HTC ChaCha Software Tour

After the unboxing and hardware tour we are taking a look at the software on the HTC ChaCha. The Taiwanese manufacturer did a great job in optimizing the Sense experience, tweaking the UI to perfectly fit the permanent landscape screen with an HVGA resolution on the smartphone.



[ Source YouTube ]

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AT&T’s HTC Status Release Date Unveiled

AT&T will launch the HTC Status on July 17, 2011. The handset comes with a dedicated Facebook share button, the Google Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread OS, a full QWERTY keyboard, a 2.6-inch HVGA touchscreen display, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, a 5MP rear camera and a front-facing VGA camera. Available in black, silver, pink and blue, the HTC Status is priced at $49.99 after a two-year contract. Watch the video after the jump.

Learn about the new HTC Status from AT&T. The HTC Status runs on Android Gingerbread under HTC Sense. It also features full Facebook integration, allowing you to post photos, update your status, chat with friends and more with the dedicated Facebook Share Button.



[AT&T]

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LG Optimus 3D Hits The UK Market

LG has decided to launch the Optimus 3D in the UK market. The world’s first 3D smartphone is now available at Clove for £454.80 (unlocked/SIM-free). As a reminder, the LG Optimus 3D has a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen, a 1GHz dual-core TI processor, dual 5MP cameras with 3D capture and video recording and 2D 720p HD video recording, an 8GB of internal storage, a 512MB of RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, DLNA, an HDMI out and a 3.5mm audio jack. The LG Optimus 3D runs on the Google Android 2.2 Froyo OS.

[Clove]

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REVIEW >> Nokia C2-03 announced, ushers in new age for S40 phones

There is a new Series 40-powered feature phone from Nokia known as the Nokia C2-03, where it will merge Dual-SIM functionality with Touch and Type technology. Carrying a couple of SIM cards is getting more and more common these days, but what you need to do is make sure your phone is able to handle more than one SIM card slot so that both numbers can be reached at any one time, and the Nokia C2-03 intends to fulfil that role – with aplomb, I might add.

What makes the Nokia C2-03 so special? Well, for starters this is Nokia’s third Touch and Type phone and will be the first of its kind that features Dual-SIM. Normally, Dual-SIM phones will need to be switched off while getting the battery removed, in order for the SIM card to be inserted. This time around, the Nokia C2-03 will feature Easy Swap that lets you open the slot on the side of the phone, followed by inserting the new SIM card without having to reboot it at all.

Just in case you happen to have more than a couple of SIM cards, the Nokia C2-03 is more than capable of remembering the settings for up to five separate cards. The moment you have personalized your SIM (through naming it and adjusting its calling settings), you need not have to do so ever again. Measuring a mere 103mm x 51.4mm x 17mm, it will tip the scales at 118 grams. With a standby time of up to 400 hours and a talk time of up to five hours, you will get a display of up to 240 x 320 resolution at 65K colors.

Apart from the above mentioned, what makes the Nokia C2-03 special? It will be one of the few feature phones out there that have Nokia Maps, letting you get to a particularly unfamiliar destination without incurring expensive data charges, and best of all is, there is no need to throw in a GPS chip inside the phone since it will rely on triangulation to get the job done – even delivering turn-by-turn navigation.

The Nokia C2-03 will arrive in India, China, South East Asia Pacific, and Eurasia sometime in Q3 this year, where it will cost €77 prior to taxes and subsidies.

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REVIEW >> Native Union Bluetooth handset for iPhones

Own an iPhone of any kind? Well, if the answer is in the affirmative, you would definitely fall in love with the Native Union Bluetooth handset for iPhones that offers wireless goodness to your living room. Why should you need a wireless Bluetooth handset for an iPhone, you ask? Isn’t the iPhone by nature itself a smartphone that can be carried around sans cables and pesky wires, making you look cool like all get out (at least that happens whenever a new iPhone model is launched for a week or so)?

Well, reality check here. The answer is, you might have an iPhone of any generation, but why stop at looking cool when you can be cooler with the Native Union Bluetooth handset? It offers all the convenience of a standard phone handset, not to mention the benefits of your iPhone device, all in a single form factor that boasts of a sleek and curved wireless handset system that supports Bluetooth 2.1 multipoint technology, making sure your beloved iPhone is transformed into a cordless landline which allows you to pair and answer calls on a couple of different Bluetooth enabled devices.

It is a snap to connect to the Native Union Bluetooth Handset and to synchronize your iPhone and a smartphone for regular calls, or using any other Bluetooth-enabled device such as a notebook, as all of them will rely on VoIP Internet calling including Skype.

Not only does it look great, it sounds great to boot – with the added incentive of having it juice up your iPhone while it is docked. With a high-quality speaker and microphone to deliver optimum call sound quality, you can be sure that the message gets across crystal clear, leaving no room for confusion between you and the other person on the line. A silicone mat has been thrown into the mix to protect your phone from additional wear and tear, which is a good thing considering the money you paid for the recently unlocked iPhone.

Expect to fork out $149.99 for the Native Union Bluetooth handset for iPhones.

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REVIEW >> Steampunk Rotary Mechanical: Cell Phone with Rotary Dial

 

Steampunk gadgets appear cool at first, but then you realize such items will never be mass produced, or even work in real life; but that does not mean we would not pass up the opportunity to feature a concept as cool as the Rotary Mechanical cell phone.

The design features a modular, Symbian-powered cell phone made of metal and wood with interchangeable plates for different tasks. It even has a rotary dial, which would make dialing more time-consuming yet nostalgic.

We still do not think it would be mass produced, let alone function.

