SANDY TECHFANATIC

She's arrived at last, the 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia's tardy entry into the (modern) touchscreen phone space, and we've gotten some quality face time with the device. Appropriately nicknamed the Tube, the device has a number of Nokia peculiarities that could appeal to certain sensibilities, but probably won't be taking a big bite out of existing touchphone market share -- at least in the S60-phobic United States. Let's dig in, shall we?


Hardware
Resistive touchscreen, huh Nokia? We're intrigued, but certainly wouldn't say impressed. Nokia claims the decision was made to appeal to the world market, particularly asian countries that prefer handwriting recognition to keyboards. Hence the stylus input option. It doesn't ruin everything for those of us that would rather tap with our thumbs, but means pushing that much harder on the screen, and using the tips of your fingers when you type instead of the flat -- knocking off a good 5 wpm or so in the process -- we'll talk more about software keyboards in the next section. There's also a plectrum (guitar pick) included that can hang from a wrist strap if you don't want to smudge the screen and don't feel like sliding out the stylus.

The LCD itself is certainly impressive, at 640 x 360, but colors and brightness aren't complete knockouts. Purists will enjoy the dull screen surface, which certainly cuts down on glare, but casual users often prefer glossy screens for watching movies, something this aspect ratio is very well suited to.

There's a very, very loud speaker in the back. It's not the clearest thing in the world, but if you want to share a song or something with a friend, they'll certainly hear it. There's also a 3.5mm jack up top, right where it should be.

The 3.2 megapixel camera focuses well and takes great pictures in daylight -- indoors is likely a different story, as with most cameraphones, but there's a rather powerful dual LED flash to help out with that.

All of this -- in addition to things like GPS, WiFi and a side-loading microSD slot (there's a free 8GB card included) -- are wrapped up into an elongated, chubby package, hence the Tube moniker. We'd hate to have something of its shape and thickness in a tight jeans front pocket on a regular basis, but we must admit that it's very comfortable to hold and use with a single hand, something that can't be said for all touchscreen phones.

Software

It's S60, so if you were hoping for something else you'll be sorely disappointed. Nokia's done "just enough" to turn the traditional interface into a touchable one with version 5.0, sizing up icons, adding finger-friendly buttons in lieu of traditional menu items and so forth. What Nokia hasn't quite figured out is consistency, requiring double taps in some places, single taps in others. Scrolling through most lists requires dragging a scroll bar, pulling down as the list flies up, but the browser has touch and drag scrolling. Nothing's too frustrating or unreasonable, but this is no seamless experience.

What's new is a touch-sensitive button above the screen that drops down the Media Bar for access to music, movies, photos, the browser and sharing. Not life changing, but quite convenient. There's also a new home screen with a "Fav Four" of sorts across the top and little else. Tap that friend, and you can get a quick look at recent calls, messages and even related RSS feeds. Pretty neat if you're a loner, but there's no way to add more than four friends, or view similar info for your regular contacts that don't make the cut. Luckily, the traditional S60 home screen is also available.

For text input you have four options: handwriting, mini QWERTY keyboard, full screen QWERTY and alphanumeric keypad. The first two are stylus-based (that mini QWERTY is truly mini), while the other two are only available in landscape and portrait modes, respectively. Like we said in the hardware end of things, the resistive touch means using the tips of your fingers instead of the pads, which we find a tad frustrating, but the keyboard in landscape mode is truly gargantuan, and after an hour or two of learning we're guessing you could rattle off some pretty lengthly emails or Great American Novels. Luckily, if you're a T9 fan there's nothing stopping you from keeping the phone in portrait mode and rattling off text messages with the touchable alphanumeric keypad, and the phone is frankly too narrow to work well with QWERTY in portrait. The handwriting recognition looks good enough, but we revert to a 2nd grade writing level whenever we pick up a pen, so that stylus is staying firmly in its holster.

We're not convinced the touchable browser is a step up over existing WebKit implementations on Nokia's other handsets, since the tap to zoom function is slow and unreliable -- and no, you can't select text from web pages to copy and paste. Panning around the page is also jittery, perhaps a tad worse than the G1 -- nobody has managed to pull off iPhone smooth yet in this department. We were using a slightly early software build, so some of these problems might be fixed in the final version, but it wasn't encouraging. Still, there's no denying the advantages of viewing the web on a 640 x 360 LCD.

