Samsung Instinct HD SPH-M850

It offers a sleeker design, a brighter display, and more features. We are a bit ambivalent about the much-hyped “high-definition” support, but it remains a compelling multimedia phone that does a lot of things well. The HD camera is cool, but we’d pay for real productivity than flashy multimedia.

3 things we like about the Samsung Instinct HD SPH-M850

• Attractive user interface
• Brilliant display
• Photo and video quality are sharp

3 things we don’t like about the Samsung Instinct HD SPH-M850

• Call quality isn’t the sharpest
• Memory card slot is located behind the battery
• Quite expensive

Samsung Instinct HD SPH-M850 Review

The smooth & curve angles give it an appealing shape & we like the simple silver & black color process. What’s more, we welcome the extra heft (4.63 inches by 2.29 inches by 0.5 inch; 4.01 ounces) as it gives the phone a solid & comfortable feel in the hand.

You’ll notice the upgrade immediately; the colors are bright & vibrant & graphics pop right off the screen. Though 3.2 inches is on the cusp of what we consider the maximum size for a touch screen, the Instinct HD’s display is easy on the eyes. You can amend the brightness & the backlight time, but the tiny text size cannot be changed.

Scanning through long lists & using scroll bars was a tad sluggish, but nothing bothersome. You can amend the touch sensitivity & switch between a right- & a left-handed orientation. The vibrating feedback should be helpful for most users; you can change its intensity or deactivate it . The display also has a proximity sensor.

The menu interface is similar to the previous Instinct models. On the top level there’s two menu pages (”Main,” “Fun,” & “My Stuff”) where icons are arranged in a list or tile format according to their themes. The tile design is more visually appealing, but the list design offers more commands for each individual feature. For example, you can see thumbnails of your photos without opening the photo gallery. There is & a fourth page called “Faves” that you can populate with your selected features. For more personalization you can delete menu choices & rearrange them.

The “Web” menu offers choices for the browser, Microsoft Live Search, & various widgets (we’ll list them in the Features section). Games, GPS, & customization options can be found in the “My Stuff” menu, multimedia & social media apps like Facebook & Twitter are in the “Fun” menu, & standard options like messaging & the organizer are in the “Main” menu page. It’s an intuitive arrangement twice you give it a go.

below the display are two touch controls: a Back key, a Home button, & a calling key. The Home button will take you back to the main screen & the calling key opens yet another menu with your phone book, your speed dial list, the recent calls menu, the visual voice mail feature, & the phone dialer. The latter features giant alphanumeric touch controls & the ability to activate the speakerphone & access contacts right on the display.

The Instinct HD offers a full QWERTY keyboard with giant buttons. The vertical keyboard is more spacious than you’d think, but we’d recommend against using it since the keys are not arranged in the standard QWERTY format. You can switch between keyboards by tipping the phone (the Instinct HD has an accelerometer) or by pressing a touch control. You can hide the keyboard to show more of the writing area.

The power control rests on the top of the Instinct HD next to the 3.5mm headset jack (lovely!). On the left spine you’ll find the microSD port for the charger/USB cable, the TV out jack, & a camera shutter. The volume rocker & voice-dialing button are on the left spine. Though you can find the rocker when on a call, we’d prefer it to be a bit larger. The single speaker sits on the rear of the handset below the camera lens, flash, & self-portrait mirror. Though most of the controls in a convenient place on the handset, the memory card slot is inconveniently located behind the battery cover.

The Instinct HD’s 600-contact phone book is tiny, as far as touch-screen handsets go. Each name holds one phone number types, an e-mail address, an instant-message handle, a street address, a URL, & notes. You can organize callers in to groups & pair them with a photo & one of 26 128-note polyphonic ringtones. Other essentials include a vibrate mode, text & multimedia messaging, a calendar, a calculator, an alarm clock, a timer, a stopwatch, a world clock, a full duplex speakerphone, & a notepad. Fortunately, the calendar & world clock are not as difficult to use than on the Instinct.

The Instinct HD is not a smartphone, but you’ll find a fair number of features beyond the basics. We were also glad to see that Samsung added Wi-Fi to the Instinct HD.

It quirks, but it works fine for basic communication. If you have set up your work e-mail, you’ll also be to sync your Outlook calendar & contacts. The same is not true for Outlook Notes, however.

