Nokia 5235 Comes With Music

The Nokia 5235 Comes With Music is a low cost touchscreen smartphone with a large display, and 12 or 18 months of free music downloads from Nokia's Comes With Music service.

The handset might look familiar, and that's because the hardware

on the 5235 is identical to the 5230, and it is also closely related to the 5800, 5530 and X6 touchscreen phones.

As with the 5230, the Nokia 5235 comes with a 3.2" 640 x 360 pixel touchscreen display, microSD expandable memory, Bluetooth

, 3.5G support, a 2 megapixel camera, FM radio, multimedia player and a 3.5mm audio connector. There's a big 1320 mAh battery too which can give up to 5 hours talktime on 3G.

There's no WiFi support on the 5235, but it does support HSDPA downloads of up to 3.6 Mbps. If you want WiFi, then our recommendation is to go for the 5800 instead.

We mentioned the 2 megapixel camera, which is the same unit as found on the 5230. Really, it's pretty poor when it comes to stills photographs, but it can capture video at up to 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second which is rather good, and certainly good enough for uploading to YouTube.

The Nokia 5235 works with Facebook, MySpace, Ovi and YouTube, and because this is an S60 smartphone then there are a load of applications

available for it. The large screen is ideal for web browsing, and it's remarkable to find a display of this quality in a handset that's so cheap.

We keep talking about price - so how much is the Nokia 5235? Nokia say that the handset should retail for around €145 before tax and subsidy, around the same as the current 5230. The 5235 offers very good value for money even before you take into account the music downloads, so if you take advantage of Comes With Music then this looks like a real bargain.

It is perhaps worth noting that the 5235 doesn't come with a memory card in the standard sales package, but it does include a wired headset. Some of Nokia's data sheets say that it includes a USB cable, whereas others say that it doesn't.. so if you need a USB cable, check before ordering.

Nokia say that the 5235 Comes With Music should be available during Q1 2010 in White or Black colour schemes, each with an ice-blue tinted chrome rim.

Nokia 5235 Comes With Music at a glance

Available:
Q1 2010

Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS 900 / 2100 or
UMTS 850 / 1900 or
UMTS 850 / 2100

Data:
GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA

Screen:
3.2" 640 x 360 pixels, 16m colours

Camera:
2 megapixels

Size:
PDA-style device
111 x 52 x 15mm / 113 grams

Bluetooth:
Yes

Memory card:
MicroSD

Infra-red:
No

Polyphonic:
Yes

Java:
Yes

GPS:
Yes

OS:
Symbian S60 5th Edition

Battery life:
5 hours talk / 19 days standby (3G)
7 hours talk / 18 days standby (GSM)

Sony Ericsson Elm & Sony Ericsson Hazel

A pair of new "GreenHeart" handsets, the Sony Ericsson Hazel and Sony Ericsson Elm are two fairly conventional phones that slot into the upper midrange market.

What sets these two handsets apart from most other phones is their environmental credentials. Although all mobile phones

are quite environmentally unfriendly, mostly due to the exotic materials that they are made from, the Elm and Hazel do go some way to reducing the impact that they make.

To this end, the Sony Ericsson Hazel and Elm are made with a high proportion of recycled plastics, are free from hazardous chemicals and come with a low-power consumption charger. There is an electronic manual in the phone itself, plus a "Walk Mate eco application" and "Green calculator". The handsets are shipped in minimal packaging in order to reduce waste.

We have always said that one of the best ways to minimise the impact that your mobile phone habit has on the environment is to pick a really good phone and keep it for longer, and then recycle it when you are done. Some "environmentally friendly" phones in the past have been of such a low specification that they have been almost obsolete before they ship. With the Hazel and Elm phones, Sony Ericsson have made sure that the devices have a decent enough specification so that they should still be useful in two to three years time.

The Sony Ericsson Hazel is a slider phone with a 2.6" QVGA display, the Elm is a lightweight monoblock device with a smaller 2.2" QVGA screen. Almost all the other technical specifications are identical between the two phones - both the Elm and Hazel have a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, flash and geo-tagging, they include a GPS receiver with Google Maps and a trial version of the Wisepilot turn-by-turn navigation application, they have 3.5G support plus WiFi, microSD expandable memory, a multimedia player and an FM radio.

From the front, both the Elm and Hazel have a very standard layout, but one novel and elegant feature is the way that the back of the phone is curved to fit into the palm of the user's hand, something that is particularly noticeable on the Elm. This is a very simple piece of industrial design, but it certainly makes these two handsets more noticeable and we suspect that we will see it on other phones in the future too.

Sony Ericsson handsets tend to come with a slew of multimedia and personal information management tools, and the Elm and Hazel are no exception. Of course, there's a web browser, email client and RSS reader and these two phones with synchronize with Microsoft Exchange too.

At just 90 grams in weight and 110 x 45 x 14mm in size, the Elm is pretty lightweight for a 3.5G phone like this, the Hazel is a fair bit chunkier at 120 grams and 102 x 50 x 60mm.. but then it does have a much bigger screen. For both handsets, talktime on 3G is quoted as about 4 hours with a maximum of around 18 days standby time.

The Elm will be available from Q1 2010 in Metal Black and Pearly Rose colours, but for some reason you will have to wait for the nearly identical Hazel until Q2 2010, and that will come in Superior Black and Passionate Red schemes. There's no guidance on price, but our best guess is that these will come in the €250-€300 price range SIM free when they hit retail outlets.

