MOBILE REVIEWS
Check out the latest mobile and their technical specifications with their prices and with their pictures.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10
Overview
What’s Good: Sony Ericsson makes jump into Android territory; vibrant display; rounded curves make for a comfortable experience. What’s Bad: Screen is very inconsistent; on-screen keyboard is terrible; laggy at times.
Introduction
First Symbian, then Windows Mobile, and now Android. Bucking the trend of many manufacturers in today’s market, Sony Ericsson has opted to work with several different operating systems (with the potential for more, according to recent comments made by the company’s CEO) as opposed to narrowing it down to a particular focus. As the company’s first Android-powered device, will the unlocked (at the time of this review) XPERIA X10 be able to compete with carrier-supported Android devices such as the DROID, myTouch 3G, and the HTC EVO 4G (when it launches)?
Design & Features
The XPERIA X10 is quite clean when it comes to exterior buttons. The top of the unit contains the power button, 3.5mm headphone jack, and microUSB charging port, while the right side of the unit contains the volume rocker and camera shortcut key. The front of the device offers a menu button, home button, and back button. Overall, the design of the X10 is very nice, though I wish the exterior offered less plastic and more metal.
Coming in at 4.69 inches long by 2.48 inches wide by 0.51 inch thick, the device weighs 4.76 ounces, making it thin and easy to fit in a pocket or purse. The X10 offers a 4.0-inch screen with 480 x 854 pixels and 65,536 colors (which I’m told is a limitation of Android 1.6), and we find it to be the perfect balance between the 3.2-3.7-inch market, and the 4.3-inch screens found on the HTC EVO 4G and the HD2. It’s big enough, but not overwhelming. Despite the large screen, the X10 is still relatively thin, and feels great in the hand. When conducting a long phone call, we found the unit to be quite comfortable against my ear.
Usability & Performance
The XPERIA X10 ships with Android 1.6 (Donut), and while we found myself missing Android 2.1, the inclusion of Timescape, Mediascape, and Sony Ericsson’s custom UI helped to mask it most of the time. That being said, notable features that we use in 2.1 on a regular basis are missing – the ability to add multiple Gmail accounts, pinch-to-zoom functionality, and voice-to-text, just to name a few. No official word on it just yet, but rumor has it that the unit will be upgradeable to 2.1 at some point (Sony Ericsson has committed to updating the phone on a regular basis). Despite the 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, the XPERIA X10 was laggy and unresponsive at times. While operating in Timescape and Mediascape (the places where one would think lag would be present), the device performed flawlessly. When attempting to open programs, unlock the screen, or perform basic tasks in the menu, we often found it to be laggy and inconsistent. Additionally, the scrolling itself was erratic – we found that there were times where one scroll did the trick, and other times where it required a few before it recognized the gesture. It’s not a deal breaker, but could prove to be annoying after extended use. It’s important to note that the software running on our review unit is pre-production software, so things could change by launch time.
The X10 ships with the Android keyboard, and Sony Ericsson’s “standard keyboard.” After five minutes of using Sony Ericsson’s “standard” option, we had to revert back to the Android keyboard due to strange gesture problems. At times, typing would be decent, and other times, it was quirky and would miss letters. For those that frequently message, it’s quite the challenge to use. we are hoping it’s either something that can be fixed with future updates, or that there are alternative on-screen keyboards in the marketplace.
The XPERIA X10 ships with an 8.1-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, and in my testing, picture quality was outstanding. The camera performed well in most situations we were able to throw at it, and video quality was very good as well. Editing options include several “capturing modes” (normal, scene recognition, smile detection, and touch capture), a number of resolutions (8MP, 6MP, 2MP, and low 2MP), a variety of different scenes (normal, portrait, landscape, night scene, night portrait, beach and snow, sports, party, and document), and various focus modes (single autofocus, multi autofocus, macro, face detection, and infinity). Sony Ericsson has always prided itself in high-quality device cameras, and the XPERIA X10 doesn’t disappoint.
