9. cell phone reviews

(1063,Motorola Slvr L7 (pink), Note: This product is part of the Motorola Slvr series. ., Quick Take: Cingular is now carrying a pink version of the Motorola Slvr L7. Identical to the original L7, this newest member of the Slvr family offers the same features, including support for iTunes and Bluetooth, as well as a speakerphone and a VGA camera. The standard price is $199, but at the time of this writing, you can get it free with service. ),
(1064,E-Ten G500,Positives: The E-Ten G500 does it all with a GPS receiver and a camera, as well as cell phone and PDA capabilities. The smart phone also boasts Bluetooth 2.0 and reasonably solid performance. Negatives: The E-Ten G500 is heavy and doesnt include Wi-Fi or EDGE support. Also, it doesnt come with navigation software, so you cant use the GPS functionality out of the box. Facts: The E-Ten G500 can help you save time and space with its PDA, cell phone, GPS, and camera functions, but this jack-of-all-mobile-trades is heavy, lacks advanced wireless options, and doesnt include the needed navigation software. , E-Ten isnt a major name in the smart-phone market, not in the United States anyway, but that doesnt mean it cant play with the big boys. The E-Ten G500 is a mobile Swiss Army Knife of sorts, with blades for a phone, a GPS receiver, a digital camera, and a PDA. Like the competing and more businesscentric HP iPaq hw6515, the G500 packages all of this into one package that barely fills a jacket pocket. We like the overall design, applaud the engineering effort, and are impressed that the G500 does each task moderately well, but with its weight, as well as its lack of navigation software, Wi-Fi, and EDGE support, the G500 falls short. Without a U.S. carrier, youll also have to plunk down a good amount of change ($575) for an unlocked version of the G500.The G500s black-and-gray design is stylish and urbane, and its blue backlighting accents the perimeter and the controls for a streamlined look. But at 6.7 ounces and 4.7 by 2.4 by 0.9 inches, its a lot to carry around and hold up to your ear when making a call. Its slightly larger and heavier than the Palm Treo 650 and nearly an ounce heavier and quite a bit thicker than the HP iPaq 6515 superphone. Otherwise, the iPaq hw6515 and the G500 match each other spec for spec, but the hw6515 has a larger screen and a thumb keyboard. The G500s 2.8-inch, 320x240-pixel screen is a mixed blessing. Its too small for viewing maps while driving, but its great for phoning, with large dialing icons. We also like that E-Tens main screen has extra icons for battery status, missed calls, and other vital information. We should point out that the battery-level icon is duplicated, wasting some display real estate. Below the screen, you have two shortcut buttons, the Talk and End keys, and a four-way navigation pad with a center selection button. There are two additional customizable quick-launch keys above the screen. All are easy to use and command, and again, the blue backlight makes for a cool effect. On the left spine, youll find a camera activation key, a volume rocker, a voice-record button, a reset button, and a 2.5mm headset jack, while a Mini SD expansion slot sits on the right side. The camera lens is located on the back, along with a small self-portrait mirror and the speakerphone. The E-Ten G500 is equipped with a Mini SD expansion slot, but youll have to supply your own card, as one isnt included in the box. E-Ten packages the G500 with a healthy set of accessories, including an AC adapter, a car charger, a USB cable, a windshield mount, a wired headset, and a leather case, but its not as well stocked as other devices on the market. First, it lacks a Mini SD card, but even worse, you don't get any of the needed navigation software for the GPS receiver, which could add another $100 to the devices already expensive price tag. More to the point, the manual barely even mentions how to set up the GPS receiver and doesnt suggest any software packages or give instructions on installation. E-Ten says the G500 will work with all Pocket PC mapping packages. For our tests, we tried Microsofts Streets and Trips 2003 and had no problem using the program and GPS capabilities once we figured out we had to connect via the COM 4 port. The E-Ten G500 has M-Desk, a wonderful utility that features a tabbed interface, grouping all apps by function: Phone, PDA, Fun, and System. For example, under the Phone menu, youll find Speed Dial, SMS Sender, MMS Composer, and so forth. While were on the subject, other phone features include speed and voice dialing; a speakerphone; photo caller ID; and WAV, MP3, and MIDI ring-tone support. As a PDA, the G500 is adequately equipped. Powering the device is a top-speed 400MHz Samsung processor with 64MB of SDRAM and 128MB of flash ROM, 90MB of which is user accessible. The device runs the latest Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition, so you get the full Microsoft Office Mobile suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer) for on-the-go access to all your work documents plus e-mail and calendar synchronization. Unfortunately, the G500 is hurting in the area of wireless connectivity. It lacks integrated Wi-Fi, and theres no support for EDGE, so youll have to find other means, such as a Wi-Fi card, for connecting to the Web. The smart phone, however, has Bluetooth 2.0, which promises faster transmission speed and lower power consumption; its also backward compatible with Bluetooth 1.x. The E-Ten G500s 1.3-megapixel camera had some problems with pictures taken in darker environments. For fun, theres a 1.3-megapixel camera/camcorder. You can shoot images in 1,280x960, 640x480, 320x240, or 176x144 resolution, with options for white balance, fun frames, special effects, a self-timer, and 2X zoom. The G500 takes video in 3GP format, and you can choose from three quality settings (high, medium, and low) and sizes (320x240, 176x144, and 128x96). Image quality was subpar, lacking the sharpness and clarity of other camera phones weve tested. On the upside, E-Ten throws in extra apps for editing images. Other entertainment features include Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, Solitaire, and BrickBreaker. We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS) E-Ten G500 in New York and Connecticut using Cingulars network, and the phone delivered surprisingly crisp audio regardless of whether we were using the units microphone, speakerphone, or wired headset. We also successfully paired the G500 with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset. During our evaluation period, the G500 always responded quickly to commands, and it scored an impressive 392 on the Spb benchmark test, higher than the Sprint PPC-6700. In the battery-drain tests, where we looped a video clip with all wireless radios turned off, the G500 lasted for 6.7 hours. By comparison, the HP iPaq hw6515 petered out after 5.8 hours. The GPS receiver is accurate and quick to respond, but the included windshield arm wobbles so badly while driving that you cant read the G500s maps on the fly. On road trips in and around Hartford, Greenwich, and New York City, the G500s GPS receiver worked well and lost contact only a couple of times in dense urban areas. It took just more than a minute to lock onto the required satellites from a cold start, and once the device was established, data flowed smoothly. As mentioned earlier, the devices GPS functionality isnt explained well in the user manual, and you wont find much help from the companys Web site either. While theres a good assortment of general FAQs, its download section is empty, and many support pages are poorly translated, making it impossible to understand. Plus, neither a U.S. support number or even a dedicated e-mail link is provided. ),
(1065,Motorola Slvr L2,Positives: The Motorola Slvr L2 has an appealing design with improved controls, and it offers a generous feature set, including Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and world phone support. Business users should appreciate the lack of a camera as well. Negatives: The Motorola Slvr L2 has a washed-out display, small keypad buttons, unintuitive volume controls, and no EDGE support. Also, calls placed over a Bluetooth headset were uneven. Facts: Some design quirks aside, the Motorola Slvr L2 is an appealing low-end addition to the Slvr family. Note: This product is part of the Motorola Slvr series. ., Just when you think youve seen enough slim cell phones, Motorola pulls another trim handset out of its sleeve with the new Motorola Slvr L2 for Cingular. Similar in size and shape to Cingulars Slvr L7 and L6, the L2 offers the same trendy, thin profile that returned Motorola to cell phone glory after the debut of the Razr V3 a year and a half ago. On the features side, Cingular is positioning the L2 as the lower-end alternative to the other Slvrs in its stable. Although it has Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and world phone support, it comes with none of the higher-end entertainment and memory features found in its predecessors. And more interestingly, aside from a few BlackBerrys, its one of the few Bluetooth-equipped mobiles on the market without a digital camera. Thats good news for professionals who want a stylish cell phone with work-friendly features but who are prohibited from carrying a camera phone into their workplace. Costing $116 with a two-year contract or $206 without, the Motorola Slvr L2 carries a fair price tag for what it offers. At the moment, its available solely through Cingulars B2B sales. Like its predecessors, the Motorola Slvr L2 is slim and sexy. As with all of Motorolas stylecentric phones, the Slvr L2s main draw is its eye-catching design. At less than 0.5 inch thick, the compact, lightweight (4.4 by 1.9 by 0.4 inches; 3.3 ounces) L2 casts the same thin profile thats won the other Slvr handsets such acclaim. Adorned in basic silver, its display takes many cues from the Slvr L6. At 1.75 inches diagonally (128x160 pixels) and with support for 65,000 colors, the display is serviceable for most functions, but it appears slightly washed out and pales in comparison with 262,000-color screens. As with the L6, you can change the backlighting time and the brightness, but you cant alter the contrast or the font size. Also, be warned that the glossy display smudges easily. The L2 is comfortable to carry, but flip-phone lovers may find the flat design somewhat awkward. The navigation controls and the keypad buttons are similar to those on the L6, but Motorola makes some slight but important improvements to the L2 that earn it a few more points in our book. Both the navigation array and the keypad controls are slightly raised above the surface of the phone, allowing for a more tactile and user-friendly feel. The five-way toggle is easier to grasp, and we like that instead of activating the Web browser, the OK button opens the menu. You also get two soft keys, a dedicated menu button, and the traditional Talk and End/power keys. The last two controls are quite large, but the black soft keys blend in with the display border. While theres still no dedicated Back button, the toggle can act as a shortcut to four user-defined functions. As mentioned previously, we liked that the keypad buttons are raised above the surface of the phone. We had fewer misdials, and thanks to the bright backlighting, we could dial in dim conditions easily. On the downside, however, the keys are no bigger than the already tiny keys on the L6, and they have an equally cheap plastic feel to them. We werent comfortable banging out long text messages on this phone. On the right spine is a voice-dialing control, while the right spine has a single volume control. Unlike a volume rocker, which lets you turn the volume both up and down, this button only increased the volume. As a result, you must go all the way up before it cycles back to the lowest level. Its a curious and frustrating arrangement, and we cant imagine why Motorola opted for it. Save for the lack of a camera--a smart move on Motos part--the L2s respectable feature set doesnt differ greatly from that of its sibling, the L6. Although you don't get access to Motorolas Screen3 technology, the 500-contact phone book is adequate, and theres room in each entry for six phone numbers, an e-mail address, a postal address, and a birth date; the SIM card holds an additional 250 names. You can assign contacts to caller groups or assign them to any of 24 polyphonic ring tones. You can pair them with a picture as well, but youll have to be resourceful, since theres no camera. Other features include a vibrate mode; MP3 ring-tone support; a calculator; a date book; an alarm clock; 10MB of flash memory; and text, multimedia, and instant messaging. On the business side, the L2 promises full Bluetooth, e-mail support, PC syncing, voice dialing, and a mini-USB port. You get a speakerphone, but you cant activate it until you make a call. You can personalize the Motorola Slvr L2 with a variety of wallpaper, menu styles, color schemes, screensavers, and alert tones. If you want more ring tones or other options, you can purchase them from Cingular over the WAP 2.0 Web browser. The L2 supports video playback and has access to a multimedia album--odd additions to a phone without a camera. Java (J2ME) support is included, but only demo versions of three games (BlockBreaker Deluxe, Tetris, and Texas Hold em) are integrated. We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS) Motorola Slvr L2 world phone in San Francisco. Call quality was good overall. Volume was loud, and we could understand callers without any trouble. They reported the same conditions. Our only real complaints were that sound quality was a bit hollow at times and that callers had more trouble understanding us when using the otherwise acceptable speakerphone. We paired the L2 successfully with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset but noticed more static when using it. As expected, Web browsing over GPRS speeds was slow. EDGE support would have been nice.The Slvr L2 has a promised standby time of 14.4 days and, in our tests, met its rated talk time of 5.8 hours. According to FCC radiation tests, the L2 has a digital SAR rating of 1.54 watts per kilogram. Overall, we like the feature set on the attractive Motorola Slvr L2, and the exclusion of the camera should fill a growing need for business-friendly devices that can still be allowed in defense plants, courtrooms, and government offices. We think it has a future, as it presents a solid lower-end option for Slvr lovers. ),
(1066,LG Migo VX1000,Positives: The LG Migo VX1000 has an attractive design and a speakerphone, and it is easy to use. Negatives: The LG Migo VX1000 has patchy call quality, no games, and few personalization options. Also, some may find the parental controls too limited. Facts: Despite mixed call quality and some limited features, the LG Migo VX1000 is the best cell phone for young kids thus far. , As cell phones find their way into preteen hands, some manufacturers have tried to address the growing niche by introducing handsets that let kids communicate while offering parents a sense of control. Models such as the Firefly and the Enfora TicTalk were good attempts at the concept, but overall, they suffered from unappealing designs, awkward controls, and limited features. Now, theres a third and more attractive option with the LG Migo VX1000 for Verizon. Exceptionally cute and very green, the Migo earns a spot at the top of our list for kid-friendly phones. Although the call quality is nothing exceptional and parental controls are limited, the Migo is attractive and easy to use, and it comes with a speakerphone. Tweens who are dead-set on a Razr wont appreciate the limited personalization options or the lack of text messaging, games, and a camera, but for parents who just want to keep in touch, the Migo is a fine choice (the Nokia 3120 is better suited for kids older than 13). The Migo is fairly priced, at $35 with service, but be advised that you cant use the phone with a Verizon prepaid plan. The diminutive Migo is unique inside and out. Dubbed the Shrek phone because of its green hue and twin stubby antennas, the LG Migo VX1000 is a huge step above the dull, flimsy Firefly and the oddly shaped TicTalk. Were especially fond of the color, which is nicely offset by the black face and keypad. Measuring 3.23 by 1.81 by 0.87 inches and weighing 2.46 ounces, the Migo is perfect for kid-size hands, and it slips easily into a pocket. Although its not quite as sturdy as the TicTalk, the Migo has a much more solid feel in the hand than the Firefly. It survived a few drops to the carpet and hard surfaces.The rectangular, monochrome display is pretty small (96x32 pixels; 1 inch diagonal), but it manages to display the time, signal strength, battery life, and caller ID. Its easy to see in most lighting environments, but you cant alter the brightness or the backlighting time, and the clock is set automatically by the network. Below the display are the large Talk and power buttons that inside a menu double as yes and no controls, respectively. Near the bottom of the Migo are four numbered buttons for dialing the four preprogrammed phone numbers that the phone supports. Like the Talk and End controls, they are large and quite tactile. In the middle of the numbered buttons is a jumbo key for dialing an emergency number, such as 911. As with the Firefly, however, we think its a bit too accessible. Even though you have to hold the control for 3 seconds, then confirm your choice with the Talk button to make an emergency call, we still think it could be activated accidentally. Completing the outside of the phone are a side-mounted volume control and a headset jack. The speakerphone is a great touch, and you can activate before you make a call by holding down the 1 button for 3 seconds.As is the case with other kid phones, the LG Migo VX1000s limited controls mean that menu navigation takes some heavy acclimation. To enter the menu, first you must press the Talk key, then confirm your choice with the Talk/yes key again. Inside the main menu, there are four function choices, but since the display shows only two lines of text, you must use the volume rocker to scroll down to menu items three and four. Pressing the numbered key will take you to that corresponding menu choice, while pressing the End/no button will back you out of a menu choice. The menu structure is simple and easy to memorize. Option one sets the default ring tone, option two sets the caller ID ring tone, option three edits the four-number phone book, and option four sets the emergency-dial number.While basic menu navigation was sufficiently user-friendly, editing the phone book was more of a challenge. Each of the LG Migo VX1000s numbered buttons corresponds to a different group of numbers and letters, depending on how many times you press the key. So for example, the 1 key enters 1 if you press it once, 2 if you press it twice, and 3 if you press it three times. Whats more, an even longer tap dance is required to enter letters. To type f, for example, you must press the 1 key six times. Its a bit time-consuming and tedious, but chances are you wont edit the phone book too often. In any case, the Migo is easier to use than its competitors.As stated previously, the LG Migo VX1000 can call only the four phone numbers as entered in the contacts list. To dial, you simply press the corresponding numbered key, then press the Talk button to place the call. Parents will be glad to know that the phone book is password protected, so even if the kiddies want to change a number, add a new contact, or dial a new number, theyll be stymied. Curiously, though, the password is set by the manufacturer and cannot be changed. Its also printed in the manual, so be sure thats hidden away from spying eyes.It is important to note that the LG Migo VX1000 can receive calls from anyone, so even if the number isnt stored in the phone book, the handset will ring. That may be a good or a bad thing, depending on your perspective, but its a point worth noting. Other parental controls are limited as well. You cant limit the phones use by time of day, nor can you limit the length of a call. Verizon does, however, offer a Chaperone service that makes use of the Migos GPS capabilities. The Chaperone service consists of a Child Locator that lets parents track their children via the Chaperone Web site or via a downloadable Chaperone application to their Verizon phone. Parents simply request the Migos location, and they will receive a map showing where it is. They can also program the phones automatic calling buttons and customize the phones settings over the air. In addition to Chaperone, Verizon has a Child Zone service that allows parents to designate child-safe areas for their child (say a playground) and whenever the child leaves that area, it will alert them via a text message. Unlike the TicTalk, the Migo has no games or entertainment options. We would have preferred a couple of options, but we liked that it came with six colored lanyards, three of which have clips for a backpack or a belt. The Migo also comes with a number of stickers that kids can apply to the phone. Not surprisingly, the phone doesnt support wallpaper, and we were a bit annoyed with the vibrate option. Similar to the Kyocera Switch Back, it functions only at the highest ring-volume level or if the ringer is silenced completely. And speaking of ring tones, the Migo comes with 10 polyphonic (32-chord) ring tones that can be set to identify callers in the phone book. However, kids wont be able to download new tones.We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/900) LG Migo VX1000 in San Francisco using the Verizon Wireless service. Call quality was serviceable, but there was a noted echo effect, and audio was patchy at times. Volume was sufficient, and the speakerphone was functional as well. We had more trouble in noisy environments, but call quality should be fine for the phones limited use. We used the Chaperone service via the Web site and the LG VX8100, one of the many Verizon phones that supports Chaperone. The Chaperone service was quite handy and very easy to use, and we were able to locate the Migo quickly and efficiently with the user-friendly map. Battery life is rated at 3 hours of talk time and 9.5 days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Migo has a digital SAR rating of 1.24 watts per kilogram. ),
(1067,LG CG300,Positives: The LG CG300 has a VGA camera, PTT functionality, Bluetooth, a spacious keypad, and a speakerphone with great audio quality. Plus, its a quad-band world phone and enjoys admirable talk-time battery life. Negatives: The LG CG300s external screen doesnt display photo caller ID, and its design is rather boring. Facts: The only Cingular push-to-talk phone to have a camera (thus far), the LG CG300 is a decent choice for a midrange cell phone with international capability. , Now that Cingular has brought push-to-talk (PTT) technology to the GSM world, its popularity has gone beyond industry professionals to the young and hip crowd. Of Cingulars first PTT phones launched early this year, the only two cell phones available were the LG F7200 and the Samsung SGH-D357. Designed to appeal to a business crowd in a security-conscious world, they lacked a VGA digital camera and focused on basic work-friendly functions. Well, now theres another member in the Cingular PTT family: the LG CG300. Like the other two handsets, the LG CG300 has a pretty basic design and is relatively small compared with many of Nextels PTT clunkers. Yet, it also offers Cingular customers a bit more variety by including a built-in VGA camera. You can get it from Cingular for $50 after a rebate and a two-year contract. Otherwise, it will run you $99. The CG300 has an average size for a flip phone. As said previously, the design of the LG CG300 is simple and nothing to write home about. It has a black and silver color scheme, a slightly curved body, and a sturdy antenna stub. At 3.58 by 1.9 by 0.94 inches and 3.8 ounces, its not terribly bulky, and it fits easily--if a bit snugly--in the pocket. The phone feels pretty comfortable in the hand, and when opened, it cradled our ears without any discomfort.One design feature of the LG CG300 that stands out is the large speaker at the top. Although it makes the phone look like a walkie-talkie, which goes nicely with the PTT functionality, it isnt very attractive. Underneath is the thumbnail-size external screen (96x64 pixels) that is monochrome in standby mode but displays a bright fixed-color background when the phone is open and during a call. The color filter cant be deactivated, but its easy to see in both environments. The external screen displays the time, battery and signal strength, and caller ID (but not photo caller ID). On the left spine are the headset jack, a PTT button, and a volume rocker; on the right spine is a dedicated camera button. In a nice touch, a dedicated speakerphone button is located on top of the phone. The VGA camera, the flash, and a tiny self-portrait mirror are on the back, but you have to be careful not to cover the lens with your finger.When opening the LG CG300, youre presented with a disappointing 65,536-color, 1.75-inch-diagonal (128x160 pixels) internal display. Although its fine for scrolling through the simple menus, it has an overall washed-out appearance, especially when compared to other phones with 262,000-color displays. You can adjust the backlight time and the contrast, but there are no brightness or font-size settings. Underneath the display are the navigational controls made up of two soft keys, a shortcut to the photo gallery, a dedicated camera button, and a five-way navigation toggle that also provides shortcuts to text messaging, instant messaging, the contacts list, and the MyStuff folder. When in standby mode, the OK button defaults as a Web-browser shortcut, but none of the shortcuts are user-configurable, unfortunately. At the bottom of the array are the Talk and End/power keys, with the Cancel key in between. Below the navigational controls is the spacious keypad, which has buttons that are raised enough to dial by feel. All the keys are tactile due to their large size and spacious layout. Also, they glow a bright blue for easy dialing in the dark.The LG CG300 comes with a small 255-entry address book, and each entry can accommodate three phone numbers, an e-mail address, a note, and a picture. The inclusion of a picture ID doesnt make too much sense to us, since the external display cant show photo caller ID. Each entry is assigned to different caller groups, but only the groups will accommodate one of the 10 polyphonic ring tones and 10 monophonic ring tones. Organizational features include a calendar, an alarm clock, a voice memo, a calculator, a notepad, a world clock, a unit converter, and a tip calculator. You also get instant messaging (with AOL, ICQ, and Yahoo), text and multimedia messaging, a 30-second voice recorder, a WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser, a vibrate mode, a speakerphone, and Bluetooth. Theres also a neat feature that lets you send photos wirelessly to a Bluetooth-enabled printer. Although the CG300 has a dedicated speakerphone button, you can activate it only after you make a call--weird. For a complete description of Cingulars new push-to-talk service, please see our review of the LG F9200. The CG300s camera is fully equipped with a flash and a self-portrait mirror. While the LG CG300 comes equipped with a disappointing VGA camera, it was a nice change from the previous Cingular PTT phones that ditched cameras completely. You can take photos in 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120 resolutions. Other camera options include a brightness setting; Auto, Daylight, Incandescent, Cloudy, and Fluorescent white-balance options; three color effects (Color, Sepia, Mono); a 5- and 10-second self-timer; a multishot feature of up to 3 shots; and three different shutter sounds (theres also a silent option). The cameras flash is simply a bright flashlight that you can turn or off. Photos were predictably washed out and grainy but fairly standard for those of a VGA camera. The CG300 comes with 7.9MB of built-in memory, which is fine for a few snapshots, but you might quickly fill it up if you have a camera trigger finger. The CG300s image quality was typical of VGA cameras. You can personalize the LG CG300 with a variety of wallpaper and graphics, with the option to download more from Cingular. There are also multiple key tones, as well as ring and message-alert sounds. You can choose how you wish to answer calls by flipping open the phone, pressing any key, or pressing the Send/Talk key only. As for Java (J2ME) games, you get a demo version of Tetris and BlockBreaker.We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS) LG CG300 world phone in San Francisco using Cingulars service. While there was some minor static and interference typical of a cell phone call, callers could hear us loud and clear and vice versa. The speakerphone had similarly good audio quality, with almost no difference when compared to the speakerphone from a landline phone. The GPRS Media Net Web browser was predictably poky, taking a long time to connect and disconnect in between sessions. The LG CG300 has a rated talk time of 3 hours, with an exceptional tested time of 4.5 hours. The rated standby time is 10 days, but we got only 6 days in our tests. According to FCC radiation tests, the LG CG300 has a digital SAR rating of 1.04 watts per kilogram.While the LG CG300 may have a mediocre design and a low-resolution display, it does have great audio quality; plus, its a quad-band world phone. Sure, the VGA camera may be a turnoff to some, but its the only Cingular PTT phone with a camera, making it slightly better than the other two. Overall, the LG CG300 makes for a decent cell phone if you are into push-to-talk technology, want a simple camera for quick snapshots, and need a world phone to use abroad. ),
