The Android smartphone is here, but can it topple the competition?
ALTHOUGH IT SUFFERS from a few hardware flaws, the first smartphone to use Google's Android platform, the T-Mobile G1, outshines much of the competition thanks to a fun-yet-smart OS and a unique set of features. Aggressively priced at $179 (with a two-year contract), it merits the top spot among T-Mobile's high-end offerings. The G1 also showcases Android as a capable mobile platform.
Manufactured by HTC, the thick, 5.6-ounce G1 lacks style when compared to other new smartphones. That said, it does have a smooth finish with rounded corners. The big 3.2-inch display doubles as a touch screen, and it has a 320x480 resolution. Below the display is the G1's "chin," a part of the phone's front that juts out slightly, and that's where you'll find tactile navigation controls including a clickable trackball and dedicated Call, Home, Menu, Back, and End Call buttons.
Much of the phone's girth is due to the G1's sliding screen, which kicks out to reveal a full QWERTY keypad. The keys, which closely resemble the T-Mobile Sidekick's, are square-shaped and sufficiently spaced to prevent accidental spokes. The
keypad also has a backlight, which is great
for dark or low-light environments. Because the buttons are flush with the phone's surface, however, they're not always responsive. Furthermore, the G1's
chin makes it painfully awkward to type messages while holding the phone horizontally.
The phone has a loud mono speaker on the
back, along with a 3.2-megapixel camera. Video capture isn't supported, and the camera has no flash, which is a shame, considering its impressive resolution.
After a brief star tup, the G1 boots up to a clean, configurable home screen. The home screen is a three-page panorama. and you can flick between pages with a swipe of your finger, much like you do on Apple's iPhone 3G. By default, the center page features an analog clock with a preconfigured number of application shortcuts. Google Search is displayed on the right page, and the left page is intentionally left blank for adding other app shortcuts. Overall, the G1's interface is on par with the iPhone's and proved to be clean, fun, and very intuitive.
Android is based on an open platform, which means any software publisher can design programs for it, and this is where the G1 really shines.The Android Marketplace, Google's answer to Apple's App Store, houses numerous apps that take advantage of the GM features. Compare Everywhere, for instance,
takes advantage of the G1's camera by letting
you scan barcodes and comparison-shop on the
fly. Amazon.com also takes advantage of the phone's media capabilities and lets you download DRM-free songs directly from its MP3
Store.The G1 doesn't currently offer as many apps as the iPhone, but its initial offeting is nonetheless impressive.
As expected, Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Calendar are tightly integrated with the G1's OS. The G1 remains synced with Google's Webbased services from the moment you power it on, requiring you to sign in with a new or existing Google account. Through cloud computing. Android eliminates the need to manually sync your phone directly with your PC. And as with all things Google, don't expect native support for Microsoft Exchange.
Although call quality on the Gl was superb, our 3G support was spotty throughout New York City and parts of New Jersey. Likewise, the G1's GPS signal wasn't always clear. Web browsing was relatively quick with the G1's
snappy Chrome-like browser. NYTimes.com, CNN.com, and our own ComputerShopper.com sites each loaded in just under 30 seconds via 3G. Besides 3G, the phone supports the slower EDGE network and faster Wi-Fi networks. Bluetooth also comes built in.
In out testing, the G1's battery lasted 12 hours and 30 minutes (with Wi-Fi off) in moderate 3G and Internet use. Using the G1's GPS for extensive periods drains the battery, but otherwise, battery life is stellar for sending/receiving calls, Internet use, and running applications.