Source: CrunchGear

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Full REVIEW >> Samsung Galaxy S II

 

The Samsung Galaxy S II is Samsung’s second version of its extremely popular Galaxy S line of handsets — one it has done a great job of launching across a variety of carriers. The Galaxy S II raises the bar in every way from the first Galaxy S, as it should. But it also takes things one step further and absolutely obliterates every other Android handset on the market in the specifications department. It’s not just fast, it’s the fastest. It’s not just thin, it’s the thinnest. But is it the best? Hit the break to find out.


Hardware / Display

Most people love or hate Samsung’s hardware, but I find myself uncharacteristically on the fence. On one hand, Samsung pumps out solid hardware that has always been widely adopted around the world. On the other, there appears to be a little separation, at least where the U.S. market is concerned, on what people really consider to be a quality product. There’s a fine line between making a device extremely light, and one that feels cheap and unworthy of a $200 price tag. The Samsung Galaxy S II is the thinnest smartphone I have ever tested, and it’s also one of the lightest. It’s even thinner than the iPhone 4, and it’s much lighter.

One of the reasons the device is lighter, however, is due to Samsung’s continued use of what feels like a low-cost glossy black plastic for the handset’s shell. The saving grace on the Samsung Galaxy S II, however, is that the rear battery cover isn’t a typical high-gloss Samsung extravaganza, but a textured matte-finished cover.

On top of the device you’ll find a 3.5mm headset jack with secondary mic for noise cancellation. On the right side is a power button and the volume rocker is on the left. Around front there’s a 2-megapixel camera for video chat, and three of the four typical Android navigation buttons. Samsung hasn’t included a dedicated search key, though in daily use, I rarely found myself hunting for it. The home button is a physical rectangular key, and the back and menu keys are capacitive and work quite well. A nice touch is that they light up for a short period of time when the screen goes on, and then they dim and blend back into the black facade of the Galaxy S II.

As far as specs go, the Samsung Galaxy S II is, for lack of better works, a beast. We’re talking about a 1.2GHz dual-core Orion processor, 1GB of RAM, Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread, an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash and 1080p HD video recording, and 21Mbps HSPA+ support.

The Samsung Galaxy S II also features Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus display, and it’s one of the best screens I’ve ever seen, easily besting the display on the Google Nexus S. Black levels are incredible, colors are vibrant, bright, and the display is very sharp. Viewing any sort of content with a black background will melt into the black front case around the display and make it difficult to tell where the screen starts and the case ends — it’s that good.

The Galaxy S II is also the fastest Android phone I have ever used, hands down. It’s evident across the entire OS, with web pages loading at desktop-like speeds. There’s absolutely no lag while zipping around from app to app or screen to screen, and it makes the entire Android experience much more enjoyable.


TouchWiz

Let me just get it out of the way: I’m a stock Android guy. I don’t care for any custom UI from any manufacturer on my Android device at this point. With that said, TouchWiz has it’s ups and downs. I’m not a fan of Swype or Samsung’s keyboard so I replaced the keyboard with the stock Gingerbread keyboard. I’m also not a fan of the email app and the calendar app also looks like Times Square at 2:00 a.m. — I’m just not feeling all the use of black backgrounds here. I do, however, like how you can edit the number of home screens on your device — I like three, not seven, home screens — and while I don’t use any of Samsung’s widgets, I appreciate the creativity some of them showcase.

For the average user, it’s certainly possible TouchWiz could help more than it hurts. It’s definitely more lively than what stock Android is, and it could be more straight forward to the general consumer.


Battery

Battery life typically isn’t a strong point on Android handsets, but the Galaxy S II performs very well thanks to its large 1,640 mAh battery and no doubt thanks to its power sipping dual-core Orion processor as well. Standby time lasts days — up to around three days with corporate push email on and various background apps. The Galaxy S II should no doubt be able to power you through a normal day’s worth of usage as well.


Conclusion

Hands down, the Samsung Galaxy S II is the greatest Android smartphone available on the planet… if you can get past TouchWiz. It’s the fastest smartphone I’ve ever used, it features one of the best displays I have laid eyes on, it offers great signal reception and audio performance on AT&T, it has a great camera, it’s very thin and light, and even better, it’s free from any carrier’s wrath (restrictions) since it’s the unlocked global version. The downside is that it’s not subsidized so it’s going to run you around $800 — for reference, a 32GB iPhone 4 without a contract runs $699. Of course we expect the Galaxy S II to launch under various names on all four of the major U.S. carriers, so those who don’t mind branding and bloatware will have the option of picking up this phone from your carrier of choice soon enough.

While I would have preferred to see stock Android on the Galaxy S II, the phone is so good that TouchWiz doesn’t hold it down too much, at least for me. In fact, Samsung is going to have trouble getting this one back. And who knows? Maybe I’ll even switch to Android as my primary daily carrier just for this device. Well, probably not.

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Full REVIEW >> Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY

 

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY is the company’s first smartphone focused on bringing serious gaming and a powerful handset to the masses. The slide-out PlayStation-style game controller is innovative and it enables you to interact with games on your smartphone in ways that just aren’t possible on a touchscreen-only device. With that said, there are some obstacles in the way — PlayStation Suite offers limited games, and there are some pretty big bugs even on the stock Android handset. Do the positives outweigh the negatives, though? Jump past the break to find out.


Hardware / Display

The Xperia PLAY’s hardware is, for lack of a better word, interesting. Closed, the device feels like a reasonably thick Android handset. With glossy black plastic and glossy chrome finish, the PLAY doesn’t exude high-end fit and finish, but it doesn’t feel cheap either. It’s deceptively well-weighted, even when opened, and the only complaint I have about the hardware when holding and using the phone is that the left and right triggers on the top of the handset can get in the way when the device is being held one-handed.

