Author Archive: Emma Samuel

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By October 19, 2009 Read More →

Nokia E55 Review

The Nokia E55 is compact, stylish and designed with messaging in mind. It’s is geared towards the business men and women out there, and as it’s a Nokia phone it should be quite easy to use.

E55_angled_right  The Nokia E55

What’s In The Box?

  • Nokia E55 handset
  • Nokia Charger AC-10
  • Nokia Charger Adapter CA-146C
  • Nokia Battery BP-4L (1500mAh)
  • Nokia Stereo headset HS-48
  • Nokia Connectivity Cable (CA-101) supports charging
  • Nokia 2 GB microSD card (MU-37) inside device
  • User Guide
  • Nokia PC Suite (v7.2) in microSD card

See also Matt’s Nokia E55 unboxing video.

 

Nokia E55 Specification:

  • Dimensions: 116 x 49 x 9.9mm
  • Weight: 98g
  • Talk Time: 480 mins
  • Standby Time: 672 hrs
  • Display: 320 x 240 pixels/2.4 inch
  • Network: GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 (Quad-Band)
  • Camera: 3.2 mega-pixels (auto-focus)
  • Video: Hi-Resolution VGA Video Recording
  • Music: Supported formats: MP3, AAC, eAAC+ & WMA
  • FM Stereo Radio (RDS)
  • Nokia Music Store
  • Messaging: SMS / MMS (with video)
  • E-mail (POP3, SMTP, IMAP4, MS Exchange)
  • Memory: 100MB (internal) / microSDHC (external)
  • microUSB
  • Nokia 3.5mm AV connector
  • Bluetooth (2.0)
  • Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11g)
  • AGPS
  • Nokia Maps
  • Flash Lite 3.0 Support

 

General:

Front – First of all there is the 2.4 inch QVGA screen. Next are the left and right soft keys. Below these keys are the home, calendar, messaging and back button shortcut keys. Next are the send/receive (or call/hang up) buttons.

In the middle of this is the D-pad for navigation through the phone. In the centre of this is the select button.

E55-frontNokia E55 – front view

Keyboard – Compact QWERTY keyboard

E55-keyboard Nokia E55 – keyboard view

 

Top – There is a 3.5mm headphone/handsfree connection and power button on the top of the phone.

E55-top Nokia E55 – top view

Bottom – All there is here is the microphone is and the hole for a lanyard/wrist strap.

E55-bottom Nokia E55 – bottom view

Left – There isn’t much on the left side except for the sync/charge connection.

E55_left Nokia E55 – left-hand side view

Right – From the left you can see the dedicated camera button, then there is the up/down rocker buttons with a voice control button placed between them.

E55_right Nokia E55 – right-hand side view

Back – The battery, sim card and microSD card are housed under the back cover. You can also see the 3.2MP camera and flash. Under this is the loud speaker.

E55-back Nokia E55 – back view

 

Highlights:

  • Stylish design
  • Light weight
  • Good in-call sound quality
  • Great battery life

 

Lowlights:

  • Camera quality is disappointing
  • The compact QWERTY keyboard take a lot of getting used to

 

General:

The Nokia E55 is Slim and stylish. It’s lightweight yet feels robust and of good quality. Battery cover is metal with a discrete pattern on it which provides a bit of extra grip. 
As far as I’m aware the E55 is available in two colours. This black and chrome one that I’m reviewing, and a plain chrome one.

E55-angled-left The Nokia E55

The screen display is bright and sharp It can sometimes be slightly difficult to view the screen in bright sunlight, but this can be expected with most phones.

In-call sound quality is quite good. It’s active noise reduction helps to eliminate background noise. I made and received a few calls on this phone and I’ve not complaints on the call quality.

The button between the up/down volume keys on the right side of the phone acts as a mute button when on a call. As this phone is directed towards the business market you can imagine that this is quite idea having the mute button so accessible.

The compact QWERTY keyboard was definitely not my cup of tea. I’m just not used to it. Takes quite a bit of getting used to and feels very awkward to use at first because of this. Liking/disliking the keyboard on the E55 will just come down to personal preference though so best to make up your own mind on this.

