Mobile Reviews Archives | Page 39 of 46

September 3, 2009

Nokia’s Slim Music Phone – Nokia X6 Review

Nokia today announced two cool Music phones one a slider keypad phone and other a full Touch screen Phone. The X3 is expected to be priced at around 200$ and Nokia X6 to be retailed around 700$ USD. The phones will be available in Europe and Asia. Now lets take a closer look at the Nokia X6 which promises cutting edge features in a slim package, a real competitor to Apple Iphone 3Gs.

The new X6 boasts of Full body Capacitive (Multi Touch capable – first phone from Nokia) touch screen with a 3.2″ wide screen at 640×360 (nHD), 5MP Camera , 32GB of internal memory,A-GPS,Accelerometer,S60 V5 feature Pack 2, Wide Screen Aspect Ratio(16:9),Desktop Page capable internet browser,Flashlite,On-board video editing and much more. Definitely the phone is a power packed one and without the keypad of N97, it also is slimmer and less bulkier than N97. To compare this phone with Nokia 5800 will not be fair as the price is almost similar to N97.

Nokia X6 Blue & white - Slim and stunning Touch screen phone

Lets have a look at the dimensions of X3 and X6 compared with other top phones.

Comparision of X6 with N97,iphone,Nokia 5800 in terms of dimensions. Lenght x Width x Thickness

Nokia X6 – 111 x 51 x 13.8 mm
Nokia X3 – 96 x 49 x 14 (Not a touch screen) mm
Nokia N97 – 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9 (18.2 max) mm
Iphone 3Gs -115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm
Nokia E71 – 114 x 57 x 10 mm
Nokia 5800 – 111 x 51.7 x 15.5 mm
Nokia 5530 – 104 x 49 x13 mm
Nokia N97 mini – 113 x 52.5 x14.2 mm

Definitely the Nokia X6 is occupying less space compared to both Apple iPhone ,N97 and Nokia N97 mini.

One sad point is the phone doesnt have an upgraded processor it still uses ARM 11 434 MHz processor and 128MB RAM as in the case of N97. Though this processor and memory is more than enough to handle the OS still an upgrade would have been much better.

Nokia X6 Black & Red - Best Touch screen phone

The phone definitely looks cooler than the current crop of phones including Samsung and LG models and all with a powerful OS and a huge collection of Apps. But the pricing wont excite many but then compared to a unlocked Apple iPhone this is definitely a better deal.

Full Specifications of Nokia X6

Physical features, power and memory
Size
Form: Classic with finger-operated touch screen user interface
Dimensions: 111.0 x 51.0 x 13.8 mm
Weight: 122 g

Display and 3D
Size: 3.2″
Resolution: 640 x 360 pixels (nHD)
Up to 16.7 million colours
Automatic orientation sensor (Accelerometer) for display rotation
16:9 widescreen aspect ratio

Keys and input method
Finger-operated touch screen for text input and user interface control (alphanumeric keypad, full and mini QWERTY keyboard, handwriting recognition, full screen handwriting for Chinese language)
Dedicated Media Bar touch key for access to music, gallery, share online, Video Centre and web browser
Voice commands
Physical keys for application launch (menu key), send and end, power, camera, lock, volume up and down
Dedicated personal Contacts Bar touch key for direct access to contacts, feeds and status updates

Colours and covers
Available in-box colours:
– White/Blue
– Black/Red

Connectors
Micro USB connector for USB 2.0 High Speed to PC
3.5 mm Nokia AV connector for audio and TV-out
Small DC jack

Memory
32 GB internal memory

Power
BL-5J 1320 mAh Li-Ion standard battery
Talk time (maximum):
– GSM 8 h 30 min
– WCDMA 6 h
Standby time (maximum):
– GSM 401 h
– WCDMA 420 h
Video playback time (maximum): H51nHD 25 fps up to 3 h 36 min
Video recording time (maximum): 3 h 30 min
Video call time (maximum): 3 h
Music playback time (maximum): 35 h

Communication and navigation
Operating frequency
WCDMA 900/1900/2100, GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 (Latin America and Brazil variant only)
WCDMA 900/1900/2100, GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, 2G QB (China variant)
Automatic switching between GSM bands
Flight mode

