Reviews

By August 17, 2009 Read More →

Samsung S5600 review

The Samsung S5600 is yet another touch screen device from Samsung continuing the theme of simplicity and practicality gloriously blended with great stylish design.

At first glance you may struggle to differentiate between the S5600 and the host of other Samsung touch phones currently on the market however Samsung are keen to show that each phone has something different to offer, so what does the S5600 bring to the Samsung touch screen party?

5600_angled_right

The Samsung S5600 Preston

 

Samsung S5600 specification:

  • 3.15-megapixel camera
  • Bluetooth®
  • GPRS, EDGE 3G and HSDPA support.
  • MP3 player
  • email 
  • Stereo FM radio with RDS
  • Java™ capable
  • FM radio
  • internal memory 80MB
  • MicroSDHD memory card support
  • speakerphone
  • accelerometer sensor
  • wap
  • USB compatible
  • 2.8" QVGA Capacitive touch screen
  • width: 54.8 mm
  • length: 102.8 mm
  • depth: 12.9 mm
  • weight: 92g
  • standby: 12.5 days
  • talk time: 3 hours

 

General

The S5600 certainly does its best to stand out with its bright white shell and minimalistic sleek design however this is something which I found very necessary as its small size teamed with its curved back design it does feel rather small in the hand especially when taking a call. That said I am a fan of Samsung touch screen devices as a whole and certainly design wise the S5600 did not disappoint.

The phone feels very light indeed largely due to the plastic case however it does not feel to cheap which in the past has often been the case with lighter devices. The screen is a 2.8” touch screen and the device also houses a nifty 3.2 Megapixel camera.

The front of the device is largely dominated by the 2.8” touch screen however unlike some other devices it is not all conquering and the large call and return keys certainly take a certain amount of space. Another important thing to mention is that unlike some other touch screen devices the front is completely plush meaning the touch screen is not set back at all from its surroundings.

The Samsung S5600 front view

The Samsung S5600 front view

 

The left of the device is as you can see extremely clean with a single two way volume rocker. Also the curved back design of the phone really adds to the device creating a sleek clutter free phone.

5600_left

The Samsung S5600 left side

 

The right of the S5600 continues the minimalistic theme with just two buttons one being used to lock the screen and of course the one step shutter button.

The Samsung S5600 right side

The Samsung S5600 right side

 

The top of the phone although extremely well disguised is home to the mini USB connection used for charging the device and for using headphones with the device the connection as you can see is tucked nicely behind the cover and as I have said in a number of reviews it always pleases me to see a headphone input on the top of a device as it just makes it easier when carrying the phone in your pocket.

The Samsung S5600 top view

The Samsung S5600 top view

 

The back of the phone shows off the phone in all its rounded glory and also showcases the 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash which is certainly a welcome addition. Apart from that there is very little else to say about the back of the device apart from that it does complete a well presented stylish looking device well deserving of the Samsung branding.

The Samsung S5600 back view

The Samsung S5600 back view

 

Seen here are is the SIM slot and the Micro SD slot which are both tucked safely underneath the battery. The phone can support up to 16GB via Micro SD which for a phone of this price is extremely impressive.

The Samsung S5600 internal view

The Samsung S5600 internal view

 

Highlight and Lowlights
+Affordable & Reliable
+Large touch screen display
-unreliable camera quality

 

Review

The Samsung S5600 is one of the latest touch screen handsets utilising Samsung’s touchwiz interface. The phone looks very similar to other Samsung touch screen devices most notably the Samsung Jet however what the 5600 however what it lacks in original styling it makes up for in value for money. Despite it not being over original in its design that certainly does not mean the S5600 is not an attractive mobile phone, its small, compact curved design feels very nice in the hand although when taking a call it does feel a bit on the small side.

The touchwiz interface brings a well presented user friendly interface to a touch screen device well capable of impressing. The colourful main menu is simple to navigate and everything can be found exactly where you would expect it to be. The home screen is a very interesting place to be, The widgets bar can as with other touchwiz devices be found on the left of the screen allowing quick access to your favourite features and applications however something which I think Samsung have done really well here are in theory three separate home screen each able to hold a number of widget and when I first discovered this I feared it would be a nightmare navigating between the three screens however a simple flick and that is it, even the wallpapers are created with this in mind.

Touch screen devices are usually clutter free button wise and the S5600 is no exception the three keys which can be found on most current touchwiz phones are present and somewhat on the large side however there function is simple call control and return. The screen I would like to say dominates the front of the device however that is not quite the case there is a fir amount of white casing around the screen which lies flush on the device. The screen is a very impressive touch screen not just in how it looks with colours being clear and distinct but also in the way it operates, it is very responsive and LAG between screens is kept to a minimum. One thing that did cause a slight concern and it is a slight concern is that as the screen is plush it does occasional lead to you accidently launching one of the quick launch features and the bottom of the screen when moving your hand around.

The S5600 comes equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash, the camera performs well for a camera of this quality however it is not class leading and although the picture quality is certainly capable of capturing those drunken nights out it does seem to lack the clarity and depth I have seen on phones with a similar spec camera. The flash does a decent job at assisting low light situations and is slightly less blinding than the Duel LED flash found on some Samsung touch screen devices. Welcome features include things such as Smile shot allowing you to capture a happy looking shot without fail and a panorama mode however that is about it, the phone does have autofocus which is touch and go and can often be a let down.

Disappointing yes but considering that this is one of the lower priced Samsung touch screen devices it becomes understandable and slightly more forgivable. Playback is enjoyable with the built in accelerometer and the large 2.8” display however given the sensitivity of the accelerometer I often found picture flicking back and fourth between the screen with the slightest of movements. The phone also included geotagging and a forward facing camera is present for video calling.

The S5600 is a little light on features and applications however this is expected from a lower priced device and despite this lack of an extensive applications set it does still offer a few cool features for the you to enjoy. The phone as you would expect features music playback and an FM radio via the headphone adapter which connects through the mini USB connection on, wait for it…. the top of the device, this is a great addition from Samsung as it finally means the phone will be able to fit nice and snug in your pocket without the unsightly bulge of the connection protruding from the side. Playback is certainly up to scratch and with storage of up to 16GB via micro SD you are unlikely to run into any problems with storage.

The touch Screen as I mentioned earlier does have its problems but these are very small indeed and can be overlooked and excused by the fact that the S5600 is a real joy to use, texting is not ruined as it often can be on touch screen devices by an over sensitive touch screen, Lag between menus and applications is minimal compared to others devices Samsung or otherwise. The large touchscreen also makes web browsing an enjoyable experience aided largely by the inclusion of 3G connectivity. Bluetooth adds to the connectivity on the S5600 as well as GPS.

The phone apart from what I said earlier about it being a little on the small side when taking a call does come up to scratch sound wise and although it may sound like a bit of an obvious thing to say I have encountered phones in the past that do have poor sound quality both on speak phone and used in the traditional way, they experience muffling and often static however the S5600 suffers from none of the above. The battery life is said to be 300 hours standby and 3 hours talk time which is quite frankly a but disappointment and I found having to charge the S5600 after just a days mild usage.

5600_angled_right

Conclusion

In conclusion the Samsung S5600 is a small, light and compact touch screen. Simple to use and a lower price tag, perfect? No far from it but that does not take away from the fact that the S5600 from Samsung is a great little phone perfect for the average user looking for a ‘safe bet’ a reliable phone with some great attributes.

 

Review by: Nick

Posted in: Reviews
By August 13, 2009 Read More →

Panasonic HDC-SD10 review

Introduction

The High Definition HCD-SD10 is Panasonics almost identical twin of the TM10. With a range of camcorders to choose at the moment, is this going to be the one in your pocket?

The Panasonic HDC-SD10

The Panasonic HDC-SD10

 

What’s in the box?

  • SD10 Video Camera
  • Li-ion rechargeable battery, 7.2V/725mAh
  • AC adaptor
  • AC and DC cable
  • USB cable
  • Component cable
  • AV cable
  • Stylus pen
  • Software CD

Also take a look at Matt’s Panasonic SD10 unboxing video for more.

 

Panasonic HDC-SD10 Specification:

  • Image Sensor: 1/6" MOS
  • Total Pixels: 1.47 megapixels
  • Motion Image: 1.17 megapixels [16:9]
  • Still Image: 1.17 megapixels [16:9]
  • F Value: F1.8(WIDE)/2.8(TELE)
  • Optical Zoom: 16x
  • Digital Zoom: 40x- 1000x
  • Focal Length: 2.95-47.2 mm
  • Filter Diameter: 30.5mm
  • 35mm Film camera Equivalent: 44.1-706mm (16:9)
  • Minimum Illumination: 9 lx (1/25 Low Light Mode) / 1 lx (Colour Night View Mode)
  • Image Stabilizer: Advanced O.I.S. [Optical Image Stabilization] with Active Mode
  • Focus: Auto / Manual
  • White Balance: Auto / Indoor1 / Indoor2 / Sunny / Cloudy / White set
  • Motion Image: Auto Slow Shutter ON : 1/25-1/8000 , OFF : 1/50-1/8000
  • Still Image: Auto Slow Shutter ON : 1/25-1/8000 , OFF : 1/50-1/8000(Progressive : 1/25-1/500)
  • Backlight Compensation
  • Monitor(LCD): 2.7 Wide LCD
  • Recording Format: JPEG
  • Still Picture: 2.1 megapixels (1920 x 1080) [16:9]
  • Flash: Yes
  • Pict Bridge: Yes
  • Recording Format: MPEG4-AVC/H.264 (AVCHD standard compliant)
  • Recording Mode: HA (17Mbps / VBR) , (1920 x 1080) / HG (13Mbps / VBR) , (1920 x 1080) / HX (9Mbps / VBR) , (1920 x 1080) / HE (6Mbps / VBR) , (1440 x 1080)
  • Playback Mode: HA (17Mbps / VBR) , (1920 x 1080) / HG (13Mbps / VBR) , (1920 x 1080) / HX (9Mbps / VBR) , (1920 x 1080) / HE (6Mbps / VBR) , (1440 x 1080)
  • Audio Recording System: Dolby Digital (2ch)
  • Microphone: 2ch Stereo, Zoom mic.
  • Speaker: Dynamic type
  • AV Out
  • HDMI (mini)
  • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
  • Video component

 

General

As soon as you remove this from its box you appreciate just how small and light it is, the cube shaped battery makes up a large portion of the camcorders size. And yet for a small unit it is packed with lots of features.

