BlackBerry Pearl 9100 3G Review

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BlackBerry Pearl 9100 3G

Release Date: To be declared.

$499.99 – Without Contract
$79.99 – With Contract

Battery:

The Blackberry batteries are usually known for die hard performance and fortunately it seems this time the new phone will deliver as well. The pearl 9100 has an 1150 mAh battery, which can give a steady 5 hours of talk time and a staggering 18 hours of standby. Do keep in mind, that this is a business phone, and not just a simple phone. So, the phone needs to have a solid battery to keep running throughout the day. The heavy duty applications, word processing, spreadsheets and much more can make any phone drop on its knees, but the Blackberry Pearl does a good job of staying alive. The battery door pops open letting you easily remove or insert the SIM card, without having to dig or pry too much. It’s much better and convenient than the hinge type slots the rest of the BlackBerrys are using.

Memory and Processor Speed:

The Blackberry pearl sports a 624 MHz processor, which does a decent job of handling the work load that its user will batter it with. With an inbuilt memory of 256 MBs, the pearl has a decent memory storage space to hold all of your vital data in a secure environment. The phone seems to be considerably faster than its predecessors, so all you Blackberry fans would be happy to use the pearl, without the lag and a faster startup.

Screen:

As always, the Blackberry’s small screen size might be a put off, but this time, they went ahead and implemented a higher resolution, making things easy to navigate on the screen. With an excellent and crisp resolution of 360 x 400 pixels, the display turns out to be an unexpectedly good result. With a 2.6” display, you should be able to browse the web, work on your documents and much more quite easily, especially with a higher resolution.

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Apple iPhone 4

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Apple iPhone 4

Release Date: 24th June 2010

$199 for the 16 GB version

$299 for the 32 GB version

Battery:

The iPhone 4 has had a complete revamp over its battery life and size. The new rechargeable lithium-ion battery covers up over 75% of the entire phone’s back and Apple claims that the battery will have a substantial increase in performance. Since the new phone has a colossal amount of new features and hardware increments, the phone’s battery had to be remodeled. As per the latest keynote, the battery life has up to 300 hours of standby time, 10 hours on Wi-Fi, 10 hours of video playback, and an astounding 40 hours of music playback. The phone can be charged via a power adapter or via USB as well.

Memory and Processor Speed:

The iPhone 4 is packed with a brand new swanky processor, codenamed the A4. Apple has custom built this processor for the iPhone, so that the phone won’t seem to lag behind as you go on with your app frenzy and excessive feature hogging. The phone sports the A4 which runs at a reasonable 1 GHz speed and has and a massive physical memory update, with a gigantic 512 MB RAM. So, it should be quite considerably faster than the older 3GS phone and should be able to keep up with the new features and demanding applications. The iPhone is available in two flavors, in terms of memory storage, the 16GB one and a 32 GB one.

Screen:

By far, the most important aspect of the entire iPhone is the scintillating beautiful screen. Apple has introduced a new concept, the ‘Retina Display’ which means, it’s got as many pixels per inch as the human eye can find capable of distinguishing. This means, it’s a whopping 960 x 640 pixels screen resolution! However, even though the pixel per inch has increased outstandingly, there’s no OLED goodness on the phone, as the iPhone uses an IPS display, with a contrast ratio of 800:1. Even then, the screen looks gorgeous and seems to be one of the best out there.

Form:

After a two long years of using plastic, Apple has finally moved on to a complete fresh new metal design. The outer cover is a complete metal jacket, which is at a 9.3mm thickness. The iPhone 4 is the world’s thinnest smartphone yet. The glass screen is extremely durable and quite much more scratch resistant than the previous ones. The phone features a dedicated volume control, Ring/Silent button, the famous ‘Home’ button and a On/off & Sleep button at the top. The phone is available in two colors, a complete gloss black or pearl white.

Controls:

The proprietary and pioneered touch screen with an Über slick interface, the iPhone beats everything else in competition. The phone has just the ‘home’ button. Everything else is completely based on the touch screen interface. The screen has been made more sensitive and has multiple gestures, such as pinching, pulling, etc. which makes the phone a pleasure to use.

