Overview

The Rundown: The HTC Hero really wants to
be your saviour from iPhone clones and, if you’re not a fan, the iPhone. So let’s
give it the benefit of the doubt and start off with the pros. The Hero
immediately strikes you as a new breed of cell phone. Gone are the tired tropes
of symmetrical blocks and nondescript shapes. You can tell the Hero just from
its silhouette. Its slim, rectangular form juts out at the end, presenting you
with the trackball and a back/search rocker button. The result is a distinct
look that is ergonomically pleasing. The crisp 480×320 screen is multi-touch
capable and such double digit functionality is well implemented, providing
fluent pinch zooming from photo-viewing to web-browsing. It supports a slew of media files, both audio and video, and with a 3.5mm jack you can pop in your favourite headphones (unlike some other brands). And then there’s the
camera.

And we’re into the cons. You’d think with
the potency of a 5 megapixel camera HTC would have integrated it better. For
instance, taking photos with the camera held sideways and having to push down
the trackball is just awkward. Add to that the significant time between
depressing the button and the photo actually taking, no flash and the rather
mediocre picture quality and you have one underperforming 5 megapixel camera.

As for the user interface, it’s sleek, clean, and
surprisingly robust. A real testament to what HTC has been able to accomplish
with Android. However, behind the sleek exterior is an underpowered interior
and with a paltry 288MB of RAM backing up the 588MHz processor, resulting in one sluggish interface. At times the delays in response time are several seconds,
a problem compounded by the number of widgets you have running.

The Bottom Line: The HTC Hero is sleek,
intuitive, and unique but it just doesn’t have the horsepower to excel paste
the others in its class.

Specs:

Processor: Qualcomm®
MSM7200A™, 528 MHz

Operating System: Android™

Memory: ROM:
512 MB

RAM: 288 MB

Dimensions: (LxWxT)    112 x 56.2 x 14.35 mm ( 4.41 x 2.21 x 0.57 inches)

Weight: 135
grams ( 4.76 ounces) with battery

Display: 3.2-inch
TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 320×480 HVGA resolution

Network          HSPA/WCDMA:

900/2100 MHz

Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link
speeds

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

850/900/1800/1900 MHz

(Band frequency and data speed are operator
dependent.)

Device Control: Trackball with Enter button

GPS: Internal
GPS antenna

Connectivity: Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless
stereo headsets

Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g

HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio
jack in one)

3.5 mm audio jack

Camera: 5.0
megapixel color camera with auto focus

Audio supported formats: MP3, AAC(AAC, AAC+, AAC-LC), AMR-NB,
WAV, MIDI and Windows Media® Audio 9

Video supported formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 and Windows
Media® Video 9

Battery Rechargeable Lithium-ion
battery

Capacity: 1350 mAh

Talk time:

Up to 420 minutes for WCDMA

Up to 470 minutes for GSM

Standby time:

Up to 750 hours for WCDMA

Up to 440 hours for GSM

(The above are subject to network and phone
usage.)

Expansion Slot  microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

AC Adapter: Voltage
range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz

DC output: 5V and 1A

Special Features:

G-sensor

Digital Compass

Source

Overview: What has more megapixels than the
average digital camera, excellent call quality, and can play music? The Sony
Ericsson C905a.

The Rundown: Cell phone camera aficionados
rejoice as Sony has released another whopper of a hybrid in the Ericsson C905a. However, in a twist, they’ve honed in on a carrier and are offering this silver wunderkind
exclusively through AT&T. This means a lower price ($179.99) but a locked phone
that tethers you to a 2-year contract.

The phone itself is sleek looking though
rather mundane, especially since it only comes in silver. That being said, you
aren’t going to be buying this phone for its looks, for as mother always said,
it’s what’s inside that counts. With a powerful 8.1 megapixel camera,
auto-focus, stabilization and 16x digital zoom the C905a is leaps and bounds
ahead of your average cell phone camera and near the top of the pack when it
comes to pocket-sized picture quality. What’s more the 2.4-inch 320×240 screen does a
magnificent job of displaying your pictures.

But Sony’s also packed a slew of other
features including turn-by-turn voice guided GPS, FM tuner, MusicID (for track
recognition), as well as MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+ support. And so it’s too
bad that Sony insists on making you use their proprietary headset by omitting
the 3.5mm jack.And on the theme of proprietary, the memory expansion is also relegated to Sony’s Memory Stick Micro line of cards. And while the built-in 93MB should provide ample amateur storage, you should also consider that increased picture quality means a proportionate decrease in storage capacity.

