Samsung S8530 Wave II - Riding the Wave!

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

They shall come in wave upon wave. Or so it seemed in the beginning. Samsung certainly wanted a strong start for their own Bada OS and they had it. It is usual for sequels to be questioned and belittled. That’s one thing the Wave II doesn’t have to worry about. It’s bigger and heavier than the original.

Samsung S8530 Wave II official photos
When the second gen phone has a familiar sounding model name with an actual ordinal number in it – that doesn’t mean a complete lack of imagination. It’s a way to promote continuity. The Wave II has this base covered too – it’s nearly the same phone as the first Wave but presumably upgraded to reach to a more high-end market segment. Here’s a quick recap of its specs:

Key features

• 3.7" 16M-color Super Clear LCD capacitive touchscreen, WVGA (480 x 800 pixels), multi-touch input, scratch-resistant glass surface
• Slim and solid metal body
• Bada OS 1.2 with Samsung Apps
• ARM Cortex A8 based 1GHz CPU
• Quad-band GSM support with dual-band HSPA
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n connectivity with WPS support, Wi-Fi tethering
• Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support, digital compass, Samsung LBS powered by ROUTE 66
• 5 MP autofocus camera with touch focus and LED flash, geotagging, face, smile and blink detection
• 720p video recording at 30fps
• 2GB internal storage, microSDHC card slot
• Standard microUSB port and Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack, TV out
• Stereo FM radio with RDS, FM recording
• Webkit-based Samsung Dolphin Browser 2.0 with Flash support
• YouTube client, Facebook and Twitter integration
• DivX/XviD video support
• Good audio quality

Main disadvantages

• Limited number of available applications
• Super Clear LCD can’t match SuperAMOLED
• Card slot under the battery
• No lens protection
• SatNav software only a 30-day trial
• No ambient light sensor to adjust screen brightness automatically
• Poor loudspeaker performance

Wave II over original Wave

• Latest Bada OS 1.2
• Swype-like T9 Trace text input
• Over-the-Air software updates
• Larger 3.7" touchscreen

Yep, we know, it’s not a great update. Plus the first three differences over the original Wave are about to be washed away once it receives its due software update to Bada OS 1.2.
The Samsung S8530 Wave II may not be the upgrade that all users have been waiting for, but the phone runs the latest version of the Bada OS and has kept all the great features of the original: from the powerful CPU, to premium connectivity and HD video recording.
And all this is delivered on a larger 3.7-inch display. Sure, it’s no SuperAMOLED screen but Samsung promises the LCD screen is not your ordinary screen, too. You see, good things come in limited number and Samsung is pressed to supply enough SuperAMOLEDs for their Android and Windows Phone 7 operations.
Bad luck for the Wave II, we guess. Even worse for the original Wave – this phone will be as good as discontinued when the stocks run out. The Wave II will take over and that’s that.
Anyway, Samsung are probably not giving up on their Bada OS. If it eventually becomes the base platform for all their midrange touch phones, they will be extremely well positioned to adapt to the new market reality.
It’s not about the business benefits or the multitasking – it’s as simple as apps. Users love to have them and makers love to sell them. Imagine being able to do that on all levels – from the most basic feature phones to the top-of-the-line smart devices. That must be enough reason for Samsung to keep their commitment to Bada.

Samsung S8530 Wave II in our office
Like it or not, the Samsung S8530 Wave II is just a step in the process. We’re about to see whether it’s as compelling as its predecessor. As usual, we start with the design and hardware, and then put Bada 1.2 under the microscope.

Samsung Galaxy Player is like a phone-less Galaxy S, will show up at CES

The Samsung YP-GB1 Galaxy Player is slated to make an appearance at CES. In case you haven’t heard of it, it’s a phone-less Galaxy S – basically, it’s Samsung’s iPod Touch..

Android 2.3 Gingerbread uses ext4 file system, promises better!

An interesting under-the-hood change has come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread – a new file system called ext4. You may have heard of it, it’s fairly common among Linux distributions. Ext4 is already running in Google’s massive data centers and it will slowly be making its way to their mobile OS, starting with the Google Nexus S…

Nokia N97 - Lock, Stock and Touch!

They don't get any bigger than that. A launch of this caliber can aptly be called inauguration day. The release of Nokia N97 is the Nseries counter-move that geeks have been waiting for since November. Easily one of the most complete smartphones ever created, the N97 has been haunting Symbian buffs' dreams for quite a while.

Nokia N97
We're about to see if this feature-loaded son of a gun is the stuff dreams are made of and if it has the gut to stand up to the best on the market. The 5800 XpressMusic was cheap enough to easily be forgiven a couple of shortcomings but the N97 is not the begging type. Nokia-faithfuls are used to only getting the best treatment, so they won't settle for less with the Nseries skipper.