The Nokia E55 has Symbian S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 OS. The home screen can be switched between and business and personal profile/mode so you can set up shortcuts on the home screen to suit. Then you can just toggle between the two modes. The home screen can look quite cluttered. Of course this has been thought of. So, you can select a basic theme which will provide you with a clean home screen.

Although it’s aimed at business users Nokia have still provided N-Gage support so that you can access the vast range of games, and with the 3.5mm headphone jack you can use your own headphones if you want. I normally prefer to use my own headphones so the 3.5mm jack is a plus point here for me.

The Nokia headset/handsfree that comes with the phone has pretty good sound quality too. You do sometimes find that headsets that are packaged with phones can lack quality – not in this case. So, when playing games and listening to music you can make the most of the great audio quality. What’s more – the Nokia E55 has an impressive battery life which means you will get a generous number of hours out of it.

There are quite a few handy applications on the phone . For example, Nokia’s Ovi maps, FM radio, video player, Calendar, etc.

One change from other Nokia handsets is the Mobile Office package. You would normally expect to pay extra in order to be able to edit documents. With the E55 you immediately have the capability to edit documents straight out of the box. It even supports the Office 2007 file formats. This is definitely a phone that means business! 

The E55 also includes a pre-installed dictionary. The English language pack is provided by default but you can download other languages from the Nokia website.

 

For connectivity, the Nokia E55 offers 3G, WIFI, GPS, Bluetooth and USB connections.
Emailing and messaging seems pretty straightforward. If you use Gmail all you have to do is enter your Gmail user name and password and the phone does the rest for you. It’s simple to navigate through and I would be even better is I could just get used to the compact QWERTY keyboard! The email client also supports other personal and corporate email types such as, IBM Lotus Notes Traveller, Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo! mail, etc.

The browser is not too bad but it can’t compete with the likes of Safari, or Google’s browser. But this is a candy bar style phone so I wouldn’t expect it to be brilliant. It is adequate enough though. It even supports Flash Lite which means that some flash content can be displayed.

 

As you can probably imagine, the camera on the E55 isn’t one to write home about. But, the phone is designed with business and messaging in mind. It is a 3MP camera and has an LED flash. There is no auto-focus and the pictures taken with the camera are not brilliant. In good lighting you can get a decent picture from it though.

Video recording isn’t any better with the E55. But again, the phone wasn’t designed for this.

 

Conclusion:

The Nokia E55 is a great looking phone. Amazingly slim and light, yet still feels pretty robust.

The battery life is excellent and the sound quality for media and calls is great.
As marketed, this phone is designed for messaging. I would definitely agree. It’s simple to use and navigate through. Of course, if texting/messaging is something you do a lot the compact QWERTY keyboard will definitely be a big decision maker if you’re considering this phone.

 

 

Reviewed by: Emma

Posted in: Reviews
By September 27, 2009 Read More →

i-gotU GT-120 Review

The i-gotU GT-120 from Mobile Action is a GPS logger and receiver which you use in conjunction with your camera for geotagging your photos.

i-gotu GT-120 The i-gotU GT-120 from Mobile Action

You may have seen a few reviews in the past on tracyandmatt.co.uk of photo geotagging devices. Well, I think I may have been given the tiniest one out there to try out! Good timing really as I’m off to Spain for a week so perfect to try this out!

 

What’s in the box?

  • i-gotU GT-120
  • USB cable (Proprietary connection to the device)
  • Mini-CD with software and manual
GT-120_packet2 The i-gotU GT-120 – packaging

 

i-gotU GT120 Specifications:

  • Dimensions: 44.5 x 28.5 x 13 mm
  • Weight: 20g
  • SiRF StarIII 65nm GPS low power chipset
  • Built-in GPS patch antenna
  • 16M flash memory to store 65,000 way points
  • Built-in 230mAh Lithium-ion battery
  • 2 LEDs for on/off/charge/logging status status indication
  • Average acquisition time: Cold start: < 35 seconds
  • USB 1.1cable for charging and PC connect
  • Operation temperature: -10 to + 50 degrees centigrade

System requirements:

  • PC with Windows 2000, XP, Vista
  • PC with USB 1.1 or 2.0

 

General:

This is such a simple device with just a proprietary USB connection on the bottom of the i-gotU GT-120 and the button on the front of it.

i-gotu_bottom  The i-gotU GT-120 from Mobile Action

 

Highlights:

  • Size – small and lightweight
  • Simple to use
  • Water resistant

Lowlights:

  • Can take some time to locate GPS signal

 

Review:

Although I’ve seen geotagging devices I’ve never used one before. The i-gotU GT120 looks simple to use from the outset.

