Monday, August 4, 2008
Moto Razr V3x
The good:Sophisticated design
Beautiful, large display
External colour display
Remarkably thin
The bad:Expensive
Might be too wide for some
The bottomline:With substance to back it up, the Motorola V3 is a very stylish phone that will appeal to professionals and those with deep pockets.
Buying choices:Motorola RAZR V3 Cellular Phone $169 - $399
Motorola RAZR V3i Cellular Phone $199 - $307
Motorola MOTORAZR2 V9 Cellular Phone $327 - $519
Users' rating:6.6/10
Tags:mobile motorola phone razor razr thin v3
Review
DesignWhat can we say but wow! Motorola has outdone itself in terms of the V3's design. Even before we got to the handset, the packaging of the V3 -- aka Razr -- screamed sophistication. Giving us a taste of what's to be found inside, the box the V3 comes in is a brushed-metal contoured case featuring a port hole through which we could see the pearl inside.
The Motorola V3 is all about class. From its anodised airplane-grade aluminium case to its chemically-etched keypad, Motorola has spared no expense ensuring this mobile is one smart looking handset. Its most talked about and noticeable feature is its svelte design -- the V3 is only 13.9mm thick.
The front of the phone houses the V3's VGA camera and a 260K-colour display that shows the time on top of a picture of your choice (which can be photos taken with the camera). The external display can also be used as a viewfinder for taking self-portrait shots.
Flipping open the ultra-thin folder reveals the V3's beautiful 2.2-inch TFT display, which is capable of displaying up to 260K colours. The flat keypad is etched out of a single sheet of nickel-plated copper-alloy and its curvy details glow an electro-luminescent blue, which looks akin to the race scenes from sci-fi classic Tron.
Keys on the V3 are sufficiently large and spaced out, even for the big fingered among us. Two softkeys and the menu key sit at the top, and underneath you'll find a flat five-way navigation pad, answer and reject keys, message shortcut, WAP key and of course, the numerical section.
Tipping the scales at 95g and measuring 98 x 53 x 13.9mm, the Motorola may be considered too wide for some. However, we find that these dimensions and weight make this phone one of the most comfortable to hold and use. The slightly large width seems to sit perfectly in your palm and with the V3's internal antenna at the bottom of the handset, the phone is not top heavy like some clamshell mobiles.
FeaturesThe bundled software CD contains Motorola's mobile PhoneTools, an application through which you can establish an Internet connection through your phone, manage e-mail, transfer multimedia files, and synchronise your calendar and contacts.
Being a quad-band phone, users can use the handset practically anywhere there is a GSM network. Bluetooth is onboard so you can talk wirelessly via a Bluetooth headset and transmit data without cables.
Included in the box is the icing on the cake; the stylish Motorola Bluetooth Wireless Headset HS810. Initially, the headset takes about two hours to charge, after which you can press the button on the side of the device and flip down the stub boom mic to pair with the V3. Alternatively, calls can be heard audibly through the hands-free speaker.
Other bundled accessories include a standard hands-free earpiece, a leather pouch and belt clip for the V3, USB cable for PC connectivity, mains power charger, Bluetooth headset power adapter and a Motorola keychain.
Polyphonic ring tones for incoming calls can be set quite loud and we found 48 choices in the V3's memory.
For entering text, the V3 supports the old multi-tap method but for predictive text it deviates from T9 and instead implements a system called iTAP. While it will take T9 aficionados some time to familiarise themselves with the nuances of iTAP, we believe it works just as efficiently. Similar to T9, one keypress equals one letter in iMAP and the handset will look for common words with matching letter combinations. iMAP goes one step further in predicting the word you are typing and ghosting the rest of the word on the screen. Pressing up when a word is ghosted fills in the rest automatically. We like this aspect and how the V3 remembers newly typed words but we found adding punctuation very fiddly (eg. trying to enter a full stop always brings up the number '1' instead with punctuation marks as alternative options).
PerformancePowering the V3 up for the first time prompts you to personalise your phone, taking you to a menu where you can: choose the layout and features for the home screen; alter the menu display (icons or list) and order the items.
Battery life Motorola V3 is good considering the bright screen it powers. We averaged about three days in between charges. Even though the handset uses a mini USB cable for PC connectivity, we could not get the V3 to charge through it and had to rely on the power adapter.
We've given the Motorola V3 an Editors' Choice award as it has a lot of substance to back its great looks. It is a superb handset that goes unnoticed in your pocket but certainly attracts attention when you pull it out in a crowd.
K750i
The good:2-megapixel camera with auto-focus
Lens cover activates camera mode
Great battery life
64MB Memory Stick Duo included
User friendly animated interface
The bad:Proprietary connection for headphones and USB
Uncomfortable headphones
The bottomline:A big thumbs-up to Sony Ericsson for not only being the first to market in Australia with a 2-megapixel camera phone, but for making an innovative and almost flawless phone as well.
Buying choices:Sony Ericsson K750i Cellular Phone $0 - $0
Users rating 8/10
Review
Sony Ericsson's K750i is the first 2-megapixel camera phone to hit our shores and will be a sure-fire hit for the three year old mobile phone manufacturer. The response since putting specifications and images of the phone on CNET.com.au has been phenomenal and on that basis alone it became the most popular phone on our site in July. Sony Ericsson is currently the fifth biggest mobile phone maker worldwide, behind Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and LG, according to figures from research company IDC.
DesignIn terms of looks, the K750i continues on the path set by its three successful predecessors, the T610, T630 and K700i. In regards to capabilities however, it follows on from the S700i, Sony Ericsson's first camera phone to break the one-megapixel mark.