We tested out an accelerometer-based driving game, but it was overly sensitive and no-fun-at-all -- though we're guessing that wouldn't be a hard fix. The graphics looked pretty good, though. Movies are potentially this phone's killer app, but you'll have to do the conversion just right to get smooth playback at full resolution. We did see some video shot with the phone (that Sea World shot in the gallery) and it looked pretty good.

Conclusion

If you haven't picked it up by now, Nokia isn't going after the power users here. The phone will be marketed under Nokia's "Live" banner, and really concentrates on the most basic communications -- calling and texting -- with a whole bunch of multimedia piled on top. Nokia's Comes With Music helps on that end of things, and the screen certainly helps with video, but this is no iPhone when it comes to to solid media integration or full-featured media player apps. On the communication side, we're sad to see Nokia almost burying some of its S60 advantages. Everything's still there, but Nokia didn't put the gruntwork in necessary to really take advantage a next-gen interface as it relates to keeping track of emails, social networking, IM and the correspondences of more than four people. All that said, Nokia isn't claiming that the 5800 is the be all end all, is releasing it with a very aggressive price point (€279 unlocked), and promises more where this came from.

The phone ships this fall in Europe, and will show up next year in the States without a carrier, though hopefully it picks up one soon -- a $50 subsidised price tag could turn this thing into a hit if the US carriers don't sit on it too long.

All of us would like to get more phone per phone (to borrow from a certain car advert), and much to our delight, prices of mobile handsets across the board seem to be dropping all the time. Handsets with entry-level color displays are much in demand these days, and for as little as Rs 5000 you can choose from quite a wide range. Here are some of my recommendations.

Intex IN3333 – Rs 5000

The design of the IN3333 may seem a bit familiar but it’s a neat-looking job. It's clearly an entry-level multimedia mobile, as its features would indicate. The handset is equipped with a 2-inch TFT display with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels and 256K colors. There's a media player and FM radio, and the 1.3MP camera can also be used as a USB PC webcam. MicroSD card support provides external memory, and you get three preloaded games. Internet connectivity is at your disposal too, as the phone supports GPRS and WAP.

Nokia 3110 Classic – Rs 4650

The 3110 Classic is a simple-looking candy bar handset. It's not a looker, but then it wasn’t designed with style in mind. The screen is a 1.7-inch TFT that can display up to 256K colors at a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels. The keypad is designed for comfort and is quite responsive, as is the S40 interface it runs on. The handset supports MicroSD cards for external memory, which is useful since it's equipped with plenty of media-oriented features: a 1.3MP camera, media player for video and music, and an integrated stereo FM radio. The 3110 is also well-equipped for connectivity – it supports EDGE, GPRS and WAP for net connectivity, as well as USB v2.0 and Stereo Bluetooth.

Sony Ericsson W200i – Rs 4300

The SE W200i is a Walkman series handset. Again, the form factor is not altogether a stunner, but the simple and ergonomic design isn’t bad at all. The 1.8 inch TFT display has a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels and 65K colors. It supports GPRS and WAP for the Net, and USB for PC data transfer. While the handset doesn’t offer Bluetooth, it does support external memory via M2 cards. Other features include a VGA camera, Sony’s Walkman player, and an integrated FM radio. The W200i is available in a range of funky colors

Motorola has announced the launch of the 3G MOTORAZR V9 Ferrari Special Edition in India. We heard about this handset a while back and personally, although the price is way out of my league I’m happy that Motorola decided to launch the handset in the Indian market so quickly. The MOTORAZR V9 Ferrari comes with 2 large color screens, internal and external and employs Motorola’s CrystalTalk technology which should deliver call clarity even in noisy environments. The handset also supports USB 2.0 and stereo Bluetooth.

"The MOTORAZR2 V9 Ferrari Special Edition represents Motorola's passion for innovation and design, and is the first co-branded Motorola mobile phone for the Indian consumer" said Faisal Siddiqui, Director, Product & Solutions, India & SWA, Motorola Mobile Devices. "MOTORAZR2 V9 Ferrari is a true object of desire for the car racing enthusiast and helps make a differentiated style statement. Calling all Ferrari fans to go to a MOTOSTORE or a premium store near you and experience the MOTORAZR2 V9 Ferrari."

