Mobile Phone Reviews : The Regulars

After the Google Nexus One, Google, along with everyone else, believed the Nexus project was over.  However, now Google has returned with the Google Nexus S, which just may save the brand.

Google Nexus S reviews note how similar the design of the phone is to the Samsung Galaxy S.  It weighs slightly more, but still feels light in the hand.  The curved frame conforms well to the palm.  The screen itself is also curved.  However, the phone will feel very different to what an iPhone4 or HTC Desire HD user would be used to, as those phones use metallic chassis.

The headphone slot on the phone has been moved to the bottom, rather than the side or top.  Many Google Nexus S reviews have praised this feature, though certainly not all.  There are some that see this change as one that makes it difficult to get the phone in and out of the pocket.

The phone has a nice touch screen.  Icons can be touched and dragged and moved as desired.  The screen is large and clear.

One criticism levied against the phone in reviews is in regard to the lack of external microSD expansion.  The phone has 16GB of internal storage – a respectable figure – but many users wish it were also possible to move that stored data onto another platform, such as their home PCs.  Currently, this requires an external PC connection.

When looking to buy a new handset it is best to carry out some research before committing to a purchase.  Many mobile phone review websites contain honest criticism (good and bad) on the capabilities of most handsets.  Some articles will not only include a review from a technical perspective, but also user opinions too, allowing you to get a far clearer picture of exactly what you can expect from the phone prior to purchase.

A technical Samsung Omnia 7 review, for example, will give you plenty of information on the operating system and other features, such as memory capacity and battery life.  If however you read a Samsung Omnia 7 review that is written more from a user perspective, then expect to read more generalised information, such as how easy the menus are to navigate, whether the phone is prone to crashing and how responsive the touchscreen is.  Sometimes what is advertised is not actually what you get in reality.

The Samsung Omnia 7 has actually received mainly positive reviews.  Apart from a few problems with the Bluetooth function, most users have reported that this handset is as described in the technical reviews.  Most review sites give the Samsung Omnia 7 full marks for being a quality product that is both affordable and simple to use.  Some of its features include a five megapixel camera, FM radio and support for Xbox Live integration.

Samsung are now offering Windows 7 on a phone!  The first of their handsets to offer this is the Samsung Omnia 7.  The Samsung Omnia 7 is an attractive touchscreen phone offering a multitude of exciting applications and features.

What it Offers
The Samsung Omnia 7 offers a huge 4 inch screen.  The screen features Super AMOLED technology, which gives it the edge above many other touchscreen phones.  Other features of this phone include a fantastic 5 megapixel camera and excellent GPS and map-finding facilities.  The zoom functions work well when browsing a webpage, and the images on screen are sharp.  Additionally, a QWERTY keyboard is offered when texting and browsing the internet.  When using the QWERTY keyboard the letters change from white to black.  This feature makes it easier to see what you’re typing.

Drawbacks
Unfortunately, this handset does not come with a Micro SD card slot.  For many of you out there this is unlikely to cause any major problems, especially as the phone is capable of carrying 8GB of data.  However, its inability to expand data storage could be irritating for some.

Deals available
This phone is only available via contract deals.  It is not possible to purchase this handset as a pay as you go phone or sim-card free.  However, there are many great deals available.  For example, for just £35 a month on three you can get 5000 text messages and 500 minutes.  In the majority of deals the handset is given to you for free.

The Samsung S5550 Shark’s Features
The Samsung S5550 Shark is an exciting handset offered by Samsung.  It’s attractive to look at and great to use.  It features a 2.2 inch touch screen which is very responsive.  Reviews commend the sharp colour of the screen and the efficiency.  These aspects are owed to the AMOLED technology which this handset implements.  This handset also has a 5 megapixel camera that has a flash so that you can take pictures in reduced lighting.  Other features include easy access to social networking sites such as Facebook.  Additionally, there is both a music player and a video player.

The Best Deal
T Mobile is currently offering some great deals on this phone.  One of the best deals out there is for only £20 a month for an 18 month contract.  You will get unlimited text messaging, 100 minutes, the handset for free, and a free flat screen television.