We're quite fond of the K750i's form factor: small, black and sturdy. On the back is a lens cover that protects the 2-megapixel camera. When opened, it activates camera mode and the display is used as the viewfinder. Settings for the camera are laid out in landscape orientation which prompts you to tilt the handset 90° anticlockwise to a horizontal position. With the shutter button located on the right-hand side of the phone, this feature makes it feel like you're using a proper digital camera -- and onlookers are none the wiser that it's actually a camera phone. Once you're done, sliding the brushed metal lens cover across deactivates camera mode and returns you to the menu where you left off. If the keypad was locked before taking a picture it will return to that state.
The keypad is laid in suitable Sony Ericsson style for candybar phones. Backlit in white, there are three shortcut keys at the top, a tiny five-way navigation thumb stick, back and clear keys, and slightly raised numerical keys that sit flush with one another. On the side sits the aforementioned camera shutter, a volume rocker and a music button.
The K750i's 176 x 220-pixel TFT screen displays 262K colours, has user-adjustable brightness, and is customisable through wallpaper, themes, screensavers and a sleep mode.
FeaturesNo doubt the 2-megapixel camera is the K750i's biggest selling feature. It will be a while until theNokia N90 becomes available, which will up the ante by adding a Carl Zeiss lens and the same resolution as the Sony Ericsson.
Still photos and video clips can be taken with the K750i, and a range of settings are available for both. Panorama lets you stitch up to three photos together, burst mode takes four shots in rapid succession, and there are 24 frames to choose from to add to your photos. Other camera features include macro for close-ups, night mode, self-timer, white balance, and effects such as sepia, solarize, and B&W. There is also a blindingly bright light beside the lens that can assist while taking a photo in dark surroundings -- or purely as a torch.
Sony Ericsson bundles a 64MB Memory Stick Duo, which clicks into a slot on the side, to store pictures, videos and music. The media player supports MP3, AAC and WAV (maximum sample rate of 16kHz) music files, MPEG4 and 3GP videos. 32MB of internal memory is onboard for contacts or alternative storage if the card gets full.
An easy-to-use FM radio is available when the stereo headset is attached and has 20 preset slots for stations. Radio Data System (RDS), which enables broadcasters to transmit artist and track information, is supported but we could only get the name of the station (eg. Nova 969) to display.
Pressing the music shortcut key starts and pauses tracks and you're able to browse the K750i's menu as per normal during playback. If you're looking for a phone with more of a music focus, Sony Ericsson will be launching its Walkman-branded W800i very soon. Alternatively, Nokia's 3G-ready N91 will sport a 4GB hard disk when it is released later this year.
Organiser features include an alarm clock, calendar, tasks, notes, stopwatch and timer. Additional Java games and applications can be downloaded using GPRS. POP3 and IMAP e-mail is also supported via GPRS -- which is somewhat slow compared to 3G networks.
Uses of Bluetooth on the K750i include handsfree calling with wireless headsets, wireless networking with a PC or laptop, and transferring files (including photos and music) between mobile phones and PDAs. Sony Ericsson also includes Remote Control, an application that pairs with a Bluetooth-equipped PC or notebook and allows users to control PowerPoint presentations, Windows Media Player (no iTunes, we're afraid), and the desktop.
On the bundled CD, Sony Ericsson includes drivers for using the K750i as a modem, software for synchronising Outlook contacts and calendar information with a PC, MMS composition tools, an image editor, and a SIM card manager. Slide show software Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 Starter Edition is also included.
PerformanceWithout a doubt, the K750i is the best camera phone to hit the market so far -- and not just for its 2-megapixel muscle. Auto focus ensures that photos are sharp, although we found a steady hand is necessary for this to work.
Remote Control worked well past 10 metres when paired with a USB Bluetooth adapter on our PC. The Presenter option under the K750i's Remote Control allows you to wirelessly launch a presentation by pressing '2' on the keypad, the volume rocker on the side takes you back or forward to the next slide, while the '4' key blanks out the current slide with a black background. Similarly, the keypad is laid out with multimedia controls for Media, and keyboard and mouse directions for Desktop remote control.
It is hard to fault the K750i, but improvements could be a 3.5mm jack for headphones -- we find Sony Ericsson's ones slightly uncomfortable -- and mini-USB for connectivity, rather than a proprietary port. Even with Bluetooth activated, we found the K750i only needed to be charged every four days or so.
We give a big thumbs-up to Sony Ericsson for not only being the first to market in Australia with a 2-megapixel camera phone, but an innovative and almost flawless one at that.
Lens cover activates camera mode
Great battery life
64MB Memory Stick Duo included
User friendly animated interface
The bad:Proprietary connection for headphones and USB
Uncomfortable headphones
The bottomline:A big thumbs-up to Sony Ericsson for not only being the first to market in Australia with a 2-megapixel camera phone, but for making an innovative and almost flawless phone as well.
Buying choices:Sony Ericsson K750i Cellular Phone $0 - $0
Users rating 8/10
Review
Sony Ericsson's K750i is the first 2-megapixel camera phone to hit our shores and will be a sure-fire hit for the three year old mobile phone manufacturer. The response since putting specifications and images of the phone on CNET.com.au has been phenomenal and on that basis alone it became the most popular phone on our site in July. Sony Ericsson is currently the fifth biggest mobile phone maker worldwide, behind Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and LG, according to figures from research company IDC.
DesignIn terms of looks, the K750i continues on the path set by its three successful predecessors, the T610, T630 and K700i. In regards to capabilities however, it follows on from the S700i, Sony Ericsson's first camera phone to break the one-megapixel mark.