Data network
CSD
HSCSD
GPRS/EDGE class A, multislot class 11, with similtaneous voice and packet data mode support
GPRS/EDGE class B, multislot class 32
WCDMA 2100/1900 with similtaneous voice and packet data mode support
HSDPA cat 6, maximum speed 3.6 Mbps (DL)
WLAN IEEE 802.11 b/g
TCP/IP support

Local connectivity and synchronisation
Bluetooth version 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate
MTP (Mobile Transfer Protocol) support
TV out (PAL)
Support for PC synchronisation with Nokia Ovi Suite

Call features
Integrated hands-free speakerphone
Number screening for messaging and calls
Automatic answer with headset or car kit
Any key answer
Call waiting, call hold, call divert
Call timer
Logging of dialled, received and missed calls
Automatic redial
Speed dialling
Speaker-independent name dialling (SIND)
Fixed dialling number support
Vibrating alert (internal)
Side volume keys
Mute/unmute
Contacts Bar for 20 contacts with images and comminication history (SMS, calls, instant messaging, email, web feeds)
Talking ring tones
Conference calling with up to 6 participants
Video calling: up to 176 x 144 pixels, low up to 5 fps, normal up to 10 fps, smooth up to 15 fps

Messaging
SMS with support for concatenated SMS for long messages
Multiple SMS deletion
MMS version 13, message size up to 600 kb
Automatic resizing of images for MMS
Nokia Xpress audio messaging
Common inbox for SMS and MMS messages
Number screening for messaging
Distribution lists for messaging
Instant messaging client
Cell broadcast

E-mail
Supported protocols: IMAP, POP, SMTP
Support for email attachments
OMA email notification support
Nokia Email
Mail for Exchange*
* Some services may be available only by downloading or upgrading. Only devices that offer compatible multimedia message or e-mail features can receive and display multimedia messages. Content appearance may vary. Some images and ring tones can not be forwarded.

Web browsing
Supported mark-up languages: HTML, XHTML, WML
Supported protocols: HTTP, WAP, JavaScript
TCP/IP support
OSS web browser
Nokia Mobile Search

GPS and navigation
Integrated A-GPS
Ovi Maps 3.0

Image and sound
Photography
5.0 megapixel AF camera (2592 x 1944 pixels)
Image formats: JPEG/EXIF
Carl Zeiss optics
4x digital zoom
Autofocus
Dual LED flash
Flash modes: On, off, automatic, red-eye reduction
White balance modes: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
Centre weighted auto exposure; exposure compensation: +2 ~ -2EV at 0.5 step
Capture modes: still, sequence, self-timer, video
Scene modes: automatic, manual, portrait, landscape, night, night portrait
Colour tone modes: normal, sepia, black & white, vivid, negative
Dedicated camera key
Landscape (horizontal) orientation
Image editor on device
Direct printing to compatible picture printers
TV out (PAL)

Video
Main camera
– Video recording at up to 640 x 480 pixels and up to 30 fps (TV quality), up to 640 x 352 pixels and up to 30 fps (widescreen quality), up to 320 x 240 pixels and up to 30 fps/15 fps (email high/normal quality), up to 176 x 144 and up to 15 fps (sharing quality)
– Up to 4x digital video zoom
Front camera
– Video recording at up to 176 x 144 pixels, low up to 5 fps, normal up to 10 fps, smooth up to 15 fps
Video recording file formats: MP4, 3GP
Audio recording formats: WAV (normal), AMR (MMS), AAC/MP4 (high quality)
Video white balance modes: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
Scene modes: automatic, night
Colour tone modes: normal, sepia, black & white, vivid, negative
Clip length (maximum): 1 h 30 min (high or normal quality). Depending on available memory
RealPlayer
Video playback file formats: MPEG4-SP playback 30 fps VGA, MPEG4-AVC playback 30 fps QVGA, WMV9 playback 30 fps QVGA, MPEG4-SP playback 30 fps nHD
Video streaming: 3GPP, CIF
Landscape mode video playback
Video calling: up to 176 x 144 pixels, low up to 5 fps, normal up to 10 fps, smooth up to 15 fps
TV out (PAL)
Video editor on device
Video Centre service supported: download and stream video content, WMV support, video feeds

