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NEW YORK--Vonage is targeting large and medium-size businesses with its new V-phone, a USB flash drive loaded with VoIP calling software.
Vonage's new product, the first major announcement since the company's disastrous IPO last month, lets users make phone calls from their PCs or laptops using software that is embedded on a 256MB memory drive that plugs into the USB port of their computer. The product also comes with a stereo earpiece/microphone. Bluetooth functionality will be added to the device in later release, said Jeffrey Citron, chairman and co-founder of the company.
Since its inception, Vonage has targeted the consumer market as a low-cost replacement to traditional phone service Small businesses have also become an important market for Vonage, making up more than 10 percent of its subscribers, according to Citron. The V-Phone builds on this success to address a new market, large and medium-size businesses, he said.
"The V-phone is designed to replace existing phone lines for large and medium businesses," Citron said during an interview at the press event here, where the product was launched. "We've spent a lot of time and money marketing our service to a particular subset of the market, and now we've expanded the capabilities to service a new demographic. Just like any other business, we are always looking for new market segments."
While other companies such as Cisco Systems, Alcatel and Avaya have already been selling Internet Protocol-based phone systems to large companies for several years, Citron believes that Vonage can greatly reduce the cost of operating a phone system from $100 per user per month to $35.
But voice over IP experts argue that large companies spread the cost of their private branch exchange (PBX) switching-system infrastructure over hundreds of thousands of users, greatly reducing the per-user cost of the system. What's more, similar so-called softphone products, which allow workers to take their office phones with them on the road, are already available from large IP PBX makers such as Cisco and Avaya.
While companies do like the convenience of softphones, most don't plan to get rid of their desk phones anytime soon. According to a study by Infonetics Research, 75 percent of companies transitioning to a VoIP phone system said they saw softphones as a complement to their IP office phone.
"Softphones are complementary. They don't replace desk phones," Matthias Machowinski, the directing analyst of enterprise voice and data at Infonetics Research. "There might be some large companies that will use this product, but I think it's much better suited for the small-business market, where the per-user cost of a PBX is really expensive."
The V-phone will be available on Vonage's Web site beginning Thursday for $40 with an additional charge of $9 to activate each device. And it will be available in more than 11,000 retail locations in September.
In order to use the device, customers will have to sign up for one of Vonage's three voice plans. Residential users can subscribe to the 500-minute plan for $14.99 per month or to an unlimited U.S. calling plan for $24.99 per month. Business customers can subscribe to an unlimited U.S calling plan for $34.99.
Cell phone talking worse than driving drunk - study
Researchers at the University of Utah have published a study that claims drivers on cell phones are prone to more crashes than drunk drivers. Two psychology professors, David Strayer and Frank Drews, along with toxicology professor Dennis Crouch, conducted the study. 40 test subjects drove a simulated highway while undistracted, drunk and talking on a cellphone. The cell phone using drivers crashed three times, while the drunk drivers surprisingly did OK.
Researchers found that the drunk drivers were more aggressive and followed closer than the cell phone using drivers. They also discovered that cell phone users had significantly slower brake times at 849 ms versus 777 ms of the baseline group. Researchers suggest that cell phones make drivers more sluggish in perception and reaction.
Amazingly the drunk group's times did not significantly different from the baseline group. In addition, there were no crashes with the drunk group even though they had a tendancy to follow up to 2.5 meters (about 8 ft) closer than the cell phone group. The drunk group also had to brake much harder to avoid accidents.
The researchers simulated a 24-mile two-way highway on a "PatrolSim" driving simulator, commonly used by police officers for high-speed pursuit training. In 15-minute driving sessions, the test subjects had to follow and avoid hitting a pace car that would randomly brake. Passing vehicles were thrown is as distractions.
The volunteers had to do the same course four separate times. The first was a baseline test with no cellphone usage or alcohol consumption. Then handheld and hands-free cell phone usage were tested with the subjects maintaining a casual conversation with a research assistant. The final test was done after drinking a mixture of vodka and orange to get the subjects to a .08% blood alcohol level - the legal definition of driving while intoxicated in many states. Unfortunately, researchers didn't test drunk driving with cell phone usage.
There are two issues that can be raised about the study. The first is that crashing in a simulator does not have the same visceral and tragic consequences as crashing in real life. To be sure, there are some huge safety and legal problems with doing a live highway test, but perhaps the volunteers would have done better in a real environment.
Also, while .08% blood alcohol level is considered drunk, that level is usually on the low end for drunk drivers that have crashed. It's not uncommon to find drivers with double that level after an accident.
Plus: Who's Out What makes a company wired? We start by looking for the basics: strategic vision, global reach, killer technology. But that’s not enough. To land a spot on our annual Wired 40 list, a business also needs the X-factor – a hunger for new ideas and an impatience to put them into practice. Such companies inevitably become trendsetters, literally: As we debated and redebated the list this year, six major themes flickered into view. From the rise of peer production to the end of carbon pollution, they tell us where the world is heading. These are the companies leading the way.
01. GOOGLE 2005 Rank: 02 Less cuddly but more profitable than ever, the monster from Mountain View has rivals but no peers. Is it a search engine? A media company? A software provider? Who cares? Microsoft, for one. Get ready for the grudge match of the decade.
02. APPLE 2005 Rank: 01 In the drama of Apple’s resurgence, act one was forging the iTunes/iPod axis. Act two was bundling the iLife suite of creative tools with new computers. Adapting the Mac OS to run Windows apps natively would make a triumphant conclusion.
03. SAMSUNG 2005 Rank: 03 Smart design and rapid product development made Samsung tops in consumer electronics. What will the company do with its newly doubled research staff of 32,000 and a $40 billion budget? Next iPod, please!
04. GENENTECH 2005 Rank: 07 Will biotech kill the blockbuster? Rather than aiming drugs at broad populations with scattershot results, Genentech is developing treatments for specific patient groups. Its success has Big Pharma reaching for the smelling salts.
05. YAHOO 2005 Rank: 05 Who says portal is a dirty word? The McDonald’s of cyberspace serves up a staggering 3.5 billion Web pages a day. Its relentlessly expanding feature stack gives even Google a touch of envy. So how about some respect?
06. AMAZON.COM 2005 Rank: 04 Jeff Bezos has been pumping R&D money into projects like the A9 search engine and the Amazon Fishbowl webcast. But he’ll need a home run to offset shrinking margins. Music and video downloads may do the trick.
07. TOYOTA 2005 Rank: 08 Ford and Nissan are licensing Toyota’s hybrid technology – it doesn’t get any better than that. And if the green road becomes clogged with competition from nonlicensees like GM and its GMC Sierra Hybrid pickup, the Japanese innovator can fall back on being the best carmaker in the world.
08. GENERAL ELECTRIC 2005 Rank: 17 Is there a big clean business GE hasn’t jumped on? Windmills, hybrid railroad engines, water systems, coal gasification – with six divisions, from GE Healthcare to NBC Universal, the megaconglomerate could start a new green revolution.
09. NEWS CORP. New Rupert Murdoch’s legendary opportunism was made for the mayhem of today’s media landscape. He built the only truly global constellation of news, sports, and entertainment properties. Newly acquired MySpace gives it a digital heart.
10. SAP 2005 Rank: 11 CEOs like their business apps to be just like their cars: big, fast, and German. While archrival Oracle expands its product line at M&A sword point, SAP rolls its own code, crafting slick modules for everything from analytics to HR. Can it meet the audacious goal of doubling its market cap by 2011? Innovation, ho!
11. INFOSYS TECH 2005 Rank: 09 Infosys made Bangalore the software outsourcing capital of the world. But globalization is a two-way street, and now companies like IBM are descending on India, scooping up talent and cutting margins. CEO Nandan Nilekani’s response: Upgrade to full-service IT consulting.
12. CISCO 2005 Rank: 13 Cisco’s challenge is to keep dreaming up new uses for a commodity product: the IP router. CEO John Chambers’ latest focus is collaboration – knitting business apps together with megabandwidth audio and videoconferencing. Guess who sells the yarn.
13. ELECTRONIC ARTS 2005 Rank: 06 The game publisher has the muscle to survive while Sony and Nintendo delay their next-gen consoles. But the big money is in cyberspace. EA needs an online stronghold to avoid being caught in the platform crossfire.
14. NETFLIX 2005 Rank: 15 The top online DVD rental house got that way using the US Postal Service, not a bandwidth-challenged Net. But thanks to BitTorrent, iTunes, and Hollywood’s growing cooperation, movie downloads are finally becoming viable. CEO Reed Hastings promises a digital strategy by year-end.
15. SALESFORCE.COM 2005 Rankr: 20 CEO Marc Benioff is the high priest of software-as-service. Salesforce.com lets small businesses manage customers online, starting at $65 a month. Next: a Web-based business platform that offers 2,000 on-demand apps, from purchasing to recruiting.
16. MEDTRONIC 2005 Rank: 18 Wild-eyed extropians heralding the posthuman future have nothing on Medtronic. The company’s newest implantable defibrillator will track your heart’s rate, internal pressure, and temperature – and posts the stats on the Net for your doctor to see.
17. SUNPOWER CORP. New If solar energy’s first problem is price, its second is the number of panels it takes to chill a six-pack. That’s where SunPower shines: Its photovoltaic silicon puts out 50 percent more juice per square inch.
18. IBM 2005 Rank: 14 Why peddle technology when you can sell business transformation? Big Blue still designs white-hot chips and spearheads Linux development. But CEO Sam Palmisano is betting that IBM’s future lies in high-end IT consulting and outsourcing services.
19. EBAY 2005 Rank: 10 With $1.2 billion in profits last year, CEO Meg Whitman can afford costly fliers like buying Skype’s global phone system. But the challenge is closer to home: Social networks like MySpace could add buy/sell as just another feature.
20. INFOSPACE New Legal and technical complexities discourage wireless carriers from offering mobile games, news, sports, maps, etc. Enter InfoSpace, a dot-bust survivor that packages content for cell phones. Traffic is going one way: up.
The Wired 40: The Wired 40 Plus: Who's Out
21. NVIDIA 2005 Rank: 24 Few companies can say they build a reality synthesizer. Nvidia’s GeForce graphics processor paints photorealistic environments for Sony’s PlayStation 3. Open sourcers rage against the proprietary drivers, but Nvidia’s chipsets remain gaming’s gold standard.
22. VERIZON New What Americans call broadband would barely pass for dialup in South Korea. Delivering as much as 30 Mbps, Verizon’s pioneering fiber-to-the-curb service has the cable guys panicked. Bandwidth showdown! Everyone wins.
23. FLEXTRONICS 2005 Rank: 22 Singapore-based Flex-tronics pioneered outsourced electronics manufacturing for blue-chip customers like Motorola and Nortel. Now the sprawling company wants to own another link in the value chain: product design.
24. INTEL 2005 Rank: 19 Four out of five PCs ship with Intel inside, and now the company’s CPUs are even in Macs. But cheaper, cooler chips from AMD have the mothership of hardware spooked. CEO Paul Otellini’s damage control: overclock R&D and leapfrog a generation of processors.
25. MONSANTO 2005 Rank: 27 Frankenfood lives. Thanks mainly to Monsanto’s perseverance, the world’s farmers now plant more than a billion acres a year of genetically modified crops. Next up: drought-resistant corn, vitamin-supercharged nutraceuticals, and the no-mow lawn.
26. EMC 2005 Rank: 23 Hefty data storage rigs are a dime a dozen these days. EMC is preserving its lead by migrating from hardware to software that manages infor-mation “from creation to disposal.” Of course, the company still sells a $4 million disk array that holds 1 petabyte – a million gigs.
27. DUPONT New Never mind Kevlar and Tyvek. DuPont is blazing the trail for industrial biotech, replacing petroleum with plant extracts. Manufacturers get ecofriendly plastics and chemicals, and the 200-year-old company unhitches itself from the price-per-barrel roller coaster.
28. JETBLUE 2005 Rank: 25 Low cost and high service are still the game to beat at 36,000 feet. Unfortunately, other carriers are finally figuring that out. With fuel prices headed for the stratosphere, there’s turbulence ahead for JetBlue.
29. LENOVO New The Chinese PC giant’s acquisition of IBM’s ThinkPad division opens a new chapter in globalization: a Chinese company headquartered in North Carolina! But can it compete in a market where price isn’t the last word?
30. TSMC 2005 Rank: 34 In semiconductors, smaller is better – or more precisely, faster. Contract chip foundry TSMC has busted the 65-nanometer barrier, formerly the province of heavyweights like Intel. That lets customers like Qualcomm push the digital frontier.
31. BP 2005 Rank: 40 Squaring off against environmentalists to build a liquefied natural gas terminal in New Jersey is one way to move “beyond petroleum,” but BP is also getting serious about hydrogen, solar, and wind. The company’s alt-energy goal – $6 billion annually by 2015 – is just 2 percent of this year’s revenue, but it’s a start.
32. LI & FUNG 2005 Rank: 33 The Hong Kong-based clothing firm owns no factories, stores, or brands, yet it has nearly $7 billion in annual revenue. How? By managing the entire industrial process, from design to distribution, for names like Levi’s. Its real product is global supply chains, made to order.
33. EXELON 2005 Rank: 39 Nukes may be the best hope for a warming planet. Exelon buys reactors from sleepy utility companies and turbocharges productivity. If the political stars align, the company might also build the first new US nuclear plant since the Carter administration.
34. COSTCO 2005 Rank: 30 So the Picassos were fakes – maybe a discount store isn’t the best place to buy art masterpieces. But Costco’s advantage is very real: Its marriage of eclectic merchandise and big-box economy produces industry-leading, double-digit sales growth.
35. GEN-PROBE 2005 Rank: 35 Infectious diseases would be even scarier without Gen-Probe’s DNA-based tests. They keep the inter-national blood supply clear of HIV and diagnose maladies like tuberculosis and West Nile virus. The next target is prostate cancer.
36. MICROSOFT 2005 Rank: 28 The desktop OS gold mine won’t last forever. What’s next? Redmond’s latest to-do list includes software-as-service, security, even VoIP. Or it could simply buy a piece of Yahoo. (Take that, Google!)
37. L-3 COMMUNICATIONS 2005 Rank: 37 War toys have lost some of their post-9/11 luster, but L-3’s ultrasecure communications gear, aerial drones, and spook tools retain an unfortunately bright future. Should peace break out, there’s always disaster recovery.
38. CITIGROUP 2005 Rank: 36 With $1.5 trillion in assets, Citigroup is practically a proxy for the global economy: unbelievably large, staggeringly efficient, and somewhat corrupt. No reason to mess with the first two, but the last could use a little work.
39. COMCAST 2005 Rank: 31 Hundreds of TV channels plus broadband plus VoIP are turning the tide in the cable monster’s war against satellite insurgents. Next battle: trench warfare with fiber-wielding telcos like Verizon.
40. PFIZER 2005 Rank: 32 Big Pharma may be looking wan on Wall Street, but it still has the clout to steer drugs past the FDA and into medicine cabinets. Pfizer does it best – the ideal partner for biotech boutiques out to reach the mass market.
Six companies that slid off the Wired 40.
DELL An ongoing slump in PC sales and consequent cost reductions have left this retailer with nothing left to cut.
FEDEX In less than a decade, overnight delivery has gone from specialty service to standard offering.
NOKIA What’s an innovator to do? Carriers, not handset makers, now dictate the cell phone feature set.
PIXAR Digital animation’s guiding light is now a division of Disney. Here’s hoping CEO Bob Iger doesn’t wreck it.
TD AMERITRADE The online broker still rules etrading, but what once was a disruptive technology is now a commodity service.
VODAFONE So much for 3G. The wireless champ fumbled next-gen services. Now it’s selling assets just to stay afloat.
Astro Max - Pause, rewind and record up to 60 hours of LIVE TV
Kuala Lumpur ~ Astro, the Direct-To-Home satellite television service provider, gave members of the media a special preview today of the first personal video recorder (PVR) in Malaysia – the Astro MAX - which promises to change the way Malaysians watch TV.
Malaysians can now record up to 60 hours of their favourite programmes without the need of any external devices. They can also pause and rewind “live” television so that they will never miss a moment of their favourite programmes or sports broadcasts. With the new Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), the Astro MAX allows for easy recordings of Astro programmes.
“With the Astro MAX, subscribers can now watch whatever they want, whenever they want. We are giving the chance to all Malaysians to finally be able to take control of their TV viewing,” said Rohana Rozhan, Chief Executive Officer of Astro TV. The Astro MAX offers the benefits of DVD recording and viewing – minus the needs for tapes and DVD-Rs.
“Astro MAX is a one-stop solution centre. Everything you need is found on the Astro MAX without the need of any other external devices. It is the latest evolution of Astro services,” she added.
ED: Yes, they gave us one to play around with - look out for more live photos and an exclusive review later today!
Build quality: 9/10 Applications: 8/10 Interface: 9/10 Value-for-money: 8/10 Overall rating: 8/10 + Cheapest in L’Amour series + Alarm rings even when phone is off + High quality finish of the exterior - Regular 300KB CMOS camera - Only 4MB of memory - No Memory expansion
This one is the standard candybar model in the L’Amour collection, Nokia’s second set of fashion-themed phones. It is also the cheapest among the three, probably because it only sports a 65K colour screen and a 0.3 megapixel CMOS camera.
This one, surprisingly, is still on the 2nd generation of the Series-40 OS, and the memory count is really bad at only 4MB, which is what the Nokia 7650 had a couple of years ago.
In the box # Handset Transceiver # Battery (standard battery) # Charger # Headset # Carry Case # User manual
Exterior The Nokia 7360 is a candybar phone, and the battery cover is of the pick-and-pull type which I really have a dislike for. Anyway, as with all the other phones in this L’Amour series, the exterior is really something to shout about.
The unit we got for review is the one in the colour tone called Warm Amber. The screen is flanked by gold and silver metallic plates that also wrap around the earpiece and the keypad. The centre piece is brown and camouflages an infrared window on the right side of the screen. A plate with the Nokia logo is found on the left side of the phone.
The battery cover has a piece of leather-like covering over a part of it, which appears to be removable, but with great difficulty. The camera lens is set into a gold-coloured plate and the volume toggle button is chromed silver in colour.
There was a small tab of orange cloth on the right side of the phone just like in the 7370, while the intricately woven macramé strap shows that Nokia did put a lot of effort into making this phone look good.
Buttons/Screen The keys are white with black text, and the keypad is backlit in orange. The central button on the navigation pad is translucent amber, and the surrounding navigator is chrome and set between the four softkeys.
Again, the keys are a little small, but the tactile response was rather good. The issue with the ‘8’ button on the 7370, which misses some keystrokes when typing in messages, does not exist here. The screen is a 65K screen, and the 128 x 160 resolution is not as good as the higher resolution on the 7370. On the whole, the device looks pretty god and reflects light like a mirror when you flash it around.
Software/Messaging Unlike the 7370 which runs on the third edition, the 7360 runs on the 2nd Edition of the Series-40 interface. That might explain why the price for this phone is substantially lower than that of its sister model.
The messaging is fast enough, just like most Nokia devices, and I think that this is a really important part of why Nokia is doing quite well in both the local and global markets. Yes, it may seem incongruous but you might be surprised if you ask around and listen to what real consumers actually have to say.
PIM The contacts section is very straight forward. You can add the usual picture for caller ID, make some notes about the person’s birthday and even assign a special tone to each entry in your address book. The phone contains only 4 MBs of storage space, which is even less than the 10MB which is found in the 7370.
The alarm clock can now be set to repeat itself, and both the 7370 and 7360 phones will play the alarm reminder even when the phone is switched off. You can even choose the sound the phone makes when your alarm goes off. The Calendar, To-do List and Notes applications are also found in the Organiser submenu.
Camera/Video The camera here is a regular 300KB CMOS type, and the resulting photos are saved in the JPEG format at resolutions of 640 x 480 or 80 x 96 pixels.
There is no camera hotkey for this phone, so you will have to go the Media submenu and select camera there. Needless to say, the video function is activated thorough the same application as the camera is. The Radio and Voice Recorder applications are also found here.
Multimedia/Voice The 7360 has a radio function, and as usual, the headset must be plugged in to act as the antenna for FM reception. As mentioned earlier, the 7360 supports voice recording too.
This device supports MP3 and AAC audio tracks, and there is a little more space for songs this time around, but a card slot would have been just perfect here.
Connectivity The Nokia 7360 has infrared in addition to built-in Bluetooth connectivity. A Pop-Port connector is located at the bottom of the phone. There is no USB to Pop-Port data cable inside the box and you will have to buy it separately if you need to use it. The usual applications are there – WAP 2.0, Java MIDP 2.0 and an xHTML browser.
Games There are two games in the phone. The first one is called Nature Park and is a game similar to the jewel version of Tetris where various blocks fall from the top of the screen and must be arranged to fall into patterns at the bottom of the screen for points.
The second game is called Space Mahjong and is probably the first time a full four-sided mahjong game is found in a phone. If only they made the three-sided Mahjong variant as well.
The game handles quite well and is a nice and surprising inclusion into the phone. The tiles are a little small, but once you get the hang of not tossing away unintended tiles, then it is pretty simple to win at this game. This could well be a must for also those compulsive gamblers out there.
Editor's Opinion
The 7360 is the most affordable one of the three phones on offer in Nokia’s L’Amour fashion collection. I would say that RM 1,299 is a rather fair price for this device. The device is quite sufficient for basic telephony needs.
Of course, the low price is because you do not get a megapixel camera, and the screen is only a 65K TFT one, which is considered as medium-end right now. If you can live without the latest imaging capabilities (which also cost a bomb), then this would be a good buy.
I just wish they had included the data cable and a memory expansion slot. The most disappointing thing would be the miniscule 4 MBs of memory. However, we are still giving it a rating of eight, because Nokia really has perfected the art of making a standard candybar phone.
UK - As England beat Ecuador in the heat of Stuttgart on Sunday with what was widely accepted to be their best (although still far from perfect) performance of the tournament, evidence is growing that mobile operators are also raising their game.
Two operators - T Mobile and Vodafone - delivered their SMS alerts of Beckham's winning goal within a minute of his free kick strike, the fastest performance by far of the whole tournament.
T Mobile, a sponsor of the tournament, has consistently led the pack in terms of SMS delivery speed. But when the SMS services of all five UK operators were measured following England's opening World Cup game against Paraguay two weeks ago, T Mobile's SMS notification of England's goal (a Paraguay own goal) took more than three minutes to arrive, some two minutes slower than Sunday's effort. And Vodafone - the slowest operator during both of England's first two games by a considerable margin - improved significantly on Sunday and is, together with T Mobile, providing the fastest service.
Rather like the England team itself, however, one of the five operators continues to labour, delivering its goal notification more than 10 minutes after Beckham had scored (ironically around the time he was seen being violently sick on the field).
The tests are the fourth in a series being conducted by Argogroup, the mobile data services testing company, during every England game at the World Cup. The tests took place between 4.00pm and 6.00pm on Sunday 25 June, using a variety of phones from different manufacturers.
Consumers want more
Despite the improved performance, the public seems to want more, and not just from the England team. Argogroup also conducted a poll last Friday among 50 randomly selected mobile phone users and asked what an acceptable time for delivery of an SMS was for something like a World Cup goal. More than 60 per cent said that 30 seconds would be acceptable.
The group was also asked about MMS. 60 per cent did not know what an MMS was. Of the remaining 40 per cent, three quarters understood what an MMS was but had never tried an MMS service. The remaining 25 per cent had tried to use an MMS service from an operator but had not been satisfied with it. T Mobile is the only one of the five UK operators to offer an MMS of goals scored. Sunday, this took almost 12 minutes to arrive.
Video performance
Two operators - 3UK and T Mobile offer a video clips service. One again, 3, was fastest, delivering its shorter clip within six minutes. T Mobile's effort required closer to 13 minutes.
"What our tests have shown is that operators are beginning to get to grips with providing services like these to a mass audience," said David Frodsham, Argogroup's CEO. "But they are still having teething troubles that significantly affect the user experience and their revenues."
Nokia Launches China's first NFC Mobile Payment Trial in Xiamen
Xiamen, China - Today, Nokia and its collaborators, China Fujian Mobile Communications Co., Ltd., Xiamen Branch, Xiamen E-Tong Card Company Ltd., and Philips, announced the first NFC Mobile Payment Field Trial in China at Xiamen City, Fujian Province, China.
During the trial, one hundred of volunteer consumers of China Mobile in Xiamen will experience first hand the conviniences of mobile payment enabled by NFC technology. The consumers will use the NFC enabled Nokia 3220 mobile phones to make mobile payment through any point-of-sales covered by Xiamen E-Tong Card, including locations such as on the public transportation buses, ferry boats or at restaurants, movie theaters in Xiamen City.
E-Tong Card is a contactless transportation card, conforms to ISO 14443 Type A, compatible with Mifare. It has a volume of issuance of 800,000 in Xiamen City.
In addition to the standard E-Tong Card function, consumers can check their card balance and the last nine transaction records on their mobile phone display. They can also use their Nokia mobile phone to access a built-in, WAP-based website, to find out stores and venues that accept E-Tong Card and the interesting product or service information.
Mobile payment is one of the most welcomed emerging mobile applications. Market research in Shanghai, China by AC- Nielson in 2006 showed that over 80% of consumers are interested in the functional integration of city transportation cards and bank payment cards into mobile phone.
Nokia has launched the world first NFC enabled mobile phone, Nokia 3220, in April 2005. And the commercial trials using Nokia 3220 for mobile payment have been completed successfully in the U. S. A., Germany, and Malaysia.
Mr. Joseph Zheng, Director of NFC Consumer Solutions in China at Nokia Ventures Organization Asia, said: "Nokia is dedicated to innovations from technologies to applications and business models. The successful kick-off of the first NFC Mobile Payment Field Trial is very encouraging to all of us participating in the mobile payment value chain. It also demonstrates our confidence in the NFC technology and the new business model it enables. With the progress of NFC Mobile Payment Field Trial, there would be more types of mobile payment available, which will bring totally new user experiences for the mobile phone users in China, and create values for the whole mobile application ecosystem."
Mr. Xu, volunteer consumer of China Mobile in Xiamen said: "With the integration of E-Tong Card to my mobile phone, I feel so convenient to make payment. It is cool! I hope it will be put into commercial use soon"
NFC is a contactless technology based on open interface and standard platform. Nokia is actively participated in the development of NFC Standards, and co-founded the NFC Forum with Philips and SONY.
With the development of NFC technology, mobile phone becomes a safe, convenient, speedy and fashionable payment instrument. NFC technology is compatible with current contactless smart card infrastructure, so there is no need for significant upfront investment on NFC technology.
NFC device can work under both active and passive mode. For active mode, NFC device can work as a reader and generate its own radio frequency field to identify and read smart card and tag. For passive mode, NFC device can emulate as a card or tag to be read. In this trial, NFC phones work under this passive mode. In addition, two NFC devices can set up communication very conveniently as long as they are close to each other (within 10cm).
Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced that the Nokia N70 multimedia computer has been awarded 'Best Mobile Entertainment Handset' at the annual Mobile Entertainment Awards, the Meffys. The device beat off stiff competition to take the top spot at this industry awards ceremony held in London.
The Nokia N70 perfectly illustrates Nokia's commitment to offering powerful, all-inclusive handsets that aid people in their daily lives. In addition to a range of smartphone features including web browsing and email, it is also a pocketable entertainment device. Users can take high quality photos with its 2 megapixel camera, listen to music on the integrated digital music player and stream video over 3G.
The Meffys, organised by the Mobile Entertainment Forum, are the industry's official benchmark for measuring success and rewarding innovating in mobile entertainment. The top entries in each category were chosen by a panel of independent industry, media and analyst experts and the winners were announced by top DJ Pete Tong at a ceremony coinciding with the Mobile Entertainment Market (MEM) 2006 in London in May.
Patrick Parodi, MEF Global Chair, commented: "The 2006 Meffys have been a fiercely contested event with a wealth of high quality entries. The winners reflect the hot trends which will be shaping and driving the mobile entertainment industry forward in the coming year."
"This award is a fantastic endorsement for the underlining strategy behind the Nokia Nseries in terms of offering one single device for consumers to enjoy entertainment whenever and wherever they want," commented Tapio Hedman, senior vice president, marketing, Multimedia, Nokia. "The Nokia N70 is the top seller within the Nokia Nseries range of multimedia computers and we are delighted that the industry has recognised the full range of entertainment features it offers consumers."
For further information on the Mobile Entertainment Awards 2006, please visit www.m-e-f.org
Logitech introduced yet another member of its growing mouse army today, the V450 Laser Cordless Mouse, intended primarily for laptop users -- or people with really small hands, we suppose. Available in silver or black, the V450 looks to be a fairly run-of-the-mill laptop mouse, although it does promise an impressive one year of battery life on two AA batteries (we'll need to see that to believe it -- see you in 2007!). Logitech also says the mouse should be immune to delays and dropouts in even the busiest wireless environment thanks to its 2.4GHz micro receiver (see above skepticism, as certainly no one else uses the 2.4GHz band). Look for this one early next month for $49.99 and, yes, it's both Mac and Windows compatible.
Logitech introduced yet another member of its growing mouse army today, the V450 Laser Cordless Mouse, intended primarily for laptop users -- or people with really small hands, we suppose. Available in silver or black, the V450 looks to be a fairly run-of-the-mill laptop mouse, although it does promise an impressive one year of battery life on two AA batteries (we'll need to see that to believe it -- see you in 2007!). Logitech also says the mouse should be immune to delays and dropouts in even the busiest wireless environment thanks to its 2.4GHz micro receiver (see above skepticism, as certainly no one else uses the 2.4GHz band). Look for this one early next month for $49.99 and, yes, it's both Mac and Windows compatible.
What's the average of 1100 and 1300? Yep, it's 1200. Philips figured as much, so after the introduction of their rather generic SA1100 and SA1300 DAPs they've now come up with the SA1200. Which, again, isn't too groundbreaking or breathtaking.
The SA1200 runs on an AAA battery, but only for 8 hours continuously (according to Philips, that's "an entire day"). It comes with a small, 32 x 128 pixels LCD and a built-in microphone (records into ADPCM WAV), plays MP3/WMA/WAV files, weighs 30 grams (dimensions currently unknown) and will be available in two flavors: 512MB and 1GB.
Specs say that it also acts as an UMS device. Not sure if that bottom part houses a USB pendrive, which would come in handy. The overall design job looks okay, but we're used to that from Philips.
This thing would have to be aimed at the low-end segment of the market again, we figure. Should be cheap enough in the long run. Still, we'd rather see the SA9x00 pop up anytime soon. We'll just glue two together and pretend it's 4GB, then.
Amy is a Keyport, New Jersey resident who commutes all the way to Manhattan. Her daily 3 hour ride frustrates and bores her. She thinks technology can help with both those problems, so I dispatch Jon Chase to Hook Her Up.
Jon is a tech journalist and a perfectionist when it comes to choosing the right gear to maximize both productivity and sloth. He'll outfit Amy with the right tools and toys to make her commute bearable.
Jon arrives on scene and sends the following report, "Amy would love to better occupy her commute time, but lacks the gear to do it. Currently she's trying to transition from her full-time job into working with her husband on their pet-photography business/web-site. She finds herself handwriting email responses to customer queries, which she then retypes later when at home. Obviously, that's absurd. She also wishes she could entertain herself with music or video or games."
Jon gets to work outfitting Amy with the right gear. First productivity: Amy needs to type up emails on the ride to Manhattan. The pet-photography biz is dog eat dog, but Amy doesn't need the extra monthly bills that an always-on, Internet-connected mobile device would mandate. Getting back to her clients each night would do the trick. For that reason, Jon chose a Palm LifeDrive PDA. This device syncs with Amy's computer at home so that she can type emails on her PDA, but they are actually sent through her computer when she syncs the two.
Jon also needs to update Amy's computer, here are his notes "Because space was an issue, and her computing needs meager, we went with a Mac Mini, with maxed out RAM, and plugged it into the CRT she already owned. This would be her computer, and hers alone. To make her mobile, we went with the highly underrated Palm LifeDrive, a sort of PDA/media player combo. It has a 3-4 inch LCD screen, a 4 Gig hard drive built in, Palm Desktop software, SD card slot (removable media), Bluetooth (a wireless connection to the computer and peripheral devices), Wi-Fi (wireless Internet), and it can read and work in Microsoft Office and Adobe Reader files."
To really maximize the LifeDrive, Jon bought Amy a Bluetooth wireless keyboard that folds out to nearly full size. Instead of using Graffiti or the stylus-based hunt and peck keyboard, Amy could actually type out her emails. In order to easily sync her mobile device with her home computer, Jon purchased and installed The Missing Sync software for Palm OS.
On to the fun stuff, Jon wanted Amy to be able to listen to music, but not lug around a separate audio device. The neat thing about many current PDAs, they can store and play audio/video files, so Jon loaded Amy's Palm LifeDrive with songs and purchased a pair of Bluetooth wireless headphones that worked with the device.
In my next post, more info on Bluetooth and how it can make your life clutter-free.
The Full List of Products Used in the Segment Pulsar Bluetooth Stereo Headphones Universal Wireless Keyboard Mac Mini LifeDrive PDA The Missing Sync for Palm OS v 5.1 Softick Audio Gateway
Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America's Presentation Products Division, known for its award-winning, high-quality presentation and display products, has added a third projector to its new family of business and education projectors. Mitsubishi's new Mitsubishi XD435U-G lets users make rapid exits after a presentation, using a quick power-down feature to accommodate tight classroom or conference room schedules. The Mitsubishi XD435U-G projector accelerates setup and closedown times even more by providing a USB flash memory reader slot for instant presentations. The Mitsubishi XD435U-G projector is the first Mitsubishi projector to offer a USB flash memory reader to facilitate collaboration.
Mitsubishi XD435U - USB flash memory Users simply connect a USB thumb drive and display saved .jpeg or .mpeg files such as photos or short video clips without the need of a computer. "Presenters now have more flexibility and can quickly display their presentations with the use of the USB flash memory slot," said Frank Anzures, product manager for Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America's Presentation Products Division. "The rapid cool-down also helps presenters get back on the road quickly."
Mitsubishi XD435U Projector - Performance Along with its XD430U and SD430U, Mitsubishi's new XD435U-G boasts 2500 ANSI lumens, high brightness that is perfect for most lighting situations, including windowed boardrooms and brightly lit classrooms. For ceiling, tabletop or cart-mounted installations, this line of projectors comes with a security hook for easy tethering and mounting to thwart potential thefts in higher-risk environments. The XD435U-G, available at a suggested retail price of $2,495, is aggressively priced to deliver great performance and value. The XD430U and SD430U projectors are available at suggested retail prices of $1,795 and $1,495 respectively. The new projectors also offer two PC inputs with a monitor loop-through for display flexibility, and are RS232c controllable for easy integration in environments using third-party control systems.
Mitsubishi XD435U - Digital Light Processing technology Each projector uses Texas Instruments' Digital Light Processing technology for exceptional image quality. Their advanced filter-free construction makes them resistant to dust, dirt and other particles for maintenance-free operation and image clarity. "Our customers have been asking for projectors to be easier to use, quicker to set up and shut down," said James Chan, director, product marketing, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America's Presentation Products Division. "Our new line meets and exceeds their expectations."
