22
Sep
2010
Nokia Touch and Type is X3 Improved
When the Nokia X3 first came out, it was a good practical device that would be hard to put down. Not quite as astonishing as high end devices, but it was more on the safer, practical choice. Most of us believed that the next logical step for Nokia would be to move on to the creation of the X4.
The arrival of the Nokia X3-02 Touch and Type was something that could be considered as a very welcome surprise.
Strange Looking Keypad
Admittedly, the keypad on this handset looks pretty odd. While it is nothing that comes close to the bizarre layouts on concept devices, it is not that conventional either. In fact, Nokia has gambled with a visual appearance that looks pretty uncomfortable when checked up close.
But anyone who has used a portrait keyboard would be able to tell you that the 4 column layout is hardly anything to be worried about. In fact typing and navigating using the keypad is quite natural and easy.
Though learning to tap the space button when texting fast does take a few tries to get used to. In the end, the Nokia Touch and Type earns its name by proving to be one of the better phones one can type on –even with a T9 keypad.
Screen Specifications
As one would expect from its name, the X3-02 also sports a touch screen display. While it is more common for mobile phones to be toting around capacitive touch screens, the Nokia Touch and Type relies on a more old-school technology: a resistive touch screen. Surprisingly, the lack of gestures and multi touch is not that much of an issue –the touch functions are based more on navigation and are complemented by the keypad controls.
It is also fast, responsive and is able to display excellent visual quality for a phone of this caliber. Fans of this phone might also like to take a look at the Nokia C3 Touch and Type.
13
Sep
2010
Anticipating the Second Wave: The Arrival of the Samsung Wave 723
Samsung seems to have found success in their Wave line of devices and one of the more recent additions to the growing family is the Samsung Wave 723. Similar to its predecessors, this device is also a high end Smartphone that delivers a ton of impressive features.
Although it doesn’t possess the highly acclaimed Super AMOLED touch screen display of the Wave S8500, it still has a lot of other things to offer. Here’s a quick review of this Smartphone that hopes to further establish the legacy of the Wave series.
Hardware Specs
The Samsung Wave 723 looks like your typical touch screen device that also features a very sleek design. However, what makes it stand out in terms of its physical characteristics is the leather flap that is attached to the device. It serves as a protective cover for the screen and shows some semblance of Samsung’s previous release, the Samsung Star.
The Wave 723 measures 109.5 x 53.9 x 11.8 mm.
The built-in camera of the Samsung Wave 723 is actually pretty praiseworthy. It has a respectable resolution of 5 Megapixels and comes with an LED flash on board. Some of the features of the snapper include geo-tagging, autofocus, and smile detection.
The Soft Side
The Samsung Wave 723 still features the much talked about Bada operating system. This mobile OS is designed by Samsung and all things considered, it is actually a pretty formidable piece of software.
Running on top of it is another Samsung baby which is the TouchWiz user interface. Version 3.0 is what’s on the Wave 723 and combined with the impressive Bada OS, the two work perfectly together.
The Wave 723 support 3G HSDPA as well as Wi-Fi connectivity which means that you need not worry about staying connected to the internet using this device. It even comes with a boatload of internet applications that aren’t only aesthetically pleasing, but quite functional as well.
26
Aug
2010
Funky and Functional: The Nokia C6
When it comes to entry level and mid range mobiles, there is no doubt that Nokia is still one of, if not the top performer in terms of market share. They have held this title for years and their ability and consistency in launching mobiles that are able to satisfy the needs of their consumers have allowed them to take a firm grip on the market for the longest time.
However, they have been struggling a bit in the Smartphone business. They are being toppled by the BlackBerry’s and the iPhone’s out there. One device that should be able to bridge the growing gap is the Nokia C6.
Style
One thing going for the C6 is that it definitely falls into the category of eye candy mobile. The device really looks good and exudes a type of appeal only a Nokia can deliver. It comes in two different colours – black and white – which are both equally charming.
The Nokia C6 has an impressive 3.2” touch screen display which makes use of the TFT resistive technology. The device also sports a QWERTY keyboard which slides out from the left side of the device (or the bottom once you rotate the mobile).
This added feature makes the Nokia C6 a bit on the bulky side with dimensions of 113 x 53 x 16.8 mm. The mobile has a total weight of 150 grams.
Substance
This mid range device has everything you’d need from a Smartphone. It supports 3G HSDPA as well as Wi-Fi internet connectivity. The operating system installed on the C6 is the same old Symbian OS (version 9.4) which is backed up by a 434 MHz ARM processor.
The Nokia C6’s built-in snapper is pretty impressive at 5 Megapixels. It also comes with an LED flash and features geo-tagging as well.
28
Jun
2010
Android Smart Phones Getting Froyo Update
Google has finally released a final build of the Android 2.2 Froyo update and that file is now available for people to download. Many have reported that the update does not appear on their handsets which means that this patch will not work on all Android operating systems. It has been confirmed that users would need to have the FRF50 firmware if they want to get the latest version of the Android.
Initial tests on the new Android 2.2 Froyo shows that Google has been true to their word in terms of the improved performance; the screens shift faster, apps and features load quicker and overall, the phone experience feels a lot smoother. In some ways, the update makes it feel like the CPU itself has been boosted in speed.
Web browsing has also been improved in the case of loading Java faster, however, since some internet connections are really slow, it is hard to see the big improvement –though when the connection is fast and stable and users are viewing pages with plenty of Java script, the performance boost is pretty noticeable.
Tethering and turning the handset into a WiFi hotspot have been confirmed, though these have yet to be tested. The feature has been much in demand among many smart phone owners in order to make full use of many 3G data plans and the inclusion of this to the Android is a welcome addition.
Naturally, the most anticipated feature is the Adobe Flash Player. Fortunately, Android smart phone owners do not need to wait any longer as Adobe has already released the downloadable Flash Player update just two days ago. The software development company was met with surprised and confused reactions from people as the player was only compatible with Android 2.2 and only the Nexus One has the OS at that time. Users of HTC’s Desire handset are expecting an update to Froyo soon.
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