We're quite fond of the K750i's form factor: small, black and sturdy. On the back is a lens cover that protects the 2-megapixel camera. When opened, it activates camera mode and the display is used as the viewfinder. Settings for the camera are laid out in landscape orientation which prompts you to tilt the handset 90° anticlockwise to a horizontal position. With the shutter button located on the right-hand side of the phone, this feature makes it feel like you're using a proper digital camera -- and onlookers are none the wiser that it's actually a camera phone. Once you're done, sliding the brushed metal lens cover across deactivates camera mode and returns you to the menu where you left off. If the keypad was locked before taking a picture it will return to that state.
The keypad is laid in suitable Sony Ericsson style for candybar phones. Backlit in white, there are three shortcut keys at the top, a tiny five-way navigation thumb stick, back and clear keys, and slightly raised numerical keys that sit flush with one another. On the side sits the aforementioned camera shutter, a volume rocker and a music button.
The K750i's 176 x 220-pixel TFT screen displays 262K colours, has user-adjustable brightness, and is customisable through wallpaper, themes, screensavers and a sleep mode.
FeaturesNo doubt the 2-megapixel camera is the K750i's biggest selling feature. It will be a while until theNokia N90 becomes available, which will up the ante by adding a Carl Zeiss lens and the same resolution as the Sony Ericsson.
Still photos and video clips can be taken with the K750i, and a range of settings are available for both. Panorama lets you stitch up to three photos together, burst mode takes four shots in rapid succession, and there are 24 frames to choose from to add to your photos. Other camera features include macro for close-ups, night mode, self-timer, white balance, and effects such as sepia, solarize, and B&W. There is also a blindingly bright light beside the lens that can assist while taking a photo in dark surroundings -- or purely as a torch.
Sony Ericsson bundles a 64MB Memory Stick Duo, which clicks into a slot on the side, to store pictures, videos and music. The media player supports MP3, AAC and WAV (maximum sample rate of 16kHz) music files, MPEG4 and 3GP videos. 32MB of internal memory is onboard for contacts or alternative storage if the card gets full.
An easy-to-use FM radio is available when the stereo headset is attached and has 20 preset slots for stations. Radio Data System (RDS), which enables broadcasters to transmit artist and track information, is supported but we could only get the name of the station (eg. Nova 969) to display.
Pressing the music shortcut key starts and pauses tracks and you're able to browse the K750i's menu as per normal during playback. If you're looking for a phone with more of a music focus, Sony Ericsson will be launching its Walkman-branded W800i very soon. Alternatively, Nokia's 3G-ready N91 will sport a 4GB hard disk when it is released later this year.
Organiser features include an alarm clock, calendar, tasks, notes, stopwatch and timer. Additional Java games and applications can be downloaded using GPRS. POP3 and IMAP e-mail is also supported via GPRS -- which is somewhat slow compared to 3G networks.
Uses of Bluetooth on the K750i include handsfree calling with wireless headsets, wireless networking with a PC or laptop, and transferring files (including photos and music) between mobile phones and PDAs. Sony Ericsson also includes Remote Control, an application that pairs with a Bluetooth-equipped PC or notebook and allows users to control PowerPoint presentations, Windows Media Player (no iTunes, we're afraid), and the desktop.
On the bundled CD, Sony Ericsson includes drivers for using the K750i as a modem, software for synchronising Outlook contacts and calendar information with a PC, MMS composition tools, an image editor, and a SIM card manager. Slide show software Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 Starter Edition is also included.
PerformanceWithout a doubt, the K750i is the best camera phone to hit the market so far -- and not just for its 2-megapixel muscle. Auto focus ensures that photos are sharp, although we found a steady hand is necessary for this to work.
Remote Control worked well past 10 metres when paired with a USB Bluetooth adapter on our PC. The Presenter option under the K750i's Remote Control allows you to wirelessly launch a presentation by pressing '2' on the keypad, the volume rocker on the side takes you back or forward to the next slide, while the '4' key blanks out the current slide with a black background. Similarly, the keypad is laid out with multimedia controls for Media, and keyboard and mouse directions for Desktop remote control.
It is hard to fault the K750i, but improvements could be a 3.5mm jack for headphones -- we find Sony Ericsson's ones slightly uncomfortable -- and mini-USB for connectivity, rather than a proprietary port. Even with Bluetooth activated, we found the K750i only needed to be charged every four days or so.
We give a big thumbs-up to Sony Ericsson for not only being the first to market in Australia with a 2-megapixel camera phone, but an innovative and almost flawless one at that.
o2 XDA Atom
The good:Tiny smartphone
Integrated media centre-like functions
2-megapixel camera
Stylish layout
The bad:Possibly too small for some business uses
MiniSD card rather than full-sized SD
The bottomline:O2's redefined micro-smartphone has been improved, and while it's not the cheapest option around, it's certainly eye-catching and fun to use.
Buying choices:O2 Xda Atom Smartphone $378 - $550
O2 Xda II Smartphone $989
Users' rating:8.6/10
Tags:3g 5.0 atom handheld mobile o2 pda phone quanda windows xda
Review
DesignO2's Xda II Mini has been one of the most popular phones here at CNET.com.au, so we were especially keen to get our hands on its successor, the O2 Xda Atom. At first, visually speaking, it's hard to obviously tell the two apart, save for the obvious switch from a silver style scheme to an all-black one. The Atom is marginally smaller than the Xda II Mini at 102 x 58 x 18.5mm versus the Mini's 108 x 58 x 18.1mm, but that's more of a paper measurement -- we'd challenge anyone picking up both phones to intuitively feel the size difference without putting them side to side.
