REZky reVIEW

HTC Titan

2012-01-18T01:38:00.001-08:00

Last year when Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform rose out of the ashes, veteran smartphone maker HTC came to the plate bringing along devices fitting for the launch party – such as the HTC Trophy, Surround, and HD7. Obviously, the biggest one of the bunch, the HD7, didn’t quite pack the same punch as previous ‘HD’ devices from HTC, but fortunately enough, the Taiwanese company is making sure to turn things around with its latest Windows Phone device. Truly having a gargantuan presence behind it, thanks to its insanely large 4.7” display, the HTC Titan as its name implies intends on being a prominent figure amongst the recent crop of Windows Phone Mango smartphones.

Design:

At first glance, the Titan might seem to be too much phone for any normal human being, especially with its wide figure, but after holding it in our hands, it reconfirms our assertions of being yet another quality device. Donning yet another indelible industrial design that shines in all corners, there’s plenty to like about this beauty – like its sturdy metallic casing, relatively slim figure (0.39” thick), and clean appearance. Yes, its metallic shell adds some weight to the handset, but it’s warranted in keeping it rock solid.

It was only yesterday when the HTC HD2 enthralled us with its 4.3” display, and as fate would have it, we’re reliving the same thing now that there’s a 4.7” WVGA (480 x 800) S-LCD display taking up space on the HTC Titan. In a smartphone world filled with 720p displays, its WVGA resolution (200 ppi) is undoubtedly behind the times – and it’s blatantly exposed when viewing fine text in a zoomed out view within the web browser. Nevertheless, its Super LCD panel produces enough vivid and high-contrast color tones to reel in our eyes. Add in to that its wide viewing angles and strong brightness output, it’s able to maintain its visibility when using it outdoors.

Since there is plenty of spacing separating its capacitive buttons, accidental presses are actually very rare. Above its display, it features that distinctive narrow looking earpiece common amongst HTC smartphones, and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, which combines with the Tango app to offer video chat via Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity.

Around its sides, we find its microphone, microUSB port, two-level shutter key, volume control button, 3.5mm headset jack, noise cancellation microphone, and dedicated power button.

source : http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/HTC-Titan-Review_id2917

HTC Hero

2012-01-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

Sprint was one of the first carriers to join the Open Handset Alliance when it was founded in November 2007 to promote Google Android. However, unlike T-Mobile, which released the T-Mobile G1 and the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, the carrier wasn't so quick to offer an Android handset to its customers because it simply didn't think the operating system was "good enough"; that is, until now.

Sprint will offer its first Android device, the HTC Hero, and it looks like the carrier's waiting game might have paid off. The Hero offers a number of notable enhancements to make it the most advanced Android device to date, including Outlook calendar and contact synchronization, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and multitouch capabilities. HTC also refined the hardware and added its own touch with the HTC Sense user interface that adds even more personalization options to an already highly customizable device.

The Hero isn't without its faults, though. The smartphone can occasionally be sluggish, and we'd still like to see improvements made for media syncing and file management. Also, there's still a bit of a techy feel to the phone, so it doesn't quite have as broad of an appeal as the Palm Pre or Apple iPhone. Still, the HTC Hero is a very capable smartphone that will surely please many a gadget fan. The HTC Hero will be offered for a reasonable $179.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. Be aware, however, that the smartphone requires a plan with unlimited data.

Design
While they share the same name, the Sprint HTC Hero looks nothing like its European GSM counterpart. Gone is the signature "chin" that became the trademark of HTC's Android devices, including the T-Mobile G1 and the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, which surprisingly got some boos from readers. We always thought the chin looked a bit weird and weren't too fond of it, but of course, style is subjective. If anything, it did give the phones a distinctive and memorable look whereas the Sprint Hero kind of blends into the crowd.

That said, the Hero is still an attractive handset. Without the chin and sporting rounded corners, the smartphone has a smoother, streamlined look. It's also quite compact at 4.46 inches tall by 2.2 inches wide by 0.54 inch thick and weighs 4.5 ounces. It fits nicely in the palm of your hand and even though it shares a similar shape to the MyTouch 3G, the build quality of the Hero is much better. It doesn't feel slick or plasticky, thanks to the soft-touch finish throughout the body of the phone as well as the brushed metal plate just under the front display.

Touch screen
Speaking of the display, the HTC Hero features a 3.2-inch, 480x320 capacitive touch screen, which isn't any different than the others and still shows images and text beautifully. A built-in light sensor automatically adjusts the display's brightness so you can read the display no matter what environment you're in, but like many others, the screen tends to wash out in bright sunlight.

There's also a built-in accelerometer that automatically changes the screen orientation from portrait to landscape mode when you rotate the phone, but be aware that it only works in certain applications, such as e-mail, photos, and the Web browser. There's a slight pause during the transition, but there were never any significant delays, and the screen never froze during the transition while we had it for review. Unfortunately, the smartphone is not equipped with a proximity sensor, so it won't lock the screen when you hold it up to your ear during phone calls.