Mitsubishi XD435U Projector - Waranty The XD430U and SD430U are currently available; the XD435U-G will be available in August. All three projectors come with Mitsubishi's three-year limited warranty on parts and labor plus a 90-day limited warranty on the lamp. Like all Mitsubishi XGA projectors, the XD435U-G and XD430U are covered by the Express Replacement Assistance (ERA) Program, a nationwide comprehensive service that offers next-business-day replacement for down units under warranty.
About Mitsubishi About Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America Presentation Products Division Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America's Presentation Products Division markets an extensive line of professional presentation and front-projection home entertainment display systems and is known for its award-winning, high-quality, accurate color reproduction technology. Products are sold through authorized distributors, resellers, retailers, dealers and system integrators throughout the United States. Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America is located at 9351 Jeronimo Road, Irvine, CA 92618.
Since they don't release these products in the US, you might not know that Acer's got quite the little digital camera business going on overseas, and now they've announced three more new models to join the 8.28 megapixel CP 8660 we spotted earlier. If you were hoping for some of the retro styling or compelling features we saw on the CP-8660, though, you'll probably be disappointed, as there's not much noteworthy about the 5.05 megapixel CE 5430 and 6.36 megapixel CE 6430 point-and-shoots or the 5.05 megapixel CL 5300 (pictured), other than the fact that this latter model seems to be Acer's first foray into ultracompacts. Both new members of the CE line feature those standard 3x optical zooms that have become so tiresome along with 2.36-inch TFT LCDs (no viewfinder here), while the 5300 sports a 2.0-inch LCD and seemingly no optical zoom. Rounding out the ho-hum specs for all three devices are a USB 1.1 connection, SD slot, PictBridge support, and that old standby, QVGA video capture (thankfully it's at least 30fps), although so far pricing remains a mystery. Keep reading to check out the two new CE models, although we should warn you that they look like a thousand other cameras you've seen before.
The Toshiba Satellite M105-S3011 ($1049 list) has a lot of horsepower. It's got more than enough to get you started on your first video-editing project and casually play with your latest batch of home photos. This capable laptop comes with an Intel Core Duo processor and a 100GB hard drive—not bad for a system just over $1,000. Better yet, though the S3011 is more expensive bought directly from Toshiba, odds are good you'll be able to find it for a lot less in retail stores.
Tipping the scales at 5.2 pounds, the M105-S3011 is one of the lightest budget Core Duo notebooks on the market. It weighs 1.5 pounds less than the current Editors' Choice, the Dell Inspiron E1505, thanks to its smaller display. Its 14.1-inch TruBrite widescreen is bright and crisp and provides plenty of room for watching a full-length DVD movie. It gives great color depth to photos.
The notebook's speakers support SRS TruSurround sound technology, which makes music and movies sound especially good for a laptop. The M105-S3011 has several media buttons for DVD playback, including buttons for play/pause, stop, rewind, and fast forward. There are also two more buttons to access a preboot application, which plays your movies and music without needing to load Microsoft Windows.
The M105-S3011 even has a FireWire port, so you can transfer digital video and images to and from your camcorder. At 100GB, the hard drive is nice and roomy, even adequate for storing any big video files you may create. In addition, you get four USB ports (yeah!), an S-Video port, and a 4-in-1 card reader (xD, SD, MS, MS Pro). There's a dual-layer DVD drive to archive important files onto a DVD (you don't want to lose those graduation pics in a hard-drive crash, do you?). If you use dual-layer media, you can fit up to 8.5GB of material on one disc.
Sub $1000 Notebooks with Surprising Power The M105-S3011 carries the same 1.67-GHz Intel Core Duo T2300 processor as the Dell E1505 and the Acer 4202WLMi. Even in this budget price range, this dual-core CPU is what you should want. The system also comes with 512MB of RAM, and though that may be okay today, I strongly suggest getting 1GB. The integrated graphics will need some of that to run, and when you upgrade to Windows Vista, perhaps next year, you'll be happy you have the extra memory.
Though the Satellite doesn't have the longest battery life of the value laptops (Acer wins that award), it ran for 3 hours 38 minutes, which isn't too shabby either. On my multimedia tests, its Adobe Photoshop scores were about 40 seconds slower because of its smaller memory, but its Microsoft Windows Media encoder tests were on a par with the other two comparable systems.
All in all, I would have liked to have seen the Toshiba Satellite M105-S3011 ship with more RAM. Even with this deficiency, however, it's a great inexpensive notebook, with a lot of horsepower and not a lot of carrying weight. You can feel comfortable parting with your hard-earned cash for it.
See how the Toshiba Satellite M105-S3011 measures up to similar systems in our side-by-side laptop comparison chart.
Another day, another random way to keep the juice flowing to your stash of electronics. This time around we have the myPower ALL charger from Tekkeon. They seem to be pretty serious about the "ALL" part, since they offer up power adapters for an incredible amount of cameras, laptops, music players, phones and other devices. They're offering two versions of the device, the MP3300 with up to 14V of power and the MP3400 with 19V and 40% more capacity. The units go for $120 and $160 respectively, with most adapters going for $3 to $5.
After several years of unsuccessfully attempting to coax people into surfing the Internet for a fee instead of sleeping during their international flights, it looks like Boeing has finally given up and started seeking buyers for its Connexion service, according to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal (subscription required, as usual). While the company had high hopes for the pricey offering (it costs $27 to stay connected for a full flight) when it was announced in April 2000, the lack of adoption by US carriers -- only a handful of foreign airlines such as Lufthansa, Air China, and El Al have installed the necessary equipment -- combined with the lukewarm reception from passengers have convinced Boeing to ditch the service at all costs. The Journal reports that three satellite firms are negotiating to either buy the division outright or become major partners, but if the parties involved are unable to come to an agreement, Boeing is apparently willing to simply dump the service altogether, according to someone familiar with the talks. Still, even if Boeing does decide to drop the ax, this certainly won't be the last you'll hear about in-flight broadband, as airlines have shown that they'll do whatever they can to squeeze a few more bucks out of you after you've already shelled out for your ticket. Headphone rental fee, anyone?
Wireless Freeloader Charged Because He Never Bought Coffee
A Vancouver, Wash. coffee shop tired of seeing a 20-year-old man mooch off their free wireless Internet access called the police, who charged him with "theft of services."
Brewed Awakenings employees dialed 911 after Alexander Eric Smith of Battle Ground, Wash. piggybacked off the shop's wireless Internet service for more than three months.
"He doesn't buy anything," Emily Pranger, the shop's manager, told KATU, a Portland, Ore. television station. "It's not right for him to come and use it."
Smith allegedly parked his truck in the parking lot to use Brewed Awakenings' wireless access.
County deputies charged Smith with theft of services after returning to the parking lot after they told him to stop. The crime, which covers such crimes as bypassing a utility meter, stealing cable, and leaving a restaurant without paying, has been used in the past to prosecute hackers who have accessed a computer or network without paying for it. "It's something that is borderline creepy," Pranger said to KATU.
The Clark County sheriff's office and its prosecutors are reviewing the case, the television station's Web site noted.
While the PSP's loading of UMD may be unmercifully slow, Sandisk is trying to improve Memory Stick Duo transfer with its Rapid GX Memory Stick Pro Duo. The Rapid GX includes Sandisk's MicroMate high-speed card reader, which—surprise!&mda sh;increases transfer speeds to and from the PSP by as many as three times. That's almost five times as fast! Look for the Rapid GX sometime in July. While you're at it, be sure to look for the increased storage capacity Memory Stick Duos that Sandisk is also launching. A 4-GB Duo will set you back about $200. Still no word on the Rapid GX's price, however.
A USB flash drive is a NAND-type flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB 1.1 or 2.0 interface. It is small, lightweight, removable and rewritable. The most economical drives in terms of cost per unit of storage space are in the range of 512 megabytes to 2 gigabytes, with cost per megabyte increasing as one moves outside that range. Drives of up to 64 gigabytes (and possibly higher) exist, but are difficult to obtain and are expensive.
USB flash drives are faster, generally hold more data, and are more reliable than floppy disks, which were previously used for relatively quick portable storage. These types of drives use the USB mass storage standard, supported natively by operating systems such as Linux (since the 2.4 kernel series[1]), Mac OS X, Mac OS Version 9, Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Me.
Earlier versions of Microsoft Windows (from Windows 95 OSR2.1 through Windows 98 SE)[2] do not natively support USB mass storage devices, though they do support USB; in order to use a USB flash drive with these versions of Windows, a driver from the manufacturer (generally available for Windows 98 but not for Windows 95) must be installed. Also, Mac OS 8.5.1 and up to (but not including) Mac OS 9 supports USB mass storage devices through use of an optional driver.
Some recent USB flash drives act as two drives - as a removable disk device (the actual drive itself), and as a USB floppy drive (again, as the actual drive itself, but as another drive in Windows). This is likely intended to make it easier to use them as a bootable device.
USB flash drives are also known as "pen drives", "thumb drives", "jump drives", "USB keys", and a wide variety of other names. They are also sometimes called memory sticks, which can lead to confusion because memory stick is a Sony trademark for their proprietary memory card system.
A flash drive consists of a small printed circuit board encased in a robust plastic[3] or metal casing[4], making the drive sturdy enough to be carried about in a pocket, as a keyfob, or on a lanyard. Only the USB connector protrudes from this protection, and is usually covered by a removable cap. Most flash drives feature the standard type-A USB connection allowing them to be connected directly to a port on a personal computer. Some small drives have been made with a thin plug designed to mate with a standard USB port[5] but these are very rare.
Most flash drives are active only when powered by a USB computer connection, and require no other external power source or battery power source; key drives are run off the limited supply afforded by the USB connection (5 volts and up to 500 mA). To access the data stored in a flash drive, the flash drive must be connected to a computer, either by direct connection to the computer's USB port or via a USB hub. Some need most of the power a standard USB port can supply and therefore cannot be used with a bus powered hub.
History
The flash drive was first invented in 1998 by Dov Moran, President & CEO of M-Systems Flash Pioneers (Israel). Dan Harkabi, who is now a Vice President at SanDisk led the development and marketing team at M-Systems. His most significant contribution was that the product be self reliant and free of the need to install drivers. Nearly simultaneous development of similar products was undertaken at Netac (China) and at Trek 2000, Ltd. (Singapore), and all three companies have similar and disputed patents. IBM was the first North American seller of a USB Flash Drive, and marketed an 8 Mbyte version of the product in 2001 under "Memory Key" moniker. IBM later introduced a 16 Mbyte version manufactured by Trek 2000, and returned to M-Systems for the 64 Mbyte version in 2003. Lexar can also lay claim to a USB Flash Drive product. In 2000 they introduced a Compact Flash (CF) card having an internal USB function. Lexar offered a companion card reader / USB cable that eliminated the need to a USB hub. In essence it functioned identically to the M-Systems, Trek 2000 and Netac products. An original 16 megabyte "disgo"; considered to be the first USB flash drive Enlarge An original 16 megabyte "disgo"; considered to be the first USB flash drive
The first flash drives were made by M-Systems and distributed in Europe under the "disgo" [6] brand in sizes of 8MB, 16MB, 32MB and 64MB. These were marketed as "a true floppy-killer," and this design was continued up to 256MB. Asian manufacturers soon started making their own flash drives cheaper than the Disgo series.
Modern flash drives have USB 2.0 connectivity. However, they do not currently use the full 480Mbit/s the specification supports due to technical limitations inherent in NAND flash.
Although originally conceived for individuals to share data, today's flash drives are becoming more than utilitarian in nature. Like iPod headphones in the ear, a flash drive around the neck with a lanyard has been claimed to be a fashion statement (NY Times, "From Storage, a New Fashion", 23 Sep. 2004 [7]). [edit]
Components
The internal components of a typical flash drive 1 USB connector 2 USB mass storage controller device 3 Test points 4 Flash memory chip 5 Crystal oscillator 6 LED 7 Write-protect switch 8 Unpopulated space for second flash memory chip
This photograph shows both sides of the printed circuit board (PCB) inside a typical flash drive (circa 2004). The flash drive in this photograph is a 64 MB USB 2.0 device with its plastic case removed.
One end of the device is fitted with a single male type-A USB connector. Inside the plastic casing is a small, highly cost-engineered, printed circuit board. Mounted on this board is some simple power circuitry and a small number of surface-mounted integrated circuits (ICs). Typically, one of these ICs provides an interface to the USB port, another drives the onboard memory, and the other is the flash memory. [edit]
Essential components
The parts of a typical flash drive are as follows:
* Male type-A USB connector - provides an interface to the host computer. (item 1 in the diagram) * USB mass storage controller - implements the USB host controller and provides a seamless linear interface to block-oriented serial flash devices while hiding the complexities of block-orientation, block erasure, and wear balancing (Also known as wear levelling, although drives that actually perform this in hardware are rare). The controller contains a small RISC microprocessor and a small amount of on-chip ROM and RAM. (item 2 in the diagram) * A NAND flash memory chip - stores data. NAND flash is typically also used in digital cameras. (item 4 in the diagram) * Crystal oscillator - produces the device's main 12 MHz clock signal and controls the device's data output through a phase-locked loop (the crystal itself is item 5 in the diagram)
[edit]
Additional components
The typical device may also include:
* Jumpers and test pins - for testing during the flash drive's manufacturing or loading code into the microprocessor. (item 3 in the diagram) * LEDs - indicates data transfers or data reads and writes. (item 6 in the diagram) * Write-protect switch - indicates whether the device should be in "write-protection&qu ot; mode. (item 7 in the diagram) * Unpopulated space - provides space to include a second memory chip. Having this second space allows the manufacturer to develop only one PCB that can be used for more than one storage size device, to meet the needs of the market. (item 8 in the diagram) * USB connector cover or cap - reduces the risk of damage due to static electricity, improves overall device appearance. Some flash drives do not feature a cap, but instead have retractable USB connectors. Other flash drives have a "swivel" cap that is permanently connected to the drive itself and eliminates the chance of losing the cap. * Transport aid - In some cases, the cap contains the hole suitable for connection to a key chain or lanyard or to otherwise aid transport and storage of the USB flash device. However, this increases the risk of the device being lost during transport. For this reason, most devices now have the hole on the main device body, though this requires the entire keychain to be attached to the computer. Some, therefore, have holes in both places.
[edit]
Strengths and weaknesses
Flash drives are impervious to the scratches and dust that plagued previous forms of portable storage like compact discs and floppy disks, and their durable solid-state design means they often survive casual abuse (impacts, being dropped or crushed, run through a washing machine, or even dropped in coffee). This makes them ideal for transporting personal data or work files from one location to another (such as from home to school or office) or for carrying around personal data that the user typically wants to access in a variety of places. The near-ubiquity of USB support on modern computers means that such a drive will work in most places. However, Windows 98 does not support generic USB mass storage devices out of the box; a separate driver for each manufacturer's USB drive used on the machine must be installed. Versions of Windows 95 with USB support are even worse, with drivers being almost totally unavailable.
Flash drives are also a relatively dense form of storage - even the cheapest will store dozens of floppy disks worth of data, and a moderately priced one can hold more data than a CD. Historically, flash drive capacity has ranged from several megabytes in size up to a few gigabytes. In 2003, most flash drives ran at the USB 1.0/1.1 speeds of 1.5 Mbit/s or 12 Mbit/s. A read speed of 8MB/s is common in older flash drives, newer ones reaching 18-28 MB/s and writing at 7MB/s in older ones, 11.5-18MB/s. 2004 saw the release of newer flash drives featuring USB 2.0 interfaces. Although USB 2.0 can deliver 480 Mbit/s, these flash drives are limited by the bandwidth of the underlying flash memory device, with maximum read speeds of around 100 Mbit/s and write speeds a little slower. In ideal conditions, the flash memory in the drives can retain data for 10 years.
Flash drives implement the USB mass storage device class, meaning that most modern operating systems can read and write to flash drives without any additional device drivers. Instead of exposing the complex technical detail of the underlying flash memory devices, the flash drives export a simple block-structured logical unit to the host operating system. The operating system can use whatever type of filesystem or block addressing scheme it wants. Some computers have the ability to boot up from flash drives, but that capability must be supported in the computer's BIOS, and (like other mass storage devices) the flash drive must be set up to do so and loaded with a bootable disk image (rather than a conventional filesystem image).
Like all flash memory devices, flash drives can sustain only a limited number of write/erase cycles before failure. In normal use, mid-range flash drives currently on the market will support several million cycles, although write operations will gradually slow as the device ages. This should be a consideration when using a flash drive as a hard drive to run application software or an operating system. To address this (and the space limitations common on flash drives), some developers have produced versions of operating systems (such as Linux) or commonplace applications (such as Mozilla Firefox) designed to run from flash drives. These are typically optimized for size and set up so as to place temporary or intermediate files in memory rather than nonvolatile storage (to avoid excessive writing to the flash memory in the flash drive).
A few cheaper USB flash drives have been found to use unsuitable flash memory chips labelled as 'ROM USE ONLY' - these are intended for tasks such as Flash BIOS for routers rather than for continual rewrite use, and fail after a very small number of cycles. [8]
When compared to a floppy drive, most USB flash drives do not employ a write-protect mechanism. Such a switch on the housing of the drive itself would keep the host computer from writing or modifying data on the drive. A write-protect switch would make the devices suitable for repairing virus contaminated host computers without infecting the USB flash drive itself.
Flash drives are more tolerant of abuse than mechanical drives, but can still be damaged or have data corrupted if impact loosens circuit connections. Flash drives come in various, sometimes bulky or novelty, shapes and sizes Enlarge Flash drives come in various, sometimes bulky or novelty, shapes and sizes [edit]
Size and style of packaging
When selecting a flash drive for purchase, the size and shape of the casing should be considered. Some manufacturers, in an attempt to differentiate themselves, such as Lexar's Jumpdrives for example, use a stylised and bulky shell which may not allow the flash drive to be inserted into some USB ports or USB extension hubs, due to limited space around the port. This is particularly an issue with laptops, and computers with front USB ports that are deeply recessed or too close to neighboring ports that are also in use. Most manufacturers supply a USB extension cable, which may be slimmer than a normal cable, to work around this problem; however, this is far less convenient to carry than just the flash drive itself. Many users prefer the novelty-sized flash drives since they are slimmer, and have rectangular casings that do not obstruct the extension hubs or make USB ports unusable... Some flash drives are as small as 3.4x1.2x0.2 cm [9] [edit]
Common uses [edit]
Computer repair
Flash drives enjoy notable success in the field of PC repair as a means to transfer recovery and antivirus software to infected PCs while allowing a portion of the hosts machines data to be backed up in case of emergency. The usability and ease of flash drives greatly outweight the now (2006) low costs of relatively high capacity devices and are considered by many hobbyists and professionals to be a required tool. [edit]
Network administration
Flash drives are particularly popular among system and network administrators, who load them with configuration information and software used for system maintenance, troubleshooting, and recovery. The external write protect switch on some flash drives is particularly useful, as it allows the system administrator to plug a flash drive containing anti-virus, spyware-removal, or trouble diagnosis software into a suspect machine without risking the transmission of a virus or worm. [edit]
Flash drive for applications
Flash drives are used to carry applications that run on the host computer without requiring installation. U3, backed by flash drive vendors, offers an API to flash drive-specific functions. airWRX is an application framework that runs from a flash drive and turns its PC host and other nearby PCs into a multi-screen, web-like work environment. A range of applications can be found at PortableApps.com. The Mozilla Firefox browser has a configuration for flash drives, as does Opera (Opera@USB). A Creative MuVo, a small solid-state digital audio player in a flash drive form-factor. Enlarge A Creative MuVo, a small solid-state digital audio player in a flash drive form-factor. [edit]
Flash drives as audio players
Many companies make solid state digital audio players (MP3 players) in a small form factor, essentially producing flash drives with sound output and a simple user interface. The most successful of these have been Apple Computer's iPod shuffle, and the Creative Labs MuVo. [edit]
Flash drives to boot operating systems
In a way similar to that used in LiveCD, one can launch any operating system from a bootable flash drive, known as a LiveUSB [edit]
Flash drives in arcades
In the arcade game In the Groove and more commonly In The Groove 2, flash drives are used to transfer high scores, screenshots, dance edits, and combos throughout sessions. While use of flash drives is common, the drive must be Linux compatible, making problems for some players. Data used can be uploaded to Groovestats.[10]
Uses like this of a flash drive are similar to the ones employed by the ill fated Sega Dreamcast VMU and the Naomi arcade system. [edit]
Security
Some flash drives feature encryption of the data stored on them, generally using an encrypted filesystem rather than a conventional one. This prevents an unauthorized person (who has found or stolen the drive) from accessing the data stored on it. The disadvantage of this is that the drive is accessible only in the minority of computers which have the same encryption software (for which no portable standard is widely deployed) unless the encryption software is stored unencrypted on the drive, and the user must carry the (large, and frequently impossible-to-remember) cryptographic key around by some other means.
Some encryption applications (such as TrueCrypt, CryptoBuddy, and Private Disk) allow running without installation. The executable files can be stored on the USB drive, together with the encrypted file-image. The encrypted partition can be accessed on any computer running Microsoft Windows. The newer Lexar JumpDrive Secureallows the user to configure secure and public partitions of different sizes. Executable files for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux are usually included on the drive.
Newer flash drives support biometric fingerprinting to confirm the user's identity. As of mid-2005, this was a relatively costly alternative to standard password protection offered on many new USB flash storage devices.
Some manufacturers deploy physical authentication tokens in the form of a flash drive. These are used to control access to a sensitive system by containing encryption keys or (more commonly) communicating with security software on the target machine. The system is designed so the target machine will not operate except when the flash drive device is plugged into it. Some of these "PC lock" devices also function as normal flash drives when plugged into other machines.
Flash drives present a significant security challenge for large organizations. Their small size and ease of use allows unsupervised visitors or unscrupulous employees to smuggle confidential data out with little chance of detection. Equally, corporate and public computers alike are vulnerable to attackers connecting a flash drive to a free USB port and uploading hacking software such as rootkits or packet sniffers. To prevent this some organizations (particularly government departments and larger corporations) forbid the use of flash drives, and some computers are configured to disable the mounting of USB mass storage devices by ordinary users (a feature introduced in Windows XP service pack 2). In a lower-tech security solution, some organizations disconnect USB ports inside the computer or fill the USB sockets with epoxy. Some system administrators use third-party software to control USB usage. [edit]
Etymology
No commonly recognized term for these devices has emerged. The resulting confusion makes them more difficult for manufacturers to market and for consumers to research. This problem may have slowed the adoption of this technology.
All of the following names (optionally prefixed with "USB") have been used:
* Bug - perhaps a reference to the size and appearance of some USB drives * Chip stick * Data key * Data stick * Disk on key * Dongle - regarded by some as an inaccurate use of this word * Finger drive * Flash disk * Flash drive * Flash memory drive * Geek stick - used by Geek Squad agents to refer to the special-use, branded USB flash drives with special diagnostic tools pre-loaded onto them. * Gigachip * Jump stick * Key * Keychain drive * Keydrive * Keyfob - widely used in the Seattle area * Magic key * Magic Stick - common in some Ohio towns
* Memory drive * Memory key * Memory stick * Micro hard drive * Mobile drive * Nerd bling * Nerd necklace - used when worn around the neck * Nerd stick - uncommon term * Pen - used in much of Portugal * Pen drive * Pocket drive * Stick * Thumb drive * Thumb key * Travel stick * USB disk/disc * USB drive * USB key * USB Pen * USB Stick * USB - sometimes used as a shorthand * USB zip drive - sometimes used, not often
[edit]
Localised names
* Memoria USB or simply USB - primarily in Mexican Spanish * Chubidubi or Llave or Memoria - primarily in Cuban Spanish * Maya Key - primarily in Costa Rican Spanish * Doofer - Commonly used in Northern Ireland. Is also used to describe various small electronic devices (Almost always prefixed with "USB"). * USB-pinne a (bad) translation of "USB Stick" used by some manufacturers in Norway and Sweden. * Flashka (флэшка) - used in Russian * Fleška - used in Slovakia * Gli-gli - used in Andalusia, Spain * 'Jon' - mainly used in Doylestown, Pennsylvania * Pene - used in some of the Canary Islands, Spain * Piripicho (primarily in South American Spanish) * U-disk - Commonly used within the Chinese/Asian Community * USB-minne "USB memory", used in Norway and Sweden * USB-nøkkel "USB key", used in Norway * flasha, used in Egypt * flasaki ('little flash'), in Greece * USB Stick or just Stick in German * Stick Drive - Commonly used in Klamath Falls, OR
[edit]
Brand names
* Attaché - a PNY trademark * Cruzer - a SanDisk trademark * Data Traveler - a Kingston trademark * Disgo - a Disgo trademark * FlashDisc - a brand of low-density flash drives introduced by Memorex * Intelligent Stick - a PQI trademark * JumpDrive - a Lexar trademark * Memory stick - inaccurate use of a Sony trademark (Memory Stick, capitalized) for a non-USB proprietary flash memory module * Micro Vault - a Sony trademark * Thumbdrive a Trek 2000 International Ltd trademark * TravelDrive - a Memorex trademark * Super stick - Kingmax's fast and small flash drive. [11] * MyFlash - trademark of A-Data * Max Drive/Evo Drive - a Datel trademark, primarily for use with their video game console peripherals, but useable as standard flash drives
[edit]
Comparison to other portable memory forms
Flash storage devices are best compared to other common, portable, swappable data storage devices: floppy disks, Zip disks, and CD-R/CD-RW discs. 3.5 inch floppy disks and Iomega Zip disks are still available as of late 2005, despite their declining popularity. While for many purposes it would be ideal to transport files between computers wirelessly, not all computers are equipped with wireless cards, and networks are not readily available.
Floppy disks were the first publicly-popular method of file transport, but have essentially become obsolete due to their low capacity (1.44 MB), low speed, and low durability. Virtually all new computers include USB ports, and many of them are now sold without a floppy drive (the Apple iMac being the first to ship this way). Floppy disks are still in use because of their low cost and ease of use with older systems (particularly Windows 98, which is still fairly common and cannot support USB flash drives without extra drivers from either the manufacturer, or using the Generic Windows 98 USB Mass Storage Drivers). Attempts to extend the floppy standard (such as the Imation SuperDisk) were not successful because of a reputation for unreliablity and the lack of a single standard for PC vendors to adopt.
The Iomega Zip drive enjoyed some popularity, but never reached the point of ubiquity in computers. Also, the larger sizes of Zip (now up to 750MB) cannot be read on older drives. Therefore, unless one were to carry around an external drive (and possibly drivers, cables, etc.), their usefulness as a means of moving data was rather limited. The cost per megabyte was fairly high (though admittedly cheaper than flash), with individual disks often priced at $10 USD or higher. Because the material used for creating the storage medium in Zip disks is similar to that used in floppy disks, Zip disks have a higher risk of failure (such as the click of death) and data loss. Larger removable storage media, like Iomega's Jaz drive, had even higher costs (both in drives and in media), and as such were never really feasible as a floppy alternative.
CD-R and CD-RW are swappable storage media alternatives. Unlike Zip and floppy drives, DVD and CD recorders are increasingly common in personal computer systems. CD-Rs can only be written to once (unless one creates multiple sessions, which cannot be read by some old CD-ROM drives), and the more expensive CD-RWs are only rated up to 1,000 erase/write cycles, whereas modern NAND-based flash drives often last for 500,000 or more erase/write cycles. Optical storage devices are also usually slower than their flash-based counterparts. Compact discs with an 11.5 cm diameter can also be inconveniently large and, unlike flash drives, cannot fit into a pocket or hang from a keychain. Smaller CDs are available; these are an exception. There is also no standard file system for rewriteable optical media; packet-writing utilities like DirectCD and InCD exist, but produce discs that are not universally readable, despite claiming to be based on the UDF standard. The upcoming Mount Rainier standard addresses this shortcoming in CD-RW media, but is still not supported by most DVD and CD recorders or major operating systems.
Flash storage devices, compared to other storage media, are fast, high-capacity, durable, and compact. Also, traditional removable media cannot make incremental improvements due to the need for drive/disk compatibility, instead improving in infrequent but large steps. Since flash drives have a generic USB interface (and no user separable parts beyond it), manufacturers can use technical improvements (such as larger and faster flash memory chips or controllers) as soon as they are available without compromising backwards compatibility. Furthermore, unlike Zip and floppies, flash memory lacks moving parts, making it ideal as a simple solution, requiring only a port to interact with a system. The popularity of flash storage devices may be attributed to their compact size, operating system compatibility, and their use of the standard USB interface. [edit]
Future developments
Semiconductors corporations have striven to radically reduce the cost of the components in a flash drive by integrating various flash drive functions in a single chip, thereby reducing the part-count and overall package cost. As of 2004, some manufacturers plan to include more ICs so that the storage and logic/communications functions are packaged in a single ultra-low-cost device.
In efforts to focus on increasing capacities, 64 MB and smaller capacity flash memory has been largely discontinued, and 128 MB capacity flash memory is being phased out. A company called "Kanguru" has recently released a 64 GB flash memory drive that utilizes USB 2.0 and claims 10 years worth of information writing. [12]
Lexar is attempting to introduce a USB Flash Card [13],[14], which would be a compact USB flash drive intended to replace various kinds of flash memory cards.
SanDisk has introduced a new technology to allow controlled storage and usage of copyrighted materials on flash drives, primarily for use by students. This technology is termed FlashCP. [edit]
Trivia
In 2004, the German punk band WIZO was the first artist to release music in MP3 format on a USB drive titled the "WIZO Stick-EP." [15]
Some flash drives can survive (with all memory intact) after being in water. [16] [edit]
Reliability
Reliability of flash drives is normally good, however in cheaper drives it is often not high.[17] [edit]
ROM-Only chips
Recently there has been the increasing emergence of low cost "ROM-only" chips in USB drives, instead of regular flash memory that is rated for use up to 100,000 write cycles, some even 100,000,000 cycles. ROM-only chips only last 5-10 cycles and are generally used for storing the Firmware in embedded devices. [edit]
See also
* List of portable applications * USB Flash Drive Alliance * Pocket hard drive * Category:USB distro * Sneakernet * USB Mass Storage Device * External hard drive
[edit]
External links
* USB Flash Drive Alliance * USB Flash Drive FAQ * 64 gig Flash drive
[edit]
Keydrive applications
* Feraga.com - Portable installation of GNU/Linux on USB Flash drives and other removable media. * LiveDistro.org - Operating systems and HOWTOs for LiveUSBs * Portable Freeware - The Portable Freeware Collection * PortableApps.com - Popular applications modified to run on USB flash drives * StandAlone - Standalone applications for a USB flash drive * TinyApps - Tiny applications for a USB flash drive * USBApps - Listing of USB flash drive applications * Web Server on a Stick Apache web server with Typo3 CMS, PHP and MySQL that runs entirely from a USB flash drive
[edit]
Security
* Dekart Private Disk - User-friendly disk encryption software for Windows XP/9x/2000 * Truecrypt - Free open-source disk encryption software for linux and Windows XP/2000/2003 * KeePass Password Safe - Password management utility (use the ZIP version). Requires Windows. * KeePassX Cross-platform Password Manager - Password management utility (GPL License). * WinEncrypt CryptArchiver - Creates 448 bit password protected encrypted virtual drives on the USB/Flash drive. Is bundled with some USB drives. Shareware, but free edition is available. * Defygo - Free encryption suite including password vault, random password generator, and file encryption. It also includes cryptograms and encrypted email driven by a buddy/pal system. Requires Windows 98 or higher. * Portable CE - An emulator for your USB, use your computer entirely from the USB thumb drive without affecting the computer being used. * PRO-Tector™ Flash USB Secure Drives - creates 'dongle-like' security on standard USB Flash or Thumb Drives. * AntiDuplicate - Transforms USB flash drives to software protection key dongles.
[edit]
HOWTO pages
* Howto Install GNU/Linux onto a USB Flash Drive - Simple howto. * Howto Install GNU/Linux onto a USB Flash Drive with the root partition encrypted - Relatively Simple howto. * Installing USB Flash Drives on Windows 98 - Generic driver download for Windows 98 and Windows 98SE to allow USB flash drives to work * Encrypted thumb drive and autoplay howto - Open source tools and a very clear walkthrough * Combining encryption and mobility howto - A guide on using Portable Firefox, Thunderbird, Instant Messenger in a secure way * Linux on a Stick! Simple, easy screenshot walkthroughs showing how to put Linux distributions onto USB sticks * Creating a RAID array with Apple Shuffle Flash units * Your Pocket OS On A Stick Simple steps to run a Linux desktop on a flash drive
Categories: Cleanup from April 2006 | Computer storage devices | Solid-state computer storage media | USB
Metal in objects such as phones can direct the current into the body
Next time you find yourself talking on your mobile phone in the middle of a thunderstorm you may want to cut the conversation short.
UK doctors have warned of the danger of lightning strikes when using mobile phones outdoors during stormy weather.
In the British Medical Journal, they highlight the case of a teenager left with severe injuries after being struck by lightning when talking on her phone.
The metal in the phone directs the current into the body, they say.
A 15-year-old girl was struck by lightning while talking on her phone in a large park in London during stormy weather.
Children particularly won't realise the risk Dr Swinda Esprit
She has no recollection of the incident but suffered a cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated.
A year later, she is in wheelchair and has severe physical difficulties as well as brain damage which has led to emotional and cognitive problems.
In the ear where she was holding the phone, she has a burst eardrum and persistent hearing loss.
When a person is hit by lightning, the high resistance of human skin causes the lightning charge to flows over the body - often known as an 'external flashover'.
But some of the current can flow through the body. The more that flows through, the more internal damage it causes.
Conductive materials in direct contact with the skin such as liquid or metal objects increases the risk that the current will flow through the body and therefore cause internal injury.
LIGHTNING FACTS There are, on average, about 1,800 thunderstorms in progress at any one time around the world with 100 lightning strikes every second. A lightning bolt travels at about 14,000mph and heats up the air around it to 30,000°C - five times hotter than the surface of the sun. The chance of being hit by lightning is about one in three million.
Rare occurrence
The doctors at Northwick Park Hospital in London who treated the girl's hearing injuries found three other cases of people being hit by lightning while talking on a mobile phone - all of whom died of their injuries - in China, Korea and Malaysia.
They said although cases were rare it was a public health issue and people needed to understand the risks.
Swinda Esprit, a doctor in the ear, nose and throat department said: "It is obvious really but we all carry mobile phones and we don't think about it.
"If you're struck by lightning on its own it will flash over your body but if you're holding a phone it will internalise and cause much worse injuries.
"Children particularly won't realise the risk.
"In Australia they have guidelines, and one of the things they say is not to hold mobile phones outside during storms."
Dr Esprit said mobile phone manufacturers should warn consumers of the dangers.
Paul Taylor, a scientist at the Met Office said it could also be dangerous to carry a mobile in your pocket during a storm.
"It is well known within the thunderstorm detection community that wearing or carrying metallic objects can increase the likelihood of injury.
"It certainly adds to the intensity of the skin damage and the article certainly amplifies that here.
"I would treat a mobile phone as yet another piece of metal that people tend to carry on their persons like coins and rings"
I have watched the Nokia Digital Pen write 56 A5 pages and successfully transfer 42 of them through its cradle to my laptop. Problems with data transfer trace back to failing to press either the start square or the send square at the bottoms of the Esselte pages. My problems were further compounded by using the pen to record dozens of samples of student work--six of 52 pages went missing because the pen didn't know it should record tracings made in the A5 copy book.
