Best Phone Blog

There are plenty of great reasons to own a good mobile phone. But there is an additional functionality that all new phone buyers should always consider: social networking capabilities.

In this day and age, almost everyone is expected to own and maintain a social networking account, a Twitter profile and of course, have access to instant messaging. Add into that the recently semi-established norm of owning an email address and you have all the reasons to buy a good phone that can address all of these.

Fortunately, picking up a Nokia X3 Touch and Type contract will get the job done.

Connectivity is Power

There is little doubt that having integrated Facebook and Twitter functions are quite commonly found in many high end devices –but in the mid to low end market, having these features and the ability to easily connect online is often a mad game of trial and error.

When it comes to entry level devices, it becomes an impossible hunt. This is why the Nokia Touch and Type is able to shine amongst its competitors. This handset has both 3G and WiFi capabilities as well as integrated social networking tools.

Great Form Factor

Of course, being a low to mid range handset, the Nokia Touch and Type is hardly the most powerful device around. But it is quite practical.

The phone’s keypad is unique with the special layout of having a four column setup. While it is not the first of its kind, it is a design that many people are not used to. Fortunately, learning to type fast on this handset is quite easy and there are no known issues with the way the buttons are arranged.

Another great thing about this phone is the 2.4 inch resistive touch screen that makes navigating the user interface or using social networking tools extremely easy. The same touch screen/keypad combination is also used on the C3 and you’ll be pleased to know that some great Nokia C3 Touch and Type deals are available, too.

Nokia has once again flexed its muscles in the entry level market of mobile phones with the release of the Nokia X2. Again, what we have is a very affordable handset that provides us with all the features that one would expect from a mobile phone. Plus, it comes from the highly successful X Series which makes the device even more impressive.

Broad Range

The Nokia X Series is a fast growing family of mobile phones. What’s great about this series is that it caters to a broader market. Although the first models in this line were considered to be high end devices, Nokia has expanded the series’ range by adding a couple of entry level handsets to the family.

One such device is the Nokia X2. It still bares the prestigious X Series name, but the difference is that it comes with a very reasonable price tag. This is perfect for consumers in the aspiring market segment as they also want to get a taste of the excellence of the X Series without having to burn a hole in their pocket.

Everything You Need

In terms of features, the Nokia X2 possesses all the features you’d need from a basic mobile phone. Of course it doesn’t have support for 3G and Wi-Fi, but at least there’s still EDGE and GPRS to rely on for mobile internet connectivity. The X2 even comes with an above average 5-Megapixel camera which sports features like an LED flash and video capture capability.

The device also has a very attractive and compact design; it has the dimensions of 111 x 47 x 13.3 mm and is available in two different colour combinations – red on black and blue on silver.

If you’re searching for a quality, no frills type of device that is both affordable and reliable, then the Nokia X2 is definitely a mobile worth considering.

Vodafone UK and O2 UK have announced that the Nokia C6 Symbian smart phone is now available on their official sites. The device is free on 25 Pound monthly tariffs, making it one of our most recommended budget handsets. Finnish manufacturer Nokia is also offering the device on their main UK online store; the C6 is available SIM free at a retail price of 289 Pounds.

The Nokia C6 is a practical smart phone. While it is not the handset of choice for users who are more interested in experiencing the complete modern operating system with Android handsets and next generation platforms –like the Symbian^3 and the MeeGo OS, this device is meant to serve users who need a decent reliable smart phone that has more features than the average low end handset.

In terms of overall performance, the C6 is decent. It is good enough to run a vast range of apps and features, but it will definitely bog down when faced with huge file loads and successive command inputs. At 434 MHz, the ARM 11 CPU’s speed is nowhere as near as high end devices –but for the average smart phone user, this is usually more than enough.

The slide out QWERTY keyboard feels a lot like the 4 row layouts that Nokia uses for their N series devices. The top row tends to sneak just a little under the upper face, but it is not that hard to use when held properly. The buttons are responsive and provide a resounding feedback that allows users to type fast on this device. Expect to see happy grins on text messaging and email heavy users on this device.

The phone also comes with a 3.2 inch TFT resistive touch screen display (with an accelerometer and a scratch resistant surface), a 5 mega pixel snapper (with autofocus, geotagging and face detection) and the Symbian S60 OS.

The smoke has not yet fully cleared since last Friday night as Apple has taken in all possible reasons as to why the iPhone 4 has no real problem.

While the Cupertino based company is still in denial about the whole situation, the current owners of the iPhone 4 (estimated to be over 1.7 million all over the world), will have to contend with having to use a smart phone with a broken antenna that should be held “in the right way” so that their calls will not be dropped.

At the same time, several mobile phone manufacturers have expressed their stand against Apple’s statement that the antenna is something that all manufacturers should consider as a challenge –and that other devices are suffering from the same issue.

Research in Motion and Samsung have already made official announcements regarding the matter –stating that their devices are perfectly fine and that they are not suffering from any antenna issues. Nokia and Motorola, though not mentioned by Apple in the conference, also made similar public announcements as well.