Physical features are pretty much as per O2's standard take on smartphones, which means that you've got a small five way selector at the base of the phone, surrounded by call accept and decline buttons and dedicated buttons for the program Start function and the integrated O2 Media Plus application. The small stylus slots neatly into the top right of the phone, which also houses a MiniSD memory card slot and the phone's power button. The rear of the phone houses the Atom's 2-megapixel CMOS camera, as well as a strobe flash. The Atom's display is a 2.7" TFT LCD touchscreen with a top resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.
FeaturesIf you can't connect to something with the Xda Atom, you're really not trying. For a start, it's a tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (GSM900/1800/1900) phone. Moving beyond simple mobile telephony, it's also Bluetooth capable and Wi-Fi capable, albeit only to 802.11b speeds. For the true relics amongst us, it's even IrDA compatible, although we're not sure anyone's using infrared to send anything via mobile in this day and age. There's an obvious battery hit to take into consideration for each and every one of these technology inclusions, they're still good to have as individual connection options.
The O2 Xda Atom gets a white makeover
On the PDA side, the Atom runs on the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 platform, which offers the usual suite of office compatibility tied into a PC running the ActiveSync application. Beyond spreadsheets and documents, the Atom also ships with O2's MediaPlus application, which gives an integrated approach to viewing multimedia content with a very distinct Windows Media Center-type feel; it'll play back music and video, display pictures and run the phone's inbuilt FM radio application from a simple tappable interface.
PerformanceO2 warned us that the unit they were sending us for evaluation was a pre-production sample -- and we could hardly miss the splash screen that warned us of this fact every time we powered the phone up. This puts us in a tricky position to accurately gauge the Atom's true performance, as it's hard to say that any particular issue might not be solved via a future ROM upgrade. Still, many of our observations of the Atom's performance had less to do with issues that might be resolved with ROM changes, and more to do with the phone itself.
As with the Xda Mini, the biggest hit against the Atom is also the unit's biggest area of appeal, in that it's a very small smartphone, and you won't feel like you're holding a brick up against your ear every time you make a call. The downside of miniturisation in this case is that everything else -- interfaces, screen sizes and virtual keyboards -- is smaller too, making it a more challenging PDA than its fuller-sized cousins. It's less of an issue for jotting small notes, but if you need to send a long e-mailed response to a business query in a hurry, you may find yourself struggling.
The MediaPlus application is a smooth bit of software design -- or, if you're the conspiracy theory type, a neat bit of interface thievery -- but you'll either have to load files in via ActiveSync or via MiniSD card. The MiniSD card inclusion is a touch disappointing, as there's plenty of SD users out there, but many fewer with MiniSD cards outside of the mobile world.
O2 rates the Xda Atom as having a battery life of 150 hours standby and 5.5 hours talktime, although that's almost certainly a figure achieved with Bluetooth silenced and Wi-Fi switched off. In our testing we found the battery lasted around four days of moderate usage, although how much that was affected by the pre-production ROM in our test unit is impossible to say -- we did experience a few crashes in that time that could have preserved or even drained additional power.
The Xda II Mini was certainly a hit amongst CNET.com.au's audience as it dominated the early months of the year when it came to choosing our top mobiles, and given that the Atom is essentially just a feature set upgrade and a coat of black paint on the same basic design, we see no reason why the Atom won't fare as well. If you're after a small smartphone, the Atom is a solid, albeit not exactly inexpensive choice
o2 XDA II Mini
The good:Integrated 1.3 megapixel camera
Small form factor
The bad:Screen gets grubby really quickly
No scroll selector for PDA functions
Battery life doesn't quite live up to manufacturer claims
The bottomline:If you want a smartphone but want to avoid unsightly pocket bulges, you could do well to consider O2's slimmed down XDA II Mini.
Buying choices:O2 Xda II mini Smartphone $0 - $0
Users' rating:8.3/10
Tags:handheld mini mobile o2 pda phone smartphone xda xda ii
Review
DesignYou can't call a phone (or indeed, anything) a "Mini" without it being small, and indeed at 58 by 108 by 18.1 millimetres, the XDA II Mini is a small smart phone, although of course it's still only moderately sized from the phone side of the equation. In visual terms it's not a great departure from the XDA II itself; you've got a directional button at the bottom of the phone, surrounded by four selection buttons (including the two call buttons), and a 2.8-inch display with a total resolution of 240 by 320 pixels. At around 150 grams, it's much lighter than the XDA II or XDA IIs, but you'd expect that from a smaller smart phone.
FeaturesThe XDA II Mini runs Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Pocket PC Phone Edition -- try saying that three times fast -- on an Intel PXA 272 processor running at 416MHz. With 64MB of Flash ROM and an equal quantity of RAM, it's heavy on the storage side for a phone, but if you're looking for serious PDA usage, you may want to avail yourself of the SD/MMC card slot that sits atop the phone.
Running a variant of the Pocket PC OS means it's preinstalled with the most common PDA applications from the Pocket PC side of the fence -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint Viewer and so on -- as well as some custom O2 applications. Like the other XDA units, the Mini sports an integrated digital camera, and in keeping with the best that we're seeing in mobile phone cameras at the time of writing, it's a 1.3 megapixel unit, which should put it just into the acceptable and printable category.
As a phone, the XDA II Mini is tri-band GSM and GPRS capable, and as it's a smart phone with visual keyboard facilities, creating and sending SMS and MMS messages is a snap. It's also Bluetooth capable, although that's not the only way to synchronise it with a suitable PC; a USB cable is also provided.
