HTC Corporation today debuted its newest QWERTY smartphone, the HTC Snap™. Designed with a set of features selected to deliver everything customers need without overwhelming them with things they don’t, the HTC Snap makes it easier than ever to stay in contact with life’s most important people.
A recent study conducted by Harris Interactive® and commissioned by HTC* found that 44% of US adults are often overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive, and over half (55%) of US adults prioritize five or fewer people with whom they communicate via email. In response to these issues, HTC’s innovative Inner Circle feature allows HTC Snap users to press a dedicated Inner Circle key to bring emails from a preselected group of people to the top of their inbox, enabling important messages to be acted upon immediately.
This is HP’s flagship Windows Smartphone. It sits alongside the HP Data Messenger, its Windows Mobile brother. It’s a fantastic looking phone but, in my opinion, and like its keyboarded brother, it’s not ready for general use. However for the record here is my 2 cents worth.
The HP iPAQ Voice Messenger
What’s in the box?
The phone supplied with Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard aka Windows Smartphone, Mains charger with USB output socket, Micro USB data / charging cable. Ear phones with Call Answer/End button, manuals.
Check out Matt’s HP iPAQ Voice Messenger un-boxing video for more information:
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger specification:
- Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
- Qualcomm 7201A 528MHz CPU
- 128 MB SDRAM
- 256 MB flash ROM
- 2.4” transmissive TFT, 64K colours, 320 x 240 pixel non-touch screen display with LED backlight
- 20-key keyboard with alphanumeric/QWERTY layout
- 5-way optical navigation key
- Integrated WLAN 802.11b/g with WPA2 security
- Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
- Micro-USB connector for synchronisation and charging
- Micro SDHC card slot – supports up to 8GB
- Tri-band UMTS (900/1900/2100 MHz), HSDPA Category 8 (up to 7.2Mbps downlink) and HSUPA
- Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
- Integrated GPS navigation (Assisted GPS)
- 3.1 Megapixel autofocus camera, 5X digital zoom
- LED flash
- Removable/rechargeable 1260 mAh Lithium-Polymer Battery (user changeable)
- Dimensions (W x D x H) – 5.0 x 1.36 x 11.4 cm
- Weight – 107g
General
A solid and conventional ‘candy-bar’ phone but with a great combination of gloss black and deeply chromed trim and back panel make this phone stand out from the crowd. The screen is 320×240 pixels, 2.4” non touch, with LED backlight for high contrast and low power usage.
On the front there is a 20 Key phone pad. Call Answer and End keys with integrated LEDs. Two Soft Keys. Home and Return Keys. 5 way optical mouse with push to select button. LED status indicator.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger front view
On the top a physical switch to select ring or vibrate.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger top view
On the left, Key Lock, volume up/down, voice command select.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger left side
On the right, 2.5mm headphone jack, Micro USB charge/data port, camera button.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger right side
Underneath the back cover are the battery, Sim and hot swappable MicroSD slot. There is no separate reset button; soft reset is accomplished by removing the battery.
On the back the 3.2Mp camera and LED flash.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger back view
Highlights
- Style
- LED Backlit screen
Lowlights
- Raw Windows Mobile 6.1
- Issues with optical mouse and touch sensitive buttons
Review
The phones layout is mostly fine; the keypad has a healthy response to it. The Optical mouse is a nice idea but not quite precise enough for me to use. I found it either too sensitive; jumping several menu options at a time or not responsive enough i.e. not moving when one intended it to. The end result was very frustrating. It was however way better than the optical mouse on the Data Messenger I reviewed last month, and possibly one could get used to it.
In a similar way the 2 touch sensitive buttons each side of the optical mouse were a disappointment. They seem to have great potential but partly the layout and partly the combination of real buttons and touch buttons just didn’t really work for me.