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Sony Ericsson XPeria X10a Review

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Sony Ericsson XPeria X10a

Future Release Date: May of 2010

Retail Price: TBA but Guessed to Be $600 with Regards to Comparable Models

Battery

Because of the Sony Ericsson XPeria X10a’s large display, 3G wireless capability, and extremely fast CPU, this phone will eat through a battery charge within a day. The included lithium ion battery of 1500mAh may last most moderate users the majority of the day with the need for a nightly charge. However, other comparable Smartphones tend to drain their battery’s power at a similar rate. Anyone who uses their cell phone heavily will benefit from an extra battery to swap during the day.

Memory and Processor Speed

This XPeria phone is being highly acclaimed for its lightening fast 1GHz processor speed thanks to its Snapdragon processor made by Qualcomm. To date, this processor is among the fastest made specifically for cell phones and mobile devices. The internal storage of the XPeria X10a is also fantastic due to its 1GB of RAM, 256MB of ROM and an included 8GB micro SD card.

Screen

The display size of the X10a is nothing short of remarkable. Its 4 inch, 854 x 480 pixel resolution screen that is sharp and bright takes its place as one of the most large cell phone display screens available in today’s market.  However, the sweep screen feature will be a source of frustration for many users as they will find it to be too long of a motion to complete quickly enough for the sweep feature to actually work.

Form

This model of XPeria by Sony Ericsson features a plastic shell that comes in either white or black. While the X10a comes off as slightly tall with the screen as its overwhelming feature, its three mechanical buttons of chrome located below the screen do not add to the phone’s size. Even though the phone is plastic encased, this particular model has a matte finish and curved CPU, making it easier to hold. The right side of the XPeria X10a holds the volume and camera button while the USB port, power button, and headphone jack are located on top.

Controls

Even though the 4.0 screen size should give the X10a users a definite typing advantages, testers of the per-released X10a model reported both the portrait and landscape mode to only give them a 50% average accuracy.  And while not perfect, most people believe the Android keyboard options works better.

Camera

The Sony Ericsson XPeria X10 has a virtually unbeatable 8.1 megapixel camera that includes LED flash and auto-focus. However, users have many more options than auto-focus, including a single and multi auto-focus feature as well as face detection, macro, and infinity focus. It also allows users to pick from a wide range of preset scene modes that have an optional exposure tweaking function. Some of these scenes include beach, snow, sports, document, party, night, and portrait.

Other Features

•    Google Map compatible Wisepilot GPS
•    Android 1.6 that will be upgraded at the end of 2010
•    Timescape and Mediascape
•    Sony Ericsson Sync

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Samsung Mythic Review

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Samsung-Mythic

Release Date: November 5, 2009

$300 Retail
$130 with 2-year AT&T Contract + Online Discount

Battery

The Samsung Mythic’s battery is not well-received when it comes to battery power. The manufacturer’s use-time between battery charges is a measly 3 hours while its standby time is only 11 days. And those who tend to use their cell phone more heavily will most likely end up with shorter usage times in between charges. This means that many Mythic users will end up buying spare batteries to use while at work or away from home or charging accessories.

Memory and Processor Speed

This phone features a 180MB internal memory.  However, users can expand the memory to a maximum of 16MB by inserting a mini SD card. Even though users will have this memory expansion option, it still does not quite make up for its puny internal memory space, especially in comparison to other phones in this price point.

Screen

The Mythic’s LCD display screen works well for what it is. The screen measures at a more than adequate 3.3 inch screen that features a 360 x 640 pixel display. While it may not have the vividness of an AMOLED screen display and it is not responsive or sensitive like other models of phones can be, it is still a great-working, resistant screen that even people who are wearing gloves or have long fingernails can use with relative ease.

Form

The Mythic is ideal for those who want the touch screen feature of modern cell phones but without paying extra for iPhone or Smartphone data plans, the Samsung Mythic is their best bet. This phone does not come with a keyboard and is lackluster in the looks department. It is a simple, flat, touchscreen cell phone–nothing more.

Controls

Almost every function is controlled by the easy-to-use touchscreen, which is the main feature of the Samsung Mythic.  Even though it does not include the TouchWiz that Samsung Eternity and Reality fans are so fond of, it is still described as “intuitive.” But it is almost time to give this touchscreen a new look as it is beginning to show its age. On the positive side, users upgrading from older model phones will find the Samsung Mythic easy to adapt to.

