Japanese operator KDDI has unveiled a phone with a 3D display. The recently announced Ketai H001 has a 3.1in hinged screen – made by Hitachi, and named after its HD TV brand, Wooo – that’s able to display games, pictures and video content in 3D. A 3D button on the phone takes the user through to a dedicated channel which streams 3D content to the phone over an integrated 1Seg receiver. The rest of the phone’s features are pretty high spec too. It has a 5Mp camera with autofocus. Images are stored on Micro SD cards. E-Wallet support lets the owner pay for things using the H001, and the clamshell’s top surface is a display in its own right. The 51 x 111 x 18.6mm device is available in “Flame Red”, “Solid Silver” and “Neon Purple” body colours. A UK launch date or price, no chance this will be a Japanese only release, Boooo!!!!
via The Register and Akihabaranews
The guys over at XDA-Developers have posted up a few more screenshots of the soon to be announced Windows Mobile 6.5. The pictures on the left are the new Internet Explorer 6 and you can see the new zoom bar and the other pictures are of the new home screen and launcher honeycomb layout. Not sure if this is just a today screen enhancement / overlay or something deeper like a new programs menu, guess time will tell.
via Xda-Developers and WMExperts
As you can see in the video after the break, iBluetooth will bring you just that, allowing the iPhone to transfer files to any other device using Bluetooth. In this case, the application developed by MeDevil is working with an iMac and a Sony Ericsson handset but, once it is finished and available through Cydia, it will work with any device supporting the Bluetooth file transfer protocol.
Is this the first Android phone in the market. The Dream G200i is a 2.8-inch phone with Smart Touch display, Bluetooth, 4 MP camera, support for video and music files and runs an OS dubbed Google Androidoperation system. It doesn’t look like a straight clone of the T-Mobile G1, so we’ll have to file this one under MotoROKR E7 knock-off. No WiFi, 3G connectivity or GPS. The Dream G200i, however, is a full-pledged business phone with support for “Google Mobile functions of Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google SMS, Blogger, Google Calendar, Picasa Web Albums, Google Notebook, Google Reader, Google Docs, Google News & iGoogle!” It also supports MS Office and a host of IM software’s. Discounted price tag is $235 here.
[PMPtoday via chinagrabber]
Though we have heard a lot of promises from other manufacturers, we have yet to see another Android phone become available apart from the T-Mobile G1. Well, that may soon change if General Mobile keeps their promise and debuts the DSTL1 Imaginary at the World Mobile Congress next month. Aside from running Android, the DSTL1 also features dual-SIM capabilities making it the first dual-SIM Android phone. It’s equipped with a 624MHz Marvell processor, 3-inch display, 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP and EDR, FM radio, microSD card support, and 4GB of internal memory. It’s a pretty decent spec sheet to me, but the big question is; can they deliver the good on time? Granted that the World Mobile Congress is just a couple of weeks away, we’ll probably know sooner than later.
[PMPtoday via unwiredview]
A different brand and a different take on the Windows Mobile platform, the ICE is the first handset to be launched by the relatively unknown company Mobinnova. In fact Mobinova do have other handsets but this is the first one I’ve actually seen.
The Mobinnova ICE
A first look at the Mobinnova ICE and you might be forgiven for thinking that it was a Samsung Omnia as both have a similar form-factor and glossy silver-grey finish. The similarity doesn’t end there either as the ICE phone also has a 240 x 400 (WQVGA) display albeit 0.5" smaller than the Omnia’s.
What is different about the ICE is on the navigation panel below the main screen. Underneath the 3" touchscreen you’ll find a small OLED display. Measuring just over 1" diagonal this secondary display is actually a touch panel area in place of a more conventional d-pad or trackball. There are other phones on the market that employ a similar technology, such as the Samsung Soul, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a thing used on a Windows mobile device. As a result the front of the ICE is extremely clean with just the Send and End phone keys sticking out.
The touch panel illuminates and is context sensitive so, most of the time it functions as a regular d-pad with up, down, left, right and ‘OK’ in the centre, but some applications change what the display shows and does. It can even be configured to display date/time when the main display goes off.
The rest of the Mobinnova ICE specification is also pretty good as you’ll be able to see below. Weighing in at 120 grams and only 13mm thick it’s an easily pocketable handset with CPU power and decent amount of RAM to boot.
We’re working on the full review at the moment but please have a look at my Mobinnova ICE unboxing video below to see it in a little more detail.
