Mobiles Just For You

Asus P535

2007-07-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

I have long since been of the opinion that if you have used one Windows mobile, you have used them all. They are generally slow, which makes using them a bit of a drag. Although you may find comfort in using Windows Pocket Mobile, there isn't much exciting happening in this for a long time. Phones differ from each other from time to time, but lacks revolution. Asus P535, however, has a few extra tricks up its sleeve.

Design
The phone is perhaps one of the sturdiest touch-screen phones I have come across in the market. The overall appearance, although, is dull and bland, with brushed gray and black finish. For the amount it costs, the phone should've been a better looking one. To be honest, there isn't much to the design. But, this perhaps, stems from the fact that people at Asus were rather busy tweaking the functionalities (we'll talk about it later). At 109 x 59 x 19mm and 145g, it is a bit on the bulky side, but the features do make up for this.

The phone comes with a 2.8-inch TFT touch-screen that can display up to 65k colors. Asus has departed from its earlier design and incorporated full-fledged touch-screen functionalities, with only a handful of keys for basic purposes. These buttons are placed below the screen. This includes, the four-way navigation keys, the left/right soft keys, take and end call buttons, one select and one open-key.

On the left side of the phone you will find the one-touch camera access button and just below that the volume keys. On the right side features the hold key and the voice command key.

On top you will find the power button and the memory hot swap slot. The back panel features a camera, a self-portrait mirror, flash and speaker. The 2.5mm jack can be found at the bottom of the phone along with the USB slot.

Motorola's Z9 Prototype Leaked

2007-07-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

So Motorola has got something up its sleeve and it's a pretty snazzy looking slider phone. The Z9. Apparently it's going to need a carrier and AT&T has made its mark on the Z9 with a browser key and AT&T firmware.

Among the specs are a 2-megapixel camera, with a flash and MicroSD external memory support. It's going to run on Motorola Synergy OS and can support live video sharing. The buttons do seem to be a bit tiny so I’m not sure about the comfort level when it comes to usage.

Considering this is only a prototype, prices nor availability have been revealed. So keep checking in for more information as we get it.

Apple Plans Cheaper, Nano-based Phone

2007-07-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Apple Inc. plans to launch a cheaper version of the iPhone in the fourth quarter that could be based on the ultra-slim iPod Nano music player, according to a JP Morgan report.

Kevin Chang, a JP Morgan analyst based in Taiwan, cited people in the supply channel he did not name and an application with the U.S Patent and Trademark office for his report dated July 8.

Apple filed a patent application document dated July 5 that refers to a multifunctional handheld device with a circular touch pad control, similar to the Nano's scroll wheel.

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined comment.

Long lines of people turned out on June 29 when U.S. sales began for the iPhone, a mobile phone with a music player and Web browser. Analysts have estimated that sales in the first weekend were as high as 700,000 units.

Chang said a way to follow up the iPhone with a cheaper version would be to convert the Nano into a phone and price it at $300 or lower. The iPhone sells for $500 and $600, depending on storage space.

"We believe that iPod Nano will be converted into a phone because it's probably the only way for Apple to launch a lower end phone without severely cannibalizing iPod Nano," he said noting that the new phone could have "rather limited functionality."

Another analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray said he expects Apple to bring out iPods that resemble iPhone, which features such as a touch-sensitive screen, later this year. Such products would help stop iPhone eating into iPod sales.

"We believe the iPhone reveals much of what the iPod will soon be," Munster said in a note to clients, "iPods with some of the touchscreen features of the iPhone should lessen the impact of cannibalization."

Kerris also declined comment on Munster's note.

Because of the anticipated lower price for the Nano-based phone, 2008 sales of 30 million to 40 million units "is achievable," according to JP Morgan's Chang.

This would be a much larger volume than is expected of the first iPhone, Apple has targeted sales of 10 million units in 2008, which would give it a 1 percent share of the global market.

Sales of the iPhone are expected to be limited to a small percentage of the market due to its high price tag, particularly in the United States where 85 percent of consumers tend to spend $100 or less on cell phones.

But analysts forecast that a cheaper phone from Apple, which leads the digital music player market, could pose a much bigger threat to long-established phone makers such as Nokia, Motorola Inc, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Sony Ericsson, owned by Sony Corp and Ericsson.

Taiwan's Catcher Technology will be the "major source of metal casing" for the new phone, according to Chang, who cited an unidentified channel source.

Revenue from Apple could represent T$6 billion ($183 million) to T$8 billion ($244 million) revenue for Catcher in 2008, Chang estimated.

MOTORAZR maxx Ve

2007-04-02T09:53:00.001-07:00

Motorola have blessed us with some cool media centered hand pieces. To start off with, we have the MOTORAZR maxx Ve. This one comes with EV-DO high speed connectivity and a 2 megapixel camera. Also, we can find GPS/LBS connectivity in this one and you can also exploit the touch sensitive controls available. To spice up your multimedia experience you can use the over-the-air music and video downloads in this. With stereo Bluetooth you can hear your music wirelessly. The entire build up of the phone is slim to keep up with the MOTORAZR family of slimmers. This time round, Motorola have made serious amends to make sure that this one lives up to its reputation of a media center.

The MOTORAZR maxx Ve is expected to be out in the first half of 2007.

MOTOROKR Z6m

2007-04-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

Motorola’s MOTOROKR Z6m is what the company calls ‘the multi-modal slider’. A typical 2.0 megapixel camera (with landscape viewing) and a 3.5mm headset jack (to make sure that the phone accommodates just about any contemporary headphone) are some features you could expect in this phone. If you have a grudge against cables then there’s the stereo Bluetooth wireless technology to make use of. And finally, we have high speed USB 2.0 connectivity and up to 2GB of removable memory. I wonder if this is to spell a new phase of Motorola phones that can keep up with the MOTORAZR.

