I think that we’ve probably reviewed all of the Sansa MP3 player models from SanDisk’s range from the Sansa e200 series a few years ago and now to this latest Sansa Clip+ model.
In the past the Sansa models have impressed us, offering good sound quality and stunning battery life. What’s more they are all quite inexpensive and, I think, a good alternative to the likes of the iPod as long as you can do without iTunes integration.
The SanDisk seem to be making these little players to last too as I first reviewed the Sansa e270 back in 2006 and the little player still works perfectly and the battery life is showing no signs of diminishing!
The Clip+ is basically an updated version of the Sansa Clip that we saw back in 2008. This new version is smaller and lighter than the earlier model and also now has a microSDHC memory card slot that can take up to 32GB memory cards which, coupled with the 4GB internal memory gives you a whopping 36GB, plenty of space for a tiny player I would think!
Have a look at the video after the jump for a quick tour around the player and a brief look at the menus.
It’s been a long time since we reviewed the Nokia N97, August 2009 in fact. The N97 was pretty popular but it was widely reported to have some stability and performance issues. The N97 Mini, as the name suggests, is a smaller version of the N97. Released at the end of 2009 it offered much the same as its bigger brother and virtually the same specification in a more compact package, having a 3.2″ screen versus the 3.5″ of the N97 and some 12 grams lighter.
Control. Stay in control of your email, calendar and music with dedicated widgets for your home screen. Move content around your home screen and place it anywhere you like by dragging your finger across the touch sensitive display.
Style. The N97 mini feels as good as it looks with its wide-screen multi-sensory display, QWERTY keyboard and sleep metal finish. View web pages , videos, photos and maps at a natural 35-degree angle on the innovative 3.2" tilting display.
As you’ve come to expect from us by now we have an unboxing video below which tours the hardware and takes a quick look at user interface. It’s essentially the same user experience as the original N97. We’ll have a full review for you over the next couple of weeks but feel free to ask your questions in the mean time.
We first broke the news of this new Android powered LG handset back in September 2009 when John managed to unearth some photos of the handset while it was still referred to as the LG Etna. The trail turned cold on the Etna for a while until later in 2009 and at the beginning of 2010 when the handset was announced as reportedly coming to Virgin and T-mobile in the UK and the name here would be the LG GW620.
The LG GW620
At the moment it looks like the GW620 is going to be exclusive to Virgin and T-Mobile, I’ve not seen anyone offering it SIM-free as yet. (Feel free to tell me if you know any different!) The GW620 looks like a decent handset and the most striking thing for me is the quality of the QWERTY keyboard, it’s really on-par with the HTC Touch Pro2 in that department; large individual keys, good layout and 5 rows – all very impressive.
I’ve had a quick play with this handset already since recording the video below, and quite like it but there are a few niggles. Being only Android 1.5 seems like a real shame when 2.0 and 2.1 handsets fill the rest of the market. 1.5 may have been ok when the handset first surfaced last year but now it’s bit behind the times! There are a few other things to tell you about it but you’ll have to wait for my review! 🙂
LG GW620 (LG Etna) unboxing video
The LG GW620 specification:
3G Network: HSDPA 900 / 2100
Dimensions: 109 x 54.5 x 15.9 mm
Weight:139 g
Display: TFT resistive touchscreen, 256K colours
Size: 320 x 480 pixels, 3.0 inches
Full QWERTY keyboard
Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
Internal Memory: 150 MB
microSD, up to 32GB
EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth: with A2DP
Camera: 5 MP, 2560 x 1920 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
I know the Nokia N86 isn’t among the newest of Nokia handsets but I was going through our review list the other day and realised that it was one of the more popular of the Nokia range that we hadn’t already reviewed. A call to our friends Nokia and 24 hours later the review was underway.
The Nokia N86
The Nokia N86 is a decent looking handset with sliding keypad mechanism that reveals a 12 key numeric pad. The 2.6″ QVGA screen is a fabulous AMOLED display which offers excellent rich colours and amazing brightness, useful is you want to crank up the brightness when you want to use the handset outside. It also has some cool features that you would normally only expect from the higher end smartphones such as accelerometer for screen rotation, 8GB built in memory and built in GPS with Nokia Maps preinstalled. Don’t forget the decent 8 megapixel camera on the back and the Dual-LED flash.