Mobinnova ICE specification:
- Dimensions: 114 x 53.5 x 13mm
- Weight: 120g with battery
- Networks: Tri Band WCDMA/HSPA
- Europe/Asia/Americas – WCDMA/HSPA 900/1900/2100MHzHSDPA providing downlink *speeds of up to 7.2Mbps
- HSUPA providing uplink speeds of up to 2Mbps
- Quad band GSM / GPRS / EDGE GSM850/900/1800/1900MHz
- Display: 3” WQVGA flat TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen
- Secondary display: 128 x 96 OLED panel
- User Interface: mobiToday, mobiFeel and mobiShift controls
- Camera: 3 megapixel autofocus camera with dedicated shutter control. 2nd camera for video calling
- Memory: 256MB ROM / 128MB RAM. microSD expansion slot with SDCH support
- Wireless: WiFi 802.11 b/g
- Radio: Built in FM Radio with RDS/RBDS function
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR / A2DP for use with Bluetooth stereo headsets
- mini USB 2.0 plus TV-Out CVBS + L/R audio
- Navigation: Built in GPS/AGPS
- Chipset: Qualcomm MSM7201ATM (528MHz)
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows Mobile® 6.1 professional
- Battery: 1080mAh rechargeable Lithium-Polymer battery
- Talk: Up to 6 hours
- Standby: Up to 160 hours
If you like what you see then you can head over to eXpansys.com where you can pre-order the Mobinnova ICE for just £399.99.
Posted by: Matt
The T-Mobile MDA Vario IV has finally appeared on the website over at T-Mobile for immediate order either as a consumer or a business user. The Vario IV is a slightly modified HTC Touch Pro with a more rounded look to it and personally speaking it looks better than the original. The phone is available from free on selected tariffs. You can find out more over at T-Mobile’s online store either business or consumer.
Our latest podcast is now available to download, in episode 22 we discuss the Windows Mobile 18 month plan and 6.5 leaks , the new HTC Touch Cruise, iPhone software update 2.2.1 and a few applications, the Nokia 5800 review, Android Cupcake and a pay as you go Blackberry plus much more. You can subscribe via iTunes, RSS or download the mp3 file here. Full show notes after the break.
We have just heard from Orange that they will shortly be releasing the Blackberry Pearl 8120 on a pay as you go service. From February, Orange will be the first operator in the UK to offer BlackBerry on Pay As You Go. The launch will also include a colour exclusive of the Pearl in indigo. The handset will be priced at £145.00 and the Blackberry Internet Service or BIS will cost just £5.00 per month. Depending on how it goes Orange will look to extend the offer to other Blackberry models in the not too distant future. There will be a formal announcement tomorrow.
Following on from my recent S740 review, one of my comments was that I was really impressed by the Smartphone but would have preferred a version without the sliding keyboard. This lead me to have a look around to see what was available with that kind of spec. I ended up taking a closer look at the Samsung i200.
As Matt mentioned in the unboxing video it is an entry level and Windows Mobile standard Smartphone, with a relatively small processor and low end specifications. Described as ‘My very first Smartphone’ is the Samsung i200 any good, or is it too basic to warrant a serious look?
Although this device has been around for a few months it kind of passed me by and even if you go onto the Samsung website it’s masked by the likes of the Omnia and Pixon etc. It took me a while to even find it.
The Samsung SGH-i200
What’s in the box?
- Samsung i200
- AC charger
- USB sync
- Stereo headset
- Quick start guide and CD.
- Outlook 2007 trial
Pretty standard here, with nothing out of the ordinary to comment on. Have a look at Matt’s Samsung i200 unboxing video for more details.
Samsung SGH-i200 specification:
- Dimensions: – 117 x 51 x 12 mm (Corrected from the original Unbox)
- Display: 240 x 320 pixels (2.3 inch)
- 128MB ROM / 64MB RAM
- MicroSD/SDHC memory card slot
- Network: – GSM: 900/1800/1900 (Tri-Band) – WCDMA: 2100
- Camera: – 2 mega-pixels
- Music: – Supported formats: MP3, AAC, eAAC+ & WMA
- Video: – Video Recording – Video Streaming
- Bluetooth (2.0)
- GPRS Class 32
- HSDPA (3.6 Mbits)
Around the i200
On the top of the phone is only the power button, which launches the ‘Quick list’, this allows you various options such as 1. Power off 2. Lock 3. Task Manager 4. Wireless Manager, or access to ‘Profiles’.
Samsung i200 top view
On the left side of the i200 is the ‘Function jack’ to connect the proprietary Samsung connector, USB lead or headset. Once again and the VERY worst thing about the Samsung phones is their refusal to use miniUSB connectors.
