Tuesday, January 30, 2007

MOTORAZRmaxx V6 Ferrari Challenge Limited Edition



Following similar deals with other manufacturers and car companies, Motorola has today announced the availability of a Ferrari-branded Motorola MOTORAZRmaxx V6. Breaking all boundaries for long product names, this Ferrari endorsed handset is known as the MOTORAZRmaxx V6 Ferrari Challenge Mobile Phone Limited Edition.

On top of the 2.2" QVGA screen, 2.0 megapixel camera, microSD slot, and HSDPA data capability of the regular MOTORAZRmaxx V6, the new special edition includes exclusive Ferrari content and branding. A Ferrari emblem adorns the outside of the handset, a Ferrari sound effect can be heard when the handset is switched on or off, an image of the Ferrari F430's engine features on the external display, and a Ferrari background picture displays on the internal screen. There are also 30 Ferrari photos pre-installed on the handset, and a hand-made Ferrari red leather carrying case is included in the box.

The MOTORAZRmaxx V6 Ferrari Challenge Mobile Phone Limited Edition is available now for a recommended retail price of 490EUR (approximately US$630).

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Motorola's Linux Powered ROKR E6 Music Phone



Motorola has been selling Linux smartphones for a while now, but so far they have only been popular in Asian countries, particularly in countries with a large population that uses the Chinese language. The MOTOROKR E6 was announced exactly one year after the MOTOMING A1200, but as the name implies, the target market is completely different. The E6 is meant for the young who need stronger multimedia functions. Today we will see if the E6 delivers what it promises.

Take note that the MOTOROKR E6 we are reviewing is the China Mobile version, the bundled games and portal/network fine tuning are different from the unbranded version. Strangely enough, this is the only version Motorola Hong Kong had for press reviews. The E6 selling in downtown Hong Kong are free of network branding.

Physical Aspects

The E6's design hints at that of a black RAZR, from the sharp edges to the button design. The case is bigger than an average candy bar, it's quite wide and long at 111mm x 51.5mm (4.4" x 2"); good thing is that the thickness is only 14.5mm (.6"). It is because of the thinness that the E6 is a lot more pocketable than you might otherwise think. The build quality is excellent and the device weight is 121g (4.3oz).

The E6 is completely black. On the front you will find a touch screen that is mounted on the surface, making it completely flat, as opposed to most touch-screen devices on the market today where the rim between the screen and the body tends to collect dust. The only buttons found on the front are the d-pad, a music shortcut key, one customizable shortcut key, and the usual dial/hang up buttons. The layer over the screen is glossy, so it will be a fingerprint magnet. The lower part with the d-pad is made of material similar to that found on the RAZR's keypad, the backlight color is the same cyan blue and the tactile feedback is good. I noticed that the paint on the edges of the engravings are already starting to peel off after a few days of usage, the screen is fine though - free of any scratches. Flipping to the back of the phone you will see the camera module with its mirror for self-portraits and the manual macro focus switch. Ringtone audio comes out of the grille holes circularly arranged close to the camera. The stylus and the USB port for data and power can be found on the bottom, whereas the standard 3.5mm stereo headphone jack can be found at the top.

On the left you can find the volume keys, an SD slot, and 3 dedicated music keys. The camera shutter button and the key lock slider are found on the right side. The arrangement of buttons is logical in general, but the positioning is not the most ergonomic. The key lock slide-key, for example, is positioned too high, as are the volume keys. The dedicated music keys are a bit difficult to find by touch when the phone is in your pocket. It would have been better if they were further apart, or if the engraved icons on them would have been bigger and deeper.