One thing that the Hero has that its Android siblings don't (and it's a big one) is multitouch capabilities. That's right. Now you can zoom in and out of Web pages and images by pinching the screen just like the Palm Pre and iPhone, which is so much more convenient than tapping the screen multiple times or digging through menus. Admittedly, it didn't feel quite as smooth as the Pre or iPhone, and interestingly, you can't use the feature with Google Maps (you'll have to revert to the magnifying glass icon). Still, having multitouch function for Web pages and photos really improves the user experience, so we'll take it.

As we mentioned, the screen is capacitive, so it will only respond to the touch of a finger and not a fingernail or stylus, though there are special styli you can buy that work with capacitive screens. Overall, the Hero's touch screen was responsive. You can scroll through long lists, such as your address book, with a flick of the finger and stop the motion with a simple tap of the screen. You can also do a more controlled scroll by slowly swiping your finger up and down the screen, and to move through the home screen panels (more on this below), simply swipe to the right or left. As with the other Android phones, you can do a long press on the screen to bring up a menu of options relevant to the app you're in.

You don't always have to rely on the touch screen, however, as there are some physical controls below the display. For example, you can also call up menus using the (this is going to sound crazy, but stick with us here) Menu button right below the display. You also get Talk and End keys, a Home shortcut, a back button, a Google Search launcher, and a large trackball navigator.

Keyboard and keypad
For text entry, the HTC Hero features a virtual QWERTY keyboard in both portrait and landscape mode. However, instead of the standard Android keyboard, HTC has swapped it out for its own, which is fine by us. The buttons are larger with more spacing between the keys, and they provide haptic feedback when pressed (you can also turn this feature off).

As expected, the keyboard in portrait mode is fairly cramped, and we often had mispresses. We'd say it definitely rates behind the iPhone's but with more practice, we got used to it. Still, more often than not, we resorted to switching to landscape mode to avoid frustration. The Hero also offers functions like spell check, word prediction, and auto correction, which were all pretty decent.

To copy and paste, simply do a long press on an editable text and a menu will appear where you can select Copy text. You can then drag your finger or use the trackball to highlight the text and copy to a clipboard. To paste, do another long press or push the trackball down to copy over the text. It's not the most streamlined process, but we definitely think it's better than the Pre's system.

The onscreen dialpad is easy to use and smart. You can simply start entering numbers and the Hero will search your contacts list, which runs in the background, to find any matching results by name or number. There's also an option to hide the onscreen dialer and just surface your full address book or you can add people to your Favorites list where you can then choose to call, text ,or e-mail said contact.

HTC Sense
What really makes the HTC Hero different is its user interface. Much like it did for Windows Mobile with its TouchFlo 3D interface, HTC developed its own user interface, called HTC Sense, to replace the standard Android interface. The benefit of HTC Sense is that you get more opportunities to customize the device to your lifestyle and personality than before. So now, instead of three home screen panels, you now get seven that you can navigate through by sweeping your finger to the left and right. On each panel, you can add various shortcuts and widgets, including standard Android ones and some that HTC has added like Twitter and Footprints, which is an app that lets you geotag photos and add voice memos and notes (more on that later).

To add items to a panel, you can tap the plus icon located along the main toolbar along the bottom of the screen. This will bring up four main options: Shortcut, HTC Widget, Android Widget, and Folder. Touching the small arrow icon next to each of these will surface a drop-down menu of all your options, and there are plenty. To remove any shortcuts or widgets, the process is the same as the G1 and MyTouch 3G; simply do a long press on the icon and then drag it down to the remove section on the bottom of the screen. Don't worry, this does not delete the app from your device; it simply removes it from the home screen.

On top of all that, there is something called Scenes, which lets you change the theme of the phone depending on whether you're at work, traveling, or out on the town. For example, the Work scene shows you things like upcoming appointments and stock quotes, whereas the Travel scene will display more relevant apps, such as Footprints, two clocks, and weather information. The idea is that you can change your phone's identity to match what you are doing on that day.

To change Scenes, just press the menu button below the display and select Scenes. From there, you'll be able to choose from one of the default options (HTC, Social, Work, Play, Travel) or create a custom Scene. No matter which panel or Scene you're in, though, you get a toolbar along the bottom that gives you quick access to the phone app, full list of apps, and the ability to add widgets and shortcuts. One carryover from the old Android UI is the notification system that alerts you to new messages, tweets, missed calls, and so forth at the top of your screen with a pull-down menu system where you can see more details.

We'll be honest; this is all very overwhelming at first, and the menu system isn't as neat or intuitive as some of the other touch-screen phones, but after you take the time to customize the various screens to meet your needs, it really comes in handy. And that's part of the beauty of the Hero is that you can personalize it to your lifestyle.