Rear: Video record; battery release; mode switch

Panasonic HDC-SD10 back view

Panasonic HDC-SD10 back view

 

Top: Optical image stabiliser; intelligent Auto (iA) button; zoom lever; photoshot button; SD card slot

Panasonic HDC-SD10 top view

Panasonic HDC-SD10 top view

 

Underneath: Tripod socket

Left: Touch screen LCD display with record, zoom, menu, light and delete buttons; PRE-REC button; power button; battery compartment; component socket; HDMI socket; USB2.0 socket; AV socket

Panasonic HDC-SD10 left side

Panasonic HDC-SD10 left side

 

Right: Grip belt, lens cover switch, SD activity light

sd10_angled

 

Highlights

  • Compact
  • Lightweight
  • 16 x optical and 1000x digital zoom
  • Easy to use
  • SD card
  • Nice feel

Lowlights

  • No internal memory
  • Not keen on fast panning

 

Review

Considering you could spend a week reading up on all the features and how to use them, this is a straightforward point and shoot video camera that a novice could use with ease.

After you first turn the unit on, you can power on or off by opening and closing the LCD display. The touch screen display is simple to use and even comes with a plastic stylus which looks like someone has run over a whistle with a steamroller. At first I thought that the small size would make operating difficult, but once I slipped my hand into the grip and tightened it, the unit felt comfortable and operating it was easy and painless.

There isn’t any internal memory, so a high capacity SD card is recommended as you can record around 8 minutes of high definition video per GB. This is the only difference between this camcorder and the TM10 which comes with 8 GB of internal memory.

The SD10 has some good features including 16 x optical zoom, the PRE REC button which records 3 seconds before you actually press the record button, so you don’t miss any ‘You’ve been framed moments’ and Panasonic’s Optical Image Stabiliser which helps eliminate a lot of the camera wobble. You will find that if you try to pan the camera fast a warning will come up saying ‘Camera panning to fast’ , this is more noticeable whilst zooming.

As well as downloading to your PC you have the ability to download your videos straight to a recorded media and your photos to a printer with PictBridge. The still pictures are taken at around 1.17 megapixels which nowadays isn’t anything amazing but this is a camcorder not a camera and its features like this that allow you to take one device out with you and enjoy yourself.

 

 

Software

The software supplied was adequate and converted the videos into the m2ts format so that you could burn them onto Blu-ray. My test videos didn’t run properly through media player so I had to watch them through the supplied software.

sd10_lens

Conclusion

This is a wonderful little unit, light and small enough to fit in a good sized pocket or small handbag and yet packed full of features which make this camera ideal for a beginner through to someone that wants to have a bit more control.

There is a dilemma, if you bought the TM10 instead of this (for around £25-30 more) you would get the same camera but with 8GB of internal memory or you could buy the SD10 without the internal memory but with the savings go out and buy a larger memory card. Whichever choice you make, it will be a good one.

 

Review by: Gary

Posted in: Reviews
By August 10, 2009 Read More →

Apple iPhone 3GS Review

The iPhone 3GS is exclusive to O2 in the UK and is an upgraded version of the iPhone 3G. It’s being marketed as “The fastest, most powerful iPhone yet!”. Hopefully it won’t disappoint!

I know there has been a lot of hype about Apple’s iPhones, but even though I have seen them in action, I have never understood why they are so popular. I’ve never owned an iPhone or iPod so this will definitely be an interesting review.

3GS_angled_right The Apple iPhone 3GS (exclusive to O2 in the UK)

What’s in the box?

  • Apple iPhone 3GS handset
  • Stereo earphones/handsfree
  • Sim card ejector
  • Manual
  • USB cable (proprietary connection to the phone)
  • Mains plug (the USB cable connects to this)

Apple iPhone 3GS specifications:

  • Size: H=115.5mm (4.5 inches), W=62.1mm (2.4 inches), D=12.3mm (0.48 inches)
  • Weight: 135 grams (4.8 ounces)
  • Mobile and wireless:
    • UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
    • GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
    • Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
    • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
  • Location: Assisted GPS / Digital compass / Wi-Fi / Mobile
  • Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
    • Talk time: Up to 12 hours on 2G and Up to 5 hours on 3G
    • Standby time: Up to 300 hours
    • Internet use:Up to 5 hours on 3G and Up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi
    • Video playback: Up to 10 hours
    • Audio playback: Up to 30 hours
  • Capacity: 16GB or 32GB flash Drive
  • Colour: Black or white
  • Display:
    • 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
    • 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 ppi
    • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
    • Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously
  • Audio playback:
    • Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
    • Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV
    • User-configurable maximum volume limit
  • Video playback: Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
  • Camera, Photos and Video:
    • 3 megapixels
    • Autofocus
    • Tap to focus
    • Video recording, VGA up to 30 fps with audio
    • Photo and video geotagging
    • iPhone and third-party application integration
  • Sensors: Accelerometer / Proximity sensor / Ambient light sensor

As you can see, there is a lot on information regarding the specifications of the 3GS. What is listed above are just the main details which I have selected. For more information you can visit the Apple site.

General:

Front – The large 3.5 inch display takes up most of the front of the phone. The dimple at the bottom is the menu button.

3GS_front Apple iPhone 3GS – front view

Top – On the top there is a 3.5mm headphone jack. The sim card is located in the top and is taken out by using the ejector. There is also a lock/unlock button (or rather a lock/activate button as you have to use the on-screen slide function to unlock the phone) If you want to know where to buy an apple sim card, just simply visit a site like https://www.gigsky.com/post/where-can-i-buy-an-apple-sim-card-heres-the-answer to find one.

3GS_top Apple iPhone 3GS – top view

Bottom – There are two small loud speakers on the bottom of the phone along with the docking/charging connection.

3GS_bottomApple iPhone 3GS – bottom view

Left – Here you have a mute/unmute switch and an up/down rocker button.

3GS_left Apple iPhone 3GS – left side view

Right – There is nothing on this side! Very neat and tidy!

Back – The 3MP camera is located at the top left of the back of the phone. The only other items on the back are Apple’s logo and other print (eg. Capacity)

3GS_back Apple iPhone 3GS – back view

Highlights:

  • Stylish handset
  • Curved sides make it comfortable to hold
  • Excellent touch screen
  • On screen QWERTY keyboard easy to use
  • Apps store offers a vast array of apps
  • 3MP camera

Lowlights:

  • No docking unit provided in the phone’s package
  • No camera flash
  • Unable to multitask
  • Must download from the apps store/iTunes
  • No camera flash

Review:

The first thing that surprised me when I received the iPhone 3GS was just how small the box was! Opening it up I emptied the contents – a nice, new and shiny 3GS with a lovely glossy black back to it. Its curved edges make it fit nicely in your hand and lack of buttons (because of course it’s a touch screen) give it a look of class and quality.

Next was the neatly packaged documents along with the sim card ejector, then the earphones, USB cable, power adaptor, and. wait a minute. is that it?? I don’t know what else I was expecting really as this is generally the extent of what you would receive with most phones! Just thought that there should be something else fancy in the box as the iPhone 3GS is quite expensive!

The iPhone 3GS is available in two colours, black and white. It’s also available in two storage capacities, 16GB and 32GB. As mentioned, it’s exclusive to 02 here in the UK.

3GS_angled_left

Once I’d switched the phone on and unlocked the screen using the trademark slide ‘button’ I straight away saw part of the iPhone’s appeal. The display is absolutely crystal clear and the touch screen is a pleasure to use. The sensitivity is brilliant and navigating through the phone is so easy because of this. I found myself just flicking through all of the inbuilt features just to play about with the touch screen!

If you have a look at pictures of the 3G and 3GS you may wonder what’s so different about them. To look at there isn’t too much of a difference. The 3GS is slightly heavier and has a different finish to the body of it which is apparently water and oil resistant. I didn’t test this out of course!

With the 3GS the difference lies with the “S” – for Speed. Without getting too technical, the processor speed is faster, graphics capability is has increased, and the battery life is extended. Of course, I had mentioned that I’ve never owned an iPhone so I couldn’t tell you if it was actually better than the 3G. What I can tell you is that the performance and quality of the 3GS is definitely very good.

