Brand | Blackberry |
| Model | Torch 9860 |
| Street Prices (Rs) | 28250 |
| Price (MRP, Rs) | 28490 |
| Features | |
| Physical Specs | |
| Form Factor | Bar |
| 2G Network Bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G Network Bands | HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100 |
| Screen Resolution | 480 x 800 pixels |
| Screen Size (inches) | 3.7 inches |
| Maximum Screen colours | 16M |
| Touchscreen / Dual Screen (Y/N) | Touchscreen |
| Battery Rating | 1230 mAh |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 120 x 62 x 11.5 mm |
| Weight | 135 grams |
| Expandable Memory Type | microSD |
| RAM (in MB) | 768 MB |
| SoC (CPU, GPU) | N.A. |
| CPU Clock speed | 1.2 GHz |
| No. of CPU cores | 1 |
| Hot Swappable (Y/N) | N |
| Available Colours | Black |
| Other Features | |
| Operating System (Tested with) | Blackberry OS 7 |
| Charging via USB (Y/N) | Y |
| Hardware Keypad (Regular/QWERTY) | N |
| Accelerometer (For auto rotate) | Y |
| Address Book Capacity | Unlimited |
| No of calls in register | Unlimited |
| Talk Time / Standby Time (3G) * | 7 hrs / 320 hrs |
| No of Profiles # / Customisable | 6 / Y |
| Offline Opearability (Y/N) | Y |
| Inbuilt GPS / A-GPS support (Y / N) | Y / Y |
| Connectivity | |
| Browsing (GPRS/EDGE/3G) | Y / Y / Y |
| EDGE max speed (in kbps) | 237 kbps |
| 3G max speed (in mbps) | 14.4 Mbps |
| Connectivity (WiFi/Bluetooth/IR/USB) | Y / Y / N / Y |
| Bluetooth Version/A2DP support | 2.1 / Y |
| Camera Specs | |
| Camera Resolution (Mega Pixels) | 5 |
| Video Capture Resolution | 1280 X 720 |
| Auto focus / flash | Y / Y |
| Type of flash | Single LED |
| Secondary camera for video chat | N |
| Mirror for self portrait (Y / N) | N |
| Camera Settings (So 10) | 6 |
| Zoom (Optical/Digital) | Digital |
| Multimedia | |
| Music Formats supported | MP3/WMA/eAAC+/FlAC/OGG |
| Video formats supported | DivX/XviD/MP4/WMV/H.263/H.264 |
| FM Radio / RDS (Y/N) | N / N |
| Accessories | |
| Bundled Accessories | Wall charger, data cable, handsfree |
| Size of memory card provided | N |
| Build and Ergonomics (So 10) | |
| Surface materials used | 7.5 |
| Overall build and in-hand feel | 7.5 |
| Quality of moving parts | 7 |
| Design and ergonomics | 7 |
| Keypad design (on-screen or hardware) | 5.5 |
| Menu and interface | 7 |
| Settings and ease of navigating menus | 7 |
| Camera menu options | 6 |
| Performance | |
| Signal Reception and Voice Clarity (So 10) | |
| Zone 1 | 8 |
| Zone 2 | 6.5 |
| Zone 3 | 4 |
| Handsfree Clarity | 7 |
| Loudspeaker Clarity | 7 |
| Earpiece Clarity | 7.5 |
| Handsfree Volume | 7.5 |
| Loudspeaker Volume | 7.5 |
| Earpiece Volume | 7.5 |
| Bluetooth Transfer Speed (in KBps) | 151 |
| Imaging and multimedia tests | |
| Captured Photo Colour | 7 |
| Captured Photo Crispness | 7 |
| Captuted Photo Detail | 7 |
| Captured Video Quality | 7 |
| Effectiveness of integrated flash | 6.5 |
| Music Quality (loudspeaker) | 6 |
| Music Quality (handsfree) | 6.5 |
| Volume levels (loudspeaker) | 7 |
| Volume levels (handsfree) | 7 |
| Display (So 10) | |
| Crispness | 7.5 |
| Colour | 7 |
| Contrast | 7 |
| Font rendition | 7.5 |
| Legibility in bright sunlight | 7.5 |
| Video playback | 7 |
| | |
Friday, 25 November 2011
BlackBerry Torch 9860 specifications
BlackBerry Torch 9860 Review
The Torch 9860 simply showcases how far RIM has come from the days of the hateful SurePress on the Storm 2. A touchscreen that works, a sleek form factor and a decent power package - things seem to be headed in the right direction. At a box price of Rs 28490, the 9860 is the perfect device for those who want a touchscreen Blackberry, that doesn’t weigh like a brick!
Pros
- Sleek form factor with classy build quality
- Very good display
- Touch response is quite sure
- Power package ensures OS 7 is smooth
Cons
- Keypad doesn’t really work in portrait mode
- Web browser has some bugs
RIM did make heavy weather of the task of mastering the touchscreen experience. For a completely touch based phone, that is. With the Storm 2 being the prime example of how things went wrong. But from what I have experienced with the Torch 9860, RIM has finally worked it out.
Look & Feel
Sleeeeek! That is what I said when the phone emerged from the box. That is what every friend I show the phone to say. And all of us surely cannot be wrong! Because the physical keypad has been done away with, RIM managed to slim down the 9860 considerably – 11.5mm. The HTC Sensation, by comparison, is 11.3mm thick.
Sleeeeek! That is what I said when the phone emerged from the box. That is what every friend I show the phone to say. And all of us surely cannot be wrong! Because the physical keypad has been done away with, RIM managed to slim down the 9860 considerably – 11.5mm. The HTC Sensation, by comparison, is 11.3mm thick.
The phone is made of a mixture of plastic and metal. While most of the body is plastic, the battery panel and the chrome border do add that metallic touch to the phone. We must appreciate the build quality of this phone, and the fact that there are literally no rough edges that we can nitpick. Even the battery opening mechanism is a delight to use - press the button in the centre, and the door pops out!