Key features

• Slide-n-tilt 3.5" 16M-color resistive touchscreen of 640 x 360 pixel resolution
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash and lens cover (VGA@30fps video recording)
• Symbian OS 9.4 with S60 5th edition UI
• Slide-out three-row full QWERTY keyboard
• ARM 11 434MHz CPU and 128 MB of RAM
• Quad-band GSM support and 3G with HSDPA support
• Wi-Fi and GPS with A-GPS (plus 3 months of free voice-guided navigation via Ovi Maps)
• Digital compass
• Class-leading 32GB onboard storage
• microSD card slot with microSDHC support
• Built-in accelerometer
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• TV out
• Stereo FM Radio with RDS, FM transmitter
• microUSB port and stereo Bluetooth v2.0
• Web browser has full Flash and Java support
• Nice audio reproduction quality

Main disadvantages

• The S60 5th edition UI still has poor ergonomics and is not as thumbable as expected
• Camera features are so two-thousand-and-late
• No DivX or XviD support out-of-the-box
• No smart dialing
• Somewhat limited 3rd party software availability
• No office document editing (without a paid upgrade)

Obvious from the list above, the Nokia N97 hardly puts anything new on the table. It is however a bold try to fit all of today's top features under one hood and offer a nice ride at that. This certainly is an ambitious task by itself but the ever-expectant Nseries fans, who always want something new on their next handset, make it even harder. The Nokia N97 will need to be near flawless to get a warm welcome.

Nokia N97 at ours
Nokia N97 will also be a major test for the still quite young (or immature if you want) S60 5th edition UI. The growing pains were expected and acceptable in the 5800 XpressMusic, but it's been 8 months since. The time is long enough in mobile phone terms and the market leader is simply expected to have had everything figured by now.

Looks pretty good, doesn't it
The disappointing N96 does owe Nokia some and the N97 will - among other things - probably have to cover its debts too. Join us on the next page as we take a peek inside the retail box of the new Nseries sovereign and complete our ergonomics rundown.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 (Android 2.1) Eclairs for Dinner

 

 

 Introduction

With a large high-res screen, a Snapdragon CPU and ample amount of RAM the XPERIA X10 is nothing short of the top-end Android smartphones currently on the market. However its outdated Android version was holding it back and it found it hard to compete in the top tier.
Android 1.6 Donut wasn’t terribly bad for its time but it’s no match for either the functionality or the performance of Eclair and Froyo. That’s why we felt that the recent Eclair update it received was significant enough to justify a new article, rather than just update the old review.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 official photos
Of course we aren’t going to repeat everything and we are going to focus on the new stuff only. If you feel like reading about the hardware we suggest you check out our original review.
Now let’s start with the XPERIA X10 update changelog so you know what to expect here.

• 720p HD video recording
• Continuous auto focus in video recording
• 5 homescreens
• Live wallpapers
• HTML5 support in web browser
• Backup and restore app
• New lock screen

Now these are only the big ones – the ones you notice straight after powering the phone on. There are also a few dozens of minor tweaks including new system fonts, a thicker notification bar, etc.
There are also a couple of notable absentees from the list. Multi-touch and 16M color support are still a no-go on the XPERIA X10, even after the Eclair update, which got Sony Ericsson quite a lot of critics already.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 is back at the office
Now those two aren’t deal-breakers in isolation, but they certainly matter and give the X10 somewhat of an uneven start. They have basically reduced the XPERIA X10 error margin to a minimum so let’s hope all the rest of it works as promised.

HTC 7 Trophy - Achievement Unlocked

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

It truly is a catchy name, but the Trophy is – so to speak – the consolation prize in the HTC Windows Phone 7 lineup. It’s not the big guy in the family nor is it the smartest. The Trophy is a middle-of-the-roader, the mass market choice. It’s the first HTC-made Windows Phone 7 device we’re reviewing and we guess it’s up to them to prove there’s no such thing as an ex PocketPC maker.
Windows Phone 7 is about sky-high hardware standards and Microsoft is not really encouraging out-of-the-box thinking. What does this mean for the HTC 7 Trophy? Well, believe it or not, this here Trophy has come onto the scene to bring the one thing that Windows Phone 7 is obviously short of – device personality.

HTC 7 Trophy official photos
Don’t get us wrong, WP7 is a great looking OS – and one that will only be getting better in terms of usability – but Microsoft-imposed uniformity is making it hard for manufacturers to set their products apart. They are trying to make up for that with better screens or free apps, but they still haven’t hit on a winning formula yet.
The HTC 7 Trophy will do its best to be the WP7 phone that stands out from the crowd. Since Microsoft forbids any customization, HTC took a different approach to giving the OS some individuality. Instead of offering free apps from the Marketplace, HTC have built their own – available to download for free off the HTC Hub. And the hub itself is a pinch of Sense UI sprinkled on Windows Phone 7, with some awesome exclusive apps.