Camera

The camera works like any 3.3 megapixel. Clear pictures with great color saturation but of course, not comparable to phone models with a 5.0 megapixel capability. The Mythic’s camera does feature a 3 x zoom function for even greater pinpointed shots.  This camera feature also has a video function. While it does have an auto-focus option and flash LED light, the auto-focus has highly noticeable and annoying lag time, making it almost not worth using unless when taking a still shot. Users can also rotate, adjust, crop, and resize their photos.

Other Features

*  Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
*  Stereo streaming capabilities
*  GPS navigation
*  2,000 phone book capacity
*  It can hold a maximum of 60 minutes for a voice memo

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Samsung Reality Review

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Samsung Reality review

Release Date: April 22, 2010

$250 Retail
$50 with 2-year Verizon Contract + Online Discount

Battery

There is nothing too special about the Samsung Reality’s rechargeable lithium battery. Its 1080mAh battery can hold a 5-hour talk time and 12.5-day standby time, which is what most moderate phone users will experience.  As with the majority of other phones, the Reality will not last long when using its navigation or video streaming capabilities. However, users can separately purchase a 1600mAh battery that will give them longer use life between charges of 6-hour talk times and 21-day standbys. Potential Reality buyers should be aware that the battery back is difficult to open.

Memory

Although light to moderate cell phone users will get all they need from the Samsung Reality’s 100MB of internal memory, this phone does have the capability to support a 16GB micro SD card. For the price range of this phone, its memory is directly on par with comparable phone models from other cell phone brands.

Screen

While the Reality’s 3-inch LCD display screen is nothing to sneer at, the 200 x 400 pixel does not really stand up to other cell phones that have recently hit the market. Although, it still has decent color and saturation.  However, the video quality has surprised many users during HD playback but there is the downside of the HD mode is its intermittent frame drops. During “Normal” resolutions, Reality users will enjoy smooth video playing.

Form

This phone by Samsung comes in red and black, both of which are elegant and sleek. The standard 3-inch screen envelops the front of the phone, making the screen seem to appear larger than it actually is. Also included on the front of this phone is a “End/Power” button as well as “Clear/Back” rectangular button. The overall design is user-friendly, even for the most casual of cell phone users.

Controls

A nice feature to the Samsung Reality is its TouchWiz user interface that has seen some dramatic improvements over the past couple of years. Applications can be launched straight from the Widgets bar, which is totally customizable. Newer cell phone users not quite comfortable with the click-and-drag method can utilize Verizon’s grid interface option. While this phone features a QWERTY keyboard of four rows, it still has an overall spacious key layout.  On the side, users will find the audio jack, camera launcher, volume rocker, voice recognition, screen lock, and zoom key/speaker launcher.

Users can thank the Samsung Reality’s color saturated and sharp pictures to its 3.2 megapixel camera. Some of the camera’s features include story shot, night shot, and panoramic shot.  This in addition to its options for color and white balance affects.  Even though the quality of video is adequate, the lowest video resolution is only 176 x 144 pixels.  The lens of the camera also remains unprotected so it will need to be wiped clean before each use.

Other Features

•    VZ Navigator and GPS
•    Bing web search
•    Optional mobile email application
•    Polaris web browser

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LG Rumor Touch Review

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LG Rumor Touch Review

Release Date: March 28, 2010

$250 Retail
$80 with 2-year Sprint Contract + Mail-in Rebate

Battery

Cell phone shoppers will be happy to know that the LG Rumor Touch has a long-lasting, 1250 mAh, Lilon battery.When talking, users will get seven hours between charge times. During extended use of the phone’s Sprint Navigation and Sprint TV, the battery will drain at even a quicker rate. Users have reported a 2-hour use time while watching videos received from Sprint TV.

Memory

This phone features 53MB of internal storage for memory as well as a 600 phone book capacity. This makes the LG Rumor Touch ideal for heavy cell phone users whose usage sways more towards a device’s phone features rather than its internet and app features.

