Reviews

Sony Ericsson C510 Review

It seems that not a day goes by when Sony Ericsson are not announcing a new device to add to there already amazingly large, ever expanding Walkman or Cybershot range. But then you have to say with these iconic brands like this from Sony at their disposal, why not. The C510, one of the latest additions to the Sony Ericsson Cybershot range I feel looks the part, but with just a 3.2 megapixel camera can the device really compete with other mobiles and of course the much loved compact digital?

The Sony Ericsson C510

 

What’s in the box?

• Sony Ericsson C510 handset
• Battery
• Mains charger
• Stereo headset/handsfree
• USB cable
• Manual

 

Sony Ericsson C510 specification:

• Dimensions: 107 x 47 x 12.5 mm
• Weight: 92g
• Display: 240 x 320 pixel, 256K colour TFT,  2.2 inches
• Camera: 3.2 mega-pixels, Autofocus
• Smile ShutterT
• Face detection
• Network: – GSM: 900/1800/1900 (Tri-band)
• UMTS (3G), EDGE
• Music: Media player
• Album art
• BluetoothT stereo (A2DP)
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, E-mail & Instant Messaging
• Memory: Phone Book: 1000 entries, up to 2500 numbers
• 100MB (internal)
• Memory Stick Micro M2 (external)
• USB support
• Geo tagging of photos (cell-id)
• Google MapsT
• FM radio with RDS
• YouTube client

 

General:

The C510 is a classic candy bar style device, and compared to other Cybershot camera phones, it looks and feels very small, and it can often be the case in technological products that this can be best.

Sony Ericsson C510 – front view

A clear a large display is the centre of attention on the front of the device below this are four way navigational buttons with a select key in the centre, the soft keys for shortcuts, cancel and of course the call control keys surround this and a full numerical pad with individual keys below this.

Sony Ericsson C510 – keypad view

The left of the device sees that familiar Sony Ericsson style connector which I have always felt is a little to large for devices in the walkman range however its presence is some what reassuring in the Cybershot range. Along from this is the all important M2 Card Slot with cover for storing all your photos and multimedia.

Sony Ericsson C510 – left view

The right of the C510 is home to the two way zoom control which also takes care of volume and checking your devices status (battery life etc.) The shutter button is located at the opposite end to this and as you can see that clean, attractive blue stripe continues around the entire phone.

Sony Ericsson C510 – right view

The back of a Cybershot is more often than not would be described as the business end of the phone, a separate sliding camera cover can reveal the 3.2 megapixel camera and a dual LED flash for lower light situations, that is about it for the back of the C510 other than the usual Sony Ericsson branding.

Sony Ericsson C510 – back view

Highlights:

• Small compact design
• Dual LED flash

Lowlights:

• 3.2 Megapixel Camera
• 100MB Internal Memory

Review:
The biggest compliment I can give when giving a review is to state that I would quite happily spend my own money on the product in question. Acknowledging a phone as a great piece of kit is one, thing but whether or not you would buy it is a different ball game all together. As with most consumer products you have certain models or brands that you just love and others which you well…. just don’t. Well with me mobile phones are no different. Some phones can have a fantastic spec, great quality, price, etc. but if you don’t get on with them you just don’t. I am happy to say that the C510 is not one of these and is one of the few phones I have really enjoyed using.

 
The C510 does not posses stunning or ground breaking looks, a standard candy bar device but managing to stay clean and ‘swish’ looking with the single strip of colour encasing the C510. The phone is what I would describe as practical in its appearance and it would have been easy enough for Sony Ericsson to go over the top and turn this phone into something more at home in the Tate Modern (Art Gallery) as appose to your jeans pocket. But, they managed to restrain themselves and the result is a great looking device which is surprisingly pleasant to use.

Sony Ericsson C510

The device feels light in the hand however has a clear somewhat sturdy feeling centre. If that sounds strange – basically it means you can feel the weight of the screen on this comparatively lightweight device, which may sound a very strange thing to say but it is just something on this device that did stand out. Not only is the screen heavy but it is rather large for a candy bar style device. This does leave less room for the keypad, and although they are all individual keys and are reasonably sized they do still feel a little close together, and for anyone with thumbs of a regular size may find themselves having to retype words due to what I like to call clumsy thumb syndrome which is something phones obviously want to avoid.

As you would expect it would make most sense to dedicate the most attention to the phone’s advertised purpose which, in this case is as a Cybershot digital camera, so how does the C510 compare to other Sony Ericsson Cybershot devices? Well, I am afraid on paper not well at all. In the past few months we have seen phones of 5, 8 and even 10 megapixel make their way through the doors of mobile phone manufacturers across the world, so when you see the C510 with just a 3.2 megapixel it seems that Sony Ericsson have been a little harsh in limiting the C510’s potential. It is a little like casting Tom Cruise as a sheep in the school nativity.
That said, the C510 does actually pack a fair punch when it comes to photography – that is if you don’t mind sacrificing picture quality. The reason I say this is a 3 megapixel picture is certainly substantial and clearly superior to other cameras of a similar spec mobiles but if you wish to use the somewhat limited zoom it will cost you a fair amount of picture quality as zoom is only available when the phones camera resolution is set to VGA. This is a big disappointment and one which if you are buying the C510 purely for its photography capabilities you will find it hard to overlook. The phone does however come with a Dual LED flash but with this sort of quality on the table it loses an extreme amount of purpose this again goes back to what I said a moment about it being a little cruel of Sony Ericsson to dangle carrots in front of the users face while still holding it back by with straining its features in what you could call quite key areas.

The camera comes with the usual amount of features such as burst and a number of adjustable elements such as exposure. Other features which are not so standard but certainly a welcome addition include facial recognition, and something which I have always found useful and that is Geo-Tagging. Storing your photos and videos is done via M2 card of which the phone supports up to 16GB.
Camera aside, although not a dedicated walkman device the C510 is still more than capable of catering for your music and multimedia needs and it features playback of the expected formats. The phone also features album art which provides your musical collection with that creative touch. Transferring music music from Pc to phone is simple as always with the included cables and software and playback sounds great through headphones however is a little questionable through the phones speakers.

The C510 is a little short of solid dedicated features, but then again it is a phone aimed more at the amateur photography, music loving youngster rather the jet setting suited businessmen. Navigating through the extremely familiar bordering on boring Sony Ericsson menu is made a little better on the C510 as the screen is absolutely one of the best I have seen. Spec wise it looks nothing special but when you see the display for yourself it looks bright and crystal clear. This combined with the inbuilt accelerometer make things such as viewing photos or using YouTube through the YouTube client that much better when compared to previous Sony Ericssons and other mobile phones of a similar spec. The usual fun applications such as photo and music DJ and track ID are present and the usual selection of games to while away the hours on those bus and train journeys. The device also features an FM radio.

Connectivity-wise the ‘standard’ features such as Bluetooth and USB connectivity are included on the C510 and something which came as a little bit of a surprise to me is the addition of Google maps support and, as I mentioned earlier, the YouTube client which is handy for quick and easy access to your favourite videos. I had a few little problems with lag while quickly navigating through the menus but nothing that didn’t sort itself out within a few seconds and therefore was nothing that really affected day to day use.

The phone’s sound quality is great when in a call or using speakerphone and I am pleased to conclude that I found no problems with muffling or change in volume etc. during a call. Battery life is quoted at 400 hours stand-by and a massive 10 hours talk time which is fantastic but I am sure you are aware this is likely to be reduced significantly if using the phone for heavy photography. I was personally extremely impressed with the battery life of the C510 and only had to charge the phone once in the entire time I used it.

Conclusion:
The Sony Ericsson is a combination of both massive potential and mild disappointment. The lack of real power in the camera department is – if I’m honest – a let down considering this is advertised as a Cybershot device. However, it does make up for it in the multimedia department with crystal clear video playback and shortcuts to all your favourite social network sites. The Sony Ericsson C510 is the perfect phone for the budding amateur photographer with a real passion for music, which in today’s world is an awful lot of people. So, with my honest regards Sony Ericsson the best of luck with this one.

 

 

Reviewed by: Nick

SanDisk Extreme Firewire Reader

A few weeks ago I wrote a quick review of the SanDisk Extreme IV compact flash card. At the time I mentioned that the although the card seemed to pretty fast I thought it was being held back by the speed of the USB card reader.

So I asked SanDisk if I could have a look at their Extreme Firewire Reader to see if this could make the most of the fast UDMA technology of the Extreme IV compact flash card. So this is my quick review of the Firewire Reader.

