Best Phone Blog

While Apple wanted to define the tablet as a separate device from the smart phone, other manufacturers have a different idea.

Take Samsung for example, the Korean phone maker has just announced the Samsung Galaxy Tape, which is packing a huge 7 inch super AMOLED capacitive touch screen and will enable users to make and receive phone calls. It has the best of both devices –a big screen and the ability to make phone calls.

On a side note, for this argument, having a big screen is a definitive factor for what defines a tablet –the Apple iPod Touch is basically a really small iPad, but nobody refers to the device as a tablet, which shows that the general consensus about what determines a tablet also factors in screen size.

With that said, many are wondering, what is the threshold for size?

The most common rule of thumb that people would be willing to accept is that any touch screen device that allows users to make and receive phone calls that fits into a regular pocket is enough to be ruled out of the tablet category. And in that same logic, if the Galaxy Tape is to be the new standard for tablets, then the iPad is lacking features as it fails to allow both voice calls and video chat.

There are however, two types of tablets. The upcoming Android Galaxy Tape tablet and the Apple iPad are basic tablets. There are however, devices that come out before these two which are to be considered as computer or computing tablets (which are basically computers shrunk down into a tablet form). The difference between the two kinds is the purpose; normal tablets are only meant for accessing media, games and the internet. Computer tablets are basically tricked out desktop computers which have very little practical use.

It seems that there is a new trend that the Android operating system is starting; having larger screens. With no doubt, this all started with the release of the Dell Streak (also known as the Dell Mini 5); with its 5 inch capacitive touch screen display it further pushed the accepted limits on what size screen works with mobile phones and with the large interest in the device, it proved that people are willing to sacrifice having a larger phone if it meant having a bigger screen.

As if the 4 inch sized screen on the XPERIA X10 was not enough, Sony Ericsson took on the initiative that Dell started and pushed the envelope further –for about half an inch more.

There is a new Sony Ericsson Android handset that has appeared in a few leaked images just last week showcasing a device that used a 5.5 inch touch screen display. The device looks even more compelling and curious to see with the images which clearly showed the handset sporting a slide out QWERTY keyboard and a hinge that allowed users to set up the device like a small laptop.

Korean manufacturer Samsung has also been playing around with large touch screen displays and from the looks of their latest device, the Samsung Galaxy Tape, they have the largest and fanciest screen displays available. The new tablet-phone hybrid device sports a massive 7 inch super AMOLED touch screen display. With a faster CPU and specs that easily outmatch the Apple iPad, this tablet is poised to take command of the industry when it launches.

With all the new devices using the Android sporting giant touch screen displays, it would not be hard to imagine Google coming with a second variation of the open source operating system that brings more functionality for larger screen displays.

It seems that Amazon is giving a pretty good offer for many Android smart phone fans. This new Samsung handset comes fully equipped with all the great features one would expect from a high end Android smart phone with a few little impressive extras that makes this handset a good alternative to more established Android handsets such as Google’s own Nexus One and the HTC Desire.

One thing all the above Android devices have in common (as well as with the XPERIA X10) is that they represent the new generation of Android smart phones –running on 1GHz CPUs. The move from the older, slower processors to the new 1GHz standard is just the start, according to reports Qualcomm has just come out with a new Snapdragon CPU that will be clocked at over 1GHz. Of course, the upcoming 2.2 Froyo update will be bringing Flash so a fast processor will certainly big a deal for Android devices.

Anyway, back to the Galaxy S, this smart phone will also have a 5 mega pixel camera. This is perfect for taking high quality images as well as for shooting HD video as well. The phone’s 4 inch capacitive touch screen makes use of the super AMOLED display technology that was recently unveiled by Samsung. In terms of other specs, the Galaxy S is pretty well packed; it has 512MB of RAM, up to 16 GB or internal memory, support for Bluetooth, micro SD and even has DivX and XviD video support.

As expected, the device will be using the TouchWiz user interface on top of the Android OS. Samsung has also brought in support for the Social Hub as well as tools such as the Smart Life and ThinkFree applications.