Critics of Sony Ericsson (and there are many) might argue that the best thing that the company can do to help the environment is to make phones that work properly in the first place, so that they don't have to be replaced under warranty when they go wrong. If Sony Ericsson can't get its quality control up to scratch, then the whole GreenHeart project is really rather pointless.

Samsung S5560 preview: First look

Ah, the futuristic appeal of touchscreens - consumers can't get enough of them. Enter the Samsung S5560. With a 5MP camera and Wi-Fi, it's two widgets ahead of the competition. The rest mostly follows the recipe for success from the S5230 Star cookbook, with a few tweaks to bring it up to speed.

Samsung S5560 official photos

The Samsung S5560 lacks 3G connectivity but comes with Wi-Fi connectivity. It's hardly the solution that most carriers opt for (and carriers ARE the biggest cellphone contractors), but we guess Samsung have gone for pleasing the end client this time. In an effort to keep the price down, trading 3G for Wi-Fi is a compromise many users would make.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, check out the rundown of the Samsung S5560 features:

Samsung S5560 (a.k.a Marvel) at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar
• Dimensions: 107.5 x 52 x 13.2 mm, 95g
• Display: 3.0 inch WQVGA TFT resistive touchscreen, 240 x 400 pixels
• Platform: Latest TouchWiz 2.0 UI, Smart Unlock
• Memory: 78MB integrated memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
• Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash, image stabilization, WDR, face detection, Smile Shot, blink detection and QVGA video recording at 15 fps
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, 3.5mm audio jack
• Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate and turn-to-mute, FM radio with RDS
• Battery: 960 mAh battery

Samsung S5560 in our office

This phone is clearly a Samsung Jet wannabe - the styling, the camera, the Wi-Fi connectivity all make it a cheaper alternative to the Jet. Sure, tradeoffs have been made for the sake of a lower price, but if you've never owned a touch phone before, the S5560 makes a great introduction.

The timer on non-touch operated phones seems to be running down - touch phones seem to get the best features and the most hype. This makes it harder and harder to say no, especially now that their price is no longer prohibitive.

New Motorola MILESTONE

The Motorola MILESTONE is the GSM version of the Motorola DROID, and is tipped to be the first Android 2.0 smartphone to be released in Europe.

There are a handful of differences between the DROID and MILESTONE, the most obvious one being that this is a GSM / UMTS device.

Just in case you missed the fuss over the DROID last week, we'll recap briefly: the Motorola MILESTONE has a large 3.7" 480 x 854 pixel touchscreen display, a five megapixel camera, 3.5G support, WiFi, and GPS. Inside is a 550 MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor which is reportedly as powerful as the CPU in the Apple iPhone 3GS. There's a fairly conventional slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and Motorola say that this is the slimmest device like this coming in at 13.7mm.

Although the camera seems a little basic, it does have autofocus, dual LED flash and can capture widescreen 720 x 480 pixel video at 24 frames per second. The new version of Android also has significantly improved camera software.

Android 2.0 is a big improvement over previous versions, but one major difference between the software on the DROID and MILESTONE is that the MILESTONE doesn't have the new version of Google maps with turn-by-turn navigation, and instead it comes with a trial version of Motorola's MOTONAV application. Presumably, Google Maps will be upgradeable when it becomes available in Europe.

There's a little confusion over the MILESTONE's touchscreen features, Motorola's product data sheet shows that it might have multi-touch capabilities that are apparently lacking from the DROID. The rest of the software suite is comprehensive and appears to be the same overall features as the DROID.

Most major video and audio formats are supported on the MILESTONE, and there's a 3.5mm audio socket and stereo Bluetooth as well. As standard, the Motorola MILESTONE comes with an 8GB card in the box (the US DROID has a 16GB card), and this is expandable up to 32GB using a compatible microSD card

.

This is a quad-band GSM phone with 900 / 2100MHz UMTS support, HSPA (3.5G) high-speed downloads and uploads, plus 802.11b and g WiFi. The large 1400 mAh battery gives up to 6.5 hours talktime and 14 days standby time, although it is not clear if these are GSM or 3G figures. Measuring 116 x 60 x 13.7mm and weighing 165 grams, the MILESTONE is quite a large device, but then it does come with a large screen and QWERTY keyboard.

There's no exact word on availability, except that we know Germany and Italy will see it first. O2 Germany's page indicates a SIM-free price of €481 which seems to be good value for such a high-end handset. With a bit of luck, the MILESTONE will be available in some regions before Christmas, although when it will turn up in the UK is a mystery.

One optional extra is the MILESTONE Multimedia Station which is a combined docking station and charger, and there's also a Phone Holder so that the MILESTONE can be used as an in-car satellite navigation system.

This is an impressive looking device, and crucially it seems cheaper than the Nokia N900 and the new version of Android closes the gap somewhat between this type of phone and the iPhone. If Motorola can get the MILESTONE to market quickly enough, and if they can make sure that everything works properly.. then this handset could well be a winner.

The Motorola MILESTONE is currently available in the UK from eXpansys.

Motorola MILESTONE at a glance

Available:
Now

Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS 900 / 2100

Data:
GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSPA + WiFi

Screen:
3.7" 480 x 352 pixels

Camera:
5 megapixels

Size:
PDA style device
116 x 60 x 14mm / 165 grams

Bluetooth:
Yes

Memory card:
MicroSD

Infra-red:
No

Polyphonic:
Yes

Java:
Yes

GPS:
Yes

OS:
Android 2.0 (Eclair)

Battery life:
6.5 hours talk / 14 days standby

Nokia 6700 Classic Gold Edition

The original Nokia 6700 Classic is a versatile device with very smart but discrete looks, and it is an ideal handset for people who want something just a little bit showy while remaining tasteful.

