The Samsung Omnia SGH i900,the Smartphone

Don’t we just wish we can have everything? In this era of advanced technology, if the lamp genie would hear us uttering those words, he would most likely hand us nothing less than Samsung’s newly launched SGH i900.

Dubbed the Omnia which means “everything” in Latin and “wish” in Arabic, this new mobile phone embodies the fusion of formidable business functionality, cutting-edge design and exciting multimedia features. Powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional, the SGH i900 simulates the look and feel of a personal computer with its preinstalled Microsoft Office applications and its navigational attributes that make use of a built-in optical mouse similar to those found in laptops. Downloading programs from the Internet is as straightforward as in a real PC, and once installed may be customized according to the user’s needs. The smartphone also features GPS that includes navigation and geo-tagging capabilities.

The Omnia SGH i900 takes its attractive traits from its sophisticated ultra-slim 12.5mm metallic chassis. This stylish casing houses a 5 megapixel CMOS camera that has auto-focus, auto-panorama and face and smile detection features. Its 3.2 inch high-resolution WQVGA LCD display conforms to a 16:9 screen format, which is ideal for video viewing. The touch-sensitive screen, patented as TouchWiz, features a highly intuitive and user-friendly interface, while its on-screen QWERTY keypad simplifies data and text entry. The handset comes in 8 GB and 16 GB versions, both expandable using MicroSD cards.

The Samsung Omnia i900 will be officially introduced at the CommunicAsia in Singapore on June 17, after which market availability immediately follows. The 16 GB version will have a price tag of S$1,098 while the 8 GB will have its price announced later

source: http://www.feelphones.com

Sony Ericsson C905

The Sony Ericsson C905 is (as far as we know) the first 8.1 megapixel phone to hit Europe and the general world market, and it promises to bring a new round of the megapixel wars as other manufacturers try to catch up.

The camera is clearly the main selling point with the C905, but Sony Ericsson haven't skimped on other features. The C905 has GPS, WiFi, HSDPA high-speed data, stereo Bluetooth and an FM radio.

The display is a 2.4" 240 x 320 pixel panel, and tucked behind it is a slide-out numeric keypad. There's also a version of the Access Netfront web browser, push email support, instant messaging and of course a multimedia player.

Because it bears the Cyber-shot name, the Sony Ericsson C905 is obviously going to be very capable when it comes to digital imaging. Yes, the 8.1 megapixel sensor is the best in its class, but the C905 also has a bright Xenon flash, autofocus, face detection, red-eye reduction and an image stabilizer. The C905 also features Sony Ericsson multishot "BestPic" functionality and supports photo blogging.

The camera integrates with the inbuilt GPS to allow geotagging of photos. For video capture, the C905 again has an image stabilizer plus a video light, and an optional TV out cable (ITC-60) allows video clips to be played back on a standard television. There's no mention of the C905's video capture resolution and frame rate though. On top of that, there's a secondary video calling camera too. There's also a tripod kit (IPK-100) which is something we think may come in very useful.

The C905's GPS can be used with Google Maps or Wayfinder, but it's not clear what sort of satellite navigation options might be available as standard. As the C905 isn't a smartphone, then the GPS functionality might be a little limited.

Internal memory is 160MB, and the C905 comes with a 2GB Memory Stick Micro M2 card in the standard sales package. Talktime on 3G is up to 4 hours, with a maximum of 9 hours on GSM. Standby time is a maximum of 15 days, and the C905 also has a flight mode so that you can turn the cellular radio off completely.

Coming in at 136 grams, the Sony Ericsson C905 is hardly lightweight and is actually heavier than the Nokia N95 8GB and N96 despite having a much smaller screen. On the other hand, the C905 does have a pretty good battery life, so perhaps that accounts for some of the increase in mass.

Despite some quibbles, the C905 looks to be a very good camera phone. Sony Ericsson say that the C905 will be out sometime during the early fourth quarter of this year in Night Black, Ice Silver and Copper Gold colour schemes.

source:http://www.mobilegazette.com

Nokia Batman 'The Dark Knight' Phone Prepped for Verizon

Verizon Wireless today announced the Nokia 6205 (The Dark Knight Edition) will be available online June 15. Clad in a mysterious black color and embellished with a subtle "The Dark Knight" emblem, the Batman movie-themed clamshell comes pre-loaded with wallpapers, voice tones, animated screensavers inspired by the film, and a full movie trailer.

Touch-sensitive external music keys access tracks purchased from Verizon Wireless' VCAST Music service, while the 2.0-inch display supports up to 262K-colors. The Nokia 6205 (The Dark Knight Edition) also includes:

- 1.3-megapixel camera with flash and 4x digital zoom
- 58 MB internal memory; expandable up to an additional 4GB with an optional microSD memory card
- Support for text, picture and video messaging
- Get It Now-capable for downloading games, ringtones, wallpapers and other mobile content
- VZ Navigator-compatible for audible turn-by-turn directions and location information
- Mobile Web for access to the latest news, sports, weather and more
- Voice dialing and voice commands for touch-free phone operation
- Built-in speakerphone
- Bluetooth-enabled for wireless headset support

The Nokia 6205 (The Dark Knight Edition) features images from Gotham City. The Nokia 6205 (The Dark Knight Edition) will be available online for $69.99 after a $50 online instant rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

Palm Centro Comes to Verizon

Verizon Wireless today announced that the Palm Centro smartphone will be available on June 13 for $99. Dressed in cobalt blue, the Centro offers a color touch-screen, full QWERTY keyboard and a lightweight design.
Running on Verizon's high-speed data network, the Centro can quickly send and receive email messages and attachments and browse the Web. Customers can use it as a modem for their laptops when they subscribe to BroadbandAccess Connect service plan.