Music and audio playback
Nokia Nseries digital music player
– Playlists
– 8-band graphical equaliser
– Selection by artist, composers, album and genre
– Album graphics display
– Bass booster, stereo widening, loudness
Music playback file formats: mp3, SPMidi, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA
Dedicated volume keys and immediate access to the Music Player from the Media Bar
Stereo FM radio
3.5 mm Nokia AV connector
Nokia Music
Nokia Music Store support
Nokia Podcasting support
Ring tones: 3D stereo ring tones, 64-tone polyphonic, mp3 & video ring tones (3 videos and 9 mp3 songs built-in)
Integrated 3D sound effect stereo speakers (dedicated audio chip for crystal clear hi-fi sound quality)

Voice and audio recording
Voice commands
Speaker-independent name dialling (SIND)
Voice recorder
Audio recording formats: AMR, NB-AMR, FR, EFR
Digital stereo microphone

Personalisation: profiles, themes, ring tones
Customisable profiles
Ring tones: 3D stereo ring tones, 64-tone polyphonic, mp3 & video ring tones

Software
Software platform and user interface
S60 5th Edition
Symbian OS version 9.4
Active standby
Media Bar
Contacts Bar

Personal information management (PIM): contacts, clock, calendar etc.
Support for assigning images to contacts
Support for contact groups
Clock: analog, digital, world clock
Alarm clock
Reminders
Calculator
Calendar with week and month view
Converter
Notes
To-do list

Applications
Java™ MIDP 2.0
Flash Lite 3.0
Contacts on Ovi
OSS web browser
Switch, Say and Play
Shazam
Aircasting
Pic2Themes
Nokia Music Store
Ovi Maps 3.0
Map loader
Nokia Ovi Suite
Download!
Settings Wizard
Image editor
Video editor
Nokia Video Centre
Share on Ovi
Adding more applications:
– Over-the-air (OTA) downloads

Gaming
Included games:
– Spore
– D Mix Tour
– Asphalt4

Sales package contents
Nokia X6
Nokia Battery (BL-5J)
Nokia High Efficiency Charger (AC-8)
Nokia Connectivity Cable (CA-101)
Nokia Stereo Headset (WH-500)
User Guide
Mini DVD
Comes With Music leaflet
Accessories
Recommended accessories
Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-905
Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-504
Nokia Mini Speakers MD-9

Compatible car solutions
Nokia Car Kit CK-100

September 1, 2009

Nokia N900 Internet Tablet – A sneak Peak

Nokia is going to launch its 700$ Tablet the N900 in October 2009 . Many in the media have projected it as a totally new device, but the truth is it is an highly upgraded version of its N800 and N810. Unlike the previous model Nokia has added the “phone” features to the Nokia N900. The earlier version Nokia N810 also had Maemo Linux OS (2008 version) and most other features except the main feature of a phone.

Nokia N900 a highly refined Nokia Internet Tablet

So now additionally you can use this device as a phone and also it comes with A-GPS. The Maemo OS 2009 , is also refined and more features have been added. Though many have complained the device is too big, it is actually not that big. It has almost similar dimensions of the Nokia N97 and matches Iphone 3G in Length and width. But its thickness is almost 2 cm (20 mm).

Here are the dimensions of N900 compared with Nokia N97,Apple Iphone 3Gs , Nokia N810 and Nokia E71.

The dimensions are given in mm as height x width x thickness

Nokia N900 – 110 x 59.8 x 18 (19.5 max)
Nokia N810 – 128 x 72 x 14
Nokia N97 – 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9 (18.2 max)
Iphone 3Gs -115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3
Nokia E71 – 114 x 57 x 10

As you would have noticed the N900 will occupy a smaller footprint than the N810 as its length and witdth have been reduced considerably. But added thickness is the only concern. But then the device makes it up with so many features and a Mobile version of Linux.

The increase in thickness can be attributed to 5MP camera (Carl Zeiss lens) and Full Qwerty keypad.

In terms of weight (in grams) it definitly is heavy.

Nokia N900 – 181g
Nokia N810 – 123g
Nokia N97 – 150g
Iphone 3Gs – 133g
Nokia E71 – 127g

Once a device gets a full touch screen, the looks factor subdises considerably. Most times you cant notice big difference between various Full Touch devices except in dimensions. So N900 looks almost like N97 including the dimensions.

