Best Phone Blog

The T-Mobile Pulse Mini is one of the many newly-announced devices that hit reviewer’s and preview’s eyes at the recent Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona. In fact, T-Mobile have recently announced that they will be trimming the cost of the budget Android Pulse Mini, and it will go on the market for only £99.99 on pay-as-you go tariffs, designed to take on the HTC Tattoo. In terms of the specifications on offer on the Pulse Mini it houses a decent enough 3.2 megapixel integral camera, which usefully also features an LED flash – allowing the user to take photos even in darker lighting conditions. This is a good inclusion as devices don’t always come with an integral flash, much to the chagrin of a number of cell phone camera users. There is also a 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen as well as a 3.5 millimetre headphone jack, which is an improvement on the previous device – the original Pulse phone – which only had a 2.5 millimetre jack.

The device has measurements of 106×57x14mm, which shows that it is clearly not the most svelte phone on the market, although an Android phone at under £100 is unlikely to be too adversely affected by a less-than-slim set of measurements. The Mini Pulse also has a range of decent applications and specs, including an integral memory of 300MB, a microSD card slot allowing for memory and media expansion as well as the aforementioned and vital Android 2.1 smartphone operating system being the highlights. This will certainly allow users to fly though the applications, although the loaded software on the demo device in Barcelona was somewhat prone to crashing and did spoil things a little

The device’s home-screen configuration is a little unusual, featuring as it does 15 panels in a 5×3 grid design. Within this system users can swipe between home-screens by swiping up, down, left or right. Also by pressing on the D-pad controller’s middle button the view will zoom out in order to show all 15 home-screen panels in order that one can be selected. This is unique, as most home-screens are usually arranged from left to right.

Along with its Android specifications on paper the device may well look very appealing, although it doesn’t really play out all that well on a QVGA resolution screen and the resistive display is a little underwhelming compared to capacitive ones available on the market today as it is not especially finger-friendly, although it does come with a stylus for slightly easier inputting. The pay-off, though, is that the device offers all of the Android 2.1’s operating system features at a very low price, so users will receive very good value for their money.

It should be clearly noted by potential buyers that, much like the original, the Mini Pulse will not be sold by T-mobile in the US.

In terms of connectivity the device also features Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, affording the user wireless transfer of data between this and other such compatible devices. Perhaps disappointingly the device has no GPS capabilities, and without this some have questioned what effect this might have on its wider viability as all location-based applications would be rendered useless and inoperable without at least A-GPS. There are also questions as to whether it will launch with Google Nav, a mainstay and major selling feature of other Android powered mobile devices.

Overall, though, the Mini Pulse is a decent priced Android smartphone, but some questions as to some of the omissions and what its actual overall capabilities may be when finally released – no doubt related to the price and general available usage. Some have also commented on the fact that the device needs to come supplied with a stylus for inputting is an indictment of its user-friendliness, though this is to be seen once it hits the market and general consumers can get their hands on it themselves to try it out.

The concept of including a pico-projector into a mobile phone device may not be 100% original but it is unusually interesting, and the new offering from Samsung in the shape of their Beam i8520 looks like it could be the device to truly tempt the user. The new smartphone device, previously known as the ‘Halo’, meets many of the necessary instant smartphone criteria – but unlike many others out there on the market it comes with a twist in the form of a built-in projector that can turn any surface into a display board.

The phone itself runs the Android 2.1 operating system on a hyper-smart 3.7-inch Super AMOLED screen display. The display includes a capacitive touchscreen that affords quite and mistake-free text input, along with a rear-mounted 8.1-megapixel camera with integral LED flash – perfect for snapping in all lighting conditions, and something that is not always accommodated by all smartphone cameras. It probably goes without saying, however, that the true object of interest in the device is the integral pico-projector.

In terms of its specific other features Samsung have opted for a Texas Instruments DLP device that runs at WVGA resolution, and in order to activate the projector the user simply needs to hold down a button housed on the right-hand side of the device. The Beam’s projector is capable of projecting whatever is captured on the main screen display and has a brightness rating of 6 lumen. As you might expect from a mobile device this specification will not be sufficient to challenge the capabilities of your local cinema, although in the darkness of the demonstration area at the MWC in Barcelona where the phone was unveiled a range of images was shown to demonstrate the projector’s capacity, from still images to film clips and even a range of presentation-style images. When the lights were raised viewing capacity was significantly impaired, however, and focussing in on images became a problem.

An integral projector is, however, an interesting concept to include in a phone, and one that Samsung will no doubt look to further develop in later incarnations. It is also certainly among the very best pico-projector integrated devices currently on the market – a major plus for anyone looking at acquiring a handheld projector device. The device also packs a great high-res camera that takes excellent still snaps that can display images in real-time with the projector as well as the capability to record and play 720p videos on the fly.

The Beam’s memory capacity is fairly low for a high-end smartphone device, though, and for this reason it comes complete with microSD TransFlash expansion options which boost the internal memory to up to 32GB – definitely sufficient for the most demanding of users.

Connectivity is good with Quad-band GPRS as well as HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100 support for 3G users. High-speed Internet browsing is also assured with this device thanks to powerful 3G and Wi-Fi capabilities. Bluetooth capability is included as well, making seamless data transfer possible both wirelessly and via wire connection.

As far as appearance goes the Beam is a great-looking device, even though it packs a pico-projector on top. It is not excessively chunky and its screen display is, thanks to its resolution, stunning, displaying as it does 16 million colours in its 480×800 pixel resolution display. The touch-screen is also fast and user friendly, and icons on screen can be customised as desired in order to further speed things up. The screen surface is also scratch-resistant, great news for those whose phones must endure some heavy-duty (and occasionally careless) usage.

The integral 8-megapixel comes equipped with many useful extras as well, such as smile and blink detection, an LED flash, auto focus as well as geotagging, and for those looking for a quality mobile phone/camera combination the camera alone would rival some entry-level digicams. In terms of entertainment the Beam is excellently-equipped, packing a music player supporting MP3, WMA and eAAC files along with an FM radio. The device also supports video playback via DivX, XviD, MP4, H.264 and H.263 files. Users can also sample some of the device’s games, though naturally the phone isn’t geared as much towards this end as other functionality.

If you have ever been bed ridden to a point that moving your limbs is a difficult chore, then you might have already felt what it was like to wish that you can change the channels on your telly without moving a muscle.

A new research at the University of Washington focuses on allowing humans to interface directly with computers in order to interact with appliances and simple machines. This is pretty useful research, considering that it can pave the way for major innovations in the field of medicine and mechanical engineering.

About two years ago, the first commercialized neural input system was introduced to the public. The OCZ Neural Input Actuator allows users to easily map 11 different key stroke commands to mental input commands. It does take a while to train new users into actually getting things right, but once a person is used to the controls the results are astounding. When playing a first person shooter game, users showed incredible skill with the controls allowing for accurate shooting with almost no keyboard or mouse input.

In application, there is very little use for neural input in our offices. After all, most office work requires seeing the actual feedback on the monitor, which would mean that typing would still be faster than mental input.

On other fields, neural input can change the way we live our lives. This will certainly mean wonders for people who rely on prosthetic limbs in order to walk and move. Neural input would allow for the mental activation of actuators that would enable to simulate movement. At higher levels of control, more complicated actions can be achieved. Even normal people using technology such as the hybrid assistive limb would be able to exhibit a high level of control beyond traditional mechanical access.

Read more about mental input technology on Engadget.

The soon to be released Sony Ericsson Aspen device is really in the continuing tradition established by Sony’s previous devices such as the Xperia X1 and X2. The Aspen is, in fact, Sony’s third Windows mobile powered device and, despite the fact that there is currently no definite retail release date, the Aspen is currently scheduled to be released around April 2010 and will also be known as the Sony Faith in some markets. The Aspen will mainly be aimed towards the business end of the market and is ramped with all of the typically high-end features that a demanding business user would demand.

The Aspen has been manufactured using Sony Ericsson’s Greenheart range of ecologically friendly materials, reassuring potential purchasers that the device has been largely constructed from recycled materials. Happily the device will also come with very little packaging, which will be encouraging for all and not just the green-inclined. In a further fascinating development on the green credentials of the phone it does not include the otherwise de rigueur instruction manual, instead opting for a .pdf format instruction booked stored in the device itself. The way things are going this could be an excellent coup by Sony and many manufacturers may also end up going the same way in future. Users might well find it of benefit to copy the .pdf file directly to their home computer upon receipt, as this will allow instant and trouble-free access to the instructions in case you encounter any problems with the device itself. It will also mean that there will be no need to trawl the Web looking for the instructions in the event that anything goes wrong with the phone. The phone is helped further as a green warrior by the fact that it is finished with waterborne paint which is much more environmentally friendly than the alternatives.

Upon first sight the Aspen does pretty well resemble a traditional Blackberry and also has a four-row QWERTY keyboard. The phone’s display is very good indeed, and its 2.4-inch display size features a TFT touchscreen that is capable of sowing 16 million colours. The touchscreen is a useful addition to the device, affording users a choice between this and the integral keyboard. The device is also able to support handwriting recognition. There is also an auto-rotate functionality which affords users a choice of angles form which the display can be viewed.

The Aspen is a well-supported device as far as connectivity is concerned as it features quad-band GSM, Bluetooth 2.1 and can be connected to a computer by means of a Micro USB, all of which make for complete global coverage-essential for the business market at which the device is principally aimed. The Aspen has an internal storage capacity of 100MB and this can be further bolstered by using a MicroSD memory card which will bulk memory capacity up to 16GB. A 4GB card will be supplied with the basic package.

The Aspen also supports all principal messaging platforms, excellent for its business credentials as well as including e-mail and push e-mail. The push e-mail facility is a great little feature and no doubt it will richly appeal to the business community as it pops up e-mail alerts on your homepage alerting you to the fact that your account has received a new e-mail, thereby cutting out the need to keep signing in and out of your account. It also immediately supports Facebook, Skype, YouTube and Twitter and also includes Pocket Office which allows a wide range of documents to be viewed on screen including PowerPoint, Word and Excel files – another great plus for the business user. It also includes a media player, FM radio and a 3.2-megapixel camera. Google Maps will come pre-installed, making the Aspen a great prospect for the savvy business customer.

Asus has been pretty successful in the computer industry. The electronics manufacturer has a very successful line of net books that use the Intel Atom processor which has allowed them to create smaller devices with pretty good hardware. The Eee PC line of net books has been doing well in the laptop industry. With mobile phones however, Asus still has a long way to go. Recent tie-ups have resulted with a couple of Garmin-Asus devices. The phones are impressive, but still lack that extra factor that would make them stand out in the large crowd of HTC, Motorola, Samsung and others.

Now, it looks like a timely tie up with Microsoft will be changing the way we look at Asus mobile phones.

Reports are in; Asus will be manufacturing a Microsoft branded smart phone that will be using the Windows Phone 7 series.

Windows Phone 7 is shaking up the mobile phone industry since it was shown off at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain. Microsoft tech head Steve Ballmer led the team as they showed off the current work in progress and how they are planning to turn the Android and the iPhone OS into static and obsolete looking interfaces.

Some critics have said that there was so much going on in terms of animation, but from a user standpoint, everything flows so smoothly and cohesively in the initial demos that it is hard to imagine what could be wrong.

The bleeding effect on the edges of the page not only add a futuristic edge to layout, it also serves as a subtle sign that there is more content to be seen by panning around. Expect to see some groundbreaking new features once the OS is ready for commercial release.

For more info on the Asus-Microsoft connection, go to Mobile Choice UK.

The wave of new technology in the phone industry has brought a completely new dimension in the way mobile phones are used. Phones are not only used for communication but for many other functions today. The modern phones are made to perform more than one function and this makes the phone the single machine that has evolved to perform several functions while improving the quality of the work and still maintaining their core function of communication.

The Acer Liquid E is one of the modern phones that have come with recent technology and it serves users with several functions to their satisfaction. One of its modern features is the new keyboard layout. The phone has been made with a new type of keyboard that has an extended dictionary which has a predictive input. This makes it easier to write messages with your phone because you just need to type the first few letters of the word and the phone will give you several predictions of the word that you want to write. By clicking the word that you want, the word automatically appears on the screen.

The phone has also been made with a special zooming feature. This feature is called the double tap zooming. When you tap an item in the phone twice it is automatically zoomed. This makes it easy to enlarge items on the screen of the phone for easy view. It also makes zooming of items very fast because you don’t need to scroll your phone for you to get the zoom icon. What you need to do is just to tap the item twice and it will be automatically zoomed.

The screen of the phone is made with the modern touch screen technology. The Acer Liquid E has a 3.5” high definition captive touch screen which makes it easier to operate. When you touch an icon on the phone the contents of the icon are revealed easily. This saves the user the agony of pressing the phone keypads to look for the desired icon.

Speed has been given priority in the phone. The phone has high speed processing capabilities which make it easy to operate. Operating the phone to get what you want becomes very easy because the phone works with an amazing speed.

However, browsing the internet using the Acer liquid e phone is very easy. The phone has been made with high speed internet connectivity. To browse the internet using the Acer Liquid E becomes fun because you get to the site that you want within a very short time. Downloading items from the internet is also very fast and you don’t waste time waiting to complete downloads.

However, the phone has a special home screen capability which has the ability to handle five home screens which are easily handled by default. This enables the user to install several applications in the phone easily. A user has the freedom of choice to choose the different home screens that they want to apply from the list that is provided.

The applications make it easy to use the phone contacts without any difficulties. This is made possible because the user can easily switch between the address book of the phone and the social networking application.

However, the physical appearance of the phone has also been given special consideration. The phone’s outer cover has been made to be very attractive so that it can be appealing to the user coupled with the numerous features of the phone. In addition, there are several designs of the Acer Liquid E to give clients freedom of choice.

It has been a week since the Mobile World Congress and plenty has happened in the mobile phone industry, both related and not related to the weekend event. In any case, here’s a quick round up of some of the more interesting headlines:

First off, Sony Ericsson’s CEO Bert Nordberg has said in a magazine interview that they turned down an offer to make the Google Phone –Nexus One. It is a surprising bit of news to hear and many people believe that SE has made a critical error in choosing not to take the opportunity. While many can argue that the Nexus One is not a real success in terms of sales, the mere publicity and reputation by the prestige could very well bring in more money for the company.

SE has been a financially troubled company since last year and despite their impressive 2010 lineup, many believe that there are still plenty of dark clouds in the joint venture’s horizon.

One key company to watch out for this year is Microsoft. The company has had success in the computer industry with the release of the new Windows 7 operating system which practically fixed all the problems of Vista (well, almost). They are also doing well in the mobile industry with the recent unveiling of the Windows Phone 7 series.

A recent report has shown that European Regulators have approved the Yahoo! and MS tie up. No details yet on what we can expect from the two giants, but expect them to start cracking down on competitors such as Google and Apple pretty soon.

Speaking of Windows Phone 7, the mobile operating system is expected to appear later this October with a device made by Asus for Microsoft.

Get to know more about the latest news and more at the Guardian UK.

Garmin Asus showed off a couple of nifty gadgets last Sunday at the Mobile World Congress; but it looks like Asus will be getting its knees deeper into the pits of the highly competitive mobile phone industry as it is reported to be the manufacturer for the very first Microsoft branded smart phone loaded with Windows Phone 7.

For many, the new Windows Phone 7 series stands as one of the most promising operating systems to be announced in a long time. The fact that it reinvents the concept of a smart phone is truly miraculous. Large panels bigger than the display screen will be used as the main menus, this makes it easy to pan around for information and features instead of using tired old menu systems. It has also been confirmed that there will be Bing, Zune and Xbox Live Games to the new operating system.

The big panel system divides phone functions into several parts. People will give users access to information such as profiles, and status updates on Facebook. Images will let you sort out your files easily and even upload them on file sharing sites. Other features such as Office has shown a bit of functionality but still lack anything beyond being able to run SharePoint and OneNote. Games do not have any actual game titles yet, so right now it’s a social networking tool too for XBL users.

What is surprising is that Asus might be teaming up with Microsoft as a subcontractor for the very first WP7 smart phone.

It was previously reported that that WP7 OS relies mostly on Qualcomm technology. Since Asus products focus heavily on the Intel Atom CPU, the report of a possible tie up between the two is still pretty unlikely.

Read about the news regarding Windows Phone 7 and Asus from the source.

The Xbox Live Games service will be appearing on Windows Phone 7. It has been shown in the demonstration and it even supports the avatar, gamer profile and other details. No doubts about it, this system will let you bring your XBL account with you where ever you go. Right now, no games have been announced for the Windows Phone 7, but many are expecting ports of XBL games to be made available.

One interesting thing to note is that Michael Chang, senior product manager of Microsoft’s mobile communications marketing group has stated that MS is not blocking third party access, even from competitors.

In some weird way, it sounds like Mr. Chang is inviting the Playstation Network (PSN) to be made available on the Windows Phone. Despite the initial similarities between Xbox Live and the PS Network, the two networks are pretty different.

XBL is a paid online service. Users pay a monthly subscription fee to access the service which lets them access the Xbox live store, get downloadable content (DLC) and play online with contacts. The first difference is that PSN is free; the second major difference is that when you play online, you will not have to put up with over compensating teeners raging over headsets about how good they are.

Seriously speaking, it is technically possible, but pretty much improbable that PSN would even be available on the Windows Phone. It is likely that Sony Ericsson would adapt an entirely new OS or have device exclusive features for Sony Computer Entertainment. So far, the Aino has been shown to be compatible with PS3 stored media. Perhaps a PSN mobile app may actually not be far from reality on a Sony Ericsson smart phone.

Get to know more about Windows Mobile 7’s open policy on Tech Radar.

Many people already expected that Windows Mobile 7 would be an important platform for Microsoft as they have previously promised to deliver many of the requested features that never made it to WinMo 6.5 and below. Many considered that WinMo 7 should at least be worth a look to see how far MS has come in the mobile platform industry.

Nobody knew that when Steve Ballmer went up onstage, he would literally shake the core of what many thought a mobile phone operating system should be.

“The Phone is not a PC”.

This was the running mantra for the presenters who showcased the many features and capabilities of the upcoming Windows platform. They should even print that line unto a shirt and give it out as it literally explains the mental dynamic behind the functional and aesthetic design of the new user interface. Yes, Microsoft produced a mobile platform so good it reinvented everything they made before.

Obviously, the first thing we noticed about the new Windows Phone 7 operating system is the oversized screens that did not even fit the display of the touch screen phone. This novel idea of creating a wide area for content that you can customize to only see specifically the things you want to see. These large panels combined with the tiles system, brings full customization at your fingertips.

Zune and Xbox Live Games have also been demonstrated as present in the new operating system; though no game demonstrations have yet to be shown. Zune even got to have its own introduction as it was not locally available and many people did not know what it is.

Plenty of details are still missing for now; but with an expected holiday release date, there is still plenty of time for MS to fill in the missing features.

Get more info about the Windows Phone 7 OS at the source.