There are more features on the 3GS, and it seems that Apple have been listening to their iPhone and iPhone 3G customers. Mind you, this was evident when they released the upgraded OS3 software with the added features current users were crying out for (eg. the copy and paste function). Here are some other extras featured on the 3GS which were not on the 3G:-

  • Video recording capability
  • 3MP camera (upgraded from the 2MP camera on the 3G)
  • Voice control for calls and music control
  • Nike+ support
  • Digital compass (which I find to be a strange feature to use as one of their selling points!)
  • The earphones packaged with the 3GS have music controls.

I like to text a lot so checking how easy the keypad/keyboard is to use on a phone is an important one for me. The 3GS has a QWERTY keyboard which can be use in portrait or landscape mode. I’ve never really been a fan of touch screen QWERTY keyboards as I find pressing the wrong key just happens to often. As there are no defined individual buttons and the ‘buttons’ are situated so close together I’ve always found that there’s just no getting away from the “big thumb syndrome” which in turn slows down your typing to a frustratingly slow pace.

STOP! Wait a minute! Texting on the iPhone 3GS QWERTY touchscreen keyboard is fantastic! I have been converted! The screen is so responsive and the predictive typing that it offers too helps out just in case of a typing error. Definitely a nice surprise!

Setting up email on the 3GS is a breeze and of course typing emails will be a pleasure on this keyboard! Again, Apple have included Wi-Fi on their phone which is straight forward to set up so regardless of the price plan you choose you can surf the web and check your emails using this connection.

“An app for everything”??? This is what Apple have been saying in their adverts. Checking out the Apps Store for the first time was really interesting, and you know what? I think Apple are right! There does seem to be an application for just about anything! There are loads of free apps too so you don’t need to spend much money (if any at all) filling up your menu with fancy new apps. You’ll find yourself browsing for ages just to see what else you could download – it’s almost addictive!

Downloading and app is very straight forward too. It takes longer the first time as you need to register by entering all your details, including bank card details. Of course, if you have already registered from using a previous iPhone or iPod Touch you can just log in using your existing details.

The camera has been upgraded from a 2MP to a 3MP one. This now makes iPhone a competitor in the camera phone market as it’s an average quality camera. But it’s still not great. There’s no flash and no zoom. You can however get some pretty decent photos in good lighting.

The new addition of the ‘Tap to focus’ feature makes focusing in to the subject you want it to much easier. A square will appear where you have taped and the camera will then adjust its settings such as the white balance, exposure, contrast, etc.  to compose the picture as best it can for the subject in focus. If you choose not to tap the screen to focus on a particular subject the camera will just focus the entire frame.

It appears that it’s been a long time coming for the iPhone – Video recording! Yes, the 3GS can record video footage. The quality level it uses for this is 3fps in VGA mode. Not brilliant but better than nothing. Forget taking photos or videos in low light though. The lack of a flash really reduces the capability of the camera here. This is a real shame as the phone’s excellent quality screen is great for viewing photos on.

The graphics in the 3GS is brilliant and can be appreciated most when playing video and games. There is the built in YouTube player for quick access to video clips and of course the App Store offers many games for you to play with. Just seems so convenient!

I’ve heard from a few people and from reading forums about how the iPhone range doesn’t have the capability to multitask. I guess this would be a disappointment for some people. But this really depends on how you use your phone, and what you use it for. I personally didn’t find this a problem.

To make a call you can glide through your contacts or type in the number you want on the huge numerical keypad. The call quality always depends on the coverage in your area and that of person you are speaking to. I had no issues with the call quality. It was clear and loud enough. The speakers on the  3GS (located at the bottom of the phone”) are pretty good when using the speakerphone.

Voice control was left out on the previous iPhone models which is surprising. On the 3GS you can now hold down the menu/home button until the voice control view shows. You can then say the contact’s name or number you want to call and will receive audio confirmation as well as the contacts details showing on the screen. That’s not all though. Apple have of course gone further, and the voice control can also be used when listening to music to play, stop, shuffle, etc.. You can even ask it what song is playing and you will receive audio feedback giving you your answer. Fantastic!

This leads me onto something that I had almost forgotten about. The iPod music player! The large screen makes it so easy to browse through your music collection and with 16 or even 32GB of space you will be able to fit shed loads of music onto the phone! You can download tracks from iTunes, and with OS3 on the phone you can also rent or purchase TV shows and audio books.

Lastly I will mention web browsing. Although you can’t expect amazing speeds from a mobile phone the 3GS is a pleasure to browse the web with due to the large display and responsive touch screen. The iPhone’s way of zooming in and out really helps to enhance the browsing experience as with many other phones you would need to enter into a menu to find the zoom in and out options.

Conclusion:

The Apple iPhone 3GS (exclusive to O2) has definitely opened my eyes to the world of the iPhone. The phone is stylish an one to be proud to show off to your friends.

I’ve never been a fan of touch screen keyboards, especially full QWERTY ones. But if you have read through the review you will know that my opinion has been completely changed.

The interface in which Apple have used make it so easy to type out messages, navigate through the menu and browse the web. There are so many applications in the Apps Store that you would never tire of looking for a new fancy app to play about with.

Disappointing that the camera wasn’t anything special. So if you’re looking for a camera phone this is not the phone for you.

I could have gone on for ages (which I did. but I mean ages!) about the iPhone 3GS as it’s just so jam packed with features. If I’ve missed anything out that you have any questions about you can just browse the web – there’s loads out there about this phone.

Well, definitely a thumbs up from me and I can now say that I finally see what the hype was all about!

Reviewed by: Emma

Posted in: Reviews
By August 8, 2009 Read More →

Sony Ericsson C903 review

The C903 s yet another offering in the worryingly large Cybershot range from Sony Ericsson. It has been seen by many as the little brother to the C905 and in many ways I would have to agree, a smaller price tag, a drop from 8MP to 5MP and the presence of the somewhat familiar Sony Ericsson navigation.

That said the C903 does manage to maintain its own personality and looks, well sort of, it is a slider like its older brother but does still have a unique look and styling.

The Sony Ericsson C903

The Sony Ericsson C903

 

Whats in the box?

  • Sony Ericsson C903
  • Battery 
  • Charger
  • Stereo portable handsfree HPM-62
  • User guide

Note that there was no USB transfer cable in the box with the review device so I don’t know if this was simply missing or if this handset simply doesn’t come with one.

Have a look at Matt’s Sony Ericsson C903 unboxing video for more.

 

Sony Ericsson C903 specification:

  • Size – 97 x 49 x 16 mm
  • Weight – 96 g
  • Screen – 262,144-colour TFT QVGA – 240×320 pixel
  • Memory – 130 MB Phone Memory
  • Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) support
  • Networks – EDGE, GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, HSDPA, UMTS 1900, UMTS 2100
  • Camera – 5 megapixel camera
    – Photo flash
    – Auto focus
    – Face detection
    – Geo-tagging
  • Media player
  • Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
  • Google Maps™
  • aGPS
  • Wayfinder Navigator™ (3-month trial version)
  • FM Radio with RDS
  • YouTube™
  • TV-out

 

General

As mentioned the C903 is a slider and although we have seen many slider from the cybershot range and Sony Ericsson in general the C903 still manages to establish a distinctive look easily recognisable with the range of colours available. As Matt stated in the unboxing the C903 does have a very plastic like feel and this is something which you would usually associate with perhaps cheaper products on the market however the C903 is not a particularly cheap phone and I have to say I was surprised that although the device is housed in this plastic case it still manages to maintain a solid, well built quality feel.

Sony Ericsson C903 bottom view

Sony Ericsson C903 bottom view

 

The C903 is is also somewhat weighty, not as heavy as the C905 but still fairly substantial and from experience this is something I have discovered with allot of Sliders, but overall I was impressed with the look and feel of the C903. As I mentioned the C903 comes in a range of colours and the one I reviewed was the very sleek looking piano gloss black model which I managed to keep surprisingly finger print free.

The Front of the C903 from Sony Ericsson is I think an extremely sleek and stylish looking device it offer clean symmetrical styling which is something I think Sony Ericsson do really well, so often you see a device with cluttered presentation which tends to just look messy. When Open the phone again remains clean and sleek with a brushed silver effect numeric pad which unfortunately for some does not include individual buttons but given the size of each key this should not present the average user with many problems. One thing I will mention is ‘shake’ on some slider when open the display panel can occasional feel loose and shake however with the C903 it feels very secure which just backs up the build quality of this device and although the plastic case hints otherwise the device is clearly a well though through well constructed phone.

Sony Ericsson C903 front view

Sony Ericsson C903 front view

 

The left side of the C903 continues the clean and sleek style with a simple Sony Ericsson proprietary connection input and although what looks like it should be a M2 memory card slot is in in fact just the Memory type logo allowing you to see where under the cover your card is which as you cannot access it externally seems to me a little pointless.

Sony Ericsson C903 left side

Sony Ericsson C903 left side

 

The right hand side of the device houses from top to bottom, volume rocker, playback and camera quick launch control and finally the dedicated 2 step shutter button. Again the silver stripe is present which does continue in some form around all sides of the C903.