The software “@Trip” needs to be installed. You can get this off the Mobile Action’s site as well which is handy if you lose the mini CD. The installation is pretty quick and the software looks quite straight forward, but I’ll come back to this later in the review.

To switch the i-gotU GT12 on you just hold down the button until you see a blue light appear and flash on the front of the device (you can’t see when it’s not on as it’s located under the plastic). Now, here is my only moan about the device – you may have to wait a minute or two. or three.(you get the idea) until the device fixes on a GPS signal (and you have to be outside – but this is normal). You’ll see when the GPS signal has been found as a red light will then start to flash along with the blue one.

This is where I got confused! Any one who has used one of these before will be laughing at me now! I was convinced that there was more to it – Like pressing the button when you take a photo to track that specific position or something – but no, that was it! It logs data roughly every 5 seconds to track your movements. simple huh?!

To switch it off you just hold the button down again until the red light flashes a few times on its own.

 

The next step is to upload the data from it to your pc using the USB cable.

The software isn’t the most exciting looking but it is easy to use.

atrip2 @Trip software for the i-gotU GT120

Uploading the data only takes a few clicks. The ‘Import’ button at the top left opens another window with an import wizard which guides you through the process. Once the data is uploaded you will then be able to see the tracked data. Google maps are used with this application.

Of course, this is then where your photos come into it. Any photos can be added to the map. The clever part is how they are positioned in the right place on the map. The i-gotU GT120 tracks the time when logging the GPS data. The software then synchronises the time that the picture was taken against the data tracks of the GPS information and then places your pictures accordingly on the map.

There are a few map interfaces. One of them is a sport view, where speed, trip time, total distance, etc are added to a bar at the bottom.

 

Conclusion:

My only real complaint was that it can take quite a time to fix on a GPS signal when you switch it on. This became annoying if i found something that I wasted to take a picture of quickly and the device was switched off.

But, otherwise, the small and lightweight i-gotU GT-120 from Mobile Action definitely impressed me!

Review by: Emma

Posted in: Reviews
By September 11, 2009 Read More →

Nokia 7705 Twist to go on sale in the US

On the 13th September Nokia will start selling their new 7705 Twist(TM) in the USA.

Nokia_7705_Twist_Combo_lowresThe Nokia 7705 Twist(TM)

 

This mobile phone is designed so that you swivel the top of it round to reveal a full qwerty keyboard. You’ll see what I mean if you have a look at the photos.

Nokia_7705_Twist_Mid_Swivel_Red_Glow_lowres The Nokia 7705 Twist(TM)

If you’re interested, here are a fewof the specifications:

  • Dimensions: 2.71" x 2.71" x 0.59"
  • Weight: 3.44 ounces
  • 2.4-inch, 262K TFT QVGA screen
  • Usage time: up to 270 minutes or Standby time: up to 312 hours
  • 3.0 megapixel camera/camcorder with flash and autofocus
  • 2.5 mm headset jack
  • HTML browser
  • Support for Mobile Email, Mobile Web Mail, Chat and Blogs
  • Media Center-capable for downloading games, ringtones and more

 

For more info you can check out Nokia’s USA site

Nokia_7705_Twist_Straight_On_red_glow_lowres

 

Posted by: Emma

Posted in: News
By August 31, 2009 Read More →

Panasonic Lumix TZ6 Review

I reviewed the Lumix FX500 and I must say that I was impressed. Now I have the Lumix TZ6 from Panasonic’s ‘Super Zoom’ category to check out. Hopefully it will impress us as much as the other cameras in the Lumix range have.

TZ6 The Panasonic Lumix TZ6

 

What’s in the box?