The SanDisk Extreme Firewire Reader

 

What’s in the box?

Not a great deal in the box as you might expect.

• Card reader
• 2 Firewire cables
• Driver Software
• Data recovery software
• Manual and Warranty Card

 

General

The SanDisk Extreme Firewire Reader is a simple and attractive looking unit. It’s silver and black and doesn’t look vastly different to any other memory card reader.

Where the Extreme Firewire Reader is different though is that it has ONLY a Compact Flash memory card slot and is not a multi-card reader.

 

The other difference is on the rear of the unit. Here you’ll find a Firewire socket rather than the ‘usual’ mini-USB style connector.

 

Review

An attractive looking silver unit the SanDisk Extreme Firewire Reader is small enough to fix in even the smallest of kit-bags. It also comes with a decent length Firewire cable, about 1 metre or so.

But I’m guessing that, if you are anything like me, you wont be terribly interested in what the thing looks like, you just want to know how fast it is!

So to test the speed this is what I did.

I used a SanDisk Extreme IV compact flash card in a USB 2.0 card reader. I then ran a drive benchmarking tool several times in a row and took the average results from the tests. Then, using the same memory card I put that in to the SanDisk Firewire reader and re run the tests again taking the average of the test results.

Here’s the results of the tests:

 

 

 

As you can see from the results above, clearly the Firewire reader is faster than the USB2.0 model more than twice as fast at reading in fact and getting close to hitting the claimed 40 MB/sec that SanDisk say that they Extreme Reader is capable of.

So what does this mean in real terms? Well using the Firewire Reader to copy 890MB of photos from the Compact Flash card to the desktop took just 28 seconds compared to 53 seconds for the USB2.0 reader which is, again, close to twice as fast. So with the amount of photos that I take during the week transferring the images to the desktop will be significantly faster.

 

Conclusion

The results above speak for themselves, the SanDisk Extreme IV Compact Flash Card and SanDisk Extreme Firewire Reader make a fast combination, almost twice the speed of the USB2.0 reader.

Whether or not it’s worth splashing out on the £80 SanDisk Extreme Firewire reader depends upon how often you use your camera/memory card and how many photos you take.

If you are a pro or just plain impatient then I’m sure you’ll want to consider this card reader for everyone else you’ll just have to sit and watch the progress bar for a few extra minutes!

 

Posted by: Matt

HTC Touch Viva review

Yet another HTC device designed to be finger friendly, is this cheaper version worth a look? HTC claim that it is ‘responding perfectly to your finger gestures’. Can a low end device of this kind really cut it?

When Matt happened to slip the Viva in to the ‘to do’ tray I was overjoyed to give it a whirl. (sorry, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and all that.)

Moving on from the many versions of this device such as the Touch, Touch Dual, Touch 3g etc., this device is set at the lower end of the market, with a price tag around the £250 mark.

The HTC Touch Viva

What’s in the box?

• HTC Touch Viva
• AC Charger
• miniUSB cable
• User manual
• Software CD
• Screen protector

Have a look at Matt’s HTC Touch Viva unboxing video for more.

 

HTC Touch Viva specification:

• Processor: TI’s OMAPT 850, 201 MHz
• Operating System: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
• ROM: 256 MB
• RAM: 128 MB
• 104.5 mm X 59 mm X 15.75 mm
• 110 grams (3.88 ounces) with battery
• 2.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with QVGA (320 X 240) resolution
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• 4-Way navigation control with Enter button
• Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for stereo wireless headsets
• Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
• HTC ExtUSBT (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
• 2.0 megapixel camera with fixed focus
• Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery 1100 mAh
• Talk time: Up to 480 minute
• Standby time: Up to 270 hours
• microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

 

General

On the top of the device is only the power on button.

HTC Touch Viva top view

 

The left hand side is the up/down volume rocker

HTC Touch Viva left side

 

The right hand side you can find nothing but the small non-telescopic stylus holder.

HTC Touch Viva right side

 

On the bottom is miniUSB socket for sync, charge, headset etc.

HTC Touch Viva bottom view

 

The rear of the Viva is home to the 2 megapixel camera, with no flash, no mirror, and a speaker slot.

HTC Touch Viva back view

 

On the front of the phone is the 2.8’ QVGA touchscreen, the end and send buttons and flanking the 5 way Navigation and Enter button.

HTC Touch Viva front view

 

As with most of the Touch range, it is minimal to say the least. Even the box is sparse with no freebies, not even a set of headphones have been included, I know it is the cheaper end of the market, but no headphones? As I have mentioned before not necessarily my cup of tea.

Highlights

• Minimal design (if you like that sort of thing)
• Faster than you would expect with that processor

Lowlights

• Low end spec, i.e. no GPS etc.
• Camera

Review

The device itself is fairly standard as these HTC Touch models go; it does carry one of the latest versions of TouchFlo, although it is more 2D than 3D, as the animated icons are not present.

The overall design and build is really good if you are into the minimal look, it does feel a little plasticy, but it is smooth and all the buttons have a nice positive feel to them.

The screen is the type that neither Matt nor I like in that it is recessed and not flat, sometimes making it difficult to reach all areas especially the corners without resorting to the stylus. Not greatly finger friendly. I also feel that it is not the brightest or most vibrant that I have come across.

The camera albeit 2 megapixel, is not bad, although the colours I found tend to wash out somewhat dependant on lighting, and with no flash pretty poor on low light. So for a basic photo it will do. The panoramic feature was quite cool and easy to use, overlapping a number of sequential pictures together to produce a pleasant panoramic picture.

Call quality and signal strength where fine not outstanding but very adequate, I have read of the occasional problem with the phone ringing but no notification on the device itself, this I believe now fixed on the HTC website. It tends to be a little harsh on full blast and not pleasant to use on max volume.

I would have thought that only having a 200 MHz processor would be an issue in itself, but I really didn’t have a problem with this, it is certainly responsive enough and the TouchFlo works fast and well. Nipping around the device really wasn’t a problem and still using my trusty old Asus P526 now and again for a change, there is no problem there either, so don’t be put off by the low spec processor.

Software included again is pretty standard for Windows Mobile 6.1 users and the usual suspects are present as you would expect, the likes of Opera browser, Google maps etc.

 

Conclusion

As I mentioned I was not really looking forward to reviewing this device as it is not my sort of gadget, I love buttons and tweaks and things to play with, this offers very few of these but by design.

I was surprised by the overall functionality of the Viva, it proves to be accurate and easy to use, it is lot quicker than you would expect, the shape and form of the phone is easy to live with, being as smooth as it is, it fits well in the hand and the pocket.

If you are looking to get into the Windows/HTC market then this entry level model will not disappoint, but that said a few more pounds will get you a much better spec’d device that would prove even better to live with.

Personally I would not entertain the HTC Viva as my device of choice as it is too minimal and too boring for me to part with my cash. But if that is your thing then it is very capable and worth a look, especially if money is tight. The biggest problem for me is that this device is in the middle of a competitive market and I don’t really think it does enough to stand out from the crowd.

Now let’s see what the Acer DX900 has to offer.

 

Review by: Steve

HTC Touch Diamond2 review followup

Since I published my review of the HTC Touch Diamond2 a few days ago several people have posted some important questions so rather then answer them through the comments system or privately I thought I would post this review follow up for you all to have a look at.

 

Elexero:

"One thing I’d like to know is if the device has a proximity sensor to shut the display off when you put it to your ear/face while having a call."

I forgot to mention the reasoning for the amazing battery life. One of the things that makes this so energy efficient is the built-in display management.

The device does dim and increase the screen brightness as you use it, however it doesn’t switch off the screen. This was something that the Original Diamond used to do, and annoyed the hell out of so many users, I think they redesigned it. The longer you talk, the dimmer the screen goes, however almost instantly it "relights" as soon as you take it away from your face. It’s so fast I actually had to make a test call in front of a mirror in order to check it out. However.. this is NOT a proximity sensor.. It’s an ambient light sensor! This is confirmed on page 23 of the User Manual.

sinaplenty & Adam:

"Have you got an idea how it compares with the OS on the Touch HD – that’s still around with bigger screen and proper headphone jack, and would think is a pretty decent alternative to the Diamond2?"