Unfortunately, the Gl has some minor first-generation shortfalls. For instance, there's no 3.5mm headphone jack for use with most headphones on the market, and there's
no way to sync your contacts and calendar with your PC directly—you must rely on cloud computing. (MP3s and photos can be synced between the phone and a PC or Mac via drag-and-drop.) Despite the few complaints and first-generation glitches, however, Android is a promising platform that we're excited to see on other handsets in the future, and the Gl itself should be on top of every T-Mobilevcustomer's list.—Louis Ramirez
www.tmobile.com
Computer Shopper January 2009
T-Mobile G1
HTC Touch Diamond
In general, Windows Mobile doesn't do a very good job at letting its control our smartphones with our fingers. Sure, we can use a stylus or even our fingernail, but for the most part, WM isn't designed to be controlled by the pads of our fingers. However, HTC changes this with TouchFLO 3D, which adds touch controls to WM's interface.
TouchFLO 3D lets you use flick gestures to scroll through lists. It also lets you zoom in and out of documents, pictures, and Web pages using clockwise and counterclockwise finger movements. The touchscreen and interface were very responsive to flicks with both the pad of my finger and my fingernail. Zooming on the scroll wheel was smooth and easy, as well. TouchFLO 3D brings a scrollable menu to the home screen that provides access to some of the most commonly
used applications: People,Messages, Mail, Photos and Videos, Internet, and Weather.
HTC includes the powerful Opera Web browser along with EVDO Rev. A and Wi-Fi 802 1 l big on the Touch Diamond. Overall, the Opera browser was easy to use, and I was pleased with its speed and rendering capabilities. In addition, Opera works well with the phone's Motion G-Sensor, so when you rotate the phone, the display changes orientation. The Touch Diamond also supports Sprint Music and
Sprint TV for portable entertainment.
The Touch Diamond lacks a standard headphone jack, which means you'll have to use the included USB headphones or the adapter dangle that has a 3.5mm headphone jack. the Touch Diamond omits a memory card expansion slot and instead provides 4GB of internal memory.
The Touch Diamond's glossy screen also tends to show smudges after use. These things aside, the Touch Diamond is a great phone with a lot of functionality and a fun user interface.
by Jennifer Johnson
Touch Diamond
$549.99
HTC & Sprint
www.sprint.com
Computer Power User January 2009
NOKIA N78
A Slim, So-So Smartphone
Nokia's diverse line of multimedia-focused smartphones is the midrange N78, a stylish, minimal phone with hidden talents. It forgoes all the extra controls but includes Assisted GPS (A-GPS) for fsater position locating, image geotagging, and a robust music player. It's also 3G and Wi-Fi capable.
At 4.5 by 1.9 by 0.6 inches (HWD) and 3.9 ounches the N78 features a slick, glossy-black face and a chocolate-brown back. The display is a standard-issue 2.4-inch, QVGA 240-by-320-pixel LCD, oriented vertically. There's also an ambient light sensor on board to adjust screen brightness. The keypad lights up whenever the phone is activated, but typing is difficult. There's no touch screen, QWERTY keypad, or SureType-style setup, but the N78 does include the navi wheel, a square version of an iPod's click wheel.
In testing, N78 turnet out to be solid voice phone, with calls sounding clear in both directions. Its speakerphone sounded well balanced but was loud enough only for indoor use. The N78 is an unlocked GSM phone that works with either AT&T or T-Mobile SIm cards; it's also the first U.S. model to include the Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2. The N78 is great for playing music, but its 3.2-megapixel camera was a bit disappointing. Overall, this phone is a decent option. But at this price, you should also look at the $500 N82 with its far-better camera.-Jamie Lendino
PC Magazine November 2008
T-MOBILE SIDEKICK 2008
Customization over Quality?
The Sidekick 2008 is a fashion item and an expression of identify, not a geeky toy. Its choice of customizable, interchangeable skins is its best feature. The designs are panted directly onto the Sidekick's body, an effect that looks classier, feels smoother, and is much more durable than a sticker.
At 4.7 by 2.3 by 0.6 inches (HWD) and 53 ounces, this Sidekick is a slimmer version of the Sidekick LX. The 2008 version retains the signatures swiveling screen, now a bright 240-by-400-pixel color panel. The trackball, on the right, pulses in multiple colors, and the backlit keyboard is an absolute joy, with firm, nicely spaced keys.