The display on the Xperia PLAY is great. It’s crisp, it’s clear, and the colors seem to accurately display anything I can load up on it. It’s one of my favorite displays, to be honest. Sony Ericsson has a beautiful screen with a touch sensitivity that can almost rival Apple’s perfected digitizer and screen. I really can’t say enough about this touch display, it’s probably my favorite of any Android handset, even more so than any qHD displays I’ve seen and used. It’s something Sony Ericsson has just got right, and it’s really refreshing to see.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY doesn’t fall short in the button department, either. On the front of the device you’ll find the four traditional Android menu keys, and while these are meant to serve as the primary navigation keys for the device, I can’t help but think Sony Ericsson could have implemented something better. Besides being difficult to press in some scenarios, they are ridiculously close to the display itself, and I’ve found myself accidentally tapping the display when I’ve been trying to hit the back button, for example. The layout isn’t ideal, but that’s more of a personal preference.

On the left side of the handset, there’s a 3.5mm headset jack and a microUSB port for syncing and charging. On the top of the device there’s a power on / off button, but the button isn’t on the display part of the sliding mechanism, it’s on the main middle frame. It’s a little niggle, but it would have been great if the power button was on the display piece as it would make it much easier to press when using the device one-handed. A nice touch is that there’s a notification light built into the power button that will let you know of any unread message or alerts, however. On the right side of the PLAY you’ll find left and right trigger buttons with a volume up and down rocker placed in between them.

Something that’s been truly irritating is the lack of an ambient light sensor on the Xperia PLAY. It’s one of the only smartphones in the last few years I have ever seen that lacks this feature, and while it’s not a show stopper, it’s inconvenient to have to go into the device’s setting to manually change the brightness level of the display in different lighting environments.

UPDATE: The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY does in fact have an ambient light sensor, it’s just not user-controllable in the settings, and it doesn’t perform too, too well, thus the reason for mistaking it’s existence.


PlayStation Controls

There isn’t a bunch to say here… the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY is the first smartphone to feature an actual gaming-grade gamepad, and it’s pretty close to being amazing. There’s enough tactile feedback on every button to make it feel fantastic while playing games, and the button layout is perfect. Compared to add-on third-party attachments for the iPhone or Android devices, the Xperia PLAY really sets the mobile smartphone gaming bar. One of the best parts is the ability to take a third-party app and assign the gamepad buttons to the game or emulator.


Phone / Battery

I have had serious connectivity issues with the Xperia PLAY on Verizon Wireless. I’m not sure if it’s just this review unit in particular, but in places that normally have 3G reception, I was stuck on 1X, and the phone kept on holding a 1X signal instead of switching back to a 3G one. Additionally, the signal level reported by the PLAY was much lower than other Verizon Wireless devices in the same room on the same desk. While this isn’t a scientific method by any means, it’s a little frustrating to see just one or two bars on a Verizon handset in and around New York City — especially when other Verizon phones were getting full signal just a few inches away.

Battery life is pretty decent despite the reception issues, and were completely acceptable for a CDMA smartphone. The Xperia PLAY powered through a day of moderate usage including emailing, web browsing, light calls, and hours of game playing. Your mileage will obviously vary, but all in all the battery on the Xperia PLAY should suit most people’s usage just fine.


Conclusion

The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY is one of the most enjoyable game-focused smartphones I’ve ever used. With a solid slide-out hardware gamepad, a fast processor, and stock Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the PLAY is truly in a league of its own. That’s not to say I haven’t had my share of frustrations with the handset. The power button seem glitchy as far as the software is concerned — the phone just won’t turn back on sometimes after the screen is locked, and it’s incredibly frustrating. Verizon’s solid voice and data network didn’t agree with my particular unit, and while I’m not positive this is an across-the-board issue, signal reception and connectivity were probably the worst of any Verizon handset I’ve used in recent memory.

I like the overall concept of the Xperia PLAY — one of the only companies in the world that could pull off a pure gaming handset is Sony Ericsson — and this is a valiant first effort in the space. But in the end, the Xperia PLAY is a little chunky and it feels like it needed a little more time in the oven. If Sony Ericsson decides to introduce a follow up handset, I have no doubt it will be a formidable mobile gaming smartphone that few if any devices could rival. The current iteration is more a concept than a full-fledged gaming device and platform, though if you’re a hardcore gamer, you probably won’t be disappointed with the Xperia PLAY. For general consumers, I’d probably recommend waiting for the follow-up version, however.

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Full REVIEW >> HTC DROID Incredible 2

 

The DROID Incredible 2 recently landed on Verizon Wireless, and it has some tough shoes to fill. When the original launched, it was BGR’s favorite Android phone to date despite stiff competition from the Motorola DROID, which launched at the same time. The DROID Incredible 2 packs some decent hardware, like a 1GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p video, and more, but its specs — and data speeds — don’t match those of phones at the higher end of Verizon’s portfolio. Is the DROID Incredible 2 a worthy successor to the original or does it fall short? Read on to find out!


Hardware / Display

I remember reviewing the original Incredible and feeling a sense of loss the day I had to send it back. It had a unique race-car inspired design and HTC even had interchangeable red and white covers for the back panel that you could buy separately. The whole idea was that HTC was totally tweaking the industrial design of the phone to really get consumers turned on to the sexy designs possible with a mobile device. There’s less shock value with the Incredible 2. The red battery compartment is gone, the contours aren’t unique anymore, and the whole device feels too similar to the original to be exciting.

The phone feels excellent in the hand, though, and the soft-touch black finish provides good grip. The volume keys are in easy reach on the top left hand side, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top across from a power button, and the back is home to an 8-megapixel camera and a dual-LED flash. I love that the menu, home, search, and return buttons automatically rotate so that they’re displayed correctly in both landscape and portrait view. HTC should definitely carry that feature into other phones.

The most noticeable difference on the Incredible 2 is its larger 4-inch 800 x 480 resolution display. I like that it’s bigger than the original 3.7-inch screen on the first Incredible, which was a hair too small, but I’m disappointed that HTC ditched the AMOLED display panel. Text looks decent on the screen, but the colors don’t pop in the way they did on the original Incredible. The trade off is that the current display is much easier to view under direct sunlight, however.