Screen

This slider cell phone has a 3-inch, 200 x 400 pixel touchscreen. Due to the screen’s pixels, users will not be able to see a lot of a single web page but the font is easily readable. And even in landscape mode, multiple columned websites appear disproportionate. On the other hand, images and formats usually stay intact. When compared to the two previous Rumor models, this Rumor has a bigger display screen; however, when used outdoors for picture taking, the screen as a viewfinder is not easily visible. But when used in the dark, a back light makes the screen easy to see; the audio feedback for the touch buttons is also clear.

Form

This device includes a full five-line QWERTY slider keyboard. Unlike the older Rumor phones from LG, this Rumor Touch has a modern, youthful yet rugged look younger cell phone users seem drawn to. The styling updates have only added to this LG phone’s popularity.

Controls

In addition to the Rumor Touch’s QWERTY slider keyboard and touchscreen, it also features four shortcuts for the touchscreen–recent history, keyboard, groups, and phone book. There is room for 99 speed dial numbers and when user’s access a phone book listing, they will be given the automatic option to either choose “Contact Details,” “History,” “Send Message,” and “Call.”

Camera

This Rumor phone comes with a 2.0 megapixel camera that is great for taking quick photos to share online. The saturation and colors are generally balanced and the picture usually turns out clear. However, many of the phones introduced to the market within the past two months have 3.0 megapixel cameras, meaning the Rumor Touch does not quite measure up. Anyone wishing to record video or take pictures in subdued lighting should be aware that the end result will not be high quality.

Other Features

•    EV-DO technology for high-speed data, allowing users quicker access to Sprint TV, Sprint Music Store, and Sprint Navigation
•    Messaging tools galore–personalized video and picture mail and threaded text messaging
•    Email–Windows Live, AOL, Gmail, Yahoo!, and Hotmail
•    Applications–MySpace, Facebook, Sprint’s Social Zone, Twitter, YouTube uploads, and Photobucket uploads
•    32GB micro SD card
•    10 minute maximum voice memo

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Nokia N900 Review

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Nokia N900 Review

Release Date: November 18, 2009

$550 Retail
$500 When Purchased from Amazon

Battery

The Nokia N900′s battery is not anything worth writing home about. People who use the internet via their cell phone, which is almost everyone, will experience short usage times between charges with some users reporting only six hours of use per one full charge. Others have had to buy spare batteries to get through their day without having to charge their phone. In this case, it is the size of the battery to blame. Instead of a 1500mAh size that is seen on N810 and N97 Nokia models, this model phone only has 132mAh size battery, which is too small for the power and features of the Nokia N900.

Memory and Processing Speed

However, the Nokia N900 is a lot more powerful than most other phone due to its 600MHz processing speed. In addition to the powerful processor, the N900 also has 1GB of app memory, 256MB RAM, 768MB of virtual memory, and a 3D graphics accelerator. If that is not enough to turn a few heads, the Nokia N900 also features an internal storage memory of 32GB that can be expanded with the additional purchase of a 48GB micro SD card.

Screen

On the other hand, this phone’s display screen is something any owner will be proud of. This 3.5 inch wide screen display screen showcases touch-sensitive technology as well as 800 x 400 screen resolution. Users seem to love the N900′s paper-thin LCD screen.

Form

Because the Nokia N900 does have a 3.5 inch screen, it is smaller compared to the Nokia N810; however, this makes the N900 a better fit for the user’s pocket as well as gives the phone a 40g smaller difference in relation to the N810. The rounded shape of this phone makes it easier to carry and hold.

Controls

The main feature of the N900 is its QWERTY keyboard complete with domed keys and right-side directional buttons for easier use. However, the keys are fairly close together, which means new Nokia N900 owners will have a short learning curve in regards to typing accuracy. The volume, power, and camera snapshot buttons are all located at the top of this device and the headphone jack is well-concealed on the right, much like its N810 predecessor. Although the N900 does have a kickstand, it does not keep the device stable.

Camera

This Nokia phone/web device is also highly regarded for its 5.0 megapixel, triple zoom camera, found on the rear of the device, is designed by Carl Zeiss. A simple slider is used to protect the camera while not in use while two different LED bulbs are utilized for an appropriate camera flash for low lit pictures as well as the best lighting for great video quality.