The Opera 9.7 browser lets you view Web pages in their full HTML glory, but it will default to a mobile site if one is available. Compared with a normal WAP browser, Opera 9.7 is slick & , but it’s not without its faults. Sure, we get that Opera is trying to make mobile browsing not as difficult to use, but the whole experience gets cluttered & redundant. For example, you can save Web pages as bookmarks & as “Speed Dial” pages.

You’ll get used to it, but it takes some practice to understand how to use the browser intelligently. This is the first time that we had to read the relevant section in the phone’s user manual. The browser does not support Flash Lite or the Opera Turbo feature.

You can zoom in by double tapping the screen, & we like that you can amend the zoom percentage in the Settings menu. Other features on the browser are respectable. You also receive a list of saved pages, but that appears to be another method for saving selected pages.

In addition to the standard camera features, you can record videos in high definition (1,280×720). Since most mobile phone cameras are not worth their weight in plastic, we weren’t sure at first if a mobile phone was the best place for an HD camcorder. After some thought we figured that if Samsung could make it work in a compelling way, then there is no reason the phone should not offer it. We’ll save our firm assessment until we run a thorough test, but as of now it should be a fun & useful tool. It may not compete with the best HD camcorders out there, but it doesn’t have to.

If you need to view the video in high-def, you’ll need to transfer the video to an HD-capable monitor. That is understandable, but we wish that Samsung included the required cable in the box than making it an optional accessory. You’ll receive a 4GB card in the box, but the phone can accommodate cards up to 32GB.

You also can set a self-timer. Videos for multimedia messages are capped at 6MB, which is between 40 seconds & 2 minutes long, depending on the resolution (HD videos cannot be sent over the air). In the normal mode you can record for as long as the available memory permits. The flash is bright; you can pick between an automatic & an “always on” setting.

Photo quality was lovely. Colors were bright, details & faces were sharp, & there was no picture noise. Non-HD video was better than we have seen on lots of camera phones. With photos you also can assign them to a contact or transfer them off the phone by Bluetooth, a memory card, or a USB cable. The photo/clip gallery is intuitive. You can move between shots with a finger swipe or you can play a slideshow.

As the Instinct HD is a 3G device, you can connect to Sprint TV, which includes live & on-demand programming from a wide variety of channels. You also can access the NFL Network & Sprint Movie. In all, it’s an exhaustive selection of programming with much of it exclusive to Sprint. Since you’re using the phone in horizontal mode, the Back button is facing down.

The music player MP3 is relatively similar to that on the previous Instinct phones. You can access the Sprint Music Store for simultaneous downloads both to your PC & wirelessly to your phone. The player interface is nothing fancy. Though you get album art, the features are limited to repeat & shuffle modes, & you cannot use MP3s as ringtones. When a call comes in, the music will pause automatically & will resume again after you hang up.

The Instinct HD also offers a fair number of widgets for MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, & Facebook. We used the latter one & found them to be quick & easy to use. We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900) Samsung Instinct HD in San Francisco.

Speakerphone calls were fine, but not great. The volume does get loud, but the audio on our finish was grainy. We had to sit close to the phone if we wanted to be heard on the other finish. Bluetooth headset calls were satisfactory, but your experience will vary by headset.

A support (we still cannot understand why the S30 dropped back to Rev. 0). We could even get strong EV-DO service in some buildings & when underground.

Final Words and Conclusion

What is more, we are pleased that the frame size uses the entire display. The quality was also good; there was tiny pixilation and the sound matched the image. Only a couple times did they see some distortion between scenes. As of this writing, our review model is not equipped to purchase songs from the Sprint Music Store. One time they get that activated we’ll document back on the download speed and music quality. The handset also froze for a few seconds on multiple occasions and it took time to back out of media features as well.

Nokia 5230

Nokia today announced the Nokia 5230, a lower mid-tier, music & Ovi. The tool runs S60 5th Edition on Symbian & key features include a 3.2″ screen, homescreen Contacts Bar & Media Bar, 2.0 megapixel camera, A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack & integration with Nokia’s Ovi services. The 5230 will be available from Q4 2009. Read on for full details.

Much like the Nokia 5800, the Nokia 5230 sports a 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen with a resolution of 640 x 360 pixels, FM radio, 3.5 mm audio jack & microSD card slot. One thing which I didn’t liked about this mobile is it’s camera which is downgraded to 2 megapixel.

Nokia 5230 runs the latest Symbian S60 5th edition & is powered by the same battery as 5800 – a 1320 mAh four, which is nice 320 mAh larger that that of the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic. According to the manufacturer the 5230 will be capable of 33 hours of non-stop music playback.