The Bottom Line: A feature-infused phone
that if it doesn’t have you sold on the 8.1 megapixel camera should have you
looking elsewhere

Specs:

Battery

Talk time: Up to 3.5 hours

Standby time: Up to 14.6 days

Dimensions

Weight: 4.8 ounces

Size (inches): 4.09 x 1.93 x 0.71 inches

Memory

Internal memory storage: 93 MB

Expandable memory storage: 8 GB

Memory format: Memory Stick Micro(TM)

Wireless Technology

GSM/GPRS850/900/1800/1900 MHz

3G850/1900/2100 MHz

EDGE high speed data network

BLUETOOTH® technology2.0, A2DP

Display

Display size: 2.4 inches

Resolution (pixels): 320 x 240

Keyboard

Predictive text for fast typing

Source

Meet the iPhone 3GS, last year’s iPhone
after 365 days of a Russian-theme Rocky IV workout. Leaner, meaner, and
speedier.

Faster Processor

The all-new built-in processor is,
according to Apple, twice as fast as the previous generation, capable of
loading message and web pages in less than half the time. What’s more, the
added speed comes with a boost in efficiency, giving the 3GS battery more
staying-power. The added efficiency means on a single charge you get:

• 12hrs talk time on 2G
• 5hrs talk time on 3G
• 300hrs standby
• 5hrs of 3G internet use
• 9hrs of Wi-Fi internet
• 30hrs of music, 10 hours of video

3D Graphics Support

Additional hardware has been added enabling
more complex and visually attractive games (and hopefully this means new
renditions of our favourite titles!)

Build

The screen size (3.5-inch wide screen) and
aesthetics (rumours of a matte black coating were severely debunked) remain
relatively unchanged. However, Apple has added an oleophobic coating which, as
we all know, makes for a more fingerprint-resistant screen.

Unique Features

Magnetometer—adds a built-in compass,
utilized by an accompanying Compass app. Also shows a directional cone in
Google Maps. Will be accessible to other apps

Voice Control—get chatty with your iPhone
to place calls or play similar songs

Improved Camera

Boasting a 3 Megapixel camera, the 3GS also
sports some spiffy photo features, including auto-focus, auto-exposure, and
auto white balance. Apple has also added the ability to tap the screen to focus
the shot, which also adjusts the white balance. They’ve also added photo and
video geotagging and Apple has finally opened up the camera to all apps. Video
support is available at 30 frames per second VGA with the same adjustment
features as camera as well as the ability share videos via email, MMS, MobileMe, and
YouTube.

Pricing

16GB for $199

32GB for $299

The iPhone 3GS will be available June 19th.

Source and Source

In the world of technology there is a war raging. The
battlefield is newspaper and blog headlines. The weapons of choice are rumours,
leaks, adverts, and an aversion to preventing them. We`ve already given some
headlines to Palm`s much anticipated Pre (which hits retail June 5th)
and this, in turn, has caused Cupertino to let slid a few hints as to a new
iPhone as early as mid-July. And so it`s only logical that in the Smartphone
Wars that the superpower that is BlackBerry prepares for a counter-offensive.
And if pre-release reviews are anything to go by, it`s going to one heck of a
summer showdown.

The folks over at CrackBerry.com have managed to get their
hands on a pre-release version of the BlackBerry known only by its codename ‘Onyx.’
For those of you who want to know whether to get hyped up or not the short
answer is a solid ‘yes.’ With hands-on examination of the early build,
CrackBerry quickly note that the Onyx “IS the traditional (no touchscreen)
BlackBerry smartphone so many of us have been waiting for.” So, what have many
RIM aficionados been waiting for?

Well, if I was to paraphrase early impression of the Onyx I
would conclude that it is the Swiss army knife of BlackBerries. Packing a 3.2
megapixel camera, 3G, WiFi, and GPS, the Onyx is at long last bringing together
the most coveted hardware in a smartphone’s arsenal. Too often technophiles
have felt jilted by RIM, a company that has developed somewhat of a penchant
for sacrificing hardware specs that some might consider essential; be it
megapixels, Wi-Fi, 3G functionality, lack of memory; RIM has been guilty of
exclusion on some of its most otherwise desirable handsets .

BlackBerry Onyx’s specs:

• 3G capable

• 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera

• 480×360 screen

• AWS 1700MHz + 2100MHz UMTS/HSDPA

• GPS

• QWERTY keyboard

• Wi-Fi

And so it’s understandable if BlackBerry addicts are
salivating over the latest smartphone to come out of Waterloo. When stacked up
with the Bold, the Onyx has a sleeker physical form (leaning towards the Curve)
while substantially out-performing it on the spec sheet. The early renditions
of the Onyx feature a trackball, though an optical trackpad is still an option
before its official release. As for the battery, the Onyx mimics the Bold as
for as specs go, but the performance is still TBA until a more final version is
available.