But just in case the original 6700 was a bit too understated for your tastes, you can now treat yourself to the Nokia 6700 Classic Gold Edition which rather predictably covers the handset in 18 carat gold.. which makes the whole thing rather less understated.

Nokia's press photographs seem to show two versions of the 6700 Classic Gold Edition, one with white inlays and one in all gold. It's not clear if these are two different versions of the phone, or if the inlays are somehow changeable. In our view, the version with the white inlay looks much classier.

It isn't just a matter of some gold plating, the 6700 Gold Edition also has special themes to match the design, comes with a matching carry case and strap as standard, and Nokia have also thrown in an 8GB microSD memory card and a stereo wired headset into the standard sales package.

The other features are pretty much identical to the original 6700 - this is a Series 40 phone with a 2.2" QVGA display, 5 megapixel camera, 3.5G support and GPS. There's a web browser, multimedia player and FM radio too, plus the usual array of personal information management tools you'd expect. It isn't a smartphone, but it should certainly meet the needs of most customers.

The extra bling makes the handset more costly, coming in at about €370 before tax and subsidy. This makes the Gold Edition about twice the current street price of the standard 6700. It's not stupidly expensive though, and you will get a pretty decent mobile phone for your money too.

Nokia say that the 6700 Classic Gold Edition should be available during Q1 2010.

Nokia 6700 Classic Gold Edition at a glance

Available:
Q1 2010

Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS 900 / 1900 / 2100

Data:
GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA + HSUPA

Screen:
2.2" 240 x 320 pixels, 16m colours

Camera:
5 megapixels

Size:
Medium monoblock
110 x 45 x 11mm / 116 grams

Bluetooth:
Yes

Memory card:
MicroSD

Infra-red:
No

Polyphonic:
Yes

Java:
Yes

GPS:
Yes

OS:
Series 40

Battery life:
4 hours talk / 16 days standby (3G)

Nokia 7230

Priced at just €100 before tax and carrier discount, the Nokia 7230 is a fashion phone that does seem to offer a lot of features for the money.

While it isn't exactly state of the art when it comes to specification, the 7230 does come with 3G support, a 3.2 megapixel camera, a 2.4" QVGA resolution display, FM radio, Bluetooth, microSD expandable memory (with 2GB in the standard sales package) and a 3.5mm audio socket.

There are a few drawbacks - the main one is that the 7230 doesn't support 3.5G data, there's no camera light and the video recording capabilities are pretty average.. but then we wouldn't really expect features like that on a phone of this price. It's worth noting that Nokia say that the 7230 is capable of a maximum download speed of up to 2Mbps using UMTS, where carriers can support it.

The Nokia 7230 runs the familiar Series 40 operating system, it can also integrate with Facebook, Flickr and Ovi and it comes with all the usual features such as a web browser and email client and it also support Nokia Maps (although obviously it doesn't have GPS).

Maximum talktime is 3.7 hours on 3G with up to 16 days standby time, and the phone package comes in at a pocket-friendly 100 grams weight and 98 x 48 x 15mm in size. There are two colour variations available of graphite and hot pink.

This is a straightforward phone that should be good enough for most people when it comes to mobile Internet, music playback and basic photography.. as well as making phone calls. It's a good looking handset too, and given all of these features we think that it should appeal to both prepay and budget contract customers.

Nokia say that the 7230 should be available during Q1 2010. Just try not to confuse it with the Nokia 2370!

Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition

The Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition (or just "MTVE" for short) is a DVB-H enabled handset aimed at those markets where a mobile digital TV rollout is taking place.

Regular readers may remember the original Nokia 5330 XpressMusic which was announced back in March, but this handset failed to materialise and was presumably cancelled. That version of the 5330 was notable for being an exceptionally ugly device to look at, but the MVTE version has been redone in glossy black with silver highlights and looks much better - Nokia say that there is a glossy white version available too.

It's perhaps a strange phone for mobile TV - the 5330's display is a standard 2.4" 240 x 320 pixel panel which isn't exactly huge. The DVB-H picture displays in landscape (wide) mode, so it does make the best use of the limited display. The rest of the phone is pretty straightforward - it's a 3G device (but doesn't support 3.5G data), comes with GPS and Nokia maps, a media player, an FM radio, a 3.2 megapixel camera and all the other usual features that you would expect from a midrange Nokia such as Bluetooth and microSD expandable memory.

The relatively large 1000 mAh battery gives over 7 hours talktime and 14 days standby time. Nokia say that the 5330 MTVE can play DVB-H for up to 6 hours, using the bundled wired headset as an antenna.

Nokia are planning to roll out the 5330 MTVE in markets where DVB-H broadcasting already exists or is being implemented. This is actually a pretty limited market, in Europe only Italy, Finland, Austria, Albania, the Netherlands and Poland have a nationwide rollout complete, with France and Spain hoping to follow soon. Outside of Europe, Vietnam, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, Namibia and parts of India have coverage too.

If you live in the UK and Germany, then it's worth noting that although there have been some DVB-H trials, there seems to be no move to roll it out. Russia is looking quite likely to have a DVB-H service in major urban areas from next year.

To give Nokia credit, they have been committed to DVB-H for some years and have made several handsets that support it, including the popular Nokia N96. Nokia do have an ulterior motive though, their partner Nokia Siemens Networks is a major manufacturer of DVB-H network equipment, so there are more than just handsets at stake.