The unlocked device was tested in the Las Vegas and Charlotte areas using AT&T, and call quality was decent. Callers were able to hear me well, though we had a bit of background static on my end and an occasional dropped call. When visiting a known AT&T trouble spot in the Charlotte metropolitan area, we had trouble initiating calls. When testing the speakerphone in a noisy coffee shop, we were able to hear my callers without a problem. Though they said that they could hear the espresso machines in the background, it didn’t prevent us from having a conversation. we successfully paired my Plantronics Voyager Pro Bluetooth headset to the device without a problem, and callers said that we sounded equally clear. The only issue we encountered was the earpiece; it seemed a bit lower than other handsets on the market, even at the highest volume. The XPERIA X10 offers 3G HSPA connectivity (on AT&T’s bands in the US), so browsing speeds were very quick. The full CNN webpage loaded in about 18 seconds, and the PhoneDog homepage loaded in 29 seconds. Other data-intensive tasks such as Google Maps, the Android Market, Google Talk, and Timescape worked well. Estimated talk time is about 10 hours with 3G connectivity, and about 17 days of standby time. Like other smartphones on the market, the battery life on the X10 isn’t going to last that long, particularly during regular day-to-day use. With moderate to heavy use including calling, text messaging, browsing the internet, and use of Google Maps, we were able to get about a day and a half out of it before it powered down. It’s no featurephone, but given the abilities of the device, we found the battery life to be acceptable. For the individual that is away from the office on a regular basis, we woul recommend an extra battery or car charger.
Conclusion
The XPERIA X10 has a few quirks and issues that could prove frustrating to experienced smartphone users. That being said, most of the problems we encountered could be fixed with software updates, and since Sony Ericsson has committed to providing updates on an ongoing basis, we could see them resolved over time. At any rate, the X10 is going to be one of those love or hate devices. we hope to see the XPERIA X10 land on a US carrier at some point in the near future, as I think it would make a great addition to any carrier’s Android lineup.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Video Review – The best home videos are here
Nokia 6303i classic
Whats New?
Nokia 6303i classic- Snap, edit and share Nokia 6303i classic, timeless design with effortless email, Nokia 6303i classic is for instant messaging and imaging, including a 3.2 megapixel full focus camera – Nokia 6303i classic comes with a new sleek design and a reassuring feel – together with convenient imaging, sharing and messaging – make the affordable Nokia 6303i classic a perfect fit with your everyday life.
Dimension
108.8 x 46.2 x 11.7 mm, 57 cc
Weight
96 g
Battery
Talk time Up to 8 h, Stand-by Up to 515 h
Memory
55 MB Built-in + 2GB microSD card included (Supports up to 8GB, hot swappable)
Connectivity
Bluetooth v2.0 with EDR, USB, GPRS Class 32, EDGE Class 32
Display Size
240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches
Display Colour
TFT, 16M colors
Operating Frequency / Band
GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
Browser
WAP 2.0/xHTML
Entertainment
Stereo FM radio with RDS, 3.5 mm audio jack, MP3/AAC/eAAC player, Games (8 + Downloadable) , Speakerphone, Flash Lite 3, Nokia Maps, Voice memo.
Camera
3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, autofocus, Dual LED flash, Video (QVGA 8fps; QCIF 15fps).
Ring Tones
Downloadable Polyphonic, MP3, Video ring tones.
Messaging
SMS, MMS, Email, IM
Price
Rs. 11,500
USD 151
Samsung M3710 Corby Beat
Whats New?
Samsung M3710 Corby Beat Samsung M3710 Corby Beat is the latest touchscreen addition to the Corby family of Samsung. Samsung M3710 Corby Beat is based on Samsung Bada OS & has a large 2.8 inch display, dedicated music keys, TouchWiz interface, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth. the integration of social networking is a special of Samsung M3710 Corby Beat, Other features include 3MP camera, 50MB of internal memory and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The Samsung M3710 Corby Beat also comes with a Game store application so that you can download games directly to your mobile.
Dimension
105 x 56.5 x 12.3 mm.
Battery
Talk time Up to 3 h, Stand-by Up to 300 h.
Memory
50 MB built-in + microSD Card (supports up to 16 GB).
Connectivity
Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, WLAN (Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g), USB, GPRS Class 10 (48 kbps), EDGE Class 10 (236.8 kbps).
Display Size
240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inches.
Display Colour
TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors.
Operating Frequency / Band
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900.
Browser
WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML.
Entertainment
Stereo FM radio with RDS, MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+ player, 3.5 mm audio jack, MP4/H.263/H.264 player, DNSe (Digital Natural Sound Engine), Find Music recognition service, Games (built-in + downloadable) , Dedicated music keys, Speakerphone, Social networking integration with live updates, Document viewer, Organizer.
Camera
3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, Video (QVGA 15fps).
Ring Tones
Polyphonic, MP3.
Messaging
SMS, MMS, Email, IM.
Price
Rs. 15,500
USD 204
*******************************************************************
Samsung Diva S7070
Samsung Diva S7070 Handset – Watch more amazing videos here