Sony Ericsson C903 right side

Sony Ericsson C903 right side

 

The back of the device in true cybershot style features the quick launch lens cover which interestingly spans the length of the phone and slides down away from the shutter button which unlike other phones sets the C903 up for standard landscape shots instead of the phone favoured natural portrait which does make the phone feel allot more like a digital camera than other phones out on the market. The lens is accompanied by a dual LED flash.

c903_back_closed c903_back_open

Sony Ericsson C903 back view

 

Highlights

+feature packed high quality camera
+battery life

Lowlights
-no forward facing camera

Review

One of the issues with expanding a line of phones as rapidly as Sony Ericsson seems to be doing with the Cybershot range is that very quickly each new device struggles more and more to set itself apart from the last and this is something I certainly found with the C903. The problem is it does not feel that they have a place in the range and that they may be lacking somewhat when it comes to others for example want a decent camera go for the C905, want decent build quality at a lower price grab a C510 and this is a problem I found throughout using the C903 I just felt almost that I could do better elsewhere however despite this apprehension I decided that as every person deserves a chance so does every mobile phone so on with the review.

First of all style wise although not groundbreaking the C903 is a very decent stylish looking piece of kit, the clean, sleek design lends itself perfectly to the build quality which on a slider phone can often be shaky in more ways than one. The C903 is clearly a well though out phone design wise, buttons are easily accessible and everything is where you would expect it to be. As I mentioned earlier the numeric keypad is something which I am personally not a fan of what I am referring to is that the the C903 does not feature individual keys and although they are large enough to make them easy to use the fact that there is no clear divide between keys does lead to a few slips of the thumb, these keypads will require your full attention leaving very little opportunity for a sly text under the table.

Sony Ericsson C903 keypad

Sony Ericsson C903 keypad

 

The phone is as with any Sony Ericsson these days extremely simple to use as you would expect from a device like this, menu navigation is effortless and if you have used any Sony Ericsson is the past year I would not bet against you being to able to find your way around the phone with your eyes closed which is not necessarily a bad thing, although the C903 may throw a curve ball or two along the way. One addition to the main menu is the Location Services icon this acts as your HUB as it were for all things navigation, through this you are able to launch services and features such as NearMe, Google Maps, Navigation and the name tracker could possibly fill you with fear however it is in fact a harmless training aid allowing you to track, set and monitor a personal running or walking workout. NearMe was something I really liked on the phone as well, it acts in a similar way to Points of interest on a Satnav offering local attractions from the database. The phone comes bundled with all the Sony Ericsson associated software we have come to expect from simple features such as the organiser, calculator etc. to the more advanced video, photo and music DJ which are always nice to have.

Being a cybershot phone it is important that the device lives up to the name of the Sony Cybershot range. I have never been disappointed by a cybershot shot phone when it comes to the camera and have often found them vastly superior to other camera phones on the market and I am pleased to say that the C903 does not let this record down. It is a 5 megapixel camera with a dual LED flash, on the surface nothing special but they seem to have a knack of getting the best out of every level of camera whether it be 3,5 or 8 megapixel the colours are always fantastic, sharp and defined and ease of use is another big pull for the Sony Ericsson cybershot range.

The C903 camera boasts a massive 16X digital zoom which although is not always the most effective option especially at close range to see it included on a mobile phone is a real bonus, the dual LED flash is great for taking shots in low light situations however something I have found with dual LED flashes is that they do tend to somewhat blinding when used to capture people in your shots, fine for scenery etc. however it almost becomes impossible to capture people without blinding them in the process. Playback allows for quick viewing of your photos enhanced by the C903’s built in accelerometer which can also be used in video playback. TV out is possible with the C903 however Sony Ericsson have not included the relevant cables for a phone costing around £260 is a bit of a disappointment. The usual camera modes and features are present on the C903 including of course macro mode, face detection and auto focus. Geotagging is also included on the device which is yet another fun feature that Sony Ericsson is making a habit of including. One thing that did surprise me as almost every phone I have encountered in the past year have included it is the lack of a forward facing camera meaning the C903 is not capable of video calling which for some may come as a bit of a set back.

Music playback is as you may expect from Sony Ericsson the people behind the walkman range very impressive, the navigation works in much the same way as the walkman range however will not have you stumped if you are unfamiliar with Sony Ericsson devices. Sound quality through headphones is crisp however the old problem of not only the large Sony Ericsson connection but also the fact they insist on placing in on the side of the device which just makes carrying the phone in your pocket an uncomfortable experience. The C903 also included an FM radio and the fantastic track ID and with the M2 card support of up to 16GB the C903 in unlikely to let you down storage wise.

The Sony Ericsson C903 is a 3G device and as a result extremely fast when it comes to web browsing the screen is a fair size and the accelerometer means using the phone to update your facebook status or check you email is an enjoyable experience however heavy usage browsing did become a bit of a problem just because of the amount of information that can be presented on the screen at once compared to the likes of the touch screen devices available today. And of course heavy browsing can impact heavily on battery life, speaking of which the battery life of the C903 in quoted at 10 hours talk time and 400 hours stand by which is highly impressive and although it will differ depending on the usage of the device you will certainly find yourself reaching for the charge less often than you may be used to. It always makes me laugh how the mention of the actual phone doing what a phone should do is now often left to the end of the review but that said the C903 has very clear speaker and I had no problem with muffling or stutter and the speaker is certainly loud enough for those apprentice style moments.

c903_angled_right_closed

Conclusion

Overall the C903 is yet another solid offering from Sony Ericsson which will not disappoint however I was left as I said earlier feeling as though this phone as good as it is may be slightly unnecessary I feel that the cybershot range has now become a solid bet for those in the market for a new phone, they are all reliable devices which will not let you down and it more a case of pick the one you like the look of, a sad state of affairs or a great move by Sony Ericsson to give the customer a greater choice allowing for a more individual style perfectly matching the personality of the user.

 

Review by: Nick

Posted in: Reviews
By August 6, 2009 Read More →

HTC Hero review

Straight off the back of my HTC Magic review, and earlier than expected, Matt called to announce we have one of only 2 HTC Hero handsets in the country but we haven’t got it for long, as apparently it’s quite popular already.

How will it stack up against the Magic? I was pleased overall with the Magic and would have been tempted to buy one if it wasn’t for the Samsung Galaxy and Hero due to be released, so was the wait worth it?

As Matt mentioned in his HTC Hero unboxing video this is probably the final retail unit, but not the final box.

Edit – the final box is now available here.

The HTC Hero

The HTC Hero

 

What is in the box?

  • HTC Hero
  • USB to miniUSB sync / charge cable
  • USB adaptor to AC charger with UK plug
  • Stereo headset

HTC Hero Specification:

  • Processor: Qualcomm® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz
  • Operating System: Android™
  • Memory:  ROM: 512 MB / RAM: 288 MB
  • Display: 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 320×480 HVGA resolution
  • Network:  HSPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz – Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds
    – Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
  • Device Control: Trackball with Enter button
  • GPS: Internal GPS antenna
  • Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
  • Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
  • HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
  • Camera: 5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus
  • Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery Capacity: 1350 mAh
  • Talk time: Up to 470 minutes for GSM
  • Standby time: Up to 440 hours for GSM
  • Expansion Slot: microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
  • G-sensor
  • Digital Compass
  • Dimensions (LxWxT): 112 x 56.2 x 14.35 mm (4.41 x 2.21 x 0.57 inches)
  • Weight: 135 grams ( 4.76 ounces) with battery

General

The top of the device is the slot for removing the back as well and the much welcomed 3.5mm audio jack

HTC Hero top view

HTC Hero top view

 

The left hand side is the recessed up/down volume rocker which fits nicely with the bevelled shape of the Hero. There is also a small logo stating ‘HTC innovation’.

HTC Hero left side

HTC Hero left side

 

Nothing on the Right hand side as with the Magic

hero_right 

HTC Hero right side

 

The base as the miniUSB sync / charge housing which is next to the microphone hole

HTC Hero bottom view

HTC Hero bottom view

 

The back of the phone is found the F2.8 Auto Focus 5 mega pixel camera, once again lacking any flash or portrait mirror. In the middle of the back casing is the lanyard hole and at the top beside the camera a speaker hole.

HTC Hero back view

HTC Hero back view

 

On front of the HTC Hero there is a large slot holding the earpiece, under which is the brilliant 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 320×480 HVGA resolution, covered in the review.

HTC Hero front view

HTC Hero front view

 

Next is a row of 4 buttons from left to right the ‘answer’ button, ‘home’, ‘menu’ and finally the ‘end / power’ button.

Below which is the trackball and a longer rocking button which is ‘search’ on the left and ‘back’ on the right.

Overall the device is a good size, again, being a good compromise between a big enough screen and not too big a phone. It feels well made, with a silver bezel running ¾ of the way around the sides and top, as picked up in the video the 4 buttons on the front, are also highlighted in the same.

The talked about lip on the bottom of the device wasn’t an issue for me and made the device easy to handle and although I expected not to like it (because if it jutting out and being noticeable in the pocket) it really wasn’t a problem. When on desk face down it actually lifts the majority, if not all, of the screen away from the surface and stops it getting scratched.

Software

I am not going to cover this is great dept as it has been done on Matt’s preview at the launch and also covered on the G1 and Magic reviews. I would like to mention a few highlights for me.

The new HTC sense UI is a great step forward, and with the additions of things like ‘aHome’ and the normal ‘Android’ home makes the device very customisable, but out of the 3, I now prefer the new HTC variant. You can change the screen regularly to stop it getting tired and you can have it as cluttered or basic as you like.

clip_image002clip_image004clip_image006

Points of note here is the introduction of the widgets which can be added or not as you wish, me being a gadget freak couldn’t have enough of them. Handy inclusions are application widgets, as seen, which allow you to quickly turn on and off things like Wifi, Bluetooth or GPS on the tap of the screen. I have also included a countdown widget to important events such as cycling to Paris.

clip_image008clip_image010

Further extras, like a bookmark widget for your most commonly used websites, and shown here a twitter widget. Not to mention the improved and impressive keyboard.

clip_image012

All add together to make life easier and a pleasure to use.