The Motorola’s Z6m shall be made available in the first half of 2007.

Sony Ericsson HCB-120 Bluetooth speakerphone: Just About OK

2007-04-02T09:50:00.001-07:00

Sony Ericsson has pioneered the making of a car Bluetooth Speakerphone that’s pretty compact and slightly uncomforting for the fat-fingered. It comes with 24 hours of talk time durability and 300 hours standby. However, there isn’t any USB charging facility available with this one. it surely isn’t the sexiest piece of technology for one to pick up in spite of its rather not-so-illustrious features. Just that it fits into your car pretty well without messing up the décor (like what most humungous car stereo systems do). I cannot tag this as a best buy or something, but then every maker someday or the other comes out with a cheaper, more sophisticated rendition of just about every gizmo. The Sony Ericsson HCB-120 may just lag behind in this race.

No information on how much the Sony Ericsson HCB-120 may cost as yet.

Nokia 5070: Fun and function

2007-04-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Nokia 5070 is a very youth friendly phone. As we know most of the youngsters these days are more into texting and sending images via the phone. The 5070 has strong messaging, leisure and personalization features. With just a few keystrokes, friends' contact information can be accessed and messages quickly composed and delivered. Sending voice messages in a jiffy via Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging is one of the most attractive features of this phone. The built-in camera captures precious moments that can be conveniently shared via MMS. Integrated FM radio, pre-installed java games like Sudoku add to the fun quotient. The stereo headset comes included in the sales package.

MP3 ring tones, a variety of wallpapers and themes can also be downloaded to give the Nokia 5070 even more of a personalized touch. The Nokia 5070 has talk time up to 3.5 hours and the standby time is up to 12 days and is available in two fresh colors, red or blue. It will be available in the second quarter of 2007 and will retail at EUR 100 ($135)

Nokia N95 - The Music Review

2007-04-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Nokia N95 Music Focus

Digital music on the move has been one of the biggest growth areas for consumer electronics in the last decade. The iconic iPod has been at the forefront of this digital audio player charge, but it has become increasingly threatened by the inclusion of music playback in mobile phones. The Nokia Nseries phones are no exception, indeed they have been leading the charge, together with Sony Ericsson's Walkman branded phones and smartphones. Through the XpressMusic branding, Nokia has sought to emphasise the music capabilities of its Nseries portfolio. The N95 continues and adds to this trend. It is a very good digital audio player and, thanks to its smartphone background, boasts features that leave many digital audio players behind. Here we take a closer look at its implementation and explore its capabilities.

N95 Hardware

The N95's dual slide design clearly has multimedia playback in mind. The top slide of the N95 reveals 4 back-lit shortcut keys (from top to bottom: forward, play/pause, stop, backward) which can be used to control both video and music playback. If it is not already running, a press of the play/pause key will start the Music Player application. Otherwise the keys behave as you would expect with fast forward and rewind available via a long press of the backward or forward keys. If the keys are when used outside of Music Player there's an on screen indication showing the key pressed and the current track.

On the right hand side of the N95 there are the volume controls (also the digital zoom controls in the Camera application). On the left hand side of the N95 there's a 3.5mm (composite) audio jack. In the N95 retail box, Nokia supply a headset that comes in two parts. The first part contains the microphone and remote controls (answer/make call, play/pause, forwards and backwards) while the second part is a matching set of headphones. The connection between the remote and headphones is also a 3.5mm (standard) audio jack. This means you can use your own headset either plugged straight into the device or plugged into the remote control/microphone unit. I did notice a faint hiss when using a high end (Ultimate Ears) headset when plugged directly into the N95. It was only really noticeable when listening to Piano music, and it was lessened when using the remote unit. It is not audible on lower quality headsets, including those supplied with the N95, presumably because they lack the range of the Ultimate Ears.

On either side, at the top of the N95, there are stereo speakers. The output from these is obviously limited, but is good enough for desk music when nothing else is available. It is particularly good for the spoken word, such as that found in many podcasts or audio books.

On the left hand side of the device there is a microSD (TransFlash) card slot. This supports cards of up to 2GB in size, a 2GB card should give enough space for around 500 tracks (depending on length, formatting and encoding). The slot also supports hot-swapping (switching cards while the device is on) which means it is practical, if a little fiddly, to have a card dedicated to music usage.

At the bottom of the device, there's a standard mini USB 2.0 port which is used for PC connectivity. The USB connection supports PC Suite (Music Manager), MTP (Music Transfer Protocol as used by Windows Media Player) and Mass Storage (phone appears as an extra drive on the computer).

Internally the N95 has an FM Radio, WiFi connectivity with support for UPnP and Bluetooth with support for the A2DP and AVCRP profiles (for Stereo Music and Remote Control over Bluetooth). We'll have a closer look at the implications of this later in the article.

Music Player Application

The N95 has the most recent version of the Nseries Music Player application, as seen on the Nseries Music Edition devices. The application presents your music library in the typical hierarchical approach (All Songs, Play lists, Artists, Albums, Genres and Composers), through which you can drill down to access the music you want to play. Once the music starts, the Now Playing screen is shown, with the usual music playback controls. These controls are associated with the cursor keys for quick access, for example left and right on the directional controls skip tracks on a single press or fast forwards/rewinds them if held down.