We also found that the Scenes feature helps in some ways to get out of work mode. Even though, you're technically just a couple of taps away, switching to Social or Play is nice in that you don't have all your appointments and work e-mail staring right back at you from the home screen.

The rest
There isn't much to the rest of the phone, but there's one feature that should definitely be pointed out and that's the 3.5mm headphone jack on top of the device. Pause for applause. Finally, you don't have to use a cumbersome audio adapter to plug in your headphones to enjoy tunes. Volume can be controlled with the up/down controls on the left side of the phone, and there's a mini USB/power connector on the bottom. On back, you'll find the Hero's camera and the microSD expansion slot is located behind the battery door along the right edge.

Sprint packages the HTC Hero with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a 2GB microSD card, and reference material.

source : http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/htc-hero-sprint/4505-6452_7-33770450.html#reviewPage1

Samsung Galaxy Ace

2011-11-24T21:45:00.001-08:00

The latest addition to the Galaxy family is the Samsung Galaxy Ace GT- S5830, which packs quite a punch considering its middle-of-the-road specification and £199.99 prepay/£25 contract price point.
The Android 2.2 (Froyo) operating system helps this smartphone stand tall next to other mid-range touchscreen devices, such as HTC's Wildfire, which comes with a noticeably slower processor and older version of Android, 2.1 (Eclair).

The Samsung Galaxy Ace is the little brother to the powerful Samsung Galaxy S in many ways.

Aesthetically, you'll be forced to play spot the difference if you put it up against the iPhone 4, and will come to the conclusion that the Samsung is generally smaller, lighter and nicer in the hand than the iPhone.

However, in terms of sex appeal, the iPhone 4 wins hands down for its sleek look and feel, since the Samsung Galaxy Ace is a bit too plasticky. Interestingly, although the Galaxy Ace is smaller, the screen size is exactly the same as the iPhone 4, at 3.5 inches.

The screen quality is a low-end TFT, and is poor compared to the Super AMOLED screen on the Samsung Galaxy S, which allows for crystal clear video playback.

There's no HD video recording, but the five-megapixel camera works well as a happy snapper – it has several shot and scene modes, which can be fun to play around with.

source : http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-ace-930912/review

Samsung Nexus S

2011-08-31T20:53:00.000-07:00

New Smartphones from samsung, that is Samsung Nexus S. The good: The Samsung Nexus S offers a brilliant display, decent call quality, and enough features to keep you busy. The Gingerbread OS offers usability improvements, and the stock Android is a welcome change for AT&T.

The bad: The Samsung Nexus S feels rather fragile, and it lacks a memory card slot and LED notifications. AT&T added no new features, and data speeds were slow.

The bottom line: The Samsung Nexus S brings Gingerbread OS a much-needed stock Android to AT&T. But eight months after its original debut, the handset feels underpowered and behind the smartphone curve.

Eight months after it originally went on sale with T-Mobile, the Samsung Nexus S continues to make the carrier rounds by landing at AT&T. You'll find few differences from its counterparts at T-Mobile or Sprint, which is both a good and bad thing. On the upside, we continue to appreciate the sleek design, brilliant display, and stock version of Gingerbread (Android 2.3), but we're disappointed that AT&T couldn't offer us anything new. We don't get HSPA+ support (at least Sprint's handset is 4G) and the handset still lacks LED notifications and a memory card slot. In a vacuum that might be fine, but when compared with AT&T's recent Android devices like the HTC Inspire 4G and Samsung Infuse 4G, the Nexus S doesn't quite measure up.

Design
As part of a set of identical triplets, AT&T's Nexus S is indistinguishable from its siblings. You'll see the same trim profile (4.88 inches long by 2.48 inches wide by 0.43 inch deep; 4.55 ounces) with the "contour" design that is meant to match the curve of your head. But here again, the phone feels too fragile in the hand.

The 4-inch Super AMOLED display is responsive and no less brilliant with its 16.7 million colors and 800x480-pixel resolution. You can customize the five home screens at will and adjust the brightness and the backlight time. You'll also find the same external controls, virtual dialpad, and virtual keyboard.

Indeed, the stock Gingerbread OS remains one of the phone's top attractions (see the T-Mobile review for a complete analysis of Gingerbread). We particularly like the improved cut and paste, the Battery Use menu, and the new voice-input features. What's more, the stock Android and lack of carrier bloatware will appeal to purists.

Features
The feature set is respectable, but we wish that the Samsung gave us more improvements over the Nexus One and that AT&T at least made a small effort to distinguish its Nexus S from the other versions.

Inside you'll find an NFC chip, a 5-megapixel camera, a front-facing VGA shooter, access to Google apps, Bluetooth 2.1 (with A2DP), Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), PC syncing, GPS, USB mass storage, 16GB of internal memory, messaging and e-mail, a full Web browser, a personal organizer, USB tethering, and a Wi-Fi hot spot. As we said, though, you'll have to do without an external memory card slot and LED notifications.