Below the 3.7-inch display is a combination of hardware keys - call connect/disconnect, home, return and the optical track pad. The microUSB port is on the left side, while the 3.5mm jack is on the right side, accompanied by the volume rocker and one convenience key. Having used a Bold 3 (and still using it) with two convenience keys, I can easily configure one with Vlingo and the other for the camera.
Features
RIM does not believe that smartphones really need dual core processors. We cannot really criticize that approach, since the iPhone 4 has done very well, and so are a lot of other single core phones continuing to do. The Torch 9860 comes with a single core 1.2GHz processor, paired with 768MB of RAM.
RIM does not believe that smartphones really need dual core processors. We cannot really criticize that approach, since the iPhone 4 has done very well, and so are a lot of other single core phones continuing to do. The Torch 9860 comes with a single core 1.2GHz processor, paired with 768MB of RAM.
The 3.7-inch display feels bigger than it actually is, admittedly. With a resolution of 480x800 pixels and the Liquid graphics that RIM has incorporated in the new OS, using the OS 7 is fun. It looks good too.
The Torch 9860 comes with 2.5GB of internal storage, but that can be expanded via the microSD route. The phone has a 5MP camera and can do 720p HD video recording. There are a few preloaded apps, traditional to the Blackberry phones – Facebook, Twitter, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, Documents To Go and You Tube.
Performance
The 1.2GHz processor powering the Torch does do a very good job. And we must not forget that 768MB of RAM does it’s bit as well. Flicking through the UI was a smooth experience, and we didn’t notice any stutters. Just to give that a thorough test, we downloaded a bunch of apps from the Blackberry App World and allowed them to run in the background, and the performance still didn’t slow down. While this is a single core processor, we didn’t notice it struggling or slowing down even with multiple tasks in progress.
The 1.2GHz processor powering the Torch does do a very good job. And we must not forget that 768MB of RAM does it’s bit as well. Flicking through the UI was a smooth experience, and we didn’t notice any stutters. Just to give that a thorough test, we downloaded a bunch of apps from the Blackberry App World and allowed them to run in the background, and the performance still didn’t slow down. While this is a single core processor, we didn’t notice it struggling or slowing down even with multiple tasks in progress.
As we have said before, the 3.7-inch display does look bigger than it actually is. Impressive display quality - crisp, vivid and adequate brightness levels. Speaking of which, we set the brightness at 40%, and that was more than enough to read text in the sunlight. Indoors, anything above the minimum level of 10% is just too bright! The touch response is very sure throughout, and we didn’t find it fallen asleep even once.
Unfortunately, with RIM focusing on other things, the web browser seems to have escaped attention. While we faced no issues with page rendering, we did notice that on a lot of occasions, a link you click on will not actually respond. Why? Because what you selected has not been registered. Refreshing the page will not help either. You need to select the link, long press and wait for a pop up. Click Select there, for the desired effect!
We have always maintained that a 4.0-inch display is most comfortable for typing using the on-screen keypad, and that belief has been strengthened after using the Torch 9860’s 3.7-inch one. Try typing out an SMS with the keypad in portrait mode. Every second word that you type will have spelling errors. Flipping over to landscape mode solves this issue, but then again, there is no getting away from the fact that using this keypad in portrait mode to type an SMS is almost impossible.
The 5MP camera does do a very good job as far as picture quality is concerned, including in low light conditions. Take a picture of the skyline at night, with all the lights and equally dark spots in the same frame, and the evenness of the lighting and colour was surprising.
The 5MP camera does do a very good job as far as picture quality is concerned, including in low light conditions. Take a picture of the skyline at night, with all the lights and equally dark spots in the same frame, and the evenness of the lighting and colour was surprising.
The 1,230 mAh battery does hold up well for a day and a half. However, compare this to the almost one-year-old Blackberry Bold 9780 that I am using. It has a 624 MHz processor and a 1500 mAh battery, and even now easily lasts 2 days under similar usage scenarios. Now, compare this to the Torch 9860, which oodles more power but comes with a smaller battery. RIM says that OS 7 is better optimized and consumes much less battery, but the real life usage scenario is playing out slightly differently. This phone could do with a bigger battery. Considering it has a much bigger display than the Bold 3 we just compared it to.
Our Take
For a price of around Rs 28k, the Torch 9860 does offer a very good touchscreen, a sleek form factor and that same old Blackberry familiarity. This is definitely for someone who wants the goodness of BBM or easy email access, but with a touchscreen. At this price, it is appealing to the hardcore Blackberry lovers!
For a price of around Rs 28k, the Torch 9860 does offer a very good touchscreen, a sleek form factor and that same old Blackberry familiarity. This is definitely for someone who wants the goodness of BBM or easy email access, but with a touchscreen. At this price, it is appealing to the hardcore Blackberry lovers!
Price
Rs. 28,490
Rs. 28,490
Specs
Single core 1.2GHz processor, 768MB RAM, 3.7 inch display, 480x800 resolution, 2.5GB internal storage, microSD card slot, 5MP camera with 720p HD video, 1230mAh battery
Single core 1.2GHz processor, 768MB RAM, 3.7 inch display, 480x800 resolution, 2.5GB internal storage, microSD card slot, 5MP camera with 720p HD video, 1230mAh battery
Overall Rating 7.5
Features: 7.5
Performance: 7
Build: 8
Value: 8
Overall: 7.5
Features: 7.5
Performance: 7
Build: 8
Value: 8
Overall: 7.5
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
iPhone 4S review
Updated: We've now taken the full HD video camera out for a spin, so check out our latest home video efforts using the 1080p camera with auto-stabilisation.
The iPhone 4S caught many by surprise, with Apple expected to release the iPhone 5 - but instead we got an iPhone 4 with overhauled innards.
While the masses were initially disappointed, the iPhone 4S features a glut of top-end tech that is designed to put it on a par with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2 - but does it manage to do that?
The changes to the iPhone 4S are easy to document - the camera has been upgraded to 8MP (with an improved aperture ratio), the CPU is now the same dual-core A5 processor as seen in the iPad 2, and a seven time increase in graphical processing power.