We’ll have the review of the Nokia N86 online for you shortly. Have a look at my quick unboxing video and brief tour of the handset below.
I realise that the Palm Pre has been around for a while but it’s taken some effort to get our hands on a review unit as they are in such short supply. This is one that James and I were really looking forward to putting through its paces as we’d heard mostly good things about WebOS.
The Palm Pre
Having played with the Pre for a while over the weekend I have to say that I am initially quite impressed. The user interface is smooth and intuitive and I like the way email is handled. There’s also mutitasking here so you can have many apps running at once, unlike the iPhone, you don’t have to close one app to go to another!
There are a few questions marks over the build quality, the edges around the keyboard for example are just a fraction from being sharp enough to shave with. The keyboard mechanism is also far from perfect, I find it a little awkward to open with one hand, but this could be down to this being a much used and abused PR model.
James is going to be the one to review the Palm Pre so please do feel free to use the Palm Pre forum thread to send us any comments or questions that you would like him to answer about the Pre either now or in the review. As always I have an unboxing video for you where I dive in and take a quick look around WebOS as well. Take a look:
E-Book readers and the Amazon Kindle itself have been around for a while and the latest Kindle, the DX, actually launched in the US in May of 2009. Until recently if you wanted to buy one in the UK you had to buy it and then arrange to have it imported yourself. However, Amazon recently made the Kindle DX available to purchase internationally and you can now log on to Amazon.co.uk to order one.
The Amazon Kindle DX
The new people at Amazon kindly have sent us a Kindle DX to review. This is a product that I was looking forward to seeing for myself as I found the e-ink concept intriguing and I thought that the Kindle’s ability to display PDF documents would be handy for me as I frequently have reports to read.
The 9.7″ e-ink display is quite high res at 824×1200 pixels and despite being monochrome works very well. The built in 3G network means that eBooks and newspaper subscriptions are delivered wirelessly to the device. Depending on your region you can also use the Kindle DX as a basic web browser but don’t expect a fantastic surfing experience from it!
Have a look at the quick unboxin video below and I’ll be back soon with the full review!
Amazon Kindle DX unboxing video
Amazon Kindle DX Specification:
Price: £299.00
Connectivity: 3.5mm Output, USB 2.0
Dimensions: 264 x 182 x 9mm
Display Size: 9.7″
Features: 1200 x 824 display resolution
Connectivity: Amazon Whispernet using EVDO/CDMA AnyDATA wireless modem, with fallback to 1xRTT
Screen: 16-level greyscale Electronic paper
Built in stereo speakers and MP3 playback
Linux OS
Lithium-Ion battery good for up to 2 weeks on one charge
Weight (g): 540
HDD Capacity (GB): 4 / 3.3GB available to the user
Acer have released a wave of new mobile phones lately, and this is the latest one for us to look at, the Acer beTouch E200. Like the E100/E101 that we looked at just last week the E200 is Windows Mobile 6.5 powered but where the E200 differs is that it has a 3″ widescreen and a sliding numeric keypad. The E200 also features 3G/HSDPA where the E101 does not.
The Acer beTouch E200
The Acer E200 looks like being another good value for money handset offering good features such as Windows Mobile 6.5, GPS and the widescreen display, at an entry-level price.
I think it’s good to see that Acer, like HTC, are not limiting themselves to just one OS or platform for their smartphones releasing an Android powered Acer Liquid recently and now several new Windows Mobile 6.5 devices. I’ll be interesting to see if they release more Android devices and what the ratio of WinMo to Android ends up being at the end of 2010!
We’ll be reviewing the beTouch E200 over the next week or so along with the E101 and will have the review up for you soon. Please take a look at the unboxing video below where I’ll also take you on a tour of the handset and a brief overview of the OS.
The Nokia Booklet 3G is Nokia’s first foray in to the ‘proper laptop’ market. Upon initial inspection you might think the price tag is rather high for a device of a similar size to many other netbook style computers hitting the market but there’s a while lot more to consider.