  • Panasonic Lumix TZ6 camera
  • Battery (3.6V 895mAh 3.3Wh Li-on)
  • Mains charger
  • USB cable (proprietary connection to camera)
  • Composite AV cable (proprietary connection to camera)
  • CD (software and drivers)
  • Manual

For more information check out Matt’s Panasonic Lumix TZ6 Unboxing Video

 

Panasonic Lumix TZ6 specification:

  • Zoom: 12x optical
  • Resolution: 10Mp
  • Sensor size: 1/2.5in
  • Sensor type: CCD
  • Max. image size: 3648×2736
  • File type: JPEG
  • Sensitivity: ISO80-1600 (ISO6400 in High Sensitivity mode)
  • Media type: SD/SDHC, built-in
  • Focus types: Normal, macro, continuous AF, Tracking AF, Quick AF
  • Normal focusing: 50cm-infinity
  • Close focusing: 3cm-200cm
  • Metering types: Intelligent Multi, centre-weighted, spot
  • Exposure compensation: +/- 2EV in 1/3 step increments
  • Shutter speed: 8-1/2000sec (max. 60sec in Starry Night mode)
  • Flash: Built-in, 0.6-5.3m (Wide at ISO Auto), 1.0-3.6m (Telephoto at ISO Auto)
  • Monitor: 2.7in TFT LCD (230,000dot)
  • Interface: USB 2.0
  • Power: Li-Ion battery
  • Size: 103.3×59.6×32.8mm
  • Weight: 206g (excl. battery and card)

 

General:

FRONT – On the front of the camera is the flash, the lens and the AF lamp

TZ6_front Panasonic Lumix TZ6 – front view

 

TOP – from the left, the four holes is where the speaker is located and the next set of holes is where the microphone is. Next is the on/of switch. The the zoom slider can be seen next with the shutter button located in the middle of it. Lastly is the mode dial.

TZ6_top Panasonic Lumix TZ6 – top view

 

BOTTOM – The battery and SD card compartment can be seen in this picture. There is also a standard tripod hole.

TZ6_bottom Panasonic Lumix TZ6 – bottom view

 

CONNECTIONS – This side view shows the single proprietary connection. The wrist strap loop can also be seen here.

TZ6_connector Panasonic Lumix TZ6 – connections view

 

BACK – The 2.7 inch screen is shown here. At the top left is the switch to change between record and playback modes. Below this are the navigation keys for the menu. When in record mode these also work as shortcut keys to the self timer, exposure compensation setting, flash settings and auto focus. At the bottom is the display button which changes the on screen display in both record and playback modes, and the last button is a quick menu button in record mode and a delete button in playback mode.

TZ6_back Panasonic Lumix TZ6 – back view

 

 

Highlights:

  • High quality 10.1MP
  • Video recording quality is good (and the zoom also works with this)
  • Easy to use

Lowlights:

  • Chunky build – not aesthetically pleasing as many other Lumix cameras
  • Mode dial turns too easily

 

Review:

I was somewhat disappointed when I first saw the Panasonic Lumix TZ6 as it’s not one of Panasonic’s nicest looking Lumix cameras. I suppose I was expecting a more sleek and compact design as it is after all, a compact camera. But then, I had to remind myself that the TZ6 is part of the ‘Super Zoom’ category and not the ‘Stylish Compact’ category.

The Lumix TZ6 is available in this silver colour and also black.

TZ6_3 The Panasonic Lumix TZ6

 

The camera switches on and is ready to take pictures pretty quickly. This is quite a good point as some cameras can take a while from being switched on to being ready to take a photo.

The iA mode which has been featured in the Lumix range makes the camera do all the fine tuning for you (ie. exposure, aperture, white balance, auto focus (AF) tracking, etc.) Definitely a great feature as it makes it such a simple point-and-shoot camera.

The LCD screen is clear and bright, and at 2.7 inches it’s a nice generous size to use as a view finder and for reviewing your photos on.

The normal mode (next to the iA mode on the dial) is a basic auto mode which will adjust some setting such as AF and exposure. You can also take photos with your own custom settings which means a bit more work has to be done in order to take the best picture. I generally don’t use manual settings on compact cameras as I find it too fiddly and time consuming as you have to go into menus in order to change all the settings. You’ll probably miss the shot you wanted or your friends will get fed up of standing there waiting for the picture to be taken if you’re using this mode!

It’s a 10.1 MP camera and the lens is great! It’s a Leica-branded lens with a 12X zoom. This is the equivalent of a 25mm-300mm range. For those who aren’t so familiar with different zoom lens sizes I took these photos to show illustrate how good this zoom lens is!