The application includes a variety of features beyond basic playback. Shuffle and repeat modes and Album Art are present as expected, but there's a user programmable equalizer together with a number of presets, visualisations (relatively basic), audio settings (that control stereo widening, loudness and balance) and playlist management. Playlists can be managed on the device, with full editing capabilities, and there are a number of predefined smart playlists too (Recently Played, Recently Added, Most Played).

A welcome change from earlier devices is that the Music Player now recognises when new music has been transferred to the phone (for me it worked for Windows Media Player and after downloading podcasts) and will automatically update your music library. Previously this was a manual process and there's still a manual update option in the menu for instances where you want to force an update of the library.

Music Player is also integrated into the Active Idle screen. The current track is shown and clicking on the item will take you back to the Music Player. This, together with the Multimedia shortcut key (on which a long press will start Music Player) and the hardware shortcut keys on the top slide mean music control is never far away.

In terms of formats, Music Player supports MP3, (un-DRMed) AAC, AAC+ and WMA, which should cover most people's collections.

Radio Application

The N95 has the standard Nseries/Nokia S60 radio player which includes support for Visual Radio. Visual Radio is a little used standard that aims to deliver extra information to listeners over the air. When it's available it can be a useful extra service, but unfortunately it is not very widespread. Details of the stations using Visual Radio can be found here. For the radio to work, you must plug in a headset or the remote control, sound can then be channelled through the phone's loudspeakers, but unfortunately can not be channelled to a Bluetooth headset. Radio may seem a bit old-school these days, but is still very popular. It is a nice extra for where you get bored with your onboard music or want to listen to the latest headlines.

Outside of traditional FM radio, the N95 also has support for Real Audio streams, thanks to the inclusion of Real Player. There are a great number of radio stations that make Real Audio streams available, there is a comprehensive list for UK stations available here. Once loaded in RealPlayer, stations can be saved as streaming links and stored in the Gallery application.

Getting Music to the N95

As hinted at earlier, there are a number of ways to copy music to the N95. One option is to use Windows Media Player 11. When you connect the USB cable to the N95, you are asked to choose the connection mode (e.g. 'Media Player'). The N95 is automatically recognised by Windows Media Player and music can be dragged from your music library onto an icon representing your device. Once you decide which music to copy, a single press of the sync button starts the process. Thanks to the USB 2.0 connection, sync speeds are reasonable. There are some advanced features too, such as the ability to transcode formats and bitrates to optimise file size or to make the entire process automatic with a random collection of songs from your library copied to the N95 at each sync. Windows Media Player can be used to rip CDs and manage the PC side of the music collection.

The N95 supports WMA files protected by the Play4Sure DRM, but these must be coped using Windows Media Player in order to ensure that the appropriate license files are also copied across. Play4Sure DRM is used by a number of music subscription services which allow unlimited downloads and playback of music provided you continue your subscription. For example, Napster to Go in the UK charges £14.99 for their unlimited service, which gives access to some 3 million or so tracks. If you're the sort of person who buys a couple of CDs a month this service will be well worth investigating as it could save you money in the long run. Yahoo Music Unlimited is a similar service which is available in the US with a price point of $14.99. Neither of these services yet list the N95 as a compatible device, but in my tests Naspter to Go certainly worked without any problems, and there's a free trial available for both services.

For those who do not wish to use Windows Media Player, Nokia provide Music Manager as part of PC Suite. It is also a sensible choice for those who are not already using their PC for digital music as it is easy to get to grips with and is better at ripping CDs into a format that is optimal for the N95 (AAC+). Music Manager works in a similar way to PC Suite, with the ability to drag and drop files from your PC to the N95. It too has a random transfer feature and allows you to set a maximum space to be used by music files.

If neither Windows Media Player nor Nokia Music Manager appeal to you then you can copy music files across manually. You can either do this using the File Manager portion of PC Suite or use the USB Mass Storage mode of the USB connection. In this mode the phone will appear as a disk drive and this should enable you to use it with a number of other Music Management tools, including WinAmp, Music Match and, with third party plug-ins, iTunes. If you are on a Mac you can use the Nokia Music Manager for Mac; this is intended for use with the N91 but it should work just as well with the N95. Finally, it is also possible to copy music to the N95 using UPnP (which I discuss below).

UPnP

The N95 has support for the UPnP protocol. UPnP is aimed at making it easy for devices to interact over a network, be it wired or wireless. On the N95, UPnP shares content stored on the phone with other UPnP devices (acting as a server) and can access content on other UPnP devices (acting as a client); the connection to other devices is made via WiFi.

On the N95, the UPnP functionality is set up through the Home Network application. Here you specify the wireless network to connect to and what content to share from the N95. In order for the N95 to share content (act as a server) you must explicitly turn sharing on. For accessing other UPnP devices (acting as a client) you use Gallery. On the CD that ships with the N95 is a program called Simple Center. Simple Center is a UPnP server/client for Windows PCs and will scan your PC for music and video files and make these available.

One you have set up UPnP on the N95, a Home Network section will appear in Gallery and from here you can browse other UPnP devices (including your PC, if you have installed Simple Center). Gallery will automatically search for, and list, other UPnP devices on your network. The devices can be browsed (in a similar way to a filing system) and you can choose to ‘copy to your device’ (thus giving you yet another way to get music to your device) or ‘show via home network’ (allowing playback or showing of content on other UPnP devices). If you have a friend with another UPnP enabled Nseries device (N80, N93, N93i) you can also share content from your phones back and forth using this functionality.

With Simple Center installed on your PC, it is possible to copy or sync content between the N95 and the PC in both directions. You can also use your N95 in a remote control like fashion to play music on your PC that is also stored on the PC thanks to the ‘show via home network’ functionality (illustrated below).