Performance
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) Samsung Nexus S world phone in San Francisco using AT&T service. For the most part, call quality was admirable and we detected little static or feedback. Voices didn't always sound natural (see below), but we could hear our callers clearly and our friends could understand with few issues. Like on its siblings, the volume on the AT&T Nexus S was a bit lower than we'd like. It wasn't a problem in most locations, but we had trouble hearing in busy public places.

source : http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-nexus-s-at/4505-6452_7-34431171.html#reviewPage1

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

2011-05-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

The long awaited Canon EOS 5D Mark II is the successor to the nearly legendary Canon EOS 5D which has been around, and setting standards, for over three years … a virtual eternity in terms of consumer electronics generally and digital photography in particular. The 5D is credited with being the first full frame digital camera that was affordable and lightweight, though those are admittedly very subjective terms. Weighing in at around two pounds, depending on the lens used, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is pretty heavy compared to the ubiquitous compact digital cameras and other point-and-shoot models used by most people. And while no one is likely to refer to this as an inexpensive camera, its spectacular attributes actually make it a notable bargain in the realm of professional DSLR cameras.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II professional DSLR camera is genuinely a camera that just about any professional photographer or photojournalist could use with confidence and it certainly has its share of features that are specifically aimed at the pros. Still, its comprehensive set of electronic wizardry and full acceptance of digital advances make it a fantastic professional DSLR camera that could nicely be used by very serious amateur photographers.

Design:

Much is written these days about the explosion in the number of pixels that make up a digital camera’s sensor. Indeed, for many lesser cameras, the actual number of pixels has expanded to the point that it exceeds the other capabilities of the device to the detriment of performance because as the number of pixels increases, the size of each one has to be diminished. Happily, that’s not the case with regard to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II professional DSLR camera which takes best advantage of every one of its massive 21.1 megapixels. That’s in great measure a result of the also large single-plate, full-frame CMOS sensor. It measures 36mm x 24mm making it the same size as a frame of 35mm film so light strikes the light sensors, or pixels, at precisely the same angle that they would hit the film. That’s the magic of fully utilizing the full value of the 21.1MP.

Processing this much light information requires an equally impressive image processor, the digital brain of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. That task is accomplished by the Canon DIGIC 4 processor which has the requisite speed to process all of that optical information from the sensor in a manner that improves color reproduction and photographic detail. The processor’s speed also improves functions such as Face Detection Live mode and HD video recording.

The EOS 5D Mark II is Canon’s first professional DSLR camera to incorporate full HD video recording capability. The combination of the large, sensor, fast processor and 30 frames per second shooting can result in truly stunning footage. The user is able to take individual or continuous still photographs without interrupting the video filming. Audio is recorded by an integrated mono microphone or by stereo external microphones, not included, that can be connected.

Being a DSLR, true through the lens viewing is available for framing the best shots but there’s also a 3.0-inch, high resolution LCD screen that Canon calls Clear View. It boasts 920,000/VGA resolution for a superior viewing experience. The screen brightness automatically adjusts to ambient lighting conditions which both enhances the photographer’s view and saves battery power. There’s also a Live View function which switches views to display a real-time image on the screen. Live View also allows for 5x or 10x zooming to aid in composing the photo. Focusing modes include Quick, Live and Face Detection Live.

To provide dust free images, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II includes an advanced cleaning system specifically designed for the full-frame CMOS sensor. The low-pass filter at the front of the sensor automatically shakes off dust with ultrasonic vibrations. Any micro-dust particles that might still remain can be erased with a feature of the Digital Photo Professional software. This programming can even be calibrated creating Dust Delete Data which will subsequently and automatically erase the dust spot from future photos.

ISO speed is manually adjustable from 100 – 6400 or automatically 100 – 3200. Increased sensitivity up to 25,600 is available making shooting in near darkness possible. Exposure controls include Program AE, shutter-priority AE, aperture-priority AE, creative auto, full auto and manual. Image processing types include auto, daylight, shade, cloudy, tungsten light, white fluorescent light, flash, custom, color temperature settings and automatic white balance.

Summary:

Frequently, updated products represent little more than minor modifications of the original, especially in the case of a phenomenally successful predecessor. This is not the case with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II professional DSLR camera. As capable and ground-breaking as the initial 5D was, Canon has made notable improvements with this model. Deservedly, the bulk of attention will be given to the enormous sensor and super-fast processor but many other improvements including HD video recording and the outstanding LCD screen warrant praise. This is, without question, a very high end professional DSLR camera that will fill the needs of all but the most specialized professionals but still is a great choice for accomplished amateurs who can stand the price.

source : http://digital-cameras.toptenreviews.com/professional-dslr/canon/canon-reviews-24239.htm

Samsung Galaxy I7500

2010-12-01T17:16:00.000-08:00

The first galaxies ever to be conquered he resigns himself to the power of the T-Mobile G1 Battleship that was until a few months ago, the only one struggling on the new frontier. A new player, the HTC Magic entered the arena a little later and Samsung recently announced their space traveler Galaxy I7500 will be through the field very soon. This is not so different from the HTC Magic, but sports a 5 megapixel camera and AMOLED.