(1068,Samsung SPH-A580,Positives: The Samsung SPH-A580 is a simple cell phone with easy-to-use controls, analog roaming, and a new wireless backup feature. Also, it has admirable call quality overall. Negatives: The Samsung SPH-A580 has a tiny external display and suffers from patchy speakerphone quality. Facts: The Samsung SPH-A580 offers Sprint customers a simple, serviceable cell phone for making calls, and it hides a new surprise. , From the start, the Samsung SPH-A580 looks like your basic cell phone, and in many ways, it is. Youll find a speakerphone, but theres no camera, multimedia messaging, or any of the fancy offerings that carriers are fond of touting. But sometimes looks can be deceiving. Though the SPH-A580 is primarily a phone for making calls, youll also find a new and interesting Sprint feature: wireless backup, which offers SPH-A580 owners an opportunity to, well, wirelessly back up their contacts to Sprints Web site. Though the SPH-A580 is a tad expensive if you pay full price ($179), service rebates should knock it down to less than $100. And better yet, by purchasing it online, you could eliminate the price tag altogether. Given Samsungs long history of pumping out silver flip phones, the SPH-A580s design is ho-hum. Theres no external antenna, its relatively compact (3.6 by 1.8 by 0.9 inches; 3.4 ounces), and it feels solid in hand. We like the blue border that continues to the phones rear face and the prominent speaker above the external display. Speaking of which, however, the external screen is not impressive. Tiny (96x32 pixels) and rectangular--no bigger than the display on the Sanyo VI-2300--it supports only 4-color, grayscale resolution. It shows the time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID (where available) but not the date. Immediately above the screen is a tiny service light that blinks during calls, but you can turn it off. The Samsung SPH-A580 has a simple, compact design. Inside the phone is the satisfying main display. Measuring 1.75 inches diagonally, it supports 65,000 colors (128x160 pixels) and is sufficiently bright and vibrant. You can change the contrast, the backlighting, the brightness, and the font size and color; as expected, its impossible to view in direct light. Below the display are the amply sized and tactile navigation controls. A four-way toggle surrounds a menu/OK button, and it doubles as a shortcut to four user-defined functions. Below it are two soft keys, a Back button, the Talk and End/power keys, and a dedicated speakerphone control--nice. The keypad buttons have an appealing design. Theyre large for a phone this size, and theres spaced well enough apart. Dialing by feel and in the dark is easy too, as the buttons are raised above the surface of the phone and brightly backlit. The individual numerals are also quite large. On the left spine are a large volume rocker and a covered headset jack. On the right spine, youll find a voice-command/dial control, while the charger port is on the bottom. The SPH-A580 supports a basic feature set, but the speakerphone and the voice-dialing features are welcome, and we always appreciate being able to activate the speakerphone before you make a call. The phone holds only 300 contacts, but each entry stores six phone numbers, an e-mail address, a Web address, and a birthday. You can assign callers to groups and pair them with one of 9 monophonic ring tones or 20 polyphonic ring tones. You can also pair contacts with a picture, but youll have to download them from Sprint since theres no camera or multimedia messaging. In any case, the images don't show up on the external display, so why bother? Other features include a vibrate mode, text messaging, a WAP 2.0 wireless browser, a scheduler, a task list, a countdown timer, one-minute voice recordings, a memo pad, an alarm clock, a calculator, a world clock, POP3 e-mail, and instant messaging (AOL, MSN, and Yahoo). As previously mentioned, the SPH-A580 is the first phone to support Sprints new wireless backup service. Each time you edit and save your phone book, your contacts will be saved to Sprints Web site. If you ever lose your phone, buy a new handset, or erase your phone book by mistake, you can go to Sprints site and edit your contacts. It will then send them to your new mobile. This is a nifty feature, but irritatingly, Sprint charges $2 a month to use it. Also, its not clear how many other Sprint phones will support wireless backup. You can personalize the SPH-A580 with a variety of screensavers, menu styles, alert sounds, and key tones, as well as a greeting. If you want more options or ring tones, youll have to buy them from Sprint. For entertainment, there a few trial offerings from Sprints Power Vision service, including MobiTV and a sale alert from Overstock.com. Keep in mind, though, that any Web browsing will be poky on a 1xRTT browser. You also get demo versions of three Java (J2ME) games: Tetris, World Poker, and Midnight Pool. If you want full titles, youll have to buy them. We tested the dual-band, trimode (CDMA 800/1900; AMPS 800) Samsung SPH-A580 in San Francisco using Sprints service. Audio quality was serviceable; it was obvious to callers we were using a cell phone, but we heard each other clearly most of the time. Volume on our end was loud and more than sufficient, and we encountered little signal interference. We had more trouble in noisy and windy environments, and speakerphone calls werent exceptional. The sound quality was patchy, with an echoing effect. The SPH-A580 has a rated talk time battery life of 3.5 hours. In our tests, we fell short of that rating by a half hour. According to FCC radiation tests, the Samsung SPH-A580 has a digital SAR rating of 0.67 watt per kilogram. Overall, the Samsung APH-A580 is a quality cell phone for those who just want to make calls. The wireless backup is an interesting touch, and though the speakerphone quality isnt the best, we can live with its shortcomings. ),
(1069,Samsung SGH-P300,Positives: The Samsung SGH-P300 offers Bluetooth, an MP3 player, and a megapixel camera in a compact, eye-catching package. Its a solid performer too. Negatives: The Samsung SGH-P300s button layout takes acclimation. Its also saddled by tinny music quality, unintuitive speakerphone access, little memory space, and patchy Bluetooth call quality. Facts: Like all other designcentric phones, the Samsung SGH-P300 is not for everyone, but its powerful features, admirable performance, and compact form factor give it a perverse appeal. , Although it looks a lot like a calculator youd get for free by opening a bank account, the Samsung SGH-P300 can do a lot more than just help you balance your checkbook. Sure, it has a calculator, but inside the small if somewhat plain package, youll also find a feature-rich GSM cell phone that delivers admirable performance. Granted, the SGH-P300s credit card-size form factor does have its drawbacks--the button layout is odd, theres no external memory slot, and audio quality fluctuates--but with Bluetooth, a megapixel camera, and an MP3 player, Samsung made a serious effort to cram as much as it could into this insanely tiny handset. The SGH-P300 wont be for everyone, and the lack of a supporting U.S. carrier will mean a high price (around $550 on Dynamism.com), but for the cell phone fanatic, it could dethrone the Motorola Razr as an it phone. You have to wonder exactly what Samsung was thinking when it designed the SGH-P300. In the ever-growing frenzy to shrink the cell phone, the company produced an eye-catching yet somewhat polarizing handset. On one hand, it is one of the smallest phones weve seen to date, and Samsung gets credit for not churning out another blatant Razr imitation, as it did with the Samsung MM-A900. Yet on the other hand, the resulting silver and black design is far from flashy, if not downright dull. Despite our gripes, however, the story here is the diminutive size, and its in that area where the SGH-P300 blows other phones out of the water. The lilliputian SGH-P300 is one of the smallest cell phones around. If you ever get your hands on the Samsung SGH-P300, a neat trick is to place it behind a standard credit card. Youll notice immediately that at 3.44 by 2.14 by 0.45 inches, the SGH-P300 disappears almost completely behind your plastic. But even more impressive, the phone is thinner than both the Motorola Slvr L6 and the Samsung SGH-T509. Youll have no trouble slipping it into a pocket, though you may find you have to fish around for it in a purse or a bag. Surprisingly, at 2.8 ounces, the SGH-P300 is heavier than it looks. Although thats still extremely light as cell phones go, it weighs a bit more than the trim SGH-T509. On the upside, however, the heft gives the SGH-P300 a sturdy feel, and it was relatively comfortable to hold in our hand while talking. Keep in mind, though, that its near impossible to cradle the phone between your ear and your shoulder.We were very impressed with the Samsung SGH-P300s sharp display. At 1.75 inches diagonally, its large for a phone of this size (it takes up almost half of the total area), and we thought the landscape orientation was a nice change. Also, it shows off its 262,000 colors and graphics beautifully. As with most Samsung phones, the display disappears in direct light, but it was great for scrolling through the attractive menus, viewing photos, and playing games. You can change the backlighting time, the brightness, and the font color, but you cant alter the font size.As with most slim phones, the Samsung SGH-P300s navigation controls and keypad come with a few quirks. The former group consists of a navigation toggle, two soft keys, a Clear button, the traditional Talk and End/power keys, and an OK/Web-browser shortcut control. You also get a dedicated button for activating the MP3 player. Now youre probably asking what we meant by quirks--trust us, theyre readily apparent on closer inspection. The navigation toggle works four ways, which means theres no OK button in the middle. Instead, your finger must trail over to the left soft key or just below it to the aforementioned OK/Web-browser shortcut button. Also, while it is raised above the surface of the phone, the toggle is a bit hard to manipulate; we struggled with it for more than a few minutes.The Samsung SGH-P300s keypad layout is strange as well. Although the raised keys are tactile, brightly backlit, and spaced far enough apart, both the star (*) and the pound (#) keys are located to the left of the numbered keys rather than below them. The 0 button was also moved to the right of the main keypad. We understand why Samsung made this choice, but the button layout does take some heavy acclimation. Our fingers kept moving to the bottom of the keypad to hit 0, but we got the hang of it eventually.Completing the outside of the Samsung SGH-P300 are a volume rocker on the left spine and a dedicated camera control on the right spine. Directly above the latter is the port for the charger and a headset. Of course, since they share the same port, you can use only one device at a time. Moreover, while the presence of Bluetooth will eliminate this problem for most users, the SGH-P300 uses a proprietary headset jack. As a result, most wired headsets wont be compatible with the phone, but fortunately, one is included. On the back of the handset is the camera lens and the flash but no self-portrait mirror. The SGH-P300 uses a unique but user-friendly battery-cover mechanism. A small slider control on the bottom of the phone actually locks the battery cover in place. Make sure you set the lock in the correct position, or the cover falls off easily. The SGH-P300 also comes with a nifty leather carrying case that flips open like a book; the bottom of the phone would form the spine. In a cool design touch, the case includes a small James Bond-like hole for taking pictures, and we like the fact that you can place calls when the phone is in the case, which makes the SGH-P300 even more comfortable to hold for long conversations. The case has a razor-thin extra battery that powers the phone if your primary power source runs out. When the phone is inserted, the charger juices up both batteries. The Samsung SGH-P300 has a generous and accessible feature set that should please most users. But first, well detail the basics. The phone book holds an impressive 1,000 contacts, with room in each entry for five phone numbers, an e-mail address, and notes; the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts. The SGH-P300 supports caller groups and photo caller ID, and you can pair contacts with one of 30 polyphonic (64-chord) ring tones or an MP3 file. Other essentials include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a calendar, a stopwatch, a timer, a calculator, a unit converter, an alarm clock, a world clock, and a WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Worker bees will get use out of the PC syncing for their contacts, their calendar, e-mail support, full Bluetooth, PC modem capability, and a speakerphone. The speakerphone could be more intuitive, though. While it can take up to three clicks to turn it on after youve made a call, only one click is needed to turn it off. Theres also a voice recorder that can record messages up to an hour in length. Alternatively, a multimedia-message setting will limit recordings to just a few minutes. The SGH-P300s camera has a flash but no self-portrait mirror. Multimedia options are impressive. The 1.3-megapixel camera takes pictures in four resolutions (1,280x1,024, 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120) and comes with four quality settings, a self-timer (3, 5, or 10 seconds), 30 fun frames, six image effects, and a flash. You can also utilize multishot or mosaic-shot functions, change the image orientation, and choose from five shutter sounds, plus a silent option. In all, the camera is feature rich and user-friendly, and we like the assortment of programmable sounds and shortcut buttons. Whats more, the 4X digital zoom is usable at all resolutions. However, since theres no mirror, self-portraits are tricky. Photo quality was decent, with distinct colors and sharp outlines. We liked the SGH-P300s photo quality. The Samsung SGH-P300s video camera films clips in 352x288, 320x240, or 176x144-pixel resolution with sound. Length is determined by how much of the phones 80MB of shared memory is available. Although we admit that 80MB generally is impressive for a cell phone, we would have liked to see a memory-card slot as well, particularly on such a mediacentric device. When youre done creating your work, you can save it to the phone, include it in a multimedia message, and transfer it either via Bluetooth or the included Samsung PC Studio 2 software and USB cable. And if you still want to do more with your photos, the functional software also comes with an image editor.The Samsung SGH-P300s MP3 player is similar to the minimalist but serviceable player found on the Samsung SGH-T809. The primary user interaction is done through the toggle, with a few other keys acting as shortcuts to different functions. The interface is pretty bare bones. Theres no album art, and only the track name scrolls across the top of the display. You can choose from three skin types, but theyre pretty much the same, consisting of an icon showing the toggles functions (which direction is Play and so forth) and a graphic that waves like a flag when music is playing. Its not ugly by any means, but users hoping for superior graphics will be disappointed. That said, the player comes with a number of functions, including playlists, repeat and shuffle modes, and four equalizer settings, as well as 3D sounds, which didnt seem to make much of a difference. We were pleased to see that getting music on the phone was pretty easy. In addition to transferring them from a PC with the USB cable and software, you can send them via Bluetooth or download them from the wireless Web browser (see Performance).You can personalize the Samsung SGH-P300 with a variety of wallpaper and skins. You can also turn on a service light to flash during calls, but its barely visible below the toggle. If you want more personalization options, ring tones, or other files, youll have to download them with the Web browser or transfer them from a PC. The SGH-P300 comes with two Java (J2ME) games (Bobby Carrot and Freekick), but you can always get more. We tested the triband (GSM 900/1800/1900; GPRS) Samsung SGH-P300 world phone in San Francisco using T-Mobiles service. Call quality was superior, with exceptional clarity and volume. We could understand our callers without any trouble in both noisy and quiet environments, and they reported the same admirable conditions on their end. We also had no trouble getting a signal, and we experienced little interference from other electronic devices. The phone did pick up some wind noise, but we were satisfied overall. Speakerphone calls were enjoyable, though callers did say they had more trouble understanding us. And as mentioned previously, we wish the speakerphone activation process were more intuitive. We paired the phone successfully with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset, but unfortunately, audio clarity wasnt as sharp. We had audible static on our end, and callers reported similar conditions. It didnt render calls indecipherable, but it was noticeable. Then again, it could be due to the headset.We also paired the Samsung SGH-P300 with the Sony Ericsson W600i, and we were able to transfer pictures back and forth without incident. For downloading music, we first installed the Samsung PC Studio 2 on our PC. Installation was easy and hassle-free, and the softwares interface is basic but attractive; plus, it was easy to use and understand. Transfer times over the USB cable were exceptionally slow, however. It took us just more than 3 minutes to download 40.2MB of music. Using T-Mobiles GPRS network, data speeds were speeds pretty poky. Its too bad the SGH_P300 doesnt support GPRS. Music quality was nothing impressive, but we werent expecting much form a tiny, monochrome speaker to begin with. Our tunes sounded especially tinny, and the volume, while fine for calls, was too low for music. Still, it does the trick for short spells; just don't buy the SGH-P300 and expect concert-hall acoustics.The Samsung SIGH-P300 has a rated talk time of 5.5 hours, which we beat in our tests by an extra hour. The promised standby time is 8.3 days. According to FCC radiation tests, the Samsung SGH-P300 has a digital SAR rating of 0.97 watts per kilogram. ),
(1070,Kyocera Switch Back (Strobe),Positives: The Kyocera Switch Back has a full QWERTY keyboard, multiple messaging options, a VGA camera, a speakerphone, voice dialing, and decent call quality. Negatives: The Kyocera Switch Back is bulky and has a cumbersome design. It suffers from poorly designed buttons and controls, as well as a tiny external display. Facts: We had some serious design complaints with the Kyocera Switch Back, but the QWERTY keyboard, youth-friendly features, and decent call quality should appeal to the text-crazed teenager. , Virgin Mobile gets another first with the Kyocera Switch Back. Although it initially seems like a normal if oddly shaped candy bar phone, a closer inspection reveals that it opens lengthwise to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. Perfect for text-crazed teens, the Switch Back (a.k.a. Strobe) offers a set of youth-friendly features, such as a VGA camera, Java support for gaming, instant and multimedia messaging, and a wireless Web browser. Add the prepaid Virgin Mobile service and a selection of exclusive MTV content, and you get a perfect match for kids and hipsters under 25. After all, its not often you get a keyboard on something other than a smart phone. The speakerphone and the voice dialing may tempt older consumers to take a look as well, but theyll likely be put off by the bulky design, the tiny external display, the minuscule keys, and the lack of higher-end features, such as Bluetooth. At $149, the Kyocera Switch Back is on the higher end of Virgins price scale, but its a fair cost for what you get. In order to accommodate the keyboard, the Kyocera Switch Back measures a bulky 4.25 by 2.05 by 0.95 inches and weighs 4.1 ounces. Although its thicker than the typical candy bar handset, its actually thinner than other keyboard-equipped phones, such as the LG F9200 and the LG VX9800. The Switch Back is thick and bulky. Whether the Kyocera Switch Backs heft is worth the additional functionality of the keyboard is a personal decision. Mad texters probably wont care, but we felt the design warranted some criticism. Overall, the dimensions give it a cumbersome feel, and it was uncomfortable to hold against our face during long conversations. Plus, the fact that the back half of the phone was thicker than the front half was disconcerting. Alternatively, you can make calls with the keyboard open, but because both the microphone and the inner speaker are on the bottom end of the phone, that felt even more uncomfortable. Things werent all bad, however. The hourglass shape is unusual but not unappealing, and we liked the looped antenna and the black color scheme with the silver accents. Whats more, the robust construction of the Switch Back should serve it well with its target demographic. From the antenna design to the large, sturdy hinge, this phone was built with wear and tear in mind. We would love for Kyocera to add rubberized edges, but we think the Switch Back will stand the test of time.Although the Kyocera Switch Backs external screen supports 65,000 colors, its low-resolution (128x128 pixels) and small size (1.2 inches diagonally) give it a washed-out and uninspiring effect. Its adequate for scrolling through the minimalist menus, but its almost useless for playing games, Web browsing, and viewing photos. The displays small size also means its not a great camera viewfinder; youre better off using the internal display (see below) to take photos. Finally, while the external screen shows the battery life, signal strength, the time, the date, and caller ID (where available), the font size is tiny and cannot be changed. You can, however, tweak the brightness, the contrast, and the backlighting time, but you cant alter the text size.We also had problems with the Kyocera Switch Backs navigation and keypad buttons, as the large hinge running down the phones left side and the hourglass shape forced designers to minimize the button size. Clearly, the controls were designed for teen-size fingers, but users with larger paws will have issues using the phone when the flip is closed. The navigation array consists of a five-way toggle with two soft keys, the Talk and End/power buttons, a Back key, and a dedicated speakerphone button. The toggle has preset shortcuts to the Virgin Mobile download store and Web browser, the text-messaging menu, your minute-balance menu, and the Recent Calls lists. The soft keys open the contacts list and the main menu, but none of the shortcuts are programmable. In the center of the toggle is an OK/camera-shutter button, but it has no use when the phone is in standby mode. Although all controls are relatively tactile and are raised above the surface of the phone, theyre on the small side, as previously stated.Its the same story with the keypad buttons. Theyre raised, which made it easier to dial by feel, but they are slick, small, and poorly spaced. It is nearly impossible to type in a phone number correctly the first time around. All the buttons are backlit blue and easy to read in dark conditions, at least for young eyes that can handle the small font on the keys. The left spine of the handset has two very small volume-toggle buttons, as well as a dedicated camera button. On the back of the phone, the camera lens is located at the top-left corner, which works well when the handset is shut, but because the phone is held horizontally when open, our fingers naturally rested right where the lens was located. There is also a small flash and an inaccurate mirror for self-portraits next to the lens. The power AC jack is on the bottom of the phone, and the headset jack--with a tight-fitting cover--is on the bottom right of the spine. The Switch Backs keypad is small but useful for quick texting. When open, the Kyocera Switch Back reveals a full QWERTY keyboard and an internal 65,000-color display. Although this display isnt vibrant either, its larger size (1.75 inches diagonally; 120x160 pixels) made it easier on the eyes. We much preferred to use it for all the phone functions, particularly for taking photos. The external screen automatically shuts off when the internal display is in use, but the phone hangs up a call or shuts off the camera (or any other function) when you open or close it--a great feature. To the left of the screen is a large speaker, and to the right is the Virgin Mobile emblem. The silver border makes a partial oval around the screen and emblem but cuts inside the speaker, adding to the unique design of the phone. The Switch Backs internal display isnt the best weve seen. While at first glance, the QWERTY keyboard appears impossibly small, we got used to the feel of the keyboard over time. Plus, the raised buttons are adequately spaced, which helped us type quickly and with minimal mistakes. With the keyboard, youll also find a second set of navigation and shortcut controls. On the top row of the keyboard from left to right, the Kyocera Switch Back has a dedicated camera button, a Talk key, two soft keys, an End/power button, and a dedicated speakerphone key. The five-way navigational toggle (with the same shortcuts) is centered between the letters, and theres a space bar underneath. The QWERTY keyboard is flanked on the left side, with a dedicated shortcut key to the messaging menu, a shift control, and a symbol button, while on the right are Back and enter keys. All controls are backlit blue. The phone opens not quite 180 degrees, but it was comfortable to hold in the hand while typing. Each of the 500 contacts on the Kyocera Switch Back stores up to six separate phone numbers, as well as two e-mail addresses, two Web site addresses, a physical address, and notes. You can assign contacts a picture and a ringer ID, and you can program numbers for speed and voice dialing. There are two preset caller groups, and we were able to create our own as well. The handset supports 32-chord polyphonic ring tones, but the Switch Back comes with only five overall--a skimpy number for a youth phone. The preloaded content on this handset is definitely demographic specific (including a tone that screams \"Hey baby, pick up your phone\"), and extra tones can run a hefty $2.50 each. Even worse, you cant preview tones before buying. The vibrate feature works only at the highest volume level or in silent mode. Strange, we know, but its true. The Switch Back also provides several alert settings for messages, pages, new voicemails, and missed calls. Theres a smart sound setting, which sets the call volume automatically based on surrounding noise, and a programmable minute alert that beeps 10 seconds before each call minute passes, which is a good feature to help teens keep track of their minutes.The Kyocera Switch Backs organizer features include a voice memo of up to 2 minutes; an event scheduler with day and month views; an alarm clock with three settings, plus a quick alarm; a tip calculator; a calculator; a timer; a single-setting stopwatch; and a flashlight. Although the speakerphone is a great addition, the actual one is located next to the internal display--an odd decision all around. As a result, its best to keep the phone open when making speakerphone calls.Text messaging includes options to send a message to up to 10 contacts at a time. We also had fun playing with the different emoticons and sending out the preloaded auto texts, such as \"Bite me,\" \"Kick-ass,\" and \"Busted.\" Also, we liked the fact that we were able to save our own autotexts for future use. Options for multimedia messaging were similar. We could send a picture message to 10 people at a time, create contact groups, preview the message after adding sounds and pictures, and label the message urgent. You get instant messaging as well, but Virgin Mobile must have struck a deal with AOL here, as you can access AIM only. Another odd note was that when we were using AIM, incoming calls went directly to voicemail. The Switch Backs camera comes with a flash and a self-portrait mirror. The Kyocera Switch Back has a VGA camera with flash; a 5X digital zoom; 640x480-, 320x240-, and 160x120-pixel resolution settings; a low-light mode; a 3-, 5-, or 10-second self-timer; a multishot setting; 10 shutter sounds but no silent option; four white-balance choices; four color-tone options; three quality settings; a brightness adjustment; and five (not so) fun frames. One frame has a butchers knife and lots of blood--gross.The Kyocera Switch Back has an impressive 256MB of shared memory. In our tests, we were able to store up to 90 pictures. Once you snap a photo, you can send it in a multimedia message, assign it to a contact for caller ID, use it as wallpaper or a screensaver, erase it, lock it, rename it, or upload it to your Virgin Mobile My Pix account. It would be more intuitive and save several steps if all options were available immediately after taking the picture, however. The picture quality is mediocre at best, and the images don't look any better when viewed on the aforementioned dull display. Theres no video capability, FM radio, or music composer on the Switch Back, though these options would be perfect for the teen demographic. The Switch Back has mediocre photo quality. The WAP 2.0 Web browser was poky, but the Virgin XL service offers a range of content that should appeal to the younger set. You can purchase additional ring tones, games, wallpaper, and screensavers, and you get exclusive content from MTV and Comedy Central. Be careful when buying, though, as prices can range up to $6 a game. Its all too easy to imagine a scenario in which a download shopping spree gets out of hand--see Virgin Mobiles Web site for a full explanation of charges. It sounds like options are plenty, but we thought the content was sparse overall. Moreover, some applications were problematic. Gaming applications crashed several times, forcing us to power down the phone. The Kyocera Switch Back comes with two Java (J2ME) demo games: Lemonade Tycoon and Tetris. We tested the triband, dual-mode (CDMA 800/1900; AMPS 800) Kyocera Switch Back in San Francisco on the Virgin Mobile network. The audio quality on calls was decent, with good clarity and volume. The speakerphone was especially nice; no one could tell when we used it in place of the normal calling mode. We did not note any interference with other electrical equipment, and the handset did not heat up when used for an extended period of time. The battery life of the Kyocera Switch Back is mediocre. Kyocera claims 3 hours of talk time, and we got 3.5 hours in our tests. The standby time was close to 5 days, compared with the promised time of 6.25 days. Using the Internet browser for games drained the battery quickly. According to FCC radiation tests, the Kyocera Switch Back has a digital SAR rating of 1.1 watts per kilogram. ),
(1071,Audiovox UTStarcom XV6700 (Verizon Wireless),Positives: The UTStarcom XV6700 features a full QWERTY keyboard under a slider design and includes Windows Mobile 5, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and EV-DO. The smart phone also has a 1.3-megapixel camera and a speakerphone. Negatives: Unfortunately, Verizon restricts the wireless radios on the UTStarcom XV6700, and call quality and talk time are subpar. Facts: The UTStarcom XV6700 for Verizon Wireless has all the makings of a powerful Windows Mobile smart phone, but its tripped up by wireless restrictions and mediocre performance. , Sprint scored in a big way when it landed the first Windows Mobile 5 smart phone, the Sprint PPC-6700. And while we liked the smart phone and gave it a rating of 7.0, you guys really liked it, giving the device an average user rating of 7.6. Well, now Verizon customers can join in on the fun with the UTStarcom XV6700. It sheds the all-silver coloring for a sleek black but boasts many of the same features found on the PPC-6700. Unfortunately, it suffers from the restrictions Verizon put on its wireless use and the so-so call quality. The XV6700 is available now for $299.99 with a two-year contract.As mentioned earlier, the UTStarcom XV6700 trades in the traditional silver casing for a sexy black exterior, but otherwise, it shares many of the same physical characteristics of the PPC-6700. At 5.2 by 2.3 by 1.0 inches and 6.5 ounces, the boxy smart phone isnt compact by any means. Itll make for a tight fit in a pants pocket, and ladies, youll want to make room in your purse. Unfortunately, unlike Sprint, Verizon doesnt include a belt holster with the device; instead, youll have to shell out $19.99 for that option. We did like the fact that the mobile features a rubberlike texture that makes it easy to grip, plus the phone has a solid construction.The UTStarcom XV6700s face is dominated by the 2.8-inch-diagonal screen. It displays 65,536 hues at a 320x240-pixel resolution that produces sharp images and text. Colors were bright, but they tended to wash out in direct sunlight. We also noticed that the screen had a tendency to hold smudges and fingerprints. Controls are kept fairly simple, with two soft keys, Start and OK buttons, the Talk and End keys, and a five-way navigation joystick found just below the display. The layout of the controls is a bit cramped but manageable, though like the Palm Treo 700w, it doesnt share the same ease of one-handed use. What lies beneath the XV6700s face is a spacious and well-backlit QWERTY keyboard. Another difference between the Palm Treo 700w and the UTStarcom XV6700 is the QWERTY keyboard. While the 700w has its keyboard built into the face of the device, the XV6700 hides its keyboard under a clever slider design--to expose it, just slide the devices face to the right. As with other models of this type, the sliding mechanism is a bit stiff, but the screen automatically adjusts from portrait mode to landscape mode. The individual buttons are fairly large and well spaced, and we had no problems firing off e-mails and text messages with it. In addition, the keys feature bright-blue backlighting, making it easy to type in darker environments.Theres an infrared port, a voice-record button, an Internet Explorer launch key, and a volume rocker on the left spine, and a lone camera-activation key is on the lower-right side of the phone. Speaking of the camera, the lens is located on the back of the device, along with a flash, a self-portrait mirror, and a macromode switch. Finally, a Mini SD-card expansion slot and a power button occupy the top of the XV6700, while the USB port, a reset hole, and a 2.5mm headphone jack are located on the bottom of the device. Verizon packages the XV6700 with a protective case, a wired headset, a desktop cradle, a USB cable, and an extra stylus. Load up a Mini SD card with your favorite tunes and videos and have some fun with this thing. Featurewise, the UTStarcom XV6700 looks great on paper, but its tripped up by some wireless limitations set forth by Verizon. The smart phone comes with integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and EV-DO cellular technologies, which is great, but unlike with the PPC-6700, you cant have Wi-Fi and the cell phone on at the same time. But don't despair; you can work around this by downloading a registry editor and making tweaks to the wireless manager. Its an annoying extra step, but at least you have that option. The good news is that we were able to hop on to our test access point with ease and were surfing the Web within a couple of minutes. Also, you can use Bluetooth for file transfers and synchronization with compatible PCs, not just for headsets and accessories. With its QWERTY keyboard, e-mail is obviously a big draw for the UTStarcom XV6700, and it doesnt disappoint. The smart phone gives you access to your Microsoft Outlook, POP3, and IMAP e-mail accounts, as well as Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. Microsofts Messaging and Security Feature Pack will bring push e-mail technology to the phone. You have the option of Verizons VZEmail solution for wireless-e-mailing syncing, and the phone supports text, multimedia, and instant messaging. As far as phone features, you get a speakerphone, speed dial, smart dial, a vibrate mode, and eight polyphonic ring tones. The Contacts list is also robust, offering you space for up to 12 numbers, various addresses (home, company, e-mail, and IM), notes, birthdays, and family information for each entry.The smart phone is powered by a 416MHz PXA270 Intel processor and comes with 64MB of RAM and 128MB of flash ROM. As a Windows Mobile 5 device, the UTStarcom XV6700 includes the full Mobile Office suite, including Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile. These are great apps for the mobile professional who needs access to such documents on the go. You also get a couple of extra utilities, such as a download agent and Zip for Pocket PC. However, we all know that work and no play makes for an unhappy camper, so Windows Media Player 10 Mobile is on board for your entertainment needs, as well as two standard games (BrickBreaker and Solitaire). The XV6700s 1.3-megapixel camera offers good picture quality. The UTStarcom XV6700 also has a 1.3-megapixel camera. You have the choice of shooting images in five sizes (160x120, 320x240, 640x480, 1,280x1,024, and 1,600x1,280) and four qualities (Superfine, Fine, Normal, and Basic). To enhance your photos, you can apply various ambience settings, including Daylight, Incandescent, Night, Sepia, and Cool. You get an 8X zoom; a 5- and 10-second self-timer; a time and date stamp; a picture counter; and the option to turn off the shutter sound. In addition, the camera can record videos with sound in three sizes (128x96, 176x144, and 320x240) and three formats (MPEG-4, Motion-JPEG AVI, or 3GPP2). Overall, picture quality was good, with crisp lines and bright colors. Video quality wasnt as sharp, though, with blurry action shots. However, weve come to expect these kinds of results with camera phones. The UTStarcom XV6700 offers some robust phone features, such as a speakerphone, speed dial, smart dialing, C12 numbers, various addresses (home, business, e-mail, and IM), birthdays, family information, and eight ring tones.We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900) UTStarcom XV6700 in San Francisco using Verizons network, and call quality was mixed. On our end, conversations were perfectly clear, but our callers said we sounded echoey, and they could definitely tell we were using a cell phone. Speakerphone quality wasnt much better. Callers had the same comments, and this time, we could also hear an echo. On the bright side, volume was more than adequate in both situations. We also had no problems pairing the phone with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset.The UTStarcom XV6700 has a rated battery talk time of 5 hours and a standby time of up to 8.3 days. In our tests, the XV6700 failed to meet the talk time, with the cell petering out after 4 hours. According to the FCC, the XV6700 has a digital SAR rating of 1.09 watts per kilogram. ),