The built-in Google Maps application provides directions, performs local searches and views moveable maps, satellite imagery and traffic updates. It can map a contact's address from the contact application simply by selecting the "maps" button.

The Centro can also access VersaMail 4.0 with built-in Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. Microsoft Direct Push Technology delivers email and calendar updates from a home or office PC using Outlook directly to their handsets. Users can also use Wireless Sync to access email, contacts, calendar and tasks from a PC. Wireless Sync supports POP3 or IMAP email accounts, Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Notes and IBM Lotus Domino.

The Palm Centro will be available online and in stores for $99.99 after a $70 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

source:http://www.mobiledia.com

LG Chocolate 3 Music Clamshell Hits Verizon Stores in July

Trading in its slider form factor for a slim flip style, the Chocolate 3 is designed with a control wheel on the outside. It offers a built-in music player and FM transmitter to play music through a car stereo. Users can listen through dual speakers or Bluetooth stereo headphones.

An integrated 2.0-megapixel camera captures photos and video.

The Chocolate 3 can download from over 3 million songs over VCAST Music using high-speed 3G connectivity. With 1GB of internal memory and the option of expandable memory with 8GB microSD cards, customers can pack thousands of songs.

VCAST Video streams entertainment clips, sports highlights, breaking news, weather and more. ESPN MVP gives access to in-depth mobile sports contentincluding live Gamecast, exclusive commentary, video alerts and ESPN radio clips.

The LG Chocolate 3 will be in Verizon Wireless stores and available online in July.

source:http://www.mobiledia.com

Doomed to fail: the LG KT610

Sometimes you can tell when a manufacturer has no faith in their own product, and the LG KT610 is a prime example of that. Although it was announced in February of this year at Mobile World Congress, LG's efforts to promote the KT610 have been almost non-existent. A handful of half-hearted press releases, a lack of decent pictures and specifications and a refusal to answer press enquiries shows that perhaps LG expects the KT610 to sink without trace.

To be honest, we've seen some blooming awful phones from LG, but the LG KT610 isn't one of them. Best described as a cut-down version of the Nokia E90, the KT610 is a Symbian smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard, 3.5G support and a 2.4" 400 x 240 pixel main display. Because it's an S60 smartphone, the KT610 will support all the usual S60 features and functions.

It doesn't have WiFi, and the KT610 lacks GPS, the superb 800 pixel wide display on the E90 and also comes with a very basic 2 megapixel camera. On the other hand, this 109 x 54 x 17mm device is less than half the weight of the brick-like E90 and is little bigger than a standard business phone.

The keyboard looks good, and the relatively wide screen will be handy for emails and much better than a standard display for web browsing.

So, the LG KT610 seems appealing, even if it's not as feature-packed as some handsets. The number of Symbian S60 devices with QWERTY keyboards is pitifully small, so it is clear that the KT610 is a useful option.

So why does it seem to be getting the cold shoulder from LG? After all, someone in LG went to all the trouble to design the thing, so surely LG should be promoting it? We suspect that the problem is this: fashion. LG have gone completely mad for touchscreen phones, and the kT610 is firmly in the non-touchscreen camp. It's not a very attractive device either, so it doesn't really fit in with the trendy image that LG is trying to promote.

The rumour is that the LG KT610 is just about to hit sales channels, but then it was meant to be out last month. We think that LG won't make any real effort to promote the KT610, at least based on their past track record.


source:http://www.mobilegazette.com

Apple iPhone 3G

The original Apple iPhone was a love it or hate it device - and incredibly slick and stylish handset, but one with a number of serious flaws. The replacement iPhone has been rumoured for months and finally we can see what Apple have kept very secret - the new Apple iPhone 3G. Billed as "Twice as fast. Half the price", the iPhone certainly addresses two of the key concerns of the original - that it was expensive and slow.

Obviously, the iPhone 3G supports 3G. But it's also an HSDPA phone, which makes it 3.5G. In addition, the iPhone 3G's tri-band UMTS support, plus quad-band GSM, GPRS and EDGE data means that the iPhone 3G should be able to give high-speed data access pretty much anywhere in the world.

Another new feature is GPS - the iPhone 3G uses Advanced GPS to get quicker "fix" times. We've seen this before on many other devices, notably the Nokia N95 8GB. There's a mapping application bundled with the device, although we suspect that full blown satellite navigation may cost more.

Apple claim to have fixed on other annoying feature on the original iPhone - battery life. The iPhone 3G has up to 10 hours talktime on GSM, with a maximum of 5 hours talktime on 3G. Web browsing time on 3G is slated at around 5 to 6 hours. Standby time is around 12 days.

Enough of the good stuff - there are some things that Apple haven't fixed. Firstly, the camera is still a 2 megapixel unit , as found in the old iPhone. We would have hoped for 5 megapixels or better. The battery is still not user-removable, so a new battery involves a trip to an Apple service centre. The iPhone 3G doesn't have video calling, which is pretty standard on most 3G phones. Finally, the screen is still a 320 x 480 pixel panel when we would have hoped for a VGA or higher resolution display (as in the HTC Touch Diamond).

Of course, the Apple iPhone 3G still supports WiFi, Bluetooth. As with the original iPhone, the iPhone 3G's memory is not expandable.. but the 8GB or 16GB included should be plenty.

The Apple iPhone 3G's launch date is 11th July, and Apple intend to eventually roll out the iPhone 3G in 70 countries. The 8GB model will cost $199, the 16GB model will be $299. Those prices only apply to the US and other countries will have different pricing structures.


source:http://www.mobilegazette.com