The Touch HD is a viable alternative in my opinion, however.. You have to remember it came out over 7 months ago. HTC have had a lot of time and a lot of feedback to finalise this Diamond 2, its hardware and the ROM. Overall, the Diamond 2 feel "snappier" and its Touchflo is far better. The larger screen is a plus for the HD, as the 3.5 mil jack, however the headphones supplied with the Diamond are not bad at all, and the amount of adapters out there for Extusb to 3.5 jack, do not make that a real deciding factor anymore, at least not in my book. At the end of the day it’s a matter of taste, battery and weight…

 

Touch HD

• Dimensions
• 115 x 62.8 x 12 mm
• Weight
• 146 g
• Screen Size: 480 x 800 pixels, 3.8 inches

Diamond 2

• Dimensions
• 107.9 x 53.1 x 13.7 mm
• Weight
• 117.5 g
• Screen Size : 480 x 800 pixels, 3.2 inches

Mobilebrowsingaddict:

Can you please add a few landscape screen shot of Opera. I would love to know whether sites are more readable in landscape view now that they don’t need to be zoomed out as much. Also can u please comment on 640*480 video recording. And review the new ISO settings of the phone. Does a higher ISO really help with low light situations?

Well, Here’s Google News (click to enlarge):

and as well as the landscape mode does for browsing, it’s terrible for text entry!

As for the camera:

I have to admit, I didn’t really review the camera that well . Having gone back, I took a closer look at all the new features, and was surprised to find quite a few things had changed.

The auto ISO does help a bit, but it’s still bad in low light! The video recording is quite good with the ability to record in H.263, H.264 and Mpeg4 and sizes of 128*96, 176*144, 320*240, 352*288 and 640*480.

Again, low light is a problem, as you can see from this short video of my cats!

As for the exchange functionality that Joy asked for, I am currently writing a review for that topic on the Diamond. Should be ready in a few days, as its quite extensive, and aimed not only for "end users" but also system admins interested in using Windows Mobile devices as an alternative to Blackberry. so it will cover quite a bit of ground.

 

Review by: Piero

[ Post Tags: HTC Touch Diamond2, Diamond, HTC, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]

HTC Touch Diamond2 review

The HTC touch family has a new member, with new Touchflo software and a bigger screen… But is it any good?

Short answer: YES!

The HTC Touch Diamond2

Note: There are lots of images in this review. Please click any of them to see them full size.

Whats in the box?

• HTC touch Diamond 2 handset
• 1100 mh Battery
• Mains charger with UK adapter
• HTC ExtUSB charge / sync cable
• Screen protector
• Stereo Headset
• Manual on CD
• Software CD
• Quickstart guide
• Replacement stylus

Check out Matt’s HTC Touch Diamond2 unboxing video for more info.

 

HTC Touch Diamond2 Specification:

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• Qualcomm MSM7200A, 528 MHz CPU
• RAM – 288 MB
• ROM – 512 MB
• 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution
• HSDPA/WCDMA: Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
• Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g
• HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
• Internal GPS antenna
• microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• FM Radio, G-Sensor
• Main camera: 5.0 megapixel colour camera with auto focus
• Second camera: VGA CMOS colour camera
• Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery 1100 mAh
• 107.85 X 53.1 X 13.7 mm (4.25 X 2.09 X 0.54 inches)
• 117.5 grams (4.15 ounces) with battery

 

General

The Diamond 2 certainly looks like the original Diamond’s older and more mature brother. The front of the device is simply dominated by the new larger screen, and the silver trim highlights the size perfectly.

On the front of the handset is the speaker grill, status LED to the left and front facing video calling camera to the right. directly below the screen is the row of backlit buttons topped by the zoom bar. The new design really does help to make the device look uncluttered and ready for business.

HTC Touch Diamond2 front view

 

On the bottom is the extusb connector for charging / synching and also for plugging in the included stereo headset. The is a small microphone hole next to it, and the hole leading to the inside of the device and the lanyard connection.

HTC Touch Diamond2 bottom view

 

The top has a largish power button, that is slightly raised, and it is a vast improvement over the original diamonds flush design.

HTC Touch Diamond2 top view

 

The left hand side has a large single volume rocker, and the right has a large speaker grill and the raised lip of the stylus.

HTC Touch Diamond2 left side

 

The back of the handset is now flat, and the hole (no plastic window) at the top reveals a 5 megapixel camera, sadly without flash or mirror, although as Matt already pointed out, the back is shiny enough to be used as one!

HTC Touch Diamond2 back view

 

Pushing the back cover up gives you access to the battery, sim card and MicroSD slot, as well as the lanyard connection. It does make me cringe though, as the firm click as the back is removed sounds too much like something has snapped inside!

HTC Touch Diamond2 inside view

 

With the back removed, the SD card slot sits just above the stylus, and is spring loaded, enabling you to easily insert and remove the memory card.

By removing the stylus you can see the red reset button.

The battery is a 3.7 volt 1100 mAh Li-ion, and is much better than the original diamonds battery, however more on that later.

Underneath the battery is the sim card slot, and by sliding in the sim, a small raised retainer secures it into place. It is a pain to remove, so if you swap sim cards a lot, then this phone is not ideal.

 

Review

After starting up the device, the vibrator lets off a small alert, and then you see the Touch Diamond 2 graphic and animated HTC logo, the device starts its bootup. You see a quick flash of the green windows mobile 6.1 boot screen, however it is literally just a flash. It is quickly replaced with a screen informing you that the touchflo interface is loading. Having used the original diamond for the past 10 months, i was very surprised how quickly this version of touchflo launched!

From a cold boot to the sim password screen was a mere 45 seconds. (by comparison, my original touch Diamond took over 90!)

The home screen loads and the first thing that you notice is the clock, and the fact that there is now loads of space beneath it

Some keen eyed people may have noticed that I have already customized my home screen, something that is now very easy to do without any additional 3rd party tools. More on that later.

One thing that has been vastly modified over the original TF3D (touchflo 3D) software on the diamond is the now tight integration with Windows Mobile. This is explained in more detail later on in the review, however i wanted to point out a few changes in each section. The notifications still show on the top bar of all TF3D screens, comprising of the power indicator, sound, missed calls (or balloon when you have multiple notifications) , activesync and taskmanager. However by clicking anywhere up there you get a new screen.

A most welcome change to the old style " bottom notification message". This way you can see all your notifications in one go! Interestingly by pressing the sound, or power notifications, you still get the notification screen, not the sound or power menu items like in previous versions. This is one of those "quirks" that you will either love or hate.

The tabs can be changed by either pressing directly on the symbols in the bottom part of the screen, or by swiping a finger from left to right or vice versa across the width of the screen. You can also press and slide along the tab row to get a symbol and a description show up.

New SMS and email ‘s messages still use the bottom notification method , however it has gone through a design overhaul, with the background dimming when a new message or email arrives. There is a slight animation as the notification comes in, and seems to slide up very fast from the bottom of the screen, whilst making whatever is in the background become slightly opaque.

The SMS tab has not changed much from the original TF3D, apart from the fact that the interface is now super fast and super sensitive. The increased screen size allows you to see more information, and a "finger flick" up or down the screen allows you to scroll through messages.

The button next to the message allows you to reply directly from the interface. and by pressing it, we get the next surprise from TC

HTC, a new keyboard layout. This is called "Touch Input" , and is a very welcome change to the previous version of the keyboard. Matt has already mentioned a few features of this in his video, however I wanted to touch on those again.

The first thing you notice when you press a key is tactile or heptic feedback from the HTC vibration motor. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it is so nice to actually feel a button being pressed, that I actually wondered what was wrong when I went back to my original diamond and tried to write a message. The other thing is the fact that when you press a key, you get a little popup to show you what key you have pressed, and by long pressing a button, it gives you a choice of alternative characters to choose from, and all you need to do is slide your finger until the character you want is highlighted in green. Unfortunately my screen grab software couldn’t record them!

You can also see a dedicated XT9 / ABC button, that allows you to switch the automatic word recognition on and off.

By pressing the Menu button, on the bottom of the screen, the menu literally unfolds from the middle in a smooth animation, allowing you to insert pre-defined text, check names or perform a host of other actions. It also allows you to insert MMS elements, and upon doing so changes the message from a SMS to MMS automatically.

I am going to send a MMS just to show you some of the new menus: So first i am going to insert a picture:

this brings up the gallery screen, allowing me to choose either a pre-shot picture or video, or create a new one using the inbuilt camera. I chose the fish picture included with the phone, by scrolling down to the bottom of the screen.