P1010121 Wide angle (zoomed right out) – the blue outline in the picture shows the area I zoomed in on for the next picture.

P1010122 Taken using 12x zoom. Pretty good zoom huh!

 

Of course, the two photos above are of distant subjects. Here is a macro shot to show you the detail that the TZ6 captures.

P1010083

I’ve reduced the size of these photos to put onto tracyandmatt.co.uk so the quality has also been reduced. The original photos show off the Lumix TZ6’s high quality capability. The detail that it has captured is brilliant.

The video recording mode on the camera records at the following specifications:

[4:3]VGA: 640 x 480 pixels, 30fps (Motion JPEG) QVGA: 320 x 240 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG)

[16:9]WVGA: 848 x 480 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG)

The quality of video is pretty good. What’s even more impressive is that you can also use the zoom! The movement is steady when zooming in an out. The microphone which is located on the top of the camera seems to pick up sound quite well and the inbuilt speaker (again, on the top) means you can play back your videos on the camera. It doesn’t offer HD recording but is definitely a good lower end video recorder.

There was one thing that annoyed me about the camera. The mode dial seems too easy to turn. Sounds silly I know, but it didn’t seem to stay locked in place. You could touch it quite lightly and it would move. This became annoying if you put it down, or in your pocket. The next time you wanted to use the camera you couldn’t just switch it on quickly and take a picture. The dial would have made its way round to where there were no modes! Never mind.

 

Conclusion:

The Panasonic Lumix TZ6 is a brilliant Zoom camera. The picture quality is brilliant and it takes pretty good video footage too. Being able to use the zoom when recording video is a definite plus.

I thought at first that the camera was a bit bulky but I’ve changed my mind. It’s a camera with and amazing zoom. If it was a SLR camera the lens would be pretty big so Panasonic have done well to fit it all nicely into the TZ6.

Over all The Lumix TZ6 has impressed me.

 

 

Reviewed by: Emma

Posted in: Reviews
By August 26, 2009 Read More →

New Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Apple have announced the release of their latest operating system – OS X Snow Leopard. It is due to go on sale on Friday 28th August 2009.

0908snowleowithbox

OS X Snow Leopard is an upgrade of the last OS Leopard. One of the main improvements is that Snow Leopard is half the size of its predecessor and up to 7GB is freed up once installed.

 

CUPERTINO, California-August 24, 2009-Apple® today announced that Mac OS® X v10.6 Snow LeopardT will go on sale Friday, August 28 at Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers, and that Apple’s online store is now accepting pre-orders. Snow Leopard builds on a decade of OS X innovation and success with hundreds of refinements, new core technologies and out of the box support for Microsoft Exchange. Snow Leopard will be available as an upgrade for Mac OS X Leopard® users for $29.

“Snow Leopard builds on our most successful operating system ever and we’re happy to get it to users earlier than expected,” said Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “For just $29, Leopard users get a smooth upgrade to the world’s most advanced operating system and the only system with built in Exchange support.”

To create Snow Leopard, Apple engineers refined 90 percent of the more than 1,000 projects that make up Mac OS X. Users will notice refinements including a more responsive FinderT; Mail that loads messages up to twice as fast;* Time Machine® with an up to 80 percent faster initial backup;* a Dock with Exposé® integration; QuickTime® X with a redesigned player that allows users to easily view, record, trim and share video; and a 64-bit version of Safari® 4 that is up to 50 percent** faster and resistant to crashes caused by plug-ins.

(from Apple’s site)

 

Posted by: Emma

Posted in: Apps & Games
By August 25, 2009 Read More →

Nokia Booklet 3G – Press Release

Nokia announced today (Mon 24th Aug) its entry into the netbook market with the Nokia Booklet 3G.

 

Nokia_Booklet_3G01

 

Some details from Nokia:

Powered by the efficient Intel Atom processor, the Nokia Booklet 3G delivers impressive performance with up to 12 hours of battery life, enabling people to leave their power cable behind and still be connected and productive. Delivering the rich experience of a full-function PC inside an ultra-portable aluminium chassis, the new mini-laptop weighs 1.25 kilograms, measures slightly more than two centimetres thin, and has the features one would expect from the world’s leading mobile device manufacturer.  A broad range of connectivity options – including 3G/ HSPA and Wi-Fi – gives consumers high speed access to the Internet, including Nokia’s broad suite of Ovi services, and allows them to make the most of every moment and every opportunity.