UPnP really comes into its own when there are other UPnP devices in the home. There are a number of UPnP media streamer devices on the market from the likes of Netgear, D-Link and Phillips. These are generally attached to a television or a stereo and act as client devices, playing back content from UPnP servers (usually on a PC) on their respective hosts. In the case of the N95 you can use a media streamer to access content stored on the N95 (such as your music library). However, more useful is using the N95 as an UPnP remote control, browsing content from a UPnP server (e.g. one running on your computer) and playing it back over another UPnP device (e.g. a media streamer). One real world example of this would be sitting on your sofa using your N95 to control the playback of music that is stored on your PC on your UPnP enabled home stereo.

Selecting an album on a remote UPnP device and then playing it back on the remote device all controlled from the N95.

I’ve focussed on the music aspects here, but the same applies for pictures and videos. You can, for example, use UPnP to show a video that is stored on your N95 on your PC (via Simple Center) or on your TV (via a media streamer). Similarly you can use the N95 to control a slideshow of images.

The problem with UPnP is that it is still a relative young standard and there are a limited number of UPnP devices available. Although they are theoretically all interoperable, this is not always the case (for example, not all devices can play back all music formats). I think the greatest benefits come with using the N95 in conjunction with a media streamer, but even if you just use the N95 and the Simple Center software on your PC there is still a lot on offer. It is impressive stuff and shows the virtues of using open standards.

Bluetooth

The N95 supports the A2DP and AVCRP Bluetooth profiles, which allow the playback and control of stereo audio over Bluetooth. At first, doing away with wires might seem like something of a novelty, but it does save hassle and means you can leave your device safely tucked away. I tested the N95 with Nokia’s BH-501 and Sony Ericsson’s HBH-DS970 and both gave excellent quality audio. The DS970 includes full remote control of music playback (AVCRP) and was, for me, more comfortable. The BH-501 was better for making calls because it supported voice dialing.

UPnP might be the most feature rich way to wirelessly connect an N95 to a stereo but it is not the only way. For those without a WiFi network or a media streamer, a Bluetooth Audio Gateway such as Nokia’s AD-42W is a good solution. The AD-42W is a small box that you connect to a stereo via a RCA (phono) cable; the Gateway receives a Bluetooth audio stream and sends it in stereo via the RCA cable. The Gateway utilizes the same A2DP profile as stereo headsets to stream the audio and they are paired with the N95 like any other Bluetooth device.

Further A2DP Bluetooth devices are coming out all the time. Parrot has been showing off an A2DP-enabled ‘boom-box’ and I’m sure there is lots more on the way too. All of the Bluetooth accessories mentioned above are an extra purchase, but this is a not an uncommon pattern in the digital music world.

TV Out

The N95 ships with a TV Out cable, which plugs into the same composite 3.5mm port as the headphones. While the obvious use of this is showing pictures and video on the TV, it can also be used to play back music. The TV Out cable will work with most stereos too (the composite video, yellow lead, can be left disconnected). It may not be as elegant as the wireless solutions mentioned above, but it is available out of the box.

Third Party Software

Since the N95 is running on an open software platform, it is of course possible to add additional functionality through the installation of software. For example, there is Nokia’s free Podcasting application (available via the Downloads! application on the N95). This application allows you to subscribe to podcasts (episodic audio shows) and download them to your device. Features include an in-built podcast directory, podcast search and scheduled downloads. Podcast can be downloaded using a cellular connection or WiFi and played back using the Music player application (audio podcasts) or Real Player (video podcasts). Also available from Nokia is the Internet Radio application, which lets you listen to the SHOUTcast audio streams which a number of Internet radio stations broadcast.

There are an ever growing number of applications from third parties too. These include Audible Player, which lets you download and playback Audible content, such as audio books, on the N95. There is also the MyStrands Social Player which is a Music player replacement, but also adds online services (download album art), music discovery (recommendation based on your tastes) and community features. The Filter, which will automatically create playlists from the contents of your music library and Pocket Ogg, which is a music player supporting the open source .ogg format.

All of these applications mean that you can significantly extend the music and audio related capabilities of the N95 beyond what is available out of the box.

Conclusion

The N95 is an impressive music device. There are five ways to get stereo audio out of the N95 (stereo speakers, headset, Bluetooth, TV-Out, UPnP) and even these can be further broken down (e.g. FM Radio transmitter via the 3.5mm jack anyone? - hey, I'm reviewing one of these next week! - Ed). It is amazing to see this level of versatility in a single device considering that the N70 (the hot Nseries phone this time last year) only had one of these. PC connectivity is good although perhaps, overall, not as cohesive as the iTunes/iPod combination and the lack of an integrated music store is a current omission, though this is likely to change in the near future.

The quality of the sound produced by the N95 is excellent. The clarity and accuracy of the sound is now dictated more by quality of the headset and the encoding of the music file or stream rather than any hardware limitations. Audio buffs will notice the usual problems with digital music, but the average user will have no complaints.

The N95 integrates well with third party services and its capabilities can be extended through third party software. It is theoretically possible for any software-based DRM mechanism to be added to the N95. This reflects an important difference in attitude between digital music market leader Apple and Nokia. Apple prefers a proprietary ‘walled garden’ approach whereas Nokia has chosen to integrate with other products via open standards. Consequently Apple is able to closely control all aspect of the user experience, but locks customers into its own solutions. Nokia’s more open minded approach will appeal to the technical, but may not resonate with the wider public since the user experience can be less cohesive. However, experience in other areas does suggest the open approach does offer better longer term prospects.