Also there is a lanyard loop and the up and down volume rocker.
Samsung i200 left side
Opposite on the right is the dedicated 2 Megapixel camera button which is customisable and can be changed to pretty much whatever you want and there is a MicroSD slot.
Samsung i200 right side
The back of the device finds the camera itself, with no flash or portrait mirror, as well here is the back cover.
Samsung i200 back view
At the sharp end, on the front of the unit is the earpiece, the forward facing camera lens which is next to the light sensor.
The Samsung has a flush fitting QVGA screen which is 2.3” screen underneath which is the left/right soft keys, the send and end keys surrounding the centre key and 4 way navigation key. Flanking all of these buttons is a Home key on the right hand side and a Delete/back key on the left hand side.
Below these is the 12 button key alphanumeric keypad.
Samsung i200 front view
There is nothing on the bottom of the i200.
Highlights
- Utter simplicity
- Clear bright screen
- Great design and build
Lowlights
- Proprietary Connection!!
- Occasional lag
- No GPS or Wifi
Software
In regard to the Windows Mobile Standard this device is pretty standard, there is Mobile office included as well as Adobe reader including ClearVue PDF viewer, an organiser which includes the calendar, alarm, world clocks, tasks, voice notes and a selection called ‘D-day’ which is a reminder and countdown program to a specific event, such as Birthdays, anniversaries, end of the world etc.
There is also a ‘contents manager’ which seems to be a different, customisable version of File Manager, where you can navigate through My Documents, My Pictures, My Music etc.
The home screen in particular is very customisable because on top of the usual WM home screen Samsung has added a couple of their own to give no less than 15 different options.
Another disappointment, and not a fault of this particular phone, is the lack of third party applications compared with that available for Windows 6.1 professional. I found very little to spice up the phone for a self confessed tinkerer like myself.
Review
On first impressions I really like the look of the Samsung, it is a little longer than the normal, being roughly the same width and similar depth as my diamond, it does come in approximately 15mm longer. A few have mentioned that it is too long, but after using the S740 I have got used to this as they are very similar in length and I would sooner have this than sacrifice either the larger screen or keypad.
The design of the phone is very well laid out and the feel of the device is very easy to live with. It is comfortable to hold and use. I found that all the buttons are responsive and positive. It looks good and is very pocketable due to its slim form factor.
There is occasionally a slight lag due to the lack of ROM/RAM on the device, but never that often or long enough to be annoying. I’m not the most patient of people when it comes to computer processes (I once read that if a web page doesn’t load within 15 seconds then the majority of people log off, I wouldn’t give it that long!) so if the lag had been an issue then I would have been the first to make a big deal of it.
The lack of wifi and GPS is a real shame, but then again the simplicity of the i200 is one of its charms. Like the S740 I found that it does the everyday tasks very well, texting and calling are a doddle, the call quality is fine, and fast web connection is also nice to use.
As a side point, this week I have been messing about with Windows 7 Beta release, and while the Samsung interacts happily with Windows Media Device Centre on Vista, I could not get it to work on W7, despite loading drivers, connecting with Bluetooth etc. It just did not want to know, strange.
The camera is adequate and that’s about it, as a low end device you cannot expect miracles, it does have face and smile recognition technology but in practice I found these not that good, I think adequate says it all.
The battery life on the phone is good; as it is simple it does not make excessive demands on the battery, with normal moderate use I did manage up to 3 days between charges, on a heavy use day it was done by late evening.
Placing the connector hole on the top left of the i200 I feel was a mistake, this would probably have been better at the bottom of the device, being Right-handed I often hold the phone in my left hand to use and the lead was often in the way and made the device awkward to hold.
Conclusion
Is this phone good enough to tempt the Nokia user away and introduce them to Windows? In my opinion, I like this phone a lot, its neat and tidy, slim and feature packed, as a low end device; I think it is very capable and a simple pleasure to use on a regular basis. It has its faults and is not perfect, having said that I like it enough to go about buying one myself. The reason I am buying one is that sometimes my Diamond, as well as other high end devices can quite often over complicate matters, making simple tasks too much of a pain. The i200 is the opposite it is not complicated and does simple tasks very well, there are quite a few times when I just want a decent phone, without the bells and whistles, and for me this a great cheap alternative, at around £160- £190 for me it’s worth the money.
NB. Even better I have just found one of £120, bargain.
Review by: Steve
[ Post Tags: windows mobile, smartphone, Samsung, SGH-i200, i200, My Very First Smartphone, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]
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