The Samsung Champ’s Features
This swanky looking handset offers a 2.4 inch touchscreen, along with a 1.3 megapixel camera and an mp3 player.  The earphone jack is 3.5mm, so you can use whichever earphones you find most comfortable.  Additionally you can embed Facebook and other widgets onto the memory screen for you convenience.

The Best Deal
For just £15 a month you can get this handset for free when you sign up for an 18 month contract with Virgin Mobile.  You will get 100 free minutes and 500 free text messages.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 32GB is thought to be Samsung’s version of the iPad.  It’s impressive to look and runs Android 2.2 technology.  The Toshiba TG01 offers a slightly smaller touchscreen (4.1 inches) and doesn’t make use of Android technology.  This article compares the other differences between the phones.

Differences
There are two major differences.  One is the size of the phone, and the other is the operating system.  The Samsung handset runs the Android 2.2 technology.  Reviews say this makes for a slick web browsing experience.  The Toshiba handset runs windows mobile.  Although reviews suggest this to also provide a slick browsing experience, they also suggest a few faults, such as the sharpness of the icons.   The Toshiba TG01 is available on a multitude of contract deals.  No deals are available for the Samsung handset.

Similarities
Both phones offer a camera, although of differing qualities.  They also both offer Bluetooth, and an mp3 player.  Likewise, email and web browsing are offered on both phones, and reviews suggest that they both provide a quality web browsing experience.  A memory slot is offered in both phones, as is Wi-Fi internet.

Which one is for you?
Both of these handsets have a lot of similar features.  The two main differences however are the size of the phones and the operating system.  If you looking for something pocket-sized and you are not too worried about Android technology, then the Toshiba is the one for you.  However, if you’re looking for something larger along with the unique Android 2.2 technological experience, then we suggest you go for the Samsung.

The Samsung Galaxy S is definitely one of the best phones on the market with advanced technology including the latest Android 2.1 operating system.  It also has a world of high-speed entertainment and communication features such as a large 4-inch AMOLED screen, 1 GHz processor, HD video recording and playback, Google Maps GPS and a notable battery life. 

It is an outstanding and highly desired 3G smartphone with touch-screen designed casing, making it easy to manage, control and hold.  Its entertainment features include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G HSDPA, GPS, a built in music player, 5-megapixel camera and a video player.  The large AMOLED touch-screen supports high resolution and definition display.

Samsung has put its strength into the hardware of this phone, leaving the software abilities to Google.  Its black case and grey trim make it looks sleek, and even though it has an enormous 4-inch screen, the handset feels incredibly light, weighing only 119g. 

This phone is also fully equipped with a 5-megapixel camera, video playback, HSUPA connectivity, Wi-Fi, 8 GB or 16 GB of internal memory with the ability to add an additional 32 GB through the microSD card, FM radio and, if you have a Samsung television this phone, as well as the Samsung Monte, can be used as a remote.

The Samsung Galaxy S does resemble the iPhone 3GS but its large screen of vibrant colours and smartphone features take it to another level of touch-screens.  If you are looking for the latest mobile phone deals, this one can be picked up for free with a £30-a-month contract.  You can also purchase one for around £400 on a pay-as-you-go deal, or buy one for £450 SIM-free.

I love this phone. There is one sitting in my desk drawer right now, just waiting for its next day (or night) out. The Samsung E1120 is the queen of the cheap mobile phones. Measuring 106 mm tall by 42 mm wide and 15 mm deep, it weighs just 66 grams – so light that it almost doesn’t feel like a real mobile phone.

As for features, there isn’t much to tell. It has predictive text, vibrating alert, a personal organiser, and built-in hands free. But there is no camera, no music player, no anything else really. So why do I love it? Well let me tell you. This phone is about two things: 1) cheap and 2) communication.

What Samsung has provided with this cheap mobile phone is a form of mobile communication that I can throw into a rucksack to go hiking, toss into my handbag to go out on the town, roll into my towel if I’m headed to the beach, or slip into my pocket with no worries. I can even drop it down the toilet and not shed a tear. Why? Because if I lose it, drop it, or step on it, I can replace it for £10. And, to me, that is brilliant.

Yes, I have a Smartphone. It ticks all of the boxes, is loaded with apps, and looks smashing in its customised leather case. But, there are times when a Smartphone just isn’t the right phone for the job. That’s when the Samsung E1120 steps in.