(1072,Samsung SGH-T509,Positives: The Samsung SGH-T509 has an attractive design with user-friendly controls and a great display. It also has a solid feature set, including Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and support for EDGE. Negatives: The Samsung SGH-T509 feels fragile and suffers from mixed call quality. Facts: Though some performance issues make it far from perfect, the Samsung SGH-T509 is a step above the Motorola Slvr L6. , Ever since Motorola sparked a cell phone design revolution with its slim Razr handset, Samsung has been right behind it, producing thin models of its own. In December, the Samsung MM-A900 for Sprint emerged as a viable competitor to the Razr, and now the Korean giant has done it again with the new Samsung SGH-T509 for T-Mobile. Positioned as an alternative to the candy bar-style Slvr L6, the T509 is actually slightly thinner than the Moto phone (as Samsung is quick to point out) and offers a comparable feature package. The T509 is also a bit more attractive than the Slvr and features a better display and keypad. That said, we werent impressed with the variable sound quality and its overall durability. The phone will run $199 if you pay full price, but you can get it as low as $49 with service. When you have a phone that its manufacturer dubs the \"slimmest candy bar phone in the United States,\" you might wonder if the skinny cell phone craze has gotten out of hand. Without a doubt, slim handsets such as the Motorola Slvr are attractive, but we keep wondering if before long, well turn the latest thin handset on its side and it will disappear completely. In the meantime, however, the race to produce the slimmest phone has a new winner with the Samsung SGH-T509. At 5.6 by 1.8 by 0.4 inches, the T509 is taller than the Slvr L6, its main competitor, but its thinner, and at 2.7 ounces, its also lighter. Wearing basic cell phone silver, the T509 definitely sports a sleek, sexy look thats a bit more stylish than the Slvr L6. One of the biggest advantages the SGH-T509 has over the Slvr handset is the bright, vibrant TFT display (1.8 inches diagonally). Though it supports the same number of hues (65,536), the T509s screen has more pixels (176x220), which gives it none of the washed-out effect of the Slvr L6. The display is saturated with color, and the graphics are sharp and crisp. However, it is difficult to see in direct light. Plus, you can change the backlighting time and the brightness as well as alter the dialing font size, style, and color. The Samsung SGH-T509 has a slim, sexy look. Below the display are the spacious navigation controls. A four-way toggle is raised slightly above the surface of the phone, giving it a tactile, user-friendly feel. Unlike with other T-Mobile phones, pressing the center OK button in standby mode does not open the Web browser. Strangely, however, it doesnt open the main menu either--you must wait until youve navigated to the menu for the button to have any use. The toggle also acts as a shortcut to the phone book, the voice recorder, the camera, and text messaging, and the two large soft keys open the menu and the Web browser when in standby mode. None of the shortcuts can be changed. Rounding out the navigation array are the traditional Talk and End/power keys and a Clear button--another component lacking on the Slvr L6. The keypad buttons are also improved over the Motorola phones. Not only are they larger, they are also raised just above the surface of the phone, making it easier to dial by feel. The keys are amply backlit as well, so dialing in dim conditions shouldnt be problem.On the left spine is a volume rocker--yet another improvement over the Slvr L6--while a camera button and headset/charger port sit on the right spine. We like that the port has a sliding cover, but since its for both the charger and the headset, you can have only one plugged in at a time. On the back of the phone are the camera lens and a small mirror (but no flash). Were not fans of rear-facing speakers, but it didnt seem to affect the audio quality.One final note: we couldnt help but notice that the SGH-T509 felt flimsier overall than the Slvr L6. A couple of drop tests caused no nicks or marks, but when held in the hand and against our face during phone conversations, the T509 felt fragile and almost too light. We were also annoyed that due to three small ridges on the rear face of the phone (used for gripping the battery cover), the T509 did not rest completely flat on a surface. Like the Motorola Slvr L6, the Samsung SGH-T509 has a range of midtier features. You get Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and multiple messaging options, but don't expect too much in the way of multimedia offerings. But first, well cover the basics. The phone book holds a generous 1,000 contacts with room in each entry for five phone numbers and an e-mail address; the SIM card holds 250 more names. You can organize your contacts into caller groups, pair them with a picture, or assign them to one of 22 polyphonic ring tones. Other essentials include a vibrate mode, an alarm clock, a calculator, a world clock, a unit converter, a timer, and a stopwatch. Messaging options include support for text, multimedia, and instant messaging (AOL, Yahoo, MSN, and ICQ). Business features are limited, but there is full Bluetooth and a speakerphone. The speakerphone can be activated only after you make a call. The Samsung SGH-T509 has a camera lens and a mirror but no flash. Like the L6, the SGH-T509 has a low-resolution VGA camera. You can take pictures in four resolutions (640x480, 320x240, 176x132, and 128x96) and you get a good assortment of editing options. Theres a 4X zoom, a brightness control, seven color effects, spot focus, an ISO setting, 30 fun frames, a self-timer (3, 5, or 10 seconds), a multishot option, and a night mode. You can also flip a photo upside down or produce a mirror image. Sound effects are plentiful, with three shutter sounds and options for when you activate the brightness and zoom controls, or you can have no sound. Unfortunately, theres no silent shutter option. Finally, you can program the navigation controls and keypad buttons to act as shortcuts to various photo-editing options--a nice touch. The video camera takes clips in two resolutions (176x144 and 128x96) with sound. Clip length is short at just 15 seconds, but you get an assortment of editing options similar to the still cameras. Though the camera has a lot of features, image quality is about what youd expect from a VGA camera. Colors arent very sharp and images appeared grainy. Video quality also is choppy but serviceable for short clips. When finished with your work, you can save it to the phones impressive 70MB shared memory, include it in a multimedia message, or save it your online T-Mobile album. The SGH-T509 had average photo quality. You can personalize the SGH-T509 with a variety of wallpaper, color patterns, and sounds. If you want more options and more ring tones, you can download them from T-Mobile via the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Gamers get full versions of three Java (J2ME) game titles: Forgotten Warrior, Freekick, and Arch Angel. Theres also a demo version of Midnight Pool. We tested the triband, dual-mode (GSM 850/1800/1900; EDGE) Samsung SGH-T509 in San Francisco using T-Mobiles service. Call quality was generally good and a signal was readily available. Reception on our end was clear, though the phone picked up a fair amount of wind noise. Also, while the volume was fine for us, weve definitely used louder phones in the past, and on a couple of occasions, sound actually cut out for a split second. As such, users with hearing impairments should test the T509 before buying. On their end, callers said they could tell we were using a cell phone but reported they could understand us overall. They had more trouble in noisy conditions, such as when we were walking along a busy street, but it wasnt particularly bothersome they said. Speakerphone call quality was quite good and we could hear callers plainly even though the speaker faces the rear of the phone. Speakerphone calls werent as good, however. Though we had no trouble connecting to the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset, call quality diminished significantly. We noticed a fair amount of static and callers had trouble hearing us. That could be due to the headset, though.The SGH-T509 trumps the Motorola Slvr L6 by including support for GPRS and EDGE networks. We were glad to see the faster data speeds, particularly since T-Mobiles EDGE network is the fastest data coverage the carrier offers at the moment. Data speeds were around 90Kbps.The SGH-T509 has a rated talk time of 3.5 hours and a promised standby time of 7.2 days. In our tests, we beat the talk time by an hour and measured 5 days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Samsung SGH-T509 has a digital SAR rating of 0.74 watt per kilogram. ),
(1073,Motorola Slvr L6,Positives: The Motorola Slvr L6 has a slim, sexy design, Bluetooth, and quality performance. Negatives: The Motorola Slvr L6 has a low-resolution display and a poorly designed keypad. It also suffers from blurry picture quality and an average speakerphone. Plus, Cingular has deactivated some important features. Facts: If you can get it at a bargain price, the Motorola Slvr L6 is a solid option for users who want a functional phone with sexy looks, but true phone fanatics will be disappointed. Note: This product is part of the Motorola Slvr series. ., When its slim Razr flip phone rocketed to popularity last year, Motorola knew it was on to something, so its not surprise the company went to work on a candy bar version soon after. But rather than be satisfied with just one Slvr, as the resulting model came to be known, Motorola designed three that spanned the mobile spectrum. Cingular first introduced the higher-end model, the iTunes-equipped Motorola Slvr L7, in February, and it quickly became as popular as the Razr. And now Cingular rolls out the midtier version of the phone, the Slvr L6 (the low-tier Slvr L2 is a Cingular phone as well). Equally skinny but bearing a different coat and an improved Web browser, the L6 keeps the Bluetooth support, the speakerphone, and the VGA camera found in its sibling but ditches the iTunes compatibility, the MP3 player, and the TransFlash card slot. Also, while the phone is capable of supporting push-to-talk (PTT) services, Cingular has not activated the L6 for its PTT network. Overall, the L6 is an attractive and handy cell phone, but we werent impressed by the keypad design, the low-resolution screen, and the blurry photo quality. Available exclusively at RadioShack for Cingular, the Slvr L6 is way too expensive if you pay full price ($300), but service-plan rebates knock it down to a more respectable $100. Alternatively, unlocked versions average around $150. Theres no escaping it--the Motorola Slvr L6 is all about design. Though it largely resembles the L7 in shape, its marginally shorter and slimmer than its sibling, making it the skinniest handset weve reviewed thus far (4.4 by 1.9 by 0.43 inches). At 3.3 ounces, it also weighs slightly less than the L7, so you should have no trouble slipping it in a pocket or a bag. Keep in mind, however, that the small size has its drawbacks. Its difficult to feel the phone vibrate when its in your pocket, and it can be uncomfortable to hold the phone against your ear for long periods of time. The construction seemed mostly solid--we tried dropping the phone a few times--but as with the Razr, were worried about long-term durability. The Motorola Slvr L6 has a sleek style. We were disappointed that Motorola chose to downgrade the L6s display from 262,000 colors on the L7 to 65,536 colors, or 128x160 pixels. Though its large enough (1.75 inches diagonally), the difference in resolution on the display is clearly noticeable. Graphics had a washed-out effect, so the screen isnt the best for viewing photos, browsing the Web, or playing games. It was fine, however, for scrolling through the standard Motorola menus. You can change the backlighting time and the brightness, but you cant alter the contrast or the font size. Also, be warned that the glossy display shows finger smudges easily. The L6s navigation controls are nearly identical to those on the L7 save for some minor cosmetic changes. Theres a five-way toggle, two soft keys, the Talk and End/power buttons, and a dedicated menu control below the screen. Theres no dedicated Back button, which wed prefer, but the toggle can act as a shortcut to four user-defined functions. Also, hitting the center toggle in standby mode opens the Web browser automatically. The controls are large and easy to manipulate, and in a nice design touch, the toggle is raised ever so slightly above the surface of the phone. However, it was a different story with the keypad buttons. As on the L7 and the Razr models, the keypad buttons are completely flat against the surface of the phone, but instead of being metal, theyre a cheap-feeling plastic. The individual buttons are smaller and more scrunched together than on the L7. As a result, we had trouble dialing by feel. On the upside, the keys have a tactile feel due to raised numbers and ridges between the horizontal rows, and theyre brightly backlit. Completing the exterior of the phone are just two unmarked controls. On the left spine is a \"smart key\" that functions as a user-defined shortcut, while a camera button sits on the right spine just below the mini-USB charger port. In a bad move, Motorola decided to design the L6 without an external volume rocker. Its a bit annoying to have to remove the phone from your ear when on a call in order to change the volume. Finally, on the back of the phone are the camera lens (though no flash or self-portrait mirror) and the speaker. As we stated earlier, the Motorola Slvr L6 has a comfortable selection of midrange features. Casual cell phones users will appreciate the Bluetooth, speakerphone, and Motorola Screen3 technology, but more hard-core users will lament the lack of a music player and a high-resolution camera. Well review the essentials first, however. The 500-contact phone book is adequate, and theres room in each entry for six phone numbers, an e-mail address, a postal address, and a birth date; the SIM card holds an additional 250 names. You can assign contacts to caller groups, pair them with a picture for photo caller ID, or assign them any of 24 polyphonic ring tones. The phone also supports MP3 ring tones. Other basic features include a vibrate mode, a mini-USB port, a calculator, a date book, and an alarm clock. Messaging features are plentiful, with support for text, enhanced, and multimedia messaging. You also get instant messaging for AOL, Yahoo, and ICQ platforms. The Slvr L6 isnt a business phone by any means, but it has a couple of offerings that road warriors should find useful. Not only is there full Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and voice dialing, the Slvr L6 also supports PC syncing and e-mail. And as we said earlier, while the phone is capable of supporting PTT services, Cingular has not activated the L6 for its PTT network.Like the Motorola V557, the Slvr L6 features Motorolas Screen3 Web-browsing technology (see the V557 review for a full description), which greatly improves the WAP 2.0 browsing experience. The Slvr L6 lacks a flash or self-portrait mirror. Like the Slvr L7, the L6 has a VGA camera. Though we were disappointed it was on the L7, were more willing to accept a VGA camera on such a lower-tier phone. It takes pictures in 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120 resolution. On the upside, we liked the useful camera options. A meter keeps track of how much storage space is left, and theres a fair assortment of photo-editing features. You get a choice of six color tones and six lighting conditions, an adjustable brightness control, a 4X zoom, a 5- or 10-second autotimer, and a selection of five shutter sounds, as well as a silent option. The MPEG-4 video recorder takes clips with sound in two resolutions (176x144 and 128x96), and you can choose a lighting setting or color tone. Video length is limited to 30 seconds on clips meant for multimedia messages, but you can record longer videos depending on how much space is available in the phones 10MB of shared memory. Photos and video were below par even for a VGA camera; objects were fuzzy, colors were washed out, and videos appeared blocky and blurry. The Motorola Slvr L6 has below-average photo quality. You can personalize the Slvr L6 with a variety of wallpaper, menu styles, color schemes, screensavers, and alert tones. As always, you can buy more options from Cingular if you want them. You can also get more ring tones via download. Gamers get demo versions of three Java (J2ME) titles: Tetris, Texas Hold em, and BlockBreaker Deluxe. We know demos are the norm these days, but youd think wed get at least one full game. We tested the triband, dual-mode (GSM 850/1800/1900; GPRS) Motorola Slvr L6 in San Francisco using Cingular service. Call quality was generally good, with sharp reception and loud volume. Occasionally, we could hear a background hiss, but it wasnt too bothersome. Callers said they could tell we were using a cell phone but reported no significant problems. We encountered more problems when using the speakerphone. Though we could hear callers plainly, they had trouble understanding us clearly at times. We had no trouble connecting the Slvr L7 to the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset for acceptable call quality. While the unlocked Slvr L6 is a quad-band world phone (GSM 850.1900/1800/1900), Cingular removed the 900 band in its version. Its a disappointing change, to say the least, as globe-trotters wont get the best coverage worldwide with this phone. Also, the GPRS data speeds mean downloads are pretty poky at 30Kbps to 40Kbps. The Motorola Slvr L6 has a rated talk time of 5.15 hours and a promised standby time of 15.5 days. In our tests, we beat the talk time by an hour and got 8 days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Slvr L6 has a digital SAR rating of 1.58 watts per kilogram. ),
(1074,Motorola i920, , As more businesses prohibit the use of camera-equipped cell phones and smart phones on work premises, mobile professionals are finding themselves in a bit of a conundrum. Most higher-end and smart phones do include cameras, so some users are finding that their choice in handsets is limited. Fortunately, for fans of the Nextel i930, which was the first Windows Mobile smart phone to support Nextels iDen network, you can now get a cameraless version with the Nextel i920 by Motorola. The i920 offers many of the same great features of its sibling, such as dual-band GSM roaming, Direct Connect walkie-talkie services, and more. Unfortunately, it also suffers from the same drawbacks--that is, no Bluetooth and a clunky design. The Nextel i920 is available now at $324.99. For more information about the Nextel i920, please read our full review of the Nextel i930 by Motorola. ),
(1075,Sony Ericsson W810i,Positives: The Sony Ericsson W810i is augmented by an attractive design; an improved keypad; great music quality; and a generous range of exceptional features, including Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, a memory card slot, and a speakerphone. Negatives: The Sony Ericsson W810i suffers from staticky call quality and glitchy music transfer software. Also, it lacks a Bluetooth stereo profile, and the integrated memory is limited to 20MB. Facts: Sony Ericsson succeeds again with its third Walkman phone for the U.S. market, but the W810i brings only minor improvements over earlier models. , Over the past couple of years, Sony Ericsson has been something of an enigma in the cell phone world. Not only has it introduced far fewer phones into the U.S market than many of its rivals, but it doesnt let the absence of a carrier sway it from rolling out new models. More important, the company has shunned the industrys major trend--skinny phones--in favor of high-featured, well-performing models. Both the Sony Ericsson W800i and W600i fit this bill, and the company now introduces America to its third Walkman phone, the W810i. Encased in an eye-catching black, the W810i offers all its predecessors high-end, powerful features, such as a high-resolution camera, Bluetooth, and a media player, while making a number of design changes. Overall, its a quality phone despite some minor performance issues, but its not a huge upgrade over the W800i. Cingular now offers the W810i for a very reasonable $149 with service. Last year, Sony Ericsson definitely had orange on the brain. Both its W800i and W600i Walkman phones came in orange skins (granted, you could replace the faceplates on the W600i), as did the Walkman music player interface. For the Sony Ericsson W810i, however, the company took a slightly different track and dressed the phone in basic black. Sure, the Walkman interface is still the color of the Florida-grown citrus fruit, but the black exterior provides a nice contrast. At 3.9 by 1.8 by 0.8 inches and 3.5 ounces, its exactly the same size as the W800i, and it retains the solid, comfortable feel in the hand. Surpassing many other cell phones in quality, the rich, vibrant displaysupports 262,144 colors and measures 1.8 inches diagonally (176x220 pixels). Its fantastic for scrolling through the menus, viewing pictures and videos, and playing games, but its harder to see in direct light, and it goes completely dark when the backlighting is off. Unfortunately, you cant change the backlighting time or the text size.The Sony Ericsson W810i wears an appealing black color scheme.For the navigation keys, the W810i takes a different design approach than it did with the W800i and W600i. Besides scrolling through the attractive, user-friendly menus (available in four styles), the sliver, circular navigation toggle serves as a shortcut to four user-defined functions in standby mode. Also, when in Walkman mode, the toggle acts as your tool for scanning through your music list. In the middle of the toggle is a raised OK button that resembles a tiny joystick. In addition to opening the main menu, the OK button is the play/pause control for the music player. Overall, both controls are tactile and easy to use, and we like that theyre raised above the surface of the phone. On the downside, however, theyre a bit small, especially for users with larger mitts.On either side of the toggle are two soft keys, a Clear button, and a Back key. In standby mode, the soft keys open the main menu and the Recent Calls list. Theyre stiff to the touch, however, and it should be noted they double as the Talk/End controls. Sony Ericsson tends to forgo dedicated Talk/End keys; its not our favorite arrangement, but you get used to it. The final two buttons are an orange Walkman key that turns the media player on and off and a silver control for opening a user-programmed shortcuts menu. In all, the generous shortcut options are welcome.Weve knocked Sony Ericsson in the past for its poorly designed keypads, but were happy to report that the company got it just about right this time around. Instead of recessed or flat buttons, the W810is keypad is raised above the surface of the phone, making it easy to dial by feel. The keys are spacious, and our only real complaint is that the orange backlighting was rather dim.Completing the outside of the phone are a music player button and a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot on the left spine, a camera control and a volume/camera zoom toggle on the right spine, and a dedicated power button and the infrared port on top. On the bottom of the phone is the port for both the charger and the headset, which means you cant connect two peripherals at the same time. The camera lens, flash, and self-portrait mirror are on the back of the phone just above three round speakers. As with the W800i, you can hold the W810i much like a real camera to take a picture. Like other Walkman phones, the Sony Ericsson W810i is packed with features that will appeal to multimedia mavens, but well get the basics out of the way first. The phone book holds an impressive 1,000 contacts with room in each entry for five phone numbers; work title and company name; a birth date; additional notes; and e-mail, Web, work, and home addresses. You can save 250 more names to the SIM card. You can assign contacts to a caller group and pair them with a picture or one of 23 polyphonic (40-chord) ring tones for caller ID purposes. A vibrate mode, conference calling, voice dialing, and a speakerphone (usable only after you make a call) round out the calling options. Organizer features include an alarm clock, a calendar, a task list, a notepad, a calculator, a timer, a stopwatch, and a code memo for storing passwords and other secure information. And for the aspiring Linda Tripp, theres a recorder for both voice memos and calls; length is limited by available memory. Finally, as with the Sony Ericsson W600i, the camera flash doubles as a tiny flashlight. Though its not suitable for finding your way through the woods at night, its bright enough to help you find your keys in a dark room. Alternatively, you can set it to blink rapidly in SOS mode.Business users shouldnt be disappointed with the W810s offerings. Inside, youll find full Bluetooth for headsets and data transfers, an infrared port, text and multimedia messaging, e-mail support, USB cable support for data transfers, and PC syncing for contacts and other files. In addition to sending files or connecting to a headset, you can use the Bluetooth feature as a remote control to connect with another Bluetooth devices. An unusual twist, theres a newsreader for access to newsfeeds from around the world. Access to BBC World News and Wired News came with the phone, but you van download more feeds if you want them. The W180i also makes it easy to pass on your contact information by allowing you to beam an electronic business card with your vital data to a contact.Music, of course, is the primary attraction on the W810i, and the players features, controls, and interface are the same as on other Walkman phones, but they take a little acclimation. Opening the player takes you directly to the main menu, where you can organize music by artist, track name, or playlist. Settings include album/song shuffle and loop, Sonys Mega Bass, an equalizer, and stereo widening. Switching between the cell phone and the music player is seamless, as music automatically stops when you receive a call. Hang up and press the dedicated music key, and your song picks up from the point you left off. Theres an airplane mode that lets you listen to your tunes in flight with the cell phone turned off, and you can minimize the player while using other functions. Again, you must download music from a PC with the included USB cable and Disc2Phone software, and the W810i doesnt support Bluetooth stereo profiles; Sony Ericsson says it will resolve the latter gripe, however, in near future models, so stay tuned.The W810s full-featured camera sits just above the speakers.Music capacity is limited by the available memory, but internal space is just 20MB--skimpier than we would have liked for a media phone and less than both the W600i and the W800i. And keep in mind, its shared with other applications, so your actual storage space may be less. We recommend investing in a Memory Stick for extra space. Our test phone came with a 512MB card, but the slot can accommodate the newer 4GB Memory Sticks. Whats more, we liked that you could see separate lists for files saved to the phone and the memory card. Fortunately, you can set tracks as ring tones. You can send tunes via e-mail, multimedia message, Bluetooth, or infrared port. You also get an FM radio with 20 presets, though you must use it with a headset (which acts as an antenna). You can set it to automatically scan and program Radio Data System info from stations that digitally broadcast their names and call letters, and you can use the radio as an alarm clock.We liked the W810s image quality.Though it has a 2-megapixel camera, the W810i takes pictures in just three sizes: 1,632x1,224, 640x480, and 160x120. As with the W800i, we expected more choices. That said, other options are plentiful. There are Normal, Panoramic, Frames, and Burst shoot modes; a 4X digital zoom; autofocus; a macro setting for close-up shots; night mode; a flash; a time-and-date stamp; a self-timer; Black and White, Negative, Sepia, and Solarize picture effects; white-balance settings; Normal and Fine picture-quality modes; and four shutter sounds, though no silent option. We especially liked that you can use the zoom at the highest resolution.The MPEG-4 video recorder takes clips with sound to any length that the available RAM will permit. Theres a choice of two resolutions--176x144 and 128x96--and editing features similar to the still cameras. To further channel your inner artist, activate the W810is Photo DJ, where you can add one of six fun frames; rotate the shots orientation; and use various image effects such as brightness, contrast, tint control, and photo marking. Theres also a Video DJ, and if that doesnt satisfy, there are more picture, video, and multimedia editing options on the software CD, including QuickTime and Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition. When finished with your shots, you can save them to the phone or send them to friends. Photo quality was quite good for a camera phone, with sharp colors and little of the blurriness that we usually encounter. Videos, on the other hand, were choppy and pixelated.You can personalize the W810i with a variety of themes, wallpaper, and screensavers. As always, you can purchase more options and ring tones from Sony Ericsson via the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Alternatively, the phone comes with a Music DJ application for composing your own ring tones. Gamers can enjoy two Java (J2ME) titles, QuadraPop and JC Does Texas, with additional titles available for purchase. We were disappointed, though, that the W810i lacks the gaming controls found on the W600i. We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) Sony Ericsson W810i world phone in San Francisco using the Cingular network. Overall call quality was satisfactory, but we noticed static and patchiness on more than one occasion. While the random fade-outs didnt last more than a second or two and could be related to the network, the phones audio performance didnt quite measure up to that of its Walkman phone brethren. On their end, callers didnt report problems, but they could tell we were using a cell phone. On the upside, however, there was plenty of volume.Speakerphone calls were about the same, with a slight echo effect, but the volume level was surprisingly loud, even when the speaker sat face down on a table. We successfully paired the W810i with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset for acceptable audio quality. We also used Bluetooth to connect to the Sony Ericsson W600i and easily passed photos between the two handsets. The EDGE connection was sufficiently speedy for transferring small files, but game downloads took a couple of minutes.Using the included Disc2Phone software and USB cable (which also charges the phone), we tried loading 40.4MB of music on to our W810i. Transfer time was relatively slow at 3 minutes, 20 seconds for the entire selection, so youll be in for a wait if youre trying to move your entire music library. Moreover, while the software was easy to set up and had a simple interface, it wasnt without its quirks. For instance, when exiting the software after transferring some music, the W810i didnt recognize that the USB transfer was no longer active. And when we disconnected the USB cable, the phone froze for a few seconds. On the PC side, it prompted us for a driver every time we plugged in the phone. Though we didnt need to reinstall the software with each use, it was a bit annoying. Criticisms aside, music quality was on a par with that of other Walkman phones: clear and crisp, though one transferred song had some very minor hiccups. The W810i wont replace a stand-alone MP3 player, but it does the job admirably for short stints.The Sony Ericsson W810i has a rated talk time of eight hours and a promised standby time of 14.6 days. In our tests, however, we got a little more than six hours of talk-time battery life and 12 days of standby time. According to the FCC, the W810i has a digital SAR rating of 1.04 watts per kilogram. ),