To ensure I have the best chance of pulling in all the data, I extract material off the pen frequently. I do not permit more than 10 pages of work to be done before bringing the data onto my laptop. I have discovered that it pays to "start new notepad" when facing the prospect of forgetting to press an icon at the bottom of the page. This helps ensure that the pen is keeping pages inside separate files. So when you forget to "send" a page, you don't affect the integrity of all the data penned for the day. You corrupt only the multi-page session data. If you repeatedly revise a page by tracing over its content, your nib might come off the page. When that happens, the pen will not record the data under the pen point. I will upload a page about "Unwrapping Nokia Pen Set" that shows how it looks on screen.
The Nokia Digital Pen does not instill confidence for the uninitiated. During the first few days, you don't know if you have a good "take" of your writing. I spent 22 pages before I could predict solid information gathering by the subtle vibrations emitted by the pen. The overall results bear noting.
* Passing the pen from person to person invites problems. People drop pens and when this one hits tiles, its onboard camera may die. People don't press down on the special start and send icons, so either their work goes unrecorded or they corrupt the work of others before them in ther book. * Pen operators need to anticipate how the pen feels when it is set to retain strokes. You need to hold the barrel and try to sense the vibrations. If you fail to do this, you are using the digital pen on faith. * Sync often. Don't record more than 10 pages without backing them up. Know that if they do not sync, you still have the original work rendered in pen and ink. * Place the pen into its cradle, then gently press down on its top to ensure its gold ball connectors contact the sensors in the cradle. You can hear the connectors pop into place when the pen seats correctly. * The Nokia Digital Pen has facilitated four classroom sessions for me. The pen shaved a minimum of 30 minutes off each classroom session as we created "Christmas Drawings in Ireland." You can view the results online. * I will buy another Nokia Digital Pen for my briefcase since I want to have a replacement nearby when my original is damaged. * I will test the pen over Bluetooth after Christmas.
* Bluetooth wireless technology means that the sheer convenience of hands-free communication is enhanced with total freedom of movement. * Unfold the boom microphone, place the headset over the ear and a link will be established automatically. * This universal accessory encourages users to update, change and evolve because it is compatible with all other 1.1 compliant Bluetooth wireless technology phones by Motorola and other manufacturers. * Smaller Size, Bigger Power. This tiny powerhouse is less than 5 cm in diameter when folded and weighs just 20 grams. * Increased talk time of up to 8 hours and standby time of up to 200 hours.
Product Details
* Product Dimensions: 2.5 x 2.1 x 0.8 inches ; 3.2 ounces * Shipping Weight: 9.60 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) * Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues. * Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
Product Manuals
* User Guide: view 2MB PDF * Submit additional product manuals.
Accessories Buy this product and add any of the following... To add any of these additional products to your purchase, select the appropriate check boxes and click Add to Shopping Cart below. Motorola HS850 Bluetooth Headset $58.99
Accessories Motorola "Y" Charger Adapter $9.95
Motorola Car Charger for A630, T720, T730, V300, V330, V400, V600, V60, V710 $5.39
Universal IQ Pocket SHOX Phone and Headset Case $9.99 Ultra-Cord 9-Piece USB Cell Phone Charger Kit $19.99
Motorola H500 Bluetooth Headset - Pink $44.99
Product Description
The Motorola HS850 is the company's update to their HS810 headset, one of my personal favorites. The changes made to produce the new HS850 are few, but the effect is relatively substantial. But first, let's start with what is the same.
Like the HS810, the HS850 makes use of a body design that employs a folding microphone boom. The folding microphone boom acts as the on and off switch, as well as just providing a convenient way to make the headset smaller and more pocketable when not in use. When a call comes into your phone, you can turn on and answer the phone at the same time just by unfolding the microphone boom. You can end the call and turn it off by removing the headset and re-folding it. Using the headset in this way conserves battery power, since no battery juice is wasted on standby time - time where the headset sits around waiting to be contacted by a mobile phone or other compatible device. The physical design of the HS850 and the battery savings it imparts is my favorite aspect of the Motorola HS850.
Of course you don't have to remove and turn off the headset between calls. If the headset is already on when an inbound call comes, you will hear the ringing come through on the headset and can answer it by pressing on the main multi-function call control button. You can end the call with this same button, and adjust volume levels with the two volume buttons. If you are using a phone that supports the Hands Free Bluetooth profile, then you can also use the call control button to reject an inbound call or redial the last number.
The HS850's audio properties are also like those of the HS810 before it. The audio quality in both directions is very clear and understandable, but sounds a bit thin. You and the party on the other end of the call will both be able to understand each other easily, it just doesn't sound as full and natural as it might with some other headsets. The HS850 makes up for this small lacking by having great resistance to wind noise, though. That makes the headset perfect for people that enjoy driving with their windows down, or those that work outside. Most headsets are very susceptible to wind noise, the HS850 bucks that trend.
And now for the new stuff. First up, a more powerful battery. The HS850 I tested managed an amazing 7 hours and 50 minutes of talk time. That is a full two thirds improvement over the older model. The truly amazing part is that this new battery life didn't come at the expense of added weight. Like the HS810 before it, the HS850 weighs only .7oz (19.9g).
The next major change perhaps sounds more important than it worked out to be in reality. The HS850 supports the newer Bluetooth v1.2 spec, whereas most headsets support v1.1 only. Motorola claims that when used with a v1.2 compatible phone (there are still relatively few available at the time I write this), the HS850 will be able to connect faster, use less battery power, and offer improved audio quality. While I can see what appears to be a slight improvement in connection speed, I haven't really noticed much of a change in battery life or audio quality.
The last major change is purely cosmetic. The new HS850 headset is blue-gray in color, like a darker version of the HS810's color. I find it more attractive than the light silver found on the HS810.
But regardless of the color, you can't go wrong with Motorola's HS850, which I consider to be perhaps the best value on the market.
Pros:
* Small, light * Comfortable * Nearly 8 hours of talk time * No wind noise * Can be worn on both ears
Cons:
* A bit unusual looking * Audio lacks bass
What's in the box: Motorola HS850 Bluetooth Headset, User Manual, and Quick Start Guide.
Product Description No wires. No limits. Designed to enhance the experience of any Bluetooth technology enabled phone, the Motorola Wireless Headset HS850 also stores information and wirelessly interacts with up to eight different Bluetooth 1.1 and 1.2 compliant devices, including handsets, PDAs and computers.
Stay sporty wherever you roam with Nike Triax Swift women's analog watch, a helpful training timepiece as well as a great complement to your casual couture. The watch case and band form a unique S-shaped design that curves comfortably around your wrist, with the lavender case made of polyurethane and featuring a durable purple aluminum face shield. The clear-coated red polyurethane-protected strap has a high gloss finish that resists UV fading and black highlights.
The purple dial face offers quarter-hour Arabic numeral markers, luminous hands (with seconds hand), and a date display at 3 o'clock. Other features include Nike Electrolite one-touch backlighting, water resistance to 100 meters (330 feet), and a scratch-resistant mineral glass crystal.
About Nike Nike watches are built to endure extreme outdoor conditions without missing a beat and they adhere to the company's founding mission statement: to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. And as Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman would add--if you have a body, you're an athlete. Ever since the fateful day in 1971 when University of Oregon track coach Bowerman poured rubber into his wife's waffle iron, technological innovation has been the spark that lights Nike's fire. The Waffle outsole transformed the running world and soon after Nike Air evolved Nike's revolutionary impact on sports. Beyond shoes--from watches and eyewear to carry gear and even socks--Nike is committed to giving athletes of every make, model and body style, who compete and recreate in ways never before imagined, the very best performance product. Here are just a few important dates in Nike's journey:
* American record-holder Steve Prefontaine becomes the first major track athlete to wear Nike brand shoes in 1973. * At the 1976 Olympic Trials, Nike shoes are seen in abundance for the first time--worn by young, rising stars in both middle- and long-distance events. * The first athlete to win an Olympic medal wearing Nike shoes is British runner, Steve Ovett in the 1980 Moscow Games * The Just Do It advertising campaign began in 1988, and is now ensconced in the Americana exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum.
* 1 large main compartment * Organizer under front flap keeps essentials handy * Twin side pockets * Quick-access cell phone sleeve * Capacity: 1,450 Cubic Inches
Product Description
The Elefunk comes with a Life-time warranty, it also features a water bottle pocket and a padded shoulder strap which adjusts to fit.
My poor son got deprived of backpacks and bookbags because of being homeschooled, but now that he's a college student, he can carry books! This means the 5 star rating might be biased by the sheer pleasure of simply having something to feel like fitting in with the crowd, but to be fair and honest about this product...I admit it does look like a quality item.
It's built practical, looks good, and (having to guess) I'd say it's probably better suited for college use rather than high school. For some odd reason being in college doesn't require as many books to be carried in one day as I see what high school students have to carry.
If this bag was a dual set with each bag on opposite sides, it would seem to resemble the old-fashioned saddle bags (except it's not leather, is maybe a little bit larger in capacity, and has plenty of individual compartments and zippers).
I could not wait to get this bag. When I did I found out that it was not all that it was in for. I have to walk home and it really hurts my back. Plus, it does not hold much. I had the problem of having to much books. This does not help. It was a waste of $40. Plus, how do you clean it?
I've found the Messenger Bag to be well suited for the trials of Law School as it has 1450 Cubic Inches of space, a lot more than that Banana Republic bag and much more durable than the American Eagle or the Abercrombie bags i've owned. May not be the most fashionable bag ever but certainly is more functional and much much more durable.
Although I wouldn't suggest it for high school age kids. It does tend to put a lot more stress on the back than a backpack and since high school age kids have to carry more books at once I would recommend a backpack for them (Jansport of course).
Pros-Lifetime Warranty Cons-Uppity rich kids might frown on you
For years I've been buying JanSport bags for school and to use on trips. This bag I just got to help me through my Sophmore year of High School. I love JanSport because they have sturdy bags, that can last being packed to the brim with books, and shoved down bleachers, you know, typical high school stuff. It is also great for going up in the mountains, cause when you kick it down a cliff, it won't bust! YAY!!!!! This back rocks my socks, and you can decorate it with pins and patches and stuff to make it your own, I would recommend it everyone!
* At only 0.45 inches thin, you’ll be amazed at how much is in your Motorola Q * Listen to music, stream videos, surf the web, play games all rich in color and stereo sound * View documents, spreadsheets, presentations and PDFs while mobile * A full QWERTY keyboard makes emailing a breeze * Use Bluetooth®-enabled wireless head phones, stereo headphones, car kits and even eyewear
› See more technical details Product Details
* Product Dimensions: 4.6 x 2.5 x 0.5 inches ; 4.1 ounces * Shipping Weight: 1.35 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) * Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. * Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
Product Manuals
* Submit a product manual.
Accessories Motorola HS820 Bluetooth Headset - Gloss Black $29.99
Mobile Action MA-8870C USB Data Cable and Software for Motorola-C650, V180, V188, V220, Razr V3, V3c, V360, PEBL U6, SLVR L7 $25.76
Motorola H700 Bluetooth Headset $67.99 Motorola HS850 Bluetooth Headset $58.99
Motorola H605 Bluetooth Headset $54.98
Motorola H500 Bluetooth Headset - Pink $44.99 › See all accessories Product Description Amazon.com Hands-On Review
Motorola's QWERTY keyboard equipped Q, formerly known as the RAZRberry in the rumor mills, might not exactly be the "BlackBerry killer" that many predicted, but it is certainly one of the most capable and user friendly smartphones available on the market today.
Based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone platform, the Q picks up the best features from Microsoft's more phone oriented Smartphone edition of Windows Mobile while still offering a lot of PDA-like capability and screen real estate on its 65k color, 320x240 pixel display.
Sleek, small and oh, so powerful.
In terms of hardware features, the Q's right side 3-way scroll wheel and dedicated back buttons take center stage. These give the Q user fast BlackBerry-like scrolling with the ability to select an item or return to the prior screen - all with the user's thumb. Of course you can still do these same things the traditional way by using the 5-way direction pad and the back button that sits to its right. There's also a dedicated home key as well as the red and green call control keys.
The Q's QWERTY keyboard is a bit stiff, but otherwise designed well. The dark keys serve double duty as the numeric keypad when the Option key (found left of the Z key) is used. The Option key can be locked on, as can the shift key on the opposite side of the keyboard. Along the bottom of the keyboard you'll find dedicated buttons for email, the 1.3 megapixel camera, and a dual-use key for the speaker-independent voice dialing system and speakerphone.
When it comes to hot features, though, the Q's EV-DO 3G data capability tops the list. When used in an EV-DO coverage area, the Q user can expect to get wireless data rates that approach those enjoyed by home DSL users. When there is no EV-DO coverage available, the Q will fall back to the slower 1xRTT data network (roughly comparable to a 56Kbps modem). The Q can also connect to a desktop PC with a USB or Bluetooth connection. Bluetooth can also be used with mono and stereo headsets, as well as other devices like keyboards.
Get intimate with the Q's keyboard.
While WiFi wireless access would have been a welcomed feature, it would have only led to even more strain on the already overtaxed battery. The standard capacity battery is capable of a respectable 5.5 hours of continuous talk time, but realistically will only provide a day of solid use, especially if the Q user takes advantage of the BlackBerry-like push email support. The push system can keep your Q lock step in sync with your corporate or home email inbox without any user intervention required. On top of email synchronization, it can also be used to synchronize the Q's contacts, calendar entries, tasks and other items with your home or office copy of Microsoft Outlook. It is somewhat eerie how you can enter a new contact or appointment on the Q and have it show up moments later in Outlook - or the other way around.
One of the great things about owning a smartphone is the ability to add 3rd party developed applications to the device. Since Windows Mobile 5.0 is quite popular, there are plenty such applications available both freely and for purchase. The Q has about 50MB of RAM for running applications, and a similar amount for storing data and the applications themselves. If you need more storage space, you can easily add a gigabyte or two by inserting a miniSD memory card into the Q's slot, located on the left edge of the device.
The Motorola Q packs a lot of capability into a device that is only a half inch thick and weighs 4.3 ounces - considerably less than the competition. It comes highly recommended.
Pros:
* One-handed use * Thin and light * EV-DO data
Cons:
* Short standby battery life * Stiff keyboard keys
* 1/3-inch CCD imager with 3-megapixel resolution * Compatible with DVD-R/-RW/+RW formats * 10x optical zoom with digital image stabilization * 2.7-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio LCD * Dolby digital 5.1ch audio recording
› See more technical details Product Details
* Product Dimensions: 12.0 x 14.0 x 10.0 inches ; 3.0 pounds * Shipping Weight: 2.00 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) * Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. * ASIN: B000E0DU7G * Item model number: DCR-DVD405 * Average Customer Review: based on 12 reviews. (Write a review.) * Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32 in Camera & Photo (See Top Sellers in Camera & Photo) Yesterday: #32 in Camera & Photo * Date first available at Amazon.com: May 3, 2006
Product Manuals
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Product Description From the Manufacturer Capture powerful sound and sharp images direct to DVD with the DCR-DVD405 Handycam camcorder. Built for serious recording, the DCR-DVD405 comes with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens for creating superior quality images. Featuring high-resolution imaging with an 3.3-megapixel Advanced HAD CCD imager, you can take not only sharp digital video, but also detailed digital still photographs. You can record Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound with the built-in microphone to make watching your movies like a visit to the theater.
Sony DCRDVD405 front view Other features include Super NightShot Infrared System to help record in low light situations. See the bigger picture with the 2.7-inch wide SwivelScreen LCD display with touch panel capabilities. Best of all, you capture digital videos directly to DVD for the ultimate in recording convenience.
More DCR-DVD405 features
3.3-megapixel (gross) Advanced HAD CCD imager 1/3-inch Advanced HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCD with 2048K (effective) pixels provides stunning detail and clarity with exceptional video (up to 530 lines of horizontal resolution) and still image performance. The megapixel technology enhances your digital videos and digital still (3048K) photography performance.
Sony 3CCD imager DVD format video recording The DVD recording format delivers digital picture and sound quality comparable to that of MiniDV, but on DVD. Playback of the DVDs couldn't be simpler. After finalizing the disc in the camcorder, the disc can play back in most DVD Players, computers and even PlayStation 2 video game consoles.
10x optical/120x digital zoom The optical zoom helps to bring the action close up from far away. In addition, the digital zoom interpolation means that extreme digital zooming is clearer, with less distortion than previous types of digital zooms.
Progressive shutter system A mechanical shutter system that provides progressive scan performance while utilizing an interlaced scanning system. Digital still images will be sharp and clear with excellent definition.
Sony Handycam TLens Professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens Carl Zeiss lenses have an advanced optical multi-layer coating that offers less glare and flare with increased contrast. This results in vivid image brilliance, true-to-life color saturation and perfect renditions of subtle tones. The additional T* coating on the lens further reduces unwanted glare and flare.
Super SteadyShot picture stabilization system An advanced version of Sony's SteadyShot system that controls an even higher range of shake and vibration frequencies, to achieve an even higher level of smoothness without degradation of video like some other image stabilization systems.
2.7-inch wide touch-panel SwivelScreen LCD Display (123K pixels) The 2.7-inch wide (16:9) LCD screen provides excellent viewing clarity with improved resolution. The high resolution 123K pixel LCD screen rotates up to 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles providing sharp, detailed images for monitoring or playback, and the widescreen format makes shooting in 16:9 mode and composing shots even easier.
Dolby Digital 5.1-channel recording The DCR-DVD405 will record in Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound with a built-in microphone. By recording in 5.1-channel surround sound you can now experience your home movies with active sounds coming from all directions. Enjoy you personal home movies the way you experienced them while recording.
On-screen zoom and record buttons For addition control of the camcorder, the DCR-DVD405 features zoom and record buttons on the frame of the LCD screen. This allows the user more flexibility when holding the camcorder, especially in overhead or low angle shots.
USB 2.0 interface USB 2.0 interface provides an easy way to connect your DVD Handycam camcorder to the computer for fast transfer of video and still images to your computer for editing. The camcorder can also be used as an external DVD burner, convenient for making copies of your DVDs or burning edited movies.
One-touch wide-angle shooting Easily switch between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios for shooting, with just the touch of a button.
Picture Package software Easily organize still images/video content, and turn them into stunning music videos using the supplied software.
DVD-R/RW and +RW Compatible The DCR-DVD405 is compatible with a variety of DVD formats allowing the easy of use and simplicity found in DVD Media. With DVD+RW media there is not a need to finalize the disc (minimum recording required). Simply remove the disc and insert the media into a compatible DVD player.
Active interface shoe Provides a location directly on the camcorder to which to add optional accessories while providing power and two-way communication to those accessories.
Sony Handycam NightShot Super NightShot Infrared System With Sony's NightShot Infrared System you can capture natural looking video, even when shooting in low light. Record subjects up to 20 feet away using the built-in infrared system.
Program AE (Auto Exposure) modes Program AE modes make recording easy even when filming in challenging situations. Choose from Beach and Ski, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Sports Lesson, and Sunset and Moon.
Picture Effects Get creative when recording or playing back your videos with Sony's Picture Effect Modes. Effects available in camera and playback modes: Monotone, Mosaic, Pastel, and Sepia.
Fader effects Enhance your personal videos by adding professional looking fader effects. Choose from Black, Overlap, White and Wipe.
Sony Handycam battery info InfoLithium battery with AccuPower meter system Charge the battery at anytime because unlike NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries, Sony's rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries are not subjected to a life shortening memory effect. Sony's exclusive AccuPower meter displays the approximate battery time remaining in minutes, in either the viewfinder or on the LCD screen.
Digital still memory mode with Memory Stick Duo Media Capture still images up to 2016 x 1512 resolution, directly onto Memory Stick Duo Media for easy transfer to PCs for emailing, printing or sharing with other compatible Memory Stick devices.
Battery information At the touch of a button, battery information is displayed on the LCD screen when charging and when the camcorder is turned off. The display will show how much the battery is charged (approximately), in 10% increments and the recordable time left when using the LCD screen or in the viewfinder.
Easy Handycam button Using a camcorder can be intimidating for some people, so with a press of the Easy Handycam button, most of the advanced features of the camcorder are locked out, leaving only the buttons essential for recording operational.
Manual focus Allows the user to manually adjust the focus of the camcorder using the touch panel. Manual focusing also allows the user to control the focus in difficult situations where either the environment or the subject does not allow the camcorder's auto focus to perform optimally, such as when shooting through a window or in a crowded environment.
Product Description Box Contents: DCR-DVD405, ACL25 Power Adapter/In-Camera Charger, NP-FP60 InfoLithium(R) Rechargeable Battery, Stereo A/V Cable, USB Cable, Lens Cap, Picture Package 1.8 and Nero Express 6 software, Cleaning Cloth The Sony DCR-DVD405 Handycam(R) Camcorder lets you bring home movie and video productions to life, while making it simple to share images and video. Enjoy sharper, crisper images through the Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* lens, while capturing every detail through the 10x optical and 120x digital zoom. You can also capture great-looking stills directly onto a Sony Memory Stick(R) PRO memory card, for easier transfer and sharing with other cameras and PCs. The camcorder will also burn your movies and stills directly to an 8cm blank DVD, for the easiest possible sharing of your new masterpieces. Super NightShot(R) Plus Infrared System SteadyShot Picture Stabilization Professional Quality Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* Lens Aperture - f1.8 - f2.9 Touch Panel Full Range Auto & Manual Exposure Focal Distance - 5.1 - 51mm Shutter Speeds - Auto, 1/4-1/4000 sec. (AE Mode) Progressive Shutter System Program AE (Auto Exposure) Modes - Beach and Ski, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Sports Lesson, and Sunset and Moon Compatible with DVD-R, -RW and +RW White Balance Modes - Auto, Indoor, One-push, Outdoor Picture Effects - Monotone, Mosaic, Pastel, and Sepia Fader Effects - Black, Overlap, White and Wipe Onboard battery information (displayed on LCD) Easy Handycam(R) Button Active Interface Shoe USB 2.0 Port Optional S-Video out Dolby Digital 5.1 Channel Recording InfoLithium Battery with AccuPower(TM) Meter System Operating Systems - Windows 2000 Professional, XP Home, XP Pro Battery Life - Continuous recording for up to 8 hours on a single full charge Dimensions - 2-5/8 x 3-5/8 x 5-3/4 (66 x 90 x 143 mm) Weight - 1 lb. 5 oz. (590g) with disc and b
Sony VAIO VGN-AR190G 17" Notebook PC (Intel Core Duo Processor T2500, 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, Blu-Ray Disc,DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW Drive)
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* Powerful portable digital studio notebook PC with 17-inch screen and 2.0 GHz Core Duo T2500 processor * 200 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (2 GB max), high-definition Blu-Ray DVD playback and recording as well as standard DVD and dual-layer disc compatibility * Three USB 2.0, one FireWire, HDMI out, S-Video and RF in, ExpressCard/54 slot, S/PDIF digital audio out, memory card reader (SD, Memory Stick) * NTSC TV tuner, Nvidia GeForce Go 7600GT with 256 MB video RAM, tri-mode wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g), Bluetooth, Ethernet, modem * Windows XP Media Center 2005, Update Rollup 2
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* Shipping Weight: 6.00 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) * Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
Product Manuals
Product Description
The luxuriously sleek, black Sony Vaio VGN-AR190G AR Digital Studio notebook PC is more than just a computing showpiece. It's a powerful, portable multimedia/entertainment PC that can nimbly handle the most advanced graphics for both video and immersive 3D games, watch and record high-definition TV programming, and communicate with pals all around with world via VoIP calling and video conferencing using the built-in microphone and camera. It has a stunning 17-inch display with an anti-reflective coating to keep everything in view even in bright sunlight.
The AR190G is one of the first Sony notebooks to include high-definition Blu-Ray DVD playback capability. Blu-ray Disc technology supports full 1080p HD capability as well as uncompressed audio options and up to 5.1 channels. The Blu-ray system is backwards-compatible with standard DVDs and CDs, enabling you to enjoy your digital library for years to come. It's also a multi-format disc burner, capable of writing DVD+/-R/RW discs as well as dual-layer discs. And with its built-in NTSC TV tuner, you can also use the VGN-AR190G view and record your favorite programs using the advanced entertainment features of the installed Windows XP Media Center operating system.
It's powered by Intel's new, groundbreaking processor--the powerful Core Duo T2500--which provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved gaming and multitasking performance and a more efficient power consumption. The dual execution core T2500 has a 1.83 GHz processor speed and 2 MB L2 cache. Other hardware features include an extra-large 200 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (2 GB maximum), full tri-mode 802.11a/b/g wireless capability, multi-format, dual-layer DVD burner, NVidia GeForce Go 7600GT graphics card with 256 MB of video RAM, memory card reader, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and a wide selection of preloaded Sony multimedia software titles. It also comes with a copy of the high-definition Blu-Ray DVD of the award-winning House of Flying Daggers.
Despite an abundance of high-end hardware and technologies, the VAIO AR Digital Studio Notebook utilizes lightweight magnesium to reduce unit weight.
The Basics
* Hard Drive: You'll be able to store large libraries of digital audio, video, and photos on the 200 GB hard drive (5400 RPM)--one of the largest hard drive capacities you'll find currently in multimedia notebooks (May 2006). This Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0. * Processor: The Intel Core Duo T2500 processor is built with the Mobile Intel 945PM Express chipset, and it has a 2.0 GHz processor speed, super-fast 667 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and large 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)
The Intel Core Duo processor has two computational execution cores in a single processor, providing greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It's optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the next version of Microsoft Windows, code-named Vista. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications--such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications--while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. It's more efficient, thanks to Intel's Power Coordination and Deeper Sleep, which help to transfer power only to those areas of the processor that need it. It also features Intel's Digital Media Boost, which delivers enhanced performance on floating point-intensive applications such as CAD tools, 3D and 2D modeling, video editing, digital music, digital photography and gaming. * Memory: The 1 GB of built-in memory (PC4200, DDR2 SDRAM) is an excellent start for power users, and it offers a very fast 533 MHz speed. It has two memory slots that can handle up to 2 GB of RAM, enabling you to add more power to handle graphics-intensive 3D games, video editing, and multi-tasking across several RAM-hungry applications. * CD/DVD Drive: This Vaio notebook's DVD drive is capable of playing high-definition Blu-ray disc movies in stunning clarity and incredible 1080p HD resolution. The Blu-ray drive can also record video or data to a Blu-Ray disc--up to 25 to 50 GB of HD video. This notebook also comes with a bundled suite of applications that enables you to capture, edit and burn high-definition camcorder content to Blu-ray media while maintaining high-quality 1080 HD resolution. It's also backwards compatible with writing to standard DVD and CD formats, as well as dual-layer (DL) discs. It offers the following write speeds: 2.4x DVD+R DL, 2x DVD-R DL, 8x DVD+R, 4x DVD+RW, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD-RW, 5x DVD-RAM, 8x CD-R, and 8x CD-RW. * Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 86-key keyboard (2.5mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch) and electro-static two-button touchpad, as well as action buttons including wireless LAN on/off and play/pause/stop/fast-forw ard/rewind for playback of DVDs.
The VAIO AR Digital Studio Notebook features a stunning 17" widescreen display with Sony's original XBRITE Hi-Color LCD technology.
Screen, Graphics and Sound The stunning 17-inch WXGA+ (1440 x 900 pixels--ready for 1080i HDTV) widescreen LCD offers Sony's XBRITE display technology--delivering deep blacks and bright whites, true-to-life color, and razor-sharp detail. And with a glare filter and anti-reflective coating to minimize reflection, youÕll experience a beautifully clear image even when outside in the bright sun. Video is powered by the Nvidia GeForce Go 7600GT graphics card with an amazing 256 MB of dedicated video RAM. Nvidia's TurboCache feature increases the performance of this thin and light notebook PC without increasing its size or draining its battery. It's coupled with the PowerMizer 6.0 advanced power management technology, which significantly extends your notebook PC's battery life while minimizing the amount of heat it produces.
Connectivity and Expansion Slots The AR150G features an integrated PRO/Wireless 3915ABG wireless LAN that's compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and wi-fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range--great for closed office environments). This notebook also features an HDMI audio/video output, which enables you to connect to an HDTV or A/V receiver with just a single cable--no more hassling with separate video and audio cables. HDMI offers a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital signal, for the outstanding high definition video and multi-channel digital audio.
With the Bluetooth wireless connectivity, you can synchronize and transfer files between the PC and peripherals such as cell phones and PDAs. It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard/54 card slot, which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. Here's the full list of connection options:
* 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players * 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals * 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (one Type II/Type I card) * 1 ExpressCard/54 slot * 1 HDMI video port (for connecting to flat panel, high-definition monitors and televisions) * 1 VGA monitor out * 1 S-Video out * TV inputs: 1 S-Video and 1 RF * Stereo headphones/speakers/line- out * Microphone/line-in * S/PDIF digital audio out * Memory card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick DUO)
It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).
Preloaded System and Software The pre-installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (Update Rollup 2) is essentially Windows XP Professional Edition with a variety of tools to help you to create, organize, and enjoy digital media ranging from music to home movies to photo slide shows. The Update Rollup 2 upgrade offers support for the Windows Media Center Extender technology built into XBox 360 game consoles, which lets you access entertainment from your Media Center PC--whether itÕs live and recorded TV and movies, music, photos or Online Spotlight--on any TV in the house.
It also comes loaded with a bevy of Sony multimedia software: Click to DVD (DVD creation), SonicStage (digital music), Vaio Media (network file sharing), DVgate Plus (digital video), and Image Converter (for PSP transfer). Other preloaded software includes Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Premiere Elements, Quicken 2005 New User Edition, Microsoft Works 8.5 (with word processing, spreadsheet, and calendar), Norton Internet Security (with 60-day subscription), Roxio DigitalMedia SE, and TrendMicro Anti-Spyware (30-day trial).
Dimensions and Weight This notebook measures 16.4 x 11.8 x 1.32 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 8.4 pounds.
Power It's powered by the VGP-BPS2C rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of 1.5 to 2.0 hours (depending on usage).
What's in the Box This package contains the VGN-AR190G notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, remote control/IR receiver, RF cable, HDMI cable (with DVI-D adapter), House of Flying Daggers Blu-ray movie disc, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty, and Sony offers 1-year of toll-free telephone technical assistance.
Product Description Enjoy outstanding entertainment capabilities on the premier VAIO AR Blu-ray Disc enabled Notebook PC. See movies like never before on an exceptional 17" WUXGA (1920x1200) widescreen display5 with stunning clarity and brilliant colors. Watch and record high-quality television using Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. It's easy to connect with your compatible HDTV and home theater using the HDMI output. Enjoy blazing performance and thrilling game play with the Intel Core Duo processor and NVIDIA GeForce Go 7 series graphics. Store 25-50GB4 of HD video or data on a single Blu-ray Disc media. Get robust computing performance with the fast Serial ATA hard drives and DDR2 memory. Get the power and performance of a desktop with the convenience of a notebook.
Razor-thin aircraft aluminum case in special edition Cosmic Blue
External colour display and 64K internal display make picture caller ID even sweeter
Integrated VGA camera with 4x zoom, 22kHz polyphonic speaker with MP3 ringer support, MPEG4 video Playback, 3D Graphics Engine, and Java™ MIDP 2.0 all make downtime uplifting
Integrated Class 1 Bluetooth® wireless technology stays in touch up to an amazing 100 metres (300 feet) away
Digital camera with 4x digital zoom lets you capture those perfect moments
Product Details
* Product Dimensions: 3.4 x 1.8 x 0.9 inches ; 3.4 ounces * Shipping Weight: 14.40 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) * Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. * Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item. * ASIN: B000FZ0AC8 * Item model number: RAZR V3 Black
Product Description Amazon.com Product Description Thin is definitely in. At just over a half-inch thick, the Motorola RAZR V3 is the perfect combination of sleek design and powerful features. With long-range Bluetooth, support for video playback, a VGA (640 x 480) camera and a gorgeous color screen, the RAZR V3 is everything you're looking for in a stylish mobile companion. The Motorola RAZR V3 is truly an impressive quad-band phone. And now it is available in beautiful cosmic blue. Get the most out of your Cingular service with this impressive quad-band phone.
Take a closer look at the cosmic blue RAZR V3's functions. Design The RAZR V3's design takes the standard clamshell form factor to the next level with an impressive, anodized aluminum construction. A large 176 x 220 color display with 262,000 colors dominates the inside of the top cover. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary 96 x 80 full-color display that can display pictures, time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The VGA camera lens is housed above this display. Up/down buttons are placed on the left side for volume control while a voice button on the right side of the unit allows you to enter voice memos and create voice dialing profiles. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's backlit control pad, which is precision cut from a single sheet of nickel-plated copper alloy. A charging port and USB data cable port is placed on the bottom of the phone.
Calling Features The RAZR V3's internal phone book can hold up to 1000 contacts, while the phone's picture ID system allows you to assign pictures to your most common callers. It also supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular Wireless' MEdia Net service. There's even an included application, MotoMixer, that lets you mix your own ringtones. For times when you want to be discreet, there's a vibrating alert. A built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear while voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names.
Because the RAZR V3 is Bluetooth enabled, wireless headsets can be configured with the phone for total handsfree operation.
Messaging, Internet, and Tools The RAZR V3 is a messaging and wireless Internet powerhouse. Support is built in for sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, sound and video via messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in still and video camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. Instant messaging is also supported via AOL Instant Messenger and the phone ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols. There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia Net service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more.
iTap text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users. And with Cingular data service and a data plan (not included) and its Bluetooth or USB data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs.
A number of handy software tools are bundled with the RAZR V3 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator with currency converter, a calendar and an alarm clock. Use the phone's Bluetooth capability to set up a wireless link with a Bluetooth accessory or connect to a computer or hand-held device to exchange and synchronize data. The phone also supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard, can be used with Motorola's Mobile Phone Tools PC application to manage and synchronize contacts, calendar and other data with your PC.
Imaging and Entertainment With 5 MB of internal memory storage, the RAZR V3 shines in the entertainment department. The phone's VGA camera features a 4x zoom, image quality options, and an auto-timer so you can be in your pictures, too. Capture stills and then send them to your friends via MMS messaging or email, or to your PC via USB or Bluetooth. The phone is capable of MPEG4 video playback when you receive a video message, or if you upload video to the phone via USB or Bluetooth. The RAZR V3 also supports custom graphics for wallpapers so you can dress up the phone to suit your fancy.
Support for gaming is built into the phone and games are available for download via the Cingular MEdia Net service.
Operating the RAZR Battery Door The RAZR V3's battery cover is designed to have a very tight fit with the phone case. You may need to use your fingernail or a very thin instrument to depress the small battery cover release button. When replacing the cover, make sure the cover securely snaps into place before operating the phone.
Vital Statistics The Motorola RAZR V3 weighs 3.35 ounces and measures 3.86 x 2.09 x .54 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6.67 hours of digital talk time, and up to 250 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
Product Description The Moto Razr V3 is expertly crafted to deliver exceptional performance. Inside the ultra-thin design are advanced features like MPEG4 video playback, Bluetooth® wireless technology, a digital camera and more. And with the precision-cut keypad, minimalist styling and metal finish, the V3 looks just as beautiful as it performs. The real difference is in the details. See who’s calling, in color, without opening your phone — the large internal display is complemented by an impressive external display. The precision-cut metal keypad reacts to the lightest of touches. And the features you can't always see are equally impressive, like quad-band GSM — for global calls where GSM network coverage and roaming agreements are present.