Matt has also lent me some software to try out and me, being me, thought I’d try to get it to work on the android, it was at this point that I realised there is no File Manager on the HTC Hero, or the Magic come to that, fortunately the ‘Market’ came to my rescue with the free download of ‘Astro’ which let me interrogate the SD card. Just one example that for all the things the manufacturers omit, someone out there has solved it and developed it, mostly free of charge, I like android.

Review

In an awful lot of ways this is exactly the same as the Magic, different people will have different views as to which they prefer, Me, I prefer the HTC Hero, as for me it looks more professional and the black/chocolate/grey version looks even better. Put side by side with the Magic the Hero is slightly longer and pretty much identical in width and depth. The addition of the Sense UI is a huge step forward and I liked it so much I added a similar style interface to my trusty old Asus P526 as well.

The screen is, as with the Magic, brilliant, it is totally responsive with even the lightest of touches. Swiping the home from side to side is registered immediately without the need to keep repeating the actions as with previous less sensitive models. I have been using my Diamond a little this week and I have to admit the Hero makes if feel silly and sluggish.

The camera has seen an upgrade to 5 mega pixel from the Magic and although better still not that good, missing the flash etc. Still a lot of room for improvement HTC.

HTC Hero camera and MicroSD card slot

HTC Hero camera and MicroSD card slot

 

The call quality is also up to the job as with the Magic, I have read about issues with these units freezing up, but I must say that I have found the Hero to be completely reliable and no issues at all.

There is a issue in trying to sync these devices with Windows, having to download and install the SDK (458 MB) wasn’t the easiest thing to do in the world, and once loaded it wasn’t that easy to use either, that said sync with Gmail and contacts was a doddle and easy to set up straight from the off with the phone doing most of the work, as soon as you register or log in via the initial set up screens.

Conclusion

I like it, I prefer it to the Magic, but that is personal choice and I am sure many will like the Magic over the Hero.

The day to day use and the endlessly customisable screens make this device great to pick up and play with in quieter moments. The automatic updating of weather, twitter and so on keeps everything up to date and current without any hassle.

Would I buy one? I might well; I just need to have a look at the Samsung Galaxy (i7500) to be sure. A leap to the android side is definitely on the cards, but I will still have to have a windows variant hanging around as well.

From what I hear the Galaxy is not far away and hopefully with the swift release of the Hero, Samsung may be obliged to get their finger out. Overall being spoilt for choice can’t be a bad thing.

 

Review by: Steve

Posted in: Reviews
By August 5, 2009 Read More →

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD Review

Introduction:

The Samsung i8910 Omnia HD is the first mobile device capable of HD video recording and playback. This snazzy feature will certainly generate some interest but there is a whole lot more to the Omnia HD as it has superb specs all round.

omnia_angled_right

The Samsung i8910 Omnia HD

 

The ten second review:

Device: Samsung i8910 Omnia HD

Price: £451.95

Summary: A top end Symbian S60 device sporting HD capabilities and an 8MP camera.

Best of: 8GB internal storage, HSDPA, WiFi, Camera.

Worst of: Symbian OS, Quick office, Dimensions.

 

What’s in the box:

  • Handset
  • Battery
  • Charger
  • USB Cable
  • In Line Headset
  • Software Disc
  • Manual

 

Take a look at Matt’s Samsung Omnia HD unboxing video for more details.

 

Samsung Omnia HD Specification:

  • Dimensions: 123x 58 x 12.9mm
  • Symbian OS 9.4 Series 60 5th Edition
  • Weight: 149g
  • Battery: Capacity – 1500 mAh
  • Display: 360 x 640 pixels/3.7 inch
  • GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 (Quad-Band)
  • Camera: 8 mega-pixels (auto-focus)
  • HD Video Recording (24fps)
  • Video Streaming
  • E-mail (POP3, SMTP, IMAP4, MS Exchange)
  • 8GB (internal)
  • microSDHC (external)
  • microUSB
  • 3.5mm AV connector
  • Bluetooth (2.0)
  • AGPS
  • Digital Compass
  • HDMI TV Out
  • Office Document Viewer

General:

The top of the handset contains a speaker and also the 3.5 headset jack. It has a nice plastic cover to protect it.

Samsung Omnia HD top view

Samsung Omnia HD top view

 

The bottom of the device houses another speaker and also the microphone.

omnia_bottom

Samsung Omnia HD bottom view

 

The left hand side of the Omnia HD contains the microSD card slot and also an up/down volume rocker.

Samsung Omnia HD left side

Samsung Omnia HD left side

 

The right hand side has the phone lock button, the USB port and also the dedicated camera button.

Samsung Omnia HD right side

Samsung Omnia HD right side

 

At the top of the front of the device is the front facing camera and also a light sensor. At the bottom are the send, end and menu keys.

Samsung Omnia HD front view Samsung Omnia HD keypad view

Samsung Omnia HD front view

 

The back of the handset contains the 8MP camera lens and the flash.

Samsung Omnia HD back view

Samsung Omnia HD back view

 

Review:

Part of me was excited about reviewing the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD and part of me wasn’t. I was looking forward to checking out the hardware but the Symbian operating system defiantly does nothing for me. Anyway, I decided I would give the device a fair review so here goes.

The Omnia HD is a big handset. That’s not a bad thing but it can make using the handset one handed a slight problem. I couldn’t actually reach my thumb to the top left corner of the screen. Like many other devices the Omnia HD has a 3.7 inch screen but unlike other devices it also has a few centimetres above and below the screen. I was comparing the phone to the HTC Touch HD. The Omnia HD is not as wide as the Touch HD but is defiantly taller. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing I don’t know. It all comes down to personal preference. I would have a go of the handset in store before deciding if it’s the right one for you. Especially if you have small hands!

The device certainly feels well made. In fact it feels a bit of a beast in the hand. It’s quite weighty and feels almost rugged. The hardware buttons on the phone are made from a combination of plastic and metal and I would say they are built to last.

Like the recently launched Samsung Jet, the Omnia HD sports an AMOLED screen. This produces crisp bright vibrant colours that defiantly give the home screen the wow factor. The only downside is that it’s not great outside in direct sunlight.

Like many recent Samsung devices the Omnia HD uses Samsungs Touchwiz interface. This is a nice way of customising the three home screens with widgets. Each screen can contain different widgets and the theory is that this makes it easy to select your favourite programs. In reality though this was a bit of a pain as switching home screens can only be done once the widget bar is open. I could select programs in the menu using the same number of screen taps as if I was using the multiple home screens.

The Omnia HD has another feature while on the home screen. Swiping the screen to the right opens the main menu. A bit pointless I thought considering the device has a dedicated menu key between the send and end keys. Swiping to the left opens up a favourite contacts application. Here you can add your friends and family etc and have each one represented by there photo. This bit I liked.

At the bottom of the screen are four shortcut keys – telephone, contacts, messaging and menu. Yes a third way to access the menu! The screen is extremely responsive and these shortcut keys do a good job.

Using the on screen keyboard was a nice experience. The Omnia HD has three options for inputting text when creating a message. Option one is a standard alphanumeric keypad. The keys are really big and make typing with speed easy. The second option is a full QWERTY keypad which automatically switches the phone into landscape mode. Here the buttons are slightly smaller but still fairly easy to use. The QWERTY keyboard is made up of three rows of letters and can be switched with the tap of one key to access numbers and symbols. The third option is handwriting recognition. This works but certainly needs some practice. If you are in a hurry to compose an email or SMS then don’t bother with this option.

I was rather impressed with the camera on the Omnia HD. Most people think that more megapixels equal a better picture which is not the case. However the camera hardware is clearly of a reasonable quality as I took some pretty good pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41110738@N04/3785646440

The settings on the camera were very easy to use and if you had the original Omnia they are very similar.

Viewing images on the device is also good. You have the option to view them full screen and swipe to move to the next or there is a slideshow option.

Video recording on the Omnia HD was impressive. The phone is never going to replace a real HD camcorder but compared to all other mobile phones on the market its way better. You can actually record video and watch it full screen on a PC without the video appearing blocky. The video recording interface is just like the cameras so dead easy to use and tweak settings.

Listening to music on the Omnia HD was pretty good. The speaker was nice and loud and produced a good quality sound. Once I connected the supplied earphones in to the 3.5 headset jack (thank you Samsung) and performed my “Metallica” test I was blown away. The sound quality was fantastic and I cannot fault it at all, apart from me being a bit deaf now!

The music player interface is always nice on Samsungs. The buttons are a good size and everything is straight forward to use. Rotating the handset into Landscape mode removes the music players keys from the screen and replaces them with the album cover work. You can then swipe forward and back through all the albums and select the one of choice.

There is certainly plenty of room to store music, videos and pictures. The Omnia HD I was sent came with a respectable 8GB of onboard storage and the option to extend this with a microSD card. I believe there is also a 16GB version but either way that’s a tonne of storage space.

Web browsing on the Omnia HD was as good as I expected but as it’s a Symbian device its not the best browsing experience. The web pages themselves render well and reading what’s on the page is nice. One of the nicest features with the Omnia HD is that the web browser supports both flash and java. This will allow you to watch videos on websites without having to use dedicated applications such as youtube.