(1076,RIM BlackBerry 8700g,Positives: The RIM BlackBerry 8700g offers easy e-mail setup and adds support for popular instant-messaging clients. The quad-band 8700g also comes with an Intel processor, EDGE speeds, Bluetooth 2.0, a speakerphone, and a full QWERTY keyboard. Negatives: The BlackBerry 8700gs keyboard feels a bit cheap and slippery. Also, there are no expansion options, and we encountered some problems viewing PDFs on the device. Facts: The RIM BlackBerry 8700g offers T-Mobile consumer and business users a robust, user-friendly messaging device and cell phone with great performance. , Ever since the Research in Motion-vs.-NTP battle escalated, we havent heard too much from RIM in terms of product announcements--until now. Along with T-Mobile, RIM introduced the BlackBerry 8700g at CTIA this year, replacing the BlackBerry 7290 and sprucing up T-Mobiles smart-phone lineup. Like its cousin, the BlackBerry 8700c for Cingular, the BlackBerry 8700g offers users a next-gen device with a full QWERTY keyboard, and it comes with an Intel processor and EDGE speeds for faster performance. In addition to support for Bluetooth 2.0 and up to 10 corporate or personal e-mail accounts, the 8700g offers some extras that make it more consumer-friendly and easier to use right out of the box than the 8700c. Overall, the device delivers on all fronts: as a phone, an e-mail machine, and a handheld. The RIM BlackBerry 8700g will cost $299.99 with a two-year contract (or $349.99 with a one-year contract) and will be available on April 17. Unlike the RIM BlackBerry 7290 it replaces, the RIM BlackBerry 8700g offers a sleeker and more compact package at 4.3 by 2.7 by 0.7 inches and 4.7 ounces. Sure, it doesnt have the cell phone form factor of the BlackBerry 7100 series, and if youre new to BlackBerrys, the devices squarish shape will take acclimation, but in return, you get a full QWERTY keyboard and a spacious 2.5-inch-diagonal QVGA display. While were on the subject, the BlackBerry 8700gs screen is gorgeous. It displays 65,000 hues with a 320x240-pixel resolution--a vast improvement over the BlackBerry 7290. Colors are vibrant, with sharp, clearly defined images and text. Its great for navigating the intuitive menu or for viewing Web pages and images. The display also features a light-sensing technology that automatically adjusts for your environment, depending on whether youre indoors, outdoors, or in the dark. We put it to the test, and were happy to report that the screen was always readable. You can also adjust the backlights brightness and time-out settings, as well as font size and type, all through the Options menu. A small LED above the screen flashes different colors to alert you to various messages: green for network activity, red for message notification, yellow for low battery, and blue for Bluetooth connectivity. Like the latest crop of BlackBerrys, the 8700g features Send and End keys for more of a cell phone-like experience.Below the display, youll notice the 35-button QWERTY keyboard along with the new Send/End and soft keys also found on recent BlackBerrys. The center soft key, or the front convenience key as RIM calls it, can be programmed to launch any application, as can the side convenience key on the left spine. The keyboard itself is fairly spacious, and we had no problems firing off quick e-mails and text messages. Yet, while they are well backlit, we didnt enjoy the slippery and plasticky feel of the keys. Aside from the aforementioned side convenience key, theres a USB port and a headset jack on the left side, while the familiar track wheel and Escape button are on the right. As with the BlackBerry 8700c, you can toggle between different applications by pressing the Alt button on the keyboard, then Escape. Rounding out the BlackBerry 8700gs chassis are power and mute buttons on top, as well as the speakerphone on the mobiles backside. RIM packages the 8700g with a healthy set of accessories, including a wired headset, a belt holster, a USB cable, an AC adapter, and a travel charger. The RIM BlackBerry 8700g shares many features with its cousin, the BlackBerry 8700c, but it offers new tricks that should attract more consumers. Well discuss some of the similarities first. The 8700g takes advantage of the same 312MHz PXA901 Intel processor for enhanced performance, and it supports T-Mobiles EDGE network for faster Web browsing and download times. As a phone, the address book is limited only by the available memory, which tops out at 64MB of flash memory and 16MB of SDRAM; the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts. For each entry, you can store up to eight numbers, work and home addresses, e-mail and Web addresses, company information, and notes. In addition, you can assign them to a group category: business or personal. You get 35 polyphonic ring tones with support for MP3s, a vibrate mode, conference calling, speed dialing, call forwarding, and a speakerphone. For wireless headsets, car kits, and desktop connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 is onboard as well. As a quad-band phone, the 8700g can be used overseas. In addition to Bluetooth 2.0, the RIM BlackBerry 8700g offers a speakerphone for hands-free calling. The differences between the 8700g and the 8700c center mostly on the e-mail and messaging departments. The smart phone can still sync with your companys BlackBerry, Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, or Novell GroupWise server to deliver corporate e-mail in real time, and it continues to support up to 10 personal/business POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail accounts. However, the 8700g makes it easier to set up e-mail accounts right out of the box, thanks to the BlackBerry Internet E-mail service. A utility on the device, aptly named Set Up Internet E-mail, guides you through the whole process, and it doesnt involve much more than inputting your e-mail address and password. We used it to add our Yahoo account, and it was a snap--decidedly easier than with the 8700c. We received messages in our in-box after about 20 minutes. Also, e-mails sent and received from personal e-mail accounts are now reflected in the source account. In other words, if you use the 8700g to send a message from your Comcast account, the message will also be in your Sent folder when you log on from your PC; you also have the option to delete messages on your handheld or on your handheld and in-box. And theres some extra good news for Yahoo users--thanks to RIMs expanding partnership with Yahoo, you can now enjoy the joys of push technology and receive your Yahoo mail in real time.The proprietary instant-messaging client was one of our consistent complaints of past BlackBerry models, but that ends with the 8700g. Were glad to see RIM add support for popular IM apps, such as Yahoo, ICQ, AOL, and MSN. Google Talk is also available for download, and the 8700g supports text and multimedia messaging as well. Of course, to get work done, on-the-go mobile professionals may need more functionality than e-mail, so the BlackBerry 8700gs attachment viewer opens popular file formats, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect, PDF, JPEG, GIF, and more. You can also see tracked changes and embedded images, as well as zoom and rotate documents. We had no problems viewing several Word and Excel documents; however, the PDF file gave our device some problems, as formatting was lost and the full document didnt load. Other applications on the 8700g include a calendar, a Web browser, a tasks list, a memo pad, an alarm, and a calculator. There is no audio or video player, and games are restricted to one title (BrickBreaker). Alternatively, more titles, as well as ring tones and wallpaper, are available through T-Mobiles T-zones. We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) RIM BlackBerry 8700g in San Francisco using T-Mobile service, and overall, call quality was good. There were occasions that our callers sounded somewhat garbled, but for the most part, conversations were clear and volume was adequate. Though callers said they could tell we were using a cell phone, they had no problems hearing us. The speakerphone was also excellent, performing just as well as the regular phone, if not better. We had no problems pairing the 8700g with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset, and though audio quality diminished a bit, this may have to do more with the headset than the phone itself.The Web browsing experience was decent. The EDGE support helped with faster speeds, although graphics-intensive sites took a bit longer to download. As with all handhelds and smart phones, viewing Web pages on such a device takes some getting used to and requires quite a bit of scrolling.The BlackBerry 8700g is rated for 4 hours of talk time and up to 16 days of standby time. In our tests, the 8700g battery lasted for an impressive 7 hours of talk time. ),
(1077,Sanyo MM-7500,Positives: The Sanyo MM-7500 has quality performance; support for Sprints 3G EV-DO network; a 1.3-megapixel camera with a flash; a speakerphone; and a rugged design. Negatives: The Sanyo MM-7500 suffers from a poor media-player design, a lack of Bluetooth, and an expandable memory card slot; plus, there are no external multimedia controls. Facts: The Sanyo MM-7500 eclipses the competing Sanyo MM-9000 in look and feel, but when you cut to the chase, it does not deliver the features necessary for a complete multimedia experience in Sprints newest EV-DO network offering. , Although it takes advantage of Sprints high-end 3G EV-DO network, the Sanyo MM-7500 borrows its design cues from the lower-end Sanyo RL7300 and the MM-7400. Integrating a rugged exterior with a standard flip-phone design, the MM-7500 includes access to Sprints latest multimedia services, a 1.3-megapixel camera, video capture and playback, and a digital music player. Yet, when compared to Sprints other 3G phones, the handset lacks such important elements as an expandable memory slot, external media buttons, a high-quality QVGA screen, and Bluetooth. As a result, its a less desirable choice for those intending to use Sprints live and downloadable services. The MM-7500 comes at a hefty $299, but you should be able to find it for less with service. With a strong, masculine appearance, the Sanyo MM-7500 flip phone is definitely a guys mobile. The textured rubber trim on the front and the side of the flip is eye-catching and should protect the handset from minor falls. Its no Nextel phone, but its rugged and durable nonetheless. You get a choice of changeable faceplates that contrast nicely with the gray exterior. We like blue the best, but you also get silver and red. The MM-7500 measures a thick 3.4 by 1.9 by 1.1 inches, but its surprisingly light, weighing only 4 ounces, so its comfortable to hold while talking. The size of the phone, however, makes it difficult to fit into a pocket, and its a tad large for a belt clip. The antenna is external and extendable, but its flimsy when pulled out. The Sanyo MM-7500 has a durable design.For accommodating the huge speakerphone directly above it, the Sanyo MM-7500s 260,000-color, 96x64-pixel, postage-stamp-size external display is on the small side. Still, it shows all the information you need, including battery life, signal strength, the time, the date, and other status indicators. It supports photo caller ID and acts as a viewfinder for self-portraits. The camera lens and the flash are well placed at the top middle of the front flap. We lamented, however, the lack of multimedia controls, which make for easy use of the digital music player when the flap is closed.The Sanyo MM-7500s internal display measures 1.8 inches diagonally (176x220 pixels) and supports 260,000 colors. Although nice enough, its a big step down from the 2-inch QVGA display on the Sanyo MM-9000. Its easily readable in dark and light conditions, and gameplay is clear and enjoyable, but its not that excellent for streaming video or playback. The MM-7500 could have accommodated a larger screen, given its overall size. You can set the backlight time and change the font size. The gray interior of the Sanyo MM-7500 is attractive and keeps with the industrial feel of the phone. The five-way navigational toggle is nicely sized and has nonprogrammable shortcuts for On Demand, music and messaging menus, and the phone book. The top soft keys access the Favorites menu and your contacts when in standby mode. Finally, the dedicated camera button is located just below the soft keys, across from the Back button. The keypad buttons are small and too flat, but theyre nicely separated. All controls are backlit in blue and easy to read in dark conditions. The right spine of the Sanyo MM-7500 has a key-guard button at the top, which acts as the voice-command menu when the phone is closed and answers incoming calls. Just below is a key that operates the camera, the voice-memo recorder, and the camcorder. On the left side of the phone, the top button activates the Ready Link menu, a two-way walkie-talkie service proprietary to Sprint. The volume rocker is located on the lower-left side and operates the volume, as well as allows you to scroll through other menu options when the flip is closed. When held down, the volume rocker also activates the blinding LED light, which is turned off by the top buttons on either side of the spine. Completing the exterior of the phone are a covered headset jack on the left spine, as well as an accessories connector port and a charger jack on the handsets bottom.As with the Sanyo MM-9000, we are baffled as to why--with the multitude of options assigned to the exterior buttons on the MM-7500--it has no dedicated MP3 player buttons. While you can turn the volume up and down and go to the next song when in the player, you cant launch the music-player application or fast-forward, rewind, stop, or scroll through your songs. If Sanyo wants to compete with other multimedia phones, it must remedy this. The Sanyo MM-7500 holds 500 unique contact names, with up to 700 total phone numbers, 500 e-mail addresses, and 500 Web addresses. You can organize contacts into caller groups, assign them one of 17 polyphonic (72-chord) ring tones, and pair them with a picture for photo or video caller ID. As a bonus, the ringer can be set to announce the name. Other organizer features include an alarm clock; a calendar; a to-do list; a countdown timer; a stopwatch with five lap times; a world clock; and a calculator. A voice-memo recorder records up to 18 seconds or 12 recordings for a total time of 72 seconds. The Sanyo MM-7500 has a vibrate mode, a speakerphone, text and multimedia messaging, and voice messaging (for leaving a voicemail without the callers phone ringing). Theres support for Sprints PCS Ready Link push-to-talk service, with storage for 200 contacts. Voice-activated dialing without necessary training, including commands such as Dial Number, Find Contact, Go to Menu, and Call Voice Tag, all worked well. The two major issues we have with the features, or lack thereof, are the absence of an expandable memory slot and Bluetooth. Both should be basic requirements for a 3G mobile--fortunately, however, they are available on other Sprint EV-DO phones.As a 3G EV-DO phone, the Sanyo MM-7500 supports live radio, live streaming TV, downloadable music, and video clips, all through Sprints Power Vision and Sprint Music Store services. The media player itself supports a variety of file types (MIDI, AAC, AAC+, and MP3), but we werent crazy about its interface, and we would have liked more functionality, such as the ability to fast-forward and rewind within a song. The MM-7500 has a camera lens and a flash.The Sanyo MM-7500s 1.3-megapixel camera has resolutions of 1,280x960, 640x480, and 320x240, with three separate quality selections (Fine, Normal, and Economy). The camera also features a digital zoom; a 5- to 10-second self-timer; four fun frames; a flash; seven color filters; a brightness control; white balance with four settings; and three shutter sounds. The phones internal 70MB of memory holds up to 145 high-resolution pictures or more than 1,500 at the lowest resolution. Once you take a photo, you can attach a 10-second voice memo to the picture and send it to a phone number, an e-mail address, or the Sprint server, as well as assign a picture as a screensaver or a picture ID. The MM-7500 supports PNG, JPEG, BMP, and WBMP images. Pictures are sharp and clear, with distinct colors. The Sanyo MM-7500 has good photo quality for a camera phone.The Sanyo MM-7500 also has a decent camcorder with a number of options that optimize it for every situation. When using the highest-quality setting (176x1,440), you can take only a 15-second video. The longer 30-second videos at the lower setting (128x96) werent nearly as nice-looking. The MM-7500 supports MPEG-4, 3GPP2, and 3GPP formats. Features include programmable cue sounds and storage of up to 135 clips; six video modes, including Soft Focus and Night; a digital zoom; and editing options similar to the still cameras.You can customize the Sanyo MM-7500s external- and internal-display color settings, wallpaper, screensavers, and animations. We were able to set 10 shortcut keys using the Favorites list for easy access to our favorite features. The MM-7500 also has a call-screening option, which allowed us to use a prerecorded message, a custom name, or a custom 12-second announcement. If you want more of these options, you can download them through the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. You get six Java (J2ME) games. We tested the dual-band, dual-mode (CDMA 800/900; EV-DO) Sanyo MM-7500 on the Sprint network in San Francisco. Reception was excellent, with no dropped calls, and callers didnt report any problems either. At first, voice quality varied from sounding exceptionally loud and clear to muffled and hollow, depending on how we held the phone, but these concerns eased the more we used it. The external speaker distorts somewhat at the higher volume levels but is impressive for a handset speaker. Even the background noise and the clipping usually associated with the speakerphone remained at a minimum. The MM-7500 also comes with a decent headset.The Sanyo MM-7500 didnt warm up when using the media services for viewing video, but a 30-minute conversation caused noticeable heat. Sound quality did not decline when we used the phone for extended periods of time, and we didnt get any interference from car or computer speakers. As a full multimedia solution, the Sanyo MM-7500s performance is certainly in question. While the download and connection speeds are quick, we wish the playback times on the music player were quicker. Also, the songs load so slowly that they require a progress bar, which covers the name of the song. As a result, you cant see the name of the song until its completely loaded. We are excited at the prospect of an all-in-one phone that incorporates a functional music player, but unfortunately, Sanyo is not quite there yet. We listened to the live radio service, which worked well and came in very clear. Our other complaint is in regard to the video playback. While we have already cited the lack of a high-quality screen, which obviously affects the video playback, we were also disappointed with the buffering of streaming video when attempting to replay a clip, as well as the mismatched sound and video, which never quite seemed in sync. The browser functioned quickly, but we had repeated connection failures. Downloadable 3D-animation games have excellent-quality gameplay, with quick loading and clear resolution.Battery life was uneven. The Sanyo MM-7500 has a rated talk time of 3.4 hours and a promised standby time of six days. In our tests, we got 3 hours, 41 minutes of talk time but only four days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the MM-7500 has a digital SAR rating of 0.98 watts per kilogram. ),
(1078,Samsung SCH-A950,Positives: The compact and snazzy Samsung SCH-A950 features speedy EV-DO performance with access to V Cast videos and the Verizon Music Store; a 1.3-megapixel camera; Bluetooth; a speakerphone; a convenient jog dial on the front for music playback; and a TransFlash expansion slot. Negatives: Unfortunately, the Samsung SCH-A950s numeric keys are small and slippery. Also, Bluetooth is restricted to wireless handsets, and you must convert MP3s to WMA format for playback on the phone. Facts: The Samsung SCH-A950 is an attractive 3G cell phone with decent features, but some annoying restrictions remain. , Samsung continues to refine its 3G flip phone designs with the sleek, eye-catching SCH-A950 for Verizon Wireless. Complete with a 1.3-megapixel camera, a TransFlash expansion slot, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and a quartet of music controls below the colorful display, the stylish SCH-A950 just might knock the Motorola E815 off its pedestal as our favorite Verizon V Cast phone--the bigger but flatter Razr V3c notwithstanding. At a reasonable $130 (or $80 with a two-year service plan), the Samsung SCH-A950 ranks as one of the most affordable 3G phones weve seen from a major carrier. That said, were as annoyed as ever by Verizons continued policy of limiting Bluetooth access to wireless headsets and forcing MP3s to be converted to WMA format for playback on the phone. With its silver curves and glossy red trim, the Samsung SCH-A950 is certainly a looker. On the sides, it has the same oval-shaped stereo speakers as Sprints Samsung MM-A920, while the camera lens and 1.1-inch, 65,000-color screen on the outer flap also look familiar. The big change, however, is the addition of a large jog dial just below the external display thats surrounded by buttons for next, skip, play/pause, and stop. Pressing and holding the play button when the phone is closed launches the phones music player, while the jog dial lets you scroll through playlists, scan forward or backward within a song, and select a track for playing--similar to \"scrubbing\" on an iPod. Although it was a handy feature overall, the phones scrollwheel was a bit small for our thumb. At 3.4 by 1.9 by 1.0 inches and 4.6 ounces, the solidly built SCH-A950 is exactly as large and heavy as the Motorola E815, but it fit better in our jeans pocket, thanks to the welcome lack of an external antenna. We like the SCH-A950s sleek, colorful style.Opening the handset reveals the Samsung SCH-A950s vivid, 2-inch, 262,000-color LCD, which looks about as rich and detailed (but also as difficult to read in direct sunlight) as other internal displays in its class. While the screen itself looks sharp and colorful for photos and streaming videos, the handset still uses Verizons standard tabbed user interface, which is static and staid compared with the vibrant, animated menus on phones from Sprint and Cingular. Also, we continue to be puzzled as to why folders for your music files and photos are buried within the menu for Verizons Get It Now Internet service. You can change the backlighting time, the brightness, and the contrast but not the font size. The SCH-A950s player controls are handy though a bit slippery.The Samsung SCH-A950s keypad is a mixed bag. We liked the big, four-way navigational keypad, which is flanked by a pair of soft keys and the Talk and End/power buttons, and we also appreciated the dedicated speakerphone key, which for once lets you activate the speakerphone before youre on a call. But our thumbs had trouble with the thin, beveled buttons on the numeric keypad; while the keys certainly look great, theyd be easier to press if they were bigger and flatter.Besides the jog dial and the music controls on the front of the Samsung SCH-A950, theres a volume up/down rocker on the right side and a dedicated camera button on the left edge, just above the TransFlash card slot. On the bottom of the SCH-A950 is a port for the USB cable and the AC power cord, which is protected by a thin, easy-to-lose plastic cover that, for some reason, isnt attached to the phone itself. The Samsung SCH-A950 comes loaded with most of the features youd expect from a 3G multimedia phone. Starting with the basics, you get a 500-name phone book, with room in each contact for five phone numbers and two e-mail addresses; caller groups; a calendar with week and month views; voice dialing and memos; picture caller ID; a vibrate mode; a speakerphone, which, as we noted, you can turn on before making a call; an alarm clock; text and multimedia messaging; a world clock; a calculator; and a TransFlash memory expansion slot, which is expandable up to 512MB, though youll have to buy your own card. Although the handset comes with Bluetooth, it supports only wireless headsets; Verizon has (again) disabled Bluetooth file transfers, contact syncing, and the ability to tether the handset to your PC as a modem. Whats more, since only music, pictures, and videos can be saved via the TransFlash card, youll have to buy third-party syncing software if you want to transfer any other files. Since its an EV-DO-enabled handset, the Samsung SCH-A950 supports Verizons $15-a-month, 3G V Cast service for streaming video, including clips from ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MTV, E, ESPN, Fox Sports, and the Weather Channel. The SCH-A950 has the same, solid video player weve seen on other V Cast phones, including the ability to pause and scan forward and backward within a video clip, as well as expanding the video to full-screen mode, a feature still missing from Sprint Power Vision handsets. The Samsung SCH-A950 also supports the V Cast Music store, which boasts upward of a million songs at $2 a pop (or $1 if purchased on a PC and transferred to the phone via USB). Although expensive, downloading tracks wirelessly is a nice touch. You can save them to the phone itself, but with 25MB, youre better off storing them on your TransFlash card. The onboard music player lets you pause and scan back and forth within a song using the jog dial on the front of the phone; in a nice touch, album art is displayed on both the internal and external displays. Theres no equalizer for tweaking the sound of your music, however, and our tunes stuttered for a second or so when we opened or closed the flip. We wish the external jog dial let you scroll through individual tunes; as it stands, you can scroll only through playlists. Also, were disappointed that you cant save downloaded music files as ring tones.Want to transfer your own music to the Samsung SCH-A950? Using the included USB cable, you can sync the phone with your tunes using Windows Media Player 10 on your PC (sorry, Mac users), but with one important caveat: Any MP3s in your collection will need to be converted into WMA files--and lose audio quality in the process--before theyre transferred to your phone. Verizon has taken a lot of heat for this limitation and rightfully so; however, we should point out that this restriction applies to all Verizon V Cast phones and not the SCH-A950 in particular. The SCH-A950s camera lens comes with a flash.The Samsung SCH-A950s built-in 1.3-megapixel camera includes all the requisite features, including an LED flash; a 10-image rapid-fire mode; resolutions ranging from 160x120 all the way up to 1,280x960; a 10X digital zoom at the cameras lowest-resolution setting; a 5- to 10-second self-timer; and several white-balance and color settings. It also has a pair of more advanced settings we don't typically see in a camera phone: ISO speed, ranging from auto to 100, 200, and 400, and metering (Average, Center, and Spot). The camera doubles as a camcorder, which will shoot all the video that fits in your available memory (no 10- or 30-second caps on the length of clips) and includes a self-timer (again, for 5- and 10-second settings), as well as white-balance and color tweaks. In our test shots, the cameras still quality was impressive, with rich color, decent detail, and little in the way of video noise, although our images couldnt compete with the snapshots weve seen from 2-megapixel camera phones. Meanwhile, our videos looked predictably murky and jittery, which is par for the course. When finished with your shots, you can remove them from your phone with the TransFlash card or send them in a multimedia message. The SCH-A950 has decent photo quality.Customization options on the Samsung SCH-A950 are good if not great. You can switch out the wallpaper on the internal and external displays with one of nine preloaded pictures or photos from the camera; pair contacts with pictures and ring tones; tweak display and keypad backlighting settings; and choose from six display themes, including default, business, tropical, blue, green, and red. On the downside, you cant set ringer profiles (such as Outdoors or Meeting), and you get a measly six ring tones, five of which are polyphonic. We were hoping for more from a music-themed phone, so youll have to shell out cash if you want any more and download them via the WAP 2 wireless Web browser. And as with most Verizon phones, theres support for BREW 2, but no games are included with the phone. We tested the dual-band, dual-mode Samsung SCH-A950 (CDMA 850/1900; EV-DO) in New York City on Verizons network. The phone performed well during our calls; our buddies said we sounded like we were right next door, with no tunneling or echoes, while we heard our callers loud and clear. As expected, the speakerphone sounded loud and a bit tinny. We also tried the handset in the vicinity of a microwave oven, a 32-inch TV, a cordless phone, and a Wi-Fi network, and we didnt hear any obvious interference. We successfully paired the phone with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset and enjoyed good clear quality, though the volume was somewhat low. We were impressed by the Samsung SCH-A950s EV-DO performance; our Web browsing was speedy, and videos and full-length music tracks downloaded in about 30 to 40 seconds. We noticed some network slowdowns as the phone attempted to connect to the V Cast Music servers and while acquiring DRM licenses; once the actual downloads began, though, they were swift. Our videos streamed cleanly and rarely, if ever, paused for buffering; however, we experienced some occasional but distracting lip-sync problems.As noted before, the Samsung SCH-A950s picture quality was slightly above average for a 1.3-megapixel camera phone, with decent detail, reasonably rich colors, and slight to no video noise, although our snapshots obviously paled in comparison with those taken with 2-megapixel camera phones. Samsung claims about 3.5 hours of talk time and more than eight days of standby time on the SCH-A950. In our tests, we beat the rated talk time by an hour and the standby time by two days. According to FCC radiation tests, the Samsung SCH-A950 has a digital SAR rating of 1.47 watts per kilogram. ),