Also we've got Siri, Apple's voice recognition service - will this be a game changer for mobile phones or will it be nothing more than a gimmick?
As we've mentioned, the iPhone 4S is almost identical in outward design to the iPhone 4, which might irk those that like to show that they've got the most up to date device from Apple when out and about with friends.
However, the flip side of this is that things like the plethora of iPhone 4 covers on the market at the moment will still fit.
Apple has slightly changed the design of the iPhone 4S somewhat though, by changing to a dual-band aerial design, making sure it doesn't encounter an embarrassing repeat of antenna-gate we had to endure with the iPhone 4.
For all those that haven't seen the older version of the phone, we'll take you on a tour of the new handset: the top of the iPhone 4S houses the power/lock button, as well as the headphone jack, plus a microphone for noise cancellation.
The right-hand side of the phone is devoid of any buttons, but holds the slot for the micro SIM card, which pops out using the included tool (or a paperclip).
The bottom of the phone is pretty standard, with the Apple connector and dual speakers which pump out the (actually quite decent) sound.
The left-hand side of the phone sees the rounded volume keys, with the top one of these also acting as the camera shutter button to make it easy to snap with the new iPhone. We've also got the silencer switch too, which has been slightly moved upwards from the previous iteration.
As you can see, Apple has altered its antenna band technology to move the gaps that plagued the iPhone 4's reception to a less-touchable location.
The iPhone 4S caught many by surprise, with Apple expected to release the iPhone 5 - but instead we got an iPhone 4 with overhauled innards.
While the masses were initially disappointed, the iPhone 4S features a glut of top-end tech that is designed to put it on a par with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2 - but does it manage to do that?
The changes to the iPhone 4S are easy to document - the camera has been upgraded to 8MP (with an improved aperture ratio), the CPU is now the same dual-core A5 processor as seen in the iPad 2, and a seven time increase in graphical processing power.
Also we've got Siri, Apple's voice recognition service - will this be a game changer for mobile phones or will it be nothing more than a gimmick?
As we've mentioned, the iPhone 4S is almost identical in outward design to the iPhone 4, which might irk those that like to show that they've got the most up to date device from Apple when out and about with friends.
However, the flip side of this is that things like the plethora of iPhone 4 covers on the market at the moment will still fit.
Apple has slightly changed the design of the iPhone 4S somewhat though, by changing to a dual-band aerial design, making sure it doesn't encounter an embarrassing repeat of antenna-gate we had to endure with the iPhone 4.
For all those that haven't seen the older version of the phone, we'll take you on a tour of the new handset: the top of the iPhone 4S houses the power/lock button, as well as the headphone jack, plus a microphone for noise cancellation.
The right-hand side of the phone is devoid of any buttons, but holds the slot for the micro SIM card, which pops out using the included tool (or a paperclip).
The bottom of the phone is pretty standard, with the Apple connector and dual speakers which pump out the (actually quite decent) sound.
The left-hand side of the phone sees the rounded volume keys, with the top one of these also acting as the camera shutter button to make it easy to snap with the new iPhone. We've also got the silencer switch too, which has been slightly moved upwards from the previous iteration.
As you can see, Apple has altered its antenna band technology to move the gaps that plagued the iPhone 4's reception to a less-touchable location.
HTC Sensation XE review
The original HTC Sensation surfaced earlier this year, and has proven so popular that HTC has decided to keep and nurture it as the music-skewed HTC Sensation XE.
HTC sold 13.2 million mobile phones in the third quarter of this year. Considering that's a 93% increase on last year, it means the company must be doing something right.
Some technologies in smartphones change the way we live our lives and become a uniform part of the experience (we're thinking about GPS – first seen on the Nokia N95) while others are touted as the future and then disappear without a trace (anyone remember iMode? Nope. Thought not).
HTC is putting its cash on Beats Audio – the musical experience given to the world by Dr Dre – and is heavily marketing both the HTC Sensation XE and HTC Sensation XL as Beats Audio handsets.
As far as the HTC Sensation XE's looks go, you'd quite happily think you were looking at a bog standard HTC Sensation at first glance. The dimensions haven't changed. Not a single bit. It's still 126.1mm x 65.4mm x 11.3mm in the hand, but ever so slightly heavier at 151g compared to the original Sensation's 148g weight.
The camera (8MP), dual flash, front-facing snapper, buttons and sockets are all in the same place, and the only visible difference is the presence of splashes of red around the earpiece, buttons and camera lens. Plus, you get a Beats Audio logo round the back.
Like the original HTC Sensation, it's a unibody design so you actually pull the HTC Sensation XE into two pieces to open it, which is also how you access the slot to pop the memory card in.
The big differences are inside now. Apart from the superior audio quality (providing you're using a Beats Audio headset, that is), there's a 1.5GHz dual-core processor to replace the 1.2GHz job on the Sensation, the battery has been boosted from 1520mAh to 1730mAh and there's a couple of other small tweaks in the software.
The screen remains the same, as a 4.3-inch, HD (540 x 960) although it does seem a lot more vivid and brighter than the Sensation we previously used. Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread is installed out of the box along with Sense 3.0 – HTC's own skin on the Android design.
It's a solid design, and feels like it means business. And with a great foundation to build on in the original Sensation, one we can see being a big seller for HTC as the lucrative Christmas shopping period arrives.
In terms of competitors, we'd pitch it against the original HTC Sensation, with the only real benefit of the original being that it must now be cheaper. HTC will also be hoping to steal business away from Samsung and its flagship Galaxy S2, which is of a comparable size and provides similar specs - something it failed to do with the original Sensation.
And of course, there's Apple and its iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, which come with more internal storage (the HTC Sensation XE only really gives you 1GB out of the box, which you have to expand yourself), but are comparable to (and even beaten by) the XE in so many other ways.
At the time of writing, the HTC Sensation XE is priced at around £450 for a SIM-free model, which is cheaper than the £499 of the Sensation XL but more expensive than the £399 of the original Sensation. You can get it free on a contract, but it's a premium handset and thus, you'll have to sign away two years of your life on a £35+ per month deal to walk away with one of these in your pocket for free.
