A few weeks previously, we all knew it as the Sony Ericsson Rachael. However, Sony Ericsson have recently announced that they have been wise enough to give their newest Smartphone a proper name – meet the upcoming Sony Ericsson XPERIA X3.Thanks to online retailer Expansys, we’ve gotten the lowdown on this device including a majority of its features and functions. Here they are for your reading pleasure.
Building on the Success
The new X3 will hope to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor which is the XPERIA X1 (the X2 itself is yet to be released to the general public). The X3 will be equipped with the familiar 3D panel UI which is a proprietary Sony Ericsson technology that has received much praise in the X1. However, this time around it will be running over Google’s Android OS – as opposed to the Windows Mobile operating system on the X1. This is definitely an excellent decision from Sony Ericsson as they will be able to move away from the tediousness and sluggishness of Microsoft’s WinMo.
Feature-Packed
One of the main attractions on the X3 is its amazing 4-inch touch optimized display which is a whole 0.5 inches bigger than the screen of the new Apple iPhone 3GS. According to Expansys it will have the familiar 800 x 400 resolution, but we believe that 852 x 480 pixels sounds more feasible.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X3 will also be equipped with an 8-Megapixel camera that is also capable of capturing VGA videos at 30 fps. Although VGA-quality video recording isn’t exactly cutting edge nowadays, it’s still a noble effort as this is actually a first for Android-powered mobiles. Aside from a GPS receiver, the XPERIA X3 will also support HSDPA, WLAN, and Bluetooth connectivity, to name a few.
The European Imaging and Sound Association has just finished dishing out awards to what it considers to be the best phones in a range of categories on release in Europe. The awards ceremony was judged by representatives from over 50 of the top tech magazines across Europe, asked to give their own expert opinion on which phones deserved the illustrious titles.
The award for best camera phone was not given to the Pixon 12 as expected but another Samsung device, the i8910 Omnia HD. While the Pixon 12 had been noted for its exceptional camera that comes with 12 megapixels (as the name suggests) and a wealth of other features, the Omnia HD managed to bag the award due to its video capabilities. With 8 megapixel video and 24fps it is one of the only phone cameras around that can record in HD.
Nokia bagged the award for Best Business Phone with their E75. The E75 had been praised for its robust build quality and durable battery life making it ideal for the professional on the move. The E75 had been able to handle just about any business related task that had been thrown at it making it ideal for the business user.
The Best Music Phone of course went to Sony Ericsson with their W995. Sony Ericsson has a long business history of working with music entertainment dating back to the early 1980s with the Walkman, and even earlier. It is no surprise that they should transfer this knowledge to their phones although the W995 is perhaps not the most feature packed phone in terms of music. Sony Ericsson had been praised however for bringing such a wealth of features to the public for such an affordable price.
The award for Best Smartphone went, unsurprisingly, to the much hyped iPhone 3GS. The award was given to the shiny Apple device despite the best efforts of competitors to be the company that comes up with the highly anticipated ‘iPhone Killer’.
The new Nokia 3720 Classic is the Finnish telecom giant’s latest addition to their line of durable devices. We’ve definitely missed this type of Nokia mobiles as the last one we’ve seen was probably the Nokia 5500 Sport back in 2006. Well, Nokia’s back with a bang with the entry level 3720 Classic which is set to resurrect the seemingly fallen line.
3720 Classic Features
As mentioned earlier, the 3720 Classic is an entry level mobile. This means you shouldn’t expect cutting edge features on the device. However, the 3720 still has a variety of impressive features that will make you want to get one as soon as it’s out.
The 3720 Classic is a tri band mobile that will work in GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 over the 2G network. It will also be sporting a 240 x 320-pixel 2.2-inch TFT display. Also on board are GPRS, EDGE, and Bluetooth support; but don’t expect to get online via Wi-Fi on the 3720 Classic. It will also be equipped with a decent 2-Megapixel camera with a built-in LED flash and has a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. Other notable features include an FM radio, a multi-format media player, a pre-installed Nokia Maps app, and a microSD slot that can hold up to 8GB of external memory.