I’ll discuss the rest of the hardware in various parts of this review, but here’s a quick rundown of the raw specs: the DROID Incredible is powered by a 1GHz processor — that’s the same clock speed as the original — and it has an 8-megapixel with a dual-LED flash, a 1,450 mAh battery, a 1.3-megapixel forward-facing camera for video chat, and a 16GB microSD card pre-installed.


Software

The Incredible 2 is powered by Android 2.2.1 (Froyo) with HTC’s custom Sense user interface running on top, and its 1GHz powered through it all just fine. Unfortunately, the phone is not loaded with HTC’s new revamped version of Sense, which will make its debut on the T-Mobile HTC Sensation 4G any week now. I’ve always been a big fan of Sense. It’s one of my favorite Android user interfaces, but it’s hard to recommend software that’s already being replaced. The DROID Incredible 2 also runs Android 2.2 (Froyo), too, instead of the newer Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS.

Thankfully, there’s relatively little bloatware installed, save for V Cast Apps, V CAST Media, V CAST Music, V CAST Tones, and V CAST Videos. Verizon has pre-installed some other software, including 3G Mobile Hotspot, Blockbuster, Amazon Kindle, Lets Golf 2, NFS Shift, Skype Mobile, NFL Mobile, Slacker, and more, but those applications are often very popular Android apps, too, and I’m a big fan of many of them. The 3G Hotpsot application will allow you to share your 3G connection with other Wi-Fi enabled devices, and I used the Incredible 2 hotspot during an entire workday without any connection drops.


Calling / Data

Calls on the DROID Incredible 2 were solid, as is typically the case on Verizon’s phones in New York City. During a test call, the other party said I sounded “clear” while walking on the streets of New York City, and she said she couldn’t make out the background traffic. The speakerphone was a bit watery but the volume was sufficient. As far as data, the Incredible 2′s data speeds were just OK. I averaged 1.2Mbps on the downlink and 1Mbps up, which is good enough for a 3G phone but a far cry from Verizon’s brand new 4G LTE network which offers download speeds that are nearly 20 times that.


Camera

The Incredible 2 packs an 8-megapixel camera, just like the original, and can shoot 720p HD video. I was satisfied with the images I snapped — they look great on the phone itself and just as solid blown up on a computer screen. Unlike some newer phones, the Incredible 2 isn’t capable of auto-focusing while shooting video, though, which was a bit of a disappointment. Similarly, it lacks an HDMI-out port, so you won’t be able to show videos or photos on your bigscreen TV, another feature that’s supported by many other high-end devices.


Battery Life

During my few days of testing I didn’t have any problem getting through a full day of moderate use before the 1,450mAh battery ran out on the Incredible 2. Verizon rates it for 6.5 hours of usage, though, so you’ll want to bring a charger along if you’re planning to watch movies during a long plane ride or car trip.


Wrap-up

The DROID Incredible 2 is a good phone — there’s nothing inherently wrong with it — but I don’t think it brings the Incredible brand forward at all. In fact, there really isn’t anything “incredible” about it. The phone is very similar to the original, save for a larger screen and some small tweaks like a forward-facing camera, but at $199.99 it costs just as much as dual-core smartphones like the DROID X2, and it’s $50 shy of Verizon’s 4G LTE smartphones that offer much, much, faster data speeds. Is it a solid follow-up to the original? No. In fact, I like the original better.

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Full REVIEW >> Motorola DROID X2

 

The Motorola DROID X was one of the most powerful handsets to hit Verizon Wireless. It’s only fitting that the big boss of Android phones would get upgraded at some point, right? The Motorola DROID X2 ups the DROID X in almost every way possible. Instead of a single core 1GHz CPU, the DROID X2 features a dual-core 1GHz processor. The display has been upgraded from a baseline screen to a qHD display, and software customizations and enhancements have been made as well. Did one of my favorite Android handsets get even better? Hit the full review after the break to find out.


Hardware / Display

The Motorola DROID X2 is very competitive in the specs department. It’s powered by a dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU, Android 2.2, it has 512MB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera capable of shooting 720p HD video, 8GB of built-in storage, and the usual Android accouterments like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, digital compass, and an accelerometer.

If you’ve used the original Motorola DROID X, the X2′s hardware is practically the same as the original. Though the DROID X2 is a tad bit darker than the previous iteration, it uses the same metal casing with a soft touch finish. Unfortunately there was one thing removed from the first DROID X and that’s the camera button, which many people will miss. On the flip side though, the DROID X2 features an HDMI-out port positioned right next to the microUSB port, something that I think hints at accessories that the DROID X2 can dock into, possibly like the Motorola ATRIX’s laptop and multimedia docks.

The four Android buttons at the bottom of the display on the D2 bother me immensely. Aside from being narrow, if you don’t hit them perfectly right on, your key presses won’t register and it’s annoying. I would definitely have preferred touch-sensitive keys over the physical buttons.

The display is good, and it looks like the same exact display used in the Motorola ATRIX. The resolution is there, but unfortunately the screen looks pixelated to me despite bumping up the original model’s 480 x 854-pixel resolution to 540 x 960. Colors, however, are accurately displayed and the qHD screen on the Motorola DROID X2 is bright and vivid. The resolution is close to the Retina Display on the iPhone 4, and while that looks great on paper, once you’ve compared the two, well, there isn’t a comparison. Outdoor readability was very good on the DROID X2′s display, though, and the 4.3-inch screen is great for web browsing and multimedia.

There are four physical buttons below the display, as mentioned above: menu, home, back, and search. On top of the device are the 3.5mm headphone jack and power button. The left side houses the microUSB and HDMI ports, while the right side features a volume rocker. The camera is located on back next to a dual-LED flash, and though you can see a front-facing camera above the display on the right side, it’s not activated for video calls or self-portrait images just yet.