When assessing the music functionality, the obvious question is: Is it as good as a standalone player? Here it is worth drawing a distinction between the different types of standalone players. The large hard-disk based players such as the iPod or the Zune are not going to be directly replaced by the N95. However, they are threatened by the convenience of the one device solution. It comes down to the question of which is preferable – having your entire music library available or having to only carry one device. More at risk are the flash memory based players such as the iPod Nano or SanDisk Sansa. Why would you carry one of these devices when the N95 can replicate or better the functionality?

The main ‘problem’ issues with the N95 in this area are memory (realistically you will need to buy a 2GB card – at a cost of about £25-30), battery life (not as good as standalone; also shares battery with a GPS/Wi-Fi/Camera-bearing phone) and cost (more expensive). Each person is going to assess this differently, but for me none of these outweigh the benefits of carrying around one device. In making this calculation it is also necessary to evaluate the wider picture since the N95 is much more than just a music player. At one time I would have added ease of use as a problem in common with most other converged devices, but thanks to the top slide, good software and good PC connectivity there is little to complain about here.

Overall, the N95 scores highly as a music device, offering excellent functionality and a good user experience. There is room for improvement (lack of cohesiveness of the user experience, lack of an integrated music store) and device convergence brings its own problems (shared battery, complexity), but measured against the overall abilities and appeal of the device, these will not trouble many of the N95’s potential buyers.

Sony Ericsson W700i

2006-07-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

Your music in your phone — Walkman® phone
Have your music with you wherever you are. One press on the music button to start your music player, then choose your song or playlist and enjoy. Getting your music into your mobile is easy – the W700i comes with music management software. Move your favourite songs to your mobile. Quick and easy.
In addition, you have a 2-megapixel camera for quality images and video recording when you want to catch some action.
Screen
262,144-colour TFT
176x220 pixel
Sound
Music tones (MP3/AAC)
Polyphonic Sounds 40 voices
Memory
Memory Stick Duo™ support
Memory Stick PRO Duo™ support
Phone memory 34MB*

*Actual free memory may vary due to phone pre-configuration.
Networks
GSM 900
GSM 1800
GSM 1900
Available colours
Titanium Gold
Sizes
100 x 46 x 20.5 mm
3.9 x 1.8 x .8 inches
Weight
99 g
3.5 oz

Key features
MP3 and AAC format support
2-megapixel camera
34MB phone memory + 256MB Memory Stick PRO Duo™ included
FM radio
Walkman® music player

Features
Imaging
4xDigital zoom
Camera 2 megapixel
Camera integrated
Photo light
Picture wallpaper
SVG Tiny 1.1
Video clip
Video record
Video streaming
VideoDJ™
Viewfinder display
Wallpaper animation
Messaging
Email
MMS (Multimedia messaging)
Predictive text input
SMS long (Text messaging)
Sound recorder
Entertainment
FM radio
Games embedded
Java
Media player
Mega Bass™ (trademark of Sony Corporation)
Music tones (MP3/AAC)
MusicDJ™
PlayNow™
Flight mode
Polyphonic ringtones
Connectivity
Bluetooth™
Fast port
GPRS
Infrared
Synchronization PC
USB mass storage
USB support
Internet
Modem
WAP 1.2.1
WAP 2.0 XHTML
Controls
Camera button
Joystick
Vibrating alert
Organiser
Alarm clock
Business card exchange
Calculator
Calendar
Conference calls
Contacts
File manager
Memory Stick
Notes
PIM Sync
Phone book
Speakerphone
Stopwatch
Tasks
Timer
My Rating - 4 Stars / 5 Stars

Samsung SGH-D600

2006-07-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

A mobile phone par excellence
Elegant design, the latest slide-up technology and great high performance functions make the Samsung SGH-D600 a mobile phone par excellence. The wide range of business features like the e-mail client, quad-band technology or the document viewer enable seamless data transfer in all standard formats.

The camera for pros
The integrated 2.0 megapixel camera has an impressively sharp lens, so you can capture the moment and make movies that will take your breath away. Edit, view, organise or send your pictures or just save them on the 69 MB phone memory. The SGH-D600’s TV output cable is bound to cause a stir too, making projecting PowerPoint presentations, pictures, data or movies child’s play.

Equipped with PictBridge
Taking photos is much more fun when you can see the result immediately. Use the integrated image editor to enhance your pictures or set them off in novel frame designs. Thanks to the PictBridge function, you can send your images and documents directly to a printer for high-quality printouts in no time at all.

Get connected
With the original Samsung Bluetooth® stereo headset, calling has never been so convenient. Liberate your hands and enjoy the freedom of wireless communication

Price - Rs. 21,000

My Rating - 4 Stars / 5Stars

Samsung SGH-D500

2006-07-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

The World's Best Mobile Handset
Lifestyle meets Business The D500 unites all essential business tools with outstanding multimedia lifestyle features. Experience the dynamic 96 MB memory, 1.3-megapixel camera with Flash, 1 Hour Video Recording, 262,144-colour TFT-LCD display, MP3 player, 64 polyphonic ring tones, Speaker Phone with Voice Clarity and Bluetooth in a phone of highest class and quality.

96 MB dynamic memory all the space you need
With its dynamic 96 MB, the D500 has the capacity to save, send and receive your data. You can either save up to 1,000 one-megapixel pictures, or up to 60 minutes of video/speech recording, or up to 15-20 MP3 songs.

Perfect connectivity for successful business
Synchronize your data with the D500 in seconds. Bluetooth, USB and SyncML DS make it easy to connect to other phones, PDAs, laptops, PCs, printers and, of course, to Samsungs Bluetooth accessories, and to exchange data, pictures and video clips. Synchronization is possible on window based laptops and computers.