(1079,UTStarcom CDM-8945,Positives: The UTStarcom CDM-8945 comes equipped for 3G EV-DO networks; it supports Verizon V Cast video and music services; and it has an MP3 player, a TransFlash slot, and a large internal LCD. Negatives: The UTStarcom CDM-8945 lacks Bluetooth and external music controls; its saddled with a VGA camera and a single mono speaker; the performance is uneven, and the small menu font may require some squinting to read. Facts: Lacking in features and suffering from shaky performance, the UTStarcom CDM-8945 is a disappointment on multiple levels, but its mostly a lack of value for the money. For a few dollars less, you can get a more feature-rich EV-DO phone from Verizon. , Ever since Verizon Wireless introduced V Cast Music at this years CES, it has steadily expanded its lineup of compatible phones from just one model to three (Sprint, which has its own music service, has three music handsets as well). Yet the results of Verizons efforts have been mixed. While we approved of the LG VX8100 and are enjoying the Samsung SCH-A950, the UTStarcom CDM-8945 is a strange case. Normally, the CDM-8945 would be considered a workable midlevel phone, but the addition of V Cast Music takes it down a notch. Adding the service only raises expectations that the phone cannot meet, and the result is an unimpressive music phone. It lacks any external music transport controls, it includes only a single external speaker, its camera is just VGA, and it has no Bluetooth or included music-centric accessories. Overall, the CDM-8945 ($179.99, or $129.99 with rebates and a two-year contract) would be a slightly overpriced EV-DO phone for nondiscriminating low-tech users. But it pales in comparison to the Verizons other clamshell-style music phones. Though the UTStarcom CDM-8945 shares a clamshell form factor with the LG VX8100 and the Samsung SCH-A950, an obvious design difference separates the CDM-8945 from its music phone brethren: no external music controls. That means you have to open the phone to control the music--a critical design flaw. The CDM-8945 also differs in an equably noticeable but less important way: Its sleek, jet-black exterior is a sharp contrast to the more colorful VX8100 and SCH-A950. The CDM-8945 has an attractive black color, but we miss any external music controls.At 3.5 by 1.9 by 0.9 inches and 3.9 ounces, the UTStarcom CDM-8945 is roughly the same size and weight as the LG and Samsung models, and it seems solidly built. Upon closer inspection, however, youll see that its slightly shorter and heavier than the SCH-A950 and slightly smaller than the VX8100. Then again, its not enough to make a difference. The CDM-8945 is the only one of the three handsets with a telescope antenna--the LG has a stub, and the Samsung has none at all. The 1-inch external display supports a bright 65,000 colors and shows the date, time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID (where available). It also functions as a self-portrait viewfinder for the camera lens, which lies just above, along with a small flash.The internal display measures a broad 2 inches diagonally (176x220 pixels) and shows 260,000 colors. You can adjust the contrast, the font size, and the backlight time but not the brightness. Overall screen quality was good, but reds lean toward orange, which cast a subtle tinge on menu screens, pictures, and videos. Compared with other music phones, the CDM-8945 trailed the VX8100, which offered deeper blacks and cleaner whites in its video, but the SCH-A950 ranked about the same. The CDM-8945s spacious navigation controls were more or less standard but still useful. Theres a five-way toggle that gives one-touch access to the Web browser, Verizons Get It Now menu, the pictures and video menu, and one user-programmable feature. There are soft keys, as well as dedicated camera/camcorder and speakerphone buttons on either side of the toggle, while the Talk and End/power keys and a dedicated Clear button sit just below it. Navigation through the standardized Verizon menus was easy enough, but we wish we could personalize the structure a bit more.The CDM-8945s keypad is quite old-fashioned. Unlike the cool backlit digits on the Samsung and LG keypads, the UTStarcom keys are infused with a diffused lime-green glow reminiscent of retro cell phones. As a result, theyre a bit hard to see. In particular, the green of the Send key and the red of the End key barely register. Dial-pad keys are large and rhomboidal, which helps reduce the chances of accidentally hitting the adjacent key. On the rear of the CDM-8945 is its single button-size mono speaker--poor placement, especially if you hold the phone in your left hand. Both the Samsung and LG phones have stereo speakers mounted on either side of the hinge, which means fuller sound for both music and conversation. On the left spine are the headset jack, a volume rocker, and an unmarked key that activates the camera/camcorder; on the right spine is the TransFlash card slot. The UTStarcom CDM-8945 has a decent feature set, but its far less comprehensive than that of either the LG VX8100 or the Samsung SCH-A950. While they come with Bluetooth and 1.3-megapixel cameras, the CDM-8945 lacks the former and has just a VGA version of the latter. Otherwise, the CDM-8945 offers a speakerphone, voice dialing (but not commands), and a set of helper apps similar to that of most other phones: a world clock, a calendar, an alarm clock, text and multimedia messaging, a notepad, and a stopwatch. You also get a 500-name phone book with room in each entry for five phone numbers and two e-mail addresses. Callers can be organized into groups, or for caller ID purposes, you can pair them with a photo or a ring tone. The CDM-8945 comes with 20 polyphonic (72-chord) ring tones, and it supports MP3, EVRC, MIDI, unprotected AAC, AAC Plus, and WMA files. The UTStarcom CDM-8945 comes with a camera flash.As previously mentioned, the CDM-8945 comes with a low-evolution VGA camera. Its too bad UTStarcom omitted a higher-resolution model on a 3G phone. You can take pictures in four resolutions (640x480, 320x240, 176x144, and 160x120) and choose from a variety of features, including adjustable white balance, a self-timer, three picture-quality settings, five color effects, 15 fun frames, a brightness control, three shutter sounds, and a silent option. Camera functionality is marred by a slow-reacting LCD, and self-portraits are limited by the squat 0.5-inch-tall external LCD. Also, the tkX zoom is unavailable at the highest resolution. On the other hand, there are four handy flash options--off, auto flash, always on (that is, the flash illuminates whenever you take a picture), and on the shot. The camcorder takes MPEG-4 videos of up to 15 seconds in length with sound and similar editing options. The UTStarcom CDM-8945 had average photo quality for a camera phone.As one of Verizons EV-DO phones, the UTStarcom CDM-8945 includes access to the multimedia V Cast service. V Cast content includes live and prerecorded material, such as NBC News updates, music videos, special offerings from E Entertainment and VH1, movie trailers, and video on demand; see our separate review for a full description. The phone also has an MP3 player, and it supports Verizons V Cast Music, which lets you download music wirelessly and play it on your phone or your computer. Even though its designed to use a TransFlash card (up to 512MB) to store music downloads and pictures, the CDM-8945 is equipped with just 64MB of flash memory and 32MB of RAM, enough to hold only a dozen songs or so.You can personalize the CDM-8945 with a variety of wallpaper, sounds, themes, screensavers, and your own banner. You can download more options from Verizon with the WAP 2 wireless Web browser. You don't get any games, but the phone supports BREW 2. The UTStarcom CDM-8945 lagged a bit behind the LG VX8100 in almost all performance components, including voice reception and quality, Web access, and content downloading. (We did not have a Samsung SCH-A950 at the time of this review for side-by-side testing.) We tested the dual-band, dual-mode (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO) CDM-8945 in New York City using Verizons network. Voice reception in Manhattan was solid; though comprehensible, voice quality at our end was warbled, thick, and muddy. At the other end, conversationalists reported echo and a \"bottom of the barrel\" sound. Top volume was adequate for no more than a quiet room. But the CDM-8945 is fatally flawed in its lack of stereo speakers, its ring loudness, its speakerphone clarity, and especially its music capabilities. If youre going to be like that bowler in the Verizon Music commercials and hold your phone up for all to hear, youll find that the CDM-8945s single speaker doesnt cut it. Speakerphone conversations are marred by frequent dropouts and only moderate volume, especially when compared to the boisterous dual-speaker sound of the LG VX8100. Both ring-tone volume and vibrate violence on the CDM-8945 can best be described as polite, as if the phone is apologizing for alerting you to a call. Ring tones are nearly impossible to hear when the CDM-8945 is in a pocket or a purse. While it wont be noticeable to anyone not doing a side-by-side comparison, the CDM-8945 lagged a second or two behind the VX8100 in accessing and running applications or accessing and loading Web pages. For V Cast video, the VX8100 usually accessed menu screens faster, and clips buffered around five seconds faster than on the CDM-8945. Music-download speed was a wash between the CDM-8945 and the VX8100. Oddly, neither downloaded a track at the same speed; one phone was always clearly faster, with no seeming rhyme or reason to the difference. Each phone ranged between less than a minute to more than two minutes to download a track. But our test UTStarcom phone suffered the oddest glitch on playback: no sound at the top volume level. Volume kicked in only when we lowered the volume a click, and music continued to play fine when we took it back up to the top volume again--weird.With a promised talk time of 3.5 hours, the CDM-8945 offers the lowest rated time of the three Verizon music phones but not by much: 15 minutes less than the VX8100 and 25 minutes less than the SCH-A950. In our tests, however, we beat the rated time by an hour and measured an impressive 16.5 days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the UTStarcom CDM-8945 has a rating of 1.39 watts per kilogram. ),
(1080,Sony Ericsson W900i, , Quick Take: The Sony Ericsson W900i is one of Sony Ericssons most recent additions to its Walkman phone lineup in Europe, Asia/Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Its swivel design closely resembles that of the W600i, which is available for the U.S. market. Its the first Walkman phone to support 3G UMTS networks, and it features an impressive 2-megapixel camera, video playback, a music player that supports MP3 and AAC, and an FM radio. Theres also Bluetooth, infrared, a 262,000-color display, a speakerphone, and 3D Java gaming. As usual with Walkman phones, theres a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot for media storage. ),
(1081,Motorola V325,Positives: The Motorola V325 promises a speakerphone, and its the first cell phone to use Verizons new GPS navigation system for location-based services. Negatives: The Motorola V325 is hobbled by a small external display, a lack of Bluetooth and video playback, and poor picture quality. Facts: The Motorola V325 takes advantage of Verizons latest GPS application but falls short in regard to breadth of features and a well-integrated design. , Are you perpetually lost but don't want to be weighed down by an additional GPS device? Then Verizon Wireless may just have an answer for you with its new Motorola V325. The handset takes full advantage of Verizons newest network offering, called VZ Navigator. It offers a respectable alternative to Nextels TeleNav GPS service, complete with voice-activated turn-by-turn directions, maps, and an extensive points-of-interest database. The V325s design could use some improvements, and we lament the lack of Bluetooth, but the phones feature set and quality performance still should appeal mostly to the practical business user who prefers functionality in a relatively compact handset. The V325 is fairly priced at $129, but you should be able to find it at a discount. Although the Motorola V325 is hardly a cell phone for a supermodel, the unassuming design is somewhat attractive. The brushed-metal finish with a black grip border gives the exterior of this clamshell a sharp but not overly modern appearance, and we like the thin, ring-shaped LED light that sits inside the black border. The light flashes in four patterns when the phone rings, or you can turn it off completely. With dimensions of 3.6 by 1.9 by 0.9 inches and a weight of 4.1 ounces, the phone is long and feels somewhat heavy, but it still ranks far below the usual GPS-equipped Nextel behemoth. The 1-inch antenna may make for a tight fit in smaller pockets, but it is large enough to fish out of a bag or a purse without much effort. The stubby antenna also extends, but it is flimsy and easily bendable. On the other hand, the clamshells construction is similar to that of other Motorola models, such as the V557, and should prove durable over time. The Motorola V325 has a simple design.We are disappointed with the Motorola V325s external display, which is grayscale and very tiny; plus, it has no programmable settings. The external display packs in as much information as possible in the rectangular area, including the time, battery life, signal strength, various message icons, and caller ID (where available). The placement of the camera lens at the top left of the phone is a bit high, which made it hard to avoid taking pictures of our index fingers. There is no camera flash or self-portrait mirror.As with other Motorola handsets, the side buttons on the Motorola V325 remain a nuisance, with the volume rocker doubling as the ringer-style select. It is very easy to accidentally turn off the ringer or change the ringer style inadvertently. Besides the two buttons controlling the ringer select, the left side of the spine has a covered headset jack. The button on the right side of the spine activates the voice-record memo when the phone is open. The back of the V325 has a large speakerphone, which is activated by the left side button when the flip is open. Unfortunately, Motorola does not include an external dedicated camera button.The Motorola V325s internal display measures 2 inches diagonally (176x229 pixels) but supports only 65,000 colors. The screen is bright and easy to read, but the difference between the 65,000 colors or the 262,000 colors on higher-end phones is definitely noticeable. The backlight timer on the internal display can be set to 5, 10, or 20 seconds. The brightness can be adjusted, but the font size cannot be changed. The Motorola V325s five-way navigational buttons have an attractive blue-backlit line in place of arrows or icons, which not only makes it easy to use the control in dark conditions but also gives it a modern look. The four outer navigational buttons are set as shortcuts to the cameras pictures menu, Verizons Get It Now service, the Web browser, and the calendar, while the center OK button opens the menu when in standby mode. These shortcut keys are not programmable. There are two soft keys, which when on the background screen are set to Messages and Contacts. Below the soft keys sit a dedicated camera button on one side and the Clear button on the other side, as well as the Talk and End/power buttons. All navigational and keypad buttons have a blue backlight, which is attractive against the glossy finish of the black keypad. While the buttons on the keypad are large and have a nice rectangular shape with a slight U-shape curve, they are also flat against the surface of the phone, making it impossible to tell them apart when dialing by feel.The Motorola V325s menu navigation is not intuitive or well designed. We were forced to use different buttons to control the same navigation command in several situations. For example, sometimes we had to push the Clear button to go backward, and other times, this navigation command was controlled by one of the soft keys, so going back two steps usually involved pushing two different buttons. The Motorola V325 has a phone-book capacity of 500 contacts, with an impressive flash memory of 64MB for all applications. Each contact stores four phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, a fax number, and a ring tone. The handset has three predefined caller groups, but we also successfully set and named our own groups. You can pair contacts with a photo for picture caller ID, but the image shows up only on the internal display. The V325 includes an impressive 50 ring tones. We were able to record our own tones, and the handset supports MP3 tones as well. Unfortunately, the vibrate mode cannot be combined with a ring tone--it is one or the other.Organizer features include a calendar; an alarm clock with three settings; a world clock; a notepad; and a calculator. Other offerings include voice dialing and commands; text and multimedia messaging; voice memos; PC syncing, a speakerphone that can be activated before you make a call; and a WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. On the downside, theres no wireless connectivity. Bluetooth or even an infrared port would have been a nice addition to the handset. The highlight of the Motorola V325 is the GPS system, which allows users to take advantage of Location Based Services, such as obtaining maps, as well as written or spoken turn-by-turn directions for walking or driving to their destination. This is the first Motorola handset to take advantage of Verizons new VZ Navigator application. At $9.99 per month or $2.99 per day (plus airtime), the service lets you choose directions by the fastest, shortest, or simplest route, and it will adjust automatically if you go off route. Maps can be zoomed or panned, and you can place and receive calls when using the application. You can also do a local search of 14 million points of interest, as well as save preferred locations to the phones memory. The V325s camera has no flash or self-portrait mirror.The Motorola V325s VGA camera has a 4X zoom and three resolutions (640x480, 240x320, and 120x160). The camera also features a 5- or 10-second self-timer; adjustable brightness; white-balance effects; three file-quality settings; three shutter sounds (theres also a silent option); four color effects; and 10 fun frames. We were a bit disappointed with the picture quality, as it was nearly impossible to take a picture that was not blurry. Plus, it was quite hard to keep our fingers out of the way, due to poor lens placement. Once you take a photo, you can crop the image size and rotate or flip the orientation. We were able to remove the red-eye, as well as add color effects and elements such as fun frames, text, and clip art. The neatest feature on the camera, however, is the ability to warp the picture into new shapes. You also have the option to send or save the picture. With fuzzy images and washed-out colors, the V325 had poor photo quality.Multimedia options are limited on the Motorola V325. Motorola did not include a video camera, nor the ability to stream media or play downloaded video. No games are included with the handset, but you can download BREW-enabled titles and ring tones through Verizons Get It Now service. Other personalization options include several included wallpaper patterns, three themes, and a customized greeting. We tested the dual-band, dual-mode (CDMA 800/1900; AMPS 800) Motorola V325 in San Francisco on the Verizon network. Call quality was quite good, with clear conversations and loud volume. Callers could tell we were using a cell phone; however, they didnt report any significant drawbacks. The phone does pick up some wind noise, though we could hear well when using it on a crowded street. Speakerphone quality was diminished somewhat, but it was fine overall.The Motorola V325 has a rated talk time of 3.3 hours and a promised standby time of 8.3 days. In our tests, we got 4 hours of talk time, and though we fell short of the promised standby time by 3 days, we were satisfied with its performance. According to FCC radiation tests, the V325 has a digital SAR rating of 1.14 watts per kilogram. ),
(1082,Nokia 6030,Positives: The Nokia 6030 is a basic yet stylish phone, and it has a raised keypad, which makes it easy to dial by feel. The speakerphone and the built-in radio are a nice touch. Negatives: The Nokia 6030 has disappointing display quality, and the navigational controls feel a bit cheap. The handset is also a tad bulky for such a basic phone. Facts: The Nokia 6030 is a basic phone thats actually stylish. And with extra perks such as a speakerphone and a built-in radio, the Nokia 6030 is great for those who just want to make calls. , The Nokia 6030 is yet another of Nokias basic phones, primarily for those who just want a phone that works. Devoid of fancy features such as a camera, a music player, and Bluetooth, the Nokia 6030 is intended only for making phone calls. It retails for an incredibly low $19.99, but if you sign up for a two-year contract with Cingular Wireless, you can get the phone for free.The Nokia 6030 is basic not only in terms of functionality but also in its design. Measuring 4 by 1.7 by 0.7 inches and weighing 3.17 ounces, the 6030 is a tad bulky and has a simple candy bar design. Yet, it does have smooth, rounded corners and a sleek black and silver color scheme that adds style to its otherwise basic appearance. The display isnt much to look at, however, with its 65,536-color palette and small 1.5-inch-diagonal stature. Although you cant change the font size, you can change the displays contrast.Underneath the Nokia 6030s screen are the navigational controls, which consist of two soft keys and a five-way toggle that doubles as shortcuts to text messaging, Cingulars Media Net portal, the address book, the My Stuff folder, and the menu. These shortcuts cannot be changed. Below the soft keys are the Talk and End buttons. All the above buttons were simple enough to press, but they felt cheap and plasticky, which didnt make for a tactile navigation experience. The dial-pad keys are raised and shaped in pill-like bumps, making them much easier to press than the navigation controls, and it was also a cinch to dial by feel. In a departure from most cell phones but similar to most other Nokias, the Nokia 6030s power button is on top of the handset. On the bottom are the charger and the headset ports. The Nokia 6030 has a basic yet stylish design.The Nokia 6030 comes with an impressive 500-contact address book, and each entry can store up to five numbers, an e-mail address, a Web address, a street address, and a note. You can add an image for each entry for caller ID, but since theres no camera, youll have to use one of the included graphics as a replacement. You can organize your contacts by caller groups and assign a group with any of seven polyphonic ring tones, though you can download more MIDI and MP3 ring tones. The Nokia 6030 has a built-in speakerphone that you can turn on only after you make a call, plus theres instant messaging (AOL, Yahoo, and ICQ), text and multimedia messaging, a vibrate mode, automatic redial, and last-number redial. A WAP 2.0 browser that connects to Cingulars Media Net portal is also included, but Web access is predictably poky and close to unusable. Organizational tools include an alarm clock, a calendar, a to-do list, notes, a calculator, a stopwatch, and a countdown timer. Theres also a built-in FM radio, which requires a headset to work. You can personalize the Nokia 6030 with a variety of themes, wallpaper, screensavers, graphics, and alert tones. Java (J2ME) games included with the phone are Block Breaker, Club Pinball, and Tetris. You can purchase additional ring tones via Cingulars Media Mall, as well as additional graphics, games, and applications. We tested the dual-band (GSM850/1900; GPRS) Nokia 6030 in the San Francisco area using Cingulars network. Calls sounded good despite a little fuzz, and callers heard us loud and clear.The Nokia 6030 has a rated talk time of 3 hours, but we managed to eke out an amazing 15 hours of tested talk time. The rated standby time is up to 12 days; we got 3 extra days in our tests. According to FCC radiation tests, the Nokia 6030 has a digital SAR rating of 0.70 watts per kilogram. ),
(1083,Nokia 6236i,Positives: The Nokia 6236i is a solidly constructed, lightweight cell phone with a speakerphone, a VGA camera, decent call quality, and an FM radio. Negatives: The Nokia 6236i is hampered by small and fragile keys, poor navigation controls, a dull design, no analog roaming, and uneven battery life. Facts: Nokia has produced an outstandingly light and small handset, but the form factor generates trade-offs in design and functionality. , You get what you pay for with Nokia 6236i. Offered by Verizon Wireless, this decidedly low-key cell phone takes on a candy bar-style form factor that we would have expected from Nokia a couple years ago. On the downside, the design suffers from a couple of weaknesses, such as small buttons and a small screen, but if you want a lightweight phone that integrates features such as a radio, a camera, video capture, downloadable video games, and ring tones, then the Nokia 6236i may be right up your alley. Overall, a decent mix of features makes it a decent low-end selection. The Nokia 6236i is fairly priced at $169 with a one-year contract or $69 with a two-year contract. Lets be clear form the start that the design of the Nokia 6236i is far from fetching. With a solid rectangular shape and sharp edges, the candy bar phone is tall, measuring 4.2 by 1.7 by 0.7 inches. Yet, despite its height, the phone weighs in at only 3.5 ounces, which appeals to our sensibilities. Though it gets lost easily in a purse, it fits comfortably in a pocket, and its very comfortable to wear on a belt clip, especially with the internal antenna. The color scheme is also a draw. While we like the two-tone silver and gray hues, the shiny silver border around the navigation negatively affects its ease of use (see below).While the Nokia 6236i is easy to carry around, its somewhat difficult to use. Holding it up to your ear or even in your palm is difficult for a person with average-size or large hands. We found the handset slightly more comfortable to use with an earpiece, but it caused discomfort after a short amount of time. On the upside, however, the 6236i, like most Nokias, is solidly constructed. The Nokia 6236i has a basic candy bar shape.The display measures a substandard 1.5 inches diagonally (128x128 pixels) and supports only 65,000 colors. The difference between it and higher-resolution screens is readily apparent, as colors and graphics looked a bit washed-out. Still, the display is fine for the user-friendly menus, and the standard Nokia font is blocky, although easy to read; we were unable to adjust the font size. The screen is easy to see indoors and out in any lighting conditions. The joystick control is unique but not necessarily better than a traditional five-way navigation toggle. The joysticks edges are flat, they bothered our fingers after repeated use, and we thought it too easy to accidentally press down and select the wrong option when trying to go in a different direction. Moreover, as mentioned previously, the joystick is much too close to the silver border surrounding it, which results in an overall cramped effect. We did, however, find the joystick useful for wireless Web browsing, as it made our movements quicker and more fluid. The only caveat is browsing for more than 15 minutes is uncomfortable. The backlighting of the arrows surrounding the joystick is bright on the right and left side but dim on the top and the bottom. The joystick acts as a shortcut to the messaging menu, the Web browser, Verizons Get It Now Service, and the calendar, but the setting cannot be changed. Other controls consist of two soft keys, as well as Talk and End buttons. We are disappointed in the lack of dedicated buttons for the speakerphone or the camera, and we thought the company might have considered making the radio--the highlight of the phone--more accessible with its own control. But the size of the phone doesnt allow more buttons than absolutely necessary. The keypad is very small and has oddly constructed keys, which, in turn, are slightly wobbly with hard edges. Flush with the surface of the phone, they can best be compared with the keys on a laptop keyboard. Unfortunately, we don't think the keys will hold up to repeated use, especially without a protective cover. We also didnt find them easier to use than a typical raised keyboard, so we don't understand the design decision. They are, however, brightly backlit.The left side of the Nokia 6236i has an indented button that acts as a volume rocker, which we found not very tactile and difficult to use. We would also prefer a more traditional rocker button so that we could feel which direction was up and down without looking at the screen. A slide cover on the right side of the handset covers the headset connector. The power key and the IR port are located on the top spine of the handset, while the bottom of the phone has a pop port, a power connector port, and a microphone connector port. We thought that the camera lens, which is located three-quarters up the back of the phone, could have been placed a little higher so that our fingers didnt get in the way when taking pictures. It should be noted theres no flash or self-portrait mirror. The Nokia 6236i has a 500-name contact book. Each contact stores four phone numbers; a fax number; an e-mail, Web, and street address; and notes. Contacts can be assigned a picture ID but not an individual ring tone, and they can be organized in one of six caller groups, which can have a ringer ID. There are also 25 voice-dialing entries allowed. Nokia gives us 30 polyphonic (24-chord) ring tones, and you get a vibrate mode. Organizer features include an alarm clock; a calendar; a notepad; a to-do list; a calculator; a countdown timer; a stopwatch; a world clock; a unit converter; and a translator for English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. The converter and the translator are nice features, although theyre limited in scope. Also, the breadth of the translator is in question, as it didnt recognize the word hello.The Nokia 6236i supports text, enhanced, and multimedia messaging, all of which are easy to use. The handset has an infrared connection, supports faxing, and offers PC Sync as an accessory. It lacks push-to-talk capabilities, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity, but we wouldnt expect them on such a bargain phone. The Nokia 6236i has a camera lens but no flash or self-portrait mirror.The VGA camera with two resolutions (640x480 and 160x120), a self-timer, a portrait mode, three image-quality settings, a 2X zoom, and a night mode that snaps clear, concise pictures. It takes a while to load the camera, and the absence of the dedicated camera key is a nuisance; we also wish the Nokia 6236i included a flash. Once you take a picture, you can zoom, rename, open the picture gallery, or set contrast on the photo. Inside the gallery, you can then choose any picture, rename it, set it as wallpaper, get details, select how to view, sort, or delete. Our one complaint is that we were unable to easily send pictures; instead we had to open the photo gallery and pick the picture we wanted to send. The Nokia 6236i also has video capture of up to 2.5 minutes with sound and a resolution of 128x96 pixels. We were content with the quality of the video capture. Overall, the Nokia 6236i has 10MB of shared memory. The Nokia 6236i has decent image quality for a VGA camera phone.Audio features include voice commands and voice recordings of up to 3 minutes. The feature that most impressed us was the FM radio; when used with a headset, it gets good reception. You can store up to 20 preset stations. The Nokia 6236i allows customizable ring tones and supports a host of formats, including MIDI and MP3. The personalization settings on Nokia 6236i were ample. We could download and set wallpaper, change the color scheme, customize the backlight to any length of time up to 100 minutes, have a different screensaver with any customized time-out screen, and personalize a banner. You can download more options from Verizon using the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. The handset did not come with games, but BREW-enabled titles are available from Verizons Get It Now service. We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900) Nokia 6236i on the Verizon network in San Francisco. We were impressed with the call clarity on our end. There was little friction, and voices on the other end sounded good. It was obvious to most callers that we were on a cell phone, but this was based more on network spottiness than the handset. We didnt encounter interference from other electronic equipment when using the Nokia 6236i. The speakerphone distorted at higher volumes but was clear and loud enough when used within a normal range to understand the caller. The phone gets a little warm after extended use, but this doesnt seem to affect the quality of the sound or performance of the phone. The quality of the sound on the radio is also impressive. The browser has very slow connection speeds and download times on applications, but the online interface is easy to access.The rated talk time is 3.5 hours, while the promised standby time is 12 days. In our tests, we came away with 5 hours of talk time, and our standby was 10 days. According to FCC radiation tests, the Nokia 6236i has a digital SAR rating of 1.24 watts per kilogram. ),
