything like this let us know in the comments. Also note that Nokia recently announced that Nokia Maps for Mobile is now offering free voice guided navigation, which will definitely make it my primary navigational tool from now on.

Browsing the web on the Nokia E72 is a complicated area to discuss. Having used the Nokia N900 over the past few weeks, I find surfing the internet on S60 5th Edition devices daunting let alone any S60 3rd Edition handsets. But taking into consideration how the E71 managed to prowl around the net, the E72 does a pretty similar job. The annoying default bookmark folders have now been removed and a flurry of keypad shortcuts allow for ease of navigation. You can search for text on a page too, however there is still no copy and paste available on web pages, keeping the plagiarism police at bay.

Finally Nokia Messaging – the greatest emailing solution to date, comes preloaded on the Nokia E72. When you initially start up your device, the setup wizard will simply ask for your email and password and sort out the rest in no time. I was never a big fan of Nokia Messaging on the E71 and till today still do not have it installed on my device. But the E72 has changed my preconceptions of it and messaging as a whole is where this device just pushes the bar higher.

Bugs

I thought I’d finish by mentioning a few bugs I have experienced. First off the ctrl key shortcuts requires you to keep a hold of the ctrl key while pressing the corresponding action key. This can become pretty annoying during single-handed interaction, as it requires the use of both hands. Another bug I’ve been experiencing is that the spacebar randomly stops working at times, predominantly during messaging. A quick restart however seams to rectify the issue. Finally when using the E72 in offline mode, it is incredibly difficult not to get annoyed with it. Every few minutes a message pops up asking if you want to connect to a WLAN near by, even when ’searching for WLAN’ is disabled in the settings. Funny thing is when you decided to connect just so it stops asking you, it asks if you are sure you want to create a connection in offline mode, as if it’s playing some sort of prank on you.

Final Thoughts

So is this a worthy successor I hear you ask. Well, the upgraded keypad, 3.5 mm headphone jack and 5 megapixel camera are all well and good, but my only worry is that the Nokia E72 reminds me very much of the Nokia N86 8MP. With the time that it has taken for Nokia to release this handset, I feel like I’m left wanting more to justify the price tag. The screen resolution is still the same old QVGA and browser experience is still very poor when compared to todays standard.

Sony Ericsson Aspen announced

2010-02-03T04:16:00.000-08:00

Today sees the announcement of Sony Ericsson Aspen, the business mobile phone with green credentials at its core. The newest edition to the successful Sony Ericsson GreenHeart portfolio, Sony Ericsson Aspen, allows easy multi-tasking combining the touch experience and a real QWERTY keyboard. Organise and adapt panels to change during the day and use Slide View for quick access to common features.

With Sony Ericsson Aspen, view and edit office files easily and comfortably with one touch operation, or just access the internet in one click. The QWERTY keyboard is made for fast and easy typing. Simple email set up allows for a maximized messaging experience on the go. Secure the phone’s contents through the Microsoft MyPhone service, which remotely erases phone data when the handset is lost or stolen.

“Sony Ericsson Aspen is the business phone with a conscience, perfect for any consumer or company who want to make a green choice in their daily work life.” Said Quentin Cordier, Global Marketing Manager, Sony Ericsson. “An affordable GreenHeart™ phone with the latest version of Windows Phone, the Sony Ericsson Aspen has a rich user interface and powerful productivity tools. But it’s not all about work, stay in touch with the fun parts of life with Media Browser and PlayNow , with simple access to social networks and quick and easy access to media files. Find the fun with a-GPS, Google Maps™ and snap pictures with the 3.2megapixel camera.”

Sony Ericsson Aspen

* Modern office at your fingertips – latest version of Windows Phone

* Easy multi-tasking – Sony Ericsson Slide View and customisable panels

* Maximised message experience – QWERTY keyboard and finger friendly touch experience

* GreenHeart™ – for a greener choice

* Stay in touch with the fun parts of life – access fun applications at PlayNow™ such as games and new music

* Media browser – access music, photos and videos

* Social network tool (Windows Live™ Messenger, Facebook™)

* Human curvature design – fits into the palm of the hand

Sony Ericsson Aspen™ supports HSPA 900/2100 and EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA 850/900/2100 and EDGE 850/900/1800/1900.