Zooming can be performed by either a double tap or there is a dedicated on screen key which pops a zoom bar onto the screen. This way you can select the level of zoom.

Rotating the phone allows for a landscape view but on both views I could not get the webpage to be full screen as there are always a few on screen buttons which I could not seem to get rid of. This problem does not exist on some other operating systems.

Whatever my personal opinions are, the browser does what it’s meant to and that is lets you browse and it performs well.

The Omnia HD has built in WiFi to make web browsing as fast as possible. If you do not have access to WiFi fear not as the handset comes with HSDPA/3G.

Another Symbian disappointment is the Quick Office document viewer. You have to buy an upgrade for it which really sucks. If you are buying the phone SIM-free and paying hundreds of pounds for it, in this day and age you would expect it to be easy to at least create a word document straight out of the box.

The Omnia HD has built in GPS and although my handset did not have any pre-installed navigation software on it I did download Google maps and the GPS found my location quickly.

omnia_angled_left

Conclusion:

I would love to say I really like this device but I can’t as there is one thing that in my opinion lets it down and that’s the Symbian operating system. The hardware is good but the device would be better if it were a feature phone like the Samsung Jet.

If you are looking for a media device then it will serve you well. There are certainly other handsets out there that do pretty much the same job (apart from the camera/video recording) and these will give you a better user experience.

My advice is that if you are currently a Symbian fan or looking for your first smartphone then you will enjoy the Omnia HD. If you are already using a smartphone then I would suggest choosing Windows Mobile, iPhone OS, Android or the forthcoming webOS from Palm.

The Omnia 2 will be with us soon. It’s a Windows Mobile device with a heavy Samsung interface over the top of version 6.1. If I were you I would definitely wait for this device before making any decision.

 

Review by: James

Posted in: Reviews
By August 3, 2009 Read More →

Elan Digital Systems Mobidapter review

The Mobidapter from Elan Digital systems is an intriguing device. It is a portable mobile adapter allowing the transfer of files between a USB data stick and any mobile phone with an external micro SD slot without the need of a computer.

image

Looks wise the Mobidapter is not likely to be on its way to winning any style and design awards however this certainly does not affect it’s performance in any way. The device could not be easier to use connection is quick and easy and achieved in just two steps;

1. Insert USB Pen
2. Insert Mobidapter

Once this has been completed simply browse the files using your phones file manager and copy the items you require from the USB stick to phone or of course the reverse. One of the first things I thought when I saw the Mobidapter was when would I use it? Well after spending a little white with the device it soon became clear whether it be transferring pictures, music, documents or just simply backing up and storing files you may have on your mobile phone which you wish to back up on a USB stick without the hassle of connecting it to a PC. One of the things that I also felt the Mobidapter would be great for is in theory adding additional memory to your phone, what I mean by this while on out and about taking pictures can now consume a fairly large amount of memory which can be a problem particularly for phones capable of taking high Quality images as it restricts the number of photos the micro SD card can hold however with the Mobidapter simply connect it up to your 4GB memory stick for example and in seconds you have added 4GB to your phones’ memory.

So for every positive there tends to be a negative and the Mobidapter is not faultless. It is fairly costly coming in at around £35 and another problem I faced was the obvious need for an external micro SD slot, many new devices especially Samsung, in their quest to reduce clutter on the exterior of the device, are now housing the SD card alongside the SIM underneath the batter which obviously renders the Mobidapter helpless to operate on these phones.

The only other drawback I can see is that if you plan to use your mobile to copy files between USB memory and a microSD card for example you’ll first have to copy those files on to the phone itself. No big deal I hear you say but consider that the internal memory on many mobile devices will be limited to around the 128MB mark you wont be able to copy the entire contents of even a modest 1GB USB key in one go.

However that said there are still plenty of phones out there with external Micros SD slots and still many people finding transfer just that little bit to tedious especially when you consider the constant need for a PC to make the simplest of transfers, the Mobidapter is one of those simple devices which solves a simple problem it offers peace of mind through the ability to back up files stored on your phone as well as offering simple, easy and effective mobile data transfer on the go.

 

Posted by: Nick

Posted in: Reviews
By July 30, 2009 Read More →

Traxdata EZ Drive YEGO 4GB – Review

The Traxdata EZ Drive YEGO is a 4GB flash memory USB storage device which doubles up as a two-port USB hub. Quite a nice concept so we’ll see if it’s practical.

traxdata1 Traxdata EZ Drive YEGO 4GB

 

Technical Details:
. USB Flash Drive
. 2 Port Hub
. Unique and Funky Design
. Conforms to USB Specification 2.0
. Backwards compatible with USB Specification 1.1
. Supports PC Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP/Vista, Mac OS 8.6/9.x/10.x, Linux Kernel 2.4 and above
. True Plug & Play Connection to the USB port
. Non-volatile memory, no battery required
. Data to be preserved up to 10 years
. Supports Booting from HDD
. Optional partition and security function provided
. LED light indicates usage status
. Power Supply: Powered via USB port. No external power or battery needed
. Power save: Support power saving mode to reduce power consumption

 

Review:

The general concept of the Traxdata EZ Drive YEGO is great! It’s a USB memory stick (in this case 4GB) and a 2 port USB hub so that you still have the capacity to plug in other devices whilst using the memory stick.

This review model didn’t come in any real packaging but I’m guessing there isn’t much with it anyway as it’s a ‘Plug & Play’ device.  From looking around on the web it looks like it would come in plastic packaging, and this ‘Y’ shaped gadget comes in a few different colours too.

It’s very lightweight yet feels solid enough that it could withstand a few bumps.

As a memory stick it functions just as you would expect. With the ‘Plug & Play’ connection the computer takes a few moments the first time you connect it to your pc to set up the relevant drivers needed and then you are ready to use it. Copying files to and from the device is straight forward, and as it is a USB 2.0 connection the file transfer speed is quite fast.

This one has a 4GB capacity. To give you a rough idea of how much will fit onto 4GB – it will hold approximately 1639 photos (based on a 5MP camera and a file size of 2.5MB) or 1000 songs/66 hours of music (obviously this will depend of the file size again).

As mentioned, it is also a 2 port USB hub. You can see in the pictures where the sockets are. This is a great idea so that although you are using a USB port on your PC you are still able to plug other USB devices in.

I tried it out and it worked perfectly. No issues at all. But, there is one small issue that you may encounter which depending what kind of PC or laptop you are using. If you have two USB ports side by side you won’t be able to use the other port when this is plugged in due to its shape. Not to worry though as there are the two ports on the device of course! But, some laptops have vertical USB ports. If your laptop in on a desk or table you will find that the ‘Y’ shape makes it impossible to plug in, so you would need to have the laptop on your knee or a laptop riser in order to use the USB device.

 

SONY DSC Traxdata EZ Drive YEGO 4GB

 

Conclusion:

The Traxdata EZ Drive YEGO is a nifty little device letting you save data onto the memory stick without  it hogging the USB port you have plugged it into. It doubles up as a 2 port USB port which essentially frees up the USB port you are using as well as providing you with an extra port.

The only real issue is the ‘Y’ shape. I’m not talking about the look of it – it actually looks quite good and unique. What I mean here is that the ‘Y’ shape can actually be impractical depending on the location and/or orientation of your USB port.

Over all, a good device. Just have a look at where your USB ports are before considering purchasing a Traxdata EZ Drive YEGO!

 

 

Reviewed by: Emma

Posted in: Reviews
By July 28, 2009 Read More →

Samsung S8000 JET review

Introduction:

In June this year Samsung hosted launch events called “Samsung Mobile Unpacked” in London, Dubai and Singapore. This event saw the live launch of the Samsung S8000 Jet. The device is advertised as being “smarter than a smartphone”. Let’s see if Samsung are right?

Samsung S8000 JET

The Samsung S8000 JET

 

The ten second review:

Device: Samsung S8000 Jet

Price: £320.85

Summary: A beautiful device jam-packed with features.

Best of: AMOLED Screen, User friendly.

Worst of: Video recording

 

What’s in the box?

  • Handset
  • Battery
  • Charger
  • USB Cable
  • In Line Headset
  • Software Disc
  • Manual
  • Plastic Case

Also have a look at Matt’s Samsung S8000 JET unboxing video for more.

 

Samsung S8000 Jet Specification:

  • Dimensions: 109 x 53.5 x 11.9mm
  • Weight: 99g
  • Battery Capacity: 1100 mAh
  • Display: 480 x 800 pixels/3.1″ AMOLED Display
  • Network: 2G: 850/900/1800/1900 (Quad-Band)
    – 3G: 900/2100 (Dual-Band)
  • Camera: 5 mega-pixels (auto-focus)
  • Video: Hi-Resolution VGA Video Recording
    – 30fps Video Recording (VGA)
  • Music: Supported formats: MP3, AAC, eAAC+ & WMA
    – FM Stereo Radio (RDS)
    – FM Radio Recording
    – DNSe Natural Sound Engine
  • Messaging: SMS, E-mail (POP3, SMTP, IMAP4, MS Exchange)
  • Memory: 2GB (internal)
  • 3.5mm Audio Socket
  • Bluetooth (2.0)
  • Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11g)
  • AGPS
  • Electronic Compass
  • Accelerometer

 

General:

The top of the handset contains the 3.5mm headset socket and the micro USB port.

Samsung S8000 JET_top

Samsung JET top view

 

On the left hand side only a volume up/down rocker can be found.