The mark of the Ferrari is depicted in the MOTORAZR V9 by the metallic finish with black vacuum, the flag quadriculada and the details in red. This special series of MOTORAZR V9 Ferrari includes exclusive content such as screensavers, wallpapers and ringtones. The handset also comes with an integrated 2 megapixel digital camera with 8x zoom, wireless broadband with 3G HSDPA, EDGE/GPRS Class 10 & 12, video streaming, video capture and playback. You can use MOTO BACKUP, MOTO SETUP and MOTO TEXT to store your contacts and messages.


The V9 Ferrari Special Edition is available at MOTOSTOREs, MOTOSTORE Lites and select premium retail outlets across the country at a price of Rs. 21,840 (MRP). It comes with a 2GB memory card, an exclusive signature Ferrari leather case and a stereo headset. The MOTORAZR V9 Ferrari Special Edition was available exclusively for the first week at The MobileStore outlets in India.

In this age of mobile wizardry, anything is possible. You could watch TV on your mobile, use two SIM cards simultaneously, and still walk away with no dent in your wallet. While mobile phones also have a fair share of knock-offs, or 'clones' as we like to call them, there are plenty of handsets that aren’t clones and yet deliver in the features department. We know these as the nameless ‘Chinese Mobiles’. I managed to get hold of some and tested them for you.

I may not be able to give you too much by way of detail about the handsets themselves, but I can tell you what they essentially offer and how good they are. Those of you who aren’t aware of their prices (which is unlikely since they’ve pretty much flooded the market) please listen up. All the handsets I've tested in this feature are priced under Rs 10,000 (they range anywhere between Rs 5,500 and Rs 9,000).

V323

The V323 mobile is a rather bulky handset and heavy too. But it has a superbly clear 3-inch touchscreen display that’s great for watching videos and TV, if you have the reception. The interface looks identical to Nokia Symbian interface handsets, so navigation should be easy for Nokia users... or just about anybody. The interface is a little bit slow though. The phone supports analog TV, but unfortunately I couldn’t get decent reception anywhere and all I saw was a lot of static.

The V323 comes equipped with a 1.3MP camera (with plenty of settings) and the image quality isn’t too bad. There various features, including a pretty good media player and an FM radio, in addition to regular stuff like a converter, calendar for schedules and appointments etc. The best thing about the V323 is that it supports dual SIM cards, both GSM. It’s a bit tricky figuring out messaging and calling the numbers stored on the SIMs, but poking around helps. Both SIMs are simultaneously active and incoming calls from the second SIM will simply have a ‘(2)’ attached to the callers name. You can switch off either SIM if you wish. The V323 also supports external memory.

TV01

If you thought the iPhone was the big daddy of cell phones, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. I’m not referring to the handset in technological terms and calling it that, but more in terms of its size, especially with its external battery pack that includes an additional speaker. It’s unfortunate that the company that designed this handset with the external additional pack has given those annoying individuals who play their mobile music in the train some rather heavy artillery.

This handset also supports analog TV with pretty good pickup. Don’t expect to get crystal clear reception, but the image quality is okay and so is the sound. The external pack has a little stand to prop up the handset. The TV01 supports dual SIM cards too, but as far as I could tell, both are not simultaneously active, though there is a dedicated button to switch between the two. This handset has a large touchscreen interface that supports quite a high resolution. The interface is quite catchy and easy to navigate, with the five-way nav-pad or the stylus. Feature-wise the TV01 is quite well equipped with multimedia, a 1.3MP camera and the relevant features that all mobile handsets come with including alarms, calendar, notes etc. External memory is supported via microSD cards.

HTC makes handsets for most of the major handset companies and was the first to introduce to finger gestures in the Touch. The Diamond takes things to the next level. With a fast-ass 528Mhz processor (which, BTW, is faster than the first PC I owned), a big-ass 2.8 inch screen, improved jaw drop inducing graphics, 4GB of internal storage and a turn by turn sat-nav guide, this one sure is a killer.