Samsung I7500 outward appearance does remind us of the Galaxy HTC Magic with its special shape and overall look, apart from the navigation buttons below the touch screen 3.2-inch AMOLED capacitive which also has a light sensor for help regulate the brightness. The picture quality is great with saturated color and beautiful. The I7500 is a little thinner than that of magic, and is actually thinner looking Android phone now. Instead of a trackball, it sports a D-Pad with the OK button in the middle and there's another button on the left side of the button with an arrow on the subject, which is basically the alternative button MENU located on HTC manufactured Android phones. The smaller button does not change the mark and actually gets you back to the home screen. Overall, we like all the navigation buttons, because they are large enough and we hope they stay the same on the retail version.

There is a small button on the right side of the phone, marked with a padlock, which does not seem to work on our prototype. We guess it is operational on units of final and the current function of the end key that locks and unlocks now display will be changed. Both 3.5mm jack and microUSB port are on the upper surface of the device and we welcome this with open arms. The rear houses a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and a loudspeaker.

source : http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-I7500-Preview_id2173

iPad

2010-10-04T02:04:00.000-07:00

Currently in the year 2010 there are more gadgets are popping up unique, one of which is the iPad. In my opinion, unique gadgets this one is the trend setter in the year 2010 was proved by many emerging similar products made by companies other electronics giants. IPAD is actually a clever product that is manufactured by Apple Inc. (AI). Which basically is to unite between smartphones and laptops, so it can be spelled with this device is quite equivalent to the two tools. The operating system used in this iPad is Mac OS X.

If in terms of price, range from 499 dollars to 829 dollars. But currently only sold two models of Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n model with weight specifications are 680 grams, and models of Wi-Fi 3G HSDPA with 730 grams of weight specifications.
This product has multi-touch screen design with a 9.56x7.47 inch wide screen 9.7 inches, or about 25 centimeters (cm), which is equipped with LED backlight technology, IPS (an abbreviation of In-Plane Switching), a resolution of 1024x768 pixels, flash drive memory capacity starting from the range of 16 gigabytes (GB) to 64 Gb, processor 1 gigahertz (GHz) Apple A4, lithium-polymer battery that can last up to 10 hours of use, supports playback of AAC audio format, MP3, VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV, and supports up to 720p H.264 video format,. m4v,. mp4,. mov, and MPEG-4. There are also Bluetooth 2.1, digital compass, GPS, Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), dock connector, built-in speaker, microphone, 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack and use the same operating system with system iPhone operating.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad

Samsung Galaxy i7500 review

2010-09-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

Samsung I7500 Galaxy's new, he is the first manufacturer to go after the HTC Android the game, and he does it with a phone, so rich in functionality.

Exclusive to O2 in the UK, the Galaxy is an elegant proposal, but is it enough to find the Koreans firmly into the Android game?

The Galaxy has three characteristics I7500 clear when you pick: it is very thin on 11.9mm fat, it feels very light at 116g and the screen of 3.2 inches may not seem big, but it dominates the frame. Samsung packs the latest OLED technology, so the screen is bright and lively.

The sentiment mirrors that of the jet Phone Samsung - he has a similar structure (if greater) the distribution on the back of the phone and answer a weird spring when the haptic device is clearly within the carefully balanced.
The Samsung I7500 Galaxy

The phone has one other important provision for other Android phones we're used to, with a touch of the research is conducted and the key to the house crushed between the end and back-button.

And instead of the trackball, Samsung has a big hit D-pad with an OK button in the center of the layout, which occupies space and is much more honest, not really necessary.

One of the nice things give Android is a finger-friendly design, reducing the number of times you should reach for the D-pad is minimal and mainly limited to the means to move between the letters when entering text fields and evolution.

We would prefer that the Samsung had declined significantly decreased D-pad and instead gave a slightly larger house, noticed how important this is.

Left side of the cabin that the up / down, which is limited to the volume almost all applications, which is annoying if you want to get things like screen to adjust brightness without using a slider control boards.

The top of the phone has a 3.5 mm headphone jack and microUSB port is easy to open with the former positioned to a headset, never in the way when in the pocket.

The right side of the phone is the key to lock and shutter of the camera, with the former a small button That life will be probably irritate Out Samsung I7500 Galaxy users (more on that later) and the design of a sport pleasant with a good press for auto segmented.

Once again, no front camera to do, but the current iteration Android OS seems not to support him, but it's not a great loss for the moment.

Overall, the presentation of Samsung I7500 Galaxy is very good - it's a bit wide at 56mm, but generally fits almost good enough in the hand and pocket-friendly thanks to its thin and light.