(1084,Samsung SGH-D600, , Quick Take: The SGH-D600 is the latest quad-band (850/900/1800/1900) EDGE offering from Samsung . Not only does this slider look great with its 2-inch-wide, 262,144-color display, it also packs a ton of multimedia features. They include a 2-megapixel camera with flash and 4X zoom; video recording; an MPEG-4/H.263 player; a music player that supports MP3, AAC, and AAC+ files; and dual 3D-sound speakers. Theres also neat video wallpaper and a video caller-ID feature. A TransFlash card slot and Bluetooth round out this handsets impressive feature set. n ),
(1085,Motorola Pebl U6,Positives: The Motorola Pebl has a sexy design and comes with Bluetooth, a speakerphone, world phone support, and solid call quality. Negatives: The Motorola Pebl has a low-resolution camera, it flips open when dropped, and it suffers from tricky and smudgy controls. Facts: Undeniably attractive, the Motorola Pebl offers great performance and an acceptable--if not high-end--range of features. Just make sure you give the controls a test-drive. Note: This product is part of the Motorola Pebl U6 series. ., Up until just a couple of years ago, Motorolas reputation largely hinged on its famed StarTAC cell phone. As the handset that revolutionized the flip-phone form factor, the StarTAC made Motorola into a major cell phone player. Now, after a period of producing a string of quality but mostly unremarkable mobiles, Motorola is again on the forefront of cell phone design. Following on the heels of the ultrathin Motorola Razr and Slvr is the ultrachic Motorola Pebl U6 for T-Mobile. Sporting a sophisticated and very soothing design, the Pebl is so striking that it deserves to be named as one of the most attractive cell phones ever made. Under the hood, it comes with a generous range of features, including Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and world phone support. We were hoping for a higher-resolution camera, and as with all of Motorolas designcentric phones, we werent impressed with the controls, but the Pebl nonetheless is a looker and a solid performer. Be warned that its expensive at $299, and T-Mobile currently isnt offering any service rebates. Were not exaggerating when we say the Motorola Pebl is one of the cutest phones around. Shaped like, well, a pebble, its clad in basic black and is nicely set off by a shiny metal hinge. We especially liked the oval shape and the rounded edges, and we enjoyed the textured feel of the rubbery casing. Though its relatively compact (3.4 by 1.9 by 0.8 inches; 3.8 ounces), it has a solid heft when held in the hand. The Motorola Pebl is one of the loveliest cell phones around.On the front of the mobile, youll notice a unique vertical external display that shows the time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID (where available). Though its monochrome and a bit small, the rectangular shape complements the phones overall design. Still, we had a couple complaints. While you can change the orientation of the caller ID text from left to right, the font size is tiny and cant be altered. The display also doesnt support picture ID, and you cant change the backlighting time. Below the display is the camera lens, and while we normally bemoan the lack of a flash and self-portrait mirror, were more understanding this time--the phone is just too pretty.The Pebls hinge mechanism is like nothing weve ever seen before on a cell phone. When you hold it in one hand, you can open the Pebl by sliding the front flap toward you (away from the hinge) with your thumb. The flap then flips open in one easy stroke. Its a bit gimmicky, but we still thought it was cool. One caveat is that you should keep a good hold on the phone when using this method. It opens so quickly and with such force that we felt as if the Pebl would fly out of our hand. Also, due to the quirky slide-and-open mechanism the phone flips open when accidentally dropped--even from a short distance on a carpeted floor. As a result, the Pebl may not be the best mobile for the klutz. Of course, you also can open the phone simply by lifting the flap as you would with any other flip phone. When closing, two tiny magnets on the front flap ensure it snaps shut with a satisfying click.The Pebls main display supports 262,000 colors, but it has a somewhat washed-out appearance. Similarly, while we recognize the 1.8-inch-diagonal, 176x220-pixel display couldnt be any bigger for the phones size, it just looked a bit small. You can change the backlighting time and the brightness of the display but not the font size. That then brings us to the navigation controls and the keypad, which are a mixed bag. As was the case with both the Razr and Slvr, the Pebls distinctive design comes at the expense of fully tactile buttons. All controls with the exception of the navigation toggle resemble a single flat touch pad, which may take some acclimation, depending on your dexterity. Also, since the keys rest on a shiny plastic surface, theyre prone to finger smudges.The navigation array consists of two soft keys, a dedicated menu button, dedicated messaging and Web browser buttons, and the traditional Talk and End keys. The controls are large enough, but theyre slippery, so youll need to watch what youre doing when navigating through menus. The five-way toggle is also too slick, and its much too small to be entirely user-friendly. Still, it acts as a shortcut to four user-defined functions.Since they are flat with the surface of the phone, the keypad buttons warrant a test-drive before buying. With the exception of small ridges that separate the horizontal rows, the keys lack texture, so its difficult to dial by feel. Whats more, the backlighting is rather dim, and depending on the angle at which youre holding your phone, the white text of the numbers can be hard to see. Though we recognize the controls are all part of the Pebls slick design, we think Moto could have made a few tweaks to make them easier to use.Controls on the outside of the phone consist of a voice-dialing key on the right spine, while the left spine holds a volume rocker and a \"smart key\" that changes the ringer mode when the flap is closed and starts the camera when its open. On the rear face of the Pebl is the speaker. The feature set of the Motorola Pebl doesnt complement the flashy design exactly, but you get an attractive set of goodies. First, the basics: The phone book holds 1,000 contacts, each of which can take six phone numbers, an e-mail address, a postal address, and a birth date; the SIM card holds an additional 250 names. You can assign contacts to caller groups, pair them with a picture for photo caller ID (photos are displayed on the internal screen only), or assign them one of 12 polyphonic or 26 monophonic ring tones. Other features include a vibrate mode, a one-minute voice recorder, voice dialing, a calculator, a date book, an alarm clock, text and multimedia messaging, PC syncing, instant messaging (Yahoo, AOL, and ICQ), and a WAP 2.0 Web browser. Theres also full Bluetooth for headsets and wireless data transfers, and though you get a speakerphone, you cant activate it until after you make a call. The Pebls camera lens doesnt come with a flash.Considering the phones price, we were hopeful for a megapixel camera; instead, youre stuck with a VGA model that delivers three photo resolutions: 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120. For photo-editing features, you have a choice of six lighting settings, an adjustable brightness control, a 4X zoom, a 5- or 10-second autotimer, and a selection of five shutter sounds, as well as a silent option. The MPEG-4 video recorder takes clips about 30 seconds in length with sound and in two resolutions (176x144 and 128x96); you can also choose a lighting setting. Photos and video were about what youd expect from a VGA camera; objects were fuzzy, and colors didnt exactly jump out. When finished with your snapshots and clips, you can send them in a multimedia message or save them to the phone. A meter keeps track of how much space in the phones 5MB of memory you have left. The Pebl has average photo quality.You can personalize the Pebl with a variety of wallpaper, themes, menu styles, color skins, screensavers, and message tones. If youd like more options or ring tones, you can download them from T-Mobile. You get two demo versions of Java (J2ME) games--Bejeweled and Skipping Stones--but you can always download more if youre an avid gamer. We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS) Motorola Pebl world phone in San Francisco using T-Mobiles service. Call quality was admirable, and we had no trouble getting a signal. We enjoyed clear conversations with little static and enough volume. Callers said we sounded fine as well, though they could tell we were using a cell phone. On a couple of occasions, the voice quality on both ends sounded a bit tinny, but it was nothing bothersome. We also tested the phone in a room full of electronics and encountered no interference, aside from the microwave. Calls with the speakerphone were surprisingly loud, given the small size of the speaker and its location on the phones rear face. Voice quality was diminished somewhat, but thats to be expected. We tested the Pebl with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset and had no problem connecting the two devices. Call quality was fine with good volume.The Motorola Pebl has a rated talk time of 6.75 hours and a promised standby time of 12 days. In our tests, we got a respectable 6.5 hours of talk time and eight days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Motorola Pebl has a digital SAR rating of 1.2 watts per kilogram. ),
(1086,Motorola Pebl U6 (green),Positives: The Motorola Pebl has a sexy design and comes with Bluetooth, a speakerphone, world phone support, and solid call quality. Negatives: The Motorola Pebl has a low-resolution camera, it flips open when dropped, and it suffers from tricky and smudgy controls. Facts: Undeniably attractive, the Motorola Pebl offers great performance and an acceptable--if not high-end--range of features. Just make sure you give the controls a test-drive. Note: This product is part of the Motorola Pebl U6 series. ., Up until just a couple of years ago, Motorolas reputation largely hinged on its famed StarTAC cell phone. As the handset that revolutionized the flip-phone form factor, the StarTAC made Motorola into a major cell phone player. Now, after a period of producing a string of quality but mostly unremarkable mobiles, Motorola is again on the forefront of cell phone design. Following on the heels of the ultrathin Motorola Razr and Slvr is the ultrachic Motorola Pebl U6 for T-Mobile. Sporting a sophisticated and very soothing design, the Pebl is so striking that it deserves to be named as one of the most attractive cell phones ever made. Under the hood, it comes with a generous range of features, including Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and world phone support. We were hoping for a higher-resolution camera, and as with all of Motorolas designcentric phones, we werent impressed with the controls, but the Pebl nonetheless is a looker and a solid performer. Be warned that its expensive at $299, and T-Mobile currently isnt offering any service rebates. Were not exaggerating when we say the Motorola Pebl is one of the cutest phones around. Shaped like, well, a pebble, its clad in basic black and is nicely set off by a shiny metal hinge. We especially liked the oval shape and the rounded edges, and we enjoyed the textured feel of the rubbery casing. Though its relatively compact (3.4 by 1.9 by 0.8 inches; 3.8 ounces), it has a solid heft when held in the hand. The Motorola Pebl is one of the loveliest cell phones around.On the front of the mobile, youll notice a unique vertical external display that shows the time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID (where available). Though its monochrome and a bit small, the rectangular shape complements the phones overall design. Still, we had a couple complaints. While you can change the orientation of the caller ID text from left to right, the font size is tiny and cant be altered. The display also doesnt support picture ID, and you cant change the backlighting time. Below the display is the camera lens, and while we normally bemoan the lack of a flash and self-portrait mirror, were more understanding this time--the phone is just too pretty.The Pebls hinge mechanism is like nothing weve ever seen before on a cell phone. When you hold it in one hand, you can open the Pebl by sliding the front flap toward you (away from the hinge) with your thumb. The flap then flips open in one easy stroke. Its a bit gimmicky, but we still thought it was cool. One caveat is that you should keep a good hold on the phone when using this method. It opens so quickly and with such force that we felt as if the Pebl would fly out of our hand. Also, due to the quirky slide-and-open mechanism the phone flips open when accidentally dropped--even from a short distance on a carpeted floor. As a result, the Pebl may not be the best mobile for the klutz. Of course, you also can open the phone simply by lifting the flap as you would with any other flip phone. When closing, two tiny magnets on the front flap ensure it snaps shut with a satisfying click.The Pebls main display supports 262,000 colors, but it has a somewhat washed-out appearance. Similarly, while we recognize the 1.8-inch-diagonal, 176x220-pixel display couldnt be any bigger for the phones size, it just looked a bit small. You can change the backlighting time and the brightness of the display but not the font size. That then brings us to the navigation controls and the keypad, which are a mixed bag. As was the case with both the Razr and Slvr, the Pebls distinctive design comes at the expense of fully tactile buttons. All controls with the exception of the navigation toggle resemble a single flat touch pad, which may take some acclimation, depending on your dexterity. Also, since the keys rest on a shiny plastic surface, theyre prone to finger smudges.The navigation array consists of two soft keys, a dedicated menu button, dedicated messaging and Web browser buttons, and the traditional Talk and End keys. The controls are large enough, but theyre slippery, so youll need to watch what youre doing when navigating through menus. The five-way toggle is also too slick, and its much too small to be entirely user-friendly. Still, it acts as a shortcut to four user-defined functions.Since they are flat with the surface of the phone, the keypad buttons warrant a test-drive before buying. With the exception of small ridges that separate the horizontal rows, the keys lack texture, so its difficult to dial by feel. Whats more, the backlighting is rather dim, and depending on the angle at which youre holding your phone, the white text of the numbers can be hard to see. Though we recognize the controls are all part of the Pebls slick design, we think Moto could have made a few tweaks to make them easier to use.Controls on the outside of the phone consist of a voice-dialing key on the right spine, while the left spine holds a volume rocker and a \"smart key\" that changes the ringer mode when the flap is closed and starts the camera when its open. On the rear face of the Pebl is the speaker. The feature set of the Motorola Pebl doesnt complement the flashy design exactly, but you get an attractive set of goodies. First, the basics: The phone book holds 1,000 contacts, each of which can take six phone numbers, an e-mail address, a postal address, and a birth date; the SIM card holds an additional 250 names. You can assign contacts to caller groups, pair them with a picture for photo caller ID (photos are displayed on the internal screen only), or assign them one of 12 polyphonic or 26 monophonic ring tones. Other features include a vibrate mode, a one-minute voice recorder, voice dialing, a calculator, a date book, an alarm clock, text and multimedia messaging, PC syncing, instant messaging (Yahoo, AOL, and ICQ), and a WAP 2.0 Web browser. Theres also full Bluetooth for headsets and wireless data transfers, and though you get a speakerphone, you cant activate it until after you make a call. The Pebls camera lens doesnt come with a flash.Considering the phones price, we were hopeful for a megapixel camera; instead, youre stuck with a VGA model that delivers three photo resolutions: 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120. For photo-editing features, you have a choice of six lighting settings, an adjustable brightness control, a 4X zoom, a 5- or 10-second autotimer, and a selection of five shutter sounds, as well as a silent option. The MPEG-4 video recorder takes clips about 30 seconds in length with sound and in two resolutions (176x144 and 128x96); you can also choose a lighting setting. Photos and video were about what youd expect from a VGA camera; objects were fuzzy, and colors didnt exactly jump out. When finished with your snapshots and clips, you can send them in a multimedia message or save them to the phone. A meter keeps track of how much space in the phones 5MB of memory you have left. The Pebl has average photo quality.You can personalize the Pebl with a variety of wallpaper, themes, menu styles, color skins, screensavers, and message tones. If youd like more options or ring tones, you can download them from T-Mobile. You get two demo versions of Java (J2ME) games--Bejeweled and Skipping Stones--but you can always download more if youre an avid gamer. We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS) Motorola Pebl world phone in San Francisco using T-Mobiles service. Call quality was admirable, and we had no trouble getting a signal. We enjoyed clear conversations with little static and enough volume. Callers said we sounded fine as well, though they could tell we were using a cell phone. On a couple of occasions, the voice quality on both ends sounded a bit tinny, but it was nothing bothersome. We also tested the phone in a room full of electronics and encountered no interference, aside from the microwave. Calls with the speakerphone were surprisingly loud, given the small size of the speaker and its location on the phones rear face. Voice quality was diminished somewhat, but thats to be expected. We tested the Pebl with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset and had no problem connecting the two devices. Call quality was fine with good volume.The Motorola Pebl has a rated talk time of 6.75 hours and a promised standby time of 12 days. In our tests, we got a respectable 6.5 hours of talk time and eight days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Motorola Pebl has a digital SAR rating of 1.2 watts per kilogram. ),
(1087,Motorola Pebl U6 (orange),Positives: The Motorola Pebl has a sexy design and comes with Bluetooth, a speakerphone, world phone support, and solid call quality. Negatives: The Motorola Pebl has a low-resolution camera, it flips open when dropped, and it suffers from tricky and smudgy controls. Facts: Undeniably attractive, the Motorola Pebl offers great performance and an acceptable--if not high-end--range of features. Just make sure you give the controls a test-drive. Note: This product is part of the Motorola Pebl U6 series. ., Up until just a couple of years ago, Motorolas reputation largely hinged on its famed StarTAC cell phone. As the handset that revolutionized the flip-phone form factor, the StarTAC made Motorola into a major cell phone player. Now, after a period of producing a string of quality but mostly unremarkable mobiles, Motorola is again on the forefront of cell phone design. Following on the heels of the ultrathin Motorola Razr and Slvr is the ultrachic Motorola Pebl U6 for T-Mobile. Sporting a sophisticated and very soothing design, the Pebl is so striking that it deserves to be named as one of the most attractive cell phones ever made. Under the hood, it comes with a generous range of features, including Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and world phone support. We were hoping for a higher-resolution camera, and as with all of Motorolas designcentric phones, we werent impressed with the controls, but the Pebl nonetheless is a looker and a solid performer. Be warned that its expensive at $299, and T-Mobile currently isnt offering any service rebates. Were not exaggerating when we say the Motorola Pebl is one of the cutest phones around. Shaped like, well, a pebble, its clad in basic black and is nicely set off by a shiny metal hinge. We especially liked the oval shape and the rounded edges, and we enjoyed the textured feel of the rubbery casing. Though its relatively compact (3.4 by 1.9 by 0.8 inches; 3.8 ounces), it has a solid heft when held in the hand. The Motorola Pebl is one of the loveliest cell phones around.On the front of the mobile, youll notice a unique vertical external display that shows the time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID (where available). Though its monochrome and a bit small, the rectangular shape complements the phones overall design. Still, we had a couple complaints. While you can change the orientation of the caller ID text from left to right, the font size is tiny and cant be altered. The display also doesnt support picture ID, and you cant change the backlighting time. Below the display is the camera lens, and while we normally bemoan the lack of a flash and self-portrait mirror, were more understanding this time--the phone is just too pretty.The Pebls hinge mechanism is like nothing weve ever seen before on a cell phone. When you hold it in one hand, you can open the Pebl by sliding the front flap toward you (away from the hinge) with your thumb. The flap then flips open in one easy stroke. Its a bit gimmicky, but we still thought it was cool. One caveat is that you should keep a good hold on the phone when using this method. It opens so quickly and with such force that we felt as if the Pebl would fly out of our hand. Also, due to the quirky slide-and-open mechanism the phone flips open when accidentally dropped--even from a short distance on a carpeted floor. As a result, the Pebl may not be the best mobile for the klutz. Of course, you also can open the phone simply by lifting the flap as you would with any other flip phone. When closing, two tiny magnets on the front flap ensure it snaps shut with a satisfying click.The Pebls main display supports 262,000 colors, but it has a somewhat washed-out appearance. Similarly, while we recognize the 1.8-inch-diagonal, 176x220-pixel display couldnt be any bigger for the phones size, it just looked a bit small. You can change the backlighting time and the brightness of the display but not the font size. That then brings us to the navigation controls and the keypad, which are a mixed bag. As was the case with both the Razr and Slvr, the Pebls distinctive design comes at the expense of fully tactile buttons. All controls with the exception of the navigation toggle resemble a single flat touch pad, which may take some acclimation, depending on your dexterity. Also, since the keys rest on a shiny plastic surface, theyre prone to finger smudges.The navigation array consists of two soft keys, a dedicated menu button, dedicated messaging and Web browser buttons, and the traditional Talk and End keys. The controls are large enough, but theyre slippery, so youll need to watch what youre doing when navigating through menus. The five-way toggle is also too slick, and its much too small to be entirely user-friendly. Still, it acts as a shortcut to four user-defined functions.Since they are flat with the surface of the phone, the keypad buttons warrant a test-drive before buying. With the exception of small ridges that separate the horizontal rows, the keys lack texture, so its difficult to dial by feel. Whats more, the backlighting is rather dim, and depending on the angle at which youre holding your phone, the white text of the numbers can be hard to see. Though we recognize the controls are all part of the Pebls slick design, we think Moto could have made a few tweaks to make them easier to use.Controls on the outside of the phone consist of a voice-dialing key on the right spine, while the left spine holds a volume rocker and a \"smart key\" that changes the ringer mode when the flap is closed and starts the camera when its open. On the rear face of the Pebl is the speaker. The feature set of the Motorola Pebl doesnt complement the flashy design exactly, but you get an attractive set of goodies. First, the basics: The phone book holds 1,000 contacts, each of which can take six phone numbers, an e-mail address, a postal address, and a birth date; the SIM card holds an additional 250 names. You can assign contacts to caller groups, pair them with a picture for photo caller ID (photos are displayed on the internal screen only), or assign them one of 12 polyphonic or 26 monophonic ring tones. Other features include a vibrate mode, a one-minute voice recorder, voice dialing, a calculator, a date book, an alarm clock, text and multimedia messaging, PC syncing, instant messaging (Yahoo, AOL, and ICQ), and a WAP 2.0 Web browser. Theres also full Bluetooth for headsets and wireless data transfers, and though you get a speakerphone, you cant activate it until after you make a call. The Pebls camera lens doesnt come with a flash.Considering the phones price, we were hopeful for a megapixel camera; instead, youre stuck with a VGA model that delivers three photo resolutions: 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120. For photo-editing features, you have a choice of six lighting settings, an adjustable brightness control, a 4X zoom, a 5- or 10-second autotimer, and a selection of five shutter sounds, as well as a silent option. The MPEG-4 video recorder takes clips about 30 seconds in length with sound and in two resolutions (176x144 and 128x96); you can also choose a lighting setting. Photos and video were about what youd expect from a VGA camera; objects were fuzzy, and colors didnt exactly jump out. When finished with your snapshots and clips, you can send them in a multimedia message or save them to the phone. A meter keeps track of how much space in the phones 5MB of memory you have left. The Pebl has average photo quality.You can personalize the Pebl with a variety of wallpaper, themes, menu styles, color skins, screensavers, and message tones. If youd like more options or ring tones, you can download them from T-Mobile. You get two demo versions of Java (J2ME) games--Bejeweled and Skipping Stones--but you can always download more if youre an avid gamer. We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS) Motorola Pebl world phone in San Francisco using T-Mobiles service. Call quality was admirable, and we had no trouble getting a signal. We enjoyed clear conversations with little static and enough volume. Callers said we sounded fine as well, though they could tell we were using a cell phone. On a couple of occasions, the voice quality on both ends sounded a bit tinny, but it was nothing bothersome. We also tested the phone in a room full of electronics and encountered no interference, aside from the microwave. Calls with the speakerphone were surprisingly loud, given the small size of the speaker and its location on the phones rear face. Voice quality was diminished somewhat, but thats to be expected. We tested the Pebl with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset and had no problem connecting the two devices. Call quality was fine with good volume.The Motorola Pebl has a rated talk time of 6.75 hours and a promised standby time of 12 days. In our tests, we got a respectable 6.5 hours of talk time and eight days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Motorola Pebl has a digital SAR rating of 1.2 watts per kilogram. ),