Is there any other any other time of the day with your kids more painful than bath-time? Maybe diaper-changing-time, but I'm sure bath-time comes in a close second. Not anymore, with the Suntac iPod speaker case. Now you can distract your spawn with the soundtrack to Dora the Explorer while you clean their grubby, booger covered fingers.
The speakers are powered by the iPod, iPod Nano, and iPod Mini, and the four included batteries. There's also an AC adapter, but we're guessing that it's not such a good idea to plug this in while in the tub. The speakers also work at the beach or in the pool, wherever there's water. Or on dry land, if you're some kind of dry land music-loving weirdo.
Available now from Japan for $42 plus shipping.
"Black Tie Edition" Treo 650 is real, shipping in US
Well, color us a bit surprised. It turns out that the rumored "Black Tie Edition" Treo 650 for Asia-Pacific was not only real, it's coming to this side of pond as well. The specs sadly haven't changed from what we've reported before: you get the same old Treo 650 repackaged in black, a unique hard case, a dual-purpose stylus/pen, and that's about it. The Black Tie Edition is shipping immediately for a whopping $599 unsubsidized; we're not holding our breath for our 700p-toting readers to make the switch, but for folks on GSM carriers, this is now the snazziest Treo money can buy.
The Palm Treo is a line of smartphones originally acquired and subsequently developed by Handspring. However, after Palm's purchase of Handspring, they are now manufactured and maintained by Palm, Inc. The Treos are one of the most popular PDA mobile phones. They have a number of integrated features making it possible to check the calendar while talking on the phone, dial directly from contacts list, send emails, and recent models include software to use the built-in camera.
As of May 2006, there have been thirteen Treo models, listed below in order of introduction. With the exception of the Treo 700w, all Treos utilize Palm OS; the Treo 700w utilizes Windows Mobile.
In addition, Palm has recently negotiated a licensing deal with RIM which will allow Treo 650s and "other wireless devices" to connect to RIM's popular BlackBerry e-mail service with PalmSource Mail for BlackBerry Connect. Palm and RIM have announced that they expect to roll out Blackberry-enabled Treo devices in early 2006; pricing and availability have yet to be announced, although Palm has stated that the service will be available to both new and existing Treo 650 users.
[edit]
Treo models
* Treo 90 (just a PDA, no cellular phone built in)
* Treo 180 (Tri-band GSM, flip form factor, black and white screen)
* Treo 180g (Tri-band GSM, flip form factor, Graffiti input instead of keyboard, black and white screen)
* Treo 270 (Dual-band GSM, flip form factor, color screen, backlit keyboard)
* Treo 300 (Sprint branded CDMA unit, flip form factor, color screen, backlit keyboard)
* Treo 600 GSM (Tri-band GSM, candy bar form factor, color screen, five-way navigator, backlit keyboard, camera, OS 5)
* Treo 600 CDMA (Sprint and Verizon branded, candy bar form factor, color screen, five-way navigator, backlit keyboard, camera, OS 5)
* Treo 600 CDMA No Camera (Sprint and Verizon branded, candy bar form factor, color screen, five-way navigator, backlit keyboard, OS 5)
* Treo 650 GSM (320 x 320 resolution screen, EDGE, removable battery, OS 5)
* Treo 650 CDMA (320 x 320 pixel resolution screen, removable battery, OS 5)
* Treo 650 CDMA No Camera (320 x 320 pixel resolution screen, removable battery, OS 5)
* Treo 700w CDMA (240 x 240 pixel resolution screen, EV-DO, removable battery, Windows Mobile)
* Treo 700p, newly released, CDMA, EVDO (320 x 320 pixel resolution screen, removable battery, OS 5)
[edit]
Treo in popular culture
* In a fifth-season episode of 24, Jack Bauer modified a Treo 650 to remotely detonate a terrorist's explosives in an effort to save hostages being held at Ontario airport.
[edit]
External links
* TreoCentral - The definitive resource and community for the Treo
* mytreo.net contains a blog, forum, and user deals.
* Palm BlackBerry Connect Client for Treo 650, connect to BlackBerry Enterprise Server from a Palm Treo 650
* Treonauts.com is the World's 1st Bloguide dedicated to your Treo
* treo Addicts - user contributed, dedicated Treo blog
* Everything Treo - user contributed, Palm Treo resource, discussion
* Treo Mobile - user contributed, Dedicated coverage of Windows Mobile Treo
* Palm Treo class action lawsuit
* Mass Storage Synchronizer - iTunes Add-on for Treo 600/650
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en.
Categories: Cleanup from May 2006 | Palm OS devices | Windows CE devices | Smartphones | Computer hardware stubs
At A Glance: Price: RM 1499 Contact: 1-800-8228-22 Build quality: 10/10 Applications: 8/10 Interface: 9/10 Value-for-money: 9/10 Overall rating: 9/10 + Best form factor in half a decade + Megapixel camera + 128MB memory + High quality finish of the exterior - Touch keys a bit too sensitive - No Memory expansion Review unit courtesy of LG Electronics (M) Sdn. Bhd
Wow!
That sums it up pretty much. After more than five years in the business of writing about phones, this is only the second or third time I have said that in a phone review. The first was with the introduction of the Nokia 7650 all those years ago, when a colour screen phone with polyphonic ringtones was a huge innovation.
Now, I find that the LG Chocolate phone, also known as the Black Temptation, takes a huge leap of imagination and comes up with something different and exciting. However, they might want to make up their minds about labelling the phone as the LG-SV590/KV5900/LP5900 in addition to the three names given already. Six different names for a phone is a little overkill is it not?
In the box # Handset Transceiver # Battery (standard battery) # Charger # USB Cable
Exterior This is where the KG800 stands out by a mile from other phones. Undoubtedly, this phone will be a sleeper hit when it starts retailing in the shops. When closed, the device resembles a bar of chocolate, albeit a rather shiny one with a silver border running around the side of the phone.
A square of silver frames the central select button which is unlit when the phone is closed. And finally, a LG logo sits on top of the screen, also done tastefully in silver. The device is only 15.2 mm thick and weighs only 83 grams. In fact, it looks like one of those compacts that ladies carry around with them to powder their noses.
Anyway, once you slide open the phone, the area around the silver square mentioned lights up into nine glyphs which are touch sensitive, and which we will refer to as the touchpad for the rest of this review in contrast to the keypad with the numbers. The keypad is located just beneath the slide portion, so the action of sliding the top half up also reveals the keypad to the user.
The entire phone is done up in the ceramic black glossy finish, which does retain a few fingerprints, but constant wiping with your shirtsleeves keeps the device shiny. The camera lens is found on the back of the screen, along with the self-portrait mirror and the flash window.
Buttons/Screen The keys are black with white text, and the keypad is backlit in pale white. The keys on the top section are lit up in red upon a black background, and that is simply stunning!
However, after the timeout setting has lapsed, then the buttons on the top half switch off and do not activate unless you tap a button on the keypad or on the side of the phone. It takes a bit of getting used to, as the confusion is due to most other devices using a thin navigation pad much like the silver square on this device.
Therefore, I kept pressing that silver square inadvertently, when actually there were four directional sensors located just outside the silver square on the face of the device. There is also the tendency to hover one's fingers really close to the direction sensor's surface, and this will result in the phone detecting an input and responding accordingly.
The screen is a 262K screen with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels, and red and black default graphics are simply stunning given the context of the phone and its colours. The tactile response of the number keys was good, but not so with the red touch keys on the screen, which occasionally missed a touch or two. Anyway, it might have been psychological due to the lack of bounce-back or tactile feedback from the red keys.
Sometimes, the touch keys would also experience the sticky key phenomenon, where it detects a continuous press-down input and scrolls through the menus in one direction, without any user input.
Software/Messaging As is common by now, the main menu page is a grid of nine icons that branch out into a list of submenus that link to just about everything you need to do with the device.
The messaging here is good. It is rare to find a phone other than a Nokia or SE which actually responds this quickly to text input. I have no complaints about the programming and the speed and method of input.
After saying that the SMS input is excellent, the MMS is a little bit of a letdown because the device does not support video MMS. However, the standard MMS works fine in most cases for sending pictures, a bit of text and maybe a sound clip.
PIM You can add a picture to each contact for caller ID, and even make small notes such as the email address of said contact. I must say that the convoluted interface here was a bit annoying, as you had to bounce around multiple levels of the menu with a touchpad that tended to respond either too much or too little.
My eyes kept switching back and forth between what was shown on the screen and what corresponding keys I would have to press.
An alarm clock sits in the Tools folder, and so does the Calculator application. But the unwieldy touchpad precludes any use of this device for business applications. This appears to be purely a talk and text device, so we shall leave it at that.
Camera/Video The camera, which is hidden behind the screen, is that of a 1.3 megapixel type. It was hard to tell this because LG does not advertise the fact on the body of the device like other manufacturers do. Although this makes the phone look much better, it does not help the consumer to know what the specifications are.
Instead, an icon marked ‘sliding' is located just below the lens. Tell me then, how would you be able to read the words ‘sliding' if you had not already found out that the device is a sliding type one by looking at the place below the camera lens?
Both the camera and the video here are subject to Zooms of up to 4x. The screen acts as the viewfinder and shows you the target image rather clearly. Again, it needs no mentioning that you will have to slide the phone open before you can use the camera, since its lens is hidden behind the back cover when the phone is in its closed state. Finally, a multi-shot feature allows you to take nine rapid-fire sequential shots, just like in most Samsung devices.
Multimedia/Voice There is a built-in MP3 player, and 124MBs of multimedia space in the phone. The remaining 4Mbs is categorised as shared memory and is used mostly for storing messages. The phone also supports WMA and AAC playback and comes with a graphic equalizer with six presets.
There was no mention of voice recognition software. However, there is a voice recorder found inside the multimedia menu though.
Connectivity The chocolate phone has built-in support for Bluetooth, but it does not do infrared. This is quite a surprise as infrared would have gone down really well with the reddish theme of the phone. A USB Cable is included with the device, and it was a really simple matter to just plug the phone into the computer.
I didn't like that the thing wanted me to reboot my computer. I don't like to change my settings, so the next time you make a phone, kindly feel free to include non-intrusive software with it. I just want to load music into the device. I do not need it to synchronise with anything. Apple, please take note. I dislike your iTunes rubbish for doing that.
The funny thing is, you can't use the phone while you are transferring stuff to it. Multitasking is a two decade old thing, if I recall correctly. However, in all fairness, the transfer was pretty fast and I have no complaints about that.
It was simply wonderful to have a portable music device in this phone. Now if only there was an expansion slot so that I could carry more music if I wanted to.
Games There is one game in the phone and it is called the Zoo Zoo Club. It is a puzzle game which is a BeJewelled clone, except that instead of using jewels, the game uses a bunch of furry animals.
Editor's Opinion
This is a simply astounding product. The form factor is the best I have seen in half a decade and the sheer classiness is there for all to see. Word has it that this model is doing very well in Korea, and I expect it to be a big hit here in Malaysia.
There are some minor things though, like having to get used to the touch keypad and the tendency to bounce around the menu because of both unclear directions. However, this is easily forgotten because of the gorgeous looks of the device.
The SMS input had no lag, which leads me to believe that there is one powerful processor under the hood here. I still like it, and rate it very highly as one of the highlights of 2006. Again, this is a great product, and it has raised the bar for succeeding products, both from LG and from its competitors.
We just received confirmation that the retail price has been set at RM 1499. Therefore, we are upgrading our rating of the phone a little, as the price is much lower than we expected for this products. We really do expect that this phone will do well here. Only time will tell.
Nokia starts selling their business related E-Series. First to come is the new Nokia E60. This stylish device has been designed to face the needs of the mobile professionals. If things go well, it could be the successor of the Nokia 6230(i). The E60 provides support for WCDMA, EDGE, Triband GSM and Internet call over WLAN, Push-to-talk-Funktion (PoC) and push E-Mail. The E60 includes attachment viewers and editors supporting the most common features of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel (Microsoft Office 97, 2000, XP and 2003). The E60 is compatible with Zip Manager and Adobe Reader. It IS a real mobile office, as you may say: your mobile secretary (although it may not look as good as her) :D
Design The E60 is a mix of metal and plastic. The cover around the very good display is made of metal. With measures of 115 mm x 49 mm x 16,9 mm and a weight of 117 g it is called "sleek" but not really "small". The device is of silver color. If you use a 6230(i) you may find the E60 a little bulky. Nevertheless the E60 feels comfortable in your hand and looks distinguished. The design itself is rather boring but as you will see, the power is within the mobile. Don't judge the E60 by its outer appearance.
Firmware V 1.0610.02.15 12-04-06 RM-49 Nokia E60
Features 64 MB of free memory. Reduced Size Dual Voltage (1.8/3V) MultiMediaCard (MMC) with hot swap slot for easy MMC card insertion and removal, an Active matrix display with 16,7 Mio. Colors using an incredible resolution of 352 x 416 Pixel. These are the main features. A note to all doubters: the difference between the 262k colors of the N80 and the 16.7 Mio colors of the E60 is clearly visible. E-Mail WLAN/UMTS/Push and a great number of other contact possibilities with the outside world are almost nothing new. In fact also VoIP should work, but because of a lack of provider-sided support of Nokias "own" SIP, it does not work very well at the moment, however, it will work in the future. Furthermore, the E60 offers for the first time an own Internet telephony client.
Whats in the box The E60 is released within a standard box including * Nokia E60 * Nokia Charger ACP-12E * Nokia Battery BL-5C * Nokia Mono-Headset HS-5 * Nokia Connectivity cableCA-53 * CD und Manual
This time there is NO memory card supplied! They are, however, available in sufficient numbers on the free market.
Look & feel The Nokia E60 is a functionally extremely well thought out mobile, whose priorities are found in connectivity and business field. It offers convincing multimedia qualities. According the camera quality: there is none at all. Cheers Mercedes Benz and Co. But there is an additional clip-on camera you may use. It's not cheap and in my opinion not worth the money.
The E60 is produced rock solid, with no visible weaknesses. The joystick is precise, well tactile and very stable. The softkeys do react promptly. The softkey (Menukey) below the Joystick is rather small, an operating error is, however, hardly possible. The side buttons for voice recordings as well as the two volume controls fulfill their function well.
Nevertheless, on some devices, there are some small visible faults:
The surface around the display will show scratches very fast, one sees also fingerprints immediately. The very large keyboard, shows a really hard preasure point. If you are in "SMS" you will have to get accustomed to that. The buttons are illuminated in bright white.
In total the E60 provides a very good feeling - and thats because of the generous measurements. Due to the combination between size and weight, it is feeling well in the hand. Nevertheless it looks quite big at a first glance. The impression deceives, in fact it is thinner than the N80 and also thinner than a Nokia 6230i. It can be described as sleek and well crafted.
Display The display with its 2,1-Zoll-Active matrix display (16,7 Mio. colors) and a incredible resolution of 352 x 416 pixels - has been used in similar form already within the Nokia N80. The quality, however, has been greatly improved on the E60. It was illuminated - due to the higher capacity of the battery - more brightly and it shows more colors. One can recognize the difference between N80 and E60 display well in direct arrangement. A high resolution/brilliance like that, I did not see up to now. Of course Nokia does not supply any design teaching-piece here. The icons are graphically rather simple, however, well designed.
There are - because of the new 3rd edition S60 - new themes necessary. The old S60 themes can not be used anymore. New themes can be found without problems on the net. For business users, they are however, rather insignificant and may cause some more bugs.
Start me up After you switch your E60 on and after the usual - S60 typical - somewhat longer startup time, the E60 is ready to serve you as your mobile office. Some settings wizards as well as a short introduction to every important point (made with the new flash Player lite (slightly sluggish)) will help you to get you accustomed to the E60. It offers for the first time a speech based help function. All necessary steps will be spoken then.
Menu/Functions After you press the small Menukey on the E60, Nokias 3rd Edition of Series 60 shows up with 15 menu items. In total the functions of the 3rd Edition were pimped up easily. All the Series60 functions have been developed well. The usual PIM applications are on board, as well as some new ones. The contact applications is as usual. Fields can be filled with a lot of entries (e.g. company, position, telephone, first names, last names, mobile number, video call, Internet phone, PTT, pager, fax, E-Mail). Contacts can be sorted by last name as well as first name. Additional informations, such as name addition, titles, aliases, position, memos and birthday are also possible.
Pictures and/or photos, can be used as background or caller pictures. Profiles (General, Mute, Meeting, Outside, Off-Line, Pager) can't be time-controlled but changed to your personal needs.
Also the Active Standby is on board. It lets you activate functions right on the main screen.
MP3 Player The built-in MP3 Player (you'll find it in Media Menu) with it's sound sections ((Standard, Acoustic, Bass Booster, Hip Hop, Pop, R&B, Rock) own ones are also possible) in connection with a Koss Porta sounds very well. However it does not match the quality you'll find on the Nokia N91. The E60 does not include a Stereo headset nor headphones adapter. You'll have to buy one extra.
The MP3 Player supports play lists as well as it reacts fast and in connection with the active standby, it is very good to handle.
The sound of the MP3 Player is balanced, sadly, there is no real bass. This shortcoming, can be balanced easily by using Koss Porta as headsets. In total the sound of the E60 is - compared with that of the Nokia 6270 - very good. The 6230i is not better.
Applications / PIM They are no games installed - the information on the Nokia Homepage states something else. But there are a few useful applications
* Personal shortcuts * Customizable profiles * Alarm clock * Music Player (MP3/AAC) * Real Player * Flash Player * Notepad for short notes * Device lock * Calculator * Converter: Converts currencies, measurements, temperature, etc. * World Clock II * Quickoffice (Tables, Documents, Presentations)
On board is the Push-to-talk-Funktion for mobile networks, however without a specific push-to-talk button. The PoC-service (Push to talk over Cellular) allows direct speech connections to individuals or groups - similar as at a Walkie-talkie.
The changes made with Symbian 9.1 are hardly visible to the user. They are more "wihin" the system core.
Sound The sound of the Nokia E60 is very good. The 6230i is of course also very well. Although the E60 only features a single loudspeaker, the sound is more than sufficient. If you like to use it as an MP3 Player in your office (provided that you do not work on a construction site), the sound if good enought. Conversations in hands-free mode are not a problem, also conference circuits are possible.
The built-in and pre-installed ringtones sound are also well made. The device has, however, slightly worse receive powers than the 6230i. Nevertheless for a real Smartphone they are sufficient enough. The reception in D1 as well as O² net is good.
Connectivity The Triband-Mobile (GSM 900/1800/1900) has good reception and sending quality in both nets. Dual Mode UMTS is not offered, there will be two different models. BT 1.2 transfer are rapid. The E60 can be used as a storage device if connected via USB Connectivity cable. Thanks to USB 2.0 the transfer speed is very good. A2DP, however, is not supported. The E60 has IR on board. It offers an external SIM-Access mode. The O² Homezone icon is shown correctly.
The E60 offers Nokias Pop-Port™ interface at the bottom. After you connect with the USB Connectivity cable it offers modes as Media player, PC Suite and Data transfer. While using the Data transfer/Media player mode the E60 switches off-line and your are not able to receive or make calls. There is no external docking station and the E60 can not be loaded via Connectivity cable.
The built-in WLAN 802.11b/g supports WEP and WPA/WPA2 in infrastructure as well as adhoc mode. WLAN can't be turned off. You can select the time, the E60 looks for other WLAN (up to 10 minutes), but it stays in standby mode all the time.
The power of the E60 built-in WLAN appears to be by far better than on my N80. In rooms, in which the N80 already has no reception, the E60 still offers connectivity.
The E60 supports a number of security standards, for instance EAP-TTLS is supported.
Since in the past, more and more people have talked about the possibility of the VoIP: The E60 supports SIP as well as Internet telephony. However the E60 (Nokia specialized services) is not recognized by the majority of VoIP services. As for example, the E60 does not connect to service like voicebuster or sipgate. At least a registration was not possible to me during my tests. Skype is supposed to be compiled for the Series60. When this program will be published is still unknown. At the moment VoIP is not very easy to get running. The E60 offers the possibility of IP Passthrough.
Internet The new S60 browser - based on Safari's WebCore - is used also on the E60. With the 'minimap' called function you will see a full page at a glance and can zoom details in individual steps. Support for RSS is offered also, however, still expandable.
The new browser is much faster than Nokias older solutions. The E60 browser can be called a "complete mobile browser", because it supports frames, popups and PHP. Surfing with the E60 is swift and pleasant. It seems to be more stable and faster, than on the N80.
Menu The character size - and with that the clarity - can be changed by pressing the * and # button while surfing.
The E60 can be used both in the dual mode, or only in GSM. If you use it only in GSM, the battery does last longer..
Office The E60 has a pre-installed quick office (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint Viewer). All three applications show up seperately in the E60 menu. With that the mentioned documents can be shown as well as edited.
The E60 has a built-in navi named "Navigator". Using an external BT GPS receiver you can calculate your actual position. A on board navigation as TomTom or Route66 offers, is not possible. It is rather a kind of digital compass with position specifications in length and width degrees, than a real navi system.
Themes The E60 has one theme installed (Nokia). But there are plenty of other 3rd Edition themes available on the net.
Battery The battery is very good for a Series60. In case of intense use of the functions, you can use the E60 a whole working day. If you only use the MP3 Player, you will come up with a respectable time of about 16 hours. In case of moderate use, you can save yourself for about 2-3 days before recharging and in standby mode with good net quality, it will last 4 days (in GSM mode). The more you use WLAN, the faster the battery needs to be recharged. The battery of the E60 is stronger than on the N80/N91, therefore the display is brighter.
Accessories Nokias belt bag CNT-544 fits very well.
Conclusion The Nokia E60 features a first-class display with a very high resolution and 16.7 Mio. colors. The business part is implemented really great. In spite of the fact, that the E60 is targeted to "business customers", it has more than sufficient multimedia qualities (Video, MP3). It can be individualized (themes). E-Mail and all necessary connection possibilities to the outside world (e.g. push E-Mail support, IR, BT, WLAN) are on board. Sound and connectivity is not better, than on the 6230i. For a S60 Smartphone, however, they are unequalled. VoIP is not working well at the moment, but will in the near future. All in all, the E60 offers a lot of features for the money.
Since it does not have a camera, it is surely a good substitute for existing Nokia 6230i. In my eyes the E60 is the most productive Smartphone on the market. Firmware is amazing stable (apart from the SIP bug), I did not note many crashes yet. But i do not installed games or other Gimmicks. The existing S60 3rd Edition programs, however, also work on the E60. Nokia itself offers two good programs (Handy Expense, World Mate) for free. My conclusion: go and buy yourself a E60. If you do not need a camera.
Triband phone Camera: 0.3-megapixels (640 x 480pixels) Display (internal): 65,536 colours, 128 x 160pixels Display (external): Monochrome. Messaging: MMS, SMS, e-mail Connectivity: Infrared, Bluetooth, GPRS Phone memory: 28MB Expansion slot: Memory Stick Micro Battery type: 900mAh lithium-ion Standby/talk time: 400/9 hours Other features: MP3 player, video player, Java applications Weight: 93g Dimensions (w x d x h): 90 x 47 x 24mm Price: RM799 Website: www.sonyericsson.com.my Review unit courtesy of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Malaysia, 1-800-88-9900
TAN KIT HOONG reviews the Sony Ericsson Z530i and finds out that there’s more than meets the eye in this entry level phone.
IT HAS been barely a year since the release of the Z520i and Sony Ericsson has already come up with its successor – the Z530i.
The Z530i isn’t that much different from the Z520i, but whatever has been changed has made the phone a better device, with a couple of exceptions.
For example, what was originally an external colour screen on the Z520i has now been changed to an orange-tinted monochrome display.
While this may sound like a step back, it’s actually a plus, since a monochrome display has better contrast and is thus a lot easier to read in daylight.
However, the internal colour display on the Z530i doesn’t look as nice as the one on the Z520i. It’s also marginally smaller.
Major tweaks
I like how Sony Ericsson has improved the buttons on the side of the phone – on the Z520i, the volume up/down buttons where too close to the camera button, which made it difficult to tell them apart when you have the phone up to your face.
The Z530i does away with the camera button, relegating its function to a two-second press on the directional pad’s “Up” button.
However, the few steps forward that the Z530i takes is followed by a couple of steps backward – for one, I didn’t like the alphanumeric buttons.
While the rounded alphanumeric buttons definitely look more stylish, they are actually a little harder to press due to their rather unorthodox design, compared to the nice large buttons of its predecessor.
The interface, however, is largely the same with the same 12 icons found in almost every Sony Ericsson phone.
The menus have had a slight change here and there but nothing major has been done.
The addition of the Memory Stick Micro slot is the most important addition to this phone as it improves the usability a whole lot more. Although this isn’t a Walkman branded phone, the Z530i can play MP3 audio and you can hold a reasonable number of songs with a large Memory Stick Micro card.
However, do note that a pair of stereo earphones is not included, so if you’re serious about using the Z530i phone as an MP3 player, you’ll have to buy a pair of Sony Ericsson earphones that fit the proprietary port at the bottom.
Last but not least, the Z530i comes with Bluetooth so you can use any Bluetooth handsfree kit and, of course, transfer files between other Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Final words
When we reviewed the Z520i, we came to a conclusion that the phone was an entry-level phone that came with more features than other models in the same category – this conclusion still holds true for the Z530i.
The Z530i has all the features that made the Z520i a good, honest phone with a little more to offer than meets the eye. Plus the fact that it comes with a Memory Stick Micro slot is a deal clincher.
The only thing I didn’t like about the Z530i is the feel of the alphanumeric keypad, which is a minor quibble that you could get used to.
Pros: Bluetooth; infrared; Memory Stick Micro slot. Cons: Keypad could be better.
Those looking to upgrade or enter the world of 3G with a slim, elegant handset, will love K610im, announced today. K610im is Sony Ericsson’s first GSM/UMTS phone to offer full support for i-mode™, the operator service that delivers a richer experience for handling iMail, browsing the Internet and viewing content. Wrapped in desirable Carbon Black casing, this elegantly designed phone is all about quality, from the feel of the keypad to the sharp, crisp image display. K610im is a modern classic true to its Sony Ericsson heritage – a highly desirable 3G handset that is accessible to a wide audience.
"We are extremely pleased that a leading brand vendor such as Sony Ericsson is to offer market leading handsets with full support for i-mode services. Sony Ericsson has achieved an excellent integration of the i-mode service portfolio and the result is a compelling consumer offering." said Mr. Takeshi Natsuno, Senior Vice President, Managing Director, Multimedia Services, NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
The innovative i-mode™ service delivers a whole new experience in connected mobile applications such as iMail, Web browsing and iMMS. Viewing multimedia is better, faster and easier, thanks to Web pages and content specially formulated for i-mode. Lighter pages give faster download speeds and users are given access to a host of i-mode™ sites and content.
i-mode™ also helps you get even more from K610im’s impressive functionality. You can shoot great pictures with the phone’s 2 Megapixel camera and send them in high quality as as e-mail as well as iMMS messages. The supplied 64MB Memory Stick™ (M2™) will store up to 175 photos, and can be expanded to 1GB, and K610im has everything you need for fast, responsive video calling.
K610im appeals to the design conscious who want a 3G phone that is as compact and lightweight as a fashionable 2G handset. Sony Ericsson has gained a reputation for delivering 3G phones that closely match the size and weight of their 2G predecessors and K610im takes this a step further, delivering full 3G functionality, a highly specified camera and intuitive music player, all in a phone that weighs just 89g.
One of Sony Ericsson’s most versatile 3G handsets yet, K610im’s highly specified music player is equipped for over-the-air downloads. You can store up to 60 tracks in the new eAAC+ format with the Memory Stick™ (M2™), and a USB cable and music software is also included for transferring tracks to and from your PC.
The K610im is a dual mode UMTS (2100MHz) - GPRS 900/1800/1900 handset for i-mode markets in Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and will ship in Q3.
K610im – Features at a glance:
Imaging and messaging
* 1.9” QCIF+ (176x220) TFT 260k * 2 megapixel camera and VGA Video call * iMail * Push e-mail * 2.5 x digital zoom * 16 MB user memory (actual depending on operator customization) * Video recording/playback * SMS and iMMS * DoJa stand-by application
Music
* Speakerphone * 64 MB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™ (support for up to 1GB) * Media player [MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+ support ] * Support MFi & Mobile MP4 * Full streaming Audio & Video * DoJa 2.5 OE * i-mode™ DRM * Polyphonic 72 voices * 3D games * OMA DRM v. 1.0 * Music DJ™, PhotoDJ™, VideoDJ™
Connectivity
* Memory card slot * UMTS 2100 + GPRS 900/1800/1900 * Bluetooth™ technology * PC Tools & Software * USB 2.0 Mass storage * USB charging * Fast port system connector * External antenna connector * Flight mode * Access NetFront™ Web Browser * Kit Content & nbsp; &n bsp; o 64 MB M2 & nbsp; &n bsp; o USB Cable & nbsp; &n bsp; o PC software
No shocker here: T-Mobile and Danger are officially unveiling the new Sidekick 3 today. (Note that it's not called the "Sidekick III". T-Mob has requested that it only be written as "Sidekick 3".) The specs are no surprise, either, since they've been rumbling around for weeks now, but we'll run down the official details for ya:
* Size: 130 x 59 x 21.8mm * Weight: 6.7 ounces * 240 x 160 pixel, 65,000 color display * Trackball (!) * Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE * Bluetooth 1.2 (limited to Hands-Fre profile and vCard exchange) * 1.3 megapixel digital camera w/LED flash * miniSD memory card slot (supports up to 2GB cards) * 64MB of SDRAM/64MB Flash memory * Music player software
Word has it that T-Mobile will be opening up pre-orders to current Sidekick owners first, with the rest of us getting a crack at it sometime around July 10th.
Work Goes Mobile: Nokia's Lessons from the Leading Edge
This book tells the inside story of Nokia's efforts to use mobile capabilities for business benefits. It helps decision makers understand that mobility is a business solution - and that only by addressing people, processes, and technology in a balanced way can they realize significant business benefits.
Ask ten people what 'mobility' means, and most will mention 'freedom of movement'. In organizational terms, mobility is the freedom to collaborate and do business outside of traditional work places and times. The explosion in use of smartphones, PDAs, and other advanced mobile devices proves that today, more than ever, workers want to stay connected while on the go.
Yet the advent of new, far-reaching mobile capabilities raises a fundamental question: Can you mobilize a business and benefit from it? Nokia believes that you can.
Focusing on the unique aspects of this transition and using Nokia's own experience, this guide prepares organizations for the next transformation in how they do business. It offers a wealth of valuable insights for any organization into how mobility and mobile work can provide a strong source of competitive advantage.
ORDERING INFORMATION To order Work Goes Mobile: Nokia's Lessons from the Leading Edge, please visit www.amazon.com.
During Nokia Connection 2006 in Singapore today, the Finnish giant announced a new style focussed handset, dubbed the Nokia 6080.
The Nokia 6080 has an interesting keypad design, with the backlit numbers placed above the actual buttons. When the backlight turns off, this makes the numbers completely disappear, leaving only the chromed strips – which look more like a style element than part of the keypad. Other features of this attractive handset include tri-band GSM connectivity, a VGA camera, FM radio, and push to talk.
The sexy black Nokia 6080 goes on sale during Q4 this year, for a 180 Euro recommended retail price.
Check out the following page for live photos of the Nokia 6080 from Nokia Connection 2006. Specifications for the Nokia 6080 Band GSM 900/1800/1900MHz or GSM 850/900/1900MHz Data GPRS Size 105.4mm x 44.3mm x 18.6mm Weight 91g Battery Life 12 days standby time 3.5 hours talk time Main Display 65k color TFT LCD, 128x160 pixel resolution Sub-Display N/A Camera Yes, VGA resolution Video Video capture/playback Messaging MMS/EMS/SMS Email Unknown Bluetooth No Infrared No Java Yes MIDP v2.0 Polyphonics Yes Memory 4.3MB user memory Availability Q4 2006
Nokia Shows 6151, its Most Affordable 3G PhoneNokia Shows 6151, its Most Affordable 3G Phone
Along with a number of other GSM/UMTS and CDMA handsets, Nokia today launched the new 6151 3G handset at their Nokia Connection event in Singapore, taking place along side of the CommunicAsia 2006 show. The 6151 is designed to bring 3G UMTS/WCDMA phones to the masses, and as such is Nokia's least expensive 3G handset for Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Nokia estimates that it will sell for 240EUR before taxes and any carrier subsidies when it starts shipping in Q3 of this year.
The 6151 is styled in a appealing, yet somewhat reserved design that will be available in black, pearl white, orange, light blue, and lime green when it ships. Apart from looking good, the 6151 comes equipped with 30MB of built-in storage and a microSD memory card slot that back up the handset's 1.3 megapixel camera and music player application. Thanks to agreements with Microsoft, the 6151 not only supports the typical MP3 and AAC based formats, but also the Window Media Audio (WMA) format.
Other highlights of the 6151 include a 128x160 pixel, 262k color display and the well polished S40 user interface. There is also an on-board FM radio, as well as push to talk support. Voice dialing and commands are available to the 6151 user, as is a speaker independent number voice dialing application.
Check back later for live photos from the event, once we get them processed. Specifications for the Nokia 6151 Band GSM 900/1800/1900MHz, UMTS 2100MHz Data GPRS/EDGE/WCDMA Size 108mm x 47mm x 19mm (4.3" x 1.9" x .7") Weight 98g (3.5oz) Battery Life Up to 250h standby time Up to 4.5h talk time Main Display 262k color, 128x160 resolution Sub-Display N/A Camera 1.3 megapixel Video Video capture/playback at QCIF (176x144) resolution Messaging MMS/EMS/SMS Email Yes (APOP/POP/IMAP/SMTP) Bluetooth Yes Infrared Yes Java Yes (MIDP v2.0) Polyphonics Yes Memory 30MB, microSD memory card slot Availability Q3 2006 (manufacturer's estimate) Other MP3/M4A/eAAC+/AAC+/ WMA audio player, FM radio, voice dialing/commands, speaker independent digit dialing, speakerphone, Push To Talk, flight mode
Since its unveiling last year at Motorola's MOTONOW event in Chicago, people have been hot to get their hands on Motorola's answer to the RIM BlackBerry. In fact, while it was still under wraps, rumors swirled around the internet of what people commonly called the "RAZRberry", which while less than original, turns out to have been reasonably accurate.
Now that it has finally been released on Verizon Wireless' CDMA EV-DO network, people have been going wild for the Q. And with good reason, it seems. It has the full QWERTY keyboard of its competitors, yet is lighter and thinner than any of them. In fact, Motorola touts the Q as the thinnest QWERTY device on the market.
Physical Aspects
Physically, the Motorola Q is much like a traditional RIM BlackBerry that has been stretched a bit longer, narrower, and thinner. It measures 116mm x 66mm x 12mm (4.6" x 2.6" x .5") in size. When compared to the Palm Treo 700p we just reviewed, the Q is 3mm longer (if you ignore the 700p's stub antenna), 6mm wider, and about half as thick. When you consider that the Q weighs only 122g (4.3oz) with a miniSD card inserted, you end up with a very pocketable device that weighs 15 to 50g less than the competition. That's something that Motorola can be proud of.