Nokia plan to roll the 5330 Mobile TV Edition during Q1 2010 priced at around €155 before tax and subsidy, which seems to be a pretty low cost way of getting a DVB-H receiver.

Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition at a glance

Available: Q1 2010

Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and
UMTS 850 / 1900 / 2100 or
UMTS 900 / 1700 / 2100

Data: GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G)

Screen: 2.4" 240 x 320 pixels, 16m colours

Camera: 3.2 megapixels

Size: Medium slider
101 x 48 x 14mm /113 grams

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: MicroSD

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Yes

GPS: Yes

OS: Series 40

Battery life: 7 hours talk / 14 days standby

Nokia 2220 Slide

Aiming to be in the shops before Christmas, the Nokia 2220 Slide is a very low cost slider phone. The attractive appearance of the 2220, combined with the very low price tag of €45 makes this handset an appealing proposition, especially as a gift.


This is a conventional Series 40 device with a 1.8" 128 x 160 pixel TFT display, a VGA resolution (0.3 megapixel) camera, GPRS and EDGE, web browser and an email client. There's no MP3 player, but the 2220 slide does comes with an FM radio (with radio recording), and the standard sales package includes a WH102 stereo wired headset that plugs into the 3.5mm audio socket.

Some additional features include Nokia Xpress Audio messaging, Ovil Mail, MP3 ringtones and Nokia Life Tools in selected markets.

It's a good looking device, available in Hot Pink, Graphite, Turquoise, Warm Silver, Purple and Blue colour schemes. The Nokia 2220 Slide certainly looks more expensive than you would expect from a phone with such a low price.

The Nokia 2220 Slide may seem a little old-fashioned when it comes to specifications, but then this phone primarily sells on excellent value for money rather than technical features.

Nokia 2220 Slide at a glance

Available: Q4 2009

Network: GSM 900 / 1800 or 850 / 1900

Data: GPRS + EDGE

Screen: 1.8" 128 x 160 pixels, 65k colours

Camera: 0.3 megapixels

Size: Medium slider
97 x 47 x 16mm / 94 grams

Bluetooth: No

Memory card: No

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Yes

GPS: No

OS: Series 40

Battery life: 5 hours talk / 20 days standby

Nokia 1280

Billed as the cheapest Nokia phone ever, the Nokia 1280 is designed to sell for just €20. Aimed primarily at emerging markets, the 1280 should have wide appeal to anyone who is looking for a really inexpensive but practical phone.

As you would expect, this is a fairly basic phone.. but it does come with a surprising number of useful features. There's a monochrome 1.36" 96 x 68 pixel display, an FM radio (requires the purchase of a headset), a built in flashlight, MP3 grade ringtones and a built-in speakerphone. It's a Series 30 handset with a very simple user interface that should be familiar to most longtime Nokia customers. The 1280 also supports Nokia Life Tools in certain markets.

The 1280 is designed to be shared, so it has multiple phonebooks and very loud ringtones so that it can be left in one place. Part of the idea here is that if four people share the purchase price of the 1280, then it works out at just €5 each which is an attractive proposition for emerging markets.

There's no getting away from the slightly retro looks that the small screen brings, but it's quite a smart looking device and very obviously a Nokia. Good spacing between the keys means that the 1280 should be easy to use, even if wearing gloves.

The cover is dust and scratch resistant, which gives the 1280 a certain amount of durability. The standard covers are available in red, blue, grey and black colours, and these can be interchanged.

The handset comes with a standard BL-5C battery and very common AC-3 charger, giving up to 8.5 hours talktime and 22 days standby time. It's a lightweight phone, coming in at just 82 grams and measuring 107 x 45 x 15mm.

A cheap Nokia like this is certain to have wide appeal in a number of markets, in some places it may well be shared between different customers, in others it might appeal as a second phone, especially one for outdoors use. With a pricetag like this, many customers will see it almost as a disposable item.

Nokia say that the 1280 should be available during Q1 2010.

LG GM750

The LG GM750 is a Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone, very closely related to the existing GM730 handset.

Featuring a 3" 240 x 400 pixel display, a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, 3.5G support, WiFi and GPS, the new GM750 shares almost every hardware feature with its predecessor. The main difference is that the GM750 comes with Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional preloaded, where the GM730 is a Windows Mobile 6.1 device.. although it can be upgraded.

Looking closely at the scant available information on the GM750, it looks like is also has a larger 1500 mAh battery and possibly a slightly improved screen. Inside is the same Qualcomm 528 MHz processor that powers the vast majority of Windows Mobile smartphones.

So what's all the fuss about? To be honest, it's hard to say. Windows Mobile 6.5 is definitely an improvement over the earlier version, but we understand that GM730 users can upgrade the operating system if they want. As with most recent LG Windows devices, this comes with the S-Class user interface which makes it nicer to use. There are certainly rival phones that are just as good as this though.

Just in case you're not familiar with the current version of Windows Mobile, then we should say that it is a significant improvement in terms of usability over older versions, and it comes with "pocket" versions of Microsoft Office applications, plus support for Microsoft Exchange push email, a capable multimedia player (plus an FM radio), and a wide variety of other applications can be bought and downloaded.

The LG GM750 can also talk directly to social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Picasa and it also supports YouTube and other video sites.

The GM750 comes with HSDPA data with a maximum download speed of up to 7.2 Mbps, or alternatively you could use the GM750's WiFi capabilities. LG say that the phone measures 109.8 x 53.5 x 12.9mm which is a bit more compact than the iPhone, but it does come with a smaller display.