Immediately after selecting, I got a new screen telling me that the image size may be too large for my message, and asking me if I want to compress it. Unfortunately there is no "automatically adjust" menu item. It would be a nice feature to just add multiple images, and have the phone compress then after I had finished to make them fit, however It is a welcome warning after having tried to send large messages with previous version of the MMS software, only to have them fail.

after selecting the size / quality of the file, I now get the MMS message window. It doesn’t look that different to the SMS window, except the size notification at the bottom, and an added subject line under the to field. However the menu hold another surprise.. A fully fledged MMS composer, with a HUGE menu of options

When you go back to the messaging tab, you also see menu item called all messages. This brings you to the overview of SMS messages as seen in the previous version of TF3D, and also enables you to view messaged in threaded view.

I won’t go into much more detail here about the MMS & SMS but if you are interested in more information, please let us know in the feedback comments.

The mail tab hasn’t changed much either, apart from the overhauled "add account" creation screen. It now recognizes Gmail addresses amongst others, and sets these up without having to enter all server information. I am not sure what other email accounts it auto configures, but my guess would be yahoo and hotmail.

One thing worth noting though is the added ability to add an attachment to an email message. That was missing on the original Diamond, and it’s great to see that option added on this version.

Weather Tab:

Ahh.,., where would we be without the famous weather tab from HTC?? This was one of the highlights from the original diamond, and some of the geeks doubting whether or not to buy the original diamond found themselves having small nerdgasms as the weather tab was shown and the infamous window wiper washed the droplets of rain away.

The animations are better on the Diamond 2, and the screen is bigger allowing better definition, and more info. The weather has a 4 day forecast straight from the tab screen, however, it is still bound to Accuweather.com who are not the number one choice in my book for weather. It would be nice to have a list of a few different providers to choose from, although I have to admit, the integration with TF3D is SUPERB! It pulls off the location of ALL your cities, and allows you to scroll through them online in a specially designed perfectly Opera fitting page!

Internet Tab:

The most significant change here is the added ability to add "Push Pages"

A Push Page is a webpage that can be set to download at regular intervals. Important to note is that it has the same limitations as the Opera browser installed.. and doesn’t allow logins.. So i set mine to google news, as that is controlled by cookies.

When you open the page you get a small notification when it was updated last, however it does NOT do "deep linking" Only that page and its content are loaded into memory.. so all links will require an internet connection to update. The Zoom bar does its job very well here, and the auto rotate feature in Opera is brilliant. The browser also reformats text whenever it can as well to display zoomed material in the new zoomed screen size. Another nice feature is the keyboard changing automatically to include all the "web characters" including a .com button. where the spacebar used to be. A simple solution, as there are no spaces in web addresses!

The Youtube app is still on the internet page, and has been updated to support the increased screen size, and I must say it is fantastic! The quality is brilliant, and the various zoom levels either crop or stretch the video to fit the screen.

Camera Tab:

The camera software has also had an overhaul, and Matt has touched on this in his video review. However, notable is the very clean interface, the large Iris button for taking shots, and the ability to aim your focus by clicking anywhere on the screen! So easy, and intuitive… It’s one of those features I am NOT going to be able to live without on another touch screen phone!

Is with the previous versions of TF3D, you can flick your way through the gallery and zoom using the built-in zoom bar. For those of you missing the D-Pad form the previous version, HTC have added the ability to zoom in and out using a finger or stylus to make a circular motion on the screen, however its fiddly and doesn’t work well. The zoom bar does a much better job!

Calendar Tab:

Another nice feature is the Calendar tab with a roomy month overview, and little notifications when you have an appointment. I would have liked to see a feature that changes the little grey triangle to top right for an afternoon appointment, and bottom left for a morning appointment, but now I am nitpicking! Again, a flick up or down with a finger changes the month, and by tapping on a day, you can see the appointments (or lack thereof) for that day.

Music Player:

Nothing noticeable has changed here, apart from the added Audio Boost menu item. This pumps up the volume on your headset, and only works when its plugged in!

One other tab that has been added in the library, hidden all the way to the right after composer and genre, is a "purchased music" tab. I still haven’t found out what powers it! Could this be a feature for Win mobile 6.5?

Stock Tab:

I don’t use this tab.. I don’t have any stocks, and have no interest in them, however… I wanted to keep an eye on HTC stocks for the review, so searched for them… but couldn’t find them! I did find Hughes Telematics though! A quick Google search later, and bingo. HTC is 2498.TW

 

By clicking on the stock itself, you get a MUCH more detailed view of what is happening, even back as far as 2 years!

The overview menu lets you re-arrange and delete stock, as well as set whether or not it is automatically updated. Interestingly enough, its powered by Yahoo Finance, HTC does have a few strange partners for services, however it’s nice to see a company that’s not scared to cross Microsoft borders, and search out what it considers the best online services for its applications.

The People Tab:

This is the "flagstone" of the new HTC TF3D software. It’s called "People centric communication" and touted as a "more personal way to converse"

In a nutshell, HTC have made the PERSON the centre of the information, rather than the medium, and have taken great pains to ensure that the "normal" windows mobile interface is VERY well hidden! I am going to add a favourite (or Favorite) to the contacts to show you the huge changes.

Nearly all the information that you could ever want to input is on ONE screen. The ability to up to 3 email addresses and numbers and even customized ringtones is all here. Interestingly the ability to add a webpage isn’t.

To do that, you need to select the more button, that brings you back to Windows Mobiles input screen. I tried to enter the minimum of info, just a name, and it told me off! I had to insert either an email, number or address!

Now my Dummy contact is created, i can see almost everything about him on one page. The 4 tabs are for Contact information, SMS / MMS messages, Emails and Call history

This makes is so much easier to find details about that person. It is an invaluable business tool. It reminds me of Outlooks business contact manager, but in mobile form.

The Phone:

With all these additional bits that the Diamond 2 can do, its sometimes easy to forget it is actually a phone, and a really good one at that! The interface has been redesigned and styled to match the TF3D. A 300 number strong call history is shown at the top, and the new keypad is below. I really like the feature to select whether you want to phone or video call directly from the main pad, something that was missing on the previous version. The little plus symbol next to the contact lets you either add the number to a new contact, or choose an existing contact to update, and shows automatically after each unknown number is either dialled, or calls you. You can switch it off in the settings though.

When a call comes in, the familiar slide to answer screen shows, or you can either use the buttons to reject or accept. Alternatively you can simply flip the phone screen side down and it mutes the call.

One option that has remained is the "reject with message" option, however that is only shown when a mobile phone entry is recognized from your contacts address book.

The overlay stops you from pressing a wrong button when on a call, and allows you quick access to the keypad, or to end the call. Sliding it down reveals the options underneath,

The tabs from the contact screen are back here, and provide easy access to all information saved from that number. There is some confusion if the stylus is magnetic or not. I don’t think it is.. (and tested with a magnet to make sure!) however, who really cares? It does its job, and pulling out the stylus does open the notepad function when on a call.

The menu on the phone section is extensive offering all the functionality that most people could want. The company directory option is shown because I have got mine synched with an Exchange Server.

Clicking options brings you to the Windows Mobile options screen for the phone, and is pretty standard stuff, except the last option.

Here the screen allows you to set HTC specific options such as the message sent upon rejecting a call, and adding contacts after a call.

The windows button:

One change that was a surprise was the classic windows button function, or lack of!

Hitting the start button now opens a new screen very "windows mobile 6.5" / programs tab like. In fact the programs tab from the "old" TF3D is gone, and found a new home here. It’s going to be a "Marmite" thing. Either you love it or hate it!

Settings:

The settings tab has had a few new additions. Here you can do pretty much everything on the device without ever having to leave the cuddly interface of the HTC gurus.

Sync Data: Does exactly what is says on the button!

Sound: A HUGE menu to adjust pretty much everything you want to. I love the automatic setting, that automatically reads the calendar and sets the phone to vibrate for the duration. The menu also allows you to regulate ringtone and system volume separately, adjust the normal ringtone and vibration, and also switch on system sounds. The advanced button brings you to the Windows Mobile interface.

Wallpaper: Changes the background image on the home screen from any picture in the library.

Communications:

This menu is invaluable for setting ALL the devices that may connect you to the outside world.

The airplane mode is well know, it switches off Bluetooth and the phone functions, as well as wireless. This is a simple toggle ON or OFF. (airplane mode ON, switches everything OFF!)

Phone: The first Dual function switch. the right radio switches the phone off, the left icon changes the settings. This menu is extensive as well, however allows you to go into the standard Windows Mobile mode by hitting the advanced button.

Bluetooth: Same as the Phone menu, this is a dual function switch, with the radio again switching Bluetooth on or off, and the left icon changing settings. As you can see I already have my Jawbone II headset paired, and by adding a headset, it automatically tries 1234 and 0000 as the codes, making pairing superb, quick and easy.