Samsung S8000 JET left side

Samsung JET left side

 

The right hand side houses three buttons. The one nearest the top is the device lock button. The middle launches a cube style menu as well as motion features and the bottom key is a dedicated camera key.

Samsung S8000 JET right side

Samsung JET right side

 

On the front of the handset at the top are the secondary camera lens and also a light sensor. At the bottom are the send/end keys as well as a menu quick launch button.

Samsung S8000 JET Front view Samsung S8000 JET Front control buttons

Samsung JET Front view and control buttons

The rear of the device contains the 5MP camera lens as well as the flash. The nice thing about the back is that at certain angles it looks black but when the light hits it right it has a deep red colour.

Samsung S8000 JET back

Samsung JET back view

 

Highlights:

  • Wi-Fi
  • AMOLED screen
  • 3.5mm headset jack,

Lowlights:

  • Video recording
  • sound quality

 

Review

I was looking forward to the Samsung JET arriving on my doorstep. I have always been a Samsung fan and have owned more than ten of their handsets over the years. I was intrigued to see how the Jet compared to its main rival (which I would say is the LG Arena) and also if it was as smart as Samsung say it is. As I recently reviewed the Arena I was looking forward to the battle!

After opening the box for the first time I was pleased with the look and feel of the Jet. At only 99 grams the handset is very solid and just feels well made.

The design of the phone is just as good as the build. Its plastic casing is smooth and its rounded edges make it feel comfortable to hold.

The Jet comes with a case inside the box. This is only for protection and does not have a belt clip/loop. I initially thought this was a nice add-on but the case is made of thin plastic and feels cheap.

Using the Samsung JET was a real pleasure and a better experience than I imagined it would be. The AMOLED screen is absolutely stunning! Its colours are so bright and vibrant.

Samsung use there Touchwiz interface on the Jet. This contains the widgets bar on the left of the screen. From here you can drag and drop widgets of your choice onto the home screen. A nice additional feature is that you can swipe the home screen left or right to give you a total of three home screens. By adding widgets to these it can give you quick access to your most used features. For example: on one home screen I had the myspace, facebook and youtube widgets. The only downside to these are that they are not applications but links to the websites. Still a great feature if you use them a lot but not perfect. Could be “smarter” Samsung!

At the bottom of the screen are four on-screen shortcut keys. These are keypad, phonebook, messages and main menu. These work like a dream as the screen is so responsive.

Another shortcut option is the button next to the camera button. A short press of this button opens up a cube interface which contains easy access to the media features on the handset (photos, music, video, radio, games and internet). Although a nice looking feature I found this a bit of a novelty after a while and I could access these features just as quickly through the main menu. It looks nice though!

A longer press of the same button opens up the motion sensor. This teaches you how to use movement and taps to change music tracks etc. I couldn’t get along with this option and found it quite frustrating! Again, it sounds a nice feature but how many people are going to be walking down the street listening to music and then waving there phone around in the air just to skip a track. It may be quite funny to watch though!

Using the Samsung music player was a nice experience. Once opened the player is extremely easy to use with nice big on screen buttons and a graphic equalizer. If the phone is rotated into landscape the screen auto rotates and shows you the albums cover work. You can then scroll left or right to choose the album you wish to listen to.

The sound quality was not as good as I expected though. The supplied Samsung earphones are nice and I actually use these myself but I have had better quality on a lot of other devices. The speaker produced a decent volume but lacked the sound quality. This is one of the few areas where the LG Arena was much better.

Creating both SMS and email on the Jet is a quick and simple. The onscreen keypad is great as the keys are big and responsive. You also have the option to auto rotate the screen and this gives you a full QWERTY keypad. Although in this option the keys are smaller it is still easy to use and with the T9 option messages can be typed with minimal mistakes. The Jet also gives you the option to use handwriting recognition. This actually works well but if its speed you want then stick to using the keypad.

The Jet also has email capabilities. The only down side to this is that you need to input all the settings manually. This is something most “smartphones” do automatically. The upside to this is that you only have to do it once and once it’s done it works well.

The phone contacts menu on the Samsung JET is super cool. It will store up to 2000 contacts and each contact can have a photo attached. In addition there personal information such as email and home address can be stored. A nice feature.

The main menu on the handset is beautiful. The background in the menu is black and this really makes the colours of the menu icons jump out. The main menu consists of three pages and again these can be accessed by swiping left or right. As there are twelve icons per page its very easy to find what you want, unlike some other operating systems which will have you going into folders to find the feature you need.

Web browsing on the Jet is pretty nice. The pages render well and it gives you the option to tap the screen to zoom. Using the Jets Wi-Fi is an added bonus and the whole browsing experience was as good as any other “feature phone”. A nice feature is that you can have several pages open at the same time. By clicking an on screen button you can view the pages you have open and then scroll left or right to select the chosen page. This is actually better than on a lot of “smartphones”.

The 5MP camera does a reasonable job. Its pictures are not fantastic but are as good as you would expect. What really helps though is how easy the camera features are to use. The on screen option buttons make changing the cameras setting simple. There is a nice selection of “scene” modes to choose from. These include portrait, landscape, night, sports, indoors, sunset, dawn and a few more. A decent amount for getting the right shot. The flash on the Jet is pretty decent and has an auto option as expected. There is certainly plenty of space for keeping photos. The Jet has 2GB of internal memory with the option to insert a micro SD card.

Using the video recording option though was a bit of a let down. On screen the video recording look fine but once transferred to a PC they are grainy and a bit blocky. I used QuickTime to view the videos and even watching the videos at half screen size it was not good. Compared to the LG Arena the JET’s video recording was a major let down.

As expected the Jet has lots of additional features such as alarms, calendar, radio, voice recorder, timer, stopwatch, world clock and a few more. All worked a treat and were really easy to use.

jet_angled_right

 

Conclusion

Overall the Samsung JET is an amazing little phone. Its jam-packed with features and so easy to use. Although the camera and video features are not as good as on the LG Arena pretty much everything else is better in my opinion.

“Smarter than a smartphone” I don’t think so! It’s smarter than most other “feature phones” but compared to Windows Mobile, Symbian and the iPhone it’s a little bit behind.

If you want a good all round device without the business features then buy a Samsung JET. I would! In fact I think I may well get one for my other half!

 

Review by: James

Posted in: Phones, Reviews
Tags: ,
By July 27, 2009 Read More →

Acer Aspire 4810T Review

 

 acer_closedacer_angled_right 

When Matt asked me if I was interested in looking at the Acer Aspire 4810T I did what I usually do and asked if there was anything in particular I should be paying attention to. His answer surprised me to the point that I didn’t really believe him – "It’s got a 9 hour battery" he replied.

Needless to say this was something I was intrigued to test.

What’s in the box

Well as is sometimes the case when we are reviewing devices, we didn’t get a full retail box. The box just contained the laptop with it’s battery and 2 power cables. So there is not really much else I can say on that.

Acer Aspire 4810T Specification:

Operating system

Genuine Windows Vista®
Platform

. Intel® Centrino® 2 mobile processor technology,
featuring:
. Intel® CoreT2 Duo processor*
. Intel® CoreT2 Solo processor*
. Mobile Intel® GS45 Express Chipset
. Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 5100*
. Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 5150*
. Intel® Pentium® mobile processor*
. Intel® Celeron® mobile processor*
. Mobile Intel® GS45 Express Chipset
. Acer InviLinkT NplifyT 802.11b/g/Draft-N*

System memory

. Dual-Channel SDRAM support
. Up to 2 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, upgradeable
to 4 GB using two soDIMM modules*
. Up to 4 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, upgradeable
to 8 GB using two soDIMM modules*

Display

. 16:9 aspect ratio
. 14" HD 1366 x 768

Graphics . Mobile Intel® GS45 Express Chipset
Audio

. High-definition audio support
. S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital speakers
. MS-Sound compatible
. Built-in microphone

Storage
subsystem

. 2.5" hard disk drive* / solid state drive*
. DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive
. 5-in-1 card reader

Communication

. Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam
. Wi-Fi/WiMAX: Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 5150*
. WWAN:
. UMTS/HSPA at 900 MHz/2100 MHz and quadband
GSM/GPRS/EDGE
(850/900/1800/1900 MHz)*
. UMTS/HSPA at 850 MHz/900 MHz/1900 MHz/
2100 MHz and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
(850/900/1800/1900 MHz)*
. WLAN:
. Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 5100*
. Acer InviLinkT NplifyT 802.11b/g/Draft-N*
. WPAN: Bluetooth® 2.0+Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)*
. LAN: Gigabit Ethernet; Wake-on-LAN ready

Privacy control

. BIOS user, supervisor, HDD passwords
. Kensington lock slot

Dimensions
and weight

. 338.4 (W) x 240 (D) x 24/28.9 (H) mm
. 1.9 kg (4.2 lbs.) with 6-cell battery pack

Power
subsystem

. ACPI 3.0
. 62.16 W 5600 mAh*
. 62.64 W 5800 mAh*
. 3-pin 65 W AC adapter
. ENERGY STAR®*

Special keys
and controls

. 86-/87-/91-key keyboard
. Touchpad pointing device

I/O interface

. 5-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/xD)
. USB 2.0 port
. HDMIT port with HDCP support
. External display (VGA) port
. Headphones/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF
support
. Microphone-in jack
. Ethernet (RJ-45) port
. DC-in jack for AC adapter

   

General

Let’s do a quick tour around the Aspire 4810T.

acer_left On the left of the laptop is a USB port, VGA connector, HDMI connector, another USB port, and then 3.5mm sockets for microphone and headphones.

acer_right On the right you’ll find the CD/DVD drive, a USB port, an RJ45 network connector, the power socket and a Kensington lock slot.