The LG GM750 is exclusive to the Vodafone network until the end of the year. Prices range from about €380 for a SIM-free version to free when taken with a contract. It does seem to offer pretty good value for money when you consider the specifications, and it is a useful addition to Vodafone's somewhat moribund lineup of phones.


LG GM750 at a glance

Available: Now

Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 + UMTS

Data: GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA + WiFi

Screen: 3" 240 x 400 pixels

Camera: 5 megapixels

Size: Medium touchscreen 110 x 54 x 13mm

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: MicroSD

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Limited

GPS: Yes

OS: Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional

Battery life: Not specified

Samsung Omnia Pro B7330

The Samsung Omnia Pro B7330 might look familiar to regular readers, because it very closely related to the existing B7320 launched a few months ago.

The main differences between the B7330 and the B7320 is that the newer handset now comes with Windows Mobile 6.5 preloaded, and it has a slightly larger display.

The is a BlackBerry-style messaging smartphone with a compact QWERTY keyboard, a 2.6" 320 x 320 pixel display, a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus, integrated GPS, 3.5G data, WiFi, microSD expandable memory, a multimedia player and FM radio. Maximum download speeds on HSDPA are 7.2 Mbps, plus a maximum upload speed of 2 Mbps on HSUPA.

A large 1500 mAh battery powers the B7330, although Samsung haven't given any guidance on talktime or standby time. Despite the impressive feature set, the B7330 isn't particularly big, weighing only 107 grams and measuring 115 x 60 x 11mm.

It's perhaps not the sexiest phone in Samsung's range, but it does seem to be a very practical messaging smartphone. The B7330 should be available this month for a SIM-free price of about €400 plus tax.

Samsung Omnia Pro B7330 at a glance

Available: October 2009

Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 + UMTS

Data: GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA + HSUPA + WiFi

Screen: 2.6" 320 x 320 pixels, 65k colours

Camera: 3 megapixels

Size: Messaging device
115 x 60 x 11mm / 107 grams

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: MicroSD

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Limited

GPS: Yes

OS: Windows Mobile 6.54 Standard

Battery life: Not specified

HTC HD2

The HTC HD2 follows on from last year's HTC Touch HD by using the tried-and-tested formula of stuffing in more features than ever before.

Perhaps the most obvious feature is the massive 4.3" display. This capacitive touchscreen panel has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, which we think is the largest screen on any production mobile phone.

The screen isn't the only thing going for the HTC HD2 - inside is a 1GHz Snapdragon processor coupled with 448 MB of RAM, ideal for running the new Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional operating system. On the back is a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and dual LED flash, which is one of the best to be found on a Windows Mobile device.

This is a dual-band 3G device with HSPA high-speed data support, giving a maximum download speed of 7.2 Mbps and a maximum upload speed of 2 Mbps. The HTC HD2 also supports quad-band GSM with GPRS and EDGE data, and it also has built-in WiFi. Unlike some other smartphones, the HTC HD2 can be used as a tethered modem and even as a WiFi Router.

The HTC HD2 has built-in GPS with a digital compass plus HTC's Footprints application. Because this is a Windows Mobile device, then there are a variety of personal navigation applications available.

The multimedia player can cope with most major formats, and the large display is particularly well suited to video playback. There is also a built-in FM radio, and the HTC HD2 comes with a standard 3.5mm audio socket. Media files can be stored on microSD expansion cards, and the HD2 also supports stereo Bluetooth.

As we said before, this is a Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional smartphone, but as ever HTC cannot resist tinkering with it. The HD2 comes with the "HTC Sense" interface, which is the latest evolution of the popular HTC TouchFLO add-on that we have seen before. The HD2 comes with Opera Mobile for web browsing, plus it can interact with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. This is all in addition to the usual Windows Mobile features. The software also has some nice touches such as automatically updating for your local time zone when you travel, and the weather tool has some cool animations to give you a feeling for the weather outside.

The relatively large 1230 mAh battery is quoted as giving over 5 hours talktime and 16 days standby time on 3G. It's no surprise to find that this is quite a big, heavy device at 157 grams in weight and 121 x 67 x 11mm when it comes to size. That's quite a bit bigger than the iPhone, for example, but then the display is much bigger too.

HTC say that the HD2 should be available in select European markets later this month, with other markets (including Asia) following suit later. There's no word on pricing, but we should imagine that the HTC HD2 will cost around €700 SIM-free at launch.

HTC HD2 at a glance

Available: Q4 2009

Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS 900 / 2100

Data: GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSPA + WiFi

Screen: 4.3" 480 x 800 pixels

Camera: 5 megapixels

Size:
PDA-style device
121 x 67 x 11mm / 157 grams

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: MicroSD

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Yes

GPS: Yes

OS: Windows Mobile 6.5

Battery life:
5 hours talk / 16 days standby (3G)
6 hours talk / 20 days standby (GSM)

Samsung AMOLED 12M (SCH-W880)

The Korean market is often a good place to look for upcoming technologies, and the Samsung AMOLED 12M (or the SCH-W880) is a good example of this. It's a 12 megapixel touchscreen device, following on from the likes of the Pixon 12 - but the AMOLED 12M adds some new and interesting features.

The main innovation here is the camera - the 12 megapixel unit has a 3X optical zoom and the camera lens pops out of the back of the AMOLED 12M when in use. Optical zoom is very rare in mobile phones, but it makes a huge difference to the phone's capabilities. Although most phones have digital zoom, this is only really a pixel resize which produces grainy results.