Of course thin and light are great, but the device and its keys, buttons, and controls all need to be usable. The Q does fairly well in that regard, though not exactly perfectly. There are no controls on the left edge of the Q, just the memory card slot, IR port, and USB port. On the right side, however, you will find a 3-way scroll wheel (up, down, and select) and a dedicated back button under the wheel. The wheel works pretty well, allowing you to quickly scroll through lists and menus, but sometimes seems to land between two detented positions, which makes selecting a particular item sometimes more difficult than it should be. But overall, it works well and the back key is very convenient.
Below the display on the Q are the two softkeys, a 5-way d-pad controller, the red and green call buttons, and dedicated home and back buttons. The d-pad is raised slightly from the face of the Q and has a nice edge around its perimeter that makes it easy to locate by touch. The direction action is nice, but sometimes the center select buttons seems to not register. This could be a software issue (OS lag or something), but regardless I feel that it needs to be improved a bit.
Similarly, the QWERTY keyboard functions well overall, but every once in a while it seems as if a keypress gets missed. Firstly, I'd prefer that the keys be made of a slightly softer material rather than the hard plastic that is currently used - something with a bit of grab would be a nice change. I also think that the keys require too much pressure to activate, noticeably more than the Treo 700p. From a usability perspective, I miss a left side shift key and a backspace key. Being forced to use the "back" button that is located to the right of the d-pad is mildly disruptive. In terms of the rest of the functionality, it is pretty good. Dedicated messaging, camera, and voice dialing keys are convenient, and the Alt key (located beneath the A) allows for easy access to the number keys and various special characters.
The back of the Q is where you'll find the lens for the 1.3 megapixel digital camera, along with its assist light (or flash). The portion of the cover that conceals the battery can be removed and swapped out for a different cover that works with a larger capacity battery. Lower on the back of the device is where a pair of stereo speakers can be found - admittedly not in the most optimal location. The only other feature worth noting is the presence of a 2.5mm headset jack located on the top of the device (not next to the IR port as seen on early Q prototypes).
The physical design of the Q is a good one. It is comfortable to hold and use, and fits into a pants or jacket pocket easily. The device feel solidly made, though the silver paint used looks like it chips pretty easily. After a week of solid use I can already see a few small chips that expose the gray plastic underneath. But while that might affect the looks of the device, it should have no impact on its function.
Multimedia
For a phone that is so obviously aimed at business users, the Motorola Q has an awful lot of multimedia capabilities that are worthy of a regular consumer device. To start with, the 320x240 QVGA display it uses is large, bright, and colorful. It is capable of showing up to 65,000 different colors, and unlike many of the displays found in the Q's competitors, is not a touch screen. The lack of a touch screen, in my eyes, makes the Q much more likely to be adopted by more casual users as well as business users - something that I believe Motorola will reap the benefits of over the next year.
Motorola has never been particularly good when it comes to megapixel+ cameras in its phones, and the Q is no different. While the 1.3 megapixel camera in the Q takes reasonable photos, it does not take good photos. Contrast is too high on many of our sample photos (leading to white skies) and the photos overall are not particularly sharp. The automatic white balance works decently well in many situations, and the manual settings also do their jobs well most of the time. On the plus side, the UI in the camera application is very well laid out and easy to access. Pressing the right softkey ("menu") gives the user quick access to brightness, resolution, zoom, and white balance adjustments as well as control over the flash and the ability to switch to video recording mode.
Video recording on the Q is also not super impressive. While the quality of the video is perhaps acceptable, the audio recorded with the clips seems quite bad. Videos can be recorded at one of 3 resolutions: 128x96, 160x120, and 176x144. The menu brought up by the right softkey gives the user access to the same brightness and white balance controls as found with the still camera. Clips can be configured to be limited to 30 seconds in length or restricted only by the amount of available storage space. We have a sample clip here.
Like other Microsoft Windows Mobile devices, the Q makes use of the Windows Media Player application for music playback. In order to make full use of the playlist and library functionality of Windows Media Player on the Q you need to sync the device with Windows Media Player on your Windows powered desktop PC through ActiveSync. I really dislike this limitation, as I don't use Windows Media Player on my PC at all, and have no desire to rebuild my music library to suit its preferences. As such, I copy my music to the Q's miniSD memory card directly, but without playlist editing on the Q itself, playback is limited to the selection of a directory since the automatic scan function of the Windows Media Player library fails to organize the found tracks in any sensible order.
But once you do have the application playing music, the audio quality is very good. The built-in stereo speakers on the back of the Q are nothing to rave about, but the audio quality obtained with a standard 2.5mm stereo headset seems adequate, and the sound I got from Motorola's HT820 Bluetooth stereo headphones was downright impressive. Video playback is also good on the Q, and 3rd party applications such as Sling Media's SlingPlayer Mobile open up the door to even more possibilities. Auto WB Auto WB (ZOOM) Indoor/Home WB (actual) Indoor/Home WB (actual) (ZOOM) Auto WB Auto WB (ZOOM)
The Q, as a Windows Mobile 5 device, has separate RAM for running applications and storage. About 50MB of storage and 52MB of application RAM is available in the device. That's fairly roomy, but RAM can still get filled up with running applications since the OS does not kill applications when they are left - they continue to run in the background unless they are ended with an Exit function, assuming there is an Exit function to start with. Not all apps have one. As mentioned earlier, the Motorola Q uses a miniSD memory card slot for storage expansion. Our Q worked with a 256MB card provided to us by Motorola as well as a 512MB card that we already possessed. It did not, however, function with a 2GB Pretec miniSD card that we had been using with a Nokia N80. The Q never seemed to see the Pretec card, not even after it was reformatted with a PC card reader. Motorola claims that there is no limit on the supported card size in the Q and are currently investigating our problem.
User Interface
The Windows Mobile 5.0 user interface is quite a bit improved when compared with earlier Smartphone OS versions from Microsoft. WM5 devices feel decidedly more phone-like than their forbearers. As such, the Motorola Q feels and responds like a phone rather than a PDA crammed into a small body. The lack of a touch-screen in the Q also means that there is never a need for a stylus. As such, the OS is great for one-handed use.
The left softkey, when in the Home screen, will bring up the Start menu. The icons in the menu are arranged in a 3x2 format that is unlike the 3x3 arrangement found in most other WM5 Smartphone handsets. But like other WM5 Smartphones, hitting the left softkey when in the menu will bring up the next page of programs/functions. As is the case with other such devices, the numeric keypad can be used to access the icons in the menu. But since, in the case of the Q, the Alt key needs to be pressed (or held) in order to access the numbers, this is not very practical. The scroll wheel, however, is perfect for this job and allows the user to scroll quickly through all of the icons in the Start menu. The d-pad can also be used, of course, but is often not as convenient. Deeper menus in the system, such as Settings, generally make use of a list of text options. The alphabetic keys can often be used as shortcuts for these options (instead of the numbers you see on other Smartphones), but once again the scroll wheel still is the easiest method for selection.
Regardless of where you are and what you are doing, though, the dedicated Home key (denoted with a small house icon) will always take you back to the standby/home screen (as will the red call key when not on a call), and the back key that is next to it will almost always take you back to the prior screen. I say "almost always" because the back key fails to function in a number of screens that require a cancel to get out of instead of a back function. In these cases the Q user will need to press the cancel softkey instead. Oddly enough, there are other screens that appear to require a cancel yet still work with the back function. Other small quirks also exist, such as the inability to reorder or organize the items in the start menu. As is, the items are in a somewhat random, somewhat alphabetized order that simply makes no sense. I also find the completely empty Programs folder in the Start menu odd. There is no reason for it to be there, and no way to remove it. All hope is not lost, though, since there are 3rd party applications that can take care of some of these organizational problems. Motorola Q Motorola Q (ZOOM) Motorola Q Motorola Q (ZOOM)
From a more frivolous viewpoint, the themes support for Windows Mobile 5.0 is quite good, and can even make use of completely different home screen layouts and plug-ins. For example, my wife is fond of the Fizz Traveller layout, with its 5-day forecast that shows on the home screen at all times. Other layouts show the most recently accessed applications along the top, where they can be accessed with the d-pad. Most all layouts allow you to display things such as number of messages in your inbox and upcoming appointments, and the background images used and the color schemes can all be individually selected for each layout.
In general the WM5 UI on the Q is quite speedy and friendly. There are the occasional speed hiccups that are common to many, if not most, smartphones on the market, but they are generally not too annoying. The benefits of the UI and OS more than make up for any such small issues.
Phone Functionality
I'll cut straight to the chase: the Motorola Q offers some of the best reception and talk time figures we've ever experienced on a CDMA phone. The Q managed 5.25 hours in our new talk time test (50% more than the CDMA Treo 700p). Audio quality is good in general on calls and the speakerphone audio was decent for the remote caller and very good for the Q user. The Q's shortcoming as a mobile phone will be its standby time. With any kind of real usage, especially if you make much use of the data connectivity or push email (more on those later), you should pretty much figure on recharging the Q nightly. If you lay off of the more battery intensive features, you should get 2 days of standby out of it in addition to some voice calls. I find that acceptable for a device like this, though more would always be better. The previously mentioned extended battery will also help out, but at the expense of added weight and thickness.
One of the best features of Windows Mobile 5.0 is its contacts system and the new search tool for the contacts that has been implemented on the home screen. Finding a contact is as simple as typing in a name (first, last, whatever). Once found, the contacts themselves give you access to just about any piece of data that you could normally store in Microsoft Outlook on a desktop PC. Even birthdays, photos, street addresses, and notes are included in the contact records and synched with Outlook.
Profiles in the Q are accessed most conveniently by holding down the home key, which brings up the Quick List menu. In addition to the profiles, the Quick List gives access to the key lock and flight modes. The Q has the following profiles pre-defined: Normal, Silent, Meeting, Outdoor, Automatic, Headset, Car, and Speakerphone. Except for the Automatic profile, each profile lets you set the type of ring (increasing, vibe then ring, vibe and ring, etc) and the volume levels for calls and alarms separately. The clever Automatic profile will automatically switch the Q between the Normal and Meeting profiles depending on whether or not your calendar thinks you are currently busy. This takes concept of timed profiles a full step further.
Speed Dials in the Q can be assigned to contacts as well as items in the Start menu. The speed dials are accessed by long-pressing the associated number key on the keypad (without the need for the Alt key). As such, you can assign shortcuts to commonly used functions like the Task Manager (which lets you kill running programs) just as easily as you your mother's phone number. Dialing Dialing (ZOOM) Dialing Dialing (ZOOM) Dialing Dialing (ZOOM)
But considering that the Q uses Voice Signal's Voice Suite speaker-independent voice dialing and command system, there is little need for using the speed dials for phone numbers. Version 2.1 of Voice Suite, as found in the Q, lets you issue commands such as "Call Michael Oryl Home" without having to go through multiple levels of prompts, as was the case with the earlier versions. You can use the program for dialing, texting, or looking up a contact, as well opening an application. Digit dialing is not available, however. The dedicated speakerphone/voice command button (next to the camera button on the keyboard) will toggle the Q's speakerphone profile when pressed normally, and activate the Voice Suite app when long-pressed. Voice Suite is also accessible from the call button found on most Bluetooth or wired headsets.
Apart from the much bemoaned lack of WiFi connectivity, which does not bother me much at all, the Motorola Q has a lot going for it when it comes to data. The EV-DO data support on the device works exceedingly well when compared with all of the other EV-DO Verizon handsets I have used. The connections are very quick to setup and the data throughput is also quite speedy. If you live within the Verizon EV-DO coverage area, you will not miss WiFi, and its high battery drain, at all.
The Q has one of the most fully loaded Bluetooth implementations we have yet to see. It supports v1.2 of Bluetooth and has support for most every profile imaginable. I already mentioned the Bluetooth Stereo A2DP support, but there is also built-in support for things like Bluetooth keyboards, Network Access, OBEX Push and Xfer, as well as the Headset and Hands Free profiles (but not DUN, though it is in the original design). I had no problem using the Bluetooth system on the Q at all, and was quite pleased by the new and improved Bluetooth management system. Setting up Bluetooth connections with other devices should be simple even for novices now.
Bluetooth as well as USB can be used for connections to Microsoft's ActiveSync software on a desktop PC. ActiveSync handles the synchronization of contacts, calendar entries, notes, tasks, web favorites, as well as Windows Media Player music tracks and playlists, as previously mentioned. If you are using v3.x of ActiveSync from an old device, you'll need to upgrade.
Verizon also supplies the Wireless Sync software on the Q, which allows the Q to synchronize with your home or office Outlook system for contacts, calendar, notes, tasks, and email. Email can also be synched from a non-Outlook account, but the support for IMAP is somewhat limited (only the root directory). It was a pain to setup since the Wireless Sync website is so poorly designed, but it sure was sweet in execution once everything was set. I could add/change anything on my desktop install of Outlook and moments later it would magically appear on the Q. Bluetooth Bluetooth (ZOOM) Bluetooth Bluetooth (ZOOM) Bluetooth Bluetooth (ZOOM)
One of the weak links in the WM5 Smartphone OS has to be the implementation of the Pocket IE web browser. While it is due to get a face lift very soon (that will include some frames support), the browser as-is is quite dated and showing its age. There are much better mobile browsers available on the market that offer good CSS and xHTML support as well as work with sites designed specifically for mobile devices. Pocket IE as it stands now is only useful for sites that were designed with small screens in mind.
Messaging
Creating and receiving text messages is rather straight forward. You have the option of entering a phone number directly into the "To:" field of a text message, or of using the "add recipient" function from the menu or pressing select (d-pad or scroll wheel) when in the To: field, which allows you to lookup contacts. A small bug in our Q required pressing the Alt key in order to type letters to search for a contact since it seemed to be in number mode from the To: field, and another odd one made it seemingly impossible to locate particular contacts in the list even though they were clearly visible (with mobile numbers) when viewed in the regular Contacts app or dialed from the home screen. In any event, up to 9 "My Text" templates can be customized for use in messages, and a character counter in the editor lets you know when you are going over the 160 character limit for a normal SMS.
The Q has a predictive text system in the text message editor that is quite unique in that it will try to predict the next word (or words) that you wish to enter, based on phrases you have entered in the past. For example, when I enter "This" at the start of a sentence, the Q predicts that the next word will be "is", and will signify that with a dashed underline. I can accept this word by hitting right on the d-pad, or just type over it normally as if it wasn't there if I don't want to use it. It is quite useful, and I would have liked to have seen it in the MMS and email message editors as well.
My Q was capable of both sending and receiving MMS messages between other Verizon users without a hitch. I was also able to send to a T-Mobile, but the audio clip in the MMS did not come through. A reply MMS sent from T-Mobile to the Q (on Verizon) never made it, either. This sounds like a potential carrier issue, though the lack of audio would appear to possibly be an issue with the Q itself. In any event, the MMS editor is reasonably full featured and easy to use. It allows for multiple slides per MMS, and even allows you to change the duration of each slide.
Email support for me was very good, but not perfect. The email system worked in general with both IMAP and POP connections and I was able to send and receive email without a hitch. There was a problem with IMAP folders, though, in that only one of the two folders on my account showed up. This same problem has been seen on other Windows Mobile devices I have tested. The Verizon Wireless Sync system is a bit obtuse in setup, but once I got everything ironed out it performed flawlessly. Wireless Sync Wireless Sync (ZOOM) Wireless Sync Wireless Sync (ZOOM) Wireless Sync Wireless Sync (ZOOM)
For those of you that prefer your messaging instant, the Q comes with built-in support for MSN Messenger in addition to the other MSN features like Hotmail and MSN Mobile Home.
Applications
The Motorola Q comes with the standard set of Windows Mobile applications. These include the Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, and Notes applications that emulate the functionality of Microsoft Outlook, as well as a "pocket" version of MSN. If you are a heavy Microsoft application user on your desktop PC, this is nice stuff to have on a phone. All of the applications perform their jobs admirably. Many other document types like Word an PDF files can be viewed with the built-in Picsel viewer.
In addition to the applications mentioned already, the Q also comes with other standard apps like a calculator, video recorder, voice recorder, and two games: Bubble Breaker and Solitaire. There is also a file explorer that helps you find and organize your files on both the built-in storage and any miniSD memory card that you might be using.
One of the nice things about Windows Mobile 5.0 devices is the wide assortment of 3rd party applications that can be freely downloaded or purchased. As such, there is a very good chance that if the Q doesn't have the app you want already, you will be able to find it. Motorola supplied us with some examples, such as NewsBreak, a great mobile RSS news reader, and Fizz Traveller, an awesome app for keeping on top of weather and currency exchange rates in multiple cities.
One thing lacking out of the box, however, is support for Java. JAR and associated JAD files run from the File Explorer application earn the Q user the request that they first run the associated application before trying to load these files. Since there is no Midlet Manager on the Q, such applications simply can not be run.
Conclusion
I adore the Motorola Q, even with its somewhat limited battery life and few random blemishes. In fact, this is the first non-camera oriented device that I have wanted to use as my day to day phone in a very, very long time. It is that good. With a bit more polish and a few updates to the OS (in addition to that heavy duty battery), this device will be truly fantastic.
The Motorola Q has a lot of competitors out there that are equally capable, like the Palm Treo 700p and 700w, and the 8700 series of RIM BlackBerry devices, to name but a few, but I think that the Q's RAZR inspired good looks and relatively low purchase price ($199 with 2yr EV-DO agreement on Verizon) will make it a very hot seller that is going to put a lot of pressure on the other players. It may not be as big for Moto as the RAZR series, but I think this one is going to make them proud. I give it a "Highly Recommended" rating.
You'll find more Motorola Q screen shots and sample photos on the following pages.
Type Private Founded April 1994 Location London, United Kingdom Parent France Télécom (public) Website www.orange.com
Orange SA is a major mobile phone operator. It owns networks in many parts of the world, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (see Orange UK), Switzerland, the Dominican Republic, Poland (see Orange Polska), Slovakia (see Orange Slovensko), Romania (see Orange Romania), Moldova (see Voxtel), Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Botswana, Madagascar, Réunion and on Martinique, French Guiana, St Kitts in the Caribbean and Spain. It also franchises the Orange Brand in Israel and franchised it in Australia, India and Hong Kong in the past. It had a joint venture with Charoen Pokphand in Thailand until 2005.
History
Microtel Communications Ltd was formed in April 1990 as a consortium comprimising British Aerospace, BOC and Hutchison Whampoa (British Aerospace soon acquired full control of the company). In 1991 Microtel was awarded a license to develop a mobile network in the UK and in July 1991 was acquired from BAe by Hutchinson Telecommunications (UK) Ltd. BAe was paid in Hutchinson Telecommunications (UK) Ltd. shares, giving the company a 30% share. Microtel was renamed Orange Personal Communications Services Ltd. in 1994. The orange brand was created by Wolff Olins, and advertising agency WCRS. The Orange network was launched on 28 April 1994.
Orange plc was formed in 1995 as a holding company for the Orange group. The present company was formed by France Télécom in 2001 after acquiring Orange plc (which had been acquired by Mannesmann AG, itself purchased by Vodafone shortly after, leading Vodafone to divest Orange) and merging its existing mobile operations into the company. The company was initially 85% owned by France Télécom, but in 2003 the remaining 15% was purchased. [edit]
Number of users
* April 2006: 147 million
[edit]
Recent changes
In June 2005, France Télécom announced that its ISP Wanadoo and business service Equant will both be renamed Orange in 2006 to harmonize branding. [1] In July 2005, France Télécom announced its intention to acquire 80% of the Spanish mobile phone operator Amena, a deal that has been completed in November 2005. Amena will also rebrand to Orange with Wanadoo in Spain and Uni2, a fixed line provider, to complete a "triple play".
On the 1st February 2006, Hutchison Telecom announced it would withdraw the Orange brand name from Australia. The Orange network is now known as 3 CDMA. On May 9, 2006, it was announced that the 3 CDMA network will be shut down on August 9, 2006, after more than half the 3 CDMA customer base has migrated to the 3 network.
The Orange brand name has also now been removed from India. Orange Mumbai has now been rebranded to Hutch. The website simply states that "Orange is now Hutch in Mumbai" before redirecting to the Hutch website.
The Thai Orange network has been rebranded to True Move in 2006 after the pulling out of Orange SA from Thailand. [edit]
Operations within the Orange Group
Most operations in Orange SA are also branded Orange, but not all - the most significant exception being Mobistar in Belgium. The most recent conversion to the Orange brand to be announced was PTK Centertel in Poland, in September, 2005, formerly known as Idea. Unlike competitor Vodafone, which usually introduces its brand name gradually through dual branding, Orange has generally totally rebranded operations from one day to the next, as was the case with Idea.
To complicate matters further there is an Orange branded operation in Israel, but this sub-licence the brand from Orange SA, with the underlying operator being owned by another company (usually Hutchison Telecom, the brand's original owner).
Orange also belongs to the FreeMove mobile phone alliance. [edit]
See also
* Communications in Israel
[edit]
External links
* www.orange.com - Main Orange Group's site
* Orange networks: & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange UK & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Dominicana (Dominican Republic) & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange France & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Netherlands & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Israel (franchised brand) & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Poland & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Romania & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Slovakia & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Switzerland & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Botswana & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Cameroon & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Caribbean & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Ivory Coast & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Madagascar & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Reunion
* Orange-controlled or joint-controlled interests (non-Orange branded mobile operators) & nbsp; &n bsp; o One (Austria) & nbsp; &n bsp; o Mobistar-Orange Group (Belgium) & nbsp; &n bsp; o Mobinil (Egypt) & nbsp; &n bsp; o Voxtel (Moldova) & nbsp; &n bsp; o Amena (Spain)
* Other Orange websites & nbsp; &n bsp; o The Orange Studio Birmingham UK & nbsp; &n bsp; o Orange Partner - Orange Group's own developer/partner programme, enabling businesses worldwide to commercialise their applications on the Orange network.
Nokia Launches 6275 From Nokia Connection in Singapore
Live from Nokia Connection 2006 in Singapore today, Nokia introduced several new mid-range handsets. The standout from the pack was the 6275, with what can only be described as an incredible screen.
The tri-mode CDMA handset is fairly small and light, and includes features such as a 2.0 megapixel camera, and a very bright and clear 262k color QVGA display (which looked amazing in the handset that we tried). For storing media, the Nokia 6275 includes a microSD memory expansion slot, and also features an FM radio, and PictBridge photo printing capability.
The Nokia 6275 is expected to be shipped in Q4 this year in black, silver, and blue.
Live photos from Nokia Connection 2006 are available on the following page. Specifications for the Nokia 6275 Band CDMA 800/900MHz, AMPS 800MHz Data 1xRTT Size 109mm x 42.8mm x 17.2mm Weight 105g Battery Life 10 days standby time 4 hours talk time Main Display 262k color TFT LCD, QVGA (320x240 pixel) resolution Sub-Display N/A Camera Yes, 2.0 megapixel resolution Video Video capture/playback Messaging MMS/EMS/SMS Email Yes Bluetooth Yes Infrared No Java Yes MIDP v2.0 Polyphonics Yes Memory Unknown on board memory, microSD expansion slot Availability Q4 2006 Other BREW 3.4.1
FiOS is a fiber to the premises (FTTP) telecommunications service offered in the United States by Verizon. According to Verizon's Trademark (No. 3001081), FiOS is a Gaelic word for "knowledge". Verizon has attracted consumer and media attention in the area of broadband Internet access, as the first major U.S. carrier to offer such a service. Verizon is also developing a television service with its fiber optic lines, and is expected to become a major competition of local cable television companies over the next 10 years. It will compete with current Triple Play offers, where the local cable company offers broadband Internet access, digital cable, and VoIP telephone service. FiOS started as a pilot program in Keller, Texas, but is now expanding to other places.
Building for the future
Verizon has opted to invest heavily in a fiber infrastructure, betting that its competitors will shy away from such an expensive and risky investment. The strategy seems to hinge upon a higher quality, higher capability network, contrasting with lower prices offered by competitors.
Part of Verizon's strategy is to compete with cable television by partnering with content providers to provide content through its fiber optic service, available in limited areas since late 2005. [edit]
Service offering [edit]
Internet Access
There are three tiers of residential Internet service:
* 10 Mbit/s Downstream/2 Mbit/s Up Price: $34.95 or $39.95/month * 20 Mbit/s Downstream/5 Mbit/s Up Price: $44.95 or $49.95/month * 30 Mbit/s Downstream/5 Mbit/s Up Price: $179.95 or $199.95/month (Verizon offers this tier at $59.95 or $54.95 in some areas.)
Please note that monthly prices can be lower if one commits to a one-year contract. Furthermore, prices are lower if bundled with a Verizon calling package. Typically, a consumer with existing Verizon phone service will receive $5 off his or her monthly FiOS bill. Employees and retirees of Verizon companies who live in FiOS-qualified areas can receive the 15 Mbit/s downstream residential service for $39.95/month. [1]. Port 80 inbound is blocked; however, port 25 inbound and outbound seem to be open at this time. [2] [3]
Though not widely advertised, business service is available in some areas, with static IP addresses and no blocked ports. For example, the business version of the 15/down 2/up with 5 IP addresses is $99/month in Massachusetts.
Speed has recently been increased in the Tri-State Region where there is stiff competition. The new speeds bump the lower tier service to 10 Mbit/s Downstream/2 Mbit/s Up for the same $39.95/month, and the second tier to 20 Mbit/s Downstream/5 Mbit/s Up for $44.95/month.[1] [edit]
Television (FiOS TV)
Verizon is currently building a fiber-optic television service, and plans to make it available to several suburban areas in the near future. However, they first must receive legal permission (in the form of a franchise agreement), and must fight the pressure that local cable companies place on state and local governments to block Verizon's television service. On September 22, 2005, Verizon began taking orders for FiOS TV in Keller, Texas and in Herndon, Virginia on November 21, 2005 [4].
Service Tiers Include:
* Basic - includes 15 to 25 channels * Expanded Basic - includes 175 to 195 channels * La Conexión - Spanish-language package, includes 130 to 150 channels * Movie Package - 44 movie channels (Starz!, Showtime, Encore, TMC, Flix and Sundance) * Sports Package - More than a dozen sports channels including Fox College Sports, Outdoor Channel, Golf TV, and the NFL Network * Movie & Sports Package - All the channels from both the Sports and Movie Packages * Premium Channels - HBO and/or Cinemax * International Channels - Individually priced international channels including ART, TV Japan, RAI, and TV5 * Spanish Language Package - More than 20 channels of news, sports, and movie telenovelas in Spanish * On Demand library (with over 1000 Free programs) (not including movie channel subscriptions)
All service tiers beyond basic require a digital set-top box to receive the television signal and decode for display on the television set [edit]
Telephone
Verizon also offers analog plain-old telephone service, or POTS, over FiOS. The common model optical network terminal has 4 analog phone jacks. For residential installations, Verizon generally requires any existing analog phone lines to be "cut over" to FiOS. Note that this is a permanent modification: once converted to fiber, one can never again go back to DSL service as the copper line is made inactive (and in some cases removed). Verizon's justification for this is that installations cost them over $500 per home, and they do not want to make that investment twice. The pricing of POTS over FiOS is identical to POTS over traditional copper, no differences exist billing wise. The same packages and rates and deals are availble on FiOS POTS and copper wire POTS.
While FiOS phone service offers excellent audio quality compared to standard copper phone lines, customers should be aware that power outages may affect service availability. Unlike standard phone lines, the FiOS service depends on power at the customer premises. The FiOS backup battery will power the phone lines for 4-8 hours (reports vary). This may be an issue for sites that experience extended power outages that depend on analog phone lines for remote monitoring, alarm systems, and/or emergency calls. However, while running on the backup battery, the video stream and internet stream are disabled to conserve power for emergency dial tone use. [edit]
Technology
Verizon is constructing a passive optical network. Optical fiber extends from central offices to unpowered hubs, in which the fiber is optically split up to 32-ways.
The active components adhere to the ITU-T G.983 standard, also known as APON or BPON, which provides:
One model optical network terminal (ONT) being deployed by Verizon is the Tellabs 1600 series ONT [5]. This terminal provides up to 4 provisionable voice telephone ports, a 10/100 Ethernet interface for data traffic, and 1 coaxial connector for CATV services. This terminal is manufactured by Tellabs, Inc. [6] [edit]
Service areas [edit]
California
Currently available citywide
* Huntington Beach, California * Murrieta, California * Sun City, California * Malibu, California * Beaumont, California
Available in some parts of these cities
* Adelanto, California * Apple Valley, California * Camarillo, California * Chino Hills, California * Desert Hot Springs, California * Hermosa Beach, California * Indio, California * La Quinta, California * Lake Elsinore, California * Long Beach, California * Murrieta, California * Ontario, California * Palm Springs, California * Perris, California * Temecula, California * Redondo Beach, California * Victorville, California
[edit]
Connecticut
* Greenwich, Connecticut, August 2005
[edit]
Delaware
* Suburban areas of New Castle County, Delaware, deployment is under-way. It is already active in much of the county and many consumers have already switched from Verizon DSL due to the similarity in price for previous customers.
[edit]
Florida
* Suburban areas of Tampa. FiOS Video franchise rights approved by Temple Terrace. FIOS TV service became available in Florida on Dec. 6, 2005, and the city of Tampa approved FIOS video as 5/12/2006
Odessa, FL added -- April 2006
November 2005. Television expected June 2006.
* Areas of Sarasota, and Sarasota County are currently under devolpment. And Manatee County has been fully deployed with FiOS and FiOS TV. [April 2006]
* Fort Wayne, IN The majority of the city has been completed. The remaining portions should be done by summer of 2006.
[edit]
Maryland
* Most of Howard County, Maryland (Internet and FiOS TV), Montgomery County, Maryland (Internet only), and parts of Anne Arundel County, Maryland (Internet only) and Prince George's County, Maryland (Internet only). As of May 2006, Verizon fiber optic lines are being installed in Clarksville, MD near the intersection of MD-32 and MD-108, including along Great Star Drive and branching residential streets.
* Bedford, New Hampshire, February 2006 * Londonderry, New Hampshire, March 2006 * Salem, New Hampshire, Jan. 2006 * Plaistow, New Hampshire, Jan. 2006 * Newton, New Hampshire, Jan. 2006 * Danville, New Hampshire, Jan. 2006
[edit]
New Jersey
* Bergen County - Allendale, Alpine, Bergenfield, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Franklin Lakes, Garfield, Glen Rock, Hackensack, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Lodi, Mahwah, Midland Park, Montvale, New Milford, Northvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Oradell, Paramus, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ridgewood, River Vale, Rockleigh, Saddle River, South Hackensack, Teaneck, Tenafly, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Wallington, Washington Township, Westwood, Woodcliff Lake and Wyckoff * Burlington County - Evesham, Medford and Medford Lakes * Camden County - Audubon, Audubon Park, Barrington, Cherry Hill, Chesilhurst, Haddon, Haddon Heights, Haddonfield, Lawnside, Tavistock, Voorhees, Waterford and Widslow * Essex County - Maplewood, Montclair, South Orange and West Orange * Mercer County - East Windsor, Ewing, Hamilton, Hightstown, Hopewell Township, Lawrence, Pennington, City of Trenton, Washington Township and West Windsor * Middlesex County - Monroe Township, Piscataway Township, Plainsboro * Monmouth County - Asbury Park, Colts Neck, Eatontown, Englishtown, Fair Haven, Farmingdale, Freehold, Little Silver, Manalapan, Middletown, Millstone, Red Bank, Roosevelt, Rumson, Sea Bright, Shrewsbury Borough, and Tinton Falls * Morris County - Denville, Dover, Hanover, Harding, Long Hill, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township, Mine Hill, Montville, Morristown, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Randolph, Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township, Victory Gardens and Wharton * Somerset County- Bernards, Bernardsville, Bound Brook, Franklin, Manville, Somerville, South Bound Brook and Warren * Passaic County - Clifton and the City of Passaic
[edit]
New York
* Rockland County - New City, New York, Nanuet * Scarsdale, New York, and many surrounding towns complete. * Dobbs Ferry, New York pretty much complete across town. Ardsley, Irvington, Hastings available (served by same CO). * Staten Island, New York, available in 3 of the 4 CO areas: South, West, and New Dorp (North district is in the process of being implemented, but has not been turned up yet)
Some areas of Long Island, including Massapequa, Huntington, and Hempstead [7].
* Bayside, New York very limited avaiblitiy, became orderable may 2006 * Delmar (Albany county) * Liverpool, New York and surrounding areas in Onondaga County. * Roosevelt Island, New York (part of Manhattan), notably to The Octagon apartment complex.
* Bucks County, Pennsylvania - As of August 2005, available in Doylestown and Lower Makefield * Chester County, Pennsylvania - As of August 2005, available in many parts of the county as detailed in a Feb 2005 press release * Montgomery County, Pennsylvania - As of November 2005 should be available out of the Wayne CO per conversations with Verizon staff. * Delaware County, Pennsylvania - As of November 2005 should be available out of the Wayne CO per conversations with Verizon staff. * Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
[edit]
Rhode Island
In February 2006, Verizon applied for a cable television franchise to serve one of nine service areas in Rhode Island. The regulatory process is expected to take several months. Source: http://www.backchannelmedia.c...
* Warwick, Rhode Island FiOS Internet only * North Kingstown, Rhode Island FiOS Internet only
[edit]
Texas [edit]
Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex
* Flower Mound, Texas, Installation is complete. FiOS TV Available. * Keller, Texas, Installation is complete. FiOS TV available. * Rowlett, Texas, Installation is complete. FiOS TV available. * Wylie, Texas, Installation is complete. FiOS TV available. * Grapevine, Texas, Installation available in most areas. FiOS TV available. * Southlake, Texas, Installation available in most areas. FiOS TV available. * Lewisville, Texas, Installation available in some areas. FiOS TV available. * Carrollton, Texas, Installation available in some areas. * Coppell, Texas, Installation available in some areas. * Irving, Texas, Installation available in some areas. * Plano, Texas, Installation available in some areas. * Denton, Texas, Installation available in some areas.
[edit]
Virginia [edit]
Northern Virginia
* Leesburg, Virginia – and Ashburn’s Brambleton subdivision in Loudoun County * Falls Church, Virginia – Installation is (mostly) complete in the city of Falls Church, with deployment in the Falls Church mailing address partially completed and moving rapidly. * Fairfax County, Virginia – Much of Fairfax County is wired, with very rapid deployment. * Herndon, Virginia – Rapidly completing roll-out. FiOS TV available. * Reston, Virginia – FiOS Internet & FiOS TV availible. * Sterling, Virginia – Installation has begun in the Eastern part of Loudoun County. * Arlington, Virginia – Portions of Arlington offer voice and data FiOS services. Video franchise has been authorized, but service was not available as of mid-June 2006.
[edit]
Central Virginia
* Richmond, Virginia – Several neighborhoods have been upgraded to fiber and Verizon is taking orders for FiOS.
[edit]
Hampton Roads
* Newport News, Virginia – preparations are now being made to deploy in the Jefferson area. * Norfolk, Virginia – Prominent areas by the water have been deemed as fiber capable at this time. Installations have begun. * Virginia Beach, Virginia - FTTP is being installed in widespread areas around the city. Implementation began in the Great Neck area and has fanned out from there.