I feel for a active business phone, which seems where these phones are pitched, physical push buttons are still the best option as they reduce the vagueness around ‘did I select it, or didn’t I?’. Especially useful when your phone is having one of those “I will keep you waiting because I sense you are in a rush” moments. In case you wonder why new phones have these slow downs, it’s because they are basically small, but powerful computers. And like computers they too have personalities, the sort found in 4 year old children who have had too much chocolate and coke on a long hot car journey. (J)
The touch buttons on the Voice Messenger were actually so sensitive that they sometimes activated just by bringing your finger near them. Not ideal on a cramped keyboard.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger keypad view
The biggest problem with this phone is that it runs an unmodified version of Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition. Many manufacturers now provide highly modified ‘frontends’ for their phones making the user experience so much better. It’s not that there is anything particularly ‘wrong’ with Windows Mobile it’s just that it is lumpy and has remained virtually the same for several years now. Version 6.5 of WM is due soon and it promises improved usability. These phones may be unreadable to that, but we haven’t had confirmation yet, so check first if it’s important for you. That said this is the Smartphone version of Windows Mobile i.e. doesn’t have a touch screen and because its designed for button and phone pad use, it’s actually less of a problem than the touch screen version.
Conclusion
Very nice looking phone, some features are questionable. But overall there are much better options from other vendors to consider.
Review by: Daniel des Baux
[ Post Tags: HP iPAQ Voice Messenger, Windows Mobile, HP iPAQ, Smartphone, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]
Research In Motion launches BlackBerry App World™, a new on-device application store for BlackBerry smartphones. At launch, BlackBerry App World brings together a broad mix of personal and business applications for users to discover.
BlackBerry App World is immediately available to BlackBerry smartphone users in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, with more country launches to follow. Users in these countries can download the BlackBerry App World application to their BlackBerry smartphone by visiting www.blackberry.com/appworld from their handset.
Our latest podcast is now available to download, in episode 30 we discuss the Windows Mobile Marketplace updated information, Windows Mobile 7, Skype beta 3.0 with a live test, iPaq Data Messenger review, iPhone sin unlocked now available, Pocket God controversial review and a test of Skype for iPhone plus loads more. You can subscribe via iTunes, RSS or download the mp3 file here. Full show notes after the break.
Want to find out how and what the Windows Phone marketplace is all about. Well Microsoft have posted a video with all the details, telling us how the system works, how to pay, Carrier included content and a guarantee that the app will actually run on your model of phone. Pretty impressive stuff, also if your not satisfied with a particular app you can get a refund too. Check out the video after the break and make sure you have Silverlight installed first.
AT&T announced 6 new entries to its mobile phones portfolio yesterday. The emphasis is quite obviously on texting with all 6 of their new offerings featuring full QWERTY keyboard. The leader of the pack is Nokia E71x, followed by three Samsung handsets – Propel Pro, Impression and Magnet and two LG devices – Neon and Xenon.
The Nokia E71x isn’t really any different from its European sibling, save for the new paintjob. The bar is the slimmest smartphone to date and sports a 2.36" 16M color QVGA display.
Nokia E71x
It will also feature a GPS receiver a 3 megapixel auto focus camera and of course – HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity. A built-in microSD card slot will allow expanding the internal memory with up to 16GB worth of additional storage.
Nokia E71x
The Nokia E71x will be available in the following weeks across AT&T stores for 150 US dollars on a 2 year contract.
The Samsung Propel Pro comes as a direct successor of the Samsung A767 Propel, extending its functionality quite extensively. Running on the Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard it packs Wi-Fi, GPS and a 2.55" square display with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels.
Samsung Propel Pro
The Samsung Propel Pro has a 528 MHz CPU and 128 MB of RAM. Its other important features include 3G with HSDPA support, microSD card slot, Bluetooth, USB and a 3 megapixel autofocus camera.
Samsung Propel Pro
You can find the Propel Pro in the AT&T stores starting from April 14. In order to walk out with it you will have to part with 150 US dollars and sign a two-year contract.