3 things we like about the Nokia 5230

• Battery time is good
• Music Playback for 33 hours
• 3G HSDPA Technology

1 thing we don’t like about the Nokia 5230

• Camera only 2 megapixels

Nokia 5230 Review

This phone makes it easy to fine-tune the volume up & down. Whether you like your music on the loud side or a small more toned down to protect your hearing, this phone makes that alteration possible thanks to the external volume control.
The Nokia 5230 has so much to offer someone who takes a chance on it. It’s a digital camera which allows you to take all of the pics you need anytime you wish to take them.

Built with an internal antenna, the Nokia 5230 weighs 104 grams. If browsing for pics is five of your favorite pastimes then browse away on the Nokia 5230-Xpress Music. This phone offers as lots of as 262k colors & its LCD screen is 128 x 160 pixels.

There’s an FM radio function & you can play music in a variety of formats including MP3, AAC, AAC+, enhanced AAC+, & SP-MIDI format. There’s microSD expansion slots to permit for as much storage space as you require for MP3s.

If that was not , instant messaging is possible with this cell phone, as is web browsing. If you liked the walkie-talkie concept of days gone by then you can experience it with the Nokia 5230-Xpress Music as this phone can be used as a fun 2-way radio!
When you require to share a file with someone else, do right away. The Nokia-5230 makes it easy to do this because it is equipped with Bluetooth, infrared & a USB connection.

The XpressMusic has a standard Lithium Ion battery with talk time of up to two hours & 30 minutes. The standby time is up to 250 hours.

The Nokia 5230 phone features an easy to use music player with 33 hours of playback time. In select markets the Nokia 5230 handset will include Comes With Music service offering truly unbeatable value with all you can eat music. The recommended price of the Nokia 5230 with the Comes With Music service will be 259 Euro before subsidies & taxes. For a mighty music experience, any headphones with a 3.5mm AV connector can be used. In addition, the Nokia 5230 features a Media Bar with rapid access to your favorite media & applications, such as music, photos, YouTube or Ovi Share.

The innovative Contacts bar features thumbnail images for up to 20 close friends & provides easy access to them & their communications history including emails, phone calls, photos or other social media updates. “Competitively priced, they believe the Nokia 5230 is an unbeatable offer for lots of new customers who aspire a Nokia cell phone that stars in music, mingles with social networks from Facebook to MySpace, navigates you to where it happens, when it happens, & comes in an array of dazzling colors, ” said Jo Harlow, Vice President, Nokia.

Visiting the Ovi Store from the Nokia 5230 cell phone is a breeze. Ovi Store is conveniently obtainable from the home screen of the Nokia phone & customers can immediately start downloading & personalizing their phones with popular apps & games to make their phone more fun. New apps, games, videos, & more are added regularly & Ovi Store can be enjoyed on over 75 Nokia mobile phones & other portable devices & has active users from over 180 countries.

The Nokia 5230 sports a larger screen than the 5530, at 3.2 inches. The Nokia 5230 also has a lower res camera at only 2 megapixels compared with the 5530’s 3.2 megapixel camera. Another difference from the Nokia 5530 is that the 5230 has foregone the WiFi & went with 3G instead. This cell phone also offers A-GPS support with Nokia Maps.

An integrated FM radio provides the user with an easy to use radio feature which allows the user to enjoy a radio listening experience on their stylish phone. The 5230 has a music player which supports popular music formats which include MP3, MP4, AAC, eAAC+, WMA music formats & this music player comes with easy to reach dedicated music keys. The user can enjoy approximately thirty two hours of music playback time from a fully charged battery. A well positioned volume key control allows the user to control the loudness with ease. The Nokia 5230 has a speaker allowing the user to hear their music out loud or the user can plug in a compatible set of headphones for a more private & personal listening experience. The Nokia 5230 has an integrated two megapixel camera which comes with a digital zoom function which allows the user to get up closer to their subject when the user is taking a shot. The can capture, store, share & edit their photos on the Nokia 5230. A selection of imaging features permit the user to capture the best possible shot when using the camera feature & the user can alter the camera settings & modes for an entirely different look to each photo. This two megapixel camera feature comes with a dedicated capture key which allows the user to capture a photo easily. The camera supports video recording capabilities & the user can playback video footage whilst enjoying the high colour touch screen display. A fully charged battery allows the user to enjoy approximately 4.76 hours of video playback on the Nokia 5230.