PerformanceThe first thing we noticed about the XDA II Mini is a common fault with smart phones lacking an integrated keyboard; the screen smudges quickly and often; we'd suggest carrying a cleaning cloth around with you if you're keen to show this phone off to your friends. Aside from that, the display is clear and bright, with the usual adjustments for maximising battery life by dipping screen brightness depending on your situation. As a phone we had few complaints about its performance, aside from one situation where it for some reason it incorrectly grabbed contact details for somebody phoning us -- although to be fair to O2, it does note on the splash screen of our review unit that it's a test unit, so some bugs are probably inevitable.
As a PDA, the XDA II Mini sits well in a competitive category, although there's not too much that really catapults it ahead of the competition per se, and the fact that the rocker on the side of the unit doesn't perform scrolling functions -- it's a volume control for the PDA and phone capabilities -- threw us for a while.
The XDA II Mini's camera is one of the better implementations of a mobile camera we've seen for a while; it's undoubtedly helped by having a rather larger than normal LCD for you to frame shots with, and wisely, there's a focus on fun shots -- including a number of silly shot templates to frame with -- rather than serious photography. Predictably, without a flash, you'll end up with a number of rather dingy looking photos at night, but daytime shots perform well.
O2 claims a battery life of around 180 hours standby and 4-5 hours talk time with the XDA II Mini's 1,200 mAh Lithium Ion battery, although in our testing we'd suggest it's capable of less if you're using the PDA functionality much -- we averaged around 2-3 days before needing to recharge the battery with only moderate usage, and predictably much less if the integrated Bluetooth was switched on.
Small form factor
The bad:Screen gets grubby really quickly
No scroll selector for PDA functions
Battery life doesn't quite live up to manufacturer claims
The bottomline:If you want a smartphone but want to avoid unsightly pocket bulges, you could do well to consider O2's slimmed down XDA II Mini.
Buying choices:O2 Xda II mini Smartphone $0 - $0
Users' rating:8.3/10
Tags:handheld mini mobile o2 pda phone smartphone xda xda ii
Review
DesignYou can't call a phone (or indeed, anything) a "Mini" without it being small, and indeed at 58 by 108 by 18.1 millimetres, the XDA II Mini is a small smart phone, although of course it's still only moderately sized from the phone side of the equation. In visual terms it's not a great departure from the XDA II itself; you've got a directional button at the bottom of the phone, surrounded by four selection buttons (including the two call buttons), and a 2.8-inch display with a total resolution of 240 by 320 pixels. At around 150 grams, it's much lighter than the XDA II or XDA IIs, but you'd expect that from a smaller smart phone.
FeaturesThe XDA II Mini runs Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Pocket PC Phone Edition -- try saying that three times fast -- on an Intel PXA 272 processor running at 416MHz. With 64MB of Flash ROM and an equal quantity of RAM, it's heavy on the storage side for a phone, but if you're looking for serious PDA usage, you may want to avail yourself of the SD/MMC card slot that sits atop the phone.
Running a variant of the Pocket PC OS means it's preinstalled with the most common PDA applications from the Pocket PC side of the fence -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint Viewer and so on -- as well as some custom O2 applications. Like the other XDA units, the Mini sports an integrated digital camera, and in keeping with the best that we're seeing in mobile phone cameras at the time of writing, it's a 1.3 megapixel unit, which should put it just into the acceptable and printable category.
As a phone, the XDA II Mini is tri-band GSM and GPRS capable, and as it's a smart phone with visual keyboard facilities, creating and sending SMS and MMS messages is a snap. It's also Bluetooth capable, although that's not the only way to synchronise it with a suitable PC; a USB cable is also provided.
PerformanceThe first thing we noticed about the XDA II Mini is a common fault with smart phones lacking an integrated keyboard; the screen smudges quickly and often; we'd suggest carrying a cleaning cloth around with you if you're keen to show this phone off to your friends. Aside from that, the display is clear and bright, with the usual adjustments for maximising battery life by dipping screen brightness depending on your situation. As a phone we had few complaints about its performance, aside from one situation where it for some reason it incorrectly grabbed contact details for somebody phoning us -- although to be fair to O2, it does note on the splash screen of our review unit that it's a test unit, so some bugs are probably inevitable.
As a PDA, the XDA II Mini sits well in a competitive category, although there's not too much that really catapults it ahead of the competition per se, and the fact that the rocker on the side of the unit doesn't perform scrolling functions -- it's a volume control for the PDA and phone capabilities -- threw us for a while.
The XDA II Mini's camera is one of the better implementations of a mobile camera we've seen for a while; it's undoubtedly helped by having a rather larger than normal LCD for you to frame shots with, and wisely, there's a focus on fun shots -- including a number of silly shot templates to frame with -- rather than serious photography. Predictably, without a flash, you'll end up with a number of rather dingy looking photos at night, but daytime shots perform well.
O2 claims a battery life of around 180 hours standby and 4-5 hours talk time with the XDA II Mini's 1,200 mAh Lithium Ion battery, although in our testing we'd suggest it's capable of less if you're using the PDA functionality much -- we averaged around 2-3 days before needing to recharge the battery with only moderate usage, and predictably much less if the integrated Bluetooth was switched on.
W900i
Description:Only days after announcing its P990i smart phone, Sony Ericsson has unveiled a 3G Walkman handset that music lovers might be putting at the top of their wish lists this Christmas.
Buying choices:Sony Ericsson W900i Cellular Phone $0 - $0
Users' rating:9.4/10
Tags:duo ericsson memory mobile music phone sony stick w900i walkman
UpsideSony Ericsson certainly didn't shy away from features when designing its third Walkman phone. A 3G-compatible, swivelling handset, the W900i can also roam onto second generation networks when travelling or outside a 3G coverage zone.