Added to this are a set of dedicated camera controls, again almost the same as you would find on a standalone digital camera. In fact, the AMOLED 12M looks so much like a digital camera that it is hard to recognise it as a phone at all.

In addition, the camera comes with a Xenon and LED flash (why just have the one?), plus the same intelligent autofocus system as the Pixon 12 plus all the usual clever features that Samsung put into their cameraphones. The AMOLED 12M can move from shot to shot in just two seconds, which is a lot faster than most similar handsets.

The video capture looks good too, with a whopping 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second capture rate. This is equivalent to the display on a 720p HD television set, so it is much better than almost everything else on the market.

The large 3.3" 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen panel uses Samsung's AMOLED technology, which gives a bright and clear display. Samsung are proud of this technology.. proud enough to name this particular phone after it.

There's no mention of GPS on the AMOLED 12M which is odd, but the phone does pack a T-DMB terrestrial digital TV receiver. The AMOLED 12M can also play back a wide variety of multimedia including DivX and XviD movies plus all the usual formats. Internal memory is a massive 4GB, and this can be expanded using microSD cards up to 32GB.

The Samsung AMOLED 12M is a tri-band GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 phone with WCDMA 2100 support. Although this theoretically means that the SCH-W880 will work in Europe, the handset is going to the Korean market only. However, it is likely that we will see this camera unit in other handsets soon.

Samsung say that the AMOLED 12M should be available in Korea from early October.

Nokia 6350

The Nokia 6350 is a fairly simple 3G clamshell phone with the interesting addition of a GPS receiver. Announced exclusively on the US AT&T network, the 6350 should start to ship this month for just under $30 when taken with a two-year contract.

This is a tri-band 3G phone, supporting 850, 1900 and 2100 MHz WCDMA. This means that the Nokia 6350 can be used by AT&T customers when they travel worldwide, and as you might expect this is backed up with quad-band GSM as well.

The built-in GPS is paired with AT&T's Navigator application, although the small 2" QVGA screen isn't ideal for this sort of task. The 6350 does give audible turn-by-turn directions, so it is possible to use it in a car using audio prompts alone.

This is a Series 40 device, using Nokia's popular and simple non-smartphone operating system. All the usual Nokia features are here including a music player, web browser and email client. In this case, the standard Nokia software has been enhanced by some AT&T specific applications for sharing videos and accessing multimedia.

The Nokia 6350 has stereo Bluetooth, microSD expandable memory, a small 2.5mm audio socket, and integrated handsfree speakerphone. Charging and data transfer is done through a microUSB connector, and there is also a small 128 x 160 pixel external display with dedicated media keys underneath.

It's pretty lightweight for a 3G clamshell, weighing 3.61 ounces (or 103 grams). Talktime from the 1050 mAh battery quoted as 4 hours on 3G with 14 days standby time.

It's not a million miles away from the Nokia 3710 in terms of specification, and it shows that Nokia can add useful GPS features to relatively low-end devices.

Available colours are red and graphite, and Nokia say that the 6350 should be available from 4th October onwards from AT&T retail stores and online.

LG GD510 Pop Preview

LG have gone a bit touch screen mad recently, but the new LG GD510 Pop is certainly a little different from most.

The GD510 has a large 3" 400 x 240 pixel display and a 3 megapixel camera on the back. LG have been a little vague about the rest of the specifications, but it does appear to be an HSDPA-capable device with a multimedia player and FM radio. We're not sure if the GD510 Pop is WiFi capable though.

LG have given the GD510 Pop a very narrow bezel around the screen, just 4.8mm along the left and right hand sides. In other words, the Pop is a very compact phone despite the large screen size. There id a single multifunction button on the front and a few ancillary keys around the edge, but otherwise the LG GD510 has a very minimalist design.

One neat feature is the optional solar panel that fits over the rear cover. Presumably this will cost extra, although the price of small panels like this is coming down all the time.

LG say that the GD510 Pop should be available exclusively through Carphone Warehouse stores in the UK from November onwards, and presumably it will also be available in other "Phone House" shops throughout Europe. LG didn't give any guidance on price, but the Pop is pitching to the same market as the LG Cookie, so we would guess that it would be about €160 SIM-free at launch.

Samsung B3310

A candidate for the oddest looking phone of 2009 is the Samsung B3310. And to be blunt, by "odd" we really mean "ugly".

This is a fairly straightforward GSM device with a 2" 240 x 320 pixel display, a 2 megapixel camera, multimedia player, FM radio, stereo Bluetooth and microSD expandable memory. There's a compact slide-out QWERTY keyboard.. and of course the most obvious thing is the bizarre set of number keys along one side.

Putting the keys down the side has been tried before, notably with the Siemens SX1 and the Nokia 7600. But this sort of arrangement has never really caught on, probably because it isn't really very easy to use. However, on the Samsung B3310, the number keys double as an extra row above the QWERTY keys when the keyboard is slid open.. we suspect that this is of minimal use though.

The QWERTY keyboard on the B3310 is a little unconventional too - the bottom row of letters is split by a small space bar and a key labelled SYM, and overall the arrangement is very compact but it could be annoying for some users.

This is one of those Samsungs that has a heavy emphasis on social networking sites, with support for Facebook, MySpace and Picasa included. All the usual features such as a web browser and email client are here as well.

The Samsung B3310 also makes phone calls, and this is a quad-band GSM device with support for EDGE and GPRS data (but no 3G). It is fairly small at 91 x 54 x 17mm and it comes in at 101 grams. Talktime is quoted as 5 hours with about 15 days standby time.

It isn't a pretty phone to look at, but it is at least very distinctive. The Samsung B3310 is available now across Europe, with SIM-free prices coming in at about €140 in the shops.

LG Chocolate BL20

The LG Chocolate BL20 is the second of LG's "new Chocolate" phones after the impressive BL40, and this particular model is very closely inspired by the original KG800 "Chocolate" phone that was launched in 2006.

In retrospect, the KG800 was something of a design classic, and it was followed by a number of other quite similar "glossy" phones from other manufacturers, and it also helped to establish LG as a major player worldwide.

Despite the similar concept, the LG Chocolate BL20 is a thoroughly modern phone. This is a 3G slider with support for HSDPA high-speed downloads, it comes with a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, a flash and Schneider Kreuznach optics, a 2.4" 320 x 240 pixel display, a multimedia player, FM radio, microSD expandable memory and Bluetooth.

In all honesty, there's nothing radically new about the BL20's basic specifications - this is a fairly standard slider phone. However, the hidden navigation and shortcut keys, glossy finish and slim design mark this out as a very attractive handset to look at.

The five megapixel camera looks good when it comes to stills photos, but sadly the BL20 is a little disappointing when it comes to video recording, capable of just 320 x 240 pixels at 15 fps. The BL20 also lacks a 3.5mm audio connector, so you'll have to use an LG headset instead.

The Chocolate BL20 measures 107 x 51 x 12mm and weighs 115 grams. Talktime is 4 to 5 hours with around 12 to 24 days standby time, depending on network configuration. It's a dual-band UMTS 900 / 2100 MHz device with tri-band GSM support which varies depending on region.

LG indicate that we should start to see the BL20 available in Europe from October onwards, on a wide variety of networks, at a suggested retail price of around €269 SIM-free. We can't quite make up our minds if that's expensive for a straightforward 3G handset, or cheap for an attractive fashion phone.. we guess that it depends on how much you like the way it looks.

We think that this is a welcome update of a memorable handset, and we strongly suspect that this will be a very popular phone this Christmas.

Vodafone 360 H1

The Vodafone 360 H1 is a touchscreen device designed by Samsung exclusively for the new "Vodafone 360" service.

Vodafone 360 aims to integrate social networking sites, email, contacts and multimedia into one place. Vodafone claim that this is "A Suite of Innovative, New Internet Services for Mobile and PC", but there is nothing particularly new here, Vodafone are just trying to keep up with other operators and manufacturers and persuade customers to be part of the Vodafone experience.. rather than Nokia's Ovi, for example. Vodafone 360 supports Facebook, Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger, with Twitter and other platforms coming soon.

Vodafone say that the 360 service will be available on four Nokia smartphones at launch, but perhaps most of interest is the Vodafone 360 H1 handset itself, which is one of a pair of devices custom made for this application.

Before we do a tour of the hardware, it's perhaps worth looking at the H1's software. It's a Linux-based device, but unlike the sudden recent rush of Android handsets, the 360 H1 runs the rival LiMo operating system instead. Many customers won't be familiar with LiMo, but two well-known examples are the Motorola RAZR2 V8 and Motorola ROKR E8. In Japan, NTT DoCoMo also use a lot of LiMo-powered devices. It's a fairly mature platform with a reasonably large developer community, but LiMo has been eclipsed by the growth of rivals.. recently exemplified by Motorola's switch to Android development instead.

The hardware itself is pretty impressive. There's a large 3.5" 800 x 480 pixel AMOLED touchscreen, a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, GPS plus a navigation client, HSDPA and HSUPA support with maximum transfer speeds of 7.2 Mbps and 5.6 Mbps respectively, dual band UMTS and WiFi.

A comprehensive multimedia player can cope with MP3, AAC and WMA audio along with some other formats, plus H.263, H.264, MPEG4 and DivX video. Media can be stored internally on the H1's 8GB or 16GB of memory (depending on model) or on a microSD card. There is also an FM radio and a standard 3.5mm audio connector.

The Vodafone 360 H1 comes with the Opera web browser with support for Webkit widgets, an email client with support for push messaging and a remote lock-and-wipe capability if the phone goes missing. Of course, the H1 also supports Vodafone's 360 service out of the box, and Vodafone say that there should be 1000 applications available to download when the service goes live.

The large 1500 mAh battery provides up to 7 hours talktime and 19 days standby time, although it is not clear if these are 3G or GSM figures. Weighing 134 grams and measuring 116 x 58 x 13mm, the 360 H1 is a little narrower than the iPhone 3G S, but otherwise fairly typical for this class of device. Vodafone's publicity shots show the 360 H1 available in black and silver.

Vodafone say that the 360 H1 handset and the 360 platform itself should be available by Christmas 2009 in the UK, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Next year it will be available in France, Russia, Romania, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand through Vodafone or its partner networks. There's no word on pricing as that will probably depend on the contract you take.

Are we excited by all this? To tell the truth.. no. Although the handset and the 360 service look to be competitive, they do seem to lack a certain spark. After all, Vodafone isn't generally regarded as a "fun" network, perhaps more as a "dull but reliable" network. And we can't help but feel that a lot of these "value added" 360 services are not of much interest to typical Vodafone customers, although the 360 H1 phone itself looks to be very interesting. We will have to see if consumers beat a path to Vodafone's door.

