Videos/Unboxings

You may have seen the adverts for the LG Arena on TV where the phone is demonstrated as a completely touch-screen device. Fans of the HTC Touch may hove noticed some similarities between the user interface on the Arena and the Touch Cube on the HTC Touch.

The LG Arena has an extremely sensitive screen thanks to the capacitive technology used. It’s similar in response to the iPhone but has higher-res WVGA (480×800) screen that will help you make the most of your videos as the Arena will even playback DivX/Xvid Video.

Play your music more powerfully with Dolby Mobile for Music to experience a superior sound quality. Plus, take advantage of the 3.5mm jack, for connecting high quality headphones. Finally, the LG Arena allows you play your music in multi-formats meaning all of your music – MP3, AAC, AAC+, RA and WMA).

We’ll be reviewing the LG Arena over the next few weeks but for now take a look at our unboxing video.

LG Arena (KM900) Specification:

• 2G Network GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 
• 3G Network HSDPA 2100 
• Size Dimensions 105.9 x 55.3 x 11.95 mm 
• Weight 105 g
• Display Type TFT capacitive touch screen – Size 480 x 800 pixels, 3.0 inches
• Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate
• Internal 8 GB
• Card slot microSD (TransFlash), up to 16GB
• EDGE, 3G HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps
• WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth v2.0 
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Camera Primary 5 MP, 2592?1944 pixels, Schneider-Kreuznach optics, autofocus
• Features Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, EMail, Instant Messaging
• Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3
• Customization Composer, Download
• Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
• Java MIDP 2.0
• Radio FM radio; FM transmitter
• A-GPS
• Battery   Standard battery, Li-Ion 1000 mAh
• Stand-by Up to 300 h
• Talk time Up to 3 h 50 min

Posted by: Matt

We’ve recently been looking at a number of the Sony Ericsson Cybershot and Walkman phones and this is our latest, the Sony Ericsson C510.

The Sony Ericsson C510

The C510, as the ‘C’ in its name suggests, is a member of the Cybershot range and as such is more camera oriented. However it only has a 3.2 megapixel camera and while image quality is certainly not all about the number of pixels it would seem to be a bit limiting given that there are 5, 8 and 10 MP camera phones out there now. We’ll have to wait for Nick’s review to see how it shapes up.

The accessible Sony Ericsson C510 Cyber-shot™ handset is jammed packed with the highest quality imaging technology and encased in a stylish handset design expected from Sony Ericsson.

The Sony Ericsson C510 is a small, slim and attractive looking handset, it’s also light and easy to pop in a pocket and a handset that’s easy to take with you on a night out. Check out the unboxing video for a closer look:

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 Shutter™
• Face detection
• Network: – GSM: 900/1800/1900 (Tri-band)
• UMTS (3G), EDGE
• Music: Media player
• Album art
• Bluetooth™ 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 Maps™
• FM radio with RDS
• YouTube client

Don’t forget that you can find many more unboxing videos on our other site www.unboxings.com

Posted by: Matt

So the chances are that you will have seen my previous Diamond2 unboxing video where I unboxed a pre-release model and took you on a tour around the new version of TouchFlo 3D. Today, courtesy of our friends at Clove Technology, I’ve got my hands on the retail version of the Diamond2 so I thought I would record a brief unboxing video for you.

There’s no difference between the pre-release and the retail version in terms of hardware but there are some ROM changes which improves the overall speed and a couple of known bugs. Our review, which we hope to have completed next week, will be of the retail version of course.

So like I say, this is just a quick unbox so that you can see what’s included with the handset that you might buy. The previous video has more about the OS and TouchFlo 3D.

Please also check out my Diamond vs Diamond2 photos and check back soon to see our HTC Touch Diamond2 review.

EDIT: Our extensive HTC Touch Diamond2 review is now live!

Posted by: Matt

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

Although it was only announced a few months ago at MWC, it feels like I’ve been waiting ages to get my hands on the HTC Touch Diamond2. I guess I must just be impatient to replace my original Diamond!

The HTC Touch Diamond2

Yesterday I managed to get my hands on a pre-release version of the Diamond2 which I’m going to use to start off my review of the handset. This pre-release unit is final hardware but there will be a few more tweaks to the ROM before the final version goes on sale in the next few days.

I’ve had the Diamond2 for less than 24 hours so far and I have to say that I like what I see. I’m happy that the back is now flat rather than angular like the original Diamond and despite the larger screen, larger battery and the inclusion of the MicroSD card socket HTC have managed to keep the overall size and weight down so that it’s not much bigger or heavier than the Diamond and still retains the slim-appeal.

The HTC Touch Diamond2 vs Original Diamond

So take a look at the video below. It’s a little long but I take you on a tour around the hardware and then have a look at some of the software changes and the new TouchFlo 3D stuff.