First of all the Nokia Booklet has a built in 3G modem for connectivity on the move without the need for dongles or teathers. It features a 10.1", HD ready, glass screen, HDMI output, 12 Hour battery life, SD card reader and a hot-swappable SIM card slot to name but a few of its stand out features. The built-in HSDPA gives you internet on the move, while WiFi and Bluetooth give you the other now standard connectivity options.
The Nokia Booklet 3G
So looking at the Booklet more closely I have to say that I am VERY impressed with the build quality. The majority of the chassis is made of aluminium nicely designed a made too. Then there’s the glass screen which looks beautifully clear, glass adding that extra optical quality that cant be matched by plastic. To be honest, if I were shown this computer minus its branding I think I would have guessed it was a new smaller Apple MacBook.
Oh yes.It’s talents don’t end there, with Nokia’s mini laptop PC also features onboard assisted-GPS and Ovi Maps, a great navigation solution. There is also a single front-facing camera nestled above the 10.1-inch HD screen for video chat, with Bluetooth and a built-in SD card reader also making appearances.
Have a look at my quick unboxing and tour video for more:
Nokia Booklet 3G unboxing video
Nokia Booklet 3G specification:
Operating System – Windows 7 Starter Edition, Home Premium or Professional
Acer have launched a number of new handsets recently from the Android powered Acer Liquid that we reviewed recently to several Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets including the Acer beTouch E101 that we are looking at here.
The Acer beTouch E101
The beTouch range includes several handsets, the E101 being the entry level followed by the E100 and then the S200. The E101 and E100 are virtually the same handset but the E100 has 3G where the E101 does not.
The Acer beTouch E101 is very much an entry level device and is probably the best value for money Windows Mobile 6.5 handset on the market. You can pick one up for £150 (+VAT) from Clove Technology. While the E101 is undoubtedly an budget handset don’t be fooled in to thinking it’s overly basic. It has a generous 3.2″ display, a decent amount of RAM/ROM and still manages to squeeze in GPS and Google Maps!
The Acer E101 and the E100 are available in both Black and White, the E100 offering 3G connectivity on top of the specification of the E101.
We’ll be reviewing the E100 over the next week or so and will have the review live as soon as it’s complete. Take a look at the unboxing video below where I’ll take you on a tour of the hardware and briefly dip in to the OS/UI.
Acer beTouch E101 unboxing video
Acer E101 specification:
Operating System – Windows Mobile 6.5
Processor – Qualcomm 7225 528MHz
Memory – RAM – 256MB / ROM – 512MB
Display – 3.2 inch WQGA resolution
Network – Quad-band GSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
Connectivity – Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
miniUSB
GPS supports A-GPS
Expansion Slot – MicroSD card
Camera – 2 Megapixels
Device Control – 5-way Navi Key + Scroll Wheel
Talk Time – 5 Hours (manufactures approximation)
Standby Time – 400 Hours (manufactures approximation)
We’ve spoken about the Three MiFi ‘dongle’ a few times in the past on T&M and we had even had a discussion about it on the Mobiletech Addicts podcast a few weeks ago.
The Three MiFi
I say it’s a dongle but perhaps this little device doesn’t quite fit that criteria. Essentially the MiFi, made by Huawei, is a small battery operated unit that takes a Three SIM card. The unit connects to Three’s 3G data network and then shares that connection over WiFi so it’s simply a case of connecting any WiFi capable device to it. The unit itself has a preconfigured WEP key that can be altered later so it keeps you connection secure but you can also connect up to 4 devices simultaneously. It’s basically a wireless 3G router.
An excellent bit of kit and we’re writing up a review for you as we speak. I thought I’d just do a quick video for you so that you can see what it looks like and what’s included so please check out the brief unboxing below.
Three MiFi unboxing video
MiFi Specification:
Download speeds of up to 3.6MBPS
Battery, Li 1500mAh with up to 5 hours connection time
I think that we’ve probably reviewed all of the Sansa MP3 player models from SanDisk’s range from the Sansa e200 series a few years ago and now to this latest Sansa Clip+ model.
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