Other Features

*  While there are many factors that make the N900 the perfect choice fore technology junkies, one of the most notable is its 3.5 connectivity.
*  54Mbps for Wi-Fi data transfers
*  Pre-installed OVI maps and assisted GPS receiver

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Blackberry Curve 8530 Review

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Blackberry Curve 8530 Review

Release Date: November 22, 2009

$450 Retail
$200 with 2-year AT&T Contract + Online Discount
$130 with 2-year T-Mobile Contract + Mail-in Rebate

Battery

Users will not enjoy a lot of talk and usage time with the Blackberry Curve 8530. This Blackberry’s battery charge will only last 4.5 hours with constant talk time and while it will keep going for 10.5 days on standby, it is irrelevant because virtually no Blackberry user will go more than one day without using their device.

Memory and Processor Speed

This Blackberry features a 528MHz processor speed, which makes it relatively fast compared to other cell phone models released in the past several months and especially faster than Blackberry’s previous 8520 model. The Curve 8530′s RAM has also doubled to 256MB since the release of the 8250, making the Blackberry Curve 8530 one of the fastest Blackberry phones made to date.

Screen

The Blackberry Curve 8530 has a 320 x 240 screen that can display more than 6,500 colors. The screen size is a quite smaller at 2.5 inches than most comparable phones. And while this screen looks nice, it is not quite up to snuff when evaluated against other Blackberry phones such as the Blackberry Tour. One complaint voiced by several users is this phone’s LED indicator light’s small pinpoint size is barely noticeable when lit up from a text message or incoming call.

Form

This particular Blackberry phone is slightly different from other Blackberry devices. First, it has a rubber strip that wraps around the sides of the phone as opposed to pronounced convenience keys and chrome bezel. And finally, the trackball of Blackberry devices from yesteryear has been replaced with a newer and better trackpad. This phone is also smaller than the Tour but is not slim and petite like so many of today’s cell phones. It is sturdy yet compact.

Controls

While the trackpad is a relativity new feature for Blackberry phones, the keys are soft and square, which is a throwback to previous Blackberry models. There is also the matter of the 8530′s redesigned “Return,” “Menu,” “End,” and “Talk” buttons. These buttons are now made to look as if they are integrated into the phone’s screen, which causes some users to mistakenly end a call while talking on the phone or other slight mishaps.

Camera

The Curve 8530′s camera is definitely is not an impressive phone feature. With only a 2.0 megapixel camera that does not even possess a flash, users should not expect pictures that even come close to the vicinity of decent, especially considering the higher power cameras of previous Blackberry devices. One other disappointing camera aspect is its lack of auto-focus. If any user values a cell phone’s camera and believes it to be an important purchase point, there are definitely better buys for under a retail price of $450.

Other Features

•    Blackberry 5.0 OS
•    Bluetooth
•    Wi-Fi
•    GPS
•    Many Blackberry apps including DocumentsToGo, DataViz, Blackberry Maps, and Pandora

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Motorola Devour Review

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Motorola Devour

Release Date: February 25, 2010

$480 Retail
$149 with 2-year Verizon Contract
$99 with 2-year Verizon Contract but Only When Purchased at Best Buy

Battery

Because this Android 1.6, slider phone does so much, the Motorola Devour goes through battery power quickly, which is the tradeoff for this high performance mobile device. However, when the battery reaches low power of 20% remaining, the phone will automatically shut down until it is powered. Unfortunately, this leaves the user with absolutely no warning. The average person can expect to get 4-5 hours worth of use between charges.

Memory and Processor Speed

The Motorola Devour features a Qualcomm MSM7627 processor, which is the same one found on other popular cell phone models such as the Blackberry Curve 8530 and Palm Pixi. The Devour’s processor includes two ARM cores–400MHz modem processor and 600MHz CPU core. In addition to this exceptional processor, the Devour also has 8GB of internal memory with a supported removable SD mini card memory of 32GB.

Screen

This phone’s display consists of a HVGA well-responsive touchscreen with a size of 3.1″. The majority of users are pleased by the screen’s vibrant, clear colors. Devour’s screen also doubles as a camera viewfinder; however, when used in this manner, the display is pixelated and grainy; this could be due to software issues and not display problems.