Ultimately, the Onyx has the makings of a potent BlackBerry.
And though it may be too early to tell, the folks over at CrackBerry.com are
confident enough to proclaim the Onyx “the next must-have BlackBerry.” Well
know soon enough when it retails later this summer.

Source

Yes, the Alias 2 might not have a tactile
touch screen and it may never become the envy of your
lawyer/CEO/BlackBerry-addicted friends but it’s cool in its own right. For many
non-smartphone users, texting can be a hassle. Even for those phones that flip
open sideways, a la the Samsung Alias, find the right keys amidst the myriad
numbers, letters, and symbols can be like staring at one of those magic eye
puzzles; eventually what you’re looking for materializes above the visual din.
Well, no more with the Samsung Alias 2 and its dynamic E-Ink keypad (as seen in action here).

In the standard, vertical-flip position the
Alias 2 displays the numbers and menu navigation buttons but flip open the
phone sideways and viola those same keys refresh as a full QWERTY keypad. The
technology makes use of the same technology as the Kindle, ensuring the same
versatility (conceivably Samsung could display any symbol, fully embracing the
idea of a context-sensitive keypad) and its limitations (a brief, though
obviously present ‘refresh’ where the keys all quickly turn to black only to
refresh with new characters when switching modes). The potential here is rather
remarkable. Unfortunately, it’s never actually realized.

You can quash any and all innovative games
your mind’s conjured up with such a dynamic piece of technology. Samsung didn’t
include a single one that used the versatile E-Ink buttons. And you can all but
forget about third-party applications as the Alias 2 ain’t exactly walking with
the swagger of a burgeoning app store behind it.

But that’s part of what makes the Alias 2
so intriguing. It’s like a throwback phone fused with a cutting-edge design.
And for $80 (on a 2-year contract), it’s almost rocking the throwback price.

Source

Several additional details came to light
about the Palm Pre, including pricing speculation, interface details and an
anticipated release date. First off, iSuppli compiled a list of components
going into the Pre in a bid to determine the actual manufacturing costs. They
tallied up parts purchased from Texas Instruments and Qualcomm and combined
those figures with estimates on other standard components to come up with a
$138/per unit manufacturing cost. Contrast that number with the rumoured $300
retail price tag and Palm’s working on a hefty profit margin, especially when
you consider the thin margins of the likes of the iPhone (estimated $174 per
unit) and the BlackBerry Storm (estimated $203 per unit, sold at $199). If Palm
plans to undermine Apple’s dominance, they’d best remain wise of the iPhone’s
one-two punch; a truly innovative design/interface backed up by a very
reasonable price. So, while it appears Palm isn’t willing to take the initial
hit in exchange for quick up-take, it can nevertheless turns some heads with
its UI design.

Images of new OS surfaced last week showing
off a fairly standard, almost familiar, app screen. Why, there’s even a bar at
the bottom dedicated to launching the core features, how insightful! Where they
have made some deviations from the standard is in the area of integration.
Google Maps, for instance, is embedded into directly into the phone, so when
enter text into the search box you can quickly access the corresponding info
cartographic form. Another integrated feature is Pandora, which when viewed
outside the app it seamlessly incorporates an icon into the bottom right
portion of the screen for quick access to core controls over the music service.
Other notable integrations include support for Google, Facebook, and Exchange
calendars, as well as TeleNav GPS, and Sprint TV.

With the anticipated launch just over a
month away we’ll have to wait and see if the Pre takes the mobile phone market
by storm. But Palm does have an interesting, though at times generic, feature
set and interface. The phone’s design alone is enough to turn heads but whether
the software and app features are enough to turn market share is a looming
question that could render the Pre as a footnote rather than a headline in a
year’s time.

Source and Source

Sensitive Object boasts that their new
technology turns “any part of a product touch sensitive,” a feat they’ve
accomplished through pop technology’s latest buzzword ‘piezoelectrics.’ The
Anywhere MultiTouch platform, which is Windows 7 compliant, is actually an
extension of the company’s patented piezoelectric RiverSys technology, which
allows for touch recognition through surfaces such as aluminum, glass, and
plastics. As Sensitive Object notes the whole platform “simply relies on two
small piezoelectric sensors, a controller and some software.” ‘Nuff said,
right?

Well, in fact these piezoelectric sensors
function by detecting sound waves that occur in an object when it is touched. Tracking
where the material is touched follows from the fact that each area of a material
generates a unique ‘sound pattern.’ From this point algorithms and other
mathematical jargon takes place and the software is able to interpret, say you
sliding your thumb along the side of your phone. In turn, the phone could
consider this a scrolling action. Thus, rather than obscuring the screen with
your fat, stubby digits, Anywhere MultiTouch makes the entire product available
for interaction.