Other than that, all other specs seem the same. The Nokia 5230 will be priced a bit lower than the 5530 with a suggested retail price of 149 Euro or 259 EUR if you need the five with Comes with Music.

This phone supports 3G HSDPA technology which provides high speed connectivity & the user can enjoy using their handset over a quad band GSM network or over 3G networks including HSDPA 900 & 2100. The 5230 has an A GPS navigation feature which supports a Nokia Maps 2.0 touch application allowing the user to view maps on their touch screen. This user can transfer data files between the Nokia 5230 & other devices at high speed thanks to the phones built in EDGE technology. When connecting to other devices the user can use either a Bluetooth connection or a USB connection between the phone & other compatible devices.

The Bluetooth connection provides a wireless connection between the 5230 & a Bluetooth compatible gizmo which is up to ten metres away from the Nokia 5230. A USB connection allows the user to use a USB cable when transfer data which has five finish plugged in to the 5230 & the other finish can be plugged in to a compatible gizmo providing the user with a cabled transfer system. A fitted battery can provide up to approximately five hours of GSM talk time or approximately five hours 20 minutes of 3G talk time from a fully charged battery. The Nokia 5230 has seventy megabytes of internal memory & the user can add a hot swappable MicroSD memory card up to sixteen gigabytes in memory size.

Final Words and Conclusion

The Nokia 5230 allows consumers to come & get new content from Nokia Music Store, & it does not respond only to a little music as it is also able to buy applications, games, videos & other services from bank Ovi directly on their mobile phone after making a virtual operation. Other practical applications of this new mobile phone Nokia include A-GPS navigation & the latest Ovi Maps complete with aerial images & 3D Landmarks that great works of over 200 major cities alongside views of maps of land for Pedestrian navigation & clearer player.

Interestingly, the Nokia 5230 does not fall short in terms of battery life, offering up to 33 hours non-stop reading on a full charge. It also supports Comes With Music service is still in its infancy, offering all you can eat music at a fixed price. Currently, the Nokia 5230 with service Comes With Music will be under 259 Euros before subsidies & taxes. Nice to see Nokia include a 3.5mm headphone jack that makes it suitable for use with most ordinary headphones without having to spend more funds on a proprietary model. The Media Bar provides quick access to your favorite media & applications in a flash for navigation faster & faster.

Mobile Phone Reviews - How to Choose a Mobile Phone

If you are on the lookout for your next mobile phone, there are several things that you need to take into consideration.

Gone are the days when heavy and bulky mobile phones were kept hidden because of their unsightliness. Despite the usefulness of the devices back then, they were still considered to be an eyesore because the form factor of the very first mobile phones were not yet refined.

However, over the years - more and more companies have joined the craze in creating the best-looking phones with the niftiest features. Everyone needs a mobile phone to stay connected to the outside world.

As such, they have become a necessity as much as a fashion accessory. So when your contact with your local mobile phone carrier is about to end - how do you choose what your next mobile phone would be?

Now is as good a time as any to take advantage of the latest that technology has to offer - so that you can show off your latest mobile phone find to your friends and co-workers.

What You can Learn from Mobile Phone Reviews

The Internet is a veritable source of information - and if you are looking for information about the mobile phones that you are planning to buy, you can get them all online.

With mobile phone reviews, you can learn about the opinion of the professional mobile phone reviewers who know what to look for in a handset. Here, you will also gain an insight when it comes to the opinions of other users who have actually bought and used the mobile phone that you are planning to buy.

Factors to Consider when Buying Mobile Phones, Based on Mobile Phone Reviews

Here is a quick list of the factors that you need to consider when purchasing your next mobile phone, as based on the mobile phone reviews online:

1. Features of the handset

Mobile phones are electronic devices. As such, you need to look for the nifty features that you can use on a daily basis. Depending on the brand of the mobile phone that you are planning to buy, you can check out information about the following when you read mobile phone reviews online:

- Accessories
- Battery life
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Camera
- Colour screen
- Ergonomics
- GSM/GPRS
- Music/media player
- MMS
- Predictive text
- Ringtones
- Services
- WAP
- 3G

2. Mobile tariff choices

In the United Kingdom, there are two types of tariff choices that you can have. First, you can go for the Pay-as-You-Go scheme. Here, you can purchase the handset itself and make calls as long as you have credits.

Second, there is the monthly contract which may offer lower call rates - but it will require you to agree to a long-term contract. This can be a minimum of 12 to 18 months.