Samsung Bluetooth accessories set your hands free
With the Bluetooth headset from Samsung, you can have both hands free, making talking effortless and enabling you to stay connected anywhere, any time, and in any situation.

7 Regional Languages
This slider is also a linguist, speaking seven different regional languages - Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarathi and Kannada. For the last three languages only menu option is available.

MP3 Player
Swing to the sound of the digital Integrator. Samsung's SGH-D500 carries your favorite tracks so you can relax to smooth melodies or dance the night away. Capable of carrying 15-20 MP3 or AAC files the D500 will engineer the soundtrack to your mobile existance. Perceive the sound of Samsung as you tap into your D500's MP3 revolution.

MMS and Video Messaging
Make your communications come alive with MMS. Video messaging is the wave of the future. Send multimedia messageswith text, voice, music, images and even video clips to other MMS capable mobile phones in any environment. Tell the whole story and let the SGH-D500 get your point across while sending and receiving multimedia in comfort.

Speaker Phone and Voice Clarity
With an Integrated speaker phone, your conversations can kep going, whatever the venue. And never fear the noise cancellation functionality so that your voice will come through loud and clear. The D500's speakerphone actually suppresses excess ambient noise from around you so they'll never even know you set it down. Find your voice and speak more freely with Samsung.

Price - Rs.16,000

My Rating - 4 Stars / 5 Stars

Nokia 6103

2006-07-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

Key Features
Audio and video streaming-->
VGA camera with video recording and playback function
Bluetooth wireless connectivity
FM stereo radio
Nokia Xpress audio messaging, email and MMS
65,536 colors 128 x 160 pixels internal display and external mini display
xHTML browser
Full Specifications Operating Frequency
Tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz
Automatic switching between bands Dimensions
Volume: 77 cc
Weight: 97 g
Length: 85 mm
Width: 45 mm
Thickness (max): 24 mm Display
Main display: Active TFT display supports up to 65,536 colors (128 x 160 pixels)
External mini display: Supports up to 4,096 colors (96 x 65 pixels)

User Interface

Five-way navigation key including select key
Configurable right and left soft keys
List and grid menu
Shared key for camera and Push to talk functions

Imaging

Imaging: Easy access to integrated VGA camera (resolution 640 x 480 pixels) with a push of a button
Phone displays used as viewfinders: use the larger internal display to take usual pictures, use the small external display to take self-portraits
Standard, portrait, and night mode
Gallery for storing and editing images
Three image-quality options: high, normal, basic
Image and video clip uploading to the web
Integrated video recorder: 3GPP spec (H.263 video and AMR audio packed in .3gp format)

Multimedia

Integrated video player: 3GPP spec (H.263 video, MPEG-4, and AMR audio packed in .3gp format)
FM stereo radio
Use MP3 tracks for ringing/alert tones, as well as MIDI/polyphonic tones

Messaging
Common inbox
Instant messaging (including presence enhanced phonebook)
MMS 1.2 with SMIL player for image message creation, receiving, editing and sending (100k)
E-mail client (IMAP4, POP3, SMTP - TCP/IP based), email via SMS
Nokia Xpress audio messaging

Memory Functions

4.2 MB internal shared memory for contacts, text messages, multimedia messages, ringing tones, images, video clips, calendar notes, to-do list, and applications

Java™ Applications

Java™ MIDP 2.0
Over-the-air download of Java™ based applications and games

Connectivity

Bluetooth
Infrared (IR)
USB with Pop-Port™
Local synchronization of picture gallery, contacts and calendar to PC using PC Suite
Remote over-the-air synchronization with SyncML

Browsing

Integrated xHTML browser connects over TCP/IP
Full OMA Digital Rights Management for content protection

Data Transfer

EDGE, class 6: Download speed up to 177.6 kbps, uplink speed up to 118.4 kbps
GPRS class 10: Download speed up to 85.6 kbps, uplink speed up to 42.8 kbps
HSCSD class 6: Downlink speed up to 43.2 kbps, uplink speed up to 28.8 kbps
TCP/IP *Please note that these services require network support

Call Management

Speed dialing: Up to 9 names, with keys 2-9
Last-number redial from dialed calls list (Dial key brings out the dialed calls list)
Automatic redial (max 10 attempts)
Automatic answer (works with compatible headset or car kit only)
Call waiting, call hold, call divert, call timer
Automatic and manual network selection
Caller identification with image
Conference call (up to 5 participants)
Vibrating alert

Push to talk over Cellular (PoC)*

Push to talk over cellular network with one press of a button *Please note that this service is operator dependent

Voice Features

Voice dialing
Voice commands
Voice recording
Integrated handsfree speaker

Personalize

Graphics, icons, animations, logos
Games: Possibility to download new games
Ringing tones: True Tones, polyphonic tones, MP3
Themes: Possibility to download new themes

Additional Features

Alarm clock
Notes
Calendar
To-do list
Stopwatch
Countdown timer 3 Input languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese (predictive)

Sales Package Contents

Nokia 6103 phone
Nokia Battery BL-4C
Nokia Compact Charger AC-3
Nokia Classic Stereo Headset HS-23
User Guide & Quick Guide

Power Management

Battery - BL-6C820 mAh
Talk time* - Up to 4 hrs
Standby time* - Up to 350 hrs

*Operation times vary depending on the network and usage.