As we saw on the Sony Ericsson K750i camera phone and the W800i, the W900i has a 2-megapixel autofocus camera on the back that supports video capture up to 30 frames per second. There is a discreet secondary camera on the front used for video calls. A generous 2.2-inch 262K-colour QVGA TFT takes up the majority of the phone's face, while a bumper 470MB of user accessible memory is under its shell for storing around 230 MP3 or AAC files. There is a hot-swappable Memory Stick Duo card slot on the side for up to 2GB of additional storage -- an extra 1,000 songs, according to Sony Ericsson. Aiming to give Apple's iPod and its plethora of accessories a run for their money, Sony Ericsson is also releasing a home speaker system, somewhat akin to the Bose SoundDock, to dock the W900i, play music and charge its battery. In the vein of the Griffin iTrip and the Belkin Tunecast, Sony Ericsson will also release the silver-coloured MMR-60 Music Transmitter MMR-60 to transmit music from your mobile phone to an FM radio up to ten metres away.
DownsideA common pitfall of many 3G handsets is that manufacturers don't seem to understand that people do not like carrying chunky phones. At 109 x 24 x 49mm and 148g, the W900i is up there alongside the heaviest phones on the market.
It seems Sony Ericsson has positioned the headphone jack on the bottom of the W900i, which makes us wonder if the numerical section of the keypad will be accessible when the phone is swivelled open. However, we'll have to wait until we see a prototype model to ascertain if you're able to comfortably type a text message while listening to your favourite songs.
OutlookIf the W800i is anything to judge by, Sony Ericsson will no doubt nail sound quality on this Walkman phone. From photos we've seen, the headphones will match its predecessor with the addition of an inline remote control. How customers react to the swivel design, as well as the W900i's heft, remains to be seen.
Like the awaited W550i, pricing has not yet been announced for the W900i, however, Sony Ericsson expects the latest addition to its Walkman family to be available -- in white and black cases -- before the year is out.
Buying choices:Sony Ericsson W900i Cellular Phone $0 - $0
Users' rating:9.4/10
Tags:duo ericsson memory mobile music phone sony stick w900i walkman
UpsideSony Ericsson certainly didn't shy away from features when designing its third Walkman phone. A 3G-compatible, swivelling handset, the W900i can also roam onto second generation networks when travelling or outside a 3G coverage zone.
As we saw on the Sony Ericsson K750i camera phone and the W800i, the W900i has a 2-megapixel autofocus camera on the back that supports video capture up to 30 frames per second. There is a discreet secondary camera on the front used for video calls. A generous 2.2-inch 262K-colour QVGA TFT takes up the majority of the phone's face, while a bumper 470MB of user accessible memory is under its shell for storing around 230 MP3 or AAC files. There is a hot-swappable Memory Stick Duo card slot on the side for up to 2GB of additional storage -- an extra 1,000 songs, according to Sony Ericsson. Aiming to give Apple's iPod and its plethora of accessories a run for their money, Sony Ericsson is also releasing a home speaker system, somewhat akin to the Bose SoundDock, to dock the W900i, play music and charge its battery. In the vein of the Griffin iTrip and the Belkin Tunecast, Sony Ericsson will also release the silver-coloured MMR-60 Music Transmitter MMR-60 to transmit music from your mobile phone to an FM radio up to ten metres away.
DownsideA common pitfall of many 3G handsets is that manufacturers don't seem to understand that people do not like carrying chunky phones. At 109 x 24 x 49mm and 148g, the W900i is up there alongside the heaviest phones on the market.
It seems Sony Ericsson has positioned the headphone jack on the bottom of the W900i, which makes us wonder if the numerical section of the keypad will be accessible when the phone is swivelled open. However, we'll have to wait until we see a prototype model to ascertain if you're able to comfortably type a text message while listening to your favourite songs.
OutlookIf the W800i is anything to judge by, Sony Ericsson will no doubt nail sound quality on this Walkman phone. From photos we've seen, the headphones will match its predecessor with the addition of an inline remote control. How customers react to the swivel design, as well as the W900i's heft, remains to be seen.
Like the awaited W550i, pricing has not yet been announced for the W900i, however, Sony Ericsson expects the latest addition to its Walkman family to be available -- in white and black cases -- before the year is out.
W550i
The good:Integrated music player and radio
Great user interface
256MB of internal memory
Best in class sound quality
The bad:Chunky sized phone
Lacks a memory card slot
The bottomline:Excellent sound quality is what impresses us most with the W550i, once we look past its fat design and lack of memory expansion.
Buying choices:Sony Ericsson W550 Mobile Phone Complete in Box $307.41
Users' rating: 9/10
Tags:console ericsson game l-shaped mobile phone
Review
DesignThe W550i is a swivel phone similar to last year's Sony Ericsson's S700i. In fact Sony Ericsson is the only manufacturer we've seen to release phones with that distinctive design element in Australia. The 3G-capable W900i is also on the cards for release before the end of the year but we'll have to wait and see if they can deliver in time for the Christmas rush.
One gripe we had with the W800i was that there was no way to swap the blindingly orange case. Thankfully with the W550i, the orange front and back covers can be removed and swapped; the alternative faceplates provided in our review package were pearly white. Interestingly enough, changing these cases changes the entire feel of the phone, with the burnt orange cover giving a rubberised grip feel and the white a slippery glossed finish.
The 262K-colour screen is a large 1.8 inches (4.5cm) and displays images and text brightly in dark and light surroundings on its 176x220-pixel TFT.FeaturesWith the Walkman brand emblazoned on the front of the phone, it should come as no surprise -- for people who lived through the 80s anyway -- that this is a musical mobile. It has 256MB onboard memory to load your favourite MP3 or AAC playlists, or you can listen to its built-in FM radio (with eight presets).