The 8GB version of the device is available for a very good bargain of 500 Euros on Amazon.

With the virus issues resolved, it looks like the Samsung Wave S8500, announced at Mobile World Congress, is now arriving in the UK free from any problems and is causing quite a stir. The Wave runs Samsung’s proprietary Bada smartphone operating system and is powered by a 1 GHz processor. The device costs £369.99, but Samsung Wave deals are being offered by a number of operators. Coming out on Vodafone on June 1st, it already announced amid the network’s list of “coming soon” devices earlier this week. The phone is now available for purchase in the UK as of June 1st.

Should you opt for Vodafone’s £25 ($36) per month two-year plan, which also furnishes you with 300 free minutes, unlimited texts, and a 500MB data allowance; you can have the Wave for free with some discounts, and mail in rebates. Prices begin to get a bit higher from there, though strangely enough, no 12-month or partially subsidized options are available to choose from. Buying the Samsung Wave will also get you a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes rucksack as an extra freebie, which is a nice touch.

The phone has many outstanding features many UK consumers will be excited to use and see. The phone itself is a video/photo users dream. Offering a 5 mega-pixel camera, a super fast processor, and tons of Apps to edit, upload and share all your photos and videos, Bluetooth 3.0 and WiFi. There’s also the TouchWiz 3.0 interface among the specs, plus DivX/Xvid support, a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm audio jack. To put it shortly the phone is feature packed.

The Wave sure will cause a wave in the smart phone market, Samsung cites their “Samsung Apps”, which is their app store they are offering a $300,000 contest to developers to encourage more applications to production. So with Samsungs backing the Wave is looking like one of the many in Samsungs Bada line that will turn heads.

It seems that fate is one the side of Korean manufacturer Samsung. According to the most recent reports, the issue with the micro SD card that was infected with Trojan virus software is confirmed to be present only in Germany. Since the virus is loaded in the micro SD card and not the phone itself, UK is safe from the virus scare. New buyers of the Wave are now being advised to not worry about the handset’s status as the Bada smart phone is safe from infection.

This news update comes as a major source of relief for many local retailers of the Samsung Wave smart phone. Many have already started marketing the device, touting its impressive touch screen display, the new Bada operating system and the 1GHz CPU. The announcement of a virus present in the German model immediately put a large big red flag on Samsung’s Bada debut device –not exactly the best kind of marketing for a first time phone.

Despite the fact that UK buyers have nothing to worry, people are being advised that if they have bought a Wave smart phone Germany (or had one shipped to the UK), it is best to not use the micro SD card unless it is cleaned from malware.

Samsung has refused to comment as to why the micro SD card they have bundled with the German package is infected with a virus, but many suspects that the issue may have come from the actual SD card manufacturers themselves. So far, there is no confirmation yet on what brand of cards are being used.

This event also serves as a warning for many other phone manufacturers –with many devices being reliant on the extra storage provided by SD cards and phone packages being more appealing with bundled extras, it would be nice to secure quality of accessories such as these cards in order to prevent more events like this.

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.

Samsung are well known for producing high quality and reliable phones. They use a lot of care when putting them together, and Samsung put all their phones through vigorous testing before being released, to make sure they all work well and without problems. The new phone from Samsung, the Galaxy Portal runs on Google’s own operating system, Android.

Using Android allows you super fast speeds on the phone, and generally cuts out up to 50 percent of loading times, including turning the phone on, turning it off and starting up applications. The phone was previously nicknamed the Galaxy Lite, as it could be argued to be a slight downgrade from the Galaxy i7500. Featuring a 3 megapixel camera the phone will not be used to create professional looking photos any time soon, but it is still able to grab images of times where you want to treasure the moment. Once you have taken a photograph you can either upload it directly to a social networking site from your phone, or transfer it across to your computer for editing or anything else.

If you are interested in getting a Galaxy Portal then you must first live in Europe, Asia or the Middle East. Other continents may receive the phone at some point, although a date has not been given nor has conformation that it actually will. Overall the Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal is a great phone if you want something cheap yet reliable.

The Samsung M2510 has been available for about six months. Its official release was sometime between June and July of 2009. This entry level phone would be a good pick for those persons that only need a very simple phone and/or are on a budget. Spending lots of money on a mobile phone is not a priority for everyone. For some individuals, the ability to dial out and receive phone calls is the only basic requirement, every thing else is just extra. The M2510 would be perfect for such individuals.

This slider mobile phone from Samsung comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera and video capture capabilities. The phone weights 90.5 g and has the following measures 99.5 x 46.5 x 15.7 mm. The display feature is 2.2 inches and has a 176 x 220 pixel resolution that supports 256 k colors. Individuals that purchase the phone will also be able to benefit from the phone’s media player, listen to local stations via the handsets FM radio and also record songs.

The M2510 has a 3.5 mm audio jack and 15 MB of built in memory. This can be expanded up to 8GB using the phone’s MicroSD card slot. Individuals will be able to use the phone without their hands via Bluetooth 2.0. Users can count on 360 hours of standby time and 8 hours of talk time.

Individuals in the market for an inexpensive, yet still very nice phone may want to give some consideration to the Samsung M2510. Granted, it’s not the best mobile phone on the market, it also is not the most expensive either. Individuals who purchase it will be getting a pretty good deal. Such persons will be receiving a decent, basic mobile phone, manufactured by one of the most well known companies in the industry. The handset is attractive, has decent specs and is pretty cheap. This is the ideal combination for a lot of people.

The Samsung Lindy M5650 is currently available in Spain and Portugal and will soon be available in stores in additional countries outside of South and North America. No word on why is won’t be released in these areas. Perhaps the American recession is one reason. However, may be not. Samsung has not released any information explaining why. As of now, it doesn’t figure into their immediate plans.

The M5650 is very similar to Samsung’s Corby phone. In the United Kingdom, the Corby goes by the name, Genio. It has proven to be such a success, that it spawned several other phones, most notably the Corby TXT and the Corby Pro. The Lindy has become the most recent Corby-like phone to hit the market.

This handset (the M5650) has more impressive specs then the Corby. It is a lightweight touchscreen that weights 98 grams and is 106×57x12 millimeters.  The display screen is 2.8 inches and is a QVGA display. The phone has a 3 megapixel camera and the phone is able to record video.  It has a FM radio, USB and Bluetooth. Individuals are able to add memory to the phone using the MicroSD card slot.  This 3.5G mobile phone has Wi-Fi, giving users the ability to browse the internet and check their email. They are also able to log into their Twitter, MySpace, Facebook and YouTube accounts, making it ideal for individuals involved in social networking websites.

The Samsung Lindy M5650 was designed and manufactured to be an improved version of the Corby. The Corby was so well received that it spawned two new phones named after it. Though the Lindy M5650 phone is not a Corby namesake, it is very similar to it and is considered an updated, more up-scale version. It is a good phone with nice specs, including a decent sizes display screen, FM radio, Bluetooth radio, Wi-Fi and more.

In this current day and age, with music being so popular, many phone companies have tried to incorporate music into their phone. Such examples can be seen such as with the I phone, the BeatDJ and many more. It was not long before Samsung wanted to lunch their own cheap and affordable music phone, which was able to handle many varying tasks at the same time. The M2310 and M2710 are the two new phones geared up for music, which even come with special buttons on the front designed to make it easier to use the special music functions within the phone. This allows you to play the tracks or the mixing side of things with the front buttons rather than the keypad which can be a real chore.

The Samsung M2710 is the sliding equivalence of the two, and looks fantastic. Featuring GPRS technology and blue tooth connectivity, you will always be able to keep in touch with friends and family via email, or transferring files to a friend or family member. Coming with a built in FM radio, you will never be bored again whilst on the go, as you can switch on some favorite tracks or radio shows to be entertained. The phone also comes with a fantastic tracking device, in case the phone gets stolen. This allows you to trace it to the very location that it is being used from.

The second phone, the Samsung M2310 is a flip phone compared to a slide, and features basically the same features as above, but just coming with the special music buttons on the front.

No information about the release date has been released yet, so if you want a great music phone, then hang on.