No matter which set of features and mobile tariff choices you have selected - the important thing to know is that you can use mobile phone reviews to your advantage. By reading these online mobile phone reviews, you can make an informed decision when buying your next handset.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caroline_Telford

Palm Pixi

This Palm Pixi is more towards the younger generation they will have vast experience using this device, it will be playful and smart kind of a same like pre but will be covered up by the young’s one and will sport a smaller multitouch screen, a 2-megapixel camera and a full QWERTY keyboard. The Pixi have a memory of 8 GB with GPS features enabled.

The move coincides with an announcement that Palm would drop the price of its Pre smartphone to $150 with a two-year service agreement and one rebates. Palm did not reveal the Pixi’s price but did say it would be less than that of the Pre and that it was expected to be available to consumers in time for the holiday shopping season through Sprint. Palm also designs to offer artist-designed, limited edition replaceable back covers, which it designs to showcase at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, which starts Thursday. “Palm Pixi brings this one-of-a-kind experience to a broader range of people who require enhanced messaging and social networking in a design that lets them express their personal style.”

The announcement of the Pixi comes less than one months after Palm began selling the Pre, which the company said registered record sales when it became available in June. The company did not discuss specific numbers that first week, but some analysts estimated that between 50,000 and 100,000 units were sold during the first weekend.

3 things we like about the Palm Pixi

• Solid built
• Screen is sharp
• Keyboard feels better

2 things we don’t like about the Palm Pixi

• Small touch screen
• Processor is slower than Palm Pre

Palm Pixi Review

The Palm Pixi is suited for the individuals who seek multi-functionality as far as communication, entertainment and personal needs are concerned. And in case you are lacking the proper application to complete your device, you can always access the App Catalog from your phone and install which app you desire.
The Palm Pixi will be distributed exclusively by Sprint before the coming holidays so watch out for it. It will be the perfect phone to have, especially if you are among the Palm phone fanatics.

Palm USA releases a new phone for its webOS line-up. This Palm pixi is designed slim and you will have an option to fit it with your own style. With its new OS technology you will be able to enjoy some of its applications with touch screen.

In this Pixi all of your features will be covered up. In the Palm Pixi features you will be able to use your messengers all at the same time you can chat with multi people at the same time with out disturbing your call as well. This option will give users some extra time to increase there speed on the Pixi’s keyboard. The applications will be available on the stores and you will be able to run pre’s applications on the pixi as well.

For those who require to express themselves with some extra style, Palm is introducing the Palm Pixi Artist Series. You can see the first collection in the series, as well as information about the artists, at www.palm.com/artistseries. Palm will be showcasing the fashionable new Palm Pixi with the Artist Series covers this week at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York (Sept. 10-17).

“We are pleased to be the first carrier to bring this device to market and offer both devices in the growing Palm webOS relatives. Sprint’s Everything Data plans, which provide unrestricted access to the Web, mobile content and applications, and our Ready Now retail experience make for a perfect combination with these new Palm products.”

The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network reaches more than 271 million people, 18,652 cities and 1,838 airports, and Sprint’s networks are now performing at best-ever levels. In addition to a new Facebook application, the Pixi will also be able to integrate LinkedIn contacts and Yahoo contacts, calendar, and IM in a single view by Palm’s Synergy feature.

Customers who purchase Palm Pixi will benefit from Sprint’s Ready Now, which the company pioneered to help customers leave the store educated, comfortable and confident about the phones they’re taking home. It is like having a free personal trainer that educates you on all your phone can do by setting up all the applications you require to use on the device.

Palm Pixi is goes with Sprint which will give you the following NFL Mobile Live, texting, web browsing, GPS navigation, social networking, Sprint TV, streaming music, email, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, SM plan, which will provide you unlimited calling nationwide and much more for only $99.99 per month. It’s a savings of $1,200 over two years versus some comparable competitor plans.

Palm has added several features to the Pixi that the company has not yet put on the Pre. The contact book now absorbs contacts from LinkedIn and Yahoo, along with the previous Google, Outlook, and Facebook systems.

You will also have a built in facebook application software in your pixi which will keep you in touch with your friends all the time. You can watch your photos and videos as well, or comment on your friends’ photos and feed entries. That is not available on the Pre, either.

Final Words and Conclusion

The Palm Pixi phone is scheduled to be accessible from Sprint in time for the holidays. The phone pricing will be announced closer to availability which will be covered up with the limited offer of artist covers. In addition, effective today the Palm Pre phone from Sprint is accessible for $149.99 with a two-year service agreement & after a $150 instant rebate & $100 mail-in rebate.