Key features:

• 3.8" 16M-color capacitive LCD touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Dual-band 3G with HSDPA (7.2 Mbps) and HSUPA (2Mbps)
• Windows Phone 7 operating system
• 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 576MB RAM, 512MB ROM
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, geotagging
• 720p video recording @ 25fps
• 8GB of built-in storage
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Standard microUSB port (charging)
• Dolby Mobile and SRS sound enhancement
• Wi-Fi b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
• Accelerometer for screen auto rotation
• Office document editor
• Facebook integration and cloud services
• Built-in A-GPS receiver
• Stereo FM Radio with RDS
• Comes with HTC Hub and exclusive HTC apps
• Voice-to-text functionality

Main disadvantages:

• Non-expandable storage
• Average display
• No lens protection
• Disappointing audio quality

WP7-specific limitations

• No system-wide file manager
• No Bluetooth file transfers
• No USB mass storage mode
• Limited third-party apps availability
• No Flash (nor Silverlight) support in the browser
• Too dependent on Zune software for file management and syncing
• No video calls
• New ringtones available only through the Marketplace
• Music player lacks equalizer presets
• No multitasking
• No copy/paste
• No DivX/XviD video support (automatic transcoding provided by Zune software)
• No sign of free Bing maps Navigation so far
• No internet tethering support
• No handwriting recognition support

Windows Phone 7 doesn’t have the luxury to break itself in gently to the smartphone arena like the iOS did. Microsoft’s new platform has been released into fierce OS competition with Google and Apple leading the way. Microsoft knows that best and will spare no effort to promote their Windows Phone 7. From funny TV ads and massive billboards, exclusive operator deals and even Xbox Live Arcade, they’re trying to make the biggest marketing impact in as short a time as possible. Not to mention product placement: WP7 phones are displacing iPhones in some of the highly-rated TV shows and recent blockbusters.
Alright, that’s a new platform that users need to hear about. As for individual devices, it will be up to the manufacturers to tout their strengths. In the case of the Trophy, you just can’t go around promoting a brand new Windows device from the makers of some the best Android phones. Nor can you refer to HTC’s record with Microsoft powered devices. Comparing Windows Phone 7 to PocketPC won’t make sense really.

HTC 7 Trophy live pictures
Anyway, whether it’s the Trophy – or any other Windows Phone 7 handset – you may as well take the premium hardware for granted. It’s Microsoft’s way or the highway and it’s a deal that users are not likely to mind. HTC have kindly added an exclusive software package and stylish looks. Build and finish have always been an HTC forte and that’s where we start, right after the jump.

Nokia X6 - Going up the Ladder!

 

 

 

 

Introduction

In the world of Nokia it's all about evolution, rather than revolution. So don't expect the specs on the X6 to blow your mind. The handset is the next step for the market leader scrambling to make up for a late start in touch- screens. To be honest, the Symbian S60 touch edition has been struggling to catch up with the standard setters in terms of user experience. And the X6 claims to have the answer: the responsiveness only a capacitive screen can bring.

Nokia X6 official photos
The Nokia X6 is also the first XpressMusic handset to head straight for the high-end. Midrange is the highest the music Finns have gone so we are interested to see how this change of approach works. Nokia have always had a strong appeal to the masses, but pleasing the selected few is undoubtedly harder.

Key features:

• Quad-band GSM support
• Tri-band 3G with HSDPA support
• 3.2" 16M-color TFT LCD 16:9 capacitive touchscreen (360 x 640 pixels)
• Symbian S60 5th edition UI
• ARM 11 434 MHz CPU, 128 MB of RAM memory
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash
• VGA video recording at 30fps
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology
• Built-in GPS receiver
• 32GB built-in storage
• FM radio with RDS
• Bluetooth and USB (standard microUSB connector) v2.0
• 3.5mm standard audio jack
• Very good audio quality
• Proximity sensor for screen auto turn-off
• Accelerometer sensor for automatic UI rotation and motion-based gaming
• Stereo speakers
• TV out
• "Comes with music" edition gives you a year of all-you-can-eat music subscription
• Landscape on-screen virtual QWERTY keyboard
• Ovi Maps 3.0 Touch
• Further Ovi and MySpace service integration (direct image and video uploads)
• Most regional retail packages include a set of the great Nokia WH-500 headphones

Main disadvantages:

• X6 is still quite pricey (around 500 euro at the time of writing)
• UI is still immature with somewhat inconsistent user experience
• Touch web browser not quite polished and with dodgy Flash support
• No voice-guided navigation license
• No office document viewer preinstalled
• Doesn't charge off microUSB
• Very poor sunlight legibility
• Slow image gallery
• No DivX/XviD support for the video player
• No microSD card slot (as a connectivity solution)

As you can see in the two lists above there is almost nothing new in the software package, so it all falls on the hardware to justify the high asking price. The well-stuffed retail package is a great place to start but does the capacitive screen improve usability enough to be worth the extra money over, say, the 5800 XpressMusic? And the difference in price is by no means trivial.

Nokia X6 at ours
In the increasingly competitive touchscreen market manufacturers don't have much room for error. The unpolished S60 UI is enough of a burden already, so Nokia X6 has to be near perfect in every other respect. A tall task indeed, but let's see how they've tackled it.