[edit]
Washington [edit]
Western Washington
* Snohomish County, Washington – Installation is underway in the Bothell/Mill Creek area of Snohomish county. * King County, Washington- Installation is underway in some Kirkland and Redmond neighborhoods.
[edit]
Notes
1. ^ BroadbandReports–Fi os Speeds Increased. (URL accessed 1 May 2006).
[edit]
External links
* Verizon FiOS & nbsp; &n bsp; o FiOS promotional document (PDF) - lists towns where fiber is being deployed & nbsp; &n bsp; o pamphlet new users receive (zipped PDF) - & nbsp; &n bsp; o FiOS TV Press Release * Broadband Reports FiOS Forum * Broadband Reports FiOS Map (powered by Google Maps) * FiOS Live An abundance of collected FiOS information * FiOSChat forums to talk about everything FiOS * Installing Verizon FIOS fiber-optic Internet service to my house - many pictures of the whole process * Various FiOS franchise agreements in PDF format at CableTV Forums * Long Live Fibre article in PC Magazine
List of cable, satellite and terrestrial specialty television providers Cable television: Adelphia | Bresnan | Bright House Networks | CableOne | Cable TV Hong Kong | Cablevision | Cablevision (Canada) | Canal Digital | Charter | Cogeco | Comcast | Cox | Eastlink | Foxtel | GCI | Insight | Kabel Deutschland | Knology | Mediacom | Midcontinent Communications | Millennium Digital Media | NTL | Neighbourhood Cable | now TV | Optus | Persona | RCN | Rogers | Service Electric | SkyCable | SelecTV | Shaw | Telewest | Saturn | Time Warner | TransACT | Verizon | Vidéotron | WOW! Internet Cable Phone | WightCable Satellite television: Astro | Austar | Bell ExpressVu | Canal Digital | CanalSat | Cyfra+ | DirecTV | Dish Network | DStv | Freesat | Freesat from Sky | FreeView (NZ) | Foxtel | GlobeCast World TV | Home2US | Sky Angel | Sky Digital | Sky Italia | Sky PerfecTV! | Sky TV (NZ) | StarChoice | STAR TV | Tata Sky | TPS | Viasat | Voom | WOWOW Terrestrial television: FreeView (NZ) | Freeview (UK) | Top Up TV | USDTV edit template Verizon Communications, Inc.
Corporate Directors: James Barker | Richard Carrión | Robert Lane | Sandra Moose | Joseph Neubauer | Thomas O'Brien | Hugh Price | Ivan Seidenberg | Walter Shipley | John R. Stafford | Robert Storey
Assets Holding Companies: Bell Atlantic | NYNEX | GTE | MCI | TELPRI Bell Operating Companies: Bell of Pennsylvania | C&P Telephone | Diamond State Telephone | New Jersey Bell | New England Telephone | New York Telephone GTE Operating Companies: Contel of the South | GTE California | GTE Florida | GTE North | GTE Northwest | GTE South | GTE Southwest TELPRI Operating Companies: Puerto Rico Telephone Company Wireless Services: Verizon Wireless Internet Services: Verizon Online DSL Directory Operations: Verizon Information Services
Categories: Cleanup from May 2006 | Verizon | Broadband | Cable television companies of the United States | Video on demand | Fiber optics | Internet service providers of the United States
Create, Share and Synchronize 100% OTA (Over The Air) Using your Windows Mobile devices
The best new mobile technology of 2006
allows you to create, synchronize and access lists on desktops and mobile devices. Now you can wirelessly access your most current version from any device.
Our patent-pending software allows you to share your lists wirelessly. You can give others access and permission to your lists so that everyone has the most recent lists, too.
* Real-time updates via wireless sync; no more cables! * Access your latest information anywhere, anytime...wirelessly * Independent or group work. List data is always merged into the latest version, and everyone is automatically updated
Product Features Organize Create simple interactive lists to improve your productivity and make your life easier. Collaborate Share lists with other Windows Mobile devices and desktops, and grant read and write access to the lists. Peer-to-Peer No servers required. Lists exist only on user devices and desktops and do not depend on a central server. Always Up To Date Always access the most current information. The most recent changes are always available on every desktop and mobile device. True Wireless Access your lists on the go from anywhere, anytime using any Windows Mobile-based device. Update lists and synchronize with desktops and other devices wirelessly. No cables required. Templates Why reinvent the wheel? List templates are available for everything from task lists to mileage and expense tracking. Just fill in the blanks. You can also create your own custom templates. Color Themes Choose from over 30 color themes to customize your own look. One is sure to please your eye or match your outfit. Safe & Secure Files are encrypted for storage and transmission. None of your list data is kept on a central or third-party server. Easy Installation With a single click, download and install List Manager onto your desktop and Windows Mobile-based device.
More Mobile TV TrialsHere in the UK they're trialling TV-over-DAB. Currently DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) is becoming widespread with increased quality and choice, however a new L-Band spectrum should allow relatively cheap mobile TV and multimedia applications alongside the existing radio services. T-DMB (Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) and DAB-IP (Internet Protocol over DAB) will be tested out in London over six months with a range of channels from BBC, ITV, Cartoon Network etc.
UK and Korean partners are working together in the trial and include the BBC, BT Movio, and Virgin Mobile who showed us their mobile TV handset back in February running on DAB-IP.
BOGOTA, Colombia -- A hiker is stranded in South America's Andes mountains when a blizzard begins. He reaches into his backpack for his cell phone -- only to find his prepaid minutes are up.
The Colombian mountaineer slowly begins freezing to death, surviving for 24 hours with his only warmth coming from carefully measured doses of brandy. Then suddenly, at above 12,500 feet, Leonardo Diaz hears a familiar ring.
Out of nowhere, a phone company solicitor is calling on his cell phone, asking if he would like to buy more time.
"We called him to remind him that his cell phone was out of minutes. He said it was the work of an angel, because he was lost in the (Andes)," said Maria del Pilar Basto, the BellSouth operator who called Leonardo.
Basto called for help, and she and other operators kept ringing Leonardo to keep him awake and help ward off hypothermia. He was able to keep talking to her until rescue teams arrived seven hours later -- with the frigid temperatures acting as a natural recharger for his cell phone batteries.
"I remembered that when I was a boy I put batteries in the freezer," Diaz said in a newspaper interview describing his late May adventure. "So, I took off (the dead) battery and flung it into the snow. After half an hour, it was working again."
Diaz was not answering his cell phone on Thursday.
Triband phone Camera: 1.3-megapixel Display: 262,000 colours (176 x 220pixels) Messaging: SMS, MMS, e-mail Connectivity: Bluetooth, GPRS Phone memory: 80MB Battery: Lithium-ion Standby/talk time: 200/3 hours Other features: MP3 player, Java applications, video playback Weight: 94g Dimensions (w x d x h): 101 x 46 x 15.9mm Price: RM1,099 Review unit courtesy of Samsung Malaysia (03) 2263-6600.
Fans of slim phones will definitely find something to like about the Samsung SGH-D520.
Although it may be a bit thicker than what it is pictured on the box and promotional materials, this phone slides easily into any pocket without any noticeable bulge and is such a space saver especially for small tote bags.
Apart from its size, the phone also looks pretty and has some functions to shout about to boot.
Music to your ears
First on my list of impressive features will be the D520’s superior audio quality. If you’re looking for a music phone, the D520 should be among your list of candidates.
SGH D520 Granted the music player functionality does not work independently from the phone like Sony Ericsson Walkman phones, but it does make a great companion during those long hours on public transportation.
There’s even a choice to listen to music through the phone’s earpiece or stereo Bluetooth earphones. Both work great.
And because the sound quality is so good, you can trust the D520 to wake you up in the morning. It works far better than those squeaky little things that call themselves alarm clocks, IMHO.
However, music lovers may find it sad to know that the D520 only has 80MB of internal memory, which cannot be expanded.
This memory is shared between video, pictures and audio files so don’t expect to fit your entire CD collection onto the phone.
It is indeed a waste to have a phone with great sound quality but limited internal memory.
Long life
The phone has excellent battery life as it can last for five days when the phone is used for calls and text messaging. It lasts about three days when you use its music player and camera functions.
Speaking of cameras, the one on this phone is quite exceptional. You can adjust the exposure settings to take better pictures and if you’re feeling creative, you can even add attractive frames to your shots.
The D520’s user interface is fairly user-friendly and menus can be accessed using the four-way navigational key.
It doesn’t take that long to get used to the phone’s user interface as it is almost similar to other brands in the market.
The space key for text messaging, for example, is on both the “0” key and the “#” key – which is the same on Nokia and Sony Ericsson phones.
The downside
Although the phone is generally a good performer, it does have its own fair share of faults.
Firstly it is too thin and light for its own good so you can easily misplace or lose track of it.
It is also difficult to write text messages with one hand on this phone – it is difficult to grasp properly as it is so slim and there’s always a risk of it slipping off your hand in the middle of typing.
Despite its overall user-friendliness, the D520’s SMS function is not all that intuitive.
When punctuation marks such as apostrophes or colons need to be added, users have to press the “#” key for a few seconds. A menu with all the punctuation marks will then appear.
Another annoying thing is that any letter after an apostrophe will appear in upper case when multi-tap text input is used.
If those hiccups do not bother you, however, the D520 is a decent phone to have given its stylish design and great sound quality.
Pros: Amazing sound quality; good battery life Cons: SMS implementation could be better; limited built-in memory.
Kingston Introduces 8-GB CompactFlash Elite Pro Card
Fountain Valley, CA – Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, announced it is expanding its line of CompactFlash Elite Pro cards with the addition of a new 8-GB card. The card is an ideal storage choice for studio, catalog and portrait photographers who need to produce large files for catalog reproduction and other commercial purposes.
The addition of the 8-GB CompactFlash Elite Pro card completes one of the most comprehensive lines of Flash memory card solutions in the industry — including 512 MB, 1-GB, 2-GB and 4-GB CompactFlash cards. Kingston’s Elite Pro line meets the increased demands of today’s professional photographers by delivering reliability and dependability and providing a memory solution to suit their specific capacity needs.
“Photographers have learned to rely on Kingston Flash memory to deliver dependable and consistent results with capacities that fit their needs,” said Mark Leathem, Flash business development manager, Kingstonâ. “The new 8-GB CF Elite Pro card will allow photographers to capture more images on a single card and better manage their workflow.”
The new 8-GB card enhances the performance of power-hungry imaging applications used by both advanced amateur and professional photographers. When used in conjunction with matching high-performance digital devices, Kingston’s entire line of CF Elite Pro cards provides ultra-fast transfer times with read speeds up to 8 MB/sec. and write speeds up to 6.75 MB/sec.
Kingston’s 8-GB Type I CompactFlash Elite Pro card (part number: CF/8GB-S) has a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $399.99*. All Kingston CompactFlash products come with a lifetime warranty and free technical support. For more information on Kingston’s complete Flash Memory product line, visit http://www.kingston.com/flash...
* PDA * USB-cable for synchronization * Cradle * Carrying case * CD with the software
Review Dell Axim X50v>>> Comparison of Hi-End Pocket PC PDA>>> Review Windows Mobile 5.0>>>
Dell is living through tough times in its history. Since last year capitalization had dropped by more than 40%, because of relatively low sales growth of PC (the basis of Dell’s business). In this conditions Dell’s management has to undertake unusual steps. Well, recently Dell has announced the cooperation with AMD, the fact encouraged Dell shares at once. This was just the first step. The company sees the traditional PDA market as an optional direction, not a priority. Handheld computers by Dell can be developed under several scenarios. The first scenario – the company sees no prospects on the PDA market and leaves it to spare costs. As a matter of fact, in April there were heated discussions and rumors in the Internet about Dell leaving the PDA market (discussions were activated by the message from pdalive.com). The second scenario – the company switches to communicators and smartphones from traditional PDAs. We think this is more realistic scenario in conditions when the management undertakes great steps to restore capitalization. The third scenario – the company keeps on releasing traditional PDAs. This is the least possible way, we think. Remember, the model line hasn’t been updated more than 1.5 years (Dell Axim X50 was released in October 2004). Today we tell you about the device, which is an update of the old handheld, but not a complete substitute.
Before we pass to the review, we’d mark distinctive features of the new model. Design and appearance haven’t been changed, except for new “1” on the shell. As for the hardware, Dell X51v is equipped with a new flash-memory module with twice as much capacity. Main changes concern software: new Windows Mobile version, replaced Bluetooth drivers. That’s all for the changes. As Dell X50v and Dell X51v are almost the twins, we resume many parts of the Dell X50v review.
Dell started its history on the PDA market with the model Dell Axim X5, which became the bestseller due to the low price and acceptable functionality, even despite of the large size of the device. In many respects this very model made many PDA makers to lower prices. Then there appear a single-slot wireless solution Dell Axim X3, later on - Dell Axim X30. They also played the role in the pricing, however a less significant one compared with Dell Axim X5.
When Pocket PC with VGA-screens came to the market, the prices for Hi-End Pocket PC soared by $150-200. It seemed that the prices of the past came back. With the appearance of the X50 Dell hit prices on Pocket PC making other manufacturers adjust their offer. As the price dumping was limited by the US market, vendors lowered prices though, but slightly and very slowly. In Europe main competitive devices were offered at comparable prices.
Before the market entrance Dell had been looking long for a contractor, which could make large amount of PDA at ultra low costs. Eventually they found the Taiwanese company Wistron. Later Dell refused Wistron services, Dell X50/X1 are produced by the other company, the Taiwanese HTC.
Currently the situation is the same, almost all “top” Pocket PC models are made by HTC (except for Acer n300).
The Dell Axim X51 series consists of three handhelds. The X51v; Dell X51 520 MHz –with a QVGA-LCD, lower clock rate, lower price, less internal memory size; Dell X51 416 MHz – more lower price, lower clock rate, the lack of the Wi-Fi module. The mid and junior modifications belong to mid-range class, they rival with HP iPaq hx2000 series, this is the only direct competitor. These models will be interesting for those who need PDA functionality and do not care much about screen resolution and Wi-Fi module.
The design of the handheld is good looking, the shell is streamline and smooth, with rounded edges and corners, it resembles HP iPaq 4150. The shell combines many colors and materials. The back panel smoothly spilling over into the side ends is made of uneven black plastic, which is pleasant to touch. Due to the material involved and rounded edges the devices fits the hand, it doesn’t slide, the assembly quality is high, there is no backlash. The panels above and below the screen are made of glossy black plastic, they become stained with fingerprints, but not very much. The canting of the front panel is smooth silver plastic. In all, the ergonomics is at high level, it’s pleasant to work with the device. Taking into account ergonomics and design we consider Dell X51v the best model by Dell and one of the best Pocket PCs, it has dimensions comparable with Acer n311 (among VGA Pocket PCs only):
* Toshiba e800/e830: 134.6x76.2x15.2 mm, 192 g * HP iPaq 4700: 131x77x14.9 mm, 186.7 g * FS Pocket LOOX 720: 122x72x15.2 mm, 170 g * Asus A730: 117.5x72.8x16.9 mm, 170 g * Dell X50v: 119x73x16.9 mm, 175 g * HP iPaq 4150: 113.6x70.6x13.5 mm, 133 g * Acer n311: 110x70x13.7 mm, 135 g
We started our tests and noticed at once the first shortcoming - with the joystick and application buttons. They have no delay when pressed like in FS Pocket LOOX 720 (this problem in the LOOX was solved by an exterior utility), but they are too small, so they aren’t good while playing arcade games, which involve application buttons. If you place your thumb at the joystick and the other thumb at the button nearby, they will catch each other and interfere, besides you can accidentally push the action button located in the middle of the joystick. However you can get accustomed to it. Naturally I had no problems with the control buttons in ordinary applications.
On the left there are a hole for the wrist strap, a hold slider to block buttons, a voice recorder button and a Wi-Fi button. You can reassign all the buttons, however just for a single action or application, strange, with standard means it’s impossible to program several functions for a button (only with exterior utilities).
On the top you find two expansion slots, IrDA port, standard audio jack (with a wire or wireless headset it’s possible to use the PDA as the IP-phone). The sound in the headphones turned to be not that loud as in HP iPaq hx4700, subjectively it’s a little bit worse, more flat, however you can level it out with some equalizer settings.
Above the screen a power button is located, it also serves as a battery indicator (constantly glowing orange when the battery is almost drained out). To the top right is a wireless networking indicator. To the left – a microphone (a hole with the microphone icon). The recording quality of the microphone is average, worse than in FS Pocket LOOX 720, but comparable with Asus A730.
At the bottom there is only a synchronization connector, so you can plug a docking station or a synchronization cable. There are two ways to charge the device: directly or via the docking station, that’s become standard. The back panel hides the battery compartment and the reset button.
Some words about the cradle, it’s an ordinary one, black color, nothing special. However it has a slot to charge a spare battery.
Like almost all new handhelds this PDA lacks the camera. We can assert the built-in camera proved to be unviable in PDA. Screen
New “top” Pocket PC models stand out with 640x480 pixel screens. As it was forecasted handheld computers with such screens become gradually common feature. In quality the screen of Dell X50v is comparable with that of Acer n311, Asus A730. The diagonal is 3.7” long (56x75 mm). There is no wonder, both of them are produced by Sharp under CG-Silicon technology. As for viewing angles, color rendering the Dell screen loses to FS Pocket LOOX C550/N560, HP iPaq hx4700. The lowest backlight level is sufficient to work with the handheld in the dark, however it lags behind HP iPaq hx4700 greatly. The screen displays 65K colors. In all, the quality of the screen is at a good average level. Battery life
The PDA carries a Li-Ion 1100 mAh battery onboard. This is the minimal figure compared to the rivals. Remember that Dell X50v suffered from short battery life. Due to new memory organization in Windows Mobile 5.0 battery life has increased and doesn’t seem a serious flaw against its competitors.
Under the maximum load (the highest backlight level and clock rate, video playback) the PDA worked for 1 hour 55 minutes. In the read mode (the second backlight level, the lowest clock rate) Dell X51v lasted for 10 hours 10 minutes. In the MP3-player mode (the screen off, the lowest clock rate, playback from the storage card) the device was good for 9 hours 25 minutes, much longer compared to Dell X50v. It’s possible to double battery life, if you buy an extra battery capacious of 2200 mAh. I’d note there are batteries with even higher capacity.
I’d also mark a good optimization for Wi-Fi work – after 3 hours of listening to the Internet-radio connected via a hot spot (the screen off, the lowest clock rate) the battery drained to 50%. Interface
Top Pocket PC models feature the following: a dual extension slot – Compact Flash Type II and SD/MMC (SDIO), two wireless adapters – Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a VGA-screen. Gradually the above-mentioned wireless adapters have become typical not only for top models, but also for mid-range and low-end handhelds. Step by step we pay less attention to them, as they become the integral part like the infrared port (though there appear models without an infrared port). You might have noticed we haven’t mentioned GPS- and 3G/GSM-modules, with them a PDA belongs to another category.
The situation with extension slots is more difficult. All handheld computers can be divided into single slot (respectively small dimensions, a single SD/MMC slot) and dual slot (larger dimensions, SD/MMC and CF slots) devices. Before the appearance of Acer n311 high-end Pocket PCs have belonged to the dual slot category.
What kind of peculiarities we can face with dealing with interfaces, and should we focus on them? We’ll try to find out it in brief.
Compact Flash Type II. Customary it is marked CF. Frankly speaking CF slot has two options – either there is one or there is none. Dell Axim X5 had the problem – its slot was too deep inside, so some CF peripherals simply didn’t reach the contacts. Dell X50v/ X51v don’t suffer from it. Officially Dell X50v/X51v don’t support Microdrive cards (with the voltage – 3.3v, instead of 5v required by the hard disk drive), but they still do work. However there are some problems (they work slowly and not always). Usually CF slot is the criterion to buy in the following cases: cheap memory of large size, a digital camera with CF slot, the need to copy large-size info from one card to another, rarely – the need of the simultaneous use of CF slot for peripherals and SD for memory (for example, for GPS).
Secure Digital/ MultiMedia Card (SD/MMC). For a long time there have been 4GB cards of this format on the market, and soon we’ll see 8GB cards. The slot supports SDIO (SD Input/Out), i.e. you can plug peripheral devices. Dell X50v comes with SDIO support, but I think the slot is located too deep inside. This means there might be problems like in Dell X5 with CF slot – some peripherals won’t access the contacts, however we didn’t face with this problem. In all, following the appearance of larger-size SD cards, price cuts and emergence of non-expensive SDIO-equipment, CF slot will be less popular. Many Pocket PC users postpone the purchase of a new VGA PDA expecting a single-slot handheld with smaller dimensions.
USB, Serial. Theoretically all new PDA support USB-host (the opportunity to plug other devices, for example, a keyboard or a HDD-USB drive) at the plate level (processor, graphical accelerator), but not all models have a host led to the connector contacts. In this aspect Dell X51v doesn’t support USB-host, but it can be charged via USB (when the PDA is off) like other VGA Pocket PC (Asus A730, HP iPaq hx4700). New Dell model supports TTL Serial (not complete RS232). With Card Export II program you can use the handheld as a card-reader, copy files without installing Active Sync.
IrDA. An infrared port can differ in speed: Slow Infrared (SIR, 115 kbps), Fast Infrared (FIR, 4 mbps). There is also Consumer Infrared (CIR) that features long distance effect, it can control remotely home appliances. We won't go into details, just tell you that there is no PDA with full CIR support, only SIR or FIR with different signal power. That's why you can use them as a remote control, the maximum active distance varies from 20-30 cm to 10 m depending on the chip. The Dell handheld works at some 4-5 m distance as a remote control. The IrDA window is conveniently located to operate home appliances.
Bluetooth. The devices supporting Bluetooth 2.0 standard are already available, however we still have to be satisfied with Bluetooth 1.1 and Bluetooth 1.2 in the PDA. As for the software for Bluetooth, the manufacturer has two ways. It can license Broadcom software or use Bluetooth support integrated into WM 5.0. Alas, manufacturers gradually switch from Broadcom drivers to built-in stack, which affects functionality. Unlike Dell X50v Dell X51v has built-in drivers. I’d note that some skilled specialists adjusted Broadcom stack to Dell X51v, which works not bad, however such modifications aren’t official or legal.
Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b). Dell X51v supports 802.11b standard. At the moment PDAs supporting g version are already available. Don’t treat it as a shortcoming. Is there the need for such speed? – The matter is being discussed, but manufacturers gradually cut production of b chipsets shifting to g ones (this relates first of to the hot spots, different adapters for PC and notebooks). Thus, sooner or later PDAs will be switched to g, as it is dually compatible with b. Dell X51v has good sensitivity of a Wi-Fi signal, and it supports Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security standard, which is considered to be safe compared to vulnerable WEP standard. You can use the handheld as the IP-phone talking on it by wire (the standard 2.5 mm headset with the 2.5-3.5 mm adapter, not included in the standard kit) or wireless means.
With additional adapter (it costs about $50) it’s possible to display the picture on an external LCD and a 1024x768 pixels projector. The Presentation Bundle also contains ClearVue package еще view PDF documents and MS Office files. It’s a great advantage, if you want to make mobile presentations.
Well, we’ve done with the story about interfaces. Specs, productivity
There is 49.47 MB RAM available to the user (against 61.78 MB in Dell X50v). That’s enough to cope with almost any task for PDA. You should install programs to the storage card or to flash-memory, 195 MB of which is available to the user. Larger built-in flash memory size is one of the main distinctions in the new PDA.
The CPU is Intel XScale PXA270 624 MHz processor, the same as in HP iPaq hx4700 (FS and Asus have other modification - PXA272 with the highest standard clock rate - 520 MHz). The PXA270 processor differs from the PXA272 in higher clock rate and it lacks Intel StrataFlash.
We’ll talk in details about productivity in our comparative review of Hi-End Pocket PC. Here let’s speak about built-in accelerator 2700G. Dell X50v was the first handheld with the integrated accelerator 2700G, it seemed to become the mass one. However that didn’t happen. Till now this accelerator is built in only in the X50v/X51v among PDAs.
Since the beginning this graphical accelerator had a difficult destiny – the Dell model showed minimum performance in synthetic tests. In non-optimized video players too (till the release of the handheld) the situation wasn’t better. Naturally everybody was surprised and disappointed.
Well, to the scene comes Intel, which explains results by synthetic test packages (see the full test here). The essence is that, currently applications (including graphical test packages) and games do not use high-level API (Application programming interface) such as GDI , OpenGL ES and Direct3D Mobile, so you have to optimize applications to a certain hardware (ATI Imageon, Intel 2700G). That means, soon before the switch to high-level API applications and games will be divided into two camps: one will support graphical accelerators and the other won't. This process is familiar to the computer industry, remember first graphical accelerators for PC, when games were specially adapted to 3Dfx. The same way will follow handheld computers, probably the process will take less time, but not an instant. Alas, though the process went on, the general situation hasn’t changed much.
Three games optimized to Intel 2700G, optionally supplied with Dell X51v. The impression was like the first meeting with 3Dfx many years ago: quick, beautiful, uncustomary. Even the graphics level is almost the same, as long ago with 3D acceleration on home PC.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. It’s the port of the popular 3D game about skateboarding.
Stuntcar Extreme. It’s an extreme 3D race. Along with graphics the game stands out for the multi-player support via Wi-Fi. You can operate your car with the joystick and the touch-screen.
Enigmo. This is a pseudo 3D nice quiz in the style if the old The Incredible Machine. Using different tools you have to deliver jumping balls from one vessel to another. It’s possible to build custom levels. The game is nice and fascinating.
Beside these 3 games there aren’t many games optimized to 2700G: optimized PocketSNES emulator (the way to plenty of SNES games), 3D Chopper Fight, GeoRally EX, Quake Mobile 1.2, Quake 3, space shooter Solterra. That’s all, I hope I haven’t missed anything. We can add Cube too, but this is a 3D engine, not a full featured game.
Hardware acceleration is supported by 2 program video players.
TCPMP. The best media player has got the support of Intel 2700G almost right after the release of Dell X50v. It revealed its potential at once, outpacing in speed ATI accelerator integrated to HP iPaq hx4700, which used to be the leader with video playback speed. To say the truth, the speed higher than 120% at the heaviest clip is excessive. The major advantage isn’t related to video processing speed (CPU without the graphical accelerator can ensure the normal video playback), but to the fact that it’s possible to lower CPU speed by shifting video decoding to the graphical accelerator and thus increase battery life of the device.
Hardware video decoding also supports Windows Media Player 10.
2700G accelerator won’t become the standard and soon be replaced by the new generation of accelerators. It turns out that we have the minimal set of adjusted games, they are good to demonstrate opportunities. The users oriented at video and games will choose better Sony PSP than the Dell handheld. Software
The PDA is powered by Windows Mobile 5.0. You can read about it in the respective review on our site. Remember, the main changes in the new OS are focused on better work of Windows Mobile communicators, there are little improvements for an ordinary PDA – new organization of memory (the data won’t be lost at the strong discharge), improved Mobile Office. The set of preinstalled programs remained the same, the poor one. Impression
Dell X51v is an update of the previous model. Main changes are double flash-memory capacity, new Windows Mobile version, replaced Bluetooth drivers. Positively, battery life got longer due to new memory organization in WM 5.0. In other aspects we have the familiar Dell X50v.
This time Dell hasn’t initiated a price revolution, the device costs $500 without discount in the US. The situation is witness in Europe, the current price in Moscow varies from $470 to $500. Taking into account the price/quality ratio Acer n311 looks more attractive, you’d better choose the Dell model, if you need high productivity in video and games and work with Wi-Fi much.
Earlier we highlighted short battery life as the main shortcoming, and now it is the high price ($500 greatly exceeds the price of Acer n311 and the new HP iPaq hx4700).
Review Dell Axim X50v>>> Comparison of Hi-End Pocket PC PDA>>> Review Windows Mobile 5.0>>>
We are thankful to DiFo for the equipment provided for tests. Description:
* Class: Hi-End; * Position in the line: above Dell Axim X50v; * Rival modes: Acer n311, FS Pocket LOOX C550; * Operating system: Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC; * Processor: Intel XScale PXA270 624 MHz; * Graphical accelerator: Intel 2700G; * RAM: 64 MB (49.47 MB available to the user); * ROM (to store files and settings): 195.01 MB; * Connectivity: SD/MMC-slot (SDIO), Compact Flash Type II, IrDA (Consumer infrared? SIR), Bluetooth 1.2, IEEE802.11b (Wi-Fi, chip maker – Texas Instruments), USB for synchronization; * LCD: 3.7” (active zone: 56x75 mm), 640x480 pixels, 65K colors; * Battery: removable Li-Ion, 1100 mAh; * Dimensions: 119x73x16.9 mm; * Weight: 175 g.
On the face of it, Samsung X670 is a reasonably priced handset with an internal antenna, two color displays, VGA camera module, FM radio and MP3 support packed in clamshell form-factor. And should you think this model is “just another faceless gadget” made by Samsung, you would be mistaken, as the developers have also embedded Bluetooth and EDGE connectivity on top of the mentioned capabilities.
The design, though, meets you with already familiar curves and forms, which are so common for Samsung branded devices. The handset comes in white only – the surface is glossy to the touch and won’t get soiled or scratched right after few interactions. The assembling quality is also a major attraction of the device – the casing shows off high-grade plastic, while all details are well-adjusted featuring no gaps or wobbly parts.
Thanks to its very portable dimensions (87х44х21.1 mm, weight 80 grams), the handset slips in almost any pocket. Compared to it rivals, the device nicely fits in palm, allowing you to unfold it single handedly, a small deepening along the upper half will help you in this.
The audio jack intended for plugging in wired headset is located on the left side and covered with a plastic shutter. The volume rocker key is positioned more toward the middle, which is not very handy – when grasping the handset you finger it more likely to hit the audio jack rather than the volume control. Thus, in order to adjust volume level pretty fast, you will need to play with the phone around for some time.
The right side lacks any control elements but camera shortcut button. The upper rim holds strap slot, while the bottom one houses interface port, sealed up with a plastic stub, fastened to the casing.
The upper half features lens of the built-in camera, which is placed pretty deep in the casing. A UFB display locates right beneath the camera module, and features a resolution of 96х96 pixels (19x19 mm), while reflects up to 65 K colors. I would rate this screen as a capable one, which fades in the sun, but just a little, so the information on it can still be read. When in standby mode, the display does not get wiped, and shows watches, yet there are somewhat hard to notice.
By unfolding the device, you uncover a moderate sized UFB display with 128x160 pixels resolution (28x35 mm), capable of showing up to 65 K colors. The quality of this internal screen is also on high levels, which is no wonder, since it performs almost in the same way the external display does.
The keypad is quite handy, having a four-way navigation key which incorporates sizable “OK” button. All in all, the buttons are considerable in size, so the experience is mostly positive even in light of the fact are positioned right up to each other.
The numeric buttons are large as well and laid out in the same compact way. On the whole the keypad will work fine even for people with big fingers – basically random presses are very uncommon. The keys are lit in bright white, so combined with even spreading of backlighting over the surface, this provides very good level of distinction in any lighting conditions.
Almost the entire back cover of the handset is occupied with a 800 mAh capable Li-Ion battery, firmly fastened to the shell, even a bit over the needed level, since one will require certain skills to remove it. In conditions of Moscow networks lasted for 3 days in average at 20-25 minutes of talk time and 15 minutes of other capabilities usage. As we increased load by turning on the radio for 2 hours and using additional functions more intensively, the life time respectively went down to 2 days. Full recharge time is close to 2 hours. Menu
The main menu is presented in a 3x3 matrix. A portrayal of menu's icons is good, icons are animated. Submenus are presented as vertical lists. There is fast navigation with the help of number sequences.
You can assign fast aссess to various menu items from standby screen to the navi key press. That’s not all, just like in Samsung E360, there’s an Extra Shortcuts function. It works in the phone number window input and allows accessing quick access to four main functions of a handset: messages, alarm clock, unit converter and organizer. This function is simple to use: you just type numbers, 0800 for example and press navigation key up, this will allow you to access alarm clock settings, which will be set for 08:00 AM. If you enter a phone number and press left, you will access messages menu, and once you enter text – you will see that recipient’s address has been filled already. Same goes for converter and organizer. At first it may seem useless, but after you spend a while with one, you will see that it’s quite handy.
There are 22mb of memory which is spread dynamically among applications.
Phonebook is accessed only by pressing the right functional key in the standby mode, otherwise through the main menu. The phone memory can keep about 1000 numbers. Any number of phone numbers (you can select even its type - mobile, work, home) and e-mail addresses (up to 50 characters) can be assigned to each user. Besides this each contact may be associated with a picture or a photo, and also with a melody of a ring tone. You may add a contact to one of ten callers group.
The device has five contact groups, each of them can be renamed (20 symbols maximum), assigned to an image or a shot and also a personal ring tone.
Contact search letter by letter is carried out. Both data from the internal memory and SIM-one is represented. Fast dialing for 8 numbers is present. Once you select a contact and press OK – you will find yourself in this user’s vCard. Besides numbers and other information, small thumbnail of photo if one is assigned will be shown too. There’s quick dial function, up to 8 numbers.
In case of incoming call you will see a photo or image, which was assigned to contact, it will be displayed on external and internal displays. Photo looks small on both screens and is displayed in the center. The way how this function is presented reminds me of one in Nokia phones a lot.
Messaging. About 200 messages can be kept in the phone's memory. Since this handset supports EMS standard, it provides a preset of small pictures, animations and melodies. Besides, you will find a set of emotion icons, which will be suitable if a recipient's phone has no EMS support. You can also create about 10 own templates. Besides, you are allowed to attach calendar events, contacts from the phonebook and wap-links. Predictive text input T9 is supported. When in typing mode, font size (small, medium, large) and style can be adjusted to your liking. Multi-messaging to 20 numbers at once is also on-board.
MMS editor is plain and clear, for your comfort special pictures are kept besides explicative tips. The maximum size of an outgoing message cannot exceed 95 KB.
E-Mail client. POP3/SMTP boxes and several accounts are supported. Besides the title downloading, the phone can receive the letter itself. As for attachments, only the graphic files (GIF, JPEG) are supported. When sending a letter, you can attach a picture from the integrated camera to it, as well as any other file like video clip, mp3 ring tone etc. Attachment cannot exceed 300kb. Maximal size of mail cannot exceed 1000 characters.
Call list. Standard lists (up to 30 numbers in each) of incoming, outgoing and missed calls are stored here. Calls from the same numbers are not summarized, but shown separately. Pressing a name/number, you see the number itself, date and time of call. Call counters are exactly here.
Organizer. You can store up to 400 events in the phone, there can be four types of those: “meeting”, “event”, “anniversary” , “other”. For each entry you set up time, date and when it ends. You can setup ring tone, interval in which it will be activated, events can be recurrent. For “tasks” you can also set priority (high, normal, low).
Calendar view in monthly and weekly modes can be used, each type of events has its own color, everything looks simple and convenient. You can also see all entries for one day.
Multimedia. This section homes folders with shots, pictures and sounds. Basically this is simplified file-manager.
Applications. Java World. Up to 2048kb of memory are available in the phone for various programs. MIDP 2.0 version allows the use of the graphic rich and three-dimensional games. There are three games preinstalled in the phone - Forgotten Warrior - arcade, Freekick – football sim, ArchAngel - arcade. Additional Java applications can be installed only via WAP, size of jar-file cannot exceed 350kb.