Nothing much to see at the back apart from the battery, so let’s look at the front.

acer_front

If you look closely at the picture you’ll see that there is a slot in the middle front edge – this is a 5-in-1 card reader, and just above that (looking white in the photo) is a bar that glows amber to show the battery is charging and blue when the battery is fully charged.

acer_bottom

There’s not much to see from underneath, but the things worth noting are the 2 catches to release the battery, and single large removable cover for access to the hard drive and memory sockets.

Review

Before I get into the review I just want to point out again that we didn’t have a retail box, so some of the things mentioned here might be addressed in the full packages.

The first thing that happened to me on handling the 4810T was that I tried to open it up the wrong way – doh! For some reason the styling made my brain think that the battery area was actually the front – and this was something that I did several times whilst testing it. Don’t think that is something wrong with the design though, it’s more likely something wrong with me 😀

At just under 2kg the 4810T is certainly very portable, and certainly something I could carry with me all day.

The 14" screen is billed as an "HD Acer Cine Crystal LED LCD" – which is nice I guess. But to me it’s a gloss finish widescreen display with a native resolution of 1366×768.

acer_4810t

First off the bat, the 14" screen doesn’t feel at all small and being widescreen certainly helps that.

I do have a personal issue with the fact that the screen is gloss finish – and this is NOT unique to the 4810T, but to all screens – the reflections drive me mad. What was wrong with the matt finish we used to have on laptop displays? It was certainly more suitable for being outdoors with, and meant less fiddling with the screen to find an angle where things were visible. On some laptops this is further exacerbated by the fact that the LCD has poor viewing angles. Thankfully that is not the case here, the 4810T is viewable from a reasonable range of angles, so once you find a position where the reflections aren’t annoying then you are set.

The screen resolution of 1366×768 is another oddity for me -  I guess that’s "just how they come" but it doesn’t seem to be ‘standard’ resolution at all. Not that it affects the usage of the laptop, just seems odd to me.

acer_keyboard acer_keyboard2

The  next thing you notice with the Aspire 4810T is the keyboard. It reminds me of the one you get on some Mac laptops, with the keys being ‘plates’ instead of ‘chunks’. The keys are perfectly responsive, and though your fingers might find the sensation of the new surfaces slightly unusual at first, you will soon get used to them.

The new keys do cause something curious to happen though.

acer_angled_left2

When you open the laptop you will often find a dust pattern has formed on the screen. If you look closely at the image above you can see what I mean. This pattern appears to be caused by a build up of dust in the keyboard then when the laptop is moved around the dust falls between the keys and adheres to the screen. This just means that the first thing you do when opening your laptop is wipe the screen. Nothing earth shattering, but not something I’ve had happen on laptops with the more ‘traditional’ keys.

So onto actually using the laptop.

[ On the laptop we had for testing the activity lights above the keyboard weren’t working at all. I can only assume this was a glitch on the device we had rather than a more serious design problem. ]

This 48010T came with Windows Vista SP1 pre-installed and boots up fairly quickly. General testing of basic functions showed that the laptop was perfectly capable of performing the normal day to day tasks that you would ask of it with applications opening quickly.

Anyone looking that the CPU speed in the specifications need not worry unless they are running some heavy applications. The 4810T performs just fine with the normal things you’re likely to do on a laptop like office applications, web browsing etc. Obviously if you push your machines with more complex tasks then there is a point where it will slow down, but isn’t that the case on all PCs?

The 500GB hard drive is split into 2 partitions, one being a 10GB recovery partition, leaving 456GB formatted for the OS. So even with the OS on there, there is plenty of space for your files.

Like most PC’s the 4810T comes supplied with various software pre-installed.

The trial software includes McAfee Security Center and a 60 day trial of MS Office 2007. Other software installed include WinLocker, eSobi, Orion and Google desktop.

Acer have also included some of their own applications as well – Acer eRecovery Management, Acer Arcade Deluxe, Acer Backup Manager, Acer Crystal Eye Webcam, Acer GameZone and Acer GridVista.

I want to spend a moment going through the Acer software.

Acer GridVista is a tool for organising applications within a screen – it’s a bit like the Tile Horizontally/Vertically tool within windows itself. It allows you to place upto 3 apps in fixed positions on the screen in a preset grid, a bit like having multiple monitors. It seems to work nicely enough and I can see the benefit for some people.

Acer GameZone – a collection of 19 ‘casual’ games including things like Mahjong and Luxor. Added to the MS games that are part of Vista there is plenty to keep you distracted from your work.

Acer Crystal Eye Webcam is, as it’s name suggests, for the built in webcam.

Acer Backup Manager, again the name is fairly explanatory, for backing things up.

Arcade Deluxe – not more games as you’d think, but an app that is more like Media Center, with a video player, music player, photo viewer and web video browser all controlled from the same interface. I’m not sure who’d use this when all the functionality is already built into Windows, but it’s there if you want to use it.

Acer eRecovery Management is another backup tool, though it’s primary function is to allow the user to reset the laptop back to factory settings. Here is where I found some problems with the way the laptop was setup. In theory the recovery tool let’s you set the laptop back to factory conditions by rebooting from the recovery partition on the hard drive. In practise it doesn’t work, at least not on this laptop.

I clicked the button to recover the drive, agreed which drive I was recovering to and nothing happened. So I tried making sure the app was running as administrator and tried again, same thing. So I thought, I’ll go into Safe Mode and try from there, but the laptop wouldn’t boot into Safe Mode – it just crashes mid boot and restarts the laptop.

Depending on what is in the retail packaging this could be a major problem for the user.

If there is no Vista disk or other recovery disk included, then the user could find themselves with a machine that won’t boot and won’t let them into Safe Mode to fix the problem.

When you first start the 4810T it does encourage you to create a backup disc, but that’s not really an answer as the user that may not have writeable discs handy.

I could live without the recovery tool if the package contained a reinstall disk (though that does mean the 10GB recovery partition is not needed), but not being able to boot into Safe Mode could lead to big problems for the user and most users will only discover it when they need it most.

Certainly the first thing I’d be looking at if the laptop was mine was how to get Safe Mode working, just in case.

Another installation glitch I found was that a link to the ‘Acer Quickstart Guide’ actually pointed to a document that wasn’t installed. Not as serious obviously, and might even be a result of being a review device, but without being able to recover to factory settings I can’t tell.

Whilst I’m discussing things that irritated me, the network connector is arranged so that the ‘locking clip’ is on the underside as you are using the laptop. Which means that when you want to disconnect the cable you have to lift the laptop first – surely it would make more sense for the connector to be the other way up so that the user can release the cable without moving the laptop. You can see this is you look at the photo of the right hand side of the laptop above.

With the complaints over, let’s get onto the more positive aspects of the Aspire 4810T.

acer_ejectThe eject button for the CD/DVD drive is above the keyboard instead of being on the drive face itself. This is a great idea and saves it being nudged accidentally – though I did press it instead of the power button a couple of times 😀

acer_trackpad There is a button beside the trackpad that allows you to turn it on and off, and the button lights up when the trackpad is off. Normally this is a function key, but here Acer have opted for a separate physical button. So if you find you are touching the pad whilst typing you can just press the button to disable it. The light is a bit brighter than I think it needs to be though.

When playing back audio I was pleasantly surprised by the audio separation of the stereo. Sounds were very obviously left and right when watching movies, not something that all laptops can say.

And talking of movies we get to the test that I ran to see how good the battery really was – I played some DVD movies. Normally this is a bad idea on laptops as spinning the drive and doing the decoding really eats battery power.

After 2 full movies, totalling over four hours of playback, there was still battery to spare! I’m convinced – the battery life on the 4810T is stunning.

The 9 hours that has been talked about for the battery life on the 4810T obviously depends on what you are doing, but I can well believe that if you are just doing some text based work or web browsing that the 9 hour life is possible. In reality most people don’t need 9 full hours as they are likely to be able to put some charge in at some point in their day, but it certainly stops you having to worry about your battery.

It certainly takes a little getting used to the fact that when the battery life is at 25% it’s still saying 2 hours life left 😀

 

Highlights

– Without question, the battery life
– drive eject button being on the main keyboard area

Lowlights

It’s hard to be accurate on this not knowing the retail box contents

– software setup
– gloss screen (yes I know it’s a personal choice, but for me it’s a negative)
– network connector ‘upside down’

Conclusion

If you just want a laptop that runs all day then this is well worth looking at, the battery life will not disappoint.

For me though the battery life alone doesn’t justify the price. Laptops are getting ever cheaper, and if I was to purchase a similarly spec’d one elsewhere and bought a second battery to extend the usage time, then I’d still be saving money for the same sort of package.

But one thing is for certain, this battery technology will be used in other laptops before very long.

The glitches with the software setup are a real concern, the inability to get into Safe Mode in particular. Reading some forums they suggest that this can happen on PC’s where the hardware is causing the Safe Mode boot to fail, and if that’s the case here then that’s a deal breaker for me. I would certainly be trying a clean Vista install from scratch and seeing if that can get into Safe Mode. I don’t need Safe Mode that often, but when I need it, I really need it to work.

Review by: Iain

Posted in: Reviews
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