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

Please feel free to send me any questions or photo requests and I’ll do my best to answer them. I’ll have more photos and videos online soon and expect to get my hands on the retail version over the next few days.

More photos can be found HERE.

EDIT: Our extensive HTC Touch Diamond2 review is now live!

Posted by: Matt

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

The Acer DX900 is one of the first, if not the first Dual-SIM Windows Mobile handsets to be sold here in the UK. The DX900 will allow you to combine your work and personal mobile numbers in to one handset which means that many will be able to carry one instead of two phones!

This is the first handset to be released by Acer since they acquired E-Ten last year. There is a lot about the DX900 that reminds us of earlier Glofiish products.

The Acer DX900

The Acer DX900 allows you to have uninterrupted access to two separate phone services, for example; one for business and one personal, or one for calls and another for data, in a single device. Frequent business travelers can use local SIM card and home SIM card in the same device at the same time.  International business and cross boarder travelling becomes so much easier with this device from Acer.

The DX900 features support for both high-speed 3.5G (UMTS/HSDPA) and 2G (GSM/EDGE) communications, as well as GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity, a high-resolution VGA display, and a 3-megapixel auto-focus camera.

We’ll be reviewing the DX900 over the next couple of weeks so for now we hope you enjoy the unboxing video:

Acer DX900 Specification:

• Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• Samsung S3C 6400 533 MHz Processor
• ROM: 256 MB / RAM: 128 MB
• 2.8" VGA (468×640) colour transflective TFT
• HSDPA / UMTS ( 2100 / 1900 / 850 MHz )
• Quad-Band GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
• microSD
• Connectivity – USB 2.0
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• WiFi 802.11b, 802.11g
• GPS – Embedded SiRF Star III chipset
• Built-in 3.0 mega pixels Auto-Focus CMOS camera, up to 2048 x 1536 resolution
• 0.3 mega pixels Fixed-Focus CMOS camera for conference call usage
• Built-in microphone and speaker, external stereo headset jack, hands-free mode supported
• Composite TV out support
• Battery – Removable 1530 mAh
• 106(L) x 60.5 (W) x 17(H) millimetres
• 147 grams (battery included)

Posted by: Matt

Over the past few years we’ve looked at and reviewed almost all of the media players in the Sansa range from SanDisk from the original e260 onwards. However I noticed one model missing from our review list; the Sansa Express.

The SanDisk Sansa Express

I’ve been extremely impressed with all of the models in the Sansa range and still use the original e260 to this day. They are all simple to use with an intuitive user interface but the one thing that has always made these media players stand out is the phenomenal battery life. I can use my e260 for 2 hours per pay and I dont have to charge it for WEEKS!

The Sansa Express is at the lower end of the model range. It’s pretty small, not much bigger than a regular USB memory key and in fact that’s exactly what it looks like. Because of its diminutive size you wont be able to watch video on this model but there is a decent OLED display on the front so that you can look through your music list and see what’s currently playing etc. There’s even a built in FM radio.

The Express comes in several different capacities, we are reviewing the 1GB model. However the nice thing about the Express is that it had a MicroSD card slot so that you can increase the storage space available and it will support up to 8GB SDHC memory cards.

I’ll be spending the next few weeks using the SanDisk Sansa Express on my commute and will be back with a review soon. Have a look at my brief unboxing video for mode details:

SanDisk Sansa Express specification:

• 1GB internal memory (2GB model available)
• Dimensions (W x D x H) 1 in x 0.7 in x 3.1 in
• microSD slot to expand your capacity and provide portability of music
• Direct USB connector-No cable needed 
• New sleek, compact design      
• With this MP3 player you can enjoy music & FM radio
• Built-in Mic for Voice Recording
• Four-line, bright OLED screen
• Digital FM tuner, with FM recording
• Simple to use controls for fast device interface navigation
• Supports MP3, WMA, protected WMA, WAV, and Audible files
• 15-hour, rechargeable lithium polymer battery life

Posted by: Matt

We’ve looked at several Lumix models in the past and have always been pretty impressed with their performance and value for money.

This time we are looking at the FX500 which is a higher-end Lumix model than the ones we’ve looked at before.

The Panasonic Lumix FX500

The FX500 has some really cool features such as a huge 3" LCD screen to preview/review your images but it’s also a touchscreen that makes menu navigation really very simple. The FX500 also features a 10 megapixel sensor and a decent 25mm wide angle lens with 5x optical zoom while remaining in a fairly compact package.

You’ll also find face and smile detection settings and steady-shot to help improve your images. In fact the list of features goes on and on so we’ll cover more of them when it comes to the review.