Dictaphone. Can work only in minimized mode, you cannot record a phone call. You can limit length of recording (30 seconds, 1 minute or 1 hour), and also enter file name.
Alarm clock. The phone is equipped with three alarm clocks. Each can be setup for activation during selected weekdays, daily or single time. Custom ring tone can be added to each of them.
Music Player. Standard mp3 player with support of one playlist, without support of minimized work. Considering available amount of internal memory (22mb), player can used only for listening files before setting them as ring tones, and this operation can be done right from player’s menu, you can also assign it as alarm clock tone. In settings you can set songs for repeat (one or all), enable shuffle playback, setup equalizer (type 1 and type 2).
FM-radio. Can be activated only when headset is connected, as it acts as antenna. Playback can be enabled via headphones or loudspeaker. Reception quality is average, there’s auto-search for stations, but it’s better to use manual one. Up to 30 stations can be stored in the phone’s memory, each can be assigned with a name.
In Radio menu you can setup reminder: you setup a date, time, frequency and reminder tone. Such reminder is convenient in case you don’t want to miss some show on radio. There can be three reminders in total.
World time is displayed for two chosen cities. Everything is nice and simple here.
Stopwatch with intermediate results support, unit converter, joined with currency converters, countdown timer and simple calculator are stored in this section too.
Browser. WAP v2.0 browser is stored in this section.
Camera. There is a built-in VGA-camera in the device. The camera can take pictures of the following resolutions: 640x480, 320x240, 160x120 and 128x120 pixels. Besides it is possible to expose compression quality: super fine, fine, normal, economy. While shooting, it is possible to take advantage of one of 8 effects. Multi shot mode is also on its place – 9 or 15 frames, taken at pre-set intervals, the device also embeds high and normal procession speeds.
The camera's quality is average; more or less good pictures can be received only at good illumination, otherwise it is rather difficult to determine what the photo represents. All shots are transferable to a PC or any other external device via Bluetooth, email or MMS.
(+) maximimze, 640x480
(+) maximimze, 640x480
(+) maximimze, 640x480
(+) maximimze, 640x480
(+) maximimze, 640x480
(+) maximimze, 640x480
(+) maximimze, 640x480
In a picture album you can view pictures both as thumbnails (3 pictures are displayed simultaneously) and one by one in a full screen mode.
You can record video clips in one of following resolutions: 160x120 or 128x96 pixels. Quality can be adjusted as well: super fine, fine, normal, economy. Sound can be muted, you can also limit length: for MMS or E-Mail.
Video sample 1 (3GP, 107 kb)>>>
Video sample 2 (3GP, 57 kb)>>>
It’s hard to say anything about video clip quality, they’re too small.
Settings. All standard handset settings are located right here – through this menu you are at liberty to alter the wallpaper, which can be one of preinstalled images or a phot that you had uploaded. It’s possible to pick one of the four provided color themes of the menu, as to the other options, brightness and contrast are also set here, as well as numbers’ color when dialing a number.
You can select one of four clock types for external display or preinstalled image (small size, displayed in the center). Besides this, wallpaper can be made of image or a photo.
All settings related to sound settings are stored here too. Unfortunately this handset does not support profiles, that’s why you will have to tune all settings via menu. As for ring tone type, it can be one of the following types: Light only, vibration only, only melody, vibration and then melody or vibration and melody.
Display backlight settings are located in this section as well (you can select backlight time: from 15 seconds to 10 minutes). Keyboard backlight can be enabled all the time, or turned on only during certain time period (from 20:00 to 7:00 for example).
Bluetooth settings. Bluetooth version is 1.2, following profiles are supported: Headset, Handsfree, File Transfer, Basic Printing, Object Push, Dialup Networking, Serial Port. Bluetooth does not have any problems or issues, everything works pretty much stable. Conclusion
This handset provides good reception quality in almost all conditions. Loudspeaker’s volume and microphone’s sensitivity are good as well. 40-tone polyphonic ring tones are average, but installing mp3 tones instead will improve the situation greatly. Volume of ring tone is above average, meanwhile vibrating alert is below level that you’d want it to be. Loudspeaker function works flawlessly.
This turned out to be an interesting handset, business users will be attracted by EDGE support (class 10) and presence of Bluetooth. Meanwhile those who are more into entertaining functions will be interested in Java support, as well as mp3 files and built-in FM-radio. X670’s flaws are: inconvenient location of volume control buttons and photos that are assigned to a contact are not displayed in full-screen mode.
This model is a direct competitor for Nokia’s 6103, phones are identical in terms of functionality. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, but on the whole they are similar. When you’re thinking which one to buy, I’d recommend relaying on your personal preferences. Samsung’s model will be released by end of May, beginning of June, its approximate price will be around 220-240 USD.
Yahoo! Mobile is a mobile website operated by Yahoo! throughout Europe. The service is most predominant in the UK where an SMS message is sent on average once a second. Yahoo! offers a free image or media file to new users and the ability to sign up for reduced rates on text messages, games, music and applications. The mobile site is one of the most successful in the UK according to Nielsen//NetRatings.
Tutorial: Getting Started
Accessing Yahoo: First Time Users How to Get a Yahoo ID How to Sign In How to Start Using Yahoo! Applications Page 1 of 4 : Next >
Accessing Yahoo - first time users When you access Yahoo for the very first time (i.e. before you have entered your YahooID and password information), the Sign In link is accessible by scrolling down:
The Sign In Menu: Selecting the Sign In link takes you to the "My Yahoo!" screen below:
The "Terms of Service" and "Privacy Policy" are viewable by selecting options 3 and 4 respectively. If you are a registered Yahoo user, you can skip the next chapter (How to Get a Yahoo! ID) and go directly to How to Sign In.
Page 1 of 4 : Next > ADVERTISEMENT
Tutorial: Getting Started
Accessing Yahoo: First Time Users How to Get a Yahoo ID How to Sign In How to Start Using Yahoo! Applications Page 2 of 4 : < Prev | Next >
How to Get a Yahoo ID 1. Scroll down and select "Sign In" 2. Select "Get a Yahoo! ID"
3. Select "ACCPT" to accept the "Terms of Service" 4. Type your first name
Accessing Yahoo: First Time Users How to Get a Yahoo ID How to Sign In How to Start Using Yahoo! Applications Page 3 of 4 : < Prev | Next >
How to Sign In 1. Select the "Sign In" link 2. Select "Sign In"
3. Enter your YahooID 4. Enter your Yahoo Password
If you have entered your YahooID and password correctly, you should see the following Yahoo! Mobile Home Page1. Click here for password tips. Notice how the Sign Out link replaces the Sign In link in Home Page1. You can access the Y! Mobile properties in Page2 using either the "More" link (the "0" key) or the Page2 softkey.
Y! Mobile Home Page1 Y! Mobile Home Page2
The Yahoo! Mobile Home Pages The Yahoo! Mobile properties included on Home Page1 are: Mail, Calendar, Address Book, Yellow Pages, Finance, Weather, News, Sports and Movies.
The Yahoo! Mobile properties included on Home Page2 are: Restaurants, Entertainment, Driving Directions, People Search, Auctions, Bookmarks and Directory.
Password Tips & Facts
* When you are entering your password on the phone, it is visible as 'clear-text', so make sure your password is not compromised. * Your Yahoo login session on the phone is 'persistent'. This means that you have to enter your login information only 'once' - at which point your YahooID is associated with your phone's unique ID on Yahoo! Mobile servers. Desktop users of Yahoo applications like Mail & Calendar will find this feature to be different where the login session expires in 8 hours. * You may choose to sign out from your Yahoo session by selecting the 'Sign Out' link from the Yahoo Home Page1. * The following Yahoo applications require you to Sign In: Mail, Calendar, Address Book, Auctions.
Page 3 of 4 : < Prev | Next > ADVERTISEMENT
Tutorial: Getting Started
Accessing Yahoo: First Time Users How to Get a Yahoo ID How to Sign In How to Start Using Yahoo! Applications Page 4 of 4 : < Prev
How to Start Using Yahoo! Mobile Properties The 16 Yahoo! Mobile properties are accessible from Home Page1 and Home Page2 respectively. You can easily switch between the 2 pages through the Page1/Page2 Softkeys.
Home Page1: This page features Mail, Calendar, Address Book, Yellow Pages, Finance, Weather, News, Sports and Movies. The "Sign Out" link is the second to last link on Home Page1. Top of Home Page1 Bottom of Home Page1
Home Page2: This page features Restaurants, Entertainment, Driving Directions, People Search, Auctions and Directory. The "Terms of Service" and "Privacy Policy", as they apply to Yahoo! Mobile, are also accessible from this page. Top of Home Page2 Bottom of Home Page2
Google search, in the palm of your hand Google Mobile Search
Search the Web – At the supermarket and need to find the ingredients for thai curry? Just query "thai curry ingredients" on your phone's Web browser to search through more than 8 billion pages for the recipe that will wow your taste buds. Learn more »»
Search Images – Is that an oak tree or an ash tree? Search more than 2 billion images and get the one you need on your phone with Google Image Search. Learn more »»
Search the Mobile Web – Access the mobile web which is made up of sites that are specifically designed to fit your phone screen. Learn more »»
Google Mobile — Image Search
Want to get Google Image Search results on your phone or mobile device? Here's how. (Tip: You can get help using Google Mobile Search on your phone or mobile device at any time by selecting the "Help" link located under the search box or in your search menu options.)
* Google Image Search * Frequently Asked Questions * Help
Google Image Search on your mobile device back to top
Use Google Image Search, which searches through more than 2 billion images, to find images of your favorite cartoon character, show your friend the type of dog you own or look at famous landmarks from your hometown.
1. For devices that support XHTML and iMode, access the mobile Web browser on your phone or mobile device. 2. Type www.google.com in the URL field (if you get an error message, type www.google.com/xhtml*). 3. Type your search query. 4. Select "Images" then scroll up to highlight the "Google Search" button and press "Enter." 5. Three image results will appear per page. & nbsp; &n bsp; * Select the desired page by scrolling through the results page and selecting the corresponding image & nbsp; &n bsp; * Or scroll down to the bottom of the page, select the "Next" link to view the next three results 6. Once you have selected a page, Google will reformat the selected webpage to fit your phone screen.
* Note: If your phone supports iMode, try www.google.com/imode
Help back to top
Do you still have more questions?
Get answers to your questions with our FAQ guide.
Here's how to get Google Mobile Search instructions and search tips on your phone or mobile device:
When using 'www.google.com/wml'... ...get help through the Search Options Menu
When using 'www.google.com/xhtml'... or 'www.google.com/imode'... ...get search tips through the link under the search box.
If you have easy access to your computer and want to learn more about writing search queries... ...check out the Google Help Center.
Google Mobile — Mobile Web Search
Want to search for sites that have already been designed to fit the screen of your phone or device? Here's how.
Tip: You can get help using Google Mobile Search on your phone or mobile device at any time by selecting the "Help" link located under the search box or in your search menu options.
* How to Use * Frequently Asked Questions * Help
How to Use back to top
Use Google Mobile Web Search, which searches through sites that have been specifically designed for mobile phones and devices.
1. Access your phone's mobile web browser. 2. Type http://www.google.com in the URL field (if you get an error message, type www.google.com/xhtml). 3. Type your search query. 4. Select "Mobile Web " then scroll up to highlight the "Google Search" button and press "Enter." 5. Ten results will appear per page. & nbsp; &n bsp; * Select the desired page by scrolling through the results page and selecting the corresponding image & nbsp; &n bsp; * Or scroll down to the bottom of the page, select the "Next" link to view the next ten results
Have more questions?
Take a look at the Google Mobile Frequently Asked Questions.
Want to know more about Google Mobile?
Send us your email address and you'll get updates on Google Mobile developments and be invited to participate in future Google Mobile studies.
Help back to top
Here's how to get instructions and search tips on your mobile phone or device:
When using 'mobile.google.com'... ...get search tips through the link under the search box
Granted, the Nokia 8801 is nothing new, but its availability on a US national carrier is. The tri-band stainless steel 8801 sports both American GSM bands, EDGE data, an 800 x 600 camera, and 64MB of internal flash -- meager specs considering the asking price, but let's be honest, buying a phone at this price point has nothing to do with the spec sheet and everything to do with appearance. Well-heeled T-Mobile customers looking to take a chance with questionable scratch resistance can sign up now for a hair under $550.
Granted, the Nokia 8801 is nothing new, but its availability on a US national carrier is. The tri-band stainless steel 8801 sports both American GSM bands, EDGE data, an 800 x 600 camera, and 64MB of internal flash -- meager specs considering the asking price, but let's be honest, buying a phone at this price point has nothing to do with the spec sheet and everything to do with appearance. Well-heeled T-Mobile customers looking to take a chance with questionable scratch resistance can sign up now for a hair under $550.
A comparison of the KG800 and the E900 should not be missed when you talk about the new unique feature of the two. The touchpad is this new feature and we will compare both devices on this and other items.
Samsung shows us during Cebit 2006 in Europe the first looks of the new E900. The device that was thought to be the first device with the new functionality was great success on the event. The keys did not work optimal at that stage, but after some fine-tuning the Samsung device is great to use nowadays.
LG showed their device two weeks latter. The LG KG800 was the first to hit the European market was the statement from LG. There were wrong on the introduction but correct on the release date. The LG was the first to hit the market and originates from a device made under the brand name Cyon. This is the mobile brand from LG in Korea. A certain device was already shown at the end of last year, so LG can claim the right to be the first to put such a functionality into a mobile device.
How does the touchpad operate? On the front of any device there are several soft keys. Special about these soft keys is that there are not physically present. There are not real buttons or keys on which the user presses. The keys are touch sensitive and are called the touchpad of the mobile device.
When the slide of for instance the E900 is opened, the keys become visible. The backlighting behind every key that can be used at that instant will light up. By using your own fingers and touching the corresponding place on the touchpad the function will be started. You will not physically press a key such as on a keyboard of the device. The controls need a little training before they can be used quickly enough and they are quite sensitive. By touching it a little bit the function will be started. It is an advantage that the E900 uses a central key that is not touch sensitive. It will ensure a quicker control through the menu.
The LG KG800 uses a comparable system, but the central key is touch sensitive. Next to that the line-up of the keypad is different, which leads to more difficult control of the KG800. The background color of the LG is red and that gives it something special. It is nicer than the white used on the E900.
The E900 has next to the standard soft keys, three special soft keys that can only be used when the MP3 player is switched on. Starting a number or searching for a number is possible with these keys. The LG does not have certain specific keys for the MP3 player.
When we look at both models it becomes clear that the looks are not that different. The setup is the same, only the LG is little bit wider and thinner than the E900 and also lighter than the Samsung device. The choice between the two on looks is decided in favour of the LG. People find it classier and more stylish. But next to that some people do address the central key on the E900, which is not touch sensitive and operates quicker when browsing in the menu.
In the box of both we find a lot of accessories. The E900 offers next to a charger; a headset and data cable with software. The LG KG800 has more to offer. The device has a complete package containing a special cleaning device, a headset with remote and 3.5 mm port, a pouch, charger and data cable with software. The LG wins on the contents of the box.
To keep the story short several points will be discussed quite fast. The call quality of the LG and Samsung does not show a major difference. But when really test it; it becomes clear that the Samsung is clearer and less dull. Also the headset of the E900 is better during conversations. A handsfree function is not available on the LG. The Samsung does have such an option.
The screens of both are also a point that need be addressed. The Samsung has a 262.000 color QVGA screen and the LG a 262.000 color screen with the resolution of 176 x 220 pixels. The screen of the LG is smaller then the E900 in relation to the resolution. The physical size of the LG screen is larger than the one in the Samsung. The contrast and readability of the E900 is better than the LG. The LG is quite good, but when you turn the screen and watch it under an angle the difference becomes clear.
Both devices do not have a major difference relating menu and user ability. The Samsung is easier to use. The keys are placed were they are mend to be. With the LG you really need to learn the touchpad. It is not that easily designed as the Samsung and you need to use the power button on the side quite often to exit some functions. It asks for more training than the Samsung.
Messaging is ok with both. Entering text is going well and without any problems. The settings between the two are different and when somebody is used to one another and will switch it will leave the user with some training. The LG can only store 150 SMS messages, the Samsung 50 more.
On the item connectivity both devices have high scores. USB mass storage is supported on both devices and also the Bluetooth connection does not give any problems. In relation to the available memory options something needs to be addressed. The LG has a maximum of 128 MB internal memory. It is not expandable, unfortunately. The E900 however has a MicroSD memory card slot and can store more music and other data.
When the music is placed on the device itself, it needs to be played. The preference goes to the LG this time. However the player cannot be placed into the background but sounds better. Also the equalizer has more options and the headset has a remote and 3.5 mm port. Also the speaker is not that screaming like the E900. The MP3 player in the LG is our preference.
Other parts of the device should not be forgotten such as the camera and the battery time. The E900 with its fantastic 2.0 Mpixel camera is no real opponent for the LG which has a 1.3 Mpixel camera. Also the videocamera is better in the E900. The resolution in which it records is higher and also the options are more extended. The battery time of both models is something in which the E900 scores higher than the LG. The Samsung has a battery time of around four days. The KG800 has a maximum of three days. Charging the LG will cost you 2.5 hours.
At the end we can finally conclude that both models are not that different on forehand. The strong points around the LG KG800 are the accessory package, the better MP3 player, headset with remote and 3.5 mm port and the stylish looks. Against it, you will find the E900 which has a fantastic 2.0 Mpixel camera, better call quality, external memory card slot, handsfree function, screen with a higher resolution, availability of flight mode and the possibility to connect a stereo Bluetooth headset.
When you go for looks take the LG and we can justify that. The same counts when 128 MB is enough and the better MP3 player prevails. When you choose specifications and a device with a better camera, handsfree function and the possibility to connect a stereo Bluetooth headset then take the E900.
The E900 wins the specification fight on points. But when you put both into a modelling contest the LG would win with a big leap!
Nokia N91 vs. Sony Ericsson W950i vs. iPod G5 Video
Music on a tape, music on a CD and now music on a MP3 player! The next step is a mobile phone with MP3 player, which will blow away the current standard MP3 players on the market. This step is just been set with two new models; the Sony Ericsson W950i and the Nokia N91. One of them, the SE, has not yet reached the market and cannot be put to test completely.
As competitor of the two a comparable model was chosen in the price range between 400 and 600 Euro. The iPod G5 Video with 60 GB of internal memory space, strong video possibilities and the strong looks was chosen.
During the story several points will be discussed such as audio and video quality, headset quality, accessory package, user control and the user interface of the music player itself. Every part shall be rewarded with 10, 8 or 6 points. At the end we will calculate the complete amount and decide which one is the winner. The first part to discuss is the accessory package.
What will be delivered with the devices when you buy it?
All three the models have their own special accessories, but it is the question which one has the highest score. First of all you will find a list below containing the standard accessories, which are available in the package.
The N91 has the biggest package of the three. Especially the pretty nice desk charger is something the others do not have as a standard in the box. The N91 has a disadvantage that it cannot be charged via the USB data cable, so the desk stand is needed. However the device does have a remote control build-in the headset that has the opportunity to connect 3rd party headsets.
The W950i has a package that is known from the other Walkman devices. No desk charger, but only a data cable which can be used for charging. The headset is also connected to the connector underneath the phone. There are fewer possibilities to connect other headsets. The N91 has two; the W950i only has the remote in the headset. The W950i also has a sparse equipped headset in comparison to the N91 which has more options and controls on it.
As it is indicated in the table the iPod will be delivered rather sparse. The biggest drawback is the data cable that is also the main charging item. There is no travel charger available in the package and that means that you need to have a PC around equipped with at least one spare USB connector. It is possible to buy an extra travel charger. Next to this the manuals delivered with the package were not suited for the country the device was sold in. In our case the manuals were German and French and the device was bought in the Netherlands.
For people that are used to another iPod and have a special docking station, an extra docking station kit is delivered with it so that the new iPod can fit in the old docking station. The last thing is the headset which does not have a remote in it.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 10 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 8 points iPod G5 Video: 6 points
The device itself and all that should be discussed
To give a better view of the corresponding devices several groups are determined that should be discussed here. They contain size, available memory, available connections and the possible synchronisation options.
Size
When we look at the figures and numbers you will notice that the iPod and N91 are different positioned then the W950i. The SE is light and that is really noticeable during use. When you look specifically at the size of the device then it becomes clear that the W950i is the smallest of them all. The iPod follows and after that the N91, which is rather heavy and ungainly.
If we then discuss the external functionalities of the three it becomes clear that the Nokia N91 is the winner. The amount of hardware keys and the different connection possibilities put the N91 at the top. But it is also a drawback, because it makes the device impractical and messy. For instance charging needs to be done with a different cable than transferring data and charging via the USB cable is not possible. The N91 uses an aluminium finish. Unfortunately it is not that good scratch resistant. During usage a pocket with keys should be avoided.
The W950i is the device with the biggest screen of the three on the smallest space. The iPod follows straight ahead. Next to that it is the only model with a touchscreen. But the W950i also has some hardware keys to control the music. Relating connectivity there is only one port and that needs to be used for charging, listening music and sending data. Relating looks it can be positioned next to the iPod. Both have almost the same size and the looks of the keyboard give a splendid feeling. Also the plastic finish has lesser problems with scratches then the other two.
The iPod is the most fashionable device around in this set of three. The looks are characterized by the central "click wheel" from Apple. The navigation wheel can be used for scrolling by moving your finger over the central key in a rotating movement. The chrome backside of the iPod is really exclusive, but you need to clean it a lot and it is not that resistant to scratches. The iPod will be delivered with two connectors; one for charging and sending data and another one is a 3,5 mm connector for any headset you choose or the standard iPod headset.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 6 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 10 points iPod G5 Video: 8 points
Memory
It is quite clear from the table that there are two harddrive devices and one device with a flash memory; simply a build-in memory card. The N91 and W950i have a maximum of 4 GB on board and do not have expandable memory. The choice for both models should be decided on the fact if 4 GB is enough.
The advantage of a iPod is the fact it contains a harddrive which is fifteen times bigger than both mobile phones. It should also be mentioned that both mobile phones have more features that are quite essential for a mobile phone.
The statement that needs to be made is the fact the W950i has a different handling of the data within the flash memory than the N91 and the iPod.
Both have a harddrive and that will mean that songs will be loaded from a harddrive which is rather slow and becomes rather hot in the N91. The W950i did not show any of these problems and the iPod is known to be fast and did not become hot at all during testing.
As a comparison option the price per MB is taken as a final outcome and it shows that the iPod is the cheapest per MB. That is rather logical. The prices which are known at this stage are 619 Euro for the N91, 569 Euro for the W950i and 439 Euro for the iPod. The W950i has a higher score than the N91, especially thru the high introduction price of the N91. When the W950i hits the market both will have the same price and so both will score 6 points.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 6 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 6 points iPod G5 Video: 10 points
Synchronisation soft- and hardware
Each made their special choices that are quite clear for every brand discussed here. The N91 chooses for the support of Windows Media player, which means that the device can exchange audio and video. Unfortunately it is not possible to synchronise album art, such as a album cover. You should enter it manually into the device. A disadvantage!
The W950i has it is own Walkman player version 2.0 and does support this feature. Only synchronisation with iTunes and WMP is not possible. There are Walkman plug-ins but those do not support the W950i yet.
The iPod is the only device that is delivered with a media player from Apple called iTunes. Synchronising data between the PC and iPod is quite easy to do with this package. There are other packages available for the iPod when needed. The iPod is the only device that is not a USB mass storage without using a program like iTunes.
All models have there own island on which they synchronise. None of the standard packages supports one of the other programs, but there are plug-ins and packages available. When you finally look at the programs, you can say that iPod supports the best program around; SE supports its own and delivers something really different to Apple. Nokia however does not deliver anything in the package and the person needs to use its own WMP 10 or 11. Next to that the album art is not synchronised with the device, which leaves is us with a draw.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 8 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 8 points iPod G5 Video: 8 points
Connectivity and radio possibilities
In relation to the available connections the N91 scores the best. The miniUSB port on the side of the device and the 3.5 mm jack on the top support that. The N91 has also a FM-radio without RDS support. The W950i does have such a function, but does not support multiple connection ports. The headset can be detached halve way and another headset with a 3.5 mm connector can be placed. There is no direct 3.5 mm connector in the Sony Ericsson.
The remote of the N91 is the best equipped with functions. It can control the total media player. The W950i can only address incoming calls and the iPod does not even have a remote integrated into the headset. The same counts for the radio which is not available in the iPod. However people can buy it as an accessory.
Another point that needs to be addressed is the key that is used for the keylock. The W950i does not have such as a hardware key on the device. The N91 and iPod do have such a key and this is really a weak point inside the W950i.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 10 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 8 points iPod G5 Video: 6 points
Battery lifetime
When you use the iPod, you will be able to last the longest. A disadvantage is that the iPod only charges via the standard data cable. Next to that the battery cannot be replaced.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 6 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 8 points iPod G5 Video: 10 points
What is the sound quality that all models will show?
The most important part of the complete test is the part in which the W950i is not taken into account. However the headset which is in the package will be tested and is the same for any Walkman device. In the future there will be a stereo Bluetooth headset available. That means listening stereo music without a wired connection. Something both the iPod and the N91 do not support.
Audio quality
What will be clear from the test is that both models (N91 and iPod) are not that different between each other. It is especially the used headset that makes the difference. The hardware is most of the time the same. It is the fine-tuning of the device and the sound carrier that make the main difference. In our case the iPod and N91 got the same standard equalizer setting and four headsets were used:
1. Standard Nokia HS-28 Music headset 2. Standard iPod headset 3. Sennheiser HD485 headset 4. Shure E3c professional in-ear headset
Shure E3c (on the left) and Sennheiser HD485 (on the right) By switching all the headsets between the devices you will get a clear view on the quality of the device. Multiple persons and several sound specialists of the company TMaudio have listened and told us the following story:
What can be noticed is that both score high on audio quality, but it is also becomes clear that the iPod sounds better with the Sennheiser headset.
Terms like "better covered" or "sounding better over the complete range" were mentioned during the test.
Because not every one uses such a headset on the street, we used a second headset; the ultimate headset for any mobile user; the Shure E3c. Not well-known at the main customer and with a price range around the price of a new iPod the headset shows a value not seen elsewhere. More about that in the next part of the test.
This exclusive headset and the standard headsets show that the N91 scores the best on the audio quality and over the complete spectrum. The professionals were unanimous and were amazed about the strong identity of the device. "How louder, how better it was!" was a significant statement.
They also declared that the N91 was much more transparent than the iPod. The iPod was felt as rather screaming device and especially when using the Shure E3c headset.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 10 points iPod G5 Video: 8 points
(When the W950i is available and can be tested we will update the audio quality part within the test!)
Quality of the standard headsets
The quality of the headsets which are in the box will be discussed here. They are compared with the Shure E3c in-ear headset and the maximum score is 10 points for the Shure headset. Other headsets will have a score compared to that.
The in-ear headset is a headset which is placed completely into the ear channel and should close off the ear. When it is not done like that several tones are not well covered. The standard ear headset is placed into the ear and not completely into the ear channel. This is the biggest noticeable difference.
First of all we should address that all headsets that were delivered with the models performed worse than the Shure E3c. This headset was the best tested over the complete range. The headsets of the models sound duller and have less colour in the lower tones. Also the mid end is enormously increased to give a better colour to the music. We expect that this has been done to be save over the complete spectrum. The fact that this has been concluded is really depended on what you are used too and that was also one of the main conclusions from the test.
From the standard headset the Sony Ericsson in-ear headset was the best tested, but only when you place it correctly into the ear. The Nokia headset is rather dull. Something the normal headset from the iPod also has. The in-ear headset from iPod was the worst headset, a lot worse than the Sony Ericsson in-ear.
What we should not forget is the fact that you need to decide what you want. Not everybody likes the in-ear headset in their ears and they can become dirty quite easily. So keep them clean, it will enhance the audio quality. When you choose for the standard ear headset there is not really a winner. Both models (N91 and iPod) are quite good.
When you need briljant quality it is maybe a good idea to switch to a 3rd party professional brand like Shure. They have several special models in any price segment. For more information on that visit this link!
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 8 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 10 points iPod G5 Video: 8 points
How are the models controlled and which options are on on board?
The last part that needs be discussed is the menu of the devices. Which media players are on board, how do they operate and how simple are they to control. Different items that will be addressed.
Which media players are on board of these models?
All models have their own specific player onboard for music playback, video playback and other media. Making a comparison between all three is rather hard to do, but we can look at user control and the available parts. The equalizer will be discussed and we will look at the other possibilities of the models.
User control
Each has their own possibilities to playback a lot media formats. The iPod in this case an iPod Video also consists of a video part. This will also be discussed. Off course music is the main part in this test, but the other options will also be discussed. First the user control of the music player.
The controls of each device are rather different. Especially entering and selecting a song has quite a different approach. The W950i uses a touchscreen which is controlled with a stylus, scroll wheel on the side and several dedicated music keys on the front. The N91 has a central control key and music keys on the slide. The iPod used the simple click wheel which cannot be beaten. All options are easy in their way. The user should make its own decision what the handiest functionality is.
The N91 and iPod have a hardware key to lock the device. The W950i does not have this feature.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 8 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 6 points iPod G5 Video: 10 points
Music menu options
The music player is quite comparable in any device. All have almost the same player with some slightly different aspects to it. The way in which music is selected is the same on any device. However the W950i uses an autoplaylist system, in which someone can select a list of songs on genre, personal rating and part of the title. De iPod and N91 do not have this function. The W950i does not have the option composers in the menu. The songs cannot be sorted on that category.
Furthermore all three have the possibility to use album art and to show the CD cover when playing the song. Unfortunately the N91 cannot synchronise this data and the CD cover needs to be linked to the songs manually. Also the rating or categorisation of music on a mood (a distribution of five different colours for any mood of the day) is not possible in the N91. The iPod does have a rating, but not this categorisation. Only the W950i has both.
The iPod has some extra features for Podcasts and spoken books, also called Audiobooks. Both other models do not have such a feature. Finally the standard functionalities like shuffle, repeat, rewind and forward are available.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 8 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 10 points iPod G5 Video: 10 points
Equalizer
All models have comparable equalizers. The non-adjustable equalizer of the iPod is not a direct issue, because pre-settings can be changed in iTunes. It is rather striking that the amount pre-sets and the difference in pre-sets is quite large per model. The Nokia has the least pre-sets and gives you the feeling they are not that well chosen. They are not as good and do not give something extra to the music. Sony Ericsson and especially the iPod have way better settings.
The N91 and W950i have both adjustable equalizers onboard. The Nokia equalizer consists of eight bands and the Sony Ericsson equalizer has nine. All corresponding frequencies are not mentioned so you need to hear and check out what the difference of the settings does to quality of the song. It is not that handy, but after some practise it will work out. Next to that the maximum volume range can be determined in the iPod which prevents ear damage. The other models do not have such a feature.
The N91 does have the option for stereo widening and the option to change the balance between the left and right.
People that use the equalizer should be aware that it will use more battery power when it is engaged.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 6 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 8 points iPod G5 Video: 10 points
Photo menu options
Watching photos is not directly an issue when you buy a MP3 player device. So it is rather logical that Sony Ericsson did not install a camera in the W950i. The N91 does have camera; a 2.0 megapixel camera. The iPod does not have the ability to use a camera and does not have a camera onboard.
However the iPod G5 has the option to save photos and to show them in an album. These photos are synchronised with iTunes and you have the option to show them full screen on the QVGA screen or in full original size. Scrolling thru the pictures is possible by using the click wheel. A slideshow can be started and adjusted.
The iPod offers a complete package in one menu style. The N91 has just like the W950i a separate place where the photos can be watched. The W950i has no camera, but photos and other pictures can be transferred to the device. Synchronising pictures and photos is not possible with both devices.
People need to exchange them manually.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 6 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 6 points iPod G5 Video: 8 points
Video menu options
Video is also a part of the device that is not directly related to a MP3 player. But the models have a certain options onboard, so it should be addressed. All models can play several video formats.
The iPod G5 is the first iPod that could play video. Especially MP4 and MOV files can be played. These videos are also synchronised with iTunes and can be viewed in different albums.
The N91 can only play 3GP videos and certain MP4 videos. Several MP4 files were not working that well or did not play at all. The reason is unknown at this stage. The device shows the files as not supported. The W950i has the same problem, but will show more files than the N91. Both devices do not support any option of synchronisation.
The playback quality of the videos is related to the screen which all models use. The W950i and iPod use a QVGA screen with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. The N91 has a 208 x 176 pixels screen which can be used to play full screen video.
The W950i has the highest score in relation to quality. The screen quality is really good. In close range of the W950i you will find the iPod which also has a QVGA screen and then on some distance the N91 with its smaller screen. The N91 uses a really small screen and it is not suitable for video.
The points will be divided in the following way:
Nokia N91: 6 points Sony Ericsson W950i: 10 points iPod G5 Video: 8 points
Other menu options
This part is added to the story to show that the iPod is not only media player but also offers more than just the playback of videos and songs. Off course it is clear that the mobile phones offer more in this group of devices, but it does not say there are some abilities.
The iPod can be synchronised with Outlook and contacts, agenda items and notes can be transferred. The data can not be adjusted in the iPod itself.
There are also several games available in the iPod and extra software like the first-person-shooter Doom can be downloaded. Finally a clock, world time, alarm and stopwatch are available.
Final conclusion
At the end of this enormous extended test a score can be made up between the three devices, in which the Sony Ericsson did not participate in the audio quality test. This score is not used during the calculation of the average score.
When looking at the score you can really see that the iPod wins when all scores have the same weight in the average calculation. The model is and stays the ultimate MP3 player. The other models come really close. Especially the N91 with his great audio quality, accessory package and the large amount of connectivity options in the device itself.
However the Nokia has some problems. The size and weight are not that great, the battery time is the lowest and the possibilities in the menu for photos are not that great. A camera was not a desired item here, the synchronisation of the data was; something which is great in the iPod.
The Sony Ericsson is without the audio quality test a good second in this test and is close to the iPod. Especially on the great screen, the low weight and the small size, the better headset and the outstanding music options in the menu. The W950i looses some points with respect to the iPod on the user control, the smaller memory and the easier photo and video menu options. The camera is not available and it is also harder to synchronise photo and video data than with the iPod.
The difference between the Nokia and the Sony Ericsson is large. However the scores look alike, but that is because the Sony Ericsson did not participate into the audio quality test. The Nokia focuses on the external controls, the easy connectivity options, the nice accessory package and the availability of a camera. The Sony Ericsson has better looks and weight, the headset sounds better and the extended music options in the Walkman player 2.0 are great. Oh yes, watching video on the screen of the W950i is one big happiness.
The clear winner is the iPod, but we can say the W950i comes really close to the iPod. The Sony Ericsson also shows some options that the iPod does not have. The W950i is a phone and has the option to use stereo Bluetooth headsets. These are points that the user should consider when buying a MP3 player device nowadays.