The Bluetooth is Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets, and the quality is much better than the original diamond, however the range is still limited on the Diamond 2. OK, admittedly the usage of the word limited is relative, I get a clear signal 6 metres away, if my head is tilted the right way and the wind is favourable.

The Wi-Fi menu is deactivated when the phone is connected by USB, unless you tell Windows Mobile device centre (Vista) or Active sync to allow data connections when the phone is connected by USB. However, it is again dual function. Left icon shows a new menu with redesigned graphics, and the list of available hot spots. Clicking on one of the shows the network key entry screen, and a real Wi-Fi strength meter! One thing that is worrying, is that the key entry is shown in clear text, and not masked.

The advanced button brings you to the Windows mobile Wi-Fi screen, that has had a minor modification… It now shows you not only the MAC address of the wireless adapter, but at last the IP address!!

Microsoft Direct Push: This switches the direct push function of Exchange servers on and off, and by clicking the icon it brings you to the Active sync menu.

Data connection controls the 3G GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, and clicking in the icon launches the Auto configure tool for a multitude of providers, automatically configuring things like Phone settings, MMS settings and 3G.

Customize tab:

The original TF3D rom didn’t allow you to customize tabs without 3rtd party add-ons. HTC have taken this in their own hands now, and given you the ability to re-arrange tabs, and even delete them. (stocks was the first to go on mine!)

It couldn’t be easier, drag the tab to a new order, or untick it to hide it. The Home screen cannot be moved, neither can the music, camera or settings tab.

After clicking done, the TF3D does a quick restart, and we get a rare glimpse of the original Windows Mobile interface.

My Contact Card:

A new addition to the People Centric communication module is the My Contact Card.

This is exactly what is says… It is a personal electronic business card. You can send it per MMS or Bluetooth, and is the default business card for attaching to emails. I have been using an electronic version of business cards for years, and it really does make sense… Sure a physical business card is essential, but when dealing with businesses mi want them to have my information NOW, in their phone or on their PDA , or at least in the inbox. It’s also nice not to have to force people to type out all that info again.

G-Sensor:

Simple really. do I have to explain this?

 

Touchflo tab:

The most BORING tab on the whole device. But essential. It shows the T&C’s for touchflo, as well as the version number. I never realised that it comprised of SO many technologies though.

All settings button:

This brings you to the most comprehensive original Windows Mobile menu that you can find. It’s the old settings menu, hidden away in the background like some forgotten relic. I have to admit I feel like making a jump from Vista to windows 95 every time that I find the Windows mobile interface. After barely a week, I really don’t miss it.

Applications:

There are no real changes over the old applications from the Diamond 2. Teeter has a few new levels, the radio still needs a headset to work, Internet explorer mobile is tucked away in there never to see the light of day (until the new version gets released anyway!) , remote desktop makes a VERY welcome return (especially on this nice big screen!) and Google maps is still on the device.

Google Maps is brilliant! It’s a rough and ready, out of the box map of ANYWHERE. Its mobile version supports street view, and GPS. Luckily the Diamond2 has GPS built in. So did the original diamond, but there is NO comparison. The original diamond needed a really nice day, lots of room and a clear view to Venus to get a signal. It also took about as much time as it takes to get to Venus and back to make a lock as well. HTC must have injected some steroids into the Bigger brother, as the GPS is seriously FAST.

Cold start to lock… 90 seconds!!! That may not sound impressive, but I hadn’t downloaded any QuickGPS data, or anything. The map jumped from London, to Valetta based on my Mobile phone signal, and found 8 satellites within 60 seconds. Impressed I switched off Google maps, cleared out the saved data and decided test the speed of a QuickGPS assisted Map

This downloaded a file to my Diamond, that must have held super secret spy communication codes or something. I switched on Google maps again, and started the clock. 18 Seconds later, I was looking at my position on my street. Amazed, I walked inside, suffering from shock. I then had to pinch myself… my icon was moving WITH ME! Even in my living room and bedroom the icon followed me. The signal capabilities of the GPS are a welcome change. it needs a window nearby, or a dodgy builder that worked on your roof, but providing it has one of those 2 things it can get a signal.

Accessories:

I am going to make a small rant. When I got my Diamond, it came is a wonderful Pyramid shaped box, with the handset sitting proud on top after I opened the lid. I had palpitations. When i got my Diamond 2, it was wrapped in cellophane in a recycled square cardboard box!

When I charged my Diamond, the adapter was sleek, shiny and the HTC logo shone proud from the plug socket adapter. My diamond 2 has a lacklustre matt finished charger with no cool glowing lights , and even the USB cable looks dull and boring.

I didn’t buy the diamond or its bigger brother the Diamond 2 because of the box, or the charger. It was an anticlimax though to receive a coloured in version of the pre-release. I am sure HTC wanted to keep costs down, and that’s why they made small cosmetic changes and didn’t include even the smallest of SD Micro cards, but I would have happily paid a Tenner more for the shiny charger and a 2gig card in a "deluxe" version… oooh and a case! I would have paid about 50 quid more for a version with a 8 gig card and the TV out kit and a charger and shiny cables and a cool microfiber case.

OK.. rant over…

The Battery:

One thing tucked away in the old Windows Mobile settings menu is a new subscreen on the power menu. It’s really easy to miss, and it’s called information. Because I have been doing this review with the device plugged in, mine does not show a bundle of information . However, I stumbled upon this after 2 days of NOT having to find a power source. You know that nagging feeling you get when you have forgotten something? With me, it was my USB charge cable. I never leave home without it. I have one at my local bar, one at work, 2 in my apartment, and even one at a friend’s house. That’s because after using the original Diamond for 10 months, I know that my battery last about 10 seconds longer than the one bar notification. In real life usage that means about an 8 hour day. My working day is normally 12 hours. That means I am normally panicking when I have to go out at 9pm, and haven’t had time to "top-up" my phone. Those days are gone.

After charging the phone up, and playing with all the settings and making video calls and sms’s and playing with the GPS, and surfing the web…. I still had half a battery left!

Actually I forgot to charge it! The next day I grabbed it, went out and did my day, and didn’t charge it. I got home drunk and didn’t plug it in. The next morning, the alarm woke me up from my jeans pocket. (yes it is louder than the original Diamond as well!) Then it started to moan a bit and flashed me a low battery warning. So I pushed my luck. 4 hours later, it was still complaining, and I didn’t have the heart to ignore its please for electricity any longer. I had clocked up 2 hours talk time, a whopping 56 hours standby, and 3 hours usage. Is the battery better on the Diamond 2?? Yep, and then some…

Conclusion:

This device has been a pleasure to use over the past week. The screen size is nice and clear, it feels solid in the hand and the screen is easy to read even in sunlight. The TouchFlo is responsive, and superfast. The camera is OK, the GPS superb and the reception is better than the original Diamond. The battery is a powerhouse, the keyboard is a pleasure to type on, and the sound quality is great.

I didn’t like a few niggly things like trying to find out how to rename my device, or add a shortcut for a program I have saved on my MicroSD card but then again I am a "power user" of HTC devices. I liked this device so much I wanted one as soon as I saw it, even before I had held one in my hand. I liked this device so much I pre-ordered it the DAY it showed up on websites for sale. The package arrived at home, and I was so excited I forgot I had a girlfriend.. Ok that bit was a lie.

Is the device worth an upgrade from the original Diamond? Logically , no. unless you really do use GPS a lot, and are passionate about battery life. Upgrade from a non Windows Mobile device.. without a shadow of a doubt.

A small note here: The Exchange integration alone is so brilliant, it warrants a review all on its own! If you are serious about using this in a business environment, and want a review, please let us know in the comments section.

Please check out the Diamond2 review followup HERE.

 

Review by: Piero

Panasonic Lumix FX500 Review

Several of Panasonic’s Lumix range of cameras have been reviewed here on tracyandmatt.co.uk and over all seem to have a pretty good reputation. I’ve been given the Panasonic Lumix FX500 to test out.

Panasonic Lumix FX500

It looks and feels great. So we’ll see if it lives up to our expectations.

 

What’s in the box?

• Lumix FX500 Camera
• Battery
• CDROM
• Manuals
• Battery charger
• Mains cable
• AV cable
• Stylus
• Wrist strap (although there doesn’t appear to be one with this review camera)

You can check out Matt’s Unboxing video for more information

Panasonic Lumix FX500 specifications:

There’s so much about this camera so I’m not going to list everything here. Matt has already listed most of it along with his unboxing video or you can also have a look at Panasonic’s website.

