Author Archive: Matt

BenQ E72 review

New as I was to Windows Mobile I was intrigued by the BenQ E72 a fully functioning smart phone operating using windows mobile 6.0 and all for a price tag of just over £100? So could the days of paying not such smart prices for a smart phone be over? Well the BenQ E72 certainly hopes to achieve just that.

The 10 second review:
Device: BenQ E72
Cost: SIM free only: £101.99 (£91.99 with our discount voucher!)
Available from: eXpansys (Go and buy one from here)
Summary: A great introduction to Windows Mobile for new users and a neat, well designed Smartphone for WM veterans.
Best of: price, size and looks
Worst of: MicroSD limited to 2GB

The BenQ E72 Smartphone

 

At around £100 the BenQ E72 entry level Windows Mobile phone offering many features that you would expect to find on higher priced handsets at a fraction of the cost. This device could well entice new users away from the likes of Nokia and Samsung. I’m totally new to Windows Mobile myself and so perhaps well placed to review the E72 on that basis.

 

BenQ E72 Specification:

• 240 x 320 pixels, 2 inches TFT, 65K colours Display
• 2 MP Camera, 1600×1200 pixels, video
• 108 x 46 x 13 mm (90 g)
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• 64MB DDR RAM (24MB user memory)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0
• WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, Email, MSN
• microSD (TransFlash) Slot. (Supports up to 2GB)
• MPEG4/WMV/3GP player
• MP3/AAC/AAC+/WAV/WMA player

General

The phone is easy on the eye with sleek styling that is very similar to previous BenQ phones, it feels small in the hand similar to a standard candy bar phone rather than a Windows Mobile Smartphone, however feels substantial and fairly weighty for a phone of its size.

The front of the phone is fairly not eventful with not great design features that particularly stand out. The screen is a decent size with the 2 menu buttons located just below and the call buttons bellow that. There is a 4 directional button for navigation and in the middle of this is the select button. Housed on the red bar are the return & home buttons and sitting below this is the numerical keypad, no QWERTY keyboard for this smartphone.

BenQ E72 front view

 

The back of the phone as you would expect fairly plain however does house a 2.0 MP camera. The phone is home to a Li-Ion 900 mAh and also located under the battery cover is the MicroSD slot which will support up to 2GB and of course the SIM card holder just above this.

BenQ E72 back views

The left side of the E72 is simplistic and surprisingly lacking button wise compared to other smart phones. There are two thin buttons one which is used for quick access to messages and the other will initialise the phones voice recorder for memos etc.

BenQ E72 Left side

Again just the two buttons on the right hand side used to control headset volume, the right side is also home to a mini USB connector used for charging and also as a headphone connection.

BenQ E72 right side

Nothing to be found on either the top or the bottom of the E72.

 

BenQ E72 top and bottom view

 

Highlights & Lowlights

+ Low Price

+ WiFi

+ Windows Mobile 6.0

-Slow Processor

-Low Memory support

 

Review

The BenQ E72 dares to be different by offering all the benefits of windows mobile without the large price tag and having to carry a brick around in your pocket. At first view the E72 looks pleasant with simplistic styling and a minimalist feel especially when it comes to buttons. The Screen is a decent size for a phone of this size and is certainly adequate for viewing emails and messages however feels a little on the small side when it comes to watching videos & clips. The phone is certainly small for a smart phone and even small for a standard Candy Bar phone however as I said it feels substantial and solid enough with some weight to it and certainly feels like a good quality handset. The addition of a QWERTY keypad would have been simply for using it for email and browsing IE. However with the phone the size it is a full size keypad would simply not be practical so there has to be some compromise. The 2MP Camera and video functionality is a nice addiction and to find this teamed with windows mobile all for around £100 is fantastic value.

