Videos/Unboxings

Blackberry Bold unboxed

Recently RIM released their new baby, the Blackberry 9000 Bold and this seems to be a popular choice among the Blackberry fans. I must admit that I’ve never really used a Blackberry device in anger, I’ve set them up for other people and played with BES a little but never really got my hands dirty with the handset itself.

However, the Bold looked like an interesting device, full QWERTY keyboard and a Half VGA display coupled with HSDPA and 1GB of ROM, I thought it was about time that we looked that the BB more closely.

The Blackberry Bold

I know many people fall in to one of two camps, those that love BB and those that hate it. Blackberry lovers seem to claim that their devices are easier to use and more robust than their Windows Mobile counterparts. We’re going to have a look over the next week or so.

As always, you can see the device up close in our unboxing video below:

Blackberry Bold specification:

• 114.3 x 60 x 12.7 mm
• 133g
• Talk Time: 300 mins
• Standby Time: 780 hrs
• 480 x 320 pixels TFT display
• GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 (Quad-Band)
• WCDMA: 850/1900/2100 (Tri-Band)
• 2 mega-pixels (auto-focus) camera
• Hi-Resolution VGA Video Recording
• SMS/MMS (with video)
• E-mail (POP3, SMTP, IMAP4, BES, BIS)
• 1GB ROM / 128MB RAM
• microSDHC (external
• miniUSB
• 3.5mm Audio Connector
• Bluetooth (2.0)
• Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11g)
• GPS
• BlackBerry Maps

Posted by: Matt

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 global launch party video

As you probably know, last night I attended the Global Launch Event for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. This gave us an excellent chance to get some more hands-on time with the X1 and to speak again with Magnus Andersson and the rest of the Sony Ericsson team.

I have to say, the more I see and use the Xperia X1 the more excited I get about it. Looking at the device on paper really doesn’t do it justice and I am now really looking forward to getting my hands on a review unit soon. I’ll be talking about this more later.

So for now I thought I would leave you with this video of Magnus talking about the design of the Xperia X1. I hope you can hear what he was saying clearly enough, it was a busy, crowded event and poor sound levels.

Posted by: Matt

Palm Treo Pro unboxed

A few weeks ago we attended the Palm Treo Pro launch even in London and since then I’ve been trying to get my hands on a review unit. Finally managed to get my hands on one last Friday and have spent the last few days ‘playing’ with it.

The Palm Treo Pro

So far I’m quite happy with the Treo Pro, battery life seems really good and I quite like the fixed QWERTY keyboard rather than a slider. The OS is quite fast thanks to the 400MHz CPU and 128MB RAM.

I dislike the fact that it uses a Micro USB cable rather than Mini USB – every other device that I own, from Cameras to WM phones, has a Mini USB so this now means another cable to carry. I guess no big deal but it means I have to remember to take it with me if I think that I might need to charge or sync. Interestingly, when we saw the previews of the Treo Pro the other week, we commented that Micro USB cables were a lot easier to insert the wrong way and therefore damage the socket. We said that there needs to be an arrow or mark on the USB cable to show which way up. In the final version Palm sent me this week they have in fact done that!

The screen on the Treo Pro is a 320 x 320 touchscreen which is fairly unusual, I can think of only a few other devices that run at this res. This can cause problems with some third-party software so if you plan to use anything on the Treo you’ll want to check it’s compatible. The LCD screen also seems quite well set back from the flush front of the device. For me it makes stylus use feel a bit strange and somehow disconnected from what I see on screen.

I am possibly being a little over critical of the Treo Pro, overall I quite like the all in one design, the fact that it has built-in GPS and WiFi is good too. Have a look at the unboxing video which should act as a nice teaser before the review later on!

Palm Treo Pro specification:

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition
• Qualcomm MSM7201 400MHz CPU
• 256MB storage (100MB user available), 128MB RAM
• 320×320 transflective colour TFT touchscreen
• HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM radio
• Tri-band UMTS — 850MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz
• Quad-band GSM — 850/900/1800/1900
• Wi-Fi – 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, and 801.1x authentication
• Bluetooth Version: 2.0 Enhanced Data Rate
• MicroUSB 2.0 for synchronization and charging
• Built-in GPS
• 2.0 megapixels, up to 8x digital zoom and video capture
• Removable, rechargeable 1500mAh lithium-ion; up to 5.0 hours talk time and up to 250 hours standby
• microSDHC cards (up to 32GB supported)
• 3.5mm stereo headset jack
• 60mm (W) x 114mm (L) x 13.5mm (D); 
• 133 grams

EDIT: Our Palm Treo Pro review is now live!

Posted by: Matt

Clove Technology preview the HTC S740

Our friends over at Clove Technology just dropped me a line to say that they’ve just got their hands on a new HTC S740 and have put together a quick video demonstration.