Form

The Devour by Motorola is certainly not known for being slim, small, or lightweight. Although this phone can fit in a large pants pocket, it’s bulky size creates an unsightly bulge. On a positive note, the Devour’s metal case makes it ideal for those who frequently drop their phones while at work or simply due to sheer clumsiness. It’s the Hefty bag of cell phones.

Controls

The “Tab” and “Shift” buttons of this easy-to-see, large keyboard are located on the right, which can be problematic to some users. Overall, people have found the Devour’s keyboard easy to type on using only thumbs. In conjunction with the keyboard, the Motorola Devour also showcases a touchscreen with a small, frontal, optical trackpad that controls only the screen selections. The standard “Home,” “Back,” and “Menu” buttons as well as the camera shutter are located below the phone’s screen while the “Power” button can be found on top.

Camera

This phone includes a 3.0 megapixel camera with continuous zoom that falls short of expectations. Besides the disappointing zoom that usually creates grainy photos when used, the camera takes consistently good pictures.

Other Features

*  Includes the efficient and fun MotoBlur social networking function that retains a user’s information if they ever replace their cell phone with any other model that also contains MotoBlur
*  Quickoffice for Microsoft Office document access on the go
*  Synchronized address book and calender
*  Google Maps mobile version and GPS receiver
*  RSS reader built-in
*  Quick web browser
*  Loud and clear external speaker, even when not using headphones
*  YouTube application
*  Verizon Wireless’ exclusive VCast Music
*  Video gallery and picture applications

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Motorola Backflip Review

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Motorola Backflip

Release Date: March 7, 2010

$350 Retail
$99 with a 2-year AT&T contract + Online Discount

Battery

This QWERTY keyboard, Android 1.5 flip phone by Motorola starts off with a disappointing battery charge life. Daily Motorola Backflip users will find the need to charge their new gadget once a day and if they use the internet, take a couple of pictures, use apps, talk for an extended amount of time, or basically do what most cell phone users do, the Backflip will need to be charged more than once per day. This means the Motorola Backflip might not be the best choice for busy people who are constantly on the go.

Memory and Processor Speed

The Backflip includes a 528MHz processor. Although the processor speed is disappointing, the phone makes up for it with its 2GB of memory and 32GB Micro SD card, which can be added to expand the Backflip’s internal memory. These specs make the Motorola Backflip run much like the Motorola Cliq, although each have different looks.

Screen

While the Backflip features a 480 x 320 resolution on a 3.1″ screen, some users have complaints of an overall “pixelated” look whether viewing photos or text. And when used outdoors, the user will need to shade the phone’s screen; otherwise, they will not be able to see the display.

Form

What makes the Motorola Backflip distinctive is its reverse-flip design, or ability to whip out the screen that is located behind the keyboard, giving users quick keyboard access. It also features a scrolling touchpad that while although fun to use, runs slower than physical keyboard’s arrow keys. This phone is tall, narrow, and thick, making it too large to comfortable fit into a pocket.

Controls

Motorola got it right when it made the Backflip’s keyboard. This backlit keyboard with large, easy-to-read keys make it a delight to use. Despite the slight separation between individual keys, typing can be accomplished accurately and quickly. The headphone jack and power button are located on the top of the Backflip while the camera shutter and volume are located on the right, leaving the left side clear for the keyboard hinge.

Camera

This phone boasts a 5.0 megapixel camera with a 4X zoom. The lens and flash can be found on the back of the Backflip’s keyboard. While it is known to take decent pictures, there have been reports of slow capture times, making the user more likely to move the phone before getting the shot. This in turn causes blurry pictures.

Other Features

•    Bluetooth 2.0 complete with stereo
•    Wi-Fi, the new cell phone standard that will come in handy with AT&T’s lackluster 3G broadband network
•    Qualcomm MSM 7200A processor
•    The social networking connector exclusive to Motorola–MotoBlur
•    The Backflip is due for an Android upgrade from 1.5 to 2.1 in the fall of 2010
•    AT&TQuickoffice
•    AT&T Navigator and Google Maps
•    Mp3 and ACC supported playback
•    Underpowered external speaker
•    Three music app selections–AT&T Radio, MusicID, and Music Player

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