(1088,Cingular 2125,Positives: The Cingular 2125 packs a lot of features into its compact form factor, including a 1.3-megapixel camera, a speakerphone, Bluetooth and EDGE support, and Windows Mobile 5. The smart phone also offers outstanding battery life. Negatives: The Cingular 2125 suffers from mediocre call quality and doesnt have integrated Wi-Fi. The smart phone also has a quirky power button, and the Mini SD card expansion slot is located behind the battery. Facts: Although it lacks Wi-Fi and has only average call quality, the Cingular 2125 is a powerful smart phone that will help mobile professionals be more productive on the road. , A little more than a year ago, a small wonder called the Audiovox SMT5600 took the smart-phone world by storm with its powerful features and ultracompact form factor. Even today, it continues to be one of readers favorite smart phones. Now, a worthy successor has come along to let the SMT5600 retire: the Cingular 2125. The 2125 is Cingulars first company-branded B2B device and offers many of the same great qualities of the SMT5600, but it adds some upgrades, such as the latest Windows Mobile 5 OS and a better camera. Unfortunately, the 2125 falls a bit behind some of its competition--the T-Mobile SDA--with its lack of Wi-Fi and its average call quality. That said, the 2125s pros outweigh the cons, and its still a powerful smart phone that will help mobile professionals be more productive on the road. The Cingular 2125 is available now for $299.99, but you should be able to get it for less with service. Unless youre a smart-phone fanatic, you may not have heard of a Taiwanese company called HTC. Alhough not a household name, the company quietly has built some of the hottest Windows Mobile smart phones in the market today, including the Cingular 2125. At a compact 4.3 by 1.8 by 0.7 inches and a light 3.7 ounces, this candy bar-style phone is a boon for mobile professionals; it wont weigh you down, and it eliminates the need to carry multiple devices. Plus, it doesnt hurt that its a good-looking device, sporting a sleek metallic blue and silver finish. Overall, its very reminiscent of the Audiovox SMT5600, with the exception of an additional 0.25-inch overhang on top of the device that houses the power on/off button and the infrared port. We should mention the tricky power control at this point, which already has garnered some reader complaints. Its marked by a small circular button, so the natural tendency is to simply push it in, but you actually have to push and pull it down. Its not particularly annoying, but its definitely a weird design quirk.Stretch out: The Cingular 2125 features a more spacious keypad layout than the T-Mobile SDA.The Cingular 2125s 2.2-inch-diagonal display is a sight to behold. Although its not a touch screen, it displays 64,000 hues with a sharp 320x240-pixel resolution, making colors pop out and producing crisp text and images. Viewing photos and Web sites on the device was a treat. Just below the display are two soft keys that are well spaced and easy to press. The cramped layout of these keys, as well as the numerical dial pad, is a sticking point for us on the T-Mobile SDA, but were glad to see the Cingular 2125 goes a different route. The Today shortcut, the Back button, and the Talk and End keys surround the navigation joystick. Unfortunately, its the same tiny toggle that plagues the SDA, so you have to pay attention to the direction youre moving and firmly press the joystick in the middle to select an item. The dial pad is roomy and backlit, and since the keys are raised above the phones surface, its easy to dial by feel.On the left spine, there are three unmarked buttons. The top button launches the Communication Manager, where you can turn on/off Bluetooth, the speakerphone, and ActiveSync; if you hold down the key, it will launch the voice recorder, though we didnt find this out until we read the user manual. Just below that is the volume rocker, which cant be used to navigate the menus. Theres a lone camera-activation button on the right side, while the camera lens and the self-portrait mirror are on the back. You can find a 2.5mm headset jack and a port for the USB sync cable and AC adapter on the bottom of the device. The Cingular 2125 ships with a soft protective case/belt holster, an AC charger, a USB cable, and a wired stereo headset.Yes! The Cingular 2125 has a Mini SD card expansion slot. No! Its behind the battery.Now, we have some good news and bad news. First, Positives: The Cingular 2125 is equipped with an expansion card slot. The bad news, however, is that its located behind the battery, so you have to remove the cell pack each time you want to access it, and it accepts only Mini SD cards. That said, we understand that concessions have to be made for size, and we appreciate the inclusion of expandable memory. The Cingular 2125 is chock-full of goodies but falls behind its competitor, the T-Mobile SDA, with its lack of integrated Wi-Fi. Well touch on this a bit later, but first, a few of the basics: The 2125s phone book is limited only by the available memory (64MB of SDRAM, 64MB of flash ROM), while the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts. For each entry, you can store up to 12 numbers, three e-mail and instant-messaging addresses, birthdays, anniversaries, and more. You can also pair them with one of 12 ring tones and a picture for caller ID. Other treats include a vibrate mode, speed dial, text and multimedia messaging, a voice recorder, and yes, a speakerphone.The Cingular 2125 runs Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone Edition, which means you wont get the full Mobile Office suite found on the Pocket PC Edition, just Outlook Mobile. don't be alarmed, though; you can still view Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files by installing the ClearVue Suite from the included CD-ROM. We were able to transfer and open all four formats on the 2125 successfully. You cant edit said files, but given the 2125s smaller form factor and lack of a keyboard, its not the best device to do such a thing anyway; its just nice to be able to review your work and be more productive on the road.Cant stand to be away from your e-mail? You don't have to be with the Cingular 2125. The device handles corporate and personal e-mail, and its compatible with Microsoft Exchange Server, GoodLink, and Cingular Xpress Mail. The phone is also upgradable to Microsofts Messaging and Security Feature Pack, which will allow for direct push e-mail. You can set up the 2125 to retrieve messages from personal accounts, such as EarthLink, BellSouth, and Yahoo. MSN Messenger is the only instant-messaging client preloaded on the handset, but you can access other popular services, such as Yahoo and AOL, via the Web browser.Obviously, the lack of a QWERTY keyboard doesnt make the Cingular 2125 ideal for messaging, but the integrated Bluetooth gives you the option to connect to a Bluetooth accessory keyboard so that you can stretch your fingers and type to your hearts content. We touched on the lack of Wi-Fi earlier, and its absence is a little easier to take because of the EDGE support, but were still disappointed, especially since the T-Mobile SDA managed to pack it in. We would have appreciated that extra avenue for surfing the Web. As it is, the Web-browsing experience was a little poky compared with that of the SDA, but it gets the job done.Get ready for your close-up: The Cingular 2125 comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera and a tiny self-portrait mirror.The Audiovox SMT5600 only had a VGA camera, but the Cingular 2125 kicks it up a notch with a 1.3-megapixel camera. The editing options are identical to those found on the T-Mobile SDA, including four quality settings (Basic, Normal, Fine, and Super-Fine) and four resolutions (160x120, 320x240, 640x480, and 1,280x1,024). You also get a 2X zoom, brightness controls, a time- and date-stamp option, and a photo counter. Normally, we would bemoan the lack of a flash, but the 2125s Night setting did an admirable job of lighting up pictures taken in dark environments. Other lighting choices include Auto, Daylight, Incandescent, and Fluorescent. To spruce up your snapshots, you can add a picture frame or change the tone of the picture to Grayscale, Sepia, or Cool. If you want to make movies for the small screen, the phones camera records video clips with sound in MPEG-4, H.263, or Motion-JPEG AVI format, and it offers two resolutions (176x144 or 128x96). Also at your disposal are most of the editing features found on the still camera.We have to admit--the picture quality was not too shabby. Although not frameworthy, our snapshots came out clear and bright, and you can share your memories with others via multimedia message or e-mail, as well as save them as wallpaper. Other customization options for your phone include different color themes, background images, and sounds. If none of the defaults suit you, take a visit to Cingulars Media Mall and shop around.Finally, during your downtime, you can enjoy a variety of multimedia fun, including MP3, WAV, WMA, and AAC music files, as well as MPEG-4 video streams, thanks to Windows Media Player 10 Mobile. We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) Cingular 2125 in San Francisco, and call quality was a mixed bag. We had no problems hearing the conversation, but on several occasions, our callers said they detected an echo. Also, the speakerphone wasnt the best weve heard; volume was a bit low even when we jacked it up to the highest level. We had no problems pairing the handset with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset, and though audio quality took a bit of a dive, this may have more to do with the headset than the phone.The Cingular 2125s battery is rated for a talk time of 4 hours and up to six days of standby time, but like the T-Mobile SDA, the 2125 laughs at that lowly number. The smart phone lasted an astounding 11 hours before finally calling it quits, and it met the rated standby time. According to the FCC radiation tests, the Cingular 2125 has a digital SAR rating of 0.94 watt per kilogram. ),
(1089,Sanyo RL4930,Positives: The Sanyo RL4930 has a speakerphone, support for Sprints Ready Link push-to-talk service, long standby battery life, and analog roaming. Negatives: The Sanyo RL4930 has a dull, bulky design with tiny keypad buttons, and audio quality is inconsistent. Facts: The Sanyo RL4930 offers a couple of useful features, but if youre looking for a ReadyLink phone, there are better options available. , Now that Sprint has absorbed Nextel, the carriers Ready Link phones seem to be suffering from an identity crisis. Before the merger, the handsets were sort of Nextel-lite. You could get push-to-talk service and a rugged handset, but you didnt have to lug around a brick, totally devoid of style, and you didnt have to be chained to Nextels businesscentric services. But now that Nextel and Sprint have joined forces, and Nextel is putting out smaller, more attractive phones, Sprints Ready Link handsets just look a little ridiculous. Take the new Sanyo RL4930: Although it is on the bulky side, as well as sports rubber edges and PTT capability, wed rather go with the real thing and just get a Nextel phone, such as the i355. The RL4930 is $189, but its cheaper with a service plan. The Sanyo RL4930 isnt much for looks.To be perfectly frank, the Sanyo RL4930 is not a looker. A dull candy bar shape, along with a basic-gray color scheme and a protruding antenna, makes it more like a cordless phone than a mobile device. Also, considering it measures 4.5 by 2 by 1 inches and weighs 4.4 ounces, its not compact by any means. On the upside, a rubber coating on either spine adds a touch of durability, but the extendable antenna is rather flimsy.The Sanyo RL4930s 65,000-color display measures 1.6 inches (128x112 pixels) and is the best thing about the handsets design. Although its overall resolution is a bit washed out, its nonetheless fine for viewing the user-friendly menus. You can adjust the contrast, the font size, and the backlighting time, but you cant alter the brightness. Below the Sanyo RL4930s display are the main navigation controls with a standard Sanyo design. Theres a five-way toggle that acts as a shortcut to messaging, and the phone book has a menu where you can program more shortcuts, as well as a My Content folder for storing games and other downloaded files. The toggle is large enough, but the other navigation controls may trouble users with larger fingers. Two soft keys, dedicated Web and Back buttons, and the Talk and End/power keys are all much too small. However, we liked the fact that the Back buttons double as a key lock if held down and that theres a dedicated speakerphone button below the keypad. Speaking of the keypad, the buttons are raised just above the surface of the phone, which made it easy to dial by feel. Theyre also decently sized and lit by a green backlighting. The only controls on the outside of the phone are the Ready Link button and a wide volume rocker on the left spine. The Sanyo RL4930 has an average feature set that is useful without being remarkable. The phone book holds 500 contacts, with room in each entry for six phone numbers, Web and e-mail addresses, and notes. Be advised, though, that the phone book can hold only 700 numbers total. You can pair contacts with a picture and one of 17 polyphonic (32-chord) ring tones, but there are no caller groups. On the other hand, you can use caller groups in the separate Ready Link phone book, which holds 400 contacts total. Other features include a vibrate mode, a calendar, an alarm clock, a calculator, a stopwatch, a world clock, PC syncing, text messaging, and a WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. You can activate the speakerphone before you make a call, which is a nice touch, and the voice recorders ability to hold up to 130 minutes impressed us. Total memory for downloads is 2MB.We tested the triband Sanyo RL4930 (CDMA 800/1900; AMPS 800) in San Francisco using Sprints service. Call quality was satisfactory with good volume, but voices sounded hollow on our end. Callers had trouble hearing us from time to time, and they could tell we were using a cell phone. Speakerphone calls were relatively clear, and through the speaker faces of the phone, they were loud enough. Ready Link calls were on a par with normal calls: fine but not exceptional.Sanyo rates the talk time at 5.5 hours, and we got 5 in our tests. Standby time was fantastic; the phone lasted an impressive 20 days. According to FCC radiation tests, the Sanyo RL4930 has a digital SAR rating of 0.37 watt per kilogram and an analog SAR rating of 1.13 watts per kilogram. ),
(1090,Motorola Slvr L7,Positives: The Motorola Slvr L7 has an attractive overall design. It also comes with an integrated iTunes player, Bluetooth, a sharp display, a TransFlash card slot, and a speakerphone, as well as solid call and music-audio quality. Negatives: The Motorola Slvr L7s iTunes player is sluggish, and its burdened with too many usage restrictions. The phone is further hampered by a low-resolution VGA camera, a lack of support for EDGE, tricky controls, no FM radio or stereo speakers, and little integrated memory. Facts: Motorolas Slvr L7 puts a prettier face on the iTunes phone, but its low-resolution camera, its sluggish music-player performance, and the limitations on the iTunes usability are big distractions. Note: This product is part of the Motorola Slvr series. ., After the phenomenal success of the Motorola Razr, slim is definitely in. The trendy phone was the top-selling mobile in 2005, and it spawned both a long-awaited successor for Verizon, the Razr V3c, and a near-identical imitator, the Samsung MM-A900. But don't think Motorola is content with just one good year. The company is now aiming at a total cell phone design revolution with the new candy bar version of the Razr, the Motorola Slvr L7. Resembling an open Razr that has been hammered flat, the Slvr L7s sexy profile speaks for itself, but its brains and brawn don't quite measure up to its beauty. The Slvr L7 has a VGA camera, the integrated memory is low, and theres no support for EDGE. Also, though the Slvr sports iTunes, as found on the ho-hum Motorola Rokr E1, its held to the same annoying restrictions found on the previous handset. Available exclusively through Cingular, the Motorola Slvr L7 is well priced at $199. Although the design of the original iTunes phone (the Rokr E1) was decidedly dull, the Motorola Slvr L7 sports a form factor thats just the opposite. Stylish and amazingly thin, the Slvr L7 sports a soothing black and dark-gray color scheme that should please even the most ardent slave to fashion. At 1.9 by 4.5 by 0.45 inches, its just a hair slimmer than the Razr, but the candy bar design makes it nominally taller. Also, at 3.4 ounces (compared with the 2.5-ounce Razr), the Slvr L7 is easily portable, but it feels more solidly built than its sibling. The trim form factor does have one drawback, however. It can be difficult to get a good grip on the Slvr L7, which makes it somewhat awkward to hold against your ear for long periods of time.The Slvr L7s design takes its cues from the Motorola Razr.The Motorola Slvr L7s 262,000-color, 176x122-pixel display measures 1.8 inches diagonally, making it large enough for the phones size. Its great for scrolling through the menus, viewing photos, and playing games, yet it does disappear in direct light. Be warned that it also catches finger smudges easily.The navigation toggles below the Motorola Slvr L7s display are adequately sized but sparse in number, with just two soft keys, a five-way toggle, a menu control, and dedicated Talk and End buttons. Unlike with the Razr, there are no shortcuts for the camera or Web browser next to the toggle, nor is there a dedicated Back button--an annoying omission. The toggle can be set as a shortcut to four user-defined functions, but it would have been nice to have more options. Whats more, theres no dedicated iTunes button, as there was on the Rokr. Instead, one of the soft keys serves this function but only when youre in standby mode.The skinny Slvr L7 has a TransFlash card slot.Since the toggle and all other navigation controls are set flush with the surface of the Motorola Slvr L7, using them did take some practice. Our finger slipped around a few times, but we got the hang of it eventually. The small, blue-backlit keypad buttons also took acclimation. Closely similar to the Razr family in that they resemble a single flat touch pad, they lack the Motorola Razr V3cs textured lines separating the individual rows. The numbers are raised ever so slightly, but its not enough to dial by feel. Whats more, not only are the keys slippery, but theres also no satisfying click when pressing a button. So if youre thinking of buying the Slvr L7, you may want to give it a test-drive first.On the back of the Motorola Slvr L7, youll find the camera lens (sans a flash or a self-portrait mirror), as well as the single speaker for music and speakerphone calls. The lack of stereo speakers on a music phone is puzzling, and its placement on the handsets rear face means youll want to place the phone facedown for best results when using the speaker; however, be careful not to scratch the display. On the left spine are a volume rocker and a camera button. Unlike with many other camera phones, the latter control opens the camera menu rather than activating the camera itself. On the right spine, youll find a voice-dialing control, as well as the USB port for the included headset and cable needed to load music on the phone. By utilizing the included adapter, you can use your own 3.5mm headset if you wish. Farther down is the TransFlash card slot--an especially welcome addition to such a slim phone--and a 512MB card is included. Motorola was clear that the Slvr L7 is a \"design first\" phone. Granted, the design alone should win the Slvr many fans, but were not letting Motorola off the hook so easily. In fact, the feature set doesnt complement the Slvr L7s flashy form factor, and it left us a bit disappointed overall. But before we get to the show offerings, first things first. The phone book holds 1,000 contacts, each of which can take six phone numbers, an e-mail address, a postal address, and a birthdate; the SIM card holds an additional 250 names. You can assign contacts to caller groups, pair them with a picture for photo caller ID, or assign them a ring tone from the phones small collection--just 7 polyphonic and 10 monophonic tones. Other features include a vibrate mode, voice dialing, a calculator, a datebook, an alarm clock, text and multimedia messaging, PC syncing, and a WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Like the Rokr E1, the Slvr L7 comes with Bluetooth and a speakerphone, but these extras quickly lose their luster. The Bluetooth functionality is limited to voice calls, and you can activate the speakerphone only after youve made a call. Another downside is you still don't get an FM radio--a strange omission for a music phone.The Slvr L7s iTunes interface is just like the iPods.The iTunes experience on the Motorola Slvr L7 is nearly identical to that of the Rokr. iPod owners will instantly recognize the overall interface. Opening the player takes you straight to the music library, where you can organize songs by playlist, artist, album, and name. When playing music, the phone goes into standby mode while displaying onscreen soft controls and album art. Settings include shuffling of songs or albums, as well as repeating one or all but no equalizers. Transferring between the cell phone and the music player is seamless, as music automatically stops when you receive a call. Hang up and press the dedicated iTunes key, and your song picks up again from the point you left off. Theres also an airplane mode that lets you listen to your tunes in flight with the cell phone turned off.The Motorola Slvr L7 is the second iTunes phone, so we were hoping we wouldnt see any of the irritating limitations found on the Rokr. Yet to our disappointment, theyre still here. You can download songs only through the included USB cable. Theres no way to transfer iTunes music wirelessly, you cant listen to music through a Bluetooth headset, and you cant use iTunes tracks as ring tones. The strict 100-song storage limit hasnt changed either, and all songs must be saved on the TransFlash card, assuming you havent filled it up with a lot of other data. And forget the idea of storing more music on the phones skimpy 5MB of integrated memory--it just isnt possible. So in other words, don't get too excited about circumventing the inadequate 100-song cap. Like the Rokr, the Slvr L7 also connects with only one computer at a time. When we tried connecting to a second computer, the Slvr L7, like the Rokr E1, erased all our previously loaded songs.In addition to the iTunes player, the Motorola Slvr L7 has a separate, generic Motorola-designed MP3 player that supports MP3, MIDI, WAV, AAC, and DRM AAC files. The interface is as bare bones as players get, but it accepts downloads via Bluetooth, or you can buy tunes from Cingular for around $2.49 each. You can use stored tracks as ring tones, but since this second player isnt connected to the iTunes player in any way, you cant transfer files back and forth. Once again, the Slvr L7s meager integrated memory will limit you to about 20 songs.Theres no flash or self-portrait mirror with the VGA camera.After seeing the 1.3-megapixel camera on the Motorola Razr V3c, we wanted the Motorola Slvr L7 to come similarly equipped. Unfortunately, the VGA camera takes pictures in just three resolutions: 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120. On the upside, we liked the useful camera options. A meter keeps track of how much storage space is left, and you can switch between the phone and the card storage with three easy clicks. For photo-editing features, you get a choice of six lighting settings, an adjustable brightness control, a 4X zoom, a 5- or 10-second autotimer, and a selection of five shutter sounds, as well as a silent option. The MPEG-4 video recorder takes clips about 30 seconds in length, with sound in two resolutions (176x144 and 128x96), and you can choose a lighting setting. Photos and video were about what youd expect from a VGA camera: Objects were fuzzy, and colors didnt exactly jump out. When finished with your snapshots and clips, you can send them in a multimedia message or save them to the phone. You can also save your work to the TransFlash card, but youll probably want to keep that chunk of memory for your music.The Slvr L7s photos are fine for viewing on a computer, but theyre nothing youd want to print.You can personalize the Motorola Slvr L7 with a variety of wallpaper, themes, menu styles, color skins, screensavers, and message tones. If youd like more options or ring tones, you can download them from Cingular. You get three Java (J2ME) games--BlockBreaker Deluxe, Jewel Quest, and Tetris--but you can always download more if youre an avid gamer. We tested the quad-band Motorola Slvr L7 (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS) world phone is San Francisco using Cingulars service and had no trouble getting a signal. The fact that the phone supports only GPRS data speeds and not EDGE is a letdown, especially since Cingular is on the verge of introducing its first 3G (UMTS) phones.Call quality was generally good. We enjoyed clear conversations, with little static and no voice distortion. Callers occasionally could tell we were using a cell phone, but they reported satisfactory audio quality as well. As with the Razr, volume on our end was somewhat low, so callers with hearing impairments should try the Motorola Slvr L7 first. We encountered little interference from other electronic devices. The speakerphone was loud and only occasionally muffled, but it performed admirably overall. Putting the speaker facedown on a table does affect outgoing sound somewhat--callers had trouble hearing us at times--but its difficult to find an alternative position, as the phone cant rest on its side. We tested the Slvr L7 with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset and had no problem connecting the two devices. Call quality was clear, but volume on both ends was low. That could be due to the headset, however.As with the Motorola Rokr, song transfers from iTunes to the Motorola Slvr L7 were agonizingly slow. It took 4.3 minutes to transfer a 43MB playlist, which makes for an average transfer time of just 0.17MB per second--compare that to the iPod Nanos 5.3MB per second. In fact, the overall performance of iTunes was obviously affected whenever we had the Slvr L7 connected. However, the Slvr L7s onboard iTunes performance showed noticeable improvement upon the Rokrs. Navigation between screens was quick if not always smooth, and starting up playlists and scrubbing through tracks had no more delay than your standard MP3 player.The Motorola Slvr L7s audio performance is top notch for a phone; it compares evenly to the iPod Nanos. All types of music sounded bright, clear, and detailed, and bass response was OK, though not thumping. The buds sound fine but may not be comfortable for all users.The Motorola Slvr L7 has a rated talk time of 6 hours and a promised standby time of 17 days. In our tests, we came away with a very solid 8.5 hours of talk time and a respectable 12 days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Slvr L7 has a digital SAR rating of 1.34 watts per kilogram. ),
(1091,Palm Treo 700w,Positives: The Treo 700w runs Windows Mobile 5 and sports the same great, compact form factor of the Treo 650. This smart phone also comes with Bluetooth, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and EV-DO support. Negatives: Unfortunately, the Treo 700w doesnt include integrated Wi-Fi and has a somewhat poor 240x240-pixel resolution. Facts: The Palm Treo 700w brings Windows Mobile and a number of useful features, such as push e-mail and photo speed dial, to the much-beloved smart phone, but its heft and its washed-out screen has us giving the edge to the Treo 650. Note: This product is part of the Palm Treo 700 series. ., Back in September, Palm, Microsoft, and Verizon Wireless released a few tantalizing details about the Palm Treo 700w, then called the Palm Treo on Windows Mobile 5, but left us wanting much more information on the long-fabled smart phone. Finally, at CES 2006 in Las Vegas, the three companies announced its availability and many more details, including the final name. Yet while we were initially excited by the Windows-based Treo, our elation slowly deflated as we spent more time with the device. The once fresh-seeming features, such as photo speed dial and responding to calls with text messages, are now available on the Palm Treo 650 through third-party apps, so theyre no longer unique to the Treo 700w. Also, we couldnt help but find the Treo 700ws washed-out screen uninspiring over time. Still, for those who want native Windows support, the smart phone offers good call quality, solid battery life, and excellent one-handed operation. The Treo 700w is now available to all through Verizon for a pricey $499, although it should be a bit cheaper with service. The companies will release GSM versions of the Treo 700w but probably not until the middle of the year. Part of what makes Palms Treo line so successful is its form factor, so were glad to see that the company didnt mess with a good thing when designing the Treo 700w. Like its Palm OS-based sibling, the Palm Treo 650, the Palm Treo 700w measures 4.4 by 2.3 by 0.9 inches and is a hair heavier at 6.4 ounces. Although the dimensions of the two devices are the same on paper, the 700w actually feels heavier and looks thicker. The heft may be a turnoff to some, but the device feels solid in the hand and comfortable while held up to your ear. Also, the Treo 700w sports a classic silver and charcoal-gray color scheme that will look good in any boardroom. Lights out: The Palm Treo 700ws screen is a bit washed out and doesnt have the same sharp resolution as the Treo 650.Unfortunately, the Palm Treo 700w doesnt share the same sharp resolution as the Treo 650 (320x320 pixels). Rather, at 240x240 pixels, images and text don't look as defined as on the Treo 650, and though the Treo 700w displays 65,000 colors, they look a bit washed out. That said, the display isnt all bad. Below the display is a navigation keypad thats similar to the 650s. There are two action keys that give you quick access to various functions, depending on which screen youre in; for example, from the Today screen, you can launch your messages or the menu. Beneath the soft keys are the Talk, Start, OK, and End buttons, split in pairs by the four-way navigation toggle and the center Select key. All controls are well spaced and easy to use, and we love the fact that you can operate the smart phone with one hand--you don't have to rely on the stylus to access menus and applications. Its hip to be square: The Treo 700w features squarish keys rather than the oval buttons found on the 650.Of course, the Treo 700ws QWERTY keyboard is even handier (are you reading, e-mail fanatics?). The device sports rectangular buttons instead of the oval-like keys found on the 650, but the two smart phones do have something in common: a squished layout. Users with larger digits should take note, but on the upside, the keyboard is well backlit and provides a nice tactile feel. Theres a volume rocker on the left spine of the smart phone, as well as a customizable quick-launch button just below it. The infrared port, the MMC/SDIO expansion slot, and the ringer/silent switch sit atop the 700w, while the MultiConnector port and the 2.5mm headset jack line the bottom. As noted in our review of the Treo 650, we find the placement of the headset jack a bit inconvenient, but its not a deal breaker. Finishing out the design elements of the Palm Treo 700w is a camera lens, a self-portrait mirror, a speaker, and a user-replaceable battery on the back. The smart phone comes packaged with an AC adapter, a USB ActiveSync cable, and a wired headset. The feature that sets the Palm Treo 700w apart from the rest of the Treo family is obviously its Windows Mobile 5 operating system. With it, you get the new Microsoft Office Mobile Suite, including Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile. The first two apps add support for charts and tables--an enhancement to previous versions--while the latter is completely new. Although you cant edit slides in this version of PowerPoint, its nice to be able to view presentations right on your device. The biggest draw for many, however, will be Outlook Mobile. The Treo 700w will be upgradable to Microsofts Messaging and Security Feature Pack, which includes support for push e-mail. Now, you can receive Outlook e-mail in real time (along with POP3 and IMAP4 accounts, including Hotmail and Yahoo), appointments, contacts, and tasks directly on your device via a connection with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. The Treo 700ws complementary support for Verizons EV-DO network sweetens the deal, as it means faster download speeds of around 400Kbps to 700Kbps. Other wireless options include Bluetooth for hands-free calling (theres also a speakerphone) but unfortunately no Wi-Fi, and you cant use the device as a wireless modem for your laptop when you are on the road. Palm says the Treo 700w will support its Wi-Fi card, so you can gain access that way. Got files? Carry your large work documents and multimedia files on a memory card.Also unique to the Treo 700w is the customizable Today screen, which provides convenient and quick access to widely used apps. For example, you can now dial by name just by entering the first couple of letters of a contact, rather than having to dig through your whole address book. You can also easily surf the Net by entering text in the Web search field at the bottom of the Today screen, and Internet Explorer Mobile kicks in. In addition, the Palm Treo 700w includes some new phone features that should make mobile professionals smile. First, say youre in a meeting and an important call comes through, but you cant get to it. The Treo 700w lets you reply with a text message to let callers know you received the call but were otherwise engaged. We checked out this text function, and it worked wonderfully. The Treo 700w also supports photo speed dial, which you can quickly access from the Today screen, and lets you call contacts by photos, as well as a user-friendly, icon-based voicemail app that supports numerous systems at work or home. While we love these added phone capabilities, we should also note that you can now enjoy these same features on the Treo 650, thanks to third-party developers. An app called SharkMsg by Ludus Technologies can perform the same \"ignore with SMS\" duties of the Windows Treo, and Electric Pocket has developed a program called PhotoDial that allows for photo speed dial.All that said, we have to give the advantage of one-handed operation to the Treo 700w. With the combination of the useful shortcut keys and the Today screen, we could perform most operations without having to break out the stylus--truly convenient for working on the go. Get ready for your close-up: The Treo 700w features a 1.3-megapixel camera and a self-portrait mirror.For entertainment, the Palm Treo 700w includes Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, so you can listen to music and watch videos, plus it supports WMA, WMV, and MP3 files, among others. Also, for extra kicks, you can now assign any supported video file as a ring tone. If you want to take photos of your own, the Treo 700w comes equipped with a 1.3-megapixel camera, an improvement upon the Treo 650s VGA camera. Theres a 2X zoom, and you can choose from three quality settings (High, Normal, and Low) and five resolutions (1,280x1,024, 640x480, 320x240, 240x180, and 160x120). You can also adjust the brightness, and once youve snapped your image, you can rotate it or crop it to your liking. Image quality was decent but definitely not printworthy. In video mode, you get two quality settings (176x144 and 352x288) and brightness controls. Plus, you can choose to limit video clips to 15 seconds, 30 seconds, or none at all. Once youre done, you can assign your masterpieces as wallpaper or photo caller ID, or you can save them to the phones internal memory. Theres 128MB of memory (60MB is user accessible) onboard, but thanks to the SDIO/MMC expansion slot, you can load a nice memory card with such multimedia content and save the internal memory for other apps. We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO) Palm Treo 700w in Las Vegas and the San Francisco area using Verizons network, and call quality was excellent. Conversations were loud and clear on our end, and our callers reported the same. Speakerphone quality was a mixed bag. While everything was fine on our end, callers said we sounded far away. We had no problems pairing the Treo 700w with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset, although call quality diminished slightly. Powered by a 312MHz Intel XScale processor and EV-DO support, the Treo 700w had no problems surfing the Web, and load times were fast. The Palm Treo 700ws battery is rated for a talk time of 4.7 hours and a standby time of 15 days, which is decent for a phone. In the tests, we met the rated talk time, but standby time fell short by about 5 days. According to FCC radiation tests, the Treo 700w has a digital SAR rating of 1.26 watts per kilogram. ),