Sony Ericsson Aspen™ will be available in selected markets from Q2 in the colours Iconic Black and White Silver.

Create your own phone booth with optional extra Bluetooth™ Noise Shield Handsfree VH700 and charge your phone the eco-friendly way with the Energy Saving Mini-Charger EP800.

Sony Ericsson Aspen

Camera

* 3.2 megapixel camera

* 4x digital zoom

* Multishot

* Self timer

* Smart contrast

Music

* Album art

* Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)

* Equalizer

* Sony Ericsson media player

* Music tones (MP3/AAC)

* PlayNow™

* Stereo speakers

* Windows Media® Player Mobile

Web

* Bookmarks

* Google™ search

* Internet Explorer® Mobile

* Pan & zoom

* Web feeds

Voice

* Polyphonic ringtones

* Speakerphone

* Vibrating alert

Messaging

* Email

* Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®

* Handwriting recognition

* Instant messaging

* Picture messaging (MMS)

* Predictive text input

* Text messaging (SMS)

Design

* Auto rotate

* Media browser

* Picture wallpaper

* Full keyboard

* Touchscreen

* Wallpaper animation

* Windows Phone®

Entertainment

* 3D games

* Facebook™

* FM radio with RDS

* Java™

* Skype™

* Video streaming

* Video viewing

* YouTube™

Organiser

* Adobe® PDF Reader

* Alarm clock

* Calculator

* Calendar

* Flight mode

* Microsoft Office® Mobile

* Notes

* Outlook® Mobile

* Phone book

* Stopwatch

* Tasks

Connectivity

* 3.5 mm audio jack

* A-GPS

* Bluetooth™ technology

* Google Maps™

* Micro USB connector

* Modem

* Synchronisation

* USB mass storage support

* USB support

* Wi-Fi™

Applications and panels

* SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 (Professional)

* SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 (Lifestyle)

* SEMC Greenheart Panel

* Microsoft Today

* Facebook™

* Panel Manager

* SlideView

* Google Maps Latitude

* Google Mobile Application

* Send My Location

* Unified Search Application

* SPB Traveler and Weather combo

* Skype

* YouTube™ panel

* Communication City/Day

* Communication City/Night

* CNN

* On-The-Road Panel

* Windows® Live

* Twitter

* Gokivo Weather Panel

* Eco mate application

GreenHeart indentity

* GreenHeart™ panel

* Power saving mode

* Eco mate application

* E-manual

* Waterborne painting

* Recycle materials (Green charger, Green PHF, Green Box.

Screen

* 65,536 colour TFT

* 2.4 inches

* 240 x 320 pixels (QVGA)

Accessories

* In-Box:

* Sony Ericsson Aspen™

* Battery

* Green charger

* HPM-60J GreenHeart™ Stereo portable handsfree

* 3.5mm jack

* Micro USB cable

* E-manual

* Optional:

* Bluetooth™ Noise Shield Handsfree VH700

* Dual connect charger

* 4GB MicroSD card

* Car charger

Facts

* Size: 117 x 60 x 12.45 mm

* Weight: 130 grams

* Memory card support: SanDisk microSD™, up to 16 GB

* Operating system: Windows Mobile® 6.5.3

* Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 10 hours

* Standby time: GSM/GPRS: Up to 450hrs

* Talk time UMTS: Up to 8 hours

* Standby time: UMTS: Up to 600 hrsMusic listening time: Up to 12hrs

Availability and versions

* Networks

* UMTS HSPA 900/2100

* GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900

* UMTS HSPA 850/900/2100

* GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900

* Available in selected markets in Q2 2010

Colour

* Iconic Black

* White Silver