Software

Motorola’s BLUR UI has been ever so slightly updated on the DROID X2, and while there are some nice touches here and there, there’s one thing I just can’t move past: when you tap the application icon in the bottom app icon bar, the app drawer doesn’t immediately appear. It’s like Motorola’s design and UI team just forgot about one of the most important parts of your smartphone experience… accessing apps. While this isn’t a deal-breaker at all, it’s just another UI inconsistency that shows how little some Android manufacturers seem to value not just the user interface, but user enjoyment.

There are some enhancements that I do appreciate, however, like the ability to press the home button twice to show card views of all of your seven home screens (dear Android manufactures: seven home screens is excessive), and I like how the drop down notification window is now semi-transparent — it’s a nice touch, and it Smurfs up the phone pretty nicely.

Motorola’s BLUR UI on the DROID X2 actually seems to weigh pretty heavily on the dual-core processor, as it stutters occasionally which is something I haven’t seen on a Tegra 2 Android smartphone very much before. With the dual-core CPU comes support for HD video playback and recording, however, in addition to HDMI out. Much like the Motorola ATRIX, the DROID X2 can power full 1080p HD from a connected HDMI cable including mirroring which is impressive, and the playback on a 55-inch LED display was buttery smooth.


Phone / Battery

Using the DROID X2 as a phone, well, is just plain great. Reception is fantastic, callers on the other end of the phone sounded perfect, and even though speakerphone wasn’t as loud as I would have liked, it did the trick. Motorola’s noise cancellation works well, though it can make your voice sound a bit hollow in some settings, callers told me.

After spending more than a week with the Motorola DROID X2′s battery, it’s proved to be a solid handset that can go toe to toe with the latest Android handsets on the market. Motorola seems to have come close to perfecting battery optimization because the 1,540 mAh battery the device ships with performs extremely well. With moderately heavy sporadic usage, the DROID X2 can last up to three days under my reign of terror, and just in standby mode it should last nearly a week. With consistant heavy usage, I was also able to power through an entire day on the DROID X2, which a lot of other Android smartphones have trouble doing.



Conclusion

Here’s the thing… the Motorola DROID X was one of my favorite phones on Verizon Wireless when it was released. I usually don’t prefer larger displays on devices, but the DROID X made it work for me. It was fast, I actually liked a lot of Motorola’s customizations (especially the keyboard), the device was thin, and the phone was a keeper. On Motorola’s second go, though, the DROID X2 updates don’t do enough to push the new DROID into the limelight. Compared to other handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S II, the DROID X2 feels like it should be running a Weight Watchers app as it’s just too thick to be competitive in that department. And without 4G, there’s not much incentive to buy the new DROID. It’s a better phone than the first one and I really do like it a lot, but since the goal post has moved so much since last year, a simple refresh isn’t going to cut it. It’s not a bad phone by any means, but I would just hold off for at least a couple months and see what else Verizon offers in the same vein — I’m sure we’ll all be pleasantly surprised.

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REVIEW >> Virgin Mobile’s New Big Boy

 

Virgin Mobile recently announced  probably the most significant smartphone to hit prepaid carriers Ever. The Motorola Triumph. If you have been thinking of dumping one of the majors and going prepaid, this is probably the phone that would help you make that final decision. SPECS:

4.1 inch WVGA Screen

1GHZ processor

512MB of  RAM

5 megapixel camera that shoots HD Video and has a VGA front-facing camera.

HDMI output

2GB built in Storage

Android 2.2 Froyo (stock) with Flash support

Not bad, at all.

Pricing and availability has yet been announced but the word is that it will be within the $200.00-$300.00 and it should be coming to Virgin Mobile right on time for this summer.

What do you think? Is there any other Prepaid Smartphone that can stack up against the Motorola Triumph?

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REVIEW >> Fujitsu LOOX F-07C is running Symbian and Windows 7

 

Fujitsu is working in cooperation with major Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo and are going to offer consumers the rising sun smartphone called LOOX F-07C, equipped with two operating systems: Windows 7, and Symbian. Now more information about the hardware of this exciting new gadget has been disclosed.

According to the new info, Fujitsu LOOX F-07C was built on the Intel platform and equipped with an Atom Z600, running at a frequency of 1.2 GHz, and the GPU Intel GMA 600. It will feature 1 GB RAM and 32 GB - Flash memory on board. The second one can be extended with microSD memory cards up to 32 GB. Device has two cameras: 5 megapixel rear cam and 1.3 MP front one. Like the majority of mobile devices in its class, Fujitsu LOOX F-07C supports a number of wireless technologies: GSM, FOMA/3G, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0. It also features 4" touchscreen with resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. As to other details it has: GPS, microUSB port, standard headphone jack, light and proximity sensors.

Overall dimensions of the device are: 125 x 61 x 19.8 mm, weight - 213 grams. Unfortunately, the battery life of the product is quite short. In standby mode it is able to "stay afloat" for 350 hours, but working in Windows 7 will kill the battery as the battery lifetime is limited to a maximum of two hours. The new gadget will hit Japanese stores this summer, but the price it is not available yet.

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REVIEW >> Future iPhone: the latest news, rumors and details

 

Article in Forbs magazine provides information from Peter Misek Jeffries & Co analytic that the future Apple smartphone will be named iPhone 4S and will be released this coming September.

The source is also reporting that changes in future model will be just as small as changes in the name: minor exterior changes, new platform (processor A5) and support for HSPA +. Misek also said that there will be no support for LTE in the new model, as appropriate Qualcomm chipsets do not yet meet the requirements of Apple.