In the box
This is a relatively simple tool in the box O2, with the notable exception of a bizarre case for the Samsung I7500 Galaxy

Other than that there is a new Samsung PC Studio CD for PC connection, a set of 3.5mm handsfree, basic music controls, and microUSB charger and USB cable and user manual and the phone itself.

It is a beautiful pit-box together and feels solid. However, if you have more than £ 240 for a phone on a contract, then you probably want it to be well packed.

source : http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-i7500-637405/review#

Top 5 Slim Smart Phone

2010-09-02T02:33:00.000-07:00

Most of the time, when we say a smartphone is "slim", we actually mean it's merely "not horribly fat". Let's face it. With so many features packed into handsets these days, it's not easy to get them to look like the 6.9mm Samsung Ultra Edition mobile phone. But that's not to say manufacturers aren't trying. In fact, they are getting really close--the iPhone 4, for example, is just 9.3mm thick. If you want a smartphone which won't cause too much of a bulge in your pocket, consider one of these sub-12mm svelte models.

1. Apple iPhone 4

The good : Improved performance; lovely new display and improved design; adds a ton of sorely needed features, both by itself and through the iOS 4 update.

The bad : Multitasking entails some tradeoffs; home screen folders are limited to 12 apps.

The bottom line : With iPhone 4, Apple again shows that it's a powerful player in the smartphone wars. It won't be for everyone, but the handset's striking design, loaded feature set, and satisfying performance make it the best iPhone yet.

Dimensions : 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm

2. Samsung Galaxy S (I9000)

The good : Blazingly fast 1GHz processor; 4-inch Super AMOLED display; good camera which supports 720p video recording; intuitive main menu interface; built-in 16GB memory (2GB reserved for apps); supports video calls.

The bad : No camera flash; Adobe Flash not supported in browser; one-day battery life; custom software needs improvement.

The bottom line : This Android smartphone is an excellent high-end Android smartphone that will benefit greatly from a few software tweaks to improve its custom TouchWiz UI.

Dimensions : 122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9mm

3. Nokia E72

The good : Excellent build quality; good keypad; improved camera; very responsive; good battery life; 3.5mm audio port.

The bad : Optical navi-pad can be annoying at times; S60 platform feels dated in light of the competition.
The bottom line : Business users looking for a competent, no-nonsense smartphone will like the E72 for its breadth of features and stylish design.

Dimensions : 114 x 59.5 x 10.1mm

4. Motorola Milestone XT720

The good : Slightly improved battery life from original Milestone; good voice quality with CrystalTalk; magnifying glass effect for cursor control; 720p video recording; 8-megapixel camera with Xenon flash.

The bad : Doesn't feel faster even with improved CPU hardware; cumbersome microSDHC slot; touch-sensitive controls can be annoying.
The bottom line: The XT720 is a great alternative to the original Milestone, especially for those who want a slimmer design and better camera in place of a physical keypad.

Dimensions : 115.95 x 60.9 x 10.9mm

5. HTC Desire

The good : Large WVGA 3.7-inch display; sleek form factor; HTC Sense software improves default Android UI; good integration of social-networking services; responsive, thanks to the 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 576MB RAM.

The bad : Screen dim in direct sunlight; colors of photos shot indoors appear dull; one-day battery life; microSDHC card slot blocked by battery.

The bottom line : Though seemingly identical to the Nexus One, the included HTC Sense software adds real value to this mobile phone, making it an excellent choice compared with any other Android smartphone out there.

Dimensions : 119 x 60 x 11.9mm (Note: The Nexus One, also made by HTC, has similar features and is slightly slimmer at 11.5mm. However, it is no directly longer available from Google's Web store so those in Asia who want to purchase one will need to check if their countries' operators are offering it.)

source : http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62037060,00.htm

Nokia C3

2010-08-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

Nokia has launched three new phones, namely messaging C3, C6 and E5. Nokia has also kept their prices very competitive and affordable. The C3 is nice, stylish phone with a full QWERTY keyboard. The C3 is designed to attract heavy texters and users of social networking. The C3 will also features 2.4 inch display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio jack, microSD card slot and microUSB. Overall, Nokia Mobile C3 is designed, namely messaging, e-mail and social networking.

Design
The Nokia E72 C3 is a bit like the design. He received attractive elegant look. We also liked its slim profile and is one of the messengers of compact phone around. Nokia has ensured that the message C3 friendly. It measures 115.5mm high, 58.1mm thick and 13.6mm in width. It weighs about 115grams. It is available in three colors: Hot Pink, white gold and black.

Display 2.4inch C3 sport, which has resolution of 320 x 240 pixels and supports 262K colors. The screen is bright and colorful. We have no gripes with it, taking the price into consideration.

On the screen you will find a navigation array that includes a four-way rocker button with the square of the middle selection of shortcut keys, two soft keys, dedicated to access to favorite contacts and messages, and the call End / Power key. We liked the full QWERTY keyboard. The keys are large enough and tactile, which provide better feedback. The message on this phone is easy. You will find a 3.5mm audio jack on the top of the camera and a microUSB port on the left spine. There is a camera at the back of the unit.