I think the S740 will be a popular device but to me it looks a little chunky, reminds me more of the old DECT cordless home phones! Have a look at the video below and make up your own mind!

HTC S740 specification:

• Qualcomm® MSM7225™, 528MHz CPU
• Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard
• ROM: 256MB / RAM: 256MB SDRAM
• 116.3 mm (L) X 43.4 mm (W) X 16.3 mm (T)
• 140g with battery
• 2.4 inch TFT-LCD with backlight LEDs and QVGA resolution
• HSDPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz for Europe
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE: Quad-band 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Standalone GPS / AGPS
• Bluetooth® 2.0
• Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
• 3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus
• Standby time:
  – Up to 400 hours for WCDMA
  – Up to 280 hours for GSM
• Talk time:
  – Up to 320 minutes for WCDMA
  – Up to 380 minutes for GSM

Posted by: Matt

SIMable demonstration video

A few weeks ago we saw SIMable mentioned on some other websites and thought that it sounded like a great idea. What the SIMable chip does is allow you to use any SIM card in a SIM locked mobile phone without the need to have the phone unlocked. In their words: "Unlock your SIM card, not your phone!"

The SIMable chip

Unlocking a phone can be complicated and can require that you flash the ROM and install software etc. Some require special hardware to do the job and you have to take them to a dealer or send them away. Same handsets are more simple but in almost every case, unlocking the handset will invalidate the warranty and where it isn’t a simple free solution will cost you £20 or more.

The SIMable chip makes the whole process much easier and because you are not altering the handset in any way it wont invalidate the warranty. It works by sitting between the phone and the SIM card thus ‘unlocking’ the SIM and not the phone. This also means that you can use it on multiple handsets, when you upgrade for example, for a one off cost!

The only downsides to the SIMable solution is that it wont work with every handset out there, although there are lots that are supported (see the SIMable site for an up to date list). Secondly you have to punch a tiny hole in the end of your SIM card to accommodate the SIMable chip.

You may think that making a hole in your SIM is a terrible idea but it’s really quite safe and simple to do as the punch tool required to do the job is included in the kit.

SIMable punch

As you’ll be able to see in my video demonstration the process is dead easy and takes just a few seconds to perform.

Once you make the tiny hole in the SIM card the SIMable chip sits in the space than the whole lot fits in your phone’s SIM card socket.

SIMable and SIM stack

Possibly the best thing about the SIMable solution is that it costs less than it would typically cost to unlock just one handset but you can use it with many.

Take a look at SIMable’s website for more information and to see the most up to date list of supported handsets. Please bare in mind that this video is intended to show you how simple the SIMable solution is, you should check with SIMable for a list of devices supported by the latest versions of the chip.

Posted by: Matt

Samsung i900 Omnia unboxed

Still trying to make your mind up between the HTC Touch Diamond and the Samsung i900 Omnia? You are not alone! Our Omnia arrived just a few days ago and we’re still trying to decide which phone we like best.

So far I’m liking the widecreen style 240×400 display and the sensitivity of the touch screen but I’m not sure about that stylus.

Samsung i900 Omnia

If you you are a regular you may have seen our post recently about the 8GB and 16GB versions. We’ve been told that the 16GB version will only be available on contract and leaving the 8GB version for those purchased SIM-free.

Because Samsung are not releasing the 16GB version Clove Technology thought they would come to the rescue with a special offer to help boost the memory available by offering a package with a FREE 4GB microSD card.

This offer is valid on all purchases of the 8GB Omnia, but you need the voucher code: SAM8GB0708

Simply use the code about when buying the 8GB Omnia and Clove will send the machine with a free 4GB card!

Here’s our unboxing video for you to have a look at while Steve get the review ready:

Samsung i900 Omnia specification:

EDIT: Our Samsung i900 Omnia review is now live on site.

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone news, Pocket PC news, Tracy & Matt, Samsung i900 Omnia]

Gigabyte M912 unboxed

There are a lot of small form factor laptop and UMPC style devices finding their way on to the market at the moment, each of them hoping to be the next Eee PC. The problem is that many of them are simple copying the Eee PC concept and not putting a great deal of ‘new stuff’ in to the mix.

So are Gigabyte hoping to break the mould with the M912? On the face of it the M912 may seem similar to the other UMPC’s on offer from Acer or MSi but there is a difference with the Gigabyte and that come in the form of a touch screen and hinge mechanism that allows you to use the M912 as a tablet PC as well as a more conventional mini-laptop.