WillitBlend.com has this uncanny knack of putting ‘things’ in the mixer blender. So what? Even your mom does it every day, huh? Well, if you look at their past videos you’ll know. In their recent past, the ‘things’ have been a tv remote, an elderly guy’s hearing aid, a Nintendo Wii remote, a Rhubic’s cube… and the latest thing to be blended - the new Apple Iphone 3G!!!

I have to warn you guys, this is not for the weak hearted!

We have seen the N95 evolve and take on a new skin, some design alterations, and a load of memory. It did fairly well in both guises. Next we got a glimpse of the N96, touted as the next best thing. But in my opinion the next best thing to launch soon after the N95 was the N82. I’ve been waiting to see what Nokia would do with a different version of this handset. I think the N78 is it, so here’s what I have to say.

Form Factor
This candy bar handset is not particularly sleek or slim but it does have a certain something that makes it rather eye-catching. Its all-black, glossy faceplate may be a magnet for fingerprints and dust, but when it’s clean... that’s a whole 'nother story.

The N78 has a large 2.4 inch TFT display, above which is the secondary camera for video calls. As in the N81 and N96, the N78 uses Nokia’s touch-sensitive Navi Wheel feature not just for the multimedia display (dedicated key located next to the Navi Wheel) but for the entire menu system navigation. The keypad may look really small and the keys clustered, but it’s not a problem using it at all.

On one side of the N78 is the USB port, microSD card slot, and the charging port. The dedicated camera key and volume/zoom control keys are located on the other side. The N78 also has stereo speakers located on either side. The 3.2 megapixel camera with a flash is at the rear of the handset. Thankfully the N78, like others in the Nseries, has a 3.5mm earphone socket on the top near the power key. In case your earphone wire is too short you can use the bundled headset with a remote that also has a 3.5mm socket.

Features and Performance
New Interface
The N78 is a feature rich handset and is loaded with goodies. But let’s talk about the few new features the interface comes with. Oddly the handset doesn’t have an accelerometer like the N82 does, but it does have auto screen rotation for the image viewer and video player. What makes the interface really come alive is the Breathing addition.

It's a little hard to explain in words, what it implies is this: the interface displays smooth transition animations when you move from one screen to another, or switch applications. Another new feature is the Open Application viewer that allows users to see which applications are open or running in the background. This is the first Nokia handset I’ve come across that has this feature. Other new S60 handsets have a small indicator near the application icon as well as the folder to indicate that it’s still open/running.

Another great feature is that the N78, unlike other S60 handsets (thank goodness), allows users to access SIM contacts as default. No more copying all the contacts to the handset and having to choose whether or not to save new ones in the SIM or phone! The Standby menu also has a new feel with a vertical shortcut bar that I think is great – the icons won’t end up hiding too much of the wallpaper. Though the Navi Wheel makes it fun to navigate the menus, the sensitivity can’t be adjusted so it can get a bit annoying as your thumb may move too quickly and you’ll end up activating the application near the one you actually aimed for.

One of the weirdest things about this handset is the Images screen in the Gallery, which automatically rotates. In normal handsets you have the option of rotating the image to portrait mode if it shows up in landscape. The N78 isn't altogether different. Well, actually it is. When you switch the image to portrait mode, you're also going to have to turn the phone around – and by that I mean upside down.

Sony Ericsson’s Cyber-shot range of mobile handsets come in some trendy designs. As they carry the name of Sony’s digital camera range, the expectation of similar performance is unavoidable. Then again, we have to take into account that we’re not talking about a dedicated device but a multipurpose gadget designed for various needs and requirements. We put the Cyber-shot C902 through some rigorous tests over the last ten days, and here’s our take on it.

Form Factor
The C902 is definitely a good-looking handset. It’s sleek and slim, and the lines running along its edges make it even more eye-catching. The 'hidden' camera is a unique feature. All you need to do to activate or reveal the camera is slide up the upper portion of the handset (just above the display) and voila, out pops a 5MP camera with a flash and a sexy blue neon light. The secondary camera for video calling is located in the front and doesn’t need to be activated by sliding, it’ll work as is. That is if we ever get to use it for its primary feature.