Price - $203.00

My Rating - 3 Stars / 5 Stars

LG P7200

2006-07-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

Music Related Features
MP3 Player
MP3 Shortcut Key
MP3 Ringtones
DJ Repeat Effect
Supported Formats-MP3
Smart External Controls
Stereo Surround Sound

Camera Features
Camera Support-2 Mega Pixel, Video
Video Recording-Depend on M Card
Video Playback-3GP Format
Digital Zoom-4X
Continuous Shoot-9 Shots
Color Effects-Color / Sepia
Slide Show
Backlight Compensation
White Balance
Built in Flash
Night Mode
Self Timer-3/5/10 secs

Additional Features
User Memory-64 MB
External Memory-T-Flash,upgradable upto 1GB
Bluetooth
E-Mail
Design-Swivel Type
USB Charging
GPRS-Class 10
SMS-150 SMS Capacity
Java/MMS
Predictive Text Input-T9
WAP-2.0
Download/Save as Support-in.lgmobile.com
Phonebook Memory x Fields-1000 x 5
Scheduler
Speaker Phone
MIDI-64 Polyphonic, MP3
Ringer Mute Button
Built in Games-5
Calculator
Call Conferencing
Call Assignable Photos
Frequency Band-GSM 900/1800 / 1900
Voice Memo
World Time
Modem
Unit Converter
Alarm-Multiple

General Specifications
Dimensions (mm)-97.7x50x17
Weight( gm)-105
Standard battery (mAH)-820 Li-Ion
Stand by Time-Upto 200
Talktime (hrs)-Upto 2.5
Internal LCD-176x220 Pixels
262K Color Screen
Type-TFT LCD
Standard accessories-Battery, Charger, Operating Manual
Free Accessories-Bluetooth Headset Kit, 64MB micro SD card, Remote Control, Stereo Headset Kit, USB Data Cable, PC Sync CD

Free
Accessories worth Rs. 6950Bluetooth Headset Kit64 MB Micro SD CardUSB Data CableRemote Control Stereophonic Headset Kit

My Rating - 4.5 Stars / 5 Stars

LG M4410

2006-07-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

Key Feature
MP3 Player & Ringtones
Bluetooth Enabled
Camera-1.3 Mega Pixel
External mini SD Card Slot
EDGE Enabled

Additional Features
Phone Book Memory-250 * 5
SMS Capacity-250
Scheduler Capacity-20
Multiple Alarms-5 nos.
Java Enabled
GPRS Class 10
EDGE-200 Kbps
T9 Dictionary
WAP-2.0
PC Synchronization
Download Support-in.lgmobile.com
Voice Memo-20 Secs
Internal Memory-8 MB
External Memory Card Slot
BLUETOOTH Enabled
Call Conferencing
Calculator
Unit Convertor
Animated Incoming & Outgoing Call Screens
World Time
Color Themes
Call Assignable Characters-35 nos.
Built in games + Downloadable-3
GSM-900/1800/1900 Mhz
Polyphonic Ringtones-40
Sync ML
Built-in Modem
Torchlight

General Specifications
Dimensions ( LxWxD) (mm)-94x47.8x25.5 mm
Weight( gm)-107 gms
Standard Battery-1000 mAH
Stand by Time-Upto 200 hrs.
Talk Time-Upto 2.5 hrs.
Internal LCD-176x220 Pixels
External LCD-96x96, 65K Colour
Number of Color-65K Color

Music Related Features
MP3 Playback
Surround Sound-3D
MP3 Shortcut Key
MP3 Ringtones

Camera Features
Photo Frames-5
Backlight Compensation
Self-Timer Shooting-3/5/10 secs.
Sepia, B&W & Normal Shooting Themes
Built in Flash
Slide Show

Free!!
Accessories worth Rs. 6250Bluetooth Headset Kit64 MB Mini SD Card & Stereophonic Handsfree KitUSB Data Cable

Price - Rs. 10,990 , USD 245

Mt Rating - 4 Stars/ 5 Stars

Nokia 3250

2006-07-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

Twist to access phone, camera, or music functions instantly
Play your tracks randomly and build playlists effortlessly with a built-in music player, and dedicated music keys
Memory expandable up to 1 GB of storage space for 750 songs of great quality stereo audio with the new, advanced eAAC+ digital audio codec
Share playlists with your friends over Bluetooth, MMS, or email
Plug your own headphones into the connector jack in the headset cable
Snap photos and videos with the integrated 2 megapixel digital camera
Share and publish your mobile memories via blogging

Full SpecificationsOperating Frequency
Triband GSM (GSM/EDGE 900/1800/1900)
Automatic switching between bands Dimensions
Volume: 96.2 cc
Weight: 115 g
Length: 103.8 mm
Width: 50 mm
Thickness: 19.8 mm Display
262K color Active TFT 176 x 208 pixels display
Size: 34.8 mm x 41.1 mm User Interface
270-degree rotation (-90 and +180 degrees): Twist on text messaging/phone access, camera or music functions instantly
Joystick, two softkeys, application key, edit and clear key, send (Push to talk key) and end key, standard alpha-numeric keypad, power key
Music keys: Play/pause, stop, rewind and forward
Series 60 Platform on Symbian operating system Back to top Music
Manage your music and playlists with the music player (MP3/eAAC+) and control music with dedicated music keys
Transfer music from your purchased CDs from your PC to your Nokia 3250 phone with Nokia Audio Manager, Windows Media Player
Share playlists with your friends over Bluetooth, MMS, or email
Memory expandable up to 1 GB for up to 750 songs of great quality stereo audio with the new, advanced eAAC+ digital audio codec*
Plug your own headphones into the 3.5 mm connector jack in the headset cable
Enhanced music features: Sound Check (equalizer, stereo widening, reverb, bass boost)
Buy new music from Web services or download your own tracks from PC to enjoy hi-fi stereo music through high-quality headphones
Supported file formats: eAAC+, AAC+, M4A, MPEG-4 ACC LC, LTP, MP3, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, 64-chord/voice polyphonic MIDI, RealAudio Voice, RealAudio7, RealAudio8, RealAudio10, WMA
Tunes Studio: Create your own ringing tones from the approx. 40 MIDI tones pre-loaded in the Nokia 3250 phone
Visual Radio
* Total storage capacity is limited by number of songs. Storage capacity is approximate and based on 3 minutes and 45 seconds per song and 48 kbps eAAC+ encoding. Actual storage capacity is dependent on sales package configuration.