HTC sold 13.2 million mobile phones in the third quarter of this year. Considering that's a 93% increase on last year, it means the company must be doing something right.
Some technologies in smartphones change the way we live our lives and become a uniform part of the experience (we're thinking about GPS – first seen on the Nokia N95) while others are touted as the future and then disappear without a trace (anyone remember iMode? Nope. Thought not).
HTC is putting its cash on Beats Audio – the musical experience given to the world by Dr Dre – and is heavily marketing both the HTC Sensation XE and HTC Sensation XL as Beats Audio handsets.
As far as the HTC Sensation XE's looks go, you'd quite happily think you were looking at a bog standard HTC Sensation at first glance. The dimensions haven't changed. Not a single bit. It's still 126.1mm x 65.4mm x 11.3mm in the hand, but ever so slightly heavier at 151g compared to the original Sensation's 148g weight.
The camera (8MP), dual flash, front-facing snapper, buttons and sockets are all in the same place, and the only visible difference is the presence of splashes of red around the earpiece, buttons and camera lens. Plus, you get a Beats Audio logo round the back.
Like the original HTC Sensation, it's a unibody design so you actually pull the HTC Sensation XE into two pieces to open it, which is also how you access the slot to pop the memory card in.
The big differences are inside now. Apart from the superior audio quality (providing you're using a Beats Audio headset, that is), there's a 1.5GHz dual-core processor to replace the 1.2GHz job on the Sensation, the battery has been boosted from 1520mAh to 1730mAh and there's a couple of other small tweaks in the software.
The screen remains the same, as a 4.3-inch, HD (540 x 960) although it does seem a lot more vivid and brighter than the Sensation we previously used. Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread is installed out of the box along with Sense 3.0 – HTC's own skin on the Android design.
It's a solid design, and feels like it means business. And with a great foundation to build on in the original Sensation, one we can see being a big seller for HTC as the lucrative Christmas shopping period arrives.
In terms of competitors, we'd pitch it against the original HTC Sensation, with the only real benefit of the original being that it must now be cheaper. HTC will also be hoping to steal business away from Samsung and its flagship Galaxy S2, which is of a comparable size and provides similar specs - something it failed to do with the original Sensation.
And of course, there's Apple and its iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, which come with more internal storage (the HTC Sensation XE only really gives you 1GB out of the box, which you have to expand yourself), but are comparable to (and even beaten by) the XE in so many other ways.
At the time of writing, the HTC Sensation XE is priced at around £450 for a SIM-free model, which is cheaper than the £499 of the Sensation XL but more expensive than the £399 of the original Sensation. You can get it free on a contract, but it's a premium handset and thus, you'll have to sign away two years of your life on a £35+ per month deal to walk away with one of these in your pocket for free.
HTC Radar review
The HTC Radar is the latest smartphone to run Windows Phone 7.5, following on from the HTC Titan. With a smooth unibody design, HD video recording and 5MP camera, will it be enough to make Windows Phone a success?
If HTC was at school right now, you can't help feeling it'd be getting an A for effort. The Taiwanese manufacturer is certainly churning out handsets like nobody's business.
For the last few years, it's been concentrating mainly on Android - but now Windows Phone 7.5 Mango is here, it's going for gold. Probably much to the annoyance of Nokia, which adopted WP as its main operating system months ago, but is still being pipped to the post by HTC when it comes to getting handsets on the shelves.
Little brother of the HTC Titan and the second handset from HTC to run Windows Phone 7.5 (or Mango to its friends), the HTC Radar is a solid little handset. It's crafted from a single piece of metal and has enough weight at 137g to make it feel like it means business without giving your biceps a workout.
To look at it, the dull aluminium fascia, the size (120.5mm x 61.5mm x 10.9mm) and even the slight dip at the bottom immediately puts us in mind of a Google Nexus One (which HTC manufactured almost two years ago). But, obviously, there's no trackball here, with the HTC Radar relying on the compulsory three Windows Phone 7.5 soft keys on the front.
The back holds that 5MP camera, LED light and speaker, while there's very little around the edges to write home about. There's a power and headphone jack up top, micro USB slot on the left and volume rocker and camera button on the right.
To open the HTC Radar, you slide the bottom down to reveal a little section that invites you to insert a SIM card. Strangely, the HTC Radar seems to restart if you do this - even though you're not interrupting the power supply.
There's no space for a microSD card because HTC has, just like it did for the Titan, decided to stifle this handset, enabling you to only use the onboard memory. With 8GB storage (just 6.54GB of which is available to the user, once the operating system has taken its share), it really does beggar belief.
For those who like their photos, music and videos in one place, it makes the HTC Radar instantly less attractive compared to the various crop of Android devices out there such as the stunning Samsung Galaxy S2 and, of course, the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S.
Another handicap is the lack of removable battery. You can't access it at all, and although there always seems to be someone about in the office who you can nick an iPhone charger off, there are likely to be fewer carrying around micro USB cables. So, as an HTC Radar owner, that task may fall at your feet.
If we were to pit the HTC Radar against other handsets on the market right now, we'd have to say we think it's up there with the BlackBerry Curve 9360 in terms of its professional abilities. The memory is on a par with Apple's most basic offering, the iPhone 3GS, while we can't help thinking that (apart from the colour), the HTC Radar looks identical to the Android-toting HTC Rhyme, which it certainly matches up against for the majority of its internal workings.
You can buy one SIM-free for around £340, which isn't too bad a price - it's certainly much cheaper than its big brother, the Titan, which is nearer the £500 mark. You can pick one up for free on contract, providing you're willing to part with around £25 a month and sign the next two years of your life away.
It also appears to be available in two colours - all publicity shots show the handset in white. However, our review unit was grey and black, and although sites such as Carphone Warehouse show the white version on their page, they also state that it's only on their systems in grey. It may very well depend on where in the world you purchase it.
If HTC was at school right now, you can't help feeling it'd be getting an A for effort. The Taiwanese manufacturer is certainly churning out handsets like nobody's business.