Features

Connectivity & Internet

We are glad That Wi-Fi has-been included at a price tag of Rs.5500. You can avail data transfer through USB and Bluetooth v2.0. You can stream audio wirelessly to Bluetooth headset, thanks to support for Bluetooth A2DP. The Internet Can Be Accessed via Wi-Fi, and GPRS. The data transfer speed EDGE IS enhanced with the media.

The C3's web-browser supports full HTML and WAP 2.0 as well as ". It Also Comes preinstalled with Opera Mini browser That Allow Fast browsing. It Has That Gives community widget live updates from Facebook and Twitter.

The C6 Also supports Instant Messaging for Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Chat and Ovi Windows Live Messenger. The C6 Provides quick access to popular email accounts like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, Windows Live and Other email accounts (SMTP, IMAP4, and POP3). Nokia Ovi offer free email account from phone directly. As usual, it supports text, multimedia and audio messages.

It Provides quicker access to Social Networking Web sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Multimedia

The C3's multimedia player IS simple and convenient. It supports MP3, WMA, AAC, eAAC, eAAC + audio formats and video formats like MPEG-4, H.263 and H.264 video formats. The interface IS simple and convenient to use. It supports popular audio and video formats. The sound quality is excellent. It Also features FM radio with RDS feature.

The C3 Has internal memory of 55MB year. You can extend the external memory up to 8GB.

Camera
The Nokia C3 IS Equipped with 2 megapixel camera with a flash, Which captures images at a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. The camera interface same as IS Other Nokia phones. The camera features autofocus, self timer, 4x zoom, full screen viewfinder, white balance, color tones and effects viewfinder includes greyscale, sepia and negative. It can record videos at a resolution 320 x 240 pixels.

The image is quite good. The images look bright, crisp and colorful with good detail. The Video Quality is Reasonably good.

Essential Features

The Other essential features of the C3 include Voice Recorder, Calendar, Note Pad, To-do list, a timer, Calculator, unit & currency converter, voice commands, a world clock, vibrate mode, flight mode, a 1000 entry phonebook and speaker phone. It Does not feature Document and PDF reader.

The C3 Comes preinstalled with oven Sudoko games namely, Diamond Rush, Block'd, and Bounce.

Source : http://blog.itechtalk.com/2010/nokia-c3-review/

Samsung Flight II SGH-A927 (AT&T)

2010-08-21T03:20:00.000-07:00

The good: The Samsung Flight II is slim phone with a good slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It supports 3G networks and has GPS and a colorful display

The bad: The Samsung Flight II is much too sluggish for a modern phone, and its camera photo quality is blurry. It provided us with a poor 3G experience as well.

The bottom line: The Samsung Flight II may have decent multimedia features, but its overall sluggishness keeps us from recommending it.

Samsung's summer of sequels continues with the Samsung Flight II, a successor to the Samsung Flight messaging phone from last year. Like the original, the Flight II has a touch screen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard; however, this time the keyboard slides out horizontally instead of vertically. Aside from that, the phone's features remain mostly the same as its predecessor--a 2.0-megapixel camera, GPS, a media player, and 3G support--though it has a few extras like an HTML Web browser and social media apps. The Samsung Flight II is available for $49 with a new two-year service agreement.

Samsung's summer of sequels continues with the Samsung Flight II, a successor to the Samsung Flight messaging phone from last year. Like the original, the Flight II has a touch screen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard; however, this time the keyboard slides out horizontally instead of vertically. Aside from that, the phone's features remain mostly the same as its predecessor--a 2.0-megapixel camera, GPS, a media player, and 3G support--though it has a few extras like an HTML Web browser and social media apps. The Samsung Flight II is available for $49 with a new two-year service agreement with AT&T.

Design
While the Samsung Flight looked unique with its rather wide footprint and vertical QWERTY keyboard, the Flight II is decidedly not unique. Measuring 4.4 inches long by 2.1 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick, the Flight II looks similar to other slender sliders we've seen from Samsung--the Seek and the Messager Touch spring to mind. We can't help but feel the design is rather boring as a result, but we admit it does have a nice feel in the hand because of its curved corners and oval shape.

The Flight II has a 2.8-inch touch screen, which makes it a hair bigger than the one on the Flight. Its display looks vibrant and colorful with crisp graphics and text; in fact, it looks much brighter and sharper than the display on the Eternity II. You can adjust the font type, the brightness, the backlight time, and the greeting message on the home screen. You can also customize the menu layout as well as add and remove apps from the list.

Like a lot of Samsung's touch-screen feature phones, you can customize the Flight II with up to three different home screens. Samsung dedicates one home screen to Favorite contacts, while you can customize the other two with shortcuts and widgets from the TouchWiz tray on the left. A few of the more interesting widgets are the ones for Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Yahoo Search.