For users who are not too happy with the free case that Apple is offering as a solution, there is one other option to go for: the recently launched Antenna-aid. With the situation with the antenna looking like it will never be fixed anytime soon, online retailer Etsy has released a small adhesive vinyl strip that can be used to cover up the exposed antenna area.

While the manufacturer only states that the accessory “might” fix the issue, it is still a better alternative than having nothing at all. Also, this solution is a great fit for users who are not too keen on adding the bulk of a casing on their iPhone 4.

In the meanwhile, plenty of speculation now surrounds the date of September 30 –the last day for refunds and free iPhone casings. Many suggest that a second version of the iPhone 4 –one with a fixed antenna, might be released by then.

It seems that one of Nokia’s C-series handsets has finally been made available for the public. The C1 is pretty much one of the cheapest budget handsets that one can get. According to various sources, the phone is currently priced at only 30 Pounds –the perfect handset to buy when you suddenly need a get a mobile phone.

Of course, the phone is pretty much as simple as it gets when it comes to specs and features. The C1 is at best considered practical and serves only to handle voice calls and the occasional text messages. Nokia has been nice enough to add in a decent digital music player to the handset support for microSD cards and even an FM radio (the player seems to have a record function for FM too).

It lacks other features such as GPS, WiFi support or a camera. But for just 30 Pounds, owners are lucky enough with the music player. Also, the handset makes use of a 3.5 mm audio jack so users can get to wear any headset or earphones they want.

Buyers might want to get an extra battery or a travel charger for this handset. The 800 mAh battery does well, but for people planning to spend several days out, an extra battery would certainly help.

In terms of looks, the C1 is a generic looking candy bar handset. At least Nokia has enough design sensibility to keep the phone simple looking and practical to hold. The buttons are neatly arranged and spaced to allow users to easily type in numbers and text messages without much trouble.

The casing is a smooth, slightly glossy plastic that is bordered on the front end with an easy to grip dark gray layer. The 1.8 inch TFT screen provides 65 thousand colors and a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels.

We all love football, and nothing is bigger than the upcoming World Cup to be held in South Africa. Of course, not everyone has the leisure of being able to attend the event, but that will not stop us from enjoying the sport from the comfort of home (or the local pub). Giving the UK a helping hand is Nokia and their Ovi store, with a wide range of World Cup oriented apps, fans can keep on top of the latest events, learn the upcoming match schedules and of course keep the spirit alive in their very own handsets.

Nokia Goal is the one stop shop for all the final details of finished matches. When you need to know what the best plays or the highlights of match, you can expect to see it listed here. It is small, fast and easy to use. While the information many not be over-detailed with specs, it provides the fastest way to see what you might have missed.

But if numbers are your thing, then you might want to try out the AP 2010 World Cup Coverage. Yep, the Associated Press is coming out with their very own world Cup app that provides users with all the big match lineups, scores, play by play analysis, standings, player profiles, and of course, plenty of downloadable media content. The app is also available in a wide range of languages as well.

If you are a looking for an app that is not only focused on this year’s main event, but also for general football coverage, then you cannot go wrong with the ESPNsoccernet application. This provides users with a thorough list of player rosters, matches, biggest plays and of course, current match details and game results.

ESPN also provides plenty of extra features such as live commentary, visualization, and all the main tables and charts detailing team and player performances.

The Maemo marketing team disclosed with fellow tech reporters that Nokia is nursing plans to build all their N-series smart phones around the Maemo Operating System. After successfully completing designs of their new smart phones, they will ensure that Maemo becomes their primary Operating System of choice for these high-end multimedia phones.

The marketing team behind the mobile Operating System confirmed this at a Maemo event held in London yesterday. They further disclosed that the Nokia hopes to jettison the use of Symbian in their N-series lineup.

Also, based on the euphoria surrounding the release of Nokia N900, Nokia top shots have concluded that by the year 2012 Maemo Operating System will be the official face of the Nokia high-end family although all Symbian N-series devices already in the development phase will be released as planned.

Despite the positives, It may not too good a news for E or X series users as there are still no plans for bringing Maemo Operating System to this mobile devices. Nokia is equally perplexed by the wide acceptance of Nokia N900 and its Operating system so the adoption of Maemo as the Operating System of choice for all Nokia mobile phones is not completely ruled out.

Below is an excerpt from thereallymobileproject.com, “Although there has been much speculation about the future of Symbian and Maemo and the relationship between the two – Nokia intends to retain both, producing development tools that will work across the two – this is the first official confirmation I am aware of that Symbian is to be relegated from the symbolic N-Series brand.  It’s a bold move by Nokia, but a smart one… Recently Symbian’s greatest strength, its legacy and maturity, has begun to look like an Achilles heel as newer platforms have captured consumers’ imaginations with faster development and better user experience.  A fresh-start was needed at the top-end and it’s come just in time…”

In related news, Nokia has promised to continue supporting both Maemo and Symbian and will hope to enlarge their official apps store – Maemo Select and Ovi Store with increasing applications. They hope to develop enough applications to make the Maemo Operating System a mainstream hit by the year 2012.