For the last few years, it's been concentrating mainly on Android - but now Windows Phone 7.5 Mango is here, it's going for gold. Probably much to the annoyance of Nokia, which adopted WP as its main operating system months ago, but is still being pipped to the post by HTC when it comes to getting handsets on the shelves.
Little brother of the HTC Titan and the second handset from HTC to run Windows Phone 7.5 (or Mango to its friends), the HTC Radar is a solid little handset. It's crafted from a single piece of metal and has enough weight at 137g to make it feel like it means business without giving your biceps a workout.
To look at it, the dull aluminium fascia, the size (120.5mm x 61.5mm x 10.9mm) and even the slight dip at the bottom immediately puts us in mind of a Google Nexus One (which HTC manufactured almost two years ago). But, obviously, there's no trackball here, with the HTC Radar relying on the compulsory three Windows Phone 7.5 soft keys on the front.
The back holds that 5MP camera, LED light and speaker, while there's very little around the edges to write home about. There's a power and headphone jack up top, micro USB slot on the left and volume rocker and camera button on the right.
To open the HTC Radar, you slide the bottom down to reveal a little section that invites you to insert a SIM card. Strangely, the HTC Radar seems to restart if you do this - even though you're not interrupting the power supply.
There's no space for a microSD card because HTC has, just like it did for the Titan, decided to stifle this handset, enabling you to only use the onboard memory. With 8GB storage (just 6.54GB of which is available to the user, once the operating system has taken its share), it really does beggar belief.
For those who like their photos, music and videos in one place, it makes the HTC Radar instantly less attractive compared to the various crop of Android devices out there such as the stunning Samsung Galaxy S2 and, of course, the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S.
Another handicap is the lack of removable battery. You can't access it at all, and although there always seems to be someone about in the office who you can nick an iPhone charger off, there are likely to be fewer carrying around micro USB cables. So, as an HTC Radar owner, that task may fall at your feet.
If we were to pit the HTC Radar against other handsets on the market right now, we'd have to say we think it's up there with the BlackBerry Curve 9360 in terms of its professional abilities. The memory is on a par with Apple's most basic offering, the iPhone 3GS, while we can't help thinking that (apart from the colour), the HTC Radar looks identical to the Android-toting HTC Rhyme, which it certainly matches up against for the majority of its internal workings.
You can buy one SIM-free for around £340, which isn't too bad a price - it's certainly much cheaper than its big brother, the Titan, which is nearer the £500 mark. You can pick one up for free on contract, providing you're willing to part with around £25 a month and sign the next two years of your life away.
It also appears to be available in two colours - all publicity shots show the handset in white. However, our review unit was grey and black, and although sites such as Carphone Warehouse show the white version on their page, they also state that it's only on their systems in grey. It may very well depend on where in the world you purchase it.
Motorola Atrix 2 review
The Motorola Atrix 2 isn't really a full sequel to the Motorola Atrix, another fast smartphone. Instead, it's an iterative release with a few new features, a better camera and a lower price. As such, the phone starts to reveal some performance issues, especially since it uses the same 1GHz dual-core processor as the first model.
The screen size is just a notch bigger - 4.3 inches compared to the original Atrix's 4-inch screen. The 960 x 540 resolution looks crisp for movies, photo galleries, web browsing and typing up text messages.
The TFT screen was responsive for finger swipes and clicks, although the screen isn't nearly as bright and clear as the Samsung Galaxy S2's AMOLED screen.
For those who tend to fire off messages every few minutes, or type longer business documents on your phone, the lack of a full hardware slide-out keyboard is only a slight detriment. For the most part, we typed fast and accurately on the Atrix's soft keyboard, even compared to a phone with a hardware keyboard.
The Motorola Atrix 2 is a 4G phone, and uses the AT&T HSPA+ network in the US. It's not an LTE phone on a second-gen network running at 10-12 Mbps. Instead, our US speed tests clocked in at only about 4Mbps on a regular basis, or sometimes as high as 6Mbps.
Running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the Motorola Atrix 2 benefits from a few minor improvements in the latest operating system, including the ability to easily select entire passages of an email without too much effort (previous Android phones would sometimes flicker and jump around during text selection).
Another minor benefit is that you can now select whether you want to snap photos or shoot video with the VGA front-facing or rear 8MP camera and camcorder.
In an age when a $200 phone under a contract doesn't make anyone blink, the Motorola Atrix 2 is priced to sell - it costs $99 with a two-year contract in the US.
The low price makes the Motorola Atrix 2 more affordable than the iPhone 4S, the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Galaxy Nexus. In fact, it's one of the most fairly priced high-end Android phones with a high-res camera available.
The Motorola Atrix 2 has 8GB of internal memory and supports microSD cards up to 32GB. There's 1GB of RAM, which is in line with most of the other Android models.
We won't say the phone is feature-rich in terms of hardware - it lacks an NFC chip, for example. And the latest Android models tend to use a faster 1.2GHz dual-core processor.
The phone is light, at 147g grams, and thin, at 10mm, but falters in this regard in comparison to the Samsung Galaxy S2. The S2 is much lighter, at 116g, and thinner, at 8.49mm. That makes the Motorola Atrix 2 require just a bit more heft when you want to grab it and make a call.
The screen size is just a notch bigger - 4.3 inches compared to the original Atrix's 4-inch screen. The 960 x 540 resolution looks crisp for movies, photo galleries, web browsing and typing up text messages.
The TFT screen was responsive for finger swipes and clicks, although the screen isn't nearly as bright and clear as the Samsung Galaxy S2's AMOLED screen.
For those who tend to fire off messages every few minutes, or type longer business documents on your phone, the lack of a full hardware slide-out keyboard is only a slight detriment. For the most part, we typed fast and accurately on the Atrix's soft keyboard, even compared to a phone with a hardware keyboard.
The Motorola Atrix 2 is a 4G phone, and uses the AT&T HSPA+ network in the US. It's not an LTE phone on a second-gen network running at 10-12 Mbps. Instead, our US speed tests clocked in at only about 4Mbps on a regular basis, or sometimes as high as 6Mbps.