The 2-inch display has a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 256K colors. When the camera is activated, a set of touch-sensitive shortcuts (for camera options) appears all around the display. What I had a problem with is the keypad. Although it’s quite large, the keys are a bit hard and took some getting used to.


This 10.5mm thick handset has SE’s proprietary connector port for USB and a handsfree kit located on one side. Thankfully, like the Walkman series, the C902’s handsfree kit comes with a 3.5mm adapter. On the other side are the volume/zoom keys and the shutter release for the camera. It doesn’t have a hot swap slot for the M2 card (2GB provided) on the outside but you’ll find it under the rear panel. The rear panel is a bit tricky to open, so avoid fiddling with it unless necessary.

Features and Performance
The C902 offers all the basic applications: a Calendar, a Task option, Notes, Timer Stopwatch, Calculator and a Code Memo feature. Like all SE handsets that are 3G capable and have a secondary camera, the C902 also has a dedicated application for video calling. The menus can also be customized – from a simple grid to rotating icons and single icon views – to make it look a bit more interactive.

Apple Inc. said Monday it sold 1 million iPhones in the first three days its newest model was on the market.
"iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend," said Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, in a statement.

However, Jobs did not address widespread software problems that plagued the launch.

On Friday, Apple's servers buckled as buyers tried to activate new iPhones in stores, while owners of older iPhones and the iPod Touch were updating and reactivating their devices.

In stores, employees who couldn't get the new iPhones working sent shoppers home to try again on their own later. At the same time, owners of the older phones were left with unusable units.

Reports of activation snags subsided over the weekend, as Apple's systems apparently recovered, and buyers were able to activate their phones through their home computers. As of Monday, the issues appeared to have been resolved, said analyst Charles Golvin of Forrester Research.

Apple did not respond to calls or e-mails requesting more information about the activation glitches.

Apple had sold about 6 million units of the first-model iPhone since it launched in the U.S. a year ago. The company has set a goal of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008.

Shares of Apple rose $1.30 to close at $173.88.

Key Features
3G HSDPA Technology
120 Mbytes Memory Plus MicroSD™ Memory Card Option up to 8 Gbytes
FM Stereo Radio with RDS
GPS Receiver & A-GPS Function
2.2 Inch QVGA 16 Million Colour Screen (320 x 240 Pixels)
5 Megapixel Camera with Carl Zeiss™ Lens & Xenon Flash

Our Summary
The 6220 Classic is a classic designed 3G Smartphone which comes with striking features as well as striking looks. The handset is available in two colour options & has 128MB of memory plus memory support up to 8GB using a memory card. The 6220 Classic comes with a stunning 5 megapixel camera feature & a 2.2 Inch high colour screen for viewing those perfect pictures on.
This is a nice phone. Actually only missing thing is Wi-Fi, then consider N78 or N82 or coming E66 but almost double price.

6220 classic has got the Symbian new feature pack 2 from N78 & the 5 megapixel from N82 (plus the lens protection & xenon flash) & gps agps. Just don't have the Wi-Fi

6220 classic got also MIDP 2.1 & SDHC until 8GB. SAR rate is 0.66 W/kg

Best in the market for price, features, photo & GPS.
A great little device.

I received the 6220 Classic yesterday & I must admit that I am impressed. I have always just considered a mobile phone as a practical device, just needed to receive & make calls & a place to keep phone numbers.

All that is changed with the 6220 Classic. At first sight it looks like a normal mainstream mobile phone, but it is loaded with features. I still have to explore them in depth but so far they have been easy to learn & useful.

The GPS works very well. The camera is equipped with a high quality Zeiss lens which can be covered when not in use. I can read news on my favourite news site & check my email. Listen to radio & music. Record notes or interviews. The device even is able to entertain my son & when he gets bored new games can be downloaded.

The interface inherits obviously a lot from other Nokia phones & it is hard to avoid that it's sometimes hard to find a specific function buried in menus & sub menus.

One of the downsides is that you have to buy a license if you want voice assisted GPS. There is a 90 days trial but if you are regularly on the move it is a must. You can buy licenses for a week, a month or for a year & prices are varying depending on regions.