Rough Exterior
The main attraction on the 3720 Classic has to be its rough and rugged exterior that promises to allow the mobile to survive adverse environmental conditions; and it has an IP-54 certification to prove this. The dust, splash, and shock resistance capabilities on the Nokia 3720 Classic will be unlike any other device in the market today (with the exception perhaps of the Samsung B2100 Xplorer). You can bring your 3720 with you to the beach or even during a mountain climb without fretting about getting it damaged.
Google Android has been available for less than a year and is already proving to be hugely popular. The latest Android phone, the HTC Magic, has just exceeded one million sales worldwide. The HTC phone is the second Android phone to be released in the UK after the T-Mobile G1 which was also a very popular phone.
The sales figures come as good news to HTC as mobile phone sales have seen a marked decrease during the global economic downturn. Despite the overall decrease, however, smartphones seem to be doing well, with sales up by 27% from this time last year and the Android phones proving to be particularly popular. Reaching the one million mark after only a few months on the shelves the Magic has placed HTC ahead of their main rival handset the Palm Pre. Despite this, they both still lag far behind the much-hyped Apple iPhone in terms of sales, but HTC expect their smartphone sales to increase to 50 or 60% of their total phone sales. And if the popularity of Android is anything to go by, they might be right.
The open source OS is highly praised among its users with a wide internet fan base and also a large community of third-party software developers all working to make the Android OS an even greater experience. The popularity of Android phones like the HTC Magic has not gone unnoticed by other phone manufacturers, with Sony Ericsson, LG and Motorola all planning to release their own Google phones in the near future.
HTC themselves are already looking to the future with the release of their highly anticipated HTC Hero that according to some market analysts should prove to be even more popular than its older sibling the Magic.
Once it is released to the market, there is no doubt that much of the attention will be given to the LG Louvre GC990’s revolutionary camera. And this is most definitely deservedly so as only a few other mobile phones currently have a camera as powerful as that of the GC990’s 12-Megapixel snapper (that is the Samsung Pixon 12 and the Sony Ericsson Satio). However, there’s more to the GC990 than just an ultra powerful camera.
On the Roster
At first glance, the Louvre GC990 looks a lot like the iPhone, also sporting that oversized screen (3.2-inch; TFT type) accompanied only by a couple of buttons right below it. This is definitely a good thing going for the GC990 as there’s no way they could go wrong with such a successful design.
As a Smartphone, the GC990 does have quite an impressive roster of features. This includes support for all the basic data connectivity technologies including GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, WLAN, and Bluetooth. Aside from a GPS receiver, the GC990 will also be equipped with other handy features such as an organizer, a TV out option, as well as LG’s proprietary S-Class Touch UI.
Uncertainty Mounts
Don’t get too excited though. Unfortunately, the LG Louvre GC990 is still a concept mobile that is surrounded by a lot of uncertainty, especially regarding its release date. That is, if it is ever released to the public. Here’s what LG themselves have to say about the GC990 mystery:
“The GC990 or ‘Louvre’ mobile phone from LG, is a great example of the type of mobile technology innovation LG is developing. This is a concept model only however, and as such there are no confirmed plans to bring it to market. As we have further details on our camera-phone portfolio or other mobiles, LG will provide information on where and when they will be available to consumers.”
With that, all we can do now is wait, hope, and see.
Samsung has just confirmed rumours regarding the upcoming release of the world’s slimmest wristwatch mobile. It will come in the form of the Samsung S9110 which is a touch operated device that has a good array of features (for its class, at least). All you James Bond wannabes out there better save up because wristwatch mobiles are no longer a gimmick – they’ve arrived for real.
Watch Out
The new S9110 is Samsung’s direct response to the LG GD910 which is another functional wristwatch mobile. However, the S9110 is nearly 2 mm thinner than its LG counterpart. With a 1.76-inch touch screen (bigger than the GD910’s 1.43-inch display), the S9110 will have the dimensions of 49 x 39 x 13.8 mm. The device itself will have a stainless steel finish with a scratch-resistant glass cover to protect it. Its black leather strap makes the device all the more stylish.