Running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the Motorola Atrix 2 benefits from a few minor improvements in the latest operating system, including the ability to easily select entire passages of an email without too much effort (previous Android phones would sometimes flicker and jump around during text selection).
Another minor benefit is that you can now select whether you want to snap photos or shoot video with the VGA front-facing or rear 8MP camera and camcorder.
In an age when a $200 phone under a contract doesn't make anyone blink, the Motorola Atrix 2 is priced to sell - it costs $99 with a two-year contract in the US.
The low price makes the Motorola Atrix 2 more affordable than the iPhone 4S, the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Galaxy Nexus. In fact, it's one of the most fairly priced high-end Android phones with a high-res camera available.
The Motorola Atrix 2 has 8GB of internal memory and supports microSD cards up to 32GB. There's 1GB of RAM, which is in line with most of the other Android models.
We won't say the phone is feature-rich in terms of hardware - it lacks an NFC chip, for example. And the latest Android models tend to use a faster 1.2GHz dual-core processor.
The phone is light, at 147g grams, and thin, at 10mm, but falters in this regard in comparison to the Samsung Galaxy S2. The S2 is much lighter, at 116g, and thinner, at 8.49mm. That makes the Motorola Atrix 2 require just a bit more heft when you want to grab it and make a call.
ZTE Warp hands-on (video)
We're here at the Hard Rock Cafe in NYC, where Boost Mobile is showing off its latest prepaid Android smartphone running on Sprint's 3G CDMA network, the ZTE warp. If you'll recall, this 1GHz Gingerbread 2.3.5-equipped device dropped on November 2nd for $250, only to receive a price drop to $200 days later. Boost is citing the Warp's 4.3-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display as the largest of its current offerings, along with its 5-megapixel, LED flash-equipped camera (raising the count up from the two on its $229 Samsung Transform Ultra). The phone is Android Market-compatible and comes with 4GB of internal storage and a 2GB microSD card, which can be maxed out to 32GB. So, did the Warp feel worthy of its moniker in the few minutes we spent with it? Join us past the break for our impressions.
For its moderate price, the Warp certainly feels solid, if a bit plasticky on the front. It's not exactly a premium fit and finish, but it seems well suited for average day to day use. Furthermore, despite its large display (which appeared fairly bright and decently crisp in the dark room we viewed it in), it's is a pleasure to hold in hand, thanks mainly to the textured soft-touch coating on its back plate. Put simply, we didn't sense that phone could easily easily slip out of our hands. On the the top of the device, you'll find a 3.5mm headphone jack along the center with a power button on the side. Along the top left is a volume rocker, while on the right side there's a dedicated camera button and a microUSB port. Opening up the snap-on battery cover revealed its 1600mAh battery, as well as a single microSD slot. Lastly, on screen's lower portion are four familiar capacitive buttons for Home, Menu, Back and Search.
Aiding the Warp's 1GHz CPU is 512MB of RAM -- overall, the phone seemed snappy on first impression whether we scrolled through and load loaded apps or played video content from YouTube. One area the device clearly had problems with, though, was its camera. While we can't say much yet in terms of image quality, the cam was slow slow startup and shots didn't snap until a few seconds after we pushed the shutter (be it the dedicated or onscreen button) -- its disappointing considering the camera is a key selling point. The cam can also shoot video, although, we didn't have a chance to test it out, nor get details on its resolution. In terms of customization, Boost's loaded the phone Mobile IDs, which essentially let you make make themed homescreens with specific apps. For instance, the demo device we looked at had an ID for MTV music that was filled with an MTV news ticker along with apps like Pandora. Notably, being that the Warp technically runs over over Sprint's network, Google Voice integration is on offer. Sure, the device may not have Ice Cream Sandwich, a front facing camera or Chirp capabilities, but for $200 dollars off-contract with "unlimited" everything at about $50 bucks a month, we'd say this is a delicious piece of Gingerbread for anyone scared of commitment.
ZTE Warp hands-on
For its moderate price, the Warp certainly feels solid, if a bit plasticky on the front. It's not exactly a premium fit and finish, but it seems well suited for average day to day use. Furthermore, despite its large display (which appeared fairly bright and decently crisp in the dark room we viewed it in), it's is a pleasure to hold in hand, thanks mainly to the textured soft-touch coating on its back plate. Put simply, we didn't sense that phone could easily easily slip out of our hands. On the the top of the device, you'll find a 3.5mm headphone jack along the center with a power button on the side. Along the top left is a volume rocker, while on the right side there's a dedicated camera button and a microUSB port. Opening up the snap-on battery cover revealed its 1600mAh battery, as well as a single microSD slot. Lastly, on screen's lower portion are four familiar capacitive buttons for Home, Menu, Back and Search.
Aiding the Warp's 1GHz CPU is 512MB of RAM -- overall, the phone seemed snappy on first impression whether we scrolled through and load loaded apps or played video content from YouTube. One area the device clearly had problems with, though, was its camera. While we can't say much yet in terms of image quality, the cam was slow slow startup and shots didn't snap until a few seconds after we pushed the shutter (be it the dedicated or onscreen button) -- its disappointing considering the camera is a key selling point. The cam can also shoot video, although, we didn't have a chance to test it out, nor get details on its resolution. In terms of customization, Boost's loaded the phone Mobile IDs, which essentially let you make make themed homescreens with specific apps. For instance, the demo device we looked at had an ID for MTV music that was filled with an MTV news ticker along with apps like Pandora. Notably, being that the Warp technically runs over over Sprint's network, Google Voice integration is on offer. Sure, the device may not have Ice Cream Sandwich, a front facing camera or Chirp capabilities, but for $200 dollars off-contract with "unlimited" everything at about $50 bucks a month, we'd say this is a delicious piece of Gingerbread for anyone scared of commitment.
Monday, 31 October 2011
Lenovo Windows smartphone in pipeline?