For now have a look at the unboxing video to see a little more of the Panasonic Lumix FX500:

Panasonic Lumix FX500 specification:

Sensor:
• 1/2.33" Type CCD
• 10.7 million pixels total
• 10.1 million effective pixels

Image sizes:
• 3648 x 2736
• 3648 x 3432
• 3648 x 2056
• 3072 x 2304
• 3072 x 2048
• 3072 x 1728
• 2560 x 1920
• 2560 x 1712
• 2560 x 1440
• 2048 x 1536
• 2048 x 1360
• 1920 x 1080
• 1600 x 1200
• 640 x 480

Movie clips:
• 640 x 480 (30 fps/10 fps)
• 320 x 240 (30 fps/10 fps)
• 848 x 480 (30 fps/10 fps) 16:9
• 1280 x 720 (30 fps/15 fps) HD

File formats:
• JPEG (Exif 2.21)
• QuickTime (Motion JPEG)

Lens:
• 4.4 – 22.0 mm
• 25 – 125 mm (35mm equivalent)

Image stabilization:
Yes, lens-shift

Digital zoom :
Yes, 4x (Up to 7.12x with ‘Extra Optical Zoom’ cropping)

Focus:
TTL 9-point with Face detection

AF area modes :
• Face detection
• Touch AF
• 9-point
• 3-point high speed
• 1-point high speed
• 1-point
• Spot

Focus distance:
• Normal 50cm – ∞ (W), 100cm – ∞ (T)
• Macro 5cm – ∞ (W), 100cm – ∞ (T)

Metering:
• Intelligent multiple
• Center-weighted
• Spot

ISO sensitivity:
• Auto
• High ISO Auto (1600 – 6400)
• 100
• 200
• 400
• 800
• 16005

Shutter speed:
• 60 – 1/2000 sec

Aperture:
• F2.8 – F5.9

Self timer:
2 sec, 10 sec

Continuous shooting:
• Full-res 2.5 fps for 3 images (fine), 5 images (standard)
• Approx. 2MP, 6 fps in High speed burst mode

Flash:
• Auto / On / Off / Slow Sync / Red-eye reduction
• 60 cm – 6.0 m (W, Auto ISO)
• 1.0 m – 2.8 m (T, Auto ISO)

LCD monitor:
• 3.0 " PureColor LCD II
• 230,000 dots
• 100% coverage

Storage:
• SD/SDHC/MMC card
• 50 MB internal

Weight (with battery)
175 g (6.2 oz)

Dimensions
94.9 x 57.1 x 22.9 mm (3.7 x 2.2 x 0.9 in)

Posted by: Matt

HTC’s Touch range of devices seems to go on and on. This HTC Touch Viva sits at the bottom end of the Touch range as it’s features are pretty entry-level.

The HTC Touch Viva

However it does have a reasonable amount of ROM/RAM and also has WiFi. The spec may seem a bit mean, especially in the CPU department, but having used the Viva briefly already it does seem to work at a decent pace and even the TouchFlo interface is surprisingly fast and smooth.

The compact design houses an ultra-sensitive touch screen for navigation through contacts, media and web pages with new TouchFLO the latest in HTC’s unique touch screen interface technology. Effortless to use and working in perfect harmony with the phone’s main functions, the Touch Viva offers you the perfect welcome to touch-screen control.

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)

Posted by: Matt

The Nokia 8800 sits pretty much at the top end of the Nokia handset range. This titanium and carbon fibre version comes in at just under £1000 which is stunningly expensive for a ‘standard’ mobile phone when you consider that you could buy a decent laptop for less than that.

The Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte

So why so expensive? Well the 8800 handsets are incredibly well made constructed from quality materials including carbon fibre, titanium, stainless steel and polished glass. Despite being constructed from these high-tech materials the 8800 weighs in at over 150 grams so it’s no lightweight. That said, the construction is so solid that the weight is actually reassuring.

You’ll also find a matching docking/charging station and a bluetooth headset included in the box. It’s a shame that Nokia didn’t think to incorporate the headset charger in to the dock though.

I don’t want to spoil Nick’s review which we’ll have for you within the next few weeks so I’ll leave you with the unboxing video so you can see what else is included.

Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte Specification:

• GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
• UMTS 2100
• Dimensions: 109 x 45.6 x 14.6 mm, 65 cc
• Weight: 150 g
• 240 x 320 pixels, 2.0 inches OLED Display
• MP3 support
• Speakerphone
• 4GB internal memory
• GPRS: Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 – 48 kbps
• EDGE: Class 10, 236.8 kbps
• 3G: 384 kbps
• Bluetooth 2.0
• microUSB OTG
• Camera: 3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, autofocus
• Browser: WAP 2.0/xHTML
• Java: MIDP 2.1
• Battery: Li-Ion 1000 mAh (BL-4U)

Posted by: Matt

[ Post Tags: Nokia, 8800 Carbon Arte, Music Phone, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]