Using windows mobile the phone has all of the features associated with this including Internet Explorer and windows media player which allows you to view videos and listen to your favourite music however with all the available options it would have been nice if the phone were to support a larger MicroSD card than the 2GB support it offers which in many phones is perfectly acceptable however in the scale of things within this smart phone it feels small picture like having a desktop PC at home with only a 50GB Memory, however that said I didn’t find myself using this phone for listening to music or watching large video files anyway.

Windows Mobile offers fantastic features which are fantastic to use however due to the phones small processor obviously related to its price applications were often slow and the phone often felt clumsy when loading certain files and folders, however it was certainly not an unbearable amount of time but while these applications were loading I had time to remember that this is a smart phone with full Windows Functionality, WiFi and all for a shade over £100 which soon makes you forget the few seconds extra you have to wait.

The E72 also has a built in voice recorder which is always helpful when recoding memos or notes and with the quick start button on the side of the phone is very easy to get started using this feature, although the E72 is a smart phone and is likely to be used as such for checking emails and wireless connectivity due to its low price tag it is likely to attract other customers and they are catered for with games, ringtone creator, video features as well as the obviously playback of music and videos.

Browsing the internet using the E72 was easy with built in WiFi and Internet explorer. Often mobile internet is considered as a tedious business however has to be done however I found it enjoyable and very easy. IE. On the E72 is very similar to a desktop PC in fact is almost identical however obviously due to the screen size more navigation is required but that is an easy compromise to make.

 

Conclusion

Overall the E72 is a good phone with its minimalist style and simplistic layout with regards to buttons etc. It is very easy to use and windows mobile 6.0 plays a big part in this as it allows for easy navigation of the handset, however due to the phones small processor you will often be reminded that this is a budget smart phone but that said considering it is a budget smart phone it is a very good budget smart phone with great connectivity and ease of use. The E72 would be perfect for the enterprising university graduate just starting out in the rat race with its great blend of work and pleasure the E72 with windows mobile an enjoyable phone to use and all for a fantastic price. The E72 is what is it is and fantastic for it.

 

Review by: Nick

Soul Calibur IV review

Console games are not something that we would typically cover here on tracyandmatt but when Namco got in touch with me a couple of months ago about the release of the fourth chapter of Soul Calibur I agreed to do a review for them.

Similar to it’s predecessors Soul Calibur IV continues the barrage of fast paced violence and continued onslaught of over endowed scantily clad female protagonists that many gamers have come to love of the lifespan of this somewhat iconic albeit miss spelled franchise.

Many of the series previous characters return in this the forth instalment of the game with the addition of some new and somewhat special playable characters. The character list is solid with each of the characters having there own unique style and armoury however successfully remaining even with regards to ability and skill. The game contains 26 standard characters and a few more unlockables along the way so offers a fairly expansive roster.. The guests in this game come in the form of Darth Vader & The secret Apprentice also seen in star wars: the force unleashed. These are welcome additions to the game as they add some familiarity to gamers who have not experienced the Soul Calibur series before and there unique skills also make them a great asset. If the characters in the game do not do it for you than there is a fairly comprehensive create a fighter allowing you to customize your perfect star.

There are several options to choose from when it comes to getting stated Story which offers your chosen character the chance to battle there was through a number of opponents before reaching the boss at the end of the stage the killing of whom leads to the collection of items and collectables. The story mode though is a little weak as it can be completed in a short amount of time and offers little variety leading to a tedious continuation which does wear thin after a while, that said it is the best way to experience all the fantastic characters and settings for the battles. Arcade mode is the standard pick up and play, selecting 2 characters to do battle through a number of rounds, perfect for those interested in a quick and brutal fight without the need for interruptions in the form of scene setting. Training is very useful and certainly recommended to those who are yet to play a title from the Soul Calibur franchise.