Meanwhile Alibaba website already sells Cases designed for iPhone 5G. If this product is actually created in accordance with the characteristics of the future model of iPhone, its appearance can speak about the new location of the flash - on the opposite side of the camera. Indirect evidence for a new location for the flash can also be a published images by Apple.pro website, which allegedly shows a camera module of the future iPhone (in iPhone 4 this module is combined with flash). Apple.pro also publishes a sketch of the alleged appearance of the rear panel of the future iPhone.

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REVIEW >> Motorola Atrix 4G

 

Since 1984, when cell phones hit the shelves, thier functionality has been expanded only a few times. In the nineties these milestones were first smartphone, and then the PDA based on Windows Mobile. Finally, in January 2011, another milestone was the product from Motorola. What's next - is not known and not so important in the context of this material. Now we're talking about a future that has already become real - on the Motorola Atrix 4G.

•     Processor: Dual Core, NVIDIA Tegra 2 with a frequency of 1 GHz
•     Memory: 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory
•     Memory card: microSD, up to 32 GB
•     Display: 960 by 540 pixels, 4-inch diagonal (PenTile)
•     5-Megapixel camera with video recording in HD
•     The camera on the front side of the phone for video calls
•     Fingerprint Scanner combined with the power button
•     Two microphones. Noise reduction technology used in conversation
•     Built-in codecs for video
•     HDMI output and miniJack for headphones and headsets
•     MOTOBLUR Shell, as well as proprietary software from Motorola that allows you to use your phone as a "brain" or "system unit" for the various docks.
•     A good set of accessories and even includes a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
•     All the benefits of Android 2.2

Package Contents:

•     Phone Motorola Atrix 4G
•     Battery BH6X 1880/1930 mAh
•     HDMI cable
•     Cable microUSB, for PC and AC Charger
•     AC Charger
•     Documentation

Unboxing Video:

Design, materials, case

In appearance Atrix more like a small tablet, rather than phone. In modern mobile phones, most of them, the screen is slightly shifted vertically relative to the center hull. Such a decision caused by the presence of the front controls. In the case of Atrix display is located exactly on the center, which, in my opinion, it is more convenient when typing on the keyboard in landscape mode.

The main body material is a sleek, black, not glossy plastic. Fingerprints are not particularly visible on it, and can be removed without any problems with a piece of soft tissue. The back side is simulating carbon texture. Plastic does not feel expensive; however, it cannot be called cheap. All the edges are rounded and it almost has no sharp corners. The size of Motorola Atrix 4G is not much different from other devices that are now present on the market. Comparing it with other dual-core smarphones we get the following results:

	Motorola Atrix 4G	Samsung Galaxy S2	LG Optimus 2x
Width	63.5	66.1	63.2
Height	117.7	125.3	123.9
Thickness	10.9	8.5	10.9
Weight	135	116	144
Screen	qHD, 540*960 pixels, 4", PenTile Technology	WVGA 480*800 pixels, 4.3", SuperAMOLED Plus	WVGA 480*800 pixels, 4"
Processor	1 GHz, NVIDIA Tegra 2, Dualcore	1 GHz, Samsung S5PV310 Exynos 4210, Dualcore	1 GHz, NVIDIA Tegra 2, Dualcore
RAM	1 GB	1 GB	512 MB
Storage	16 GB. 2 GB of that is reserved for progams, 10 GB is for user's use	16 GB, 32 GB	8 GB. 1.5 GB of that is reserved for progams, 5.5 GB is for user's use
Memory Card	microSD, up to 32 GB		microSD, up to 32 GB
Main camera	5MP, recording in HD quality. FullHD recording will be available soon.	8 MP, video recording in FullHD.	8 MP, video recording in FullHD.
Front camera	Yes	2 MP	1.3 MP
Wireless Connectivity	GSM\UMTS, Wi-Fi (a\b\g\n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR	GSM\UMTS, Wi-Fi (b\g\n), Bluetooth 3.0 + HS	GSM\UMTS, Wi-Fi (b\g\n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Battery	1880-1930 mAh	1650 mAh	1500 mAh
OS version	Android 2.2, will be updated to Android 2.2	Android 2.3	Android 2.2, will be updated to Android 2.2
UI	MOTOBLUR	TouchWiz 4.0
Interfaces	Audio 3.5 mm miniJack, microUSB, HDMI	Audio 3.5 mm miniJack, microUSB	Audio 3.5 mm miniJack, microUSB, HDMI

The front side is completely covered with protective Gorilla Glass. There are the frontal camera and an opening of the earpiece on the upper side. Under the display, there are usual touch keys for Android (Menu, Home, Back, Search). At the bottom you can see the microphone.
There is a fingerprint sensor on the back side, and it is combined with the power switch. It is situated at an angle of 30 degrees.

Build quality at a good level. Backlash and squeaks body was found.

Controls

One of the benefits, according to many, is the fingerprint scanner, which, as I said above, combined with the power key. You can activate it and set up for the index fingers of the left and right hands. Immediately you will be prompted to install four-digit code to unlock the device in case when unlocking via the scanner is not possible. When you press the power button screen lights up and then you just hold your finger on the scanner - after half a second (time needed for identification) device is unlocked. I can't say that this solution is suitable for everyone, it is necessary to consider several things. For example, swiping finger at certain speed, and it's not always convenient. Unlocking the device by pressing the power button and swiping display will work much faster. But that's not all. Note the location of the button, it is easy to use only if you hold it only in certain way, otherwise, if you hold it upside-down it won’t be so convenient.

Volume control buttons are small, but have very good feel. They have a short stroke, a muffled click, and yet easy to use. Touch keys are also not satisfactory, they work with every touch, however, and they are pretty far from the screen itself so you won’t miss it.

Screen

One of the main advantages of this device is four-inch display with qHD resolution (960 * 540 pixels). It uses PenTile technology but its quality is not great.