If you want to listen to the MP3 player while you're on an aeroplane you can turn it on flight mode, which turns the transmitters off so it will not send or receive any radio signals. As with most Sony Ericsson phones, the camera -- 1.3-megapixel on the W550i -- is housed on the back with the shortcut key on the right edge of the handset so taking photos with the screen acting as a viewfinder feels akin to a digital camera.
A USB cable is bundled for transferring files and the W550i also supports Bluetooth and infrared connections. An awesome set of stereo earbuds come with the handset, which fit comfortably in your ear and produce excellent bass. You probably wouldn't use them often, but there are also stereo speakers on the back of the phone.
PerformanceAs we've come to know with Sony-branded MP3 players, in terms of sound quality, the W550i is at the top of its class. We've got mixed feelings about the aesthetics of the handset, however. The swivelling design certainly had the "wow" factor when colleagues would spot it on the CNET.com.au test bench. A but something along the lines of "but it's so fat" would usually follow.
Photos taken with the W550i turned weren't quite as vibrant when taken in sunlight as we've seen on other camera phones. We also found there to be quite some noise when viewing them back on a PC monitor.
If we were given a choice between Motorola's iTunes-compatible ROKR E1 and either of Sony Ericsson's Walkman phones, we'd choose the latter -- without question. We prefer using iTunes to sync music as apposed to the W550i's drag-and-drop method. But that said, the W550i is faster to transfer files from thanks to a USB 2.0 connection, and it can also hold more songs than the ROKR.
Sony Ericson W800i
The Good-2-megapixel camera captures good stills
External memory slot (512MB card included)
Fantastic headphones
Bluetooth and USB for music/picture transfer
The bad- Memory Stick Duo format limits interoperability with other devices
Shutter lag when taking photos
Can't change covers
The bottomline-The W800i has a funky, eye-catching design and a music-centric feature set that will appeal to a youthful, fun-loving audience.
Buying choices:
NEW SONY ERICSSON W800i 2MP WALKMAN MOBILE PHONE $263.99
Users' rating- 9.3/10
Tags:
aac australia ericsson mobile mp3 phone player sony w800i walkman
Review
DesignSony Ericsson has gone out on a limb creating the W800i's look -- its cheerful colours won't be everyone's cup of tea, but we do think it will go down well with vivacious music lovers. While it oozes funkiness, it lacks the sophistication of premium phones such as the Nokia 8800, which is what you'd more likely see a business executive pull out of his jacket pocket.
However, no matter who you are, you're certainly not going to miss this mobile phone if you walk into a store -- it comes in a fluorescent orange plastic box with grey pair of headphones dangling from within the see-through window. The phone itself is far less glaringly bright than its packaging, the majority of the handset is ivory-coloured, with an orange anodised-aluminium-looking band encircling its sides. It stands out next to most phones on the market and we feel that the target market this phone is aimed at might tire of the colour scheme -- especially considering the W800i doesn't feature removable covers. Yet the W800i does offer customisation options through wallpapers, themes, MP3 ringtones and screensavers.
The keypad layout is almost identical to other non-flip Sony Ericsson phones, such as the black and silver K750i. Navigation through an intuitive animated menu is provided by a tiny joystick that will irk some users with its fiddliness. A couple of slight differences to the norm include a dedicated Walkman shortcut key below the screen to launch the music menu, and a play button on the left side of the phone that starts songs stored on the W800i's memory card. FeaturesThe W800i re-introduces Sony's Walkman brand, which for us conjures up memories of bopping down the street in the '80s with the latest cassingle blasting into our eardrums. While the brand might have evolved into Discman in the '90s as CDs usurped cassettes, Sony Ericsson has decided to use the original brand name for this music-centred phone at a time when we are waving goodbye to CDs and embracing MP3s.
Sony Ericsson bundles an burly 512MB Memory Stick Duo with the W800i, a format which has smaller in dimensions than the original Memory Stick, but is quite large compared to the miniscule TransFlash memory cards that are making appearances in Motorola's MP3-playing phones, such as the E398, E1000 and the upcoming Razr V3x and Rokr iTunes phone. An FM radio is also included on the W800i but like most phones, it can only be activated when then headset, which acts as an antenna, is attached.
While the W800i has a small switch that flicks the lens cover open and puts the display into capture mode, we prefer the slide open action of the K750i's camera. Sony Ericsson has again implemented a handy landscape orientation for the camera mode. Holding the phone on its side places the shutter key at the top device like a regular digital camera. It takes JPEG stills at up to 1,632 x 1,224 pixels and .3gp videos at 176 x 144 pixels.
Sony Ericsson has a range of accessories available for the W800i, including the MXE-60 detachable camera flash and the MMC-60 stereo line-out cable.
Bluetooth and infrared are onboard for transferring photos, music and contact information to other devices. Sony Ericsson also throws in a USB cable for fast PC transfers. Sony Ericsson's bundled software CD includes an application called Disc2Phone that can rip CDs to transfer to the W800i, and acts as an interface through which you can drag-and-drop existing MP3 files.PerformanceIn our experience when it comes to sound, Sony is generally a top performer. It currently holds CNET.com.au's crown for the best-sounding MP3 player and we'd be safe to say that the Sony Ericsson Walkman W800i produces the richest sound from any phone we've heard so far. This is thanks in large part to the excellent noise-cancelling headphones bundled in the box. While not the high-tech variety with circuitry designed to actively reduce ambient interference, such as Bose's QuietComfort 2, the included set feature soft rubber domes which plug snugly into your ears to passively eliminate surrounding noise. With the equaliser set to Mega Bass, the pounding beats coming from the W800i's headphones are enough to keep any dance or hip hop fan bopping. Treble boost gives an extra bit of crispness to tunes while we found Voice to be good for acoustic songs.