 

General:

Front

The Panasonic Lumix FX500 has a 25mm Wide-Angle, 5x Optical Zoom, Bright F2.8 LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT Lens. The sensor is 1/2.33″ and 10.1 million effective pixels (10.7 million total pixels). You can see in the picture below the built in flash, the lens and at the top right is the AF (auto focus) assist lamp.

Panasonic Lumix FX500 – front view

 

Top

Working from the left of the picture – There’s the speaker (the four holes), the single hole is the microphone, then the on/off switch, and then you can see the shutter button which is housed in the middle of the zoom lever which you slide left and right.

Panasonic Lumix FX500 – top view

 

Bottom

On the bottom of the camera is where the battery and the SD card are housed. There is also the standard tripod attachment hole (can be seen in the front view of the camera)

Panasonic Lumix FX500 – bottom view

 

The connections

AV Output (NTSC/PAL), USB2.0 High speed and HD AV Output (Component). The wrist strap loop can also be seen here.

Panasonic Lumix FX500 – connectors view

 

Back

• The large 3″ display screen is also touch screen.
• The switch at the top left is to switch between record and playback mode.
• Mode button – lets you choose which recording or playback mode you want to use
• Display button – changes the on screen display
• The Menu/set button takes you to the menu to be able to change the general settings of the camera and also acts as the ‘select’ or ‘ok’ button. This button also doubles up as a joystick to navigate through the menu.
• When in record mode the joystick also works as shortcut keys to the self timer, exposure compensation setting, flash settings and auto focus

Panasonic Lumix FX500 – back/screen view

 

Highlights:

• Large 3″ screen
• Touch screen
• 25mm Wide-angle lens
• 5x Optical zoom
• Excellent picture quality
• Functions and features

Lowlights:

• Sometimes a lag when taking action shots
• Can be difficult to change shutter speed and aperture in manual mode
• No zoom function when recording video

 

Review:

The Panasonic Lumix FX500 definitely has a quality look to it. The model I am reviewing is a silver brushed metal version. Panasonic also offer this FX500 model in a black brushed metal version.

Its robust build and impressive large 3″ touch screen immediately gives the impression of a high quality camera. But enough about its looks, lets investigate deeper into its functions and of course performance.

The 25mm wide angle lens is quite impressive for a point-and-shoot camera, and the 5x zoom gives it a range of 25mm to 125mm.

I played about with the camera over a few days taking loads of pictures using different modes that the camera offers. However, after a while I found that the mode I liked best was in fact the Intelligent Auto mode. where the camera does all the work! Now, before you go and start calling me lazy, I normally use a DSLR camera so normally like mucking around with shutter speeds, apertures and lighting – So, makes a nice change!

The Intelligent Auto mode does as the name suggests and automatically changes the mode, exposure (shutter speed), aperture, etc. It seems to be quite accurate. The only thing I found myself changing was forcing the flash off (as I don’t like built in flashes)

The touch screen offers an Auto Focus (AF) tracking function whereby you touch the screen on the subject you want the camera to focus specifically on. So if the subject moves after the AF has been set the tracking will follow the subject so that it is still in focus. This is a great feature, which comes in very handy when trying to capture active pets or children!

Now, you can change modes by clicking on the Mode button and then selecting what you want by pressing on your choice on the touch screen. The scene mode gives you 17 different scenes to choose from. I found some of them a bit bizarre at first. For example, there seems to be one for ‘Baby 1’ and one for ‘Baby 2’, then there is one for ‘Pet’. I thought, “why would taking a picture of one baby be different for another? Have Panasonic gone a bit bonkers?!”

But. It all came clear later. When you enter into the playback mode you can play slideshows or just flick through the photos. and filter the ones you want to view. Hence, Baby 1, Baby 2 and the pet!

There is the option to change to shutter priority, aperture priority and full manual mode so experimenting with this camera is possible. My only issue here is that when on any of these modes the way to change the the setting of the shutter speed or aperture is to use a slide bar on the touch screen, and it’s quite hard to slide to the setting you want accurately. This is where the stylus (the strange piece of plastic that Matt found in the box!) comes in handy. This is supposed to attach to the wrist strap so it’s there when you need it.

When using the ‘Sports’ mode (action shots) I noticed a lag ever so often between pressing the shutter release to the shot actually being taken. I seem to have a few shots of my dog’s tail now!! Never mind! Maybe I just had to get used to the camera a bit more.

You can change the brightness of the LCD display which is useful as LCD screens can be hard to see in bright conditions. You can also set it so that you see the screen clearly when holding it up above your head. “Why?” you ask. Well, idea for gigs/concerts. Especially when someone taller stands in front of you. That always happens to me!

 

You can record video on the Lumix FX500. Just change the mode to the Motion Picture setting and away you go! You can record in widescreen (16:9) or standard (4:3) and you can change the metering, quality and frame rate. It does record for HD play back and you are also able to extract individual frames as photos. It’s not too bad I have to admit, but, there is one thing. you can’t use the zoom when recording video.

 

I think I’ve gone on enough about modes and settings so I’ll move onto the picture quality. I’m impressed! And, wait for it. even in low light!! (sorry, I had a rant in a previous review about low light picture quality).

You do get some visible noise in the higher ISO ranges (the higher the ISO the more light the sensor will take in) but that’s to be expected and isn’t bad enough to put me off the camera.

You can get some great images with the camera so here’s an example of some macro shots I’ve take with it. I had the Intelligent Auto mode set on these and it switched to macro mode just as I needed!

Macro photos taken with the Panasonic Lumix FX500

The other example I have for you is using the backlight feature. The button for this is on the touch screen at the bottom. Pretty handy as you can change to this quickly. It’s for when the light source (e.g. the sun) of the picture is behind the subject.

Left: Backlight off                             Right: Backlight on

 

 Conclusion:

I definitely like the Lumix FX500. I wouldn’t change to it from my DSLR but it’s a great point-and-shoot compact camera and the image quality impressed me.

I would have liked a larger optical zoom but 5x is the norm for compact cameras. (Panasonic do have a super zoom range of point-and-shoot cameras as well)

The large 3″ screen is great for reviewing images on and the touchscreen functions make this camera that much more ahead of the game than some others on the market right now. Mind you, as with all touch screen gadgets you end up with finger marks all over the screen!

So, over all, the Panasonic Lumix FX500 is a definite hit!

 

Reviewed by: Emma

Sanyo Xacti HD2000 Review

The Sanyo Xacti HD2000 is a recent upgrade from the HD1010. It looks similar, it feels similar. So what’s changed?

 

The Sanyo Xacti HD2000

What’s in the box?

Sanyo Xacti HD2000

DB-L50 Lithium-ion battery

AV Cables (Composite and component)

Lens Cap

Battery mains charger

Remote Control

HDMI Cable

Docking Station

USB Cable

Microphone Adaptor

USB Adaptor cable

Software CD-Rom

Manuals

Wrist lanyard

Soft, padded camera bag

 

Have a look at Matt’s Sanyo Xacti HD2000 unboxing video for more.

 

Sanyo Xacti HD2000 specification:

Video

Zoom: 16x optical

Resolution: 5.31Mp (HD)

Definition: High

Scan method: interlaced & progressive

File type: MPEG-4

Image size: 1920×1080

Focus types: Continuous area AF, manual

Minimum illumination: 2lux

Monitor: 2.7in TFT LCD screen

Interface: HDMI, component, S-video, composite

Formats: NTSC, PAL

Power: Li-Ion battery

Still

Zoom: 10x optical

Resolution: 8Mp

Sensor size: 1/2.5in

Sensor type: CMOS

Image size: 3264×2448

File type: JPEG

Sensitivity: ISO50-3200

Storage: SD/SDHC

Focus types: 9 point AF, spot

Normal focusing: 50cm-infinity

Close focusing: 1cm-1m

Metering types: Multi, centre-weighted, spot

Exposure compensation: /- 1.8EV in 1/3 step increments

Shutter speed: 1/2-1/1000sec

Flash: In-built

Monitor: 2.7in TFT colour screen

Interface: USB 2.0 via docking station (included)

Power: Li-Ion battery

Size: 112.6x90x54.5mm

Weight: 311g (inc. battery and card)

 

Full specification can be found on the Sanyo Website

 

General:

Sanyo have adopted the pistol grip design again for the Xacti HD2000. It has a compact and robust feel to it with almost all of the controls at just a thumb’s reach away.

 

Front

The Lens – 10x optical zoom, focal range = 6.3-63.0mm (35mm equiv = 44.4mm-710mm), aperture = f/1.8-f/2.5, filter diameter = 40.5mm. The lens also has a built in neutral density filter.