Once it is released in the next few weeks, potential owners will need to dig deep into their pockets as this device will be priced at approximately £390.
The Downside
In terms of functionality, it seems like the GD910 is able to outperform the Samsung S9110. We say this because of two things. The first being the absence of a built-in camera, and the second is its lack of 3G support. The former reduces the S9110’s James Bond appeal as users wouldn’t be able to snap sneaky photos on the device while the latter means there will be no video call option on the mobile.
That just sucks because other than the ability to make a phone call from your watch, those missing features are probably the two coolest things about wristwatch mobiles. Also keep in mind that 3G support and a built-in camera (albeit only a CIF one) are both present on the LG GD910.
After the release of the Nokia Surge in the United States, reports have been confirmed that its European counterpart – the Nokia 6760 Slide – is set to hit UK shores come the third quarter of 2009. Both mobiles share the exact same features except for a few minor differences. The most glaring discrepancy between the two is that the 6760 Slide’s camera is more powerful than that of its American counterpart. The 6760 Slide will be sporting a 3-megapixel camera as opposed to the Surge’s 2-Megapixel snapper.
Host of Features
As with the Surge, the 6760 Slide will also run with a Symbian operating system and will be equipped with a side-slider QWERTY keyboard. It will be a quad band GSM mobile and will also work in HSDPA 2100 over the 3G network. Support for GPRS, HSCSD, EDGE, and Bluetooth will also be on board.
With a 128-Megabyte internal memory, users can choose to upgrade this to up to 8 GB via the 6760 Slide’s microSD card slot (a 2 GB card is already provided with the box kit). The multi-format music player and FM radio tuner can be used with the mobile’s headset (also included in the kit) which will plug into the 6760’s 2.5 mm jack.
Social Mobile
Taking the place of the Surge’s built-in AT&T Navigator is Nokia Maps – a very handy navigation app that has been likened to the highly successful Google Maps. Aside from also having other pre-installed applications such as Windows Live IM, Google Talk, and Nokia Messaging, the 6760 Slide will also allow one-click access to your favourite social networking sites including MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook.
As mentioned earlier it’s going to be a Q3 release for the Nokia 6760 Slide. We predict the price to be somewhere in the 170-Pound region.
A recent study conducted in Australia suggests that mobile phone usage is making children dumb. The study found that children who used mobile phones a lot were more impulsive and more prone to making errors.
The study required children to perform a series of computerised tests measuring intelligence, memory and learning ability and then compared this to their self-reported levels of mobile phone use. It was found that children who used their phones the most were more inclined to jump to a response before they were even sure of the answer and that, while this increased their speed in performing the tasks, it also had a severe impact on their level of accuracy.
Roughly 90% of 11 – 12 year olds now own a mobile phone and also an astonishing 1 in 4 under 8′s also have a handset. With this high level of children using the devices people have become concerned that their increased impulsiveness is has going to have drastic consequences on society in the years to come.
The problem is thought to stem mainly from text messaging and principally for those children who use predictive messaging. As the predictive messaging system does not require children to type out the full word they can expect to press just a few buttons and have the correct word they are looking for automatically appear. While many find this system useful it is being argued by Professor Michael Abramson, who headed the current research, that the system should be discouraged amongst children whose brains are still developing.
The Australian Professor stated “We suspect that using mobile phones a lot, particularly tools like predictive texts for SMS, is training them to be fast but inaccurate. Their brains are still developing so if there are effects then potentially it could have effects down the line, especially given that the exposure is now almost universal. The use of mobile phones is changing the way children learn and pushing them to become more impulsive in the way they behave.”
Nokia have recently unveiled the new 3720 Classic with a design that allows it endure adverse environments wherein other mobiles would just falter. By the looks of things, Nokia wants to pit the 3720 Classic in a head to head battle against the Samsung B2100 Xplorer which also has a similar design. With features present in most entry-level devices, the 3720 Classic is also proud to have an IP-54 certification for its rugged and reliable design.