Generally speaking we can say that when you buy a MP3 player you should also look at a mobile phone; especially the new N91 and W950i. Both models are close to the iPod and show that when spend a little bit more money you can get a device similar to the iPod but with a lot more into it. The choice between the two phones will be much harder and shall be decided on looks, size, weight and the expected audio quality of the W950i which is not tested at this stage. The camera inside the N91 will also be an issue, but the decision should be made especially on the MP3 player qualities of both devices and if you want to invest extra in stead of buying an iPod.
In relation to the headset types we should address you that when you buy a 3rd party headset it should fit your ears properly. You should decide if you like the in-ear concept better than the standard ear headset. Always adjust the volume when listening, do not put it too loud it can lead to ear damage.
(In this complete story several parts of the devices were not addressed such as the telephone functionality and the camera in the Nokia N91. The test was ment to check the MP3 quality of all three models. The choice between a device with and without telephone functionality needs to be made
by the user itself and was never addressed here. The other choice "Do I want a device which has it all?" should also be addressed by the user or
I purchased this unit from one of our wholesalers for US540. The price, i thought was a bit steep, considering we’re a mobile sales retail location based in philadelphia. I’ve had plenty of experience with unlocked world phones, though my experience with smart phones is limited to the Motorola MPX220 and a couple other PDA phones running Windows Mobile 2003 and 2005. I’m familiar with both operation systems and find them very sluggish to say the least… though i do welcome the abundance of software and ease of use since I’m familiar with windows, this phone was originally purchased for my girlfriend, but i had the good fortune of playing with it for a while.
In the box This phone came in a small purple box - included was the motorola A1200, two batteries, two styluses, 512MB transflash memory card with SD adapter, stereo headphones, and an english manual, though there were advertisement inserts and other promotional material in chinese.
Design and construction The design was well thought out in my opinion. It follows their tradition of their other linux phones with the front cover covering the touchscreen display. i am not entirely sure why motorola has committed to this design. The unit feels solid and not too heavy, definitely something that you could carry around with you without feeling bogged down. Anyway, the material covering the screen is a hard plastic, it is slightly tinted. There is a small little motorola emblem that doubles as a speaker for when you are taking calls and have the unit flipped open.
I purchased the black matte unit and i am pleased by the look. It reminds me very much of the black RAZR/PEBL material. It seems durable, the unit is surprisingly small. Smaller than i first anticipated. One thing that gets me is that the darn cover is a bit difficult to open at times. I don’t have huge hands, nor does my girlfriend, and it was difficult for us to open the screen cover. This could pose a problem if i were driving and had to open my phone with one hand. The battery used is one of the more common motorola batteries so finding a replacement should not be a problem. The stylus fits snugly into a slot in the back of the phone. the stylus itself is retractable… great for anyone over the age of ten.
Display and input For its size, the A1200 supports a pretty nifty display of 240x320 pixels. For many, it will be more than enough. I do wish there was a physical keypad but the onboard touchscreen keyboard does okay for what it’s worth. It’s just enough real estate for the somewhat adapt to use their fingers to dial instead of using the stylus. Of course, if you have paul bunyun worthy fingers, i would consider getting something else rather than the A1200.
The display is bright and quite clear, the text is large though i turned it down to small in the settings because i like small things. I was impressed with the crispness of the icons and the text. The handwriting tool is pretty decent. There are two boxes that appear, so that once you finish one letter, you quickly move to the next box and write the next letter in there... helping to save time when using it to write long notes. There is a left hand setting as well as speed settings. It recognized everything pretty well though i have the hardest times with lowercase “t”s, but i just suck at writing too… heh.
Answering calls When receiving calls and the unit is closed, there are three smart buttons on the left side. the top and bottom one are traditional volume keys but they silence the call. the middle button takes the call when you have a headset on. As of now, i have not been able to answer the phone while it is closed without a headset.
Memory This phone has 8 mb of internal memory (poor) but makes up for it with a slot for up to 1 gb transflash memory card though the unit does come with 512 mb.
Voice dial It blows. I mean, it’s cool that you don’t have to train it, but either it sucks at speaking or it sucks at hearing. Many times it will ask me “please repeat” and i’ll keep saying it to no avail. maybe it’s me. i will have to do more research on it. The good thing is, that it’s a quick button on the side… giving it quick access to those that need it. That button also doubles as a record conversation button when you are conversing with someone… great for blackmail!
Interface and programs The default programs are browser, email, viewer, video, file manager, real player, calculate, calls, calendar, time, tasks, recorder, stk , notes, photo editor, alarm, set up, bluetooth, modem, sync, radio (requires headset attached), business card reader, dictionary, msn messenger, snowboarding game.
Responsive and smooth, compared to windows mobile at least. I found the software to be at least two times faster for opening up camera, music, and contact programs. I haven’t tried to load down the system with programs yet so i may have to update this when i get a chance to do a more thorough analysis on this.
Keep in mind, I am the farthest thing from a linux expert so i feel unqualified to attack this section from a technical point. I can only review from the point of your average user that hasn’t been exposed to linux.
I enjoy many of the programs that came with the phone. I wish i could not only view excel and words files, but edit them as well, but as of now, i can’t. The business card scanner is pretty cool… more a novelty than of real use in my opinion. I tried four different business cards and so far, i’ve only really been on target with importing the phone numbers. The names always comes up wrong. I blame this on the many different designs and styles of business cards. The software is cool though. The contacts in the phonebook is syncable to your computer using mobile phone tools and from there creating a database or using an existing one such as outlook. I found this to be quite helpful. The phonebook list was clean and what you would expect in a pda phone, completely with photo id and all that snazzy jazz.
At the time of this review, i believe this phone is still only available in the chinese version. because of this, msn messenger and the snowboarding game are both in chinese. i found that irritating, since i wasn’t blessed with that language in my youth. There is a translating dictionary as well but… it doesn’t work. It needs certain files which don’t come with the phone. I would expect a future ROM to correct this and maybe come out with an all english ROM?
Oh, just for the record, the game was pretty decent, clean and crisp. I just need to learn how to play it.
I have another bone to pick with this phone. i am using t-mobile (usa) and when i have voicemail, it sends me a blank sms. well, i know there was a seem edit fix on some motorola phones concerning this, but at the time of this review, p2kman will not connect to this phone at all so i can’t upload an edited seem. in the next month, i’ll be going cingular anyway.
The file manager is simple and easy to navigate. you can quickly check files in phone and on the transflash memory.
The default media player is realplayer. well, i will be honest. I hate realplayer, ever since the old days when that crap would install in every corner of your pc… but as a mobile media player, it’s okay. I say that maybe because i don’t have a choice right now? Heh. it plays and imports playlists, and all the stuff you’d expect from a mobile media player. It plays .rm files for video but the phone come with a converter to change your .mpg into .rm files. the volume is decent.
One problem i found was a lack of available software for this phone. since it is less than a month since release… i think that people will eventually start making programs for it.
Bluetooth and sound I paired two different bluetooth headsets with it without problem (h3 and h850). The cool thing is… when someone calls and my ringtone plays, it also plays in my headset! that to me is something i’ve been waiting for. the RAZR would play an ugly default motorola shrill when you received an incoming call with the bluetooth connected. The A1200 lets the music ringtone you choose play, and it plays through the wireless headset as well. sound quality is normal.
Realplayer plays mp3 songs with no problem. I'm impressed with the fact that you can use songs on the memory card for your ringtones, as some other motorola phones would not let you do that.
I wish the external speakers were a little louder, it’s okay i guess… a little quieter than the RAZR in my opinion. The phone has a decent speakerphone but i think it only works when the plastic cover is open. I hope there’s a way to have it closed and have the speakerphone on.
When using the FM radio, you can put it on speakerphone to listen to the music through the stereo speakers. Microphone is fine. Other parties have no issue hearing me.
Camera and connectivity Coming soon. i posted a couple photos taken in subpar lighting conditions. i haven’t had enough time to play with these two features to provide an accurate review.
Conclusion Decent indeed. i find this phone, hardly bigger than a RAZR, to be almost perfect. the style is on point and the software is responsive… though there is at current, a lack of programs (if you need more than what came with the phone). the sound is decent and the fact that you can hear music through the bluetooth headset gets my thumbs up. there are some things that can be improved (voicedial) as well as some issues like the voicemail notification, but i think they can all be fixed at a later date through tweaking the software and rom updates. though i recommend it now, i cannot give a conclusive review because the camera review and connectivity review are pending. i think that my girlfriend is quite content with it and i will be buying one for myself in the next couple days.
At A Glance: Price: RM 1799 Local Distributor: Nokia Malaysia (M) Sdn Bhd. Contact: 1-300-88-1600 Build quality: 10/10 Applications: 8/10 Interface: 9/10 Value-for-money: 8/10 Overall rating: 9/10 + Excellent screen + Megapixel camera + 2-way swivel with no screen lag + High quality finish of the exterior - 10 MB internal memory - No Memory expansion
Nokia is taking their experimentation with form factors to new levels. This is the first time Nokia has a rotator model out in the market. The last time I played with a rotator model was during the sales period of the Motorola V80.
The problem with rotator phones appears to be the lack of memory, with 6Mbs on the V80 and 10Mbs on the Nokia 7370. My guess would be that the rotating parts take up a lot of space inside the casing. On the 7370, it appears to take a good 20% of the device size. However, that is simply speculation as we can’t pry open the phone to have a look.
In the box # Handset Transceiver # Battery (standard battery) # Charger # Headset # Carry Case # User manual
Exterior The Nokia 7370 is a rotator phone, that is to say, the top and bottom halves of the phone are attached together by a hinge that allows the halves to swing open much like a switchblade knife. whereas in the Motorola V80 the rotating half could only swing out in one direction, here in the Nokia 7370 it can swing out in both directions, but must return to the closed position in exact reverse to the direction it was opened in.
Our review unit was in dark brown chocolate and came with electric blue buttons on the outside. In a rare detour, the On-Off button has migrated to the right side of the phone. I must admit to not reading the manual first of all and being rather hesitant when firing up the phone for the first time.
There was a small tab of blue cloth on the right side of the phone. Although that was an interesting touch, it served little purpose other than getting dirty over time. The battery cover is a class piece of work though. It resembled leather, but as far as I could tell, it looked like a very thin piece of leather glued onto the plastic. The workmanship was quite good, as I had to squint really hard to see that detail.
The chrome camera parts on the rear of the phone were a great touch. So is the intricately woven macramé strap. Nokia really did put a lot of effort into making this phone look good. Oh, the straps are different in other parts of the world. It looks like we got one of the better ones.
Buttons/Screen The keys are black with white text, and the keypad is backlit in white. As mentioned earlier, some of the prime keys are coloured in electric blue, which makes quite a contrast with the dark chocolate of the rest of the phone. I just couldn’t figure out what the silver plate on the back of screen was for. It would have been useful if it was reflective, but it is not.
The keys are a little small, but the tactile response was rather good. Except for the ‘8’ button which kept missing my sequential presses when typing in messages. The navigation pad takes some getting used to, as the chrome frame around it makes the keys seem smaller than they actually are.
The screen is of the 262K TFT type. It appears slightly more pastel than other similar screens, and Nokia has incorporated the Samsung feature of having the phone play a chime when the rotator is twisted open and another chime when it is twisted close. The Motorola V80 also has this, but the Nokia 7370 has no lag time which was apparent in the other phone. If the open/close chiming irritates you, you can go and turn it off in the tones section.
The screen is one of the first Nokia devices to sport the 240 x 320 pixel resolution, and this is readily apparent in the quality of the screen. As mentioned earlier, there is no noticeable lag when the screen swivels from position to position, and this shows that the programming was done well and the processor responds fast enough to user inputs.
Software/Messaging The 7370 runs on the 3rd Edition of the Series-40 interface. The menu is crystal clear on this screen, and has icons that animate when you select it. A help screen pops up when you wait a little longer on an icon, and then the backlight goes off. However, you can still see the screen despite not having the backlight on, and this is an example of how clear the screen is for viewing.
Messaging is OK when you get the hang of the keys, which seem to be spaced a little close to each other. The speed of input is excellent, and the main message submenu has a clean feel to it, which makes it easy for you to quickly find and organise your messages.
Be careful with the MMS though. This phone has rather limited memory, so it would not be wise to jam it up with old messages.
PIM The contacts section is very straightforward. You can add the usual picture for caller ID, make some notes about the person’s birthday and even assign a special tone to each entry in your address book. Of course, that is limited by the 10 MB memory of the phone.
The organiser section has the usual alarm clock, which can now be set to repeat itself. You can even choose the sound the phone makes when your alarm goes off. The Calendar, To-do List and Notes functions are there as always, and it is pretty funny why I haven’t seen that many people use them.
Camera/Video Surprisingly, Nokia managed to pack a 1.3 megapixel CMOS camera into such a small package. The 8x zoom is another indication of the high quality of the product. The photos are saved in the JPEG format, and can be set to sizes of 1280 x 960, 800 x 600, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 and160 x 120 pixels.
The camera shortcut key doesn’t work when the menu is on the screen, so you will have to exit into the main desktop screen before pressing that button. You can shoot a photo when the screen is in both opened and closed modes.
Multimedia/Voice The 7370 has a radio function, and as usual, the headset must be plugged in to act as the antenna for FM reception. The phone plays H.263 and MPEG-4 recordings, but the miniscule memory ridicules this capability.
likewise, the device supports MP3 and AAC audio tracks, but the memory puts paid to plans for a mobile library. Voice commands in this phone include Voice Dial and Voice Recording capabilities.
Connectivity The Nokia 7370 has built-in Bluetooth connectivity. This phone uses the Pop-Port connector located at the bottom of the phone, next to bright blue button with the camera icon. However, there was no USB to Pop-Port data cable inside the box and you will have to buy this separately if you need to use it.
The usual applications are there – WAP 2.0, Java MIDP 2.0 and a xHTML browser. The GPRS goes all the way up to class 10. Speaking of which, GPRS speeds seem to have topped out at that figure, which is where it has been for the last couple of years.
Games There is one game in the phone and it is called the Phantom Spider. This is a shoot-em-up game that places you in control of a vehicle that runs around shooting spiders. The controls are sluggish and result in very painful arms and fingers. I still prefer puzzle games.
Editor's Opinion
The more I look at it, the more I find that I am partial to chocolate coloured phones. No, I’m not pitching for the LG chocolate phone, but one wonders why nobody made phones in chocolate before this. The wood motif effect is so classy and soothing to gaze upon.
I positively adore this device. It is exceptionally cute, and the high quality carrying case and intricately woven strap point to the sheer class of this phone. The back of the battery cover is covered in dark brown leather and the camera parts are offset brilliantly in silver.
I unhesitatingly recommend this phone for the way it looks. Furthermore, the screen is excellent and will give Samsung a run for it money in the area of mobile screens. The finish is delightful, and the device resembles a highly polished, carved masterpiece piece of wood.
However, there is one fatal flaw in this product. 10 MBs of memory is a terrible specification to have on an otherwise delightful product. One Iron Maiden track at 128kbs amounts to about 7MBs of memory. For a phone that costs RM 1800, the lack of memory space is totally unacceptable. I’m sure that users won’t mind paying a fraction more for more memory but 10MB, in my opinion, is grossly inconsiderate in this age of MP3s and MP4s. I rest my case.
At A Glance: Price: RM 1499 Contact: 1-800-8228-22 Build quality: 10/10 Applications: 8/10 Interface: 9/10 Value-for-money: 9/10 Overall rating: 9/10 + Best form factor in half a decade + Megapixel camera + 128MB memory + High quality finish of the exterior - Touch keys a bit too sensitive - No Memory expansion Review unit courtesy of LG Electronics (M) Sdn. Bhd
Wow!
That sums it up pretty much. After more than five years in the business of writing about phones, this is only the second or third time I have said that in a phone review. The first was with the introduction of the Nokia 7650 all those years ago, when a colour screen phone with polyphonic ringtones was a huge innovation.
Now, I find that the LG Chocolate phone, also known as the Black Temptation, takes a huge leap of imagination and comes up with something different and exciting. However, they might want to make up their minds about labelling the phone as the LG-SV590/KV5900/LP5900 in addition to the three names given already. Six different names for a phone is a little overkill is it not?
In the box # Handset Transceiver # Battery (standard battery) # Charger # USB Cable
Exterior This is where the KG800 stands out by a mile from other phones. Undoubtedly, this phone will be a sleeper hit when it starts retailing in the shops. When closed, the device resembles a bar of chocolate, albeit a rather shiny one with a silver border running around the side of the phone.
A square of silver frames the central select button which is unlit when the phone is closed. And finally, a LG logo sits on top of the screen, also done tastefully in silver. The device is only 15.2 mm thick and weighs only 83 grams. In fact, it looks like one of those compacts that ladies carry around with them to powder their noses.
Anyway, once you slide open the phone, the area around the silver square mentioned lights up into nine glyphs which are touch sensitive, and which we will refer to as the touchpad for the rest of this review in contrast to the keypad with the numbers. The keypad is located just beneath the slide portion, so the action of sliding the top half up also reveals the keypad to the user.
The entire phone is done up in the ceramic black glossy finish, which does retain a few fingerprints, but constant wiping with your shirtsleeves keeps the device shiny. The camera lens is found on the back of the screen, along with the self-portrait mirror and the flash window.
Buttons/Screen The keys are black with white text, and the keypad is backlit in pale white. The keys on the top section are lit up in red upon a black background, and that is simply stunning!
However, after the timeout setting has lapsed, then the buttons on the top half switch off and do not activate unless you tap a button on the keypad or on the side of the phone. It takes a bit of getting used to, as the confusion is due to most other devices using a thin navigation pad much like the silver square on this device.
Therefore, I kept pressing that silver square inadvertently, when actually there were four directional sensors located just outside the silver square on the face of the device. There is also the tendency to hover one's fingers really close to the direction sensor's surface, and this will result in the phone detecting an input and responding accordingly.
The screen is a 262K screen with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels, and red and black default graphics are simply stunning given the context of the phone and its colours. The tactile response of the number keys was good, but not so with the red touch keys on the screen, which occasionally missed a touch or two. Anyway, it might have been psychological due to the lack of bounce-back or tactile feedback from the red keys.
Sometimes, the touch keys would also experience the sticky key phenomenon, where it detects a continuous press-down input and scrolls through the menus in one direction, without any user input.
Software/Messaging As is common by now, the main menu page is a grid of nine icons that branch out into a list of submenus that link to just about everything you need to do with the device.
The messaging here is good. It is rare to find a phone other than a Nokia or SE which actually responds this quickly to text input. I have no complaints about the programming and the speed and method of input.
After saying that the SMS input is excellent, the MMS is a little bit of a letdown because the device does not support video MMS. However, the standard MMS works fine in most cases for sending pictures, a bit of text and maybe a sound clip.
PIM You can add a picture to each contact for caller ID, and even make small notes such as the email address of said contact. I must say that the convoluted interface here was a bit annoying, as you had to bounce around multiple levels of the menu with a touchpad that tended to respond either too much or too little.
My eyes kept switching back and forth between what was shown on the screen and what corresponding keys I would have to press.
An alarm clock sits in the Tools folder, and so does the Calculator application. But the unwieldy touchpad precludes any use of this device for business applications. This appears to be purely a talk and text device, so we shall leave it at that.
Camera/Video The camera, which is hidden behind the screen, is that of a 1.3 megapixel type. It was hard to tell this because LG does not advertise the fact on the body of the device like other manufacturers do. Although this makes the phone look much better, it does not help the consumer to know what the specifications are.
Instead, an icon marked ‘sliding' is located just below the lens. Tell me then, how would you be able to read the words ‘sliding' if you had not already found out that the device is a sliding type one by looking at the place below the camera lens?
Both the camera and the video here are subject to Zooms of up to 4x. The screen acts as the viewfinder and shows you the target image rather clearly. Again, it needs no mentioning that you will have to slide the phone open before you can use the camera, since its lens is hidden behind the back cover when the phone is in its closed state. Finally, a multi-shot feature allows you to take nine rapid-fire sequential shots, just like in most Samsung devices.
Multimedia/Voice There is a built-in MP3 player, and 124MBs of multimedia space in the phone. The remaining 4Mbs is categorised as shared memory and is used mostly for storing messages. The phone also supports WMA and AAC playback and comes with a graphic equalizer with six presets.
There was no mention of voice recognition software. However, there is a voice recorder found inside the multimedia menu though.
Connectivity The chocolate phone has built-in support for Bluetooth, but it does not do infrared. This is quite a surprise as infrared would have gone down really well with the reddish theme of the phone. A USB Cable is included with the device, and it was a really simple matter to just plug the phone into the computer.
I didn't like that the thing wanted me to reboot my computer. I don't like to change my settings, so the next time you make a phone, kindly feel free to include non-intrusive software with it. I just want to load music into the device. I do not need it to synchronise with anything. Apple, please take note. I dislike your iTunes rubbish for doing that.
The funny thing is, you can't use the phone while you are transferring stuff to it. Multitasking is a two decade old thing, if I recall correctly. However, in all fairness, the transfer was pretty fast and I have no complaints about that.
It was simply wonderful to have a portable music device in this phone. Now if only there was an expansion slot so that I could carry more music if I wanted to.
Games There is one game in the phone and it is called the Zoo Zoo Club. It is a puzzle game which is a BeJewelled clone, except that instead of using jewels, the game uses a bunch of furry animals.
Editor's Opinion
This is a simply astounding product. The form factor is the best I have seen in half a decade and the sheer classiness is there for all to see. Word has it that this model is doing very well in Korea, and I expect it to be a big hit here in Malaysia.
There are some minor things though, like having to get used to the touch keypad and the tendency to bounce around the menu because of both unclear directions. However, this is easily forgotten because of the gorgeous looks of the device.
The SMS input had no lag, which leads me to believe that there is one powerful processor under the hood here. I still like it, and rate it very highly as one of the highlights of 2006. Again, this is a great product, and it has raised the bar for succeeding products, both from LG and from its competitors.
We just received confirmation that the retail price has been set at RM 1499. Therefore, we are upgrading our rating of the phone a little, as the price is much lower than we expected for this products. We really do expect that this phone will do well here. Only time will tell.
Nokia starts selling their business related E-Series. First to come is the new Nokia E60. This stylish device has been designed to face the needs of the mobile professionals. If things go well, it could be the successor of the Nokia 6230(i). The E60 provides support for WCDMA, EDGE, Triband GSM and Internet call over WLAN, Push-to-talk-Funktion (PoC) and push E-Mail. The E60 includes attachment viewers and editors supporting the most common features of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel (Microsoft Office 97, 2000, XP and 2003). The E60 is compatible with Zip Manager and Adobe Reader. It IS a real mobile office, as you may say: your mobile secretary (although it may not look as good as her) :D
Design The E60 is a mix of metal and plastic. The cover around the very good display is made of metal. With measures of 115 mm x 49 mm x 16,9 mm and a weight of 117 g it is called "sleek" but not really "small". The device is of silver color. If you use a 6230(i) you may find the E60 a little bulky. Nevertheless the E60 feels comfortable in your hand and looks distinguished. The design itself is rather boring but as you will see, the power is within the mobile. Don't judge the E60 by its outer appearance.
Firmware V 1.0610.02.15 12-04-06 RM-49 Nokia E60
Features 64 MB of free memory. Reduced Size Dual Voltage (1.8/3V) MultiMediaCard (MMC) with hot swap slot for easy MMC card insertion and removal, an Active matrix display with 16,7 Mio. Colors using an incredible resolution of 352 x 416 Pixel. These are the main features. A note to all doubters: the difference between the 262k colors of the N80 and the 16.7 Mio colors of the E60 is clearly visible. E-Mail WLAN/UMTS/Push and a great number of other contact possibilities with the outside world are almost nothing new. In fact also VoIP should work, but because of a lack of provider-sided support of Nokias "own" SIP, it does not work very well at the moment, however, it will work in the future. Furthermore, the E60 offers for the first time an own Internet telephony client.
Whats in the box The E60 is released within a standard box including * Nokia E60 * Nokia Charger ACP-12E * Nokia Battery BL-5C * Nokia Mono-Headset HS-5 * Nokia Connectivity cableCA-53 * CD und Manual
This time there is NO memory card supplied! They are, however, available in sufficient numbers on the free market.
Look & feel The Nokia E60 is a functionally extremely well thought out mobile, whose priorities are found in connectivity and business field. It offers convincing multimedia qualities. According the camera quality: there is none at all. Cheers Mercedes Benz and Co. But there is an additional clip-on camera you may use. It's not cheap and in my opinion not worth the money.
The E60 is produced rock solid, with no visible weaknesses. The joystick is precise, well tactile and very stable. The softkeys do react promptly. The softkey (Menukey) below the Joystick is rather small, an operating error is, however, hardly possible. The side buttons for voice recordings as well as the two volume controls fulfill their function well.
Nevertheless, on some devices, there are some small visible faults:
The surface around the display will show scratches very fast, one sees also fingerprints immediately. The very large keyboard, shows a really hard preasure point. If you are in "SMS" you will have to get accustomed to that. The buttons are illuminated in bright white.
In total the E60 provides a very good feeling - and thats because of the generous measurements. Due to the combination between size and weight, it is feeling well in the hand. Nevertheless it looks quite big at a first glance. The impression deceives, in fact it is thinner than the N80 and also thinner than a Nokia 6230i. It can be described as sleek and well crafted.
Display The display with its 2,1-Zoll-Active matrix display (16,7 Mio. colors) and a incredible resolution of 352 x 416 pixels - has been used in similar form already within the Nokia N80. The quality, however, has been greatly improved on the E60. It was illuminated - due to the higher capacity of the battery - more brightly and it shows more colors. One can recognize the difference between N80 and E60 display well in direct arrangement. A high resolution/brilliance like that, I did not see up to now. Of course Nokia does not supply any design teaching-piece here. The icons are graphically rather simple, however, well designed.
There are - because of the new 3rd edition S60 - new themes necessary. The old S60 themes can not be used anymore. New themes can be found without problems on the net. For business users, they are however, rather insignificant and may cause some more bugs.
Start me up After you switch your E60 on and after the usual - S60 typical - somewhat longer startup time, the E60 is ready to serve you as your mobile office. Some settings wizards as well as a short introduction to every important point (made with the new flash Player lite (slightly sluggish)) will help you to get you accustomed to the E60. It offers for the first time a speech based help function. All necessary steps will be spoken then.
Menu/Functions After you press the small Menukey on the E60, Nokias 3rd Edition of Series 60 shows up with 15 menu items. In total the functions of the 3rd Edition were pimped up easily. All the Series60 functions have been developed well. The usual PIM applications are on board, as well as some new ones. The contact applications is as usual. Fields can be filled with a lot of entries (e.g. company, position, telephone, first names, last names, mobile number, video call, Internet phone, PTT, pager, fax, E-Mail). Contacts can be sorted by last name as well as first name. Additional informations, such as name addition, titles, aliases, position, memos and birthday are also possible.
Pictures and/or photos, can be used as background or caller pictures. Profiles (General, Mute, Meeting, Outside, Off-Line, Pager) can't be time-controlled but changed to your personal needs.
Also the Active Standby is on board. It lets you activate functions right on the main screen.
MP3 Player The built-in MP3 Player (you'll find it in Media Menu) with it's sound sections ((Standard, Acoustic, Bass Booster, Hip Hop, Pop, R&B, Rock) own ones are also possible) in connection with a Koss Porta sounds very well. However it does not match the quality you'll find on the Nokia N91. The E60 does not include a Stereo headset nor headphones adapter. You'll have to buy one extra.
The MP3 Player supports play lists as well as it reacts fast and in connection with the active standby, it is very good to handle.
The sound of the MP3 Player is balanced, sadly, there is no real bass. This shortcoming, can be balanced easily by using Koss Porta as headsets. In total the sound of the E60 is - compared with that of the Nokia 6270 - very good. The 6230i is not better.
Applications / PIM They are no games installed - the information on the Nokia Homepage states something else. But there are a few useful applications
* Personal shortcuts * Customizable profiles * Alarm clock * Music Player (MP3/AAC) * Real Player * Flash Player * Notepad for short notes * Device lock * Calculator * Converter: Converts currencies, measurements, temperature, etc. * World Clock II * Quickoffice (Tables, Documents, Presentations)
On board is the Push-to-talk-Funktion for mobile networks, however without a specific push-to-talk button. The PoC-service (Push to talk over Cellular) allows direct speech connections to individuals or groups - similar as at a Walkie-talkie.
The changes made with Symbian 9.1 are hardly visible to the user. They are more "wihin" the system core.
Sound The sound of the Nokia E60 is very good. The 6230i is of course also very well. Although the E60 only features a single loudspeaker, the sound is more than sufficient. If you like to use it as an MP3 Player in your office (provided that you do not work on a construction site), the sound if good enought. Conversations in hands-free mode are not a problem, also conference circuits are possible.
The built-in and pre-installed ringtones sound are also well made. The device has, however, slightly worse receive powers than the 6230i. Nevertheless for a real Smartphone they are sufficient enough. The reception in D1 as well as O² net is good.
Connectivity The Triband-Mobile (GSM 900/1800/1900) has good reception and sending quality in both nets. Dual Mode UMTS is not offered, there will be two different models. BT 1.2 transfer are rapid. The E60 can be used as a storage device if connected via USB Connectivity cable. Thanks to USB 2.0 the transfer speed is very good. A2DP, however, is not supported. The E60 has IR on board. It offers an external SIM-Access mode. The O² Homezone icon is shown correctly.
The E60 offers Nokias Pop-Port™ interface at the bottom. After you connect with the USB Connectivity cable it offers modes as Media player, PC Suite and Data transfer. While using the Data transfer/Media player mode the E60 switches off-line and your are not able to receive or make calls. There is no external docking station and the E60 can not be loaded via Connectivity cable.
The built-in WLAN 802.11b/g supports WEP and WPA/WPA2 in infrastructure as well as adhoc mode. WLAN can't be turned off. You can select the time, the E60 looks for other WLAN (up to 10 minutes), but it stays in standby mode all the time.
The power of the E60 built-in WLAN appears to be by far better than on my N80. In rooms, in which the N80 already has no reception, the E60 still offers connectivity.
The E60 supports a number of security standards, for instance EAP-TTLS is supported.
Since in the past, more and more people have talked about the possibility of the VoIP: The E60 supports SIP as well as Internet telephony. However the E60 (Nokia specialized services) is not recognized by the majority of VoIP services. As for example, the E60 does not connect to service like voicebuster or sipgate. At least a registration was not possible to me during my tests. Skype is supposed to be compiled for the Series60. When this program will be published is still unknown. At the moment VoIP is not very easy to get running. The E60 offers the possibility of IP Passthrough.
Internet The new S60 browser - based on Safari's WebCore - is used also on the E60. With the 'minimap' called function you will see a full page at a glance and can zoom details in individual steps. Support for RSS is offered also, however, still expandable.
The new browser is much faster than Nokias older solutions. The E60 browser can be called a "complete mobile browser", because it supports frames, popups and PHP. Surfing with the E60 is swift and pleasant. It seems to be more stable and faster, than on the N80.
Menu The character size - and with that the clarity - can be changed by pressing the * and # button while surfing.
The E60 can be used both in the dual mode, or only in GSM. If you use it only in GSM, the battery does last longer..
Office The E60 has a pre-installed quick office (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint Viewer). All three applications show up seperately in the E60 menu. With that the mentioned documents can be shown as well as edited.
The E60 has a built-in navi named "Navigator". Using an external BT GPS receiver you can calculate your actual position. A on board navigation as TomTom or Route66 offers, is not possible. It is rather a kind of digital compass with position specifications in length and width degrees, than a real navi system.
Themes The E60 has one theme installed (Nokia). But there are plenty of other 3rd Edition themes available on the net.
Battery The battery is very good for a Series60. In case of intense use of the functions, you can use the E60 a whole working day. If you only use the MP3 Player, you will come up with a respectable time of about 16 hours. In case of moderate use, you can save yourself for about 2-3 days before recharging and in standby mode with good net quality, it will last 4 days (in GSM mode). The more you use WLAN, the faster the battery needs to be recharged. The battery of the E60 is stronger than on the N80/N91, therefore the display is brighter.
Accessories Nokias belt bag CNT-544 fits very well.
Conclusion The Nokia E60 features a first-class display with a very high resolution and 16.7 Mio. colors. The business part is implemented really great. In spite of the fact, that the E60 is targeted to "business customers", it has more than sufficient multimedia qualities (Video, MP3). It can be individualized (themes). E-Mail and all necessary connection possibilities to the outside world (e.g. push E-Mail support, IR, BT, WLAN) are on board. Sound and connectivity is not better, than on the 6230i. For a S60 Smartphone, however, they are unequalled. VoIP is not working well at the moment, but will in the near future. All in all, the E60 offers a lot of features for the money.
Since it does not have a camera, it is surely a good substitute for existing Nokia 6230i. In my eyes the E60 is the most productive Smartphone on the market. Firmware is amazing stable (apart from the SIP bug), I did not note many crashes yet. But i do not installed games or other Gimmicks. The existing S60 3rd Edition programs, however, also work on the E60. Nokia itself offers two good programs (Handy Expense, World Mate) for free. My conclusion: go and buy yourself a E60. If you do not need a camera.
Espoo, Finland - Live mobile TV broadcasts will be aired to Nokia N92 mobile devices, and other DVB-H enabled devices, in a pilot project run by the German mobile network operators E-Plus, O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone this summer. The pilot started in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover and Munich and will run until August 31 except Munich where the pilot ends on July 31, 2006. The pilot gives access to live broadcasts on mobile devices during the football championships where guests of E-Plus, O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone will be able to enjoy live TV programs.
"Nokia is extremely happy to be part of this DVB-H pilot during the football championships by offering the Nokia N92 devices. Nokia has been part of numerous DVB-H pilots around the world and this pilot is a very important milestone in moving closer to the commercial mobile TV phase" said Harri Männistö, director, Multimedia, Nokia. "We are confident that live mobile TV will be an exciting new service for consumers, and we are looking forward to seeing the market developing fast."
During the pilot project 14 TV channels (ARD, ZDF, Nord3, BR, RBB, RTL, Sat.1, ProSieben, n-tv, N24, VOX, MTV Music, Eurosport and a regional channel) and six radio channels are accessible live on the Nokia N92.
The mobile TV pilot is based on DVB-CBMS open standards, which is supported by a number of handset and mobile TV platform manufacturers, including Nokia.
The Nokia N92 offers easy access to live TV programs without having to sit in front of a television set. Using a Nokia N92 device, one can set reminders to watch their favorite TV programs, create personal channel lists and subscribe to TV channel packages. The outstanding new form factor offers a highly ergonomic user-experience. The usability is further enhanced by the large 2.8" anti-glare QVGA screen with 16 million colors and the dedicated media keys that deliver a rich viewing experience.
The Nokia N92, which is based on S60 3rd Edition and Symbian OS, is planned to be commercially available in mid 2006 in Europe, Africa and Asia, in countries where DVB-H services are available, with an estimated, unsubsidized sales price of approximately 600 euros.
Well, color us a bit surprised. It turns out that the rumored "Black Tie Edition" Treo 650 for Asia-Pacific was not only real, it's coming to this side of pond as well. The specs sadly haven't changed from what we've reported before: you get the same old Treo 650 repackaged in black, a unique hard case, a dual-purpose stylus/pen, and that's about it. The Black Tie Edition is shipping immediately for a whopping $599 unsubsidized; we're not holding our breath for our 700p-toting readers to make the switch, but for folks on GSM carriers, this is now the snazziest Treo money can buy.