In order to increase its viability, the
platform also supports handwriting and palm rejection, as well as being
available at “a very competitive price,” according to the company.

This particular implementation of the
software opens up a whole host of new, creative designs. Sensitive Object has
set their sights on mobile phones, netbooks, and laptops as the idea
application of Anywhere MultiTouch. And while the technology conjures up all
sorts of interesting creations, I have one lingering reservation. My phone does
enough damage dialling numbers and going online while it’s ‘resting’ in my
pocket. And that’s with only ‘pressure sensitive buttons.’ Who knows what sort
of trouble a ‘touch anywhere’ device could get you into.

Source

Have you ever wished you could get the weather, check the
score of the baseball game, order a pizza, and spy on your kids all from one
convenient screen? Well, with the Verizon Hub Phone, you can now. It combines
all the fun of a landline VoIP phone with the fun of the internet…and I’m
pretty sure that’s never been done before.

The Hub essentially combines the greatest features—okay, the
bottom-line features—of online services like traffic reporting and a calculator
and appends them to a bottom-line touch screen handset. The premise here is to
create a central location—or hub—for all your communication needs. Wanna order
movie tickets, there’s an app for that. Wanna look at the calendar without
actually walking over to the calendar, there’s an app for that…and that’s
about it. The Verizon Hub is surprisingly limited despite its level of
connectivity. That being said, what apps they do provide are quite effective at
what they do. For instance, the calendar apps can sync with every family
member’s cell phone, so you’ll always been in the know when the plane’s leaving
for your family Christmas trip. And if you’re some kind of negligent parent and
you leave your kid home alone, well than he can track just how far away you made
it before you realized with the Chaperone feature (a service Verizon offers that
allows you, in most cases, to track the whereabouts of your delinquent children).

Then there’s the VZ Navigator app that allows you to send
maps and directions to family cell phones. A pretty handy feature, especially
considering wireless data charges that you would accrue looking up those
directions on the go.

The design and interface of the Hub is quite sleek and
straight forward, though it can be cumbersome as the touchscreen on the handset
is not as precise as it should be. So while one cannot rank aesthetics above
functionality, there are trade-offs on both ends.

But the ultimate question is ‘why?’  Most of these apps can be replicated on your
computer or your cell phone itself, neither of which indenture you and your
family to Verizon.  Furthermore, why pay a
$200 hit for such a product (with a $35/month for VoIP service)? And the answer
is a simple one: if it fits.

The Verizon Hub is a niche product, one geared towards a
family that wants to be entirely connected without relying on the ‘tech savvy’
it takes to replicate the services on a PC or cell phone itself. Certainly it’s
a product worth considering if you’re already a Verizon customer looking to get
your family in sync in a streamlined fashion. Just know, there are other
options out there.

Okay, so perhaps Skype’s iPhone launch isn’t that monumental,
especially for those that don’t even own an account with the premier voice over
IP provider, but it could do wonders for the brand. That is, if the app itself
is of sound design. So, let’s have a look.

First off, the
logistics. The Skype for iPhone app launches today, for free, via the App
Store. It’s already appeared in mobile iterations for Google Android, Nokia, and
Windows Mobile users (Blackberry users will be able to join the fun in May).
The Skype interface has been redesigned in true iPhone app style, right down to
the ‘quick-jump to a specific letter’ feature in the contacts tab. Fortunately, Skype was wise enough to tap into your iPhone’s
contact list, which does wonders for the start-up process, not to mention
saving your sanity from independent lists. What’s more, the app will actually
pull Skype profile pictures from the ‘net for contact photos.

The other four
tabs, all of which are displayed at the bottom of the screen, include chats, a
calling window, call history, and a ‘My Info’ section that covers your personal
profile. The messenger-like chat feature while fairly simple is nevertheless easy on the eyes. However it stands as the
only feature that works over the cellular network.

Unlike some other mobile Skype apps, the iPhone version is
strictly limited to Wi-Fi discussions, so no piggy-backing over a 3G internet
connection for low-rated calls. So for those hoping for an app that would
break the trend set by other iPhone VoIP apps, you’re out of luck. Other
missing features include SMS, video calling, and voice mail.

And what about iPod Touch users? The app is freely available
to you and will run just as it would on the iPhone but as you’re likely aware,
the Touch doesn’t have a microphone. However, such headsets do exist and if you’ve
got access to a Wi-Fi connection and you’re looking to save money on long
distance calls, it may be worth looking into.

All in all, Skype for the iPhone is standard, fully
functioning, affair. With well implemented core features in place users can
look forward to a decent app that is only going to get better.

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