Although the G600 is one of Samsung’s older phones – two years old now – it’s still one of the company’s better designs. It remains a classic, slim line handset with Samsung’s slider format. The G600 is not the slimmest of phones but at 15 mm makes it a perfect handset to hold and use.
The camera is 5 mega pixels with auto focus, 4x digital zoom and LED, still a superior camera in the lower price mobile range. You can take photographs of landscapes using the panoramic mode and the macro mode for close up shots. The phone has a built-in picture editor and supports direct printing to a Pictbridge-compatible printer.
The video recording is of equally high quality with 640 x 480 pixels. Photographs and video can be viewed (a top of the line Samsung design here) on a 2.2-inch screen with 16 million colours and 240 x 320 pixels.
The music system of the G600 is great, supporting all major formats (MP3, Aac, AAc+, 3-AAc and WMA). You can use it with Bluetooth wireless headsets and it even has the option for you and a friend to plug in and listen to your music together. The phone has a built in memory of 40 megabytes that can be increased with an included 1 GB memory card, more than enough to store several hundred tracks.
The battery life is average, and it should last you a few days as long as you don’t overuse the multimedia options and Bluetooth.
A Toshiba TG01 review uncovers a phone with one of the largest screens around at an impressive 4.1 inches. The design by Toshiba, a company renowned for making television sets looks remarkably like an FST screen and wouldn’t look out of place on your lounge wall. They have made the system capable of running multiple functions at once and had the foresight to include an energy conserver.
With its high-resolution screen the TG01 is massive in comparison to the iPhone and comes into its own when you use the web browser or have it functioning as a sat nav, where the display is a definite bonus. Websites are displayed full screen and the touch control makes navigating around the screen easy.
Criticism will undoubtedly come from those who despair of the Windows Mobile 6.1 system and there will be cries of derision and “why didn’t you install an Android?” They have added a “blinds” system that works on top of Windows in an attempt to make it more versatile, but opinions on this vary too.
The phone comes with a standard 3.2-megapixel camera but no flash, video facility and an audio player. Connectivity is fine with GPS, WiFi, a mini USB but there is no 3.5mm jack. This is a common complaint with many phones.
The Toshiba TG01 has the potential to be an excellent phone and its screen alone makes it worthy of consideration. Once they sort out the interface problems the 1.0 GHz processor will come into its own.
The LG Renoir KC910 is a touch screen mobile phone that has a sleek attractive look; it has been marketed as a camera phone. Its compact size is ideal for those looking for a smaller alternative to the iPhone.
One of the best features of the handset is the eight megapixel camera. It is substantially better than that included with other LG mobile phones and the phone has a ‘smile detection’ function which will take the photograph when the subject smiles. Photo quality is excellent and the camera can be used to take good quality video footage. Some users may find that the flash is not adequate for very dark scenes.
Watching videos is also easy as the phone supports a number of file types, though some resolutions may not be compatible with the phone. The handset also has a good music player though the phone does not have the 3.5mm headphone jack that is featured on some other LG models; it is, however, equipped with Dolby mobile sound technology.
Users can connect with the internet using Wi-Fi or HSDPA and the phone has a GPS navigation feature to benefit users. Memory function is also considerably better than other models with an 8GB memory card. Sending texts and emails is easy with the onscreen QWERTY keyboard and the text function is aided with predictive text.
The maximum battery life is shorter than other LG handsets, just 264 hours, but this is acceptable when you consider the number of functions and applications this is supporting.
A contract mobile phone gives you the ability to obtain some of the newest mobile technology at a price that you can afford, but it does tie you to a contract period that can go on for up to 24 months. Because of that you need to take care to ensure that you can afford it on an ongoing basis. The latest mobile phones are in great demand so the contract suppliers are always going to be offering plenty of deals that are not only appealing to you, but are also lucrative for them.
Sony Ericsson mobile phones are renowned for their excellent quality, especially when it comes to phones that have music players and cameras. However, the touch screen is something of a new foray for them and their previous attempts haven’t been the best. The good news is that the Satio seems to be doing a better job that its predecessors and the mobile phone reviews are good and are mostly favourable to this model.
There is an excellent menu navigating system with the finger wipe across the screen, and we enjoyed playing with this new Sony Ericsson mobile phone. Again this is Sony so you don’t get headphones that are compatible with anything else, however the rest of the features are good. You have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and push email capabilities so this does allow this phone to work for both business and pleasure. The phone shell itself is pleasing to the eye, sleek and thin, giving a good size and weight to sit comfortably in the palm of the hand.
It’s hard to know whether you should be looking for a contract mobile phone or a pay as you go mobile phone; there are pros and cons to each. For the most part the only way to get the latest mobile technology is to go with contract mobile phones, as the cost of buying the latest model can be simply too expensive, whereas a monthly payment is something we can all afford. The Blackberry Curve 8520 is one of the newer offerings from the Blackberry family and this one is designed to be more affordable. This means that the cost of the pay as you go version isn’t as large as some of the price tags, and on monthly contract it is really affordable.
When you compare mobile phones you will see that the Blackberry Curve 8520 is actually pretty comparable to their more superior phones. This one in particular is designed to appeal to the younger user as it offers access to social networking sites. The technology is not the best we have seen, however it does let you access the popular sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The standard Blackberry keyboard is built into the handset and you can use this device to send emails on the run, or access the instant messaging. For a lower end device this really is quite a natty piece of kit and great for the young professional, even on contract the price isn’t bad. It is well worth reading more about this phone in the mobile phone reviews.
This Samsung Pixon 12 review reveals a camera with a phone attached, which is sure to make you the David Bailey of the mobile world. Not only does it house an incredible 12-megapixel camera but also has many other high-end features. A 3G touchscreen with excellent audio player, FM radio, web browser, GPS with Google maps, and a memory card that takes the capacity up to 16GB.