Certified
The 3720 Classic is Nokia’s official attempt to revive the “rough and rugged” line of devices that seem to have fallen in the shadows in recent years. This line dates back to the year 2006 which saw the release of the last models of this type in the form of the Nokia 5140 and the 5500 Sport. The IP-54 certification of the 3720 Classic means that its design is guaranteed to have full splash and dust resistance. Moreover, Nokia also claims that this device will also have excellent shock resistance.
The Body
The 3720 Classic will sport a stainless steel exterior combined with a coarse textured surface. The back cover is the mobile’s main mode of defense as it will be held in place by a screw lock. There are a couple of videos showing the 3720’s durability in a series of “torture tests” and based on what we saw, it definitely passed with flying colours.
Also present on the Nokia 3720 Classic is a 2.2-inch QVGA TFT screen that can display up to 16M colours. Its 2-Megapixel camera can also produce decent photographs and its built-in LED flash can also serve as a portable flashlight. Being an entry level device, the 3720 Classic will not be supporting 3G and users will need to settle with its tri band GSM compatibility over the 2G network.
In a surprise announcement yesterday corporate giants Nokia and Microsoft stated that they intend to work closely in the future, bringing a wide range of existing and in-development Microsoft solutions to Nokia phones. The move was unexpected as the two companies have traditionally been competitors in the world of mobile phones, with Nokia using rival OS’ on their handsets.
The two companies have stated their pairing up is come in response to concerns over the rising influence of rivals in the mobile phone market. For Nokia their principal concern is RIM, developers of the popular BlackBerry devices. While Nokia still remains the market leader in terms of professional business-oriented smartphones they are seeing their market share drop while BlackBerry is gaining ground. Their hope is that the inclusion of Microsoft software such as Communicator Mobile and a full Office Suite will help to improve the desirability of their e-series phones among the professional market.
Microsoft on the other hand feel that they are losing out to rival software developers such as Cisco Systems and the rising popularity of Google software on mobile phones. While Microsoft have been very successful with PC software and have secured a virtual monopoly in many areas, they face a lot of stiff competition when it comes to mobile phones.
Many critics have pointed to this as one of the reasons why the deal is unlikely to succeed in the companies desired aims. The Microsoft brand does not pack the same punch when it comes to mobile phones and so this move is unlikely to offer any real benefit to Nokia. On top of this there is already plenty of software available from competitors that is compatible with Microsoft Office and rival solutions for some of Microsoft’s other services.
As has been pointed out by the critics, people are not too concerned with being able to edit spreadsheets or draw up a PowerPoint presentation on their mobile phone. Microsoft is operating under the delusion that people want on their phones what they have on their computers at home.
A few weeks previously, we all knew it as the Sony Ericsson Rachael. However, Sony Ericsson have recently announced that they have been wise enough to give their newest Smartphone a proper name – meet the upcoming Sony Ericsson XPERIA X3.Thanks to online retailer Expansys, we’ve gotten the lowdown on this device including a majority of its features and functions. Here they are for your reading pleasure.
The European Imaging and Sound Association has just finished dishing out awards to what it considers to be the best phones in a range of categories on release in Europe. The awards ceremony was judged by representatives from over 50 of the top tech magazines across Europe, asked to give their own expert opinion on which phones deserved the illustrious titles.
The new Nokia 3720 Classic is the Finnish telecom giant’s latest addition to their line of durable devices. We’ve definitely missed this type of 
Google Android has been available for less than a year and is already proving to be hugely popular. The latest Android phone, the 
Once it is released to the market, there is no doubt that much of the attention will be given to the 
After the release of the Nokia Surge in the United States, reports have been confirmed that its European counterpart – the 
A recent study conducted in Australia suggests that mobile phone usage is making children dumb. The study found that children who used mobile phones a lot were more impulsive and more prone to making errors.
Nokia have recently unveiled the new 3720 Classic with a design that allows it endure adverse environments wherein other mobiles would just falter. By the looks of things, 
In a surprise announcement yesterday corporate giants Nokia and Microsoft stated that they intend to work closely in the future, bringing a wide range of existing and in-development Microsoft solutions to Nokia phones. The move was unexpected as the two companies have traditionally been competitors in the world of mobile phones, with Nokia using rival OS’ on their handsets.