Technical Specifications and Features
This is where N900 scores against its competitors and is almost similar to N97 except for the OS. Actually I did not notice any major difference between N900 and N97 in the features section.

N900 being run on Linux (Maemo on Linux) supports wider range of Audio and Video codecs, also comes with Mozilla powered Maemo browser. And its browsing capabilities resemble a ultra mini Netbook. Also has a bigger battery than the Nokia N97. Has inbuilt memory of 32 GB and 256 MB RAM (+768 MB Virtual Memory). Also the tablet runs on a faster processor than Nokia N97.

Other Main features of the specifications include

* 3.5″ Bright WXGA 640*480 resolution screen
* Graphichs Accelerator with OpenGL support
* Bluetooth version 2.1
* Mini USB.
* 3.5 mm Audio jack.
* GSM,GPRS,EDGE and 3G Support.
* HSPA, maximum speed up to 10 Mbps (DL), 2 Mbps (UL)
* WLAN IEEE 802.11b/g
* 5MP Camera with Carl Zeiss Opticals.
* aGPS with Maps
* Supported Email protocols: Mail for Exchange, IMAP, POP3, SMTP
* Flash,AJAX,RSS,HTML,xHTML support in Web Browsing.
* Office Suite,Adobe PDF reader and typical Nokia apps.
* Video playback file formats: .mp4, .avi, .wmv, .3gp; codecs: H.264, MPEG-4, Xvid, WMV, H.263
* Video streaming: H.264, MPEG-4, Xvid, WMV, H.263 in .avi, .mp4, .wmv, .asf and .3gp containers
* Music playback file formats: .mp3, .wma, .aac, .m4a, .wav
* FM radio / Tuner
* TV out with free cable

August 26, 2009August 26, 2009

Nokia E72 Review – An irresistable upgrade to Nokia E71

Not many days ago, I was googling the web for any news on upgrades to Nokia E71, its not because E71 is bad, but because it has been 2 year since the E71 has been launched and Nokia usually follows up with its successful models sooner than later.

And recently did I discover the upgrade, Nokia E72 Business Phone with QWERTY keyboard. The phone looks almost like the E71 but with a much faster processor, More Built in memory and upgraded 5MP Camera. It also benefits from all the firmware upgrades of original E71.

The features and look and feel of this Phone are almost similar to E71, afterall why would you go and fiddle with something which already perfect. But still Nokia has made very minor cosmetic changes the width of E72 is few mm and the keyboard has also has been fiddled with, it appears the keys are better than the E71.

Processor :
All the changes are under the hood the E72 has a faster Processor most likely a 600MHz processor as in the case E55.

RAM / Memory :
The RAM capacity is increased to 250MB which allows the device to scale upto 16GB of Memory Cards (E72 itself comes with a free 4GB card).Once the OS loads the free memory is likely to be 80MB and excess so more memory for Memory hungry apps.

Nokia E72 - Irresistable upgrade to Nokia E71

OS :
Includes S60 V3 Feature Pack 2, a highly refined UI and is very efficient and bug free. This is also a major upgrade. It improves multitasking, memory usage, power management and also changes in Menus.

Battery :
Battery remains the same , with BP-4L 1500mAH but the power management has improved Nokia promises a 12.30 Hours of Talktime against 10.30 Hours on E71 (Both on GSM Network).

Keypad :
A new optical navikey replaces the original D-Pad (ie center key with 4 way scroll). Two new keys are added in the bottom row by reducing size of space key . The new keys are Symbol and ! .

Audio/Sound Quality :
3.5mm audio jack replaces the 2.5mm jack of E71. And an active Noise cancelling filter has been added to improve voice clarity.

Camera :
The camera is upgraded to 5MP camera with LED Flash.

GPS :
E72 gets a magnetometer to sense the direction and assist the GPS on the phone. Also comes with lifetime Explore license (pedestrian) and a trial (10 day) Drive by license.

Apart from the above E72 supports charging through USB ie charging from your Laptop/Computer.

All in all E72 is an irresistable upgrade to E71 , being a fan of Nokia’s E61i and E71, I will surely be waiting in line to get the Nokia E72 expected to be launched in September 2009 in Europe and India.