At the bottom row of the home screen are shortcuts to the phone dialer, the contacts list, and the main menu. The menu is separated into different pages, which you have to navigate by swiping across the screen. On the main menu, the bottom row shortcuts change to the phone dialer, the contacts list, and a new text message.

The touch screen was responsive, and we're glad to see that it has a capacitive display instead of the more common resistive option. You can add vibration feedback if you want, and you can adjust its intensity. While we liked the touch screen's responsiveness, and the overall performance of the phone marred it significantly. There was often a delay when swiping home screens, and when opening and closing the TouchWiz tray. Launching apps took a few more seconds than it should as well.

The phone dialer has a nice size keypad with large digits and it includes quick access to the contacts list. For messaging, you can tap out text with the alphanumeric virtual keypad; however, we prefer to use the physical keyboard for faster typing. Just slide out the phone to the right and you'll find a four-row QWERTY keyboard. It feels pretty spacious, more so than the keyboard on the original Flight. The keys also have a nice raised feel, and the tactile response of the buttons contribute to a pleasant typing experience. The number keys are highlighted in red, and there's a messaging shortcut key plus a .com key on the keyboard. We would've liked a slightly bigger spacebar, but that's a minor complaint.

Like the LG dLite, the Samsung Flight II has a motion detection sensor. When enabled, you can silence any incoming call ring by turning over the phone. This will automatically send the call to voice mail as well, which is handy for when you're in a meeting.

Underneath the display are three physical keys for the Send, Back, and End/Power functions. On the left are a volume rocker and a multitasking key that brings up a grid of open applications that you can switch between. On the top is a 3.5mm headset jack, while the Micro-USB charging port, screen lock key, and camera key are on the right. On the back is the camera lens, but it doesn't have a flash. You have to open the battery cover to access the microSD card slot.

Features

The Flight II has a generous 2,000-entry phone book with room in each entry for five phone numbers, an e-mail address, a Web URL, a nickname, a company and job title, a birthday, and notes. You can also add the contacts to caller groups and associate them with photos, vibration patterns, and one of 15 polyphonic ring tones. You can also use your own MP3s as ringtones if you like. The Flight II comes with AT&T's Address Book service that lets you store your contacts in the cloud as a backup.

As the phone is a messaging device, we're happy to see text and multimedia messaging, instant messaging, and AT&T's mobile e-mail. The latter has a restricted, clunky Web-based interface that lets you access POP3 e-mail services like Gmail, AT&T Mail, Hotmail, and others, but it takes too long to launch and load. The Flight II also includes a few social networking apps like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, that offers quicker access to their status update page. If you don't want the individual app, there's an AT&T Social Net app that combines them all into one interface with different tabs. The app has an RSS reader in it as well, though you're limited to the built-in news feeds.

Source : http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/samsung-flight-ii-sgh/4505-6454_7-34147011.html?tag=centerColumnArea1.0#reviewPage1

Book Review

2010-08-21T02:35:00.000-07:00

A book review is a form of literary criticism in a book which is analyzed in terms of content, style and merit. It is often carried out in periodicals, as school work, or on the Internet. Comments are often published in magazines and newspapers. Its length can vary from a single paragraph of an important text. This review often contains evaluations of the work on the basis of personal taste. Reviewers, in literary periodicals, often use the occasion of a book review for a display of learning or to promulgate their own ideas on the subject of fiction or non-fiction work. At the other end of the spectrum, some book reviews resemble simple plot summaries.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_review

Review

2010-08-21T02:25:00.000-07:00

A review is an evaluation of a publication as a film (a film review), video games, composing music (Music Review of a composition or recording), Appliance Book (book review), a piece equipment such as a car of the house, or a computer or an event or performance as a live music concert, a play, musical theater or dance. In addition to a critical evaluation, author of the review may assign the work a rating to indicate its relative merit. More loosely, an author may review current events, trends or items in the news. A compilation of reviews may itself be called a review. The New York Review of Books, for example, is a collection of essays on literature, culture and current affairs. National Review, founded by William F. Buckley Jr., is a powerful conservative organization magazine, and Monthly Review is a periodic long-term socialist.

In the literature, the literature review is a category of scientific paper, which provides a synthesis of research on a topic at this moment in time. A compilation of these reviews forms the core content of a 'tertiary' scientific journal, with examples including Annual Reviews, the Nature Reviews series of journals and Trends. A peer review is the process by which scientists assess the work of their colleagues who had been submitted for publication in the scientific literature. A review of software is also a form of peer review, by co-workers.

A consumer opinion refers to a written notice by the owner of a product or a service user who has sufficient experience to comment on reliability and whether or not the product or service meets its promises . An expert opinion generally refers to a review written by someone who has tested the products or services by several peers to identify which offers the best value for money or the best set of features. A review is purchased the system where the creator (usually a company) a new product pays a reviewer to review his new product.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Review