Amidst the ongoing Android trend, increasing popularity of Windows mobile OS could boggle users over picking a handset running on either one of these OSes. The OS confusion extends to Lenovo’s upcoming device. While PCPOP had recently disclosed a preview of the Android based LePhone S2, wpcentral now reveals snapshots of a similar handset that runs on Windows, reports Engadget.
Apart from the leaked pictures, not much is known about the Windows-enabled Lenovo smartphone. Moreover, the images probably show just the device prototype.
The upcoming Android fueled Lenovo LePhone S2 comes with a spec sheet inclusive of 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 chip, an 8MP camera with support for 720p recording, 480 x 800 display and Android 2.3.4. If the speculated S2 iteration running on Windows operating system turns out to be true then lets see how the Facebook/Twitter integrated device manages to place itself in the Chinese market (the company's previous smartphones were launched in China).
Apart from the leaked pictures, not much is known about the Windows-enabled Lenovo smartphone. Moreover, the images probably show just the device prototype.
Nokia C2-03 Review---specifications
| Display | |
|---|---|
| Form Factor | Slider |
| Screen Resolution | 240 x 320 |
| Number of Colours | 65K |
| Type | |
| Input Type | Touchscreen |
| Screen | |
| Screen Type | QVGA |
| Screen Size | 2.6 |
| Hardware | |
| Processor | No |
| Speed | Not Applicable |
| Memory | |
| Internal | 10 |
| Maximum capacity | 32 |
| Extendable Memory | Yes |
| Memory Type | microSD |
| Resolution | |
| Sensor Resolution | 2MP |
| Camera Features | |
| Resolution | No Information |
| Optical zoom | No Information |
| Video resolution / frame rate | No Information |
| Front facing camera | No Information |
| Video Recorder | Yes |
| Zoom | |
| Digital Zoom | Yes |
| Sound | |
| Speakerphone | Yes |
| Audio connector | 3.5mm |
| Audio Features | |
| FM Radio | Yes |
| Connectivity | |
| Infrared | No |
| 2G | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 Mhz |
| 3G | No |
| A2DP | No |
| Dual Sim Support | Yes |
| WAP Enabled | Yes |
| Interface | |
| WiFi | No |
| Connection Options | |
| USB Connector | Yes |
| EGPRS or EDGE | Yes |
| GPRS | Yes |
| Software | |
| OS | No |
| Version | Not Applicable |
| Type of Camera | |
| Type | |
| Battery | |
| Type | Li-Ion |
| Capacity | 1020 |
| Talk Time with Standard Battery | 300 |
| Standby Time with Standard Battery | 400 |
| Dimensions | 51.4 x 17 x 103 mm |
| Weight | 115 |
| Multimedia | |
| Music Player | Yes |
| Music Format | AMR, MIDI, MP3, AAC, WAV |
| Email and Messaging | |
| Email Client | Yes |
| Type of Email Account Support | Push Email |
| Additional Features | |
| MMS | Yes |
| Dual Band | Yes |
| Tri Band | No |
| GPS | No |
| Java Type | MIDP 2.1 |
| Network | |
| Quad Band | No |
| Type | |
| Sound Settings | |
| Ringtone Type | MP3, AAC, WAV, AMR and 32-tone Polyphonic |
| Volume | |
| Volume | 90 |
| More Features | |
| Unique Feature | |
| After Sales Service | |
| Warranty Period | 1 |
Nokia C2-03 Review
Low-budget Nokia phones have always provided users with better longevity and functionality as compared to the other brands. The 3120, 1110 models were an absolute rage when they were launched around a decade back. In recent times as well, when it comes to better operating life times, Nokia phones have more or less always delivered. Recently, Nokia has launched the new C2-03 touch and type handset. But, is this handset a good buy for those wanting a low-budget dual SIM touch phone? Read on to find out. 
Design and Build Quality
The C2-03 that we reviewed had a black and silver exterior and it does look pretty nice. However it’s a bit on the bulkier side, which is due to the phone incorporating a slider as well as being a touchscreen. The phone is made up of complete plastic but it doesn’t feel like a lot of the cheap ones currently in the market. Nokia hasn’t gone fancy with this design and the phone looks quite inconspicuous. For the adventurous, it comes in an alternative gold and white design. The bottom has chrome plating over the plastic which adds to the looks.
Being a slider as well as a touch phone, one would want the phone to be sturdy and the C2-03 doesn’t disappoint. The slider has a good snap on and feel to it and the buttons on the top have a good feedback as well. The keypad, on the contrary, has barely any indent between two keys and typing on it isn’t too comfortable. The top of the handset consists of the charging port, micro USB and the 3.5mm headphone jack. The right consists of a volume rocker and the lock button and second SIM card can be housed on the left of the phone. The microSD card slot and SIM 1 slot are housed under the battery so there’s no option of hot-swap with memory cards. Overall, the phone has a firm and sturdy feel to it, but it’s definitely on the bulkier side.
Features
Interface
The phone has a 2.6-inch TFT resistive touchscreen but it’s got a pretty good feedback, unlike most of the resistive touchscreens in the market. It runs the Nokia Series 40 software and the first impression is that the interface is quite zippy and doesn’t really lag.
The home screen wasn’t really impressive looking or neat and is a mish-mash of small icons that include the clock, SIM manager, the calendar and a shortcut bar for the Ovi store, camera, maps and keypad. The widgets can be user-defined as well, but the home screen seems to have a whole load of icons, something reminiscent of the home screen of earlier Windows Mobile 5 and 6 versions. There are swipe gestures available for the user and swiping to the right on the homescreen brings up the games and app category and a left swipe gets you to the camera, which can be changed according to your preference.
Overall navigation between apps and menus is smooth, but scrolling through song lists on the music player is a little cumbersome. More often than not, we ended up clicking the song rather than scrolling through the entire list and the screen did have a little odd touch at times. One particular thing to note is that while playing music in the background, there’s no shortcut key that allows you to get back to the music player.