Nokia_Booklet_3G_Group01

"A growing number of people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility," said Kai Oistamo, Nokia’s Executive Vice President for Devices. "We are in the business of connecting people and the Nokia Booklet 3G is a natural evolution for us. Nokia has a long and rich heritage in mobility and with the outstanding battery life, premium design and all day, always on connectivity, we will create something quite compelling. In doing so we will make the personal computer more social, more helpful and more personal."

Booklet_3G_Group03

The mini-laptop also comes with an HDMI port for HD video out, a front facing camera for video calling, integrated Bluetooth and an easily accessible SD card reader. Other premium features include the 10-inch glass HD ready display and integrated A-GPS which, working with the Ovi Maps gadget, can pinpoint your position in seconds and open up access for a truly personal maps experience. The Nokia Booklet 3G also brings a number of other rich Ovi experiences to life, whether its access and playback of millions of tracks through the Nokia Music Store, or using Ovi Suite to sync seamlessly from your Nokia smartphone, to your mini-laptop, to the cloud.

The Nokia Booklet 3G will widen the Nokia portfolio, satisfying a need in the operator channel, and bringing another important ingredient in the move towards becoming a mobile solutions company.

 

Posted by: Emma

Posted in: News
By August 22, 2009 Read More →

Nokia to enter the netbook market?

Nokia could be entering the word of the netbook!

 

No, I didn’t just make this up, honest! Here is an excerpt from the Economic Times –

 

With the market for converged devices growing, the world’s largest cell phone maker, Nokia, on Wednesday said it is exploring various

opportunities in this market and may enter the netbook segment.

"…the PC and the mobile will continue to come closer and merge. A lot of opportunity can be seen in this converged area.
We at Nokia is actively looking at this converged market…We are looking at the netbook market to see what kind of opportunity is there," Nokia Corp’s global CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo told reporters here.

 

We’ll just have to wait and see what happens!

 

Posted by: Emma

Posted in: Rumours
By August 21, 2009 Read More →

LG Watchphone (LG-GD910) – Exclusive to Orange

Orange have announced that the LG Watchphone (LG-GD910) will go on sale next week. The first devices will be available from 09:00am on Thursday 27th August at the Orange shop, Bond Street Station, Central London.

BUT!! It will only be on sale for a limited time (which has not been specified) and will work on a ‘first come first serve’ basis. The LG Watchphone will be priced at £500 for those lucky enough to afford it and of course get their hands on it!

LG watchphone
LG Watchphone (LG-GD910) – Exclusive to Orange

Available on a first-come-first-serve basis, and one device per customer to those who arrive in person at the store – the handmade 3G+ watchphone will guarantee those fortunate enough to purchase one that they’ll turn heads on the high street. The device’s slick scratch resistant touch-screen interface makes writing text messages easy, while an in-built speaker and MP3/AAC player lets you listen to the Essential James Bond theme album when you’re imprisoned in a fake volcano or battling with Jaws.

To make a voice or video call – in true 22nd Century fashion – all you have to do is ask it nicely. The combination of voice activated command, VGA camera and Bluetooth technology mean you’ll never have to raise a finger to make a call again… just turn your wrist and talk away. The handmade timepiece is designed with the image conscious in mind too and features eight different watch faces – one to suit your every mood or crime-fighting outfit.

Francois Mahieu, Director of Devices, Orange UK said: “The LG Touchscreen Watchphone is one of several ‘future phones’ we’re bringing to UK consumers this year. Being handmade, the device really is highly original and exclusively limited – so you’ll be the envy of all your friends if you’re fortunate enough to get your hands on one.”

A limited number of the devices will also be made available from mid-September via the Orange online shop. For those wishing to register their interest, please visit www.orange.co.uk/watchphone.

(from the Orange Newsroom)

 

LG watchphone2
LG Watchphone (LG-GD910) – Exclusive to Orange

 

Posted by: Emma

Posted in: News
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 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
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