The Gigabyte M912

Nigel is currently working on the review of the Gigabyte M912 which should be online within the next few weeks. For now you can enjoy the unboxing video below:

Gigabyte M912 specification:

• CPU Intel ® Atom 1.6GHz
• Operating System : Genuine Microsoft Windows ULCPC XP Home
• Chipset Intel ® 945GSE
• System Configuration Memory : 1GB, HDD 160GB
• LCD 8.9”LCD panel/WXGA 1280×768, w/Touch screen, LED Backlight, as 180° rotation angle
• HDD 2.5", 9.5mm S-ATA HDD
• Keyboard 80 key keyboard/Touch Pad
• I/O Port USB X 3,Mic in, Earphone out, D-SUB RJ45, Express card, SD/MMC/MS
• Audio Speaker 1.5 watt x 2
• Bluetooth BlueTooth 2.0 built-in
• Web Camera 1.3M pixel web camera
• Wireless LAN 802.11b/g by mini-card
• Protection Kensington lock
• Battery Li-ion 4500mAh, Battery life 3.5 hrs
• Dimension 235 x 180 x 28~42mm
• Weight 1.3kg (include 2.5"HDD and 4 cell Battery)

EDIT: Our Gigabyte M912 review is now live!

Posted by: Matt

HTC Touch Pro unboxed (exclusive!)

Ever since the HTC press conference announcing the HTC Touch Diamond three months ago people have been asking “Where’s the one with the Keyboard?” Well finally, thanks to Clove Technology we’ve been able to get our hands on an HTC Touch Pro review unit.

HTC Touch Pro

The phone arrived just a few hours ago so I decided to record the customary unboxing ceremony for you to have a look at:

My initial thoughts are that the Touch Pro is an extremely nice device, the screen seems to be more sensitive than the Touch Diamond and it looks like HTC have spent the extra time with the Pro refining a few things. The TouchFlo3D interface seems more fluid and that QWERTY keyboard it great. It’s a little bit bigger than I had anticipated and looks almost twice as thick as the Diamond plus the additional 50 grams may not sound like a lot but make it close to 50% heavier. Also, that TV-out feature that everyone has been talking about requires a special cable that you have to buy separately!

We’ll have a full review for you soon but expect some comments and photos over the next few days too!

EDIT: More photos can be found HERE.

EDIT (again): Our HTC Touch Pro review is now live!

HTC Touch Pro specification:

Posted by: Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone news, Pocket PC news, Tracy & Matt, raphael, HTC, HTC Touch Pro]

Nokia E71 unboxed

You don’t have to buy a Blackberry or Windows Mobile device to pick up your email these days, most high-end mobile phones have a built in Email client these days. However, if you want to send more than just the odd email you’ll probably want a device with a built-in keyboard. The Nokia E71 is just such a device. It includes a QWERTY keyboard as well as some other features that you might only expect to find in a Windows Mobile phone – GPS is just one of those features.

The Nokia E71

Phillip is working on a full review of the E71 at the moment so until that’s ready you can see our unboxing video below:

Overview of Nokia E71

The Nokia E71 is the newest device is the latest device from Nokia.  Replacing the hugely popular Nokia E61 series of devices, the E71 builds on this success with improved features and functionality.

The E71 is the ultimate messaging device.  With a full QWERTY keyboard on the front of the device, responding to and creating emails, has never been so easy.

Ergonomic design means that the Nokia E71 sits comfortably in the hands of the user.  Aided by a range of communication and connectivity options, including GPRS 3G and HSDPA, connectivity to the internet, email, friends and family is simple, whether in the UK, Europe or the USA.

With a crisp 2.36” display, whether completing business or personal tasks, everything appears perfectly on the screen.  So whether viewing images, video, calling or messaging, the E71 is perfect device for using when relaxing after a long day of working away from the office.

Nokia E71 Specification:

• Operating System – Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI
• Processor – ARM 11 369 MHz
• Memory – ROM :  256MB internal memory (110MB available),  RAM: 128 MB
• Display – 2.36” TFT, 320 x 240 pixels, 16M colours
• Input – Full QWERTY Keyboard, Five Way Scroll Key
• Expansion – microSDHC (TransFlash), up to 8GB, hotswap
• Cellular –GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, GPRS Class 32, 100 kbps, EDGE Class 32, 296 kbps, HSDPA/WCDMA  900 / 2100  3.6 Mbps
• Connectivity – Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, WiFi 802.11b/g, Infrared
• Camera – 3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, autofocus, video(VGA 22fps), flash; secondary videocall camera
• Built-in GPS receiver
• FM radio
• Battery – Standard battery, Li-Po 1500 mAh (BP-4L)

Posted by: Matt

HP iPAQ 914c unboxed

The iPAQ 914c is another great looking device from HP. The iPAQ 914 is a blackberry-style Windows Mobile device with a fixed full QWERTY keyboard. Typically you would expect a device of this form factor to be a Windows Mobile Standard style Smartphone but in this case HP have included WM 6.1 professional complete with touchscreen.

The HP iPAQ 194c

Phillip is putting a review together for us which should be here next week, so until then, here is our unbox video:

HP iPAQ 914 Specification: