Smart Phones of today

Thought on the HTC Touch

General Features

Well I’m sure there isn’t much I can say in this section that you couldn’t ascertain from any review of the HTC Touch out there on the net - so i’ll just have to resort to conjecture and opinion!

The device is very light and thin yet packed with features. I managed to successfully figure out how to BlueTooth pictures to my girlfriend’s phone without a hitch, and use the free wireless in the hotel which proved to be a great asset - who needs long distance calls when you have free access to email? I won’t venture into the world of a phone call vs email etc, but email is good enough to be able to say “we’re safe, and we’ll be back before you know it!”.

The Touch interface proved to be more useful than I first expected. I soon learned that you could grab the interface and scroll up and down windows, as well as the basics you will have seen in any other review on the web. However I found that there were a few things missing from the interface that i’d seen on the iPhone such as full integration with Pictures and Videos, and other places. The Audio Manager was nicely integrated into the interface for easy access to the music player, and also with the rather useful HTC Today Screen addon, I found the interface sufficiently improved my experience in using the phone over previous touch screen models, such as the Orange SPV M600. There’s a few things that need work so for now i’d say it’s a great attempt by HTC - but will improve over the next versions.

Applications and Toys

I found the applications and tools on the Touch were as expected of a touch screen based Microsoft Smartphone but it was also nice to see that Orange had not removed any of the Windows Live components. HTC has also added to the phone it’s own applications which are certainly an improvement over their previous phones that i’ve used. These apps include:

• Task manager integration into the main interface. Tapping and holding the “x” button of an application terminates the process in memory.
• “Audio Manager” turned out to be a HTC version of Media Player that was integrated into the interface. While this sounds nice, it’s clear that HTC haven’t managed to integrate original Microsoft components into their own interface as cleanly as we’d like. Audio Manager is pretty rubbish at Playlists and for that reason alone I ended up using Windows Media player as my music player of choice.
• Weather application on the Today screen is a nice touch (no pun intended); HOWEVER if you’re in the UK you’ll find that you can only have a choice of London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Plymouth! How lame!

It’s worth noting that Remote Desktop is missing. Bummer.

Camera and Photo’s

As I mentioned I was suprised at how good the camera was. I grabbed the photo’s off the phone using Activesync and it was clear though that I have some kind of tremor! Seriously though - in dark environents it’s very easy to blur a photo because of camera shake combined with a poor lense/no flash. It’s also quite easy to do the same in the light. Annoying! So great for still photo’s but rubbish for action shots. Don’t buy this phone on the strength of the camera!

Biggest problems

As always i’m playing devils advocate. The following problems annoyed me sufficiently to post them up:

• The “Audio Manager” doesn’t have a very good library system. Suppose I had an album of music contained in a folder on the memory card. If I wanted to listen to that album, the library manager of “Audio Manager” adds the songs in alphabetical order rather than song ID or filename (such as 01 - songname.mp3). It means that you have to painstakingly construct playlists for your albums. I stuck with Windows Media Player throughout - which is a great shame.
• I absolutely hate the Microsoft Smartphone “connections” system. It just isn’t intuitive! This concept of “Work” and “Internet” is utter crap and I have never got it to work how I want (Or if I did, I couldn’t replicate it). For instance I could be connected to WiFi but if I then tried to connect to MSN Messenger it would start off my GPRS connection! ARGH! Also a massive problem is that out of the box, I couldn’t/still can’t connect to my Exchange server every time. In most cases, the phone would report “Cannot connect using these settings - check your connection settings and try again”. If anyone can give me a definitive fix for this, please help!
• I can’t customize the default location of “Pictures and Videos” unless I go into the registry somewhere…
• There just isn’t enough memory for me. When I synchronized my Exchange email for the first time I have 200mb of email altogether (including attachments), and without attachments I couldn’t synchronize all of my email to the phone. The biggest problem? You can’t (out of the box) change the default repository for standard email (you can only change the location of attachments). Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
• Sometimes the phone will continue to play music when I press the power button (which is what I want it to do so I can save battery) and other times the music stops. God knows what’s going on there…

Overall though - much better than the SPV E650 - which will be on Ebay soon!

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While established mobile workers may not find the Palm Centro fulfilling all of their needs, for those just getting into the smartphone arena, the Centro may be a hit! While Palm has been under fire recently for lack of OS updates, management shakeups and general business problems, I would have to say that their latest product, the Centro, works well for what it is designed to do.

Still on the fence? What follows are some pictures and links to help you with your decision.

Here’s the front of the phone looking at the main application window. Quite a bit smaller than a regular size phone, the display is bright and the smoothness of the fonts makes it quite legible and easy to read. I’ve been using both Weasel and the Palm Reader on the unit and have yet to start squinting. The included stylus is different than the standard Palm pieces and are quite a bit smaller and more flexible. I’m somewhat concerned about the display as the phone came with no cover, but so far no problems. The documentation did state that there was a “screen protector” built in.

This will give you some sense of the size of the unit as compared to everyday items. I’ve found that in moving from a flip phone, this one is not that much bigger and in fact is quite slimmer than my old one. On the side of the phone is the door for the microSD card as well as the IR port.

Notice the keypad as well as the keyboard, if I can call it that. The home keys, calendar keys and the phone keys are quite handy and feel substantial with nice feedback. The keyboard, considering how the engineers had to squeeze things into a lot smaller form factor is ok. I personally find it hard to use, but with two-thumbed technique, it’s getting better. There is a built-in key lock once the phone has been turned off or left alone for a bit. This is handy if you have the phone in your pocket and keep bumping things.

The back of the phone contains the battery as well as the microphone, camera and for the lack of a better term, the aiming mirror. The phone’s speaker as well as microphone are the best I’ve ever seen in a cell phone. It is legible and when set on speaker phone is quite handy. There is a sound-out mini jack at the
bottom of the phone for attached speakers and/or headphones, but note that it is non-standard and you will need to buy an adapter for use with regular stereo ear buds/headsets. I found mine at a big-box retailer.

The camera, well, let’s just say you will never be an ace photojournalist with it, but for emergency and quick everyday use, it is fine. It comes with a video mode and can record both to the phone memory as well as an external storage card.

In any event, the phone is nice and the added features, while perhaps not on the same level as a Windows smartphone, enable it to compete well in its field. Follow the links below for some more sources and reviews to help you in your buying choice. I didn’t have time to touch on the applications that came with the phone, so stay tuned!

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AT&T Tilt

As the name describes, the AT&T Tilt is a nice spin for corporate users with its full QWERTY keyboard and controlled tilt screen that faces you from a 40 degree angle. When you use this phone in tilt mode, its powerful hardware, along with the Windows mobile 6, is a nice box for the different features that this phone offers. As one of the top 10 smart phones, it has the whole gamut of features such as UMTS/HSDPA support, GPS, messaging software, and digital camera. With its tilting screen, it is a dependable companion for the heavy business traveler.

Samsung SCH-i760

This phone may be bulky, but its complete set of solid features along with a “feel-nice” QWERTY keyboard puts this Samsung brand in the top 10 windows mobile smartphones. Its mobile interface can let you control your Samsung SCH-i760 via touch screen, keyboard, or external dial pad. The approach of the phone appeals to businessmen and power users who wouldn’t mind the extra space for more functionality.

Nokia N95

The Nokia N95 packs the famous 3G technology for the fastest browsing speeds and responsive wireless computing. The silver casing adds flair and symmetry to the Nokia N95 that you don?t find in other Smartphones. This edition also has a longer battery life, despite having top class features such as a GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 5-megapixel camera. Nokia also carries the Symbian OS known for having the most convenient GUI ever put on a smartphone. The Nokia N95 might be too pricey for some people since U.S. carriers do not support it.

Nokia 6300

This phone may be in the low-end according to the number of features listed among the top 10 smartphones, but its sleek design and intuitive GUI, along with its price, is worthy enough to make this list. One big advantage of Nokia phones, as seen in this series, is their straightforward use. The 6300 can pass for a swift looking MP3 player or an entertainment pod along with its standard Bluetooth connectivity and web browsing interface. If you want a smartphone that does the least but packs the class, then the Nokia 6300 should be a great candidate for your wishes.

Blackberry 8300 Curve

The Blackberry becomes sexy with the pearl casing and the rounded edges that surround the large LCD screen and QWERTY keyboard. This phone is small and fits comfortably to your hands just like every Blackberry would. Known as the Curve, the RIM Blackberry has an improved media player, GPS and 2-megapixel cameras. Although this phone lacks the proper productivity features of a true business phone, it can support a growing number of third party devices for document viewing, spreadsheets, and presentations. With its wide aspect ratio and sleek silver design, the Curve will be a prime eye-candy phone for a long time.