Next in line is the side-slider Samsung Impression. Its highlight feature is the 3.2" AMOLED touchscreen of WQVGA resolution, which according to AT&T is a first for the US. In addition to it the handset comes with quad-band GSM and dual-band UMTS with HSDPA support.
Samsung Impression
The other key features of Samsung Impression are Bluetooth with A2DP, microSD card slot and a 3 megapixel camera with video recording capabilities.
Samsung Impression
The Samsung Impression will be available from April 7 for 200 US dollars on a two-year contract.
Samsung Impression
The Samsung Magnet is a simple offering, targeted at the younger audience. Sporting great messaging capabilities thanks to the full QWERTY keyboard it will be the most affordable of the bunch. However AT&T haven’t yet published the full specifications of the device so all we can tell you is that it will be an entry-level offering.
The Samsung Magnet will hit the shelves in the coming weeks.
LG Neon is an exact replica of the LG KS360, which we reviewed not too long ago. It is a mid-ranger that catches the eye with bold colours and quirky controls. Its main features include a 2.4" display, a 2 megapixel snapper and Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support.
Samsung Impression
FM radio is also onboard and so are stereo Bluetooth, microSD card slot and FM radio.
Samsung Impression
The Neon will be available quite shortly for 100 US dollars on a two-year contract.
The LG Xenon comes with haptic feedback for improving the touchscreen experience. The quad-band GSM and dual-band UMTS (with HSDPA support) handset sports a 2.8" 65K colour WQVGA display.
Samsung Impression
Its other features include 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, USB and a microSD card slot.
Samsung Impression
The LG Xenon will be available shortly across AT&T stores but its pricing still remains to be disclosed.
Posted by: John
[source]
We have criticised the way in which Microsoft was proposing to deal with developers in the new Marketplace mainly because of the structure of charging developers to submit updates to their applications as we felt that it would stifle improvements to apps. Well the good news is The Marketplace team have just announced some more details around the ‘Windows Marketplace for Mobile’ which has put to rest the fears of this happening. This is what they have to say:-
Q: Do I need to pay the $99 fee again to submit an application update?
A: No, if your application has been previously certified and published in the catalog, you can submit subsequent updates without incurring any additional fees. The application update will be made available through Windows Marketplace to all customers that have downloaded your application in the past.
Q: I previously heard that you only had 7 days to submit a free update. Has this changed?
A: Yes, we originally communicated that only application updates submitted within 7 days of their publish date would benefit from a free submission. After talking to the developer community and better understanding the dynamics and frequency of application updates, we have decided to extend the original 7-day window and make it permanent. This means that if an application has been previously approved in the marketplace the developer can submit updates to it without incurring any additional fees.
via blogs.msdn and msmobiles
Roughly 6 months ago I took a look at SPB Online. This was a package of several utilities bundled into one. Probably the most impressive of these utilities was a TV streaming program. Now SPB have released a full version of this function. Should you check it out?
Nokia has announced a software update to the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic to further improve the performance and add new functionalities to the device. The software update is immediately available for download on Nokia Software Update website (http://www.nokia.com/softwareupdate) free of charge.
Improvements in the new software version include faster data download from Internet, improved e-mail experience, better search experience with in-device search. Many additional features are also included in the software update listed after the break.
Kinoma will offer visitors to CTIA Wireless a first-ever sneak preview of its Kinoma Play mobile media browser for Nokia’s S60 devices. Kinoma Play for S60, slated for launch on Nokia’s forthcoming Ovi Store, lets consumers see and hear their favorite media faster. It will be featured in Nokia booth #7553 at the CTIA Wireless show in Las Vegas, April 1-3.
Kinoma Play is a fundamentally better way to find, play and share all kinds of media — videos, music, podcasts, radio, audiobooks and photos — whether they’re on your phone, your home PC, or streaming from your favorite social media sites. It delivers an exceptional, touch-optimized media experience for leading sites like YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, SHOUTcast and Live365, and the built-in Kinoma Guide puts “the best of the web” within easy reach.
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