Media
The phone supports MP4, H.264 and H.263 formats, but we had difficulty playing .MP4 files. 3GP files played perfectly well, but the screen isn’t exactly suitable for even average 1-2 hours of video playback. So, keeping this device for primary video playback wouldn’t really be advisable. As far as audio is concerned, the quality is quite good through both the headphones as well as the loudspeaker. The music playback is loud and clear but don’t expect the extraordinary out here. FM radio is present as well, and it comes with a recording option, which might come in handy for few people.
Connectivity
The big downer is that there is no Wi-Fi on this phone. The only data connectivity options are GPRS and EDGE. With the available connectivity options, the stock browser downscales the sites and renders them pretty quickly. Nokia has also included chat options through communities that support Google Talk, Ovi Chat, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Chat. There’s Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and microUSB 2.0 as part of connectivity options.
Misc. Features
Nokia has bundled in a few apps and games that include communities, converter, golf tour, maps, music guess, nature park, picture puzzle and solitaire. More apps can be downloaded via the Ovi store as well. Basic options like alarm clock, calculator, voice recorder, to-do list, notes, timer and stopwatch are included as well. There’s nothing out of the ordinary out here at least.
Camera
The camera bundled with the phone is a 2 megapixel one. It’s quite ordinary and there’s no flash option either. Low-light snaps are quite terrible and this definitely can’t be your first shooting device option. Viewing the clicked images on the phone isn’t any problem, but when you get the images on to a bigger screen, for example, on your computer, you know that the image quality isn’t too great. The phone supports QCIF video recording at 15fps, again which is ordinary, at best. The settings for the still and video camera can be arranged based on what you use most and it does help in a more personalized customization.
Battery Life
The phone comes with a 1020 mAh Lithium-ion battery and we ran it through our battery loop test. The phone gave us 3 hours of talk time, 3 hours of video playback and 2 hours 20 minutes of audio playback. Battery life is quite good and it gave around 1 hour of music playback even on low battery. Another interesting thing to mention is that simply charging the phone for five minutes gives around two hours of usage, which might come in handy for some people.
Design and Build Quality
The C2-03 that we reviewed had a black and silver exterior and it does look pretty nice. However it’s a bit on the bulkier side, which is due to the phone incorporating a slider as well as being a touchscreen. The phone is made up of complete plastic but it doesn’t feel like a lot of the cheap ones currently in the market. Nokia hasn’t gone fancy with this design and the phone looks quite inconspicuous. For the adventurous, it comes in an alternative gold and white design. The bottom has chrome plating over the plastic which adds to the looks.
Being a slider as well as a touch phone, one would want the phone to be sturdy and the C2-03 doesn’t disappoint. The slider has a good snap on and feel to it and the buttons on the top have a good feedback as well. The keypad, on the contrary, has barely any indent between two keys and typing on it isn’t too comfortable. The top of the handset consists of the charging port, micro USB and the 3.5mm headphone jack. The right consists of a volume rocker and the lock button and second SIM card can be housed on the left of the phone. The microSD card slot and SIM 1 slot are housed under the battery so there’s no option of hot-swap with memory cards. Overall, the phone has a firm and sturdy feel to it, but it’s definitely on the bulkier side.
Features
Interface
The phone has a 2.6-inch TFT resistive touchscreen but it’s got a pretty good feedback, unlike most of the resistive touchscreens in the market. It runs the Nokia Series 40 software and the first impression is that the interface is quite zippy and doesn’t really lag.
The home screen
The home screen wasn’t really impressive looking or neat and is a mish-mash of small icons that include the clock, SIM manager, the calendar and a shortcut bar for the Ovi store, camera, maps and keypad. The widgets can be user-defined as well, but the home screen seems to have a whole load of icons, something reminiscent of the home screen of earlier Windows Mobile 5 and 6 versions. There are swipe gestures available for the user and swiping to the right on the homescreen brings up the games and app category and a left swipe gets you to the camera, which can be changed according to your preference.
Overall navigation between apps and menus is smooth, but scrolling through song lists on the music player is a little cumbersome. More often than not, we ended up clicking the song rather than scrolling through the entire list and the screen did have a little odd touch at times. One particular thing to note is that while playing music in the background, there’s no shortcut key that allows you to get back to the music player.
Media
The phone supports MP4, H.264 and H.263 formats, but we had difficulty playing .MP4 files. 3GP files played perfectly well, but the screen isn’t exactly suitable for even average 1-2 hours of video playback. So, keeping this device for primary video playback wouldn’t really be advisable. As far as audio is concerned, the quality is quite good through both the headphones as well as the loudspeaker. The music playback is loud and clear but don’t expect the extraordinary out here. FM radio is present as well, and it comes with a recording option, which might come in handy for few people.
Connectivity
The big downer is that there is no Wi-Fi on this phone. The only data connectivity options are GPRS and EDGE. With the available connectivity options, the stock browser downscales the sites and renders them pretty quickly. Nokia has also included chat options through communities that support Google Talk, Ovi Chat, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Chat. There’s Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and microUSB 2.0 as part of connectivity options.
Misc. Features
Nokia has bundled in a few apps and games that include communities, converter, golf tour, maps, music guess, nature park, picture puzzle and solitaire. More apps can be downloaded via the Ovi store as well. Basic options like alarm clock, calculator, voice recorder, to-do list, notes, timer and stopwatch are included as well. There’s nothing out of the ordinary out here at least.
Camera
The camera bundled with the phone is a 2 megapixel one. It’s quite ordinary and there’s no flash option either. Low-light snaps are quite terrible and this definitely can’t be your first shooting device option. Viewing the clicked images on the phone isn’t any problem, but when you get the images on to a bigger screen, for example, on your computer, you know that the image quality isn’t too great. The phone supports QCIF video recording at 15fps, again which is ordinary, at best. The settings for the still and video camera can be arranged based on what you use most and it does help in a more personalized customization.
Battery Life
The phone comes with a 1020 mAh Lithium-ion battery and we ran it through our battery loop test. The phone gave us 3 hours of talk time, 3 hours of video playback and 2 hours 20 minutes of audio playback. Battery life is quite good and it gave around 1 hour of music playback even on low battery. Another interesting thing to mention is that simply charging the phone for five minutes gives around two hours of usage, which might come in handy for some people.
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