Samsung has upgraded the original Pixon to include a high resolution OLED screen, ability to play DivX/Xvid videos, LED flash, wider angle lens and a video shoot speed of 30 frames per second or 120 FPS at lower resolution, giving you slow motion playback. They have included a secondary front facing camera too for video conferencing. It has dedicated camera buttons on the side for on/off and zoom/ wide-angle buttons, all raised so they are easy to find.
Other features on the Pixon 12 are a virtual QWERTY keyboard, with its good quality connectivity Bluetooth, mini USB 2.0 and Wi-Fi as well as a fast Internet connection. The 3.1-inch screen is ample size for films, video playback and games and gives plenty of room to use the keyboard.
Criticisms of the Pixon are its lack of a 3.5mm jack point and its battery is a little weak and in need of regular recharging. This is to be expected with the large screen and especially if you use the flash a lot. The Pixon is not a smartphone, and while the complex camera will appeal to photography enthusiasts, but there are other phones available with its other high quality features.
This new mobile phone from Nokia is an upmarket and compact smartphone, which is set to replace the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. The Nokia X6 features the new capacitative touchscreen and comes equipped with 32GB memory, plus the impressive 5-megapixel, Carl Zeiss opic camera, video calling, HSPDA and a 3.5mm jack point.
The X-series has redesigned the casing and essentially based it around the 5800 but increased the specifications tremendously. This phone is slightly slimmer but crammed with technology giving it a comforting solid weight. The 3.2 inch screen is very responsive and has good high resolution. It is not the biggest format but sufficient for the virtual keyboard or keypad set up.
Coming from the XpressMusic series, you would imagine the sound system is good and it lives up to its billing. It includes a good quality music player supporting most common formats, FM radio and the dedicated audio chip pumps out a high quality sound.
The camera is also as impressive as you would expect of a top of the range phone. It features LED flash, auto focus and functions very well as a stills camera, or 30 frames per second video camera.
Systems and apps include GPS, which works really well with the new Ovi Maps, good connectivity, fast data transfer, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB connections and good quality web browsing.
The Nokia X6 comes out on top across the board in various mobile phone reviews, but this all comes at a price and the X6 is not a cheap mobile phone, but is a high quality and versatile one.
A Sony Ericsson C903 review reveals that this mobile phone is a 3G starter kit, a compact slide top mobile with a good 5-megapixel camera, LED flash and auto-focus.
The design is typically Ericsson and feels a little on the cheap side, as its surface is obviously one that will show up marks, smudges and scratches very quickly. To its credit, it is a slim, light phone and definitely in the compact category, and while the C903 concentrates on the camera side of things it still has a pretty decent audio player and GPS capability.
The camera has a “best shot” facility which takes nine rapid pictures at once, allowing you to chose the one you like, downloading to the Internet is also speedy and simple.
The GPS is installed with Google maps and the new NearMe app, which keeps you informed of local entertainment options, restaurants and bars, allowing you to review and comment as well.
Concerns have been raised about the size and style of the keypad, and some people think it is too small and difficult to use. There is also no Wi-Fi included and no 3.5mm jack, which is one of the bugbears of many contemporary phones today.
The Sony Ericsson C903 is a small, compact camera phone, including GPS and Google maps so you won’t get lost, and the small size makes it easy to carry around. There are however a lot of very similar phones to the C903 on the market at present.
The Nokia N95 has been lauded in mobile phone reviews as a great smartphone, so can the new Nokia N95 8GB build on that? More than that, is it a major revamp of a classic or just an upgrade?
It’s a bit of both, really. The biggest difference is the increase in memory, now with 8GB on board, although sadly there’s no card slot to let a user to add to that, which seems like a major omission in today’s market, where features demand a lot of memory.
What else is new? The battery is much better. The original N95 wasn’t too good on battery life, but this is greatly improved, allowing users to take full extended advantage of all the smartphone capabilities.
About the only other difference is a slightly larger screen. That’s an advantage for both pictures and video, although it’s really just a case of keeping up with the competition. So it’s really more a case of tweaking the phone than making any radical alternations – and given the success of the N95, perhaps that’s all that’s really necessary.
Those who love the old N95 and are looking to replace it will be very pleased by the Nokia N95 8GB. Others, however, might not be as easily convinced. It’s a good phone, and does everything well, but it’s been outdistanced by offerings from other handset manufacturers. With just a little more work, especially offering a card slot for more memory, it could have been a really outstanding offering from Nokia.
Samsung has obviously decided that the time is right to take on Nokia, and the awkwardly-named i8510 Innov8 is meant to stand as a direct competitor to Nokia’s very successful N95. The thing is, it does the job very well indeed.
There’s plenty to love about this Samsung mobile phone – and it is a mobile phone, not a touchscreen phone. The screen’s a good size for watching movies, with DivX support, meaning most things can be viewed, although it could have had a bit more clarity. 16GB memory on the phone means there’s plenty of storage available, and the ability to add more on a microSD card is a guarantee that users won’t be running out of room in a hurry. For a more private listening experience, the handset does come with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The camera is a very impressive eight megapixels, easy to use, and the automatic panorama mode is a lovely little feature, letting users put together pictures to create a wide panorama.
The fact that it runs on the Symbian operating system (just like the N95) ensures a smooth experience – it is tried, tested and proven. 3.5G and Wi-Fi means that connectivity is good, and upload and download speeds are fast and smooth, something all users desire.
The i8510 Innov8 keypad is excellent, and easy to use without any cramping or typos. The navigation key is touch sensitive, in many ways more like a trackpad than a key. That will annoy some people and delight others, depending on preference, but it works very well.