The Sensor – 1/2.5 inch CMOS

The microphone and headphone sockets are located near the top of the pistol grip along with the infrared remote sensor.

 

Sanyo Xacti HD2000 – front view

 

Top

The integrated flash is located on the top and has a button to manually activate it

Sanyo Xacti HD2000 – top view

 

Right side

The right side of the pistol grip is the battery housing. Nothing else here!

Sanyo Xacti HD2000 – right view

 

Left side

The flip out 2.7 inch LCD screen can be seen here in the closed position. The perforated section on the back of the LCD houses the inbuilt microphone and speaker.

Sanyo Xacti HD2000 – left view

 

The Screen

The LCD screen flips open and can twist around 270 degrees. The switch you can see to the left of the screen is a menu type selector – switching between normal and simple.

Sanyo Xacti HD2000 – opened view

 

The controls

The top button changes between views/displays on the screen.

To the left is the up/down slider to control the zoom.

The centre of the controls is split in two. The left being the shutter release for capturing stills and the right to start and stop recording of video.

The right up/down slider switches between recording and playback modes.

At the bottom is the menu button.

On the pistol grip is the joystick for use within the menu screens. Pressing the joystick acts as the select/set button. When it is pressed in the normal recording mode it opens the ‘Instant review’ where pictures and videos taken can be reviewed

Sanyo Xacti HD2000 – controls view

 

Pistol grip

The SD card fits into the back of the pistol grip. At the bottom of the grip is a DC in socket for charging the camera.

Sanyo Xacti HD2000 – grip view

 

Highlights:

Compact design

Pistol grip – easy to hold

Large range of resolutions for stills and video

8MP still images and up to 12MP on the highest setting (interpolated)

16x zoom for video

Stills can be taken during video capture

 

Lowlights:

Low quality on low light images/video

Expensive

Review:

Opening the box and emptying the contents would make you think that the Sanyo Xacti HD2000 is a complicated device as there is so much there! This is not the case! Once you’ve managed to get your head around all the cables, adaptors, remote, docking station, etc (or just ignore them for the moment) the device itself is quite strikingly simple!

Conveniently the battery was already charged up (thanks Matt!), so when I flipped open the LCD screen the first feature of the camera came to light. It switches on and off with the opening and closing of the screen. The time it takes from being switched off to being ready to shoot is surprisingly fast. Without getting into the different settings, the basic functions of the camera are quite clear from the controls which are all a thumbs reach away. You can take still pictures, record video footage, playback the images and video.

Looking into what features the Xacti HD2000 offers opens up a whole other chapter and I could go on and on about the different features.. but. I won’t. I’ll try and pick out the main highlights and lowlights. After that, I recommend that you have a look at Matt’s sample videos taken with the Xacti HD1010. I know it’s not the HD2000 but the features are pretty much the same so you may find the videos useful.

The fact the this camera is relatively small and compact makes it really appealing and easy to carry about. The pistol grip design that Sanyo have decided to stick to seems to work well and the positioning of the controls is well thought out.

 

For still photos the 8MP camera takes a decent picture in good lighting. It has a feature aptly named the ‘face chaser’ which, well… you can guess! This can detect up to 12 faces in the frame which is useful for getting your pictures as sharp as possible.

The main issue I have with the camera is the low quality of images in low light situations. You can use the flash but I’m one of those people who hates using built in flashes. The light bounces straight off the subject giving a really unnatural look to the picture. So what can I do about that? The ISO (light sensitivity of the sensor) can be changed manually and can be set right up to 3200. I tried a few shots at different ISO levels but still not that thrilled about the camera in low light. The noise levels on the pictures are pretty bad (especially on the higher ISO settings.

But, apart from the low lighting issue, it’s possible to take some good pictures with the camera and you can take advantage of the 10x optical zoom and handshake reduction/stabiliser setting

 

Video recording is a breeze with Sanyo’s Xacti HD2000. As mentioned before, the controls are nicely positioned making it very easy to start and stop recording without too much movement when pressing the capture button. The video stabiliser helps with and handshaking and the zoom is a 16x advanced zoom. This is an upgrade from the 10x zoom on the Xacti HD1010.

You can probably guess what I thought of video recording in low light!! Say no more!! In fact, I have to mention one thing though. There is no light/lamp for taking video in low light. Would have been a useful feature to include in this upgrade.

Moving on! There are seven different video formats you can choose between and an additional setting to record voice only (the different formats can be seen in more detail on the Sanyo website). On the highest resolution (Full-HR 1920×1080 (60fps/24Mbps)) the video output is excellent. As you can imagine it take up a lot of memory though. Matt mentioned that he uses the HD1000 to record the unboxing videos and has it set to HD-SHQ 1280 x 720 (30 fps/9Mbps). You can see the quality in the unboxing videos is pretty good even though it’s at a lower setting.

The most interesting video format is definitely the ‘Web’ format, or more commonly known as the slow motion format. It’s great fun to play about with an you can get some pretty amazing footage. Again, check Matt’s videos from the HD1010 as he’s got footage in there using this slow motion feature.

One feature I really like is that you can take still pictures whilst recording video footage. This is definitely not a standard feature with camera/video camera devices.

 

The Xacti HD2000 comes with a docking station where you can place the camera to charge, connect to a pc or connect to a TV. You can also charge the camera by plugging the charger straight into the bottom part of the grip so you don’t need to take the docking station with you if you don’t want to. There is also a remote control included that you can control the camera with and carry out almost all of the functions with from it.

 

Software:

The CD ROM provided includes Nero 8 Essentials and Xacti Screen Capture 1. It also includes the instruction manual. (there is a hard copy one in the box too).

The footage captured will play on recent versions of QuickTime, which most people already have installed on their PCs/Macs.

 

Conclusion:

The Xacti HD2000 has definitely impressed me. It’s compact and easy to use design makes it enjoyable to use and the quality is generally quite impressive (just don’t put me in any low light conditions!!)

The fact that it’s just so simple to use makes it a great camera/video camera for anyone to use.

The only thing that would really put anyone off would be the price. Whilst writing this review I checked out the price range that the Xacti HD2000 was selling for and it ranges from £400-£500. If you’re looking for a good camera to take still pictures with you could buy a pretty decent DSLR camera and even be given change from the money we’re taking about here.

It’s a shame that the price is what’s letting this camera down as I did enjoy using it.

 

 

Reviewed by: Emma

[ Post Tags: Sanyo Xacti HD2000, Camcorder, Video camera, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]

Nokia 5310 XpressMusic Review

Nokia are have always been the big name when it comes to mobile phones. However, when it comes to mobile phone music devices they are relative chasers to Sony Ericsson and their well established and well received Walkman range. Nokia have responded with their own range of music style handsets known as XpressMusic already gracing the range is the fantastic 5800, 5300 and now the 5310. Certainly one of the cheaper devices in the range it begs the question, does 5310 meet the spec of what we have come to expect from budget devices and does it deliver in terms of meeting the prestige of Nokia?

The Nokia 5310 XpressMusic Phone

What’s in the Box?

• Nokia 5310 XpressMusic mobile phone
• Battery BL-4CT (860mAh)
• AC-3 Charger
• HS-45 stereo headset with AD-57
• CA-101 Micro USB cable
• 2GB uSD card

More information can be seen in Matt’s Nokia 5310 Unboxing Video

 

Specifications

• Dimensions: – 103.8 x 44.7 x 9.9 mm:
• Weight: – 71g
• Display: 240 x 320 pixels (2 inch)
• Camera: – 2 mega-pixels
• Music: – Supported formats: MP3, AAC, eAAC+, WMA
• Network: – GSM: 900, 1800, 1900
• Memory: – 30MB internal
• FM Radio
• Bluetooth 2.0
• MicroSDHC memory card slot
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Standard battery, Li-Ion 860 mAh

 

General

As mentioned, the Nokia 5310 is a budget device. However, as for build quality, although the 5310 is light weight it doesn’t feel particularly flimsy.

The front of the device is fairly eventful with a decent sized keypad of which a D-Pad with central click button is located above. Either side of this are the menu quick launch keys and of course the two call buttons. A interesting feature of the device is that located on one of the two red strips running parallel with the screen and this is the music control keys which are well placed for quick and easy media management.

Nokia 5310 – front view

The right hand side of the device is home to a two way volume rocker and that is just about it.

Nokia 5310 – right side view

 

And, if you think you are going to be spoilt with buttons and controls on the left of the device I am afraid you may well be disappointed as the left side only features the very small input for Nokia’s new style propitiatory connection.