Instead of the usual location of RGB (Red, Green, Blue) subpixels PenTile uses different order: Red, Green, Blue, Green. In terms of area green subpixels are two times smaller than red and blue ones, so the amount of green, and hence colors have not changed. It would seem that there is nothing terrible in this, but due to the asymmetric colors, it change the way horizontal and vertical lines are displayed. If you closely compare displays of Atrix and Milestone the difference will be evident. It is easily seen on the green battery icon in the top status bar. It consists of green rectangles, arranged in a checkerboard pattern, which would not have been on conventional RGB technology display.

There is also problem with displaying fonts on the new display. Fonts on Artix compared with the usual display are not as crisp, but here high resolution and screen size come into play. The difference is not very noticeable. Sometimes fonts can turn to unclear mush, and it is perfectly clear when it is on a yellow background.

This is all the disadvantages of technology PenTile, which can be seen on a lot of phones with AMOLED Super-AMOLED or screens of (Samsung Galaxy, Galaxy S, Wave, HTC Nexus One, and so on).

The viewing angles are pretty standard for the market and raise no objections. Brightness is also quite enough for any type of light, it is comparable to the brightness of the iPhone 4 display. It is necessary to tell about incorrect colors of new Motorola Atrix. Indeed, the color gamma is slightly shifted, and it is perfectly visible on the photos of the screen. For example, yellow color is a bit dirty, with a little touch of green. The same goes for other colors. After a couple days of using this gadget this problem is no longer evident. Moreover, you simply don’t notice after a few days of use. In the end, the difference for you as an owner of Atrix will be noticeable only in direct comparison with similar phones.

Interface

A distinctive feature of the Motorola phones for the U.S. market is MotoBlur shell, which primarily focuses on work with social networks and services. When you first start the device it offers you to create an account with MotoBlur, and it is impossible to skip this step of setup. You can connect the following social networks: MySpace, Facebook, Last.fm, Twitter, Email, Corporate Sync, Picasa, Photobucket, LinkedIn, Yahoo! Mail, or only connect to Gmail.

In addition to some changes in standard applications (which we'll discuss later), they have also created a few branded widgets.

Despite the existence of a standard for Android wireless networks management widget, Motorola set up its own - it has airplane mode, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi. Their advantage is that they are separate and are much larger than standard ones.

There is a calendar widget. Its main advantage over other existing for Android is that it can be scaled. It can take as a single line or all the free space on the desktop.

Date and time widget can occupy a single cell (shows only time) and all 16 cells. In full screen mode it also shows the date, month, day of week and calendar.

Weather widget is not as easy to use and not as informative. In addition, the maximum size of weather widget is only four cells. But when pressed on it a window appears with more information.

The same applies to other widgets. For example, the standard size of a contacts widget has only two cells, which can fit buttons for phone call, SMS, email, instant messengers, social networks. But once it is stretched to full screen it then fits eight cells for shortcuts. If you want you can get quick access to all modes of communication with the selected subscriber.

Messages widget can display incoming SMS messages and messages from Facebook and Twitter. If you like you can change the name of the widget, such as Twitter and display information only from this social service.

News from RSS feeds can be displayed on the desktop via its own widget. You can make more of these widgets, subscribing to various channels and giving them correspondent names. Clicking on these will bring out pop-up window displaying more information and a link to the source.

Photo widget is virtually no different from the standard in Android, but it can also be scaled.

There is a much more interesting widget - Picture Frame Puls. In addition to displaying images, it also contains camera button, gallery button and a button to run a slideshow right on the desktop.

There is a special social networking widget that displays a text message and the avatar of its author. When clicked on it pops up a window where you can reply to the author, add message to your favorites or retwitt.

Notes widget deserves our attention too, simple and great tool for every day. Its size can also vary depending on your needs. You can change the title and color of the "paper". In my opinion, this is the most simple, beautiful and right tool of this among all other available in the market.

Impressions from the Motorola Atrix 4G widgets are generally positive. At first it is a bit difficult to use them due to their high functionality, however after some time you will actively use them with ease. Their distinctive features are scalability, which is very convenient, simple and concise in design. It is a pity that they are not on the market.

Music

For music function Atrix uses standard android Android 2.2 player. It is possible to sort tracks by artist, album or track names. There are also Random and Shuffle functions available, as well as a number of equalizers for headphones and for speaker.

Atrix today produces the best sound, among other phones (including iPhone). If it is a merit of NVIDIA processor we would like to hear LG Optimus 2X in future.


Video

Motorola Atrix 4G supports two most used codecs: DivX \ XVid, and processing power is enough to decode FullHD video. Therefore user will not have any problems viewing most videos. However, the built-in player has not much functionality. Play/pause buttons, rewind slider and a button to show the parameters of the video clip. However, it is not tragic, as there are free video players in app market that have functionality that will satisfy most users.

Camera

I must say that Motorola phones with cameras have always been bad, except for the Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 which was developed in conjunction with Kodak. As you might guess Atrix has not changed the situation. Its camera is pretty average as it has a lot of digital noise, pale color transfer, plus the flash like "light up" subject, if it is close.

Capabilities of the camera are not much different from the standard. There are six scenes:

•     Auto
•     Portrait
•     Landscape
•     Sport
•     Night
•     Macro

Effects:

•     Normal
•     Black and White
•     Negative
•     Sepia
•     Solarize

Flash:

•     On
•     Off
•     Auto

Also in the Quick Access Toolbar you can switch to front camera or video mode. You can go to the full settings list via the Menu button. The camera can shoot at following resolutions:

•     Large (5MP)
•     Medium (3 MP)
•     Small (2 MP)
•     Very Small (1 MP)

Video Recording Resolutions:

•     Widescreen HDTV (720p)
•     Widescreen SDTV (480p)
•     Large (VGA)
•     Medium (QVGA)

It is possible to automatically upload video clips to different online media services. Pictures can be stored to phone memory and on to microSD card.