Graphically this game is fantastic the characters look great and so do the environments with chunks of debris flying from the surface as your opponent is slammed into the ground. The new feature which allows for the breakdown of opponents armour leaving them more open to attacks works really well and looks fantastic integrated perfectly into the battle really adding an element of realism or as realistic as a fight between Darth Vader & a small Japanese girl in a fire infested pit can be, speaking of girls the female characters in the game seem slightly overdone with regards to there assets where as I am sure this will please a certain demographic seems a little unnecessary. if it has always annoyed you when the button basher shows his face in multiplayer mode well it has been slightly improved as now if a player blocks to much you will be able to destroy a part of there armour making them more susceptible to damage and also teamed with un-blockable special attacks button bashing has just got allot harder.

As mentioned earlier the game is very easy to pick up and play and little to no experience of the Soul Calibur franchise is required to play as although button bashing has been reduced there are still a limited number of attacks and combinations it plays in a very similar way to other beat em ups so if you have played any in the past you will be away with Soul Calibur IV. This is just one of the beauties of Soul Calibur IV. The fun factor is instantly increased by the simple control system as it eliminates the frustration and anger caused by other titles. The lifespan of Soul Calibur IV depends hugely on how much enjoyment you get from the title. The story mode will certainly not keep you tied up for long however with the large number of characters and environments to enjoy the game should keep you happy for a good few months.

Overall Soul Calibur IV is a solid title, it combines fantastic graphics and a depth of realism unmatched by any other next gen beat em up. The immersive gameplay and the large selection of characters teamed with great environments and many new features will keep gamers happy for some time to come. A great title however a more in depth and varied story line would be very much appreciated.

 

Review by: Nick

TouchPal v3.5 review

Which is the easiest and best method for text input? This has been debated and discussed by the masses for quite some time. For me the best is TouchPal, why?

It’s Cool!

• "Flow" your keyboard by sweeping with your finger! 
• Switch between three layouts: T+, Full-Qwerty, 9-key PhonePad. 
• Resize your keyboard anytime!

It’s Easy!

• Big buttons. Finger friendly. 
• Up to 300 chars/min, faster than your hard keyboard! 
• Input puntuations, numbers and uppercase letters without view switching

It’s Smart!

• Powerful mistyping correction
• Clever prediction based on context
• Predict next word

It’s Innovative!

• T+ technology. Predictive + Precise.
• Word association
• Super big dictionaries (40,000 English words, 140,000 French words…)

It’s Customisable!

• "My Sentences" with parameters (e.g., "See you in X mins")
• Customisable emotion symbols (e.g. :-o, ^_^)
• You can develop your own layout or language pack with SDK tool.

Features

 

Software

Easily installed by either .exe file on your PC or .cab file on your Windows device, once launched there is a 15 day trial of the full professional version, after which time the software reverts back to the standard version if you do not wish to purchase the professional version for $12.98.

Here you can find the video demo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfMrJ7Cci_A&eurl=http://www.cootek.com/intro.aspx

Unfortunately there are far too many options to explain in detail but a lot of the highlights are captured above. Things I especially like are the ability to save whole sentences that you commonly use, the ability to quickly switch keyboard dependant on what you are doing, illustrated in the picture below, I tend to stick with the first one, as each key allows 4 way inputs, on each tab you can enter any of the characters depicted for example the e-r tab can be used to enter e,r, E,R, 2 and ? all from the one key. Word prediction, as well as next word prediction and mistyping correction also very helpful. Head over to the website, link at the bottom for more details.

It is very fast, don’t get me wrong you will need to practice and get used to the systems, at first it is easy to give up and find something else, but patience and persistence is definitely rewarded. I do not get up the claimed speeds of 300 characters per minute but it certainly can motor!

New Diamond skin

Review

I have tried many different input methods, ranging from the standard windows keyboards to HTC PhonePad,  PocketCM, TenGo etc. The first thing I do these days when Matt sends me a unit to review is install TouchPal.

For me it is as about developed as it needs to be, if I have one criticism it is that in landscape I would like the keyboard to cover the length of the screen to hopefully allow larger keys.

Landscape view.

Conclusion

This one is for me and I am happy to recommend it to any Windows Mobile fan, which methods do you prefer and why?

For more details head over to http://www.cootek.com/

Review by: Steve