Apple iPhone

Whenever an Apple product hits the deck, there are always sharp eyes looking onto it. So far, the iPhone passed the litmus test enough to become one of the top 10 smartphones for 2007. The Apple iPhone has one of the best displays in the market with its multi-touch interface. The best quality of the iPhone is it gives fresh competition in software design with their Mac OS and Safari web browser. The one criticism against iPhone is it does not feel like a phone with all the widgets and layers that cover the basic phone features. However, if one looks at the iPhone as an integrated device, then it is definitely one of the top 10 smartphones released in 2007.

Palm Centro

The red edition of the Palm Centro is another eye-candy device that builds on slimmer size and ease of use. It also carries an appealing price tag that will attract a lot of users looking to get their first smartphone. The Palm Treo includes Bluetooth, different office applications, and e-mail functionality.

HTC Touch

This Windows Mobile 6 gadget has a large enough screen to cover most of the phone’s crafty design. You can easily operate the HTC Touch with your fingertips, and with an updated interface, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a 2 megapixel camera, the HTC touch will surely delight new users on how different this phone feels compared to the other smartphones in the list.

Motorola Q

Known as the Moto Q, this phone distinctly integrated the “Razr” form that Motorola is known for and the advantages of Windows Mobile 5.0. The Moto Q is more lightweight and thinner that the other smartphones in the list. With the power QWERTY keyboard and thumb wheel, this phone offers straightforward usage, especially for tasks such as web browsing, watching videos, and more.

T-Mobile Dash Smartphone

The T-Mobile Dash platform integrates HTC and Windows mobile for a true business device in a high productivity environment. It has all the office features that any business traveler can ask for, and with all its office features, it still packs a whole array of entertainment suite and messaging support in such an ironclad phone.

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HTC TyTN II just arrived today in its box:

First thoughts on opening it? It’s pretty much the same as the TYTN, although the black finish is certainly nicer.

Looking around the body, there are numerous small changes, many of which I don’t like, probably because I’d grown used to the TYTN.

Let’s take a look at the battery:

As you can see, the battery pinout and position has changed, so you can’t use your old TYTN battery in here.

Going on to the hardware buttons, we quite a few minor changes:

Looking at the right side, you’ll see we’ve lost the Connection Manager button. This is annoying, as even if you didn’t use it for it’s intended purpose, you could always re-map it.

The Camera button’s moved out, and is now slightly shielded, making it a little harder to press. It’s also a two-position button (half-down, full down), to allow autofocus.

On the left side, you see the buttons have moved around a little bit, but are still there. The SD slot has moved from the side, to under a dust cover at the base of the screen, which is nice, as the open slot on the TYTN meant the card was occasionally popped out in my pocket.

However, there is 1 MAJOR change. Can you notice what it is yet?

Yep! The keyboard’s moved round to the other side!

Well - no-one really seemed to notice this - they were probably more obsessed with the tilt mechanism to notice. It does have an impact though, particularly for me as a right-hander. It means that:
- Rather than using my right thumb to operate the D-pad, I now use my left
- Rather than sliding the stylus into the top-right side of the PDA (when the keyboard’s open), I now slide it into the bottom left.

Now, the first I can re-learn pretty quickly - although I’m right handed (and right-thumbed), I can still do fairly well with my left thumb. There’ll be a tiny learning curve.

The second is more annoying. With the TYTN, If you hold the stylus in your right hand, you can just slide it into the top right when you’ve finished. However, with the TYTN II, it means (if you normally hold the stylus in your right hand), that you have to transfer the stylus to your left hand first.

It also means using your left thumbnail to take the stylus out, rather than a right fingernail - again, a little trickier, since I usually hold the phone in my left hand. Overall, taking or replacing the stylus takes a bit of left-right fumbling each time - annoying.

Last but not least,the front:

As you can see, Buttons 1 and 2 (Email and PIE) have disappeared from the top, to re-appear either side of the D-pad (and swapped left and right).

Again - a little annoying: those big fat buttons at the top of the body, by themselves, were quick and easy to press - especially for my reasonably large hands. These smaller, cantilevered buttons in their new positions are closer to the hand, meaning you have to bend your thumb to reach them, and also harder targets. Again, it’ll take some getting used to, but it’s an unwelcome change.