Samsung Corby (Samsung S3650)

Many manufacturers these days like to give their phones a pet name as well as a model number, and Samsung are no exception. But with a couple of recent handsets, it appears that either Samsung are having a funny turn or perhaps someone is up to mischief.

First there was the Samsung Preston S5600 and now there is the Samsung Corby S3650. Now, imagine that you are in a marketing department and you hit on the idea of naming your handsets after European towns and cities. You'd think that would be easy, as there must be hundreds of attractive places to choose from. Well, somehow Samsung ended up naming the S5600 after the British town of Preston, which can be pretty grim.. but at the time, we assumed that perhaps it was some other Preston.

But now, the S3650 turns up bearing the name "Corby", apparently named after another pretty grim British town. They could have called them something like "Venice" or "Prague".. but no. Unsurprisingly then, the "Preston" is generally called the S5600 in the UK, and we somehow doubt that the Corby name will stick either.

Before we offend any more of our readers, perhaps it is time to look at the phone itself. The S3650 is designed to be a low cost and fun touchscreen phone, retailing for between €160 to €200 SIM-free across Europe. For this, you get a fairly large 2.8" 240 x 320 pixel display, a 2 megapixel camera, microSD expandable memory, FM radio and a multimedia player.

Samsung say that the Corby integrates with social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Flickr via a set of "widgets", however the S3650 is a GSM-only device, so it doesn't support 3G (or WiFi) which means that uploads and downloads will be quite slow.

The Corby S3650 comes with Samsung's TouchWiz interface, but on this occasion it has been modified to give a simpler and more "cartoony" feel. The fun continues with the interchangeable back covers (or "fashion jackets") which allow the handset to be customised to the owner's taste.

Despite the large screen, the S3650 is quite lightweight at just 93 grams. Talktime is not specified, although the 960 mAh battery should provide a GSM-only device like this with enough power to be useful.

Normally we don't like touchscreen phones that lack high-speed data, but the lightweight and inexpensive S3650 certainly has its charms. It is available in some regions to buy now, with other European countries following in the next month or so.

Motorola CLIQ / Motorola DEXT

Motorola today finally announced their long-awaited first Android handset (code named "Motorola Morrison"), based on a customised version of the Android operating system which is designed to provide seamless integration with social networking sites and messaging applications.

Known as the Motorola CLIQ on T-Mobile USA, and the Motorola DEXT on Orange (in France and the UK) and Telefónica (in Spain and Latin America), it integrates very closely with Motorola's brand new MOTOBLUR service which is a combination of software and services that Motorola hope will differentiate their new offering.

This is rather more than a standard handset with a vanilla version of Android, it is very clear that Motorola have put in a significant amount of work to enhance the end-user experience. For example, a MOTOBLUR "Widget" can allow you to post status updates to several different social networking sites all at one, without having to bother with typing in all the different usernames and passwords.

It's not just about social networking, the MOTOBLUR can also integrate with corporate email systems such as Microsoft Exchange, and of course it supports standard Internet protocols and SMS messaging too. The Motorola CLIQ / DEXT can pull down contacts from all the different messaging systems, with an aim to make the CLIQ / DEXT a single unified point to manage disparate services.

Of course, Motorola aren't alone in trying this unified approach. The Palm Pre and Pixi market themselves heavily on the idea of streamlining all sorts of different services into one interface, but Motorola have the advantage that they are using the open Android platform rather than Palm's proprietary webOS application.

Another innovation is the way that the Motorola CLIQ continually backs up all data to Motorola's MOTOBLUR servers. If the phone is lost, stolen or destroyed then you don't need to worry about lost data. You can also track the MOTOBLUR via GPS remotely, and initiate a remote wipe if needed.

We've talked a lot about the software and services that accompany this offering, but the hardware is important too. There's a large 3.1" 320 x 480 pixel touchscreen display on the front, a fairly conventional slide-out QWERTY keyboard along the long edge of the device, a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and geo-tagging, GPS with an embedded compass, stereo Bluetooth, WiFi and tri-band UMTS plus HSDPA download speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps.

The operating system is Android 1.5 ("Cupcake") and this can play back a very wide variety of media files through the standard 3.5mm audio socket, and it has a suite of Google applications plus YouTube support built in.

It's a big, quite heavy handset measuring 114 x 58 x 16mm and weighing 163 grams (or 4.49 x 2.28 x 0.62 inches and 5.6 ounces if you are American). The large 1420 mAh battery is quoted as giving up to 6 hours "usage time" and 13.5 days standby time, which is good.

Apple were perhaps the first major mobile manufacturer to really succeed in making a mobile phone more that just a piece of hardware, but Motorola's vision certainly seems to be as good as Apple's if not better.. on paper at least.

This is the first of many MOTOBLUR handsets. Motorola will announce another one for 2009 launch very soon, and they intend to launch several more Android devices during 2010. T-Mobile and Motorola hope to have the CLIQ (and presumably MOTOBLUR) available by the end of November 2009, in Titanium and Winter White colour schemes.

So, the question is.. can Motorola succeed? We have to say that the CLIQ (or DEXT) looks great on paper, although we would prefer a higher resolution display (such as the Nokia N900's). The integrated software and back-end services look good, and it seems to fit in with a well defined roadmap. Plus, Motorola HAVE to make this phone and the MOTOBLUR service to work if they are to survive, as the future of Motorola as a mobile phone manufacturer depends on it.

Perhaps today will be the day that Motorola finally turns around its long years of decline, we certainly hope so!