The Sidekick is a terrifict gadget for texting, picture messaging, and IM. The IM client supports AIM, Microsoft Live, and Yahoo! Messenger. E-mail performance is a mixed bag. The Sidekick does push messages from its own TMail account and can check up to three accounts, but it stores only a paltry 6MB of e-mail and 100 text messages. Web browsing is mediocre, but the elegant music player supports a good selection of formats. The photos from its 2-megapixel camera were lackluster, and video was shaky.
As a quad-band EDGE world phone, the Sidekick 2008 has decent all quality, but reception was so-so. If you're set on Sidekick, this is the one to get. But consider whether presonalized skins make up for the tiny mailboxes.-Sascha Segan
PC Magazine November 2008
Cellphone Review: Nokia 5610 XpressMusic
Nokia 5610 XpressMusic
With real-time equaliser
Nokia have multimedia phones on N series. But music is not only for N series users. 5000 series also have musics on Xpress Music.
Nokia 5610 XpressMusic is looks like Nokia 56310 XpressMusic. They have similar design. Except that 5610 is sliding phone.
For a music phone. There must be a shortcut button to music function. 5610 don't have shortcut button, but it have sliding button. The horizontal sliding button can be used to acess the main menu, music menu and radio menu. Three of them will slide to left if the button is slided.
The sound of music is good. It support MP3, MP4, AAC, eAAC+ and WMA format.
The equalizer make it easier to set the sound result as you like. This is real-time equalizer. So the result will automatically change when the settings changed.
5610 have 3,2 megapixels camera. There's 2 flash "eyes" behind the lens. It really help when taking pictures on dark rooms.
Other interesting application if Yahoo Go! With this application we can chat over the internet just like use Yahoo Messenger. There's Nokia Catalog version 4.1 and Flash Lite player version 2.1.1 on this cellphone.
SPESIFICATION
Nokia 5610
Release: 2008, January.
Price: -
Network Supported: GSM
Form: Sliding
Dimension: 8.5 x 48.5 x 17 mm
Weight: 111 gram
Battery: Li-ion 900mAh
StandBy Time: up to 320 hours
Talk Time: up to 6 hours
Screen: QVGA 2.2" 240x320 pixels 16Millions Colors
Internal Memory: 20MB
Expansion Memory: microSD up to 4GB
Device Connectivity: Bluetooth, microUSB
Internet Connectivity: GPRS, EDGE, HSCSD
Camera: 3.2MP
Ringtone: 64 tones poliphonics
Phonebook: 2000 contacts
Messaging: SMS, MMS, email
Application: Yahoo Go! Nokia Catalog version 4.1, Flash lite player version 2.1.1 and a few multimedia editing applications
Package Contents: Nokia BP-5M battery, Traveller Charger Nokia AC-4, Headset Nokia HS-45 with AD-56 remote control, microSD 512MB card, Nokia MU-28, manual book
Cellphone Review: Samsung SCH-W619
Samsung SCH-W619
Samsung SCH-W619 is a dual on GSM-CDMA phone. It means you can have a GSM number and a CDMA number works together. All numbers are active. You can choose to make a call using GSM or CDMA number.
What's so special about Samsung SCH-W619? It's about the craftmanship.
The phone's body is so smooth and looks strong.
It have 2 megapixels camera. The camera result is sharp. Especially on outdoor. It have 1000 names phonebook that can be syncronized with Microsoft Outlook on PC.
There's namecard recorgnition feature. This feature can be used to read name card and store the information on phone.
SCH-W619 have 262000 colors TFT touchscreen display, MP3 ringtones, and file viewer that can open some Microsoft Office files. The internal memory is 20MB and can be extended with MicroSD card.
The bluetooth can be paired with handsfree bluetooth. It also can be use to file transfer.
The price is high. About 500 USD.
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