Imaging

Integrated 2 megapixel digital camera (1600 x 1200 pixels default image size)
Capture still photos or video in a single twist
Still, burst, and video modes
Settings for night, brightness adjustment, image quality, and self-timer
4x digital zoom
Video resolution: 176 x 144 pixels or 128 x 96 pixels (QCIF or SubQCIF), 15 frames per second
Video services: Video capture up to 1 hour with microSD card; download, view, streaming
Music keys double as camera controls: Zoom in and out, shutter key, stop

Multimedia

Watch your videos or stream music videos from the network using RealOne player
Enhanced video editor: Edit your videos with the master set of different effects and options and create new views with your own video content

Mobile Blogging

Share and publish your mobile memories via blogging
Upload contents to the Web or just attach the contents to your email or MMS
Send your contents over MMS or directly to friends locally over Bluetooth wireless technology

Messaging

MMS OMA 1.2: Combine image, video, text, and voice clips and send as an MMS to a compatible phone or PC; use MMS to tell your story with a multi-slide presentation. The MMS OMA 1.2 specification allows you to send/receive messages up to 300 KB in size
Text messaging: Supports concatenated SMS, picture messaging, SMS distribution list
Predictive text input: Support for all major languages in Asia Pacific and Europe
Email: Supports SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 protocols

Memory Functions

8 MB internal memory plus 512 MB microSD card access to hot swap (memory expandable up to 1 GB, sold separately)

Visual Radio

Listen to music and interact with your favorite radio stations:
Find out what song is playing, who sings it, and other artist information
Enter contests and answer surveys, vote for your favorite songs
Download the songs you buy direct to your phone
Find out more at www.nokia-asia.com/visualradio

Nokia Sensor

Nokia Sensor is a spontaneous, sociable application for spontaneous, sociable people:

Express yourself to other Sensor users nearby by creating your own personal pages on your phone
Check out the personal folios of people nearby and exchange Sensor messages
Share files using Bluetooth wireless technology up to a range of ten meters

Download Nokia Sensor free of charge fromwww.nokia-asia.com/sensor

More Applications

Nokia Audio Manager: Create and organize digital music files on a compatible PC and transfer them to a compatible mobile device
Nokia Lifeblog Multimedia Diary: Create a diary of all your mobile phone's photos, videos, text messages, and multimedia messages. It's easy to browse, search, edit, and save - on both your PC and mobile! Find out more at www.nokia-asia.com/lifeblog
Tunes Studio
Sound meter: Measure the noise level of the environment, such as at a football game or concert. The sound level meter is not meant for professional use

Connectivity

Bluetooth wireless technology
Talk handsfree with a wireless Bluetooth headset enhancement
Play wireless multiplayer games over a Bluetooth connection
Synchronize your phone and compatible PC over a local Bluetooth wireless connection
USB2.0 full speed with mass storage profile

Browsing

WAP 2.0, xHTML browsing over TCP/IP

Data Transfer

EDGE: Class 10, download up to 236.8 kbps
GPRS: Class 10, download up to 62.4 kbps Note: Actual achieved speeds may vary depending on network support

Personal Information Management (PIM)

Phonebook
Calendar
Notepad
World Clock
Converter
Calculator
File Manager
Remote synchronization
Active idle
Messaging
Browsing
Platform security:
Device integrity (no tampering of binaries and device settings)
End-user privacy (protected access to contacts, calendar, messages)
Controlling the access to sensitive operations, such as protecting network connections)

Games

Punkwigs, Snakes

Call Management

Speed dialing: Up to 9 names, with keys 2-9
Last-number redial from dialed calls list (Dial key brings out the dialed calls list)
Automatic redial
Automatic answer (works with headset or car kit only)
Call waiting, call hold, call divert, call timer
Automatic and manual network selection
Caller identification with image
Conference call (up to 6 participants)
Vibrating alert

Voice Features

Voice dialing
Voice commands
Voice recording
Integrated handsfree speaker

Digital Services

Download music over-the-air (OTA)
UI Themes
Downloadable Symbian and Java applications
Game services incl. levels and sounds
Ringing and alert tones: eAAC+, AAC+, M4A, MPEG-4 ACC LC, LTP, MP3, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, 64-chord/voice polyphonic MIDI, RealAudio Voice, RealAudio7, RealAudio8, RealAudio10, WMA

Sales Package Contents

Nokia 3250 phone
Nokia Battery BP-6M
Nokia Connectivity Cable CA-53
Nokia Compact Charger AC-3
Nokia Music Headset HS-20
CD-ROM (includes Nokia PC Suite software)
User guide, Quick guide, product leaflet

Power Management

Battery - BP-6M, 1100mAh
Talk time* - Up to 3 hrs
Standby time* - Up to 245 hrs (10 days)
Playback - Up to 10 hrs

*Operation times vary depending on the network and usage.

Price - US $353.00 , IN Rs.16,000

My Rating - 4 Stars / 5Stars

2006-07-10T05:49:00.000-07:00

mobiles are spreading faster than computer in these days..
also new new models are coming...
now a days custmers don't know the exact thing they want 2 buy...
and they don't even know what all facilities there in his or her mobile.