Nokia 5310 – left side view

 

The top of the device is more interesting in terms of connections and buttons, and for the top of a mobile device it’s actually fairly jam packed. From left to right there is a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack which allows you to use your favourite headphones with the 5310, a mini USB input is in the centre with the stand by key located next to this.

Nokia 5310 – top view

 

The 2 Mega pixel camera is located on the back of the 5310 however, there is no flash which although a disappointment is not something which is expected on a budget device such as the 5310.

Nokia 5310 – back view

 

Highlights

• Ease of use
• Good Connectivity

Lowlights

• No Flash

 

Review

The Nokia 5310 XpressMusic may not be what you would describe as a stunning device but I certainly wouldn’t call it ugly, reminding me somewhat of the BenQ E72. The phone sticks to the tried and tested candy bar style design with two single red stripes running parallel to the screen. The device itself is a truly portable device, extremely slim line and lightweight, although as I mentioned the phone doesn’t feel flimsy it does feel a little plastic in the hand and lacks that feeling of quality however given the price that is easily forgiven.

As I mentioned at the start of this review the closest competitor to Nokia’s XpressMusic range is of course Sony Ericsson’s Walkman range, a range which is very much respected in the mobile phone market. Besides the price the key things that stand out when glancing down the spec list include a 2 mega pixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity, up to 4GB storage to name but a few.

The whole point of an slim line, lightweight device such as the 5310 is to make your pockets that bit lighter and replace that MP3 player and replace it with this device. As for storage, the 5310 comes boxed with a 2GB MicroSD. However, the device will support up to 4GB which is not fantastic but when given the price it does actually out do many MP3 players out there on the market. Transferring music files is a breeze as the 5310 supports MP3, MP4, AAC, eAAc+, and WMA music files as well as this the device supports album art which further enhances the overall experience of using the phone for its MP3 capabilities. The inclusion of a standard 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the device is very pleasing and sound quality is more than acceptable and offers surprising clarity compared to some other mobile devices I have used in the past. The phone also includes an FM radio which works as you may expect – like a radio.

The 5310 comes packed with a 2 mega pixel camera which by today’s standards seems like a fairly modest addition, but for a device which is far more focused on the music side as appose to the photographic focus many devices are taking these days the 2 mega pixels are of a decent level. With the addition of a few basic editing and effect tools you are sure to get a few decent snaps from the 5310. Image quality is surprisingly good and I don’t imagine it will disappoint. The phone can also capture video but the quality is nothing to write home about.

Navigating my way around the 5310 came with a learning curve of around 20 seconds, a smooth cover flow style icon navigation system is present on the main device screen allowing you to select the most popular applications such as camera, music players, radio, etc. A single click will take you to the phone’s familiar Nokia main menu with standard options such as the settings, organiser and contacts. An interesting addition to the menu is something known as PTT or ‘Push To Talk’. It is not commonly used here in the UK but is often used as a placement for texting in the US As I was unable to find a friend with PTT I was unable to use this feature but I have seen it in action and it is a nice addition should it ever really take off in the UK. The phone comes with the usual bundle of fun otherwise known as Snake III as well as a few other games including a fun little music guess game.

Connectivity-wise the 5310 as I mentioned includes Bluetooth 2.0 and Micro USB 2.0 (Full Speed) which, lets face it, is not a dramatically impressive list, however, those purchasing this phone are not likely to be looking for features such as 3G or GPRS. The one word I would use to sum up the 5310 is ‘practical’. Its keyboard was by far one of the easiest I have used in a long time with no problems with big thumb syndrome, navigating around the phone is simple whether you are a seasoned Nokia user or a complete novice. The battery life is quoted at 300 hours standby, 18 hours music playback and around 5.4 hours talk time which is slightly below average but I didn’t find myself reaching for the charger or suffering any problems with the battery cutting out during the day.

Conclusion

In conclusion the Nokia 5310 is a practical well thought out addition to the XpressMusic range which is showing real signs of improvement with each and every device released by the Finish mobile giants. It is certainly a phone to replace your low to mid range MP3 player but for the avid music fan 4GB is just not going to cut it when compared to the 16 or 32 GB devices available however a solid addition to the XpressMusic range at a great price, congratulations Nokia you are now officially in the mobile vs. mp3 player war.

 

 

 

Reviewed by: Nick

Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX review

Should I add a fisheye lens to my kit bag ?

This is the first fisheye lens developed exclusively for use with Nikon DX Format, it is equivalent to 16mm focal length on 35mm.

What’s in the box?

• CL-0715 Soft Case,
• Front Lens Cap,
• Rear Lens Cap.
• Manual

Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Specification

• Construction – 10 elements in 7 groups
• Extra Low Dispersion (ED) Lens: 1 ED Element
• Angle of view – Picture Angle (D1): 180°
• Focal Length: – 10.5mm
• F stop range – Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
• Minimum F stop: 22
• Closest Focusing Distance – Approx. 5.5 inches
• Maximum Magnification -Max. Reproduction Ratio: 1/5 (0.20)
• Filter Size – Rear of lens, Gel filter holder built-in
• Dimensions (Length x Diameter) -Diameter x Length: Approx. 2.5x 2.5 inches
• Weight -Approx. 10.8 oz.
• Notes – Aperture Blade: 7 elements (Rounded)
• Lens Hood: – Built-In Flower Type

General

This is a very simple lens, with a good robust built quality. There are few functions to discuss but it is extremely good at what it does, and I think this is the nature of a fish eye lens, simple functionality and guarantee that it will deliver what it was designed to do without complication.

Focusing – The lens focuses through two groups: the front and rear groups both move in and out. There is no rotation. The outside of the lens doesn’t move.

Auto-focus – Typical screw style should be very easy to find focal full focus on this lens. Auto-focus is fast, as you’d expect for an ultra wide lens.

Macro – The 10.5mm is a very advanced fisheye lens. It has a close-range correction system that allows the lens to focus to at 14cm. However more interestingly these ratings are measured from the image plane, (the rear of the camera). And therefore the front of the lens is 10.8cm in front of that. All this means that the 10.5mm fisheye can focus to within 3.2cm from the lens.

Pro’s and Con’s

• The lens does not have an internal Auto focus motor and therefore relies on a slotted drive screw operated by the camera. This means the auto focus action will generates a small amount of noise.

• The focus ring operates very smooth but it is not damped.

• As with almost all fisheye lenses it is not possible use a front filter because the huge field-of-view would cause edge shading. However, according to Nikon you can use a gelatin filter at the rear of the lens.

• There seems to be some indications of Chromatic Aberration at the extremities of the frame, these can be easily fixed with some basic post production tweaks in simple programs. For example try using the Fisheye-Hemi plug-in for Photoshop ( or Apple’s "Aperture") to fix the distortion

• The lack of aperture ring is frustrating.

Review

This lens is a great deal of fun to use and offers a lot of new possibilities for photographers of all levels. It is hard to be specific on the best application of fish eye photography. But in my personal case I find the technique useful for two major reasons. Firstly for property photography as it allows for me to get maximum field of view in smaller spaces and with some de-fishing and trimming I can get some amazing results in tight corners. Secondly for urban or sports photography it begs for you to get in close to your subject and this almost always guarantees a host of new and challenging images, and furthermore moves you to use the technology in new and interesting ways.

The lack of filtering options with a fish eye lens may hamper some photographers; I have not as yet found this to be an issue. It is frustrating that it does not have an aperture ring, this is largely a personal frustration as I often use my Nikon lenses when filming as prime lenses on a 35mm lens adapter, no aperture ring means it is relatively useless for this purpose, which is a shame but by no means a drawback as this is not what it was designed for.

I found both the operation and the build quality more than satisfactory and both would suggest a long and fully functional life for your investment. Some may feel the price tag a little hefty for what is a very specific lens with limited practical use, but for me there is always place for this lens in my kit bag.

Conclusion

I would highly recommend this lens to any photographer who enjoys to challenge themselves and develop their eye for the abstract and the original, for those shooting sports or cultural events where that one magical shot that encapsulates the energy or scale of the moment can only be achieved in a ultra wide angle. It’s a good functional lens for shooting property photography and with a little tweaking and trimming you can achieve wonderful results, the lens can be part of a larger creative process in the world of digital photography. From skate parks to concerts halls this lens has great potential. I already own a Nikkor 16mm lens which is the closest lens I can draw comparison to and I found despite the lack of aperture control on the 10.5mm lens it was still a worthy addition and lots of fun.

 

Review by: Stuart Birchall