Overall I'm happy with the design of MOTOROKR E6, there is definitely room for improvement, for example the positioning of the keys. It would have been great if Motorola could have reduced the length a bit more, as well

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Nokia 7360 L'amour



The Nokia L'amour 2 collection was recently launched with 2 new models and an updated version of the 7360 from the previous series. Unfortunately, the only update to the 7360 was the colour scheme - nothing else. It is still the same VGA camera equipped phone running on the old version of Nokia's S40 user interface. It is a triband (GSM 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) phone with support for GPRS and EDGE data. While calling it a timeless design, I wonder what Nokia was thinking when they decided not to at least update the UI.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

CES Gallery: Samsung Announces F500 Ultra Video for US market




Today at a press conference at the CES 2007 event in Las Vegas, Samsung Mobile announced that the SGH-F300 and SGH-F500 that we saw at the ITU show in Hong Kong last month will indeed make it to the US market. There were no carrier support announcements made yet, but Samsung said that we should expect to hear details "soon."

The SGH-F500, shown here, is the video oriented Ultra handset. It is quite small, though a bit bigger than the F300 Ultra Music, and like its sibling has two front faces. One face is dedicated to video playback and control while the other is home to a regular numeric keypad and a smaller display. It has a 262k QVGA video display that is larger and higher in resolution than the one found in the F300, but has the same music media file playback capabilities.

In terms of video playback, the F500 supports DivX, WMV, MPEG4, and H.264. The F500's body can be reconfigured to act as its own built-in stand for watching videos. Other features of note include a 2 megapixel camera, a 2GB capable microSD card slot, and a whopping 400MB of built-in storage space. Bluetooth 2.0 support with A2DP stereo is also available.

The HSDPA/UMTS capable F300 only supports the 900, 1800, and 1900MHz GSM frequency bands, but seems most likely destined for Cingular after having the frequency band support changed a bit.

You'll find more live CES photos of the Samsung Ultra Video on the following page.

Dual-Flip QWERTY with the Samsung SCH-u640




The Samsung SCH-u740, announced today at CES in Las Vegas, sports a design and layout similar to the already released SGH-d307, but is made for CDMA networks. The dual-hinge design allows the device to function as a regular handset, but with a twist it can be used in a landscape orientation with a full QWERTY keyboard.

The Samsung SCH-u740 is slightly updated when compared against its GSM counterpart, with a 1.3 megapixel camera and microSD memory expansion on board. A 262k color, 176x220 pixel resolution TFT LCD display adorns the inside of the device, with a 65k color STN unit on the outside, positioned just above touch sensitive music control keys. Speakerphone functionality and voice recognition, features that are almost expected on phones of this price range, are of course present, and Bluetooth connectivity is a welcome addition for short-range communications. High-speed data is taken care of with EV-DO, sure to be useful when sending and receiving email using the messaging focused device.

While no specific information on a release date or carrier availability has been announced, we are told that the Samsung SCH-u740 is expected to be available by the end of Q1 or the start of Q2 this year. Verizon Wireless is the likely carrier for the device.

More live photos of the Samsung SCH-u740 from CES are available on the following page.

Specifications for the Samsung SCH-740
Band CDMA 800/1900MHz
Data EV-DO
Size 97.5mm x 51.9mm x 14.8mm
(3.84" x 2.04" x 0.58")
Weight Unknown
Battery Life Unknown
Main Display 2.2" 262k color TFT LCD, 176x220 pixel resolution
Sub-Display 1.1" 65k color STN LCD, 96x96 pixel resolution
Camera Yes, 1.3 megapixel resolution
Video Video capture/playback
Messaging MMS/SMS
Email Yes
Bluetooth Yes
Infrared No
Java Unknown
Polyphonics Yes
Memory Unknown on board memory, microSD memory expansion
Availability Late Q1 2007
Other QWERTY Keyboard

Friday, January 19, 2007

Samsung showcases T509 Slim Bar Phone





Posted: 06-Apr-2006 [Source: Samsung]

[Small size does not mean small feature set for this Bluetooth enabled multimedia handset. The ultra thin T509 bar phone complements the A900 (clamshell) and T809 (slider) to round out the Samsung thin phone line.]

Las Vegas -- Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung) today unveiled a super slim bar phone that is expected to be the thinnest available in the U.S. when it launches this spring. The Samsung t509, displayed for the first time at the CTIA Wireless 2006 trade show, boasts an ultra-thin profile of only 9.8 mm. With the addition of the t509 to its U.S. product portfolio, Samsung leads the industry as the only company to have three distinct slim phone designs -- clamshell, slider and bar.