(1092,Motorola V557,Positives: The Motorola V557 features the cutting-edge Screen3 technology, which greatly improves the mobile Internet-browsing experience. The world phone also comes with Bluetooth and a speakerphone. Negatives: The Motorola V557 has a low-resolution camera, low memory, and shaky call quality. Also, the monochrome external display doesnt support picture caller ID. Facts: Building on the success of the feature-rich Motorola V551, Motorolas next-generation V557 adds a showcase feature without changing a relatively safe design. , At first glance, we thought it unlikely that the Motorola V557 would warrant much attention, given its design similarity to its predecessor, the Motorola V551. Sorry, Moto, we were wrong. Unlike the snazzy Razr, the V557 is noteworthy not because of its flashy design but instead of a technological breakthrough that improves the functionality and the connectivity of the Internet. We wont go so far to say the new Motorola exclusive Screen3 technology perfects the Web-browsing experience on a cell phone, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. And the even better news is that the innovative functionality comes at a reasonable $99 with service. The Motorola V557 is barely distinguishable from its predecessor, the V551. With the same exact dimensions and weight (1.9 by 1 by 3.5 inches; 4.23 ounces), the V557, like the V551, is a little on the large side, although it does not feel as clunky as the dimensions may lead one to believe. It fits just fine in a pocket, even with the protruding external antenna. The appeal of the simple Motorola V557 lies on the inside.Sporting a two-tone black and chrome finish--as opposed to the blue and chrome color of the V551--the Motorola V557 still has the same slightly gripping, rubbery texture that Motorola calls soft touch to help it stay in place on slippery surfaces. The construction is solid, and the flip opens and closes easily. Overall, the design of the phone wont win any awards, but it should appeal to a wide audience anyway.The Motorola V557s rectangular external display, while brighter and easier to read than on the Motorola V551, remains small and a disappointing monochrome blue. On this caliber of handset, and with a lot of unused room under the display, we think Motorola should have doubled its size and increased the resolution to allow for picture ID. The screen shows the time, battery life, message icon, signal strength, and caller ID (where available). Note, however, that you cant adjust the backlight time.The Motorola V557s camera lens is well located on the top corner of the front flip next to a self-portrait mirror, but theres no flash for dim conditions. The handset jack is on the top of the phone next to the stubby external antenna, while the left spine features a volume rocker that changes the ring style and a bottom button that activates the backlight on the sub-LCD. That said, we have a complaint with the design of the volume rocker, as it is easy to accidentally press when in a purse or a pocket, inadvertently turning the ring tone to Soft, Silent, or Loud. Motorola still offers no way to lock this feature. On the right spine is a button for activating voice dialing, but theres no dedicated camera key on the exterior of the phone.The interior of the Motorola V557 is also identical to the V551s. Here again, we were impressed with the quality of the 1.75-inch-diagonal interior display, which support 256,000 colors. The clarity is better than that of the majority phones on the market, and you can adjust the brightness, the contrast, and the font size. The Motorola V557 has a four-way navigational button with a center select button, two soft keys, and a dedicated menu button. Other shortcuts include the Cingular Media Net button and a camera button. We cant stress how much we love that the navigational buttons and the soft keys are programmable to any menu item. The buttons are raised, backlit, and easy to use. The keypad buttons are also backlit. They are large, far enough apart, and adequately raised. The Motorola V557 has a phone book that holds 1,000 entries. Each contact stores a work, home, main, mobile, fax, and pager number, as well as a home address, a birthday, and an e-mail address. Contacts can be arranged in groups or paired with one of just 10 polyphonic ring tones. Memory is an insignificant 5MB, and there is no expandable memory card--not ideal, considering the advanced features of the handset. The aforementioned Screen3 technology is certainly the attention-getting feature of the Motorola V557, and it stands to change how we surf the Web from a cell phone. Although data networks continue to get faster, the need to browse through multiple menus just to get basic information is the Achilles heel of mobile Web browsing. Surfing the Web on a cell phone not only takes a lot of time but is also expensive for all the time it takes. Screen3, however, makes some significant changes to the experience. In short, it allows always-on connectivity to customizable content, including sports scores, entertainment headlines, news stories, and weather reports. The first thing youll notice is that the V557 has a constantly scrolling ticker at the bottom of the internal screen--similar to those used on CNN--that shows the latest headlines. When you see something you like, you click the navigational toggle, and it gives you a longer headline. If you click again, it takes you to the full story, with very little noticeable connection delay. We love the interface, which was easy to use and allowed us enough of each story, including a headline and a picture, to know whether or not the full story was worth reading. The best part is the headline and the short version of the story are free, which makes us feel like we are getting some added value, a nice feeling in this high-cost pay-per-click world of cell phone Internet browsing. We are just disappointed that we cant add this service to our older Motorola phones. The connection works best with an EDGE network, but it also is GPRS compatible. The pricing is still a little confusing and will create an adoption curve, but for the easy option, you can get unlimited access to data transfer for $19.99 a month. While the Screen3 technology is certainly the showcase feature of the Motorola V557, plenty of other features abound, including a vibrate mode, Bluetooth, PC syncing, text and multimedia messaging, e-mail support (POP3, SMTP, and IMAP4), instant messaging (AIM, ICQ, and Yahoo), a speakerphone, an alarm clock, a calculator, a datebook, and a voice-memo recorder. Theres no camera flash on the Motorola V557.The Motorola V557 has an integrated VGA-quality digital camera. We were hoping to see a megapixel camera on this handset, but this will suffice. You can take pictures in three resolutions (640x480, 320x240, and 160x120), use the 4X zoom, and adjust the image brightness. Once youre done with your shots, you can send your pictures in a multimedia message, apply them as wallpaper or a screensaver, or save them to a phone-book entry. The handset also has adequate video capabilities, with a record time of 45 seconds a clip. Unfortunately, all applications share a paltry 5MB of memory. The Motorola V557 has average photo quality.Personalization settings on the Motorola V557 are plentiful. They include tweaking the animation speed and layout of the display; the font size; the order of the menu icons, which can also be displayed as a list; three skin settings; a greeting; the layout of the wallpaper; and the delay on the screensaver. The customization on the Media Net Live Ticker is the most interesting personalization feature on the V557. You can also download games (only two demo titles are included), polyphonic ring tones, and wallpaper at Cingulars Web site. We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) Motorola V557 world phone on the Cingular network in San Francisco. Audio quality was spotty at times, which is typical with the Cingular network in San Francisco. We had several dropped calls, as well as calls that went in and out. When working correctly, the handset itself has solid sound quality, but callers did know we were on a cell phone. Compared with other phones we have tested, it was harder to hear on a busy street. The speakerphone quality is very good, but be advised that the speaker faces the rear of the phone. Also, while the phone doesnt heat up after extended use, we did get interference near computer and car speakers.One glitch we came across had to do with the external LCD, which would turn on every few minutes when the Motorola V557 was on standby. We had to turn the phone off overnight, as the bright light kept us awake. The Motorola V557 has a promised talk time of 3.75 hours and a rated standby time of 10.6 days. In our tests, we got a respectable 5 hours of talk time and 12 days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the V557 has a digital SAR rating of 1.4 watts per kilogram. ),
(1093,Samsung SGH-T809,Positives: The Samsung SGH-T809 has a striking design and a great selection of high-end features, including Bluetooth, a megapixel camera, world phone support, a TransFlash slot, a speakerphone, and an MP3 player. Negatives: The Samsung SGH-T809 suffers from poorly designed navigation controls and a slippery keypad, as well as average performance and photos. Facts: It could use some design refinements, and its performance wasnt quite up to par, but the Samsung SGH-T809 is nonetheless a stylish and feature-packed cell phone. , If you follow design trends in cell phones even just a bit, youll notice that slim is definitely in. It all started of course with the Motorola Razr V3, which made its debut in late 2004. Since that time, the Razr has rocketed to popularity, and as 2005 closed, it was the top-selling cell phone of the year. To compete with Motorolas winner, Samsung countered in December with its own Razr emulator, the MM-A900. And now, Samsung takes the slim factor a step further with the slider SGH-T809 for T-Mobile. The result is a stylish handset that packs a wealth of features into a compact form factor. Although the ergonomics could be refined and overall performance was patchy, it is a solid phone that should appeal to mobile fanatics. Be warned, however, that all those attractions come at a high price: The Samsung SGH-T809 will cost you $299 with service. Like the Motorola Razr that inspired it, the Samsung SGH-T809 doesnt appear too exciting when viewed straight on. Its rather boxy from that angle, with sharp corners, though the black color scheme adds a touch of class. To really appreciate the SGH-T809s form factor, youll need to flip it on its side, where the slim design is clearly apparent. Measuring 3.9 by 2 by 0.6 inches, the SGH-T809s dimensions are almost the same as the MM-A900s, and its just a hair bigger than the Razr. On the weight side, its 3.6 ounces makes it lighter than its Samsung sibling but a bit heavier than the Razr. But like the Razr, the SGH-T809 is so small that its difficult to feel the vibrate mode when its in your pocket; plus, its uncomfortable to position between your head and your shoulder when on a call. You can operate the SGH-T809s slider mechanism with one finger, and the handset feels very solidly built overall. Its worth noting that theres a default setting to automatically accept a call when you put the slider up. This can be changed, however, inside the settings menu. Theres also an annoying default setting for ending any operation (including calls) when you put the slider down, but fortunately you can change it. Slim slider: The SGH-T809 casts a stylish look.Like most Samsungs, the SGH-T809 has a striking display. With support for 262,000 colors, the 320x240-pixel screen measures a generous 2 inches diagonally and shows the date, the time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID. The display is great for viewing the simple but flashy menus (theres a choice of two styles), and though you can change the backlighting time and the brightness, theres no contrast setting. Font settings vary, depending on which text youre talking about. For the display font (the time and the date), you can change the style and the color but not the size, while with the dialing text, you can change the font size and the color, as well as the background color. Unfortunately with messaging text, youre left with one relatively small size, so be sure to give the SGH-T809 a test-drive if you have visual impairments. Below the Samsung SGH-T809s display are the navigation controls, which consist of a four-way toggle with an OK button; two soft keys; the traditional Talk and End/Power keys; and a Clear button. Although theyre large enough, they are somewhat difficult to use, as they are flush with the surface of the phone. In particular, the OK button was tricky to manipulate, as our fingers kept sliding off when we were trying to move it. It was also hard to get a grip on the toggle, so people with large digits should take care. As with most Samsung phones for T-Mobile, the OK button in standby mode opens T-Mobiles T-zones Internet service rather than opening the menu; thats accomplished through a soft key. Its not a huge deal, but weve never been a fan of the arrangement. For other shortcuts, you can program the toggle to give one-touch access to four user-defined functions.We also had some issues with the Samsung SGH-T809s keypad. Since its hidden behind the slider, its recessed into the phone itself, leaving a slight rim around its edges. Although we got used to it over time, it just felt weird to reach \"into\" the phone to dial. Also, the flat keys are rather slick, so its difficult to dial by feel. On the plus side, they have bright backlighting. Other features on the Samsung SGH-T809 include a thin volume rocker, a charger/headset port on the left spine, and a TransFlash slot on the right spine. It should be noted that the SGH-T809 trumps both the Razr and the MM-A900 by including an expandable memory card slot. At the top of the phone is the camera lens, which swivels 180 degrees from the back to the front. Curiously, however, the lens rotates down rather than up, which means it takes pictures in just two directions (front and back). We wondered why it didnt move the other way, as it would have enabled us to take a picture pointing straight up. Theres no flash or self-portrait mirror, but the latter isnt needed, as the display functions as your viewfinder. You might think that Samsung wasnt able to pack much into the slim SGH-T809, but youd be mistaken if you did. Inside, youll find a wealth of features that will please midrange users. As a T-Mobile phone, it cant compete with its thin cousins that have 3G support, but it trumps the original Razr with its high-resolution camera. In terms of the basic offerings, theres a 1,000-contact phone book that holds five numbers and an e-mail address per entry. Contacts can be organized into groups, and you can pair them with a photo and one of 45 polyphonic ring tones. The SGH-809 also supports MP3 ring tones, and you get a selection of six. Other features include a vibrate mode, a calendar, a calculator, a file manager, a world clock, a unit converter, a timer, a stopwatch, text and multimedia messaging, instant messaging (AOL, ICQ, and Yahoo), and a 1-minute voice recorder. Business-oriented apps are above average but nothing near those of a smart phone. Theres Bluetooth and a speakerphone (operable after you make a call) but no apparent e-mail support. Although it swivels from back to front, the SGH-T809s camera lens doesnt move in every direction, as we had hoped for.The Samsung SGH-T809 comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera. As we said earlier, you don't get a flash, but the lens swivels from back to front. The camera takes pictures in seven resolutions--1,280x1,024, 1,152x864, 800x600, 640x480, 320x240, 240x320, and 240x180--and you get a wealth of editing features. Included are nine picture effects; 29 fun frames; a self-timer of up to 10 seconds; multishot (up to 15 pictures) and mosaic-shot options; brightness, white-balance, and image-orientation adjustments; metering exposure and ISO settings; a night mode; four viewfinder size choices; and an 8X zoom, which is usable even at the highest resolution. You also get a choice of five shutter sounds, but theres no silent option. To help you manage all these functions, the soft keys and all number keys perform a specific shortcut. It took us a while to memorize them, but a convenient list is featured in the user manual and in the camera menus. Picture quality wasnt the best weve seen for a megapixel camera; lines tend to be fuzzy, and colors bleed somewhat. If you want to tweak your pictures, the phone comes with a rudimentary image editor.The Samsung SGH-T809s camcorder takes videos with sound in two resolutions: 128x96 and 176x144. There are two choices for video length; those meant for a multimedia message are capped at 30 seconds, or you can film for however much memory is available. Editing options are similar to the still cameras, but the grainy videos are of average quality. You can save your shots and clips to the phones 70MB of shared memory or to the TransFlash card. One 32MB card is included with the phone. The SGH-T809 has less-than-stellar photo quality. The Samsung SGH-T809 also comes with a serviceable MP3 player. You can play music stored on the phone or on the TransFlash card and transfer it between the two locations. But whats really cool is that you even can accept MP3 files sent via Bluetooth. You can organize tracks into playlists and utilize a variety of settings--including repeat and shuffle modes, as well as equalizer and 3D sound--which didnt seem to do much. The players interface is user-friendly and attractive, with a number of graphics to match the playing music and two interface designs.You can personalize the Samsung SGH-T809 with different wallpaper, color themes, and sounds. If you want more options, you can download them through the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Gaming options are plentiful, with five tiles included: Forgotten Warrior, Freekick, Arch Angel, Tetris, and Block Breaker Deluxe. As always, if you want more choices, youll have to buy them from T-Mobile. We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) Samsung SGH-T809 world phone in San Francisco using T-Mobiles service. Call quality was generally good, with adequate volume and clarity. Voices sounded a bit metallic, however, and callers could tell without being asked that we were using a cell phone. The phone picked up a bit of wind noise, but we noticed no significant interference from other electronic devices. The speakerphone calls were loud enough, but the metallic voice quality was exacerbated. We quickly paired the SGH-T809 with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset and experienced similar audio quality when we were on normal calls.Audio quality on the Samsung SGH-T809s MP3 player is about what youd expect. It cant compare to that of Sony Ericssons Walkman phones, such as the W800i or even the Motorola Rokr E1, but its not terrible either. There isnt much in the way of bass, but if youre hungry for some tunes and your MP3 player is at home, it will do the trick.The Samsung SGH-T809 has a rated talk time of 3 hours and a promised standby time of six days. The talk time was on the low side for a GSM phone, and we got 3.5 hours in our tests. Our standby time was also low at 4.5 days. According to FCC radiation tests, the SGH-T809 has a digital SAR rating of 0.32 watt per kilogram. ),
(1094,RIM BlackBerry 7130e (Verizon Wireless),Positives: The sleek RIM BlackBerry 7130e boasts a bright, sharp display, a speakerphone, and integrated Bluetooth. The smart phone is also compatible with Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, and BlackBerry servers, and it can access up to 10 POP3/IMAP e-mail accounts. Negatives: The SureType technology found on the RIM BlackBerry 7130e takes some practice, and it doesnt come equipped with an instant-messaging client. Facts: Despite a couple of shortcomings, the RIM BlackBerry 7130e offers Verizon Wireless customers a user-friendly smart phone with solid call quality. Note: This product is part of the RIM BlackBerry 7100 series. ., Verizon Wireless customers may have been feeling a bit neglected by Research in Motion, since every other major carrier features one of the sleek, consumer-friendly BlackBerry 7100-series models in its lineup: the BlackBerry 7100g for Cingular, the BlackBerry 7100i for Nextel, and the BlackBerry 7100t for T-Mobile. But it turns out that RIM loves Verizon after all. The two companies recently announced the RIM BlackBerry 7130e ($299.99), which has many of the same highlights found on the rest of the 7100 family and adds EV-DO support.Like the rest of the BlackBerry 7100 series, the RIM BlackBerry 7130e sports a design thats more cell phone than PDA. It resembles an oversize candy bar phone (4.6 by 2.2 by 0.9 inches), but it is relatively light (4.7 ounces) and feels good in the hand. The charcoal-gray and black casing is also quite attractive. The real star of the RIM BlackBerry 7130e, however, is the display. Showing off 65,536 colors, the screen boasts a 240x260-pixel resolution that produces supersharp text and images, as well as vibrant colors. Its one of the better displays weve seen to date on a BlackBerry, alongside that of the RIM BlackBerry 8700c. You can change the font size, the style, and the type; turn antialiasing on and off; and change the backlight time. Below the display are the Talk and End keys, as well as a soft key, which you can customize to open an application of your choice. Like all of the BlackBerry 7100 series, the 7130e has a modified keyboard and uses SureType technology.The RIM BlackBerry 7130e sports the same modified keyboard found on all of the 7100 series, with each key sharing two letters aided by RIMs SureType word-recognition technology. On the right spine, youll find the familiar jog dial and Esc key, while the headset jack and the USB port are on the left side. The RIM BlackBerry 7130e is well appointed with phone and data features. The phone book is limited only by the available memory; the device comes with 64MB of flash memory and 16MB of SRAM. For each contact, you can store up to eight numbers, as well as home and work addresses, a Web URL, notes, and more. Theres a speakerphone onboard for hands-free calls, although you cant activate the speakerphone until youre on a call. Alternatively, you can wirelessly connect to a Bluetooth headset, thanks to the 7130es integrated Bluetooth. Other goodies include a WAP 2.0 Web browser, a calendar, a task list, a memo pad, an alarm clock, and a calculator. Talk hands-free with the RIM BlackBerry 7130es speakerphone.E-mail has always been a forte of BlackBerrys, and the RIM BlackBerry 7130e isnt any different. Compatible with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, and Novell Groupwise, you can set up your device--with the help of your IT department--to receive corporate e-mail in real time. You can access up to 10 POP3/IMAP accounts and use the included Internet browser to check Web-based e-mail, such as Yahoo and Gmail. We set up our review unit to receive messages from our SBC Global account, and after going through the necessary steps, we started getting messages within 20 minutes, sometimes even before they hit our in-box at home. If you get attachments in your e-mail, no problem--the 7130e can handle it. You can open and view Word and Excel documents, PDFs, images, and more. In addition, with Verizons BroadbandAccess Connect service and EV-DO network, you can use the BlackBerry 7130e as a modem, as well as connect to your laptop and download large documents at speeds of 400Kbps to 700Kbps.Unfortunately, there isnt an instant-messaging client installed on the RIM BlackBerry 7130e, not even BlackBerry Messenger. That said, the phone does support text and multimedia messaging. We tested the dual-band RIM BlackBerry 7130e (CDMA 800/1900, EV-DO) in the San Francisco area using Verizons network. Call quality was good, both in regular calling mode and on speakerphone. Conversations were clear and loud, and our callers said the same, although they could tell we were using a cell phone. We also paired the 7130e with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset, at which point audio quality diminished slightly. On the upside, pairing the two devices was painless.RIM promises 3 hours of talk time and up to eight days of standby time. In our tests, the BlackBerry 7130e exceeded the rated talk-time battery life by an extra hour and 30 minutes, and it met the rated standby time. ),
(1095,Motorola Razr V3c,Positives: The Motorola Razr V3c comes with a sexy design, improved controls, a megapixel camera, support for 3G networks, and solid call quality. Negatives: The Motorola Razr V3c has poor speakerphone quality, a lower-resolution display, no MP3 player, and no analog roaming. Facts: The Motorola Razr V3c matches the original Razr in almost every way but adds 3G capability and improved call quality. Note: This product is part of the Motorola Razr series. ., We knew it was coming; it was just a question of when. As with any other new cell phone, the Motorola Razr V3c experienced a lot of delays, and at one point, Verizon denied to us that the company even had it. Despite the hiccups, however, the Verizon Razr is finally here, and it brings along some improvements over the original GSM version of the phone, the Razr V3. Though the V3cs design is basically the same as its predecessors, it adds a 1.3-megapixel camera and support for Verizons 3G EV-DO network. Sure, its not perfect, but its still one of the sexiest phones around. As expected, Verizons Razr V3c will take a bite out of your wallet. Its $349 with a one-year contract or $199 with a two-year contract. As part of the Razr family, the Motorola Razr V3c for Verizon casts the same slim profile that has made it the most popular cell phone of 2005. At 3.9 by 2.1 by 0.6 inches and 3.5 ounces, the V3c is a hair bigger and heavier than the original Razr, but you don't notice the difference at all. In fact, it slips so easily into a pocket that it can be difficult to feel the vibrating ring. We liked the gray coloring--a sort of compromise between the black and silver models--though the flip mechanism was rather loose. The external display and controls and the location of the camera lens are the same on the first Razr. And here again, theres no camera flash. The Motorola Razr V3c for Verizon offers the same trim design.We were surprised that the Razr V3c supports just 65,000 colors rather than the 262,000 colors found on the Razr V3. Its also a tad smaller, at 2.25 inches diagonally instead of 2.5 inches. The differences are minor, but theyre noticeable just the same. Another change is that the V3c uses the new Verizon menu interface that the carrier is standardizing on all its phones. The modification can be an upside or a downside depending on how you view it. On one hand, the Verizon interface is less buggy than Motorolas system, with fewer restarts after freezing. On the other hand, Verizons menu structure doesnt always make sense. For instance, camera functions are inconveniently stashed in the Get It Now menu. The keypad and navigation controls in the Razr family have generated mixed emotions from users. Though we didnt mind the design, which lays all keys flat with the surface of the phone in the manner of a touch pad, many readers said they were not user-friendly. In any case, the Razr V3c has some minor but visible improvements that make it easier to dial by feel. There are small ridges separating the navigation controls from each other and the five-way toggle. Also, the toggle has four raised arrows for each direction, and ridges separate the individual rows on the number keypad. As with the Razr V3, the V3cs keys are brightly backlit. The toggle acts as a shortcut to four user-defined functions, and this time, theres a dedicated camera control instead of a shortcut to the Web browser. You also get two soft keys, Talk and End/power buttons, and a Clear key. The Motorola Razr V3c has the same 1,000-contact phone book as the Razr V3. As expected, you get caller groups, picture caller ID, and ring-tone caller ID; 34 polyphonic (72-chord) tones are included. Other features include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a calculator, voice dialing and commands, an alarm clock, a notepad, a world clock, a voice recorder, and a calculator. That feature list doesnt match the V3s exactly, but it comes darn close. Business types can use the speakerphone (operable before you make a call) and Bluetooth, but in typical Verizon fashion, the carrier says the phone does not support all object file transfers, yet to our surprise, we were able to send two pictures via Bluetooth from our Sony Ericsson S710a. The Razr V3cs camera lens does not come with a flash.The Razr V3c has an improved camera over its sibling, with a resolution of 1.3 megapixels. You can take pictures in four resolutions (1,280x1,024, 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120) and choose from a variety of editing options, including brightness and white-balance adjustments, three quality settings, a 4X zoom, a multishot control, four color effects, three shutter sounds, a silent option, and 10 fun frames. The video recorder shoots clips up to 15 seconds in length with sound. The only resolution available is 176x144, but you can adjust the brightness and white balance and use one of the four color effects available with the still camera. When finished with your work, you can save it to the phones 30MB of memory or send it in a multimedia message. Picture and video quality are improved over the Razr V3s, with distinct edges and colors. At times, however, the images are washed out, and since theres no flash, darker conditions arent ideal. Video quality is about average for a camera phone. The Razr V3c took good but not great pictures.Samsung and Sprint beat Motorola to the punch in introducing a slim 3G phone with the Samsung MM-A900, but Motorola and Verizon arent far behind. Of course, the Razr V3cs EV-DO support means you can sample Verizons V Cast offerings. You can tap into hundreds of streaming video clips, including updates from CNN, ESPN, and AccuWeather and content from providers such as Nickelodeon, E Entertainment, VH1, and Comedy Central. Keep in mind, however, that only major urban areas get EV-DO coverage; take a look at our quick guide to 3G for a complete list. We expected to see this phone come with an MP3 player, but theres not one available on the final product.You can personalize the Razr V3c with a variety of wallpaper, screensavers, display themes, and sounds. If you want more options or ring tones, you can download them via the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. You don't get any games, but theres BREW support if you want to buy any titles. We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO) Motorola Razr V3c in San Francisco using Verizon Wireless service. Call quality was good: improved over the original Razr V3s and on par with that of the Samsung MM-A900 for Sprint. Audio quality was very loud and clear, and our callers reported the same conditions on their end. Unfortunately, speakerphone quality was greatly diminished. While this is to be expected, it still was much too scratchy. We connected quickly to the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset and enjoyed decent call quality. V Cast reception was mostly good, though it cut out a couple times in buildings. Video quality was decent as well, but it was choppy and pixelated compared to that of Verizons other V Cast phones such as the Motorola E815. Still, it did the trick for short clips, and download speeds were serviceable. The Razr V3c has a promised talk time of three hours and a promised standby time of 7.5 days. In our tests, we beat the rated talk time by 50 minutes and raked up 10 days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Razr V3c has a digital SAR rating of 1.14 watts per kilogram.