Sony Ericsson mobile phones have successfully fused Sony’s leading technological expertise in LCD displays, audio perfection and digital photography with Ericsson’s extensive knowledge of mobile phone manufacturing, producing a truly winning combination. And right out there clamouring for pole position is the fantastic X10.

Of the latest mobile phones entering the market in 2010, this Android super-phone stands head and shoulders above much of the competition. If you compare mobile phones, the nearest rival is probably the superb HTC Desire – one of the best phones on the market at present; and the X10 probably outstrips it. You’ll also find some excellent mobile phone deals, too – it’s free on contracts ranging from £25 to £35 per month.

The fabulously responsive capacitative touch screen sprawls over a walloping 4 inches – that’s half an inch more than the iPhone 3GS and it even beats the Nokia 900 tablet. Not only that, but it boasts three times the number of pixels as the iPhone, and the virtual keyboard is a dream to use (the X10 has handwriting recognition, too).

The Sony Ericsson X10 has a 8.1 megapixel camera, with flash, digital zoom and autofocus, plus Sony’s ingenious face recognition technology. Touch the face image, and the phone brings up contact details and any other information you’ve entered. As you can imagine, with a screen this size, web browsing and apps like Facebook are stunning, and HSPA and Wi-Fi makes for always-on, ultra-fast web connections. The music player’s outstanding (there’s a 3.5 mm jack for conventional headphones) and the phone has a beast of a processor – the Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon, no less. And the battery’s a brute, too, boasting a massive 1500 mAh capacity. In a nutshell, this phone’s the Daddy.

Virtually all the latest mobile phones are appealing to a new generation of tech-savvy, social networking enthusiasts, but the Samsung Monte has really pulled the stops out to corner a fair chunk of this market. Lean and handsome, the Monte is one of the more stylish-looking Samsung mobile phones, and it boasts a delightfully responsive 3-inch capacitative touch screen which makes navigation a breeze.

If you’re looking for access to a proper app store like you’d find on the iPhone, forget it. But this is a much less expensive phone and you’ll get a broad range of pre-installed widgets which deliver a satisfyingly large span of functions. A static widgets hotkey on the screen bursts open a menu which displays all the available widgets. Within minutes, you can have a host of features running, from BBC iPlayer to Google Search, YouTube to a range of social media tools, as well as clocks and calendars. Just drag the widgets from the menu and plonk them on any of the three home screens.

On the Samsung Monte you’ll find both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and there’s a 3.2 megapixel camera to mess about with, too. As contract mobile phones go, this one’s a real ‘cheapie’ at about £10 a month for a 24-month contract. If you’d prefer pay as you go, it’ll cost you £120 and the SIM-free option comes in at around £150. It may not be the mobile phone equivalent of a Bentley or a Rolls, but it’s a pleasingly handy (and eye-catching) Mini-Cooper, at least.

Another new offering in Samsung’s range of cheap mobile phones is the Samsung S3370, a smartphone featuring user-friendly navigation and more features than you would expect from a pay-as-you-go, budget-ranged offering.

Aimed at social networkers, the Samsung S3370 comes with social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter pre-loaded. The phone has a 2.6 inch TFT 256k touch screen display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. It sports the TouchWiz UI (user interface) and an auto-rotate accelerometer.

Physically, the phone is a nice size – 100 by 53 by 13 mm and weighing just 86 grams. The only colour choice is black.
The Samsung S3370 is a quad band 3G phone supported by Bluetooth A2DP, USB, EDGE technology, and GPRS – all which contribute to quick access and faster data transfers.

The included camera is somewhat lacking, at only 1.3 megapixels. However, camera functions include smile detection, video recording, and picture wallpaper. The video player supports MPEG4 and H263.

The phone’s music player includes an FM radio, and the phone supports Java games.

The nicest aspect of the Samsung S3370 is the ability to add custom widgets to the home screen, so that you can see those all-important status updates, tweets, and direct messages at a glance.

For individuals looking for cheap mobile phone deals, the Samsung S3370 is exclusively available via 3 Mobile on a pay-as-you-go scheme. The benefit of this includes the ability to make good use of free Skype-to-Skype calls and access to Twitter.