Driving the global trend and popularity of slim, wide-screened phone designs, Samsung's growing U.S. portfolio of ultra-slim phones is part of the company's aggressive global strategy in the slim phone category, demonstrating how quickly and effectively Samsung recognizes and acts on consumer demands. While Samsung delivers on developing smaller and thinner mobile phones, the company does so without compromising on reliability or on providing premium multimedia capabilities.

The functionality provided by a slim phone with expanded screen supports crucial advanced multimedia features, such as entertainment services, streaming video and messaging. The t509 joins Samsung's successful slim predecessors, the a900, featuring a clamshell design, and the t809, with its slider design. Both phones support impressive multimedia features and each measures less than 15 mm thin. Also included in Samsung's upcoming portfolio of sleek, slim phones is the d807, a stylish black and chrome slider expected in the U.S this summer.

The t509 and d807 feature high-speed EDGE connectivity and Bluetooth(r) wireless technology to support delivery of entertainment and information on-demand services. Each phone boasts large, vivid 262K-color screens, ideal for watching streaming videos or viewing images taken with the phones' integrated cameras. On the d807, an external memory slot, supporting microSD(tm) memory cards, allows for additional external content storage.

"Samsung's industry leadership is based on our ability to deliver innovative phone designs, especially as consumers demand thinner and sleeker devices," said Peter Skaryzynski, senior vice president, Samsung. "When consumers choose one of our slim phones, they are getting an intelligently designed handset that integrates the best features and functionality on the market."

Samsung's reputation to develop slim designs with advanced features started early with the introduction of the company's first 9.8mm mobile phone, the SPH-N2000, in Korea in 2001. Samsung will continue to introduce additional slim concept designs throughout the world with various form factors and features.

Global products announced earlier this year and on display at CTIA include the credit-card sized SGH-P300 phone, which measures 8.9 mm and comes packed with a 1.3 megapixel camera, music player and advanced video recording capabilities. Samsung's SGH-D870 is the world's thinnest three megapixel camera phone in a slider form factor, and the SGH-D520 and SCH-Z540 are both slim, elegantly designed multimedia phones.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Sony Ericsson Launches W200 Walkman Phone


Snapshot by Brad Kellett on Sunday January 07, 2007.


After the success of its first affordable Walkman handset, Sony Ericsson has today announced a new beginner Walkman phone known as the W200. Launched at CES in Las Vegas, the Sony Ericsson W200 is targeted at the US market, where budget handsets tend to do better than their more expensive counterparts.

While the Sony Ericsson W200 is not big on features, it has everything covered for a good music experience. A dedicated Walkman button provides easy access to your audio stored on Memory Stick Micro (M2) cards, which are currently available up to 1GB in size. Bored of the music you have with you? An FM radio is also available, which can be used with the handset's speakerphone as an alarm clock.

Music is not the W200's only trick, though, as the handset also features a VGA resolution camera with 4x digital zoom. A full HTML compliant browser is also present, and the device's PIM applications can be easily synchronized with a desktop PC.

The Sony Ericsson W200 will be available in two versions, one for the Americas and one for Europe, starting Q2 2007. The two versions will be available in two color schemes, Rhythm Black and Pulse White.

Specifications for the Sony Ericsson W200
Band GSM 850/1800/1900MHz or GSM 900/1800/1900
Data GPRS
Size Unknown
Weight Unknown
Battery Life Up to 15 days of standby time
Up to 7 hours talk time
Main Display 65k color, 128x160 resolution
Sub-Display N/A
Camera VGA
Video Video capture/playback
Messaging MMS/SMS
Email No
Bluetooth Unknown
Infrared No
Java Yes
Polyphonics Yes
Memory 27MB internal memory, Memory Stick Micro (M2) expansion slot
Availability Q2 2007
Other music player, RDS FM radio, speakerphone, 128MB card included
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