Nokia has been trying to shake it’s ‘dad at the disco’ image for a while now, mostly just by using the letter X. With its XpressMusic, it’s X6, it’s X3… but all the while we’ve been tutting and thinking: what’s wrong with being thought of as a slightly older, slightly more sensible manufacturer. Surely most people are going to want to buy themselves phones from the most reliable, the most wise people around?

Well, in a very novel move that doesn’t really in any way shake their image as boring and middle-aged, but DOES make us very excited about the quality of the product itself, Nokia have released a full set of details (and a nifty video, as you’ll see below) for the Nokia Booklet 3G. That’s right, you heard us: Nokia are releasing a netbook. A computer. A proper one. Running the newest windows and everything.

And as you’ll see from that video, or from this Nokia Booklet 3G review, or even the official page itself, the Nokia 3G Booklet is shaping up to be a whole lot more than just another netbook to add to the over-stacked bandwagon that is the netbook market. Fair enough the RAM, the processor, the screen and a few other bits and bobs aren’t exactly going to make the Acers and Samsungs of this world come over all aquiver. But but but… what about a 12 hour battery life? What about A-GPS onboard along with Ovi Maps? What about WiFi and 3G… see, impressed, aren’t you?

And then there’s the sheer design of this thing. It looks absolutely stunning. Like, Sony Vaio stunning. Like, (almost) Macbook stunning. Which most definitely sets it a long way apart from most of the tat that tries to pass itself off as netbooks these days.

We do have one possibly slightly larger than minor concern though. The price is yet to be confirmed and we have this sneaking suspicion that Nokia might just go and price themselves out of the market before they’ve even start. But then, we are a cynical bunch of grumps. Here’s hoping that’s not the case. Fingers crossed for that soon-but-unconfirmed release date…

Maemo.

No, that wasn’t a greeting from a retarded cat. Or the sound a deaf cow makes. It is, unfortunately, the name of the operating system for the otherwise fantastic N900.

What is it with Nokia and names? First, you have all those cursed four digit phones, meaning you can never remember whether you have the 6590, the 6950 or the 6095. Then, even worse, there’s the supposedly ground breaking, supposedly the-future-of-all-things-Nokia file-sharing, media-editing, global-communicating, content-hosting, app-suppling, map-making entity that they truly want to be the bestest thing ever, but that they then go and call Ovi. Ovi. Like some street slang for ovaries. Yeah, bruv mate, I like totally got messy up in Shazza’s Ovi last night, yeah bruv, let’s hope the slag’s on the pill, innit. Ovi. For the love of…

Then you have an operating system for what are supposed to be your absolute high-end, top of the range, all-singing/-dancing/-karaokeing/-gymnasticating handsets. And you call it? You call it?… You just don’t know. So, being Finnish, you go throw a special cat at that cow in the farm down the road that’s always looking at you funny, record the noise and decide that that, that right there, yes, Maemo, that will be the name of your operating system. You god damn…

Anyway, we feel as though we might be trangressing slightly, that you might be losing the focus here. Pay attention, dear reader, pay attention. Because, despite its arse-named operating system, the Nokia N900 is actually a cracking phone. Well, actually, it’s one of the best phone’s we’ve ever, ever seen. That simple enough for you? No? Then watch the pretty moving pictures thing below. Or trying and read the big words in this Nokia N900 review. Or ask a friend who’s not got the IQ of a maimed cow to translate these official stats for your tender little brain. Then go buy this phone.

Another day, another new Nokia that’s not really new, not really offering anything exciting. Stumble forward, the Nokia 5230.

We should be clear straight away, before all you Nokia-heads start agrumbling, that there is little wrong with the 5320 2. Almost nothing in fact, especially when you consider how darn cheap the thing is. It’s got a great 3.2” touchscreen that’s responsive and has lovely tactile feedback. A great music player with up to 33 hours playback. Good image sharing and internet connectivity. Nice design with some fun swappable covers as well…

But the problem is that there’s very little to distinguish the Nokia 5230 from, say, the 5800, or the 5530. And this is just what Nokia seem to be doing an awful lot of at the moment: re-hashing already successful models rather than blazing trails with new designs. And this, we’d be confident enough to say, is why they’ve been struggling in their last couple of financial reports. There’s only so long that your very loyal fan base is going to put up with little innovation, lots of renovation.

Again, the 5230 is not bad – as this Nokia 5230 review or even the official page amply show. It’s just that… well… it’s not much of anything that you haven’t heard about before.

Buck up, Nokia my son, buck up.

Even their videos are starting to make us yawn, as you’ll experience yourself by clicking below. Like, seriously: why would anyone ever, ever make a video like that to ’show off’ their product. Don’t even dare look at 36 seconds, for example, when the video actually makes the phone look just plain faulty…

Sort it aaawwwtttt!