One gripe we have with the W800i is the minor shutter lag when taking a picture. Granted, it does have an autofocus mechanism that takes a second to adjust its depth field, so photos are taken at a slight delay to when you hear the digital shutter "click" and can therefore come out blurry if you start to move away.
Overall, though, we'd recommend the W800i to anyone in the market now for an MP3-playing phone for four main reasons: its headphones provide exceptional sound for its class, it comes with a whopper of a memory card, it has a 2-megapixel camera, and it features Sony Ericsson-style ease of use. Whether it holds up against Nokia's upcoming N91 or Motorola's Rokr iTunes phone is yet to be seen.
External memory slot (512MB card included)
Fantastic headphones
Bluetooth and USB for music/picture transfer
The bad- Memory Stick Duo format limits interoperability with other devices
Shutter lag when taking photos
Can't change covers
The bottomline-The W800i has a funky, eye-catching design and a music-centric feature set that will appeal to a youthful, fun-loving audience.
Buying choices:
NEW SONY ERICSSON W800i 2MP WALKMAN MOBILE PHONE $263.99
Users' rating- 9.3/10
Tags:
aac australia ericsson mobile mp3 phone player sony w800i walkman
Review
DesignSony Ericsson has gone out on a limb creating the W800i's look -- its cheerful colours won't be everyone's cup of tea, but we do think it will go down well with vivacious music lovers. While it oozes funkiness, it lacks the sophistication of premium phones such as the Nokia 8800, which is what you'd more likely see a business executive pull out of his jacket pocket.
However, no matter who you are, you're certainly not going to miss this mobile phone if you walk into a store -- it comes in a fluorescent orange plastic box with grey pair of headphones dangling from within the see-through window. The phone itself is far less glaringly bright than its packaging, the majority of the handset is ivory-coloured, with an orange anodised-aluminium-looking band encircling its sides. It stands out next to most phones on the market and we feel that the target market this phone is aimed at might tire of the colour scheme -- especially considering the W800i doesn't feature removable covers. Yet the W800i does offer customisation options through wallpapers, themes, MP3 ringtones and screensavers.
The keypad layout is almost identical to other non-flip Sony Ericsson phones, such as the black and silver K750i. Navigation through an intuitive animated menu is provided by a tiny joystick that will irk some users with its fiddliness. A couple of slight differences to the norm include a dedicated Walkman shortcut key below the screen to launch the music menu, and a play button on the left side of the phone that starts songs stored on the W800i's memory card. FeaturesThe W800i re-introduces Sony's Walkman brand, which for us conjures up memories of bopping down the street in the '80s with the latest cassingle blasting into our eardrums. While the brand might have evolved into Discman in the '90s as CDs usurped cassettes, Sony Ericsson has decided to use the original brand name for this music-centred phone at a time when we are waving goodbye to CDs and embracing MP3s.
Sony Ericsson bundles an burly 512MB Memory Stick Duo with the W800i, a format which has smaller in dimensions than the original Memory Stick, but is quite large compared to the miniscule TransFlash memory cards that are making appearances in Motorola's MP3-playing phones, such as the E398, E1000 and the upcoming Razr V3x and Rokr iTunes phone. An FM radio is also included on the W800i but like most phones, it can only be activated when then headset, which acts as an antenna, is attached.
While the W800i has a small switch that flicks the lens cover open and puts the display into capture mode, we prefer the slide open action of the K750i's camera. Sony Ericsson has again implemented a handy landscape orientation for the camera mode. Holding the phone on its side places the shutter key at the top device like a regular digital camera. It takes JPEG stills at up to 1,632 x 1,224 pixels and .3gp videos at 176 x 144 pixels.
Sony Ericsson has a range of accessories available for the W800i, including the MXE-60 detachable camera flash and the MMC-60 stereo line-out cable.
Bluetooth and infrared are onboard for transferring photos, music and contact information to other devices. Sony Ericsson also throws in a USB cable for fast PC transfers. Sony Ericsson's bundled software CD includes an application called Disc2Phone that can rip CDs to transfer to the W800i, and acts as an interface through which you can drag-and-drop existing MP3 files.PerformanceIn our experience when it comes to sound, Sony is generally a top performer. It currently holds CNET.com.au's crown for the best-sounding MP3 player and we'd be safe to say that the Sony Ericsson Walkman W800i produces the richest sound from any phone we've heard so far. This is thanks in large part to the excellent noise-cancelling headphones bundled in the box. While not the high-tech variety with circuitry designed to actively reduce ambient interference, such as Bose's QuietComfort 2, the included set feature soft rubber domes which plug snugly into your ears to passively eliminate surrounding noise. With the equaliser set to Mega Bass, the pounding beats coming from the W800i's headphones are enough to keep any dance or hip hop fan bopping. Treble boost gives an extra bit of crispness to tunes while we found Voice to be good for acoustic songs.
One gripe we have with the W800i is the minor shutter lag when taking a picture. Granted, it does have an autofocus mechanism that takes a second to adjust its depth field, so photos are taken at a slight delay to when you hear the digital shutter "click" and can therefore come out blurry if you start to move away.
Overall, though, we'd recommend the W800i to anyone in the market now for an MP3-playing phone for four main reasons: its headphones provide exceptional sound for its class, it comes with a whopper of a memory card, it has a 2-megapixel camera, and it features Sony Ericsson-style ease of use. Whether it holds up against Nokia's upcoming N91 or Motorola's Rokr iTunes phone is yet to be seen.
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