Video quality is not much better. It is quite slow to react to changes in the brightness of environment. In comparison with the iPhone 4 and photo / video is much worse.

There are three scenes:

•     Everyday
•     Outdoors
•     Concert

Effects identical to those that we could see in the photo. Flash work as a flashlight while shooting video. Resolution of the front camera is only 640 x 480 pixels, so the video in this case is recorded in VGA quality.

Performance

The device is based on dual-core (Cortex A9) NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor with a frequency of 1 GHz. This allows the unit to encode and decode FullHD video (corresponding to the specifications) on the fly. Power of this solution in 3D graphics will be gradually implemented through games designed specifically for Tegra 2. Already there are few applications with an interesting graphics; however there are still ways to go in this direction.

Based on the synthetic tests, the performance of solutions from NVIDIA is twice as high as other top Android devices that you can buy now.

Later this year Motorola Atrix’s operating system will be upgraded to Android 2.3 (which also does not support dual core processors). New OS will have a certain increase in speed and possible "supplements" in functionality. But let's talk a little about our impressions of the performance.

Definitely we can say that the interface is faster. Lists scroll more smoothly (compared with the HTC Desire) it also takes much less time to download and install applications. The browser works great, you can even try to play flash games. Of course, you should use the application from the Tegra Zone. But at the same time there is one problem. Sometimes (very rarely) it takes 4-5 seconds to start the browser. This is definitely a glitch of the firmware, and there is no doubt that it will be corrected.

Wireless interfaces

The American version of the device is not much different from European and, as it turned out, Motorola Atrix 4G works fine with any 3G network. Supports the following standards: WCDMA 850/1900/2100, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 14Mbps (Category 10) Edge Class 12, GPRS Class 12, eCompass, AGPS.

Work in 2G, including GPRS and EDGE connections are not satisfactory.

Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR module has the following profiles:

•     A2DP 1.2 - transfer of stereo audio over Bluetooth
•     AVRCP - control music playback via wireless headset.
•     Hands-Free Profile 1.5 - Profile is used to connect a wireless headset and the phone
•     sends mono sound in one channel.
•     OPP - basic profile for sending "objects" such as pictures, virtual business cards etc.
•     HID 1.0 - Provides support for devices with a HID (Human Interface Device), such as mice, joysticks, keyboards and so on.
•     PBAP - profile lets you share your phone book entries between the devices.
•     (Supports profiles: A2DP 1.2, AVRCP, HFP 1.5 AG, HID 1.0 Host, HSP 1.0, OPP, PBAP PSE)

Wi-Fi (802.11 a / b / g / n) - there are no complaints in this modules functionality. The device automatically connects to known networks. The phone can operate as a router and supports simultaneous connection of up to five devices.
Battery life

Having such a capacious battery the phone does show a record time for Android-devices. In normal operation it will last for two days. With my fairly hard usage scenarios the device worked for a full day - a great result. You will probably not see this result anywhere else. Battery lifetime can be increased by adjusting the power saving mode that disables the data update and adjusts the brightness of the display.

Conclusions

First, let us recall the strengths of Motorola Atrix 4G. This is of course NVIDIA Tegra platform 2. Highest battery capacity among similar devices provides a better lifetime. Perhaps this is one of the greatest benefits among similar products. Fingerprint scanner in my opinion is a more convenient solution than input of a four-digit code. The presence of 16 gigabytes of built-in memory and microSD slot allows users achieve the maximum amount of memory - 42 GB. Entertainment Center turned out to be far from useless. It is very convenient to watch videos from the device on your TV. It has a unique set of accessories - a mouse and a keyboard and a docking station, including a remarkable Laptop Dock. Screen is, admittedly, not a plus, despite its resolution. Traditionally Motorola’s advantages are voice quality and signal reception. There really is no problem - everything is at the highest level. The speaker volume is more than enough. Phone Portal is also its advantage since it is really a handy feature. Well, the quality of the music of Motorola Atrix is considered the best music phone to date. As minuses I note minimalist design and lack of metal casing and display.

It is up to you to decide whether to buy this phone, or look in the direction of the competition. If display problems are not critical for you the phone will work great for you. It's really a good quality product.

Despite all the shortcomings, Atrix is a unique device on the market, forming a new phenomenon, a new scenario for using your phone as a computer. I have no doubt that such decisions sooner or later appear in other manufacturers products. Surely, their implementation will be better, but we must admit that Motorola has been and remains a pioneer in its field.

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REVIEW >> ASUS has announced Padfone - a hybrid of smartphone and tablet

ASUS have announced one of the most interesting and perhaps most controversial of their devices on Taipei exhibition. The new hybrid of Tablet PC and Smartphone, received its name Padfone.

The company does not disclose a complete list of product specifications, but the principle of this gadget is pretty clear. Padfone - a composite device consisting of a full-fledged smartphone, and a kind of docking station made in form Tablet PC. The smartphone is equipped with touch 4.3 inch touchscreen, is the core of the system, while a docking station tablet only enhances its functionality.

If the user needs a large screen diagonal of 10.1 inches, it sets the smartphone into a special compartment in the rear part of the docking station, after which Padfone works like any other tablet. The smartphone is running Google Android Ice Cream Sandwich. The screen displays the interface of a docking station on the phone (of course, scaled), it is also fueling smartphone with energy from its own battery and also carries a web-camera, stereo speakers and a few expansion ports. The smartphone is equipped with a Micro HDMI ports and Micro USB as well as the main 5 MP camera, which you can also use in tablet mode.

We have already seen smartphones where docking station plays important role (for example Motorola Atrix) but ASUS decision is more original. However, there are still concerns about the interest in new gadget. Developers are optimistic: they promise that Padfone will be transformed from a concept into a fully ready-to-manufacture product for the season of winter holidays when U.S. market is very active and will cost about the same as Eee Pad Transformer.

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