On the plus side, the Windows and OK buttons on the front are now user-configurable, so you do get a total of 6 hardware buttons to assign as before (plus a “6-plus-long” long-press for the voice button).

Other things

One thing I wondered was how the jog-dial would be: the TYTN’s was fine, although the button action was a soft press, rather than a click. Well, the TYTN II is just about the same - it seemed slightly firmer, but that’s probably because it’s new.

Also, if you take another look at the keyboard picture, you’ll see the light sensor has moved from top right to top left - I occasionally cover this with my thumb to trigger the keyboard backlight when I need it - and there’s now a Caps Lock and Fn Lock LED; which are both quite useful, considering how easy it is to get confused when you’re switching them on and off.

In Summary

Without even getting into the OS, it seems there’s some annoying changes to the TYTN 2:

• Mail and Web buttons smaller and less accessible
• One less hardware button
• Stylus more fiddly to remove/replace
• D-pad under left thumb

Of course, I’ll see if these are still niggles after two weeks!

As for the positives:

• SIM and SD slots are more accessible, and better protected
• CAPS/FN lock LEDs are handy
• Tilt mechanism

One last thing about the Tilt Mechanism. Now, you’re not going to touch type on this thing - the keyboard is too small, and the keys are too firm to allow operation with a light touch. Now - I don’t need to type two-fingered - I can already faster with my thumbs than I could with two fingers (if you can thumb-type on a P910 keyboard, you can type on anything) - but it was good to see that I could just about type, fumbling, with four, sometimes five or six fingers, on the TYTN II.

So - with a little practice, we may even see something resembling touch-typing on this keyboard..

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Here?s my Nokia N810 Review. . This Internet Tablet is the third model in this company?s series of traditional handhelds, and the best so far. It is the first with integrated GPS capabilities and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

This Linux-based device lets you connect to the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot with 802.11b/g, and if that isn?t enough, it can connect via Bluetooth to a mobile phone. You can then Access the Web with the best mobile browser currently available, watch streaming video, make VoIP calls, and much more.
Nokia N810 Review

The best way to think of the N810 is that it?s a handheld web browser?the best I?ve ever used. It can do about 90% of what Internet Explorer or Firefox on your desktop can do, and leaves rivals like Blazer and even Opera Mobile in the dust.

It?s the browser makes this a very powerful device, as the tasks you can perform on the Web have expanded tremendously in recent years. For example, I?m writing this review almost entirely on the N810 in Google Docs & Sheets.

It also lets you watch YouTube videos, work with your email, and a whole raft of other functions.

This is good, as the N810 apps that actually comes with the internet tablet are fairly limited. Also limited is the supply of third-party applications, but I?m hoping this will change as people start to buy N810 and take a look at what its capable of.

In addition, out of the box it lacks many of the features a lot of you are accustomed to in a handheld. It doesn?t come with a calendar, for example, and the N810?s address book is there to let you send people email or instant messages. You can?t put a street address into it.

Also, despite being made by Nokia, this isn?t a smartphone. It has Wi-Fi, and you can use a Bluetooth-enabled phone as a wireless modem, but I know for some people this is a significant drawback.

It isn?t to me, as I?m OK with a two-piece solution. I have a very small smartphone that goes with me everywhere, but because it has such a small screen it?s a bit limited. The Internet Tablet goes with me when I want more functionality and a bit of extra bulk doesn?t matter.

And this, I think, is the ideal arrangement for the N810: as a companion for a smartphone. Each device offers features the other lacks, and together they make an outstanding mobile solution. What is even nicer is that the guys over at WebPromoCode.com are going to be supplying the world with a new Nokia promo code that will save people almost $70 on the Nokia N810. The N810 voucher gives you a Nokia discount worth 15% off your purchase. With these kind of savings, it?s sure to make a lot of new N810 users out there to join our community of tablet enthusiasts!

PS: I used the N810 coupon code ?SCENEZINE? and saved 15% online directly from NokiaUSA. (Also works in the Nokia UK store) It comes with free FedEx shipping which is always a really nice bonus. The N810 price on the internet is around $450, so this discount coupon really hit the spot by only costing me about $400 for the whole Nokia N810 package.

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